TOP STORY: Montrose County School District was recently awarded the 2024 Student Achievement Award for Career Pathways Program. Colorado Association of School Boards recognized the Western Slope school district during its annual meeting earlier this month. The recognition highlights the district’s commitment to providing students with real-world learning experiences that prepare them for success in college, careers, and life.
Kathy Steckel was recently named as EMS Executive of the Year from the Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado, reports the Delta County Independent. Steckel says the award is a celebration for the North Fork community and the entire North Fork Health Service District, established five years ago. Steckel joined the North Fork Ambulance in 1996 as an EMT and then volunteered on the board of directors for 10 years before becoming the executive director for the North Fork Ambulance Service in 2014.
A group of elected officials and community leaders, mainly located in Montrose County’s West End, recently drafted a statement regarding the proposed Dolores Canyon Monument designation. The letter was sent to Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper as well as newly elected Congressman Jeff Hurd. According to the San Miguel Basin Forum, the statement offered a compromise to move from a national monument to a National Conservation Area that would “provide conservation where it is most needed while preserving future economic potential and maintaining the way of life that local residents value.” The group requested time to refine the map boundaries and language of any proposed legislation.
FEATURE: Communities across the Rocky Mountain West are no strangers to the reality of wildfire. These fires can be devastating for mountain communities, but they can also show the incredible community spirit that exists in these towns. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, K-O-T-Os Julia Caulfield brings us this report on how one community on Colorado’s western slope came together during a recent wildfire.
