MCHS robotics compete in regional tournament

Moffat County High School’s MoCo Robo robotics team recently competed in the 2024 Colorado Regionals tournament. The team placed 32nd, just missing selection for the playoffs.

The drive team and pit crew honed their skills throughout this year’s competition with their robot, Barbara, and the team is already looking forward to next season.

Memorial Regional Health delivers healthy/improved prognosis during commissioner check-up

Earlier this week, Memorial Regional Health CEO Jennifer Riley and hospital board member Steve Hilley presented the county commissioners with a comprehensive look at the achievements and obstacles faced by the local healthcare facility in the past year.

Hilley began by emphasizing recent strides made in enhancing employee engagement and satisfaction and curbing turnover. Notably, the hospital managed to slash its turnover rate from 42% in 2021 to a commendable 24% in 2023.

Hilley underscored the hospital’s commitment to nurturing local nursing talent through its partnership with Colorado Northwestern Community College.

“We appreciate being able to recruit our own,” Hilley said. “It’s very important to us, bringing in the hometown folks.”

The addition of new personnel and the reduction of traveling staff members underlined the hospital’s dedication to not only expanding its services, but bolstering its Moffat County-based workforce.

Financial health was another focal point of the presentation, with Hilley stressing the significance of the hospital’s ability to maintain adequate cash reserves. He shared that it costs $172,526 a day to run Memorial Regional Health, and celebrated the hospital’s ability to close out 2023 with an average of 63.7 days of cash on hand.

“I remember three or four years ago where we were down in the single digits (for days of cash on hand),” Hilley said. “That was a rough time.”

Riley echoed Hilley’s enthusiasm, sharing that the hospital achieved “a very strong ending to last year.”

Providing additional insight into the hospital’s revenue sources, Riley clarified that property tax accounts for approximately 2% of the hospital’s annual net revenue, with 95% derived from patient services.

In 2023, the hospital handled 1401 in-patient stays, 6356 ER visits, 31949 clinic visits, 1381 surgeries, 66444 lab procedures, 16846 radiology procedures and 9628 rehabilitation procedures, according to Riley.

She also candidly addressed the challenges confronting the hospital, including industry volatility, workforce shortages and regulatory burdens.

“(The hospital) industry is getting more and more challenging and there are risks of closure,” Riley shared, noting that “nine of Colorado’s 43 rural hospitals are in immediate of high risk of closing.”

She added that 24 of those same 43 hospitals have also experienced CEO turnover in the past five years, including Memorial Regional Health.

She also emphasized the escalating issue of workplace violence in healthcare settings and the implications for staff recruitment and retention. Riley recalled a recent incident where four Memorial Regional Health employees were physically assaulted by a single patient.

“This is happening on an all too frequent basis and its a challenge that we’re facing when we’re trying to recruit people,” Riley said, noting that two of the people assaulted were students.

The uptick in workplace violence has led to Riley’s “new passion project” of ensuring that Memorial Regional Health is a safe place to work.

Looking ahead, Riley also reaffirmed Memorial Regional Health’s continuing commitment to quality care, employee engagement and retention and community outreach.

“We are the community’s hospital and we want to give back and show our appreciation for the community,” Riley said.

Following the presentation, hospital board member John Ponikvar, in attendance at the meeting in support of Riley and the hospital, took the opportunity to speak about the hospital’s recent improvement.

The former Craig mayor noted that while “cities and counties are complex, a hospital is that times 10.” He commended Riley on her leadership and shared his pride in the hospital’s progress.

He also emphasized the vital role the hospital plays in the community.

“You go to this hospital, you have people taking care of you that are your friends, your neighbors,” Ponikvar said. “They’re doing the best they can for you and your family, and I think there’s a lot of comfort that you can take in knowing that we have this service here in Moffat County.”

MCSD Whiteboard: Moffat County SWAP program refunded under new leadership

Moffat County School District’s first belief is this: We believe every student can learn.

There are so many ways teachers, staff, administration and programming demonstrate that belief, but one of the most beautiful to witness is the district’s SWAP program.

SWAP, which stands for School to Work Alliance Program, is a state-funded program for students ages 15-24 who experience barriers to employment. It primarily serves young people with special needs or disabilities, and in Moffat County, more than 50 kids participate in the program.

