MEEKER | Due to decreased fire activity and an increase in fire containment lines along the northern perimeter of the Lee Fire, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has reopened the Meeker Area office. In addition to reopening the area wildlife office, CPW has also removed the closure to Colorow Mountain State Wildlife[Read More…]
Author: Niki Turner
Elk Fire 100% contained, Lee Fire at 68% – New team took command Monday
MEEKER | With the Elk Fire 100% contained, progress continues on the south side of the Lee Fire, with 68% containment as of press time Wednesday. On Monday the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3 handed off command of the incident to the Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management[Read More…]
Benny the St. Bernard finds a new home and new job
MEEKER | His name is officially Benjamin, but he goes by Benny. This young St. Bernard was picked up as a dog-at-large in Meeker at the end of July, according to Community Service Officer Melissa Fellows, and subsequently relinquished to the Meeker Animal Shelter by his owner. “He was in[Read More…]
Commissioners limit grant funding to emergency requests, focus on fire recovery
MEEKER | The Rio Blanco County Commissioners opened their regular meeting last Tuesday with a letter of thanks to firefighters, emergency responders and citizens “who have worked tirelessly to protect our community” during the Elk and Lee fires. (The full letter was published in last week’s edition of the Herald[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – Can we hold on to the good as we return to normal?
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” ~ Abraham Lincoln I am[Read More…]
Meeting for landowners impacted by Lee, Elk fires Wednesday, Aug. 20
MEEKER | From the White River/Douglas Creek Conservation Districts, landowners directly impacted by the Lee and Elk fires, are invited to attend a meeting Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. at the 4-H Building to discuss fire suppression repair plans. Organizations will review how and where they need to repair things that[Read More…]
Alternate date and location for Meeker Mobile Pantry Aug. 22
MEEKER | The Meeker Mobile Pantry will be held on Friday, Aug. 22 at 10:30 a.m. at City Park. This is a date and location change due to the wildfires. La Despensa Móvil Meeker se realizará el viernes 22 de agosto a las 10:30 a. m. en el Parque de[Read More…]
Crosho Fire not related to Elk, Lee fires
RBC | The Crosho Fire is burning on the east end of Rio Blanco County on the Routt National Forest. Routt County is managing evacuations. Please follow the links below for information on the Crosho Fire. The fire team managing the Elk and Lee fires is not managing the Crosho[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – Resetting our assumptive world
“Life is mostly froth and bubble;/ Two things stand like stone:/Kindness in another’s trouble,/ Courage in your own.” ~ Adam Lindsay Gordon Smoke from the Lee Fire rolled back into the valley on Tuesday, Aug. 12 after a day of relatively clear skies. The instant jolt of anxiety it triggered[Read More…]
Print paper delivery delayed due to fire
RBC | For the second time this summer, our print delivery is delayed due to wildfires. The online edition is up, and for this week we are taking down the paywall. For those who don’t know, we generally pick up our papers in Rifle on Wednesday evening from our courier[Read More…]
Fire Update: Thursday, Aug. 7
MEEKER | As per the official update from the incident team this morning, the Lee Fire has grown to an estimated 45,000 acres and the Elk Fire is at 14,250 acres. There are 476 total personnel, and resources to include 14 aircraft, 15 engines, 14 hand crews, and two heavy[Read More…]
Fire Update: Wednesday, Aug. 6
IMPORTANT: There is a community meeting tonight (Wednesday, Aug. 6) at 7 p.m. at Meeker High School. Fire managers and local authorities will present on current and future fire, weather, and evacuation status. Directly after the presentations there will be fire managers, local authorities, and public information officers available at[Read More…]
