The Colorado Sun had an interesting article explaining different Colorado school district reactions to having to change their mascot. Lamar School District wants to keep the name "Savages," while Yuma School District wants to change the name to "Tribe" from the current mascot, "Indians." The Colorado Commission on Indian Affairs told both districts that the names are not likely to be found compliant with the law. 

Lamar argues that they could still use the word "Savages" without referring to Native American imagery, while Yuma argues the word "Tribe" doesn't have explicitly Native American connotations. 

Still, the article explains that "Lamar has long used the Savages nickname along with Native American logos and imagery and in the 1980s had “Chief Ugh Lee” as the mascot. The Yuma Indians also have used Native American imagery and mascots." 

Lamar will have a mascot committee decide between moving forward with a rebranded "Savages" name or picking a new mascot. Yuma already had a committee come up with new names, with Tribe being the favorite. Montrose also got a shoutout as the school district presented its case on rebranding Johnson Elementary's "Thunderbird" logo, but the commission's board had no comments. 

All of the districts' level of compliance will be analyzed for the first time in March, when the board of the CCIA will meet.

What do you think about the decision's of Yuma and Lamar school districts? Or for that matter, what do you think about Montrose's decision to fight the Johnson Elementary change? It's certainly interesting to see how different communities have reacted to the new law, as well as the different histories and contexts behind each district's mascot. 

Around 21,800 residents in Montrose County will receive their 2021 property tax statements this week. The majority are expected to receive an approximate 20% increase on their tax owed for their residential property, according to a report from Montrose County Assessor Brad Hughes.

Why will this happen? Well, the answer is a bit complicated and comes down to three main factors: valuation increases, the state residential assessment rate, and mill levies. Head to Josue's article to get the full details on exactly what each of these points mean. For this year, the increase primarily came from higher appraisals, some entities raising their mill levies and many mill levies remaining the same, rather than decreasing. The residential assessment rate will actually decrease next year,  but market values are still expected to increase. 

Let me know if you have any questions and I'm happy to answer (or find someone who can)!

As of Jan. 12, seven people were hospitalized at Montrose Regional Health with a COVID-19 illness, according to the hospital’s data.

Of the seven, five patients were unvaccinated. Four of the seven were in ICU; of these, three were not vaccinated. One person was on a ventilator; that person was not vaccinated.

211 people were hospitalized with COVID between Oct. 1, 2021 and Dec. 15, 2021. Of them, 27.49% were vaccinated; 62.09% were not vaccinated; 0.47% were partially vaccinated and the vaccine status of 9.95% was unknown.

According to CDPHE data, the COVID-19 one-week and two-week cumulative incidence rates per 100,000 people remain very high for Montrose and Delta counties, along with most of Colorado counties at the moment. This number reflects the number of new cases in the past week (or two) in a given county per 100,000 people. 

The most recent reported vaccination rate for Montrose was 55.4%, which represents people receiving at least one dose.

How have you been affected by the recent Omicron surge? 

Some tenants that have already signed leases in the new Mayfly-Outdoors-developed complex, Colorado Outdoors, will already move in during the spring and summer. 

Montrose Angelers is one of those businesses and has already announced plans to move, but the other eight companies that have signed leases are expected to announce soon.

Another company moving in to the broader campus is Wedge Brands, which owns Level Gloves, Elevenate Apparel and Xcel Wetsuits, and will be completed in Spring 2022.

Check out reporter Josue Perez's article to read more about the progress and the tenants expected to move in. 

We've had some NABUR members express some skepticism in the past about the Colorado Outdoors complex. What do you think about the plans? Do you expect it to attract the kind of customers it's looking for?

After a cancellation last winter due to COVID-19, event organizers for Montrose’s Got Talent are excited to put on the  Montrose’s Got Talent event this year for the fourth time. 

While winners do receive cash prizes, the event is also raising money for Montrose Education Foundation.

Talented Montrose residents of all ages can audition at the Pavilion Event Center on Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets for the finale on Feb. 12 will be $10 for adults and $5 for students. They will be available to purchase at the Montrose Economic Development Corporation offices, school district headquarters and at the door. An opportunity to livestream the event is also in the works.

So, will you be participating? How about attending? 

We're still learning more about the destruction wrought by the Marshall Fire in Boulder County, but it's clear recovery will be slow-moving and hard. The Colorado Sun put together a striking minute-by-minute timeline  of the Marshall Fire's effects, with interviews from people on the ground, fleeing literal flames. Huge wind gusts fueled the fire itself, as well as confusion as people figured out where to go. To that end, Colorado Public Radio also has an excellent piece detailing how firefighters struggled to find the fire itself in the early stages, and lost some precious time as a result.

The Sun also published a helpful guide on how to prepare for future Colorado fires, including how to put together an emergency kit and how to plan evacuation routes. 

Do you have a plan for any emergencies like this? Do you know anyone who was affected by the Marshall fire? It would be great to hear your stories. 

Katharhynn Heidelberg reported today that Coram on Monday filed paperwork to run for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, putting months of speculation to rest. 

