Category Archives: 2024

2024, BOCC, Uncategorized

July 17 BOCC Report: Fire Suppression Ponds, Day gets Grant, CC Claybusters Shot down

July 17 BOCC:
Fire Suppression Ponds,
Day Gets His Big Grant,
One Finance Director Applicant,
CC Claybusters Shot Down

by George Gramlich,
News and Commentary
The Custer County Board of County Commissioners regular weekly meeting on July 17, 2024 started at 9 a.m. in their throne room across from the county courthouse. All three commissioners
were present: Bill Canda, Lucas Epp and Kevin Day.
In New Business, Day announced that his primary project during his entire 3.5 year stint as commissioner was coming to fruition as he has obtained tax money in the form of a grant from the grant machine, the Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governments to buy playground equipment “for the children” in Wetmore. However, this grift money needs county matching funds so we are all on the hook for half of this.
Budget Resolution 24-17 was next. Our Veterans Service Office honcho,  Dominic Edginton requested a loan of $5k to “kickstart” a $50k grant he is getting for our Veterans. This will be repaid as soon as the grant money is received. This passed.
A big presentation by various people including state and local offices was next concerning establishing three “fire suppression ponds” on the valley floor. The locations are at/near the Beckwith Ranch, the Rusk Ranch and the “Coleman Pond”. As with anything concerning water and the State of Colorado, it was a long and compli-cated presentation with a ton of red tape and bureaucrat nonsense needed to get it done. It was decided that the players involved would proceed with the attempt.
Epp was next with a proposal to combine two county positions, Maintenance and Custodial, into one job. He noted that the Maintenance contract with an outside contractor is expiring soon and we have an opportunity to streamline things a bit. Epp estimated that the two jobs would take around 50 hours per week and that a full-time person and a part-time person could handle the job. The rate would be $22.50 per hour.
In Additional Items of Business, Epp said we have only received one application for the Finance Director’s job and that was sent to the screening committee for review.
(This is after months of advertising all over the state and country. The problem is the salary is way too low and the commissioners don’t have the cajoles to raise it because it would be way higher than any other county official.)
Epp then said the six-month budget review will be next Wednesday (July 24) at the SAR building.
In Public Comments, Jerry Tracewell from the Custer County Claybusters Club (a local club that teaches clay and trapshooting to our kids and they also go to competitions) made a statement that all the equipment that they have at the Sheriff’s Office shooting range came from donations, mostly from the Friends of the NRA. He said rumors that the school paid for anything are false.
Then the real subject came up when Day told Tracewell that the club can only use the range during the school year as the school has insurance for the training. Once the school year ends, Day said “you are not welcome” as the club, apparently, has no other insurance. Day said it was a county owned range, on county property and the club has no Memorandum of Understanding with the county and they “have no insurance in place”. This set Tracewell off as he and a bunch of volunteers have spent a huge amount of time and effort in getting the club going and this would end the effort for the kids to learn and compete. Tracewell said,
“I have put hundreds of hours into this. You have wiped it out.” And that is how it ended.
And that was that. Another day in Happy Valley.

2024, Uncategorized

Rhapsody of a Rodeo Rookie

Rhapsody of a Rodeo Rookie

Thrills and Stills from the Wet Mountain Valley Stampede

by by Vahaken Mouradian,
The National Review

(Editor/GG: Many thanks to Mr. Mouradian and The National Review for this excellent article on our rodeo and Custer County and for their permission for us to reprint the piece. The National Review is a
top-notch conservative magazine that has been around a long time.
A subscription is well worth the money.)

Bareback bronc doesn’t look as fun as it sounds. A fearsome sight: lurch, rear kick, 180-degree spin, thump-thump-thrash. If one hoof is touching the ground, at least two aren’t. The mad undulation of a runaway seesaw. We’re not even three seconds in yet. Lightning punctures the somber Sangre de Cristo slopes as if it’s part of the show. No need for pyrotechnics. Look away if you can: A crash-test dummy is demonstrating Newton’s second law of motion while hitched to the back of an equine bodybuilder. The beast has a neck like Ronnie Coleman’s left quadricep. Who taught it to perform superman push-ups? Buck-spin’s the move: The cowboy’s center of gravity momentarily shifts to some-
place over equatorial Asia. The timer goes off; his chaps take wing —— horizontal ejection. Godspeed and good night. Hearing the thud alone makes me slip a spinal disc. It’s my first rodeo.
“Son of a biscuit!
“Is he all right?”
He’s all right. He gets up, gestures to the crowd. Clamor and cheers. He shambles away. Bob Edmonds on horseback relays the score: “Seventy-nine for Bill Tutor.” Frequent-flyer points
for the gentleman’s eight- second journey. Calculated by some mystical formula in the judges’ booth: a raised shed sponsored by Beach Redi-Mix and Tony’s Mountain Pizza.
“I told you, he should’ve extended his legs.” The old boy next to me demonstrates by holding out his arms at 45-degree angles, palms facing the ground. “Spurs in”.
Prompted by his accent, I ask. He left West Texas for Westcliffe last year and is now retired.
A volunteer rodeo sage, then.
Prompted by my accent, he asks. I explain.
“No kidding.”
“None at all.”

