AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATE SKI WORKER DEATH

GEORGETOWN» State tramway safety board engineers investigated a lift at Loveland Ski Area and determined that it was functioning properly and unrelated to the Thursday death of an resort employee.

Resort spokesman John Sellers said the circumstances of the incident, which occurred while the employee was working, were under investigation and declined to give details.

Exec who allowed apartment searches no longer employed.

The operations director who allowed warrantless searches of Longmont Housing Authority-owned apartments by police officers and drug-sniffing dogs no longer works for the organization, executive director Michael Reis confirmed Thursday.

But he would not say whether Krystal Winship Erazo was fired or resigned.

The housing authority spent much of the year embroiled in controversy after Erazo, former supportive services manager Alma Collins, two Longmont police officers and police dogs searched residents’ units at The Suites in May, after a resident died from a heroin overdose.

Boulder man with 8 alcohol-related convictions arrested on suspicion of DUI.

A Boulder man with at least eight prior alcohol-related driving convictions was arrested again Thursday after Longmont police say he struck a fence, a shed and a house.

Joshua James Richardson, 47, faces a felony DUI charge as well as charges for reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to notify police, driving under restraint and no proof of insurance, according to an arrest report.

Richardson has at least five prior DUI convictions and three for driving while ability impaired. He also has convictions for tampering with an interlock device, careless driving, assault, obstruction, cruelty to animals, false reporting and numerous traffic offenses, according to online court records.

Thursday’s incident marks at least the 43nd time Richardson has been arrested or ticketed since 1988, and the arrest report categorizes him as a habitual traffic offender.

Testing to resume for G Line.

Testing for the longawaited Regional Transportation District G Line commuter rail is scheduled to resume Tuesday after a judge gave his approval this week.

The rail, which still doesn’t have an opening date, will connect Union Station and Wheat Ridge, passing through Arvada on the way. Most of the testing will take place Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the first two weeks of January with one train, according to RTD.

The testing will focus on communication and signaling systems. People along the rail should expect train horns during testing as quiet zones haven’t been established.

Robbers hit 5 Denver-area banks in 4 days.

Five metro area banks were robbed or dealt with robbery attempts over four days earlier this week, the FBI said Friday.

Investigators do not believe any of the incidents are connected.

While bank robberies occur year round, FBI officials say there tends to be an increase around the holiday season.