Stage 1 Fire Restrictions Announced
June 13, 2013…Beginning immediately, Stage 1 fire restrictions are in place on public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Pike and San Isabel National Forests located Chaffee, Clear Creek, Custer, Douglas, El Paso, Fremont, Huerfano, Jefferson, Lake, Las Animas, Park, Pueblo, Saguache, and Teller Counties, Colorado. Restrictions will remain in effect until they are
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McCormick Resignation
Jim McCormick resigned from his position as Salida City Councilman June 7. McCormick served for almost eight years as councilman.
“I have enjoyed working with city staff, elected officials and the citizens of Salida. I am resigning to spend more time with my family,” McCormick said in his resignation letter to the Mayor and Councilmen.
According to the Salida Municipal Code
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Man Killed in Shootout With Police ID'd
Theodore Dennis Vanosdall, a multi-state offender and parolee living in Salida, was fatally shot May 26 after firing multiple rounds at police officers at a residence on the 1200 block of H Street.
Vanosdall, a 36 year old white male, was on parole from South Dakota charged with multiple drug, weapon and theft violations and had been living in Salida for about a year.
At approximately
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Election Case Against Town of Center Moves Ahead
District Judge Martin Gonzales, in a phone conference conducted from the Rio Grande Courthouse granted plaintiffs Moe Jones’ and Marilyn Marks’ motion Friday to employ a handwriting expert in their election contest case.
The motion was granted during an emergency hearing Friday morning after controversy arose between the plaintiffs’ attorneys and the
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Suspected Meth Lab Discovered on BLM Land
A campsite that contained suspected methamphetamine chemicals and explosives materials discovered on Bureau of Land Management property southeast of Salida was successfully dismantled by authorities last Friday. Deputy Martin Johnson, a certified clandestine laboratory technician, aided BLM and Salida Fire Department officials in the operation.
BLM Ranger Steve Cunningham
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State Amps Up "Click it or Ticket" Enfocement
The Colorado State Patrol and 63 law enforcement agencies across Colorado are joining the nationwide Click It or Ticket campaign by increasing enforcement of seat belt and child passenger safety laws. The ramped up enforcement takes place Monday, May 20 through Sunday, June 2. The goal is to get more Coloradans to buckle up and ultimately save lives across the state.
In 2012, 159 people
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CDOT Motorcycle Safety Campaign Begins
Motorcycle crashes killed 82 riders and passengers on Colorado’s roads last year and over two-thirds of those killed (69%) were not wearing a helmet, so the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is reminding riders they have a choice to wear gear to prevent deadly crashes.
May marks Motorcycle Safety Month in Colorado, just in time for the launch of CDOT’s motorcycle
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Hospital Board Term Limits Will Remain
The Salida Hospital Board of Directors will remain term-limited after a ballot initative to remove those term limits failed by a 2-1 vote Tuesday.
Unofficially, 570 ballots were cast. either by mail or in person. Of those 570 ballots, 379 voted to retain term limits, while 191 voted "yes" to remove them. 284 ballots were cast at the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center,
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Canine Companion Run Coming May 26
The Salida Dog Club presents Loyal Duke’s Canine Companion Run
Sunday, May 26th. Check in is at 9:00 am. Race begins at 10:00 am
Start and finish will be at Loyal Duke’s Dog Park on Holman Ave.
This is a 5K race pairing runners or walkers and their leashed dogs. Participants will receive dog bandanas, t-shirts, various prizes, Bluegrass on the Arkansas lunch
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Quiet Use Coalition Completes Project
Volunteers from the Quiet Use Coalition completed the first phase of a project that will improve conditions on City of Salida open space land this past Saturday, April 27.
The group spent the day installing educational structures and signs in two locations to help recreationists make the correct decisions when traveling on routes that pass through city property.
People, primarily those
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SALIDA RANGER DISTRICT OFFICE MOVING
SALIDA, Colo., April. 29, 2013 – The U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Salida Ranger District office will relocate to a new facility during May 2013. The future site is located approximately 2 miles east of the present location at 5575 Cleora Road on the Salida Natural Resource Center campus.
The move will take place over a period of days and visitor services may be disrupted
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Antero to Remain Open
Good news for sportsmen and anglers, Denver water has announced that they will not be draining Antero Reservior as previously announced.
