Author: The Gr

It’s too soon to be pounding legislators’ backs and congratulating them for finding common ground to solve the states’s most pressing challenges But they do deserve credit for some remarkable compromises against a backdrop of partisan feuding that began with debate on a bill to overhaul how the state regulates oil and gas development. Read…

How important is full-day kindergarten? Most educators say it’s extremely important to future academic performance. It’s important enough that District 51 has already tried to pencil out how to make it happen. Read more at The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.

March Madness is supposed to be confined to those NCAA basketball brackets we fill out for fun. It’s not meant to describe the serious business of filling out ballots to determine our future as a city. But here we are, perusing a bungled ballot with no assurance that our votes will even be certified due…

Every year in March the American Society of Newspaper Editors promotes Sunshine Week, reminding everyone that government business is supposed to be conducted in the open. In the spirit of Sunshine Week (March 10-16 this year), we offer our annual assessment of how well local agencies let the sun shine on their actions. They should…

There are no incumbents running for the Grand Junction City Council. Three of the seven seats are on the April 2 ballot. Aaron Michelson is running against Phillip Pe’a to succeed Barbara Traylor Smith. Anna Stout is running unopposed for the District C seat and will replace Bennett Boeschenstein. Three candidates – Dennis Simpson, Chuck…

Ballots are in the mail and voters who live inside the Grand Junction city limits will decide two City Council seats and the fate of three taxing measures between now and Election Day, April 2. Actually, there are three open seats on the council, but Anna Stout is running unopposed for the District C seat.…

Today marks the start of Sunshine Week, the annual nationwide celebration of access to public information. Indeed, Americans should appreciate that they have unprecedented access to their government. The foundation of self-rule is that government derives all of its powers from the public and is answerable to the public. Read more at The Grand Junction…

Ever since consultants with North Star Destination Strategies suggested the Grand Valley was underutilizing its most strategic asset, we’ve witnessed a significant commitment to develop or support amenities geared toward outdoor recreation. The North Star report was unveiled in 2015, laying a foundation for the city of Grand Junction to reconsider the value of parks,…

It was always an open question whether Centura’s acquistition of Community Hospital would have improved competition with St. Mary’s to the effect that it would have lowered hospital bills. Unfortunately, we won’t get to find out. On Monday, talks concerning a merger ended without a deal and neither side is disclosing why. So, the Grand…

Several Western Slope county commissioners stepped away from their Club 20 meeting on Thursday to convene at the Sentinel and express support for the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act. They described a years-long collaborative process to shape the legislation, drawing the input of counties, businesses, ranchers, outdoor recreation groups, conservationists and sportsmen to protect…