WARD – The body of a Denver-area man who died after falling from a cliff on a hike in Boulder County has been recovered.

Boulder County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Heidi Prentup said the man was walking across a narrow ledge when he lost his footing near Mitchell Lake in the Ward area on Saturday. The coroner’s office identified the man Monday as 49-year-old Thomas Wayne Olivas, of Thornton.

Authorities say they had to delay the recovery of the body until Sunday because of darkness and difficult terrain.

The coroner’s office and detectives are investigating, but foul play is not suspected.

Court upholds renewable mandate

DENVER – Colorado’s renewable-energy mandate has been upheld by a federal appeals court.

The mandate was challenged by a free-market advocacy group that argued that the renewable-energy requirements violate the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit claimed that the requirement that large utilities such as Xcel Energy get 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources violates constitutional protections for interstate commerce.

The plaintiffs argued that because electricity can go anywhere on the grid and come from anywhere on the grid, Colorado’s mandate illegally harms out-of-state companies.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver disagreed. The three-judge panel ruled that the mandate does not wrongly burden out-of-state coal producers. The judges also pointed out that Colorado voters approved the mandate.

Women in costume takes down thief

LARKSPUR – A man is facing charges of theft and resisting arrest after authorities say he crashed a jousting performance at the Colorado Renaissance Festival and tried to make off with a sword.

A witness says the man was chased down by two women in costume Saturday. Steve Chapman said they followed him up a hill and one of them, dressed as a wench, held him in a headlock for about five minutes until her husband, in a knight’s costume, showed up and held him down until security arrived. Douglas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Ron Hanavan confirmed that bystanders were able to stop 22-year-old Connor Ward.

Chapman, who was photographing the event for his travel website, said Ward appeared to be drunk and was laughing much of the time.

N.M. city to review minimum wage

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Las Cruces officials are reviewing the impact of an ordinance increasing the minimum wage since its implementation six months ago.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reported that the Las Cruces City Council will discuss the ordinance in a work session Monday.

The meeting is expected to draw a significant number of people for and against the three-step plan.

Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima said it will be a forum about how it has affected residents directly, but councilors are not seeking to change anything.

The city’s minimum wage rose from $7.50 to $8.40 in January. Two more raises are scheduled to take effect in January 2017 and January 2019.

Supporters say the raise was necessary to help the city’s lowest-paid employees. Opponents fear it will negatively affect the economy.

Los Alamos lab finds spotted owl chicks

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – Los Alamos National Laboratory officials say biologists have located a record number of federally protected Mexican spotted owl chicks on the lab’s property in northern New Mexico.

Nest surveys conducted last month found seven chicks, which wildlife biologist Chuck Hathcock says is encouraging because it indicates the lab’s efforts to protect the species is making an impact.

The previous record under monitoring started in 1993 was three chicks.

The lab has a habitat-management plan for protection of species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Those species include the Mexican spotted owl and the Jemez Mountain salamander.

The Las Conchas Fire in 2011 destroyed much of the owls’ primary habitat in the Jemez Mountains.

Associated Press