Good morning southern Colorado and here's what you need to know on your Monday, April 12.
If you'd like to read the full story, be sure to click on the story headline.
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Fort Carson soldiers deploy to Pueblo vaccine site
On Monday, Fort Carson soldiers will deploy to Pueblo to help with the federal vaccine site now under the purview of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during an 8-week pilot program.
The goal is to increase the number of daily vaccinations from 1,750 to 3,000.
The state fairground operation will be available 7 days a week beginning at 7 a.m. Vaccine appointments can be made at http://www.centura.org/vaccine.
Ready for the vaccine? here's how you can sign up in Colorado, with all adults eligible
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Amtrak execs to discuss Front Range Rail
Top executives with Amtrak will provide an update on Monday of their plans to develop a Front Range Passenger Rail along the I-25 corridor. Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn and President Stephen Gardner will hold a virtual media round table on Monday morning.
As News 5 has previously reported, the president's infrastructure bill, the American Jobs Plan, calls for spending $80 billion to improve and expand passenger rail service throughout the country.
Amtrak announced its support for the legislation and released a multi-year plan to expand passenger rail service to 160 new communities. Their map includes the route connecting Pueblo to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Jill Gaebler and Sal Pace from the Southwest Chief and Front Range Passenger Rail Commission are expected to take part in Monday's event.
Gaebler previously told News 5 the commission has completed an alignment study for the new route. State lawmakers are expected to introduce a bill to create a passenger rail special district among the various communities that would be served by the new line.
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Derek Chauvin trial enters third week
As the trial over the death of George Floyd moves into week three, the state is expected to start wrapping up its case. Prosecutors called 35 witnesses so far. Those yet to be called include medical and use of force experts. Also, the relatives of George Floyd are expected to give what's called 'spark of life testimony', humanizing accounts of the victim, to show this jury who Floyd was as a person.
On Friday, this jury heard about Floyd's final minutes. Forensic pathologist Lindsey Thomas, a hard witness for the state, described autopsy photos and how they point to what caused his death.
Judge Peter Cahill plans to address the issue of George Floyd's passenger Maurice Hall who was with him when he was arrested. The defense for former officer Derek Chauvin wants to call Hall to testify, but the judge says he wants to hear the questions that they plan to ask first.
Watch the proceedings live on CourtTV.
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Colorado Springs City Council will explore solutions for illicit sexual activities in businesses
Colorado Springs City Council will hear a presentation from the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) on Monday regarding illicit sexual activities in business, and how the crimes can best be handled.
In the presentation, it lists options CSPD has when it comes to such illegal operations, like prostitution or pimping out of a business, such as a massage parlor.
Criminal charges could be sought for things like prostitution, pandering, and pimping. Officers could also focus on unlicensed practices. Or, a Public Nuisance Order (PNO) seizure could be employed.
The presentation from CSPD said they are studying the long-term effects of certain responses, versus their efficiency. For instance, a full felony case could require upwards of 300 staffing hours, while a PNO would need around 100 staffing hours.
You can read the prepared PowerPoint presentation HERE. Today's work session begins at 10:00 a.m., find the link to watch online, here.
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Get your latest First Alert 5 Weather forecast
A pretty active forecast coming our way this week with a dry start and a cloudy, wet end. Monday will be the nicest day of the week with chilly daytime temperatures but dry skies and fairly uneventful weather through the afternoon.
We'll be a little windy in the afternoon and temperatures will hit the 50s in the plains.
Overnight a piece of energy will send snow showers across the mountains and into the Pikes Peak Region. There could be a few slick mountain drives through Tuesday morning.
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