DENVER (AP) – The Federal Aviation Administration is deploying dish-less plane tracking technology on the Western Slope to help pilots navigate through bad weather.

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta announced the activation Monday of Wide Area Multilateration technology around Montrose Regional Airport. WAM acts like radar but instead of using a spinning dish to find planes, the technology uses filing cabinet-size sensors to pick up the signal from plane transponders.

The sensors are located in remote areas near the airport and fix radar blind spots caused by the mountains.

Similar technology was deployed around Craig, Hayden, Steamboat Springs and Rifle in 2009 and additional sensors will be installed by next year around Durango, Gunnison and Telluride.

The Colorado Department of Transportation paid to install the sensors and the FAA maintains and operates the system.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

BASALT, Colo. (CBS4) – Two men suspected of robbing a home and pulling a gun on the homeowner are now under arrest. Their big mistake was stealing a smartphone.

The home invasion was last Wednesday in Basalt on the Western Slope.

The simple feature on the victim’s iPhone not only got her phone back, but also more than $40,000 worth of jewelry.

“We’ve actually never had one, to my knowledge, in the history of our town. We’ve never had anything like this occur here,” Sgt. Stewart Curry with the Basalt Police Department said.

Police believe it was likely a burglary gone wrong and the two suspects, Michael Hawkins and James Ward Jr., didn’t think anyone would be home when they robbed the home. They encountered a 75-year-old woman inside.

“They pulled a gun on her and robbed her,” Curry said.

Michael Hawkins and James Ward Jr. (credit: Basalt Police Department)

From inside the house they took a $20,000 Rolex watch and a $24,000 sapphire and diamond ring. But the suspects likely wouldn’t have been caught if it wasn’t for the victim’s son, who traced the stolen iPhone using its GPS all the way back to Rifle, and then Parachute, more than 65 miles away from where the crime took place.

“We all watched and looked as the dot was moving and they were tracking it and were able to track it to a residence in Parachute,” Curry said.

The suspects were arrested at Ward’s Parachute home. Inside officers found the missing jewelry and iPhone.

Hawkins has another arrest for burglary out of Glenwood Springs. Now both the men will spend some time at the Eagle County Jail for the crime in Basalt, but investigators said they’re looking into a few other burglary cases around the Roaring Fork Valley that could be linked to the suspects.

SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) – It was good news for ski resorts and snowplow businesses as Colorado’s high country finally got some much-needed snow Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Interstate 70 was a mess on Saturday night, but the Colorado Department of Transportation did a good job keeping at least one lane open. Outside of the clear lane there was about three to five inches of snow, which made for some treacherous traveling.

There were a lot of reports of accidents and vehicles sliding off the road, which was good news for tow truck drivers. But the snow was even better news for the ski resorts.

“We need the snow for the ski season, we need the snow for the tourism economy, and we need it for the water,” a skier said. “Denver needs the water and we need it over on the Western Slope, too.”

Officials at Loveland Ski Area said they were excited to see all the snow, especially since the season had started out so dismally.

“The quality of the skiing is much better. It’s like you’re skiing on natural instead of man-made,” a skier said. “It’s not nearly as icy, or should I say scratchy. It’s much better conditions.”

With just shy of a foot of new snow blanketing trees and mountains, many resorts proclaimed Sunday the first powder day of the season.

“This day is truly transformational for us. We had 11 new inches of snow overnight and it’s an instant powder day,” Jen Brown with Beaver Creek Resort said.

Beaver Creek opened eight more runs on Sunday, now with over 350 skiable acres. They also continue to make snow.

“Conditions are perfect for snow, so make fake snow if there’s no real snow,” snowboarder Todd MacInnis said.

It’s all about that foundation and base with the storm. Beaver Creek added more than half a mile of new piping that allowed them to not only open on time but host three World Cup races last weekend before the storm pattern shifted. Now they’re just looking to open more of the mountain terrain, and it looks like there’s still some snow in the forecast.

“Really, snowmaking connects the dots on our mountain and it provides a solid foundation to get us all the way to April,” Brown said.

Two accidents on Sunday forced the closure of I-70 on Vail Pass. An accident in the eastbound lanes closed the highway for about four hours around 11 a.m. Another accident happened in the westbound lanes around 11:30 a.m. near the west portal.

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) – This week between holidays brings some of the rich and famous to the slopes of Aspen, and as the high priced hotels try to keep up with current trends their remodels are helping out dozens of families in the Roaring Fork Valley.

Scott Gilbert is the president of Habitat for Humanity of the Roaring Fork Valley. He runs nearly as many Habitat ReStore outlets as there are on Colorado’s Front Range.

Much of the donated furniture he sells is from some of the state’s priciest hotels.

“Just from Snowmass Club alone, $2.1 million,” Gilbert said.

