NORTH FORK TIMES
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ECONOMIC DRIVER
High speed internet revolutionizes communication in the NF, B1
SPORTS
2017 REORGANIZATION
Surface Creek Chamber seats board members, elects officers, C2
DELTA COUNTY
SHOOTING FOR STATE Youth compete in Denver Nuggets Basketball Skills Challenge, B6
JANUARY 11, 2017 VOL. 134, NO. 2
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INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
It’s official: Police chief takes oath BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Luke Fedler promised to “keep Delta the safe and treasured community we have grown to expect,” during a swearing-in ceremony Tuesday, Jan. 3. The ceremony took place during the first Delta City Council meeting of the year. The oath of office was administered by John Baier, municipal judge. Fedler’s wife Angela pinned on his badge. “Over 16 years ago, during an interview with Chief [Kelly] Shea for a job as a patrol officer with the Delta Police Department, he asked where I envisioned my career path going,” Fedler commented. “My answer was simple and direct: Someday sitting in your chair as the chief of police. Now, almost 17 years later, I feel I am living proof that setting goals, working hard and doing the right thing do pay off and today, I stand before all of you as the new chief of police for the City of Delta.”
Fedler acknowledged the “core group of exceptional DPD employees” who have endured an immense amount of turnover, turmoil, state of limbo, and constant unknowing over the past few years on the direction and mission of the organization. He promised to provide leadership and create an environment “where personal growth and successes are attainable, recognized and endured.” He vowed to work with other departments within the City of Delta, outside organizations throughout the state and county, and most of all the citizens of Delta. Success, he concluded, will not be measured in the number of arrests, traffic citations or response calls to times, but in the reduction of crime and the safety and satisfaction of Delta’s citizens. Many employees of the Delta Police Department, as well as Fedler’s colleagues from the Delta County Sheriff ’s Office, attended the ceremony. A short reception took place at the conclusion of the city council meeting.
New Year’s baby
William Andrew Gowen was expected at Christmas, but waited until Jan. 3, 2017, to come into the new year. Dr. Lewis and his daddy assisted with the birth, which clocked in at 9:55 p.m. William Andrew weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces and was 20.75 inches in length. He’s pictured above with his parents, Savanna and Wes Gowen, and siblings Henry, 3, John, 5, and Caitlynn, 18 months — all born at DCMH, as well. On the right his grandmother, Sheryl Loyer; Dorothy Loyer, his great-grandmother, is pictured on the left. The hospital put together a gift basket to welcome the first baby of 2017.
Sentence modification denied for Trever Rawson’s killer BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
After apologizing to the family of Trever Rawson for yet another court hearing, Judge Keri Yoder denied a modification in the six-year prison sentence handed to the man responsible for the death of their son and brother in 2013. Mark Valdez and a friend, Kevin Keener, were hunting just south of Crawford in rural Montrose County when the tragic death occurred. During an attempt to retrieve an elk they’d shot, they stretched
Photo by Pat Sunderland
Angela Fedler pins the chief’s badge on her husband, Lucas “Luke” Fedler, the newly designated chief of police for the City of Delta.
Bowie withdraws gasification request BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer
Bowie Resources, LLC., has withdrawn its application to the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety in Denver for a technical revision in the permit application for the Bowie No. 2 Mine located near Somerset. The request was dated Jan. 5 and sent on behalf of Bowie Resources by Tamme Bishop, project engineer with J.E. Stover & Associates, Inc., in Grand Junction. It was addressed to Jason
INDEX
Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A7 Back Page ................... D6 Business ........................ A8 Church ............................C6 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-3 Obituaries ..................... A6 School Zone .................. A5 Service Directory ........ D5 Sports ..........................B4-6 Surface Creek News ...C1-5 TV Listings ..................C3-4
Musick with the DRMS. The letter provides no reason for the request to withdraw the application, or any indication whether Bowie will reapply in the future. Approval of the revision would have allowed Bowie to construct a DAXIOM plant that would convert coal mine waste to synthetic gas, which could then be turned into either diesel fuel or fuel oil, according to a public notice published Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 in the Delta County Independent.
