Man in Grand Junction dies after being detained by Mesa County Sheriff's Office
A Grand Junction man died yesterday following an altercation with deputies from the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office. The deputies were responding to a report of a man vandalizing a car in the Clifton neighborhood. They located a man in the area matching the description provided by witnesses. According to the Grand Junction Police Department, the man became physically uncooperative with the deputies when they tried to detain him. After he was detained, the man became unresponsive. Deputies provided medical aid, and medical personnel were dispatched to the scene. The man was transported to the hospital for medical treatment, but later died. The Mesa County Coroner’s Office will be responsible for releasing the cause and manner of death, as well as identifying the deceased after appropriate notifications have been made. The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office activated the 21st Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team to conduct an investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and no further information has been released. A press release states that the deputies involved have been placed on administrative leave, and The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office will be responsible for releasing their names, if and when appropriate. An internal investigation will take place separately from the criminal investigation being conducted by the Critical Incident Response Team.
Delta County expands recycling opportunities for residents
In Friday’s newscast, we included a story from KBUT about the challenges of rural recycling. As an update in the KVNF listening area, the hours at the Bruin Waste and Double J Recycling Center in Austin have been expanded.
Through a partnership with Delta County, the facility has added all-day Monday operations and extended closing times to 6 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays, giving residents more opportunities to use the County-supported recycling program.
The expanded hours are part of a continued effort to increase local waste diversion, preserve landfill capacity, and improve recycling access for residents.
A press release states that a significant amount of material entering the Adobe Buttes Landfill each year could potentially be diverted through recycling, composting, and other waste-reduction efforts. The expanded schedule is intended to reduce previous barriers to access and make free residential drop-off recycling more convenient for working families.
Delta County offsets the cost of the recycling program, allowing Delta County residents to drop off accepted household recyclables at the Austin facility free of charge.
Governor Polis has asked the federal government for a Major Disaster Declaration. In the request, Polis says, quote, “the Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain Fires destroyed over 300 homes, damaged critical infrastructure, and disrupted the livelihoods of Coloradans across three counties. These disasters clearly meet all the requirements for a Major Disaster Declaration, and the flooding and debris flows that followed have caused further destruction and claimed a life. Colorado has committed significant resources to this response, but the scale of this disaster requires a strong partnership among federal, state, and local governments for a successful recovery.”
Last year, President Trump denied Colorado’s request for federal disaster assistance for the 2025 Elk and Lee fires in northwestern Colorado and for flooding on the Western Slope.
Federal aid would help Pueblo, Custer and Ouray counties rebuild roads, water treatment plants, parks and other public services that were damaged or destroyed by the two wildfires.
This request comes amid rising tensions with the White House. Earlier this month, the Denver Post reported that In mid-December, an assistant to President Donald Trump summoned officials from several federal agencies to a meeting so they could discuss action against Colorado. The email was sent at 2:43 a.m. on Dec. 15, hours before Trump publicly castigated Gov. Jared Polis as “weak and pathetic” over the continued imprisonment of former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters. The Trump administration denied that the email had anything to do with Peters’ case.
North Fork Indivisible's Honk and Wave demonstrations lead to potential town regulation
The “friendliest town around” is considering an ordinance that, if adopted, would regulate demonstrations, special events, and use of public rights-of-way throughout the small town of Hotchkiss. For KVNF, Lisa Young has the details.
Montrose City Clerk questions County elections impartiality
In an August 4th Montrose City Council work session Councilor Adam Woodden asked why 83 ballots in the last City Election were counted by hand rather than following the standard procedure and running them through the county voting machines. City Clerk Lisa DelPiccolo's response was:
"The reason why those last remaining ballots were not taken to the county was because there were questions about, um.... the county elections office, certain staff members are being impartial. And I knew there was a very tight race, the what, 26? And to ensure the integrity of the election that I was designated election officer over, I decided to count those myself. So I stand behind what I did 100%."
KVNF is investigating the City Clerk's concerns with the county's impartiality and will report on that in a future newscast.
