Former Palisade Chief Quarles at his goodbye party in the Palisade Community Center. More then 200 family, friends and past co-workers packed the hall for the party Saturday night.

Mark Bray throws a shovelfull of snow from the parking lot at Mesa Feed Mart Friday Morning after the latest storm deposits a skiff of white stuff overnight in the valley.

Palisade Fire Department Chief Richard Rupp with one of the department’s fire engines in the new fire station.

The new Palisade Fire Department.

A framer secures a truss on the latest new residence hall at Colorado Mesa University on Cannell Avenue near the Pavilion. Growth at the university continues even in down economic times.

As he takes his groceries out to the parking lot, Christian Clarkson, left, of Grand Junction stops to take a photo with his cellphone of a Lexus sedan that a man in his 70s drove into the floral department at Safeway, 2901 Patterson Rd., today. The man drove the car through the open front doors and managed to park it between displays of chips and bagels, startling store employees and customers but causing no damage to the building nor to the merchandise. No one was injured, David Stassen of the Grand Junction Police Department said, and added that the man would just receive a ticket.

A State Patrol vehicle illuminates a mishap on 30 Road of a car hauler who accidently drove an SUV off of the trailer around dusk Thursday. The repossessed vehicle was being loaded from a lot on 30 Road. Later, a tow truck lifted the front of the SUV as the truck backed out. No tickets were issued.

With a smile on his face, Richard McAleer of Grand Junction takes his new bike for a quick first spin around the empty dining room of Catholic Outreach’s soup kitchen Thursday after Bicycle Outfitters donated the bike to McAleer and his wife Regina as part of Catholic Outreach’s Transitional Housing program.

CMU 197 lb Jordan Passehl tries a reversal against David Dill of Cal. Baptist. Passehl fought from behind the whole match until OT when he scored a take-down to win 10-8. CMU won the meet 24-18

The Theatre Project will offer performances of “Lost in Yonkers” on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 11–12, at Creative AVenues, 835 N. 26th St.

From right, 4-H members Morgan Young, Cassidy Ener, and Casey Bornschein share with Encana represenative Sandy Kent what 4-H has done for them at a Mesa County 4-h Foundation meeting at Stocker Stadium. Encana is a sponsor of the Mesa County 4-H clubs.

Obscured by gray air, trees along the Colorado River display how thick the inversion of polluted air has become this month.

One of about a dozen fans pump drying air across the surface of the gym floor at Colorado Mesa University’s Brownson Arena as the men’s basketball team practices. A broken sprinkler line sent water cascading across the gym floor Tuesday, warping some of the boards.

Steven Smith, left and Casey Scott squeegee water off the Wayne Nelson Court in the Mav Center on the CMU campus Tuesday afternoon just before 6:00 p.m. after a waterline break flooded the court. The Grand Junction Fire Department was on the seen and helped dry the court. Smith and Scott are CMU students.

As John Justman, second from left, watches, new Mesa County Commissioner Rose Pugliese signs a second copy of the oath of office after being sworn in by Judge David Bottger, chief justice of the 21st Judicial District, during Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony in the old Mesa County Courthouse’s public hearing room. Both Justman and Pugliese assumed their new positions as commissioners after taking their oaths Tuesday.

Judge David Bottger gives Mesa County Commissioner John Justman the oath of office.

Dr James Jackson and his wife Anna Marie Jackson in the Grand Junction warehouse of Project C.U.R.E., 559 Sand Hill Lane. Dr Jackson is the founder of Project C.U.R.E. a medical charity warehouse which ships donated medical supplies to 120 needy countries.

Bruce Talbott, who farms and manages 150 acres of grapes on Orchard Mesa and East Orchard Mesa, checks the viability of some grape buds in one of his vineyards. The effects of deep cold settling into a vineyard can be ameliorated by using wind machines, such as those seen in the background.

Nora O’Brien of Paonia unloads her equipment at the County Line trail head as a truck passes at highway speed on Colorado Highway 85 on Grand Mesa where two pedestrians were killed over the weekend. The parking lot’s surface Monday was very slippery with hard packed snow and ice.

Skiers turn out for a meeting of the Grand Mesa Nordic Council in Delta on Tuesday night. The consensus of the people at the meeting was that safety at a parking lot where two people were killed last weekend needs immediate improvement. “There really is no excuse for it not being done,” Nordic Council president Annie Murphy said of the pullout or signage. “A sign can be done right away.”

A pair of young mule deer peer at the photographer as they were grazing just outside of Paonia.

No matter the cold, Hans Stegmann exercises at Stocker Stadium.

Debbie Trump of Grand River Humane Society cradles Enzo in her arm during an adoption events at PetSmart Sunday.

Hunter Martin, 10, of Fruita scratches Diesel behind his ears as the dog waits to be adopted during a pet adoption event by Grand River Humane Society at PetSmart on Sunday.

15-year-old Zevin Ulman from Grand Junction skating on the snow covered ice on Corn Lake in the James M. Robb Colorado River State Park, Corn Lake section.

Seated on her motorized wheelchair,  U.S. Army veteran Mary Sonneborn describes how her fellow veteran residents of St. Martin’s Place gathered in an open space between the buildings for Thanksgiving dinner last year.