All posts by sentineladmin

2023, Uncategorized

SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE – Jennifer Kriegh

Interview by Fred Hernandez

Jennifer Kriegh

Born in the town of Wakita and raised in Enid, a town in North Central Oklahoma, Jennifer attended Chisholm High School (the farm school located outside of town) and Wichita State University. She got her work ethic from her parents. Her father was a corporate pilot and her step-mom was a D.A. Always a worker, even in her school days, she sometimes held three jobs. She has lots of experience in a multitude of disciplines from the service industry to management. After college she worked for a commercial flooring contractor where she estimated and project managed flooring projects for schools, hospitals and commercial buildings. In 2008, she began her real estate career. Jennifer’s love for teaching began when she was recruited by a large brokerage firm (450 agents) to be the Director of Education for their real estate school, where she taught, wrote curriculum, and had a dozen instructors reporting to her.
Six years ago, the Kriegh family moved to Custer County. Today, Jennifer is the Public Information Officer (PIO) for the county and concurrently assists the Manager of the Office of Emergency Management (OEM). In addition, she already is connected to the school district as the Chairperson of the School/District Accountability Committee. This a statutory committee that is made up of parents, community members, staff and the principal. This group reviews and provides recommendations about spending, curriculum, school performance, turn around plans, and school principal evaluation. Jennifer also brings a unique perspective to the position of school board member not only as a parent of children who attended the school but also in that at one time she was a full time employee of the school helping out in the IT Department as well as a substitute teacher; and coach of the middle school boys and girls basketball teams.
During the interview with the Sentinel, Jennifer revealed some of her core beliefs when it comes to the education of children. First and foremost children should experience consequences for non-performance and be awarded for excellence. In her opinion the school was doing relatively well pre-covid but suffered much during the lockdowns. The standards degraded due to the way it was handled. When the curriculum were not designed to be in an online format and teachers have to completely redo their lesson plans and goals with little to no time, this causes challenges for the students. In addition, kids learn from each other and without this interaction, learning is stifled. This lack of social interaction causes, in some cases, depression, agitation and other traits from being unable to be with others of the same age. New challenges were created that need to be focused on to bring the school district back to the higher standards it once enjoyed. As far as curriculum is concerned, Jennifer does not believe the school should allow teaching an “agenda”. To protect our children, we must have the same rules, guidelines, and expectations for all. In today’s world, there are so many different social accommodations that activists want to make normal; however, this is at the detriment of the majority. She would argue that there are many options for parents if they believe the curriculum is not in the best interest of their child, but do not insist on changing the whole school just for a few. The school needs to treat everyone equally. Bottom line is to teach facts. The goal should be to achieve excellence in reading, writing and math. Music, sports, and other extracurricular activities are also important. These provide our children another way to prepare for the world they will find when they graduate. This could be understanding time management, learning how to be a part of a team, or simply to be a carrot rather than the stick to encourage hard work in their other studies. We wish Jennifer the best of everything as she campaigns for Custer County School Board. Interview by Fred Hernandez
Born in the town of Wakita and raised in Enid, a town in North Central Oklahoma, Jennifer attended Chisholm High School (the farm school located outside of town) and Wichita State University. She got her work ethic from her parents. Her father was a corporate pilot and her step-mom was a D.A. Always a worker, even in her school days, she sometimes held three jobs. She has lots of experience in a multitude of disciplines from the service industry to management. After college she worked for a commercial flooring contractor where she estimated and project managed flooring projects for schools, hospitals and commercial buildings. In 2008, she began her real estate career. Jennifer’s love for teaching began when she was recruited by a large brokerage firm (450 agents) to be the Director of Education for their real estate school, where she taught, wrote curriculum, and had a dozen instructors reporting to her.
Six years ago, the Kriegh family moved to Custer County. Today, Jennifer is the Public Information Officer (PIO) for the county and concurrently assists the Manager
of the Office of Emergency
Management (OEM). In addition, she already is connected to the school district as the Chairperson of the School/District Accountability Committee. This a statutory committee that is made up of parents, community members, staff and the principal. This group reviews and provides recommendations about spending, curriculum, school performance, turn around plans, and school principal evaluation. Jennifer also brings a unique perspective to the position of school board member not only as a parent of children who attended the school but also in that at one time she was a full time employee of the school helping out in the IT Department as well as a substitute teacher; and coach of the middle school boys and girls basketball teams.
During the interview with the Sentinel, Jennifer revealed some of her core beliefs when it comes to the education of children. First and foremost children should experience consequences for non-performance and be awarded for excellence. In her opinion the school was doing relatively well pre-covid but suffered much during the lockdowns. The standards degraded due to the way it was handled. When the curriculum were not designed to be in an online format and teachers have to completely redo their lesson plans and goals with little to no time, this causes challenges for the students. In addition, kids learn from each other and without this interaction, learning is stifled. This lack of social interaction causes, in some cases, depression, agitation and other traits from being unable to be with others of the same age. New challenges were created that need to be focused on to bring the school district back to the higher standards it once enjoyed. As far as curriculum is concerned, Jennifer does not believe the school should allow teaching an “agenda”. To protect our children, we must have the same rules, guidelines, and expectations for all. In today’s world, there are so many different social accommodations that activists want to make normal; however, this is at the detriment of the majority. She would argue that there are many options for parents if they believe the curriculum is not in the best interest of their child, but do not insist on changing the whole school just for a few. The school needs to treat everyone equally. Bottom line is to teach facts. The goal should be to achieve excellence in reading, writing and math. Music, sports, and other extracurricular activities are also important. These provide our children another way to prepare for the world they will find when they graduate. This could be understanding time management, learning how to be a part of a team, or simply to be a carrot rather than the stick to encourage hard work in their other studies. We wish Jennifer the best of everything as she campaigns for Custer County School Board.

