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BATTLE CRY – Ouray 4th grader Brennain Degenhardt appeared at Monday’s Ouray City Council meeting with fellow Gifted and Talented students and GT Coordinator Taylor Chase to request that council waive the Community Center rental fee for an upcoming Battle of the Books event. (Photo by Samantha Wright)
“The Ouray Trail Group will dedicate the Memorial to past, present and future hikers of the San Juan Mountains, encouraging further safe and enjoyable adventures here in the Ouray area.”
Approximately 2,500-5,000 acres of burns to assist in managing fuel (vegetation) buildup and accomplishing wildlife habitat improvement projects are either “ready to go” or are being planned for.
Telluride Ski Resort will keep lifts 4 and 5 open until 4:30 p.m. for the rest of the season; other lift operating hours will remain the same.

ESPRESSO PERFECTO – Barista and new owner of Cimarron Books and Coffee House Eric Palumbo has taken over the Ridgway institution from founder (and Ridgway institution) Priscilla Peters, who has “passed the torch” after 21 years. (Photo by Peter Shelton)
New Cimarron Books and Coffee House owner/barista Eric Palumbo has a nose for coffee and a preference for apolitical argument.
Perhaps the most striking statistic is that the median sale price of single-family homes within the City of Montrose is stabilizing.
It appears likely that Telluride’s electorate will have to decide in November on the formation of a Regional Transit Authority, and the means by which to fund it.

'THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM' – Ouray County Road and Bridge Superintendent Chris Miller recently erected this sign along the Camp Bird Road, angering local guides and ice climbers. (Courtesy photo)
People wishing to access the backcountry beyond Senator Gulch frequently park their cars near the gate, blocking mine traffic and equipment.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT – Brian Scranton, a family friend of the Charrette family, hugged a little girl before the start of a Tuesday’s memorial for 2-year-old Axel Charrette, who was killed on Feb. 28 in Mexico. (Photo by William Woody)
‘No energy gets created in the universe, and none is destroyed.’

DEEP ENOUGH – Gregory Hope went inverted in Revelation bowl on Sunday morning taking advantage of the fresh snow on the first day of daylight savings time, which allowed skiers an earlier lift up the hill to take advantage of powder and the bright the March sun. While snow conditions have improved, the state has only received 73 percent of average snowfall this year. (Photo by Brett Schreckengost)
Despite recent snowstorms, the “snow bank” in the high country is low on water.

JOY RIDE – In the old days, miners would ride in ore buckets from the Mayflower Mill near Silverton to their work high above in Arastra Gulch. Now, if a local zip line developer has his way, the historic tram line infrastructure will be put to use for a new brand of adventure. (Photo courtesy of the San Juan County Historical Society)
If all goes according to plan, thrill-seekers young and old will be flocking to Silverton this summer for a chance to fly along a totally unique, mile-long zip line course that blends history with ...

SAN MIGUEL VALLEY CORPORATION'S sketch PUD plan for its Mill Creek parcel. (Courtesy image)
With Tuesday’s approval of the conceptual sketch plans, SMVC has satisfied the first two of five steps in the county’s land use process to develop the two parcels.

CHIEF’S AWARD – San Miguel County Commissioners Elaine Fischer (left), Art Goodtimes (center) and Joan May (right) presented the U.S. Forest Service’s Chief’s Award that was given to the Uncompahgre Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Partners last December. As the Forest Service’s highest honor, the award highlights the collaborative, effective partnership between a long list of private entities and local governments involved in making restoration on the Uncompahgre Plateau possible. An estimated 8,202 acres of wildlife habitat was restored in the project, and 329 miles of road were improved or maintained in the project. (Photo by Gus Jarvis)
Cost-sharing proposal to repair Bridal Veil road rejected…Commissioners open to discussion of dog prohibition regulation changes...
All Points Transit Executive Director Terri Wilcox says the goal for the next year is to get more people who need mobility onto the public bus routes in Montrose.
OVER TWO DOZEN community members along with representatives state agencies including Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper's office attended a meeting Tuesday morning in Montrose to review recent survey results on Montrose's homeless population. (Photo by William Woody)
Over 50 percent of those surveyed in the study reported to suffer from some form of a mental health disorder. On top of that, 44 percent said they additionally suffer from substance abuse.
So far, no private clubs for the consumption of marijuana exist in Ouray, but some city councilors see no reason to prohibit them.
A new foundation in Montrose, launched last month with a $10,000 anonymous gift, aims to support recreational opportunities.
Hydropower from the Ridgway dam could be flowing into the grid as early as next winter.
NO SLACKERS are found in this classroom at Ridgway High School, where students took an ongoing concurrent enrollment course in General Psychology taught by instructor and college guidance counsellor Rick Williams that will earn them three college credits at Colorado Mesa University. (Photo by Samantha Wright)
Taking college-concurrent courses requires a huge commitment on the part of the students with hopes they will pay off upon entering college.
Hackett will continue as the director of the Institute for Altitude Medicine at the Medical Center.
Colorado Hwy. 50, from Montrose to Gunnison, was reopened at approximately 10:30 p.m. Thursday night, following a three-hour investigation that determined a suspicious object found near the highway...
photos
RATS’ NEST – A rack of demo bikes at last year’s Ridgway Area Trails (RAT) Festival in Hartwell Park. This year’s 3rd annual will again feature trail building and skills clinics, along with a new Friday beer-and-shorts film night at the Sherbino Theater. (Courtesy photo)
VOLUNTEER Linda Granzow worked twine through spent round casings at the Welcome Home Montrose Warrior Resource Center last week. (Photo by William Woody)
WARRIOR WIND CHIMES – Welcome Home Montrose staff Emily Smith painted ceramic part of wind chimes at the Welcome Home Montrose Warrior Resource Center last week. (Photo by William Woody)
BACK HOME IN TELLURIDE – members of Telluride’s Volunteer Fire Department helped move the Galloping Goose No. 4 back to its home next to the San Miguel County Courthouse on May 16. The railbus spent the last four years in Ridgway while it was refurbished. (Photo by Brett Schreckengost)

ROBERT JUSTIS (Courtesy photo)
