Local, Regional & State News

Even though the vote needed to override President Donald Trump's veto of the Arkansas Valley Conduit fell flat this week, Southeast Colorado could be seeing some water improvement projects launch. CBS is reporting that fourth district Congresswoman Lauren Boebert voted on an appropriations bill that would fund projects for Lamar and Walsh. According to the report, there would be one million dollars set aside to build a new facility in Lamar to provide water treatment. The p

~ Anne Boswell Otero County Clerk and Recorder Lyn Scott reported at Monday's County Commissioner meeting that the state is upgrading their motor vehicle system. They will be transitioning to a new platform, the DRIVES Core 21. Because of the need to complete a required end of day balancing before the upgrade, the office will close early on Friday, February 13th at 2PM. Scott shared some other changes you should be aware of if you planned to do business with her office in Fe

By Anne Boswell Sheriff Jake Six told Colorado News Your Way that 40 year old Grant Dorman was taken into custody. He will be charged with possession of an incendiary device . This is his arrest photo, taken from the Bent County Sheriff's Jail Inmate website. The official news release from the Bent County Sheriff's Office. Our earlier coverage of this news story: Bent County Deputies, along with Colorado State Patrol closed a portion of Highway 50 near Grand Avenue Sunday

By Anne Boswell When the General Assembly reconvenes in Denver next week, January 14th, it's expected to be more of the same according to two lawmakers. State Senator Rod Pelton feels that with Governor Jarrad Polis term limited, the Democrat majority might feel emboldened to bring legislation that could be far worse for Southeast Colorado than recent past sessions. Representative Ty Winter of district 47 agrees but promises a fight no matter what. "We'll continue to fight fo

By Anne Boswell Colorado is one of five states getting a special review and federal funding will be temporarily halted during that time. Otero County Health and Human Services Director Donna Rohde commented that her office received notice of it this week. "We did get letters from the federal government. Well, we got one um, a couple of months ago regarding snap, and then we got one on the 6th regarding, childcare, and SSBG, which is social services block grant. So childcare

News release from the La Junta Fire Department The La Junta Fire Department is announcing a planned transition from its current volunteer firefighter program to a Reserve Firefighter Program , effective 1/1/2026. This change reflects the Department’s ongoing commitment to providing reliable, professional, and high-quality emergency services to the residents of the City of La Junta and the La Junta Rural Fire Protection District. Under the new Reserve Firefighter Program, part

By Norman Kincaide During an interview at the Rocky Ford Library Conference Room on December 18, 2025, District 2 Otero County Commissioner Tim Knabenshue declared his intention to seek a second term. Knabenshue believes in term limits and considered one more term to be enough. He emphasized water and private property rights issues along with public safety and traffic problems and economic development. Knabenshue was gratified to see the completion of the traffic light projec

By Anne Boswell In a short meeting Thursday morning, Bent County Commissioners wasted no time in approving the upcoming 2026 budget for Bent County Health. Stating they appreciated the hard work that interim director Rick Ritter had done they were in agreement that things are on track. "We really appreciate all of the work you've been doing in helping us out with public health," Commissioner Jennifer Scofield began. Commissioner Phil Hemphill chimed in to agree, " no stone wa

~Norman Kincaide Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS) staff held scoping meetings in Trinidad and La Junta on December 9 and 10, respectively.  The La Junta meeting was held at the Kiva where several information panels were spaced around the upper level. The first station directly behind the sign in table dealt with National Environmental Policy Act guidelines for pursuing alterations to United States Army modernization of the Pinon Canyon Site. Other panels provided a PCMS overview,

~Anne Boswell On a cold Colorado day you might be thinking more about how your home is heated. However, the Public Utilities Commission is making bold moves to change the way you heat your home and it could cost you more. The PUC's Clean Heat Plan has been in the works for a few years now but with a deadline to eliminate up to 41-percent of the state's natural gas industry drawing closer, some lawmakers are speaking out on it. According to a news release from Colorado Hou

