UPDATED AUG. 4: According to a press release from the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection are working together to in the investigation of the mailed packets of Chinese seeds and are now asking residents[Read More…]
Author: Niki Turner
Editor’s Column: Policy
The HT has had a social media presence for more than a decade. We were “early adopters” in the social media realm, and I’m mostly to blame. But in all the years we’ve been posting local news to social media, we’ve never deleted a post. Until now. When the governor[Read More…]
Meeker sales tax up
MEEKER | It’s hard to find a bright spot in a pandemic, but one positive might be increased sales tax revenue for local entities. Meeker Town Manager Lisa Cook told the board of trustees they’ve seen a boost in sales tax revenue. With people avoiding out of county shopping trips[Read More…]
Fish early at high elevations
RBC | Colorado Parks and Wildlife is encouraging trout anglers statewide to consider fishing early in the day and in higher altitude lakes and streams as hot, dry conditions and reduced water levels may increase stress to trout populations. Heat, drought, and low water levels are contributing to elevated water[Read More…]
County commissioners buck mask mandate
RBC | In a packed room in Rangely, the Rio Blanco County Board of Commissioners heard opinions from county residents and some local and county officials on the statewide face mask mandate issued last week by Governor Polis. All residents in attendance — who were reportedly invited to attend by[Read More…]
ERBM may tap reserves for anticipated budget shortfall
At the regular board meeting for the Eastern Rio Blanco Metropolitan Recreation and Park District Tuesday, the board of directors approved a $1,500 donation to the Meeker Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department for next year’s Fourth of July fireworks display. Meeker’s fireworks display is widely praised as one of the[Read More…]
Editor’s Column: 50/50
Barring some additional 2020 disaster, the Vol. 135, Issue 50 of the Rio Blanco Herald Times will come out on my 50th birthday. Lord willing, we won’t have any random pages from last year supplanting this week’s pages (that was last week), but given the way this year is going[Read More…]
Commissioners consider term limits for some county officials
OHV users will likely be pleased to hear that the Rio Blanco County Board of Commissioners and the U.S. Forest Service are considering opening the Buford/New Castle Road to OHV use. The road, which connects Buford with New Castle across a section of the Flat Tops, is managed by the[Read More…]
New fire start
A new fire has been reported west of Meeker on the eastern edge of the Black Mountain Wilderness Study Area. Bureau of Land Management crews are working on it. It’s been named the Grassy Fire with 30 acres burned as of 1:45 p.m. July 15.
Fire Update: July 15, 2020
A Type 2 Rocky Mountain Incident Management Blue Team assumed command of the Fawn, Creek, Stewart Gulch and Wolf fires on July 15 in response to a request from the Bureau of Land Management for mutual aid and the increased complexity and size of the three fires. There have been[Read More…]
Wildland fire update
The Fawn Creek Fire in the Piceance Basin is reported at 930 acres as of 10:19 a.m. on July 14 by the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination System. A Type 2 Incident Management Team has been dispatched. An update from county officials is expected later today on the status of the[Read More…]
Meeker trustees circle back to Circle Park and river discussion
Meeker’s Board of Trustees approved a $1,500 donation to the Meeker Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department to support the annual fireworks display. In the early years, the fire department went door-to-door asking for private donations. “Whatever we got, that’s what we were able to spend,” said Fire Chief Luke Pelloni.[Read More…]
