A former Monument man will be officially sentenced Friday after pleading guilty last month to five felony counts in connection with a decade-long ruse to conceal the disappearance of two missing adopted boys while collecting more than $150,000 in welfare checks.

Edward Bryant, 58, agreed to a 30-year sentence in the April 19 plea deal.  

The boys – Austin and Edward Bryant Jr. – remain missing.

Read more here.

 

FRIDAY’S WEATHER

The National Weather Service forecasts sunny skies with a high near 82. Friday night, expect mostly clear skies with a low around 49. Saturday’s forecast calls for a high about 82.

 

BEST OF OUR SITES

coloradosprings.com: Insider Eats: Foods from the forest

outtherecolorado.com: Plan your moonlight hike during weekend ‘super moon’

pikespeakparent.com: 15 local ideas to celebrate mom this Mothers Day

springsmilitarylife.com: Virtual military spouse career fair Monday

csfreshink.com: Stetson Elementary School hosts ACS Relay Recess

  

GETTING SOCIAL

The weather is looking great for hiking this weekend. Get all the latest on being “Out There” from the Out There Colorado Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/outtherecolorado

  

AROUND COLORADO

8.5 tons of prescriptions drugs collected

DENVER (AP) — More than eight-and-a-half tons of prescription drugs were collected in Colorado during the Drug Enforcement Administration’s drug take-back event.

The DEA this week said 17,646 pounds of prescription drugs were collected at drop-off points across the state during the event on Saturday. In Montana, the DEA collected 1,741 pounds and 1,224 pounds in Wyoming.

The DEA started the take-back program in 2010 following studies that indicate that more people abuse prescription drugs than cocaine, heroin, and hallucinogens combined. A majority of the abused prescription drugs come from home medicine cabinets.

Nationwide, the DEA collected 276 tons of unwanted or expired medications for disposal.

Snowpack levels far below average

DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s snowpack is quickly melting, as warm, dry conditions persist.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service says the statewide snowpack was 19 percent of average as of May 1, with more than half of all snow survey locations in the state reporting no snow. The statewide snowpack was listed at 22 percent of average Thursday.

State conservationist Phyllis Ann Philipps of the Natural Resources Conservation Service says the statewide snowpack looks to have peaked around March 12, a month ahead of average. Conditions match those recorded during the record-setting drought of 2002 in Colorado.

The amount of water in state reservoirs is above average, thanks partly to a wet winter last year, but there’s a potential for water shortages late in the summer.

Colorado River generating money and jobs

DENVER (AP) — A new report estimates recreational activity along the Colorado River and its tributaries contributes about $17 billion in direct spending per year.

The report was commissioned by Protect the Flows, which represents small businesses like fishing guides and others who rely on the Colorado River basin in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

The study was conducted by the economic research firm Southwick Associates. It estimates that business activity resulting from recreation focused on the river generates more than $1.6 billion in federal taxes annually and $1.6 billion in state and local tax revenues.

A 2006 study that Southwick conducted for the Outdoor Industry Foundation estimated outdoor recreation nationwide contributed $730 billion to the U.S. economy annually.

Company cancels plan for radioactive storage

FORT COLLINS (AP) — An oilfield services company is canceling plans to store radioactive materials and explosives in a Windsor industrial park.

Allied Wireline Services says the application process was taking too long.

According to the Fort Collins Coloradoan (http://tinyurl.com/c5rb627), the company uses the materials to help oil and gas companies map underground deposits.

Independence Pass set to open early

ASPEN (AP) — An unusually mild winter and low snowpack have prompted a popular mountain pass east of Aspen to open weeks ahead of schedule.

The Colorado Department of Transportation says Independence Pass on Colorado 82 will open May 11, two weeks before normal.

The early opening is markedly different from last year, when crews worked 14-hour days to remove snow up to 25 feet deep to open the pass by Memorial Day weekend.

The pass reaches a peak of more than 12,000 feet.

Tax break on school supplies advances

DENVER (AP) — A back-to-school sales tax break on school supplies and low-cost clothes is closer to approval in Colorado, despite criticisms from the right and the left that a so-called “sales tax holiday” may do little to help needy children or the economy.

A Senate committee approved the tax break 4-3 on Thursday. The measure faces another committee test, but its chances are excellent in the Senate. Senate President Brandon Shaffer is one of the sponsors.

Back-to-school tax breaks are popular with voters, and Shaffer is running for Congress this year against a Republican incumbent. One of the House sponsors, Rep. Joe Miklosi, is another Democrat running for Congress.

The measure would waive the state’s 2.9 percent sales tax on certain school supplies and low-cost clothes and computers. If approved, the sales tax holiday would be the first weekend in August. It likely wouldn’t take effect until 2014.

Boulder researcher looking for radioactive dust

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A University of Colorado researcher is looking for radioactive dust in snow before a new uranium mill is built near towns in San Miguel County.

Mark Williams has collected about 3,000 pounds of western Colorado snow to determine how much radioactive dust is already there. The area is rich in uranium that has been mined for more than 100 years.

According to the Boulder Daily Camera (http://bit.ly/IIPTqg ), environmental groups are concerned because the mill is the first new uranium milling operation to earn a permit in the United States in more than two decades.

HAPPENINGS

— “Eighth Annual Letter Rip Day,” 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Freedom Financial Services Expo Center parking lot, 3650 N. Nevada Ave. Bring up to five boxes of documents to shred. Plastics, cardboard, magazines and files more than 1/2 inch thick cannot be accepted. Cost is $5 per each additional box over five. Other items accepted are televisions for $1 per square inch, computer monitors for $10 each and hard drives for $5 each. Proceeds benefit the BBB’s Excellence in Education scholarships.

— Storytime – “Utterly Lovely One” by Mary Murphy, 10:30 a.m., Barnes and Noble, 795 Citadel Drive East.

— “First Friday ArtWalk,” 5-8 p.m., West Colorado Avenue, between 23rd and 27th streets, free.

— “Mother’s Day Frame” make-it take it for ages 3 and older, 6-8 p.m., local Michaels, 2140 Southgate Road; 3040 N. Powers Blvd.; 7664 N. Academy Blvd., free with purchase of frame or words, while supplies last.

— American Girls Club, for girls ages 6-12, 6:30 p.m., Barnes and Noble, 795 Citadel Drive East.

— “Faces of Ukwala – A Night of Celebration in Honor of African Women,” with Jamoral, a local West African Drum and Dance, 7 p.m., Marmalade at Smokebrush, 219 W. Colorado Ave., Suite 210, free.

 

 

A bear that wandered into the University of Colorado dorm complex at Williams Village and was tranquilized by wildlife officials last week was killed by a car on U.S. 36 early Thursday. (Andy Duann / CUIndependent.com) Photo by