Thirty years ago, computers in primary and secondary classrooms were virtually unheard of. But in middle schools in Kansas, and in the North Fork Valley of Delta County, some of the earliest models of computer-based learning were already preparing students for the future.
North Fork law enforcement agencies anticipating an increase in their budget for 2020 will have to make do after voters narrowly defeated the Delta County Public Safety Improvement Sales Tax in the Nov. 5 combined election.
For the past six years, eighth grade students throughout Delta County have had an opportunity to learn about solar energy through the Solar Energy International Solar in the Schools program.
More than a decade ago, the Big B’s organic juice company tapped into an opportunity to fill a niche in a growing industry: hard ciders.
The Bureau of Reclamation reports that two projects in the Crawford area are reducing salinity and improving water quality in the Colorado River Basin by reducing salt loading into the river.
It’s been a gas station, a feed store and several other businesses over the years. But since last spring, the small, indistinct building at 297 W. Bridge St. in Hotchkiss has been home to Olden Guitars.
A Colorado Springs man is dead following a one-car accident on Highway 133 near the Stucker Mesa Road intersection.
Paonia water, sewer and trash customers will have another opportunity to comment on potential rate increases at the Nov. 12 board meeting.
Leather jackets, fine crystal, an old stoneware crock. Movie memorabilia, a watchmaker’s desk, a signed poster of the 1992 USA basketball team. A vintage orchard ladder. A collection of antique cameras.
Owners of electric vehicles, or EVS, can now charge up in Paonia thanks to the recent installment of a 25-kilowatt direct-current EV fast charger station in the public parking lot on Main Avenue near Third Street. The station was installed by Grand Junction-based Atlasta Solar with help from…
In an impressive showing of community support, some 400 people attended the Oct. 18 Pink Night fundraiser at Paonia High School, and watched the volleyball games between Meeker High School and Paonia.
It’s never too soon to start thinking Christmas in Crawford. The annual Crawford Christmas Festival will be held Saturday, Nov. 30, at Crawford Town Hall.
Rather than accept a citizen initiative to place a moratorium on the sale of water taps, the Paonia Board of Trustees will ask voters what they think.
In 2005, Poulos Park in downtown Paonia was little more than a glorified vacant gravel lot. Wanting to make it a place of community pride, the Rotary Club of Paonia (now Rotary Club of the North Fork) adopted park renovation as its “Rotary International Centennial Project.” Rotarians spent $…
The Town of Paonia will consider rate increases to its water, sewer and trash services at a Nov. 4 special meeting.
Music has a way of healing wounds and bringing people together.
An internationally-recognized research institute founded in Paonia and focused on chemical disruption of the system responsible for reproductive health announced in August that it will close.
When Paonia finally gets more efficient street lighting, the moon and stars may shine a little brighter on the town.
About 16 years ago, the family of Hotchkiss resident Tom Roberts set aside $5,000 in seed money for a youth baseball project. Roberts was a big supporter of little league baseball. Because of his dedication to kids and his vision for a place they can call home, others stepped up to support t…
In the 1975 cult classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” things get out of hand on the big screen. But add a group of live shadow-cast performers and an audience ripe with mischief, and things go from insane to entirely unpredictable.
While recent freezing temperatures may have made it moot, the Paonia Police Department is warning citizens growing marijuana to lock it up.
When a dedicated group set out, back in 2004, to build a new and bigger library in Paonia, it was met with some doubt. But it persisted.
The North Fork Pool, Parks and Recreation District received the 2019 Collaboration Award at the annual Special District Association of Colorado (SDA) conference held in September. The award recognizes the special district’s work with The Nature Connection, a nonprofit providing outdoor recre…
When Big B’s expanded its beverage offerings to include hard cider, the Hotchkiss-based company had no idea it was on the cusp of something big.
Paonia residents interested in an appointment to the town Board of Trustees can submit a letter of interest by Oct. 31.
Paonia voters will be asked whether to place a moratorium on sales of water taps and future water sales. Paonia Town Board of Trustees voted to hold a special election rather than adopt a moratorium under a petition recently submitted to the town.
The Delta County Planning Commission will recommend approval by the Board of County Commissioners for re-subdividing of the recently-approved Farmer Frank’s Subdivision, with conditions.
The Paonia Teen Center, at the town park, is about to get a new, special kind of roof to replace the common exposed fastener metal roof it has right now. The new roof will be composed of what are known as dragon armor shingles, designed by Clisset LLC, based out of Hotchkiss.
Paonia businesses are discovering what a backflow prevention device is, what it does and what it means to comply with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Backflow Prevention and Cross-Connection Control Rule.
Just in time for the Nov. 5 coordinated election, voters in the North Fork area have a new option for dropping off their ballots. With funding from Delta County, the Town of Paonia installed a permanent, secure ballot box at the entrance of Town Hall, 214 Grand Ave. Voters can now drop their…
Indie film enthusiasts are in for a treat when “Neither Wolf Nor Dog” comes to Paradise Theatre in Paonia and runs through Oct. 17.
The Town of Paonia is asking area residents to complete an online survey as part of its master plan update process. Available at townofpaonia.com, the survey covers the master plan’s housing and utilities chapters discussed at the first of a series of public input meetings on Sept. 26. The s…
The REALTORS® Land Institute recently announced that Gary Hubbell, Broker/Auctioneer, of United Country Colorado Brokers & Auctioneers, of Hotchkiss, is officially an Accredited Land Consultant (ALC) Designation.
