SUNRISE: Break-ins at NE Springs homes appear linked

Police are warning residents to be aware of what appears to be a pattern of burglaries in the Springs' northeast neighborhoods.

Officers were called to the 6000 block of Tuckerman Lane at about 1 p.m. Wednesday, where they found the front door of a house forced open. Valuables had been stolen from the home, Colorado Springs police said. No one was home at the time of the break-in.

Officers believe the burglary is connected to a break-in on the 9000 block of Chetwood Drive. Two men forced the front door of a home open at about 9:20 a.m. Wednesday. The homeowner scared the men away.

Anyone with information about the break-ins can call Colorado Springs police at 444-7000 or Crime Stoppers at 634-7867. Tips can also be texted to 847411.

Picric acid found in another old first-aid kit
A resident alerted by a public service announcement reported finding picric acid, an explosive chemical compound, in an old first-aid kit Wednesday..

Emergency responders found the acid soaked into a gauze bandage in the kit. The bomb squad disposed of the bandage.

Picric acid is very sensitive to heat, shock and friction. It once was a common item in first-aid kits. Residents who find items containing picric acid should leave the items where they are and call 911 for proper disposal, police said.

WEATHER

The National Weather Service expects showers and thunderstorms to hit the Pikes Peak region Thursday afternoon, following partly sunny skies and a high of 77 degrees. There’s a 60 percent chance of rain.

There is a 30 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms before midnight Thursday and an overnight low of 60 degrees is forecast.

There is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon Friday.

AROUND COLORADO

Elderly man's car ends up in Clear Creek
WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. (AP) — Authorities are investigating how a car driven by an elderly man ended up in Clear Creek in a park in suburban Denver.

Emergency personnel found the man's body in the car Wednesday. The man's name hadn't been released early Thursday.

Witnesses say they saw the car drive from the parking lot at Prospect Park into the creek.

Arvada fire spokesman Scott Pribble says it's unclear whether a problem with the car or a medical condition was to blame. He said the man had no pulse when rescuers arrived and it took nearly two hours to get him out of the car because of the swift-moving water.

The man was taken to Exempla Lutheran Medical Center.


Colorado pot campaign starts Thursday
DENVER (AP) — A state board has given final clearance for the language of a ballot proposal that would legalize marijuana for recreational use in Colorado.

Activists plan to begin gathering petitions Thursday afternoon to put the question on ballots next year.

The constitutional amendment would set up a direct conflict with federal drug law, which bans marijuana. Supporters point out that federal law bans pot for medical use, too, but 16 states now allow medical marijuana.

Supporters anticipate no trouble getting the measure on ballots. They need about 86,000 valid signatures, one of the nation's lowest thresholds.

Colorado voters rejected a pot legalization question in 2006.  The new version directs state lawmakers to add an excise tax of up to 15 percent on recreational pot, in addition to sales taxes.

Owner of alleged brothel pleads guilty in tax case
DENVER (AP) — A woman has pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion for her purchase of a Denver business described by authorities as a brothel.

Denver's KUSA-TV reported that Brenda Stewart, 35, entered the plea Wednesday in federal court.

Stewart was indicted last year on 70 counts of tax evasion, using interstate commerce in aid of racketeering, witness tampering and money laundering. Authorities say she changed her plea to guilty in exchange for an agreement dropping all but one count.

Stewart faces fines and up to five years in prison when she's sentenced in November.

Former owner Scottie Ewing pleaded guilty last year to one count of federal tax evasion surrounding the sale of Denver Sugar/Denver Players to Stewart. He was fined $70,000 and sentenced to home detention and probation.


Tax break for Colorado casinos spurs resignations

DENVER (AP) — Gov. John Hickenlooper has asked for the resignation of three members of the state's gaming commission over their decision to give casinos a tax break.

Hickenlooper announced Wednesday he asked for the resignations because of a tax break for the state's casino industry. The tax break took effect July 1.

The tax break came amid industry concerns that casinos were struggling because of the bad economy. Hickenlooper says "Colorado casinos pay among the lowest tax rates in America." He previously said the tax break would cost the state millions in funding for community colleges and other groups that rely on gaming-tax revenue.

Republican Rep. Carole Murray said she disagrees with the governor's decision and that the gaming commission is supposed to be independent and not subject to political reprisal.

School voucher opponents seek to block program
DENVER (AP) — Groups challenging a Colorado school district's new voucher program are asking the court to block the program while their lawsuits go forward.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a preliminary injunction Tuesday to halt the program by the Douglas County School District. The group Taxpayers for Public Education has filed a separate request for an injunction.

The lawsuits contend the program violates the Colorado Constitution by diverting public funds to private schools. They also argue the vouchers would violate the separation of church and state by using taxpayer dollars for religious schools.

A school-choice advocacy group seeking to intervene on behalf of the district and some parents say the program isn't unconstitutional because parents choose the schools.

Getches, CU law dean, dies at 68
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — David Getches, a leading American Indian rights lawyer and former dean of the University of Colorado School of Law has died.

He was 68.

University officials told the Boulder Daily Camera that Getches died at his home Tuesday of pancreatic cancer. He had stepped down as dean of the law school at the end of June to rejoin the faculty.

Getches moved to Colorado in 1970 to become the founding executive director of the Boulder-based Native American Rights Fund. He also served as executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources from 1983 to 1987.

Among American Indian rights cases by Getches, the 1974 United States v. Washington case is cited by the National Congress of American Indians as the leading case on enforcement of tribal treaty rights.

HAPPENINGS

-- Farmers market, 7 a.m.-1 p.m., Memorial Park, 1605 E. Pikes Peak Ave.

-- Farmers market, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., First and Main Town Center, 3305 Cinema Point.

-- “Color the Earth with Beth Epley” children’s program, 10:30 a.m., Cheyenne Mountain Branch Library, 1785 S. 8th St., free.

-- “Tales from the Four Directions” children’s program, 10:30 a.m., East Library, 5550 N. Union Blvd., free.

-- “Bugs Around the World” children’s program, 10:30 a.m., High Prairie Library, 7035 Old Meridian Road, Falcon, free.

-- “Eiffel off the Tower” children’s program, 10:30 a.m., Westside Community Center, 1628 W. Bijou St., free.

-- Fountain Creek Brass Band, 7 p.m., Soda Springs Park, 1016 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, free.

-- “East Teen Center Summer Movies - Marley and Me,” 7 p.m., East Library, East Teen Center, 5550 N. Union Blvd., free. Seating limited.

-- “Pictures on the Promenade - Shrek Forever After,” Sundown, The Promenade Shops at Briargate, 1885 Briargate Parkway, free admission.