Brief by Marcia Darnell
San Luis Valley – July 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine
Hot Issue
Fireworks erupted at a town meeting held by Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell. Opponents of the Patriot Act took issue with Campbell’s support for the measure, which they say encroaches on civil liberties. An argument ensued, then escalated, until Campbell, insisting he was protecting the country from terrorism, ordered the group out of the meeting. Campbell then stated that he had a duty to stand up to people who berate him. Watch for fallout.
Promise Keeper
Don Hintz and Stan Becker are traveling on horseback from La Garita to Wausau, WI, to raise money to fight cancer. Hintz promised his wife, Carol, before her death two years ago that he’d do this, and he’s honoring that vow with the help of a friend. Hintz’s mother is ill with cancer in Wausau. The two are collecting for the American Cancer Society and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Train vs. Drain
It’s another round in the Shank-Creede match. The owner of the old rail line between Creede and South Fork took issue with the town’s new drainage system. He says the installation intrudes on his property; the town says he’s delayed this important project. Lawyers are suiting up.
H-2-Woe
Alamosa physician Michael Butner is sick of sick patients. He says he’s treating many people for arsenic poisoning from drinking well water. The arsenic builds in the water naturally, the result of sediment from our gold- and silver-laden mountains. Alamosa’s municipal water doesn’t meet the EPA’s new standard for arsenic containment, averaging 2030 parts per billion of the poison. The city promises a cleanup within a couple of years. Dr. Butner urges testing for private wells.
It’s Kits!
Widdle baby lynx kittens have been found by the Division of Wildlife, proof that the lynx release program hasn’t been a total disaster. Two sets of two kits were found in dens at about 11,000 feet in undisclosed locations. Another litter of four was found a few days later.
Battle Lines
The owners of Blue Creek Lodge in Mineral County are tussling with the U.S. Forest Service over boundaries. The feds are claiming seven acres of what the Philbern family thought was theirs. The disagreement stems from a survey done in the 1880s.
Brief Briefs
AWDI was ordered by district court Judge John Kuenhold to release its hold on the Baca Ranch. AWDI will get $694,000 from Cabeza de Vaca Land & Cattle Co. for its share of the ranch.
The Sunshine Potato Flake plant in Center was sold to Idaho Pacific.
Capt. John Michalke of the Alamosa Police Dept. completed training at the FBI National Academy.
The Silver Thread Byway, which links South Fork, Creede, and Lake City, has a $40,000 marketing grant courtesy of the U.S. Transportation Dept.
The Alamosa Community Development Corp., oddly known as ACDC, has challenged the city council over possible misspending of use tax money.
The Alamosa City Council bought new chairs for $579 each. The councilors’ new seats replace the ones purchased just last November.
The Colorado Alligator Farm near Mosca will be featured on “Ripley’s Believe It or Not.”
Blanca adopted new zoning regs. Costilla County is having trouble enforcing its codes, thanks to legal challenges by owners of old buildings.
Bridgett Nicholson resigned as CEO of Conejos County Hospital. The facility just formed a partnership with the SLV Regional Medical Center, a move that should help the ailing small hospital.
SNOTEL reports that the snowpack melted at an above-average rate in May, due to warm weather.
Alamosa County’s tobacco prevention program can keep breathing, thanks to a $23,000 grant from the Cooper Institute.
St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Alamosa has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Greg Gillaspie is the newest member of the Alamosa City Council, replacing the ailing Dr. Lynn Weldon.
Adams State’s Jason Ramstetter was named Colorado Collegiate Wrestling Coach of the Year by the state chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
In other sports news, Alamosa’s Jay Osmon is shooting for a slot in the PGA. The Adams State senior has been playing golf since he was 6.