A new federal grant could help fund protections for children from lead in drinking water at schools and childcare facilities across the state. Over $830,000 in grant funding from the EPA will go toward this effort.
EPA Mountains and Plains Regional Administrator KC Becker said that the additional funds will “expand on existing lead remediation programs and help to improve public health in Colorado.”
Lead remediation actions may include but are not limited to the removal, installation and replacement of internal plumbing, lead pipes, faucets, water fountains or other lead-free apparatus related to drinking water. For more information, visit EPA.gov
Delta County Dispatch received a report of a brush fire quickly spreading near Minnesota Creek Road, east of Paonia, last Friday. The Paonia Fire Department and deputies with the Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the fire which quickly began to grow.
The fire was burning to the east and deputies responded and alerted nearby residents of the rapidly growing brush fire while the Paonia Fire Department began working on suppressing the fire which was spreading across private property. Due to the dry conditions, heavy fuels and increasing winds along Minnesota Creek, the fire spread quickly.
Delta County Sheriff Mark Taylor said the cause of the Minnesota Creek fire is still under investigation, but investigators have identified that it was human-caused. According to Paonia Fire Chief Blake Kinser, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control mapped the total acreage of the fire at 23 acres burned. The fire burned at least one power-pole and residents east of the fire were without power for several hours during the fire until DMEA could safely restore power Friday evening.
Montrose Mayor Barbara Bynum is running for Colorado Senate District 5. Bynum sat down this week with KVNF to discuss her campaign’s top issues, including a lack of childcare services and affordable housing in the region. KVNF's Cassie Knust continues yesterday’s conversation with Bynum.
To learn more about Bynum’s campaign, visit barbarabynum.com
Colorado’s new Universal Preschool program begins in the coming weeks. The state will pay up to 15 hours a week for preschool for children in the year before they are eligible to start kindergarten. There have been concerns about whether enough preschool places are available in the state.
In Montrose County, childcare has been described as a desert. Matt Jenkins with the Montrose County School District, says that while the new state program will make preschool more accessible for many families, it doesn’t solve the childcare crisis.
Penny Harris, Director for MCSD’s Early Childhood Centers, says there are also other programs that support families in paying for preschool. Additionally, Harris notes that not all preschool and childcare providers are participating in the program.
Some three year olds are also eligible and could receive up to 10 hours a week of preschool if they qualify.
Jenkins says they will help all families with children three to four find a preschool place and navigate the different programs that are available to help pay for it.