Photo by Pat Sunderland
a rope across Highway 92. Rawson stuck the rope while riding his motorcycle and was killed instantly. Initially, Valdez and Keener left the scene, then claimed Rawson “just crashed,” and that they did not see anything. Finally, a 16-year-old boy accompanying the two men came forward with the truth and the case went to the grand jury. Lengthy indictments were handed down against both Valdez and Keener in April 2014. As the judicial process inched forward, numerous
counts were dropped and the men were allowed to enter into plea agreements. In January 2016, Judge Jeff Herron sentenced Valdez to six years in prison. Because Keener did not have a clear view of the events as they transpired, he was sentenced to two years in prison. Valdez was undergoing physical therapy for a workrelated injury and his attorney requested his sentence be postponed. The judge denied that request. In Montrose District Court SENTENCE MODIFICATION TO A3
Yager to be retried; DA adds first degree murder charges BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
In late 2016, the Colorado Court of Appeals overturned the conviction of Nathan Yager, who is serving a prison sentence for the murder of his estranged wife, Melinda, in Paonia in 2011. Yager pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but the insanity plea was taken off the table just prior to closing arguments. The jury deliberated less than two hours before convicting Yager of second degree murder in November 2012. Yager’s attorney successfuly argued on appeal that the trial court erroneously refused to instruct the jury on the defense of insanity. The case has been transferred back to Delta County District Court and Yager is expected to follow soon, although he will remain in custody. The district attor-
ney’s office has filed a motion to amend the complaint adding a charge of first degree murder — after deliberation, a class 1 felony. District attorney Dan Hotsenpiller explains that under Colorado law, a defendant must be held without bail if he is charged with a capital offense (first degree murder) and the “proof is evident or the presumption is great” that the defendant committed the offense charged. Hotsenpiller and the public defender attended a status hearing in front of Judge Steven Schultz last week. Judge Schultz emphasized that, by law, he has just six months to retry the case and the clock is ticking. While a plea could not be entered without Yager’s presence, scheduling concerns were addressed. The judge noted the previous trial took 2 1/2 weeks; the only similar block of time he has
available begins May 16 and runs into early June. Even then, he said he will have to move a couple of trial dates and locate an alternate courtroom because his will be tied up. The trial date will be finalized at a hearing Jan. 31. At the same hearing, the judge will hear from the public defender, who is objecting to the amended complaint. A series of other motions/preliminary hearings was outlined to keep the process moving forward. Yager was originally sentenced to 42 years in prison. According to the Colorado Department of Corrections website, he is housed at the Centennial Correctional Facility. The defense never presented any alternate suspects, instead saying Yager’s actions were the result of “unprovoked passion.”
9-1-1 fee increase proposed
DCED hosts info session
An application has been filed with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to increase the 9-1-1 surcharge from 70 cents to $1 per month. The increase will affect all users of exchange telephone, wireless, wireline and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telecommunications services within Delta County. If the application is approved by the PUC, the increase will take effect Feb. 21. The requested surcharge increase is necessary to pay for and maintain the county dispatch center, which serves all law enforcement, fire and ambulance services without imposing user fees. A $500,000 upgrade is anticipated this year, with half the cost being funded by a Department of Local Affairs grant. Comments or objections may be filed with the PUC at http://www.dora.state.co.us/pls/real/CCTS_oWEB.comment.form. Comments may also be mailed to the offices of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, 1560 Broadway, Suite 250, Denver, CO 80202.
Delta County Economic Development is hosting an informational meeting Friday, Jan. 13, at 10 a.m., with representatives from the Colorado Fresh Food Financing Fund. Individuals who are connected to grocers or fresh food retailers are invited to learn more about the program. DCED is located at 145 W. 4th, Delta. The Colorado Fresh Food Financing Fund (CO4F) is a statewide fund that provides loans and small grants to grocers and other healthy food retailers. CO4F can support existing stores with upgrades/new equipment as well as help to create new stores. The fund was just renewed for an additional two years. More information on the program can be found at https://www.chfainfo. com/co4f.