Delta County Independent, Nov. 25, 2015 by Delta County Independent

NORTH FORK TIMES HOLIDAY KICKOFF Crawford hosts Parade of Lights, Festival of Trees, B1

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT as Christ��m ��

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SPORTS

DECK THE HALLS

PLAYOFF QUEST

Recipes, crafts, gifts fill 2015 Christmas Gift Guide, Inside

DELTA COUNTY

Paonia, Delta football teams will have to win on the road, C7 NOVEMBER 25, 2015 VOL. 132, NO. 47

75¢

INDEPENDENT

www.deltacountyindependent.com

Large marijuana operation shut down BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

Delta County Sheriff’s photo

During the execution of a search warrant on High Park Road north of Cedaredge, investigators found marijuana laid out to dry. They seized approximately six large tarps with 70 pounds of marijuana each, as well as 36 lawn bags, each weighing about 40 pounds, containing processed marijuana.

Bond reduction denied for armed robbery suspect BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

About 4,000 Delta area residents enjoying a quiet evening at home were startled by an automated Code Red alert warning them of two “armed and dangerous” individuals on the loose. The calls were generated Thursday, Nov. 19, shortly after officers of the Delta Police Department responded to a robbery at the Western Convenience Store at 15th and Howard. Fortunately, the suspects were quickly identified and apprehended, and a follow-up call informed residents the suspects were in custody shortly after 9 p.m. Zhane L.E. Ware, 18, of Delta was arrested and jailed for alleged aggravated robbery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. An

unidentified 16-year-old male of Delta was arrested and transported to Grand Mesa Youth Services for alleged aggravated robbery and possession of a weapon by an underage person. DPD had advance warning of the incident — a lifelong friend of Ware’s knocked on the rear door of the police department and informed officers Ware had asked him for a ride to Western Convenience Store. According to an arrest affidavit filed by the DPD, Ware had told the friend he planned to rob the store using a Ruger 9 mm pistol. The friend wasn’t sure Ware was serious, but told him it was a bad idea. He refused to give a ride to Ware and the younger male, whom he did not know. Officers went to check the

27-year-old man dies of exposure BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

On Nov. 22 at approximately 5 p.m. the Delta County Sheriff ’s Office received a call concerning a missing person. Bruce Barker, age 27, was reportedly last seen the night before at a large party at 7816 2100 Road in Delta. Kristin McCarty contacted the sheriff ’s office and reported that several people were out looking for Barker and had been unable to locate him. Deputies responded to

INDEX

Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A9 Agriculture .....................C5 Back Page ................... D8 Business .......................A10 Church ............................C4 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-5 Obituaries ......................B8 School Zone .................. A8 Service Directory ........ D7 Sports ..........................C7-8 Surface Creek News ...C1-6 TV Listings ................. D5-6

the home on 2100 Road and obtained additional information. McCarty advised the deputies that Barker had been extremely intoxicated the night before and had engaged in altercations with others while at the party. Barker left the party at approximately 11:30 p.m. Saturday night. On Sunday evening, Barker was found deceased in the general area of the residence. According to Delta County Undersheriff, it appears Barker died from exposure.

area just moments before dispatch advised there had been a robbery at gunpoint at Western Convenience. The suspects were described as two males wearing paintball masks and camouflage shorts. Both were later arrested at Ware’s home on Hastings Street. During an interview at the police department, Ware said he was “car hopping” — checking vehicles to see if they were unlocked, then taking items of value. One of the victims discovered Ware had stolen money from his vehicle, and told him to return the money or the police would be contacted. ARMED ROBBERY TO A3

Sign up for Code Red alerts The Delta County Code Red system was used to alert the area to the potential threat, asking citizens to remain indoors and to alert 911 of any suspicious activity. Later the system was used again to notify the community the subjects had been taken into custody. Landlines are automatically entered into the system. Cell phone users who wish to sign up for the emergency alert notifications should go to the Delta County website at www.deltacounty.com and click on the “Notify Me” tab on the left side. You can also subscribe to the Code Red Alerts by clicking on the “Code Red” button.

An extensive investigation that took DEA investigators from the west edge of Montrose County to a grow operation in Gateway Canyon, and finally to property north of Cedaredge, resulted in the seizure of approximately 1,300 pounds of marijuana last week. In addition, two arrests were made. Luis Adolfo Garcia, 33, and Luis Rios-Cortez, 23, are charged with federal charges of intent to manufacture and distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. Rios-Cortez also faces a third count, illegal alien in possession of a firearm. The search warrant was carried out by the Drug Enforcement Agency, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Marshal’s Service, 7th Judicial Drug Task Force and Delta County sheriff ’s deputies and investigator on Nov. 13. According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, the investigation was launched after the discovery of two grow operations on public land along Highway 141. On Sept. 15, BLM rangers arrested four subjects later determined to be in the U.S. illegally. A total of six subjects were arrested after the discovery of the second grow operation on Sept. 30. Again all six were determined to be illegally residing in the U.S. One of the suspects testified that Sept. 30 was to be

the growers’ last day and they were packing up all the supplies and marijuana to leave the area for the year. Target vehicles used in the operations were identified and a search warrant was signed, allowing tracker devices to be affixed to two pickups. Beginning in late October, DEA agents began monitoring the GPS tracker device and observed one pickup leave Parachute and travel over Grand Mesa toward Cedaredge. The vehicle traveled onto High Park Road, a private road blocked by a locked gate. Electronic surveillance was maintained until the vehicle arrived at the intersection of High Park Road and San Juan Vista Road. The property was identified as belonging to Esther Garcia, who purchased the land in May. After additional investigation, which included both a flyover and a drive-by, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gordon Gallagher signed a search warrant for the Cedaredge area property, as well as a Parachute residence occupied by Esther Garcia, who identified herself as Luis Garcia’s sister. Although the Cedaredge property and a truck were purchased in her name, she told investigators Luis had provided the funds. Additionally, she told agents she did not know what Luis Garcia was doing on the property in Cedaredge. According to the criminal MARIJUANA TO A3

Negotiations begin with unnamed manager finalist BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

Four city manager finalists were in Delta for a tour and interviews this week. The candidates — Don Gaeddert, Dan Hamsmith, George Korthauer and David Torgler — also met with community members at a well-attended reception Monday night. At the conclusion of the interviews Tuesday afternoon, the Delta City Council met in a brief executive session with its recruiting firm, The Mercer Group of Carbondale. Gary Suiter, senior vice president, was directed to begin negotiations with one of the finalists, but council declined to name that individual until negotiations have been wrapped up. Suiter said the details probably won’t be finalized until next week. During the community reception, candidates introduced themselves and talked about their interest in Delta. Don Gaeddert was city manager in Larned, Kan., for 18 years. He and his wife Marie took a break and went to China on a mission trip for three years. They returned to the U.S. about a year ago. Gaeddert said he is still very interested in city manage-

ment, which he described as challenging. Dan Hamsmith is the economic development director for the town of Hudson. He’s worked in the television and radio industry, and believes he has a strong understanding of what it takes to run a city. “As a city manager, this would be a great place to start,” he said. Korthauer is currently employed as the chief executive officer of a not-for-profit corporation in Michigan, but served as city manager in Petoskey, Mich., for 25 years. During the tour of the city, he said he most enjoyed talking with staff. “What impressed me the most is the way city management is organized under the consolidation.” Staff members are wearing “a lot of hats,” which is unusual, he said. David Torgler has been the city manager in Hayden for five years, but has worked in public administration for over 30 years. Hayden closely resembles Delta in that it has strong roots in mining, agriculture and ranching, Torgler said. He has working knowledge of infrastructure and downtown redevelopment, and believes it’s important to create a friendly environment for business.

Christmas tree permits available

Shop small this Saturday

The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests are selling Forest Service Christmas tree permits at a cost of $8 per tree. Permits come with information explaining regulations and helpful tips. Some areas of the forest are restricted from cutting trees and these are depicted on available maps. Also this year as part of the More Kids in a Park (MKIP) Program, students with a valid fourth grade pass or paper voucher receive a free permit to cut a Christmas tree on the national forest. The free permits are ONLY available at Forest Service offices. Forest Service Christmas tree permits are available locally in Delta at 2250 Highway 50; in Hotchkiss at Weekender Sports; in Montrose at 2465 S. Townsend Avenue; and in Paonia at the Paonia Ranger District office on North Rio Grande Avenue or at Paonia Flower Shop. Please plan ahead and be prepared for winter conditions. Start early, since winter days are shorter, and be advised many forest roads are not plowed.

As the voice for our nation’s entrepreneurs, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) celebrates all small businesses on a daily basis. When our small businesses do well, our communities do, too. Therefore, as part of SBA’s annual tradition, you’re encouraged to join millions of Americans and “shop small” on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28, to complete your holiday shopping (or to start your holiday shopping, as the case may be...). Travel outside your comfort zone — and away from your computer screen — to discover what your local merchants have to offer. Learn more about participating retailers on page A6-7 (Delta area), B3 (North Fork) and C3 (Surface Creek).

A2 Wednesday, November 25, 2015

OPINION

Commentary

Action is now the key to Colorado’s Water Plan By Eric Kuhn General Manager Colorado River District and Jim Lochhead CEO/Manager Denver Water

all of us — West Slope, East Slope, agriculture, municipalities and environmentalists — putting aside our individual interests, and coming together to do what’s best for Colorado. This plan must be implemented. If not, all the years of effort would be wasted. It won’t be easy. Each of us must be willing to change. We must be willing to experiment, try new ideas and even risk failure. But we can learn from our mistakes and find ideas and projects that will help prepare us for an uncertain future. It will require leadership, collaboration and energy. It may be uncomfortable at times, and everyone isn’t going to get everything they want. But if we’re willing to roll up our sleeves, we can realize much of what is pro-

We should all truly celebrate. Two years after the governor’s executive order, we finally have a Colorado Water Plan that lays out measurable objectives and metrics to help guide us toward a secure water future. In the face of future challenges that include population growth and climate change, Colorado’s first-ever water plan is a call to action to all Coloradans to work collaboratively to ensure we protect our scarce water resources by using and developing our water supplies in the most efficient and responsible manner possible. We applaud those who contributed to this plan, including those involved with the critical work of the basin roundtables. But we are far from Dear Editor: Perhaps President done. The success of this Obama’s buddy, El Presplan will depend upon idente Castro of the

posed in this plan, from conservation to land use planning to storage. The stakes are high. What makes Colorado great are our cities, agricultural economies, recreational opportunities and environment. What will keep Colorado great depends upon what we do today. The Colorado Water Plan is a road map to help us all prepare for an uncertain climate future and pending water shortages. If we don’t prepare, we only have ourselves to blame for the cost to our citizens, to our economy, to our environment and to our future. So the question we now must ask is: Do we collaborate and implement this plan, or do we do nothing and hope tomorrow takes care of itself? Here’s to a move in the right direction.

Send the terrorists to Cuba

KUDOS

island prison of Cuba will entertain a proposal from Obama to release the remaining Islamic terrorists at Guantanamo to freedom in Cuba. Castro has run Cuba as a prison for most of the island’s people for over a half century, while executing thousands of his own citizens. Therefore, the terrorists should fit right in. Also let us watch for Obama to try to give back Gantanamo to Dictator Castro before his term is up. His legacy hasn’t been bolstered by many positive accomplishments so it will be opportune for him to do so. Clarence Rost Delta

Delta County Independent

LETTERS Waking up in another dimension Dear Editor: Imagine living in a very remote location at a very high elevation that doesn’t afford TV or radio access, you haven’t read the newspapers and have avoided outer human contact for some time. This was my experience some years ago and it became very obvious to me, one of the first times I went in to the nearest town to get supplies, that something very strange was happening. It almost seemed like I had walked into another dimension. I couldn’t help but notice that everyone was saying the same lines and phrases to each other as I made my way from store to store. First the hardware store, then the lumber company, the clothing store and finally the grocery store, everyone was saying the same thing. I didn’t catch on until I got to the liquor store. There in the corner was a television set with a news program running and the commentator was mouth-

ing the phrases I had been hearing all morning. “So this is how it works,” I said to myself. I went back to my reclusive style of living and gave it a lot of thought. Recently I had a similar, eerie resemblance to this, right here in Paonia. I purposely try to keep a certain anonymity in public so I can associate with people from both sides of the aisle. I say both because it is apparent to me that we are all divided into two distinct factions, usually stemming from political parties. What I have noticed, though, was that the people I do communicate with, from both sides of the aisle, seem to have these key phrases that they always use. As in the past, I don’t read newspapers, watch TV or listen to the radio so the only way I get the so-called “news of the day” is to tune in to Facebook. Sure enough it becomes obvious that these phrases that I keep hearing from

Law enforcement blotter

From the Delta Cedaredge was arrested and jailed on eight warPolice Department: rants with a bond total of $29,008. Nov. 17: Dear Editor: Alexander J. Jensen, Jerry D. Galemore, 74, Drug Free Delta County would like to express of Delta was issued a tick- 20, of Delta was issued HUGE THANKS to Zack’s Bar-B-Q in Hotchkiss, et for alleged third degree a ticket for alleged bicyespecially Cheryl and David Price, for making our cles prohibited downtown criminal trespass. annual Thanksgiving feast a huge success! The William A.S. Chalf- after being involved in smoked turkeys were delicious! We served over 100 ant, 32, of Montrose was a crash with a vehicle clients in recovery and their family members last arrested and jailed on in the 400 block of Main Thursday evening and each and every one enjoyed a warrant with a $300 Street. Minor injuries the yummy turkeys! were reported. The vehibond. Pam Bliss, Volunteer Coordinator cle was driven from the Nov. 18: Drug Free Delta County Jason C. Clennin, 37, of scene. Chris Ortega, 32, of Delta was issued a ticket for alleged rabies con�� trol and animal license required. Nov. 19: �� Zhane L. Ware, 18, of Delta was arrested and jailed for alleged aggravated robbery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. A 16-year-old male of Delta was arrest�� ed and jailed (at Grand Mesa Youth Services) for alleged aggravated rob�� bery and possession of a weapon by an underage person. �� Nov. 20: �� Albert Romero, 26, of � �� Delta was arrested and jailed on a warrant with a $10,000 bond. Nov. 21: Jeffery E. Amans, 20, of Clifton was issued a ticket for alleged careless driving after being involved in a single vehicle crash in the 1100-1200 block of Highway 50 near mile marker 66. No injuries were reported or observed and the vehicle was towed from the scene. Nov. 22: A 16-year-old female of Fruita was issued a ticket for alleged driving on roadways laned for traffic and DUI. Citations: 11 tickets for traffic violations were issued this week, four for speeding. Please remember: All criminal charges are merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until or unless proven guilty.

Thanks to Zack’s

my contacts are plastered all over the commentaries and memes they call news. I try to check out both sides’ reactions as much as possible through the “Paonia Message Board,” and both sides are represented pretty evenly. It also becomes obvious to me that there are ones who speak from their soul or from experience and others who just repeat what they have heard and both are equally convinced that they know what they are talking about. Not to condemn either side, though, for in this society we have all been taught since early age that you are rewarded for memorizing and repeating. It’s just that some would rather write their own story and imagine a better world ahead “beyond that which is known to man,” and others just want to repeat the past, maybe because it is familiar... in this dimension called life. Jack Young Paonia

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From the Delta County Sheriff’s Office (partial list): Nov. 17: Criminal mischief was reported to a vehicle parked on the side of Trap Club Road during the night. The case is under investigation. Kevin Gallegos, 33, of DELTA COUNTY

INDEPENDENT DELTA COUNTY INDEPENDENT (UPS 152-700) is published weekly on Wednesdays at 401 Meeker St., Delta, CO 81416. Second class postage paid at DELTA, CO. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: DELTA COUNTY INDEPENDENT, PO BOX 809, DELTA, CO 81416 401 Meeker St. Delta, CO 81416 (970) 874-4421

Cedaredge was arrested on a Colorado State Patrol warrant. The bond was set at $500. Adam Keniger, 31, of Paonia was arrested on an outstanding warrant. The bond amount is $1,500. Nov. 19: Sheriff ’s deputies were asked to check on dogs that appeared to be neglected at a residence on P25 Road in the Hotchkiss area. An Orchard City couple reported property was dumped in the yard of their home on Highway 65. Deputies assisted Mesa County Search and Rescue in locating an individual who was found at his home in Eckert. Nov. 20: The Delta County Sheriff ’s Office responded to a vehicle-deer accident on Highway 65 on the southern edge of Cedaredge. Colorado State Patrol responded and took over the investigation. A single-car accident occurred at the intersection of Highway 133 and Lorah Lane in Hotchkiss. Larry Head, 44, was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant. Nov. 21: A prowler was reported at Cedar Lane outside of Cedaredge. Deputies could find no one in the area. Deputies responded to the intersection of Alkali Basin Road and Highway 50 for a report of a single-car rollover accident. They remained on scene while the Delta Police Department investigated the accident. Nov. 22: An Orchard City woman reported her sister had cut the lock off a storage unit to remove a set of china. Deputies investigated the theft of miscellaneous tools and saddles from a storage unit on West Main in Cedaredge. The value of the stolen items is estimated at $600. At 12:41 p.m., deputies responded to 28465 Lampshire Road, Hotchkiss, on a report of a garage, vehicle and possibly a home on fire. The occupants, Justin and Kelly Korth and their 1-year-old son, escaped without injury. No criminal activity is suspected. At about 7:30 p.m., deputies responded to a report of gunshots on Thunder Mountain Lane, Cedaredge. Investigation revealed the homeowner had to dispatch a mountain lion that had killed livestock and threatened his family. The case was turned over to the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife.

LOCAL NEWS

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Armed robbery

Community Thanksgiving dinner to be served

FROM PAGE A1 Ware told officers he obtained the firearm by trading a knife stolen from a truck while he and budA community Thanksdies were carhopping. giving dinner will be After the robbery, Ware hosted by Delta Chrisand the juvenile reporttian Church, 795 1600 edly met the carhopping Road, on Thursday, Nov. victim and gave him $108, 26. Meals will be served the agreed upon amount from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. of cash taken from the Deliveries will be made vehicle. from 10 to 11 a.m., and A backpack containing can be requested by callan additional $60 and the ing Michael Frazier at Ruger P89, fully loaded, 270-2524 or Carrie Frawith extra ammunition, zier at 260-1945. Photos by Pat Sunderland were recovered at the Delta Elks Lodge is juvenile’s home. providing the turkeys and At a bond hearing last potatoes. The remainNewly-elected school Friday, public defender ing food items are being board member Jill Jurca Daniel Lavrisha asked donated and prepared by and Pete Blair (above) Judge Sandra Miller to members of Delta Christake the oath of ofﬁce consider a personal recogtian Church, First Bapat the November school nizance bond. He said tist Church of Delta and board meeting. OutgoWare is a 2015 Delta High Calvary Baptist Church. ing school board member School graduate who lives Kathy Svenson (right) was with his parents and six recognized for her “big siblings. He has never heart” and attention to been arrested and does not detail. Restructuring of the �� have a car, so his risk of �� board resulted in Tammy flight is minimal. �� Smith being elected presiThe district attorney’s dent. Ron Germann is vice office objected, pointing president and Blair is treaout Ware had told officers surer. The ﬁfth member of he would have blown “her the board is Jan Tuin. �� head off” if �� the atten�� dant hadn’t �� cooperated. Judge Miller agreed with FROM PAGE A1 cut stalks of marijuana the DA’s plants, and a processing complaint, the search warWare office. The rant was executed at the area with large amounts San Juan Vista property of bud marijuana laid out at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 13. As on a tarp to dry. They also encountered law enforcement agents moved through the prop- two Hispanic males. One �� erty, they discovered large of the two subjects sprintbins full of processed bud ed away; the other, later marijuana and large black identified as Luis Rioslawn bags filled with pro- Cortez, appeared to concessed marijuana. They sider running, then put found growing supplies, his hands up in the air. He was wearing an automatic pistol on his right side. Luis Garcia was arrested by sheriff ’s deputies as he was approaching the property during the execution of the search warrant. �� Both suspects were trans�� ported to the Mesa County Jail. Agents loaded approxi�� mately 36 lawn bags con�� taining processed mari�� juana, each weighing �� approximately 40 pounds, �� and approximately six �� large tarps with approxi�� mately 70 pounds of mari�� juana each, into a U-Haul �� truck. The truck has been �� stored at a secure DEA �� facility in Grand Junction �� pending processing of the �� evidence. �� In an interview with �� DEA agents later in the �� day Nov. 13, Luis Garcia �� said all the marijuana �� seized from the San Juan �� Vista property was taken from six plants allow�� able under Colorado law. �� Because it was his first �� attempt at growing mar�� ijuana, he said “the six �� plants of marijuana got �� from him.” �� away “I want to commend our �� DEA and BLM for the dili�� gent effort they put forth �� in this investigation,” said �� Delta County Sheriff Fred �� McKee. “As a team we will �� remain diligent in seeking �� those who continue to �� out � commit felony acts regard�� ing the cultivation and dis�� tribution of marijuana.”

affidavit shows Ware poses a significant risk to the community, she said, and while Ware had never been arrested, “law enforcement was well aware of him.” Aggravated robbery is a class three felony that carries a mandatory mini-

mum sentence of 10 years in prison, up to 16 years in prison. The presumptive sentencing range for contributing to the delinquency of a minor is two to six years. Ware will be formally charged on Wednesday.

Oath of ofﬁce

Marijuana

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Ladies Night Out ��

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Great Gift Ideas for anyone on your list...big or small.

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A4 Wednesday, November 25, 2015

ACCENT

Delta County Independent

Longtime Cedaredge residents celebrate 70th Ernie and Ida Mae Bailey, ages 94 and 90, will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary Saturday, Nov. 28, from 2 to 4 p.m. The Baileys are longtime residents of Cedaredge. They’re now

living at Grand Villa, 15th and Patterson in Grand Junction, where the celebration will be held. The Baileys were married Nov. 15, 1945, in Hotchkiss. They have four children, Donna Weisz-

brod of Cedaredge, Gary Bailey of Grand Junction, Randy Bailey of Salt Lake City and Danny Bailey of Grand Junction.

