HOCKEY PLAYERS-CHARITY SKATE

UMass hockey players roll to raise funds for cancer charity

BOSTON (AP) — Two varsity hockey players at a Massachusetts college plan to don inline skates and roll from Boston to Michigan to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Andrew Walker and Jacob Adkins, roommates at the University of Massachusetts Boston, are scheduled to depart from campus on Monday for a roughly 875-mile skate to Mason, Michigan. They plan to skate 100 to 150 miles per day and finish in seven to 10 days. Both have had loved ones with cancer. Adkins watched his mother survive a bout with cancer. Walker’s grandfather died of cancer.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLORADO

Colorado sees uptick in coronavirus cases as state reopens

DENVER (AP) — Health officials say Colorado is experiencing an uptick in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations as the state gradually reopens its economy. Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state epidemiologist, said Friday about 4% of people being tested have the coronavirus, and those who have the disease infect about one other person on average. The number of positive cases peaked in mid- to late-April and declined as health officials encouraged people to wear face coverings and to maintain social distancing. Now, with Colorado’s stay-at-home order lifted, Herlihy says the state is seeing a steady increase in infections.

EXCHANGE-VIRUS OUTBREAK-HIGHER EDUCATION

Pandemic, strained economy threaten higher ed in Colorado

DENVER (AP) — University leaders in Colorado are trying to plan for a safe return to campus later this summer amid a public health crisis that will likely cause enrollment to decline. Unknowns abound, but a looming worry plagues Angie Paccione, the executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education. She tells The Denver Post that next year will be even worse. This year, higher ed was able to get significant support from the federal government, but it’s unclear how long that will last. The pandemic is wreaking havoc on Colorado’s higher education system, which has long been one of the first on the chopping block when the state cuts budgets.

EXCHANGE-DORMANT TRAIN LINE

Proposals could bring trains to Colorado’s Tennessee Pass

DENVER (AP) — The dormant Tennessee Pass Line between Cañon City and Dotsero has been without trains for 23 years, but that could change. The Colorado Sun reports a fledgling railway project in Utah’s Uinta Basin and a billionaire New York City developer with thousands of acres of wheat and an existing rail operation in southeastern Colorado are circling the tracks. They hope to revive the state’s 208-mile transmountain railway. If either gets their wish, trains carrying freight, crude oil and, possibly, passengers, could be rolling through the Royal Gorge, Salida, Browns Canyon, Buena Vista, Leadville, Minturn, Avon, Eagle and Gypsum.

COLORADO BEEF PLANT-PAY DISPUTE

JBS workers walk off job at beef plant over pay dispute

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) — Employees walked off the fabrication floor at the JBS Swift beef plant in northern Colorado as part of a dispute over pay for a certain group of workers. The Greeley Tribune reports Friday afternoon’s protest at the facility involved a pay dispute by the “black hat” cadre of workers on the fabrication floor. It’s unclear exactly how many workers walked off the floor at the Greeley plant. Several workers told the newspaper the black hat position is paid better at the Cargill plant in Fort Morgan, and these employees want to be paid equally. Different color hats at the facility indicate position or supervisory role.

BEAR ATTACKS HOMEOWNER

Homeowner undergoes surgery after bear attack in Colorado

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — Wildlife officials in Colorado have located and killed a bear believed to have been involved in a home break-in and attack, injuring the homeowner. The Aspen Times reported that Colorado Parks and Wildlife said a team with tracking dogs located the bear on the backside of Aspen Mountain before tracking it to a mine shaft and killing it. DNA from the bear was sent to a lab to verify it was the same bear involved in the break-in. Department officials say the homeowner was scheduled for surgery after a bear broke into his home through the front door and swiped a paw at the man. His injuries are not life-threatening.

CAMPER BEAR-COLORADO

Colorado man kills bear in self-defense

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Authorities say a camper in Colorado shot and killed a bear after the animal charged the man and his dog at a camping area. Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman Jason Clay said the man was camping outside of Nederland, 17 miles from Boulder, when he heard his dog barking early Monday. The Daily Camera reported that when the man left his camper, he saw a bear chasing his dog. After the man called for his dog, the bear began charging at both of them. Clay said the man then shot the bear, a male weighing about 260 pounds.

RACIAL INJUSTICE-ELIJAH MCCLAIN

Aurora officers fired for reenacting chokehold file appeals

DENVER (AP) — Two Colorado police officers fired for a photo reenacting a chokehold used on a Black man arrested last year are appealing their terminations. Aurora police officers Kyle Dittrich and Erica Marrero were fired last week after Aurora police released a photo showing them and another officer smiling as they reenacted the chokehold their colleagues used on Elijah McClain. The other officer resigned. The city says the appeals were filed Wednesday. A city spokesperson says the Aurora Civil Service Commission will hold hearings and decide whether to uphold the interim police chief’s disciplinary action or reduce it.