NORTH FORK TIMES
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
CREATING A NEW VISION Economic stability is a hot topic at Paonia gathering, B1
SPORTS
COACHING HONORS Mike Morgan named CHSAA Assistant Coach of the Year, C1
DELTA COUNTY
SUCCESSFUL YEAR ENDS Paonia girls place second at state basketball tournament, C6
MARCH 16, 2016 VOL. 133, NO. 11
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INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
School counselors added to 50J staff BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
After years of budget cuts resulting in staff reductions, Delta County Joint School District #50 is excited to be adding school counselors at every middle and high school in the district. The new hires are being funded through a School Counselor Corps Grant Program. Only two schools currently have counselors — Delta High School has two, and the Delta Opportunity School has an administrator who spends about half her time counseling students. At other middle and high schools in the school district, school administrators have taken on counseling responsibilities. Connie Vincent, the district’s instructional coordinator, said 7.5 new counselors are being hired for each middle/high school for the 2016-17 school year. A third counselor will join the staff at Delta High School, and the .5 fund-
ing will expand the halftime position at Delta Opportunity School to full time. Pending legislative appropriation, the school district is slated to receive $80,000 per year per school, for a total of $640,000, to cover the cost of salaries, benefits, programs and training. The grant is for three years. Vincent explained counselors focus their efforts on three areas — college and career readiness, academics (help with study skills, ACT/SAT prep and more), and students’ social/emotional needs. The school district is wrapping up the planning phase of the program, which involved a survey of students, parents and staff. In most schools, postsecondary readiness was identified as the number one need, but some middle schools put social/emotional needs as a higher priority. “We’re so excited not just to hire people, but to put in programs and intervention COUNSELORS TO A3
Photo by Ellie Tunget
Overnight stop
Over 10,000 sandhill cranes will be migrating north from New Mexico to Idaho over the next several weeks. Many of the birds make an overnight stop at Fruitgrowers Reservoir. In observance of Eckert Crane Days, March 18-20, representatives from the Black Canyon Chapter of the Audubon Society will be at the viewing site east of Fruitgrowers from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday to answer questions and to provide binoculars and spotting scopes. On Saturday at 1 p.m., Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologist Daniel Neubaum will give a presentation on bats at the Eckert Presbyterian Church.
Delta businesses, volunteers celebrated BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Food, music and awards highlighted the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet March 12 at Bill Heddles Recreation Center. The occasion was also an opportunity for new relationships to be formed, and for old acquaintanceships to be renewed. The recreation center gym was filled with community members who, as business owners or employees, volunteers or nonprofit supporters, contribute to the vitality of the community in myriad ways. A prime example is Troy Wells, named Volunteer of the Year for 2015. When he
heard the Deltarado Days rodeo would be returning to the Roundup Club Arena, Wells provided the equipment and manpower to prepare the facility not only for the rodeo, but for horseshoes and mud volleyball as well. “We could not have pulled off a successful Deltarado Days rodeo without Troy and his crew,” said chamber board member Josh Applegate. Other nominees included Nancy Hutto, Lillian Packard, Lucinda Stanley, Kami Collins, Jesse Messenger, Joann Kalanek, Christy Prettyman and Lance Boren. Although he was not named Volunteer of the Year, Jesse Messenger was recog-
Eager test takers
Photo submitted
Garnet Mesa Elementary School third graders excitedly get ready for their very first state testing. The ELA PARCC test will assess reading and writing skills and will be followed by math PARCC testing.