Photo submitted

Oncology donation

The Baileys

Ida Mae and Ernie Bailey

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Delta County Ambulance District (DCAD) sold black and pink T-shirts for October Breast Cancer Awareness month, and this year donated the proceeds to Grand Mesa Oncology & Infusion Center. Pictured left to right: Kelsey Stark RN, Theresa Wrich RN, Danielle Gallegos RN, LouAnn Drown RN, manager of oncology, Kirby Clock, DCAD manager, Lynelle Schreiner receptionist, Dr. Eric Schmidt, oncologist, and Janamarie Dugle, volunteer

Senior meals for December Senior CommUnity meals are served at four dining sites in Delta County — Cedaredge Community Center (Monday-Thursday), Delta Community Center (Monday-Friday), Hotchkiss Senior Center (Monday-Thursday) and Paonia Senior Citizen Center (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Meals on Wheels are also delivered from each location. More information is available by calling the Cedaredge meal site, 856-3636; the Delta meal site, 874-7662; Hotchkiss Senior Center, 872-3494; and Paonia Senior Citizen Center, 527-3435. The menu through Dec. 31 follows: Tuesday, Dec. 1 — Salisbury steak with mushroom and onion gravy, mashed potatoes, Parmesan pea salad, wheat roll and pumpkin custard. Wednesday, Dec. 2 — Roast turkey, cornbread stuffing, gravy, carrot raisin salad, cheateau blend veggies, half an orange and frosted cake. Thursday, Dec. 3 — Ham loaf, baked potato, honey bee ambrosia,

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broccoli and bread pudding. Friday, Dec. 4 — Beef stew, three-bean salad, cornbread, peanut butter cookie and banana. Monday, Dec. 7 — Baked chicken breast on fettuccini alfredo, California vegetables, roll and apple crisp. Tuesday, Dec. 8 — Meatloaf, mandarin spinach salad, zucchini, bran muffin and deluxe banana pudding. Wednesday, Dec. 9 — Baked breaded fish, whipped sweet potatoes, green beans, roll and peach cup. Thursday, Dec. 10 — Roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, kidney bean salad, western corn, onion roll, frosted cake and half a roll. Friday, Dec. 11 — Beef and bean burrito with lettuce, tomato and onion, Spanish rice, pico de gallo, mandarin oranges and ice cream. Monday, Dec. 14 — Crunchy chicken casserole, Harvard beets, coleslaw, rye roll and apple

BIRTHS Chevelle and Steve Mercilliott of Delta are the parents of a son, Armani Dezmond Sabastian Mercilliott, born Oct. 31, 2015, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. He weighed 5 pounds, 2.2 ounces and was 18.5 inches in length.

cranberry crisp. Tuesday, Dec. 15 — Pepper steak, brown rice, California vegetables, Italian bread and strawberry shortcake. Wednesday, Dec. 16 — Herb breaded chicken, Italian veggie blend, tossed salad, garlic bread and lemon pie bar. Thursday, Dec. 17 — Chili with cheese and chopped onions, cornbread, spring mix salad and Emerald Isle salad. Friday, Dec. 18 — Hot roast beef sandwich, mashed potatoes and gravy, carrot fruit salad, broccoli and applesauce cake. Monday, Dec. 21 — Beef patty with carrots and onions, cheesy vegetable soup, mashed potatoes, roll and peaches with cottage cheese. Tuesday, Dec. 22 — Spaghetti with meat sauce, candied bacon Brussels sprouts, tossed salad, Italian bread and one-cup fruit dessert. Wednesday, Dec. 23 — Pepperoni pizza, wax beans with red peppers, tossed salad and tropical fruit mix. Thursday, Dec. 24 — Baked ham, whipped sweet potatoes, pineapple coleslaw, green beans,

wheat roll and Christmas cookies. Friday, Dec. 25 — Christmas. No meal service. Monday, Dec. 28 — Pizza mac casserole, tossed salad, winter blend veggies, French bread and tropical fruit cup. Tuesday, Dec. 29 — Tuna salad sandwich on whole wheat bread, beef and barley soup, fresh vegetable salad, corn and cherry crisp. Wednesday, Dec. 30 — Sloppy joe on a whole wheat bun, baked potato wedge, coleslaw, green beans and frosted cake. Thursday, Dec. 31 — Oven-fried chicken, hoppin’ john, mandarin spinach salad, Italian stewed tomatoes and apple crisp.

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Erin and Dusty Rogers of Paonia are the parents of a son, William Chris Rogers, born Nov. 3, 2015, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. He weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was 19.5 inches in length. Doug and Kalen Dillon of Delta are the parents of a son, Wyatt Cole Dillon, born Nov. 4, 2015, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. He weighed 7 pounds, 3.5 ounces and was 20 inches in length

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Shop Aqua Studio On Main Street in Montrose

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LOCAL NEWS

Delta County Independent

Review

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Maniacal 4 score big in Delta

BY CHARLIE HUFF Delta-Montrose Community Concert Association

It may sound like a strange name — Maniacal 4 — for a trombone quartet. Nonetheless, it is the name of a fantastic, talented and congenial trombone quartet which Monday, Nov. 16, treated us, the Delta-Montrose Community Concert Association audience, to a concert of uniquely beautiful and melodious music. It was without doubt a rare treat! The name, by the way, evolved over a four-year period after the quartet formed during the members’ freshman year at the University of North Texas. The name is composed of the first two letters of each of their names, Matt, Nick, Carl and Alex. Matt Jefferson and Carl Lundgren hailed originally from Canada, Alex Dubrov from Kiev, Ukraine, with Nick Laufer being the lone Texan. They are now based “more or less” in the Dallas, Texas, area. In any event, the music they performed, much of it either composed or arranged by Carl, was unique in its harmony and just simply beautiful!

Their execution was near 8. It surely promises to be ment. For all the details concerts.com or in Delta in Montrose County at perfection as they played another great evening of check out our website County call Bob Brown at 249-9154. We trust we their variously ranged family-oriented entertain- at www.deltamontrose 835-4480 or Sue Roushar may see you there! trombones, producing rich harmony and even, inspiring tone. They are true professionals — being defined as those who can make a difficult challenge look all too easy. The variety of their compositions ranged from obscure to well-known classics, to popular numbers from various eras. They even had some fun with the theme of “007.” And for our further enjoyment, each of the men took a turn telling a little of the history of a particular selection to be performed, often adding a personal human interest tale or humorous anecdote! Indeed it was obvious to all that these young men were having pure enjoyment — even fun — sharing with us their talents and love of the music. As ever, I must say that if you missed this show, you certainly missed a truly great musical experience. But don’t despair — there are three more concerts remaining in this season’s run. The next concert will be the Jorgenson Bluegrass Band performance on Monday, Feb.

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Support sought for VFW projects Lee Marts VFW Post 3571 and its Auxiliary in Delta encourage all members of the community to help our local veterans. The post and auxiliary currently have two community-based projects going into the holidays. In cooperation with the Colorado Aviation Business Association (CABA) holiday airlift and the local Dollar Tree, the Veterans of Foreign Wars are collecting and distributing non-perishable foods and toys for local veterans and their families who need a helping hand or are homeless this Thanksgiving and Christmas. In cooperation with the Delta Library, VFW is collecting sample and travel-size toiletries, snacks, books, hard candy, individually packaged hot or cold drink mixes and other items under Operation Troop Bounty. These goods will be packaged and sent to active-duty

military personnel who are serving at duty locations around the world. Contact auxiliary president Jennifer Wright at 640-7720 or post quartermaster Jim Baker at 8748172 for more information about both projects.

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A6 Wednesday, November 25, 2015

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

Delta County Independent

Diabetics: Learn how to take control of your disease from a fellow diabetes patient In conjunction with its regularly scheduled diabetes support group, Delta County Memorial Hospital is sponsoring a free educational program at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14, at the hospital. There is no charge and the public is welcome, but RSVPs are requested by Dec. 1. RSVPs may be phoned in to nutrition services at 874-6410. Bill Rodriguez will share diabetes self-management and lifestyle strategies based on extensive training and his personal experience living with diabetes. Rodriguez is a member of the A1C Champi-

ons® program supported by Sanofi Diabetes. A1C Champions® is a patientled approach to diabetes education. A1C Champions® know firsthand the challenges and obstacles to maintaining control of their diabetes. Topics to be covered include achieving good glucose control; effective self-management; developing a balanced, healthy lifestyle; planning and prioritizing diabetes management; overcoming fears surrounding diabetes; and finding resources for diabetes support. If you or someone you know is struggling with diabetes or has an A1C

that is 7 percent or above, the A1C Champions® can provide motivation to take the first steps to better blood glucose control. Diabetes patients need to know they are not alone; there are people like Rodriguez who can help them along their journey with diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic, widespread condition characterized by high blood sugar in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, the hormone needed to transport glucose (sugar) from the blood into the cells of the body for energy. It is estimated that 19.1 million people in the United

States have diabetes, including an estimated 8.1 million who remain undiagnosed. At the same time, about 40 percent of those diagnosed with diabetes did not achieve the blood sugar control target of A1C<7 percent recommended by the American Diabetes Association for many people with diabetes. Ask your doctor what the right A1C number is for you. The A1C test measures average blood glucose levels over the past two- to three-month period. For more information, call Mary Grosvenor, dietary manager, at 8746410.

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A night to remember

Bill Heddles Recreation Center hosted its annual daddy/daughter dance Saturday, Nov. 14. Over 120 couples enjoyed “A Journey to the Orient.” Zoey and Thomas Westwood were this year’s princess and king. The staff at Bill Heddles Recreation Center would like to shout out a huge thank you to everyone in Altrusa International of Delta.

Support Your Local Community – Shop Your Small Businesses on

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY • NOVEMBER 28 ®

Small businesses are the heartbeat of our community, the mom and pop shops, the businesses that help build our local economy.

PLEASE SUPPORT DELTA & MONTROSE SMALL BUSINESSES DURING THE HOLIDAYS AND EVERY DAY!

Wild Flower Bistro 305 MAIN STREET DELTA, CO WINTER HOURS: M, W, TH, F 11A-4P SAT. SUN. BRUNCH 8A-4P CLOSED TUESDAYS

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SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Advent mini-concerts begin Dec. 1

A generous helping

Nineteen Delta area families are looking forward to a bounteous Thanksgiving dinner, thanks to members of the Delta Elks Lodge who filled boxes with turkeys, stuffing, potatoes, yams, rolls, butter and pies. In addition, the Elks are preparing turkeys and mashed potatoes for the community Thanksgiving dinner at Delta Christian Church. Above, Doug Eades delivers the boxes to the Delta County Sheriff’s Office, for distribution by Barb Yant, victim’s advocate, Delta County Undersheriff Mark Taylor and sheriff’s deputies.

Once again, the Advent (pre-Christmas) season will be celebrated with mini-concerts at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 5th and Palmer in Delta, four Tuesdays starting Dec. 1 and finishing Dec. 22. These concerts run from 12:10 to 12:55 p.m. to fit within working persons’ lunch hours. On Tuesday, Dec. 1, The Rev. Paul Rosin will sing seasonal music. On Tuesday, Dec. 8, “Harps in Motion” featuring Robin Freed and her students will share their holiday program. The following Tuesday, Dec. 15, a mixed vocal ensemble, “Roses and Thorns,” will perform, accompanied by Sharon

Clark. A special men’s choir will offer the final concert Dec. 22. Paul Rosin, tenor vocalist and pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church in Cory/Austin, will perform at the first Advent mini-concert, 12:1012:55 p.m. Rosin was born and raised in Greeley and has performed the national anthem for the Denver Broncos, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Rockies and Rapids as well as University of Denver hockey. His concert will include Advent and Christmas music from contemporary and sacred genre.

Plan on joining this annual tradition of preparing for Christ at Christmas. Contact St. Luke’s Church, 8749489, or Nyla Storch, 874-9485, for further information.

Rev. Paul Rosin

Support Your Local Community – Shop Your Small Businesses on

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY • NOVEMBER 28 ®

Small businesses are the heartbeat of our community, the mom and pop shops, the businesses that help build our local economy.

PLEASE SUPPORT DELTA & MONTROSE SMALL BUSINESSES DURING THE HOLIDAYS AND EVERY DAY!

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A8 Wednesday, November 25, 2015

SCHOOL

Delta County Independent

DOS, DMTC collaborate for kids’ shoeboxes Building on the positive behavior support system of DOS Dollars, 38 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child are being sent by Delta Opportunity School students. Knowing that students were earning DOS dollars for exceptional work, excellent behavior and good citizenship, Angela McMurdy and Willyn Webb decided to take it one step further. The students had been

using their DOS dollars to purchase food items, earphones, pencils, chapstick etc.; now they could spend to provide Christmas for children around the world. Giving to others is a hallmark of the DOS service learning program and Operation Christmas Child is a perfect fit. McMurdy and DMTC provided the items and the DOS students worked extremely hard to earn enough DOS dollars to buy the items to fill a

shoebox of gifts for a child who would not otherwise receive any Christmas presents. The DOS students watched videos on the Operation Christmas Child website and students chose whether to spend their DOS dollars

on items for themselves or for items for a shoebox. The DMTC students raised the money to cover the $7 shipping fee per box. It was a wonderful collaboration and a great way to start the holiday season.

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Johnna Fender, DOS aide, Chanteele Gray, Amy Felix, Jacob Page, Marc Gonzales, Jimmy Vera, Alexis Alvarez and Willyn Webb, DOS assistant principal deliver 38 boxes for Operation Christmas Child.

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Delta High School’s speech team

Speech team does well at Eagle Valley

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The Delta High School speech team did remarkably well at the Eagle Valley Tournament on Nov. 14. Senior Cidney Fisk and junior Lydia Stalcup placed fourth in humor duet. Sophomores Juliet Ling and Mariah Drew came in third in drama duet. Sophomore Audrey Mayes and junior Bailey

Cloward placed fourth in drama duet. Junior Hannah Owens received an award of excellence in impromptu speaking, and coming in third in Lincoln Douglas debate was senior and captain Cidney Fisk. The team is coached by Danielle Lopez this year. Team members anticipate doing well at upcoming meets at Summit and Central high schools.

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Angela McMurdy mans her Operation Christmas Child store while DOS students AJ Wilks, Carlos Pena and Katie Bates purchase items with DOS dollars.

2015

Christmas Home Tour

Friday, December 11th 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. Tour begins at

Delta United Methodist Church 477Meeker Street

Virtuous Kids

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Enjoy the Christmas ambiance of beautifully decorated homes

Lincoln Elementary and the Kiwanis Club of Delta recently recognized the Virtuous Kids pictured above: (front row, left to right) Kaila Dowell (on task), Boone Byers (enthusiasm), Jazlyn Naranjo (responsibility), Anna Jones (working hard), Claudia Gonzalez (kindness), Antonio Deleon (respect); (middle row) Micaela Mendoza (responsibility and caring), Madyson Fenimore (consideration), Stephanie Ponce (responsibility), Christian Baker (commitment), Jaiden Pena (on task), Elisha Blair (self-discipline); (top row) Ember Hatter (on task), Jacob Leib (hard work and on task), Brooke Suppes (respect and kindness), Katelyn Madrid (generosity), Izabella Valdez (diligence) and Ismael Zeferino (responsibility). The awards were presented by Kiwanians Hayley Suppes and James Conley on Nov. 16.

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Bill Heddles Recreation Center is offering public swim lessons during the month of January. All classes are taught by American Red Cross certified instructors and are offered at a variety of times and days. Call 8740923 for a schedule.

IN THE NEWS

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In October, Peter Williamson was named to Biola University’s Dean’s List for academic excellence. Peter Williamson, from Eckert, was one of 1,566 students who were named to the Dean’s List for spring 2015. Biola students are placed on the Dean’s List to honor those with a grade point average of 3.6 or higher while enrolled in 12 of more credit units and whose cumulative grade point average is at least a 3.2. This past spring, 38 percent of Biola students achieved this academic goal. Biola University is a Christ-centered university in Southern California that has been named one of the nation’s “up and coming” universities by U.S. News & World Report four times in the past five years.

Delta County Independent

ACTIVITIES

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Ray Carpenter

Community band to perform holiday music Join the Montrose Community Band on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m. in the Montrose Pavilion auditorium for a free concert. The band will take you back to An Old-Fashioned Christmas with songs including “Sleigh Ride,” “Christmas Festival,” “Joy to the World” and a narrat-

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ed version of “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” The Jazz Band will start the concert off and the Oak Grove Elementary School music students will also take the stage to show off their holiday musical talent. For more information visit www. montroseband.com or call 596-1188.

The Chapel of the Cross is happy to announce that its annual Christmas concerts will be presented Saturday, Dec. 5, at the chapel. Performing this year will be local favorite singer and guitarist, Ray Carpenter. His program will be “Cowboy Country Christmas Music.” Carpenter is the son of a Protestant minister and a native Coloradan. He was exposed to a vast selection of music from gospel to classical to country. Although he began playing trumpet in fourth grade he eventually turned his attention to the guitar, country and western music and in particular, cowboy music.

Fort Uncompahgre, 440 North Palmer Street, Delta, will recreate Christmas as it was celebrated in the 1830s, Friday, Dec. 4, from 7- 9 p.m. following the Parade of Lights. Santa will arrive at 8 p.m. and will be in the trade room area. Please plan to attend this special Christmas celebration. Historical interpreters will be depicting a celebration of Christmastime as it was celebrated in the 1830s, including traditional music and lighting of the Christmas tree. The fort will be decorated for the holidays with “period-correct” candles, lanterns and 300 luminarias. You’ll learn about the history of the Christmas tree and listen to local schoolchildren perform Christmas carols. A visit to the Fort on the Old Spanish Trail is a step back in time. Authentic trade goods and piles of furs and animal hides fill several of the rooms. Every aspect of the fort is maintained as authentically as possible. You will see the trade room where Indians and trappers exchanged furs for guns, knives, beads and other prized trade goods and learn about the history of the American long rifle developed for the American frontier. You’ll be able to gather around the

fireplaces in the “cocina” (kitchen) and the trade room and listen to stories and learn about the history of Antoine Robidoux and the Fort on the Old Spanish Trail. Robidoux became involved in the fur trade and established Fort Uncompahgre in the late 1820s a short distance from the confluence of the Compahgre (Uncompahgre) and the Blue or Eagletail (Gunnison) rivers. Furs were brought to the fort by local Indians and trappers and were traded for goods that had been brought in from both Santa Fe and St. Louis. Robidoux built the fort in its original location because of

The annual chili bowl fundraiser benefiting Art Partners has a new location — The Lark & Sparrow historic venue at 511 Main Street in Montrose. To be held Saturday, Nov. 28, this event is a tasty, fun, and unique way to support Partners kids. Purchase a bottomless bowl of chili from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The bowl is yours to keep! Bowls start at $15 and vegetarian chili will be

day, Dec. 3, at 1:30 p.m., and will include games, puzzles, conversation and companionship. Refreshments will be served. For more information call the church at 874-9501. Come and see if Senior Connection is for you.

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Rec center craft fair is Dec. 5 The holiday craft fair held annually at Bill Heddles Recreation Center is full with over 55 vendors. Come shop Saturday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Basement Boutique is a unique group of over 25 local artisans who collaborate to offer a yearly craft show and sale at the Montrose Pavilion. The show features locally handcrafted

the close proximity to the Old Spanish Trail and an historic Indian trail. The gift shop will be open and will allow you the opportunity to purchase books and authentic trade goods similar to those used at Fort Uncompahgre. Refreshments will be served including authentic Mexican cocoa and hot cider. Outdoor activities will depend on the weather. Admission is $1 for adults, or free for those who bring a canned good for the fort’s annual food drive. For more information, please call 874-6695 or 640-7076.

gifts for all ages with a central checkout for convenience and a pressurefree shopping experience. Pottery, jewelry, quilts, handcrafted jams and jellies, balsamic vinegars, hand sewn and crocheted items, glass ornaments, baskets, fine woodwork, beeswax candles and tolepainting are just a few of the treasures you will discover at the show. The Basement Boutique was formed in 1974 by a group of artisans who originally held the show in one of the member’s basement. When they outgrew that space, they eventually moved the show to the Montrose Pavilion, but the name “Basement Boutique” stuck. This will be their 41st annual craft show. The show is held every year on the weekend after Thanksgiving. The dates for this year’s show are Friday, Nov. 27, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 28, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a great way to support your local artisans while finding unique gifts for everyone on your list.

Chili bowl fundraiser to benefit Art Partners

Enjoy snacks, activities at Senior Connection Calling all seniors! If you’re looking for a new way to get out of the house and enjoy the company of other seniors, the Senior Connection at Delta United Methodist Church is for you. The next gathering is Thurs-

He always delights his audience. There will be two concerts, at 4 and 7 p.m. Tickets are free for these popular concerts but must be obtained in advance at either Leisure Time Sports or Gazebo Florist & Boutique.

Basement Boutique turns 41 this year

Enjoy Christmas at the Fort on the Old Spanish Trail

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Carpenter presents a cowboy Christmas

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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

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available. The chili will be donated by local restaurants, chefs and folks who are proud of their chili. Vote for your favorite! Non-perishable food items will be accepted,

to be donated to Sharing Ministries to help meet holiday needs. For additional information on this event, visit www.partners-west. org or call Lissette Riviere at 249-1116.

Conversations continue with Roland McCook

Saturday brought another standing-roomonly crowd for Alan “Stands Alone” Bryant’s presentation regarding Cherokee families and ceremonies. It was great for the children, too, who received a special prize. Attendees came from the Western Slope region, many of whom had Cherokee heritage. They discussed their experiences traveling to Cherokee country. Roland McCook ended the program by answering

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questions and announcing the next NACP program: “Conversations with Roland McCook Uncompahgre Ute and Anuk Bald Eagle from the Sioux Nation.” The program is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Center for Spiritual Living, 658 Howard, Delta (next to Cleland Park). The program is cosponsored by Native American Cultural Programs, Delta chapter, and Delta County Libraries.

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A10 Wednesday, November 25, 2015

BUSINESS

Delta County Independent

Library director resigns in wake of board action BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

Delta County Library District director Annette Choszczyk has resigned after being placed on administrative leave on Nov. 4. “The board felt they made the only decision that was available to them,” said board president Laura Earley in addressing library users and supporters at a Nov. 18 meeting held at the Paonia Library ahead of the regular board meeting. “And I’m sorry that I can’t reveal more of what this was based upon, but I can’t.”

Annette Choszczyk Earley said that the board’s decision is a personnel matter. Due to a non-disclosure clause, board members are “really restricted” on what they can say. “We did not take this decision lightly, let me assure you,” said Earley. “I really feel that every member on this board felt that they made the only decision, given the information we had, that we could make.” Records indicate Choszczyk was hired in September 2007, according to Earley. Her resignation letter is dated Nov. 11. Lea Hart, a six-year district employee and regional manager, has been named interim district director.

