Local mayors are pushing back against proposed legislation that would make major changes to land use rules in Colorado, although, according to the Ouray Plaindealer, Ridgway and Ouray are likely exempt from the new requirements. Under Gov. Jared Polis’ land use bill, many of Colorado’s cities and towns would be prohibited from restricting multi-family housing and accessory dwelling units. This comes as an effort to increase housing supply and prevent local governments from blocking higher-density development. Proposed requirements vary for different- sized cities and towns: Tier one urban municipalities, including Denver and Grand Junction, would have the most extensive mandates, while “rural resort job centers” would be subject to some of the bill’s requirements but not others. That category includes Telluride and Mountain Village, while Montrose and other cities would be categorized as “non-urban municipalities.”
Some Montrose and Olathe high school seniors are making strides as distinguished scholarship recipients. Montrose High School seniors Natalie Hernandez and Andrew Jutten are among the list of students recently selected for the distinguished 2023 Daniels Scholarship Program. Both students will receive up to $100,000 over four years towards their undergraduate degree, depending on financial need. These awards come as Nancy Suarez-Duran, a senior at Olathe High School, was selected as a recipient of the Boettcher Foundation Scholarship. According to Olathe High School principal Scott Brown, Nancy is his first Boettcher recipient in his 17 years as principal in the district. Each student was selected based on academic achievement, outstanding character, and service and leadership in their schools and communities, according to scholarship standards.
In 2021 the Colorado legislature passed a bill which took some Colorado lottery money to pay for outdoor educational opportunities for underserved youth. The money is distributed through the Colorado Outdoor Equity Grant Program. KVNF’s Lisa Young spoke with one local non-profit that’s using the funds to help get youth outdoors. Last year Colorado Parks and Wildlife gave over $3 million in grants to help youth. Friends of Youth and Nature received $67 thousand dollars last year and this year.
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