[ continued]

PDF of the reprinting in the SDC Sentinel  HERE

See the full article and photos at the National Review @ https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2024/09/rhapsody-of-a-rodeo-rookie

 

 

 

 

 

2024, Uncategorized

Learning to Hit Your Target at Extreme Distances -August LLR Level 2 Class

Long Distance Rifle Academy…
Learning to Hit Your Target at Extreme Distances

Next:  LRR Level 2 class is Sat/Sun, August 10-11

by Mark Bunch/President Royal Gorge Gun Club/Chairman Fremont County NRA
I have been teaching long distance and extreme long-distance rifle shooting for the majority of my life as it has always been one of my passions. That translates into a little over 5,000 students I have taught the art and science of long distance rifle shooting to over the past 38 years or so and please don’t do the math on that, lol !
As I teach all of my students, hitting your target at distance over the entire ARC of your cartridge is not for the feint of heart. Sixty percent of the equation will be decided by your skill level while the final forty percent of the equation rests on your equipment, ammunition, optics, etc. Continue reading Learning to Hit Your Target at Extreme Distances -August LLR Level 2 Class →

2024, Uncategorized

Our Colorado Water

Dear Mr. Gramlich,
Since January, 2021, Division 2 has taken the lead in the Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) Pond Enforcement initiative. However, there are facts the DWR is not revealing when telling property owners they must fill in or augment their ponds. Either choice could cost property owners tens of thousands of dollars. I believe pond owners should have all the pertinent information before making a decision involving that kind of money. Following are only a few of the factors that should be considered.
WHAT IS PAN EVAPORATION?
According to Colorado University-Boulder, the outdated method of pan evaporation is what the Colorado DWR uses to measure evaporation from ponds. Developed in the 1920s, pan evaporation is determined by taking a 4-foot-in-diameter, 10-inch-deep pan filled with water, and setting it next to a selected reservoir. Evaporation is measured every twenty-four hours, and the results are used to calculate evaporation on corresponding reservoirs. This may have changed, but in 2020, while working for the DWR, I was told evaporation research for Division 2 is done at the Pueblo Reservoir. The problem is no two reservoirs are the same, let alone the Pueblo Reservoir and any pond in the headwaters of the Arkansas River Basin (Division 2). Size, shape, elevation, location, wind speed, air and reservoir temperatures at the surface, humidity, solar radiation and vegetation around the reservoir, all play a part in determining evaporation. I have proof from a 1990s water court case in Division 2, where an owner augmented his two ponds and the actual evaporation from those ponds is less than half of what was calculated in the water court case. One reason for this could be that most of the ponds in the headwaters area of Division 2 are fed by cold water springs, which are colder than the Arkansas River. Less evaporation in the ponds and creeks of the headwaters than the river itself.
WHAT IS A RECHARGE POND?
By definition, recharge ponds are engineered ponds that are used to prevent flooding and downstream erosion and are designed to let water seep into groundwater aquifers. In mountainous regions recharge ponds are also used to catch surface runoff and increase infiltration to recharge groundwater and aid in natural spring recharge. I asked Rachel Zancanella, Division 2 Engineer, on May 11, 2023, in front of a group of people in Westcliffe,
if draining some of the area ponds wouldn’t cause the level of the aquifers to decrease, and in turn cause area wells to dry up. I was told no, however I still think yes!
DWR DATA – POND CRACKDOWN
The Colorado Department of Water Resources was recently asked for data on the amount of water that has been added back to the total system for the Kansas Compact and downstream senior priorities, because of their pond crackdown. The DWR is not giving up data for anyone to see, and not talking about why.
IN CONCLUSION – MY OPINION
I think that because of these reasons plus several others I have researched, the DWR should cease and desist any activity having to do with their Pond Enforcement initiative. At least until the DWR provides confirmed data that their pond crackdown is actually adding to the total amount of water in the system for the Kansas Compact and downstream senior priorities.
Thank you,

