VAIL VALLEY, Colorado - The Valentine Season is upon us in Colorado's Vail Valley - thoughts of sweethearts, love and caring come to the forefront of our minds. An exceptional sweetheart with a difficult job has blessed countless people for half a decade.
Nurse Willie Benway has been that angel to the nursing profession and to our mountain community. We are extremely grateful for her selfless efforts all these many years.
How many people stick with anything for 50 years? She graduated from nursing school in 1959, and continues to work as a registered nurse at Colorado Mountain Medical, caring for the community of which she has been such an integral part.
She was born and raised in Nebraska, became a nurse, and began a series of adventures in medicine which took her to cities in Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana and Colorado.
"There were all sorts of opportunities for nurses," says Willie. "We could work anywhere, and have a good time as well."

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.- The family of Colorado Springs filmmaker David Hames is waiting for word on whether remains found in rubble from the earthquake in Haiti are his.

Hames was working in Haiti for Compassion International with Dan Woolley last month when the earthquake hit. Woolley was rescued from the rubble of a Port-au-Prince hotel after spending 60 hours in an elevator shaft.

Compassion International spokesman Stephan Archer said Tuesday that the agency is waiting for results of a forensic examination to identify recently found remains at the site. Archer says according to Hames' family, clothing from the remains matched what Hames was wearing.

Colorado Springs-based Compassion International fights child poverty.

DENVER (AP) - Police in at least two states are increasingly using a DNA crime-solving technique that some legal experts say amounts to guilt by association: If your brother, father, uncle or son has been in trouble with the law and is in a DNA database because of it, you, too, could fall under suspicion.

The technique is known as a "familial DNA" search. And in what is believed to be a precedent-setting case, Denver police used it to help catch the burglar who left a drop of blood on a passenger seat when he broke a car window and stole $1.40 in change.

A growing number of law enforcement agencies nationwide are considering whether to adopt the technique, which scientists say holds great promise.

"How can we look a rape victim in the face and say, 'We could have prevented your rape if we had looked at this evidence?'" said Fredrick Bieber, a Harvard medical professor who co-wrote a research paper suggesting familial DNA searches could solve up to 40 percent more c

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's says he's willing to start from scratch on health care - as long as the final bill meets his goals.

Answering reporters' questions Tuesday after a meeting with congressional leaders of both parties, Obama said both sides have to give ground on health care. The American people want the problems of cost and coverage addressed - and they don't want another year of wrangling in Congress, the president said.

Obama said he's willing to work on medical malpractice limits - favored by Republicans.

But Republicans have to come around on the need for comprehensive legislation to reduce costs, expand coverage and rein in insurance company practices, he said.

WASHINGTON - Appealing for bipartisanship in a town where it's lacking, President Barack Obama sat down with Democrats and Republicans Tuesday to spur cooperation on job creation, deficit reduction and health care overhaul. He promised to do his part - but warned he would take Republicans to task if they don't do the same.

"The people who sent us here expect a seriousness of purpose that transcends petty politics," Obama said afterward, making a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room.

He started his remarks to reporters by engaging in a bit of wishful thinking: joking about Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and Republican leader Mitch McConnell "out doing snow angels together on the South Lawn."

But the friendly rhetoric quickly gave way to tougher talk.

"We can't afford grandstanding at the expense of actually getting something done," Obama said. "What I won't consider is doing nothing."

Obama ticked off several areas where he said cooperatio

DENVER - Republican Scott McInnis says he'll revoke an executive order that allowed state employees to form unions and rewrite new oil and gas rules if he is elected governor.

McInnis railed against oil and gas regulations pushed by Gov. Bill Ritter's administration. The former Colorado congressman, speaking at a mining conference Tuesday, said the regulations are to blame for the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in the state.

McInnis, the GOP front-runner, also took aim at Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, a Democratic candidate for governor. He criticized Hickenlooper, who used to work in the oil and gas industry, for not speaking out against the new regulations.

Ritter, a Democrat, isn't seeking re-election.

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - A smelly problem is piling at trails around Jackson where people go hiking and cross-country skiing with their dogs.

How big is this problem? Bridger-Teton National Forest officials say they recently counted 173 piles of dog waste around just one trailhead.

The problem is so bad, it's contributing to elevated bacteria levels in nearby streams.

District Ranger Dale Deiter says the situation is "not acceptable." He's promising to step up enforcement so people clean up their dogs' acts.

