The small towns of Paonia and Hotchkiss in western Colorado are seeing fewer tourists this spring due to high water runoffs, according to Writers on the Range. An exceptionally high runoff blew out a culvert on State Highway 133 about seven miles northeast of Paonia, which then allowed rushing water to carve a gully into the roadbed.
While CDOT placed the culvert in a queue for repair, Region 3 reported 100 culverts needing work. The one near Paonia apparently landed too far down on the list. Since that incident, more runoff damages have followed. Locals are saying no one has seen road damage like this since the massive East Muddy Slide of 1986. The mile-wide slide was three-pronged and closed Highway 133 between Paonia and the town of Carbondale for four months.
Black Canyon High School is just one example of a nontraditional education pathway in our region…and while the school offers a nonlinear approach for students who may fall through more traditional cracks, it’s not just for students facing expulsion. Jack Christensen is the incoming principal at Black Canyon High School. He told KVNF he has big shoes to fill as the school’s current principal, Angelique Chavez, departs after spearheading as the high school’s first principal. Black Canyon High School just celebrated its first graduating class last month and is gearing up for year two. Christensen sat down with KVNF's Cassie Knust to talk more about the new high school. For the full conversation, tune into Local Motion tonight at 6PM. For this public affairs segment, KVNF dives into the nontraditional classrooms in our region.
As the school year ends, the concern over mental health among students and staff at Delta County Schools remains a top priority following the COVID-19 pandemic years. KVNF’s Lisa Young has the details.
