Rep. Matt Soper

Republican Representative Matt Soper from Delta was elected Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Legal Services. City-owned property on Cerro Summit in Montrose could be the future home of a professionally-designed mountain biking park, reports the Montrose Daily Press. Zack’s BBQ in Hotchkiss changed hands after five decades as a family business, reports the Delta County Independent. While the West is grappling with a long-running drought, activists are calling for stronger state policies on water sustainability. But a new report shows that the Mountain West is lagging behind. Small newspapers, and local reporting, can be essential to the communities they serve. Recently, a newspaper in Montrose County’s West End changed hands, but stayed in local ownership. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, K-O-T-O’s Gavin McGough sat down to talk with the paper’s new publisher, Regan Tuttle.

State Representative Matt Soper, a Western Slope legislator, is asking the U.S District Court to impose the maximum penalty in the “body brokering” case against Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors in Montrose. Hundreds of Colorado families were impacted by the federal crime that forced Colorado legislators to change state law.

The Interior Department is spending nearly 85-million-dollars to help communities in the West tackle challenges brought on by drought. According to the most recent Colorado SNOWTEL report, the Gunnison River Basin is at 139% of normal with the Yampa and White River Basin at 150% of normal. The first snow system of the new year brought in varying amounts of snow fall. Higher elevation did better with Silverton - 13.5 inches ,and Monarch Pass - 10 inches. Durango and Cedaredge reported 5 inches, and surprisingly Telluride reported only an inch and a half of snow. The 2022 mid-term elections weren’t the best for Colorado Republicans as Democrats retained top state positions and once again took the majority in both houses. In our final report from Rep. Matt Soper, he talks about the party’s losses and what that means for the upcoming legislative session which gets underway Monday.

KVNF's Lisa Young speaks with Rep. Matt Soper on his upcoming legislative goals and Delta City Manager Elyse Casselberry on Delta's Unhoused.Note: Sentencing for Megan Hess and Shirley Koch took place after the interview with Rep. Matt Soper. Hess was sentenced to 20 years and Koch was sentenced to 15 years on Jan. 3, 2023

Housing costs continue to be beyond the reach of many of the state’s firefighters, teachers and nurses. But lawmakers now have a new affordable housing tool in their toolbelt. Prior to the upcoming Colorado State Legislative Session KVNF'S Lisa Young spoke over the phone with State Representative Matt Soper of House District 54 on a number of topics including his upcoming legislative goals.

Prior to the upcoming Colorado State Legislative Session KVNF's Lisa Young spoke over the phone with State Representative Matt Soper of House District 54 on a number of topics including his past and most recent committee assignments. Several new laws are going into full or partial effect this year in Colorado including the Fentanyl accountability and prevention bill passed by the state legislature in 2022, state minimum wage increases from $12.56 to $13.65. Colorado is one of 27 states raising its minimum wage in 2023, stores will now charge customers a 10-cent fee for each plastic and paper bag, there will also be a sales tax exemption for certain hygiene products including diapers and menstrual products thanks to a law passed by state legislators last year. Also this year egg producers who have more than 3,000 laying hens must demonstrate a ratio of one square foot per hen to become certified and sell eggs in Colorado.

Representative Matt Soper defeated Democrat AliceMarie Slaven-Edmond for House District 54. Soper gained nearly 74% of the vote in the district. In House District 58 incumbent Marc Catlin of Montrose defeated Democrat Kevin Kuns by 11 percentage points. Grand Junction Republican businessman Rick Taggart soundly defeated Democrat Damon Davis for House District 55 in Mesa County by 26 percentage points. Delta County voters approved Ballot Measure 5B with nearly 55% in favor. The measure extends a bond issue for Delta County Joint School District 50J. Eligible Montrose County voters approved the measure,while eligible voters in Gunnison County turned down the bond issue.

Rick Stockton, musician, KVNF DJ, cofounder of Mountain Harvest Festival, has diedRidgway joins Hotchkiss & Paonia enacting voluntary water…