Workers at the JBS-owned meatpacking plant in Greeley are planning to begin a labor strike Monday.
Riverstone Academy, a religious charter school in Pueblo, allowed to reopen amid safety concerns
Riverstone had been ordered to close last year due to health and safety concerns. Chalkbeat Colorado reports “School founders didn’t follow routine steps to ensure the school’s building met health and safety standards before opening to about 30 students last August. By January, local officials ordered Riverstone officials to close its building, and after initially fighting the effort, school leaders agreed.” The Pueblo County Board of Commissioners voted 2-1 to grant a special use permit that will allow Riverstone Academy to return to its original location in a light industrial area near concrete, landscaping, and machine shop businesses. The approval ran contrary to a February vote by the county planning commission recommending the permit be denied over safety concerns. You can read more about this story at chalkbeatcolorado.org
Bipartisan proposal advancing in the statehouse aims to protect older and vulnerable adults from financial scammers.
Each year, scammers steal billions of dollars from older adults in the U-S. They often manipulate victims with a sense of fear and urgency. By the time victims have a chance to think clearly, their money is often long gone. Rae Solomon reports for the Colorado Capitol News Alliance.
KVNF's Brody Wilson speaks to contestants in the San Juan Skijoring event
While Spring is in full swing in the KVNF listening area, we wanted to hang on to winter for just a bit longer and take you to the the San Juan Skijoring event that took place this January. KVNF's Brody Wilson brings you there.
Committee makes progress on recommendations for regulating short term rentals in Paonia
Last year, the Paonia Short Term Rental Ad Hoc Committee was tasked with offering new recommendations on regulations after an attempt at regulation by the Board of Trustees was shot down by a citizen vote last year. Rick Stelter, Mayor Pro Tempore and Chair of the committee, has offered updates on the process. The Board of Trustees has already established several administrative elements, mostly related to licensing and zoning, that will ultimately remain within the authority of the Board. At the same time, the committee has been asked to evaluate several policy questions that will help shape how STRs function within Paonia. These include how many licenses should be available, how single room rentals should be defined, and whether licensing should distinguish between owner occupied and non-owner occupied properties. The committee is also discussing three administrative provisions that it believes would benefit from additional direction from the Board of Trustees before recommendations are finalized.
Stelter's full op-ed is below:
OpEd: A Responsible Path Forward on Short Term Rentals in Paonia
By Rick Stelter, Mayor Pro Tempore and Chair, Paonia Short Term Rental Ad Hoc Committee
As a Resident of more than 37 years, and previously a “Hippie from Aspen,” I know that Paonia is a community that values open discussion, civic participation, and thoughtful decision making.
That spirit of thoughtful dialogue is guiding the work currently underway by the Town’s Short Term Rental Ad Hoc Committee. The committee was established by the Board of Trustees to review short-term rentals, gather public input, and return recommendations that help the Town responsibly
address an issue that is affecting communities across Colorado.
The discussion around STRs did not begin overnight. Like many communities across Colorado, Paonia has seen increasing interest in STRs as travel patterns change and online platforms make it easier for homeowners to offer lodging. As this activity grows, communities must consider how these uses interact with residential neighborhoods, housing availability, and the expectations residents have for the places they live. These considerations fall squarely within the traditional responsibilities of local government to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the community while balancing economic opportunity and property rights.
The Housing Needs Assessment and Housing Action Plan adopted by the Town in 2023 helped bring additional public attention to the topic. During that process, many residents expressed concerns about the availability of long-term housing and the potential impact of STRs. While the Housing Action Plan identified STR regulation as one potential policy tool, the broader responsibility of the Town remains the same. Local governments are expected to establish reasonable regulations for emerging uses in order to ensure public safety, protect neighborhoods, and maintain a stable housing environment.
Because of that responsibility, the Town must address STRs through a regulatory framework. Regulation is not optional. Regardless of the staff time required to administer such a program, the Town has a duty to evaluate and implement policies that protect housing availability while also ensuring compliance with basic standards related to life, health, and safety.
The role of the Ad Hoc Committee is not to make final decisions but to study the issue and return recommendations to the Board of Trustees. The committee includes elected officials, Town , residents, and a local STR host in order to bring multiple perspectives into the discussion while keeping the focus on the long-term interests of the community.
The Board of Trustees has already established several administrative elements that will ultimately remain within the authority of the Board. These include the requirement that STRs operate only with a Town issued license, annual license renewal requirements, licensing fees designed to recover the staff time and public resources necessary to administer the program, compliance with building codes and inspection authority, adherence to Town regulations governing zoning and nuisances, proof of property ownership for license applicants, and the non-transferability of STR licenses. At the same time, the committee has been asked to evaluate several policy questions that will help shape how STRs function within Paonia. These include how many licenses should be available, how single room rentals should be defined, and whether licensing should distinguish between owner occupied and non-owner occupied properties.
During the committee’s most recent meeting, members also discussed three administrative provisions that the committee believes would benefit from additional direction from the Board of Trustees before recommendations are finalized. These include the appropriate licensing fee structure needed to reimburse the Town for staff time and public resources, life safety standards related to exterior door requirements, and the requirement that each licensed STR designate a local authorized representative who can respond to complaints or property issues within sixty minutes. Because these provisions have been raised repeatedly during public discussions, the committee agreed that it would be appropriate to ask the Board of Trustees to review them directly before the committee proceeds further with drafting recommendations.
The committee has also asked the Board to consider extending the current moratorium on enforcement actions related to STR regulations through the end of the year. This would allow the Town to complete the policy process in a deliberate and transparent way rather than implementing enforcement while the regulatory framework is still under development.
Public participation will continue to play an important role in the process. The committee is working to bring in a professional facilitator to help guide discussions and ensure that meetings remain productive while public input is gathered in a fair and structured manner. Meetings will also be extended from one hour to an hour and a half to allow additional time for discussion and comment from residents.
STRs are now being debated in communities across Colorado. Paonia has an opportunity to approach the issue thoughtfully, grounded in community values and informed by public input.
The committee’s responsibility is not to rush to conclusions. Our role is to gather information, listen to residents, and ensure that the Board of Trustees ultimately receives well considered recommendations that reflect the perspectives of the community while also upholding the non-negotiable responsibilities of local government related to life, health, and safety.
Thoughtful policy begins with thoughtful dialogue. Paonia has always been a community capable of that.
