LOCAL NEWS: Montrose County economic report produced by Colorado Mesa University is showing a modest increase in sales taxes compared to this time last year. According to Dr. Nathan Perry, economics professor at CMU, the city’s hotel and restaurant tax is up 82% due to the increase in the hotel tax. In comparison, Telluride sales taxes through November of 2024 are up slightly at 0.24%. Business entity filings for Montrose continue to grow at a rapid pace since 2015 with an impressive increase of nearly 40% from 2023 to 2024. Montrose Regional Airport also continues to show growth with a notable increase in plane traffic up nearly 9 percent from 2023 to 2024.
Seven members of western Colorado Indivisible groups, including Montrose and Ouray Counties Indivisible, visited U.S. House Rep. Jeff Hurd’s Grand Junction office to air their grievances to President Donald Trump’s so-called Big Beautiful Bill. According to reporting in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, topics included Medicaid, immigration and the tax breaks included in the bill. Hurd’s office representative listened to constituents' concerns over his vote for the bill, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates would, if passed, lead to $700 billion in cuts to Medicaid and $267 billion in cuts to SNAP benefits.
An inmate who walked away from the Delta Correctional Center on May 28th, was quickly apprehended and back in custody. According to the Colorado Department of Corrections, inmate Blake Jones walked away from the prison, but Delta County Sheriff's Office took him back into custody approximately 28 minutes after the initial report.
Delta County Sheriff’s Office received a report from a civilian who observed a person in green walking along 25 Mesa Road near the facility. Sheriff’s deputies responded immediately and located Jones in the area. He was taken into custody without incident and transported back to the facility. Jones has been transported to a higher-security facility. DCC is reviewing the incident and internal procedures to ensure the continued safety of the public, staff and inmates.
The 23rd Riverfest Community Fair and Float takes place Saturday June 7 from 4 until 8:30 pm at the Paonia River Park. The one day event features music, food, and river fun. The day near the water is hosted by the Western Slope Conservation Center, Colorado Farm & Food Alliance and The Learning Council. The river Float takes place on Sunday and requires separate, advanced tickets from Western Slope Conservation Center.
COLORADO RIVER NEWS: KUNC’s Alex Hager reports that Colorado River power players are meeting in Colorado today in the middle of tense negotiations about how to share water supplies.
REGIONAL NEWS: K-S-U-T's Clark Adomaitis reports that History Colorado has appointed to Phillip Gover III, a Pawnee and Choctaw man, to Senior Director of Tribal and Indigenous Engagement.
There’s a lot of talk right now about selling off portions of federal land for housing or energy development. But some conservatives in our region advocate for the idea on a much larger scale, transferring most of the land to states. As the Mountain West News Bureau’s Hanna Merzbach reports, they say the Constitution mandates it.
