SUNRISE: District 11 to host budget meetings

Budget woes facing Colorado Springs School District 11 will be the topic of a series of information and input sessions planned across the district.

A meeting focusing on the 2012-2013 budget will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday in the library of North Middle School, 612 E. Yampa St.

Upcoming meetings will feature information sessions on possible cuts, as well as a chance to offer feedback. Class sizes and furlough days are among the topics that will be discussed.

District officials anticipate state funding to be flat in the upcoming budget year, which runs from July 1 through June 30, 2013. But increases in pensions, utilities and other year-to-year costs have put a strain on the budget, district officials said at a recent community meeting.

District officials plan to cut next year’s budget by several million dollars, though no decisions have been made.

The district has reduced its budget by about $25 million in recent years.

"We've done all the obvious things. Now we're getting to the really tough decisions," said Glenn Gustafson, the district’s chief financial officer, at a recent community meeting.

For a list of upcoming meetings, visit http://bit.ly/w7XjEI.

Transportation funding at issue in upcoming meeting

A group of local leaders will meet Monday to discuss transportation projects in the Pikes Peak region.

The executive committee of the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments’ Board of Directors will meet at 3 p.m. Monday to discuss funding for those transportation projects, according to a release by the organization. The meeting will take place at the Centennial Hall, 200 S. Cascade Ave., Suite 100.

The meeting is open to the public.

WEATHER

Expect mostly sunny skies before a storm rolls into the region overnight, likely bringing with it a dusting of snow.

Colorado Springs should hit a high temperature of 48 degrees on Monday, according to the National Weather Service, before dipping to a low of 23 degrees overnight.

Snow is forecast to keep falling Tuesday morning before turning to rain after noon and back to snow following sunset. The city should reach a high temperature of 39 degrees on Tuesday, forecasters said.

BEST OF THE SITES

• outtherecolorado.com: 13-year-old skier dies in avalanche on Vail Mountain.
• coloradosprings.com: Local Japanese restaurant getting a makeover.
• gazettepreps.com: Updated boys and girls basketball rankings.
• pikespeakparent.com: School safety tips.
• springsmilitarylife.com:  Army suicides down but violent crimes are up
• csfreshink.com: Citizen journalist Jane Rodgers writes about the death of her husband, Lance.

AROUND COLORADO

Man gets concurrent sentences in daughter's death

STERLING, Colo. (AP) — A judge has ruled that a Logan County man convicted of first-degree murder and child abuse causing the death of his 3-year-old daughter will serve his sentences on the charges at the same time.

A jury convicted Mark Weeks in November. His daughter, Alexis, died in 2010 after she was taken to a hospital with a skull fracture. Prosecutors say her body had several bruises, indicating a pattern of abuse.

Alexis's stepmother, Ginger Weeks, had pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death.

Mark Weeks' murder conviction resulted in a mandatory life sentence without parole. The Sterling Journal-Advocate reports a judge also sentenced him Thursday to 48 years in prison, with five years of mandatory parole, on the child abuse charge, but the sentences will be served concurrently.

Rogue Aspen taxi driver gets more jail time

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — A man accused of once again driving a cab around Aspen against a judge's orders has been sentenced to 15 days in county jail for his second contempt-of-court conviction in a year.

Seventy-six-year-old Phil Sullivan is due to start serving his jail term Wednesday.

He was accused of offering cab service without a license. Sullivan had argued he simply gave people free rides home and accepted tips that he used to help him pay for gas and maintenance of his vehicle.

In 2010, a judge ordered him to stop taking money for rides. He spent about a week in jail in March after a judge ruled he had violated that order. Last fall, a judge ruled he had violated the order again in June.

Dems choose Longmont caseworker for House seat

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Democrats have chosen a Longmont social caseworker to be the newest member of the Colorado House of Representatives.

A Boulder County Democratic Party vacancy committee chose 32-year-old Jonathan Singer on Saturday to complete the term of Deb Gardner. She resigned her seat Jan. 9 to become a Boulder County commissioner.

The state secretary of state has to certify his selection before he is formally sworn in.

Singer says his priorities include boosting state support of education, expanding access to affordable health care and helping Coloradans get jobs.

Hybrid vehicles making inroads in city of Boulder

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Residents in Boulder appear to have some kind of drive to buy hybrid vehicles.

The Daily Camera reports statistics from the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder's Office show 4.8 percent of all vehicles registered in the city of Boulder are hybrids.

National statistics are harder to find, but there have been about 2.15 million hybrid electric vehicles sold in the United States since 1999, which would represent less than 1 percent of all registered vehicles in the country.

County records show there were 59,718 vehicles registered in Boulder through December, and 2,884 of them were hybrid electric vehicles. There were 33 all-electric vehicles registered in Boulder.

By June, the city plans to have 40 electric vehicle charging stations around town.

HAPPENINGS

-- “Senior Social,” 10:30 a.m.-noon, Cheyenne Mountain Branch Library, 1785 S. 8th St., free.

-- The Ruth Holley craft group, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Ruth Holley Library Branch, 685 N. Murray Blvd., free.

-- Stitch in the Ditch Quilters, 6-7:45 p.m., Fountain Library Branch, 230 S. Main St., Fountain, free.

-- Sweet Adelines International Global open house, 7 p.m., Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2845 Parliament Drive, free admission.