By Stina Sieg, CPR News When Stacey Mascarenas tested positive for COVID-19 in August, she had no idea how she’d contracted it. Her friends, family and coworkers all tested negative. Mascarenas, who lives in the small town of Fruita, always made sure to wear a mask when going out in public. What she didn’t know […]
Grand Junction
Posted inCOVID, Health, News
Testing alone won’t be enough to stem Colorado’s surge of coronavirus cases
All along, we’ve been asking, “Can testing get us out of this?” — like dieters asking if the right pill could get us out of exercise and salads. All along with coronavirus, the answer has been, “No, it cannot.” State and local governments in Colorado are moving fast to meet the latest pandemic surge with […]
Posted inElection 2020, News, Politics and Government
3 numbers that explain Republican Lauren Boebert’s victory in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District
Given the conservative voter-registration lean of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, Republican Lauren Boebert was always the frontrunner in the battle for the open seat. But Democrats thought former state Rep. Diane Mitsch Bush had a real chance of winning on Election Day, especially in light of this year’s strong Democratic enthusiasm and Boebert’s far-right politics […]
Posted inCOVID, Education, News
Colorado colleges want to offer more in-person classes this spring. Here’s what they learned from a tough fall.
Megan Walton would be the first to admit this semester has been hard. Maybe things are difficult because it’s her junior year — notoriously the most difficult one — or because she’s busy as a student athlete in addition to her job as a vice president for the Student Government Association. Maybe it’s because it’s […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
They’ve been called soccer moms, rage moms and Zoom moms. Why the Colorado suburban-women vote is so important.
Cathy Lees, a stay-at-home mom in Highlands Ranch, is picking candidates this year based on her values, and that includes how they treat people. She’s been put off for four years by President Donald Trump’s language and demeanor. “I have a 14-year-old daughter, and I would never want her to put up with someone speaking […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Health
Colorado teens pregnant during coronavirus face increased isolation and difficult decisions
Sixteen-year-old Rebecca Montgomery wants her boyfriend Jesse to be with her for their daughter’s birth in December. She would also really like her mother present for the labor and delivery. However, she’s allowed only one visitor under current hospital policies to combat the spread of the coronavirus. “My mom is my best friend. I’ve always […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Newsletters, Outdoors, Outsider
“Bigger than a trail”: Grand Valley’s Palisade Plunge set to open after 10 years of planning, partnerships
PALISADE — “This next stretch, this is where the exposure becomes, um, moreso,” Scott Winans says. The dozen-plus mountain bikers lean over their handlebars and scan the cliff next to the narrow singletrack. A few nervous chuckles evaporate in the gusting wind. For the next hour, the riders mutter “moreso” to each other as they […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Wildfire
Four large wildfires burning in Colorado have cost $77 million to fight — so far
The four largest wildfires burning in Colorado have cost upwards of $77 million to fight, with more than 206,000 acres burned as of Monday morning. But despite cooler weather over the past weekend that helped firefighters make progress toward containment, there’s still a long way to go before the fire season’s tab will close out. […]
Posted inNews, Wildfire
Pine Gulch fire becomes largest in Colorado history as firefighters near full containment
The Pine Gulch fire has become the largest blaze in Colorado history, having torched more than 139,000 acres. Incident command provided an updated size for the fire near Grand Junction on Thursday night. The blaze is now larger than the 2002 Hayman fire west of Colorado Springs, which burned roughly 138,000 acres and destroyed 133 […]
Posted inNews, Transportation, Wildfire
So you need to get to Colorado’s Western Slope? Here are your options.
UPDATE: I-70 reopened through Glenwood Canyon on Aug. 24. Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon will be closed for at least the next several days because of the Grizzly Creek fire. In addition, Independence Pass through Aspen — which is off-limits to vehicles longer than 35 feet — will have alternating traffic because of high volume. […]