VAIL VALLEY, Colorado - Vail Valley snowboarder Clair Bidez, 22, is one of the models in this year's Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.
Bidez was photographed by Warwick Saint in Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia. To see more, go to http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010_swimsuit/winter/clair-bidez/

COPPER MOUNTAIN - A man from North Carolina died while riding the Alpine lift at Copper Mountain Monday afternoon. According to a press release from the Summit County coroner, witnesses said Christopher Harrison, 46, of Durham, N.C., was riding the lift at about 2:30 p.m. Monday when his head fell forward in the chair. When the chair reached the top, the lift operator stopped the lift, and Harrison was found to be in cardiac arrest.
Ski patrol responded and attempted to revive the man. He was transported to St. Anthony's Copper Mountain clinic where he was pronounced dead at 3:18 p.m. According to the coroner, an autopsy has been ordered. Harrison had arrived in Summit County with a group on Saturday.

ASPEN - Small-town pride trumped Aspen's customary glitz Monday, as a few hundred spectators crammed into Gondola Plaza to cheer on seven local athletes who will head to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver later this week.

Snowboarders Gretchen Bleiler and Chris Klug, and skiers Casey Puckett and Alice McKennis took their turns waving to the crowd. Three other Winter Olympians - figure skater Jeremy Abbott, cross country skier Simi Hamilton and alpine skier Jake Zamansky - were out of town, competing or training, but their parents took the stage to thank the fans and revel in their sons' glory.

Aspen has long been a community that celebrates athletic achievement, said Aspen Skiing Co. President and CEO Mike Kaplan.

"It's a true testament to this place, this entire valley, that we have seven athletes from this tiny place," he said.

"They refer to us as elite athletes, but here we're just average," quipped Puckett, the former alpine skie

ASPEN - Jazz Aspen Snowmass is celebrating its 20th season this summer by bringing in musicians who haven't played the Aspen area in ages, a combination of horn players that hasn't been together locally in years, and a contemporary rock band - perhaps the best rock band of its time - in its local debut.

Harry Connick Jr., whose last local appearance - in 1991 at the Wheeler Opera House - caused a run on tickets, kicks off the Jazz Aspen summer season with a June Festival concert on June 25. JAS@20! an anniversary bash set for June 26, includes saxophonist Maceo Parker and trombonist Fred Wesley, playing together in the area for the first time since a memorable performance at Jazz Aspen's inaugural Labor Day Festival, in 1995. Both are alums of James Browns' JB Horns and P-Funk's Horny Horns.

And Wilco, the critics' darlings whose 2009 release, "Wilco (The Album)" recently earned a Grammy Award for best Americana album - the band's f

ASPEN - A former Aspen police officer pleaded not guilty to three sexual-related felony charges Monday in Pitkin County District Court.

The case against Joe Holman, who resigned last year from the Aspen Police Department in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct, appears headed to trial.

Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Pototsky and Holman's attorney, Lawson Wills, indicated that negotiations have broken down. Judge James Boyd scheduled the trial for July 13. It's expected to last up to five days.

Holman, 38, faces the class-four felony charge of criminal attempt to commit sexual exploitation of children, the class-six felony of criminal attempt to commit sexual exploitation of a child, the class-six felony of tampering with criminal evidence, and the misdemeanor of criminal attempt to invasion of privacy.

He was arrested in June on suspicion of hiding a video camera in a shower stall used by a teenage girl who lived at his house. The incident allegedly happene

DENVER - Gov. Bill Ritter plans to take a dispute over campaign finance laws straight to the Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Ritter's chief legal counsel, Trey Rogers, said the governor is asking the court to determine if state campaign finance laws are unconstitutional in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Under the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling, businesses and unions can now directly spend unlimited amounts of money to produce and run their own campaign ads despite a ban in Amendment 27, which was approved by Colorado voters in 2002.

House Majority Leader Paul Weissmann, D-Louisville, said lawmakers are drafting a resolution supporting Ritter's decision to take the dispute to court.

Weissmann said lawmakers are hoping for a quick ruling so any changes can be made before the Legislature adjourns May 12, in time for the November elections.

"We want to find out what part of our constitution is unconstitutional. The easiest way is for the governor to ask

David Dillon, thank you so much for your thoughtful commentary in the Vail Daily regarding Buddy and, subsequently, animal cruelty and welfare laws, which are woefully inadequate throughout our country.

With the movement created as a result of Buddy's horrific death, perhaps things will begin to change for the better.

In addition to David's plethora of information, there is a bill before the current Colorado Legislature that will help shelters and rescues throughout the state of Colorado: HB 10- 1214. It will introduce a beautiful new "Adopt a Shelter Pet" license plate, with $ 30 from the sale of each plate going directly to shelters and rescues in need.

