Doctor Debra Smith an ER doctor with Community Hospital wheels a gurney loaded with stuffed toys into the hospital after members of the 4 Fun Car Club dropped off the toys Saturday morning.

Barry and Jeanine Sobel light the first candle on their menorah as members of the Congregation Ohr Shalom celebrate the start of Hanukkah.

Diane Mathena the grandmonther and Robert Mathena, the boys step-grandfather, and more the 80 people were at a candlelight vigil for Tyler and William Jensen in Palisade’s Riverbend Park Friday night.

Family, friends and veterans from the Navajo National from Chinle, Arizona meet at the Western Slope Vietnam War Memorial Park in Fruita this morning to remember Ron “Doc"Ross.

Kara Riddle the president of the Central High School Service Learning Program sorts clothes in the school cafeteria.Students with the program collected donations of clothes, food and other items for the needy who will pick out whatever they want on Saturday.

Delta’s public works director Jim Hatheway stands near the site of the new 1.6-mile Delta truck route that will bypass the downtown area. Ground-breaking on the project is at 11:00 a.m. today (Friday) at the corner of Palmer Street and Gunnison River Drive.

A Grand Junction firefighter escorts one of two injured victims of an explosion at 1332 North 23rd Street to a waiting ambulance to take him to the hospital Thursday after a detonation inside of a safe set off an explosion in the back room of the house.

A Grand Junction police officer talks on the phone outside the front door of a house at 1332 N. 23rd Street where an explosion injured a man and a woman Thursday. The blast in a room in the back of the house blew out several of the windows including one of the front ones, at far left.

A couple takes a noontime walk at Canyon View Park.

Feed the beaver.Someone put a tree branch in the sculpture called Beaver by artist Cynthia Fenster at the corner of Pine and 6th Streets in Glenwood Springs.The sculpture is part of the 2 Rivers Art Project.

Members of Team Hawaiian Awesomeness, bottom, race through the water with their boat at Orchard Mesa pool as they compete in the annual Math, Engineering, Science Achievement Program (M.E.S.A.) annual Milk Jug Boat Competition Thursday. A large number of middle and high school M.E.S.A. students put their math, engineering and science skills to the test during the competition. Photo special to the Sentinel/ Darlene Holmes

Fifteen-year-old Tanner Blee portrays the Nutcracker in Tchaikovsky’s ballet, “The Nutcracker.”

Fifteen-year-old Tanner Blee dances the lead of the Nutcracker and Prince in Tchaikovsky’s ballet, “The Nutcracker.”

The Nutcracker as portrayed by Tanner Blee wields a sword as he battles the Mouse King in Tchaikovsky’s popular ballet.

Tyler Blee dances as the Prince after defeating the Mouse King in his dual role as the Nutcracker and Prince in Tchaikovsky’s ballet.

Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Michaela Sessum didn’t plan to audition for the role of Belle in The Theatre Project’s upcoming rendition of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” but then her 6-year-old daughter Carter got wind of the upcoming show and strongly encouraged her mother to get that role.

Grand Junction firefighters spent more than $6,000 as they shop for Toys for Tots.

Members of Colorado Mesa University’s Student Athletet Advisory Council spread out three of the dozen bankets they tied before giving several bags of blankets to the emergency room at Community Hospital on Wednesday. From left to right are associate athletic director Chris Mort, softball player Rachel Boothe, soccer player Smanatha Burneo, wrestler Christian Holcomb, softball player Ashley Pulido and baseball player Colton Little.

Grand Junction Police Department spokesperson Kate Porras turns off the ignition in a “puffer,” which is what thieves call a car left running, as the Western Colorado Auto Theft Taskforce displays a “car thief’s perfect present” Wednesday on Fourth Street. Left running with keys in the ignition, the car had a purse and cellphone in the front seat and wrapped presents in full view in the back seat.

Colorado Mesa University cycling coach Rick Crawford, right, and cycling director Scott Mercier talked with the Daily Sentinel about the recent professional doping scandal and Crawford’s admitted involvement.

Mike Allen, owner of Toys for the Fun of It, thumbs through a children’s book as he relaxes on his recombent trike while three other downtown small business owners prepare to mount their bicycles to carry about 100 books to Mesa View Elementary School on Tuesday. From left to right are Tony Bruton of Kairos, Mike Smith of Main Street Bagels, Allen, and Chris Brown of Brown Cycles.

Vehicles wait, turn and whiz past along Highway 50 at the intersection with 27 3/4 Road past a sign showing that the old entrance to the Mesa County Fairgrounds is closed and pointing the way to the new entrance. The county has plans to install traffic lights at the intersection and reopen the old entrance.

SPECIAL TO THE SENTINEL—Employees of Colorado Yurt Co. in Montrose build a custom-order yurt. The company will be featured in two segments of the Science Channel series “How It’s Made.” The first segment will be presented Thursday when the program is shown at 7 p.m.

86-year-old Opal Wetzbarger looks at the Christmas lights at her home on Grandby Court.For the past 15 years Opal and her kids have put up Christmas lights at her home in Clifton.

Anna Cruz, right a volunteer tutor with the Riverside Educational Center working with students Ivan Berumen, Damara Medina and Estrella Coronado, left to right in the library at the Riverside Educational Center.

Robin Trump who works with homeless veterans at the Veterans Administration Medical Center ties silver ribbons on a tree in Hawthorne Park this afternoon in remembrance of the people who died in Grand Junction this past year while homeless.

Terry Franklin, utilities manager for Grand Junction, talks about the city’s efforts to utilize green energy with projects such as the 100-kilowatt solar power generating system behind him at the Persigo Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Yvonne Cain, right, of the Cain Creations booth shows customer Linda Mallinson of Grand Junction a table runner in a neighboring booth at Shabby Chic Arts and Crafts Boutique, 2586 Patterson Road.

The Gunnison River flows into a near empty Blue mesa Reservoir.

A No Fishing sign is shown on Colorado Highway 149 over the east end of Blue Mesa Reservoir, with a dry lake bed beyond.

A giant “Hello!” decorates the mucky bottom in front of a dock yards away from the water’s edge at Baron Lake on Grand Mesa in late September.