NORTH FORK TIMES
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
SPRING IS IN BLOOM
SPORTS
LOTS OF FUN
Fruit growers keep a close eye on spring temperatures, B1
Centenarian looks back on a life filled with family, friends, work, C1
DELTA COUNTY
FACILIITES UPGRADED Community, coaches are making Bruins the best they can be, B8
MARCH 22, 2017 VOL. 134, NO. 12
75¢
INDEPENDENT
www.deltacountyindependent.com
SATs trigger calendar change BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
The SAT, the state’s college entrance exam, will be administered for free in every school April 11 — right in the middle of Delta County’s spring break. That’s pushing the district’s 11th graders into the makeup date on Tuesday, April 25. Although they can opt to take the SAT (or the ACT) on their own, there’s a charge and students would likely have to drive to another venue. The same scenario is shaping up for 10th graders taking the PSAT 10, which has replaced the state’s Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) tests for 10th grade students in English language arts and math. To avoid a similar scenario in 2017-18, the school board last week approved a calendar modification that moves the April break to the third week of the month — April 16-20, 2018. Juniors across the state are taking the SAT for the first time this spring. According to the Colorado Department of Education, the switch to SAT from the ACT occurred after legislation passed in 2015 that required the state to seek competitive bids for a new 10th grade exam and aligned 11th grade college entrance exam. This year’s 11th graders
had the opportunity to get ready for the SAT last year when they took the PSAT 10 exam. Through a partnership between the College Board, which develops the SAT suite of assessments, and the Khan Academy, students could choose to receive free, personalized SAT study plans tailored to the strengths and weaknesses identified from their PSAT 10 results. In addition, teachers and principals are doing work within each high school to make sure students are ready for the SATs. Kurt Clay, assistant superintendent for Delta County Joint School District #50, said representatives from the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Education Initiative were brought in for staff in-service days in SATs TO A3
Time to get outdoors
With temperatures topping 80 degrees over the weekend, folks found lots of reasons to get outdoors — from fishing the Gunnison River, to picnics, hiking and bicycling. Of course, the warmer weather also brings work in the form of lawn and garden clean-up.
Fee hike hits trash haulers hard service told commissioners and county staff that the increases will be too big for their customers to swallow all at once. Hiking the commercial tipping fee as proposed from $28 per ton to $41 per ton will cost them customers, they said. They asked for a smaller increase, a phased-in increase, and/or a delay in any increase. A no-fee-increase proposal was not part of the discussion as the county says the need for an increase is in the numbers. Some of the haulers said they are still feeling the effects of the county increase a year ago, which was only $3 per ton — far less than the $13 per ton increase that is said required to meet the landfill’s future expansion, equipment and regulatory compliance needs. The private hauler “minimum” charge was doubled last
BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer
County officials and commercial trash haulers met last week to discuss the impact of a big increase in tipping fees under review for Adobe Buttes landfill. Three commercial haulers and two county municipal governments that provide trash
Warrant issued for vehicular homicide The Delta Police Department has issued a warrant for the arrest of James H. Catlin, 31, of North Quincy, Mass., charging him with vehicular homicide in the Feb. 6 accident that resulted in the death of Gladys “Josie” Varela. Catlin also faces charges of vehicular assault, unlawful use of a controlled substance, driving under the influence (alcohol), driving under the influence per se (alcohol), driving under the influence (drugs), reckless driving and reckless endangerment. The warrant was issued March 13 as a result of an extensive investigation into the two-vehicle head-on collision that occurred Feb. 6 in the 1300 block of Highway 50 North. At approximately 7:25 p.m., Gladys “Josie” Varela was driving a 1998 green Subaru Forester east on Highway 50 when she was hit head on by a 2016 gray Ford Fusion driven by Catlin. Varela, 19, of Olathe was pinned in the driver’s seat and died as a result of the injuries she sustained during the crash. Her passenger, Victor Varela, 47, of Olathe
INDEX
Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A7 Back Page ................... D6 Business .........................C6 Church ............................C5 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries ...................B5-6 School Zone .................. A8 Service Directory ........ D5 Sports ..........................B5-8 Surface Creek News ...C1-5 TV Listings ..................C3-4
Photo by Randy Sunderland
sustained serious injuries as well. He was transported to Delta County Memorial Hospital for treatment. According to the DPD, James Catlin was pinned in the front driver seat of the gray Ford. He was reported to be unconscious yet breathing. He was eventually extricated from the vehicle and transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Grand Junction for treatment where he was reported to have sustained life-threatening injuries. The passenger in his vehicle, Nathaniel Merrill, 35, of Cedaredge sustained unknown visible injuries but refused medical treatment. Catlin is described as a white male, 5’9” tall, 175 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair. Multiple agencies, to include Delta Fire, Delta County Ambulance District, Delta County Sheriff ’s Office, and Colorado State Patrol worked together to assist in the investigation, care for those involved and clean up the accident scene. Both vehicles were towed from the scene and the highway was fully re-opened around 12:45 a.m.
