Thank you,
Federal employees
Dear Editor:
Amidst the turmoil created by Trump and Musk to fire many federal employees and dispense with entire agencies, I stand by our federal employees including our sons.
Our federal employees serve our country in so many ways from managing social security to maintaining our national parks to name just a few.
These employees need steady income to pay bills, buy groceries, and survive day to day just like all of us. These are “real” people, not some “asset” to be hacked out with a chain saw. Without warning or a poor performance review, they have been fired across our federal agencies.
The consequences will be huge and long living. I’m wondering if our IRS tax filing will get processed. Or will our beloved national parks have a closed sign preventing entry? Is social security, the life blood of finances for many, to be suspended or cut?
Plus, there is the threat of closing the Bureau of Land Management which plays a significant role right here in Rio Blanco County and across the west.
Did you know the BLM pretty much started in Colorado and covers the western part of the USA? After the land grant to many families, the federal government still owned plenty of land and no established method to manage it. Thus, the BLM was created by Congress to handle these territories.
Per the BLM website: “We manage 245 million acres of public lands—that’s one in ten acres in the country—and 700 million acres of mineral estate.”
The decisions made recently have already created chaos and apparently new “adjustments” will continue to be announced daily.
I say thanks to our federal employees. I hope better days are ahead even as we work through this darkness.
Kaye Sullivan
Meeker
EDITOR’S NOTE: We have attempted to obtain numbers of federal employees and programs affected locally. Requests for information have been shunted to regional officials. According to the most recent Census data, 39.1% of the Meeker workforce are employed by local, state and federal government offices. That’s significantly higher than the 14.6% state average and the second highest employment class in Meeker, with 45.1% employed by private companies.
Colorado’s bicentennial and the semiquincentennial of the U.S. are coming soon!
Dear Editor:
I am responsible for letting people in the Great West Region know that this is happening next year. I send emails to different groups. I call and either talk to people or leave messages. I talk to people and ask everyone to pass it on. But I am failing a bit because I am not reaching everyone I need to about this upcoming celebration. So I am asking each of you to read it through. Then, if you will send it to someone you know who plays a role in our Tourism Region to make sure it is being passed along. They can reach out to me at [email protected] or just call me directly at 970-388-7164. Please help me get the word out!
AMERICA 250 COLORADO 150
The United States of America and the State of Colorado will mark two important milestones in 2026: the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the commemoration of Colorado’s 150th anniversary of statehood. These anniversaries present the people of Colorado with an opportunity to engage more fully with our past and look toward a shared future.
COMMISSION BACKGROUND
The America 250 – Colorado 150 Commission was established with the passage of Senate Bill 22-011, and signed into law on May 26, 2022, by Colorado Governor Jared Polis. The Commission is housed within History Colorado and currently consists of 10 commissioners representing, by design within the legislation, the diverse communities and interests of the state of Colorado. With the passage of Senate Bill 23-297, the Commission will increase from 11 to 15 members.
PURPOSE
The America 250 – Colorado 150 Commission has determined that the mission and purpose of the commemoration is to: celebrate Colorado by acknowledging the completeness of our shared history, honor that which makes Colorado unique, and strive toward a more perfect union. In telling the story of Colorado, inclusive of all who have called Colorado home, the America 250 – Colorado 150 Commission is committed to highlighting Colorado’s place within the larger context of America.
The intent of the America 250 – Colorado 150 Commission is to guide Colorado’s twin commemorations in ways that enable all Coloradans to participate.
GET INVOLVED
Through 2026, communities throughout Colorado are encouraged to observe these twin anniversaries by coordinating commemorative events, planning historical activities, providing opportunities for public discourse, creating new scholarship and educational opportunities, and by seeking opportunities for historic preservation.
The Commission will encourage participation within four themes of commemoration:
Celebrate
Educate
Experience
Preserve
MAKING OBJECTIVES
• Partner with the Colorado Tourism Office to elevate and amplify commemorative programming.
• Educate the Colorado community about commemoration programming and resources.
• Showcase a collection of statewide and community events in 2026.
• Prompt conversations, awareness and action to inspire Colorado’s unified future and highlight Colorado’s place within the larger national story.
• More information is forthcoming on: branding, partnership opportunities, and statewide commemorative events.
ALIGNING EFFORTS FOR STATEWIDE AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING
Does your community, agency, organization or entity have events or investments imagined or planned for 2026 and beyond that could align with, support, reflect, or benefit from the America 250 – Colorado 150 commemoration?
Do you know of statewide investments, commemorations, preservation projects, or other programming in the works that the America 250 – Colorado 150 Commission might support in aligning messaging and efforts?
How might the America 250 – Colorado 150 commemoration and its mission and purpose be embraced, supported, aligned with, or leveraged, in areas of the state and/or within key constituencies and communities statewide that you know of, serve, or influence?
Thank You,
Teresia Reed