Habitat for Humanity re-sells most of the furniture for around 10 cents on the appraised-dollar. But this year, five Aspen-hotels have donated furniture, injecting huge profits for the charity.

“$242,000 from the Hotel Jerome, $212,000 from the Snomass Club. … that’s a half million dollars of stuff we know we brought in from them,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert said the profits enable them to “build up a pretty good war chest” for their homebuilding and land funds.

Habitat ReStore (credit: CBS)

Before Gilbert took over, the chapter’s budget was only about $25,000 and they were building about one home per year.

Now, with the help from hotel donations, they are buying home lots by the dozen.

“We have 20 in the bank, 20 that we own and five more being donated,” Gilbert said. “So that will be about six, seven or eight years of building at our current rate of building, but we’re going to increase our rate of building. Because we can now help more people.”

GATEWAY, Colo. (CBS4) – A tanker truck flipped off Highway 141 near Gateway on the Western Slope on Friday.

The truck was westbound when the driver lost control and rolled down an embankment.

The tanker was carrying 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel, but authorities said the diesel burned off.

The driver suffered minor injuries and was cited with careless driving.

DENVER (AP) – Winter weather, hazardous driving and avalanche warnings are covering Colorado.

The National Weather Service said Tuesday up to two feet of snow is expected in the mountains over the next two days. Several inches of snow along the Front Range and Eastern Plains is making driving hazardous.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center says avalanche conditions could become very dangerous on the Western Slope.

The Colorado Department of Transportation has closed Loveland Pass and Colorado Highway 65 near Grand Mesa because of heavy snow.

The La Plata Electric Association said heavy, wet snow that downed some power lines led to outages for hundreds of people in southwest Colorado over the weekend, but power was fully restored Monday afternoon.

LINK: Colorado Avalanche Information Center

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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) – Portions of Colorado’s Western Slope continue to be battered by a winter storm that has dumped more than two feet of snow in some areas.

The National Weather Service said snowfall may be heavy at times through Thursday afternoon in northern Colorado, where gusty winds were expected to make for whiteout conditions on mountain roads. Storm accumulations were forecast to range from 15 to 30 inches.

Skiers and snowboarders were cheering fresh snow Wednesday, with the Steamboat resort reporting 8 more inches of fresh snow in the past 24 hours and 25 inches in the past 48 hours.

But multiple accidents were reported in eastbound Interstate 70 near Vail, and the Colorado Department of Transportation closed Loveland Pass on U.S. 6 for hours Wednesday due to adverse weather.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) – It’s hard enough to find a job with little or no experience and a local unemployment rate above 8 percent.

Add being on the run from a dysfunctional home life, a lack of transportation, not having the money to buy a proper work uniform and having no place to store it anyway as you couch surf, and it becomes nearly impossible to get or keep employment.

It’s a dilemma an estimated 100 Western Slope teens face daily. They want to live independently but need a job to pay for it. Meanwhile, their lack of a home or money and possibly other issues, such as mental health diagnoses or substance abuse problems, keep them from building a work history.

John Mok-Lamme, who runs Karis, Inc., the nonprofit that oversees local teen homeless shelter The House, hopes he’s found a viable solution for the teens who are living at or have lived at The House. The House paid for furniture, food and remodeling at Cafe V. In return, Cafe V Owner Alex Mackey agreed to employ current and former residents of the teen shelter.

Cafe V, which gets its name from being a coffee shop that sells vegetarian cuisine, opened Feb. 4 and hosted a grand opening Feb. 15.

One of the cafe’s employees is 18-year-old Cierra Sutton. She lived at The House from November through this month but recently moved in with her boyfriend and his mother.

Sutton said she’s had other jobs at City Market and working with a Santa at Mesa Mall. But finding those jobs wasn’t easy.

“It’s hard to find a job, especially when you’re a teen because they want someone with experience,” Sutton said. “Transportation is hard, too. I’m trying to save for a car.”

Sutton works 25 hours per week at Cafe V. She said she likes working there because she can “be productive” five days a week while continuing to get therapy through The House from Colorado West Mental Health and working on her General Educational Development diploma.

“The managers are awesome. They tell us they appreciate us being here,” Sutton said.

Mackey can hire and fire whoever he wants, but he has to guarantee at least 100 hours of work each week for current or former residents of The House. So far, he has exceeded that requirement by hiring or providing internship opportunities for five young adults who went through The House, plus one young adult who is economically disadvantaged.

Half of those workers are participating in a 240-hour internship program sponsored by the Workforce Investment Act. Workforce Investment Act Youth Program Supervisor Lori Wacker said the investment act pays wages and insurance for interns in the program. Interns must be 16 to 21 years old and have a hardship such as being homeless, having a criminal record or being pregnant or a young parent to participate.