The Western Slope Conservation Center will host a workshop with Colorado Greywater’s Avery Ellis from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, in Paonia. Colorado Greywater owner Avery Ellis, is a sustainability specialist and ecological designer focusing on designing sustainable ecosystems that serve…
The Prosperity Plan Steering Committee recently received another Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) grant from DOLA for $28,000 to continue Hotchkiss’ momentum toward downtown improvements. On Sept. 17, Hotchkiss Mayor Larry Wilkening unveiled the next step for the committee — use …
More than 20 members of the local running community showed their support Sept. 22 for the Paonia cross country team in the best way they know how: by running with them.
Paonia trustees awarded a $156,740 contract for a sewer line replacement project to Hotchkiss-based Roop Construction. Located in the alley between the 200 blocks of Minnesota and Clark avenues, the bid includes excavation for, and installation of 780 linear feet of 8-inch PVC sewer line. Pu…
Jason Wrich, of Crawford, has been elected as an alternate delegate to the 136th annual American Angus Association Convention of Delegates. According to Mark McCully, CEO of the American Angus Association, the convention will take place Nov. 2-4, at the Peppermill Resort Spa & Casino in …
What recreational opportunities exist in the Paonia area? What opportunities are needed? What existing facilities need improving? How does the town address growth in planning for these opportunities?
Over the decades hundreds of trees have been planted in the town of Paonia, many of them on within public rights of way. They provide shade and beauty, fruits and nuts, and increase property values. In planting them, many likely didn’t foresee that one day their majestic deciduous or evergre…
On Sept. 26, Paonia Planning Coordinator Evan Bolt led the first of four planned master plan community input meetings. It was a discussion on housing and utilities. This series of meetings is meant to take feedback from the Town of Paonia’s citizens and turn it into a new master plan, a docu…
Come enjoy a harvest dinner at Smith Fork Ranch, 6 p.m., Saturday, Oct 5. Smith Fork is serving hors d’oeuvres and a five course meal, with music from Rick and Helen of The Scones. Cost for dining and entertainment, $75 with wine and beer available at the bar. For information and to make res…
The Farm to School project encourages Delta County’s elementary school kids to play in the dirt with a purpose. The local nonprofit Friends of Youth and Nature and the Delta County School District Farm to School are partnering to give young students the satisfaction of digging in the dirt.
Should the Delta County School District consolidate North Fork Valley schools?
Paonia’s Solar Energy International (SEI) was recently chosen recipient of the $5,000 Western Colorado Community Foundation (WCCF)’s 2019 Environment grant. The funds will be used to “reduce, reuse and recycle” efforts in its lab yard.
After four decades of providing gravel for Delta County, the Lemoine Gravel Pit just north of Hotchkiss on Highway 133 is in the final stages of reclamation.
Between 1,000-5,000 people are expected to attend the 19th annual Mountain Harvest Festival. The festival opens this Thursday evening with the traditional Harvest of Voices reading of original works by local and regional writers.
The Town of Paonia is raising money to restore Poulos Park, a pocket park on Grand Avenue next to the Paradise Theatre. The restorations will include lighting in the back of the park, replacement of the worn stucco walls, improved electrical and irrigation systems, a new concrete walkway, a …
On Sept. 21, festive lights warmed the space at Edesia in Paonia and convivial table partners toasted each other with local wines, whetting their appetites for the treat to come during the Slow Food Western Slope Ark of Taste event.
Blue Sage Center for the Arts board president Don Grant recently announced plans to renovate the historic downtown Paonia building. Grant went before the Board of Trustees for approval of the project and to request an easement, allowing the state to release money to the project.
The Town of Paonia is beginning the process of updating its 1996 Master Plan. Evan Bolt, an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving as planning coordinator on a one-year, grant-funded internship, will host the first of a series of master plan public information-gathering meetings from 6-8:30 p.m. Th…
The winner of the 2016 Governor’s Award for the Best Small Town Festival, Mountain Harvest Festival returns for the 19th event Sept. 26-29 in Paonia. This multi-day celebration of bounty highlights not only local agriculture and the abundance of the harvest, but also the abundant wealth of c…
At press time, Colorado State Patrol was reporting that a Missouri teenager remains in serious condition following a head-on collision on a forest service road north of Paonia.
“This man is so much more than just a coach or teacher, he is someone that has impacted and touched everyone and anyone’s life beyond anything they thought imaginable… I mean you can’t go anywhere without someone walking up to him and shaking his hand with the biggest smile on their face, ju…
No foul play is suspected in an unattended death in Crawford.
You might laugh, you might cry and you may have an epiphany. But one thing is for certain; you will experience a bounty of quality writing at the annual Harvest of Voices.
It began as a CD release party featuring an evening of live music at two venues. So it’s appropriate that, 19 years later, the Mountain Harvest Festival includes a long list of musical performers and multiple venues.
If you love a good chili, head to the Mountain Harvest Festival’s 19th annual Great Chili Cook-off this Friday at Paonia Town Park. If you make a good chili, consider entering.
Food and animal lovers alike are invited to the seventh annual Vegan Potluck luncheon. The plant-based potluck begins at noon Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Town Park shelter. Like all potlucks, the menu depends on the dishes the diners bring.
The Crawford Chamber of Commerce put on a great spread at the Crawford reservoir Sept. 14 for its annual summer social. Chamber president, Collenette Vervloet, said the attendance was the best yet, with 53 neighbors enjoying the picture-perfect Colorado afternoon. With the help of the Bank o…
The discussion on Paonia Town Administrator Ken Knight’s termination concluded at the Sept. 10 Paonia Town Board of Trustees meeting. The board of trustees ended the contract with a separation agreement, signed by Knight, that includes three months severance pay and an additional $2,500. It …
At the Aug. 27 Paonia Town Board of Trustees meeting, the board of trustees voted to elect Paonia Town Clerk Corinne Ferguson as the interim town administrator while Town Administrator Ken Knight was on administrative leave due to a harassment charge. Knight has since been terminated with a …
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