Craig Daily Press / Bridget Manley

Bridget Manley is a graduate of Colorado Christian University, where she earned a bachelor's in Arts and English. She graduated from Hayden High School in 2003. Outside of the newspaper, she enjoys sketching, playing guitar and writing poetry.

Recent stories

Investigator: fire’s cause remains undetermined: By Bridget Manley & Joe Moylan; 12:00 a.m., February 8, 2012 Updated 07:25 p.m.; Preliminary reports suggest Tuesday night’s fire in Craig that claimed Craig resident Ursula Hunter was accidental. However, officials said a definitive cause has not been determined. John Forgay, a sergeant with the Craig Police Department, is investigating the fire at 1912 Woodland Ave. He said Wednesday the fire department views the fire as accidental. But, he said there are some concerning issues, and he and fire officials have theories on what sparked the blaze.
Moffat County School District on track to erase $340K deficit: Finance director: Long-range view is more uncertain; By Bridget Manley; February 6, 2012; The Moffat County School District’s financial situation is looking brighter than it did eight months ago. In June 2011, school district finance director Mark Rydberg unveiled proposed changes to what was then a draft 2012 fiscal year budget that introduced $340,000 in deficit spending. The quarterly general fund report he recently gave to Moffat County School Board members, however, painted a more promising picture. Projected mineral revenues came in at nearly $346,000 more than budgeted. The unbudgeted windfall more than made up for the $170,000 less the district is expected to receive in total program funds, or the number of students multiplied by how much the state gives the district per student.
Todd and Glenda Bellio built a home on self-sufficiency, hard work: By Bridget Manley; February 4, 2012; Rosie the Riveter is a prim little princess compared to Glenda Bellio. Glenda’s face is tanned from years of working in the elements. Her boots are worn and crusted with mud. Her fingers are black with what could be mechanic’s grease. Three weeks before she gave birth to Ripley, the first of her two children, she was repairing a snow cat at Steamboat Springs Ski Resort.
Sandrock Elementary singers chosen to participate in first elementary honor choir: By Bridget Manley; February 4, 2012; Julie Laur believed Courtney Smith, Tiffany Hildebrandt and Alyssa Zimmerman had what it took to shine on the big stage. “They’re excellent,” said Laur, Sandrock Elementary School music teacher. Laur handpicked the three Sandrock Elementary vocalists to represent Moffat County at the Colorado Elementary All-State Choir on Jan. 28 the Broadmoor Hotel’s International Center in Colorado Springs. The performance, presented by the Colorado Music Educators Association, was the first of its kind in the state and was designed to showcase Colorado’s best up-and-coming singers.
TMH Rehab to relocate this spring: By Bridget Manley; 03:55 p.m., February 3, 2012 Updated 12:00 a.m.; People who enter Suite 116 in Centennial Mall aren’t looking for a new ottoman, a new outfit, or anything else offered in neighboring stores. Instead, they’re seeking recovery, whether it’s from a sore back or a recent stroke, said Dale Little, The Memorial Hospital physical therapy manager. The rented space inside the mall has been home to the hospital’s Rehabilitation Center since 1994, he said. If all goes according to plan, though, it will have a new home this spring.
Of land and livelihood: Longtime Moffat County woman devoted herself to giving landowners a voice; By Bridget Manley; February 1, 2012; Jean Stetson was fully immersed in the lifestyle she’d grown to love when the rumblings of change began. She and her husband, Frank “Pud” Stetson, were hard at work together on their ranch near Maybell. They were raising their two children, Frankie and Libby, who were as engaged in the ranch as much as their parents. In the late 1990s, discussions about sage grouse habitat came on the scene, which could have affected the Stetsons’ grazing permits on Bureau of Land Management lands, she said. Jean wasn’t about to sit on the sidelines. She stepped up to positions on working groups, boards and organizations, serving as the voice of local landowners. At the same time, she maintained the titles of mother, rancher’s wife and businesswoman.
‘The kids are most important’: Parents, colleagues laud local nurse’s ability, compassion; By Bridget Manley; February 1, 2012; Terri Jourgensen is heading out of the Moffat County High School nursing office — she’s got an appointment in about 10 minutes — when a student walks in the room. The girl immediately hugs Jourgensen, and in an instant, the laundry list of things to get done becomes the least of concerns for the nurse on this busy day. “How’s my girl?” Jourgensen says, wrapping her arms around the student, who is beaming under the glow of the nurse’s warm attention. Jourgensen is no longer the Moffat County School District nurse, but the legacy of her career with the district remains vibrant, the example above a fairly typical episode in her 10 years in education.
The return of merry memories: Craig resident revisits holiday tradition in honor of late father; By Bridget Manley; February 1, 2012; It’s a simple decoration outside Teresa Smith’s home in the 700 block of Park Court — the whimsical creation of a workingman’s imagination. A motor hidden behind a bright red cutout of Santa creaks faintly as it hoists a perpetually round-eyed St. Nick up and down on a pulley. A benevolent elf, cut from wood, points forever upward as a nearby reindeer with a chagrined look on its face appears to be heaving forward, trying to hoist Santa to the roof. Simple, yes. Festive, too.
Cattlewomen’s Association names Craig native Christina Rhyne Rookie of the Year: By Bridget Manley; February 1, 2012; Grass-fed beef, grain-fed beef, organic beef — what’s the difference? It’s a question Craig native Christina Rhyne tries to help shoppers answer as they navigate the meat section of City Market in Craig. “I think it’s important to know about agriculture in general because that’s where our food and fiber comes from,” said Rhyne, 31, a Moffat County Cattlewomen member. “And the more that we know about that, the better choices that we can make.” For her presentations at City Market, along with her other efforts to promote agriculture and the beef industry, the Colorado Cattlewomen’s Association named her its Rookie of the Year at an annual banquet Jan. 17 in Denver.
On the Record for Jan. 31, 2012: By Bridget Manley; 02:47 p.m., January 31, 2012 Updated 12:00 a.m.; On the Record for Jan. 31, 2012

Full story list

Recent photos

The home of Ursula and Patrick Hunter at 1912 Woodland Ave. was cordoned off with fire tape Wednesday morning following a blaze at the house Tuesday evening. Craig Police Department officers pulled Patrick Hunter from the home, but were unable to save his companion, Ursula Hunter, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Bellio family poses for a photo Wednesday night on their spread north of Craig. From left are Glenda Bellio, her husband, Todd, son Wyatt, and daughter Ripley. At far right is Trent Parrott, who works for Todd and spends time with the family. “We raise our kids with high expectations,” Glenda said, “even the spares.”

Glenda Bellio embroiders a quilt block Thursday night near the fireplace in the timber frame home her husband, Todd, built in 2006. Glenda is on the blast crew at Trapper Mine but finds time to embroider, usually during her children’s hockey practices at Moffat County Ice Arena.

Betsy Nauman Cook, director of the Craig/Moffat Economic Development Partnership, stands outside the future home of the One-Stop Business Incubator at Colorado Northwestern Community College’s Bell Tower. The incubator will be named after late county commissioner Marianna Raftopoulos.