NORTH FORK TIMES
SURFACE CREEK NEWS
A NEW CHAPTER
29 Paonia graduates begin the next chapter in their lives, B1
NO TINY HOMES
Cedaredge establishes 600 SF minimum for new homes, C1
DELTA COUNTY
SPORTS SOLID GOLD
Hotchkiss runner finishes first in three state events, B6 MAY 22, 2019 VOL. 136, NO. 21
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INDEPENDENT
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2019 DHS grads urged to ‘dream big’ BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
Umbrellas dotted Panther Stadium as commencement ceremonies opened Monday evening, but a light rain shower didn’t dampen the festive occasion. This was the moment the 2019 graduates
— and their parents — had been working toward for the past 12 years. So while the skies were gray, the mood was bright and sunny. After the presentation of colors and the national anthem, salutatorian Claire Corbasson addressed the
gathering. She shared a story of a petit prince who learned to take time to enjoy the little things, take comfort in the stars and thank the ones who love you. The message from valedictorian Caleb Frazier was just as polished as you’d expect from a seasoned member of the high school speech and debate team. Promising a speech with “multiple messages and no thesis statement,” he wove together quotes from Tonya Harding and Frankenstein, from “Of Mice and Men” and “Call of the Wild.”
“People are always getting ready for tomorrow,” he quoted, “but the present moment is all we have and this is our moment.” Student body president Jenna Sutliff introduced the guest speaker, Sandi Spika Borchetta, a 1978 Delta High School graduate. “Don’t let a small town upbringing keep you from dreaming big,” she said. Since graduating from DHS, she has fashioned a successful career in the music industry and is currently senior vice president of creative for the Big
Machine Label Group based in Nashville, Tenn. “You don’t just fall into it, you have to work up to it,” she said. “So where did it start for me? I made my three sisters dance around the living room so we could put on a show for our parents. I told them what to wear and where to stand. I’m not a singer or actor but I found my niche helping others in the business.” She shared video clips from some of the performers she’s worked with — Lady Antebellum, Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber and DHS GRADUATION TO A5
Photo by Pat Sunderland
Grads waved their arms and swayed their bodies as Saveria Dipp, a special guest of Sandi Spika Borchetta, performed Monday night. Saveria was the 2019 winner of a TV competition, “The Launch,” which was the brainchild of Sandi’s husband Scott. Borchetta serves as creative consultant on the show.
Delta looks to repurpose city-owned properties BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor
The Delta City Council has been looking at underutilized city-owned properties with the intent of selling those parcels to spur private development. Staff has compiled information on the city’s municipal light and power plant, as well as nine parcels surrounding Devil’s Thumb Golf Course. In November 2018, city voters approved the sale of the ML&P plant for a price not less than $100,000. The city will soon issue an RFP in search of individuals who might be interested in that property for a variety of uses — restaurant, retail, mixed use, housing, industrial, research and development or tourism, to name a few examples. A stated goal is to preserve the historical character of the site in some fashion; generate sustainable new jobs; spark innovation and creativity; and power downtown revitalization. “We want to try and ensure that whoever buys it will provide some benefit to the community,” said Mayor Ron Austin. “We don’t want somebody to buy it and just sit on it. We want something that will create jobs
INDEX
Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A7 Back Page ................... D6 Business ........................ A8 Church ............................C6 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D3-4 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries ......................B5 School ........................ A5-6 Service Directory ........ D5 Sports ..........................B6-8 Surface Creek News ...C1-5 TV Listings ..................C3-4
and generate new revenue.” Prior to approval of the RFP at a special meeting May 14, the mayor cautioned against establishing so many restrictions, buyers would lose interest. “Ultimately council will have the ability to say yea or nay,” he said following the meeting. In the case of the golf course properties, more analysis is needed to see which parcels can be sold with council approval and which would require voter approval. In addition, there are deed restrictions on parcels donated by the Bureau of Land Management for recreational purposes. “We don’t have the ability to arbitrarily sell those,” he said. There’s general consensus that if some of the property around the golf course was developed, it could make the golf course more profitable. The proximity of the county airport makes the property even more desirable, the mayor believes. The golf course itself must remain a public entity, owned by the city or managed by the city, the mayor said, but he said he’s open to the possibility of an outside operator “to try and at least minimize our $400,000 annual shortfall.”