Marina Zimmerman  is the only other Republican challenging Boebert so far. She has not reported any contributions so far to the Federal Elections Commission, while Boebert has raised nearly $2.8 million in the first nine months of 2021. 

Coram said that the ideological split within the GOP is causing the party to shed members, and that more and more Coloradoans will become unaffiliated. 

What do you think about Coram's decision to seek higher office? And have you been satisfied with his tenure in the state legislature so far?

What stories will you take away from 2021? What do you think about when you consider the last year in Montrose news? 

The Montrose Daily Press has  reposted and recapped the top stories from 2021 to ring in the new year, and I wanted to share some sneak peaks into each one.

• Vaccines dominated conversations.  From COVID spikes to vaccine mandates to protests over vaccine mandates, the COVID-19 vaccines were a key topic of conversation in Montrose and on NABUR for this year.
• COVID-19 stress tests public entities. The thrust of this story surrounds the pandemic’s impact on Montrose Regional Health, including a lack of hospital beds during peaks of COVID-19 cases.
• Little Blue Canyon Creek gets highway upgrades.The project, affectionately known as “Little Blue,” began construction with plans for realignment, widening the highway to two 12-foot travel lanes with the addition of wide-paved shoulders, guardrail replacement, additional rockfall catchment area, new signage and striping. Little Blue’s project team planned out two “seasons” for construction. The first season wrapped up on Dec. 23, with work hitting pause until spring arrives.
• Mobile home parks in Montrose left behind. Residents have waited years for problems to be addressed in Montrose mobile home parks, including dilapidated homes, overgrown trees and a sparsity of reliable water and sewer lines. With private ownership of these parks, there was little the city could do, but the city has now committed money towards the developer building new homes, on the condition that certain improvements be made to the parks.
• Support for Latino communities. Colorado legislators this past year championed to further the rights of Latinos. It led to more than a dozen pro-immigrant bills passing in the 2021 legislative session. On the local level, the Hispanic Affairs Project played a role this year in the Welcoming Colorado initiative, as well as the introduction of an Immigrant Heritage Month Proclamation in Montrose.
• Local entrepreneurs dive in. Main Street saw the opening of San Juan Brews, Reign A Beauty Collective and recently, The Flower Shoppe. In June, VCM Global Asset Management and Benezet Realty Partners announced the acquisition of the Russell Stover manufacturing facility and revealed plans to turn it into the Western Slope Food and Innovation Center. Other Montrose businesses expanded, furthering growth by relocating, such as Chow Down and Adrenaline Vans. Colorado Yurt Company is building a new facility within Colorado Outdoors, and Montrose Anglers announced plans to relocate into the Flex Buildings within Colorado Outdoors. There’s plenty more examples of investment in Montrose, so be sure to check out this story for the full details.
• Housing market in Montrose changes. Home prices skyrocketed to astronomical levels in Montrose this year all while inventory largely remained stagnant or declined. It left first-time home buyers scrambling. Local developers like Matt Miles and Brad Yeagar have been building homes this year, but most lots are purchased right away.
• Montrose mascots must change. As we all know, the passage of the Prohibit American Indian Mascots bill at the state level means that Montrose High and Centennial Middle will be changing their mascots come June. If you haven’t already, make sure to vote on our poll for the mascot shortlist.
• Olathe officer fired for inappropriate behavior. An Olathe Police Department officer was fired for unspecified policy violations in 2021 after allegations that he had inappropriately touched a dispatcher and a fellow officer despite prior warnings about how he behaved at the dispatch center.

What story will you remember the most from 2021? (It doesn’t have to be one of these, or even an MDP story). Are there any that you think we missed?

Also, I just want to give a huge shoutout to reporters @Josue Perez  @Anna Lynn Winfrey @Katharhynn Heidelberg @Cassie Knust  for their beyond hard work this year on putting these stories and more together, and of course managing editor @Justin Tubbs for making it all happen.

We're almost in 2022! And that means there's an opportunity for a whole host of new promises and new goals for the new year. 

While I'm sure everyone has some personal goals (for example, I need to read more books), I think it's more interesting to talk on NABUR about your goals as they relate to the community of Montrose.

For instance, would you like to volunteer more next year? Would you like to get involved in any community organizations? Are you hoping to explore more outside, or join any meetup groups? Do you want to get involved with city government or the school board? Do you want to go to more Montrose High School games?

Whatever your goals may be, it'd be cool to hear about them in the comments! 

And Happy New Year Montrose!

The season for multiple sports will be ramping up in the new year, including swimming, wrestling and basketball. Reporter Josue Perez outlined some names and trends to watch out for in the next few months, like wrestler Kamron Alegria or swimmers Alise Hardie and Caitlyn Dillon.

Josue also outlines some expectations for the girls' and boys' basketball team, highlighting a few key players who might be difference-makers in 2022. Check out the article for his full analysis. 

If you follow Montrose sports at all, do you have any expectations for their performance next year? What games are you looking forward to watching?