RBC | In good news, and following the same pattern recognized nationwide, COVID-19 case counts locally are starting to drop. They may drop far enough that RBC can apply to move from Level Yellow to Level Blue on the state’s COVID dial this week. “The trajectory appears to be moving[Read More…]
Features
Wendll’s new addition
MEEKER | Wendll’s Coffee Shop has been an evolving local business for more than a decade. What started out as a retail and shipping business on Main Street turned into a coffee shop in 2008. From there it has grown into what owners Bobby and Wendy Gutierrez have been envisioning[Read More…]
Dialing Down …
New changes to the COVID-19 dial metrics changed the designation of 50 of 64 counties Feb. 6, including Rio Blanco, which was moved from Level Orange to Level Yellow by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). For local businesses, the change means operating at 50% capacity instead[Read More…]
County Beat: Board Addresses “Friction”
RBC | Rio Blanco County commissioners started work sessions early Tuesday to accommodate a busy schedule. ERBM Maintenance Manager Rodney Gerloff requested assistance inventorying trees in Meeker’s parks. Gerloff said ERBM could benefit from County Planner Leif Joy’s GIS and drone expertise to map trees in an effective way. With[Read More…]
Board of Health/pandemic
RBC | The county’s Board of Health heard from community members, student athletes, athletic directors and school superintendents regarding the requirement for high school basketball players to wear face masks both on and off the court on Jan. 28. On Feb. 2 the board reconvened to approve a letter addressed[Read More…]
After wanting to die, learning to live
AURORA | Navee Essien has grown up keenly aware of her gifts. More times than she can count, people have reminded the senior at Aurora’s Rangeview High how fortunate she is to have a close family and strong support system, academic and athletic talent, ease making friends, and the kind[Read More…]
White River Algae TAG group reviews data
RBC | The White River Algae Technical Advisory Group (TAG) held a well-attended virtual meeting last week to review data from three studies conducted over the last year. STREAM TEMPS The first data set, presented by Brian Hodges of Trout Unlimited in partnership with Tory Eyre of Colorado Parks and[Read More…]
How friendship can be a safety net
GRAND JUNCTION | It started about four years ago when Laurel Carpenter and Melissa Humphrey bought matching parkas and then matching comfort shoes. Soon enough, the nurses-slash-best friends from Grand Junction found themselves with matching chihuahua-print leggings and matching hoodies with fleece-lined pockets in which they carry their matching chihuahuas.[Read More…]
Releasing the wolves
CPW sticks to three-year timeline, for now RBC | The 11-member Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission hosted two days of virtual meetings Jan. 13 and 14, with approximately eight of 18 total hours allocated to discussing an adaptive management plan for wolf reintroduction. The passage of Proposition 114 last November,[Read More…]
Community spread boosts case counts
RBC | With new case counts remaining high, Rio Blanco County recorded its 401st positive COVID-19 case on Monday, Jan. 25, with some of the highest active case counts since the spike in November. As of Monday, there were 42 active cases in Meeker and 34 in Rangely. Six residents[Read More…]
Commissioners End Morlan’s 17-year Term as County Road and Bridge Director in Unanimous Vote
“All I can say right now is I’m going to do my best to make things right. Our county is too special a place to be ruined by bad decisions,” said Dave Morlan during the Rio Blanco County Board of Commissioners regular meeting Tuesday. In his public statement, Morlan responded[Read More…]
Veteran paramedic grapples with post-COVID toll on his lungs and his sense of self
ALAMOSA | Even now, nearly three months after COVID invaded his body, Jason McGinnis cannot stop asking himself how he contracted the virus. On its face, the answer seems clear: He’s a paramedic. But he was careful, thought himself well-protected, thought that if he did catch COVID, he’d knock it[Read More…]
