“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” ~ Abraham Lincoln I am[Read More…]
Author: Niki Turner
Meeting for landowners impacted by Lee, Elk fires Wednesday, Aug. 20
MEEKER | From the White River/Douglas Creek Conservation Districts, landowners directly impacted by the Lee and Elk fires, are invited to attend a meeting Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. at the 4-H Building to discuss fire suppression repair plans. Organizations will review how and where they need to repair things that[Read More…]
Alternate date and location for Meeker Mobile Pantry Aug. 22
MEEKER | The Meeker Mobile Pantry will be held on Friday, Aug. 22 at 10:30 a.m. at City Park. This is a date and location change due to the wildfires. La Despensa Móvil Meeker se realizará el viernes 22 de agosto a las 10:30 a. m. en el Parque de[Read More…]
Crosho Fire not related to Elk, Lee fires
RBC | The Crosho Fire is burning on the east end of Rio Blanco County on the Routt National Forest. Routt County is managing evacuations. Please follow the links below for information on the Crosho Fire. The fire team managing the Elk and Lee fires is not managing the Crosho[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – Resetting our assumptive world
“Life is mostly froth and bubble;/ Two things stand like stone:/Kindness in another’s trouble,/ Courage in your own.” ~ Adam Lindsay Gordon Smoke from the Lee Fire rolled back into the valley on Tuesday, Aug. 12 after a day of relatively clear skies. The instant jolt of anxiety it triggered[Read More…]
Print paper delivery delayed due to fire
RBC | For the second time this summer, our print delivery is delayed due to wildfires. The online edition is up, and for this week we are taking down the paywall. For those who don’t know, we generally pick up our papers in Rifle on Wednesday evening from our courier[Read More…]
Fire Update: Thursday, Aug. 7
MEEKER | As per the official update from the incident team this morning, the Lee Fire has grown to an estimated 45,000 acres and the Elk Fire is at 14,250 acres. There are 476 total personnel, and resources to include 14 aircraft, 15 engines, 14 hand crews, and two heavy[Read More…]
Fire Update: Wednesday, Aug. 6
IMPORTANT: There is a community meeting tonight (Wednesday, Aug. 6) at 7 p.m. at Meeker High School. Fire managers and local authorities will present on current and future fire, weather, and evacuation status. Directly after the presentations there will be fire managers, local authorities, and public information officers available at[Read More…]
White River National Forest, BLM to enter stage 2 fire restrictions Friday
RBC | All lands managed by the White River National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Upper Colorado River District (Grand Junction and Silt offices) will be in stage 2 fire restrictions beginning Friday, Aug. 8. Rio Blanco County and the White River Field Office BLM are remaining in stage[Read More…]
Fire-related cancellations and postponements
(Please note, this information is being updated as it comes in.) • Due to the fires, there will be no Meeker Summer Rodeo Series rodeo this week. • The Meeker Arts and Cultural Council’s production of Matilda, originally set for Thursday through Saturday this week, has been postponed. • The[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – Take care of yourselves and each other
“When you face a crisis, you know who your true friends are.” ~ Magic Johnson As I write this on Wednesday morning, many of our friends and neighbors have either been evacuated due to the fires or are waiting to be told to evacuate. The skies are a little more[Read More…]
Forest Closure in place near Elk Fire in Blanco District
Closure in place to protect firefighter and public safety MEEKER | The White River National Forest has issued a public closure for firefighter and public safety in the vicinity of the Elk Fire in Rio Blanco County. The closure is within the Blanco Ranger District west of and including the[Read More…]


