District Judge Brian Flynn rejected a plea agreement Thursday in a drug case for a Grand Junction man convicted in April of dragging a dog to death. Flynn called the terms of the deal weak. Steven Clay Romero, 38, has low prospects for rehabilitation with a rap sheet that includes at least six prior felony convictions and several trips in and out of prison in several states, the judge said.

Season openers are supposed to be easy. That wasn?t the case Thursday night at Central High School where the volleyball teams from Palisade and Central were in midseason form.

The 2010 season couldn?t get here soon enough for Mesa State College men?s soccer coach Josh Pittman. The injury-riddled Mavericks won only two games and were outscored 41-13, although eight of their losses came by only one goal.

A Fruita man who died Thursday when his truck rolled near the west entrance to Colorado National Monument was the father of a man who died in an automobile accident less than two years ago. John Luther Fullmer III, 48, was driving a 2005 GMC Sierra truck east on Colorado Highway 340 about three miles from the entrance to the Monument when he veered off the right side of road, came back on the road and went off the right side again about 5 p.m., Colorado State Patrol Cpl. Dennis O?Leary said.

The play happened so quickly, Andy Willett almost forgot what to do. With Highlands Ranch looking to add a field goal to its lead Thursday night at Stocker Stadium, the Grand Junction High School special teams came up with a potential game-changing play.

Robert Blumenthal, 85, Grand Junction, died Sept. 2, 2010, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Services will be at 1 p.m.  Sept. 10 at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado.

No series longer than six plays. No drives longer than 18 yards. One possession past the 50-yard line. Five first downs. Five interceptions. Less than 100 yards of total offense. All that, plus a worn-out defense that was on the field 40 minutes, 13 seconds, resulted in Mesa State College?s 36-3 loss Thursday night to No. 19 Missouri Western State University in the opening game of the football season in St. Joseph, Mo.

Top Colorado Republicans peeled away from their party?s gubernatorial candidate Thursday, and a conservative national website urged Dan Maes to get out of the race. Maes, who defeated Scott McInnis last month for the GOP nomination for governor, resisted the urging that he abandon the race against Democrat John Hickenlooper, the mayor of Denver, and former Republican Tom Tancredo, who joined a third party.

Central 3, Palisade 2 Thursday at Central

North Avenue work to resume Tuesday Night work on North Avenue, originally scheduled for Aug. 29 has been delayed and will resume Tuesday for Phase 3 of the Waterline Replacement project from 28 Road to 28 1/2 Road.

Fruita Monument 7, Central 0 Thursday at Central H.S.

After dumping about $20,000 into his medical marijuana dispensary to comply with recent state regulations, Robert Ingalsbe was devastated Thursday to learn that the Grand Junction City Council planned to close his shop. During a workshop Wednesday night, City Council members voiced their intent to shutter the city?s estimated 14 pot shops, a decision that heads to a formal vote later this month. The timing couldn?t have been worse for dispensary owners who recently invested large sums with the state for licenses and to adhere to new regulations.

Montrose Invitational Thursday at Cobble Creek

Missouri Western 36, Mesa State 3 Thursday at Spratt Stadium, St. Joseph, Mo.

Highlands Ranch 17, Grand Junction 10 Thursday at Stocker Stadium

DUI checkpoints planned Grand Valley law enforcement agencies will ramp up enforcement of drunken-driving laws this holiday weekend by conducting two sobriety checkpoints in various locations across Mesa County.

A Central High School sophomore who died Wednesday had attended classes that day until school let out around 2:50 p.m., according to School District 51 spokesman Jeff Kirtland. Approximately 40 minutes later, someone called 911 and told emergency dispatchers Troy D. Martinez, 16, of Clifton, appeared to be fatally wounded.

With new buildings, new students and new academic programs, many people are wondering when Mesa State College may have a new name: Mesa State University. It?s a question the college?s office of institutional research and assessment posed this spring to nearly 1,300 Mesa State students, alumni, and employees, as well as local business professionals. Respondents on average rated ?pursuing university status,? which would make room for more programs, more post-graduate degrees and possibly some research opportunities, an important goal for the college.

The Republican challenging Bernie Buescher for Colorado secretary of state said potential voters in Colorado are on the ?honor system? when they register to vote. Potential voters should be required to prove their citizenship, Scott Gessler, a Denver elections lawyer, said in an interview Thursday with The Daily Sentinel editorial board.

RIFLE — ExxonMobil plans to significantly scale back its Piceance Basin drilling program at least temporarily as it nears its initial goal for local natural gas production. The company plans to cut back from five rigs to two during the next seven months in Rio Blanco County. Company officials say its immediate plans after that are unclear, but it continues to be committed to eventually drilling thousands of local wells.