LITTLETON – School officials and the sheriff’s department are evaluating their response to a shooting at a Denver-area school that left two students injured.

Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Cindy Stevenson told a public meeting on Wednesday the district will evaluate each step of the reaction to the Feb. 23 shootings.

Sheriff Ted Mink said his department would adapt its planning if necessary.

One parent, Shannon Facchinello (fash-uh-NELL’-oh), questioned why students at a nearby elementary school were allowed to leave after a lockdown that lasted only about 10 minutes.

One of the shooting victims, Matt Thieu, attended the meeting. He says he’s doing well but not yet attending classes.

KEYSTONE – The identity of a 20-year-old backcountry snowboarder who died in an avalanche near Loveland Pass is expected to be released Thursday.

Summit County Coroner Joanne Richardson said the slide happened at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, about a mile west of Arapahoe Basin ski area. Two other snowboarders who were behind and above the man survived the avalanche.

The man’s name was not been released. Richardson said the man, an employee at Breckenridge Ski Resort, was from Spring Grove, Ill. He had lived in Colorado since November.

THURSDAY, MARCH 11
AARP TAXAIDE, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., United Way, 814 9th St., Greeley. Free tax aide for low- and middle-income taxpayers, especially those age 60 and older. Details: (970) 353-9251.
COMEDIAN JEFF DUNHAM, 7:30 p.m., Budweiser Events Center, 5280 Arena Circle, Loveland. World famous comedian, Jeff Dunham, brings his identity tour to Loveland. Tickets: (877) 544-TIXX or www.ComcastTIX.com.
KAIROS KID’S CORNER: PRESCHOOL STORYTIME, 10 a.m., Kairos Coffee, 1815 65th Ave., Ste 2, Greeley. A community project of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. Details: (970)373-0850.
FRONT RANGE PACESETTERS MEETING, 8-9:30 a.m., Greeley Country Club, 4500 10th Street
Greeley. Anyone who would like to network with other businesses are welcome to attend. Details: (970) 373-3336 or www.bnicolorado.com.
TEATRO IZCALLI COMEDY TROUPE, 6 p.m., Lindou Auditorium in Michener Library, 14th Ave. and 20th St., Greeley. Teatro Izcalli’s focus is to present the traditions, challenges, opportunities

A few morning snow showers are possible today. No accumulation is expected. Later today, skies turn partly sunny in Greeley and throughout Weld County. Highs reach 45 degrees. Northwest winds increase in speed to 30 mph this afternoon, so be ready for a windy afternoon.
High pressure moves back into Colorado tonight through Saturday. This means clearing skies and warming temperatures. High pressure normally delivers sinking air, which isn’t good for storms.
I’m expecting highs in the 50s on both Friday and Saturday under sunny skies. A cold front crashes into Colorado on Sunday into Monday. Look for a slight chance of snow and highs cooling back to around 40 degrees.
If you’re headed into the Mountains today expect morning snow showers then partly cloudy skies. Winds may gust to 40 mph.

While David Roth was out shopping for his son’s birthday gift Wednesday, he lost everything he owned.
“A neighbor called us while we were in the store,” Roth said as he stood before a pile of burned rubble that was once his home. “They said the house was gone.”
The fire, which began about 2 p.m. Wednesday, was located in the Woodlands East Mobile Home Park, 2280 1st Ave. in east Greeley. Roth said he was having problems with a water heater in the house, and on Wednesday morning, an ignition switch was replaced. Union Colony Fire/Rescue Authority firefighters haven’t said what started the blaze, which destroyed the double-wide mobile home, worth about $60,000. Damage to a nearby car and a neighbor’s house were estimated at $10,000.
In addition to losing all of his belongings, Roth’s dog, Mojo, a Chihuahua mix, was lost in the fire.
Neighbors said the fire started with a large explosion.
“I just heard this big boom and looked ou

