Local News

Former Evergreen High music teacher William Eisenman will spend at least 15 years in prison following a June conviction for sexually assaulting one of his students.

Eisenman, 33, was convicted June 24 of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. Jefferson County District Judge Tamara Russell sentenced the former music and band teacher to a minimum of 15 years in prison Aug. 19, but the sentence could last for life if Department of Corrections experts conclude that he isn't rehabilitated when eligible for parole.

A hazardous chemical spill at a home in a residential area of Evergreen on Monday evening turned out to be nitric acid that had been stored in a keg-size container.

Authorities found two kegs and some 28 drums, most of which were empty, that had been piling up under some trees since the mid-‘60s.

Someone from the home was cleaning up the area about 5 p.m. Monday when one of the barrels accidentally tipped, releasing a sludgy substance that generated a small cloud of yellow smoke, said Evergreen Fire Chief Garry DeJong.

State highway crews will be smoothing out bumps and finishing repair work on the Mount Evans Highway Scenic Byway near Summit Lake from Aug. 18 to 20.

Weather permitting, the road to the top will continue to be open, with lane closures in various places, CDOT spokesman Bob Wilson said Friday.

Although the weather was cold and rainy Friday, the scenic drive to summit was still open as of noon, according to CDOT’s traffic operations center in Denver.

Exactly how Indian Hills resident Kerry Kurt found herself responsible for about half of Denver’s most coveted outdoor venue on the one day in history when much of the world’s attention will be focused there makes for a curious tale.

“It was not a simple, straightforward process,” says Kurt, 44. “It’s kind of amazing, when you think about it. I think it’s a spirit thing: energy, force, grace — whatever you want to call it.”