A rockslide closed I-70 westbound near the No Name rest area for over three hours Saturday afternoon. 

CDOT Regional Communications Manager Lisa Schwantes said she was notified of the incident, just east of Glenwood Springs at mile marker 119, around 2:15 p.m.

Westbound traffic was being stopped at Dotsero as maintenance crews cleared rocks and debris from the roadway.       

No serious injuries were reported as a result of Saturday’s rockslide according to Schwantes. However, a semi-truck required towing and rocks scattered along the interstate were large enough to require a front-end loader, Schwantes said.

I-70 westbound reopened at around 5:20 p.m.

In the immediate area of the rockslide, I-70 westbound was limited to one lane and CDOT urged motorists to use caution.

Saturday’s rockslide was the first of the season to cause an interstate closure, Schwantes said.

Editor’s note: The weather isn’t making it easy for many folks to get a print copy of Friday’s paper, so we’ve made the e-edition free to access today. Go here to read Friday’s paper.

Roaring Fork School District has canceled school Friday in anticipation of continued adverse weather.

All after-school and extracurricular activities are also canceled, although Glenwood Springs High School’s girls swim team had already left for an event in Grand Junction and would still compete.

In a statement Thursday night, district public information officer Kelsy Been said early reports point to unsafe road conditions continuing Friday.

“Although we do not usually make snow day decisions this early, we’ve received earlier than usual reports from road and highway plowing operations departments of expected unsafe and hazardous road conditions,” Been writes. “Any decision to cancel school is based on student and staff safety.”

Go here to read Roaring Fork School District’s policy on cancellations.

In addition:

• Colorado Mountain College’s Glenwood Center, Spring Valley, Carbondale, Rifle and Leadville campuses will be closed Friday for the entire day. The Aspen campus remains open. Central Services in Glenwood is closed. For more information, call the CMC Rifle snow line at 625-6990 or the CMC Spring Valley/Glenwood Center snow line at 947-8153.
• Glenwood Springs City Hall will open at 10 a.m. Friday, instead of 8. The Community Center will open at 6 a.m. for normal business hours.

• Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is closed Friday. Friday Afternoon Club is canceled.
• Interstate 70 westbound from Golden to the Eisenhower Tunnel is closed. No alternate routes are available, and CDOT strongly recommends people don’t travel during today’s storm.

A winter weather advisory from the National Weather Service remains in effect until 5 p.m. Friday, with up to 8 inches of snow expected Thursday night and up to 4 more inches expected Friday morning.

Garfield School District 16 schools in Parachute are not canceled for Friday, and Friday is a normal off day for Garfield Re-2 schools.

Call 511 for the most up-to-date road conditions.

Marina Karzhova grew up in Russia, outside of Moscow, and was going to college as a full-time student when she applied for a work and travel summer program. 

“I was 22,” Karzhova said. “I moved here about 12 years ago, in 2011. I applied for the visa and came to work in Aspen.”

Karzhova said she fell in love with the country and Colorado and she decided to stay. 

“I love Rifle,” she said. “I love living here, everyone is so friendly, and I feel very comfortable living here.”

Karzhova has always been in sales, she said, in Russia and now in the United States. 

“I got into real estate,” she said. “I applied for my license and here we are. I love to help people find their homes.” 

Karzhova has two children and said she realized it was impossible to keep a full time job while working for someone else, so now she works in the time she has. 

“It’s easier to have a work and life balance with this job,” Karzhova said. 

Karzhova has recently been appointed to the Planning Commission of Rifle, something she’s looking forward to.

“I’ve seen how much Rifle has changed since I moved here,” Karzhova said. “I want to be a part of that change. I feel, as a real estate agent, I can contribute my expertise to it. I also believe I can better serve my clients if I know the rules and regulations surrounding planning.”

The Planning Commission reviews applications for zoning changes, whether residential or subdivisions, among other things.

“I’m excited for my first meeting. It’s on Tuesday,” Karzhova said. 

Outside of being a real estate agent and part of the Planning Commission, Karzhova loves to go camping and hiking in Colorado. 

“We’ve been all over Colorado,” she said, referring to her fiance and children. “We go up to Rifle Gap to see the waterfalls a lot. There’s so many small places in Colorado to go to and I haven’t been able to find them all yet. You don’t have to go internationally to travel.”

They’ve traveled over to Utah recently, down south to Ridgeway, and are planning trips out to Sequoia National Park and Yosemite National Park. 

“My favorite is to spend time here,” Karzhova said. “I’m excited to see it developed.”

