New Montrose County Emergency Manager Kristy Matthews presents her priorities to the Montrose County Board of Commissioners
Earlier this week, Kristy Matthews spoke to the Montrose County Board of Commissioners about her background and future plans for Montrose.
Matthews started with the county in May 2026, after a decade with the Florida Department of Health and disaster recovery work in Fort Myers following Hurricane Ian. She gave commissioners a wide-ranging introduction to her role and priorities, describing emergency management as a “team sport” that requires coordination and pre-planning.
Mathews detailed a substantial slate of in-progress work: updating the emergency operations plan, hazard mitigation plan, an alert and warning plan; developing shelter and evacuation planning for the West End; coordinating a new CDOT Traffic Incident Management plan for Montrose; and establishing an inaugural Disaster Advisory Group launching in November. She referenced lessons from the Gold Mountain Fire, where road closures crossed county lines, and stressed the importance of written agreements for FEMA reimbursement during recovery.
Coloradans eye ski resort openings
Today is the first day of October. That means skiers are anxiously waiting to see which resort will win the race to open first.
Most ski resorts set a firm opening date in late November or early December, but some in Colorado open as soon as enough snow falls.
The resorts near the KVNF listening area have staggering planned open dates. Powderhorn is set to open on the earlier side, on November 20th. Crested Butte and Telluride follow on the 25th and 26th, respectively. Silverton doesn’t plan to open until December 31st, and Monarch’s opening day is yet to be announced.
It’s still too early to tell if Colorado is going to get the epic powder year we’ve all been hoping for, but anticipation is high.
Glenwood Springs sues ICE facility landlord
The city of Glenwood Springs filed a lawsuit Friday against the landlord of an ICE holding facility at the Midland Center. The Department of Homeland Security denied the allegations that ICE held people at the Glenwood facility too long.
As Aspen Public Radio's Eleanor Bennett reports for Rocky Mountain Community Radio, city council voted to sue the landlord in state court last month.
Should the West start using the Earth’s heat for power?
Geothermal energy is on the rise in the Mountain West.
Utah and Colorado are part of the Mountain West Geothermal Consortium, which hopes to expand the use of geothermal energy across the region.
In the tiny town of Rico in southwest Colorado, local officials are exploring whether geothermal could provide a new source of energy for the community.
For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KOTO's Eliza Dunn brings us the story.
