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Alpine Bank is committing once again to participate in National Volunteer Week April 10-16. Locally, Alpine Bank has partnered with Delta senior citizens and Delta volunteer firefighters to provide employees with volunteer opportunities.

The county commissioners on Monday recognized ten county employees for length of service. They have contributed a combined 175 years of service to county government.

The City of Delta has received a $100,000 grant to fund a study of riverfront development. Funding is provided by the Rural Economic Development Initiative, which assists cities and counties that are, or could be, socially and/or economically impacted by the closure of a local large employer.

Delta County Libraries will be focused on giraffes, free books and 4-year-olds this week and next. Library staff members are working hard to distribute a copy of the book "Giraffes Can't Dance," by Giles Andreae, to every 4-year-old in the county.

Mary Cooper brushed tears from her eyes as she reflected on her tenure as a Delta city councilmember. Cooper was appointed to the post in 2005, then twice elected to subsequent four-year terms. Term limits prohibited her from running for re-election this year.

The Delta Kiwanis Club's fifth annual Texas Hold'em Charity Poker Tournament held April 2, 2016, at Bill Heddles Recreation Center garnered approximately $4,500 for service projects that focus on Delta children, with Josh Applegate named as the tournament winner.

The fundraiser is a partnership between the Delta Kiwanis Club and Western Slope Poker Tour LLC, with proceeds from this year's event earmarked to fund the club's Delta Library service project.

Raymond W. King, 63, of Orchard City was issued a ticket for alleged careless driving after being involved in a two-vehicle crash in the 300 block of Main Street. No injuries were reported or observed. Both vehicles were driven from the scene.

The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) is a federally funded job training program for unemployed seniors age 55 and over. SCSEP is seeking employers in Delta, Montrose, Mesa, Garfield, Gunnison, Eagle, Grand, Ouray, Pitkin, Routt and Moffat counties to host a participant in the program.

The Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests are looking for hard working, enthusiastic and outdoor-oriented teenagers (16-18 years old) to participate in the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program. The YCC program provides summer employment for youth while accomplishing various types of conservation work involving trail maintenance, range projects, vegetation monitoring and other projects.

Would you like to touch the life of a child subjected to abuse and/or neglect? Perhaps you could be a Court Appointed Special Advocate.

For Mary Bachran, it's her spot of joy. For Darla Volgamore, it's a place of warmth where she feels she's part of something amazing -- and both women agree that the rewards are plentiful as HopeWest volunteers.

The city council race in Delta failed to generate much interest among voters. Of the city's 5,323 registered voters, 1,046 returned ballots -- a turnout of 19.65 percent that fell well below other municipalities in Delta County.

My mother was a keeper. I was going through some of her clippings, pictures, etc. and I came across a paper I had written. It was about 1952 and I would have been in the sixth grade. I thought people might be interested in what life was like in the North Fork Valley back then.

The 2016 Town of Hotchkiss election is complete. I want to thank the citizens and community for their interest and participation.

I am a fourth-year student at Colorado Mesa University working toward degrees in land management and business. I had the opportunity to hear Dan Haley of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association speak at the March GJ Chamber energy briefing.

Delta's Panthers competed in last Saturday's Frank Woodburn Invitational at Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction. Lily Lockhart and Emily Baier paced Delta's girls to seventh place and 54 points. Lockhart won the discus and was second in shot put while Baier recorded a win in triple jump.

The Bruins played three games last week, beginning with Roaring Fork on April 5. Cedaredge was too much for the Rams and outhit its hosts by a 13-4 margin for a 14-3 non-league victory.

On April 8 Cedaredge was in Rangely to take on the Panthers for a doubleheader.

The Devil's Thumb Ladies Golf Club will hold its annual Opener on Saturday, April 16.

The Opener is a social held every year to encourage new lady golfers, and club members, to have a fun day.

Nearing the halfway point in the high school baseball season, the Eagles are discovering that the sky is the limit.

Paonia swept a doubleheader from Meeker last Saturday afternoon at Volunteer Park, improving to 10-0 to start the season.

Senior Katy Parsons gave the Hotchkiss Bulldogs their only first-place finish at last Saturday's Frank Woodburn Invitational. Parsons won the tough 800m run against some good competiton and in doing so posted Class 2A's top time at 2:27.51. Palisade's Greta Van Calcar's time was 2:28.96.

Paonia High School's track teams enjoyed plenty of success this past weekend, in spite of some of Mother Nature's intervention. A brief rainstorm, accompanied by a dose of lightning, suspended activities at the Frank Woodburn Invitational for a short time.

Coach Von Mitchell is announcing his annual basketball camps will be offered at Delta High School in the month of May.

The first "Li'l" Kids' Camp will be for boys and girls who will be in the third through the sixth grades and will be run from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on May 24-25.

The Delta Police Department, the Delta County Sheriff's Office and the Hotchkiss Marshal's Office will be participating in the DEA National Drug Take Back Event XI scheduled Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Delta PD will have a dropoff location at the police department at 215 W. 5th Street in Delta and the sheriff's and marshal's offices will be doing a joint event at the Hotchkiss Town Hall at 276 W. Main Street in Hotchkiss.

Western Colorado has been surveyed and mapped many times since the Hayden Geological Survey passed through the area in 1874 ahead of U.S. expansion into the west. But nothing has been accomplished quite like the survey and mapping project Paonia geologist Dr. Dave Noe embarked on back in 2006.

Redeemer Lutheran's Tiny Treasures is sponsoring a Spring Fling 5k walk/run on April 30 starting at the Confluence Park Pavilion. You may pre-register by picking up a form at Redeemer Lutheran's office, or download a registration form at www.deltalutheran.org on the Tiny Treasures site under Calendar, or call the church at 874-3052.

