FARM FRIDAY: Last week, on KVNF’s Farm Friday we spoke with Jon Orlando, owner of Rock n’ Roots in Paonia, about how potential changes to federal hemp regulations could affect the billion dollar industry. Today we hear from Steve Schauer, owner of Fields of Glory, who raises hemp in the North Fork Valley about how his business could also be impacted if the bill goes into effect.
Schauer learned about the bill from an article written by Kentucky legislator Rand Paul who voiced his concerns that the new regulations could be the death of typical CBD products. Paul is voicing opposition to fellow Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell who supports the stringent regulations despite initially supporting hemp.
Schauer believes the current push back on CBD products is a result of those who are mixing synthetics with hemp to get people high.
LOCAL NEWS: The Delta City Council gave city staff the green light to formulate a stricter ordinance onthe keeping of junk at its last meeting. According to reporting in the Delta County Independent, the code will go from required “management of junk” to an outright prohibition of it. The move is one in a series of code updates to empower code enforcement to take action against things that compromise the community’s appearance and safety while also reducing strain on the police department. Recent ordinances have allowed code enforcement officers to issue citations for code violations and to enforce a strict urban camping ban. More on this story can be found at deltacountyindependent.com
Monthly bills will go up for Delta-Montrose Electric Association customers in the new year. The change is the first rate increase in more than six years. According to DMEA, the main drivers are inflation, not energy costs, plus the need to keep the cooperative’s margins in the black while maintaining a reliable power supply in a safe manner. In a recent meeting, DMEA Board of Directors approved raising the energy access fee from $29.50 per month to $37 for residential single-phase users, and from $32.75/month to $42/month for residential three phase. For residential single-phase users, the access fee will climb by $7.50 per month, or about .25 cents per day. More on this story is at montrosepress.com
Blue Sage Center for the Arts is hosting their 26th Annual Black-Eyed Pea Jubilee on Thursday, January 1st from 2pm to 9pm. There will be live, local music, a potluck and the company of friends and neighbors. This event will take place at Curtis Hall in Paonia. It is open to the public and all are welcome. More information can be found at https://bluesage.org/
IN STATE NEWS: Marijuana sales near $1billon in revenue, while raising almost $200 million dollars in state tax revenue for 2025, according to new monthly data published today by the Colorado Department of Revenue.
Colorado will likely surpass $1 billion in sales and $200 million in tax revenue before year’s end; November figures will be published in January with complete data for 2025 becoming available in mid-February. In its monthly marijuana sales and tax revenue report, DOR figures show that tax revenue for October was $19 million while September marijuana sales figures were at $105 million.
IN ENVIROMENTAL NEWS: Scientists in Colorado have found that some of the state’s manmade whitewater parks can harm fish species including brown trout. Eric Richer is an aquatic research scientist with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. He says the structures can block some fish from moving upstream to spawn or seek refuge from droughts or warming water.
The study examined fish movements before and after two new parks were built on rivers near Montrose and Kremmling. There are about forty [40] whitewater parks built or in the works on Colorado waterways. Richer says he hopes the research will lead to future park designs that DON’T hinder fish movements.
FEMA REQUEST DENIED: President Donald Trump has denied Colorado's requests for federal disaster declarations for recent fires and floods even though the losses exceeded FEMA’s threshold for federal assistance. That’s according to the governor and the state’s two Democratic senators reports, Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes.
