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…]
Author: Niki Turner
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…]
Editor’s Column: Pioneers, settlers and museum-keepers: which one are you?
Full disclosure, I stole the title from an old sermon series, but it’s relevant. The basic premise is that there are three types of people: pioneers who are hungry for change and new things, settlers who want to maintain the status quo, and museum-keepers who guard the old ways. All[Read More…]
Modified Range Call events still offer plenty of ways to celebrate this Independence Day
The 135th annual Range Call Celebration will be a bit different in 2020, just like everything else this year. For starters, there’s no big headline concert. The pandemic has forced bands and solo artists alike to cancel their summer music tours. Second, there will be no barn dances. But don’t[Read More…]
Streeter Fire exceeds 1,000 acres, zero containment
UPDATED: 3:29 p.m. July 6, 2020 A wildfire near Mile Marker 61 on Hwy. 13 north of Meeker has prompted the evacuation of Colowyo mine Tuesday afternoon, according to the Craig Press. The fire, of undetermined origin, jumped the highway earlier Tuesday, fueled by dry conditions and high winds. The[Read More…]
Hwy. 13 north of Meeker impacted by wildfire
Firefighters are on scene at a wildfire between Nine Mile Gap and County Rd. 80 — about 13-15 miles north of Meeker. Travel delays are possible and smoke may be visible from the road.
