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July 31, 2014 VOLU M E 1 1 9 | I S S UE 26
ElbertCountyNews.net E L B E R T C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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Pair gets probation for cruelty to animals Second go-round with legal system for Elbert County residents By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com
Brothers Pearce and Dawson Winsor battle with claymores at the Elizabeth Celtic Festival on July 20. Photos by Rick Gustafson
Celtic Festival fills Casey Jones Park Athletics, bagpipes, food and drink bring out crowds By Rick Gustafson
Special to Colorado Community Media
POSTAL ADDRESS
ELBERT COUNTY NEWS
Whether from the 79th Highlander Band leading 26 Celtic clans in the Clan Parade or a lone piper in the woods competing in the solo piping contest, the call of bagpipes set the mood for the 5,000 visitors, artisans, athletes and clan members who filled Elizabeth’s Casey Jones Park over the weekend of July 19-20 for the 23rd Annual Elizabeth Celtic Festival. The festival highlighted live-steel entertainment, athletic competitions ranging from Scottish heavy athletics to rugby, and Highland dance competitions along with food and drink fit for an Irish Chieftain or bonny Highland lass. Alana Wolner, a principal organizer for the event, said that the festival is a family event underscoring the rich heritage and traditions of Celtic culture. Competitions began early Saturday with a Rocky Mountain Scottish Athletes-sanctioned
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Celtic continues on Page 7
Two Elbert County residents were sentenced to five years of probation for two charges of second-degree cruelty to animals. Christie O’Rourke, 56, and David St. Antoine, 60, reached a plea agreement in March and were sentenced July 21 by Elbert County Court Judge Jeffrey K. Holmes. They also must serve 90 days of in-home detention, pay a $1,000 fine each, and pay about $2,000 in restitution. O’Rourke and St. Antoine were already on probation for similar offenses when deputies from the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office responded to their property in February 2013 on a report of a dead llama. The deputies discovered more than 50 animals living in “horrendous, heart-breaking conditions,” 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler said. O’Rourke and St. Antoine told authorities they didn’t know how the llama died. After inspecting the llama, “one of the officers saw a dog running with the lower half of a horse’s leg in its mouth,” the DA’s office said in a statement. The pair told law enforcement that the horse’s name was Roy and that he had died and been fed to the dogs. Living horses at the property were skeletal and had no access to food or water. A goat was found with a gaping, untreated wound on its shoulder. Two dead kittens Animals continues on Page 7
LIST OF ANIMALS
Darla Landfair, right, and Carey Lowe-Curry perform a bobbin lace demonstration at the Elizabeth Celtic Festival on July 20.
Animals found on the property during the February 2013 inspection: eight horses, two miniature horses, two donkeys, 15 full-grown dogs, seven puppies, six full-grown cats, four kittens, two birds, one potbellied pig, numerous goats and numerous poultry.
Four miles of road to be paved Commissioners give OK to plan for County Road 29 By Rick Gustafson
Special to Colorado Community Media If all goes according to plan, the residents of the Outback Estates and Sun Country Meadows communities will be driving on paved roads by the end of the year. The Elbert County commissioners approved funds for roadway improvements on approximately four miles of County Road 29 in northwestern Elbert County during their regular meeting July 23. The improvements are likely to begin after Aug. 1 and are estimated to be completed by December. The plan includes surface water drainage improvements, tilling a cement mixture into subgrade soils, asphalt resurfacing, signage and striping. “This is a very exciting project for us,”
County Manager Ed Ehmann told the commissioners. “The road is designed for a 20year life cycle.” Initially four contractors expressed interest in the project, but when bids were read on July 10, only one qualified company, Asphalt Specialties, had submitted a bid. Despite the lone bidder, Ehmann assured the commissioners that the bid was in line with cost estimates for the project, and the company was the same contractor that worked on County Road 194 and a half-mile of County Road 29 in 2013. Residents in the area have been calling on the county to pave the road for years, even launching a community Facebook page in 2012, “Pave County Road 29 the WAY it is,” in support of immediate paving of the road despite the two 90-degree turns around Box Elder Creek. Brenda Cunningham, an employee at Meadows Market and a frequent user of the four-mile stretch of County Road 29, was Road continues on Page 7
The Board of County Commissioners approved funds for roadway improvements on approximately four miles of County Road 29 in northwest Elbert County. Photo by Rick Gustafson