WILDFIRE UPDATE: The northern end of the Uncompahgre Plateau, just south of Highway 141 and Unaweep Canyon, and northeast of Gateway has been closed to the public according to a press release from the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests. The closure, effective now, is meant to protect public safety during the management of the Turner Gulch Wildfire burning south along Highway 141 in Mesa County. The Turner Gulch fire is the largest fire burning in on the Western Slope approaching 14,000 acres. Hwy 141 is closed in both directions.
In response to the South Rim Fire burning in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Montrose County School District (MCSD) has designated Johnson Elementary School as the Incident Command Post and primary fire operations center due to its close proximity to the fire and the availability of ample open space for staging. According to a press release from the school district, the site is currently supporting hundreds of emergency personnel engaged in response efforts. MCSD was one of the first organizations contacted when the need for an operational base arose on Thursday, July 11. As a result of ongoing response efforts, heavy traffic congestion may occur on US Highway 50 near Johnson Elementary. The community is asked to avoid the area whenever possible to assist fire crews. The South Rim Fire is now over 4,000 acres with zero containment.
COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH OFFER KN95 MASKS: Both the Montrose County and Delta County Public Health are offering free KN95 masks for residents in need of extra protection from wildfire smoke. Montrose County: 1845 S. Townsend Ave, West Wing and Delta County: 255 West 6th Street.
VICTIMS INDENTIFIED: The Montrose County Coroner has identified the two victims of a small single engine plane that crashed near Montrose Regional Airport last month. The two individuals have been identified as Lawrence W. Skinner age 61, and Alejandro D. Antunez age 53. Both are from Fort Myers FL. After failing to gain altitude, the plane crashed and caught fire. Both individuals were pronounced dead at the scene. The FAA and the NTSB are still investigating the cause of the crash. The cause and manner of death are still under investigation by the Montrose County Coroner's Office of Medical Investigations.
FEATURE: In a followup to our conversations with Delta Health on Medicaid cuts, we take a look at how Medicaid cuts could hit people with disabilities especially hard. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, K-G-N-U's Ainsley Coogan spoke with Julie Reiskin , the Co-Executive Director of the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition.
