Warmest holiday wishes to you and yours from the Herald Times. This week’s front page features letters to Santa from RBC elementary students, brimming with the magic of the season. On page 5B you can color your own Christmas village, check page 3A for a photo of a couple kiddos seeing Santa Claus in real life, and finally look on pages 6A and 7A for the 2020 Shop at Home for Holidays featured business, and winners of the week 4 drawing, the Christmas Cheer Contest, and the Light Up Rangely contest.
The CoLab On Edge mental health series continues this week on page 2A, with the story of Robert Werthwein who suffered from severe depression for more than a decade, following the death of his identical twin brother, just a week before their shared 15th birthdays. Watch for more coverage, and features from Rio Blanco County residents, in the coming weeks.
Whatever you’re going through, crisis counselors and professionally trained peer specialists are always available to help. Call the Colorado Crisis Services hotline at 1-844-493-TALK (8255). There is no wrong reason to reach out.
Following Governor Jared Polis initiation of the state’s drought response and mitigation plan, the HT interviewed Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District Manager Alden Vanden Brink about the lack of storage in the White River basin, and an upcoming lawsuit in state water court where Rio Blanco hopes to secure a water right for the proposed Wolf Creek Reservoir. Here’s a clip from that interview.
CLIP
More with Alden Van Brink is on page 2A
This week’s editor’s column dives into subjects like representatives who will do anything to cement their power, regardless of the cost and light at the end of the 2020 tunnel. Other pieces in the opinion section starting on page 4A are Kay Sulllivan’s guest column, thanking the HT and detailing some of the challenges of running a newspaper, and doing journalism in general. Also, look out for Rangely resident Wendi GIllard’s letter, sharing her experience with the COVID-19 virus.
In county news, 200 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine arrived at RBC public health department this week. Commissioners also met with public health director Alice Harvey Tuesday. Harvey informed the board that as of right now, case incidence rate numbers look good and that the county could move into a less restrictive COVID dial phase in the first week of January, so long as Christmas gatherings don’t cause another spike.
Season B sports start practice on January 18 after a variance approval from the state health department. More on that is in the sports section on page 1B. Check there for a photo of the CNCC ice tower which is growing every day, and the new Cowboy logo on Meeker High School, complete with glowing backlights.
An intense “snow squall” triggered an emergency alert Tuesday night as winds started to pick up. You can see a video on our Facebook page. Speaking of snow, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, avalanche danger is considerable in the Flat Tops and the rest of the state. More on snow conditions is on page 3B.
All that and more in this week’s edition, in print and online at ht1885.com
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