Happening This Week in Southeast Colorado

~Anne Boswell

8/31/2026

Rocky Ford Mayor Duane Gurule officially steps down today, August 31^st as Mayor.  The city is searching for a replacement.  Gurule has not given a reason for the withdrawal but says he will remain committed to bettering the community of Rocky Ford.  Gurule is currently running for Senate District 35, challenging incumbent Rod Pelton. 

There’s a special city council meeting planned in La Junta tonight.  While council normally meets on the first and third Monday of the month, this meeting will mostly handle issues in executive session, which is not open to the public.  An agenda states there will also be action on property on Harriet Avenue being conveyed to Otero College.  The meeting starts at 6pm at the city’s municipal building on Colorado Avenue.

You can’t open your social media without seeing the many shares of another meeting planned for this week.  The Coloradoans for Responsible Wildlife Management has posted about a Colorado Park’s and Wildlife two-day meeting at Otero College.  On the agenda is the Division recommendation concerning potential regulatory changes related to the avocational take of prairie dogs on public land and related citizen petition.  The concern from the group is that the commission is putting activists’ desires over wildlife science.  The discussion on this portion of the meeting is set for around 12:45 on Wednesday, in the Rizzuto Banquet room of the Otero College Student Center.  It’s a public meeting and you’re welcome to come and listen in.

Don’t go in the water!  Starting today, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife says that visitors at John Martin Reservoir State Park should avoid contact with the Arkansas River and reservoir. The warning comes as water affected by a 4.2-million-gallon untreated sewage spill in Pueblo moves downstream toward the reservoir. The spill entered the Arkansas River Aug. 26–27 and is expected to reach John Martin Reservoir Monday morning. CPW is working with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, which will collect water-quality samples at the park.

And the Woodruff Memorial Library in La Junta announces you can now stream movies, tv shows and documentaries with an app called Kanopy.  You get tickets each month from the library that you can use to access the content. It’s available to card holders and the public.

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