2023, Uncategorized

SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE – Linda Brown

Interview by Fred Hernandez
Dr. Linda Brown was born and initially raised in Texas City on the Gulf Coast of the Lone Star state. After graduating from High School she proceeded to assemble a truly impressive number of degrees, certifications and skills including a Doctorate
of Educational Leadership- Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana (Minor in Technology); Specialist
Degree in Educational Leadership-Chadron State
College, Chadron, Nebraska (Minor in Technology); Masters of Education in Computers-Lesley College, Cambridge, Massachusetts (Cum Laude); Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education-University of Colorado (with honors). Her imposing computer skills alone are noteworthy; include Claris Works (Macintosh), WordPerfect and Microsoft Office, HyperStudio, Prezi, Power Point, Adobe Premiere, iMovie, Microsoft Movie Maker (Video capture and editing), WebPages production, Robotics programming (various products/programs), MicroWorlds, Visual Basics, and HTML. Dr. Linda Brown has over two dozen honors and presentations.
Her work experience is no less impressive to say the least. She founded and administered a Christian school in the early 1980s, she was a homeschool teacher, elementary teacher, middle school teacher, an instructor in a community college, a director of technology and media, an instructor (two different universities at two different times,) became an elementary principal and director of technology and media, assistant superintendent, a national trainer at Northwest Evaluation Association providing training to trainers. More recently Dr. Linda was National Core Faculty/ Instructor at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for ten years. The family moved to Montana and she worked as an Instructor at Little Big Horn College in Crow Agency for five years. From 2006 to 2010 she was the Superintendent of Wyola School District in Wyola, Montana. Being married to a U.S. Military career officer explains her transfers to different parts of the country. In 2010,
they were back in Nebraska where she worked as Asst. Professor at Chadron State College until 2014 when she became Associate Professor in the same college until January 2023.
In addition to all her academic achievements and extensive hands-on experience, Linda is a mother who home schooled six children, one of them with special needs. There is virtually no aspect of a child’s educational needs from the basics to the more complex, that is not covered under the training, education and practical experience of Dr. Linda Brown. Academically speaking, her credentials are impeccable, her vast hands-on experience difficult to match and she feels she could be a real asset to the local school district, especially with her extensive knowledge of curriculum and Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) test data usage which will be gainfully applied to improve students’ performance. Linda invites you all to her website for more details and information: https://sites.google.com/view/dr-linda-brown-custer-school.
Linda Brown is a write-in candidate. You are also invited to a Meet and Greet at Sugarlump on the corner of Main Street and 2nd Street in downtown Westcliffe on Tuesday, October 17th from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Come and meet Linda, get to know her. We wish her all the best in her campaign for the school board.