Laurie Assemany,
Coaldale, Colorado

2024, Uncategorized

Obituary – Mary Jo “Jodi” King

 

Mary Jo “Jodi” King passed away peacefully on Monday, June 10th, at Vali Assisted Living in Westcliffe, Colorado. Mary Jo,
affectionately known as “Jodi,” was born March 4, 1941, in Topeka,
Kansas, to Carl and Laura Rieck. She was the oldest of two girls, Karla being the youngest. Jodi grew up in Burlingame, Kansas, but spent her high school and college years in Lamar, Colorado. She eventually moved back to Kansas, where she met the love of her life, Allen “Al” King. She married Al on June 17, 1966, and immediately became a military wife living all across the United States, even spending two years in Germany. In 1972, along with being a caring and supportive wife, she became a mother to their first child, Kellie, and in 1974, she welcomed their second child, Tracie, and their family was complete. In 1975, Al and Jodi moved back to Topeka, Kansas, to build a life and raise their girls.
In 2001, after 25 years of employment at the Security Benefit Life Insurance, Jodi retired, and she and Al were finally able to move and settle down in Westcliffe, Colorado. She was an active member of Community United Methodist Church for several decades, where she contributed not only her resources but her time. In her retirement, she enjoyed crossword puzzles, solitaire, and spending quality time with friends and family. After her beloved Allen passed in 2017, nothing was more important to Jodi than being the family matriarch, participating in the lives of her daughters and grandchildren. Jodi was a private woman with a wry sense of humor and a no-nonsense personality, but that honesty made her both funny and endearing. The King family legacy of dedication to God, family, and community will live on through her daughters and her grandchildren who were the joy of her life.
Prior to his passing, Jodi was able to celebrate 50 years of marriage to Al. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Allen King, and her younger sister, Karla. She is survived by her two daughters, Kellie and Tracie King, as well as her grandchildren, Sydney Borgen, Seani Millard, Danny Cain, and Jaymes Cain.
The celebration of life service for Mary Jo “Jodi” King will be held at Community United Methodist Church at 202 S 6th Street, Westcliffe on Saturday, August 3rd at 11:30 a.m.

