RBC | All lands managed by the White River National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Upper Colorado River District (Grand Junction and Silt offices) will be in stage 2 fire restrictions beginning Friday, Aug. 8. Rio Blanco County and the White River Field Office BLM are remaining in stage[Read More…]
Author: Niki Turner
Fire-related cancellations and postponements
(Please note, this information is being updated as it comes in.) • Due to the fires, there will be no Meeker Summer Rodeo Series rodeo this week. • The Meeker Arts and Cultural Council’s production of Matilda, originally set for Thursday through Saturday this week, has been postponed. • The[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – Take care of yourselves and each other
“When you face a crisis, you know who your true friends are.” ~ Magic Johnson As I write this on Wednesday morning, many of our friends and neighbors have either been evacuated due to the fires or are waiting to be told to evacuate. The skies are a little more[Read More…]
Forest Closure in place near Elk Fire in Blanco District
Closure in place to protect firefighter and public safety MEEKER | The White River National Forest has issued a public closure for firefighter and public safety in the vicinity of the Elk Fire in Rio Blanco County. The closure is within the Blanco Ranger District west of and including the[Read More…]
Elk and Lee Fire Update: Tuesday, Aug. 5
MEEKER | According to an update from the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3 on Tuesday morning, the Elk Fire has burned 7,750 acres and the Lee Fire has burned 13,025 acres. Team 3 assumed command of the Elk and Lee fires this morning at 6 a.m. (Note:[Read More…]
Preparing for wildfire
Advance Preparation Checklist ❏ Prepare an emergency plan using the five P’s – people, pets, prescriptions, papers and priceless items should all be accounted for.❏ Assemble an emergency kit (https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/survival-kit-supplies.html)❏ Clear away all flammable vegetation from within 30 feet or more of your home. Also, clear 10 feet from propane[Read More…]
Additional evacuation and pre-evacuation orders issued for Lee Fire and Elk Fire residents
UPDATED: 2:02 p.m., 8/5 Elk Fire Evacuation Orders: County Road 8, MM 11-16: evacuation order in place GOSleepy Cat to Lake Avery- North side of the road – GOCounty Rd. 40 and 63 – GOCounty Road 49 evacuation order in place- GORecreationists near Yellow Jacket, Fawn Creek, Sleepy Cat Peak,[Read More…]
Elk Fire update: Monday, Aug. 4
MEEKER | Rio Blanco County officials held an emergency meeting Monday morning with updates on the Elk Fire, approximately 11 miles east of Meeker on County Road 8, following a “chaotic” day Sunday. County officials now confirm the Elk Fire at approximately 2,000 acres. Sheriff Anthony Mazzola reiterated that the[Read More…]
Elk Fire prompts emergency declaration, evacuation notice
MEEKER | A lightning-sparked wildfire that started Saturday, Aug. 2, approximately 10 miles east of Meeker in the Oak Ridge area along County Road 8, has grown to an estimated 600 acres according to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office, prompting a declaration of a local disaster emergency by the[Read More…]
Preparations for budget season get underway for RBC Commissioners
RBC | As local governments prepare for budget season, the Rio Blanco County Commissioners heard a presentation about the county’s insurance policies from Meredith Burcham of County Technical Services, Inc. (CTSI) during a work session last Tuesday. CTSI administers the County Health Pool (CHP), County Workers’ Compensation Pool (CWCP) and[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – Becoming consistent
‘Reality control’, they called it: in Newspeak, ‘doublethink’.” ~ George Orwell, 1984 There’s a saying about consistency: “What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.” In July I signed up for ladies’ golf classes — a first for me — in an effort[Read More…]
CORRECTION: Correct time for Woolgrowers’ meal at the fair on July 31
RBC | The annual Rio Blanco County Woolgrowers’ meal at the County Fair was listed in the Fair Book and in the submitted article in the July 24 edition at the wrong time. The meal will be from 4-6 p.m. in the 4-H Exhibit Hall kitchen, not from 11 a.m.[Read More…]
