Do you remember these stories that put Grand Junction on the National news?

Here are five stories that had vaulted our little, tiny town of Grand Junction onto the front page. Now, there are others, but I thought these were interesting.

First up, is the amazing discovery in 1985 of the earliest known type of dinosaur, called an 'Iguanodon.'  anywhere in the world. It was found by an amateur geologist, Marj Averett. The jaws and teeth fossil were encased in sandstone right near Grand Junction.

  • Next is the fire back in January of 2008 that knocked both KREX-TV and KFQX-TV off the air. $6 million in damages but luckily no one was injured in the blaze.
  • On September 7, 2007. The 56-year-old fugitive from justice, Norman Hsu, was traveling on Amtrack headed to Denver when he became ill. He was on the run from authorities in San Francisco where he was supposed to make a court appearance. He had a pretty decent Rolodex: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, Barack Obama, Al Franken to name just a few.
  • January 27, 1987, Hector Rodas was allowed to exercise his right to nontreatment. He had won that right in a court of law. The 34-year-old, who was paralyzed from drug abuse, said he no longer wishes to suffer and has stopped taking food and water.
  • Summer of 2007 a mother of three goes missing. Was it the ex-husband? A secret life? This bizarre, yet sad story made it on 'Disappeared' and 'Dateline NBC.'
  • October 13, 1982, the headline - two bottles of Visine A.C. sold from a Grand Junction Target store have been contaminated with hydrochloric acid.

What other stories can you recall that brought national attention to Grand Junction?

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