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Author: Lindy Browning

The irony of Colorado obtaining gray wolves from British Columbia
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The irony of Colorado obtaining gray wolves from British Columbia

By Lindy Browning, Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice While Colorado wildlife managers have been trying to figure out where to get the next crop of 10 to 15 wolves to import into Colorado, British Columbia, Canada, has been trying to cull their population of wolves because of the predation of caribou that led to the endangerment of the herds. After the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington rescinded their offer to send gray wolves to Colorado in late 2024, state wildlife officials were left scrambling to figure out where to procure the voter-mandated wolves for the repopulation efforts in Colorado. As a result of the Colville Tribe withdrawal, Colorado has, ironically, reached out to secure a deal with British Columbia to take some of their unwanted ...
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Mesa County commissioners updated on pretrial and corrections services programs
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Mesa County commissioners updated on pretrial and corrections services programs

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Matt Lewis, a former Mesa County sheriff and current Justice Services Director for the county, updated Mesa County commissioners on the status of their Pretrial Services (PTS) program and the County Community Corrections Services program on Tuesday, Nov. 19. PTS is a program for people who have been arrested to receive pretrial services in the jail, in addition to services while they are incarcerated. A pretrial assessment is completed for anyone who is booked in the Mesa County jail. This assessment is provided to the court, district attorney's office and public defender’s office to be used as a tool to inform the court as they are considering bond decisions. Setting the appropriate bond assists with maximizing releases from c...
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Western Colorado ranchers bracing for impact of the next release of wolves
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Western Colorado ranchers bracing for impact of the next release of wolves

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Sen. Perry Will told his constituents in a social media post “Brace yourselves, Garfield County,” after Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced that they will begin phase two of their wolf reintroduction program, adding insult to injury to western Colorado ranchers who have already seen the devastating impact on livestock on their northern neighbors. CPW will be trapping and importing the next 10 to 15 grey wolves from Canada and placing them somewhere in Garfield, Pitkin and Eagle County. Rio Blanco County was on the list of potential release sites, but has since been removed from that list due to the limited number of state-owned locations that would meet the criteria in the plan, in addition to the proximity to livestock...
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‘CDOT is going to have to answer some hard questions’: Former, current congressmen want answers on failures
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‘CDOT is going to have to answer some hard questions’: Former, current congressmen want answers on failures

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Former State Sen. Ray Scott has been trying to hold the Colorado Department of Transportation accountable for more than a decade, even staying engaged on the issue after leaving office. “We have had too many people killed on Colorado highways in the last few years, and this year has had devastating consequences to too many families,” Scott said. Now, he's being joined by the Colorado Republican delegation in Congress, with a letter led and authored by U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez, to find solutions. In June 2024, two women, Candace Smith and Trinity Hasse, were killed on Highway 550 near Montrose when they stopped for flaggers in a CDOT work zone and were hit from behind by a speeding vehicle.  Three additional people were inju...
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Northwest Colorado open to prospect of nuclear power generation, survey says
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Northwest Colorado open to prospect of nuclear power generation, survey says

By Lindy J. Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice With the impending closure of the Craig and Hayden Power Stations, the closing of the coal mines in Northwest Colorado and the state and federal push to rid the area of traditional fossil fuel base load generation,  Rio Blanco, Moffat, and Routt county governments are trying to figure out how to replace the imminent job loss, revenue loss and tax loss that are certain to devastate their local governments and the residents in those communities that have relied on a fossil fuel economy for decades. To that end, Northwest Colorado energy Initiative (NCEI) was formed under the auspice of Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC) to educate and survey area residents concerning the possibility of bringing nuclear power gene...
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Garfield County deputy terminated for alleged embezzlement
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Garfield County deputy terminated for alleged embezzlement

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Corp. Trisha Worley, a 14-year veteran of the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office has been terminated for allegations of embezzlement, a a press release from Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario reads. According to information provided by the sheriff, Worley was placed on administrative leave on Oct. 23, when there was a formal accusation that she had embezzled funds from a local nonprofit organization. An internal investigation revealed enough evidence that, on Nov. 7, she was terminated.  Colorado Bureau of Investigations is taking the lead on any criminal charges that may result from their investigation to avoid any perception of conflict of interest in the case, the sheriff said. Whenever a member of a law enforcement ag...
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Western Slope livestock raisers seek answers on wolf concerns from CPW
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Western Slope livestock raisers seek answers on wolf concerns from CPW

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Livestock raisers from the Western Slope are trying to plan ahead as Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) prepares to relocate another 10 wolves on the western landscape this winter. With calving season beginning in January, a season when livestock is most vulnerable and the wolves are looking for a meal in unfamiliar territory, the inherent conflict is seemingly unavoidable. To that end, livestock growers met with CPW in Glenwood Springs to learn about hazing and wolf predation mitigation strategies, as well as risk-reducing programs offered by the organization. CPW's Adam Baca was joined by Dustin Shiflett from Colorado Department of Agriculture and Lauren Emerick from Colorado Wildlife Services, to provide information about ...
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In Grand Junction, City Council debates role in homeless solution, problem shelter
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In Grand Junction, City Council debates role in homeless solution, problem shelter

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice After months of appealing to the Grand Junction City Council to do something about the criminal element that has worsened since the Homeless Day Center was located in their neighborhood, business owners and downtown residents are beginning to see progress. At the City Council workshop on Nov. 4,  Interim City manager Andrea Phillips told the Council that they had held meetings with the public as directed by Council two weeks ago, that there were approximately 45 people in attendance and all the people that came to the meeting wanted the Day Center closed immediately. She said their concerns were valid and that there were concerns generally related to the location of the Day Center. More specific concerns included safety for ...
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Western Slope SPEAR task force takes 28,500 illegal pills off the streets
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Western Slope SPEAR task force takes 28,500 illegal pills off the streets

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Members of a multi-jurisdictional task force, known as SPEAR (Special Problem Enforcement and Response Task Force), have intercepted 28,500 hydrocodone pills, with a street value of $285,000. Hydrocodone is an opiate that is classified as a schedule II drug under the Controlled Substance Act. According to Garfield Sheriff Lou Vallario, SPEAR received an alert from Mesa County law enforcement that a man, suspected by the DEA of multi-state crimes, was on Interstate 70 heading to Garfield County. Members of SPEAR were immediately activated and the suspect vehicle was located at the Bair Ranch rest area off I-70 exit 129 in Glenwood Canyon. When officers arrived at the Bair Ranch rest area, they found Robert Newman, a resident ...
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Two arrested Mesa County women, including a postal worker, allegedly conspired in ballot theft case to test election
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Two arrested Mesa County women, including a postal worker, allegedly conspired in ballot theft case to test election

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Two women have been arrested in connection with the theft of multiple ballots in Mesa County, District Attorney Dan Rubinstein announced Wednesday. Sally Jane Smith, known by aliases Sally Maxedon and Sally Cline, age 60, from Grand Junction, and Vicki Lyn Stuart, age 64, also from Grand Junction, were arrested on Nov. 6, 2024. Election crimes fall under the authority and jurisdiction of the local district attorney, although the investigation also included state and local law enforcement. On Oct. 21, election officials at the Mesa County clerk and recorder's office reported to the district attorney’s office that they had received what appeared to be fraudulent ballots in the mail. When the elections officials were running...
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