Full interview with Colorado Senate District 8 Candidate Karl Hanlon.

This week Rio Blanco’s Board of County Commissioners got an update on the proposed plan to transfer local emergency dispatch services to Colorado State Patrol’s regional call center in Craig. CSP Communications director Jeff Davis told the Board that as of right now, such a transfer would not be possible due to considerations for staffing, training, and related concerns for public safety. More on the informational work session is on the front page.

During a work session and regular meeting Commissioners discussed additional strategies for balancing the 2021 budget including restructuring employee healthcare plans reducing retirement benefits, and eliminating or consolidating certain departments. Commissioners also got a COVID-19 update from Rio Blanco County’s Public Health department. More on county government happenings starts on page 2A

“This coming Tuesday, September 29th marks the 141st anniversary of the “Meeker Incident,” which culminated in the White River Ute tribe being driven from the White River Valley into Utah..more about the day and its significance is written on page 2A

Rio Blanco County Public health offers drive through flu vaccine clinics in the next two weeks. Clinic one will be in Meeker at the Fairgrounds on Thursday October 1st from 4:30 to 6:30. The second clinic will be in Rangely on Tuesday October 6th from 4:30 to 6:30 at 101 E. Main Street, between the library and public health office building. For questions call RBC Public Health at 878 9520

This week letters to editor discuss topics like Rio Blanco County dispatch, local fuel prices, a kudos to Ducey’s and WREA, passing of Justice Ruth BAder Ginsberg, the personal cost of a statewide lockdown, and more, along with this week’s editor column are on page 4A

Check page 5A for Part 3 of a information series on the White River and Douglass Creek Conservation districts

Meeker High School Alumni Jay Sullivan and current senior Sophia Goedert share perspectives on the new High School Building on page 6A

Meeker’s Chamber of Commerce welcomed new board members Andrea Gianinetti, Chance Walker, and Lori Smith this week. Rangely chamber of commerce has hired McKenzie Webber as its new executive director. More about Meeker and Rangely Chambers on page 7A

Rangely Police dept. Discovered body of a missing woman Wednesday. The decedent has been identified as Laurie French. An investigation into the cause of death is underway by Rio Blanco County Sheriff's office and Colorado Bureau of Investigation. More details are on page 8A

Also on 8A, read my interview with Karl Hanlon, candidate for Colorado’s 8th Senate District.

In sports news, high school football will return this fall, with rangely panther football already underway and meeker cowboys returning to the field as soon as next week. Check in future editions of the Herald Times for the official season schedules..

In more sports this week, Rangely hosted cross country meets, and Cowboys golf wrapped up their season with a game at River Valley Ranch golf course. Scores, results, and more in sports as always start on page 1B

The Herald Times is now offering high quality copies in black and white and color. Notary public services are also available at our office on 304 4th Street in Meeker Colorado. Questions? Give us a call at 878 4017 or email editor @ ht 188 dot com

That’s all for this week. Find more in print and online at ht1885.com Thank you for supporting community journalism.

Thanks for listening to Rio Blanco County news. Here’s our community newscast for the week of September 17.

Whether you prefer to vote in person, by mail, or drop off, this week’s front page has a comprehensive guide to voting in the November 3rd election. It also addresses the nationwide concerns over mail-in vote security, lists details about in-person polling locations and ballot drop boxes for Rio Blanco County, and more.

On Friday the HT crew spent the day at the Rio Blanco County Fairgrounds, honing our live streaming skills, to bring the people of the internet near and far a broadcast of the 2020 Meeker Mustang Makeover. The event, which also attracted in-person attendance, is being called a “record success,” by event organizers.

Meeker School Superintendent Chris Selle told the District Board this week that Colorado’s Proposition EE on this year’s November Ballot is currently the only viable hope for Rural School Funding in the Next few years. Prop EE would generate said funds by increasing State taxes on nicotine products. It would also raise funds by imposing a new tax on e-cigarettes. More updates on Meeker School District, including the high school construction project are on page 2A.

Rangely’s Department of Public Health and Environment holds two drive through flu vaccination clinics next month. Find times and locations in News Briefs on page 3A

Rio Blanco County is one of three in Colorado to receive approval to transition into the “Protect Our Neighbor” status for COVID-19 response. The status, which was also granted to Mesa and Gilpin counties was granted based on certain metrics like ability to do contact tracing, hospital capacity and others. The new Covid status also allows all businesses to reopen at 50 percent capacity. Large gatherings of up to 500 people will also be permitted. Social distancing and mask usage are still required by the state as part of the change. More on Protecting Our Neighbors on page 6A

Also on 6A, a photo of Meeker Library’s new “Charlie Cart”, part of an education program to educate kids on culinary kitchen skills.

