Western Colorado

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Officials seek bypass for Parachute

Parachute officials who had hoped President Obama’s stimulus plan would bring them a new freeway interchange said the state passed them by when it came to handing out the federal dollars. A new interchange about a mile and a half west ...

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District 51 may hire new leader from within

School District 51 will first look inward to find a replacement for departing Superintendent Tim Mills. Board members voted unanimously Tuesday night to seek Mills’ replacement from among current district employees. “We’re ...

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Boy Scout nets $16K in popcorn sales

Tristan Noel can hardly go anywhere without being noticed. “Hey, you’re the popcorn dude,” the seventh-grader at East Middle School said people have exclaimed upon seeing him. There’s good reason folks might link the ...

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County may cede control of Mesa Community Center

Mesa County may sever its ties with the Mesa Community Center — and the problems associated with it. The county is modifying its contract with the center’s main tenant, the Mesa View Bible Church, in order to allow it to sublease ...

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BLM sells 55 parcels in Utah for drilling, takes in $650,000

The Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday sold 55 parcels of land in eastern Utah for oil and natural gas drilling, taking in $650,000 in bids. The auction in Salt Lake City replaced one in December that was voided because one bidder made high ...

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Orchardists begin their rites of spring

With below-freezing low temperatures expected through the rest of the week, fruit growers at Z’s Orchard in Palisade aren’t wasting a moment. Workers at the farm off 33 3/4 Road were scrambling Tuesday filling smudge pots with ...

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Nighttime bus service may be in GJ’s future

Riding the bus for a dollar is a pretty good deal, but it is a bust for anyone looking for a ride after 7:15 p.m. “A lot of (bus riders) are saying, ‘I can get to work. You just can’t get me home,’ ” said ...

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Senate OKs oil, gas rules

New Colorado oil and gas rules took one of their few remaining steps to final approval Tuesday, just a week before they are scheduled to take effect. The Colorado Senate voted in favor of the new rules, rejecting an attempt led by Minority ...

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With cops targeting impaired drivers, ride providers tout their own services, but concede need for m

Grand Junction Police Department officer Dave Arcady usually nabs a drunken driver about every 10 traffic stops, but it only took nine stops during a DUI-specific patrol on a recent morning to find an intoxicated driver. The night before, ...

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Colo. income growth slows, still outpaces most of nation

Personal income growth slowed in Colorado but remained one of the better rates in the nation in 2008, according to numbers released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The total amount of personal income in Colorado increased ...

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