Thanks for listening to another edition of Rio Blanco County news. Here’s our community newscast for the week of December 31st
Music | http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ryan_Andersen/Pop_Music/Synthwave
Copyright: Attribution-NonCommercial: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Composer: Ryan Andersen
Happy New Year, and goodbye to 2020. To wrap up a year like no other, we asked readers to tell us what kept them going. Thanks to all who submitted! You can read those responses on the front page.
HT Editor Niki Turner says Good Riddance, 2020 in her column on page 4A.
Rangely District Hospital CEO Kyle Wren and an Eagle Crest Assisted Living resident were the first two recipients of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Rio Blanco County, along with other providers. Vaccinations also happened at Pioneers Medical Center on Wednesday. Photos, including a caption with more on how the new mRNA vaccines work is on the front page. You can also find a vaccination tier schedule printed on PAGE 4A.
The CoLab On Edge mental health series continues this week on page 2A with the story of Jimmy Brown from Kiowa County. Brown shares his experience in an area plagued by exceptional drought, where data show residents’ discomfort talking about personal problems is 11% higher than the statewide average. That story on page 2A. Watch for more coverage, and features from Rio Blanco County residents, in the coming weeks.
Aspen Journalism’s Heather Sackett dives deep into the upcoming water court trial for Wolf Creek Reservoir. As its trial date in water court approaches, hundreds of pages of depositions obtained by Aspen Journalism reveal state engineers’ sticking points regarding a proposed reservoir project they oppose in northwest Colorado.
The trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 4 in Routt County District Court in Steamboat Springs. Among the witnesses that Rio Blanco plans to call are Colorado River Water Conservation District Manager Andy Mueller, Colorado Water Conservation Board Chief Operating Officer Anna Mauss and Rio Blanco County Commissioner Gary Moyer. Read the full story on page 6A
According to BLM press release in October, the White River Field Office plans to remove approximately 75 excess wild horses impacting private property within the Piceance-East Douglas HMA following requests from a private landowner. That process is expected to begin next week. Details are on page 7A
Easter Rio Blanco Metropolitan Recreation and Park District celebrates its 40th year of service in 2021, which will include the reopening for Circle Park and a new fishing pond edition.
You can Kick off the new year than with a trip to the yurt on the Marvine Trail. According to the White River Nordic Council, the roads are plowed and the trail is groomed, be careful around the cattle guards, and be COVID smart while at the yurt. Photo of the snowy spot is on page 1B, along with ice fishing guidelines for Colorado Anglers.
Colorado public health officials Tuesday confirmed the presence of the new variant of COVID-19 first discovered in the United Kingdom, saying the state is the first to identify the strain in the United States. The variant is believed to be as much as 70% more contagious, but not have more severe symptoms, than previous strains of the novel coronavirus. More about the variant is on page 3B.
100 years ago the Meeker Herald published “The Herald has given over considerable space in this issue to what we believe to be the coming industry in Rio Blanco County — oil shale production.”
And, here’s a quote from James Madison:
"The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty."
All that and more in this week’s edition, in print and online at ht1885.com
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