In accordance with Colorado state law, “... Choszczyk will receive a total of $8,343 as agreed to in her separation and release agreement,” wrote Earley in response to questions emailed to the board by the DCI. “All other terms of the agreement are protected by a non-disclosure clause.” Earley, who was appointed board president in July, said that “some difficulties” were brought to the board’s attention in August. Following a preliminary investigation, and at Choszczyk’s request, Mountain States Employers Council, a Coloradobased organization specializing in employment law, completed an extensive management assessment. An attorney conducted interviews and recommendations were made in a subsequent report. Earley said she’s been spending 70 hours a week dealing with the issue. “I did not want to do it. I don’t think there’s a board member here that wanted to do any of this,” she said. At the meeting, Earley addressed speculation that the decision was related to reports of friction between upvalley and down-valley libraries. “I can assure the up-valley/down-valley never came up in this entire process, ever,” said Earley. “I would say that if the public wants to learn more, you’re almost going to have to go through the court system and find out,” said Earley, adding that the board is not responsible for the decision not to release related documents to the public. “I don’t think we want to go to court,” said library user Ed Marston. “I think what we’d like to

Residential & Commercial Interiors & Exteriors New Construction Custom Matches Remodels Entry Doors We use all SWP Garage Floors Products Log Home Protection Stains, Polys & Epoxys Licensed & Insured

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know is that the district will be fairly run and that this was not some up-valley/down-valley conflict and that the staff has not taken control of the system.” Earley told the crowd that employee discord was also not behind the board’s actions. According to the minutes of the Sept. 16 board meeting, “Earley told the board she had been contacted by staff with complaints about a hostile workplace environment and the need for a process to complain. Earley and (vice president Nancy) Hovde will investigate the situation and update the board as the situation allows. Earley indicated that funds might be needed in case legal counsel was required.” The comments made “...were related to Ms. Choszczyk’s employment situation but were not a dispositive factor” in placing her on administrative leave, wrote Ear-

ley in the email. “The action taken by the board was done so after careful consideration of the management assessment report we received from Mountain States Employer Council.” According to the minutes of the Nov. 4 board meeting, following an executive session, a motion was made to place Choszczyk on administrative leave through the end of the week, then on unpaid leave through Nov. 25. Six trustees voted for the motion, and the seventh member voted “present,” a nonvote, due to the trustee’s absence throughout most of the investigation, said Earley. A motion to return to executive session was made and seconded, at which time John Gavan, IT director for the district, said that if he was to be the subject of that session, he would resign. Gavan resigned immediately following the deci-

sion to place Choszczyk on administrative leave. He had no comment for the DCI but to say that he is moving on and remains very active in his profession. Karen Ortiz, an educational technology specialist, said she frequents the Paonia library and appreciates the technology infrastructure, for which she said Gavan is largely responsible. Ortiz called his resignation “a huge double whammy for the organization. The district is already advertising the position. “I’m guessing you had someone in place who could just take that over?” Earley replied that there is no backup IT specialist. “That’s another one of the challenges that we’re going to face,” said Earley, “but we’ll face it and we have some plans for moving forward in that area.” Hovde said she believes the board and district staff remain ded-

icated to the district and are “fully committed to preserving the resources we have and improving them, if possible.” At-large board member William Crank said he agrees with comments made by Earley. “I would hope that nobody would think that the seven members of this board don’t care greatly about the libraries ... We’re on this board because we like libraries” and what they do for citizens. Library user Betsy Marston asked if the hiring process for Choszczyk’s replacement will be open to the public. “I’m just trying to figure out how you could make this a more open process, maybe to restore faith in what you’re doing,” said Marston. Earley said there are state mandates for how the position can be advertised, and at least two board members will be assigned to carry out the process.

Judgment on hen house final BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

The Delta District Court last week granted a request from county government to reinstate the commissioners’ 2013 specific development approval for Grand Mesa Layers and Western Slope Layers. The court’s action follows the state Supreme Court’s recent decision not to hear an appeal of the Colorado Appellate Court’s decision that had upheld the county commissioners’ original decision. The chain of legal filings, rulings and appeals began in 2013 when the Delta District Court overruled the county commissioners’ specific development approval for the two

egg-laying operations. After the Delta District Court overturned the commissioners’ approval over two years ago, the Colorado Court of Appeals found in favor of the county and other defendants (Hostetlers). The Court of Appeals then declined to rehear the case. That triggered another appeal by the original plaintiffs (Jardon, Holder, Raymond, Cool and Robinsong) to the state Supreme Court which declined to hear the case. All the legal maneuvering finally left standing the original Court of Appeals decision in favor of the county and Hostelers. Therefore, the district court’s action last week

deals specifically with the following four points: • The district court’s ruling vacates all of the following previous actions in the case: its own Sept. 5, 2013, order on rule 106 claim; the Sept. 6, 2013, order to Hostetler to cease and desist operations; the Sept. 16, 2013, order on motion to amend; the Sept. 30, 2013, entry of final judgment on all claims; the Nov. 18, 2013, order following hearing; and the Nov. 27, 2013, order on costs. • The district court’s ruling reinstates the county commissioners’ May 28, 2013, decision approving with conditions the Hostetlers’ two egglaying poultry facilities. • The district court’s ruling enters judgment in

favor of defendants (Delta County and Hostetlers) and against plaintiffs on all claims. • The ruling instructs that each party is to bear his, her, or its own attorney’s fees, but defendants may file a bill of costs within 21 days of the entry of this judgment or within any greater time as this court may allow. The Hostetlers’ attorney, Karen Budd-Falen of Cheyenne, Wyo., told the DCI, “Yes, we are planning to request costs.” County attorney Jin Ho D. Pack told the DCI, “We’re still working on costs.” She added that the costs awarded in the final judgment do not include attorney’s fees, but are limited to filing fees and other incidentals.

Know Your Neighbor

Untouchable Painting: Delivering the very best, every time

After 15 years of working with two well-established painting companies and four years as a paint and hardware manager for a major chain, Michael Johnson understood what it was that people wanted most from their painting experience. Home and business owners alike wanted quality and completion! So in 2008, Johnson and one of his four brothers established Untouchable Painting. They set out to provide exactly that 100 percent of the time and have been in business ever since. Earlier this year, Michael decided that in order for the business to continue to grow, he would have to expand geographically. His brother and original crew stayed in Cañon City, while he and his family found the perfect house in Eckert that would allow him to expand and start another crew here on the Western Slope, serving the Grand Mesa and Delta areas. The big beautiful homes on this side of the slope were a real driving force in choosing this area!

Michael and his crew provide a full spectrum of services, including power washing, residential and commercial painting of all sizes and types, interior and exterior, log home restoration and protection, garage ﬂoors and entry doors, stains, polyurethanes and epoxys. “We believe that the customer deserves our very best, every time!” Michael

free!” Michael is already hoping to expand his business by adding another van, which would allow him to hire another two much-needed crew members. “We have already started scheduling for this spring, and expect 2016 to be a great year for Untouchable Painting as we continue to add to our list from the Delta and Grand Mesa areas. We are so excited to be working in this beautiful landscape, a true bonus that makes going to work every day an awesome experience. We love it here!” One of the highlights for Untouchable Painting this last summer was doing some work at the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, in preparation for its grand reopening last summer. “That was absolutely breathtaking the entire time!” Michael said. If you’re thinking about a residential or commercial painting project, you’ll want to give Untouchable Painting a call at 970-589Michael Johnson and his crew understand what people want 6831. Estimates are always from their painting experience — quality and completion — free and without any and they deliver exactly that 100 percent of the time. pressure.

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said. “We want them to be proud of their home or business when we ﬁnish. To help us accomplish this, we use only the very best professionally recommended products from Sherwin Williams, with fantastic results. Our list of local references who are proud to show you what we have done is growing. Our bids are always clear and complete and absolutely

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NORTH FORK November 25, 2015

TIMES

Section

www.deltacountyindependent.com

Crawford’s Parade of Lights this Friday BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

The Town of Crawford is gearing up for a long list of holiday events, most of which will be held at the newlyremodeled Town Hall. For those who haven’t seen the new Town Hall, festivities will run Nov. 27 through Dec. 4, providing numerous opportunities to see all of the work, said organizer Tristan Pfeffer. For those wanting to shop locally, the Fruitland Mesa Club Craft Show runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, in the Town Hall community room. Festivities begin Friday evening with the annual Parade of Lights. Floats should be parade-ready and at the Methodist Church parking lot by 5:30 p.m. Parade watchers can stay warm inside the Methodist Church while waiting for the parade, where the annual Chili and Nacho Dinner will also be served from 5-7 p.m. Fire trucks and floats will wind their way from the church to the newly-remodeled Town Hall, and it’s rumored that

both Santa and Mrs. Claus will be in the parade. Following the parade, enjoy refreshments at Town Hall, visit with Santa, and have family portraits taken by Wild Country Photography. The annual Festival of Trees starts Friday night and runs through Dec. 4. Throughout the week of Nov. 30-Dec. 4, Town Hall will be open from 4-7 p.m. daily. Visitors can vote on their favorite tree for the People’s Choice award, enjoy cider and hot chocolate while the kids make ornaments and other Christmas crafts or write letters to Santa Claus. Entertainment will be offered each day throughout the week. On Monday, Mrs. Claus will read stories from 47 p.m. On Tuesday the North Fork Montessori at Crawford choir will perform at 4 p.m., followed by the telling of the Biblical Christmas story and singing of carols. Wednesday evening, Donna Saunders will sing holiday songs. On Thursday, Young at Heart will perform from 5:156:15 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, is the fina-

le of the Festival of Trees. Musicians David and Tamara Hauze will perform acoustic music from 5-7 p.m. The Community Holiday Potluck dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. From 6-7, the Montessori School will present its Winter Music Program at the school. At 7 p.m., dessert will be served at Town Hall, drawings for trees will be held, and the People’s Choice award and winning bidders in the silent auction for the trees will be named. Tickets for the drawing are $1, or 6 for $5, and are available each day during the Festival of Trees. The Crawford Pioneer Days committee is organizing the parade and festival after the group that put it on the last few years announced in late October that it would no longer be hosting the event. “For starting as late as we did, I think we’re doing really good,” said Pfeffer. Next year’s Pioneer Days theme has already been selected, said Pfeffer. “We’re going to use the theme of ‘So True Red White and Blue.” For more information, visit www.crawfordcountry.org.

Photo by Tamie Meck

The Festival of Trees, which runs Nov. 24-Dec. 4, is one of the many holiday events taking place in Crawford. The Parade of Lights happens this Friday night, and the annual Fruitland Mesa Craft Show runs Friday and Saturday.

Students charged up about SEI class BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

Tim Helmer is quick to explain how a microinverter converts energy generated by a solar panel from DC power to AC. And he does it in a way that makes it sound so simple. “It’s pretty simple,” says Helmer, a junior at Paonia High School. Solar Energy International has partnered with the Delta County School District to administer an introductory course in photovoltaic energy. Called PVOL101, Helmer is one of 13 Paonia High School and alternative school students enrolled in the course. Upon passing the course, students receive a high schoollevel certificate of completion from SEI. PHS principal Randal Palmer said the pilot program is thus far going very well. He calls the relationship with SEI “serendipitous.” There are no prerequisites, other than students must be either juniors or seniors, said Pete Mueller, an AmericaCorps VISTA volunteer at SEI. Mueller, who is involved with SEI in community revitalization programs through economic development, got his start in the solar energy industry in 1999 as an SEI student.

Photo by Tamie Meck

From left, high school students Jeramiah Hillman, Noah Haswell, Austin Katzer and Dominic Harman practice wiring array conﬁgurations on solar panels during a photovoltaic class, PVOL101, at Solar Energy International. Students who pass the pilot course receive certiﬁcation of completion through Delta-Montrose Technical College. The course teaches skills that can be applied to college, the military, mechanical and electronic engineering and other fields. “Many graduates have gone on to be entry-level installers,” said Mueller. Course topics range from the basics of electricity through designing and building a PV system, and ultimately how to safely commission a system,

said Mueller. Students learn how to perform power and energy calculations, evaluate utility bills and rate plans, design a residential grid-direct system and more. Helmer, a junior at Paonia High School, said his dad was an electrician and he knew some of the basics of electricity heading into the class. “It’s kind of rubbed off on me,”

Water rate debate continues in Paonia BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

In order to address citizen concerns over an initial proposed increase in water rates that would have doubled commercial user base rates, Paonia trustees changed course during the Nov. 17 special budget work session, proposing an across the board base rate increase of $6, along with increases in volume usage. Increases are needed to cover debt services and to continue covering fixed costs of operations, said town manager Jane Berry. A 2014 increase of $5 per customer was necessary to cover debt service related to state-mandated water filtration systems upgrades, but covered less than half of what was needed for the roughly $197,000 in annual payments. In looking at how the $6 increase would affect users, trustee David Bradford pointed out that the fee hike would affect in-town residential users most. “That makes me somewhat uncomfortable,” said Bradford. In response to public complaints of a lack of fairness in the town’s rate structure, he suggested a 28 percent base rate increase for

all of the 1,500 water accounts, which reflects the percentage increase to in-town residential users on a $6 increase. Of the four categories of users — in-town and out-of-town residential and in-town and out-of-town commercial, intown residential users currently pay the lowest base rate of $21 per month. Trustees were largely split over the issue, with Eric Goold favoring a $6 increase and Ross King agreeing with Bradford on the percentage increase. Mayor pro tem Charles Stewart reminded the public that the increases represent a temporary fix while the town awaits completion of an independent rate study after the new year. No final decisions were made regarding rate increases. Out-of-town resident Jere Lowe expressed concern over the language in the ordinance and the potential passage of a document that he argued is replete with faulty language. Trustees and Berry stressed that the meeting was called to address water rates, which need to be established prior to passage of the 2016 budget, and that the specifics of the language can be discussed

and adopted at a later date. Adi Vongontard, also an out-of-town user, said the proposed increases are “vastly superior,” and more logical and equitable than the original proposal, which would have doubled rates for business users and increased outof-town residential customer rates by almost 50 percent. Increases in per-gallon volume usage rates are also on the table, although they were not discussed at length during the meeting. Regarding those increases, Ron Rowell, owner of Paonia Laundry Cleaners, urged the town to consider the businesses that will be affected most by such increases, including his business and Paonia Care and Rehabilitation Center. Rowell said the proposed $5.50 per thousand gallon cost of 100,001 or more gallons from the current $4.00 rate could kill businesses and believes in raising the base rate over the volume usage fees. He told the town that his business provides a service, and if people don’t come to his business for that service, they will use the water at home, for which the town will charge the lower volume rate. He said the proposed increase RATE DEBATE TO B2

said Helmer, who enrolled in the course after hearing an SEI school presentation last spring. “I thought it’d be a good opportunity to get out and do some hands-on training, and it’d be kind of cool to get my solar energy installer certification.” Helmer said the class fits well with other class curriculum and scheduling and students are moving quickly through the lessons. So far, “it’s going pretty good.” He is one of many students enrolled in Advanced Placement college preparatory classes and planning to attend college, although he hasn’t chosen a career path. Taking the SEI course could influence his career decisions later on. “I’m just trying it out,” he said. “If I could get a good job in this, I may well do this for a while.” While PV is normally a sixweek course, curriculum has been adapted to meet the high school semester timeline. Students commit to 60 hours of online classroom textbook studies and 30 hours of hands-on training at the SEI campus located on Mathews Lane. Each chapter includes a video and an online quiz, which is graded. The educational disciplines of STEM, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, are all taught within the class, said Mueller. Completion of the course can give students an edge in the job market, in large part because the SEI name, which is highly respected in the field of alternative energy, is on the certificate, and in part because the solar energy industry is growing “in a huge, huge, huge way,” said

Mueller. SEI was founded as a nonprofit educational organization in 1991 and has taught classes to more than 35,000 individuals. Its Solar in the Schools outreach program reaches more than 2,000 students annually through hands-on classroom presentations. “SEI seeks to provide students a new avenue in an emerging industry,” said Mueller, and PV systems are the most common systems used in solar energy production today. The PVOL101 course, SEI’s most popular course, provides a gateway to a career in solar energy and is offered on-campus and online. Senior Warren Minerich comes from a coal mining family and plans to study mining engineering. Minerich said he intends to use the certificate to apply for jobs to help pay his way through college, but also sees the class as something that can be applied to his area of study. So far, said Mueller, all of the students are passing. While there is no final exam per se, the final project, dependent on weather, will be to build and install a grid-tied system at PHS which can be used for future training and education. The project hinges on a pending grant. Mueller said SEI will offer the course at Delta High School in the coming semester. Helmer said he would recommend the course to any student, regardless of their career goals or interests. “It’s a good time,” he said. “It’s not highstress, by any means, but it’s not a coaster class.”

Shining a light on Crawford’s star BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

Crawford Town Hall won’t be as festively lit as in past years due to removal of lights during the renovation project, which was completed last summer. There’s not enough time left to reinstall them, said Bair. “We’ll do what we can to try and make things festive. We have plenty of small lights and decorations that we can light things up with.” Most of the other lights around town are in place and will be lit soon. The star that shines from the water tank above town is showing its age and wear and tear and starting to rust, added Bair. The star was first put in place in the early 1980s by the local Lions Club, and just can’t take much more handling. The steel structure, which measures some 30 feet in diameter, is heavy and requires a fire truck or other piece of heavy equipment and

a winch to put it in place. In the process the star is scratching the paint on the tank. Also, a couple of its legs are barely attached. While it’s been rewelded in the past, at least two of the welds have since broken. Because of its size and condition, “It’s a hazard,” said Bair. Bair recommends that it be rebuilt, perhaps out of lighter material, although it needs to be heavy enough to withstand high winds. At one time it was placed on C-Hill, but that requires Bureau of Land Management permits. “If it’s compromising the tank at all it needs to be rebuilt,” said trustee Mike Tiedeman. While no action was taken, trustees agreed it’s worth replacing, even if the next star is a little smaller. Even a 15-foot star would be easy to see, noted Tiedeman. “It makes a wonderful night light,” said Mayor Susie Steckel.

B2 Wednesday, November 25, 2015

NORTH FORK TIMES

Delta County Independent

Comments sought on Zanni Lateral EA BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

Crawford Public Works Director Bruce Bair updated the town at the Nov. 18 work session on the Bureau of Reclamation’s recent release of a draft environmental assessment on the Zanni Lateral of the Clipper Ditch. The EA addresses a proposed piping project on the lateral as part of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program. The pipeline is one of many being proposed in the Colorado River Basin to help reduce selenium in the basin. It is estimated that 551 tons of salt per

year seep into the basin. The federally funded project, according to the EA, would replace approximately 1.7 miles of open irrigation ditch with buried water pipeline. The lateral section is located entirely on private land beginning in town at the divider head gate at the flour mill south of Highway 92 near the Dogwood Avenue intersection. The pipeline would follow Highway 92 northwest through town, cross under the highway, then run north and west through irrigated lands, ending about 1.3 miles from town boundaries.

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Because the town has drainage water that empties into the Clipper Ditch aquifer, trustees expressed concern over how the project would affect the system. Trustee Larry Kontour noted that area soil is high in alkaline. Open ditches pull the salts from the soil and deposit them into the basin. The Uncompahgre and North Fork river drainPhoto submitted ages put in 5 percent of all the salts in the Enjoy horse-drawn hayrides on Saturday, Dec. 5, in Paonia. Mt. Lamborn Colorado River before it Ranches is hosting the rides which will travel between downtown Paonia and gets to California,” said the Paonia Library, weather permitting. Kontour. Before the problem began being addressed some 20 years ago, said Kontour, birds living downstream in California were experiencing severe birth defects due to the holiday book sale ners will receive one new to selenium concentra(on Saturday only), by hop- book of their choice from tions. Mexico and the ping onto the horse-drawn the library catalog up to a Water Compact states hayride sponsored by Mt. $25 value. Coloring conare looking at Colorado Lamborn Ranches. The test entry forms may be to address the problem. rides start at Lizzy’s Home- picked up at the library The roughly 150-page stead Market on Grand front desk, the Blue document can be found Avenue and turn around Sage Center, and Lizzy’s at usbr.gov/uc/ under at the Paonia Library on Homestead Market from the heading of “Environ3rd Street. Pickup for the Nov. 24 through Dec. 5. mental Documents,” or hayride will begin in front Entries must by in by 2 The Friends of Paonia by calling 970-248-0651. Library will hold their of the Lizzy’s at 10:30 a.m. p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5. annual holiday event (weather permitting), and Kids can color while parbook sales on Friday will end at approximate- ents shop for books. Book lovers — stock afternoon, Dec. 4, from ly 1:30 p.m. The Friends 1 to 5 p.m. and all day of the Library will have up on “gently used” best Saturday, Dec. 5, from free hot chocolate, cider, sellers for gifts, or bring 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the coffee and cookies in the a bag to fill up for your Paonia Library Commu- Library Community Room winter reading! Bring the kids and enjoy being part for everyone. nity Room. A kids’/adults’ color- of all the holiday events On Saturday, the Paonia’s Immanuel library will host a kids’ ing contest is part of the at the library on Dec. 4Lutheran Church, located Holiday Puppet Show at fun! The contest will be 5. For information on the at 5th and North Fork, is 11 and 11:30 a.m. (adults held for four age groups holding its annual bazaar, welcome, too) titled “Bear (3 years to 6; 7 through book sale and to voluncraft sale and chili din- stays up for Christmas!” 9; 10 through 12; and all teer, call Anne Every at Take a round-trip ride ages over 12). The win- 527-4159. ner on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Dinner of chili, cornbread, salad and drink will cost $5. Pie is $1 a slice. The doors open at 11 a.m. and dinner will be served from 11:30 to 1 p.m. For takeouts, call The Hotchkiss High length comedic drama by Courtney Mattler, Cara 527-3232. School Drama Club pres- Don Zolidis follows Dani, Littlefield, Gabe RodriProceeds go to Good ents “Chemical Bond- a recent high school grad- guez and Evelyn Shenck. Shepherd Homes, ing” (or “Better Living uate and class salutato“It’s a great way to HopeWest Hospice, Through Chemistry), rian, as she takes a sum- start your holiday season Orphan Grain Train and Thursday and Friday, mer job working the third celebration,” says director other causes. Dec. 3 and 4. This full- shift at a small-town Lenore Cambria. “Many of chemical factory. As her the actors have been cast friends prepare for col- in multiple roles, which lege with road trips and makes it fun to see how Facebook updates, Dani they can turn into difstruggles with her new ferent characters during job, a new relationship, the show. They’ve really a crazy grandpa, and brought this show to life a serious illness in her with comedy and a heartfamily. When she begins warming story.” Cambria to wonder if she should has directed many of the put off school and figure actors since they were in out what to do with her middle school. “Now that life, her only support, a they are seniors I’m realgroup of eccentric friends ly going to miss them. and her family, persuade They’ve all brought a lot her to pursue her dreams. of spark and joy to the Cast includes Megan community through their Lange, Andrew Oviedo, performances over the Echo Miller-Barnes, years.” Nolan Egging, Kevin Tickets are available Chavez, Brandi Goddard, at the door and are $5 Mario Espinoza, Mor- adults, $4/students and �� gan Miller, Lily Harvey, seniors.

