Business Incubator Center in Mesa County hosts its first-ever Ag Awareness Week
The awareness initiative highlights the vital role that agriculture plays in the local economy, environment, and quality of life. Earlier this year, the Business Incubator Center presented a study showing that 40% of the West Slope’s producers were 65 or older. Additionally, nearly half of those farmers were either unsure about whether their descendants wanted to continue their operations, or were confident that they wouldn’t. Jan VanWinkle, a fellow for the center’s AgriWest program and a cattle rancher, told the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel that the consecutive days of spotlight during Ag Awareness week aims to shape the future of agriculture.
Early bloom threatens peach crop
In other agriculture news, peach trees in Paonia are blooming roughly three weeks earlier than usual. This increases the risk of crop lost to frost, as the trees will be less tolerant of the cold if temperatures dip down again. David Sterle, a research scientist at the Colorado State University Western Colorado Research Center, told the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel that the trees are susceptible to frost risk at 26 degrees. Though the area will see 80º weather this week, it’s not impossible for a significant drop in the spring.
Paonia wins award for 2025 Comprehensive Plan
The Town of Paonia has won an award for its 2025 Comprehensive Plan. The plan, titled “A Community Driven Framework for a Resilient Rural Future,” has been awarded a Merit Award by the American Planning Association Small Town and Rural Division under the Vernon Dienes Award for Small Jurisdictions. This national recognition highlights excellence in planning within small towns and rural communities and reflects Paonia’s commitment to thoughtful, inclusive, and forward-looking policy development. The award recognizes both the quality of the Comprehensive Plan and the collaborative process that shaped it. The plan was developed through a coordinated effort involving the Planning Commission, Board of Trustees, and other partners of Delta County, and extensive community participation supported by professional planning consultants. This process ensured that the final document reflects the values, priorities, and long-term vision of the Paonia community, while also addressing key issues such as housing, economic vitality, infrastructure, and environmental stewardship.
New text-based scam targets Montrose residents
As yesterday’s newscast mentioned, the Grand Junction police department is warning residents of a new fraud scheme involving scammers impersonating law enforcement or government officials in phone calls. On the Montrose Message Board, residents have discussed receiving similar fraudulent messages over text. The texts supposedly notify the recipient of an outstanding fine for a traffic violation, and requests an online payment. According to its website, the Colorado DMV does not initiate contact via unsolicited text messages and emails to demand payment for tickets, or to threaten prosecution or suspension of privileges in this manner. You can report scams and suspicious communications to the Federal Trade Commission and, or the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Trump administration forces removal of certain signs and exhibits in national parks
A pair of orders from President Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum direct national parks to remove interpretive signs and exhibits that “disparage” figures in American history, as well as those that discuss topics “unrelated to beauty, abundance, or grandeur” of natural landscapes. Now, leaked data from the Interior reveals parks are struggling to comply with those orders. Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes reports.
ICE holding facilities criticized
Small detention centers — operated by U-S Immigration and Customs Enforcement — have come under increased scrutiny in the last year. That’s because people are being detained longer and in questionable conditions. One of those holding facilities is in west Glenwood Springs (on Colorado's Western Slope.) ICE appears to have violated its own policy — and its city permit — by detaining people there for too long. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, Aspen Public Radio’s Halle Zander spoke with social justice reporter Eleanor Bennett to learn more about the findings and what this could mean for the city’s permit.