At MCHS, SWAP was built by Amanda McDermott, who ran the program and grew it for four years. This school year, McDermott transitioned over to special education teacher, a role she’s filled before and one she felt called back to. Under McDermott’s leadership, Moffat County SWAP built the Blue Bark Cafe, a fully functioning coffee shop inside the high school run by SWAP students. SWAP also passionately and compassionately served lots and lots of kids, helping create confidence, training, connections and skills in students who often struggle to find all four.

The next leader of the program is Ashley Simonet, a longtime champion for people like the students she serves, having worked with the Northwest Colorado Center for Independence for many years, later The Health Partnership Serving Northwest Colorado, and as the dedicated mother of a child who has special needs of her own.

Simonet got good news this month, when the Colorado SWAP, which is a partnership between the state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Colorado Department of Education, announced it would continue to fund the program this year.

“Without that funding, we don’t have a program,” Simonet said.

Simonet’s daughter, Madison, is a sophomore at MCHS and participates in SWAP. Madison is one of the students who helps run the Blue Bark Cafe, and Simonet has watched her blossom both as a mother and a director.

“She opens up more, she shows me that confidence more,” Simonet said. “It used to be I’d ask about the coffee shop and she didn’t open up, but now, seeing her there, she just presents herself differently, more confidently. She’s really communicating with customers. She’s just a different person when she comes into that shop.”

For a mother, that’s powerful. For someone passionately serving people in this space, it’s breathtaking.

“It was a slow start,” she said of her transition into the leadership of the program. “Kids are always apprehensive. But now, on Monday in fact, one student told me this is the safest place in the school for him. ‘This is where I go when I’m stressed, when I need a break,’ he said. ‘You listen, and I can vent and then go about my day.’ They feel better here. That means something.”

It’s more than a relief, though. It’s a springboard.

“People see these kids in, I don’t know, maybe a negative light, or like they can’t do things,” Simonet said. “I see different abilities, different ideas, different thought processes, different ways of looking at the world. We need those ways. They are valuable to all of us. And you try to tell these kids they can do things, but seeing one realize that she can have dreams and can reach them. My daughter, for example, now her dream is to build off the coffee shop and open one in the community. People want to believe this generation isn’t going anywhere. These kids want to go places.”

Simonet gets teary-eyed speaking about these children.

“Watching these kids realize they can do something — so many are raised to believe they won’t amount to anything. But here’s my quote: ‘Tell me you can’t, and I’ll show you how you can,'” Simonet said. “Some need a push or a guide, but they’re going to do big things.”

SWAP serves students at MCHS through GOAL Academy and homeschooled students. This summer, the programming doesn’t stop.

“We’re getting ready to do our summer job club again,” Simonet said. “We take students each week to different businesses and they learn about that career. First up is CNCC. They love that.”

Businesses can reach out to Simonet to get involved via email at ashley.simonet@moffatsd.org.

“It’s an hour or two of presenting about the careers available about the business, maybe some hands-on stuff, showing them around the property,” Simonet said. “I tell you, watching these kids realize they can … it fills my heart. Fills my heart more than I’m filling theirs, that’s for sure.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife shares updated regional map of collared wolf activity

As part of its ongoing effort to keep the public and livestock producers informed, Colorado Parks and Wildlife released an updated map showing the recent movements of collared wolves across the state. The map was created using GPS data from all functioning collars in Colorado.

The March 2024 edition of the map, now available on Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s website, provides a comprehensive overview of the whereabouts of collared wolves in the region from Feb. 28 to March 25.

The map is refreshed monthly on the fourth Wednesday of each month and reflects data from the previous 30 days. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, there have been no reported wolf mortalities or instances of livestock depredation in the past month.

However, recent developments have highlighted challenges in maintaining uninterrupted collar functionality.

One collar, previously placed on a wolf translocated from Oregon, has stopped transmitting signals. Despite this malfunction, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has confirmed the wolf’s survival through visual sightings from aircraft. Furthermore, the wolf has been traveling alongside another wolf fitted with a functioning collar, enabling continued monitoring of both wolves.