While employers are trusted to help interns fine-tune their workplace skills, Wacker helps with the little obstacles that could make getting to work difficult, including bus tickets and gas money.

“To work here (at Cafe V), they needed black, shiny shoes and black dress pants. A lot of them didn’t have those, so WIA bought them. How are they going to work if they can’t buy the uniform?” she said.

- By EMILY SHOCKLEY, The Daily Sentinel

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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (CBS4) – Weather is blamed for a school bus crash on the Western Slope that happened Tuesday morning.

The bus rolled onto its side along Highway 50 between Grand Junction and Delta. No students were on board, but the driver and an adult were taken to the hospital. They are expected to recover.

The Colorado State Patrol and the Delta Co. Sheriff’s Office were investigating.

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) – Grand Junction police are investigating after a dispute between a man and his son left one person dead.

Investigators say three people were inside a house early Wednesday when there was a dispute involving a father and his adult son. Police say the son was shot and killed.

Police say no one has been arrested and they are not looking for any suspects.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

DENVER (AP) – Colorado is beginning work on a standard compensation package for people imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit.

Exonerated people would get at least $70,000 for every year behind bars under a bill facing its first test in House committee Thursday.

The bill’s inspiration was on hand to argue for its approval. Robert Dewey of western Colorado is scraping by on food stamps and charity after he was cleared last year of a rape and murder conviction by DNA evidence.

Dewey wore a leather jacket and T-shirt and said he has “no future” unless lawmakers approve the payments. Democratic sponsors say the state bears responsibility when people can prove they were wrongly imprisoned.

The bill would add $25,000 for each year of parole and probation.

Dewey will tell you it’s the little things — the things most people take for granted — that you miss the most when you’re behind bars.

RELATED: New Legislation Aimed At Helping Those Who Are Wrongly Imprisoned | Man Convicted In Mesa County Of Murder, Rape Freed By DNA Evidence

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PARACHUTE, Colo. (CBS) – Colorado health officials say there is no public health danger from chemicals leaking into groundwater in Parachute but dozens of people had questions about the incident.

“We’re the watchdog group for Western Colorado,” said Leslie Robinson with the Grand Valley Citizens Alliance at meeting Monday night to answer those questions.

About 150 people were at the meeting, voicing concerns about the leak of natural gas liquids, saying those hydrocarbon chemicals could taint the creek.

The leak was discovered March 13 and the cleanup continues.

Robinson is among many residents who feel there has been a lack of transparency from both state agencies and the company involved — the Williams Co.

Robinson complained of a wait-and-see attitude rather than being proactive about getting rid of the chemicals.

Matt Lepore, the director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission said communication is key.

“People are concerned about what’s going on and it’s important to keep them informed,” he said.

The chemicals are leaking from the groundwater into the creek, where they then dilute and evaporate.

Still small levels of benzene have been detected but in the creek but below a level dangerous to humans.

The Williams Co. says it is working on the problem.

“On any given day we have 20 or 25 people working on this,” said Dave Keylor, a vice president and general manager of Williams. “We’ll be here until it’s cleaned up. I can’t tell you for sure how long that will be.”

It’s the disparity between the cleanup process and the company’s attitude that has some of those residents still questioning what’s really going on.

“To call this a small event yet this will takes years to clean up is an oxymoron,” Robinson said.

DELTA, Colo. (AP) – No injuries have been reported after a small plane was forced to make an emergency landing on a highway in Delta.

Delta police spokeswoman Jamie Head said the plane left Grand Junction on Thursday and traveled about 40 miles before losing power.

Head said the pilot tried to make it to a nearby airport, but was forced to land on Highway 50. The plane did not hit any vehicles and the pilot was able to move to the shoulder of the highway. The highway was temporarily closed.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) – Officials in charge of managing the popular Hanging Lake Trail area east of Glenwood Springs say they have a plan in place to avoid overuse problems.

The national natural landmark in the White River National Forest has gotten so popular that people who want to park at the rest area off Interstate 70 and climb up the mile-and-a-half long trail to the lake sometimes can’t because there’s nowhere to park.

The parking problems are most pronounced on summer weekends, officials say, and they are hoping visitors to the tourist destination will plan out their visits so they are doing the hike at less-busy times.

“Hanging Lake is a beautiful and fragile ecosystem; the area is limited on space and we want to preserve this very special resource for generations to come. As a result, the reality is that we cannot accommodate every visitor at every time,” District Ranger David Neely said in a prepared statement.

Hanging Lake (credit: Young Kim)

Officials said they have seen visitors parking illegally along Interstate 70 ramps and in unmarked areas. They say that creates safety hazards and access issues for emergency vehicles.

The less busy times on the trail, according to officials, are weekdays before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. They also recommend planning trips before Memorial Day and after Labor Day.