In the early 2000s, phase one of the Pioneer Mesa Subdivision was approved and the land, a flat mesa with nice views of the mountains, was set aside for home-building use. 

Only recently, in May of 2021, phase two of the subdivision applied for. It was always supposed to be residential, says Patrick Waller, planning director and interim city manager of Rifle. 

“The second part is putting in streets, water and sewer so people can pull building permits when it’s ready,” he said. 

There are seventeen lots, he said, mostly larger lots, but they vary in size. 

“They go from three-fourths of an acre to 1.3 acres, which is pretty large for city lots. Some are closer to 3,000 square feet or 7,500 square feet,” Waller said. 

The people who applied for the development are the Pioneer Mesa Development Company from Eagle, according to Waller. They’re represented by Patrick Scanlan, the director of development at Fortius Capital. 

“No houses have been built yet. The second phase allows us to create legal descriptions which can be written into a deed, so then someone can purchase the property,” Waller said. 

Some of the lots are ready for sale, Waller said, but can’t sell until the final plat piece is done.

“They asked for an extension of a year,” he said, of when Scanlan presented to Rifle City Council last meeting. “But they’re only anticipating a few more weeks of getting everything finished. 

Scanlan gave some more details on the subdivision.

“It was a broken subdivision resulting from the great recession and it’s one of the last vestiges of it in Rifle,” he said. “It’s a collaboration between Rifle and Fortius Capital.”

He said they bought the land in 2014, but the original plan for the subdivision didn’t work.

“It was originally for 47 units, but Rifle said that was too dense, so we worked with Rifle and Patrick Waller and he found the number of 17 lots to be better,” Scanlan said. 

He said one of the central tenets of Fortius Capital is to match the need of the community with what they’re planning. 

“Rifle is a community of change and transition and these estate lots appeal to a wider population base,” Scanlan said. 
To see the lots, go to the website pioneermesaestates.com and take a look at the opportunities to be built.

November 15, 1929 – March 27, 2024

Gene Diaz was born in Delta, Colorado to Dionisio and Petra Diaz on November 15, 1929, and passed away March 27, 2024, at his home in Silt, Colorado. Gene was married to Eva Fernandez on June 21, 1948, and shared 69 amazing years together. Gene was employed by Garfield County and worked in the road and bridge department for over 43 years.
In his younger years Gene enjoyed playing baseball. His other hobbies included gardening, fishing, hunting and playing board/card games. Gene was a member of the Knights of Columbus. Gene loved spending time with his family and friends.
Gene was preceded in death by his wife Eva and 11 brothers and sisters. Gene is survived by sons Dennis and wife Yvonne, David and wife Dian, Daniel and wife Laurie. Gene had eight grandchildren and their spouses, twelve great grandchildren, and one great, great grandchild. Gene also had many other family members.
Services will be held at St. Mary Catholic Church in Rifle, Colorado on April 27, 2024. The Rosary will be at 10:00 followed by a Mass at 11:00. Interment will follow at the Skyline Cemetery in Silt, Colorado.
The family has requested that remembrances be made in the form of contributions to your favorite charity. In lieu of flowers.

October 16, 1931 – November 18, 2023

Celebration of Life for Etta Lou Macdonell will be held at 1PM at the Battlement Mesa Community Center 398 Arroyo Drive on April 28th. Lunch will be provided

In a closely contested battle at Stubler Memorial Field on Tuesday, the Glenwood Springs Demons fell to the Eagle Valley Devils 1-0 in a game that came down to the final minutes. The loss extends the Demons’ streak to five consecutive defeats after a promising 2-1 start to the season.

The game remained deadlocked at 0-0 for much of the match, with both teams trading opportunities. Eagle Valley controlled the possession, pushing Glenwood Springs to defend. Glenwood Springs sophomore goalkeeper Hayden Kulweic, was a standout, making several critical saves to keep her team in the game.

Early in the first half, sophomore Sophia Sherick saw an opportunity to give Glenwood Springs some momentum, sending a shot that got past Eagle Valley goalkeeper Allison Flores just left of the post.

Eagle Valley’s Addison Mandeville constantly threatened, yet found herself thwarted by Kulweic’s sharp goalkeeping. As the first half concluded without any goals, tension mounted.

The second half mirrored the first with Eagle Valley pressing hard. They narrowly missed multiple shots and in one instance, rang the post, but Kulweic kept the Demons in contention. It wasn’t until the 77th minute that Mandeville finally broke through, sneaking a shot past Kulweic to secure the lead.