Amidst the swirling chaos of 2020, some bright spots still shine through, like for example, Colorado’s housing market. The state’s median home price is up to $443,925 dollars. Denver is one area where prices are very high at a median cost of more than $600,000. This is motivating new home buyers to purchase property in alternative places, like Rio Blanco County where in July, 20 homes were sold. More than double the average. More on the reason for the increase is on page 7A.

Meeker Town Staff and Trustees expect to cut around $400,000 to help balance the 2021 budget, which faces a 1.4 million dollar shortfall. Cuts proposed will all come from capital improvement items. The town will dip into reserves to balance the remaining shortfall. You can read exactly what will get cut on page 7A

Rio Blanco County also faces a large budget deficit in 2021, 2.3 million dollars. Commissioners say “all options” are on the table, with the exception of reserves which currently sit at 17.7 million dollars. So far the board has proposed cuts including 4 full time positions, cutting 5% of each department’s expenses, and merging various departments. During a Tuesday work session Commissioners and County Attorney Todd Starr also discussed the potential of hiring a new position of County Commissioner Coordinator, which would cost more than $100,000 a year, including benefits. More on Rio Blanco county is on page 8A

Rangely’s 40th annual Septemberfest car show attracted more than 80 entries from Colorado and Utah. Results are listed on page 8A

That’s all for this week. Find more in print and online at ht1885.com Thank you for supporting community journalism.

Here’s our community newscast for the week of September 10.

This week’s weather mirrored the craziness we’ve come to expect from 2020, with snow falling across Rio Blanco County. Nearly five inches of the stuff wreaked havoc on power lines and trees in Meeker, but it wasn’t all bad. One resident built a snow dino, check out photos on our Facebook page or website. You can also view some of the damage from the storm and read more about this weekend’s forecast on page 1A.

Ursa Piceance Holdings, LLC has filed for bankruptcy. The company owns around 41,000 acres of oil and gas properties in the Piceance Basin and focuses primarily on natural gas and natural gas liquids.

According to documents submitted to the court, the company holds $282.7 million in secured debt, as well as a number of unsecured debts which include $5 million owed to Garfield County, and $718,000 in back taxes owed to Rio Blanco County. RBC Assessor Renae Nielsen is unsure whether they will end up receiving the money, which may add to the county’s current budget woes.

Currently the county is facing a $2.3 million dollar deficit for 2021. Commissioners are looking at cutting four full time positions, decreasing health insurance premiums, and defunding local dispatch. Citizens have expressed support for keeping dispatch local in public meetings, so last Thursday, county officials and boards from the Town of Rangely and the Town of Meeker met to discuss a 1% sales tax increase ballot measure to fund local dispatch. Ultimately the entities could not come to an agreement. According to commissioners, cutting dispatch is still on the table for budget discussions.

You can read more from that meeting, as well as Tuesday’s regular commissioner meeting, on page 1A and 2A of this week’s edition.

Providence Recovery is opening satellite offices in Rangely and Meeker through a partnership with Rio Blanco County Public Health. Both meeker and rangely residents will have access to substance use disorder treatment beginning September 22. Read more on page 2A.

Several Meeker High School students have received Scholastic Gold Key awards again this year. Check out their art and read more about them on Page 2A.

A Wisconsin hunter was found dead near the Yellow Jacket Pass area this week. 58 year old Russell Sharp was missing for three days before search and rescue teams from Moffat Mesa Garfield and Rio Blanco County discovered his body. No foul play is suspected.

Local schools have received nearly a million dollars in funding from the CARES act. Check out the breakdown, as well as some of the COVID-related expenses Meeker and Rangely school districts have encountered, on page 6A.

According to CHSAA, football teams may not have to play in the middle of March this year. CHSAA officials are in talks with Governor Jared Polis, but no decisions have been announced as of today. You can read more local sports as always, on page 1B.

Informed citizens are the best citizens! Don’t forget to read through the public notices this week beginning on page 3B.

That’s all for this week. Find more in print and online at ht1885.com Thank you for supporting community journalism.

Rangely’s 40th annual Septemberfest begins Saturday, and kicks off with a Sea Plane Splash In at Kenney Reservoir beginning at 11 a.m., followed by all kinds of events at Elks Park. The celebration will continue over the weekend, and a Labor Day barbecue in the park begins at 1 p.m. Monday. More than 600 lbs of barbecue and a full pallet of watermelon will be served, along with sides donated by local businesses.

Find a full schedule of Septemberfest events on PAGE 4A.

A Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission report has been filed for a crude oil spill near Parkview Elementary School in Rangely. Cleanup operations involved removal of the top 6 to 12 inches of soil in a 200 square foot area. Find the rest of that story on page 2A.

Uinta Mining has pulled an application for an open pit frac sand mine near Skull Creek in Moffat County. The HT first covered this story in the Aug. 6 edition. The withdrawal letter, submitted Aug. 19, states, “Uinta Mining LLC has no further need for progress on this project.” No additional explanation was given.