A collar on a separate wolf has also been flagged as partially functional, raising concerns about its future operability.

The collars are programmed to record the wearers’ positions every four hours. However, factors such as cloud cover and terrain can impact the frequency of data transmission.

While the mapping of the collar data can provide insights into the wolves’ past movements, it does not offer real-time tracking capabilities or predictions for future behavior or movement.

To safeguard the wolf population, specific GPS data will not be disclosed to the public. Instead, the map delineates watersheds where collared wolves have been detected within the last 30 days. The use of watersheds, also known as Hydrologic Unit Codes, aims to balance specificity with confidentiality.

Explaining the rationale behind using watersheds, Colorado Parks and Wildlife emphasized that wolves are more likely to navigate based on geographic features than political boundaries. By sharing information at the HUC 10 level, Colorado Parks and Wildlife hopes to provide stakeholders with meaningful insights while protecting individual wolf identities.

It’s crucial to note that wolf activity within a watershed boundary doesn’t necessarily imply continuous presence throughout the entire area, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

In order for a watershed to indicate wolf activity, at least one GPS position had to have been recorded within the boundaries of the watershed. An indication of wolf activity does not mean that a wolf or wolves were present throughout the entire watershed.

As the number of collared wolves decreases over time due to factors like collar failure, loss, or natural reproduction, the map’s accuracy may diminish. Furthermore, Colorado Parks and Wildlife retains the discretion to buffer maps during sensitive periods — such as breeding or denning seasons — to safeguard wolf welfare. Nevertheless, efforts will be made to maintain at least two collars within each wolf pack for long-term monitoring purposes.

For additional information and education materials about wolves in Colorado, visit the CPW Wolves in Colorado website.

Health column: Caring for preemies

Bringing newborns home from the hospital for the first time is an exciting, yet anxious time for many parents. For those who have had premature babies, it can be even more stressful.

“The earlier a baby is born, the higher the risk of dealing with health challenges — especially breathing and feeding issues — that require special care,” said Dr. Addie Smith, a pediatrician in Steamboat Springs and a member of the medical staff at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center. “It can feel like a huge amount of pressure for parents.”

Premature or preterm birth is when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. These “preemies” are typically cared for in a hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit or special care nursery, where they receive around-the-clock attention until they are medically stable and can be cared for at home, which is often close to 40 weeks post conception.

“When a parent goes home with a preemie, they lose that element of their baby being in the tightly controlled environment of the hospital,” said Smith. “All of a sudden, you’re taking care of this medically fragile baby without any of the help you had been receiving from the medical team.”

Potential problems

The two top concerns for many preemies involve a baby’s breathing and feeding because their lungs and digestive systems have not had sufficient time to develop, and they may lack the ability to suck and swallow properly.

Babies with respiratory difficulties may require supplemental oxygen or, in more serious situations, ventilation machines. To help with feeding problems, a baby might receive nutrients through an IV or a feeding tube. Some infants will go home on respiratory support or with a feeding tube.

“Most of these babies will require specialists and long-term follow-up,” Smith said. “That includes working with a speech therapist to help with swallowing and feeding, and with both physical and occupational therapists to promote motor development. The sooner they can begin working on any developmental delays the baby may have, the better.”

Once a preemie is stabilized, the baby is discharged from the hospital and referred for any pediatric subspecialty follow-up that might be necessary, including to a pulmonologist for breathing; a neurologist for babies who might be having seizures; an otolaryngologist for ear, nose and/or throat issues; an ophthalmologist for eye problems; and a pediatric surgeon if a procedure is necessary.

“There are complex medical issues to navigate, so it’s important to have a team of providers who understand all the problems medically fragile babies may have and who can help with referrals,” Smith said.

Tips for parents

For parents adjusting to life with a preemie, Smith offers some tips to help lessen stress and worry:

  • Have a provider who is familiar with the medical issues preemies face.
  • Begin follow-up care as soon as possible with developmental and medical specialists.
  • Monitor weight gain and seek help from your pediatrician regarding supplementing breastmilk with formula, if necessary. Lactation specialists are available to support moms wanting to breastfeed if a baby is having problems latching.
  • Make sure your baby sleeps on their back to help prevent sudden infant death syndrome.
  • Don’t feel guilty limiting visitors. For those who do come over, ask them to wash their hands and enforce a strict “no smoking” policy. Don’t let anyone who is sick be near your infant.
  • Don’t skip infant well checks, which sometimes include vaccinations.
  • Ask for help when needed from families and friends.
  • Lastly, avoid comparing your baby to others, as there are many factors that affect a baby’s physical growth, something that is especially true for preemies.

“When we look at children’s development, we look at their corrected gestational age,” said Smith.

For instance, babies born three months early at 28 weeks would not be expected to meet one-year milestones at 12 months, but instead at 15 months. According to Smith, most preemies “catch up” to other babies at about the two-year mark.

“The sky is the limit for many of these preemies, depending upon if they have complications and how many they may have,” Smith said. “But nowadays, with technology and advances in medicine, we can do some amazing interventions to help them grow into healthy children.”

Guest column: Colorado needs to hold the alcohol industry accountable for the social and financial costs of addiction

Earlier this year, the Denver Post highlighted the impact of alcohol in the state of Colorado, and the countless advocates who dedicate themselves to addressing the very real harm alcohol addiction causes. The state legislature and the alcohol industry were rightfully called out because of our silence in the face of the most misused drug in Colorado — an enterprise fee is one way we can make things right.

Chances are, someone you know and love struggles with alcohol misuse — Colorado consistently tops the charts on problematic drinking. Colorado is the sixth highest in the nation for alcohol-induced deaths. Over half of all Coloradans have had at least one drink in the past 30 days, and we’re the ninth highest in binge drinking. One in three fatal car accidents were caused by impaired driving, with alcohol being the biggest contributor. A newly introduced bill dedicates an enterprise fee to building and supporting the systems we have in place to prevent, treat and recover from alcohol misuse.

Fees for the cannabis and tobacco industries here in Colorado fund prevention initiatives and education programs, which are both protective factors against substance use disorders. Studies overwhelmingly support that raising the price of alcohol is an effective prevention strategy. The enterprise fee does this and more — we’ll create sustainable funding for substance use programs across the state. That means more robust programs that encourage healthy decision-making, treatment options in underserved areas and a stigma-free Colorado that supports all pathways to recovery.

Did you know the alcohol industry paid only $55 million in taxes and fees in Colorado last year? Meanwhile, the tobacco and cannabis industries both paid upwards of $200 million. That number seems low, right? It’s by design — nationally, the alcohol industry spent almost $29 million last year in lobbying efforts to keep their profit margins wide and to ensure the impacts on their market value are minimal.

In comparison, the new enterprise fee can only collect a predetermined, minimal fee — a drop in the bucket for an industry that makes billions of dollars a year. This fee will make the alcohol industry pay their fair share — something that’s long overdue, considering the alcohol industry hasn’t seen any increases in Colorado since 1981, which is something Americans overwhelmingly support — especially if the goal is to support people who need help the most.

The alcohol industry wants you to think they’re harmed by increased fees, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The alcohol industry saw sales soar during the pandemic — especially thanks to the proliferation of alcohol delivery and take-out services. And they haven’t seen a huge hit — after the pandemic, their sales plateaued. And when adjusted for inflation, fees have overall decreased for the alcohol industry.

One representative from the Distilled Spirits Council said that the state needs to focus on referring people who need help to treatment, but that’s part of the problem: We need to stop waiting until the problem is out of control before we do something about it. We are failing people by letting them fall through the cracks.

Also, it’s hard to refer to treatment when treatment is virtually non-existent outside of the Front Range. A lot of these programs serve people who don’t have cash to burn, so we can’t expect treatment organizations to conjure up money out of thin air. The alcohol industry needs to stop shrugging off the issue of disordered drinking and start contributing to the solution.

An increase in fees will never cover the true cost of addiction: the lost opportunities, lost time and lost loved ones, but we can do so much better for the people of Colorado. We have to. It’s time to stop letting the alcohol industry line their pockets with the struggles of everyday Coloradans and hold them responsible for covering some of the social and financial costs of addiction. The state needs more robust substance use solutions, and here’s an opportunity to fund them — we all can do better for our communities by passing this enterprise fee.

This guest column was written by Sen. Kevin Priola, who serves in the Colorado Senate from the 13th District. He has introduced SB24-181 Alcohol Impact & Recovery Enterprise to be scheduled for the Finance Committee.

Kevin Priola
Courtesy photo

Letter: Taxpayers should not have to foot bill for mass tranist

Just curious why taxpayers are obligated to foot the bill for mass transit when 90% plus of us will never use it. Seems to be the solve all for Colorado to pass the buck?

Ted Wheeler
Craig

Pipi’s Pasture: Remembering Easters past

As I write this column just before Easter, I’m thinking about Easters past with our boys.

We lived at Severance for some of their growing-up years. The snow was nearly always gone by that time, though I do remember one year in April.

I was teaching high school, and my husband Lyle and I attended the school’s junior-senior prom. It was windy and a storm was threatened, but when we returned home I changed out of my fancy clothes, and when the boys were asleep I snuck outdoors and hid the Easter eggs, thinking I’d get an early start on morning.

Surprise! It snowed a little bit, and the boys surely had an easy time finding the eggs the next morning. The snow was colored yellow, pink, green and blue everywhere I hid the eggs.

Each year before Easter, I saved eggs for the boys to color. I imagine they usually had six to seven dozen hardboiled eggs to dye. The Saturday before Easter, we covered the dining room table with towels and mixed up the dyes. Besides the “fizz” tablets, we also prepared containers of dye made with food coloring. It seemed like some of the colors were more vibrant with the food coloring.

The boys had fun writing names on the eggs with wax “pencils” and using the tattoo-like drawings (included with tablet kits) to decorate the colored eggs. Lyle and I took turns at coloring eggs, too, and when we were finished, the boys mixed colors together to make eggs with some “icky-looking” colors.

The eggs were placed in baskets or bowls and left out for the Easter bunny to hide. That was my job. Ahead of time, I put candies, gum, and even coins in little bags and tied them with pastel ribbon. I hung these on tree branches or set them in little nests. Of course there were Easter baskets, too, filled with marshmallow eggs, jelly beans, chocolate rabbits, coloring books and little toys.

I remember one morning when our son Jody’s dog Benji watched me hide everything. When the boys unhooked his chain that morning, he happily showed them the hiding places.

I will never forget watching the boys take everything out of their Easter baskets, fondle it, and put everything back. It was awhile before they ate many of the treats. In the afternoon, Lyle and the boys hid Easter eggs for one another and found them. I can still see Lyle with an Easter basket over his arm.

Memories are wonderful because nobody can take them from us.

After Brown Ranch vote, both sides agree the problem ‘is not going away’

According to the preliminary results released by the Steamboat Springs Clerk’s Office, the Brown Ranch annexation agreement will fail.

Posted at city hall just after 8 p.m. on Tuesday, the results showed Steamboat voters rejecting the ballot question 2,903 to 2,074 — a margin of 829 votes — with 400 ballots still to be tallied.

More than 4,200 ballots had been received by early Monday afternoon. That number jumped to 5,377 by the time the preliminary results were reported Tuesday evening.

If the preliminary results hold true, the proposal to construct 2,264 affordable and attainable housing units on 420 acres of land owned by the Yampa Valley Housing Authority west of Steamboat Springs by 2042 will not move forward as planned.

The election’s official results are expected by April 4.

The vote comes as a major milestone after months of contentious debate over the proposed project, and a victory to residents who opposed the project over its size and projected financial impact on the city and its taxpayers.

Former Steamboat Springs City Council member Jim Engelken, whose name is assigned to the political group formed to oppose the annexation agreement, the Citizens for a Better Plan committee, said he was happy with the initial results Tuesday night, but he acknowledged the housing problems facing Steamboat are not going away.

“I can tell you what I want to happen next: I want the housing authority to take a close look at their own goals and re-evaluate their perception of this community and come back with a plan that is more reflective of the values of the existing citizenry,” he said.

City Council voted 4-3 to put the annexation decision to voters on first reading of an ordinance last fall. They subsequently reversed that decision on second reading, opting instead to annex the property without voters’ input after council member Joella West changed her vote between the two readings.

West said she changed her vote, in part, as a result of a phone call she received from Gov. Jared Polis, who she said conveyed his “urgent support” for the project, along with a concern over millions in potential state and federal funding for the project that could have been jeopardized by City Council’s decision to send the matter to voters this summer.

After council members approved the annexation agreement, a successful citizens petition forced a referendum, leaving the matter up to Steamboat voters to decide Tuesday.

Engelken said he thinks council members “gave way too much away” in their negotiations with the housing authority over the proposed annexation agreement. He referenced the fact that city staff recommended City Council vote down the annexation ordinance in October before it was approved.

Yampa Valley Housing Authority Executive Director Jason Peasley issued a statement after the preliminary results were released Tuesday night.

 “My heart aches when I think of the people who told us the Brown Ranch would be their first legitimate opportunity to own a home, and they compared it to the good fortune so many others had over the past decades to buy a home,” Peasley said. “With this vote, that same opportunity for those community members is two to three years further out of reach.”

In an interview in December, Peasley expressed concern over how the debate over the proposed affordable housing development was affecting the community.

“One of the things that I am a little worried about is just sort of how we repair the social fabric after all of this,” Peasley said. “This has been so much more divisive than I had expected it to be. “

Peasley said one of the things that struck him throughout the lead-up to Tuesday’s vote was that he believed the housing authority was proposing a project that the community wanted.

“I didn’t expect the city is going to be so aggressively against it. I didn’t expect the community to come out in the way that it has,” Peasley said. “The vitriol surrounding this is, I don’t know, we have a job, win or lose (after) this vote, to repair, to restore that community.”

Despite the preliminary results showing voters rejecting the annexation agreement, Peasley noted in his statement that the housing authority “still owns the land, and our mission is to deliver affordable and attainable housing for our workforce.”

“We will continue to work for the community and advance our mission to develop solutions to give our workforce the affordability and security they need to thrive,” Peasley said.

Speaking after the preliminary results were announced, Engelken offered a message  to those in the Steamboat who voted to approve the annexation agreement: “Please stay tuned.”

“This is not going away, nor should it,” he said. “We have a problem and the housing authority is our entity that is going to help mitigate that problem, so pay attention, get involved and help out.”

2024 First Crane Sighting Contest results

The Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition is pleased to announce the results of the 2024 First Crane Sighting Contest.

This year, CCCC received more than 20 sightings of sandhill cranes in the Yampa Valley. The returning cranes were first reported in Craig and then West Moffat County. The first crane sighting on March 7 was comparable to previous years. Even with the continued snow through the latter part of March, the cranes returned on schedule.

In addition to the Grand Prize, (given to the person who spots and documents the very first crane seen in the Yampa Valley), the First Crane Sighting Contest awards a prize to the individual with the photo or video of the earliest sighting in West Routt, North Routt, South Routt, Steamboat Springs, Craig and West Moffat.

Winners of the 2024 First Crane Sighting Contest include:

Grand Prize Winner: March 7 at 5:51 p.m. — Randy Neece spotted a solitary sandhill crane next to the Yampa Valley Golf Course in Craig.

March 8 at noon — Justin Rehfeld reported cranes flying overhead near the Little Snake River at the Wyoming state line in West Moffat.

March 12 at 4:51 p.m. — Gerard Geis spotted two Sandhill Cranes in the pasture outside the Craig Water Treatment Plant. 

March 19 at 7:48 a.m. — Chad Ducklow reported that a 4th grader took a photo of 4 cranes on the way to school in West Routt.

March 20 at 10:24 a.m. —  Kristi Schalnus reported cranes in a field near Yampa by Finger Rock in South Routt.

March 21 at 5:03 p.m. — Christie Stepan photographed Sandhill Cranes soaring over Sleeping Giant School. Her son spotted them while swinging at the playground in Steamboat Springs. 

March 22 at 4:35 p.m. —  Alana White and Jack White spotted three Sandhill Cranes flying over C.R. 56 in North Routt.

The Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition appreciates all the submissions received during the contest. These reports help CCCC learn more about which areas cranes are using as they return to the Yampa Valley, and helps with their mission of conserving and protecting greater sandhill cranes and their habitat in Northwest Colorado.