2023, Uncategorized

SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE-Joseph McCarthy

Interview by Fred Hernandez

“The new school board needs a member with a clear vision, business background and leadership ability.” With that statement Mr. Joseph McCarthy announced his keen interest in serving on the next school board. Born in New York, the product of public schools and state college, he learned at the age of 13, as a Boy Scout; and 16, as an Eagle Scout, the important lessons that have benefited him throughout his life: to serve God, family, and country. From his father, a New York City police officer and fireman, he learned the ethos of service to others which is deeply ingrained in his belief system. After college he landed a job on Wall Street but not as a money man or stockbroker. He worked for FINRA, originally the National Association of Securities Dealers, as a financial services regulator committed to protecting investors. All financial firms and entities dealing with the public must be registered members of FINRA, an organization under the oversight of the Securities and Exchange Commission. A firm believer that with hard work one can accomplish anything they set their mind to, Joseph worked for the same company for twenty-six years rising to the position of Senior Vice President and Regional Director.
After twenty-one years in Colorado, ten years of which he has lived in Custer County, Joseph works at the Custer County Sheriff’s Office as an Evidence Technician. Aside from a recess when he left the Sheriff’s Office to help his ailing father, he has history at the Sheriff’s Office since the time of then Sheriff Jobe, until now under current Sheriff Smith.
Bringing to the table extensive experience in management, Joseph has a keen interest in assisting the school district achieve its mission “to prepare students for life beyond graduation.” He wants the young ones to learn how to think on their own and not be taught what to think. One of his objectives is to have the school board take a close look at the curriculum of every grade. Needless to say, he is not in favor of CRT. With his business acumen he is already looking ahead at the one critical issue the board will face, namely the 3rd tranche of the Federal Stimulus Funding which ends in less than a year. This is of paramount importance because the school will be hard pressed to replace this large funding source.
With his experience and expertise Joseph would make a good addition to the school board. In his own words, read his letter to the editor in our September 22nd issue or go to  to our website post of letters from candidates here.

2023, Uncategorized

SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE Regina “ Reggie” Foster

Interview
by Fred Hernandez

Reggie Foster, Custer County Extension Director, Office of Engagement and Extension, Colorado State University, September 18, 2023

