Shows
Estes Valley Voice PodcastEstes Valley Voice is a finalist for two national publishing awardsStory by Patti BrownThe Estes Valley Voice has been selected as a finalist for two 2025 Local Independent Online News Publishers – LION – awards: one for public service and the other for community engagement. The nominations are an honor as we mark our first anniversary this Saturday.LION is a national publishers association with more than 575 members that helps digital news startups develop sustainable business operations. They received 250 award submissions and will present the awards at the 2025 Independent News Sustainability Summit in St. Louis in September.A news publication should report the news and...2025-06-2607 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastRep. Neguse meets the press in Estes with Sen. Hickenlooper, then holds town hall meeting in AllensparkStory by Suzy BlackhurstMaintaining hope, continuing political action from cross-partisan constituents, and persistent small victories in Congress are among the most important strategies that will lead to political change in the nation’s capital, U.S. House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse, a Lafayette Democrat, told a packed audience at the Allenspark Fire Station Community Room Wednesday afternoon.Neguse’s town hall meeting followed a press conference in Estes Park at the Lake Estes Marina, where he and Sen. John Hickenlooper, along with Larimer County EMS Director Lori Hodges, Former Rocky Mountain National Park Supe...2025-05-3007 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastTariffs are a top topic among area business ownersStory by Patti BrownAs the Town’s summer visitor season kicks off this month, retailers are beginning to see tariffs on invoices for imported merchandise they will put on their shelves to sell.More than 40 business and community members attended a panel discussion on dealing with tariffs and understanding the uncertain economic landscape Monday afternoon at the Estes Park Holiday Inn, hosted by the Estes Valley Voice.Adam Crowe, economic development manager for Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development, moderated the discussion, which included Mark Ell, a financial advisor with Alpha Capital Ma...2025-05-1246 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastTrustees and Commissioners call for review of the IGA governing VEPStory by Patti BrownThe Town of Estes Park Trustees and the Larimer County Commissioners met Tuesday for a two-hour joint session to address concerns raised by Town Trustee Kirby Hazelton about the Visit Estes Park Board of Directors.Hazelton was appointed in April 2024 to serve as the Estes Park Town Board liaison to the VEP board.In an April 1, 2025 letter addressed to the Larimer County Commissioners and sent to Estes Park Town Trustees, Hazelton called for dismissing the VEP board, citing issues with board operations and not adhering to policy governance.2025-05-0907 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastElections today for fire, hospital, and recreation districtsStory by Suzy BlackhurstPolls close at 7 p.m. this eveningToday is election day in the Estes Valley. Electors can voice their opinions about the individuals they would like to see represent their interests on three special district boards of directors.These boards encompass areas inside the Town of Estes Park and in specific areas of Larimer and Boulder Counties.Five representatives will be chosen to serve on the Estes Area Fire Protection District board, two board members will be selected for the Estes Valley Recreation and Park District, and...2025-05-0604 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastMayor's Message: Boards in motionby Mayor Gary HallThanks to all of you who will vote in the three upcoming special district board elections on May 6.And thanks to those of you who choose to run for the different boards in town. Without abundant civic participation, Estes Park would not benefit from the breadth of opinion and depth of wisdom that is needed for good progress.We need you now for several other board and commission positions: the Planning Commission, the Housing Authority, the Board of Adjustment, and the Transportation Advisory Board. You can click here to...2025-04-1607 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastJoint Town and County meeting to address Trustee Hazelton’s concerns with VEPStory by Suzy BlackhurstA brewing rift between Board members of Visit Estes Park, most of whom have worked together for several years, and Kirby Hazelton, who was appointed to the Board just a year ago this week, came to a head this past week.The most recent skirmish began on April 1 when Hazelton, an Estes Park Town Trustee and the Town Board’s liaison to the special marketing district, wrote to the Larimer County Commissioners and asked them to meet with Town Trustees to discuss the possibility of removing and replacing all VEP Board me...2025-04-1005 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastTrustee Hazelton calls for VEP reviewStory by Estes Valley VoiceIn