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ON TO NATIONALS Steamboat’s Ian Weibel wins Soap Box Derby
Deneen could be favorite in Vancouver
ROUTT COUNTY 1D
SPORTS 1C
SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009
VOLUME 122, NUMBER 46 • STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO • www.steamboatpilot.com
Rodeo bullish for summer Steamboat Springs mainstay needs strong year to avoid downsizing Brandon Gee
PILOT & TODAY STAFF
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
The Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo Series won’t be bucked by economic fears and falling revenues — at least in 2009. Instead, rodeo board members have decided to hold firm to a 10-week, 20-performance schedule that begins next month, while offering a heav-
ily discounted season pass for locals to encourage attendance and hoping for a strong season that ropes a return to historic funding levels. “We’re hoping we don’t have our pockets pulled out at the end of the year,” said rodeo board President John Shipley, who said a bad 2009 could force the board to look at downsizing next year. “At some point, you just can’t do it without the
money, and we’d have to cut back.” Board members had considered cutting back as soon as this year. The city — the main source of revenue for the rodeo series — cut its contribution to $30,000 this year, which is down from $45,000 in each of the previous two years. Attendance has trended slightly downward in See Rodeo, page 13A
By the numbers Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo Series ■ Attendance 2006 27,915 2007 26,368 2008 25,832 ■ 2009 schedule All performances are held Fridays and Saturdays beginning at 7:30 p.m. June 19, 20, 26, 27 July 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 August 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22
MATT STENSLAND/STAFF
City of Steamboat Springs crew leader Eric Irwin assembles an awning Thursday at the rodeo grounds. The first of 20 rodeo performances this summer is June 19.
Sailors cast off
Steamboat seniors flip tassels, look forward at commencement
W
hat now? Steamboat Springs High School Salutatorian Jamie Gay posed that question to her classmates Saturday afternoon at the school’s graduation ceremony. Friends STORY BY and family JACK WEINSTEIN packed the high school’s gymnasium, including the upper viewing area, to honor the 122-member Class of 2009. The ceremony included several more speakers in addition to Gay, including valedictorian Charlie Stoddard, along with recognition of more than $340,000 in scholarships and the presentation of diplomas. Answering her question to classmates, Gay said, “This is one of the most beautiful and the most frightening things in life. You can’t ever know the answer completely. Answering that question is a journey, and having advice can make it a lot easier.” Gay said teachers, parents and friends will help guide the way, but sometimes all that advice is overwhelming. The easiest advice to follow is the kind you give yourself, she said.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
GREELEY
MATT STENSLAND/STAFF
Steamboat Springs High School graduate Parker Stegmaier raises his arms in celebration after receiving his diploma Saturday in Kelly Meek Gymnasium. For an audio slideshow of Saturday’s ceremony, visit www.steamboatpilot.com.
Law agencies look to grants Police, State Patrol, Sheriff’s Office seek additional funding Zach Fridell
PILOT & TODAY STAFF
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
With less money available from their overseeing commissions and local government, Routt County law enforcement agencies are looking for grants from state and national organizations to fund day-to-day operations and special enforcement programs. Oak Creek Police CommisPAGE DESIGNED BY NICOLE MILLER
Prosecutor targets thousands of state illegal immigrants Ivan Moreno
SUNDAY FOCUS
See Graduation, page 13A
Tax file records seized
sioner Chuck Wisecup recently completed a $796,000 grant application to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The COPS grant, if approved, would allow Oak Creek officials to reinstate the town’s police force by hiring three officers, including a chief, for three years, as long as the town would agree to fund the officers for one additional year.
Wisecup said if the town receives the grant funding, a decision that will be announced in early September, the town will have to “start saving our pennies for the next year.” Steamboat Springs Police Department Capt. Joel Rae said that despite tight budgets, more grants are available to fill the voids. The department also is reSee Grants, page 13A
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Some sun. A storm in the evening. High of 68. Page 2A
COUNTY’S
MATT STENSLAND/STAFF
The Steamboat Springs Police Department is awarded grant money regularly for the Click It or Ticket program.
VIEWPOINTS
DELIVERY PROBLEM?
LAST WEEK: Do you get more excited for the start of summer in Steamboat Springs than you do for the start of winter? Results/5A THIS WEEK: Should the city change its zoning regulations to allow taller buildings and increased density at the base of Steamboat Ski Area?
NEWSPAPER
OF
RECORD
Immigrant advocates say they’ve seen nothing like it before or since: A prosecutor looking for illegal immigrants seized thousands of confidential tax records from an income tax preparer popular with Hispanics in Greeley. The October seizures led to identity theft and criminal impersonation charges against more than 70 people, and prosecutors allege that as many as 1,300 suspected illegal immigrants were working using false or stolen Social Security numbers. But the American Civil Liberties Union said the documents of as many as 4,900 people were seized, many of them legal residents, and that the probe was the “equivalent of a house-by-house search of innocent homeowners in order to find a suspect believed to be somewhere in the neighborhood.” Two judges have agreed, ruling that Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck had no probable cause to seize the records. Buck is appealing, however, and a ruling in his favor could open up a new avenue for prosecuting illegal immigrants. The charges have been ironic for immigrants such as Horacio Arturo Cervantes. The 42-yearold father of four from the Mexican state of Chihuahua said he had been honest about paying taxes, even though he was in the country illegally, because he was hoping for a path to U.S. citizenship. Cervantes pleaded guilty to identity theft before the judges’ rulings, and he now faces deportation. He said he pleaded because he wanted to get out of jail and try his chances in immigration court. “I feel like I’m up in the air, not knowing what’s going on, See Immigration, page 14A
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