LATEST NEWS

A hiker was seriously injured on Saturday after falling approximately 300 feet from the top of Judd Falls in Crested Butte, according to a Facebook post from Crested Butte Search and Rescue. According to the rescue organization, the hiker fell from the top of Judd Falls into the river below...

Due to low ridership, the Colorado Department of Transportation said they will not provide its free shuttle any more. Meanwhile, for the large sinkhole at Colorado Highway 133, bridge parts for a temporary bridge foundation are anticipated to arrive at the job site on June 5. “The contractor continues working...

Recent winter runoff has produced multiple washouts on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests’ Paonia Ranger District, making motorized travel impossible on several National Forest System Roads (NFSR). NFSR #704-Condemn-It Park road, located south of West Muddy Guard Station, is closed to traffic due to a washout...

CDOT’s contractor R.L Wadsworth is fast-tracking a temporary bridge over a large washout that closed Colorado Highway 133 in late April. However, numerous businesses in the North Fork and Roaring Fork Valleys continue to feel the economic impact just as the summer season is fully underway. KVNF Station Manager...

Kebler Pass in Gunnison County is closed to the public after runoff caused major damage to the roadway.

---------------- U.S. Highway 50 between Montrose and Gunnison is closed Friday due to rockfall concerns in the Little Blue Creek Canyon construction area. The highway closed between mile markers 123 and 127 before noon Friday. Project spokeswoman Kathleen Wanatowicz told the Plaindealer there was no actual rockslide, but officials decided to close the highway because they're concerned rocks could come down on the road where construction workers have been working the last two years to widen the highway.

A two-vehicle accident that took place Wednesday evening, May 24, on Highway 135 sent three people to the Gunnison Valley Hospital, but no one was critically injured. According to Crested Butte Fire Protection District EMS and fire chief Rob Weisbaum, both cars suffered heavy damage but, he said, “We are grateful that the three patients involved were not seriously injured. All three patients were transported to GVH for further medical evaluation.”

It’s crazy to think that, no matter what, I’m going to get to go to college. Johanna Hernandez has always planned to go to college. As a junior at Gunnison High School and a first-generation student, she grew up watching her parents work hard so she could have more opportunities than they had. She knew she wasn’t going to let their hard work go to waste. When she was selected for an $80,000 full-ride Geiman scholarship to Western, Hernandez could hardly believe that her dreams were becoming a reality right before her eyes.

Benefits of an Outdoor Recreation Degree in Colorado. Whether you’ve visited Colorado or you’re a resident, there is no doubt that the state offers a vast landscape of outdoor activities beaming with educational opportunities. With its snow-capped mountains in winter, beautiful springs, and warm weather lush green landscapes, Colorado is the perfect place for every outdoor enthusiast.

The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests ask visitors to please protect their natural resources and respect other visitors by recreating responsibly. Visitation to the GMUG is expected to be extremely high again this year. Many roads are still snow packed and unpassable. We ask visitors to please assist us in protecting natural resources.

As we celebrate Memorial Day and the start of summer, public land agencies encourage the public to be extra careful with all campfires and combustible materials to prevent human-caused fires. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Gunnison, Uncompahgre and Tres Rios Field Offices; Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control...

The USDA Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Region recently recognized Daris Matos, Assistant Forest Engineer for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests for her innovative and impactful contributions to forest engineering in 2022. Matos was selected as the 2022 Technical Engineer of the Year. This esteemed accolade...

Nature provides too many benefits for humans. We simply cannot gatekeep. GUNNISON, Colorado: Growing up in a low-income Colorado household as the daughter of parents who immigrated to the United States, Western Colorado University graduate student Miriam Olvera knows what it’s like to feel like certain outdoor activities are just out of reach, even when they’re right out the backdoor.

The Crested Butte Community School class of 2023 held its graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 27. Their caps were tossed into a perfect Crested Butte day. For more photos see pages 20 and 21. Photo by Nolan Blunck.

The financial aid process is a crucial part of applying to college, as it determines the final cost of tuition for students across the country. The cost of a college education can fluctuate widely, with tuition costs, fees, and financial aid opportunities differing amongst universities. The universities with the best financial aid offer a combination of need and merit-based scholarships to help ease the burden of tuition costs. Yet, with so many scholarships available, maximizing your financial aid eligibility can quickly become complicated and confusing. Here at Western Colorado University, we are committed to helping you find the most efficient and cost-effective path towards earning your degree.

I can hardly put into words how wonderful it feels. GUNNISON, Colorado: The Colorado Department of Higher Education chose Western Colorado University alumni Shelby Alm and Christine Stephan for the state’s 2023 Future Educator Honor Roll. They were honored during an event on Wednesday, May 10 as part of Teacher Appreciation Week. The fifth annual Future Educator Honor Rollcelebrated 42 outstanding teacher candidates from the educator preparation programs at Colorado’s colleges and universities. Alm and Stephan were nominated by mentors and faculty in Western’s teacher licensure program.

GUNNISON, Colorado: Western Colorado University will host the four teams chosen to participate in this year’s Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator Program, for six weeks starting Monday, May 22, in collaboration with ICELab, Blister, and Holland & Hart, LLP. The on-campus portion of the eight-week program will include talks and presentations on strategy, marketing, e-commerce, and retail by industry veterans, as well as recreational outings and adventures throughout the Gunnison Valley.

Gunnison Valley RTA special projects manager and executive director assistant Leia Morrison reported to Gunnison County commissioners this spring that the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has proposed an expanded Bustang service, the interregional bus service that connects the Gunnison Valley to Denver and the I-25 and I-70 corridors. “They’ve...

Tigers Be Still opened a two-week run at Crested Butte Mountain Theatre last weekend with a rare, comedic depiction of the struggles that many people experience related to depression, anxiety and inertia. The play, written by Kim Rosenstock and directed locally by Kristen Joyce and assistant director Mary Tuck, follows the main character and sometimes narrator, Sherry (played by Nel Burkett,) as she overcomes her own struggles and tries to help those around her. It’s a “How I got out of bed” story, as Joyce describes it.

These days you can get most anything alcohol related, most anytime at the grocery store. But I implore you, support your local liquor store. Nothing against our Clark’s Market crew, they’re nice folks and I’m sure the directive came from corporate to sell alcohol and they had to abide. But one local liquor store owner told me that sales are down 52% once Colorado voters took a step further to allow wine sales at grocery stores back in March.