Here’s our community newscast for the week of October 22nd.
Rio Blanco County Public Health Director Alice Harvey has been selected by the Meeker Chamber of Commerce as Meeker’s citizen of the year. The chamber presented Harvey with plaque recognizing leadership and commitment to the health of our community.
Though we may be in the clear from blistering late summer heat, fire season is not over yet. Extreme drought and fire conditions continue to plague northwestern Colorado. RBC Sheriff Anthony Mozzolla says the fire protection district responded to five human started fires last week, four of which were started by hunters. Rio Blanco County is currently under stage 1 fire restrictions. More about conditions and specifics of stage 1 fire prohibitions and exemptions are listed on the front page.
Two residents who tested positive for COVID-19 anonymously shared details with the HT about their experience with the virus. Both people reported continued effects even after being considered technically recovered from the virus, both saying they would get tired for no reason, even when they were able to get a good amount of sleep. That story also on this weeks front page.
In Letters to the editor this week, two names you may recognize, Doctor Krueger speaks in defense of Dr. Anthony Fauci as the leading infectious disease expert in the country, and asks community members to be good neighbors and help slow the spread of coronavirus by wearing masks and avoiding gatherings until an approved vaccine is available to the general public.
Those thoughts and more on pages 4A and 5A.
Meeker’s board of trustees approved a building permit waiver for a new sleep lab at Pioneers Medical center and got an update from the Meeker Chamber of Commerce, which has 15 new members. Among other updates, Director Stephanie kobald told trustees that OHV Riding is now the number one inquiry at the visitor center. More details are on page 2A, and the chamber’s 2020 annual report is published on page 8A.
County Commissioners heard from the department of human services Tuesday. DHS head Barb Bofinger said reports of child welfare concerns are increasing as lockdowns have lifted and kids return to the classroom. Bofinger also said they are also seeing more drugs in Meeker than before, noting that she didn’t expect either trend to reverse given the state of the economy and other factors. The board of commissioners also chose to allocate COVID funds to purchase desktop computer replacements for employees as well as laptops to add remote work capabilities, and to use in sheriff patrol vehicles. All that and more is in the County beat on page 6A.
Budget workshops for County departments are ongoing, and the HT is covering them as time and space allows. Expect detailed stories on the workshops in coming days and weeks. As an example, Sales and Use Tax Director Deb Morlan confronted county commissioners for not doing their research about her department before proposing a 25% reduction, and for making comments about her department being unnecessary and a waste of taxpayer money.
Meeker Cowboys High School football team shut out Gunnison 48 to nothing on Friday night to a packed Starbuck stadium. We also streamed the game live, and you can watch the whole thing at https://www.facebook.com/heraldtimes1885
Rangely Panthers also won their game against the Soroco Rams with a score of 56 to 12. putting the panthers record at 2 and 0. Read all about both football games and other sports updates, including a story about USA Lifting coming to meeker, on pages 1B, 2B and 3B.
This weeks public notices start on page 5B, including local government budget notices, meeting agendas, the 2019 delinquent tax list, and lots more.
That’s all for this week. Find more in print and online at ht1885.com Thank you for supporting community journalism.