Paonia Library hosts book sale, puppet show

Pick up your coloring contest forms now at the library and other Paonia locations

Immanuel Lutheran hosts bazaar, chili dinner

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HHS play kicks off holidays with ‘Chemical Bonding’

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Rate debate FROM PAGE B1 in volume usage is creating a 70- to 75-percent increase in his water costs. “If you think more water use means more profit, you’re wrong,” he told the board.

Under the revised proposal, a $100 administrative service and capital cost fee for each of the 32 water companies serviced by the town will be negotiated on a per-case basis. Due to ongoing problems with the aging water delivery system, including more than 90 water main breaks this year, Berry is recommending to trustees that no taps be sold out of town until major upgrades can be accomplished. According to town clerk Corinne Ferguson, in 2007 a significant water leak was discovered with the town’s half-million gallon tank. At that time, the tank was taken off line and an emergency ordinance established a moratorium on sale of out-of-town taps until storage could be increased. In 2010, after it was determined that the existing 2 million- and 1 million-gallon tanks could handle the demand, the board voted to allow the sale of up to eight out-of-town taps on a case-by-case basis, with each sale requiring a majority vote of the board. That ordinance remains in place.

NORTH FORK TIMES

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

New GM brings depth of experience to KVNF BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

After a months-long search, KVNF Public Radio has a new general manager. “This is either my fifth or sixth station,” said Jon Howard as he headed into his fourth day on the job. Howard has been in the public broadcasting business for more than 20 years, and KVNF is his fifth or sixth station. As with KVNF, all of the previous stations were commercial-free. In his career, Howard says he’s taken a reverse path to arrive at KVNF.

Most public radio employees will start in a small community radio station and move up to the more mainstream, professionally-staffed stations like Colorado Public Radio. “I’m learning that I prefer the feel of community radio more than the public radio options,” said Howard. “I just like it better. It’s smaller, you get to know everybody better.” Howard moved across seven time zones to get to Paonia after living the last nine years on the Isle of Wight. His wife will make the move in a few

weeks. He’d never heard of Paonia, and found the job posted on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting jobsite. He’s not new to Colorado, having lived in Springfield and La Junta. He also interviewed many years ago for a job at KDNK in Carbondale. While he’s used to packing up and moving, for his wife, a lifelong resident of the Isle of Wight, “This is a huge thing for her. She’s never lived outside of the U.K.” Historically, Howard said he’s taken jobs regardless of location. This time is different. After the couple came to Paonia for the interview

and spent 10 days here, they were hooked on both the area and the station. “I think the people at the station are incredible. I think this is a beautiful facility,” said Howard. Howard is also a licensed Federal Communications Commission engineer. “I’ve hung off of towers in the pouring rain trying to fix antennas,” said Howard. That background gives him a chief engineer’s perspective of the station, and he’s impressed with the facility, which was completed in 2005. The infrastructure allows the station some of the same capabilities as the larger stations. “It is absolutely

beautiful. This little station has some of the coolest tools for a station this size,” he said. That qualification was a big part of what made Howard stand out from the 15 applicants, said KVNF board president Pam Ellison. “We just felt his qualifications made him the obvious choice.” He brings a depth of experience to the position and has a clear understanding of the myriad rules and regulations, added Ellison. “He was head and shoulders above anyone else.” Howard credits his start in public radio to a turquoise Bakelite tabletop Philco radio. He grew

up the seventh of 10 children and the family house in Missouri was always filled with sounds. Top40 radio was just coming on the scene and nearby Kansas City was trying it out. Through top 40 radio, he was exposed to all types of music. His dad was a mail carrier and moonlighted as a TV and radio repairman. Howard said he would follow his dad around with the tool caddy, all the while learning about electronics. With the combination of a love of music, that turquoise Philco and interest in electronics, “It was just a natural progression for me, I think.”

Support Your Local Community Shop Your Small Businesses on

Photo by Tamie Meck

KVNF general manager Jon Howard

Paonia holiday activities BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

Paonia Chamber of Commerce announces a long list of upcoming holiday festivities. Most of the events listed are happening Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4-5. The CAWS Kids Bazaar happens from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily beginning Monday, Nov. 30 through Saturday, Dec. 5, at Barkin’ Bargains, 211 Grand Avenue in Paonia. Proceeds benefit the Citizens for Animal Welfare and Shelter (CAWS). The Town of Paonia will host a Tree Lighting ceremony at Poulos Park from 7-7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. Book lovers can peruse a litany of publications during the Friends of the Paonia Library annual Holiday Book Sale from 1-4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. Shish KaBikes in Paonia will host a holiday open house from Friday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m.8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10-2. Enjoy homemade cookies and locallypressed cider. Enter for a drawing for a bicycle while you’re there. Need not be present to win. Elisabethan will host its ninth annual Shin Diggy studio event from 4-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, featuring locally-made eco-fashions and a selection of local artwork.

Stone Cottage Cellars will offer wine tastings. Revolution Brewing will tap “Three Dog Night,” a new winter lager, while Foxy Moron offers up-cycled one-of-akind wearable art from 4-9 p.m. Friday. The Art Den Trunk Show happens from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, featuring locally made jewelry and artwork. Doorbusters will be announced every hour on the hour. The Hive Paonia will host the Holiday Bazaar from 5-8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4 and 5, featuring a variety of local arts and crafts, goods, services and virtual services. Come sip some local wine and enjoy. Lizzy’s Market invites everyone to enjoy locallysourced hors d’oeuvres and taste wines from Mesa Winds Winery from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. Enjoy hot cider and cookies Friday, Dec. 4, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Paonia Farm and Home third annual Ladies’ Shopping Night. Door prizes will be awarded every 15 minutes. The Art Den, 136 Grand Avenue, will feature jewelry by Catherine Bagley, Tamara Spano and Mystery and Me, and artwork by Dana Bradley from 5-8 p.m. Friday. Doorbusters will be featured every hour on the hour.

Busy month for students BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

Area schools are planning several presentations during the upcoming holiday season. Contact schools for details on any of the programs. Dec. 3-4 at 7 p.m. — Hotchkiss High School Drama Club presents “Chemical Bonding (or “Better Living Through Chemistry). Tickets are $5 adults, $5 students and seniors, and are available at the door. Friday, Dec. 4 — North Fork Montessori School Crawford Winter Music Program/Potluck dinner and Dime Auction. Wednesday, Dec. 9, 67 p.m. — Hotchkiss K-8 School concert. Wednesday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m. — Holiday Concert at Paonia High School. Saturday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. — North

Fork School of Integrated Studies Winter Faire at Paonia Elementary School. Thursday, Dec. 15, 67:30 p.m. — Paonia Elementary School holiday program, Paonia High School gymnasium.

North Fork ski swap is Dec. 5 The annual ski swap in the North Fork will be Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Paonia Town Hall. The event is co-sponsored by the Conservation Center and PPPC Bike Co-op, a program of The Learning Council. A small portion of each transaction will go to the Learning Council.

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY® NOVEMBER 28

Small businesses are the heartbeat of our community, the mom and pop shops, the businesses that help build our local economy.

PLEASE SUPPORT NORTH FORK AREA BUSINESSES DURING THE HOLIDAYS AND EVERY DAY! ��

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Fabulous Holiday Gift Shopping! � ��

B4 Wednesday, November 25, 2015

NORTH FORK TIMES

Delta County Independent

Operation Christmas Child sends boxes of joy BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

Hundreds of underserved children in the U.S. and throughout the world will receive a gift box this Christmas, thanks to an organization called Samaritan’s Purse. Since 1993, the nondenominational evangelical Christian organization has coordinated Operation Christmas Child, an international effort to deliver gift-filled shoe boxes to children throughout the world and “to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way.” Getting boxes into the hands of children is a massive volunteer effort. The third week of November is National Collection Week. On Saturday, Christy Harding was manning the North Fork relay station at Paonia Friends Church, where almost 500 boxes were awaiting delivery on Monday to a collection center in Grand Junction, and more were expected before the weekend was over. From there the boxes will be taken to the regional processing center in Denver, where they’ll be shipped out on semis to the next phase of their trip, and ultimately to their final destination. Boxes, either shoe boxes, plastic bins, or custom boxes provided by OCC, contain ageand gender-specific items including school supplies, toiletries, wash cloths,

bandanas, toys and hard candy. “From there, it’s anything that’s fun,” said Harding. Charlene Dorsey, with the Assembly of God, helped deliver 253 boxes. Dorsey said eight members of the tiny church contributed to the boxes, shopping year-round for gifts and meeting regularly to sew denim jeans into billfolds and purses and to knit hats. Dorsey wrote in an essay on the program that for many of the children receiving a box, “It is probably their first gift, in a simple shoe box.” Watching videos posted at the Samaritan’s Purse website she said tears came to her eyes during a video of an orphaned boy showing his excitement at getting his own toothbrush. “It touched my heart so deeply since my dad was raised in an orphan home in Missouri,” she wrote. Dorsey credits sonin-law and church pastor, Marvin Pemberton, and daughter Suelyn for introducing the small church to OCC. “They have been so encouraged and blessed by the momentum,” wrote Dorsey. Last year, after delivering 190 boxes, they set this year’s goal at 250. According to the Samaritan’s Purse website, in 2014, more than 10 million boxes were delivered internationally, including almost 8 million in the U.S.; since 1993 more than 124 mil-

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lion boxes have been delivered to more than 150 countries and territories through OCC. More than 4,000 drop-off sites exist in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. In addition to the Friends and Assembly of God churches, the Christian Fellowship, First Christian Church, North Fork Baptist and Bible Center churches all contributed. Other area churches participate in OCC. Calvary Baptist Church in Delta is also a collection site. The program isn’t limited to November. Samaritan’s Purse allows anyone to build a shoebox online throughout the year. This year’s boxes are headed for war-torn areas and to children living as refugees and in remote villages, said Harding. Many of the boxes delivered in the U.S. go to

Hotchkiss K-8 School was honored to have First Sergeant Lopez and cadets in the Delta High School JROTC program at its Veterans Day assembly. They presented the colors and taught the students about the meaning of the folding of the American flag. The assembly began with Jenny West singing the national anthem beautifully. First Sergeant Lopez spoke to the student body about the meaning of Veterans Day. The assembly concluded with Private Joseph Boyle, former HK-8 and HHS student, talking about his experience

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Private Joseph Boyle

Results of water �� quality study to be �� presented ��

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Photo by Tamie Meck

Paonia resident Kiya McIntire, left, and sister Brittney Marshall deliver gift boxes to Paonia Friends Church Saturday for Operation Christmas Child. The church is the North Fork relay station for the international program, which delivers millions of shoe box-sized packages to underserved children throughout the world.

JROTC, speakers highlight Veterans Day assembly

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Indian reservations. Deacon Kiya McIntire, head of Children’s Ministry at Paonia Christian Fellowship, said she and her sister, Brittney Marshall of Ruidoso, N.M., have been filling boxes every year since they were little girls, and are now teaching their children about the boxes. Marshall was visiting for the holiday and helped with Saturday’s delivery. “Mom and Dad encouraged us to give at a young age,” said McIntire.” One of their best memories was when they were 7 or 8 years old and received a letter from a child in Latin America thanking them for the gifts. Harding said that her two young daughters helped with the project and are learning about the gift of giving. “They’re starting to get the picture,” said Harding.

This summer, the Conservation Center and the Colorado Water and Energy Research Center at CU Boulder sampled local ground and surface water to assess for impacts from oil and gas development and to create a baseline for groundwater quality in the North Fork Valley. The findings and what they mean for local water quality will be presented on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6-8 p.m. at the Paonia Library. The speakers will be: • Jessica Lewand, of CWERC, who will present results from the baseline water quality monitoring study conducted in 2014-15; • Dr. Mark Williams, of CWERC/CU Boulder, will present findings on impacts of oil and gas development on water quality in the DenverJulesburg and San Juan Basins; and • Katya Hafich, of CWERC, will present a short training on the CWERC Groundwater Monitoring Guide for people to learn how to monitor their own groundwater quality. Join us for a very informative evening! For more information, contact Alex at director @theconservationcenter. org.

Photo submitted

Students and staff stand respectfully as Jenny West sings the national anthem to open a Veterans Day assembly at Hotchkiss K-8 School. serving in the United States Army. He spoke about the importance of GRIT (growth, resilience, integrity and tenacity) in all the students do every day. “It was a pleasure to have First Sergeant Lopez and Private Boyle speak to our students,” said principal Carrie Yantzer. “It was a glorious day to recognize our veterans.” A special recognition was given to the school’s Photo submitted very own veteran, Chuck Delta High School JROTC cadets demonstrate the Miller, fifth grade teach- proper way to fold a U.S. ﬂag, as a narrator coner. veyed the meaning of each fold.

Bair appointed to Gunnison Roundtable BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

Bruce Bair, public works director for the Town of Crawford, has been named an at-large member of the Gunnison Basin Roundtable. Bair expressed interest in the roundtable in September when Wendell Koontz, the mayor of Hotchkiss and senior mine geologist for Arch Coal, announced he would be stepping down as municipal representative for Delta County. Roundtables were created out of the Colorado Water for the 21st Century Act to facilitate discussion between basins on water management issues. Terms are for five years. The Gunnison Basin Roundtable is one of nine roundtables representing each of the state’s eight major river basins and

Photo by Tamie Meck

Crawford public works director Bruce Bair was recently appointed an at-large member of the Gunnison Basin Roundtable. the Denver metropolitan area. Lake San Cristobal and sediment removal from Paonia Reservoir are listed as the basin’s major projects. Bair said his first meeting will be in December. “I’m really looking forward to it,” said Bair.

Trustee Hetty Todd thanked Bair for taking care of the town’s water supply and ensuring that Crawford doesn’t have to spend a lot of money on water filtration projects because of his ongoing efforts to test the town’s water.

Photo submitted

Elks honor North Fork students

Hotchkiss Elks Lodge No. 1807 recently announced its Students of the Month for the current school year. Shown with Exalted Ruler Bob Kapus are Nick Cambria of Hotchkiss, second from right, who was named Student of the Month for September, and Jeramiah Hillman, left, and Chelsea Meilner, who were named Students of the Month for October.

LOCAL NEWS

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Holiday help is on the way with Delta County Libraries BY LEAH MORRIS Delta County Libraries

A Thanksgiving turkey sits on the counter, thawed and awaiting preparation. Sweet potatoes and apples beg to be made into delicious dishes. Family members argue about football and politics. Kids whine because no one is playing with them. The car won’t start in the cold. Teenagers complain about the music. Someone wonders how to pronounce the name of the fancy French cheese in the refrigerator. It is time for Delta County Libraries to step in and help out. Even if it is a holiday and library buildings are closed, a visit to www.delta libraries.org/holidayideas/ will provide much needed recipe books, magazines, and other resources to answer the needs of each family member without anyone having to leave the comforts of home. The food is a good first step. One click on the OverDrive icon gives access to a multitude of e-books containing recipes for every type of cook, from gluten-free and vegan options to glorious desserts and make-ahead dishes. A few downloaded e-books will keep the turkey from sitting naked for long. Next, let Delta County Libraries settle disputes.

Check out current issues of magazines like ESPN and Newsweek to find upto-date news. If OverDrive does not contain the right magazine, the libraries’ Zinio account provides a different assortment of popular magazines. Whining kids can be quickly subdued with a click on the BookFlix icon. This site reads books to kids, pairing picture books with educational titles. Older kids have the option of reading along, and everyone will learn something while having fun. Teenagers, too, can enjoy Delta County Libraries by accessing Freegal Music, where they will have access to millions of songs which they can stream and download. The site offers a lot of new and popular albums, as well as many other genres and music videos. The holiday music playlist should satisfy the whole family with a song for everyone. The cheese question can be settled with a visit to Mango Languages, which provides a French language class specifically geared toward wine

and cheese. Mango makes learning other languages easy with a simple and fun approach to over 70 different languages. And finally, a diagnosis and maybe a fix for the car is possible through the Auto Repair Reference Center. Patrons can simply search for a car make, model and year, then narrow down the search to find the problem, print out a few pages, and get to work. Delta County Libraries is dedicated to helping Delta County residents find the solutions they need, over the holidays and throughout the year. These website databases, and many others, are always available to patrons with a valid library card. “We work hard to provide Delta County residents access to the same opportunities as library patrons in larger cities,” says interim district director Lea Hart. So, as the holiday season commences, patrons can pull out their library cards, turn on the wireless, and give thanks for the multitude of resources available through Delta County Libraries.

Holiday Art Fair at the Blue Sage The 23rd annual Holiday Art Fair happens 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Blue Sage Center for the Arts in Paonia. Fill out your Christmas list early at this intimate event with a selection of handcrafted gifts including paintings and prints, sculpture, pottery, clothing, fiber arts, jewelry, candles, honey, wreaths and more. Contact the Blue Sage at 527-7243 for more information.

Camera shy

Photo by Tamie Meck

A rafter of wild turkeys heads for a foot bridge and away from the camera lens Sunday between Paonia and Somerset. While they often hang out along roadsides and in fields, wild turkeys are considered very difficult to hunt because they are extremely wary, know when they’re being hunted, and are highly adept at camouflaging themselves.

Exceptional Eagles

Photo submitted

On Nov. 11, the pictured Paonia Elementary School students were recognized for demonstrating S.O.A.R. behavior at school (back row, left to right): Trista Sweezey for achievement and respect; Olivia White, Edwardo Carrillo, Hazel Dirk and Adrienne Nolan for order, achievement and respect; Addison Emmons for achievement and respect; (front row) Yatziri Martinez, Tia Homedew and Billy Roach for achievement and respect. Paonia Elementary School provides a SAFE and ORDERLY environment that promotes high ACHIEVEMENT and growth, individuality and RESPECT.

Safety Day

Photo submitted

Hotchkiss K-8 third, fourth and fifth graders learned a lot during Safety Day sponsored by the North Ambulance Service. The students were able to look inside an ambulance and fire truck and learned the roles of the first responders and law enforcement officers.

B6 Wednesday, November 25, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

Delta County Independent

What’s happening at your library? The Delta County Libraries offer many educational and entertaining activities and events for you and your family to enjoy. If you want to know what else your library is offering, please contact the library or visit the Delta County Libraries website at www.delta libraries.org. Check out

these programs: Cedaredge for Storytime Babies, Tots and Preschoolers at the Cedaredge Library. Thursdays starting at 10:30 a.m. Parents and tots are invited to participate in a reading time together. Maker Space Spe-

Highest bidder

Photo submitted

LeAnna Spadafora had the highest bid for the Bosom Buddies hot pink hot tub online auction. LeAnna and Deisel celebrate the installation of their new hot tub thanks to the generosity of Hot Water Productions and co-sponsor Alpine Bank.

cial. Pasta Maker Madness! Come in any day we are open in November and try your skills at making the perfect pasta noodles. We have the machine and the dough. If you have never tried making your own pasta, this is your chance! We don’t recommend eating any of your creations — this is more of a chance to play and have fun with the process. Any age is welcome; small children (under 7) should be supervised by a parent. Computer Class. Optimizing your gmail account. Learn how to avoid virus infection, how to properly forward an email, get rid of unwanted senders, create email groups and print what you want. Friday, Nov. 27, at 10:30 a.m. Genealogy. Who’s Who in Whoville ... find out who you really are. Friday, Dec. 4, at 10:30 a.m. Teen Scene. Come and make a Christmas gift or two with the other “elves.” Don’t forget to bring a white elephant gift (something you already have) to exchange! Friday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m. Cedaredge Friends Meeting. The public is welcome! Thursday, Dec. 10, at 3 p.m. Computer Class. Create a greeting card with Photoshop Elements. Friday, Dec. 11, at 10 a.m. Crafts Group. Crafters meet each Tuesday at 10 a.m. to share ideas and show and tell. Contact the library at 3997674 for details. Tech Soup Saturday. Bring your devices

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and your questions. Our expert “techies” will do their best to answer your questions. Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Crawford Storytime for Babies, Tots and Preschoolers at the Crawford Library. Stories, games, songs, activities and crafts for kids 0-5 and their parents or caretakers. Thursdays starting at 10:30 a.m. Contact the library at 399-7783 for details. Holiday Card Making and Gingerbread Houses. Bring your family to the Crawford Library for some holiday cheer and fun craft projects! Thursday, Dec. 3, at 1 p.m. Holiday Card Making. Get inspired for the holidays! Jan Ryan will provide tips and supplies to make exceptional holiday cards this season. Friday, Dec. 4, at 1 p.m. Computer Tutor. Librarians will be available to help you with questions and problems about computers or mobile devices. Just drop in during regular library hours or call ahead for a specific time. Contact the library at 399-7783 for details. Delta Storytimes. Storytimes for babies, tots and preschoolers are Wednesdays starting at 10:30 a.m. Free Heart Health Screenings. Free heart health screenings are being offered at the Delta Library every Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Operation Troop Bounty. Lee Marts VFW Post 3571, its Auxiliary, and the Delta Library are teaming up again to help supply deployed active-duty military men and women with “goodie boxes” from home. This joint project, dubbed Operation Troop Bounty, provides a local way for community members to provide active-duty military personnel with such useful and appreciated things as travel-size toiletries, snacks (such as jerky, gum, individual-size packs of snack crackers and cookies, unfortunately exempting chocolate, which melts in so many environments), books, hard candy, individual packets of baby wipes, packaged individual drinks (coffee, tea, cocoa, etc.), puzzles, combs and more! The dropoff bin is located at the Delta Library by the main circulation desk. Now until Nov. 28. NaNoWriMo Write In. Writing a novel? Need dedicated time and space to meet the NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 words? Join other writers in the Delta area for a write-in at the Delta Library every Tuesday in November. Bring a light snack to share. Tuesdays in November at 5:30 p.m. November Book

Club. Discuss Harper Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman” in this month’s book club meeting. Saturday, Nov. 28, at 1 p.m. Teen/Tween Holiday Party. Join us for a holiday party with tasty treats, awesome games, goodies to take home and more! For fifth grade and up. Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 4 p.m. Decorate a Gingerbread House. Come and decorate your very own gingerbread house. Participants are invited to enter their creations into the gingerbread contest or take them home to enjoy. This event is free and all supplies will be provided, but signup is required. All ages are welcome, but children under 8 should be accompanied by an adult. For more information call the Hotchkiss Library at 3997781. Thursday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. Friends of the Delta Library Meeting. Public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 5:30 p.m. Reading - The Night Before Christmas. Delta’s own Felicia Sabartinelli reads from the humorous collection of “The Night Before Christmas” books. Saturday, Dec. 12, at 1:30 p.m. Duct Tape Creation Station. Procrastinating on gifts this year? Come get crafty at our duct tape creation station. Supplies and project ideas provided. The creation station will be located in the teen area of the Delta Library Dec. 14-23. Come in any time to make a unique gift for yourself or someone special in your life! Talk & Tangle Yarn. This is a group of knit and crochet enthusiasts who get together to talk and work on their individual projects. Anyone is welcome to join. Mondays starting at 5:30 p.m. Tech Talk. Bring in your devices and get help from our tech-savvy staff! Every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Call the library to find out about this week’s class at 874-9630. Hotchkiss Storytimes. Baby, tot and preschooler storytimes are Wednesdays starting at 10:30 a.m. Join us for stories, activities and crafts downstairs. Contact the library at 399-7781 for details. Knitting Group. Do you knit or crochet? Join us for ideas, help and good company. Anyone is welcome to join. Call the Hotchkiss Library to get more information on this group. Wednesdays at 4 p.m. Teen/Tween Holiday Party. Join us for a holiday party with tasty treats, awesome games, goodies to take home and more. For fifth grade and up. Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 4 p.m. Decorate a Gingerbread House. Come and decorate your very own

gingerbread house. Participants are invited to enter their creations into the gingerbread contest or take them home to enjoy. This event is free and all supplies will be provided, but signup is required. All ages are welcome, but children under 8 should be accompanied by an adult. Thursday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. Hotchkiss Gingerbead Contest. Participants are invited to enter their gingerbread house creations into the gingerbread contest. Categories: children, family, adult entries. Deliver entries to the Hotchkiss Library any time during the first week of December. All entries must be submitted by Thursday Dec. 3, at 5 p.m. Open to the public Dec. 7-17. Winners will be announced Dec. 21. Entries need to be picked up by Dec. 30. Tech Help. Librarians will be available to help you with questions and problems about computers or mobile devices. Tuesday–Thursday by appointment. Contact the library at 399-7781 for details. Paonia Storytimes. Baby, tot and preschooler storytimes are Tuesdays starting at 10:30 a.m. Contact Paonia Library at 3997881 for information. Holiday Coloring Contest. For all ages. Pick up your age group coloring pages at the Paonia Library, Blue Sage or Paonia Farm and Home Store. Contest runs from Nov. 23-Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. when library closes. The winners in each age group get to pick out a new book up to $25 value. Movie at the Library. Come see the much anticipated follow-up movie to “Jurassic Park” on the big screen with your friends and family! Friday, Nov. 27, at 2 p.m. Holiday Book Sale. The Friends of the Paonia Library will have a wonderful selection of gently used materials available for purchase. Stock up on winter reading material, find some great gifts, and have fun with the friends! Friday, Dec. 4, at 1 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Holiday Puppet Show. Join the Paonia Library Puppeteers for another delightful puppet show the whole family can enjoy. Shows will take place at 11 and 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. Movie for Grownups. Paonia Library presents a movie for grownups, about the world’s first consulting detective. Garnering great reviews, Ian McKellan stars as Sherlock in his later years (struggling with early dementia but still possessing most of that remarkable mind), with Laura Linney as his housekeeper. Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m.

