TOP STORY: Delta County School Board members passed its gender name policy by a vote of 4-1 at the January 30th meeting. The policy as adopted requires parents or guardians to sign off on the name change and then be signed by the Principal or Vice-principal of the school they attend.
Students are allowed one non-legal name change within the current school year. The name change cannot be used for any illegal purpose and the district reserves the right to deny a chosen name or preferred first name if it is vulgar or offensive, obscene, or is used for misrepresentation.
The policy states that ‘an intentional or knowing refusal to use a student’s chosen name is prohibited under this policy and under Colorado law.’ However, the district will allow employees, educators, and contractors to request an accommodation to be addressed on a case-by-case basis under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. Requests will go through the building administration. It’s unclear if this portion of the policy will be challenged and if it could open the district up to potential legal action.
LOCAL NEWS: The resentencing for Megan Hess and Shirley Koch, owners of Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors, has been postponed, according to reporting in the Montrose Daily Press. Hess and Koch, the daughter/ mother team, were originally sentenced in 2023 to 20 years and 15 years, respectively. The U.S. Court of Appeals noted procedural errors by the sentencing court. The new sentencing was to take place tomorrow, however, Hess’ counsel filed an emergency motion to postpone it, citing the sudden onset of serious illness. The United States Attorney’s Office did not object and the court granted the request. The parties will now look for another date.
Delta County Memorial Hospital District also known as Delta Health is in process of notifying patients about a potential breach in the hospital's computer system. Delta Health reportedly became aware of suspicious activity on its computer network back in May of 2024.
The investigation determined that an unknown, unauthorized third party gained access to the network between May 27 and May 30 and may have acquired certain files from the systems. The type of information may involve names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, medical information, health insurance information and financial account information. Notifications in the mail now. Patients who receive a notification are advised to refer to the notice and note steps to secure their information.
Nearly 100 Mesa County residents filled the area near the intersection at North Avenue and 12th Street last Saturday. The crowd protested the ongoing mass deportations under President Donald Trump and anti-Hispanic sentiments nationwide, reports the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. The peaceful protest lasted between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Colorado Mesa University Student and protest organizer, Rebecca Mendoza, said she wanted to demonstrate how much support there is across Mesa County for immigrants and the entire Hispanic community, which could face discrimination regardless of their citizenship. You can find more on this story at gjsentinel.com.
REGIONAL NEWS: Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes reports on how Colorado is preparing to phase out coal by 2030. As part of the state’s plan, it has awarded two new grants for coal-dependent communities as they diversify their economies.
OUR LIVING LANDS SERIES: Bill Tripp, the Karuk Tribal Natural Resources director, is a leading proponent of cultural fire. In the final part of our series on Indigenous-led fire, the Mountain West News Bureau’s Murphy Woodhouse spoke to Tripp about the historic scale of Karuk burning and what a path back toward that may look like. Our Living Lands producer Daniel Spaulding chatted with Woodhouse about that wide-ranging conversation.