When we came here as newcomers to Rio Blanco County, we were introduced to the natural wonders of Trappers Lake, the White River and Meeker’s own China Wall. This imposing rock formation sits above Meeker and shows itself along the mountainsides to the North. The top of the China Wall[Read More…]
Tag: Guest Column
Looking ahead at ERBM
Coming up in January 2023 the Meeker Recreation Center (MRC) will be recognizing 15 years of operation. ERBM is proud of the positive impacts this facility has had throughout our community over the last decade and a half, however, as with our physical bodies, as we age we become increasingly[Read More…]
MSD accredited with distinction
Meeker School District RE-1 is once again Accredited with Distinction! This is the highest accreditation rating a school can receive from the Colorado Department of Education. Only 11 school districts in the state, which equates to less than 6% of all districts, earned this rating in 2022. Your school district[Read More…]
Argh, mateys
I almost missed National Talk Like a Pirate Day! I was at the Meeker Library looking over Mike’s shoulder when a banner flashed across his screen. It read, “National Talk Like a Pirate Day, Sept. 19.” Yes, it was another one of those faux holidays. Thousands of these “National Days”[Read More…]
Building strong communities could be a team sport
I got to thinking about some of my small-town neighbors when I read that the Denver Broncos football team, which is just starting its new season, was sold for $4.6 billion. The principal new owners are Walmart heir Rob Walton and his daughter and her husband. Their ownership group also[Read More…]
Old-fashioned communication technology
In the movie “Independence Day” the disorganized pilots across the world were reduced to communicating with help of amateur radio operators using Morse Code. These “HAM” radio guys helped Bill Pullman, as president, with a counter attack that saved the human race from extinction. OK, that was a strange use[Read More…]
What to do when the water keeps dwindling?
It seemed inevitable that the dwindling Colorado River would be divvied up by the federal Bureau of Reclamation. On June 14, BuRec gave the seven states in the Colorado River compact just 60 days to find a way to cut their total water usage by up to 4 million acre-feet.[Read More…]
Back to the moon
Childhood heroes are getting scarce. Well, at least outside YOUTube and video games. Kids need heroes to grow. My heroes were my Dad, cowboys in white hats like Roy Rogers, knights in armor, and astronauts. The space race to the moon began with the Russians launching a satellite named Sputnik.[Read More…]
The Baby Survival Package ~ Part Two
This is part two of THE BABY SURVIVAL KIT. Years ago, I started a tradition of giving a gift basket to expecting parents. It was for the first-born child of couples we knew well. It started out as both practical guide and a source of humor for nervous new parents.[Read More…]
Big Tech is steamrolling America’s newspapers
Google and Facebook have enormous economic and political power in society – especially over the news industry. Many ask if they have played a role in the misinformation that erodes our free press and plagues our democracy. Google and Facebook have a duopoly of the distribution of digital news content,[Read More…]
What do you get from volunteering with the Historical Society?
We are currently working at the Milk Creek Battlefield Park. Those of you who have been there have seen our accomplishments. We have the only monument in the United States dedicated to warriors of the Ute Nation. Installed by Utes. A couple of years ago we put up signs that[Read More…]
Tips for a new Code of the West
It’s not always easy living in the rural West, with customs so entrenched that everybody takes them for granted. What makes it hard for the newest newcomers is that they’re caught up in a mysterious culture. Learning the Old West code was easy decades ago. Novelist Zane Gray’s “Code of[Read More…]
