Colorado

(Newser) - A bizarre accident at Colorado's tony Vail ski resort left a pantless skiier dangling from a chair lift for 15 minutes until rescuers could save him, reports the Smoking Gun. The man, who was riding with a child, became entangled in the chair mechanism and slipped through the slats. His right ski caught and held him, dangling, with his pants pulled to his knees as the chair continued to ascend. Vail officials emphasized that the man was not injured. More »

(Newser) - The jockeying has begun for the Colorado Senate seat to be vacated by Ken Salazar, with Denver mayor John Hickenlooper telling the Denver Post he is interested in, if not “actively seeking,” the spot. Salazar has been designated as Barack Obama’s interior secretary; other names floated for the post include former US Attorney Tom Strickland and outgoing state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. More »

(Newser) - Indications that a problem with the landing gear, brakes or tires caused a plane to skid off the runway in Denver have proved not to be true, CNN reports. Voice and data recorders reveal bumping and rattling sounds moments before the crash, investigators now say. The plane's captain is recovering from his injuries and is not yet able to be interviewed. More »

(Newser) - Brakes, tires, or landing gear likely caused the Denver airliner crash that injured 40 on Saturday, a source tells CNN. Meanwhile the National Transportation Safety Board is continuing its probe of the accident, and revealed that both black boxes on the plane contained clear information. "Tonight, we should have some overall characterization of what was said in that cockpit," said NTSB member Robert Sumwalt. More »

(Newser) - A Continental jet at Denver's airport veered off a runway and into a ravine tonight, sending 38 people to local hospitals, the Denver Post reports. None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening. The 737 jet, which had been trying to take off for Houston, caught fire on one side after the accident, forcing the 112 people aboard to exit via emergency slides. The cause is under investigation; the weather was cold but clear. More »

(Newser) - A University of Colorado student who ran through a pedestrian mall naked except for a pumpkin on her head on Halloween agreed yesterday to a plea deal, the Boulder Daily Camera reports. The 20-year-old will do 6 months of probation and 8 hours of community service, and will not have to register as a sex offender. The agreement is expected to be offered to the 11 other “pumpkin streakers.” More »

(Newser) - America’s economy may be going downhill, but evidently not in the ski destination of Vail, Colo., where one resident is offering a parking space close to prime slopes for $500,000, the Vail Daily reports. “There’s always somebody out there who has money to spend on a good Vail parking spot,” reasons its owner. More »

(Newser) - Peanut-sized bark beetles have drilled into and killed millions of acres of green pines from New Mexico to British Columbia, threatening the Rockies’ iconic lodgepoles with extinction, reports the New York Times . With only costly and temporary fixes available, preservationists are hoping for an atypically frigid winter to contain the pests, which are moving steadily eastward. More »