MEEKER | Last Saturday’s Ashes to Action gathering brought nearly 90 residents together for an update on post-fire recovery efforts from multiple agencies. Rio Blanco County Commissioner Doug Overton opened the meeting with a brief account of the unified response to the Lee and Elk fires. “We are a county[Read More…]
Author: Niki Turner
EDITOR’S COLUMN – Our annual ‘state of the paper’ report, and a heartfelt thank you
“Every time a newspaper dies, even a bad one, the country moves a little closer to authoritarianism.” ~ Richard Kluger One hundred and thirty-six weekly newspapers closed their doors in 2025 in the U.S. The HT was not one of them, thanks entirely to all of you — supporters, subscribers,[Read More…]
Discussion continues regarding town/rec lease agreement for parks maintenance
MEEKER | Meeker’s Board of Trustees and the Eastern Rio Blanco Metropolitan Recreation and Parks District (ERBM) held another joint meeting to discuss the situation with the parks lease agreement last Tuesday, Oct. 28. Town Administrator Mandi Etheridge presented the final budget review for the recently completed Circle Park Riverfront[Read More…]
On the ballot…Propositions LL & MM
RBC | If you haven’t already cast your vote, sort that stack of unopened mail and find your 2025 ballot. It’s a pretty simple one for Rio Blanco County residents this year, with just two items to deliberate: Propositions LL and MM. Both propositions have to do with free public[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – On being present in the present
“The magic in your childhood wasn’t because you were a child, it was because you were living in the present.” ~ Unknown I read that quote somewhere this week and it gave me pause. My childhood wasn’t perfect (no one’s childhood is perfect), but as an adult, looking back to[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – How can we get on the same page if we aren’t even reading the same book?
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” ~ George Orwell, ‘1984’ I have been watching with interest a dialogue online between two of my high school classmates about the current political situation. They’re both being respectful of[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – Stuck in sunk cost fallacy? You can’t go forward looking at what’s past.
“Don’t cling to a mistake just because you spent a long time making it.” ~ Unknown We’re not so far removed from toddlers, no matter how old we think we are. Have you ever tried to convince a toddler they’re wrong about something? They are unconvincable, even when the facts[Read More…]
Days Gone By
Meeker Herald – 125 If ante-election promises could be coined into lawful money, some men would soon be rich. At the second-hand store is a curiosity in the shape of a book published in the year 1731. Sandy got it recently in a lot of odds and ends. George Lyttle,[Read More…]
‘Burned, not broken’: Smoking River Brewery’s Oktoberfest takes a new direction post-fire
MEEKER | The annual Oktoberfest celebration at Smoking River Brewery has become a community tradition in a few short years. The Lee and Elk fires nearly squelched it. “We were going to cancel this year,” said co-owner Kristofer Borchard, noting that after the fire it didn’t seem right to have[Read More…]
What’s missing?
It’s easy to overlook things we’re accustomed to seeing everyday, even when those things disappear. The iconic blinking red light at the intersection of 6th and Main, the last remaining stoplight in the county, was quietly removed by the town’s public works department in the last month. The light had[Read More…]
Commissioners review bridge repairs, replacement projects
RBC | The Rio Blanco County Board of Commissioners held a special meeting Sept. 30 in Meeker to address some agenda items. After implementing a hiring freeze, commissioners were asked to approve a request from County Clerk and Recorder Shawn Luce to fill a recently vacated position for recording clerk[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – National Newspaper Week and Banned Books Week remind us of our roots
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we[Read More…]