NORTH FORK TIMES
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
PUBLIC INPUT SOUGHT BLM releases long-awaited resource management plan, B3
HERITAGE TRAIL
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
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Map, brochure highlight historic landmarks in Cedaredge area, C2
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DELTA COUNTY
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ADVENTURE AWAITS
2016 Visitors Guide will help you make the most of summer, Inside JUNE 8, 2016 VOL. 133, NO. 23
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INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
Linda Sorenson confesses to exercising ‘bad judgment’ BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
On course for fun
Photo by Pat Sunderland
A mountain bike obstacle course set up by the Delta Area Mountain Bikers (DAMB) was a popular station during Outdoor Heritage Day in Confluence Park. Despite the heat, organizers estimate 1,000 participants of all ages took advantage of an incredible variety of recreational opportunities.
Linda Sorenson, chairman of the Delta County Republican Party, has responded to the furor caused by a Facebook meme of Ronald Reagan bottlefeeding a chimpanzee. The caption, “I’ll be damned ... Reagan used to babysit Obama!” spurred outcries of racism that spread rapidly across the entire nation. After the meme appeared on her personal Facebook page, Sorenson was contacted by Internet blogger Jason Salzman. She responded with the comment, “I really don’t care if people are offended by it. Unfriend me. Stop looking at me on Facebook.” The interview can be found on his website at bigmedia.org. In a followup article in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Delta County Republican officials claimed Sorenson’s Facebook page had been “hacked,” despite her statement to Salzman. The furor resulted in a closed-door meeting with local committee members
and Steve House, state GOP chairman, Monday morning in Delta. As a result of that meeting, Sorenson issued the following statement, printed in its entirety: “It appears that someone that I don’t know tagged me in a Facebook post with a silly comparison to Barack Obama. I confess to ‘liking’ a tired old Internet meme, and I apologize for my bad judgment. When confronted on the spot by a liberal blogger, I was busy and didn’t realize the game that was being played — the ‘gotcha’ game. The ‘gotcha’ game is fun only for those who intend to ruin a person’s name, reputation, and position of leadership. For anyone else who has been through the cycle, they can tell you how ridiculous and nasty the game is. From one moment to the next, I’m national news. The vitriol and hatred that has been directed at me has been nothing short of stunning. But anyone paying attention these days knows that the left is only about tolerance when they’re
demanding that YOU tolerate their latest nutty idea, and if you don’t like it, then you’re automatically a ‘hater,’ a ‘bigot’ and a ‘racist.’ “I admit saying to the blogger that ‘I don’t care if you’re offended,’ however I do care very much if anyone else was offended. Please forgive me for being insensitive and not thinking of others in the heat of the moment. “I believe one of the greatest things about America is that we are to be judged on the content of our character not the color of our skin.” Questions have also been raised about Sorenson’s alleged endorsement of U.S. Senate candidate Darryl Glenn, in violation of party rules, but reportedly the Monday morning meeting with House and local GOP leaders was focused primarily on the Facebook meme. The regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Delta County Republican Party was held Tuesday night, after this issue of the DCI had gone to press.
Weak market cited in layoffs
Another blow for North Fork coal miners
BY ERIC GOOLD AND TAMIE MECK Staff Writers
The beleaguered population of coal miners in the North Fork Valley and their families received more bad news last Thursday when Arch Coal announced another round of layoffs. The West Elk Mine near Somerset reduced its workforce by 80 employees. West Elk is the latest Delta County mine to severely restructure after Oxbow Mining’s Elk Creek Mine closed and the Bowie No. 2 Mine was idled. All told, over the course of three years, the population of coal miners in Delta County has gone from over 1,200 to some 300 now. In a statement provided to the DCI, Arch Coal leadership indicated the weak worldwide
market for coal made the layoffs inevitable. “We want to thank the employees for their hard work, significant contributions and years of faithful service to West Elk,” said Jim Miller, general manager of West Elk mine. “We regret the need for this difficult action and the resulting impacts on our employees, their families and the North Fork community. We greatly appreciate the strong support we have received and we continue to pursue markets for West Elk’s high-quality, lowemitting product.” Crawford resident Chris Johnson, 57, wasn’t surprised when he received notice of his layoff Thursday night at the start of his graveyard shift. He said workers, who were paid for the shift, were escort-
Primary marked by GOP choices BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Ballots for the June 28 primary election have been mailed to registered Democrat and Republican voters in Delta County. Unaffiliated voters may participate by affiliating with one of the major parties any time prior to Election Day. Details are available at the county clerk and recorder’s office in the county courthouse or the North Fork Annex in Hotchkiss. The primary election will be
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 ........B1-6 Obituaries ...................B7-8 School Zone ...................C6 Service Directory ........ D7 Sports .............................C8 Surface Creek News ...C1-3 TV Listings ................. D5-6
conducted by mail, although votes can be cast in person at the county clerk’s office in either Delta or Hotchkiss. A 24-hour ballot drop box is also available at both locations. The Democratic ballot lists a number of county and state offices, but none are contested. The Republican ballot is filled with hopefuls, including five candidates for U.S. senator, two for 3rd Congressional District representative, two for the State Board of Education PRIMARY ELECTION TO A10
Visitor center opens The Grand Mesa Visitor Center is open for the summer. Seasonal Forest Service staff are on hand 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, including holidays. They will gladly provide information about hiking, fishing and camping opportunities on Grand Mesa. Books of local interest, fishing supplies and gift items are available for purchase. The visitor center is located at the intersection of Highway 65 and Forest Service Road 121, between mile markers 26 and 27 north of Cedaredge. Call 856-4153 for more information.
