VAIL VALLEY – The Club at Cordillera and Cordillera Metro District are hosting two additional on-snow events this month to raise money for Vail Valley nonprofit organizations.
All proceeds from both events will support Roundup River Ranch, a camp for children with life-threatening illnesses that is being built in western Eagle County.
On Friday, the Cordillera Vail Club will host the Cordillera Charity Ski Event from 10 a.m. to noon at the Vail Mountain Nastar Course. Entry fee is $75, all proceeds will go to Roundup River Ranch
Prize categories are ages 65 and up; 50 to 64; and 49 and below A post-race party will be held at the Cordillera Vail Club at 1 p.m. To register, contact Rick Freyberg at rich.freyberg@comcast.net or Bart Sigler at bsigler@cordillerametro.org, or call 970-401-3620
On March 29, The Club at Cordillera will host the final event in this year’s Simple Charity Snowshoe Series also to benefit Roundup River Ranch. The event is 5K moonlit snowshoe

The Vail Valley chapter of Habitat for Humanity’s annual Carpenters’ Ball is set for March 13 at the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch.
Cocktails and the silent auction begin at 6 p.m., with dinner, a live auction and dancing with Tina Marx and the Millionaires starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $150 per person, or $2,500 for a sponsored table, and dress is “cowboy elegant.” There’s free parking in the Wolf Lot with a shuttle up to the hotel.
Auction items include:
* Habitat International Paraguay Build:
Experience the culture of Paraguay on an international build with board member Amanda Precourt and a crew of volunteers. This second annual trip to Paraguay is guaranteed to change your live and truly make a difference in the lives of others. It includes six days building a with soon-to-be Habitat homeowners in Paraguay and seven nights’ lodging with all meals included
The trip is Sept. 26 – October 3, compliments of the Precourt Interna

DENVER – A man charged with helping smuggle millions of dollars worth of cocaine from Mexico to the United States has pleaded not guilty in Denver federal court.

Oscar Arriola Marquez is accused of using a remote Colorado ranch to store hundreds of pounds of cocaine headed to large U.S. cities.

He appeared in court Tuesday on charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, attempted conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and money laundering.

Arriola Marquez was indicted in 2003 and arrested in Mexico in 2006. He was extradited to Colorado last week.

He’s being held without bail.

His brother, Miguel, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and is awaiting sentencing.

CORTEZ, Colo. – A southwest Colorado prosecutor has been arrested on charges of driving under the influence.

James Warren Wilson, district attorney for Montezuma and Dolores counties, was pulled over by a state trooper on Feb. 21 near Buena Vista, about 160 miles northwest of his district.

The arrest was reported Tuesday by the Cortez Journal.

Wilson declined to comment.

Wilson also faces charges of driving with an excessive amount of alcohol, possession of a weapon while under the influence of alcohol, careless driving and an open container violation. All the charges are misdemeanors.

The 57-year-old Wilson, a Republican, was first elected in 2004 and was re-elected in 2008. Before becoming an attorney, he served as a deputy sheriff.

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Information from: Cortez Journal, http://www.cortezjournal.com/

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany – Her body aching but her outlook strong, Lindsey Vonn enters the final downhill of the season with a chance to win the overall World Cup title for the third straight season.

After winning six of seven World Cup downhills and the Olympic gold medal, Vonn is the overwhelming favorite in Wednesday’s race, the first event of the World Cup finals.

“I feel good coming into this week. I am fresher than I thought I’d be, at least mentally,” Vonn said Tuesday after placing fourth in a practice run down the Kandahar course. “Physically, I definitely need a break, but mentally I feel fresh. I am skiing pretty relaxed now and I have a lot of confidence.”

Fabienne Suter of Switzerland led Tuesday’s practice, ahead of Olympic silver medalist Julia Mancuso of the United States and Elisabeth Goergl of Austria.

Vonn is coming off a successful weekend in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, where she won a downhill and was runner-up in the super-G in tough condi

GLENWOOD CANYON, Colorado – Crews were working Tuesday afternoon to stabilize rocks above Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon, the Colorado Department of Transportation said.

The agency said it will have a better idea on when the freeway might reopen when the work is finished.

The interstate has been closed in both directions between Dotsero and Glenwood Springs since about midnight Sunday after about 20 boulders, ranging in size from three to 20 feet, crashed down onto the road. The largest boulder weighed an estimated 66 tons, according to state engineers.

Governor Bill Ritter declared the 17-mile stretch of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon a disaster emergency Monday. The declaration will allow the state to seek funding from the Federal Highway Administration to help pay for repairs.

Department of Transportation program engineer Joe Elsen estimated that repair costs could be as much as $2 million.

Transportation officials are still not ready to estimate when the road

GEORGETOWN, Colo. – An Avon man who says his religion explains his marijuana use is fighting a possession charge in court.

Trevor Douglas says he admitted having marijuana in the car in August of 2009 when he was pulled over for having an expired vehicle registration in Clear Creek County. Douglas says that he shouldn’t be punished for having the pot, though, because he says marijuana is the main sacrament of his religion.

Douglas is a member of the Hilo, Hawaii-based THC Ministry. He says his religion mandates marijuana use and that the drug is similar to wine used in the Christian rite of communion.

Douglas planned to represent himself in a hearing Tuesday. He also faces a charge of having drug paraphernalia.

DENVER – A Colorado senator says the state’s top elected officials are wasting thousands of dollars on official brochures and ads promoting themselves and he wants to stop it.

Sen. Bill Cadman, a Republican from Colorado Springs, says the state will be forced to throw out thousands of brochures featuring photos and testimonials from Gov. Bill Ritter when he leaves office in 10 months, and it’s unnecessary.

His bill banning the practice by the governor, secretary of state, treasurer and attorney general will be heard Wednesday by the Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee.

VAIL, Colorado – Vail Mountain’s Nordic Snowsports School will host its final adult telemark workshop of the season on Saturday. All ability levels ages 16 and up are welcome. Participants will be able to learn everything from the fundamentals of telemark skiing to advanced skills and tips that will take them to the next level.
Participants should plan to meet at the Nordic Snowsports School desk in the Golden Peak Lodge at 8:30 a.m. or earlier if rental equipment is needed. The workshop will be on the snow until 3 p.m. The cost of the workshop is $89, or $138 with a lift ticket. Lunch is not included, but breaks will be provided.
Guests who register by noon on Friday will receive a $10 discount. Call 970-754-4390 for more information and registration.

VAIL – The Vail Park and Recreation District’s special district election will take place May 4. Voters will fill three seats and the winners will serve four-year terms.
Four candidates, John Donovan and incumbents Joe Hanlon, Rick Sackbauer and Ken Wilson, are running for the three board of director seats.
April 5 is the last day to register as a Colorado voter for the election. Eligible voters include:
* Property owners within the district, who are registered to vote in the state of Colorado – this includes property owners who own within the district but live elsewhere in Colorado (Please note: to be eligible a property must be held in an individual
name, not a partnership, corporation or trust)
* A resident of the rec district
* A person who is obligated to pay taxes under a contract to purchase taxable property in the district and an eligible voter in Colorado
* The spouse of someone who is the owner of taxable real or personal property w