A native of the Sunshine State, Reggie was born, raised and received her early education in Tampa, Florida. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Mercer University. Upon graduation, Reggie went to work in the newsroom of WAPW-FM, in Atlanta, Georgia. She was hired to cover the Gulf War and rose to be Station News Director . She was lured back to Tampa by a job offer from her hometown stations WTSP-TV and WUSA-FM. Destiny had other plans, however, when she met her future husband, Michael, who was assigned to the 3rd Ranger Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia. They married and returned to Georgia where Reggie earned her Masters Degree in Education from Columbus State University.
In 2005, on one of the many trips Michael and Reggie made to Colorado to enjoy hiking, fishing and other outdoor activities, they discovered Custer County and purchased their future retirement property. Michael and Reggie built their retirement home and moved to Westcliffe full time in 2020.
These days Reggie is a member of the faculty of Colorado State University serving as the Custer County Extension Director. In her work Reggie is responsible for our county 4-H programs and for providing residents with Ag and natural resources assistance. Every Thursday Reggie connects with high school students during the 4-H Coffee Hour and on Wednesday evenings she is a parent leader for Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
She has three daughters; a sophomore, an 8th grader and one is a graduate of CCHS and attending a Christian University,
If elected to the school board, Reggie will bring a unique set of skills. Reggie has more than a decade of experience clearly communicating from TV and Radio newsrooms to mass audiences. Pair that with her experience as an advisor for U.S. Army military families spread across Italy, Belgium and the U.S., where she built cohesive teams and effective communication systems. These skills are important for the success of any organization or program. She knows how to listen and can relate to teachers, parents, com-munity members and students as well, thanks to her weekly school volunteerism.
In Custer County, she has served as a substitute teacher and as a volunteer instructor for the gifted and talented program. She is the Chairperson of the Excellence in Education Committee, a group composed of five county residents, four of whom are parents. Their task is to raise money for classroom/learning needs for which the School District is short on funds, such as musical instruments, field trips, and curriculum. Reggie is the secretary of the Booster Club, a group of parents and community members who raise money specifically for athletic program needs, such as balls, nets, and uniforms. Reggie serves as an advisor to the Education Legacy Fund, a county-based committee of semi-retired professionals who have a deep interest in expanding the educational opportunities of our local youth.
For Reggie, it is possible for Custer County to achieve a higher standard of learning. In her own words: “ There is a ‘YES’ out there somewhere! Too often we take NO for an answer and stop trying to do what is in the best interest of our students.” Not Reggie; she recognizes there is tremendous room for improvement in academics, esprit de corps and teacher support. Reggie is willing to find the YES and make it so. For Reggie, the beauty of Custer County is its fine traditions, patriotism and family values and she will remain true to those things. Reggie sees a need to embrace the community’s desire to support our schools. As a person who is beholden to no one, Reggie will make decisions on the basis of facts and will be a good steward of the school’s resources. With her personal experience in school activities, along with having had three children in school, she is convinced she has a very good idea of the current functionality of our schools. Reggie encourages you to vote on November 7th. We wish Reggie all the best in her campaign for the Custer County School Board.

2023, Uncategorized

Custer County School Board Candidate Interviews

There are five candidates and one write-in candidate for Custer County School District 1 School Board.

The County voted to take away the districts and candidates are at large.  On the ballot,  all voters may  choose three candidates.

Below are links to interviews done by Sentinel writer and VP,
Fred Hernandez.

Linda Brown, Write-in Candidate

Reggie Foster, Custer County Extension Director, Office of Engagement and Extension, Colorado State University, September 18, 2023

Reggie Foster

Dan Gasper

Joshua Hackett ( no interview, no photo)

Jennifer Kriegh

Jennifer Kriegh

Joseph McCarthy

 

 

