By NIKI TURNER | [email protected] MEEKER | Meeker town trustees approved a $5,000 donation to support bringing the skijoring event back in 2021. The donation is designated for the prize “purse” for contestants. The first event, held in February 2020, brought in outside contestants as well as local participants and[Read More…]
Author: Niki Turner
Editor’s Column: Speak your truth
This is the 80th annual observance of National Newspaper Week. Naturally, I’m hyper-aware of the importance and value of newspapers and journalists all year long. If I wasn’t, I would need to be in a different line of work, obviously. But this week, conversations with friends and acquaintances have brought[Read More…]
BMS runners finish season
MEEKER I This weekend the middle school runners finished their season on the course that started their season. “They all improved their times and had great runs! All the coaches were incredibly proud of their effort and dedication this season,” said head coach Kris Casey. The boys ran first this[Read More…]
Spectator plan for football season, district funding and more at MSD
By NIKI TURNER | [email protected] MEEKER | The new band and choir director at Meeker High School was introduced to the school board Monday. Randy Adams said, “We were in Indiana three months ago and had no inkling of moving, but this was an awesome opportunity.” He and his wife[Read More…]
Med student completes rotation at Meeker Family Health
By NIKI TURNER | [email protected] MEEKER | If you’ve visited Meeker Family Health in the last six weeks you may have met Tessa Hennesy, a third year CU School of Medicine student completing a rotation in family medicine. During the third year, medical school students get to test out different[Read More…]
The life of a mail ballot
By NIKI TURNER | [email protected] RBC | Voting by mail has been a hot topic in this year’s election, complete with errors and innuendos about the safety and veracity of the process coming from multiple sources. For Colorado voters, voting by mail isn’t new. Every county in the State of[Read More…]
Editor’s Column: Oct. 1, 2020
That was a debacle, not a debate By NIKI TURNER | [email protected] I try to avoid touching on national politics in this space, but what we witnessed on live television Tuesday between presidential candidates was, quite frankly, embarrassing. It resembled those awkward family dinners that devolve into a shouting match[Read More…]
Benefits, mask usage and more at BOCC meeting
RBC | Commissioners and budget and finance director Janae Stanworth discussed the possibility of making changes to the county’s employee benefit plans in a work session Tuesday. Currently, the county pays 100% of the monthly health insurance premiums for staff, with a $1,000 deductible. The monthly premium for an individual[Read More…]
“All options” on the table for budget balancing act
Four FT jobs and dispatch still up in the air, creation of a “commissioner coordinator” position discussed RBC |Commissioners are still considering “all options” (with the exception of reserves) as they endeavor to cut $2.3 million from the 2021 budget. Those options include merging various departments to cut back on[Read More…]
RBC moves into “Protect Our Neighbor” phase
RBC | Rio Blanco County is one of three Colorado counties, along with Mesa and Gilpin, to receive the governor’s approval to move into “Protect Our Neighbor” status for COVID-19 response. RBC had to meet certain qualifications, or metrics, in order to achieve the new status, including: sufficient hospital bed capacity,[Read More…]
Editor’s Column: A different kind of horror movie
I’ve never been a big fan of modern horror movies. Most of the characters are what we refer to in fiction writing as TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) and the villains are over-the-top evil with zero redemptive qualities. It’s hard to connect with protagonists who are too dumb to turn[Read More…]
Prop EE “only viable hope” for rural education funding
MEEKER I Revenue from a proposed tax on nicotine products on the November ballot would be dedicated to health and education programs if it passes. “That’s really the only viable hope right now I see for rural funding in the next few years,” Meeker Superintendent Chris Selle told the Meeker School Board[Read More…]
