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Cassie Knust

Morning Edition Host & News Reporter

Cassie moved to Montrose from Texas in April 2020, right before COVID changed the landscape of the world as we knew it. She brought her love of people and a degree in broadcast journalism to the Western Slope, where she built a strong foundation in local print news. She’s excited to join the KVNF family and grow as a reporter. For Cassie, her job as a journalist is to empower the community through knowledge and information. When she’s not researching and reporting, Cassie loves to spend time with her cat, Jasper, and paint something new.

  • On today’s Farm Friday, KVNF’s Lisa Young reports on the annual Western Slope Soil Health, Food and Farm Forum held in Montrose last weekend. KVNF's Taya Jae sat down with Becky Stone, the actress and storyteller who will be portraying Rosa Parks this Sunday at the Blue Sage Center for the Arts in Paonia.
  • Rep. Matt Soper was removed Tuesday from the state’s Agriculture House Committee by newly-minted House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese.Funding that helps Spanish speakers get childcare licenses could end unless Colorado lawmakers step in. A new park is coming to Montrose’s Colorado Outdoor complex this summer. The Town of Paonia recently approved changes in lighting for the long-awaited finalization of its Dark Sky application. After nearly 20 years of keeping Montezuma County informed, the final issue of the Four Corners Free Press recently hit newsstands across Cortez.
  • Towns across Delta County have announced their candidates for local governing bodies in the upcoming April 2 election.Highline Lake State Park on Colorado's Western Slope has become the first state park in our region to earn the “Leave No Trace Gold Standard Site” designation. Efforts to preserve the historic Shoshone water right in Colorado are moving ahead with a commitment of $20 million from the state. Affordable college education is on the horizon for Colorado's Western Slope as both Colorado Mesa University (CMU) and Fort Lewis College (FLC) introduce initiatives to assist low-income students. Hotchkiss-based Empowered Energy Systems is celebrating its 20th year by transitioning to a worker-owned cooperative and public benefit corporation.
  • KVNF’s Lisa Young has the latest on Integrated Insight Community Care, including a recent attempt by Rocky Mountain Health Plans to sever all Medicaid contracts with Integrated claiming patient safety issues.Ouray Police Chief Jeff Wood has been placed on paid administrative leave following criminal accusations against his stepson and two others for the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl at Wood's home. Representative Marc Catlin is backing a bill that would cut access to poison linked to suicides. The San Miguel Resource Center is raising awareness of healthy relationships and teen dating abuse. Residents in Montrose may have to continue traveling beyond the county for recreational marijuana purchases, as efforts to legalize the sale of cannabis within the city face another setback.
  • Delta Health is now recognized as an Elite Hospital for Pediatric Readiness in the nation. A new bill at the State Capitol would outlaw evictions unless a landlord has just cause to evict a tenant. The Revenue-Virginius Mine, located 5 miles southwest of Ouray, has been cleared from the state to resume operations. Montrose County School District has spent upwards of $500,000 since transitioning mascots for Montrose High School, Centennial Middle School, and Johnson Elementary School. So far, the state has awarded $107,000 to the district to help offset the costs. On today’s Farm Friday we take a look at Colorado’s Farm to School program and the ways it’s increasing access to healthy school meals through the Colorado Department of Education.
  • State lawmakers are trying to reduce suicide rates by helping more Coloradans understand how to access prevention resources. Colorado's first "capture season" for the gray wolf reintroduction program has concluded, with 10 wolves captured in Oregon and released in Grand and Summit counties last month. Paonia’s Board of Trustees may not hold a ballot election this year unless write-in candidates submit an affidavit of intent before Monday evening. Yesterday, we heard from the president of the Western Colorado Migrant and Rural Coalition. Today, we meet Angel Gomez and Juan Ramirez, who work as pickers in our region.
  • On this Local Motion, we take a look at migrants moving to Colorado and the mountain west. One migrant describes his financial hardship in Venezuela, his perseverance as he walked to the U.S., and the community he has found in Carbondale. Finally, we hear from a local advocacy group that works with migrant workers, and a couple of workers in our region.
  • The Cedaredge community gathered on Saturday to remember seven-year-old Jessi and three-year-old Summer Hill, who lost their lives in an apparent murder-suicide earlier this month, committed by their father, James "Jake" Hill, in Routt County.A proposed ballot measure to create constitutional protections for abortion access could go before voters in November. An Ophir-area man's body was discovered Tuesday morning near Waterfall Creek, south of Ophir. KVNF’s Lisa Young looks at Delta County’s economic numbers from Colorado Mesa University's latest reports. On the Western Slope, the Western Colorado Migrant and Rural Coalition, has been working with migrants in our community. The nonprofit advocates for equitable access to community-based resources for rural, migrant and seasonal farm workers, and their families.
  • Over 200 newspapers were stolen from the Ouray County Plaindealer’s racks last week after they published a front-page story about a 17-year-old girl's allegations of being raped by teenagers at the home of a police chief. The top Republican in the Colorado House of Representatives is on probation for drunk driving and firearm possession while intoxicated. In Telluride, the Rascals child care program is grappling with staffing challenges amid a housing crisis. In the face of climate change, one Western Slope company is on a mission to transform people’s relationship to every drop of water by producing hyper efficient water products used in both camping and in the home.
  • The U.S. Attorney’s Office maintains that former Montrose funeral director Megan Hess was appropriately sentenced for her involvement in a scheme to obtain and sell human remains without proper consent. Delta County has installed new fast-charging electric vehicle (EV) stations to support EV drivers both locally and along the West Elk Loop Scenic Byway. Montrose County announced Thursday that it would be the Case Management Agency for Long Term Care Services and Supports in Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel counties. To avert future disasters like the 2021 Marshall Fire, we need to rethink how homes and other structures turn into fuel. On today’s Farm Friday there’s a new inflation report showing food price inflation is slowing down to a crawl. USDA’s Gary Crawford has more.