2023, Uncategorized

Letters from Candidates for Custer County School Board 2023

Linda Hunt Brown Announces Run for School Board as
Write in Candidate

As way of introduction, my name is Linda Brown and I am running in the November 7th Custer County School Board Director election as a “Write In” candidate.
It is my belief that our district should function like a family, full of heart. I want to support the progress and success our district had achieved pre-COVID 19 and again create an atmosphere of caring and harmony. As a five year resident of Custer County, I am concerned about the direction the district is headed, with school attendance and test scores declining, family/community engagement limited, and staff turnover. It is important to me that we keep the education, safety, and well-being of each student at the forefront of our decisions.
I feel that my training and experience could be a real asset to our district, especially my knowledge of curriculum and Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) test data usage to improve our students’ performance on the required standardized test. (This test is currently being used by our district.) As a national trainer for NWEA, I not only traveled across the country helping districts implement this assessment for learning, but also helped teachers learn to interpret the individual student data. “MAP Growth, part of the Growth Activation Solution from NWEA, is the most trusted and innovative assessment for measuring achievement and growth in K–12 math, reading, language usage and science. It provides teachers with accurate, actionable evidence to help inform instructional strategies regardless of how far students are above or below grade level. Using MAP Growth as part of a comprehensive and balanced assessment plan, teachers can confidently tailor instruction to challenge every student, whether they are below, at, or above grade level. “MAP Growth student reports also present realistic learning goals by subject areas so that, through a teacher’s guidance, students can individually see their progress and be inspired to take charge of their own learning.” https://www.nwea.org/map-growth/ When knowledgeably implemented this strategy routinely improves student motivation,
achievement, and therefore attendance.
We are blessed that Colorado allows parents a great amount of freedom to choose the venue for their children’s education. As a Board member, I feel this right must be respected and that the district needs to work closely with families to support their children’s academic and social success. Having been a homeschool mother with a special needs child (with epilepsy) and his five siblings, I have an empathic understanding of the challenges involved and hope to be a link to this component of our community.
Having reviewed the district website, I noted that this new Board will most likely be instrumental in the creation/revision of the District C-1 Strategic Plan since it is dated 2019. As a previous superintendent/principal, I have been intricately involved in this laborious task and would be a valuable team player in the undertaking.
The chief goal of my professional life has been to invigorate the minds and hearts of those I touch and provide for them opportunities to succeed. I would count it a privilege to share the wealth of knowledge, which I have obtained through my teaching and life experiences to better equip others for their place in our changing world.
Thank you for taking the time to review my website https://sites.google.com/view/dr-linda-brown-custer-school which includes my professional credentials including; Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership, Masters in Education Using Computers, and, from University of Colorado, a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. You will also find my educational experiences as a College instructor, superintendent, principal and teacher.
Please remember that I am a WRITE IN candidate so you will need to add my name in the blank on the ballet to support my candidacy. Thank you for making this extra effort!
Respectfully, Linda Brown

 

Joe McCarthy Announces Run for School Board

My name is Joseph McCarthy. I am running for the Custer County School Board. I have lived in Colorado for 21 years and in Westcliffe for almost 10 years. I am the parent of a 2015 CCHS graduate and just watched my granddaughter start school here.
The theme of my campaign is “Children must be taught how to
think, not what to think.” It encapsulates my educational philosophy. We should encourage children’s curiosity. Learning should be an adventure. Graduation should be a milepost, not an end goal. Successful students become lifelong learners.
Selecting members of the school board is an incredibly important responsibility. It is a shared responsibility, not one simply limited to those with school-age children. Board members should reflect the values of the community. The skills and experience of board members should complement one another. An effective school board is a highly functioning team. This requires strong leadership and management skills, an ability to think strategically, and objectively monitor the performance of the superintendent and the school district’s educational programs.
My business and educational background provide me with a solid foundation to fulfill these responsibilities. As a senior executive, I synthesized empirical data and tactical information into goals and strategical plans. I managed a 13-state region, four geographically dispersed offices, over 150 employees, and a $22 million budget. Leadership and management skills are transferable, applicable to any size organization. I have an undergraduate degree in English, a master’s degree in business administration, and a master’s degree in organizational leadership.
It is difficult to offer a vision of the future without suggestions viewed as a criticism of the present. My intent is to present an alternative way of fulfilling the board’s governance responsibilities. I am an advocate of redesigning the school board meetings. The most important items should drive the agenda. The discussion topics and meeting reports should clearly align with the board’s annual goals and the school district’s strategic plan.
It would be beneficial for the district to develop a comprehensive communication strategy to keep parents and the community informed of the school district’s successes and challenges. This will foster greater transparency and accountability.
The Colorado Department of Education released the school district preliminary performance ratings and the results of the spring 2023 standardized assessments in August. These are important data points of the district’s core educational efforts. At what point should the school district share these key performance indicators with parents and the community?
Experience has taught me it is better to be responsive than reactive. Helping the public interpret data is easier than correcting erroneous conclusions. A good example of this approach is immediately addressing why our middle school received the lowest rating in the preliminary performance report.
The spring 2023 assessment test results indicate the percentage of Custer’s third through eighth grade students who met or exceeded grade-level expectations in English language arts and math. There is aggregate benchmark data provided in the form of how all of Colorado’s districts and schools performed. The statewide benchmark is 43.7% for English language arts. In math, 32.9% of all districts and schools met or exceeded grade-level expectations. Our elementary school scored 37.5% and 23.6%, respectively. The middle school’s results were 16.9% met or exceeded grade-level expectations in English language arts and 18.5%
in math.
The Colorado Department of Education website can be over-whelming. I would encourage you to review the information for our school district by typing CUSTER in the search feature in these two articles:
https://co.chalkbeat.org/2023/8/29/23851588/colorado-school-district-performanceratings-2023

