Meeker

Loose Ends: No more need for speed

Dolly Viscardi
At first glance the old trailer by the side of the road appeared to be just one more addition to someone’s collection of old vehicles. No one seemed to notice it. Then as I walked briskly down the Fifth Street hill one morning, I glanced up to see that a large red number 42 had suddenly appeared. Realizing it was a speed warning sign perched atop the trailer, I wondered at its purpose. Vehicles had been zooming down the hill all summer long, had someone finally worried for the safety of the neighborhood children walking to school?
The warning sign got me questioning myself. Could I have picked up my pace that much? I walk fast, but 17 miles over the limit seems a bit far-fetched. Turning onto Fifth from Hill Street, I noticed no one walking or driving. Yet, no sooner had I looked back than I saw a car coming up close behind me on my right. I hadn’t heard a thing.
Zooming down the hill all summer and autumn, vehicles continued to speed without any sort of consequence. One of the neighbors must have complained, so rather than assign an officer to set up a speed trap by the side of the street, the sign must have been the first course of action. It was only there temporarily, as it is gone now.
Could the sign have worked as a deterrent? If nothing else, the presence of the sign made a few of us think about the problem of speeding through residential areas.
Slowing down enough to notice the pedestrians or vehicles crossing at the intersection of Garfield and Fifth might have been the best result of posting the speed reminder.
The new school has unclogged some of the traffic flow at that intersection, and with the preschool and kindergarten classes moved from the administration building there are no longer long lines of vehicles waiting to drop off or pick up children. However, there are still times of the day when crossing Garfield Street at that intersection is difficult with cars speeding through on their way to and from all three schools. “No need for speed” might be a new sign that could be posted soon.
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One Comment

  1. What I always told my kids was to speed on the highway and never in town. I told them if they ever hurt or killed someone they would live with that forever. They didn’t collect too many tickets on the highways and never one in town. As for the grownups? They should know that.

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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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  • 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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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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