The first round of physical TABOR refund checks from the state of Colorado will be mailed out to taxpayers beginning this week.

Individuals can expect to receive $750 back from the state and joint filers will receive $1500.

That rebate was more than first anticipated because Colorado’s economy grew during the month of May. The unemployment rate continued to fall in Colorado to 3.5% in May, mostly led by gains in the food and accommodation sectors.

Residents should know that checks will arrive in the mail and will not be direct deposited into your account. If you filed your tax return by June 30 you will soon receive the refund. For those who have to file extensions you have until October 17 to do so and should receive your refund by January 31, 2023.

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The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office located and arrested the man named Larimer County most wanted July 22 in Berthoud.

According to the Sheriff’s Office booking report, 38-year-old Kyle Lester Hill of Berthoud was arrested in the 400 block of Colorado Avenue around 11 a.m. July 22 — he was arrested at the same location listed as his last known address by the LCSO.

Hill was scheduled to appear for his first appearance hearing at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday before 8th Judicial District Court Judge Sarah Cure.

Hill was wanted on a felony wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on a felony warrant alleging sexual assault of a child. While it was initially reported that there was no bond set for this charge, he is currently in custody at the Larimer County Jail in Fort Collins with a $75,000 cash or surety bond for the sexual assault charge and a $750 personal recognizance bond for a resisting arrest charge.

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The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) has identified and confirmed the first monkeypox case in Larimer County. CDPHE is currently investigating the case and is completing contact tracing associated with the individual. Larimer County Department of Health & Environment’s (LCDHE) will help facilitate vaccination of any individuals who have a high likelihood of having been exposed that are identified by CDPHE as part of their investigation.

Health officials are saying that the risk of monkeypox to the public remains low. There have been 36 cases confirmed in Colorado so far according to CDPHE. As of Tuesday, Aug. 2 there have been 6,326 confirmed cases in the United States. The type of monkeypox currently spreading in the United States has a fatality rate of less than one percent, and most individuals recover within two to four weeks.

Monkeypox may begin with flu-like symptoms that include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and exhaustion. Typically, a rash or skin bumps develop within one to three days after the onset of fever, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body. In recent cases, additional symptoms have not always occurred before the rash or bumps, if they have occurred at all.

Monkeypox spreads through close physical contact including sexual contact with someone who has the virus. Recent data suggest people who have recently traveled to a country where monkeypox has been reported or men who have sex with other men are at heightened risk. Brief interactions without physical contact are unlikely to result in transmission. To learn more about who is at higher risk of monkeypox, visit CDPHE’s website.

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Colorado Parks and Wildlife is excited to announce a new state record Brook Trout has been caught, breaking the longest-standing fish record in the state. The Brook Trout was caught on May 23 by Tim Daniel of Granby in Monarch Lake, in Grand County. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Aquatic Biologist Jon Ewert inspected the fish the day it was caught. It weighed 7.84 pounds, measured 23 1/4 inches in length, and had a girth of 15 3/8 inches.

“When I headed out to fish that day with my friend Karen and four-legged friend Moose, I had no intention of breaking a record,” said Mr. Daniel. “I wasn’t sure what I had hooked, but I knew it was big. I’ve fished waters in Northwest Colorado for many years, and I have landed some big fish. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of CPW aquatic biologists, Northwest Colorado has some of the best fisheries in the state.”

When first asked where and what he used to catch the fish, Mr. Daniel’s said in the water and with a hook.

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Due to golden eagle nesting activity, closures have been extended through August 15 at Sundance Buttress, Thunder Buttress and Needle Summit in the Lumpy Ridge area.  These closures include the named formations.  Closures include all climbing routes, outcroppings, cliffs, faces, ascent and descent routes and climber access trails to the named rock formations.  All other closures have been lifted. Check the park’s website at www.nps.gov/romo/raptor-closures.htm for maps and updated information on raptor closures.

Each year to protect raptor nesting sites, Rocky Mountain National Park officials initiate temporary closures in areas of the park. To ensure that these birds of prey can nest undisturbed, specific areas within the park are closed temporarily to public use during nesting season and monitored by wildlife managers. The closures began this year on February 15. Closures may be extended past July 31, or rescinded at an earlier date depending on nesting activity.  Some routes were reopened in mid-June.