LOCAL NEWS

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Friends and family members affected by alcoholics don’t have to wait to get help For anyone who is living with the effects of a loved one’s drinking, the strain on mental and emotional well-being can be significant. “There is nothing worse than the pain and the loneliness of living with an alcoholic,” said Suzanne, an anonymous commenter on a “First Steps to AlAnon Recovery” podcast. In Al-Anon’s 2015 Membership Survey, 84 percent of respondents assessed the condition of their mental health to be below average before attending Al-Anon meet-

ings. However, after attending Al-Anon meetings, the percentage of respondents assessing the condition of their mental health to be below average fell to 6 percent. Danielle Fritze, Mental Health America director of public education, said in an interview with Al-Anon, “Al-Anon’s biggest benefit to friends and family members of problem drinkers, as I see it, is being a forum for people to ‘talk about it.’” “Stigma and the isolation and shame that go

along with it can really take a toll on a person, and having a safe and supportive place to talk about the issues that you are facing can provide a great sense of relief and opportunity to learn from others,” she said. “The sooner people can get to an Al-Anon meeting, the sooner they may begin seeing increased happiness in their lives, whether or not their loved one continues to drink,” said Pamela Walters, marketing information analyst at Al-Anon Family Group Headquar-

Arch Coal Foundation awards teaching grants Nine Delta County teachers have been named recipients of innovative teaching grants by the Arch Coal Foundation, according to Jim Miller, general manager of Mountain Coal Company’s West Elk mine. This is the ninth year that the Arch Coal Foundation has set aside $10,000 to award grants to support teaching excellence in Delta County. The nine recipients and their projects are: “Crime Scene Investigation” – Megan Downs, Delta High School: Downs’ forensic students will gather evidence from a mock crime scene, analyze evidence, interview witnesses and hold a mock trial for the suspect. Students will be given roles as police officers, crime scene investigators, detectives or specialists (blood splatter analyst, fingerprint analyst, etc.). The project will increase the students’ ability to think critically, work in groups and present information publicly, which are important in career development. The grant will underwrite the cost of the equipment and project materials. “CHS Happenings through Video Production” – Kim Freeman and C.J. Cannell, Cedaredge High School: The teachers want to increase knowledge about school activities and student achievement through more professional videos. Students will produce short weekly videos, which will be shown to CHS students internally as well as placed on the CHS YouTube channel for external audiences. This will allow the school to reach a broader group of people including parents and community members both locally and across the country. The grant will provide a new video editing system. “Academic Learning through Fishing” – Amanda Cerise, Cedaredge Middle School: Cedaredge sixth-graders will support their outdoor education class with a fly-fishing unit designed to educate them on river ecology, hydrology and wildlife biology, as they study the anatomy and health of a river and the creatures that inhabit it. Students will incorporate geography, reading, science and math throughout the unit as they learn about river recreation and aquatic science. The unit also will include learning basic flyfishing techniques, fish and insect identification, fly-tying, water safety and trip planning. The project will culminate with each student planning his or her dream fishing trip, including a detailed trip plan and proposed budget, a topographic area map, a packing list of necessary equipment and a detailed itinerary for each day of the trip. The foundation will supply the necessary fly-fishing equipment and materials for the hands-on portion of the project. “E-textiles: Art and Electronics” – Esther Alsum and Sarah Beiger, North Fork Montessori:

Students will be introduced to the concepts and materials used to create e-textiles, including fabric and embedded electronics such as LED lights, conductive thread, speakers and small computers. Students will learn about basic electrical circuits, computer programming, and hand-sewing and embroidery, and they will use these skills to complete an e-textile item such as a bookmark or small wearable item. The grant will underwrite the cost of materials. “Outdoor Learning Center” – Michael Chastain, Lincoln Elementary: Chastain plans to construct a series of outdoor learning centers at the school that can be used not only for science, technology, engineering and math classes, but also for reading, language arts, art, music and social studies classes. Each grade level will have an area set aside for its particular needs, but all areas also can be used by every grade level along with special groups such as gifted and talented. The learning centers will provide a much-needed outlet for student investigation, community involvement and building an atmosphere of academic exploration in a safe and stimulating environment. The foundation’s grant will fund equipment to support the center’s startup. “First Annual High Altitude Challenge” – Ben Magtutu and Scott Siettmann, Delta High School: Student teams from Delta High School’s AP Physics 2 class will compete in the first annual High Altitude Challenge. The project requires teams to design, develop, launch and subsequently retrieve and return to earth a scientific payload exceeding 120,000 feet in altitude. Students will gain valuable physics knowledge and hands-on experience in the fields of science, technology, engineer-

ing and math. The grant will help purchase equipment needed to develop payloads and also will be shared with other disciplines within the school. “This year the foundation made a significant program change,” Miller explained. “In the past, applicants were restricted to requests of no more than $500. Those limits were removed this year and teachers were challenged to stretch their imaginations and develop interesting, creative projects with broad appeal to many students in the county. We look to our local teachers to enhance student learning in Delta County, and we are pleased to recognize their commitment.” Applicants — either individual classroom teachers or several educators working in collaboration at one school or at schools across the county — could request funds for projects up to and including the entire $10,000 made available by the foundation. A committee of area residents and local employees reviewed the applications for creativity, clear program goals and specific

ters, Inc. “When we think about cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, we don’t wait years to treat them,” said Fritze. “We start ‘before Stage 4,’ and we need to treat mental health issues with the same sense of urgency. When you compare the stages of mental illness to the stages of other chronic health conditions, that really seems to resonate with people. That is why Mental Health America has chosen B4Stage4 as the framework for its outreach efforts in 2015.” “It is important for people to seek help for mental health issues because there is no health without mental health,” said Fritze. “Everyone has something to offer to their family, friends, and community and we want people to be their best, most productive, healthiest selves, from head to toe,” she said. “I attended my first Al-Anon meeting last week,” said Suzanne. “I wish I had not waited so long. I felt a sense of peace. Finally, I did not feel so all alone. I was surrounded by compassionate people who understood my pain.” Al-Anon Family Groups are for families and friends who have been affected by a loved one’s drinking. Nearly 16,000 local groups meet throughout the U.S., Canada, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico every week. Al-Anon Family Groups have been offering strength and support to families and friends of problem drinkers since 1951. For more information about Al-Anon Family Groups, go to al-anon. org and read a copy of Al-Anon’s annual public outreach magazine “AlAnon Faces Alcoholism 2015.” Find a local meeting by calling Elizabeth W. at 874-9832 or tollfree 1-888-4AL-ANON.

Photos submitted

Pie eating contest

Black Canyon Boys and Girls Club of Olathe, Colorow staff and residents participated in Colorow’s annual pie eating contest last week. Below are the winners (left to right) Shonda Young, Colorow staff, ﬁrst place; Katlin Young, Black Canyon Boys and Girls Club project manager, second; and Samantha Luraschi, Black Canyon member, third.

Dolphin House gains accreditation The Dolphin House Child Advocacy Center has been awarded accreditation by National Children’s Alliance. The accrediting agency for children’s advocacy centers across the country, National Children’s Alliance awards various levels of accreditation and membership to centers responding to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient, and put the needs of child victims of abuse first. Accreditation is the highest level of membership with National Children’s Alliance and denotes excellence in service provision. The Dolphin House Child Advocacy Center serves child abuse victims and their nonoffending family members throughout the entire 7th Judicial Dis-

trict including the counties of Delta, Montrose, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Ouray and San Miguel. Services provided include child forensic interviews, medical exams, crisis and ongoing support, victim advocacy, and mental health assessments and referrals. “Accreditation validates our efforts as a community in providing services to victims of child abuse. In addition, accreditation opens doors for additional funding and sustainability for the organization,” said Rhonda Follman, executive director for the Dolphin House Child Advocacy Center. For more information about Dolphin House Child Advocacy Center please visit our website at www.dolphinhouse colorado.org.

B8 Wednesday, November 25, 2015

June Story

Longtime Paonia resident June E. Story died Nov. 15, 2015, at Horizons Care Center in Eckert. She was 83. No services are planned at this time. Mrs. Story was born in Pueblo June 19, 1932, to Ralph and Grace King. She enjoyed reading the Bible and talking about her faith and hopes for the future. She was a member of the Hotchkiss congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Mrs. Story is survived by her son, Joel (Tara) Story of Meeker; her daughter, Barbara (Eric) Strebel of Hotchkiss; two granddaughters; and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Melvin Story in 2007; and two sons, Shane Story and Mark Story. Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory handled the arrangements. View the Internet obituary and sign the online guest registry at taylor funeralservice.com.

Steve Perea

Steve L. Perea, a Delta resident for 50 years, died Nov. 16, 2015, at his home in Delta. He was 78. A celebration of life was held Saturday, Nov. 21, at Delta First Assembly of God. Mr. Perea was born in

OBITUARIES

Edith May 4, 1937, to Alcario and Della Perea. He married Phyllis Silva Oct. 19, 1958, in Pagosa Springs. He enjoyed being a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, fixing and painting cars, riding horses, building things and spending time with his family. He enjoyed telling stories and published a book titled Childhood Stories from Colorado. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Phyllis Perea; three daughters, Angela (Robert) Lovato of Grand Junction, Carol Perea (George Montes) of Bismarck, N.D., and Becky (Drew) Black of Henderson, Nev.; a sister, Tina Sandoval of Silt; his brother, Al Perea of Grand Junction; a brother-in-law, Ben Lovato of Delta; seven grandchildren; and nine greatgrandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, Paul Perea; a sister, Nettie Lovato; a brother-in-law, Julian Sandoval; a sister-in-law, Ida Perea; and extended family. Memorial contributions may be sent to Phyllis Perea, c/o Angela Lovato, 2724 Rincon Dr., Grand Junction, CO 81503. Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory handled the arrangements. View the Internet obituary and sign the online guest registry at taylor funeralservice.com.

Neil Thompson

Paonia resident Neil Thompson died Nov. 20, 2015, at Paonia Care Center. He was 85. Gerald Neil Thompson was born at home near Tokio, Texas, March 10, 1930, to John and Katie (DuBose) Thompson. When he was 5 years old the family moved to

Custom Engraved.... Granite Memorials Stone Signs Address Rocks Pet Memorials & Much More ��

Brownfield, Texas. He graduated from Brownfield High School in 1947. He attended Texas A&M College in Bryan, Texas. He married June Hodges on March 24, 1951, in Lovington, N.M. They moved to Paonia in 1967. Mr. Thompson was a bookkeeper for Copeland Hardware and a partner in Cargill Tractor Company in Brownfield. He was a 60-year member of the Masonic Lodge. He served two terms as grand master of the Paonia AF & AM Masonic

BY LOUANN DROWN Grand Mesa Oncology and Infusion Center

The Basics Lung cancer cells are different from normal cells. They are unable to stop growing and dividing and they do not die; the cancer cells just “stop doing anything useful.” When we breathe in, air travels through the trachea, which then divides into a right and left bronchus. From the bronchus, it divides further into smaller segments called alveoli. There are millions of microscopic alveoli through which oxygen diffuses into red blood cells. The red blood cells travel throughout the body carrying nourishment and oxygen. Types of Lung Cancer 1. Non small cell lung cancer (adenocarcinoma, squamous cell, large cell) is the most common lung cancer, approximately 40 percent of all lung cancers. 2. Small cell lung cancer represents approximately 15-20 percent; it grows and spreads rapidly. Causes of Lung Cancer Eighty-five to ninety percent of lung cancers are caused by carcinogens in tobacco which cause damage (mutation) to the DNA in lung cells. Lung cancer is not inherited. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women and men. Commonly, lung cancer is found in current or former smokers, usually in their late 60s.

sister, Janell Pharr of Lubbock, Texas; a sisterin-law, Janet Thompson of Arlington, Texas; and extended family. He was preceded in death by four brothers, C.B., Mansel, John and David; and a brother-inlaw, Harold Pharr. Memorial services will be held at a later date. Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory is handling the arrangements. View the Internet obituary and sign the online guest registry at taylor funeralservice.com.

About 15 percent of lung cancers are people who have never smoked. Symptoms The symptoms of lung cancer depend on location. Common symptoms include cough, bloodtinged mucous and shortness of breath. If the lung cancer (tumor) arises further out from the lung near the chest wall, the patient can experience pain. Diagnosis Because these symptoms are common in respiratory illness, the patient is often treated with antibiotics. The symptoms don’t go away; a chest X-ray is taken revealing a mass (tumor) in the chest. This is followed by a CT of the chest. Next a biopsy (sampling of tissue) will help determine the type of lung cancer and treatment. A biopsy can be obtained by bronchoscopy or surgery. The doctor will need to determine the type of lung cancer (small cell or non small cell), the size of the tumor and if the cancer has spread to other areas in the body (metastasis). Treatment The three traditional treatments for lung cancer include surgery, radiation and chemo-

therapy. Surgery is an operation to remove the tumor. Radiation delivers a beam of radiation aimed at the tumor. Chemotherapy is medication taken either by mouth or intravenously that will kill cancer cells or stop their growth. Small cell lung cancer tends to be more sensitive to chemotherapy and radiation. Should I Quit Smoking? Yes! The National Cancer Institute has found that patients with cancer who continue to smoke could decrease the effectiveness of their treatment and

increase the likelihood of a second cancer. Also, continued smoking could worsen the side effects of treatment, put you at increased risk for complications, and decrease survival time. This article is based on information from “Lung Cancer” by Joan H. Schiller, MD, 2014. For more information, visit these websites: National Lung Cancer Partnership, CancerCare, Cancer.net, National Cancer Institute, National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials, Quitnet (for smoking cessation) and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

Celebrate those you love this holiday season Join HopeWest and become a part of a heartfelt ceremony dedicated to remembering those who have touched our lives. Light up a Life will take place on Thursday, Dec. 3, at 5:30 p.m. at Heirlooms for Hospice, 521 Main Street in Delta. This beautiful ceremony honors loved ones and celebrates the hope that HopeWest brings to patients and families.

The evening will feature holiday music, remembrance of loved ones, an inspiring holiday message and refreshments. Celebrate the lives of friends and family with the purchase of a personalized pewter heart ornament, luminary, greeting card or make a donation in honor of a loved one. Find out more about these options by visiting www.HopeWestCO.org.

Meal sites close for the holiday The senior center meal sites at Delta, Cedaredge, Hotchkiss and Paonia will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26-27 for the Thanksgiving holiday. No meals will be served by Senior CommUnity Meals, there will be no Meals On Wheels deliveries, and the Delta Senior Center’s Thrift Store will also be closed. The Hotchkiss Senior Center will be open on Thursday, Nov. 26, for a community Thanksgiving dinner, but it is not organized by the seniors there.

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Denver Broncos, his granddaughter Julia Thompson singing his favorite hymns and country music, and singing in the choir at First Christian Church where he was the song leader for 17 years. He also sang at many funerals over the years. He is survived by his wife, June; son, Jerry (Deborah); daughter, Pamela (Steve); four grandchildren, Aubrey Harris, Jennifer Clark, Julia Thompson and Wyatt Thompson; three great-grandchildren; a

The basics of lung cancer

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Lodge, as well as treasurer and various positions. He served on the Farmers Home Administration board and the board of the Minnesota Canal and Reservoir Company for over 40 years. He was president of the Beaver Reservoir board for 35 years. He was a motor sergeant in the National Guard Howitzer Company, 112th Armored Cavalry Regiment of Texas for 14 years. Mr. Thompson enjoyed farming, especially growing apples, pears and peaches, football, the

Delta County Independent

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Delta County Historical Society photo

Delta Museum’s special World War II exhibit opened Nov. 7, with living veterans sharing their stories and a presentation made to Ensign Bellmire’s family. Bellmire was killed during a training exercise during the war.

Remembering World War II

War’s lasting effects BY MATT SOPER

Delta County Historical Society

“The war took my dad. He wasn’t going to knock on my door and tell me it was all a mistake,” Vicky Lehmann said during an emotional interview. Lehmann had just turned one year old when her father was shot in the head and killed by a German sniper during the Battle of Normandy. This past summer, Lehmann and her husband, Dave, traveled to France, for the first time, to visit her father’s grave and pay their respects. “I longed, growing up, to sit on my daddy’s lap, but that never happened,” Lehmann said. “Being able to see his grave brought the closure I needed.” Descendents of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the liberation of the European continent from the Nazis are treated with esteem, respect and attention by the American Battlefield Monuments Commission. Families are provided service records and a graveside memorial in which American and French flags are laid at the marker. “At the grave, they told

me my dad was a hero. I had never thought of my dad as being a hero. They explained that he saved a lot of people by helping to end the war and rescue them from Nazi oppression,” Lehmann said. “I thought, ‘This is kind of an awesome thought.’ ” The effects of World War II are long-reaching and Lehmann is not alone in feeling that the war took her dad. Muriel Marshall, in her book, Where Riv-

Historical society photo

Alvin Lee Marts died in the Paciﬁc Theater during World War II. His bravery led the Navy to name the USS Marts in his memory.

ers Meet, describes how Alvin Lee Marts, who enlisted in the Navy after he graduated from Delta High School, was present during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Marts went on to “serve at Midway, Wake and other South Pacific battles, but he was killed in action off the coast of Salvo Island on Nov. 30, 1942,” Marshall wrote. Marts served with such distinction and bravery that the U.S. Navy named the USS Marts for him and the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) organized as the Lee Marts VFW Post 3571. The total number of American servicemen and women who gave their lives for their nation during World War II was 407,300. Over 700 men and women from Delta County served in the armed forces during the war, and 83 lost their lives. The Delta Museum has included a table setting in its special World War II veterans’ exhibit to symbolize those who served but never returned home to join their families for holiday festivities.

SURFACE CREEK November 25, 2015

NEWS

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www.deltacountyindependent.com

Cedaredge preps for a Cowboy Christmas parade Music, shopping and food round out big day of fun BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

Cedaredge is making preparations for its annual Parade of Lights this year on Saturday, Dec. 5. Events are being scheduled and local businesses are including activities to help celebrate the event. This year’s theme is a “Cowboy Christmas,” and there are sure to be plenty of cowboys and cowgirls in the parade down Main Street which gets underway at 6 p.m. This year’s “Cowboy Christmas” parade entry forms are available at the Chamber of Commerce office. The chamber’s hours are 9 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 4 p.m. Folks may also enter by simply calling the chamber during office hours, and the staff there said they will complete an entry form over the phone — 856-6961. A few steps away from Main Street at the Chapel of the Cross in Pioneer Town there will be the traditional two concert performances on Dec. 5. This year’s music will feature the Surface Creek Valley’s favorite cowboy balladeer, Ray Carpenter. Ray’s authentic western voice will fill the chapel to the rafters with western-style holiday music fitted to the Parade of Lights theme and to the Christmas season. His performances will be at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. As always, admission to the chapel music events is by donation; but for this special event a ticket is needed to make sure there is enough seating for all. The

free tickets are available at Gazebo Florist and at Munson’s Main Street Gallery. Santa will visit the Chamber of Commerce office beginning at 4 p.m. Parents are advised to bring their kids and their own cameras for a holiday tradition snapshot of the youngsters with the Jolly Elf. The third annual Habitat for Humanity gingerbread house building and decorating festival is scheduled for the Civic Center again. It will take place from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5. There will be a silent auction also. Tickets to participate in the gingerbread house activity are available in advance by calling Cedaredge Land Company at 856-3173, according to organizers. During the parade there will be hot cider available to help chase any wintery chills at the town offices. The planned events and activities include the following ones: • A kids’ free winter coat and jacket giveaway will be hosted by the local Methodist women at the Masonic Hall beginning at 3 p.m. • The chili and baked potato bar in the Masonic Hall from 4-7 p.m. • At the other end of Main Street a new artists’ co-op is planning to have a grand opening event on parade day so there will be something brand new for families to experience. •The Living Christmas Card at the Methodist Women’s Thrift Shop front window beginning at 3 p.m. • There will be a display and mini-seminar on woodworking conducted at Munson’s Main Street Gallery by Walt Anderson.

High country, low country

Approaching winter shows its hand early the morning after a recent snowstorm that hit Grand Mesa but left lower elevations untouched, including this favorite vantage point atop Slaughter Grade.

