Workers contracted by the city of Durango drove a 55,000-pound track excavator into the Animas River on Thursday.It wasnt an accident, and no one will be losing his or her job because of it.The heavy equipment was moved into the river to do maintenance on the river bottom near Smelter Rapid and the whitewater park.

AURORA In Tuesdays State of the Union address, President Barack Obama adopted a position on natural gas that could have come straight out of the mouth of John Hickenlooper, the petroleum geologist-turned-Colorado governor.

Durango PoliceWednesday931 a.m. A vehicle was broken into in the 400 block of South Camino del Rio.1105 a.m. Five drunken people were hanging out in a vacant lot in the 400 block of East Third Avenue.1126 a.m. A parent who picked up a child in the 500 block of East Sixth Avenue smelled like alcohol.

Job fair to be held at FLC on WednesdayThe free annual Fort Lewis College Job Fair will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Student Union Ballroom. This event is designed to help connect employers and job seekers with positions of all types, from full-time positions to internships.

DENVER Colorado and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are getting closer to finalizing a contract for the state to pay for its share of water from the Animas-La Plata Project and costs for building it.

ALAMOSA Federal officials are considering using wolves to control the number of elk in Baca National Wildlife Refuge, a proposal that is drawing criticism from hunters and ranchers and support from environmentalists.

SANTA FE New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez suffered a temporary political setback Thursday in a bid to stop the state from granting drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.A legislative committee shelved her proposal and approved a Democrat-backed alternative that continues to allow licenses for illegal immigrants but with new restrictions.

ALBUQUERQUE A former spokesman for New Mexicos ex-Gov. Bill Richardson is fighting with the state about unemployment benefits. While working for Richardson, Gilbert Gallegos earned more than 115,000.

DENVER A judge Thursday denied the federal governments request to keep a longtime anti-abortion protester from being able to stop cars and talk to drivers as they enter Denvers Planned Parenthood center.