MEEKER | Life moves at a different pace these days for sixth-generation Meeker resident Kaysyn Chintala, who until recently rarely slowed down. The 30-year-old mother of two spent most of her life on the move — excelling in high school and college basketball, building a thriving photography business, and helping[Read More…]
Author: Niki Turner
Meeker adopts new state wildfire code for new construction
MEEKER | Colorado’s new wildfire construction code will soon shape how homes and other buildings are built and remodeled in wildfire‑prone areas. The Wildfire Resiliency Code, created under Senate Bill 23‑166 and finalized in July 2025, applies in the wildland‑urban interface (WUI) — where “human‑built structures meet the wildland fuels.”[Read More…]
Meeker trustees approve short-term rental request, review projects
MEEKER | The Meeker Board of Trustees addressed several business items at its recent meeting, including short-term rental requests, street maintenance bids and park management updates. New town administrator Margie Joy was officially appointed and sworn in at the start of the meeting, and outgoing administrator Mandi Etheridge received a[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – ‘Suppose they gave a war and nobody came?’
A cartoonish poster with that phrase hung in my childhood home. The line comes from a movie made the year I was born — a film I’ve never actually seen — but the title stuck with me. I was in Lamaze class the night the first Gulf War started. Someone[Read More…]
PMC Board details billing overhaul, election plans
New patient portal, compliance changes and long-term planning discussed as four candidates file for hospital district seats. MEEKER | The Pioneers Medical Center board received updates on billing reforms, compliance oversight, staffing and long-term planning during last Wednesday’s meeting, as hospital leaders outlined changes aimed at improving patient experience, financial[Read More…]
Bright Smiles program brings dental care to Meeker Elementary third graders
MEEKER | In recognition of February as National Children’s Dental Health Month, White River Dental Hygiene has launched a new school-based dental initiative aimed at helping local students build healthy habits early and remove barriers to preventive care. The program, called “Bright Smiles — Building Bright Smiles for Life,” debuted[Read More…]
Graduation requirements spark discussion at February board meeting
MEEKER | The Meeker School District RE-1 Board of Education held its regular February meeting last week at the district office, with all members present. The board approved the agenda before recognizing the Barone Middle School MathCounts team, coached by Meeker High School juniors Tucker Chinn and Said Rodriguez. The[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – The Pedestal Problem
“Hero-worship is innate to human nature, and it is founded on some of our noblest feelings… but which, like all other feelings, when uncontrolled by principle and reason, may easily degenerate into the wildest exaggerations.” ~ John Calvin One of my granddaughters is currently obsessed with Spider-Man. She wears her[Read More…]
Town approves updates to municipal codes; Mayor Day puts his name in the hat for county commissioner seat
MEEKER | The town’s board of trustees formally agreed to prioritize the development of an emergency plan by May 2026 at the request of Mayor Pro Tem Chris Lockwood at the Feb. 17 meeting. The board had discussed the idea and agreed by a head nod at a prior meeting,[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – Won’t you be a neighbor?
“Borrow trouble for yourself, if that’s your nature, but don’t lend it to your neighbors.” ~ Rudyard Kipling From Mr. Rogers to Veggie Tales to Sesame Street, a significant chunk of children’s programming for the last 50 years has been dedicated to educating our little ones about how to identify[Read More…]
BLM, partners host seeding event this Friday to restore land damaged by 2025 Lee Fire – volunteers welcome
MEEKER | The Bureau of Land Management’s White River Field Office and partners will host a volunteer event scheduled 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 27 to help restore portions of the landscape damaged by the 2025 Lee Fire. Volunteers will help spread more than 4,000 pounds of seed across 525 acres[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – Happy Lunar New Year!
“This New Year, do not live in the past for it may make you depressed; do not live for the future for it shall only make you anxious. Live only in the present, for that alone will bring you peace.” ~ Unknown You know, it’s not a bad idea to[Read More…]