2024, Uncategorized

The Denver Post Does a Hit Piece on the Sentinel

The Denver Post Does a Hit Piece on the Sentinel

by George Gramlich,
News and Commentary
A few weeks ago a reporter from the lefty Denver Post showed up at the Sentinel and wanted to interview me about the “newspaper war” in Happy Valley. He said he was a big-time reporter and had been to Iraq twice, blah, blah, blah. (He looked like a lib. He talked like a lib. He even smelled like a lib. His bio says, “He has focused on environmental and climate issues” and he’s a “licensed lawyer”. Case closed.) Sentinel honcho Fred Hernandez was there, too. I said I didn’t want to get interviewed as the DP is a lib paper and the odds of this reporter and them doing a fair piece on the free speech plethora in Happy Valley were ZERO. We talked to him for about ten minutes, all off the record and showed him the door. I knew what was coming. (Remember the hit piece the Colorado Sun did on us a few months ago.)
And it came last week. A Classic, one sided, lib drivel, moaning about guns, violence, anti-government attitude, etc. The usual progressive hysteria over conservative free speech and the 2nd Amendment. According to the reporter, the libs in town are petrified that we open carry at the Sentinel, and God forbid, walk on Main Street with a scary pistol. (Like many other people do.) Plus, we criticize our local government entities when they do bad things. Mon Dieu!
It was one of the most biased newspaper articles I have ever read. And I read a lot of them.
See the link below to read it, but I pulled out some precious quotes from the article for your amusement: (Note how non-biased the “reporter” is.)
Reporter: “At the right-wing Sentinel, managing editor and president George Gramlich, 73, and his staff work wearing holstered guns as they churn out overtly partisan news…” (Editor/GG: Yup. 9mm handguns give us guidance and helps us write better. AR15’s are mandatory for Editorials. Grenade Launchers for BOCC articles.)
“Longtime Tribune reporter  W.A. Ewing calls the Sentinel “the neo-fascist agit-prop pamphlet up the street” and said it is creating confusion and doubt about government — “softening up the citizenry for authoritarian rule” — and raising risks of violence.” (Editor/GG: Oh, my! I don’t think Ewing likes us rednecks. But you gotta like him, he always stays in character. We like creating “confusion and doubt about government”. That’s a newspaper’s job. Plus, I love when the libs go full lib gibberish progressive jargon, “neo-fascist agitprop”. I thought that might be an agricultural term used here in Happy Valley, but it is not. Might be a complement, though. And, of course, there is the mandatory lib mention of “violence”. They always fail to mention that the vast majority of that comes from them.)
Tribune Editor Hedberg: “The Sentinel draws support from a group of about 50 right-wing extremists…” (Editor/GG: Libs are bad with math. I think we got a few more than 50. So, in the Trib’s and the reporters’s delusional bubble of persecution perception, the Sentinel subscribers are “right-wing extremists”. I guess that is the liberal definition of Christian, conservative Republicans and Unaffiliated citizens who read the Sentinel every week. Which is most of the people in the county. And a huge percentage of the people in the country. Nice way to describe your neighbors who pay the taxes that keeps Custer County going.)
But there was a snippet of sanity at one point in the article. Apparently disagreeing with the hyped-up gun/violence theme the reporter created, the Westcliffe Town Manager, Caleb Patterson noted what most of the county believes, “On balance, Custer County residents benefit from news competition, town manager Caleb Patterson said.” (Editor/GG: Thank you, Caleb. He, and most of the county knows where the negativity and extremism is coming from. And it ain’t the Sentinel.)
So let’s do a little recap on this totally biased story from the reporter and the Denver Post:
Where are all the derogatory and negative comments against the Sentinel coming from in this article? (“right-wing Sentinel”, “partisan news”, “neofascist”, “agitprop”, “right-wing extremists”) From the Tribune people and the reporter. There are no negative comments at all about the Tribune, which, I guess, is the perfect example of mainstream media. That might be surprising to people who live here and know what is going on. Plus, the three non-Trib people interviewed all said having two papers in the county was a good thing. Strange that the people in the county want the Sentinel but somehow the reporter spends the whole article knocking us. This is the mainstream media at its best. And, as you can see, it is a pathetic, transparent joke.
So, go read it and get some belly laughs.
https://www.denverpost.com/2024/07/15/newspaper-feud-westcliff-tribune-sentinel-defamation/
Or try this archive to retrieve the article: https://archive.ph/bTQru
(Addendum: David Codrea’s Second Amendment blog site, one of the biggest in the country, has picked up on this piece of lib propaganda: https://waronguns.com/paper-trail/)

2024, Uncategorized

Meet the 2024 Stampede Royalty

L to R Miss Stampede – Donna Fern, Queen – Paige Lorenzen, Princess – Sarah McPherson
Photo credit: Sagebrush Souls Photography

Press Release
The Wet Mountain Valley Rodeo Royalty is so excited for the rodeo
this weekend and want to invite you to come to any of the remaining two performances, July 19 and 20 at Wet Mountain Stampede PRCA Rodeos, both at 6 p.m.  And they will lead the Parade Saturday at 10 a.m.
2024 Queen, Paige Lorenzen, has been working hard attending local events as well as visiting other PRCA rodeos all around the state this summer, making new connections and spreading the word about our local PRCA Wet Mountain Valley Stampede. She has done a fantastic job representing our rodeo and we are so proud of the person she has grown into over this last year.
You may have seen any of the girls, Paige Lorenzen (Queen), Donna Fern (Miss Stampede), or Sarah McPherson (Princess) at the parades this summer or Saddle Club work days, where they volunteered to help spiff up the rodeo grounds before the big event this weekend. These girls are all hard workers and add so much enthusiasm to the space they are in. They have all done an amazing job representing our program.

Paige Lorenzen (2024 Wet Mountain Valley Stampede Queen)
She is 19-year-old daughter of Tim and Charity Lorenzen. Currently Paige is attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado and she intends to get her bachelors degree in Livestock Business Management. She enjoys spending her summers on a horse or making coffee at Peregrine Coffee Roasters!

Donna Fern (2024 Wet Mountain Valley Miss Stampede)
Hi, I’m Donna Fern. I am 15 years old. I am proud to be serving in the Wet Mountain Valley Stampede as Miss Stampede. I am getting started in the horse training business as well as in the Pueblo Wranglers 4-H group. I’ve been showing horses in 4-H for 4 years and am a proud member of NRHA.

