The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind. ~ William blake Change is hard, and perhaps no kind of change is more difficult than that of changing our own minds. Our opinions are rooted in what we believe, and we are[Read More…]
Author: Niki Turner
Trustees divided on Ute Park use
MEEKER | In the decade-plus since the Town of Meeker purchased the property just west of town now known as Ute Park, defining the property’s use — park or pasture — has been an annual debate. “We have this discussion every year about how the livestock and the people can[Read More…]
RBC COVID-19 cases spike as state vaccination plans change
RBC | Both Meeker and Rangely are seeing spikes in positive COVID-19 cases, and an increase in the number of residents requiring hospitalization. As of Monday, six local residents, ranging in age from their 50s to 80s, were being treated at Pioneers Medical Center in Meeker. RBC Public Health Director[Read More…]
Just Transition action plan released
RBC | Instability in the energy industry comes as no surprise. For decades energy market volatility drove the economic boom and bust cycles that shaped the landscape of northwest Colorado for better or worse. As changing technologies and a shifting focus toward renewable energies begin to take a heavy toll[Read More…]
Town considers code changes
MEEKER | In the first official Board of Trustees meeting for 2021, the town reviewed a proposed assessment and design of the White River corridor through town, completed in conjunction with the Eastern Rio Blanco Metropolitan Recreation and Park District and SWCA Environmental Consulting out of Broomfield, Colorado. The study[Read More…]
Editor’s Column: Maybe politics shouldn’t be a profit game
Anyone who thought politics was a slow-moving game, or dreadfully dull, has had that idea challenged this year. Now almost every political race is a neck-and-neck battle to the finish line (if a finish line can ever be agreed upon… how I miss those simpler times). It’s exciting when a[Read More…]
Walk-in vaccine clinics start today for 1B tier
RBC | Changes made to the state’s vaccination roll-out plan last Wednesday that added additional groups of people to Tier 1B have created new opportunities for vaccination distribution. “Supply chains have been able to get allocations out sooner than expected,” said RBC Public Health Director Alice Harvey. “We have 300[Read More…]
State changes vaccination tier schedule
After press time Wednesday, the state announced surprise changes that will expand the number of people who qualify for a COVID-19 vaccination in Tier 1B. Tier 1A included highest risk health care workers and long-term care facility staff and residents. The new 1B tier includes Coloradans age 70+, moderate-risk health[Read More…]
Editor’s Column: Good Riddance, 2020
When the pandemic kicked off last spring I said I thought this event was going to leave a mark. Little did I know at that point how deep that mark would go. I’m chalking 2020 up as the second worst year of my life (second only because no one in[Read More…]
Editor’s Column: One Good Thing
This has been a year of unusual events. The conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in the night sky for the first time since 1226 A.D., is just one of those events. From our perspective on Earth, the two visible planets look very much like an unusually large star, much like[Read More…]
Town approves 2021 budget
MEEKER | In the final formal meeting for 2020, Meeker’s Board of Trustees approved the 2021 budget and certified the town’s property tax mill levy. The board also approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the White River Partnership for the conservation of riparian areas along the White River and its[Read More…]
Editor’s Column: Just keep swimming
In the animated movie “Finding Nemo,” a clownfish (ironically named Marlin) and a regal blue tang fish set off on an improbable journey: to find Marlin’s missing son Nemo (also ironically named). Dory suffers from short-term memory loss, regularly becoming distracted and forgetting what she was doing, which creates all[Read More…]
