KVNF FARM FRIDAY: Agriculture in the Rocky Mountains is shaped by a short growing season, semi-arid climate, and severe weather events. Human-caused climate change is making these challenges even more difficult for farmers. Some farmers are looking to solar power as part of the solution—installing panels directly alongside their crops. Combining agriculture with solar panels could help make farms more resilient… but for smaller family farms, it can be hard to get these operations up and running. Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes on today’s KVNF Farm Friday.
NEWS: The 7th Judicial District Court will gain an additional judge beginning in July of 2026, according to reporting in the Montrose Daily Press. Senate Bill 24, will allocate more than $2.6 million from the State General Fund to the judicial department for the new judges and also appropriated more than $621,000 for the Colorado Public Defenders office. Proponents of the bill including State Representative Matt Soper say additional judges across several judicial districts will provide needed relief for backlogged cases. The 7th judicial district on the Western Slope includes Montrose, Delta, Ouray, San Miguel, Hinsdale and Gunnison counties.
Delta County School District approved its 2025-26 budget at its June meeting. According to reporting in the Delta County Independent, the budget passed on a 4-1 vote with board member Beth Suppes in opposition. Suppes raised several issues including the salary increases for district office staff. Suppes claimed that some salarIes were increased by “8 or 9 percent”. Following the meeting, District Superintendent Caryn Gibson issued a statement saying in part that comments made during the public hearing were “false.” The School Board is scheduled to review the 2026 budget and the District’s responses to Board member questions at its next meeting on July 10th at 12:30 p.m. That meeting will take place at the Technical College of the Rockies. You can find more on this story at deltacountyindependent.com
Ouray County leaders are debating a new policy that would ban the public from carrying any weapons within Ouray County buildings, reports the Ouray County Plaindealer. The new policy would, however, allow county employees with valid permits to conceal carry weapons in most county facilities for personal safety. During a June 24 work session, Ouray County commissioners debated a new firearms policy draft, prompted by a recent state law prohibiting firearms in “sensitive spaces” such as local government buildings where county commissioners have their meetings.
As it stands, the new state law places restrictions on concealed and open carrying of weapons at the Ouray County Courthouse and the Ouray County 4-H Event Center and Fairgrounds when commissioners are meeting there. The law allows counties to adopt stricter rules than outlined in the state statute. Ouray County doesn’t currently prohibit open or concealed carrying in public county facilities, like the 4-H Event Center and the Land Use and Planning Department on Mall Road. The Ouray County Courthouse is considered separate from other public county facilities and has its own security checkpoint. You can find more details on this story at ouraynews.com
Colorado Democrats and healthcare advocates are speaking out against the GOP’s budget bill. It proposes significant cuts to Medicaid, which would leave millions of people uninsured. It also proposes a reduction of existing state-directed payments to hospitals, and would limit the provider tax. That’s something states have long used to draw down additional federal Medicaid dollars. Joe Theine, the C E O of Southwest Health System in Cortez, said the budget bill will harm rural health care.