a letter dated April 1, 2025 to Larimer County Commissioners, Estes Park Town Trustee Kirby Hazelton asked for a joint meeting between the commissioners and the town board to discuss operations of the Visit Estes Park Board of Directors.In her letter, made public in the meeting packet for the April 8 Estes Park Town Board meeting, Hazelton said the VEP Board had not been “acting with good policy governance.”Criticizing the VEP Board, Hazelton stated, “I believe that the Visit Estes Park Board has demonstrated a pattern of being unable...2025-04-0803 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastVisit Estes Park board decides to not move forward in CEO search at this timeStory by Suzy BlackhurstFinding the right person to lead Visit Estes Park, the local marketing district charged with promoting tourism to the area, appears to be a harder task than the organization’s board of directors anticipated.Two candidates, Candace Carr Strauss and Cindy Mackin, made presentations before a search committee in late January. Since then, Carr Strauss withdrew, and Mackin, who currently is the organization’s community engagement director, has not yet been interviewed by the VEP board.Following an executive session during its regular monthly meeting on Thursday afternoon, the VEP...2025-03-3106 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastTwo bills in state Senate address wildfire risksStory by Lincoln RochFollowing a summer that saw destructive wildfires sweep through Larimer and Boulder Counties, Sen. Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, who represents the Estes Valley, is sponsoring a pair of bills that would address fire mitigation and emergency information.One would make it easier to carry out prescribed burns on private land. The other would consolidate emergency information and county wildfire updates into an existing state website.Both bills result from Marchman’s work on the Wildfire Matters Review Committee, a legislative panel that meets during the summer while the General Assembly is...2025-02-1307 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastFrank Lancaster: Town TrusteeStory by Barb Boyer BuckThis is the second in a series the Estes Valley Voice is publishing on the individuals who serve as Estes Park Town Trustees. The first featured Trustee Mark Igel.“When you’re all done and you’re sitting on the back porch having a beer with friends, and they are talking about what I did during my term in office, what do I want them to say?” said Town of Estes Park Trustee Frank Lancaster in an interview on January 23.He brings a wealth of professional experience to his pers...2025-01-3007 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastAn Eye on the Golden Dome: Dispatches from the State CapitolStory by Hank LaceyUpdate, Jan. 13, 2025, 6:25 pmThe Colorado General Assembly welcomed 25 new members in the past week. They include five new senators and about two dozen new representatives, including District 49’s Lesley Smith.Senators making their first appearance in the upper chamber are Scott Bright of District 13, elected to replace term-limited Kevin Priola; Lisa Frizell of District 2; Matt Ball, a former aide to Denver mayor Mike Johnston, to represent District 31; former University of Colorado regent John Carson, who will represent District 30; and Iman Jodeh, who will serve District 29.Ba...2025-01-1403 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastJudge rules in favor of Estes Valley Voice in open meeting lawsuitStory by Hank LaceyA Larimer County judge ruled Monday that the Estes Valley Fire Protection District violated the state’s open meetings law when it hired chief Paul Capo during an October executive session.The decision is a win for the Estes Valley Voice and its editor, Patti Brown, in a lawsuit filed to challenge EVFPD’s secretive process for hiring its new day-to-day leader. “[W]hile they avoided taking a formal vote or ranking all the candidates, it’s clear that after discussing each of the candidates and weighing their strengths and weakn...2025-01-0304 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastSenior Helpers steps in to fill a gap in non-medical in-home helpCompany acquires local Caring Hands company to provide continuity of services in the Estes ValleyStory by Patti BrownEstes Park is often called the “oldest” community in Colorado.That has nothing to do with when the town was founded – April 17, 1917. Estes is considered the oldest community because more than 50 percent of the population of the community’s population is 60 years of age or older.Compare that to the entire state – where 16 percent of the population is 65 and older.And with that claim to fame, the community has some unique hea...2024-12-1005 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastPublic’s understanding, cooperation needed for Town snow removalMore than 6 inches of snow fell overnight in Estes; residents are asked to be mindful to not park on streets and property owners need to clear their sidewalks within 24 hoursEstes Park received more than 6 inches of snow overnight and the town’s