Colorado

(Newser) - The Grand Canyon might be three times older than previously thought, the Washington Post reports. A study in Science claims that a river—not the Colorado, but a smaller one—began carving the oldest part of the canyon 17 million years ago. It contends that the canyon-building greatly accelerated 5 or 6 million years ago, which is why most geologists use that time frame as its age. More »

(Newser) - A plan to flood the Colorado River is a token move that leaves fish endangered, green advocates say. Federal officials retort that scientists will probe whether the controlled flood—the third so far—helps species threatened by the Glen Canyon Dam. But "doing one of these every five or six years won't get the job done in the long run," one federal researcher told the Arizona Republic . More »

(Newser) - One of the most influential Evangelical Christian leaders in the nation is expected today to endorse Mike Huckabee, providing a major boost to his campaign among conservatives, AP reports. James Dobson, founder of Colorado's Focus on the Family organization, has never before endorsed a Republican presidential candidate during a primary campaign. Dobson has grabbed national headlines with a number of controversial comments, including linking stem cell research to Nazi medical experiments and implying that the cartoon character Sponge Bob Square Pants is gay. More »

(Newser) - The political geography of Western states has been shifting from Republican to Democratic, and four—Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona—could be winnable for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton for the first time in decades, Colorado Confidential writes. Party brass wouldn’t talk up a “Western strategy,” but Democratic success in the Mountain time zone could make other swing states less essential. More »

(Newser) - Soldiers who are unfit because of injuries or illness are being sent to Iraq to meet deployment goals. Physicians reveal that 52 soldiers from Colorado's Fort Carson were deployed despite suffering from nerve damage, mental health problems and other ailments, the Denver Post reports. "Because of issues reaching deployable strength we have been taking borderline soldiers who would otherwise have been left behind for treatment," said an email by a camp doctor. More »

(Newser) - The gunman at two Colorado church shootings yesterday had been expelled from the missionary school where killed two people, the AP reports. He also sent the school hate mail in recent weeks and may have "hated Christians," police said. The school admitted that it had kicked out the gunman, Michael Murray, a few years ago due to "issues with his health." More »

(Newser) - A former mission worker was the shooter in both of yesterday’s Colorado church shootings, CNN reports. The killer, identified as Matthew Murray, worked with Youth With a Mission in Arvada, where the first shooting occurred. The Rocky Mountain News describes Murray as the 24-year-old son of a local neurosurgeon, and CBS 4 reports that his neighbors said Murray was a recluse. More »

(Newser) - Investigators believe there may be a link between deadly shooting sprees yesterday at two Colorado religious sites—a megachurch in Colorado Springs and a Christian missionary center outside Denver. A second victim has died from wounds suffered at the New Light Church, where a guard killed the black-clad gunman who opened fire on worshipers, reports CNN. Two staffers were killed at the missionary center earlier by a man denied a bed for the night, police said. More »

(Newser) - The gunman who opened fire at a Colorado megachurch today killed one and wounded four before being fatally shot by a security guard, CNN reports. Police Chief Richard Myers called the guard at New Life Church "a courageous security staff member who probably saved many lives today." Some of the victims' injuries were life-threatening, Myers said. He added that "suspicious devices" were found on the church grounds. More »

(Newser) - Gunfire struck Colorado Christians a second time today, hitting at least four people in the parking lot of Ted Haggard's New Life Church this afternoon, the AP reports. It was unclear if the incident, in Colorado Springs, was linked to two earlier shooting deaths at a missionary training center 70 miles away, where officials said a white male shot 4 staffers after being denied shelter last night. More »

(Newser) - Which city gives those who prefer to travel by foot the most opportunities in terms of work and play? The Brookings Institution crunched some numbers to come up with the nation's most "walkable" cities. DC leads the way. Here's the top 10: Washington, DC Boston San Francisco Denver Portland More »

(Newser) - The crime surge of the last two years seems to be petering out, according to a new study by a police research group. The 2005-2006 rise in violent crime rates had been the first sustained jump in over a decade, but the new report shows that the numbers of murders, robberies and aggravated assaults are down in major jurisdictions in the first half of this year. More »

(Newser) - Two Rocky Mountain municipalities have pared back penalties for cannabis users, joining a growing group of US cities, Time reports. Hailey, Idaho (pop. 8,500) and Denver joined the list this week during elections. Voters in the Mile-High City, whose mayor has admitted past pot use, are letting users get away with having an ounce of grass or less. More »

(Newser) - When the new term starts next week at a Colorado elementary school, kids won't be chasing each other around the playground. Tag has been banned at Discovery Canyon Campus school, where it was deemed to generate too many injuries and complaints. “It causes a lot of conflict on the playground,” the assistant principal told the Colorado Springs Gazette . More »