KDNK's local newscast airs weekdays at 6:41 and 7:41 AM. This week’s Eye on Crime takes a look at Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, and Aspen.
Last year, voters approved a $122 million dollar bond for Roaring Fork School District. KDNK featured an interview last week with Adam Volek, principal of the new Eastbank school under construction in south Glenwood Springs. Today, KDNK News Director Gavin Dahl speaks to Jeff Gatlin, Chief Operating Officer for Roaring Fork Schools, about teacher housing, school construction, and the projects completed the first year. Roaring Fork School District publishes an executive summary of bond projects before the first School Board meeting each month. You can click here and select bond project updates. KDNK News will continue to follow the money and track the progress of the new kindergarten through 8th grade campus at Eastbank in South Glenwood.
And, today is the deadline for submitting comments on the Bureau of Land Management's draft management plan for the North Fork Valley. According to Wilderness Workshop, under this plan, 95% of the BLM's Uncompahgre Field Office, which includes 6 counties in southwestern Colorado, would be open to oil and gas extraction. Four years ago, the BLM unsuccessfully offered 30,000 acres of new oil and gas leases in the North Fork Valley. A year later, BLM proposed a 20,000-acre lease sale, which was also held back due to community pressure. Now, the agency is revising its management plan and may use it to offer new leases in the area. The North Fork Valley has been designated by the state as a Creative Cultural District and is home to the largest concentration of organic farms in Colorado. Click here and here for more information.
Trees in urban and community settings throughout Colorado are going dormant this time of year, and they require care before and during winter to remain in top health. The Colorado State Forest Service.has a few tips for preparing urban trees for the cold and snow: wrap the trunk, especially those of young and thin-barked trees, mulch the base, recycle leaves instead of throwing them away, give your trees a good drink one last time before storing your hose for winter, pay most attention to younger trees, and don’t prune until late winter. More information about urban tree care is at the Colorado State Forest Service website.
The Low-income Energy Assistance Program or LEAP is now available for eligible households until April 30, 2017. Households may qualify for LEAP assistance if anyone within the home is a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident, gross monthly household income is within guidelines, heating costs are paid directly to the energy provider or are included in the rent. More information is at the Garfield county website.