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Tag: Grand Junction

In Grand Junction, City Council debates role in homeless solution, problem shelter
Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

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 ...
Business owners ask City Council for help with homeless activity, get no action in Grand Junction
Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Business owners ask City Council for help with homeless activity, get no action in Grand Junction

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Grand Junction businesses and residents in the downtown area have become fed up with the nefarious and criminal activity stemming from the Homeward Bound Day Center for the homeless, and they are directing their ire at elected officials on City Council. Ben Van Dyke, who owns the car wash next door to the center, says that although he understands, and has compassion for, the people who are homeless, the criminal and nuisance activities that are not being managed are unsafe and are driving away his business. “My revenue is down 30 percent because my customers tell me they feel unsafe," he said. "I used to go down and do maintenance on my building at night so I didn’t have to shut down operations during the day. I can’t do that a...
Grand Junction ‘Rumble’ rallies support for conservative movement in Colorado
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Grand Junction ‘Rumble’ rallies support for conservative movement in Colorado

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice The Rocky Mountain Rumble held Sunday in Clifton gathered Western Slope conservatives under a shared mission: fighting for rural Colorado's future and energizing the community ahead of crucial elections. Hosted by Rocky Mountain Voice's founder Heidi Ganahl, the event underscored the importance of unity, local leadership and economic opportunity as the region grapples with state and federal overreach. Mesa County resident and attendee Vicky Murphy says she's been a political junkie for years, often speaking her mind and she's noticed a change in locals around her lately. "People that I’ve known for years who never opened their mouth about politics are suddenly very chatty," she said. "They have passion [and] concern, and they ...
Grand Junction still seeking answers to homeless issue, following drug arrests at resource center
Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Grand Junction still seeking answers to homeless issue, following drug arrests at resource center

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice When the Grand Junction City Council was forming their plan in 2023 to find temporary shelters for the approximately 2,300 homeless people who were living in the streets, members of the community had multiple concerns about the potential problems with the proposed housing. One of those concerns was the illegal use of drugs inherent to many in the homeless population.  On Aug. 22, 2024, the Grand Junction City Council approved changes to city zoning and created a process to establish places for temporary housing shelters in non-residential and mixed-use areas of town. At the time, the Council decided not to approve tents or safe parking places, although those options had been considered in earlier discussions. They were not a...
Summer skeeters: New mosquito species, the Aedes aegypti, found in Grand Junction
kdvr.com, Local

Summer skeeters: New mosquito species, the Aedes aegypti, found in Grand Junction

By Timber Schuman | Fox 31 News A new mosquito species was discovered in Grand Junction –the Aedes aegypti. Grand River Mosquito Control District Manager Tim Moore told Nexstar’s WesternSlopeNow that only two of these mosquitoes were found in Grand Junction in 2023, and this June, three Colorado Mesa University students found several more — 12 adults and 150 eggs. Officials are not sure if they’re permanently established. The Aedes aegypti will live its whole two-to-four-week lifespan within 50 feet of where it hatched, unlike the Culex mosquito commonly seen in Mesa County, which will travel miles over its lifetime. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
Invasive, fast-reproducing zebra mussels found in Colorado River near Grand Junction
State, The Colorado Sun

Invasive, fast-reproducing zebra mussels found in Colorado River near Grand Junction

By Michael Booth | The Colorado Sun Voracious zebra mussels appear to be spreading into the Colorado River near Grand Junction and infesting the Government Highline canal watering Mesa County farms, less than two years after the invasive species first appeared in a Western Slope lake, wildlife officials said Tuesday.  Western Slope officials called the news “devastating,” and are warning downstream water conservation partners beginning with Utah that the fast-reproducing mussels are likely on the way. Colorado Parks and Wildlife had led the charge to combat zebra mussels after finding the first lake infestation at nearby Highline Lake State Park in September 2022.  The zebra mussels strip plankton from the water en masse, depriving native species of vital food. The ...
Meeting announced to consider interchange plans for I-70 and 29 Road in Mesa County
Mesa County, Rocky Mountain Voice

Meeting announced to consider interchange plans for I-70 and 29 Road in Mesa County

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff Residents of Mesa County and the City of Grand Junction are invited to a public meeting to discuss an interchange at Interstate 70 and 29 Road, a press statement from Mesa County reads. The community meeting is designed to allow residents to review design options and offer input toward the interchange following presentations. The meeting is from 5-7 p.m. June 4 at Bookcliff Middle School Gym, 540 29 1/4 Road. “An I-70 interchange at 29 Road will improve connectivity, community access and economic opportunity," said Mesa County Commissioner Cody Davis. "We hope community members will join us on June 4 to discuss design options and provide valuable input for this project." In 1999, the need for an interchange in northeast Grand Junction was identifie...
Protest of USPS plan to move mail from Grand Junction to Denver may have been successful
Local, The Craig Press

Protest of USPS plan to move mail from Grand Junction to Denver may have been successful

By Elliott Wenzler  | The Craig Press The U.S. Postal Service will pause a plan to reroute mail from the Western Slope to Denver after dozens of Senators from both parties protested the changes.  “While USPS claims these changes overall will improve service while reducing costs, there is evidence to the contrary in locations where USPS has implemented changes so far,” according to a May 8 letter from 24 senators, including Sen. Michael Bennet. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in response to the senators’ concerns, he will pause implementation of that plan until at least January 2025. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE CRAIG PRESS
‘It shouldn’t be free’: In Grand Junction, EV owners will pay at city-owned charging stations
Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Western Slope

‘It shouldn’t be free’: In Grand Junction, EV owners will pay at city-owned charging stations

‘The majority of the power is coming from coal,’ City Councilman Cody Kennedy says Electric vehicle operators will no longer have a free ride from the City of Grand Junction. City Council unanimously supported the implementation of a fee structure Wednesday, similar to fees implemented by some other local governments to cover public expenses related to charging stations. “I used one of the EV charging apps and there are 40 some odd places in town where you can charge for free,” said City Councilman Scott Beilfuss, also indicating he didn’t support a free-use structure. The proposed rates are comparable to what a gas or diesel-powered vehicle owner might expect to pay for metered parking, City Manager Greg Caton said. “There is a significant amount of public investment in thi...