Sarah McPherson (2024 Wet Mountain Valley Stampede Princess)
My name is Sarah McPherson. I am nine years old and in fourth grade at Rye Elementary School. I am a member of 4H and Southern Colorado Horseman’s association. I absolutely love everything about horses and rodeo. So I am honored and excited to be your 2024 Wet Mountain Valley Stampede Princess!

2024, Uncategorized

Rodeo Events

 

Press Release
We Kicked off our celebration of the ranching way of life and Rodeo Weekend Thursday evening with our Ranch Rodeo at the Wet Mountain  Valley Saddle Club located at 90 CR 241 in Westcliffe.
The Wet Mountain Valley PRCA/WPRA Stampede Rodeo is this Friday and Saturday. Gates open at 3 p.m. with the Grand Entry beginning at 6 p.m. The entry fee is $35 per person, $30 for active military and veterans, children 10 and under are free. For advance tickets, please visit our website wmvsc.com, rodeoticket.com or one of our local partners:
Antlers Liquor, Candy’s Coffee, The Liquor Cabinet, The County Store, Salty Pine or Silver Cliff Mountain Inn and Restaurant. Three of our Kids events will start off the fun with Mutton Bustin, Mini Bronc and Steer Riding! Be there to cheer on our little cowboys and cowgirls. Our professional cowgirls and cowboys continue with all your favorite Rodeo events!


We have made additional investments this year to ensure the best and safest Rodeo possible. We have added additional seating, expanded our food and specialty
vendor areas, taken additional measures to keep people safe, put in a Sponsor lounge and reserved sponsor seating and enhanced our focus on the spectator and contestant experience. As always, we are looking for more volunteers and would appreciate anyone who could lend a hand. This year we will have a volunteer event in August to provide a special thanks to the folks who make the experience happen! If you are interested, please visit the sign up genius link on our website wmvsc.com.


In addition to the professional cowboys and cowgirls who will compete in this year’s Rodeo, we also have Rider and Bethany Keisner as our specialty acts, Rider is a multiple time World Championship Trick roper and gun spinner, Bethany is well known for her trick riding and showmanship. They will be there to stun the crowd with their incredible skills. At the conclusion of each Rodeo performance, we will have live entertainment. This year our band
Friday evening is local favorite Triple Nickel.  Saturday evening
features recording artist and highway find Clare Dunn. And of course, don’t forget our Rodeo parade Saturday morning at 10 a.m. Please line the streets to support the Ranching way of life, our incredible contestants, the Stampede Royalty lead by our Queen Paige Lorenzan and our outstanding sponsors.

2024, Uncategorized

Sangre Art Guild July is Poppin’, Awards announced

Sangres Art Guild is pleased to announce the 1st and 2nd place winners of the 3rd Street Gallery show, July’s a Poppin’. Thanks to the artistic eye of Joe Cawlfield, a well-known Pueblo artist and art judge, Pattie Wall won $150 for 1st place with Wary and Wise and a $100 award for 2nd place went to Susan Marion for Rafters on the Arkansas. In addition, a 3rd place ribbon was awarded to Jill Westbrook for Just Add Water while honorable mention ribbons were given to Sandra Dalton for Miss Kitty B&W, Julie Hutslar for Fiercely Loyal, Amy Motazedi for Tribute, and Jeanene Parker for Canyon Overlook. Congratulations to the winners of the People’s Choice Ribbon Awards: 1st place Crested Beauty by Lauren Dwyer and 2nd place Awakenings by Jan Kraus.

On Saturday, July 6th from 4 – 6 pm., a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception was held for the Opening Day of this show. July’s a Poppin’ continues to be featured on the 1st floor of the
gallery found at 59000 N. Highway 69, Thursday – Monday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., through July 27rh.
Intake for the the gallery’s next show, For the Love of Animals show, a collaboration with and benefit for Wet Mountain Welfare, takes place July 28 and 29 for artists of all skill levels, styles and mediums. Although all art themes will be accepted, only artworks with animal themes will be judged by local, highly acclaimed, and award winning graphite pencil artist, Andy Mast. The 1st Place award is $150, and 2nd place is $100.
On Saturday, August 3rd from 4 – 6 p.m., the public is invited to enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres at the Opening Day Reception at 3rd Street Gallery.
The gallery encourages young artists ages 2 through high school by proudly displaying their artwork while the 2nd floor is devoted to displaying artwork of the guild’s volunteers. Sangres Art Guild is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. For more information, please visit sangresartguild.org or call 719-315-6045.