SALE OF OIL, GAS LEASES IN STATE’S SOUTHWEST DELAYED

Federal officials have postponed the sale of oil and gas leases on public lands that had raised concerns about the prospect of drilling near the Chimney Rock National Monument and important wildlife habitat in southwest Colorado.

A notice on the Colorado Bureau of Land Management website announced the postponement of the March 25 lease auction.

In January, the Biden administration ordered a pause in new oil and gas leasing on federally managed lands and waters while a review is conducted of the leasing and permitting for fossil-fuel development.

The proposed leases that included sites near Chimney Rock drew criticism about the potential impacts on the national monument and important wildlife habitat as well as concerns about the cumulative effects of more greenhouse gas emissions.

About 2,500 acres of the land up for lease are in the San Juan National Forest. Some of the parcels are close to Chimney Rock.

Trial halted as defendant receives treatment.

The man suspected of beating another man to death with a pipe in Boulder in October has been declared incompetent to proceed, and his case will be halted while he is taken to the state hospital for treatment.

Zachary Miller, 36, is charged with first-degree murder after deliberation, felony murder and robbery in the death of Christopher Havens, 46.

Miller is set for a conference on Feb. 23 so attorneys can get an update on the status of his transfer from Boulder County Jail to the state hospital, and is also set for a review hearing on May 13.

CU renames two buildings.

University of Colorado’s Board of Regents approved the renaming of two buildings on the Boulder campus.

Lucile Berkeley Buchanan was the first African American woman to graduate from CU Boulder in 1918.

CU Boulder’s Education Building will be renamed the Lucile Berkeley Buchanan Building.

Husband-and-wife duo Albert and Vera Ramírez are known for years of advocacy and support for underrepresented students at CU Boulder. Albert Ramírez was one of a handful of Chicano professors on campus when he started teaching in 1971 and, along with his late wife Vera, witnessed years of upheaval as Chicano students demanded equitable treatment from campus administration.

The Board of Regents resolution renames Temporary Building 1 as the Albert and Vera Ramírez Temporary Building 1.