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SPORTS
HONORING OUR GRADS One door closes, another opens for the Class of 2016, Inside
DELTA COUNTY
FINAL PUSH
State competition caps season for boys’ and girls’ track teams, B7 MAY 18, 2016 VOL. 133, NO. 20
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INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
DHS awards 148 diplomas BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Delta High School’s Class of 2016 set a level of high expectations all future Panthers will strive for, principal Derek Carlson said during commencement ceremonies Sunday. During his opening remarks, Carlson said collectively the class posted the highest composite ACT score in the history of Delta High School. Graduates posted the highest number of quality points on 552 AP exams, saving thousands of dollars in college tuition. The Class of 2016 also pioneered the Academy of Health Sciences and the high altitude balloon launch, counselor Shawna Magtutu said later during the ceremony. Of the 148 graduates, 65 are headed to college or vocational training, 11 are entering the U.S. military (including nine enlisting in the Army), and
two will be playing collegiate sports. Graduates garnered $72,000 in local scholarship awards and a total of $1.2 million in merit aid. But that’s just the starting point, said salutatorian Uyen Nguyen. “It’s time to take the next step that is the journey of our lives.” Co-salutatorian Sara Jurca read a poem about glitter and glue, urging her classmates to be the glitter that will make the world a better place, while remembering the glue that has stuck with them and provided support — parents, pastors, friends and family members. Class valedictorians were Mykayla Music and Alan Carrasco. Mykayla shared memories about recess, where they learned to be daring, to let their imaginations soar, and weren’t afraid to get messy. “Our future is beginGRADUATION TO A5
Photo by Pat Sunderland
Student council officers Alex Duran, Cidney Fisk and Jamie Sutliff (pictured), along with Naomi Hayner and Cruz Arias, move their tassels from right to left at the conclusion of Delta High School’s graduation ceremony Sunday. Behind them, fellow graduates lined up across the football field. After also turning their tassels, they tossed their mortarboards into the darkening sky. See more photos and the complete story on page A5. Commencement ceremonies were also held at Paonia, Cedaredge and Hotchkiss high schools last weekend. Friday is the last day of the 2015-16 school year.
County addresses subdivision roads BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer
The county commissioners, acting at their regular bi-monthly meeting on May 16, adopted terms of a policy for taking private subdivision roads into the county system for future maintenance. In addition, the commissioners designated a list of seven roads that immediately qualify for inclusion in the county system. A second list of six subdivision roads could qualify for inclusion once a proper request is submitted to
the planning department. Roads that currently qualify are Archway Road in the Vista Valley subdivision; Snaffle Bit Road in the Snaffle Bit subdivision; Paradise Road, Friendship Road and Pleasant Valley Road all in the Pleasant Valley subdivision; Wild Turkey Lane in the Myers Subdivision; and Sol Vista Lane in the Puesta Del Sol subdivision. The roads have been inspected by the county engineering and planning staffs. The roads have been found to
meet three basic criteria: they have been constructed to meet and still meet county standards; they are paved with asphalt (no gravel or concretepaved roads will be accepted for the county maintenance program); and the roads have been found to be in good to excellent condition. One other requirement of the county policy has also been met for the seven roads on the list: an authorized representative of the subdivision in which the roads are located has submitted a written request to the county “asking for consideration of maintenance for the specific road.” Commissioners also
endorsed a second list of six additional private subdivision roads that meet the new policy criteria, but which have not been requested for inclusion on the county’s maintenance list. Those roads are the following: Violetta and LJ Road in the Hilltop Minor Resource subdivision; Dry Creek Road in the Dry Creek subdivision; 1940 Road in the Adobe Sunsets subdivision; and Harold Drive and Ruth Lane in the Sun-Rise subdivision. There were another nine roads evaluated under the policy which were found to fall short of county standards. They are the following: Hidden Mesa Lane in the Hidden
Mesa subdivision; Simmental Road and Baldy Court in the Rolling Hills subdivision; Stirrup Creek Road in the Stirrup Creek subdivision; Wynd Ridge Road in the Wynd Ridge subdivision; D Road in the Crawford South subdivision; Serenity Court and Carriage Drive in the Heritage Estates subdivision; and Stearman Lane in the Stearman/ Crawford Airport subdivision. The county reckons annual maintenance costs per mile of a gravel road at $1,876; annual maintenance cost per mile for a paved road $1,238; and state funding from gasoline tax per mile of road at $1,617.