https://co.chalkbeat.org/ 2023/8/17/23834986/colorado-cmas-2023-test-results-scores-find-your-school-districtI wanted to know if Custer is an outlier or if other districts are facing similar challenges? I conducted a peer group analysis to provide context in understanding our results. Using Colorado Department of Education data, I identified 18 peer districts with the same state designation as Custer, “Remote.” I then sought districts of comparable size, between 300 to 500 students. Custer’s pupil total was 356. I compared each district’s All Districts / All Schools data to the state’s benchmark results.
Five districts scored above the state benchmark; 11 districts, including Custer, scored below; and three districts had mixed results or incomplete data. I then compared the Custer results to the other 10 districts ranked below the state benchmark. Five districts scored better than Custer in both English and math, two districts scored below in both subjects, and three district had one score above and one below Custer’s results.
Context provides perspective, not blame. The administration, the faculty, and our students need the support of parents and the community. You can view these observations through the prism of education alone or step back and look at it from a macro level. Strong schools prepare students for the next phase of their life, attract families and businesses, affect the employment pool, and support and increase property values. It is a complex equation.
Elect a formidable team to the school board to explore these results, formulate a plan with the superintendent, and monitor the plan’s progress in fulfilling the district’s vision “to provide a quality education” to the students of Custer County.
Joseph McCarthy
mccarthy4boe@gmail.com

2023, Uncategorized

Fremont GOP Oppose Prop HH- Assessor Tells it Like it is

by Charlotte Burrous
During the Fremont County Republicans Central Committee October 26, 2023 meeting, Fremont County Republicans explained why they are adamantly opposed to Proposition HH.
In the meeting, Fremont County Commissioner Dwayne McFall reported the Board of County Commissioners had approved a resolution opposing the proposition in a special meeting on September 21st.
“Last week, we passed a resolution opposing HH and encouraged all of Fremont County to also oppose HH, to vote no on it,” he said. “This is happening in several Republican counties around the state. We’re trying to encourage people to get out and vote ‘no’ on it and educate. If you read the headline, it looks like it’s all roses and candy, but it’s not. It’s the death (of TABOR).”
After he spoke, County Assessor Stacey Seifert reported on her findings of the proposition.
“I’ve been through it numerous times,” she said. “As you all know as your assessor, this thing affects me a lot in my job. It also affects me a lot as a taxpayer in this county. It also affects me a lot because I like to protect my county. I’d like everybody to have a pretty good idea of all the nuances in this proposal and there are a lot of nuances in it.”
The whole proposal is full of spirals with one thing depending on another, Seifert explained.
“This effectively guts TABOR,” she said. “It effectively gets rid of the last bit of Gallagher that was the 5.5 percent revenue. That’s gone. If this passes, it’s gone. What they have now as a revenue limit doesn’t seem terribly unreasonable. It’s a lot of the same language that was in TABOR. It’s inflation plus 1 percent plus population growth.”
However, she noted she did the figures, which comes out to 6.2 percent, using values from June 2023. So that is not a major difference from the 5.5 percent. However, in the next paragraph, the proposition in years going forward from 2024, when the state calculates the revenue limit, the beginning point is not zero then inflation plus 1 then population growth.
“The beginning point is last year’s cap,” Seifert said. “So now, this is going to grow exponentially over the next 10 years.”
Seifert stated the state would adjust the values to where taxpayers could save $147 if they have a $350,000 house and if HH passes, the taxpayers would save another $147.
“But you’re going to give up all your TABOR tax refunds,” she said. “They’re setting up a special account for the HH Cap exempt account for the state within the state budget. They’re going to set up a HH reimbursement or backfill fund for all the local entities. You know we’re going to take money away from you in the form of value, but the state is going to backfill that with the HH money that they’re keeping. Once any individual identity’s assessed value grows 20 percent, they are ineligible to get a backfill. It’s not 20 percent from one year to the next. It’s 20 percent for the 2022 value to whatever year going forward. In my estimation in two cycles from now, nobody’s going to get a backfill.”
The state also allowed all the entities if they choose to exceed their revenue cap, all they have to do is hold a public hearing, she said. At the public hearing, everyone would be able to voice their opinion in a facility that’s big enough to hold the crowd. Once everyone has voiced their opinion, the entity can do whatever it wants to by resolution and no one can appeal it in court.
“That’s the last sentence,” Seifert said. “This is not subject to appeal in court. These are the things we don’t hear about in HH. This was professionally written. I’ve never seen anything like this and we all know if this passes, the very next day, there’s going to be a lawsuit filed. In reality, I have to implement it. The day after it passes if it passes, I have to implement this.”
She said this proposition would not be good for taxpayers.
“This is horrible,” Seifert said. “I can’t even begin to tell you how bad it is. I’ll be out there pounding the drum, (saying), ‘don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it.’”
At that point, Treasurer Susan Luck made a motion that the Fremont County Republicans oppose the proposition HH, as well, which unanimously passed. The group also approved spending money for yard signs opposing the proposition.
The group also discussed opting out from the open primary, which will be voted on September 30th in a state meeting. In the meantime, the state GOP has filed a lawsuit against the open primary, but this could take a long time to be settled.
The next meeting will be a Chili Cookoff, a pie auction and meet the candidates Tuesday, October 24th at 603 Main St.,Cañon City.

