Sam Lee, 12 of Glade Park scans the board to make sure he’s made the best move possible before taking his fingers off of his king during a game of chess against Joe Deters, also, 12, of Grand Junction during the Bookcliff Chess club Friday at Bookcliff Middle School. The chess club will be taking more than a half dozen kids to the state championships being held Feb. 18 and 19 in Denver. The club meets before and after school every day except weekends.

A duck swims on one of the lakes at the James M. Robb-Colorado River State Park, Connected Lakes Section as a blue heron looks on from the banks.

Colorado mesa University’s Braden Box stretches to catch the throw to second as Scott Liske of the University of California at San Diego dives back into the base following a catch of a fly ball by CMU’s right fielder in the top of the third inning of Friday’s game at Canyon View Park.

Gene Taylor’s son, Tony admires an award honoring his dad from Community Hospital at Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado Friday.

Seventeen-year-old Shelby Laird, left, of Clifton and Hope Pfalzgraff, 16, of Grand Junction get their moves down with the X-Box game “Just Dance” during the Mesa County Public Library’s Un-Valentine’s Day party Friday at the central branch at Fifth Street and Grand Avenue.

WTF designers Steve and Denise Hight of Fruita, with their dog, Sebastian, show the “Welcome to Fruita” sticker that has become very popular in the area.

A flock of sparrows take refuge in a snow-coated wild rose bush.

Maria Anderson, M.D., describes how the buildup of fat in the throat causes sleep apnea and heart disease as she speaks at Thursday’s Go Red for Women luncheon at St. Mary’s Hospital on Thursday. Anderson is a cardiologist with Western Slope Cardiology who specializes in electrophysiology, and was the keynote speaker at Thursday lunch. About 140 people attended the event, which continues today with another lunch and a speech by Sara Pereira, M.D., a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at St. Mary’s. Go Red for Women teaches women about heart disease, its symptoms and prevention.

A man reflects in the water as he hikes along a trail on top of a levee between a large lake and a smaller pond at Confluence Park in Delta. The 265-acre park is near the confluence of the Gunnison and Uncompahgre Rivers, and offers about five miles of meandering trails for walkers and bicyclists.

CHRISTOPHER TOMLINSON/The Daily Sentinel—“Don’t fall in the pool guys,” Mitt Romney quipped to the overflow audience outside Country Inns of America.

First time caucus goer Landon Clifford, 19, says he was “serving his country” as he passed out pens at precinct 45 in downtown Grand Junction.

Cars and trucks going both directions maneuver past each other in the eastbound lane of Highway 92 on Rodgers Mesa west of Hotchkiss as herders move a flock of hundreds of sheep along the westbound lane of the highway.

Trees reflect off of the surface of the Colorado River.

Fruita Monument’s Tamera Newland qualified for state in her first year of diving.

A worker sprays de-icer on a United Airlines flight at Grand Junction Regional Airport before sun rise.On cold winter days all planes are de-iced before takeoff.

Old tree taken down on Gunnison Avenue

The lights of south Denver just before sunrise during a fly over the city. Cherry Creek Reservoir is the large body of water in the center of the photo.Interstate 25 in the long line of lights running from the bottom to the rights side of the photo.

Members of the Society for Creative Anachronism take to battle Sunday morning at West Middle School.The international organication is dedicated to research and to re-creating the arts and skills of pre 17th century Europe.The organication has over 30,000 members world wide.

A squirrel suns itself at the top of a bush in the Connected Lakes section of the James M. Robb Colorado River State Park.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Rommey speaking this afternoon at the Country Inn of America on Horizon Drive in Grand Junction. Rommey has two engagements on the Front Range tonight. Colorado republican voters caucus on Tuesday.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Rommey speaking this afternoon at the Country Inn of America on Horizon Drive in Grand Junction. Rommey has two engagements on the Front Range tonight. Colorado republican voters caucus on Tuesday.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Rommey speaking this afternoon at the Country Inn of America on Horizon Drive in Grand Junction. Rommey has two engagements on the Front Range tonight. Colorado republican voters caucus on Tuesday.

Rob Schoeber, director of Grand Junction Parks and Recreation, talks about the progress of the Lincoln Park Sports Complex renovation Monday with a group from The Daily Sentinel.

Photo by Christopher Tomlinson—Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, speaking to an overflow crowd at a Montrose hotel Saturday, touted his electability if he were the Republican presidential nominee, saying one poll has him two points ahead of President Barack Obama in a head-to-head matchup

Arturo Lujan, a student at Holy Family Catholic School, searches for the correct letters during the Spelling Bee. He finished in third place.

Maya Hilty wins the Spelling Bee on Saturday at Redlands Middle School. She is a student at East Middle School.