Montrose County is dedicating over $220,000 in federal grant funds to local schools.
Funding comes from the Secure Rural Schools Act, a bill that funds rural counties and schools located near national forests across the United States. Counties have the option of directing a portion of the funds to both local schools and county road and bridge operations.
Montrose County School District will direct the funds toward outdoor learning resources and opportunities for children, according to a Montrose County news release. The funds will be distributed to Montrose County School District ($208,254.50), West End School District ($8,833.53), Delta County School District ($6,755.05) and Norwood School District ($2,078.48).
A recent cyberattack against the Colorado Department of Higher Education compromised the personal information of numerous residents. The department said an unidentified person or group hacked into its systems in June and illegally copied education records stored there.
According to Capital Reporter Lucas Brady Woods, those records include names, social security numbers and student ID numbers. Officials say the stolen information applies to people who were students at a public college or university in Colorado between 2007 and 2020. Data on public high school and elementary school students was also stolen.
The department is still reviewing the content and scope of the hack and a criminal investigation is underway.
KVNF is tracking a wildfire approximately 15 miles southwest of Delta within the Dominguez Escalante. KVNF’s Lisa Young has the details on the fire dubbed, “Little Mesa Fire.”
The Bureau of Land Management is leading the firefighting efforts in the National Conservation Area on the wildfire first reported on July 31.
The fire sparked by lightning spread to a mix of pinyon pine, juniper, sagebrush, and grass, spreading across an estimated 75 acres.
As of Monday, containment efforts are at zero percent. The public is asked to avoid the Pothole Recreation Area as helicopters work to retrieve water from potholes, aiding the firefighting process.
A recent report from the Southwest District Fire Management for the BLM noted that the fire behavior has ranged from low to moderate, consuming ground vegetation and downed timber. Pockets of intense burning and spotting have been noted in the pinyon pine and juniper forest during hotter periods of the day. Favorable terrain and weather conditions are driving the flames toward Dry Mesa with reports of the fire crossing Tatum Road.
There are no reported evacuations and closures at this time.
In recent years, WIC Colorado has seen steady growth in enrollment. WIC is a special federal supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children. For an in depth look at the program, KVNF’s Laura Palmisano continues her interview with WIC Colorado outreach and partnership coordinator Erin Kendrick.
To hear the interview in its entirety, visit kvnf.org.
