LOCAL NEWS: Montrose County School District has approved a charter application for Montrose Classical Academy. The decision came after the Colorado Board of Education sent the application back for reconsideration following an appeal. The charter school’s application was unanimously approved during the Sept. 23rd school board meeting. However, there were plenty of lingering concerns among the board. School board President Sarah Fishering said she had “significant concerns” about moving the application forward, and complained about what she described as a “completely broken” appeal process.
Authorities have identified the suspected driver in a hit and run incident on Sept. 21st that injured 68 year old Mike Keenan from Montrose. Keenan was walking along 6400 Road south of Fruit Park when he was struck by a vehicle. The Colorado State Patrol has identified 21 year old Johan Duarte Javalera as the driver. Keenan was transported to Montrose Regional Health with serious injuries but has since been released. The incident caused a social media storm when Montrose County Commissioner Sean Pond claimed that Keenan “was deliberately attacked by the radical left.” Officials say the incident was most likely caused by a distracted driver and does not appear to be intentional.
Nearly $3 million in GOCO funding will help groups in Montrose, Delta and Ouray counties to get families into the great outdoors. The Generation Wild grant just shy of $1.5 million dollars will allow the newly-formed Generation Wild of the Uncompahgre to get off the ground after years of planning in Montrose and Ouray communities. While in Delta County, The Nature Connection will continue to focus on outdoor programming, career pathways for young people and promoting and creating outdoor spaces in the community. The Nature Connection, which also serves Olathe families, was founded in 2017. Last week, it received a $1.4 million grant to continue its work for the next five years. You can read more about our top stories at montrosepress.com.
GUN VIOLENCE: As our nation continues to be plagued by gun violence, one local theatre group will be reading plays written by teenagers affected by the nationwide tragedy. KVNF spoke with Merrily Talbott Executive Artistic Director for Paonia Players, about the upcoming production at the Blue Sage Center for the Arts The goal of the production is to give voice to teens, spark critical conversation and inspire meaningful action.
The play takes place on Monday, October 6th at 7:00 pm at the Blue Sage Center for the Arts in Paonia. Tickets are available at Paonia Players. A portion of the funds from the performance will go to support the Choose Love Movement which works to prevent gun violence by "empowering people to respond to life's challenges with love, kindness, and compassion rather than anger, hatred, or revenge."
In a related story, officials in Utah have responded to the ongoing gun violence crisis in their state with a controversial solution: allowing teachers, volunteers and others to carry concealed weapons in the hallways. For the Mountain West News Bureau, Naomi Cragun shares more about the program.
