Eco News
December storms that ravaged the rest of the country were kind to the mid Valley: lotsa cold, little snow on the ground, but good snowpack. According to the Division of Water Resources, the Rio Grande Basin went from below normal to above normal snowpack in about a week.
A Saguache group called Citizens for Non-Destructive Power is opposed to the solar project by Tessera Solar. The proposed 1,500-acre plant is too close to ranches and wetlands, they say, and they urge Saguache County Commissioners to reject Tessera’s land use application. A public hearing on the plan was slated for January.
Meanwhile, the Alamosa County Commissioners are urging the state for more power. The board signed and delivered a letter to the utility companies requesting more transmission lines in the region, citing the need for access to the area’s wind and solar resources.
Adams State College lost its bid to go solar on campus, as Xcel Energy said “no” to funding. In happier eco happenings, Alamosa High School activated its solar power system with much pomp and revelry.
CRT Rocks
Creede Repertory Theatre won six Reader’s Choice Awards by the Denver Post for its 2009 season. CRT won Best Year by a Company, Theatre Person of the Year (Creative Director Maurice LaMee), Best Comedy (“The Imaginary Invalid”), Best Supporting Actress in a Comedic Role (Anne Butler, “The Imaginary Invalid”), Best Year by an Actress (Diana Dresser), and Best Year by an Actor (Michael Bouchard).
Protests Work
Controversial Moffat school superintendent Charles Warren is out. His departure, a mutual agreement between him and the school board, may end the divisiveness over his firing of principal Michelle Hashbarger, whose job fate has yet to be decided by the school board.
More Money Misdeeds
More indictments came down in the massive embezzlement from the Alamosa Housing Authority. Director Patricia Martinez, who has admitted taking over $1.2 million, involved several relatives and employees in her scheme. Presiliano Bonificio pleaded guilty, and Terry Lynn Lucero has been charged with filing false tax returns, having not reported income from her involvement in the theft.
Brief Briefs
• A record 1,700 people attended the annual Community Christmas Dinner in Alamosa.
• Visitation to the Great Sand Dunes was up six percent last year over 2008, Park officials say.
• Residents of the “Pink Elephant” apartments at Sixth Street and State Avenue in Alamosa were abruptly evicted when the city condemned their home. The dwellers were given less then a week to move.
• Potato yields were up in 2009, but prices were down significantly, resulting in less income for many growers in the San Luis Valley.
•Alamosa has a new bus line, after Greyhound pulled the plug in September. Arrow/Black Hills Stage Lines leaves Alamosa at 6:20 a.m. Daily and stops in Moffat, Villa Grove and Salida before hitting Denver at 11:15. The reverse route takes place evenings.
• The Valley scored over $1 million in federal funds for Head Start. The early childhood education program will likely create 22 new jobs with the money.
• The Alamosa City Council imposed a four month moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries, then slated a public forum on the issue for mid-January.
• The Dec. 2 death of Kristin Weiss, 27, at the Great Sand Dunes was officially ruled an accident.
• Holly Felmlee returned home to Alamosa from a stint in Romania with the Peace Corps. She’s taking over as general manager of public radio station KRZA.
• Martie Jo Valdez was named Faculty of the Year at Trinidad State Junior College – Valley Campus. She teaches English and reading.
