FEATURE: For nearly thirty years, Railroad Car 211 transported people and goods to and from the remote mountain town of Lake City, until the service stopped in 1933. Now this important piece of regional transportation history is in Durango for restoration. For KVNF, Laura Palmisano takes to the train workshop for an inside look at the repairs.
LOCAL NEWS: Delta County Commissioners honored outgoing Commissioner Don Suppes during Tuesday’s board meeting. Suppes ended an eight year run due to term limits. Fellow Commissioners credited Suppes with spearheading the remodeling of the 1959 Delta County Courthouse, the 1984 Delta County Jail, the county assessor’s office, the administrative building and more, reports the Delta County Independent.
Commissioner Wendell Koontz spoke about negotiations led by Suppes with the City of Delta and the Delta County Library District, which included the relocation of the Delta Library to a larger location and allowed the Delta County Sheriff’s Office to move into the old Carnegie library building and expand the jail. Newly elected District 2 Commissioner Craig Fuller will take Suppe’s seat for a four-year term expiring January 2029.
Nordic skiing continues to be a popular winter sport in our region. Two area organizations are offering opportunities to learn necessary skills this Saturday, January 11th. The Uncompahgre Nordic Association will host four clinics at the Divide Road Nordic Area beginning at 10 a.m with beginner, beginner skate ski, intermediate and intermediate and race skating sessions. The Nature Connection and Grand Mesa Nordic Council are hosting a Pop Up Ski Day at the Skyway Trailhead on Saturday with more planned for Feb. 1 and Feb. 15 at different locations.
ECONOMIC NEWS: Numbers comparing 2022 to 2023 show Mesa County's median household income down roughly $3,000 dollars. Data comes from a recent economic report produced by Colorado Mesa University.
Dr. Nathan Perry, author of the economic report, noted that despite the decline in household income, there was a rise in personal income per capita from roughly $55,000 in 2022 to nearly $58,000 in 2023. Per capita personal income is a measure of all personal income in the county divided by the population.
While the county’s gross domestic product for 2023 grew by 2.64% compared to the previous year, Perry noted that the most recent poverty estimate shows a nearly one percent increase in poverty from 2022 to 2023.
STATE LEGISLATURE: KUNC’s Lucas Brady Woods reports that as lawmakers return to the State Capitol for this year’s legislative session, Democratic leadership is preparing to counter federal immigration policy under the incoming Trump administration.
REGIONAL NEWS: Mountain West News Bureau, Olivia Weitz shares how Yellowstone National Park has plans to increase the size of its bison herd, but the state of Montana has turned to the courts in an attempt to block it.