In the dying moments of the match, Glenwood Springs senior Taia Nykerk nearly equalized, only to be crowded out by Eagle Valley’s defense.

“Some of that is just attention to details for us and transitioning quickly,” Glenwood Springs Head Coach Matt Chilson said when asked about Eagle Valley’s time of possession outweighing the Demons’. “We talk a lot about being aggressive and we just didn’t do that very well tonight.”

Reflecting on the team’s season so far, Chilson remained optimistic despite the setbacks. 

“After the first three games, we had a lot of injuries and had to rotate younger players in,” Chilson said. “We continue to improve every game and all it takes is one win against a top team like we played tonight to get some momentum going.”

With their sights set on breaking the losing streak, Chilson and the Demons are focused on what’s ahead of them.

“We focus on one game at a time,” Chilson said. “We are going to practice tomorrow and work on some things that went wrong tonight and from there, we are focused on our next matchup.”

The Demons next host the Palisade Bulldogs 6 p.m. Thursday at Stubler Memorial Field.

How can anyone oppose Question A?

As a working mother of 3 I’m too busy to follow the details of local politics. I appreciate what our Mayor and Council do for this beautiful mountain community. That said, I looked into Question A and am unclear how anyone can oppose this. I’m also confused by some of what I have heard.

Question A doesn’t say, “don’t build affordable housing” or “don’t use public lands for housing”. Question A says, “let’s vote on it on a case-by-case basis”. Let’s keep it democratic. Let’s keep it fair. If a project using public lands can get 50% of the people to approve it, let’s build it. 

I work in education where 50% is not a passing grade. I can’t maintain my job if half of the administrators don’t approve of my performance. Fifty percent in life is generally a failing grade. Getting fifty percent of us to approve selling or giving away our public lands is not a big ask.

Opponents claim that new housing reduces traffic. It may on I-70, but not in Glenwood. Our growing city has tried this. Countless apartments have sprouted in Glenwood like dandelions in recent years. Has traffic been reduced? I don’t think so. 

If you move from Rifle to Glenwood and work up-valley, you still drive on 82 through Glenwood to get to work. If you move here and work locally you still have to get to work on our public streets — usually in a car. Either way a new family has been added, which is awesome. They take their kids to school, shop at the grocery store, go to soccer, church, the doctor, and run errands. All on Glenwood streets. That’s an increase in traffic, not a decrease. Please don’t get me wrong: I welcome new families to our city with open arms. But I’m confused because they won’t reduce traffic here. 

And if the homes they live in are to be built on public lands that we can no longer use, could we all please just have a say? That’s all we are asking. 

Please vote YES on Question A.

Jen Angeloro, Glenwood Springs

Question A protects Glenwood from Aspen NIMBYs

The 120-125 billionaire property owners in Aspen influence the entire real estate market in the Roaring Fork Valley. The high level of wealth of this sector creates an extreme inequality related to the workforce that supports this reality. The Aspen community has become the biggest NIMBY in the region promoting the need for affordable housing, just not in Aspen. Some of that wealth could and should be allocated towards building public housing. Focusing on a public funded housing strategy along the Highway 82 corridor with rapid transit between Aspen and Glenwood Springs would mitigate the affordable housing problem at this critical moment in history and could provide workforce housing that includes access to schools, parks, shopping, and other opportunities of a healthy community. Aspen relies on too many workers making a five hour commute through Glenwood Springs, an inefficient transportation system with a carbon footprint detrimental to the health and quality of life of everybody in the region. It is too big a price to pay and untenable to continue this manner of support of the extreme inequality resulting from the Aspen/Snowmass economic model. 

Glenwood Springs residents are relying on the city council and staff to preserve and protect the two rivers confluence area and the constrained valleys from overdevelopment. The greatest need for affordable workforce housing communities is south of Glenwood Springs. The residents of Glenwood Springs need not fall prey to any exaggeration of the need for workforce housing within its city limits. Developing partnerships in the Roaring Fork Valley with Aspen contributing to the funding of public housing is the key component of an overall housing strategy that could ensure the long-term health and sustainability of the region. The challenge is to balance the needs of the diverse communities between Aspen and Glenwood Springs. 

Vote YES on Ballot A today.

David Hauter, Glenwood Springs

Question A ‘has nothing to do with affordable housing’

This letter refutes comments by the anti-A ballot measure contingent.

First, Steven Smith’s 4/11/24 letter to the editor stated that having citizens of Glenwood voting on City property would “undermine healthy community engagement and the quality of local life.”

Mr. Smith, being able to vote on City land IS healthy community engagement!

