Ted Valerio resigns from Montrose School Board
In the latest Montrose leadership departure, school board vice president Ted Valerio has officially resigned. The agenda for tomorrow’s meetings states that “District B representative Ted Valerio has resigned from his position on the Board and therefore has submitted his resignation effective October 8, 2026. The Board is required to declare the position of Director of District B vacant and begin steps to appoint within 60 days.”
The election of a new board vice president is also listed on the agenda.
Tina Peters meets with President Trump to discuss ballot-seizing planFormer Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters reportedly met with President Trump last week in an effort to further interfere with American elections. 9News’ Kyle Clark reported that “her attorney says the plan involves seizing ballots nationwide and discusses strategy for a potential civil war.”
Peters’ immediate return to this work is far from surprising, given that she’s continued to spread falsehoods about the 2020 election even after her conviction and commutation by Governor Jared Polis.
Federal judge rejects argument that two men have rights to public land near Mancos due to the spelling of historical documents
A federal judge has permanently barred an unconventional group from fencing off about 1,400 acres of public land in the San Juan National Forest near Mancos.
As reported by The Colorado Sun, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Domenico ruled September 30 that the Free Land Holder Committee and its representatives, Patrick Pipkin and Bryan Hammon, have no legal claim to the property and cannot block public access.
The dispute began when the group erected a barbed-wire fence around the land, prompting local residents to dismantle it.
The federal government sued in November 2024 to stop further fencing. The area has been overseen by the Forest Service since 1927 to help protect the watershed.
The Free Land Holder Committee’s claim to the land rests on its interpretation of the use of lowercase Ts in various historic treaties and land records. This includes the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war between Mexico and the United States. The treaty transferred a vast area of territory, including parts of what’s now Colorado, to the United States.
The Free Land Holder Committee has argued that the Founding Fathers established the country as “The United States of America,” with a capital “T.” But other documents were signed with a lowercase T. Pipkin says this created a separate entity. It’s not immediately clear why that would give Pipkin a claim to the land.
In a 2024 interview, Pipkin told The Sun he is Native American and his group has Native American members who trace their presence on the property back “before there was a United States.”
The Sun also reports that Pipkin, who asked to be referred to as “The Man Patrick,” left 12 silver coins with a courtroom deputy to pay filing fees. The judge had previously warned him that the court could not accept them as payment. According to the court, the coins were valued at about $377 at the time but were placed in the finance department’s vault until Pipkin could retrieve them.
Planned Parenthood in Glenwood Springs reopens
The Planned Parenthood health center in Glenwood Springs reopened last week.
Just over two months ago, the clinic temporarily closed while it onboarded a new health provider.
For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, Aspen Public Radio’s Hannah Weaver reports on how patients coped.
Telluride cancels FLOCK camera contract
Opposition to FLOCK cameras has been growing in communities across the country.
In Telluride, FLOCK cameras are being removed after Town Council decided to strike funding for the contract with Flock Safety from the budget.
For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KOTO’s Julia Caulfield has more.
