LOCAL NEWS: Public health officials in Mesa County say influenza cases have ballooned in recent weeks, after the number of local hospitalizations linked to the virus jumped from nine to 36 since Dec. 16. The total is three times the number of cases recorded between October and December of 2024. The county has also recorded nine separate flu outbreaks in schools, nursing homes and other largely indoor communities, as of Dec. 22. More on this story at gjsentinel.com
During its last board meeting Delta County Commissioners voted to opt out of the state’s graywater mandate. Opting in would have required anyone installing a graywater system in the county to have an engineered system installed by a certified plumber and monitored by the Health Department.
While the county could create their own standards for graywater use, the regulations would need to be the same as the state’s or stricter. According to the county’s health department, there’s no state money to enforce the regulations and no county staff to inspect graywater systems or enforce the new state mandates.
Delta County was recently awarded a grant from the Colorado Judicial Department for its 2026 Probation Consolidation and Modernization Project. The $335,000 grant will be combined with $80,000 from the county to renovate the old City of Delta Police Department at 215 W. 5th Street. Getting the needed funds from the state involved a team effort with Fuller making a ten minute presentation in Denver. Work at the location also known as the “Blue Roof Building,” will create a centralized probation facility within the county’s justice complex.
Currently probation staff and services have been spread across multiple small, aging locations creating challenges for staff safety, client confidentiality, accessibility, and coordination with the courts. There are 513 individuals in the county receiving probationary services with a total of 638 cases.
IN STATE NEWS: In State news, a Democratic vacancy committee has selected Representative William Lindstedt to serve out the term of state Senator Faith Winter, who died last month in a car crash. Lindstedt, of Broomfield, will serve through January 2027. He says his priorities include education funding, environmental protection, and Medicaid access. More than one in four members of the Colorado General Assembly have now been appointed through a vacancy committee.
ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS: Invasive zebra mussels are gaining ground in the Colorado River where adults were recently found for the first time. And the pest threatens to spoil the upcoming growing season for Colorado’s sweetest product: The Palisade Peach. KUNC’s Scott Franz has more on how producers are coping with the growing invasion.
