Colorado
Feds Say Colorado River Is In Crisis—Here’s What It Looks Like
Topline
The Biden administration this week imposed deep cuts to water utilization from the Colorado River subsequent yr after years of overuse and drought fueled by local weather change, as unprecedented low water ranges threaten reservoirs, hydropower and agriculture all through the West.
A buoy sits on the bottom in a bit of Lake Mead that was beforehand below water (Photograph by Justin … [+]
Key Info
Excessive warmth and low precipitation have introduced the Colorado River to a “tipping level” Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton stated this week, whereas Inside Division Assistant Secretary For Water And Science Tanya Trujillo stated water cuts are essential to keep away from a “catastrophic collapse of the Colorado River system.”
The Inside Division initiatives Lake Mead, a reservoir shaped by the Hoover Dam, will fall beneath 1,050 toes above sea stage by January, assembly a water-shortage-tier for the primary time, threatening the viability of the dam, which generates sufficient electrical energy to serve roughly 1.3 million folks in Arizona, California and Nevada, based on the Bureau of Reclamation.
The drought can be placing farmers prone to shedding their crops as one among their main irrigation sources runs dry – the Colorado River is estimated to supply water for a $15 billion annual agriculture enterprise, the Related Press reported.
Greater than 40 million folks depend on the Colorado River for water use, the New York Occasions reported.
Water ranges are at historic lows amid a historic 21-year “megadrought,” in some instances revealing … [+]
Water ranges at Lake Mead stand at 27 p.c of capability, its lowest stage since being crammed in … [+]
Lake Powell, a reservoir shaped by the Glen Canyon Dam, upriver from Lake Mead, has additionally dropped to … [+]
Water consumption pipes sit on floor in entrance of Pyramid Island on a bit of Lake Mead that was … [+]
Extended drought has Lake Mead at traditionally low water ranges on August 17, 2022 close to Boulder … [+]
Key Background
The 2-decade megadrought has introduced components of the West into its driest interval in additional than 1,200 years, based on a examine revealed in February within the journal Nature Local weather Change, introduced on by intense warmth waves and scarce precipitation accelerated by local weather change. As of June, almost 70% of the West and Southern Plains face drought circumstances, based on the U.S. Drought Monitor. The cuts introduced this week are one of many largest steps taken to guard the Colorado River, though they’re smaller than these imposed final yr, which primarily focused farmers in Arizona — a part of a 2019 contingency plan between southwestern states, officers in Mexico and American Indian tribes.
Huge Quantity
21%. That’s the share of Arizona’s water provide from the Colorado River that will probably be lower, based on the Inside Division. Nevada’s allotment will probably be lower by 8%, whereas Mexico’s will probably be decreased by 7%.
Additional Studying
Disaster looms with out huge cuts to over-tapped Colorado River (Related Press)
U.S. Declares Main Colorado River Water Cuts Amid Historic Western Drought (Forbes)
Western U.S. Drought Approaches Historic Ranges – Right here’s Why That Issues To You (Forbes)
The Colorado River drought is coming on your winter veggies (Vox)
Hydropower Worries Develop As Colorado River Reservoirs Hold Dropping (KUNC)
Colorado
Colorado funeral home owners plead guilty to corpse abuse after nearly 200 bodies found decomposing
The owners of a Colorado funeral home accused of piling hundreds of bodies in room-temperature conditions inside a dilapidated building and giving loved ones concrete instead of ashes have pleaded guilty to corpse abuse.
Jon and Carie Hallford, who own the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, pleaded guilty to 191 counts of abuse of a corpse on Friday.
“The bodies were [lying] on the ground, stacked on shelves, left on gurneys, stacked on top of each other or just piled in rooms,” prosecutor Rachael Powell said in court.
Their loved ones are “intensely and forever outraged,” she added. Some of the families were in the courtroom when they pleaded guilty.
MIXED-UP REMAINS, ROTTING BODIES, FAKE ASHES: HOW GRIEVING FAMILIES UNCOVERED THESE 5 FUNERAL HOME HORRORS
Jon and Carie Hallford, who own the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, pleaded guilty to 191 counts of abuse of a corpse on Friday. (Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
Crystina Page, whose son died in 2019, said outside the courtroom on Friday: “He laid in the corner of an inoperable fridge, dumped out of his body bag with rats and maggots eating his face for four years. Now every moment that I think of my son, I’m having to think of Jon and Carie, and that’s not going away.”
The Hallfords also faced charges of theft, money laundering and forgery, which were dismissed with their plea deals.
The couple spent $882,300 in COVID relief funds on things like vacations, cosmetic surgery, car and tuition for their child.
Jon Hallford could serve 20 years in prison under the plea deal and Carie Hallford could serve 15 to 20 years.
Six people who objected to the plea deals, calling their recommended sentences insufficient, will get a chance to speak before they’re sentenced in April.
Fremont County deputies guard the road leading to the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., Oct. 5, 2023. (Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP/The Gazette via AP)
MOURNING LOVED ONES TARGETED BY ‘DESPICABLE’ FUNERAL HOME SCAM
If the judge rejects the plea deal, the case may still go to trial.
The Hallfords already pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in October in connection with their misuse of funds.
The accusations go back to 2019 and the improperly stored bodies were discovered after neighbors reported a stench coming from the building.
A hearse and debris can be seen at the rear of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., Oct. 5, 2023. (Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP)
Authorities in hazmat gear found bodies stacked on top of each other, some so decayed they couldn’t be identified, and the place was infested with bugs.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Following the gruesome discovery, Colorado has tightened funeral home regulations.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Dodgers avoid arbitration with Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, non-tender Brent Honeywell
Donald Trump picks Scott Bessent as Treasury secretary
WHO says mpox remains public health emergency of international concern
Trump names former Texas state Rep. Scott Turner to lead Housing and Urban Development
Girls Catholic school volleyball team could face penalty after fans boo trans athlete on public school team
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
WHO says mpox remains public health emergency of international concern
Trump names former Texas state Rep. Scott Turner to lead Housing and Urban Development
Video: Heavy Rains and Wind Wreak Havoc on the West Coast
'Conveyor belt of radicals': GOP slammed over Senate absences that helped Biden score more judges in lame duck
Fact-check: What do we know about Russia’s nuclear arsenal?
-
Business1 week ago
Column: OpenAI just scored a huge victory in a copyright case … or did it?
-
Health1 week agoBird flu leaves teen in critical condition after country's first reported case
-
Business6 days agoColumn: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
World1 week agoSarah Palin, NY Times Have Explored Settlement, as Judge Sets Defamation Retrial
-
Science3 days agoTrump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Politics5 days agoTrump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25739950/247386_Elon_Musk_Open_AI_CVirginia.jpg "Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI")
Technology4 days agoInside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
Lifestyle5 days agoSome in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs
