FEATURE STORY: Back in 2018, 83 percent of voters in the Paonia, Hotchkiss and Crawford areas approved the creation of a special district for the North Fork Ambulance Service. Spanning Delta,Montrose and Gunnison counties, the service area is about 1,500 square miles. A mill levy was established to fund it, and in the past five years, the NFEMS has become a community health service. The primary mandate is to provide emergency medical services, but the organization also offers house visits by paramedics, exercise classes for seniors, and other outreach into the community.
On May 6th, three of the five seats on the Board are up for election. Three incumbents and four challengers are in the race. In this first installment of a two-part series, Marty Durlin profiles incumbents Dan Miller, Marcus Roeder and Peter Pruett.
LOCAL NEWS: After more than a year of a state-level investigation into Cedaredge marijuana dispensary PUR CannaBliss, the investigation found the business guilty of several violations. Managing group Grand Mesa Group, Inc. may no longer hold a marijuana license. During the investigation in 2023 by the State of Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division of the Colorado Department of Revenue, management of the business vacated the rented property on N. Grand Mesa Drive, Cedaredge. The property has since been sold. More on this story can be found at deltacountyindependent.com
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd recently sat-down with River Valley Family Health Centers and other Western Slope providers regarding looming cuts to Medicaid. According to reporting in the Montrose Daily Press, River Valley lost $300,000 in state Medicaid funding. As a federally qualified health center, River Valley is required to accept Medicaid and all health insurance and offers a sliding fee payment scale to those eligible. Representative Hurd was among 12 congressional representatives who signed an April 14 letter, asking US House leadership not to balance the federal budget at the expense of constituents who depend on Medicaid for their health. More on this story is at montrosepress.com
STATE LEGISLATURE: Colorado lawmakers have approved a measure meant to shore up voting rights in the state. As Chas Sisk reports for the Colorado Capitol News Alliance, the decision comes despite opposition from local officials.