Anchor broadband sites will cost town $75,000 BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

Cedaredge will be looking at a cost of some $75,000 for its share to extend fiber optic cable to institutional anchor sites in town, according to a report to the trustees on Nov. 19. Under the Region 10 broadband plan, fiber optic cable will be extended to a “carrier-

Change orders adding to sewer plant costs BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

The Cedaredge trustees approved change order work on the sewer plant project at their Nov. 19 meeting that will add some costs to be paid from the project contingency fund. There was lengthy board discussion over a telecommunications link from the plant to a plant operator’s home that would sound an alarm in the event of serious failure. Trustee discussion centered around confusion about what was included in the bid prices, wasn’t included, and what level of equipment and engineering would be needed. Trustee Larry Smith called the matter “an engineering issue.” Trustee Ray Hanson replied, “But we’re paying for it.” Before approving the $32,488 additional expenditure, trustee Al Smith

remarked, “We’re over a barrel, but what can you do?” Trustees also approved the addition of a domestic water line to serve the new plant. The improvement to the original plans will add $115,683 in cost to pay for the 5,000-footlong water service line. The water line was removed from the original project to save money to pay costs of sludge removal from the town’s old lagoons. When sludge removal cost bids came in lower than expected, the water line was added back in, explained Katie Sickles, town administrator. Also of increasing cost concern to trustees on the sewer plant project are additional billings to the town for engineering work. On-site services provided by the town’s engineering firm based in Boulder had been agreed on at $98,000 before construction. The town

Cedaredge ﬁre

Photo by Hank Lohmeyer

has since been notified that those costs are going to go higher. Estimates now expect the costs could run as much as $50,000 more than the original amount. Trustees authorized an additional $12,000 for the services and stipulated that the engineers notify the town when the $110,000 amount for extra services is reached. In addition, the town will try to utilize a local engineer to conduct on-site inspections in order to save on expensive travel costs from Boulder which the town is billed for. The trustees-approved change orders to the project amounted to $160,171, according to Sickles. She explained that the construction project budget is $4.835 million, including a contingency fund of $422,600. The remaining contingency balance is $262,429.

Photo by Ken Barber

Ken Barber captured the Cedaredge Fire Department mopping up following a fire and explosion which destroyed a fifth-wheel trailer in the Shady Creek RV Park on Wednesday, Nov. 18. There were no injuries, but a neighboring trailer was damaged. The cause of the fire is being investigated, but Cedaredge Police Chief Dan Sanders says mischief or foul play is not suspected. He said, “The fire department arrived and knocked the fire down quickly.” The fire began around 9:30 p.m. The explosions heard during the blaze were likely caused by two propane tanks exploding, said Sanders. The owner had been seen working on the trailer earlier in the day around the area of the propane tanks.

Photo by Hank Lohmeyer

Truck trafﬁc approaches the one-lane bridge on Cedaredge’s Jay Avenue. The town board has approved a grant application to DOLA for 70 percent funding of the estimated $542,000 cost of replacing and upgrading the structure. neutral location” in the town. The other five municipalities in the county will also have the CNLs installed as part of the Region 10 infrastructure plan. The town will then have to cost share the expense of extending the fiber optic cable from the CNLs to the anchor institution sites. Town administrator Katie Sickles said there will be six carrier-neutral sites in Cedaredge. This phase of the Region 10 plan will not make fiber optic cable or wireless broadband access available to local business or individuals. That service is to be provided via the CNL sites by commercial businesses. As of the last Region 10 presentation to county government officials on Nov. 2, no commercial Internet service providers had committed to participate in the Region 10 plan. The $75,000 that the town will be paying for the extensions is not budgeted. According to discussion at the Nov. 19 trustees meeting, half will need to be paid in 2016 and half in 2017. In other business at their Nov. 19 regular meeting: • Trustees approved a resolution for a grant application to the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) for money to rebuild the one-lane bridge at Jay Avenue. • Trustees officially denied approval of a GOCO grant application for the Jay Avenue Bridge in favor of asking DOLA for the funds. • The town will be conducting interviews with its top three candidates for the job of sewer plant operator. The town learned recently that it is required to hire a more highly qualified operator than had been planned. An operator with a “B” license is required instead of one

with a “C” license as has been planned. The town had been given information that turned out to be wrong, town officials noted. • The public works department reported on its maintenance and repair work at some of the town’s reservoirs on Grand Mesa. The department has also been busy with removal of tree limbs downed by recent wet snowfalls. • Trustees report that the tennis community and the pickleball community are now getting along much better than they were in September. That is when disputes over funding for facilities and programs broke out in a pointcounterpoint letter-writing campaign to the town from members of the two groups. • Trustees appointed two new members to the tree board. They are Ella Kelly and John Buerger. • Trustees approved the final plat for High Country Avenue Subdivision. The approval is part of the process for deeding the Surface Creek Animal Shelter property to Friends of Cedaredge Animal Control. • Trustees approved the “administrative subdivision” of lots 1 and 2 of the Homestead Mobile Home Park subdivision and a name change to Homestead at Centennial Subdivision. During deliberations on the item, it was noted the property is owned by town administrator Katie Sickles and her husband, Dan. • Among other items of discussion were possible extension of the Surface Creek Trail to the south; a new sign that has been erected at South Grand Mesa Drive and High Country Avenue, and a remark about the need for new members of the recreation and culture committee.

C2 Wednesday, November 25, 2015

SURFACE CREEK NEWS

Delta County Independent

Build a gingerbread house, help Habitat build homes Habitat for Humanity of Delta County announces that its third annual Family Gingerbread Decorating event and silent auction will be held at the Cedaredge Civic Center on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1-3 p.m. In addition to building and decorating your own gingerbread house, there will be a silent auction, including fabulous gift baskets, gift certificates for goods and services and a fabulous vacation weekend in Ouray! Come to Cedaredge Land Company at 160 West Main in Cedaredge and place bids in person, or you can bid online. To

access the online auction, “Like” the Habitat for Humanity of Delta County Facebook site, then click on the silent auction event. Bidding will continue till 3:30 p.m. on December 5. According to organizer Terry Hotz, “the event has been a very successful fundraiser in the past, but, more importantly, as a community event it gives friends and families a few hours to build their house and enjoy some time together.” Tickets to the event are $30 per family. Some individuals purchase tickets that are given to the elementary school

Photo submitted

principals to distribute to families who would benefit from the experience but cannot afford the cost. Individuals and businesses may donate to the silent auction or purchase tickets by contacting the Cedaredge Land Company at 856-3173.

Photo by Sue Morris

Before the storm

Sue Morris captured this photo of Cedaredge and the Surface Creek Valley just before a storm brought the ﬁrst snows of the year to the area.

Rotary supports local students

Photo submitted

Children of all ages have fun building gingerbread houses. It’s even better when it all supports a good cause — Habitat for Humanity. Build your dream gingerbread house during the Family Gingerbread Decorating Event on Saturday, Dec. 5, in Cedaredge.

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Each year the Cedaredge Rotary provides nice, hardbound Scholastic Children’s Dictionaries for each third grader at Cedaredge Elementary School. The kids are always more than excited to receive them. The teachers work with them throughout the year in their classroom, and then each child gets to take their dictionary home so they can use it through their school years. Although a lot of resources come through the Internet, the opportunity to have this information without having to have a computer handy seems to be a great way for the kids to learn. One focus of Rotary International is education, and members feel that supporting local schools with this gift to

Hymn sing planned

the children is just one of the ways to fulfill that goal on the ground level and to our local schools. The Cedaredge Rotary Club meets each Tuesday

at noon at RJs Steakhouse. Anyone who is interested in participating in this active group of individuals dedicated to community service both

locally and internationally, please contact the club’s membership committee: Gloria Good at 856-7077 or Paul Lyons at 856-7985.

Photos submitted

The Cedaredge Elementary School third grade class of Mrs. Leslie Hoerr is shown with Cedaredge Rotary Club members as they are joined by Principal Daniel Renfrow and Assistant Principal Sissily Brown.

Members of the Cedaredge Rotary Club are shown with the students of Ms. Peggy Lampton’s third grade class at Cedaredge Elementary School during the presentation of dictionaries for each student last week.

There will be an oldfashioned fifth Sunday community gospel sing on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. It will be held at Grand Mesa Baptist Church, 110 S.E. Jay Avenue at Hwy. 65 in Cedaredge. Come and enjoy the music as you remember it, with special groups and inspired congregational singing. Come and join the combined choir for rehearsal at 5 p.m. Stay for refreshments afterward. Everyone is welcome. For more infor- Students of Mrs. Stacey Fuller’s third grade class at Cedaredge Elementary mation, contact Roger School proudly display the dictionaries they received last week from members Congdon, 640-8668. of the Cedaredge Rotary Club.

Plants of the Western Slope A look at local flora with Evelyn Horn Appreciation As we come through our driveway, we note that the Mahonia berries have darkened from red to ruby-red. The orange Pyrancantha berries seem brighter … or is it that the landscape has become darker … more gray than tawny? And looking toward Grand Mesa, the snow level is down to the pinon-juni-

per belt. In the past we’ve watched the aspen belt turn from gray to a gentle spring green, then later, yellowish areas began to appear. Next the aspen covered a whole stretch of the mesa slope and I recall our drive through them — I love to see the leaves shimmer in the breeze. Now the gold is gone, and with last night’s snow

Mahonia berries

Photo by Evelyn Horn

the aspen have become aspen-silver. We pull into the yard and realize that our cottonwoods are nearly bare. But the few leaves that remain continue to dance in the breeze. And we notice that our trumpet vine lost its leaves in last night’s wind. Sixinch-long seed pods dangle from the bare, brown branches. I recall looking at one of the pods from the south window this morning. I wondered how the curved pod was created. What bug had built its winter home or laid its eggs within? A few weeks ago, the rabbit brush was glorious with yellow blossoms. Now the fluffy seeds gleam silver in the low sunlight. The sagebrush by the shed is laden with yellowish blossoms but I remember not to get too close! I’m allergic to it! And there’s a white patch of snow on the north side of the garage. For

Photo by Evelyn Horn

Trumpet Vine seed pods sure, autumn has passed and winter approaches. The water level in the reservoir rises a little bit each day (just as it always does when irrigation season is over). That’s a hopeful sign for our spring migration of sandhill cranes. To be aware of the world around us, to be capable of understanding the changes, makes us appreciate being alive. For me, every day is an appreciation day.

SURFACE CREEK NEWS

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Resignations at Chamber of Commerce bring reorganization BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

Three of the people largely involved with staging the Chamber of Commerce’s biggest and perhaps most successful AppleFest ever have left the organization, raising issues for the organization to deal with. President Lesley Lewis resigned on Oct. 14, less than two weeks following AppleFest, the biggest event of the year for the chamber. Shortly after Lewis’ departure, co-administrators Gretchen Atkinson and Lindy Palmer also tendered their resignations. Since the departures, Bill Miller has been serving as acting chairman of the chamber board. Miller told the DCI in an email, “I will step down at the January chamber meeting or when a new president is elected. I will retain the position of treasurer if the [new] board so desires.”

Two new office personnel have also been brought into the organization to perform administrative duties. Lewis told the DCI that internal issues with the chamber’s organization had contributed to her decision to step down at this time. She noted a lack of support for projects, particularly during the busy AppleFest season. “I decided that my time would be better spent on projects that actually help my business and my family,” she explained. Lewis’ tenure as board chair was characterized by her positive, highenergy personal style and direct approach to completing tasks and to solving problems. But as she explained, the chamber organization’s close relationship with town government wasn’t contributing to success. She noted, “I put my heart and soul into the chamber for the

Christmas dinner needs donations and volunteers The Cedaredge Rotary Club and Les & DJ Mergelman are organizing the free Community Christmas Dinner again this year. As in the past years, it will be held at the Stolte Shed at Pioneer Town, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This popular dinner continues to grow every year. Each year more than 250 people have attended. This dinner is open to anyone who would like to come, so don’t spend Christmas alone — come enjoy wonderful food and fellowship on this most special day of the year. As you can imagine, providing a dinner of this magnitude requires many things, not the least of which is lots of volunteers, and any monetary donations will be very much appreciated to cover the expense of the meal.

Any monetary donations should be turned in by Dec. 12 in order to purchase the food. If you would like to volunteer or help out in any way, call Marsha Bryan at 234-8800. There will be Christmas Eve setup duties at the “shed,” food preparation, on site, prior to the dinner, and serving and clean-up duties. All volunteers are also welcome to enjoy the dinner. Checks should be made out to “Community Christmas Dinner” and can be mailed to either address below or submitted to Les or DJ or any Cedaredge Rotary Club member. Contact Les and DJ Mergelman at 380 NE Shady Oak Ave., Cedaredge, CO 81413; or Cedaredge Rotary Club, P.O. Box 750, Cedaredge, CO 81413.

Thanksgiving meals planned 25. The senior citizens’ event is at noon at the Staff Writer Owners, staff, and Civic Center, and there is probably a few of their a suggested donation for own family members as the meal. well at the Cedaredge Creekside Café will be boosting the community holiday spirit and hosting a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for everyone this year. There won’t be any charge for the Creekside Café event that will take Little Sprouts Preplace on Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. to 2 school will hold a Cookie p.m. at the restaurant on Walk and Vendors on SatNorth Grand Mesa Drive urday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. across from the elemen- to noon in the basement of the Cedaredge Comtary school. Also at another munity United MethodThanksgiving event, the ist Church. The church Surface Creek Senior is located at 210 NW 3rd Citizens organization Street. Purchase homemade will be hosting its annual Thanksgiving meal on holiday treats for $10 for the day before Thanks- a large box, $4 for a small giving, Wednesday, Nov. box.

BY HANK LOHMEYER

Cookie walk on Dec. 5

to communication and coordination including chamber website content. Means said she thought that town hall was “very supportive” of the chamber. Lewis said, “I [worked] to make the chamber successful. But it was obvious that I could not do it alone.” Lewis said she will continue being involved in community activities. She is involved with the high school parents group and said she plans to work with an artists’ co-op gallery planning to open in Cedaredge.

last several years. This AppleFest was a massive success – we made over $12,000, more than in years past, and had more vendors than ever before.” The Cedaredge Area Chamber of Commerce is closely linked with town government. When asked, Mayor Pat Means said, “I can tell you there was not [personal] opposition to Lesley. There were some issues where we felt the chamber wasn’t on the mark.” Means cited some specific matters relating

Special to the DCI

As we approach the holidays of thankfulness, blessings and renewed hope, we remember families who are still challenged in meeting increased demand during these times. The Surface Creek Community Services Food Bank in Cedaredge is seeking your monetary donation to help cover the costs of a generous Christmas Box dinner for families.

With the aid of wonderful volunteers, the food bank serves over 200 families per month. The unselfish donation you make today will bless someone who may be your neighbor during the holiday season. The food bank is open Mondays from 9 to 11 a.m., and Thursdays from 1 to 3 p.m. This year’s annual Christmas Box distribution will take place on Saturday, Dec. 19. To participate in the distribution, sign up at the food bank.

Local animal lovers will be pleased that the Surface Creek Animal Shelter got top billing on the new directional sign placed at High Country Avenue.

Support Your Local Community Shop Your Small Businesses on

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY® NOVEMBER 28

Small businesses are the heartbeat of our community, the mom and pop shops, the businesses that help build our local economy.

PLEASE SUPPORT SURFACE CREEK AREA BUSINESSES DURING THE HOLIDAYS AND EVERY DAY! ��

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Food bank plans Christmas drive BY SURFACE CREEK COMMUNITY SERVICES

Top billing

Photo by Hank Lohmeyer

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We urge our readers to Shop Small and support their local economy on Saturday, November 28. DELTA COUNTY

INDEPENDENT ��

C4 Wednesday, November 25, 2015

CHURCH

Delta County Independent

Special Thanksgiving, Advent services planned

Photo submitted

The walls are going up

The ﬁrst walls of St. Joseph’s new church building are going up. This has been, and will continue to be, a huge labor of love. With committed and continued support from members, as well as the surrounding communities, the project will continue. All are invited to stop by St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 59350 Carnation Road, Olathe, to see the progress. For more information about the church or the project, call Father Gregory Drahman at 323-5057.

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Area churches have submitted the following special events: All Saints Lutheran Church, Cory — Thanksgiving Eve service, 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25. St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, Cedaredge — Confessions at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, followed by a Thanksgiving Mass at 5:30 p.m. The church, now in its 105th year, celebrates Sunday Mass at 8 a.m. Faith formation and teen classes are scheduled at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday. First Baptist Church of Delta — The Steve Stutzman Family Singers will be in concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday. They

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5:30-6:30. On Friday, Dec. 4, the Delta United Methodist women host a cookie walk and craft fair from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Karl Gaiser will lead a small group study on the book, “Jesus Apprentice - Doing What Jesus Did.” Combining four sessions into the study will be on Saturdays, Dec. 5 and 12, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Presbyterian Church of Delta — After the Parade of Lights on Friday, Dec. 4, you’re invited to the church for a dessert potluck, hot chocolate and hot apple cider. Goodie bags for the Delta prison ministry will be decorated and filled.

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travel the U.S. and Canada sharing the love of Christ with songs and testimony. This concert is sponsored by First Baptist and West Rockies Mennonite Church in Delta. A freewill offering will be taken up for this family of singers. Delta United Methodist Church — On Wednesdays, beginning Nov. 25, Pastor Carol Rhan will lead participants through “The Journey.” In a five-week study, these journeys will capture the stories of Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, and the road from Bethlehem to Nazareth to today. There are two opportunities, from 1:30-2:30 or

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AGRICULTURE

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Sustainability is focus of ag conference Farmers, lawmakers, agribusiness representatives, and the general public are all invited to attend the 2015 Colorado Ag Classic – an event that serves as the joint annual conference of Colorado Corn and Colorado Wheat, and each year draws hundreds of attendees. The 2015 Colorado Ag Classic — titled “Defining Sustainability” — will take place Dec. 7-9 at the

Embassy Suites in Loveland (4705 Clydesdale Parkway), and will feature presentations from: • Cameron Bruett, head of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer at JBS USA • Don Brown, Colorado agriculture commissioner • James Eklund, director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board • Rebecca Perrin, EPA Region 8 agricultural adviser

• Reagan Waskom, director of the Colorado Water Institute • James Pritchett, executive association dean for CSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences • and many other industry experts, including Colorado farmers. Once just a buzz word, the term “sustainable” today has an ever-strengthening foothold in mainstream food discussions, and due to

Paper clover campaign raises $893,817 for 4-H programs Tractor Supply Company, in partnership with National 4-H Council, recently announced the fundraising results of its fall 2015 paper clover campaign. Tractor Supply Company, the largest retail farm and ranch supply store chain in the

United States, raised an astounding $893,817 during the 11-day national in-store fundraiser. With the more than $1.8 million raised during the 2015 spring and fall campaigns, Tractor Supply has now raised nearly $8.3 million for 4-H programs across the country

Logging will affect Grand Mesa plowing The harvest and removal of trees out of the Sheep Flats Timber Sale area is slated to continue through December 31, 2015. The Sheep Flats Timber Sale, designed to treat spruce beetle infestation and improve the health of the forest in that area, is located on the Grand Mesa National Forest approximately 10 miles southeast of the town of Collbran. To facilitate the removal of harvested timber, authorization to plow roads from the timber sale area to the Forest Boundary has been granted. The authorized roads include the western portions of National Forest System Roads (NFSR) #279 and #260 and the northern

4 miles of the Trickle Park Road, NFSR #121 from its intersection with NFSR #260 to the Forest Boundary. The Trickle Park Road is part of the Bonham Snowmobile Trail during the winter months and parking normally occurs at the Forest Boundary. Since the road will be plowed and used for log hauling, arrangements have been made to plow NFSR #121 up to the Bonham parking area to facilitate visitors’ winter parking and snowmobile use. The Bonham parking area is located approximately 4.2 miles from the Forest Boundary. Plowing will not occur during weekends or holidays.

through the paper clover campaigns in just over five years. Shoppers had the opportunity to purchase paper clovers between Oct. 7-18 for $1 or more during checkout. Seventy percent of the funds raised will benefit state and local 4-H youth development program activities, such as local camps and after-school programs, and grant scholarships for 4-H youth in the communities where Tractor Supply and Del’s stores are located. The remaining 30 percent of the total funds will be donated to National 4-H Council to help connect more young people across America to high-quality 4-H youth development programs. “This fall’s paper clover campaign was another huge success thanks to our dedicated customers and team members,” said Christi Korzekwa, senior vice president of marketing for Tractor Supply Company. “We exceeded our goal, and we couldn’t have done this without them.” “We’re thrilled with the result of the fall Paper Clover Campaign,” said Jennifer Sirangelo, president & CEO, National 4-H Council.

increasing popularity and demands is a term that will play a massive role in shaping the agriculture industry for the foreseeable future. But more so than other trends and phrases, “sustainable food” has countless, varying meanings — nearly all of which have been defined by a rapidly growing population of consumers who are more removed from farms and ranches today than during any other time in history. Meanwhile, the ag industry tasked with

producing this sustainable food supply seems to have had the least input in what it means, and what sustainable food production looks like going forward. With that in mind, “Defining Sustainability” will be the theme and focus of this year’s Colorado Ag Classic. These discussions will address how food producers can best operate within today’s sustainable food landscape, and what the ag industry can do better in the future

to help shape and define this landscape. The event will also showcase the many examples of sustainable practices that already exist in farming and ranching today, and touch on “financial” and “generational” sustainability for ag producers — aspects that are often overlooked in sustainable food talks. Those wanting to attend this year’s event can do so by registering at www.coloradocorn. com, or at www.colorado wheat.org.

Best time to select seedling trees is now It’s almost Christmas and this is the best time to order seedling trees! Our seedlings come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including deciduous trees, shrubs and conifers, and you can purchase our seedlings as either bare root or potted. They are great for creating windbreaks, visual screens, noise barriers, reforestation, wildlife habitat and erosion control. The Tri River Extension is offering hybrid cottonwood, Manchurian apricot, red-osier dogwood, aspen, hackberry, bur oak, peachleaf willow, and narrowleaf cottonwood, just to name a few of our deciduous species. Shrubs, such as caragana, lilac, native plum, Gambel oak, sand cherry and buffaloberry are also available. And have we have conifers! You can purchase Austrian pine, Colorado blue spruce, Douglas fir, bristlecone pine, Englemann spruce, and eastern redcedar. Trees can be purchased in lots of 30 or 50 trees of the same species,

and prices range from just over a dollar per tree for our most economical species, to roughly $2 per tree for conifers. Extra large potted trees can be ordered in lots of four per species as well. You can order now through early April, and your trees will arrive in mid-May. For an order form or more information, stop by or call your local

Extension Office. The Delta County Extension office can be reached at 874-2195. Full-color brochures of seedling tree species we sell are also available at the Extension Offices. To have an order form mailed to you, please call any of these numbers at any time and leave your name and mailing address.