Zhane Ware pleads guilty to robbery Delta man arrested after BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Zhane Ware, 19, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, a class three felony, in Delta District Court Monday. As part of a plea agreement, Ware will be sentenced to a youth offender program, described as a type of “boot camp” for offenders between the ages of 18 and 21. Located in Cañon City, the camp is intended for young men who do not have extensive criminal histories, although they have been convicted of a “generally significant” crime. The terms of the sentence will be determined by Judge Steven Schultz after he has had an opportunity to review a pre-sentence report that is being prepared by the probation department. Sentencing is set for July 18. Ware was arrested just
INDEX
Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A7 Back Page ................... D6 Business ........................ A8 Church ............................C6 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Health & Fitness .........C7-8 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-5 Obituaries ......................B8 School Zone ............... A5-6 Service Directory ........ D5 Sports ..........................B6-7 Surface Creek News ...C1-3 TV Listings ..................C4-5
hours after an armed robbery at the Western Convenience Store at 1502 Howard Street, on the south end of Delta, in November 2015. A number of other charges were dismissed, including contributing to the delinquency of a minor who was with Ware at the time of the robbery. According to the arrest affidavit, Ware kept a Ruger pointed at the convenience store clerk while the teen held a backpack open for the money. When they saw a vehicle pull into the station, they took the money and ran. Ware was reportedly desperate for funds to replace money he’d stolen from the car of an acquaintance. The victim threatened to call the police if the money wasn’t returned, so Ware decided to rob the store to get the $108 he needed to pay off that individual.
wild ride through Montrose BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Aaron Weedman, 22, of Delta is facing a number of felony charges after crashing into a Montrose residence with a stolen vehicle. The incident unfolded during the early morning hours of May 7, when Weedman allegedly jumped the fence at Hot Water Productions and stole a service truck, using the truck to smash through a gate before driving off. At 4:30 a.m., authorities were dispatched to 1881 Kellie Drive, where a white Ford F250 pickup was found projecting from the south side of the residence. Both the home and the vehicle had sustained severe damage, and an adult occupant required emergency transport to the hospital. Two children in the home were not
injured. The driver of the pickup had fled on foot. He was later spotted at a nearby intersection, sitting in the driver’s seat of a red Nissan Xterra that was partially on the sidewalk. When law enforcement officers ordered Weedman to exit the vehicle, he took off running across Ogden Road. He came to a stop when he ran into a fence and a large bush. He was placed into custody and transported to Montrose Memorial Hospital after complaining of chest pain. Investigation later revealed that several vehicles at AATCO Transmission, next door to Hot Water Productions, had been broken into, along with a pickup parked on Sneffels Street. Missing from the pickup was a BLM employee identification card that was reportedly recov-
Delta County Independent earns five awards “Perfect timing - a great moment to capture” the judges said about a Tamie Meck photo that earned first place in the Colorado Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. The awards were presented during the CPA’s annual convention in Denver May 13-14. The photo of rodeo action titled “Head over heels over Cherry Days” was submitted in the sports category for newspapers of similar circulation across Colorado, including The Aspen Times, The Villager (Greenwood Village) and Canyon Courier (Evergreen). Meck placed second for the news story, “Audit shines light on Paonia’s financial
woes.” The judges commented, “This writer’s use of vocabulary and writing style pulled this story to the top immediately. Her ability to get facts into the story without readers feeling overwhelmed was a plus.” Pat Sunderland, managing editor, placed second for a health feature about the school district’s concussion protocol. The top spots for “Best Agriculture Story” in Class 4 both went to the Delta County Independent. Tamie Meck placed first with “Head, heart, hands, health guide Clock triplets,” and Sunderland took second with “Local growers cash in on hemp.”
ered later from Weedman. The investigation ultimately involved a number of city and county investigators, as well as the Montrose Fire Department, called to extinguish a fire in the cab of one of the vehicles at Hot Water Productions. Another crime scene was discovered at Home Depot, where an unknown vehicle had hit outdoor displays of fence posts and rental equipment. The complex investigation resulted in a long list of charges against Weedman: vehicular assault, first degree aggravated motor vehicle theft, first degree criminal trespass (six counts), criminal mischief, second degree arson, theft, violation of a protection order and DUI. The arrest affidavit was filed by the Montrose Police Department.
Candidate forum Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA), in cooperation with the League of Women Voters of Montrose and Delta Counties, will host a candidate forum Thursday, May 19, 6 to 7 p.m. at the Hotchkiss Senior Center, 267 W. Main Street. Six candidates are running for a seat on DMEA’s nine-member board — Olen Lund and Brad Harding, District 3; Jim Elder and Walter von Helms, District 4; Tony Prendergast and John Fleming, South Region. Ballots will be mailed to active DMEA members on May 20.