Second, Ben West’s 4/9/24 letter incorrectly states that this measure would make housing more expensive.

No, Mr. West, it would not.

However, as a developer, Mr West knows and accurately states that if a development meets Code, “there is little the public can do to stop the development.”

The PI did a front-page story titled “How Question A will impact affordable housing and the development process in Glenwood Springs”. 

I found five sentences that mention “affordable housing” in the article spanning four pages.

Lastly, ballot measure A has absolutely nothing to do with affordable housing.

Linda Holloway, Glenwood Springs

Consider the consequences, vote no on Question A

“Keep Glenwood Glenwood; Love where you live; Democracy” — great slogans that no one who lives here can disagree with and yet…

Glenwood Springs is not exempt from the multitude of issues, including growth, that face the towns and cities of Colorado. Boasting a beautiful location at the confluence of two rivers it boasts a temperate climate, many recreation facilities, extensive hiking and biking trails, proximity to summer and winter sports, and a storied history. It is little wonder that it is a favorite spot for many tourists as well as dwellers. How fortunate to reside alongside a state of the art medical facility, with dedicated law enforcement, emergency workers and public servants, a bustling downtown that provides great shopping and dining venues, as well as good schools to educate future generations.

We “democratically” elect public officials to oversee the functioning of Glenwood Springs. We may agree or disagree with their thoughts, and are invited to join in conversations pertinent to varied public opinions. Regular meetings are held and are sadly under attended. Controversial issues are presented at the ballot box, without holding a costly and time-consuming special election, no matter who is footing the bill. “DEMOCRACY” is a two way street. As residents of Glenwood Springs our input is needed and solicited; it is up to us to make our voices heard at town meetings and to consider all of the ramifications of our opinions and the opinions of others.

I do love where I live. I am also concerned that this vibrant community will be tarnished with unaffordable housing for medical staff, teachers, retail owners and their staff, restaurant and lodging owners and their employees, law enforcement and emergency service staff, and a hard-working contingent of public figures.

With admiration for a well-canvased point of view presented by the group “Keep Glenwood Glenwood,” I encourage voters to consider the consequences and vote no on 2A.

Susan Anderson, Glenwood Springs

Reader responds to hotel name change

I traveled to Thompson ND, and called the Thompson Hotel, and was told that it was 927 miles away in Denver, Colorado. I traveled to Halcyon, CA, and called the Halcyon Hotel to get directions to the hotel, and was told that it was 1150 miles away in Denver, Colorado. My next trip was to Clayton, New Mexico, and called its namesake hotel for directions, and…..was told that it was 300 miles away in Denver, Colorado. I’m going to stay at home next time….and that’s not in Alaska.

Brian Claxton, Denver

Spring cleaning is in the air and local communities are scheduling cleanup events to help with this annual happening.

Here are the other events being held throughout the county:

The Garfield County Landfill is offering a special coupon event in April. A coupon is valid for up to $15 off one load only from April 1–30 and only one coupon per residential household. The Garfield County Landfill near Rifle is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week. Register for the coupon at their website https://www.garfield-county.com/landfill/. 

Silt’s spring cleanup this year will last from April 22–May 4, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Town Shop, located at 612 N. 7th Street.

Parachute’s 8th annual Parachute Pick-up and Community Picnic will be held April 26, at the Rodeo Grounds at Cottonwood Park, located at 100 La Plata Circle. There will not be a drop-off on Friday, but the cleanup event last from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the picnic from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. On April 27, the drop-off is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. or until the dumpsters are full. The Alpine Shred Truck will be present from 8 a.m. to noon, according to Parachute’s website. 

Glenwood Springs is holding a disposal event on April 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Glenwood Springs Community Center. There will also be a brush and yard waste drop-off at the former rodeo grounds near Glenwood Springs Airport that will last every Saturday through Sep. 21. 

The city is also offering landfill vouchers for disposal of items at the South Canyon Landfill, valid until July 31. There’s only one voucher per household and requires proof of residency. Vouchers can be requested at the city of Glenwood Springs website.

The town of Carbondale’s cleanup event was held this past weekend.

The month of April is National Child Abuse Prevention month, bringing to light how families and communities need to work together to prevent child abuse and help where they can. 

The National Children’s Alliance lists that around 600,000 children nationally are abused or neglected every year. The most recent year for reports, 2021, is surmised to be underreported because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in that year. 

The Alliance also report that children under 1 year old are 15% of all victims and under 2 years old are 28%. Girls are more likely to be abused than boys, numbering 8.7 to 7.5, respectively, per 1,000 children. American Indian/Alaskan Native children are the most likely, at 15.2 and African American number 13.1, both out of 1,000 in the same race or ethnicity. 