ed to their lockers to pick up their personal belongings. A 10-year employee at West Elk, he worked on the surface the last seven years. Six weeks ago he was sent back underground and was one of several workers to be shuffled around. He said he was actually expecting to be laid off during the first quarter, but a contractor had been let go, and he was among a few workers to get a couple more months of employment. Johnson’s dad and granddad worked in the mines for
U.S. Steel in Somerset, so this isn’t new to him. “It did not come as a surprise, at least to me,” Johnson said. “We knew the market was not good and that contracts weren’t coming.” Johnson said he took the job 10 years ago because he had six kids in school and needed a steady job with good benefits. “It provided that,” he said. Johnson was actually thinking about quitting in the coming year. “At 57, it was becoming a hard job.”
Getting laid off allows him to collect benefits while he figures out what to do next. While he’s positive about the future and is working on business plans with his son, he’s concerned for some of his former co-workers, and especially the ones with families. “They have to scramble,” he said. “It’s harder for them.” His faith makes it easier to look to the future. “I continue to have faith in the Lord and trust in God,” said Johnson. “When God closes a door, He opens a window.”
Input sought on river corridor study in Delta BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
A two-mile stretch of the Gunnison River between Confluence and Cottonwood parks has been the subject of a study intended to spur economic development in the Delta area. Community members are invited to preview a conceptual draft of the study and to provide feedback Thursday, June 9, at Bill Heddles Recreation Center. Representatives of RiverRestoration Inc., the firm which prepared the draft, will be present from 6 to 8 p.m. to provide details and hear what community members have to say. The preliminary engineering study was funded by a $100,000 DOLA grant, and
is part of a broader economic recovery plan taking shape across Delta County. Better City, a consultant employed by the City of Delta, Delta County Economic Development and Region 10, identified the city’s inactive riverfront as a “significant opportunity to develop recreational assets that will reposition the community as a destination attraction and community of choice for employers and their associated workforce.” It’s believed the riverfront property at the entrance to Delta has potential as a “gateway project” that could attract private investment, including a nationally branded hotel. The draft plan addresses river amenities including
Downtown DeltaFest
Downtown DeltaFest — the first of three scheduled this summer — takes place Thursday, June 9, from 5:30 until sundown. The Delta Area Chamber of Commerce is planning three full blocks of fun that includes music by North Fork Country, dancing, kids’ activities, food, vendors and dirt bike racing. Grand Mesa Motorsports presents Moto Mayhem in the 500 block of Main Street. Classic cars will be on display in the 200 block. In additon, many Main Street shops will offer extended hours. Main Street will be closed to through traffic, but cross traffic will be allowed on 2nd and 6th streets.
trails, camping, scenic overlooks, green space, access points and recreational opportunities. There’s also an opportunity to capitalize on five small lakes within the project area that could accommodate waterskiing, wakeboarding, boating, sailing, personal watercraft and beach activities. Fishing areas, picnic and playground areas, interpretive stations, and boardwalks across wetland areas are other elements that could be incorporated into a long-range plan to revitalize both the north and south sides of the river corridor. The conceptual drawings can be viewed on the city’s website, www.cityofdelta.net.
Fatal accident reported
A fatal traffic accident occurred Sunday, June 5, on Highway 65 north of Cedaredge. At about 6:47 a.m., a 1996 GMC Yukon was southbound near milepost 22 when the driver lost control after traveling over an area of the roadway covered with loose gravel. The Colorado State Patrol reports the GMC traveled off the right shoulder of the roadway and rolled down a steep rocky embankment, coming to final rest approximately 120’ from the roadway on its top. The driver fled the scene and is yet to be located. Leonardo Grajeda Salazar, 49 of Montrose, was found deceased in the passenger seat.