John Copper of Cedaredge cradles his rifle with a “Don’t Tread On Me” flag stuck down the gun’s barrel as he listens to a speaker at Saturday’s rally against gun control at the old Mesa County Courthouse.

Hundreds of people wait in line to sign petitions and pick up literature following Saturday’s rally against gun control at the old Mesa County Courthouse.

Sen. Mark Udall will meet with more then 50 Mesa County business leaders to hear how re designating the Colorado National Monument as a National Park would help the economy and create jobs Saturday morning in the community room on the GJ Police Dept. building.

Independence Monument, at 450 feet high, towers within Colorado National Monument, with the Grand Valley and Mount Garfield in the distance. The Colorado National Monument high country rises more than 2,000 feet above the Grand Valley.

A cold prairie dog digs out of the snow at the Walter Walker Sate Wildlife Area near Railhead Circle and I-70 Thursday afternoon.

Mist comes off the Colorado River looking up stream from the Broadway bridge Friday morning. When the water temperature is warmer then the air temperature fog will rise from the river.

The Rev Sharyl Peterson is soon to retire from First Congregational Church.Here is Peterson in the chapel.

Caught in the red lights of several fire engines, firefighters from Clifton and Grand Junction fire departments work together to extinguish a blaze that significantly damaged a house at 518 Garland Street Thursday. Two engines from Clifton, two trucks from Grand Junction and a Grand Junction fire department ambulance responded to the blaze. Two people were at home at the time the fire broke out and both got out safely. The Red Cross is providing the residents of the home shelter for the night. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

New Emerson School’s Team TEN will compete Saturday for a chance to head to the robotics national competiton of the FIRST LEGO League. Contributed photo.

Phil Miller, creator of the “Cinch,” a multi-use blossom thinner, gives a demonstration of his invention at at combined convention of fruit growers and wineries at Two Rivers Convention Center on Thursday.

A Mesa County Sheriff’s hit a compact car at 3040 C Road.

GJHS School Resourse officer Rocky Baldozier in the hallways.

Back left to right, Colin Jackson, Robert Toney, Christie Harris, Kaite Johnson. Front left to right Cindy Lee, Raena Anderson, BreeAnna Taylor from Christian Community School are going to see the presidential inaugration in Washington DC.Not pictured and going on the trip is Dalton Weinischke and Serena Bobbitt.

A goose hunter is doing fine this afternoon after he fell into the Colorado River and spent more than 30 minutes in the water before being rescued by first responders, officials said.

Grand Junction Firefighter Ryan Jordan reaches the victim and gives him the board.

Sprouts staff talk with prospective customers at a preview of the grocery store Tuesday night. The staff handed out samples since nothing was on sale.

Savanna Green, 7, reaches for a dollar bill as her mom Ciji teaches her figure skating student to skate backwards at the Ice Skating Inc. rink at 1130 North 3rd Street Sunday.

Dave Williams, dressed for the cold, reads “Quick Silver” by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens in Emerson Park Friday. He lives nearby the park in a apartment and often reads outside while enjoying a pipe. Nearly three years ago, he was photographed reading near the same spot during a much warmer season.

A man and his dog take a walk over the Pedestrian Bridge spanning the Colorado River. Even with the record cold temperatures, the river contains chunks of ice but is still flowing.

Linda Groves, left, and Kristi Kline wait for a bus on Unaweep Avenue on a cold day. They said they only have to wait 15 minutes unless the bus is late.

The Spirit of Pioneer Women statue at Eagle Rim Park is covered with frost on the coldest day of the year so far. According to the NWS, a record 12 degrees below zero was recorded in Grand Junction, breaking the mark of 7 degrees below zero in 1968.

Arnulfo Martinez operates a skid loader at a residential constuction site off of K Road near Fruita.

Arnulfo Martinez operates a skid loader at a residential constuction site off of K Road near Fruita.

An eagle stares down at the photographer on a trail at Connected Lakes State Park just underneath the raptor’s perch. Birds in general fluff their feathers to provide more insulation in cold weather.

New Constuction at the Edgewater Brewery in lower downtown GJ

Adam Houghton, bundled up for the cold temperature walks north on 5th Street on his way to work.

No matter the weather, the football game must be played as these guys do every Sunday at Stocker Stadium.

Garrett Sullivan, left, and Nika Novinsky ski across the ninth green as they head out on a cross-country ski trip around the Lincoln Park golf course.

Surrounded by friends and colleagues, Bill Robinson, center, greets each guest at the Colorado Mesa Ballroom during a celebration of his 90th birthday.

A sinkhole appeared in 2003 in an open field near the buildings on the Roaring Fork campus of Colorado Mountain College.

A sinkhole appeared in 2003 in an open field near the buildings on the Roaring Fork campus of Colorado Mountain College. CMC maintenance staff is using road-pavement waste as fill, according to a 2012 Department of Natural Resources report.

Third of four part series of photos showing the recovery of a calf from a hole in Paradox Valley.

First of four photos that show the recovery of a calf in 2005 that fell into a ground opening in a gypsum cave in the Paradox Valley.

Maddison Wilson, left, of Grand Junction gently pushes boxes into position for the base of a table in the produce section of Sprouts Farmers Market, as employees prepare for the store’s opening.

Mike Rogers is the store manager at the new Sprouts Farmers Market, 1430 W. Independent Ave., which is scheduled to open at 7 a.m. Wednesday in Grand Junction.

Charles Petefish, left, and William Cole cut and lay matting as they line boxes that will hold fresh fruits and vegetables in the produce department.