Re-tooling Ranch Management is a new seminar developed by Master Stockman Consulting to help guide producers through the decision-making process on a ranch. The seminar expands on previous seminars developed for Wyoming and Utah producers and takes a unique approach to teaching ranch management skills.

Alison Manzanares and Anthony Carrillo of Delta are the parents of a son, Xavyer Aaron Carrillo, born March 24, 2016, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. He weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces and was 19.5 inches in length.

Tractor Supply Company, in partnership with the National FFA Foundation, is excited to announce that six Colorado FFA chapters have been selected to receive grant funding as a part of the "Grants for Growing" program. The Cedaredge FFA chapter is one of the six recipients.

Steve and Marty Chartier and Landon Cook of Paonia announce the engagement of Erin Chartier to Josh Salas, son of Chris and Monica Salas, also of Paonia.

Lifetime Pea Green resident Kenneth L. Brew died Monday, April 11, 2016, at Horizons Care Center in Eckert. He was 88.

Aubrey Dale Pierce of Delta died Jan. 15, 2016, at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center. He was 85.

Donald Dennis Tunget died March 18, 2016, at his home in Olathe. He was 68.

Delta resident Edwin L. Dittmer died Saturday, April 9, 2016, at his home. He was 82.

Joyce "Joy" Irena Reid died April 4, 2016, in Ontario, Calif. She was 82.

Longtime Delta resident Lois Stephens died at her home Tuesday, April 5, 2016. She was 82.

Mary Lou Snell passed away April 6, 2016, at Paonia Care and Rehabilitation Center. She was 90.

Rose Smith of Delta died of congestive heart failure April 7, 2016, in Montrose. She was 95.

Lifetime Somerset resident Thelma Bailey died Thursday, April 7, 2016, at Colorow Care Center in Olathe. She was 88.

Longtime Gunnison resident Thelma Prosser died April 4, 2016, at Senior Care Center in Gunnison. She was 83.

Members of the Delta County 4-H Hot Shots are ready for work.

Club members Drew Harris, president; Derrek Johnson, county council president; and Ryan Gibson, club treasurer, attended the BoCC meeting last week with their club advisor, John Harris.

His name may not be familiar to many, but Burns O. Drake influenced many lives. He was a teacher, World War II Naval officer, and beloved community leader.

The baseball field at Hotchkiss K-8 School is also named after him.

Two municipal elections in the North Fork area remain undecided while Delta County election officials await signature verifications on a handful of ballots.

As of Tuesday, some signature cures had been received, but final results were still in limbo, said Delta County election supervisor Rene Loy-Maas.

The same day the plaques honoring Burns O. Drake were placed at the entrance to the Hotchkiss baseball park, another project was well underway.

Colton Hall, a Boy Scout with Troop 477, chose for his Eagle Scout project to build a ramp from the park entrance down to the ball field.

Solar Energy International (SEI) is proud to announce the April 15 launch of Solarize Delta County, an effort to increase the accessibility and affordability of solar energy for all Delta County residents. With the support of the Delta County Economic Development (DCED), Solarize Delta County seeks to raise local awareness of solar, lower the cost of solar electric (PV) systems, and significantly ramp up adoption of PV throughout Delta County.

It's been a busy spring for the Hotchkiss Fire District. On April 5, volunteer firefighters responded to two fires on North Road on Redlands Mesa within about six hours of each other.

At 1:30 p.m. a 911 call came in from a woman whose manufactured home had filled with smoke.

When Amy DeLuca and Frederick Zimmer committed to opening a business in Paonia, they wanted it to reflect all that they love about the area -- its food, agriculture, recreation, arts, music and community.

That business quickly evolved into three businesses under one roof.

Yes! Spring is here! Our pelicans are back!

The Cedaredge High School Marching Band and Choir have set the evening of Tuesday, May 24, as a special "Thank You" concert for the local community, the DCI has learned.

The group has reached its fundraising goal to pay for its honors trip to Washington, D.C., over the Memorial Day weekend.

Upcoming promotional events were on the agenda for the Cedaredge Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors at its April 6 monthly meeting.

Included in the discussion was an after-Memorial Day date for the community street fair, Celebrate Cedaredge, and a presentation on a possible stop in town by the Colorado Grand auto tour.

Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) is inviting members to its newest member outreach program, the Morning Buzz. In an effort to be accessible to its members and provide a convenient way for members to ask questions, the co-op will hold morning coffee meetings at local coffee shops throughout the service territory.

In an extremely close race for Cedaredge mayor in the April 5 municipal elections, former two-term trustee Gene Welch outpaced term-limited trustee Ray Hanson by a slim margin of 18 votes out of 530 cast to win a four-year term as mayor.

Welch got 274 votes or 51.7 percent to Hanson's 256 votes or 48.3 percent, according to unofficial results from the county elections department.

The current Orchard City Town Board will have one more full business meeting together on April. 13.

Then, on the following Wednesday, April 20, the trustees will convene in an official special meeting to seat the new mayor and trustees.

Ken Volgamore has been elected to a four-year term as Orchard City mayor in the April 5 municipal elections.

Volgamore has served half of a four-year term as trustee he was elected to in 2014.

The Volunteers of America programs located in Eckert have received new phone numbers due to a necessary telephone system upgrade.

The programs affected are:

Even though the Town of Orchard City at present has no plans nor expressed interest for entering the telecommunications business, the town's voters have given their government permission to do so virtually without restriction so long as any such venture in the future is done "without charge to members of the public."