There were multiple reports of vandalism around Paonia this past Saturday night June 4th, including a small tree damaged as well as destruction of property inside the bathrooms at Town Park. Resident Jeffry Buechler told KVNF he awoke to what he thought were gunshots in the middle of the night and called Paonia PD. In the morning he discovered his family’s rainbow mailbox had been destroyed and he tells KVNF he determined what he heard was likely from that incident, not from any guns. Buechler submitted a report to the police department, who told KVNF three officers are working multiple cases spread out across town. If you witnessed anything unusual Saturday night or have information about the vandalism, please contact Paonia law enforcement at 970-572-4822. Some community members are advocating for neighbors to paint their own mailboxes in rainbow colors and join the movement to display rainbow flags during Pride Month. Anyone can sponsor a flag downtown by contacting The Learning Council, whose grand opening for the Ice Cream Corner on Grand Avenue is tonight from 5 to 9.
Governor Jared Polis has signed an elections security bill into law that codifies the curriculum for the certification program county clerks and election workers must complete ahead of upcoming elections. Colorado Newsline reports Senate Bill 153 was touted by lawmakers as an attempt to limit “insider threats” to elections, such as the one Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters is alleged to have posed by facilitating a security breach in her elections office last year. The law includes provisions such as physical security requirements and restrictions on who can access voting equipment. The law also requires clerks to complete the program within six months of taking office or before they oversee their first election. Comprehensive courses offered are in general election law, the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002, voter registration and list maintenance, accessibility, both mail ballot and in-person voting process, systems testing, canvasses and risk-limiting audits. Colorado’s election system is widely considered one of the best in the country.
Five candidates running in Colorado’s Third Congressional District primary answered questions at a public forum last night, hosted by the League of Women Voters. Lucas Brady Woods at Rocky Mountain Community Radio partner station KSJD reports.
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For those who didn’t get a chance to tune in live to the candidate forum, it was recorded and can be viewed online on the League of Women Voters of Colorado website at l w v c o dot org. The deadline to vote in the primary is June 28th.
MONTROSE REGIONAL HEALTH FEATURE (3:43)