year from $5 to $10. There is no plan to increase that fee this time, but the amount of load allowed for $10 will change depending on how much rates increase. For example, the $10 minimum charge allows for up to 700 pounds of waste to enter the landfill. If the commercial charge goes to $41 per ton, the $10 minimum will correspondingly allow only 500 pounds to enter the landfill — an equivalent of a 30 percent price increase. Adobe Buttes’ charges apply to loads deposited at the North Fork transfer station as well. County officials note that Adobe Buttes fees are already the lowest in the region with other county landfill charges as high as $60 per ton. Costs of operating the landfill are dic-
tated by state regulations and expenses vary little from location to location, noted Kevin Hunt, landfill manager. Still, according to the county, charges at Adobe Buttes have been a good deal and have stayed low for a long time. In 1993 when Adobe Buttes was opened the charge was equivalent to about $24 per ton, estimated on a volume basis. County officials said they would sharpen their pencils to see if the $13 increase can be modified. For now, the fees of $28 per ton and $10 minimum remain in effect. The commercial haulers and the municipal representatives said they appreciated the chance to sit down faceto-face with the county for a discussion of the issues.
Elusive driver arrested after crash on school grounds BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
A driver sought by the Colorado State Patrol led law enforcement officers on a twisting trek through Delta before barreling under a fence at Delta Middle School and crashing into an irrigation pump house. Pedro Lopez, 29, of Grand Junction emerged from his green Ford Taurus with his hands in the air and was taken into custody without incident. A passenger in his vehicle, Marissa Bullard, 26, suffered minor injuries and was transported to Delta County Memorial Hospital. She was examined and released. A Delta County sheriff ’s deputy spotted the green Taurus near the intersection of
Spring Expo nears Mark your calendars: The Delta Area Chamber of Commerce’s Spring Expo will be held Friday, March 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, April 1, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bill Heddles Recreation Center. Admission is free this year! The Spring Expo will showcase all types of businesses, big and small, to help with the inside and the outside of your home. Food will be available for purchase and there will be a bouncy house for the kids to play in. For more information contact the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce at 970-874-8616.
Highway 92 and Stafford Lane at about 9:45 p.m. Sunday night. The vehicle matched the description of a Taurus the CSP had been trying to locate the night before. The deputy turned around and followed the Ford to the Maverik station at the corner of Highway 92 and 65. The deputy did not have his lights and siren on, but the driver gained speed as he approached the convenience store. When he pulled into the parking lot, the deputy anticipated making contact with the driver. Instead, he left the parking lot and ran a red light at the intersection of Highway 92 and 65. At that point, the deputy activated his lights and siren but hung back, maintaining
visual contact while waiting for other officers to respond to the area. Delta County Sheriff Fred McKee explained it is department policy not to engage in high speed pursuit, but to maintain visual contact and, in this case, to warn motorists as the driver twice used the wrong lane of traffic. At one point he drove across the Gunnison River bridge, leading officers to believe he was leaving town. Instead he turned around, traveling east in the westbound lane. His erratic movements made it difficult to anticipate where the use of stop sticks would be effective. After nearly 20 minutes of leading officers through town, Lopez drove down the ELUSIVE DRIVER TO A3
Delta County Planning Commission to expand
The Delta County Commissioners have directed staff to prepare a resolution which if adopted will expand the county planning commission from seven members to nine. The three commissioner districts would all have equal representation with three members from each district. Planning commission membership is currently allocated according to area planning committees. There are three APCs in Commissioner District 3, one APC in Commissioner District 2, and the county planning commission serves as the APC for Commissioner District 1. Commissioners also directed staff to go ahead and advertise for people to fill area planning committee vacancies with a caveat that the structure of the planning commission likely will be changing. In a separate matter, commissioners noted that attendance at the quarterly constituent meetings has been poor with some meetings having zero public attendance. So the sessions have been cancelled. Anyone wanting to meet with all three commissioners together is welcome to attend constituent time scheduled during each of the BoCC’s regular bi-monthly business meetings, it was noted.
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