House District 58 Representative Marc Catlin is backing a bill to codify the Rural Opportunity Office, reports the Montrose Daily Press. Stacie’s Apothecary Shoppe, the only pharmacy in Ouray County, closed Jan. 31 due to staffing challenges, reports the Ouray Plaindealer. Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction was fined 50 thousand dollars for raising student tuition by more than the state allowed last year, reported the Daily Sentinel. A bipartisan bill in the House of Representatives aims to improve the nation’s supply chains by recruiting more drivers to the trucking industry

Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon reopened on Tuesday after a semi-truck accident closed both lanes around 11:15 a.m. Monday. The Hispanic Affairs Project in Montrose received a major nod from the Community Resource Center, recently reports the Montrose Daily Press. Hotchkiss resident Samira Vetter is the new town clerk for the Town of Paonia after the Board of Trustees unanimously approved the decision at the council meeting on Jan. 24, reports the Delta County Independent.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced yesterday that the Department is investing $2.7 billion to help 64 electric cooperatives and utilities. The Colorado State Patrol held a press conference last Friday to talk about recent crashes involving vehicles in District 1 in the Denver Metro area.Proposed state legislation in our region is all over the map when it comes to transgender rights. Emma Gibson of the Mountain West News Bureau has more on what types of trans-related bills are being considered. Remote Hinsdale County is not a ski destination like Aspen or Telluride. Lake City, the county’s only incorporated town, touts its ski hill as what skiing was like before the rise of mega ski resorts.

Grand Junction placed 45th on The New York Times’ annual “52 Places to Go” list, reported the Daily Sentinel earlier this month. The City of Montrose is selling a small parcel of land located on the Black Canyon Golf Course back to the individual who originally donated the property, according to the Montrose Daily Press. Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Silt introduced the Defund Planned Parenthood Act, reports Colorado Newsline.

Some of the best snow in the nation is right in our backyard according to Spencer Christensen owner of Grand Mesa Lodge. Christensen says the snow began in November and just keeps coming. Mesa County officials forced two private property owners to clear what they call “unsightly debris and trash” from their land, according to the Daily Sentinel. Paonia trustees debated adding two more paid holidays to the town’s handbook without added expense, reported Frank Witowski for the Delta County Independent. Delta Health unveiled the Western Slope’s first digitally combined PET and CT scanner earlier this month, according to the Montrose Daily Press.

Republican Representative Matt Soper from Delta was elected Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Legal Services. City-owned property on Cerro Summit in Montrose could be the future home of a professionally-designed mountain biking park, reports the Montrose Daily Press. Zack’s BBQ in Hotchkiss changed hands after five decades as a family business, reports the Delta County Independent. While the West is grappling with a long-running drought, activists are calling for stronger state policies on water sustainability. But a new report shows that the Mountain West is lagging behind. Small newspapers, and local reporting, can be essential to the communities they serve. Recently, a newspaper in Montrose County’s West End changed hands, but stayed in local ownership. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, K-O-T-O’s Gavin McGough sat down to talk with the paper’s new publisher, Regan Tuttle.

A Montrose man is accused of fatally shooting an older man at a Sherwood Drive home early on Monday, reported the Montrose Daily Press. Elijah James Johnson, 25, is being held on suspicion of second-degree murder in the death of a 59-year-old man. Montrose County School District elementary schools now have a set of student bikes, along with teacher bikes and helmets, according to the district. Delta police encouraged community members to begin a neighborhood watch in a town hall earlier this month, reports the Delta County Independent.

Montrose police are investigating a homicide on Sherwood Drive, the Montrose Police Department reported in a news release Monday morning. Police were dispatched to the 1200 Block around 2:20 AM on January 23, where they found one male party deceased. A suspect is in custody and police noted no ongoing threat to the public. The Delta Egyptian Theatre is hosting the BANFF (BAN-F) Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour on February 23, reports the Delta County Independent. The event will showcase storytelling around outdoor adventures in North America.

Mesa County Valley School District 51 saw a dip in enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year; the drop appears to be a trend that will continue throughout the next decade, reports the Daily Sentinel. he Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission welcomed the Gunnison and Taylor Rivers as the newest Gold Medal trout fisheries in the state. The City of Delta recently held a work session to discuss building supportive housing to help local people who may be unhoused or at risk of becoming unhoused, reports the Delta County Independent.

The nation's organic food industry will soon be operating under a new set of USDA rules and regulations. You can find more information on the new organic food industry rules and when they will go into effect at USDA dot org. Vehicles are cutting the lives of animals short as they move across roadways, however, researchers have found one possible solution help them live longer.