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Week In Review

Remains found

The remains of an Eagle man were discovered south of town, two years after he went missing. John Vengrin was killed by a single gunshot to his head. The death is being ruled a suicide, said Kara Bettis, Eagle County coroner.

Dental records were used to identify the remains. Vengrin, 55, had not been seen or heard from since Nov. 20, 2011. The Eagle County Sheriff’s office was initially contacted by Vengrin’s landlord on Jan. 17, 2011 who reported Vengrin missing.



The landlord had located Vengrin’s vehicle in long-term parking at the Eagle County Regional Airport. The key was in the ignition, but was not attached to any key ring.

Last Friday, Vengrin’s remains were found in the Horton Gulch area west of Eagle Ranch. An individual engaged in recreational activity in the area found the remains, the Sheriff’s Office said.

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How he got from the airport to Hardscrabble Road remains a mystery, deputies said.

Local building slowly recovering

After the financial collapse of 2008, a combination of risk-shy lenders and new federal banking regulations have put at lid on area construction, at least for multi-family and other speculative projects.

New homes are now popping up around the valley, but the problem is financing. That lid may be lifting a bit, especially for those building one unit at a time. There will be 30 new homes built in Gypsum this year. Brokers are still clamoring for more units, but running into the financing obstacle.

Ambulance theft charges

A local man was back before a Fort Collins judge last week after he allegedly stole an ambulance.

Stefan Sortland, 18, is a student at Colorado State University and he has been charged with motor vehicle theft and assaulting two correctional deputies in the Larimer County jail booking area.

New Year’s stabbing sentence

A Denver man avoided jail in connection with a New Years Eve stabbing in Eagle County, but isn’t clear of trouble yet.

Nathaniel Malcolm was sentenced Wednesday to four years probation for stabbing a local man after a New Year’s Eve celebration almost two years ago at an Avon hotel.

Fryingpan River water court appeal

Pitkin County, the Colorado River District and the Grand Valley Water Users Association have each filed an appeal with the Colorado Supreme Court over a recent Water Court decree setting the size of a diversion from the headwaters of the Fryingpan River.

The decree gives Busk-Ivanhoe Inc., an entity owned by the city of Aurora, the right to divert an average of 2,416 acre-feet of water a year from four high-mountain creeks for use within Aurora’s water-service area east of Denver.

No to Yik Yak

Glenwood Springs High School joined an estimated 85 percent of middle and high schools nationwide to block Yik Yak, a smartphone application that allows users to post locally sorted anonymous messages.

Anyone who tries to log in from GSHS receives an error. “You appear to be using this too close to a school,” the app informs them. “Yik Yak is for adults only.”


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