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• Drought relief for farmers in 43 Colorado counties

  January 9, 2013 8:21 PM

  DENVER (AP) - Thirty of Colorado's 64 counties have been designated as primary natural disaster areas due to severe drought and heat, making farmers and ranchers there and in adjacent counties eligible for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday that overall, 43... more »

• Fort Lyon Receives Funding

  March 16, 2012 7:55 PM

  Fort Lyon is slated to receive $5 million from the mortgage settlement funds as announced this morning by the governor. The news is very welcome to the small community of Las Animas. As we've been reporting, the closure of the prison has forced some 200 employees to commute, some... more »

• Las Animas to get boost from program at old Ft. Lyon prison

  March 16, 2012 1:22 PM

  Colorado Attorney General John Suthers and Governor John Hickenlooper have announced how $51 million from a recent multi-state settlement with bankers will be used. It includes funding for a program at the now closed Ft. Lyon Correctional Facility near Las Animas. "These funds will help keep Coloradans in their... more »

• Hickenlooper to visit closing prison

  July 26, 2011 8:38 AM

  LAS ANIMAS, Colo. (AP) - Gov. John Hickenlooper is visiting southeastern Colorado to talk with employees at a rural prison that's closing because of budget cuts. Hickenlooper will update prison staff on Tuesdasy about plans to finding another use for the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility in Las Animas. Closing... more »

• Fire danger douses holiday fireworks, campfires

  June 29, 2011 6:14 PM

  DENVER (AP) - National forests and counties along Colorado's Front Range and eastern plains are banning outside fires and fireworks as hot, dry weather keeps the fire danger high. The National Weather Service has issued a red-flag warning signaling high fire danger for much of southern Colorado, including Las... more »

• Disaster declaration for Las Animas County

  June 2, 2011 6:12 PM

  Gov. John Hickenlooper today issued an emergency disaster declaration for the Bear and Purgatoire fires in Las Animas County. The executive order authorizes up to $2.5 million in state aid to help pay firefighting costs and directs the state to seek additional funds from the federal government if necessary. ... more »

• Southern Colorado fires grew overnight

  June 1, 2011 11:53 AM

  Two wildfires, the Bear Fire and the Purgatoire Fire, in Las Animas County experienced some growth due to high winds and dry conditions. The Bear Fire has burned about 6,800 acres on Horseshoe and Barela Mesas and is estimated at 15 percent contained. A small part of that fire... more »

• Bent County officials works on future of Fort Lyon

  May 25, 2011 6:44 PM

  Bent County Commissioner Bill Long and Gov. John Hickenlooper's Chief of Staff, Roxane White, led a delegation to Washington, D.C., this week to meet with federal officials about new uses for the Fort Lyon Prison in Las Animas. Governor Hickenlooper made the decision to close the prison next year,... more »

• One person displaced in house fire

  May 8, 2011 11:20 PM

  A house fire in Colorado Springs has left one man displaced tonight. It happened just before 6 near the intersection of S. El Paso and Las Animas just east of downtown. The entire back addition of the house was destroyed by the fire. It started to spread to the... more »

• Bent County fire grows but is 90 percent contained

  April 13, 2011 7:09 PM

  FORT LYON, Colo. (AP) - A wildfire in southeast Colorado has spread to nearly 22 square miles, but it is about 90 percent contained after drops of water and fire retardant from the air and work by ground crews. A single-engine airplane dumped water and an air tanker made... more »

• Battle against fire continues in Bent County

  April 13, 2011 2:25 PM

  A small air tanker is now aiding fire fighting efforts in Bent County near Las Animas. An estimated 17 square miles of grass and prairie land has burned, but no structures so far. The fire is about 80 percent contained. Last night fire fighters intentionally burned about 1,500 acres... more »

• Estimated 9,000 acres burned in Bent County

  April 12, 2011 6:22 PM

  The fire in Bent County is estimated to have burned 9,000 acres since last weekend. And while it is 85 percent contained, it is still burning along the Arkansas River near John Martin Reservoir. Fifty homes were evacuated near Las Animas by official request, another 30 homes were evacuated... more »

• Bent County fire now 85 percent contained

  April 12, 2011 3:01 PM

  FORT LYON, Colo. (AP) - A large wildfire in southeast Colorado has been 85 percent contained. Fire managers said cooperative weather Monday night helped crews fighting an 11-square-mile wildfire near Las Animas, about 85 miles east of Pueblo. Crews were working Tuesday to put out hot spots and protect structures... more »

