LOCAL NEWS: Montrose County Commissioner Sean Pond has announced his run for a U.S. Senate seat. In a statement released Sunday, the commissioner said his statewide campaign will focus on "restoring accountability, strengthening the economy, and bridging the growing divide between urban and rural communities."
The Montrose County West End resident was appointed to his county commission seat by the Montrose County Republican Party following the death of Rick Dunlap in February of last year. Prior to that, Pond was a vocal critic of efforts to establish a national monument in the Dolores River area, leading the Halt the Dolores movement.
The City of Grand Junction hired Peter Skeris to take over as fire chief. The new chief was selected after a nationwide recruitment process that included multiple rounds of interviews and meaningful input from Grand Junction Fire Department personnel, city leadership and experienced fire chiefs from the regions. He will take over on Feb. 17. More on this story at gjsentinel.com
The town of Ridgway won its case to condemn private property to build a public trail from the River Park subdivision to Ridgway Secondary School, reports the Ouray County Plaindealer. The deal came following several attempts to purchase a slice of property from the owner failed.
Seventh Judicial Chief District Judge Cory Jackson issued an order in July ruling in favor of the town, which moved to seize a portion of David Sneed’s land after negotiations to purchase the property failed. Jackson said the town followed correct condemnation procedures and that the town’s acquisition of the property ultimately serves a public purpose.
The effort to acquire Sneed’s property began more than three years ago, when a resident approached town councilors and asked them to pursue acquiring an easement for the path through Sneed’s property to create a shortcut to the school. More on this story at ouraynews.com.
STATE NEWS: Nearly 300 thousand Coloradans could lose SNAP benefits under GOP law. Eric Galatas has more. Prisons in Colorado are still full, even after the state took steps to ease overcrowding. For the Colorado Capitol News Alliance, Kyle McKinnon reports the state’s prison population management plan remains in effect.
FEATURE NEWS: International visitors will be charged a lot more to enter a handful of national parks starting in January. The Trump Administration calls this an “America-first” policy. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Rachel Cohen reports from a town built around courting park visitors.
