Douglas County still wants to use some of its COVID relief funds to secure future water, but may spend it to store unused South Platte River flow after dropping a controversial proposal to buy water from the San Luis Valley. The Douglas County Commissioners indicated they may help fund the major water proposal from Parker […]
Sterling
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Economy, Environment, News
Here’s where Colorado wants to capture and bury 350,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year
A pioneering carbon capture company wants to take the climate change fight to northeastern Colorado by gathering 350,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year from ethanol fermentation at plants in Yuma and Sterling and injecting it into underground wells. Carbon America announced the project Thursday with Sterling Ethanol and Yuma Ethanol, in apparently the first […]
Posted inHealth, News
Colorado wants more mental health providers for Medicaid patients. But getting approved can take months.
Woodland Park psychologist Chris Estep spent decades helping foster children and Colorado prison inmates with mental health issues, so when he opened a private practice two years ago, he wanted to take patients on Medicaid across the eastern half of the state. He’s still waiting for permission after filing an application 14 months ago. Estep, […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, COVID, Health, News
Too many empty beds at Colorado nursing homes leave the industry in financial distress
State health officials are worried about the future of a handful of Colorado nursing homes with “severe financial concerns” after a bruising pandemic year that resulted in too many empty beds. Two major nursing home operators, meanwhile, are making plans to back out of Colorado or at least decrease operations after occupancy has been reduced […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Health, News
Youth suicides on the Eastern Plains spark political protest, “7 is too many” social media campaign
The latest deaths dropped on the tight-knit communities of the Eastern Plains like a heavy fog. Last month it was a senior at tiny Merino High, a girl who signed up for school plays and organized blood drives but was happiest in the rodeo arena. Then, just a few weeks later, in December, students in […]
Posted inColoradans, Opinion, Politics and Government
Essay: What happened when Black Lives Matter arrived in Colorado’s deeply conservative Eastern Plains
Courtney Jones calls herself a country girl. She was raised in Sterling and she prefers open spaces to cities. She loves classic rock, grew up saving money for the Logan County fair every year, and she voted for Donald Trump in 2016 because he seemed like the honest candidate. She’s the daughter of a Black […]
Posted inBusiness, News
Colorado’s economy is about to restart — slowly — but will customers follow?
Whenever Sadie Russo finally reboots her French bakery in Arvada and her café and dessert bar in Denver, she’ll remove some tables to allow for social distancing. She and her employees will wear gloves and masks, even though she hates concealing her favorite confection — smiles. Another life-saving strategy learned from the coronavirus shutdown not […]
Posted inColoradans, News
Colorado has a big shortage of volunteers to speak up for foster kids in court
One person in a foster kid’s life isn’t paid to show up. Attorneys are paid. Teachers are paid. Even foster parents are paid. The person volunteering their time to make sure a child’s voice is heard is a Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA, and only about one-third of children who were abused or neglected […]
Posted inEducation, Health, News
How Colorado’s rural education network went from teaching home economics to fighting the opioid epidemic
CSU Extension agent Abby Weber covers a lot of wind-swept territory putting on workshops about rabbit and poultry care, sustainable living and cake decorating, and she also oversees shooting-safety classes, robotics challenges and dog-training courses for Bent County 4-H clubs. And now Weber and other extension agents are moving to the front lines in the […]