This week, we reflect on a Trump video post that depicted the Obamas as apes and the blowback from readers upset by The Sentinel’s republishing the controversial screen grab; discuss the Club 20 foundation’s agreement with Purdue University to help raise funds for research on the true cost per kilowatt hour and environmental impact of different methods of electricity production; confront the controversy over the county’s seeming sweetheart rental deal with Faith Heights church after the purchase of their building; and look at how readers felt about D51’s unexcused abasence policy pre-empting athletes from competiton.

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In this edition, we discuss the fallout from GJHS student-athletes whose participation in an “ICE-OUT” walkout, which resulted in an unexcused absence, precluded their ability to compete the following day; potential backlash against local law enforcement due to questionable ICE tactics; progress on plans to update Stocker Stadium and its impact on access to the Lincoln Park Barn; Tri-State Generation's pushback on a Trump admin "emergency" order to keep their coal-fired station operational; and readers' thoughts on whether or not a national firearms ban at public protests would be advisable in the wake of the death of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

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This week, we examine a potential loss of $600K originally guaranteed to District 51 that could now be taken away due to a misinterpretation of the funding formula amid the ongoing debate over the “J Curve,” which puts the district near the bottom of statewide funding distribution; new leadership for Club 20, which has lost its statewide flex in recent years; and a drop in ACA enrolloment in Mesa County after the Senate failed to pass the subsidy extension that has caused premiums to skyrocket.

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This week, we lament the latest development in the ongoing Tina Peters saga, in which she claims to have been accosted by a fellow inmate, a questionable assertion based on surveillance video of the scuffle; a new restaurant coming to downtown by the owners of Palisade’s popular “Peche” restaurant; discuss whether or not justice was served in the case of John Taylor, who pleaded to a lesser charge in the shooting deaths of two men after originally pleading not guilty to second-degree murder.

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This week, we look at the surprise guilty plea in the case of a security guard who shot and killed two men on North Ave. in 2024, the bizarre case of a head and hands found in a freezer on private property that’s one in a string of high-profile cases from around the Grand Valley, state legislators wrestling with strained budgets as the 2026 session begins, and, it’s back to the future for the Museums of Western Colorado as they contemplate consolidating their many entities.

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Our usual local focus takes a bit of a detour in light of a very busy national newscycle as we reflect on ramifications of the Venezuelan military operation and the Seaton family’s legacy of promoting press freedom in South America; the Trump administration’s recent freeze on federal funding for child welfare programs in Colorado and other blue states as well as denial of FEMA funds for areas ravaged by last summer’s wildfires and veto of a funding bill for a crucial Arkansas Valley water pipeline, seen by many as retribution for Tina Peters’ imprisonment; and a look at Spirit Engineering’s rollout of the SE-1 airplane developed and manufactured right here in Grand Junction.

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This week, we examine the controversy over the Mesa County Commissioners’ most recent appointees to the library board known for espousing conservative views, overlooking the applications of current board members with a good record of service, CMU’s latest proposal for building a team facility at Stocker Stadium after outcry over an initial proposal that included removing the Lincoln Park Barn, and Rep. Jeff Hurd’s refusal to caucus with Democrats on a discharge petition to bring an ACA tax credit extension to a vote after drafting legislation that would have extended them.

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Is banning the sale of nonstick cookware containing PFAS another example of government overreach? Will winter make a return appearance? Should singles put up Christmas trees? Are induction stoves the electromagnetic wave of the future? Is high school athletic travel over two passes to the Front Range worth the risk? How did previous generations survive free-range and lap belt car rides? How are local residents faring during an identifiable loneliness epidemic? Editorial Page Editor Andy Smith and Audience Engagement Director Gretchen Reist debate the biggest topics of the day.

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This week, we look back on the tenure of the outgoing public health director Xavier Crockett, who took over an agency in upheaval and brought stability to an environment in flux; discuss a shocking murder case that unfolded in an otherwise sleepy Fruita community; debate the merits of continued coverage of the ongoing Tina Peters saga; and talk about our favorite Thanksgiving sides.

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This week, we examine Tuesday’s election results, which saw the re-election of incumbent Andrea Haitz and the election of newcomer Kaci Cole and Angela Lema's challenger, Vicki Woods, whom the editorial board touted as “the strongest school board candidate we’ve ever talked to,” discuss possible solutions to the homelessness crisis, set to worsen with the closure of the North Avenue shelter next year, and look at the editorial board’s blessing of Jeff Hurd as a possible future Speaker of the U.S. House.

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