2023, Uncategorized

New Mexican Restaurant in Silver Cliff

Bertha Castillo opens IMPERIO AZTECA Restaurant.

by Fred Hernandez
Just when we all thought that we would have to travel many miles to get our next burrito or taco, the Aztec Empire shows up to save the day for all those foodies who love Mexican fare. That’s right. Officially opened on Monday, October 2nd at the Country Store on Main Street in Silver Cliff, IMPERIO AZTECA is ready to serve lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday (Closed on Mondays) from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Between the owner, Ms. Bertha Castillo and her main man in the kitchen Chef Saul Farias, they have a combined food service experience of forty years. Bertha was born in the city of San Luis Potosi, north central Mexico. She moved to the United States with her family when she was seven years old in 1997. Her love of the food service industry comes from her father who spent a lifetime working in restaurants. Her older brother then started his own place and eventually had two locations. Bertha was involved from a young age in all aspects of restaurant operations until she decided to start her very own here in Custer County. When she found out that the Country Store location was going to be available, she was ready and made her move. She runs her restaurant with two other waitresses and a staff of three in the kitchen.
Her menu offers all the favorite and delectable dishes one would expect from a professionally run establishment. Her suppliers are the well known top companies in food service; Sysco and Shamrock, which means the quality is always of the highest standard. The specialty of the house is Birria Tacos. Birria is beef that is slow cooked, all night, with special chiles and spices that render the meat tender and full of flavor. A sheer delight for the most discriminating taste buds. She will have specials such as Taco Tuesdays and Fajita Fridays. Giving a nod to the American favorite, she offers great hamburgers served with all the fixings and fries. At the moment Bertha has made her application for a liquor license and is awaiting word from the State. Despite, not have a liquor licence, they offer up a delicious version of Camarones Borachos, which means Drunken Shrimp. Having just started her business, she is in the process of getting other modes of payment organized and so, for now, cash only.
Imperio Azteca offers dine-in, takeout, catering and parties. Follow Bertha on Facebook @imperioazteca. Call for reservations or takeout orders (719)792-9290. Gift certificates are available for any amount. IMPERIO AZTECA, truly authentic Mexican cuisine. Come in and enjoy the delicious fare: 62 Main Street, Silver Cliff.

