Craig Daily Press / Joe Moylan

Recent stories

Mitt Romney … meet Craig, America: By Bridget Manley, Jerry Martin, Joe Moylan; May 26, 2012; Frank Moe, owner of Deer Park Inn and Suites in Craig, sent Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign a video earlier this year produced by Energy America. The video, titled “The Perfect Storm Over Craig, Colorado,” highlighted the community’s economic dependence on the energy industry. Along with the video was an invitation from Moe to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee to visit Craig. “We (thought) this would be a good place for him to make the point that he is (in favor of) all forms of energy,” Moe said.
Confirmed: Mitt Romney to visit Craig: By Joe Moylan; 12:10 p.m., May 25, 2012 Updated 04:21 p.m.; Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican Party presidential candidate, will appear in Craig on Tuesday, campaign officials confirmed today.
More than 200 people visit with Shell officials at open house Thursday: By Joe Moylan; May 25, 2012; Matt Holman, project lead for Shell’s Northwest Colorado operations, measures the success of a public meeting in an interesting way. “It’s about educating people on what you’re doing, being honest and making good local contacts,” Holman said. “I’ve got seven new contacts here and one of Shell’s hallmarks in hosting these events is to mature these contacts into local vendors that we’ll use. “We want to be able to demonstrate to the community that we’re using the people that already live right here. It’s really difficult to do that if you don’t have the contacts or the people in place to interface with the company.” More than 200 people attended Shell’s open house Thursday at the Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Colorado in Craig to learn more about the company, the company’s operations plan for Moffat County and Shell’s policies regarding drilling, safety, environmental protections and community involvement.
Moffat County officials discuss encouraging healthier lifestyles: By Joe Moylan; 12:00 a.m., May 24, 2012 Updated 12:08 a.m.; Last month Lisa Brown, chief executive officer of the Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association, presented the Moffat County Commission with startling statistics about the health behaviors of local residents. According to County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a report compiled by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Moffat County residents ranked 50th out of 59 Colorado counties in regards to overall health. Even more concerning, Moffat County ranked dead last in the health behaviors category, which rates residents on certain lifestyle choices such as substance abuse, exercise and diet.
Council again denies proposed nightclub owner: By Joe Moylan; May 23, 2012; More than 20 residents attended Tuesday’s Craig City Council meeting to participate in a public hearing on a proposed night club in Craig. The audience was split between those in support of Steamboat Springs resident Victor Tarango and those against Tarango’s Night Club, which was slated to be located at 535 Green St. Tarango appeared before the council in late March seeking approval for tavern liquor and retail gaming licenses, but was denied because of false information contained in his application. Most notably, Tarango failed to declare that between 2000 and 2010 his driver’s license had been suspended on four different occasions — once in 2000 for a driving while ability impaired conviction and three times for failure to pay child support.
Shell reps talk drilling plans with Moffat County officials: By Joe Moylan; May 23, 2012; Nabors Rig 94 returned May 10 to Moffat County after spending the winter months in Wyoming. About a week later, Savanna 650 completed its 23-day, 1,640-mile trek from Waynesburg, Pa., and arrived Sunday in Craig. What the two rigs have in common is they’ve both been contracted by Shell Western Exploration and Production, LP to drill exploratory wells in the Niobrara Formation. Representatives from Shell met with Moffat County officials Tuesday to discuss details of the company’s 2012 drilling schedule, which calls for 11 new wells — nine in Moffat County and two in Routt County.
Moffat County Commission takes action at today’s meeting: By Joe Moylan; May 22, 2012; At its regular meeting today, the Moffat County Commission: • Approved Department of Social Services accounts payables and electronic transactions for $335,743.
Wild horse club planning Sand Wash Basin volunteer clean-up event: By Joe Moylan; May 21, 2012; Sand Wash Basin can mean different things to different people. For Craig resident Bernie Rose, the area is not only ripe for preserving Northwest Colorado’s wild heritage, but could also provide a unique opportunity to boost economic development in Craig and Moffat County. “In the long-term, this is as much an economic development project as it is about preservation,” Rose said. “A lot of people will be coming out here to see it, and what we’re doing is for our grandkids, great-grandkids, and great-, great-grandkids.” Rose is a member of the Sand Wash Basin Wild Horse Club, an organization that was started in November 2011 by Craig resident Nancy Roberts.
Oak Creek man challenging YVEA District 9 incumbent: By Joe Moylan; May 21, 2012; Yampa Valley Electric Association will begin mailing ballots Thursday for its annual board election. Association members can vote for candidates in one of three districts up for election this year. Jim Chappell, YVEA manager of consumer accounts, said the only contested race is between District 9 incumbent Chuck Perry and challenger Russ Garrity. Garrity, 52, a 20-year Oak Creek resident, earned an engineering degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1982 and has spent 30 years in the power business. He works as director of business development for GP Strategies, an international engineering consulting firm. Garrity said his niche is coal-fired power plants.
Students experiment with aerodynamics in model rocket competition: By Joe Moylan; May 19, 2012; There was an air of excitement and anticipation as 38 teams gathered Friday afternoon on the Moffat County High School practice football field for a rocket launch competition. Dozens more joined their classmates for the seventh-period contest, taking seats on the north hill to watch the action. But, the MCHS science department’s spring Science Olympic event, “Rockin’ Rockets,” got off to a slow start. Kylee Gorringe was the first student on the launch pad.

Recent photos

Moffat County Commissioner Audrey Danner, middle right, and Craig Mayor Terry Carwile, to her right, participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Thursday’s Shell open house in Craig. The ceremony was hosted by the Craig Chamber of Commerce to welcome Shell as a new Chamber member.

A local resident takes a run Wednesday afternoon near Colorado Highway 394 and Ranney St. in Craig. Moffat County Commissioners and area health officials on Tuesday explored ways to encourage positive lifestyle habits in the community following the April release of concerning statistics from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Victor Tarango stands before the Craig City Council on Tuesday night during a public hearing to discuss the approval of his application for liquor and retail gaming licenses for a proposed night club in Craig. The application was unanimously denied because Tarango failed to declare two 2011 criminal convictions — one for illegally transporting horses infected with Equine Piroplasmosis and another for disorderly conduct, according to a background investigation conducted by Craig Police Department Commander Bill Leonard.

Members of the Sand Wash Basin Wild Horse Club discuss plans for an inaugural biannual clean-up days event at Sand Wash Basin. The event, sponsored in conjunction with the Bureau of Land Management’s Little Snake Field Office, takes place at noon June 15 and 16 at Sand Wash Basin’s main entrance at the junction of Colorado Highway 318 and Moffat County Road 67.

Moffat County High School student Levi Ogden primes the ignition system on his model rocket during Friday’s “Rockin' Rockets” competition sponsored by the MCHS science department. Ogden received awards for most creative design and epic disaster.

Full photo list