Sign up for Master Gardener course The Colorado State University Extension, Tri River Area, is now accepting applications for the Master Gardener Training Class. Trainings will be held in Grand Junction on Wednesdays, for 11 weeks, starting in midJanuary. Green industry professionals and public members who do not wish to volunteer can take this class outright and earn the Colorado Gardening Certificate. People who wish to become Mas-

ter Gardeners take the class at a reduced rate in exchange for volunteering for the Tri River Area Extension. The Master Gardener Program was developed to help disperse researchbased information to the public in regard to noncommercial (mainly residential) landscaping and gardening. For more information, contact the Mesa County office at 970-244-1834 and ask for either Susan Carter or Susan Honea.

C6 Wednesday, November 25, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

Delta County Independent

Kids connect at Delta County Young Life BY MCKENZIE MOORE CHS Intern

Many students in Delta County come to school wearing “DC Young Life” T-shirts. This indicates their membership in a countywide youth group that meets every Monday night. Young Life is a global organization based in Colorado Springs that branches out into numerous different groups with different focuses. Delta County Young Life allows youths from all over the county to gather and connect with each other. Young Life member Sierra Baldozier expresses her love for the group. “It’s a place for kids to

go and have fun. It’s an escape to do some crazy activities. It’s a religious group, but it’s also about finding yourself.” Sierra also states that Young Life plans to have a winter camp later this month. She describes it as “a bigger version” of the weekly meetings, with groups from all over the region coming together. The event happens twice a year: once in the summer and once in the winter. Young Life members participate in a vast array of activities throughout the year, including 5k runs and paint parties. The group also participates in

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activities outside of the the weekly meetings. of kids to get involved. Young Life meets Monarea, attending concerts “Young Life is an awe- I highly recommend all days at 7:29 p.m. at 1009 and summer camps. The some way for all types high schoolers to attend.” E. 13th Street in Delta. members enjoy spending time with each other and creating memories in a safe environment. Each activity provides the members with useful skills, such as facing their fears and communicating their ideas. Students also have the opportunity to be named “leaders” in the club, which gives them the job of helping other members and obtaining lifelong leadership skills. All members of the youth group express their passion for the experiences it gives them every week. Cedaredge member Shane Gates encourages county youths to attend

Tips for practicing gratitude this Thanksgiving and beyond BY STEPHANIE SENG

Director, CSU Center for Family and Couple Therapy

Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” – A.A. Milne From the time we are young, we learn about being thankful from our parents, teachers, books and TV. According to Psychology Today, children under the age of 6 only say thank you about 20 percent of the time. By age 10, when they begin to develop cognitive empathy skills, this increases to 80 percent. We all have the capacity to be grateful, but with the hustle, bustle and challenges of life, we may forget the immense value that gratitude can provide to ourselves and those around us. Research shows that regular expression of gratitude actually triggers physiological changes that have a profound effect on both our physical and mental health. These benefits have a domino effect, reaching

The Pope kissed her brow It’s the kind of Thanksgiving story straight out of a Frank Capra movie, reports the Association of Mature American Citizens. Distraught parents, holding their 1-year-old baby girl, braved the vast crowds to get a glimpse of Pope Francis when he visited Philadelphia in September. They hoped for a prayer, at best, but got what they now call a fullblown miracle. The child was suffering from an inoperable brain tumor. Her desperate parents sought the intervention of the Pontiff, but they did not expect what would happen as they made their way through the thousands of people standing in front of Independence Hall. A papal bodyguard spotted them, took the baby into his arms and presented her to the Pope, himself. The Pope kissed her brow. The moment made the evening news. In August, a brain scan clearly showed the menacing tumor growing inside baby Gianna’s head. An MRI done in mid-November, two months after the papal visit, showed that the tumor had shrunk to such a size that it was almost impossible to detect its presence. “She’s getting better and stronger. She’s blowing kisses. She’s starting to point at things,” Gianna’s mom, Kristen Masciantonio, told reporters. If not a miracle, the Pope’s kiss gave Gianna and her family new hope and something very special to celebrate this Thanksgiving Day.

other people and aspects of our lives. People who practice gratitude regularly are found to exercise more; sleep better; be more optimistic, alert, enthusiastic, determined; report less depression and stress; feel more connected to others; and even have lower levels of heart disease. Research on children who practice gratitude shows similar results, as well as kids reporting more satisfaction with school. It is possible to increase focus on gratitude for ourselves and our children in very simple ways: • Keep a gratitude journal: There are many different ways to do this, but it can be as simple as writing one thing each day for which you are grateful. Children can draw pictures or cut things from a magazine. There are even apps to help. Research reported in the Harvard.edu newsletter shows just this one act can significantly increase well-being and satisfaction. • Talk about gratitude: Set aside time each day to talk with a significant other to share thoughts of gratitude. You might each share the best thing that happened in your day or one thing about the other for which you are grateful.

• Dinner table “Gratefuls” — Before dinner have each person at the table share one thing for which they are grateful. This can become a nightly ritual that children anticipate, helping them (and adults) pay attention throughout the day to things they may be able to share that night. • Gratitude letter: Psychology Today suggests writing a letter thanking someone and then reading it aloud to that person. This could be an excellent Thanksgiving tradition — choose the name out of a hat of a person who will be at the table, write a gratitude letter, and then go around the table reading each letter. • Gratitude jar: Keep small pieces of paper and a pen near a large jar in a central area of the home or office. People can write notes of gratitude and place them in the jar throughout the week. Then, at a regularly planned time each week, the family, staff or other group can read the notes aloud. • Meditate or pray: Set aside time each day to be still and focus on all the things for which you are grateful. Kept to brief time periods (one or two minutes), even young children can use this exercise.

Bear Den for October

• Be present: Mindfulness exercises can be adapted to focus on gratitude. For example, think of the five senses and count down things to appreciate in the moment: five things you see, four things you hear, three things you smell, two things you feel, and one thing you taste. • Gratitude trigger: Associate thoughts of being grateful with a particular item. It could be something you drive or walk past every day like a park bench or tree, something you wear like a charm bracelet, or something you hear on the radio. Every time you encounter that item, think of one thing for which you are grateful. • Teach gratitude: Research shows that teaching children about gratitude is very effective. Jeffrey Froh from Hofstra University has created a simple and effective curriculum that can be found at http://col. st/BVgcz. Stephanie Seng is director of the Center for Family and Couple Therapy, part of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program in the Colorado State University Department of Human Development and Family Studies. For more information, see www.cfct.chhs.colostate. edu.

Photo submitted

Students at Cedaredge Elementary School are nominated each month by their teachers to be included in the Bear Den. The different characteristics which can earn recognition are Perseverance (P), Respect (R), Integrity (I), Duty (D) and Excellence (E). October’s Bear Den students are: kindergartners Lilly Fischer and Christian Suppes from Ms. Barton’s class; Zaden Robidoux and Kenidee Shultz from Mrs. Tanner’s class; and Olivia Blair and Harrison Suppes from Mrs. Parsons’ class; first-graders Taylor Armstead and Ian Blair from Ms. Belger’s class; Lydia Tietz and Shane Smothers from Mrs. Campbell’s class; and Jaelynn Weed and Dakota Richardson from Mrs. Rienks’ class; second-graders Kenzie Reed and Dylan Gilbert from Miss Benson’s class; Shyle Almon and Lauren Crockett from Mrs. Hawkins’ class; and Gabe Young and Cierra Williams from Ms. Winemiller’s class; third-graders Connie Archuleta and Logan McIntire from Mrs. Fuller’s class; Kierra Terry and Isaac Nichols from Mrs. Lampton’s class; and Natalia Carrillo and Joshua Scott from Mrs. Hoerr’s class; fourth-graders Cheyenne May and Jayden Reed from Ms. Berger’s class; Breanna May and David Martinez from Mrs. Cox’s class; and Tayton Nelson and Shelby Norris from Mr. Stanfield’s class; and fifth-graders Mackenzie Crawford and Justin Williams from Mrs. Whitney’s class; Sammie Pritchett and Kyle Brown from Mr. Henderson’s class; and Taylar Myers and Kade Henderson from Mr. Thompson’s class.

SPORTS

Delta County Independent

SPORTS November 25, 2015

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

www.deltacountyindependent.com

Eagles stun Cougars, 21-15

Paonia after 3rd straight title

BY ERIC GOOLD DCI Sports Writer

The Paonia High School football team found itself in unfamiliar territory last Saturday afternoon. On the road. Trailing the entire game. The Eagles’ season and quest for a coveted 3-peat state championship on the line. No problem. As it has done now for the last three years, the Eagles defense rallied at just the right time and Paonia came from behind to shock Resurrection Christian 21-15 in the 1A state semifinals at Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins. “We call it the PHD of football,” Paonia coach Brent McRae said.

“You’ve got to be physical, you’ve got to have heart and you’ve got to play with desire. We played with heart and desire and physicality, that was the key.” Leading rusher Evan Anderson ran for a 40yard score for Resurrection Christian midway into the first quarter, then he ran in the 2-point conversion for an 8-0 Cougars lead. The home team would lead the contest until late in the fourth quarter. “They have so much talent and speed, they jumped on us early,” McRae said about the Cougars, who entered the game undefeated and averaging 49 points a game. “They were all

Photo courtesy Kelly Rienks

Paonia junior Trevor Smith (2) celebrates after the defense stopped a Resurrection Christian drive late in the Eagles’ semiﬁnal win. Paonia’s defense forced three turnovers and, for the second year in a row, held the highly touted Cougars to just 15 points.

over us early, but we were really resilient. When we got down we just kept fighting. I give all the credit to the boys for never quitting and never saying die.” Senior Taylor Walters got Paonia (11-1) on the board with his 1-yard run early in the second quarter. Colby Simpson’s kick brought the Eagles to within one at 8-7. Resurrection Christian answered with a wellconceived gadget play. Receiver Brin Hayden, who collected the ball on a reverse and pitch, threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Michael Stevenson. “On the gadget play we just had a couple people make the wrong read, take the wrong step, and they capitalized. That’s what happens against a good team,” McRae said. “A couple of the kids

made mistakes early in the game but came back in the second half and just made some spectacular plays.” Stevenson’s kick made it 15-7 for the Cougars, and the game stayed that way through the third quarter. Then Paonia mounted its fourth quarter comeback. Dagan Rienks caught a 2-yard touchdown toss from Walters and Paonia cut the lead to 15-13. “Offensively our gameplan was to keep the ball,” McRae said. “We wanted to control the clock, control the line of scrimmage and keep them off the field. The times we didn’t score, it was our own fault. We’d get a hold or a penalty and we’d get off schedule.” Paonia’s defense shined in the fourth quarter, stopping the Cougars

on two more drives. Trevor Smith, Trevor Plymale and Cyrus Malek-Madani all had key defensive plays in the fourth quarter. After a punt, Paonia got the ball on its own 31yard line with a little over four minutes left. That’s when Walters rolled to his right, waited for the play to develop, then hit KJ Seriani down the field for a 45-yard pass that set up the Eagles on the Cougars’ 14. Two plays later Jeramiah Hillman ran in from 13 yards out and gave Paonia its first lead. Walters did the honors on the 2-point conversion run and the Eagles went ahead for good 21-15. Hillman’s touchdown run capped a stellar day for the senior, who also pulled down two huge interceptions for Paonia, one in the red zone. Hill-

man finished with a game-high 141 rushing yards. “Jeramiah is just getting better week by week,” McRae said. “He doesn’t want to lose. He played hard and fast and I was extremely proud of him.” The Eagles defense wasn’t done yet. Resurrection Christian put together one last drive but was stopped when Walters picked off Anderson and essentially wrapped up the game. Paonia ran out the rest of the clock and set up a rematch of last year’s 1A state title game against No. 1 Buena Vista. “All of our boys just want to play one more game,” McRae said. “They get all the credit and I just couldn’t be more proud of them.” The Eagles will travel to Buena Vista for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.

Photo courtesy Kelly Rienks

Dagan Rienks (13) pitches the ball to Taylor Walters (18) while Cyrus Malek-Madani (52) and Jeramiah Hillman (33) look to block on a running play during the ﬁrst half of Paonia’s 21-15 win over Resurrection Christian. Rienks, Walters and Hillman all had touchdowns in the game. Up next for the Eagles is a return engagement with an all-too familiar foe, Buena Vista, in what could be a fan-pleasing 1A title game in Buena Vista this Saturday at 1 p.m.

Panthers beat TCA 3rd time BY WAYNE CRICK DCI Sports Editor

Last weekend’s quarterfinal round of this year’s Class 3A state football championships featured play between Delta’s Panthers and The Classical Academy’s Titans. The contest, won by Delta, 27-14, marked the third time in two years Delta has faced TCA on the gridiron. The Panthers defeated TCA, 27-22, in 2014 and held on for a 38-35 win on Aug. 28 to start the 2015 season. Delta’s playoff success has been noted the past

three seasons, beginning with a 21-0 win over TCA in 2012. The Panthers bowed out of the playoffs in 2012 with a 35-24 loss to Pueblo East, who is this year’s top-ranked 3A team. In 2013 Delta went 2-1 in the playoffs that began with a 42-41 overtime victory over Holy Family in the first round. The Panthers knocked off leaguefoe Glenwood Springs, 139, to advance to a semifinal-round game with Silver Creek. Silver Creek ended Delta’s quest for a title with a 28-17 win. Last year’s football

season began in Colorado Springs against TCA with the Panthers claiming a 27-22 decision. After going 8-4, Delta defeated Conifer, 24-21, in the first round and then fell to Discovery Canyon, 47-7, to end its season. Saturday’s quarterfinal round against the Titans was competitive from start to finish. Delta deferred to TCA after winning the coin toss and started the game on defense. The Titans moved the ball smartly in their opening possession, beginning at their own

Photo by Wayne Crick

Delta junior Tristan Brown gets a block from teammate A.B. Ontiveros (32) that helped spring Brown for an 18-yard scoring scamper at the 10:35 mark of the fourth quarter. Brown scored the game’s ﬁrst and last touchdowns as the Panthers advanced to the Class 3A semiﬁnal round after defeating The Classical Academy, 27-14, last Saturday afternoon in Delta.

32 and advancing the ball to Delta’s 29 before stalling out and missing a 44yard field goal attempt by Anders Carlson. A 23yard pass from Austin Bervig to Brayden Luft covered 23 yards and Sawyer Weeks raced 25 yards to help the Titans get to Delta’s 29. The Panthers started their first drive with Jonny Ponce contributing 3 yards on the first play. Tristan Brown took a Kole Roberts pass 8 yards and Ponce added another 2 yards. Following an incomplete pass A.B. Ontiveros swept the left side for 37 yards to get the ball deep into TCA territory. Brown bruised his way the final 2 yards for Delta’s score with 2:37 remaining in the first period. An Ontiveros kick gave Delta a 7-0 lead. TCA started its next possession on its 20-yard line and used an Austin Bervig-to-Jayce Hall pass that covered 28 yards to Delta’s 24. Bervig, Jayce Hall and Jenson Hall combined runs to move the ball to Delta’s 4 as the first quarter came to an end. Weeks carried the ball to Delta’s 1-yard line for a first and goal. The Panthers defense stopped the next three running plays with no gain to bring up a fourth-and-1 situation. Bervig used play-action to set up Weeks for a 1yard toss and the score with 9:35 left in the first half. Carlson’s kick tied the score at 7-7. Delta was driving on its next possession when

Ponce was stripped of the ball to set up TCAs next possession at the Titan’s 36-yard line. On the third play from scrimmage, Jayce Hall took the handoff and rambled 58 yards to paydirt, giving TCA a 147 lead following Carlson’s kick with 6:15 left before halftime. Delta punted after a three-and-out possession with the Titans starting at their own 40-yard line. An 11-yard gain by Jayce Hall placed the ball at Delta’s 49. On the next play Bervig was intercepted by Beau Byers

and Delta had the ball back at its own 14-yard line. Delta’s passing game took the spotlight in this drive. Roberts hit Byers for back-to-back 18- and 38-yard receptions that placed the ball at TCA’s 25-yard line. A well-executed route by the speedy Ontiveros resulted in a 25-yard scoring strike from Roberts to close the scoring gap to 13-14. Ontiveros’ PAT kick was wide, giving the Titans a one-point lead with 2:40 left in the second quarter. The 86-yard drive took DELTA FB TO C8

Photo by Wayne Crick

Delta defenders Logan Church (55), Kory Mills (45) and Beau Byers combine to tackle The Classical Academy’s Jayce Hall during 3A state football action last Saturday. The Panthers secured a spot in this week’s semiﬁnal round against Roosevelt with a 27-14 win.

C8 Wednesday, November 25, 2015

SPORTS

Delta County Independent

Photo courtesy Amie Henderson

Delta outside hitter Ashton Reese sets the ball during play in this year’s Class 4A state volleyball championships. The Panthers had a great season in 2015 and split matches played while at state. Delta ﬁnished the year with a 22-5 record.

Photo by Wayne Crick

The 2015 Delta High School volleyball team attended this year’s state volleyball tournament for the ﬁrst time in many years. After a highly successful season, the Panthers added to their laurels with the Les Schwab Academic All State award sponsored by CHSAA. The team had a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5. Several Panthers earned individual awards for the season. Those awards will be noted in next week’s DCI.

Eagles, Demons could be donnybrook BY ERIC GOOLD DCI Sports Writer

Paonia goes for the 3peat on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Buena Vista. The matchup seemed fated from the very beginning of the season. Paonia was No. 1 and the Demons were ranked No. 2 until the Eagles lost to 2A Bayfield (currently No. 1 in 2A and playing for the state title on Saturday as well) in Week 4. Then Buena Vista assumed the No. 1 ranking and has held it since then. Paonia beat No. 2 Resurrection Christian 2115 last week to set up the rematch of last year’s 1A state title game, which the Eagles won in Paonia 21-7. Clearly the Demons (12-0) and Eagles (11-1) have been 1A’s best two teams all season. It is

fitting that they will play for all the marbles on Saturday. “When you have programs as successful as Paonia and Buena Vista, you don’t really expect much to change,” Paonia coach Brent McRae said. “You do what got you there, and I won’t expect anything different. They’ll probably run the same type of offense and defense. I expect them to make some tweaks here and there, but we’re just going to let the kids play and see who wins.” Buena Vista breezed through the other side of the 1A playoff bracket, beating Centauri, Wiggins and Crowley County by a combined score of 140-12. In the semifinal against Crowley County, Keenan Barr scored three times (once on

defense) and quarterback Keegan Wentz scored two touchdowns to pace the Demons. Demons coach Matt Flavin leads a veteran group that is due. In 2012 Buena Vista lost in the 1A finals to Cedaredge 18-16. The next year it fell in the semis, losing at home 28-14 to Paonia. Then last year the Demons were once again runner-up, this time after a 21-7 defeat at Paonia. Three seasons of falling just short is going to make the Demons a very hungry team on Saturday. Facing them is an Eagles team that has done it before and is peaking at just the right time. Jeramiah Hillman put together his best game as an Eagle in the semifi-

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nal against Resurrection do history after the first playoffs. The state champiChristian, scoring once round of the playoffs, but and snaring two intercep- he’s not thinking about onship matchup was hatched a year ago, and tions to lead the defense. personal records. Cyrus Malek-Madani “It’s more just think- the rematch on Saturday leads the team in tack- ing about winning anoth- has potential to make hisles, and fellow sophomore er state championship tory. The Eagles and their Jaden Miller is a force with my team and just fans will get one more at the linebacker posi- enjoying my last bit of game in this incredible tion. Junior Trevor Smith high school with all these run, and on this Thanksis making the most of guys,” Walters said after giving weekend there is his first real chance to the first round of the much to be thankful for. shine in the playoffs, making key plays on offense and defense. There’s a long list of Eagles who are unsung heroes: Dagan Rienks, Colby Simpson, Willy Darling, Warren Minerich and Trevor Plymale all have contributed in key moments during the playoffs. Newcomer KJ Seriani announced his presence with the biggest catch of the day against the Cougars, a 45-yard bomb that set up the winning score. Then of course there’s Taylor Walters, the 1A Player of the Year. Walters Photo courtesy Kelly Rienks moved into fifth alltime in touchdowns Paonia kicker Colby Simpson, left, signals that he scored and became is ready to kick off against Resurrection Christian. the 15th leading Paonia beat the Cougars, 21-15, and will play for its rusher in Colora- third straight title Saturday in Buena Vista.

Delta FB CONTINUED FROM C7 just five plays. Ontiveros commented on his touchdown catch after the game. “I didn’t see the ball at first. It was over the wrong shoulder (right side) and I had to turn to see it just in time to catch it. I didn’t know I was that close to the goal when I caught it.” TCA took the ball to Delta’s 44-yard line before being forced to punt and the Panthers ran the clock out to trail 14-13 at halftime. Talk at halftime centered around not wanting the season to be over. A comment of “This can’t be your last game. We can’t go out this way.” From that, players vowed to stay together and make Delta proud. The Panthers began the second half 80 yards away from the end zone. Ponce asserted himself in the beginning of the period with runs of 25, 13 and 8 yards. A 9-yard run from Ponce placed the ball at TCA’s 1-yard line. Roberts called his own number to cover the final yard to give Delta a 20-14 lead after Ontiveros’ kick for extra point. The 80-yard drive took 13 plays. TCA, again, had success moving the ball in the middle of the field but bogged down inside the 20-yard line. A 19-yard run from Bervig moved the ball to Delta’s 17 only to see two straight losses set the ball back to the 20 where the Titans lost the ball on downs.

The Panthers began their final scoring drive in the waning moments of the third period. Ponce picked up 19 yards on three running plays and Byers added 13 and 23 yards to his receiving stats on the accuracy of Roberts’ throwing arm. The quarter ended with the ball resting on the 24-yard line. Byers had dropped a pass earlier in the game but came up with several key receptions to keep the drive alive. When asked about the early drop, Byers responded with, “I was motivated to catch the next one. I know the team wants me to catch balls and I didn’t want to let them down. I just focused more.” In the fourth quarter, Ponce ran the ball for 6 yards to the 18. From there Roberts found Brown all alone for an 18yard scoring strike with 10:35 left in the game. Ontiveros made the extra point kick to make the score 27-14. TCA put together a drive that moved the ball to the Panthers’ 6-yard line. A fumble, recovered by Delta’s Kory Mills, snuffed out the scoring threat at Delta’s 11-yard line. The Panthers were unable to move the ball on their next possession and punted from their own 22. The Titans took possession on their own 34. An interception by Cameron Schaal ended TCA’s drive.

