Up and down el Rio Blanco: Twins — Double the fun!

It’s exciting having two sets of twins pictured on the front page, possibly the oldest and youngest in Rio Blanco County.
I’m glad we asked if Henry Bates Creecy was the first baby born in 2011 in Rio Blanco County, after putting him on the top of page one in last week’s edition. Tonya (Morris), who has been doing what she does (building all the ads and putting the paper together) for a long time, said the placement would bring out any others and of course she was right. Surprise! Not only was one baby born before Henry Bates (great name), but twins!
And not just any twins, they are the great-grandkids of former Meeker Herald owner Leota Cook, and the first grandkids of Mike and Lisa Cook, also former owners of the Meeker Herald. Twin boys Michael Robert and David Zachary Cook’s parents are Zack Cook and Jessica Torres.
Also surprising was Hallie Blunt’s submission of her feature on the Burke twins. I don’t believe it is a coincidence but Hallie is also a twin.
Please let us know if there are any babies born this year before the Cook twins birthdate and if there are any RBC twins older than Dean and Dale Burke.
Thinking of Mike Cook, my wife suggested to me, during my first round as editor, to “be like Mike” and take pictures of kids on their first birthday.
“Two of my favorite pictures of my kids when they were little were taken by Mike, on the steps,” my wife has told me, more than once.
So in an effort to please my wife, please bring your children by the Herald Times on their first birthday, I’ll take their picture and publish it in the paper.
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Also on the front page is an article I wrote after interviewing Tim Webber, director of the WRBM Rec. and Parks District. Tim has proposed the district enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Rangely school district, making WRBM take primary fiscal responsibility for the school district’s sports and extracurricular activities.
WRBM would have to ask taxpayers for a mill levy increase to cover the $300,000 it currently costs the school district to provide sports and extracurricular activities for our kids.
Like Tim, I’m not big on new taxes but also like Tim and what has proven to be the majority of residents in Rio Blanco County, we support the schools in our communities and always want to do what is best for our kids.
Tim believes this intergovernmental agreement is what is best for our kids and I believe it is creative partnerships like the one he proposes that will accomplish his goal of “giving our kids the best education we can.”
A workshop between the two districts is schedule for Feb. 14.
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Hallie also wrote a front page story about the RBC planning commission adopting a new master plan. The last master plan was more than 10 years old. Now new codes and regulations will be written to complement the plan and hopefully it will be used as a “living” document, to guide our county into the future.
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The prosecution rested its case in the Jerry Snider Jr. murder trial Tuesday afternoon after expert witness Dr. Hal Wortzel’s testimony. The defense started calling witnesses yesterday morning. Sixteen jurors have been in the jury box since Jan. 12 and 12 of them will be chosen to deliberate the case, possibly by the end of the week.
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If you enjoy playing cribbage, please join us for a cribbage tournament this Sunday, to benefit the Rio Blanco County Historical Society, at 1 p.m., in Mountain Valley Bank’s community room. It’s a lot of fun. Everyone should get at least five games before the top eight play for the championship. Defending champion Devon Harman, who currently lives in Arizona, is not expected to return to defend her title, so a new champion will be crowned Sunday.
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Authors of “Frank-3 Enroute” will have a book signing at Fawn Creek Gallery Feb. 3.
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For the first time in its history, tickets for the annual Crab Crack, benefiting the Rangely Chamber of Commerce, sold out in one day! After everyone fills up on crab legs, awards will be given to the business and volunteer of the year.