People who want to hike the trail but avoid the crush at the rest area can instead park their cars at nearby areas and access the trailhead by going down the Glenwood Canyon Recreation Path. Officials say those areas are: Glenwood Springs, No Name Rest Area, Bair Ranch Rest Area and Siloam Springs Trailhead at the east end of the Canyon.

More than 130,000 people are now hiking on the trail each year.

Officials said they also want to remind people that swimming in the lake is prohibited and that dogs are not allowed on the trail.

LINK: Hanging Lake Trail

RANGELY, Colo. (AP) – Sheriff’s officials say a wind-driven wildfire south of Rangely has prompted the evacuation of a youth camp as a precaution.

Rio Blanco County Undersheriff Michael Joos says about 40 kids and half a dozen adults were asked to leave Wednesday afternoon. He says the camp is in no immediate danger but was evacuated due to high winds. No other evacuations were immediately ordered.

The Bureau of Land Management says smokejumpers were called to the scene but were grounded by high winds.

The agency says oil and gas facilities in the area have been shut down.

The BLM says the fire was estimated at roughly one square mile Wednesday night.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com’s Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Black Forest, Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Makenzie Leikam (credit: Facebook)

SILT, Colo. (CBS4) – A teenager from the Denver area was killed in a car crash on the Western Slope.

The crash happened on Interstate 70 near Silt Saturday morning. Two people were in the car when the driver lost control and rolled it twice.

Makenzie Leikam, 19, was killed, but her friend, whose name hasn’t been released, survived.

The teens were reportedly on their way home from the Telluride Blue Grass Festival when the crash happened.

(credit: CBS)

Red Canyon Fire (credit: Doug Self)

CARBONDALE, Colo. (CBS4) – A wildfire in Garfield County has prompted evacuations.

The Red Canyon Fire broke out on Monday and it has burned 350 acres. So far there is 10 containment, but witnesses told CBS4 there was less smoke coming from the area on Tuesday morning. It is burning about 10 miles southeast of Glenwood Springs and 8 miles north of Carbondale. It made a run to the north and east Tuesday. That prompted evacuations east of the fire and north to Interstate 70.

About 20 structures are threatened by the fire. The good news is the fire is burning away from Glenwood Springs.

“We’ve had a lot of rain lately, especially this season, but things are still really dry, so from that stand point whatever’s burning up there is burning quickly and that was evident yesterday,” an evacuee told CBS4.

(credit: CBS)

About 60 firefighters were battling the fire along with a heavy air tanker, three single engine air tankers (SEATs) and six smoke jumpers.

No structures are threatened but people in the Crystal Lakes subdivision have been told they might have to clear out.

County officials set up a shelter for large animals that might need to be moved or evacuated at the Garfield County Fairgrounds in Rifle.

The area has received significant moisture in recent weeks.

Officials with the U.S. Forest Service listed the fire danger as low to moderate across Colorado on Tuesday.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com’s Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Black Forest, Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

(credit: CBS)

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — People evacuated by a wildfire burning southeast of Glenwood Springs are returning home.

The evacuation order for the Red Canyon Fire was lifted Friday morning.

Fire spokesman Bill Kight says crews are still repairing downed power lines so the residents probably won’t have power restored to their homes until later in the day.

The 390-acre Red Canyon Fire had threatened 20 structures. The fire didn’t grow Thursday and is now 75 percent contained. That figure is expected to rise Friday.

Authorities believe lightning may have started the blaze on Monday, but the cause is under investigation.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com’s Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Black Forest, Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Joel E. Miller (credit: CBS)

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) – A Craig doctor accused of improperly dispensing drugs that led to the deaths of two patients is due in court Tuesday.

Joel E. Miller is scheduled to appear in court in Grand Junction and should learn whether he’ll be released on bond.

He was arrested Monday in Steamboat Springs on charges of health care fraud, money laundering and distributing and dispensing controlled substances.

An indictment alleges he tried to defraud health care benefits programs by prescribing painkillers to patients who didn’t necessarily need them, at dosages that could cause someone to become addicted.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Denver says Miller also is accused of pre-signing prescriptions and allowing office employees to distribute prescriptions in his absence.

Miller told a Denver television station that he’s the victim of a witch hunt.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

(credit: CBS)

CEDAREDGE, Colo. (CBS4) – A teen has died and another is in critical condition after being exposed to carbon monoxide in a camper.

Three boys slept in the camper Sunday night in Cedaredge on the Western Slope. The boy who died has been identified as Reid Gates of Cedaredge.

Gates, along with Aaron Henrie and Tyler Cooper were airlifted to the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children in Denver. Henrie remains in critical condition and Cooper is listed in good condition.

The boys attend Cedaredge High School. Their exact ages haven’t been released.

Doctors say the three somehow were exposed to the odorless, colorless gas overnight.