LATEST NEWS
Win a Trip to Colorado’s Western Slope
There’s a reason why Crested Butte, Colorado plays host to an array of annual ski competitions, gear testing events, and extreme skiing celebrations. The old western charm of this hidden mountain town is hard to resist. It’s a place where freeskiing in its purest form defines the culture and attitude of the area. But its rich mining and ranching history still finds itself embedded in every street corner, building, and person who calls Crested Butte home.
Thompson Divide gets 20-year protection from new oil and gas leasing
U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Halland signed an administrative withdrawal on April 3rd that will close most of the Thompson Divide to new oil and gas leasing for the next twenty years. Here's Will Roush, director of Wilderness Workshop, a Carbondale-based public lands watchdog group that has helped protect the Thompson...
KEBLER EFFORT:
County and state road crews started work this week to get Kebler Pass Road open earlier than normal. The hope is to provide another route between Gunnison and Montrose since Highway 50 is closed to traffic due to defects in the Middle Bridge. Thank an elf when you see them! Photo by Robby Lloyd.
Disaster emergency declared for US 50 bridge closure over Blue Mesa Reservoir
Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera has verbally declared a disaster emergency after the U.S. Highway 50 bridge over the Blue Mesa Reservoir was closed last week. The declaration will help support the response and recovery with a coordinated framework for the statewide response to reopen the bridge. The declaration also initiated the process for requesting federal assistance which includes supplemental highway funding. The Colorado Department of Transportation shut down the bridge last week due to concerns for bridge safety after cracking was noticed. The bridge closure is located between Gunnison and Montrose from U.S. 50 mile marker 131, the intersection with Colorado Highway...
It is what it is….so show some grace
Ahhhh, the never surprising and always constant spring question is arising a bit earlier than usual this year — Is Kebler open yet? No. But it will probably be open as early as ever this year. And that is only because a calamitous structural defect discovered in a bridge crossing Blue Mesa Reservoir by the Dillon Pinnacles closed that bridge on April 18 making any quick trip between Gunnison County and Montrose pretty much impossible. It is what it is. Despite criticism from the conspiracy theorists trolling social media and people wondering why Joe Biden didn’t obviously see this coming and get on it a couple years ago, the response from state and local officials has been pretty darn good in a pretty bad situation.
Tune in here to learn more about Crested Butte’s Psychedelic Summit!
Somatic Therapist Darlene Egelhoff and Crested Butte Center for Arts Brett Henderson speak on psychedelics and mental health. The Psychedelic Summit takes place Saturday, April 27th beginning at 6pm at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts.
School board taking the year to reevaluate district calendar
Last month, the Gunnison Watershed School District board approved the 2024/25 calendar, and while it remains similar to this past year’s calendar, the board made clear they plan to take a deep dive to gather input and data surrounding the Wednesday early release schedule and school breaks, among other calendar items.
No timeline for Highway 50 bridge reopening
Kebler, Lake City Cutoff, boats all coming into play. Almost a week after suddenly closing the so-called Middle Bridge on Highway 50 near the Dillon Pinnacles there is no anticipated timeline for when the bridge might reopen to traffic. While not making any official projections, local and state officials are starting to prepare for a possible closure that lasts into the busy summer tourism season.
Neighbors near the bridge step up to deal with a bad situation
In a small community, adversity tends to bring neighbors together. That is the case with the closing of Highway 50 near the Dillon Pinnacles due to defects discovered in the Middle Bridge that spans Blue Mesa Reservoir. A small community of people live and work in that area, whether in rural Gunnison County, Sapinero or Arrowhead.
High-mountain unpaved road provides partial solution to 354-mile detour in Colorado
A partial solution has been found for a massive six-hour 354-mile detour that's in place for those traveling between Montrose and Gunnison due to a cracked bridge along US Highway 50. According to the Gunnison County Sheriff's Office, County Road 26 will be open twice a day as of April 22 for critical local travel. The travel along this route will be managed through the use of pilot vehicles, which will be used to lead passenger vehicles along the road. ...
Briefs: County
Gunnison County closed on the purchase of an additional .67 acres near Riverland on April 10. The property was the remainder of the Gers family lot adjacent to the Whetstone parcel, the other portion of which the county purchased from the Gers more than a year ago and included in the sketch plan and site design of the housing project. The property is located at 25125 State Highway 135, and the county purchase price was $370,000.
Students ferrying to school amid bridge closure
Some of my favorite journalism stories are the ones I like to call “slice of life” stories — those that give us a peek into people’s daily routines that can feel ordinary to one reader and extraordinary to the next. Yesterday, I talked with a parent...
Gunnison students take boat ride across Blue Mesa Reservoir to get to class around bridge closure
Huddled in the bow of a patrol boat, a group of Gunnison students clung together with their heads down to shield their cheeks from the icy cold rain and whipping winds that are typical on any given afternoon on Blue Mesa Reservoir. Snacks for the voyage were provided by Gunnison...
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