State Senator Dylan Roberts and District 26 Representative Meghan Lukens toured the Elk and Lee burns on Monday, Sept. 22 to view fire and flood impacts to Rio Blanco County. County officials briefed them on efforts to document fire and flood impacts to support requests for assistance. (Left to right)[Read More…]
Latest News
Meeker trustees review draft 2026 budget, discuss distribution of charitable funds
MEEKER | It’s budget season for local governments, which prompts plenty of questions and opportunities to learn about how government budget planning works. Town Clerk Lisa Cook presented the draft 2026 budget last Tuesday, Sept. 16, and responded to questions from trustees. Cook said the 2026 proposed budget is, “fairly[Read More…]
RIO HAPPENINGS:SEPT. 14-20, 2025
ARRESTS 9/15/2025- A 48 year-old male was arrested by Colorado State Patrol on several warrants and Driving Under the Influence. The male was taken to jail. 9/16/2025- A 52 year-old female was arrested by Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office Violation of a Protection Order. She was taken to jail and[Read More…]
Get ready for a boot-stompin’ good time at the Mustang Mingle this Friday
PRESS RELEASE MEEKER | After a full day of wild horse action at the Meeker Mustang Makeover, Friday night is all about fun as the Mustang Mingle returns to town. On September 26 at 6 p.m., join trainers, event-goers, and the community for live music, a hearty dinner, delicious drinks,[Read More…]
COMMUNITY CALENDAR – September 25th, 2025
Open Drop-in Community Meeting TODAY for landowners affected by the Lee & Elk Fires MEEKER | We understand there are many challenges following the recent fires, and we want to ensure landowners have support and clear information moving forward. Join us for an open, drop-in, community meeting where staff from[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – You can’t help those who won’t help themselves
“Sometimes, the most loving act is stepping back, preserving your energy for those genuinely seeking light rather than drowning yourself in someone else’s darkness.” ~ Unknown Life is often like one of those mastery learning programs where you keep taking the same test again and again until you achieve the[Read More…]
LETTER TO THE EDITOR – September 25th, 2025
Bad advice Dear Editor: Thank you for reporting on the most recent Rio Blanco County Commissioners’ meeting in last week’s issue of the Rio Blanco Herald Times and thank you for maintaining one of our county’s oldest businesses, a free press, recording our history, as well as a place to[Read More…]
MUSEUM MUSINGS: Letters from history No. 98
October 8, 1879 General W.T. SHERMAN, War Department: Your dispatch was received. Captain Payne is all right. His command lost Thornburgh and eleven men were killed. Three officers and forty men were wounded. All but one slightly. The command was relieved by Merritt on Sunday morning. Dodge’s company, Ninth Cavalry,[Read More…]
Cole to be inducted into CNCC Hall of Fame Saturday
Special to the HT MEEKER | Meeker’s David Cole is one of six inductees to the Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC) Hall of Fame this year. The induction ceremony will be held Saturday, Sept. 27 at 4 p.m. on the Johnson Building Lawn at the Rangely CNCC Campus. The other[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: How do you feed an army?
At its peak, the Lee and Elk fire had 1,100 to 1,200 men and women working. When a Complex Incident Management Team is assigned to a fire, they arrive as a completely self-contained unit. Tents, sanitary facilities, shower facilities, refrigerated food supply trucks, a saw sharpening shop, and a mobile[Read More…]
LOOSE ENDS: What we should have learned from the Greatest Generation
The polarization across the country continues, especially as it relates to important issues that will affect the future health of children all over America. Blame it on the pandemic or blame it on the political climate that has prompted the newest increase of people who have turned a public health[Read More…]
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: The oddity of human cruelty
MEEKER | I have always been fascinated by contradictions in nature. Fire can both warm a home and burn it to the ground. Water gives life, but it can also drown. Yet the greatest contradiction I have found is not in the world, but in people. Human beings are capable[Read More…]