Photo by Pat Sunderland
Among the 131 graduates of Delta High School were a Boettcher Scholar and two Daniels Fund recipients. As the graduates were awarded their diplomas, DHS counselor Jessica Schneider shared whether they were headed to college, the military or the workforce.
Guilty plea in newborn’s death BY KATHARHYNN HEIDELBERG Montrose Press
Dylan Huston is to receive a 16-year prison term for fatally injuring his newborn daughter in 2014. Huston, who was in 2015 indicted in the death of Jenabelle Carrera Ross, on Friday pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and reckless child abuse causing serious bodily injury. Huston on Friday also pleaded guilty to seconddegree burglary for his role in the burglary of a Paonia home in 2014. The plea agreement in the burglary case calls for a 10-year prison term. According to the child abuse indictment, Huston’s two-week-old daughter sustained fractured ribs and a stomach tear. She’s said to have died of complications associated with the stomach laceration. Huston had been alone with the baby on Feb. 2, 2014. When the mother returned home, she “could hear popping sounds” coming from Jenabelle’s chest, the indictment says. The baby was taken to the hospital in Delta, where she was found to be in such bad shape that she couldn’t be
Memorial Day services planned Lee Marts Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3571 and its Auxiliary of Delta will be performing two memorial services in honor of deceased veterans on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27. Post and Auxiliary members, assisted by members of the Harry A. White American Legion Post 65 and its Ladies Auxiliary, and the local squadron of Civil Air Patrol cadets will do a short memorial service at Mesa View Cemetery at 9:30 at the entrance by the flagpole. A second short memorial service will follow at Delta City Cemetery at 10 a.m. in front of the Veterans Memorial. All community members are invited to attend either or both services. For more information, contact Post Quartermaster Jim Baker at 314-0964 or Auxiliary President Mat Gallegos at 5896909.
flown to Denver for treatment. She was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction; there, doctors found a 3-centimeter tear in her stomach, an “abnormal injury,” the indictment stated. Jenabelle was placed on life support, but died Feb. 5, 2014. According to the indictment, Huston told police Jenabelle could’ve sustained pre-birth injuries when her mother was in a car crash, been swaddled too tight, or injured when she was intubated at the hospital. But doctors said intubation didn’t cause the stomach tear, that swaddling could not cause the injuries, and that the car crash hadn’t caused any notable pregnancy complications. Further, Jenabelle would not have survived two weeks after birth with a hole in her stomach, doctors said. The baby’s pediatric exam just days before her death showed a normal abdomen. In Delta District Court Friday, Huston answered “guilty” when asked how he was pleading to criminally negligent homicide, child abuse and burglary. When asked if he understood the plea agreements, Huston replied, “yeah.”
He will receive no presentence confinement credit against the 10 years to be imposed for burglary; the sentence is concurrent with the homicide sentence, for which he is to receive pre-sentence credit starting from Nov. 17, 2018. Sentencing was set for June 25. “This case is five and a half years old. It was time to get it resolved,” district attorney Dan Hotsenpiller said, deferring further comment until after sentencing, other than saying the child’s mother supported the plea agreement. Huston’s criminal history includes felony impersonation in Mesa County, theft from an at-risk adult in Delta County, and traffic offenses. In South Dakota, he pleaded guilty to drug distribution, according to public records. Federal court records also show Huston was indicted in 2015 on firearms offenses occurring in South Dakota in 2014. In 2016 he was sentenced to 27 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. This sentence was concurrent to the sentence in his South Dakota drug case, according to federal documents.
DCED, executive director part ways
Executive director Stacey Voigt has parted ways with Delta County Economic Development. In an email blast, board president Scott Thomassen assured DCED investors and partners that the DCED board of directors remains committed to doing everything it responsibly and reasonably can to better the economy for Delta County. “As we find ourselves in a transition, the board is looking at this as an opportunity to make some changes that we hope will make DCED a stronger more sustainable organization,” he said. With that in mind, a committee has been formed to seek thoughts and ideas from investors. The revisioning task forces consist of Thomassen, board vice president Lucinda Stanley, secretary/treasurer Amy Crick, Phil Schmidt, Kami Collins, Elyse Casselberry, Cally Gallegos, Ron Austin and LaDonna Gunn. DCED is a not-for-profit organization working in partnership with public and private sectors to strengthen and diversify the local economy.