LA Junta Tribune
Police have arrested two Garden City, Kansas, residents following the killing of a 49-year-old man in La Junta’s Morningside Heights neighborhood.
Matthew Perez, 38, faces first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of Ernesto Apodaca in La Junta on May 14. Nikki Olivas, 32, faces charges of being an accessory to the homicide.
Apodaca was sitting inside his vehicle outside of his apartment in the 600 block of Sunrise Avenue around 6:30 p.m. Friday when he was shot.
Perez and Apodaca are believed to have been acquainted with one another, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. However, circumstances surrounding their relationship and the homicide are part of an active investigation.
LA Junta Tribune
Otero County was awarded the State Historic Preservation Award by History Colorado during its virtual 2021 Stephen H. Hart Award Ceremony.
The county was awarded for historic preservation officer Rebecca Goodwin and her team s contributions to the Japanese-American Historic Resource Survey, a project she led. Goodwin was recognized at the 2021 Stephen H. Hart Award Ceremony that was held virtually this year due to the pandemic.
In a video presentation about the Japanese-American Historic Resource Survey, Goodwin said, People around the country have heard of Rocky Ford cantaloupe, Rocky Ford melons, they re very famous, and yet I think very few people understand what important role the Japanese Americans in Otero County played in the development of that agriculture.
What does that mean for neighboring counties?
LA Junta Tribune
Otero, Bent and Crowley counties have officially moved to Level Blue (Caution) on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment s COVID-19 dial.
The recent transitions from Level Orange (High Risk) to Level Yellow (Concern) and now to Blue are promising signs that recent downward trends in novel coronavirus case rates are continuing.
The transition to Level Blue comes due to an updated state COVID-19 dial. This version of the dial was changed because state modeling projections indicate that it s unlikely for COVID-19 patients to overflow hospitals, according to the state in a public health and environment press release.