A Denver Water spokesman said that enough snow fell in April to cause the company to reverse its decision to drain the reservior. When Denver Water made the announcement in March that they planned to drain Antero, snowpack in the South Platte Basin was at
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More Parking for Downtown Coming Soon
The parking lot on Union Pacific Railroad property at the end of F Street is expected to be open for use by Memorial Day weekend, May 25. City staff received the signed lease April 15 from Union Pacific (UP) officials.
Approximately 60 parking spaces will be available, including four to five over-sized lots. Planned improvements to the lot include additional fencing and installation of
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Home and Garden Show "Huge Success"
It's being hailed as a huge success, as around 3,500 people attended the inaugaral Chaffee Home and Garden show, organized by the Salida Sunrise Rotary Club.
68 businesess and non-profit vendors displayed their wares this past Saturday and Sunday at the 1st annual event. While most vendors came from Chaffee County, some travelled from Colorado Springs, Leadville, Westcliff, and
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Two More Gun Bills Pass
The final two bills of the Democrats' gun package passed the House early Monday, marking another chapter in one of the most contentious issues lawmakers have battled in recent years.
One measure involves training for concealed-weapons permit holders; the other the collection of firearms for those convicted of certain domestic violence offenses or those under a restraining
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Congress Nixs Elimination of Saturday Mail Delivery
The financially beleaguered Postal Service backpedaled on its plan to end Saturday mail delivery, conceding Wednesday that its gamble to compel congressional approval had failed.
With limited options for saving money, the governing board said the agency should reopen negotiations with unions to lower labor costs and consider raising mail prices.
Yet the board also said it's not
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Citizen Center Group Sues to Dismiss Center Election
Citizen Center filed an election contest yesterday as a co-plaintiff seeking to set aside the March 19 Center, Colorado, special recall election. The suit focuses on breakdowns in critical election procedures and a surprising violation of voters' constitutional rights to cast a secret ballot.
Maurice (Moe) Jones, a recalled town trustee, is the lead plaintiff in the case, which was
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Hospital To Hold Term-Limit Election May 7
A special election has been scheduled by the Salida Hospital District to address the issue of removing term limits for the board of directors.
Currently, hospital board members may serve two consecutive 4-year terms, and then may not run again for eight years. Speaking on the elimination of term limits, Salida Hospital board chairman Dan Dowling said that the health care industry has such
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State Championships in Wrestling
Two Chaffee County wrestlers brought home the gold from the state wrestling championship tournament, held February 21-23 at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
15 pound Sophomore John Lopez from Buena Vista, and 195 pound Spartan Thane Smith, who went undefeated on the season, capped their seasons with championships. It wass Smith's third trip to the championships, and first title. Lopez
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Sackett Land Transfer Will Go To Vote
The Salida City Council voted unamiously to send the issue of the Sackett Street property transfer before the voters this November.
At their February 19 meeting, the commissioners voted 4-0, with Jim McCormick and Steven Stewart absent, to have the citizens decide the issue, which involves trading the land at 307 W. Sackett Ave to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The Council stated that it was
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New BLM Rules for Salida and Howard Areas Begin 3/15
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has recently issued new rules for public land users in the Salida and Howard areas.
The rules, which came about after two years of extensive public input, affect the Arkansas River Travel Management Plan area and take affect March 15, according to a BLM spokesperson. The plan allows for designated uses and travel routes, intended to protect natural
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Secretary of State Exonerates Clerk's Office
Responding to a complaint filed last summer by voting activist Marilyn Marks, the Chaffee County Clerk's office received a letter on February 1st stating that the Chaffee County clerk's office and primary election judges were not responsible for visable black and blue markings on ballots that caused Marks to file her complaint.
Mark's initial complaint and concern was the color
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Chamber of Commerce 2012 Awards
Larry Kovacic and Patti Arthur were honored as man and woman of the year at last Saturday's annual Heart of the Rockies Chamber of Commerce annual awards banquet, held at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds.
Kovacic is a retiree who moved to Salida and dedicates his time to such projects as the Salida Museum, Bikes for Kids, and Salida Mountain Trails. During acceptance, Kovocic said that
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Cotopaxi School One of the Best
The Colorado Department of Education has awarded the Cotopaxi School a prestigeous Award of Distinction for ranking in the top 5 percent of schools in the state.
The "Accredtied with Distinction" award, presented last week, is based on student performance in such areas as academic achievement, academic growth, reducing academic gaps, as well as college and workforce rediness. Out
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