Delta controlled the ball on its next possession but was unable to move the chains and turned the ball over on downs near midfield. TCA moved the ball to Delta’s 13-yard line before a Bervig pass was deflected and intercepted by Ponce in the end zone to end the Titans’ final shot at scoring. Delta rolled up 412 yards of offense against the Titans. The Panthers had 231 yards on the ground, led by Ponce’s 165 yards on 32 rushes, and another 181 through the air, paced by Byers’ six catches for 112 yards. The Classical Academy posted 448 yards of offense with 239 coming through the air. Weeks caught three Bervig passes for 66 yards and Jayce Hall topped Titan rushers with 11 carries for 91 yards. This week’s practice sessions promise to be intense with intentions of making it past the semifinal round and into the finals. Delta is slated to play in Johnstown against number two Roosevelt on Saturday at 1 p.m. Both teams enter the game with 11-1 records. And, by the way, the last time the Panthers won a state title in football was in 1960 against Cañon City, 12-7. In 1961 Delta reached the finals once again but lost a 40-14 decision to Lamar to end its season short of its intended goal.

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DELTA VITAMIN & Health and Upscale Resale is going out of business soon! 40% off storewide starting November 25th! Please bring cash for purchases! 128 Main St., Delta. (970) 399-3374. (1x47)

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CAWS ADOPTION CENter in Delta, Colorado seeks a CVT (or 3-5 years experience in anamal care management) to manage a small shelter operation for a 17 year-old non profit, private 501(c)3 organization. Familiar with behavioral testing, PACFA shelter regulations and "open" facility practices as defined by the Asilomar Accords, a plus. Computer skills including internet, email a must. Familiar with Facebook and google docs, a plus. Hours are M-F, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., $13.50/hr, no benefits, seven days paid PUBLIC vacation. Email resume to: SERVICE CAWS@CAWSonline.org, or mail to: CAWS, PO Box 1736, Paonia, CO 81428. (1x47) THE DELTA COUNTY Independent runs these THE CITY OF DELTA items as a public service Police Department in Delta, free of charge for non-profit Colorado is now accept- organizations, if no fees are ing applications for Police charged. However, each Officer. Applicants must be group is asked to please POST certified. Patrols an keep them current by callassigned beat in the enforce- ing 874-4421. ment of law and order and prevention of crime; takes HOSPITAL VOLUNTEERS intensive field and basic Wanted! Delta County training in the early period Memorial Hospital needs of employment. Necessary hospital volunteers. Days special requirements are: and hours are flexible. There High School Graduate; pos- are currently openings sess a valid Colorado driv- in the ER, Oncology, Gift er's license or able to obtain Shop and some additional within 30 days of hire; State areas. If you are interested, certified in law enforcement please contact Volunteer or ability to acquire; must Coordinator, Joyce Picard be 21 years of age or over at at (970) 874-3841 for an time of hire; will be required application. (4x27) to pass a detailed background and criminal record WOMEN ONLY AA MEETcheck, a psychological ings, Delta. Wednesdays, p.m., closed exam, physical agility test, 5:30 physical, written test and a (Alcoholics only) at Friends pre-employment drug test. of Bill W. Club, 897 Palmer. The starting salary is $19.70 Saturdays, 11:00 a.m., open per hour plus an excellent (others may attend) at St. benefits package. Please Luke's Episcopal Church, submit application and sup- 5th & Palmer (back door). plemental application to: (tfnx3) The City of Delta, Human FREE DIAPERS FOR UP Resources Department, to one year! Pregnant 360 Main Street, Delta, CO women in Delta County can 81416. Application, supple- now get help to quit smokmental application and ing and get something they complete job description can really use after their available at City Hall or on baby arrives — free diapers. the web at www.cityofdelta. Healthy moms have healthy net. Incomplete applica- babies. Enroll in the Baby & tions will not be accepted. Me Tobacco Free program Deadline for applications today. Contact the Delta is 5:00 p.m., December 1, County Health Department 2015. EEO (2x46) at 874-2165 or your local

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PUBLIC SERVICE

SUPPORT THE DELTA Public Library. Give a gently used book in the Downstairs Book Store. WELCOME RETURNING Veterans, Post 9221 VFW meets at 5:00 p.m. on the 4th Thursday of each month in Cedaredge. To find out how to participate in promoting patriotism and assisting veterans, contact Wayne Hamrick, (970) 2501180. (tfnx23) AARP DRIVER SAFETY Course. Save on insurance, keep up on newer traffic laws, learn defensive driving techniques. For details and schedule contact John Loring (970) 856-6924 or (970) 424-1778. HOTCHKISS-CRAWFORD Historical Museum. Winter hours, Saturdays 1-4 p.m. thru December 24. $3 admission or free to members. Come see our museum at 2nd & Hotchkiss Streets in Hotchkiss. 872-3780. (tfx44) CHECK OUT THE BOOK store at the library. You'll find a great selection of paperbacks at reasonable prices. IF YOU LOVE BOOKS, you will love the Downstairs Bookstore in the basement of the Delta Public Library. NARCOTICS ANONYmous meets at 9th and Palmer, Delta, Mondays and Fridays at 8 p.m. (tfnx5) BECAWS! DONATIONS needed. Credit cards accepted. Call 970-5273350, or visit cawsonline. org. Delta County Citizens for Animal Welfare and Shelter (CAWS) DELTA FOOD PANTRY needs meals for Delta families who are temporarily in need. Donations of non-perishable food may be brought to 628 Meeker. (tfx36) HELP!!! KEEP THE animal population under control, and SAVE an animal's life. Adopt your new cat or dog from the Delta County Humane Society. Adoption fee is minimal. Call 874-2149. (DCHS) THERE IS A VFW MEETING on the first Monday of each month. At 6 p.m. there is a potluck and the meeting is at 7 p.m. at the IOOF Hall, 860 Hwy 92, Delta. For further information, call 874-8172 Jim Baker, Quartermaster. (tfx12) BECAWS! ADOPT A DOG or cat today. Call 970-5273350, or visit cawsonline. org. Delta County Citizens for Animal Welfare and Shelter (CAWS) FOUND SOMEONE'S puppy? Let them find it in the DCI Classifieds.

D2 Wednesday, November 25, 2015 PUBLIC SERVICE CHAPTER, UNITS OF DAV regular meetings on the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Veterans Building, 15th & Howard, Delta. For further information, call Paul Carter 874-5150. (tfx19) ARE YOU NEW TO THE Delta area? Stop by the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce at 301 Main St. for you FREE Welcome Bag, filled with goodies, samples, discounts and community information, courtesy of Chamber members and sponsored by Kim Guthrie-Burch of Re/Max Today.

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PUBLIC SERVICE BECAWS! DISCOUNT spay and neuter coupons available. Call 970-5273350, or visit cawsonline. org. Delta County Citizens for Animal Welfare and Shelter (CAWS) FARM WORKER HEALTH Services: We offer assistance with medical, dental and medicines. If you work in agriculture you may qualify for our services. For more information call 3230538. (tfx12)

SERVICIOS DE SALUD De Campesinos: Ofrecemos ayuda con doctores, dentistas, y medicinas. Si trabajas en agricultura puedes califiYOU HAVE THE POWER TO car para nuestros servicios. change a child's life! Para mas informacion llame Children are waiting for al 323-0538. (tfx12) senior partners in Delta County right now! Can THINK YOU'RE PREGyou spare 3 hours a week? nant? Abused? Need help? We need your help! Call The Pregnancy Resource today for more informa- Center in Delta offers free tion. Please volunteer to service, support and advice spend time with a child in to all teenagers and women our community. Partners in crisis pregnancy situaof Delta, Montrose and tions. For Christian help, Ouray, 874-4661, www. anytime, call 874-5733. partners-west.org. or www. YOU CAN QUIT. WE CAN deltayouth@montrose.net. help. Colorado Tobacco (tfx13) Quitline offers free, confiPAONIA AMERICAN dential assistance. Call 1Legion runs a year round 800-QUIT-NOW. (TFNx28). non-perishable emergency FAMILIES BELIEVING food pantry. This is for in families: Tandem the North Fork area. For Families is an innovative, information, call 527-6252. private non-profit mentor(tfx49) ing program providing serSAVE EYEGLASSES, OLD vices for at-risk children of jewelry and silver or bits of Delta and Mont-rose coungold and silver scraps. The ties. Anyone interested in Grand Odd Fellow Lodge is volunteering their services sending them to: New Eyes or donating usable items for the Needy, 549 Millburn should call 874-3000 or 252Ave., Short Hills, NJ 07078 7445. (TFNx8) or send them to: Gale THE AMERICAN LEGION Conger, Secretary of IOOF Post 97 Paonia is seeking Lodge #116, 544 St. Hwy. the names and addresses of 548, Delta, CO 81416. all persons currently servTHE AMERICAN RED ing on active duty in the Cross needs you. Become military from the North Fork one of the Red Cross volun- Valley in order to contact teers who says, “We’ll Be them and show our supThere, Because Help Can’t port. Send addresses to Wait!” Call your local Red American Legion Post 97, Cross Chapter at 970-242- PO Box 277, Paonia, CO 4851 or 1-800-HELP NOW 81428 or call 527-6552. for information on the dif- PARENTS FREE! INFORMference you can make in ation and referrals to someone’s life as a disaster licensed child care providvolunteer. ((TFNx4)) ers, call Bright Futures Child DELTA HAS A BOOK- Care Resource and Referral, store in the basement of 1-877-728-5613. (TFNx4) the library featuring gently SUPPORT THE DELTA used books and magazines. Public Library. Give a gently Come check it out! used book in the Downstairs UNEMPLOYED? JOIN Book Store. others for a time of net- FOSTER GRANDPARENT working, encouragement, Program enriches the lives and skill improvement. of senior volunteers while Latent Resources meets improving the education of the first Thursday of each children with special needs. month at 6:30 at the Delta Volunteers, 55 and older, United Methodist Church needed to assist in class (5th & Meeker). Attendants rooms tutoring and mentorand visitors are encour- ing children. Low-income aged to dress profession- volunteers may qualify for ally and bring a note pad a stipend. Teachers in Delta and a willingness to learn area class rooms request and be challenged. Find us "Grandparents" to come on facebook.com & twit- in and work with students ter.com - search "Latent who need the extra help to Resources", or call James achieve their best. For inforat 970-901-9463. mation on how you can use HEALTHY BABIES START your talents to help kids call with early prenatal care. Tanya at 263-9091. (tfx7) Delta County Health PARENTS — FREE Department. Offers access information and referrals to immediate, temporary for licensed child care proMedicaid for pregnant viders. Call Bright Futures women who qualify. 874- Child Care Resource & 2165. (tfx25) Referral at 877-728-5613. BOOKS MAKE GREAT (TFNx1) stocking stuffers. Find HAVING A YARD SALE? books at great prices in Advertise it in the DCI Clasthe basement of the Delta sifieds. Public Library.

PUBLIC SERVICE

BECAWS! VOLUNTEERS needed. Call 970-527-3350, or visit cawsonline.org. Delta County Citizens for Animal Welfare and Shelter (CAWS)

IF YOU THINK YOU have a drinking problem... Alcoholics Anonymous can help. There are weekly AA meetings throughout the North Fork area and beyond. For meeting times PLEASE HELP! VOLUN- and locations call AA at teers needed to help get 970-245-9649 or 888-333new animal shelter in Delta 9649. Or go to the website off the ground. We need www.aa-westerncolorado. temporary or long term org. Alcoholics Anonymous foster homes, foot soldiers, can help! light research, paperwork and phone people. Many AL-ANON MEETINGS BY hands make light work. day of week. Sunday: Thank you! Another Chance Woman's Al-Anon in Critter Haven. 874-9011. Montrose 3:30 p.m., All Saints Anglican Church, DEDUCT IT FROM YOUR 2057 S. Townsend, contaxes! Donations of: pet tact Peggy, (970) 964food, old blankets, tow- 4970. Monday: Al-Anon els, kennels, carriers, pet in Hotchkiss 6:30 p.m., beds or dishes, and money Methodist Church, 285 N. always appreciated. Another 2nd, contact Kay, (970) 208Chance Critter Haven. 874- 5257 or Chris, (970) 5279011. 501 (c) (3) 3366. Monday: Al-Anon in JOIN FORCES WITH US! Montrose 7:00 p.m., First Animal lovers rescue Presbyterian Church, 1840 groups, shelters: let's band E. Niagara, contact Diane, together and get a county- (970) 964-4417. Tuesday: wide shelter built! We Women's Al-Anon in Eckert are here for the animals. 1:00 p.m., 13596 Hwy. 65, Another Chance Critter contact Sandy, (970) 8567348. Tuesday: Al-Anon in Haven. 874-9011. Delta 7:30 p.m., St. Luke BECAWS! DOG/CAT Episcopal Church, 145 W. foster families needed. Call 5th St., contact Mark, (970) 970-527-3350, or visit caw- 874-8965 or Elizabeth, (970) sonline.org. Delta County 874-9832. Tuesday: Alateen Citizens for Animal Welfare in Delta 7:30 p.m., St. Luke's and Shelter (CAWS) Episcopal Church, 145 W. 5th St., contact Elizabeth, COLORADO QUITLINE IS (970) 874-9832 or Shirley, a free, confidential tele- (970) 323-5067. Wednesday: phone coaching service Al-Anon in Paonia 7:00 p.m., for anyone calling from a United Methodist Church, Colorado area code. With 3rd and Onarga, contact QuitLine, tobacco users Kay, (970) 208-5257 or Chris, can receive free supplies of (970) 527-3366. Thursday: the nicotine patch as they Al-Anon in Montrose 12:00 work with trained coaches p.m., First Presbyterian who create a personalized Church, 1840 E. Niagara, quit plan just for them. To contact Diane, (970) 964contact the QuitLine, call 1- 4417. Thursday: Al-Anon in 800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784- Cedaredge 8 p.m., Wick Hall 8669) or visit www.coquit- behind First Baptist Church, line.org. 370 W. Main, contact Vicki, BECAWS! DO YOU HAVE (970)589-9290. (tfnx16) an animal rescue suc- HUNGRY? PLEASE JOIN cess story to share? Call us for a free meal. Tuesdays, 970-527-3350, or email 5:30 - 7 p.m., and Saturdays rescuemagazine@gmail. 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Served com. Delta County Citizens at Westminster Hall, 135 E. for Animal Welfare and 4th St., Delta, across from Shelter (CAWS) the post office. No income THE DELTA COUNTY restrictions - if you're hunDemocratic Party invites gry, please feel free to join you to visit their Facebook us. For questions, to donate page for announcements, or to volunteer, please call information and intelligent the Abraham Connection, discussion of issues. You (970) 773-8290. are not alone! Contact www.facebook.com/pages/ CO-Delta-County-Democrat s/109082339170167 BECAWS! DONATION items needed for Barkin' Bargains Thrift Store in Paonia. Call 970-527-5111. Delta County Citizens for Animal Welfare and Shelter (CAWS) ALZHEIMER'S ASSOciation Caregivers' Support Group, Cory/Austin. All Saints Lutheran Church, 20101 Deer Creek Road. Last Wednesday of every month, 1 p.m. ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCiation Caregivers' Support Group, Delta. Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado, Grand Mesa Oncology Center, 1501 E. 3rd Street, Tuesdays at 2 p.m. BECAWS! SHOP BARKIN' Bargains Thrift Store in Paonia. All proceeds to to CAWS. Call 970-527-5111. Delta County Citizens for Animal Welfare and Shelter (CAWS)

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B A C K P A G E

Reaching new heights with the Civil Air Patrol Photo submitted

Prior to an orientation flight, cadets Ezra Russell and Jack Jones go through a pre-flight check with Capt. Capelli. Each cadet receives five free air flights to get to know the aircraft. Jones plans to start private flying lessons soon.

BY PAT SUNDERLAND

Managing Editor

ivil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, performs about 85 percent of inland search and rescue missions in the U.S. The squadrons search for lost hikers or hunters, locate downed aircraft and transport emergency personnel or medical materials. They also serve as mentors to cadet squadrons, a role Lt. Tom Jones and Capt. Tammy Mattics take very seriously. Both are affiliated with the Thunder Mountain Composite Squadron in Grand Junction; Capt. Mattics also serves group and regional roles. Capt. Mattics explains her oldest son enlisted in the squadron in 2009, and because she had to transport him to meetings in Grand Junction, she hung around to observe the squadron’s activities. As she learned more and more about the organization, she became a sponsor, then a regular member. Eventually she earned the informal title of “group mom,” a title that reflected a wide range of duties, from personnel to professional development. In the the Colorado Wing (COWG) of the Civil Air Patrol , which operates in the Rocky Mountain Region, Capt. Mattics is

Photo submitted

Capt. Tammy Mattics (left) is an Olathe resident who serves the Civil Air Patrol cadet corps at the squadron, group and wing level. “I’m an overachiever — in a good way,” she said.

assistant inspector general for the 35 squadrons in three groups across Colorado. Within the group, she supports the five squadrons “on this side of the hill.” At every opportunity, she has expressed a willingness to learn and to take on new responsibilities. “I’m proud to have earned the rank of captain, and in May will advance to major,” Mattics said. Her rank reflects her attitude of, “Okay, I’m ready, what next?” “If it’s something I enjoy, I want to know more.” Her son his now in college, but Capt. Mattics is looking forward to the spring, when her youngest son turns 12 and can join the Civil Air Patrol. She’s seen firsthand how the program instills maturity and self-confidence in the cadets. “Whenever my son put on his uniform, he stood just a little straighter and exuded a little more confidence,” Capt. Mattics said. “It was really good for him.” Lt. Tom Jones also became involved in the Thunder Mountain Composite Squadron through his son, Jack, and now expresses pride for all the cadets with whom he works. During a Veterans Day assembly at Delta Middle

Photo submitted

Cadet 2nd Lieutenant Ezra Russell hopes to become a ﬁghter pilot for the Air Force. He believes his participation in the Civil Air Patrol is preparing him for life at the Air Force Academy or in ROTC.

Photo by Pat Sunderland

A color guard comprised of Cadet Airman Jayd Gardner of Clifton, Master Sgt. Jack Jones of Delta and Senior Airman Jonathon Lyons of Palisade visited residents at area nursing homes on Veterans Day.

School — where Jack Jones is a student — a color guard comprised of Cadet Airman Jayd Gardner of Clifton, Senior Airman Jonathan Lyons of Palisade and Jones — a master sergeant — presented the colors. Later in the day they visited residents at area nursing homes. In addition to community service, squadron members attend weekly meetings that focus on aerospace education, physical fitness and moral leadership. As a recruiter, Master Sgt. Jack Jones is well versed in membership requirements: applicants must be between the ages of 12 and 21 and a citizen of the United States. Prospective members must attend three meetings prior to joining, so they understand what they’re getting into. Everyone has an opportunity to fly — and that’s a big drawing card — but to advance within the organization, members are required to participate in the educational program. “They have to work for their rank,” said Lt. Tom Jones. “We don’t give them anything.” The other cadet from Delta County is Cadet 2nd Lieutenant Ezra Russell of Paonia, a homeschooler who is in the 10th grade. In addition to a rigorous online course load, he takes piano and karate lessons, and participates in the Civil Air Patrol and its color guard. While service in the military is not a requirement for Civil Air Patrol cadets, Russell said his ultimate goal is to become a fighter pilot for the Air Force. In fact, he learned about the Civil Air Patrol while researching the Air Force Academy’s admission requirements for homeschoolers. “They had suggested becoming involved with CAP, so I joined the squadron in February 2014,” Russell said. “I believe my participation in CAP will help prepare me for life at the academy or ROTC. I am learning about leadership and aerospace as well as flying which will help me become a fighter pilot.” Russell has to complete one more orientation flight, then will begin pursuing a pilot’s license. Ezra’s parents, Paul and Paula, have seen tremendous growth and maturity in Ezra since he joined the Civil Air Patrol. “He has become more diligent and takes CAP seriously,” they said. “He sets high goals to test and promote every two months, and he achieves whatever goals he sets for himself. He is respectful toward people and toward his uniform. We are so proud of Ezra, and we know he will accomplish his future goals of becoming an Air Force pilot.” Russell will have a head start if his plans to enlist come to pass. Cadet officers who enlist in the U.S. Air Force are able to “rank up,” coming in as an E-3 (airman first class) rather than an E-1

(airman basic). Cadets also enjoy many unique opportunities, from tours of the Air Force Academy and Fort Carson, to encampments, described as mini boot camps. Last summer, Lyons had the opportunity to attend a CAP encampment at Kaneohe Marine Corps Base in Honolulu. He has no desire to be a pilot. Instead, he hopes the CAP aerospace science studies will provide a solid foundation for a career as a meteorologist. Russell was selected to serve in the capacity of Echo Flight Sergeant for the 2015 Blackbird Encampment at the Air Force Academy. Next summer, he plans on attending the SWR Powered Flight Academy in Shawnee, Okla., where he will receive 10 hours of hands-on flight time as well as 25 hours of ground training. Jack Jones is competing in an online Air Force Association cyber warfare program known as CyberPatriot. A total of 3,000 teams compete at three levels — middle school, high school and military. During the right round of competition, Jack spent the better part of a Saturday in front of a computer at Central High School. Prior to the rounds, teams download “virtual image”

representations of operating systems with known flaws, or cybersecurity “vulnerabilities.” Teams must find the flaws while keeping computer functions (“services,” such as email) working. “This is a whole different caliber of kids for the most part,” said Capt. Mattics. “The leadership, the core values, the discipline ... it gives them a strong boost to the next level.”

Photo by Pat Sunderland

At a Delta Middle School assembly, Lt. Tom Jones of Delta explains how the Civil Air Patrol grew from the desire of volunteers to put their planes and ﬂying skills to use in defense of their country. As a result, the Civil Air Patrol was born one week prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Ezra Russell wins prestigious CAP award Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol’s Cadet Ezra Russell was awarded the prestigious Billy Mitchell Award and promoted to rank of Cadet 2nd Lieutenant. This award honors the late General Billy Mitchell who was an aviation pioneer, advocate and supporter of an independent air force for America. To earn this award, cadets must complete the first eight achievements of the cadet program, pass a physical fitness test, attend a cadet encampment and pass a comprehensive examination covering leadership theory and aerospace topics scoring an 80 percent or higher. Russell, a CAP member since February 2014, is an active member of the Thun-

der Mountain Composite Squadron where he currently serves as a flight commander and lead guard for its color guard. Russell was also selected to serve in the capacity of Echo Flight Sergeant for the 2015 Blackbird Encampment at the Air Force Academy. Russell plans on attending the SWR Powered Flight Academy in Shawnee, Okla., this summer. Cadets who receive the Mitchell Award are also eligible for advanced placement to the grade of E-3 (Airman First Class) should they choose to enter the U.S. Air Force. They are also eligible for advanced credit in AFROTC, various CAP scholarships and CAP special activity opportunities.