Weld County’s unemployment rate hit a new high in January, coming in at 9 percent, almost double the rate it was two years ago at this time.
Last year, the highest jobless rate in the Greeley Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Weld, was 8.8 percent in June. January 2009’s rate was 7.2, while the previous January’s rate was
4.8 percent.
Weld’s MSA remains No. 2 in the state for the highest unemployment rate behind Grand Junction.
Colorado’s rate hit 7.4 percent for January, rising only slightly from December, according to the state Department of Labor and Employment.
“While the unemployment rate may be volatile throughout 2010 as Coloradans re-enter the labor force, we expect to see the job market strengthen,” said Donald Mares, executive director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, in a prepared release.
Last January, the state’s unemployment rate was 6.7 percent.
There are mixed opinions on

The Greeley City Council this week got its first look at budget projections for the next two years – and it wasn’t pretty. Compared to the 2010 document, the 2011 budget is projected to run a $4.98 million deficit for a 7.92 percent budget decline; and 2012 is projected at a $6.91 million deficit for an 11 percent dropoff.
Finance Chief Tim Nash said the city is obligated to pay police and fire personnel – whose unions gave up market adjustment and step increases for this year – contractual costs of $1.01 million in 2011 and 2012. Costs for general employee raises and health premiums are projected to increase substantially over current levels in 2012.
Hurting revenue projections, the city anticipates a continued slow pace in housing starts and declines in severance and sales taxes.
Budget meetings for city staff begin in mid-April with departmental budgets for 2011-12 due May 21. The council plans a budget retreat in September, with final reading and adoption

The three members of Greeley’s executive team that the city council directly oversees all received positive annual performance reviews.
However, no raises were handed out to City Manager Roy Otto, City Attorney Rick Brady or Municipal Judge Robert Frick.
Frick, who was hired in June 2008, hasn’t yet received a raise, while Otto and Brady in recent years have gotten either no raise or the same percentages awarded other general employees in the city.
Otto and Brady were reviewed by the council in executive sessions before and after Tuesday’s council work session. Frick received his review a couple weeks ago.
“They all are deserving (of raises), but we don’t have any money in the budget,” said Mayor Tom Norton. “I would think had we had money in the budget, all three of them would have gotten a raise.”
Norton said all reviews were positive. In regard to Otto, “We talked about some of the little things he could improve on and so forth, but everyone gave

It’s an unusual “missing” case. Description: four legs, brown color, young, fast runner.
It was a cow. Or a heifer, if you want to be more precise.
Evans police were called out about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday on a report of a cow running loose in the city. It took several officers and some time to finally corner the heifer, across U.S. 85 near the railroad tracks.
That’s when things got more difficult.
“The train came by and spooked the cow,” said Evans police spokeswoman Rita Wolf. “It jumped and kicked the grille off one of our patrol cars, then took off again.”
Although the cow eluded officers most of the afternoon and evening, it was spotted again about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night in the 2600 block of 42nd Street.
Officers tried to corner the cow several times to rope it in, but could not get a grip on her. A veterinarian in Windsor was called to help with possibly tranquilizing the animal, but as of press time, it was unknown whether the cow had

As “Seussical” – a play that combines themes from 10 different Dr. Seuss books – prepares to begin its run at Greeley Central High School, some performers stopped by the High Plains Library District this week to read to kids.
Chris Johnson, a 1993 graduate of the University of Northern Colorado, performed a few numbers from the play Wednesday and read “The Cat in the Hat” alongside Greeley Central students Dylan Shelofsky, 18, and Paula Griego, 17, at the Farr Library. Here’s how it happened, as Dr. Seuss might have written it:

Thirty kids looked around,
and what had they found?
A mischievous cat;
in a red and white hat.

He smiled at the kids and jumped to and fro;
and soon came his friends: McFuzz and Jojo.
The library was loud, on this wintry Wednesday;
and for this, blame that cat! As he started to say:

“I can see that you’ve got quite a mind for your age;
why I think you pulled me right out of the page.
Now