Niki Turner | The Herald Times

Commissioners discuss conservation, crickets and more

RBC | In work sessions Tuesday, Sept. 12, the Rio Blanco County Commissioners heard an update on activities from Callie Scritchfield, executive director of the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts. Scritchfield said seeking long-term, sustainable funding has been “priority one.” Scritchfield said the districts are administering 14 grants[Read More…]

September 13, 2023 by Niki Turner Comments are Disabled

Columns

Editor’s Column: Classic pride

“Paralyze resistance with persistence.” ~ Woody Hayes Standing in line at Jammin’ Lamb Fest with hundreds of hungry Meeker Classic attendees, with my cardboard meal tray and paper napkin in hand, I eavesdropped on the conversations of those nearby. They laughed and chatted about the town, about who made the[Read More…]

September 13, 2023 by Niki Turner Comments are Disabled

Columns

364 columns later …

“There is comfort in routine.” ~ John Steinbeck By NIKI TURNER This week marks my seventh consecutive year as co-publisher and editor of the Rio Blanco Herald Times, and that makes this my 364th weekly column. It seems like a lot when I look at the numbers, but it’s just[Read More…]

September 6, 2023 by Niki Turner Comments are Disabled

Algae bloom at Lake Avery has not shown signs of toxicity

RBC | Signs warning residents about an algae bloom that were posted at Lake Avery in August caused some alarm regarding the potential for toxic blue-green algae that can harm humans and animals. Laboratory testing conducted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife indicates the blue-green algae present at Lake Avery this[Read More…]

August 30, 2023 by Niki Turner Comments are Disabled

Columns

Editor’s Column: What’s Next?

The recent decision by the Rio Blanco County Commissioners and Public Health to stop providing Covid vaccines through the taxpayer-funded public health department has raised valid questions about government overreach, personal freedom, and the right to choose. It’s exactly the same debate we all had (and are apparently going to[Read More…]

August 30, 2023 by Niki Turner Comments are Disabled

Meeker

Meeker: Project45 achieves graduate level, rebrands as Uplift Meeker

MEEKER | Meeker was “adopted” into the Main Street America program in 2016. The national organization is a grassroots network “committed to creating high-quality places and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development.” Initially called “Meeker: Project 45” because Meeker was the 45th municipality to be incorporated in the[Read More…]

August 30, 2023 by Niki Turner Comments are Disabled

Artist Lori Jones to Share Expertise Sept. 6-7

By NIKI TURNER [email protected] MEEKER | Lori Jones was a baby when her family moved from Loveland, Colorado, to Meeker. The family ranched on Piceance Creek before moving to the Keystone Ranch south of Maybell in 1986. “My sisters and I went all through school in Meeker. I had gone[Read More…]

August 30, 2023 by Niki Turner Comments are Disabled

DEATH NOTICE: Peggy Lee Wilkinson

Peggy Lee Wilkinson, 74, formerly of Meeker, died on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023, at Sandrock Ridge Care Center in Craig, Colorado. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Peggy was employed for several years as a gemologist for many jewelers and also owned and operated her[Read More…]

August 24, 2023 by Niki Turner Comments are Disabled

County Beat: Moratorium on new wind/solar projects approved

RBC | Rio Blanco County Commissioners reviewed a 2024 strategic plan for the county’s IT and broadband during a work session Tuesday. As the broadband program continues to expand, the department is looking to create better separation between IT and broadband and improve customer service. Overall, adjustments are expected to[Read More…]

August 24, 2023 by Niki Turner Comments are Disabled

Editor’s Column: Places not to live

I spent a few days last week near San Clemente, California, on a quick family vacation. We missed Tropical Storm Hilary and a minor earthquake by mere hours. (I would be perfectly fine never hearing the word “unprecedented” ever again.) Every trip to a new place has a breathtaking moment[Read More…]

August 24, 2023 by Niki Turner Comments are Disabled

Meeker

Meeker trustees approve Sanderson re-subdivision

MEEKER | County Planner Leif Joy encouraged Meeker’s Board of Trustees to consider taking on the task of constructing and paving the through streets in new subdivisions, such as the one approved Tuesday in the Sanderson Hills area, for the sake of the town’s residents. “This subdivision that you are[Read More…]

August 24, 2023 by Niki Turner Comments are Disabled

Aspen to alpine …

Nearly a dozen custom-built Porsches (and their drivers) rolled into Meeker for lunch at the Meeker Sweet Shop Tuesday on a tour from Aspen, Colorado, to Alpine, Wyoming. The Porsche 911s, all from the 1970s and ‘80s, have all been completely customized to handle rugged, off-road terrain by professional race[Read More…]

August 9, 2023 by Niki Turner Comments are Disabled