snowplows are at the ready to plow the town’s 225 residential streets which include 59 miles of streets, 12.5 miles of sidewalks, 12 miles of trails, and 15 parking lots.According to a public service announcement by the Town of Estes Park, a snow removal team—staff from Public Works and other Town departments—are working on nine...2024-11-2705 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastTwo dead, one injured in aircraft crash on Palisade Mountain SaturdayStory by Barb Boyer Buck and Patti BrownUPDATED 6 p.m.Radio communications among Larimer County rescue agencies indicated a Civil Air Patrol plane crashed near the top of Palisade Mountain east of Estes Park, killing two and injuring one late this morning.According to a message posted by Gov. Jerod Polis just after 5 p.m. on X the names of the deceased are Susan Wolber, a Civil Air Patrol pilot and aerial photographer Jay Rhoten. The survivor is co-pilot Randall Settergren. The single-engine Cessna Skylane 182 was on a search and...2024-11-2402 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastEstes Valley Voice Sues EVFPD District Over Alleged Breach of Colorado Sunshine LawsStory by Hank Lacey“Sunshine Laws are safeguards that the public’s businesses must be conducted openly and not in secret. Elected officials have to guard against secrecy.”The Estes Valley Voice has sued the Estes Valley Fire Protection District Board of Directors, alleging that the board breached Colorado’s Sunshine Laws by selecting a new fire chief in a private meeting.At the heart of the lawsuit is the Voice’s claim that the board’s decision to hire Fire Chief Paul Capo was made in a closed session, violating Colorado’s Open Records A...2024-11-0506 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastFood Safety Issues Affect Regional McDonald’s and Two Local RestaurantsStory by Patti BrownEd’s Cantina and Grill and Bird and Jim’s both experience brief closures by Larimer County Health and Environment inspectorsIn the wake of a recent outbreak of E. coli infections connected to many McDonald’s restaurants in the region, news surfaced that two popular Estes Park eateries were temporarily shut down in the past month by the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment for violations. Neither restaurant had issues with E. coli as a reason for being closed.Ed’s Cantina was shut down on Sept. 25 during a...2024-10-3106 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastThe Public’s Business Must Be Done PubliclyThe Estes Valley Fire Protection District and the Estes Park Hospital Boards need to respect the electors in the Estes Valley“It is declared to be a matter of statewide concern and the policy of this state that the formation of public policy is public business and may not be conducted in secret.” C.R.S. §24-6-101 (Colorado Sunshine Act of 1972)On Oct. 17 the Estes Valley Voice asked the Estes Valley Fire Protection District for the minutes and the recording of the executive session meeting held on Oct. 9. During that meetin...2024-10-2510 minEstes Valley Voice PodcastMayor's Message - Elections, Emotions, EnvironmentsDemocracy, documentaries, duties, and details(By Gary Hall)First and foremost, VOTE!This happens to one of the Very Important Elections, for the USA, for Colorado, for Larimer County, and for Estes.The best advice I can give is to keep your eyes and ears and mind open, stay balanced through all of the dialogue and diatribes, and focus on the long future as you fill out your ballot. Generations from now, what will be the long-term results of the choices we make in the next weeks? This is the USA...2024-10-2506 min
What's Your F'ing Business?®DEI - Brett LarimerBrett Larimer, franchise executive and CEO and founder of Compassion Culture Consulting shares her personal story and how it brought her into the world of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Learn how a diverse workforce can great improve profitability, innovation, and market dominance. Are unconscious biases hindering your franchise development goals? Are you missing untapped markets? Brett effortlessly weaves statistics and case studies into actions that are graceful, compassionate, and empathetic.We don't just talk about operations, we help you refine them. Check out how FranWise can help your business!2023-05-1052 min
The Art of Franchise MarketingSkyhawks Sports Academy on Marketing Safety, Trust and DEI at the Local LevelBrett Larimer is the Executive Director of Brand Development for Skyhawks Sports Academy, the nation's leading youth sports camp franchise. With 10 different sports offered and a line of STEM sports programs that combine physical activity with math and science, Skyhawks offers something for everyone and Brett leads the charge in developing and executing marketing strategies across their portfolio of services. In this episode of the Art of Franchise Marketing, Brett and Madeleine discuss how to overcome obstacles with safety, privacy concerns, brand compliance, and tailoring diversity/inclusion efforts to specific markets while marketing the Skyhawks brand, how s...2023-04-1442 min