Nationally, the most common form of abuse is neglect, numbering about 76% of child abuse victims. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children defines four types of neglect: physical, educational, emotional and medical. 

Physical means not meeting the child’s needs in terms of food, clothing, shelter or proper supervision or safety. Educational neglect is keeping the child from an education. Emotional neglect means withholding proper nurture or stimulation, or humiliating, isolating, ignoring, intimidating or bullying them. Medical neglect is refusing the proper medical care for the child. 

Children Advocacy Centers (CACs) are serving more sexual abuse cases than any other type, making up 53% of all cases, but federal statistics number sexual abuse as only 10% of cases. Sexual abuse is a far larger problem than is being revealed. 

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) has more statistics on this: every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Every nine minutes, the victim is a child, yet only 25 perpetrators out of 1,000 will end up in prison. From 2009-2013, Child Protective Service agencies found strong evidence of 63,000 a year as victims of sexual abuse. 34% of victims are under the age of 12 and 66% are age 12-17. 

According to the Colorado Department of Human Services in 2022, local county departments of human/social services in Colorado assessed the safety of 50,699 children and youth. In 97% of child welfare assessments, they were able to remain at home while their families received services. 

Locally, the Garfield County Department of Human Services provided data for child abuse in the county. In 2023, they had 1,502 reports, and only 27% were screened in and assessed by caseworkers, meaning they were looked over and thought to be valid, while 73% were screened out. Of those reports, 124 were in April 2023, where 31% were screened in and assessed and 69% were screened out. 

For every 1,000 children in Garfield County, 1.4 were removed from the home, which is about half the average rate in Colorado. Garfield County DHS saw a decrease of 1.5% in the amount of abuse and neglect reports in April of 2023.

In Garfield County, there are resources for getting help. Calling the hotline to report child abuse is available, but there are other sources for help: the Pinwheels for Prevention Colorado chapter lists numerous partners at the bottom of their website, including Court Appointed Special Advocates in Colorado. 

The child abuse prevention hotline provided by Garfield County can be found on their website and is 1-844-CO-4-KIDS, or 1-844-264-5437. You can also call the Human Services Department of Garfield County at 970-945-9191 in Glenwood Springs and 970-625-5282 for Rifle. Their website also has details for getting support as a parent.

The Glenwood Springs Ice Queens, an adult women’s hockey team, clinched a victory at the Women’s Association of Colorado Hockey (WACH) Mountain League Tournament in Vail on April 7. Overcoming a challenging regular season, the team showcased resilience and skill in a five-game series at Dobson Arena.

The Ice Queens, who finished the regular season with a 2-9-1 record, entered the tournament as the seventh seed. Their journey began with a decisive 3-0 win over Vail’s Twin Peaks, setting the stage for an unexpected championship run. The team’s success continued with a series of wins, including a notable victory against their highway 82 rivals, the Aspen MP2s.

“We went into the tournament with this mentality that we’re the last seed but we felt like that’s not where we were supposed to be,” Dumoulin said. “We weren’t really expecting to make it to the championship even though we knew we’re capable of it, but there was that mental piece of it.”

The team’s only loss came against a younger Steamboat Springs Panic team, which they later defeated in a dramatic rematch. The final, a nail-biter against Panic, extended into overtime where the Ice Queens secured their title with a swift goal by Dumoulin.

Despite their regular season struggles, the Ice Queens found strength in unity for the tournament. 

“Throughout the season we struggled to get all of our players to all the games, but we had a good turnout for the tournament,” Dumoulin said.

Dumoulin highlighted the struggles the team faced with the WACH league this season, which is based out of Denver.

“The WACH make their rules based on how things run in Denver, and it’s different in the mountains,” Dumoulin said. “It’s different when you live in the mountains and you’re driving to Steamboat for a game or you’re driving to Breckenridge for a game and you’re dealing with passes. It’s not easy so we are trying to make some changes for next year.”

Ice Queens head coach Josh Pulliam  praised the team’s performance in the league tournament despite the struggles they faced throughout the year.

“The ladies showed up to play,” Pulliam said. “They faced some challenges throughout the year with the league and some roster malfunctions that took place, but they put together a full team in Vail and displayed a dominant performance.”

Pulliam remains optimistic about the team’s future. 

“Going forward, if they return the roster they had at the end of the year and can figure some things out with the WACH, they should be in really good shape to go into the next season and have some success,” Pulliam said.