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…]
Author: Niki Turner
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
Editor’s Column: Common knowledge is not so common
A broad definition of “common knowledge” is information an average, educated person can accept as reliable and accurate without having to verify it. However, what we individually consider “common” is often completely unfamiliar to those outside our individual sphere of experience and understanding. In the workplace, for example, common knowledge[Read More…]
Editor’s Column: Entitlement check
When I was in elementary school I contracted a case of “tick fever.” I was puny enough that the doctor was called, which didn’t happen often. The offending critter was found under my hair at the nape of my neck and urged to relocate with a hot match and a[Read More…]
Local singer/songwriter wins Country Showdown in Vernal
MEEKER | Meeker’s Rowdy Rosendahl is finding success in front of bigger audiences these days. Rosendahl is a talented musician in a family of talented musicians who sings, songwrites and plays guitar. A graduate of Meeker High School, Rosendahl was one of 15 to make it to the semifinals of[Read More…]


