Good morning southern Colorado and here's what you need to know on your Friday morning.
If you'd like to read the full story, be sure to click on the story headline.
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CDPHE releases guidance on how schools should handle COVID-19 outbreaks
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment released guidance detailing how schools should handle COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in the coming school year. The materials provide steps schools should take to detect, report, and respond to cases and outbreaks of the coronavirus, including when classrooms, cohorts, and schools should close. Under the guidelines, schools will be required to report all suspected and confirmed cases to local public health agencies or to CDPHE within four hours.
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Lawsuit accuses CSPD of violating First Amendment rights
A man has filed a lawsuit against the Colorado Springs Police Department accusing seven officers of violating his First Amendment rights. The lawsuit claims that on January 30, 2019, Michael Sexton was arrested for saying "F*** the police" to officers. Sexton said he was recording CSPD officers who were operating a "speed trap" near the intersection of North Nevada and Bijou Street. News5 reached out to the City of Colorado Springs for comment and a spokesperson said "the City does not comment on pending or active litigation."
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Storms mostly over the mountains - a few could scoot east near I-25
The forecast is a bit tricky again today because most of the rain should stay out in the mountains, but some storms could be on the strong side, and a few will try and wander east out of the mountains. Heavy rain and small hail are the two main threats if storms get strong over the mountains today, burn scars are a prime flooding target. Most of I-25 and the plains stands a good chance of staying dry today.
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Martin Luther King statue in Pueblo defaced
Groups in Pueblo want to know who defaced a statue that shows Martin Luther King Jr. and Emmett Till outside the Friendly Harbor building near Grand and 27th. White paint was splashed on the statue and the arches and walkway near the statue had KKK painted on them. The president of the Martin Luther King Junior Holiday Commission and Friendly Harbor said it happened sometime between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 4 a.m. Thursday.
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Clearing up misconceptions surrounding Fremont County coronavirus outbreak
Earlier this week, the Fremont County Department of Public Health and Environment sent out a release warning the public of a coronavirus outbreak at a popular whitewater rafting company in Canon City. In the original release, they identified three different entities as being impacted by the outbreak: Royal Gorge Rafting and Zip Line Tours, and the Whitewater Bar & Grill. However, the outbreak only occurred at Royal Gorge Rafting, which was addressed in a press conference on Thursday.
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