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In the past week, Colorado had the fewest reported outbreaks of COVID-19 since mid-November, with long-term-care facilities accounting for much of the decrease.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 829 COVID-19 outbreaks as of Wednesday, which was 66 fewer than the week before. An outbreak is two or more cases linked to the same location or event.

More than half of the decrease came from outbreaks ending in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. An outbreak is over when four weeks pass with no new cases.

Most other settings remained relatively stable, but the number of outbreaks in schools increased by 10, to 132. The number of schoolbased outbreaks has grown every week since Jan. 13, as more districts brought students back in-person. The majority of school outbreaks are small, although five involve 40 or more cases.

The mayor of Woodland Park, Val Carr, died on Tuesday after a battle with COVID-19, the city said in a news release.

Carr began his mayoral term in April, and he served for four years on the Woodland Park City Council before being elected mayor.

“Carr was a very involved member of the community and possessed a strong desire to serve,” the release said.

The city expressed its “deepest sympathies” in announcing Carr’s death.

“I really enjoyed his company and his dedication to this community, and he absolutely loved this community with all his heart,” said Mayor Pro Tem Hilary LaBarre. “He had a great sense of sarcasm and an enormous love for animals and his wife.”

LaBarre will now be the city’s chief elected official, for the near future, tasked with running council meetings and other duties.

Per the Woodland Park city charter, the council can appoint a new mayor or call a special election. A decision has not yet been made.

The next council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday.

A celebration of Carr’s life will be held this year. Memorial contributions may be made to the Teller Senior Coalition or Teller County Regional Animal Shelter

The U.S. flag is being flown at half-staff in Woodland Park through Feb. 22 in Carr’s memory and honor.

An Aurora police officer was fired on Wednesday afternoon for cheating the time clock, skipping out on his shift early multiple times and lying about the transgressions.

Officer Robert Lyons was fired by police Chief Vanessa Wilson for “untruthfulness and theft of the city time,” according to a police news release.

Between Aug. 3 and Sept. 22, Lyons left work early for a total of nine days (34.25 hours) without authorization of his supervisor, the release said. Furthermore, Lyons failed to document his work time in the department’s time management system as required.

When questioned by a supervisor about the infractions, Lyons “was untruthful and stated that he had not taken any time off” during the period in question, the release said.

“An Internal Affairs Bureau investigation was initiated and during his interview with investigators Officer Lyons admitted to being untruthful when he was questioned by his supervisor about the time off,” police said.

Lyons’ actions violated the following department directives:

• Unsatisfactory performance.

• Request for leave.

• Making a false or untruthful declaration.

“A police officer who chooses to be dishonest forfeits their credibility and becomes ineffective to the judicial system, our police department and the community we serve,” Wilson said in the release. “My commitment to rebuild trust with our community will not tolerate such deceptive conduct of an officer who has been given the privilege to wear this badge.”

Lyons was hired by the department in 2017 and was last assigned to District 2 Patrol. He has no prior disciplinary record with the department, according to the release.

Lyons is at least the ninth police officer fired by Wilson since she was named interim chief of the department on Dec. 30, 2019. She was appointed the position permanently Aug. 3.

Last week, Officer Robert Rosen was fired for excessive use of force for beating and repeatedly using a Taser on a man in a grocery store.