• Evacuations lifted in Bent County

  April 10, 2011 4:52 PM

  CAMPO, Colo. (AP) - Authorities have lifted an evacuation order for about a dozen homes in Hasty that were threatened by an 11-square-mile wildfire. This pictures was taken by Prowers County firefighters today. The blaze near Las Animas is one of three that started Saturday in southern Colorado and... more »

• UPDATE: Highway 50 back open between Lamar and Las Animas

  April 9, 2011 6:21 PM

  Bent County Sheriffs Office tells News First 5 Hwy 50 is back open tonight between mile markers 405 and 427, the stretch between Las Animas and Lamar. It was closed earlier due to a fire in the area. Officials say it burned 100-150 acres. It started in the area... more »

• Fire starts in Bent County

  March 22, 2011 7:07 PM

  A grass fire has started north east of Las Animas. It is burning near 17th Lane and LL Road in Bent County. This fire is about 10 miles north of John Martin Reservoir and it moving toward the small town of Hasty. Photo by Donna Ferrell more »

• Lawmakers to meet with Bent County officials

  March 8, 2011 8:31 AM

  DENVER (AP) - State lawmakers are scheduled to meet with officials from a southeastern Colorado city to discuss the possible closing of a prison that residents say will damage the area's economy. The Joint Budget Committee will meet with Bent County officials this afternoon to hear their concerns as... more »

• Governor to discuss prison closure

  March 2, 2011 7:25 AM

  After announcing two weeks ago that he would close the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility, Governor John Hickenlooper is visiting Bent County in person today to explain the need for it to community leaders. The prison closure is expected to save the state around $6 million a year. It's one... more »

• Meeting on Fort Lyon prison closing moved to Las Animas

  February 16, 2011 5:03 PM

  A town hall type meeting to explain the decision to close the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility has been moved from La Junta to Las Animas. Tom Clements, the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, said closing the prison will save an estimated $6.3 million a year. ... more »

• DOC proposes closing Fort Lyon facility

  February 15, 2011 7:21 PM

  Tom Clements, the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections announced a plan today to close the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility located near Las Animas. The prison has an emphasis on health care services, including high needs medical care, geriatrics and services for offenders with serious mental illnesses.... more »

• Man arrested in death of his father

  September 15, 2010 2:09 PM

  Las Animas man faces charges in the death of his father. Police were called to a home in the 900 block of Vine in Las Animas Monday afternoon on a report of an out of control man. Officers said Joe Lucero, 78, had received injuries to his head and... more »

• Admission free at Bent's Fort this weekend

  August 11, 2010 7:02 PM

  Admission will be free on August 14 and 15 at Bent's Old Fort near La Junta, as well as hundreds of other national parks. "This fee-free weekend provides an opportunity for individuals and families alike to take an affordable vacation or to explore a nearby park they have never... more »

• Improvements underway at Colorado National Cemeteries

  August 4, 2010 1:17 PM

  National cemeteries in Denver and Las Animas are getting federal stimulus funds to pay for improvements and equipment. The Veterans Affairs Department said Wednesday that Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver will get about $182,000 to contend with erosion and nearly $162,000 for vehicles and equipment for maintenance and... more »

• Update: Fire victim identified

  July 22, 2010 1:54 PM

  The Las Animas County Sheriff's Office has identified a child killed in a house fire early Wednesday morning near Trinidad. The fire took place at 9050 CR 45.4 in Segundo, a few miles from Trinidad. The house was occupied by seven people. The boy was identified as six-year-old Emiliano... more »

• Snow melt leaves behind river of mud, closing road

  March 18, 2010 11:55 AM

  Melting mountain snow has triggered a mud flow near a rock slide area in La Plata County, leaving behind muck as deep as 4 feet in some spots on East Animas Road along the Animas River. County workers closed the road Tuesday as mud and debris coursed down Missionary Ridge... more »

• State may sell nursing home in Trinidad

  January 8, 2010 8:41 PM

  Lawmakers are debating whether to sell the only state run nursing home that's open to everyone in Colorado. The nursing home has operated in Trinidad for more than 50 years. However, the state says over the past two years, it's become too expensive to run. As one of the... more »