Colorado State Patrol Wants Victims of Motor Vehicle Theft to Apply for Assistance The following is a news release from the Colorado State Patrol (COLORADO) –The Colorado State Patrol is leading the way in providing economic recovery services to victims of motor vehicle theft through the Victims Assistance Grant Application Program. Victims' support services may include assistance to victims of catalytic converter theft and/or motor vehicle theft. Funding for victims' support

~Norman L. Kincaide, Ph.D. Why the Forest Service interest in revising the management plan for the Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands (CCNG) with 108,000 and 440,000 acres, respectively? These grasslands are supposedly threatened with urbanization, agricultural development, and overgrazing, that may compromise cultural sites and stress Species of Conservation Concern (SCC). The CCNG Draft Assessment is rife with issues concerning SCCs, along with interest in designatin

By Anne Boswell You will see the signs for the "work ahead" and it's a move to connect more homes to high speed fiber internet in Bent County. The work is happening now on Highway 194, west of County road 5.5. The work is part of a grant award to internet service provider SECOM to connect more homes to high speed fiber internet. At the moment, the only options for people living in many areas of rural Colorado are wireless internet or satellite services like Starlink. In ord

By Anne Boswell If you know, you know.. The Frontier Diner is quite the little place to stop and eat and it's attracted a lot of attention in recent years. In fact, the staff is gearing up to host the filming of an episode for TV show "America Eats." Dorris Bryant, or Dee is the owner and is very excited about the upcoming day. "They do want people in here while they film, they like to have the community engagement and so they're visiting 50 restaurants in every state in Ame

By Anne Boswell, Colorado News Your Way From the borders to the barnyard and beyond, Southeast Colorado residents turned out to speak up to Congressman Jeff Hurd. The Representative for Colorado's third district promised a visit and came prepared to hear it all. Taking notes, Congressman Hurd went around the room asking each attendee what his or her number one concern for Colorado at this moment in time. Third District US Representative Jeff Hurd talks with Otero County resi

By Anne Boswell A record was broken this week. The United States Government has been shutdown before, but never for this long. Sunday, November 9th, is day 40 and it has started to affect many aspects of our lives. US. Congressman Jeff Hurd commented to a crowd in Rocky Ford at a Meet and Greet Saturday night. Congressman Hurd explained that it's out of the hands of the House of Representatives and now is calling on Senators to do the right thing and vote to re-open the gove

By Anne Boswell Major airports in the United States are experiencing flight cancellations and delays related to the current government shutdown. However, as of Friday, November 7th, it's a mixed bag on affects to Southeast Colorado. Bent County native and Pueblo resident Jace Ratzlaff told us he has flown three times in the last 37 days of the government shutdown. "While there seems to be the perfect storm to place blame on what I would consider “normal” flight issues and de

By Norman Kincaide The Genesis for using the 2012 Planning Rule for the Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands (CCNG) Draft Assessment for a revised management plan originated in 2006 with a “test case” for the United States Forest Service (USFS) 2005 Planning Rule developed during the George W. Bush administration. This draft emphasized collaborative, science-based multiple-use management: grazing, energy development, wildlife conservation, and recreation, while addressin

(from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation) November 5, 2025 – CBI –  Rocky Ford, CO – The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in collaboration with Rocky Ford Police, announces arrests stemming from the ongoing investigation into the earlier reported threats at the Rocky Ford Junior/Senior High school. On September 30, 2025, the Rocky Ford Police Department received a report that a 16-year-old male student had brought a firearm to a school sporting event in response to al

~Anne Boswell There are 64 counties in Colorado and most are returning results at this hour from today's election. Here's how to see them, for Baca County, click here: https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CO/Baca/124415/web.345435/#/summary?v=364206%2F Bent County: https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CO/Bent/124416/web.345435/#/summary?v=364183%2F Crowley County: https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CO/Crowley/124424/web.345435/#/summary?v=363930%2F Kiowa County: