Colorado 31st on the Poverty List --Associated Press

Colorado is 31st on the poverty list. The state's poverty rate is 12.3 percent, two percentage points lower than the country's rate of 14.3 percent. Chris Watney is the president of the nonprofit Colorado Children's Campaign. She said the Census figures show that the number of children living in poverty in the state is "dramatically rising."

The Census will release more detailed economic data on Sept. 28 as part of its American Community Survey.

Sterling's Sugar Beet Days This Weekend

Sugar Beet Days is this weekend in Sterling! The annual arts and crafts festival is in its 30th year on the grounds of the Logan County Court House. The festival is tomorrow and Sunday and features food, entertainment, vendors, homemade crafts and rides. The hours on Saturday are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The festival is working this year with the Family Resource Center.

LifePoint Caught Off Guard

This week's announcement by Banner Health that it's building a new hospital between Fort Morgan and Brush has caught LifePoint off-guard. LifePoint operates Colorado Plains Medical Center in Fort Morgan. Its C-E-O, Mike Patterson, says he was unaware of Banner's announcement of their plans to build a new state-of-the-art medical center between Fort Morgan and Brush. He goes on by saying C-P-M-C has been working with the Morgan County Healthcare Horizon Council over the last year to review the health care needs in the county. LifePoint and Banner had been in talks to join forces in building the new hospital. Those talks broke down last Friday.

Library Advisory Board Meets Monday

The Fort Morgan Library Advisory Board meets Monday afternoon at 5 p.m. in the Library's Community room. They'll be reviewing the library's policy statement. Keep in mind, even as the advisory board meets, the library itself will be in the middle of its move into the new part of its building. The library is set to reopen on the 22nd.