Lighthouse Shelter closes; Shepherd's Hand steps up to provide winter shelter
The Lighthouse Shelter in Montrose has officially closed its doors. The nonprofit announced that it formally dissolved effective October 15th, and the shelter will not reopen this winter.
Lighthouse provided beds to individuals experiencing homelessness during the winter months, opening in November and closing at the end of April. During the corn growing season, Lighthouse’s city-owned building housed farmworkers for Tuxedo Corn Company.
Another Montrose nonprofit is stepping up to close the gap left by Lighthouse’s closing. Shepherd’s Hand provides services for those in need in Montrose, and has said it’s preparing to open an emergency overnight shelter this winter.
If you’re interested in learning more about the efforts being made to serve those in need in the KVNF listening area, stay tuned later this week. We’ll be sharing a story from Marty Durlin on the City of Delta’s nine-person task force on the unhoused, made up of citizens and city staff, which met early in October to celebrate a year of progress and look ahead.
Trump administration's effort to move Forest Service headquarters to Utah blocked
A federal judge has blocked the US Forest Service from moving its headquarters from Washington DC to Salt Lake City, Utah.
When the move was announced this spring, agency officials said the goal was to put land managers closer to the forests they oversee.
It would have closed major research facilities and regional offices across the country, and relocated hundreds of employees.
Advocacy groups, labor unions, and local governments sued over the move, and called it an attempt to create instability and undermine the agency, effectively dismantling it.
The California judge wrote that the agency overstepped its bounds by using congressionally appropriated funds to shut down offices and relocate employees.
The order blocks officials from reassigning workers or closing offices while the lawsuit makes its way through the court system.
Sergeant Garrett Henderson promoted to new Paonia police chief
The town of Paonia has a new police chief– Sergeant Garrett Henderson was promoted as outgoing Chief Lamminger steps down.
The board voted unanimously to appoint Sergeant Garrett Henderson as the new Paonia police chief.
Mayor Sheree Fischer cited Henderson’s role in building the department, recruiting the force, and training officers across surrounding counties.
“His work is excellent. His community ties are strong and solid. I personally have not heard any bad thing, and I've been listening. I haven't heard anything. Maybe he smiles too much.”
He was sworn in on the spot, after receiving a standing ovation from residents who attended.
Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante lawsuit reopened
Last Thursday, a federal judge agreed to reopen a 2017 lawsuit challenging the reduction of two national monuments in Utah.
The Trump administration shrank the boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante during his first term. Joe Biden subsequently restored them, and Trump reduced them again this summer, this time removing more acreage.
Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes has more.
Art in the age of AI
This evening at 5:30, songwriter Emily Scott Robinson and novelist Jenny Williams take the stage at the Wilkinson Public Library in Telluride to talk about art in the age of AI. KVNF's Brody Wilson talked with them first.