INDEX
Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A9 Agriculture .................... A7 Back Page ................... D8 Business .......................A10 Church .........................C4-5 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Health & Fitness .........B5-7 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries ..................... A8 School Zone .................. A5 Sports ..........................C6-8 Surface Creek News ...C1-3 TV Listings ................. D5-6
nized by the chamber board for his efforts in representing and promoting the chamber as a chamber ambassador. “Somehow he makes time in his busy life to always be available, show up, and work the long hours without hesitation or complaint,” said board member Chris Cox. Unfortunately, his busy schedule prevented Messenger from being
on hand to accept the award. A long list of businesses were nominated for 2015 Business of the Year, including Kwiki Tire, 4B’s Brewery, Grand Mesa Commercial Real Estate, RE/MAX Today, Hellman Motors, Western Slope Long Term Care Solutions, Two Rivers Veterinary Clinic, Wells Excavation, Rocky Mountain Pantry and Pro
Space Interiors. Chamber board president Heather Redden announced the winner — Grand Mesa Commercial Real Estate, owned by Lucinda Stanley. “When the board of directors considers the works of businesses in our area, we not only focus on the individual success of the business CHAMBER BANQUET TO A3
Delta’s Karen population has dropped to a ‘very solid base’ BY ANNETTE BRAND Staff Writer
In the spring of 2012 Karen families, resettled from Burma (also known as Myanmar), began moving into the Alta Vista de la Montana agricultural housing complex on Highway 50. Four years later, Pastor James Conley of First Baptist Church says some families have moved on to other parts of the U.S. While they found seasonal work in the Delta area, it wasn’t steady. “In 2012 the Alta Vista apartments opened and a lot of Karen families came from Denver, Aurora and Arvada. There was work in the orchards. Both men and women had jobs, some in Dominguez Canyon, some in Cedaredge and Hotchkiss. “We had 30 families at the peak,” he said. Now there are about 14 families ... over 100 Karen people in the community. Three or four families are planning to move to Nebraska at the end of the school year. Pastor Conley explained that
Cedaredge man remains at large On March 6, Cedaredge Police Department asked for an agency assist after a physical altercation between Officer Roy Spiker and Kent Church, 45, of Cedaredge. Church fled the scene but on March 10 was spotted parked on a back road near Aspen Trails Campground. Keeping Church in sight, the officer radioed for backup. Church reportedly spotted the additional officers as they were arriving, bailed out a window and took off running through the woods. Delta County Undersheriff Mark Taylor says officers were able to track Church’s footprints for some distance, but ultimately lost sign of him. Assistance was requested from Montrose County Sheriff’s K-9 unit, but the dog team was also unable to locate Church and he remains at large. Church is wanted on an outstanding warrant for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, menacing and criminal mischief (a felony). Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 874-8810.
packing sheds in Cozad, Neb., same activity in health needs: are hiring and there are other the same number of Karen Karen families there, in addi- in the WIC (Women, Infants, Children) programs and the tion to the jobs. “However, there are Karen same number of immunizafamilies in the Denver area tions for the Karen commuscheduled to move to Delta nity. when school is out. That will Pastor Conley says the make up for those leaving,” remaining Karen families Conley said. form a very solid base. The American Baptist Some are employed by Fosdenomination has had a mis- ter Farms; one man works sionary presence in Burma two days for the school district since 1812. and drives a truck for FosJames Conley, pastor of ter Farms three days. Three First Baptist Church in Delta, are working at an orchard in and his congregation contin- Cedaredge, doing preparatory ued that commitment to the work for the upcoming crop, and others will join them at Karen people from Burma. Randall Taylor, property harvest time. One woman is a manager at Alta Vista de la meat processor at Homestead Montana, said there are half Meats. One woman works for as many Karen residents cur- a business in Cory that makes rently living at Alta Vista as computer parts. With pride, Pastor Conley there were in 2014. In order to be eligible to rent an apart- recites some Karen commument at Alta Vista, at least 65 nity achievements. percent of a family’s income “We have had several must come from agricultural babies born to Karen families, work. with one set of twin boys,” he Bonnie Koehler, director said. of the Delta County Health “There are three Karen Department, said she sees the KAREN POPULATION TO A3
What is ColoradoCare?
T.R. Reid, an internationally-known journalist and author who has studied health care around the world and has committed his support to ColoradoCare, Amendment 69, will discuss the ballot initiative Wednesday, March 23. The League of Women Voters of Montrose and Delta counties is sponsoring an informational program at 5:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express in Montrose. ColoradoCare is a nonprofit health insurance plan that would cover every Coloradan up to age 65; seniors would keep Medicare as their primary insurance, and ColoradoCare would provide supplemental coverage. It would be financed like the public schools. Everybody who earns income would pay for the system, and everybody’s medical care would be covered. Amendment 69 will appear on the November ballot.