2023, BOCC, Uncategorized

August 16 Executive Session Transcript

Download t audio from SDC Sentinel website:  HERE

by George Gramlich
As we promised last week, the Custer County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) August 16, 2023 Executive Session (ES) transcript can be found here. If you recall, this ES was supposed to be about “the process for contract negotiations” with the proposed County Manager candidate Braden Wilson. It is against Colorado law to discuss things not listed as a subject for the ES, and as we noted last week, much of the meeting was definitely “off topic.”
What is really troubling about the transcript, is the utter disdain shown by Commissioner Flower, and to a certain extent by Commissioner Day, for the concerned citizens who show up at the BOCC meetings. Flower even uses curse words to describe the tax payers. Also, the reckless and unethical effort by Day to push the County Manager position through before the recall results were finalized shows a complete lack of competent and ethical leadership.
All in all, the transcript tells us a story of arrogance and disregard for the tax payers of this county. Hopefully, with Lucas Epp replacing the recalled Flower, things will proceed in a more ethical manner.

Here’s the transcript.
NOTE: After the transcript was distributed to the newspapers,
an error in transcription was found.

Correction to the August 16, 2023 transcript of the Executive Session.
The citizens who transcribed the recording of this meeting would like to offer their sincere apologies to Chairman Day for this mistake;

The transcript error:
Page 10, Line 23-25 of the transcript were assigned to Kevin Day.
All three lines should be assigned to Tom Flower.

23 CHAIRMAN DAY: I don’t work for them.
24 I represent them. It’s all
25 philosophical. I get that.

Subsequently, the error appeared in the Sentinel on page 22 of the September 29, 2023 issue.

 

2023, Uncategorized

The Mustangs Are Coming to Westcliffe!

By Fred Hernandez

The legendary mustang is one of the most distinctive icons of the American West. Descended from the horses reintroduced to this continent by Spanish explorers the mustangs have roamed freely throughout ten states including California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and Texas. Today there are a number of problems besetting these freedom loving herds that need immediate attention. It is the responsibility of Americans to learn more about these beautiful animals, recognize their plight and act by assisting in their protection, management, care and maintenance.

For the first time ever in Custer County EQUUS Film and Arts Fest and the Mustang Summit, an organization dedicated to enlightening the public in general about the mustang and wild horses in America, brings to Westcliffe three exciting days packed with informative, educational and entertainment programs that will delight not only horse lovers but the public in general. Mark your calendar from the evening of September 28th through October 1st. It will be a weekend “round up” with everything from documentary films at the Jones Theater, fourteen  nationally recognized mustang trainers,  six of which will be working with mustangs which will then be available for adoption at BbarB Ranch. BbarB will be hosting the Fundraiser Dinner on Thursday night, Feb 28th with Music by the High Country Junkies Band, along with presentations from guest speakers and sponsors.

Musical performances by country western stars Jared Rogerson and Lacy Dalton will be at the Jones Theater on Sat evening, and much more. There is an impressive list of guest speakers from across the country who will give presentations about day-to-day interactions with the mustangs. There will be forums at which groups of those interested can listen to experts, ask questions and discuss concepts and ideas. Fine Artists, Book Authors, Film makers and vendors will be showcased at the Jones Theater throughout the weekend.  This exciting event begins on Thursday, September 28th from 3  to 8 p.m. at the B-Bar-B Ranch with an agenda that will include dinner.

The best way to get more information about the great event is to contact Ms. Melody DeBenedictis. Melody is a local artist and a passionate advocate for the mustangs.  A new resident here is Westcliffe, she is the Coordinator for Westcliffe, Colorado of the EQUUS Film and Arts Fest and The Mustang Summit. She can be reached at 505-429-6597. Or, see her website www.melodydebenedictis.com.

For the full schedule and online ticket purchases visit the Equus Film Fest website at www.equusfilmfestival.net, or you can purchase paper tickets here in Westcliffe at Candy’s Coffee on 2nd Street downtown Westcliffe, as well as Silver Cliff Mountain Inn (Willie’s Restaurant) in Silver Cliff.