LOCAL NEWS: Delta County Special District election results are in. For the North Fork Ambulance Health Service District Directors the top three candidates by vote are Blake Kinser, Dr. Peter Pruett and Ty Clock. Kinser and Clock replace incumbents Dan Miller and Marcus Roeder. For Delta County Fire Protection District No. 1 Board of Directors top votes went to Daniel Cano Jr., Todd Queen and Wilford Fay Matthews.
A family in Lazear is reeling after a fire destroyed their home last week. A GoFundMe account has been established for the Sauzo family. While the Hotchkiss Fire Department responded promptly to the scene and prevented further damage to neighboring properties. The fire destroyed not only the family’s home but also a work truck including tools. The family of four also lost everything they had purchased for their yet-to-be-born baby. More details are at deltacountyindependent.com
Delta County has filed an informal complaint with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission against CenturyLink for 9-1-1 issues affecting the county from June 2024 until March 2025.
Delta County Emergency Manager Kris Stewart told Commissioners that the issue primarily affected Charter customers in Delta with Voice over Internet Protocol, a technology that allows phone calls over the internet instead of traditional phone lines or cell phones.
The issue with the 911 service has since been resolved, however, Stewart noted that nearly 300 calls failed to reach Delta County’s 911 dispatch center for nearly eight months. Callers received either a busy signal, continuous ringing Or were routed to WestCo, Montrose’s Dispatch center.
Stewart says Delta County isn’t the only dispatch complaining about the 911 service problems. CenturyLink is the only Basic Emergency Telephone Service Provider in the State of Colorado. Commissioners are waiting for a response from CenturyLink.
The town of Paonia recently received some lucrative grants to improve accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists around town. KVNF's Brody Wilson has more.
FARM FRIDAY: On today’s KVNF Farm Friday ….Farms are turning to guest workers to fill labor shortages, but critics say it still isn’t enough for the Mountain West News Bureau Yvette Fernandez reports.
A conference for agriculture workers is coming up next month in Delta. The Agricultural Workers Conference is scheduled for Sunday, June 8th at the Bill Heddles Recreation Center will feature discussions on worker rights, health, resources and training. The event is a chance for agricultural workers to meet with representatives from the Colorado Department of Agriculture and Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. More details are on the Valley Food Partnership Facebook page.
STATEWIDE CALL IN: The Colorado legislative session has wrapped for the year, and lawmakers tackled big issues, from immigrant protections to major gun reforms. Join us tonight from 6 to 7 p.m. for a statewide call-in show to review the session. Call us at 800-737-3030 or email your questions and comments to dj@kgnu.org.
