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Here’s what ‘equity’ means to Mesa County students who have experienced discrimination
Two 16-year-old Palisade High School students — Maya McDaniel and Charlotte Allen — thanked school board members at the Feb. 15 Mesa County Valley School District 51 Board of Education meeting for not firing school Superintendent Diana Sirko, Assistant Superintendent Brian Hill, and the director of equity and inclusion, Tracy Gallegos. The school board addressed […]
Supporters rally as school superintendent’s contract reviewed by Mesa County school board
Three separate standing ovations erupted at the Mesa County Valley School District 51 meeting — one for each of the three district employees whose contracts are being reviewed by the new conservative majority school board. The board called for an executive session on Monday at R5 High School in Grand Junction. District Superintendent Diana Sirko, […]
Ethics complaint alleges Tina Peters’ legal defense fund lacks transparency
Embattled Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters will have 30 days to respond to a second ethics complaint filed with the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission, which on Tuesday determined the complaint to be “non-frivolous.” Peters is already under local, state and federal investigations for alleged criminal misconduct regarding election security breaches in Mesa County. Officials announced […]
Tina Peters, Mesa County clerk under criminal investigation, announces reelection bid
It’s official. Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters, who is under criminal investigation for alleged breaches of election security protocols, is running for reelection — although she’ll first have to beat Republican challenger Bobbie Gross in the June primary election. Peters formally made the announcement Thursday in Grand Junction on the steps of the […]
Boebert touts anti-vaccine mandate, pro-gun priorities in reelection campaign appearance
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert held a tightly-controlled press conference on New Year’s Eve day at Home Loan State Bank’s community room in downtown Grand Junction, where she announced her plans for reelection in 2022. She said she ran for Congress two years ago because she didn’t want her four sons “raised in a socialist country.” […]
Shelters for homeless pets and their humans open in Grand Junction
When HomewardBound of the Grand Valley’s board of directors met last January for a strategic planning retreat, the nonprofit shelter organization identified as a top priority the need to serve houseless individuals unable to reside in congregate living situations. Homeless pet owners are among that group. “Previously we had put kennels outside the shelter, but […]
Safeguarding abandoned defense-related uranium mines on the Colorado Plateau
This story was originally published in Corner Post. In mid-September, five Department of Energy employees and a journalist toured the Cactus Rat Group area of the Thompson-Yellow Cat Mining District in Grand County, Utah, north of Arches National Park. Here, the landscape is dotted with abandoned uranium mines — approximately 100 in this nearly 6-acre […]
COVID rates soar in low-vaccinated Mesa County
In Mesa County, 43 people died during October due to COVID-19. New daily case rates have risen steadily since early August, and with area hospitals often at full capacity, officials with Mesa County Public Health are concerned about the approaching holiday season. Eighteen people have died of COVID over the past two weeks. “We haven’t […]
Tina Peters supporters rally in Grand Junction
About 200 supporters of Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters gathered for a noon rally Saturday in Grand Junction. Peters’ office is being investigated for alleged participation in an elections system security breach by the Colorado secretary of state, the Mesa County district attorney’s office, and the FBI. The rally took place just west […]
Secretary Haaland meets with Colorado delegation in Grand Junction
During her first official visit to Grand Junction, the nation’s first Native American secretary of the interior, Deb Haaland, wouldn’t say whether the Bureau of Land Management headquarters will remain in the city or return to Washington, D.C. “It’s an open question, but needs to be known soon,” she said. Haaland was joined on Friday […]
‘Unusual’ contract provision earned former Montrose County manager payout after resignation
A stipulation in his employee contract allowed former Montrose County Manager Ken Norris to receive a substantial severance package, despite resigning his position, and to accept within days another, higher-paying county job as director of facilities and construction management, a position that was posted for roughly 25 hours and to which Norris was an immediate […]
‘Palace intrigue’: Montrose official takes new county position after receiving severance package
Within days of leaving his $120,200-a-year job as Montrose County manager, Ken Norris was offered a position as the county’s director of Facilities and Construction Management, which pays $125,200, after he received a severance package of $142,162 — a year’s salary plus benefits. During a June 3 special session, Montrose County Commissioners Sue Hansen, Keith […]