Cassandra Beltran of Montrose uses a pillow to keep the snow away as she waits outside Brownson Arena at Mesa State College.

Sam Cyphers, left, and seven other students will travel to Denver to compete in the state spelling bee, including, right, from top, Lindsay Gnesios of East Middle School and Briggs Oakley and Hope Gipson, both of Holy Family.

Jesse Hoffschneider from Grand Junction HS puts Michael Miller of Heritage HS to the mat in a win in 5A 140lb wrestling Friday. Hoffschneider will wrestle for the State Championship Saturday night

Kids decked out in Mardi Gras wear waves to parade patrons along Colorado Avenue during the 2010 Lions Club parade under snowy skies. This year’s parade took on a Mardi Gras theme.

A bald eagle fishing on a icy Colorado River in De Beque Canyon just down river from the roller dam.

Mesa State College biology professor Dr. Gary McCallister strums a mandolin as he composes music in his home office and then uses a computer to create the songs on his albums.

Three Canada geese fly past a sunset at the Confluence Park in Delta. The park is popular with waterfoul in the winter.  A third of the main lake is open water with the rest frozen. The geese on the lake always seem to fly around sunset.

Jeremy Coquoz, 17, of Grand Junction spins through the air as he does a 720 off of the bottom kicker at the Lower Maverick terrain park at Powderhorn Ski Resort recently.

Sara Jordan from Mesa State College hits this pitch for a two RBI double off of Ft. Lewis College pitcher Stephanie Janes in the 1st inning of a double header at Bergman Field

Elijah Barrett, 3, watches a fire burn as Jonathan Higley talks with Grand Junction police officer William Cox at Higley’s home off Gunnison Avenue. Higley accidently caught himself on fire in his front driveway Feb. 12. Cox, who happened to be in the area at the time, saw Higley burning,  rushed to the scene and saved Higley by spraying him with a fire extinguisher.

Grand Junction Police Chief John Camper, right, talks with officers in the parking lot of the Timbers Motel, where a sheet covers the body, left, of a man killed by police gunfire.

Amy Kame and the Central High School girls basketball team earned the highest seed among the valley schools in the Class 5A and 4A state playoffs. The Warriors are the No. 2 seed in the Carol Callan Region.

One of Tim Thiessen’s dogs yawns as Thiessen hooks up the rest of his team to the sled in the Summit Top parking lot before the start of the eight dog race at the Rocky Mountain Dog Sled Races Saturday.

Jordan Passehl of Montrose HS won the 4A 189lb. championship over Dwight Howes of Arvada HS.

Members of the Brigham Young University, blue stripes and Denver Barbarians, green stripes, squared off Saturday in a cold and wet rugby match at Canyon View Park.