Once this bill becomes law, we can look to our legislators to consider stricter animal welfare laws in our state. The "Adopt a Shelter Pet" plate ( adoptapet foundation.org) is a great place to start our campaign.

Thanks again, David, for being a voice for Buddy.

Janet Boeser and G

I have a bit of a bone to pick with the town of Gypsum. I have lived here for 11 years, and although the law of no parking on the street has been in effect for some time, it has not been enforced until very recently.

My two teenage children have friends who come to the house, and we don't have enough driveway space to have them park there; they park in our cul-de-sac.

We have not had a problem with this until recently, when this new ticket nazi has been patrolling our neighborhood and issuing tickets to these kids. This ticket nazi has assured us that they are going to be doing this all of the time.

My kids' friends are not here late at night. In fact, the tickets have been issued during evening hours before 10 p. m. I do understand that there should be no overnight parking on the streets, but I cannot understand why our guests cannot park in front of our house while they are visiting. I do not want to tell my kids that they are not allowed to have friends over be

BILLINGS, Mont. - Authorities say a 50-year-old man was killed in an avalanche while he was snowmobiling in west-central Wyoming's Squaw Creek area.

Lt. Brian Andrews with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department says Bob Joe Turney was buried after a 150-foot wide avalanche broke loose near Greys River at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Turney was wearing an avalanche beacon, and three fellow snowmobilers located him within about 15 minutes of the slide.

Avalanche danger at the time was rated considerable by the Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center. The slide happened at about 9,000 feet of elevation on a south-facing slope.

Snowmobilers have accounted for five of the 11 avalanche deaths in the United States this winter. There have now been two avalanche deaths in Wyoming this winter, the first occurring Jan. 6 when a Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski patroller was swept off a cliff.

Montana has seen two avalanche deaths this winter. An ice climber was killed in th

MADISON, Wis. - Dane County authorities say a drunken man stole an ambulance from a ski area with the patient still inside.

The Dane County Sheriff's Department says Fitchrona emergency responders were treating a patient in the back of the ambulance at the Tyrol Basin Ski and Snowboard Area in Mt. Horeb on Monday night. A 24-year-old Illinois man got into the vehicle and drove it around the parking lot.

Dane County Sheriff's spokeswoman Elise Schaffer says police officers from Mt. Horeb stopped him but she didn't have any information on how they did it. Dane County Sheriff's deputies arrested the man.

Mt. Horeb Police Chief Jeff Veloff didn't immediately return a message.

VAIL VALLEY, Colorado - During his first year in Congress, Rep. Jared Polis, the Vail Valley's congressman, showed he could raise money like a House veteran, writing checks for fellow freshmen representatives at a rate that rivals the fundraising clout of even Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Polis' political committee last year doled out more than $400,000 to Democratic members of Congress in swing districts and national political campaign groups.

Now he is branching out.

Polis said he will accelerate efforts in his second year on Capitol Hill by forming another joint fundraising committee to help Democrats willing to challenge incumbent Republicans.

Analysts said Polis - a millionaire in a safe district with access to lots of money - is in a good position
Extras

* Keep up with the latest political events and opinion at The Spot politics blog.
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to raise funds for others and build influence in

DENVER - An annual report by the Colorado Commission for Higher Education says roughly one-third of Colorado students entering college need remedial help in a core subject.

Among Colorado high school graduates who enrolled in two-year colleges in Colorado in fall 2008, about 53 needed remedial help in math, reading or writing. Among those enrolling in four-year Colorado colleges, 19 percent of first-year students needed remedial help in at least one of those subjects.

The report to the Legislature comes as the state embarks on reforms spurred by the Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids, or Cap4K, legislation. The bill, signed by Gov. Bill Ritter, tasks the state to create public education standards and assessments from preschool through college.

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Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com

WASHINGTON - Snow blew across the Midwest on Tuesday on track for the hard-hit Mid-Atlantic region, where federal government offices were closed for a second day and utility workers struggled to restore power knocked out by a weekend blizzard.

The storm hit the Midwest early, closing schools and greeting commuters with slick, slushy roads from Minneapolis and Chicago to Louisville, Ky. Hundreds of flights were canceled at Chicago's airports as the storm moved across Illinois, where up to a foot of snow was forecast.

Powerful winds and snow were expected to hit Mid-Atlantic states by the afternoon, and could leave as much as 20 inches of new snow in Washington and 18 inches near Philadelphia - a Northeast travel hub - by Wednesday night.

Parts of the region were already buried under nearly 3 feet.

A Safeway grocery store in the Dupont Circle area of Washington had milk and some bread Tuesday, but many other items were picked over from the last storm. There