County

1,342 arrested for DUI over holiday weekend

RBC I Labor Day marked the unofficial close of summer, and for the many arrested for driving impaired on Colorado roadways, the end-of-summer celebrations came to an abrupt finish.
The Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) The Heat Is On campaign along with the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and law enforcement agencies across the state reported that 1,342 people were arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) during the Labor Day enforcement period, from Aug. 16 to Sept. 3. There were nine alcohol-related fatalities preliminarily reported during this period.
“The Labor Day crackdown is one of the annual enforcement periods where we see significant increases in impaired driving arrests,” says Darrell Lingk, director of the Office of Transportation Safety at CDOT. “We are very thankful to have law enforcement officials who put in extra effort to keep our roads safe during one of the busiest travel times of the year.”
This summer, The Heat Is On campaign adopted an unprecedented new tag line — “Drink and Don’t Drive” — and the phrase was seen throughout Colorado during August. A mobile billboard traveled around Denver and Fort Collins, hitting hotspots such as the Rocky Mountain Showdown at Sports Authority Field, Colorado Rockies games and Tour de Fat in Fort Collins.
The campaign also took advantage of a particularly unique outreach tool — the Interactive Urinal Communicator (IUC), which featured a 15-second audio message encouraging male bar patrons to avoid driving impaired and instead look to other alternatives to getting home, such as public transit. These IUCs were distributed to local bars throughout the state, such as Thunder Mountain Tavern in Grand Junction, Falling Rock Tap House in Denver, and East Side Tavern in Pueblo.
“This year’s Labor Day crackdown had more than 100 law enforcement agencies protecting Coloradans from impaired drivers,” says Col. Scott Hernandez, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “We will once again be ramping up our efforts surrounding the upcoming holiday season as we continue to stress the importance of avoiding impaired driving of any kind — alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs and illegal drugs.”
The Heat Is On campaign runs the entire year.

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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