Homeschoolers Meeting Coming Up

A home school information meeting will be held from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11, at the East Morgan County Library, 500 Clayton Street, in the Carnegie meeting room. Topics of discussion will include: Why Home school, How to Start Homeschooling, the Colorado Home school Law, and scheduling, materials, testing, and how to help all ages and abilities of students achieve with homeschooling. Experienced home schooling parents will be present to speak about home schooling teens, multiple students, high achievers, average students, pre-school, teens, struggling learners, and special needs students. There will be resource material available to take home.
The meeting is free and open to the public interested in this topic. For more information, contact Shari McMinn at mcminnbcfarm@frii.com.

North Sterling Reservoir State Park Not on Chopping Block

Could North Sterling Reservoir State Park be closing? That was the talk of Sterling City Council last week. City councilman and Logan County Chamber of Commerce president Rocky Joy said the park is on the short list of those to close and needs to see support from the city to stay open. Officials from the state parks said North Sterling is not yet in danger of closure. They said that while millions come to state parks in a year's time, parks are suffering because of state budgets.

Hours Change for Holiday

There are several closings coming up for the New Year's holiday. Federal, state county and city offices will be closed on Friday for the Saturday holiday. Morgan County landfill closes at noon on Friday, there's no mail delivery or window service at the post office on Saturday, and the Fort Morgan Post Office closes at noon on Friday. There's no trash pick up in Fort Morgan on Friday. That will be picked up on Thursday. Brush will also not pick up trash on Friday. Banks will not be opened on Friday and some will close early on Thursday, so you probably need to call first.
Fort Morgan Public Library, the Fort Morgan Museum and East Morgan County Library in Brush will be closed Friday and Saturday. Schools are out for the holidays. Students will return to classes Monday, January 3 at Morgan Community College, Weldon Valley and Trinity schools. Fort Morgan, Brush and Wiggins public school students are back in classes on Tuesday, January 4.

Pilot Dies In Small Plane Crash

The pilot of a small plane was killed yesterday when his Cessna crashed into a remote area southwest of Carter Lake near Loveland. The man's identity has not be disclosed, but federal aviation officials were tipped that a pilot lost control of his craft shortly before 3 p.m. Larimer County Sheriff's officials said the impact of the wreck sparked a two-and-a-half acre wildfire, but crews were quickly on top of the blaze. Federal authorities are investigating.

Departing Governor Ritter May Be Remembered For Health-Care Reform

The soon-to-be-departing Governor Bill Ritter will likely always be remembered for wind farms and the, quote, "new-energy economy" that was his trademark. But some experts tell the "Denver Post" he will be remembered even longer for health-care. Health-care advocates say Ritter's administration has done more to expand public insurance rolls than any governor in Colorado since the state started participating in the federal Medicaid program 40 years ago. When the economy struggled, he cut reimbursement rates to hospitals and doctors that treat Medicaid patients but he got little criticism for those cuts.

Mother Surrenders Baby Boy At Pueblo Fire Station

Authorities have taken custody of a newborn baby boy left at Fire Station Eleven in Pueblo on Christmas Eve. Officials say the baby's mother's family members had delivered the baby at home, and the mother asked that her baby be taken to a fire station under the Safe Haven Act. It is the first child surrendered at a Pueblo Fire Department station since the start of the Safe Haven for Newborns program several years ago. The program allows anyone to give up custody of a newborn at any Pueblo fire station or hospital or by calling 9-1-1.