Funeral Home Owner Sentenced for Fraud

The owner of a funeral home in Penrose has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for defrauding customers and misusing nearly $900,000 in pandemic aid.

Prosecutors said Jon Hallford and his wife, Carie, spent both the aid and customers’ payments on luxury cars, cryptocurrency, laser body sculpting, and more.

Separately, Hallford pleaded guilty in state court to stashing 190 bodies in a decrepit building and sending bereaved families fake ashes. In two cases, the wrong body was buried.

Though prosecutors asked for a 15-year sentence, Judge Nina Wang said the scale and impact of the crime warranted the maximum sentence of 20 years. Hallford’s state court sentencing is scheduled for August.

Fires Scorch Western Slope

Two large wildfires on the Western Slope were contained after prompting evacuations and shutting down major roads.

The Hilltop Fire began near Rifle on Thursday. Spread quickly by high winds, it burned 326 acres, destroyed one home and an RV, and forced 20 to 25 households to evacuate before officials declared it 100% contained Saturday night.

The Horse Draw Fire ignited the same day in Moffat County, burning over 800 acres and briefly closing U.S. 40. As of Saturday evening, it was 60% contained.

Stage 1 fire restrictions took effect for Mesa, Garfield, Summit, and Eagle counties on Friday as severe drought heightens fire risk across Western Colorado.

Trump Portrait Replaced

A portrait of President Trump donated by the White House will temporarily hang in the Colorado Capitol, replacing his previous portrait that was removed at his request in March.

Created by Vanessa Horabuena of Tempe, Arizona, the new portrait appears to be a painting of Trump’s official presidential photograph. See the portrait here.

The original portrait was taken down after Trump called it “purposefully distorted.” Since then, officials have been discussing whether to replace all presidential portraits with those of Colorado’s governors.

While it’s unclear how long the portrait will be displayed, the Capitol Building Advisory Committee said it would revisit the issue in September.

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➤ Boulder: Mohamed Soliman, the man accused of firebombing pro-Israel demonstrators on June 1, pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges on Friday. (More)

➤ Denver: A controversial $28 million pedestrian bridge that would connect the Capitol to Veterans Park cleared its first regulatory hurdle, passing a Capitol Building Advisory Committee vote 8-4. (See Details)

➤ Fort Collins: Rescue crews saved a 6-year-old girl who got separated from her father while he was fishing along the Poudre River. (See Photos)

➤ Denver: The Denver Zoo closed early on Saturday over concerns about a social media-planned “takeover” by teenagers at a surrounding park, similar to one that prompted police response at the Northfield Mall. (See Details)

➤ Weld County: State regulators moved to hold Chevron liable for the April 6 oil and gas blowout in Galeton, alleging it violated six state regulations. (See Details)

➤ Saguache County: A hiker discovered the remains of Edna Quintana, a woman who went missing in May 2023. The search for Quintana led to the discovery of Suzanne Morphew’s body in September 2023. (More)

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➤ The Colorado Rockies were shut out by the Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 on Saturday, managing only one hit all game. (More)

➤ The Colorado Avalanche made three draft picks on Day 2 of the NHL draft: UMass-Amherst defenseman Francesco Dell’Elce, Lulea HF defenseman Linus Funck, and Tri-City Storm forward Nolan Roed. (More)

➤ The NBA has released the dates and times for the Denver Nuggets’ 2025 Summer League games. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA | F1 | PGA | LPGA

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➤ Pueblo’s steel mill, the world’s largest solar-powered steel mill, has been sold to Connecticut-based private equity firm Atlas Holdings as part of a $500 million deal to acquire Evraz North America. (See Details)

➤ A new rooftop bar and restaurant with a pool will open atop The Penrose apartment building in Denver on July 12. Its counterpart, an underground cocktail lounge, will open later this summer. (See Photos)

➤ Snow Capped Cider, a cidery located on the Western Slope, took home 28 awards at the Eighth Annual Cidercraft Awards, making it the most awarded cidery for the third year in a row. (More)

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➤ A new sloth pup was born at the Denver Zoo last week. Staff said the baby sloth, which has yet to be named, is “thriving” in the zoo’s Tropical Discovery habitat. (See Photos)

➤ Water World held its 28th annual Belly Flop Competition on Sunday, awarding a $1,000 grand prize for the best belly flop from an 11-foot platform. (See Details)

➤ A female hiker is garnering national attention for scaling 24 of Colorado’s fourteeners while wearing high heels. (Read More)

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How you ever climbed a fourteener?

1. Yes, once
2. Yes, more than one
3. No, but I want to
4. No, not interested

Friday’s Results:

How many of your contacts’ phone numbers do you know by heart?

1. A few: 31%
2. Just one: 20%
3. None: 19%
4. Several: 18%
5. All of them: 12%

How long did it take to build the Colorado Capitol?

Show me the answer