White River Electric Association is gearing up for a virtual annual meeting this year. Members will be able to view a 20 minute video presentation at wrea.org beginning Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. Mail ballot election of two Town of Meeker directors will follow. On the ballot this year are incumbents Hal Pearce, Brett Dearman, and Bryce Ducey.

The ‘worst-case scenario’ is not something we like to dwell on. When it happens to us, we’re forced to think about it, of course, but when it happens to someone else? Not so much. And when it happens to someone else and it’s concealed in the rougher folds of society’s fabric? We probably won’t think about it at all.

One such issue? Human trafficking. Myths and misconceptions abound, but in reality nearly anyone can be a victim, from US citizens, immigrants, men and women, adults and children.

That’s part of the reason the Colorado Human Trafficking Council seeks to educate not only community members, but government employees, health professionals, law enforcement and more.

You can find the rest of the transcript for this episode at:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zZ8nu2ZCDbUzq-FB7gskzPwXFr8ugT0hSJ-vaIvHHU0/edit?usp=sharing

Full interview with Colorado House District 57 Candidate Perry Will.

This week Herald Times staff visited a relatively new agricultural operation along the white river outside of Meeker, Smoking River Hops. Co-Owner Kevin Borchard provided a tour of the hop field, with it’s long rows and tall hop plants, growing vertically up coconut ropes. More about Smoking River Hops including pictures starts on the front page, you can see video of the trip on our Youtube channel,

Also on the front page are photos of students, masked up, and officially back to school around the county as of this week. With the start of school comes the first meeting of the 2020-2021 school year for Meeker School District’s board of directors. They discussed masks and other COVID-19 precautions, a tobacco tax as a potential way to fill budget shortfalls and more. Read all about it on page 8A.

In more school news, Members of the Masonic Lodge laid the cornerstone at the new Meeker High School building last week. Photos of the ceremony are on page 2A.

The return of students means more people in and around school buildings, which could be why last week a resident of Rangely noticed an oil spill about 700 feet from the entrance of Parkview Elementary School. Cleanup operations are underway, and the property owner expressed that they did not feel the incident was noteworthy. As of Thursday, no spill report has been filed with the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission. More details are on the front page.

The Town of Rangely Board of Trustees met Tuesday. Agenda items included tenant re-certifications and upkeep at White River Village, progress on the waterline project along Colorado Highway 139 and updates on White River stream flows, the main street improvement project, and sad news about the beloved “town buck,” which was euthanized this week after the sudden onset of an unknown illness.

The five P’s of emergency preparedness are:

People and Pets

Prescriptions

Papers

Personal Needs

Priceless Items

Officials remind residents: Don’t assume you’re already signed up for Rio Blanco County’s emergency alert system. To make sure you receive notifications in the event of an emergency, go to http://rbc.us/285

Rio Blanco County commissioners held a few work sessions this week in addition to their regular meeting, the first session covered improvements at the County Fairgrounds. Commissioners also met to discuss asbestos containing materials entering the landfill. Public Health director Alice Harvey said there has been one new case of COVID-19 in the last week and shared that the department is looking to purchase rapid test machines so testing can happen locally in the future. More on the Commissioners' regular meeting is on page 6A

Members of the White River Alliance are advocating for the town of Meeker to consider alternative mosquito control measures. They say the current method could be contributing to the ongoing algae bloom. More is on page 6A

The Meeker Mustang Makeover returns on Friday September 11th, but due to COVID-19 on location attendance will be limited. That’s why the Herald Times will be live streaming the event on the Meeker Mustang Makeover Facebook page. Tune in on the 11th, starting at 10am, as 15 hopeful trainers compete will the goal of seeing newly trained mustangs head off to forever homes and long and useful lives. Read more about the event and find livestream info on page 8A.

The 20th anniversary edition of the Northwest Colorado Hunting Guide features more local content than ever before. Magazines hit shelves on September 3rd, don’t forget to grab a copy or two.

Your quote of the week comes from an unknown source:

"Sometimes later becomes never. Do it now."

There’s our highlights for this week. Find more in print and online at ht1885.com

Thank you for supporting community journalism.

Photo courtesy: Town of Rangely

Thanks for listening to Rio Blanco County news. Here are highlights from the August 20 edition of the Herald Times.

This week Herald Times staff visited White River Electric Association and hopped into a very shiny, quiet, and speedy new Tesla Model 3 for a test drive that at times felt more like a theme park ride. The vehicle is one of two EVs on loan to WREA from Tri-State Generation and Transmission, as part of their “Beneficial Electrification” program.

Check out our Facebook page or Youtube channel to see a special video of the car and some parts of the drive, and read more about Tri-State’s promotion on the front page.

Also on the front page this week we hear from Spencer Gates of Meeker, who’s on his way to state fair after taking home the title of Grand Champ. He won for market, breeding and showmanship with his Boer goat, Al. Gates shares lessons learned, plans for the future, the benefits of brotherly competition and more in this week’s edition.

Meeker Resident Bob Tobin noticed smoke Friday afternoon as he pulled into his driveway near the top of Seventh Street, and sure enough a fire had broken out near two large water towers in the area, Tobin was the first on the scene and reported the fire. Within an hour Meeker and BLM firefighters had the blaze under control.

The Pine Gulch fire near Grand Junction is reported at over 125 thousand acres after growing 30,000 acres overnight on Tuesday August 18th. It is now the second largest fire in Colorado history.

The Grizzly Creek fire burning in Glenwood Canyon was reported just over 28,000 acres as of press time. I-70 remains closed, marking the longest closure of the stretch of highway in recent history.

Photos of the 7th Street Water Tower Fire, Pine Gulch and Grizzly Creek fires are on pages 2A and 3A.

With the addition of one new COVID-19 case in Rangely on August 17, Rio Blanco County’s total case count rose to 21. As of press time Wednesday, the county’s public health department reports 20 of those cases are recovered. No hospitalizations have been recorded. You can check the latest stats at rbc.us/592/coronavirus-update.

Meeker School district won’t be offering transportation service inside Meeker city limits for the 2020-2021 school year, in an effort to achieve appropriate physical distancing.

Former meeker attorney Joe Fennessy has a new role in our local courtroom, that of county judge. He replaces Laurie Noble, who retired in July after 28 years in Rio Blanco County Courts.The Herald Times sent a list of questions to Fennessy about his new appointment and he responded via email. Read his answers on page 2A

Fifth street bridge and all of Circle Park are closed to public access for construction of park infrastructure and amenity improvement projects. The park is expected to reopen next year. Project updates are at erbmrec.com

Rio Blanco County residents will be voting on term limits for most county officials in a few months. Commissioners elected to add all offices except surveyor to the ballot. That story on page 7A.

The 20th anniversary edition of the Northwest Colorado Hunting Guide is in production and hits shelves on September 3rd. Local stories and more this year, don’t miss it.

Your quote of the week: The secret of getting ahead is getting started. ~ Mark Twain

There’s our highlights for this week. Find more in print and online at ht1885.com. Thank you for supporting community journalism.

Full interview with Colorado House District 57 Candidate Colin Wilhelm.

Thanks for listening to Rio Blanco County news. Here are highlights from the August 13 edition of The Herald Times.

The 20th anniversary edition of the Northwest Colorado Hunting Guide is coming soon. For chance to get featured in the 2020 Trophy Gallery, send your photo to editor at HT 1885 dot com

Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office says to expect more dry conditions and extreme fire behavior. That’s why stage 2 fire restrictions go into effect on Friday August 14th, and will remain in effect until rescinded.

Prohibited activities include smoking except within an enclosed vehicle or building, using explosives or fireworks, operating a chainsaw without an approved spark arrestor and related precautionary equipment, and more. A full list of prohibitions and exemptions is on the front page.

Rally Cars will tackle over 130 miles of twisting dirt roads near Rangely this weekend for Rally Colorado. The event kicks off the 2020-2021 super season of the California Rally Series, the longest running rally series in the US. Get your engines primed for this race on the front page.

This year’s Grand Champion for Beef in the Rio Blanco county fair is Corbin Lucero, 16, of Rangely.

Corbin’s philosophy and origins in 4-H are on the front page of this edition of the paper, and photos from the fair by Sophia Geodert start on page 8A.

Meeker Golfers are off to an active start, playing 3 tournaments in the first 10 days of the season. More in sports on page 1B

This week’s sound of Meeker, the Coulter Airport.

Operations at the airport include fuel, aircraft maintenance, overnight tie-down, hangars, Flight for Life support, oxygen resources, aerial spraying, and more. More about the airport and the people who keep it running on page 6A.

Democratic Candidate for House District 57 Colin Wilhelm begins his tour around the district this weekend with a stop in Meeker. He visits Rangely next week

Wilhelm spoke about the economy, energy, water rights and more. But don’t take my word for it, read his answers on page 7A. You can also hear the full interview with Colin Wilhelm in our podcast feed.

Colorado Parks and wildlife officials say high temperatures, low humidity and fires in the region spell trouble for water users, recreation and fish. Their latest update is on page 2B.

Here’s a quote from the 26th President of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt:

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing.

The worst thing you can do is nothing.”

Thanks for listening to Rio Blanco County News.

Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast in your favorite app, and find a whole lot more in print and online at ht1885 dot com

Thank you for supporting community journalism.