KSJD Local News

Drought still has the Four Corners in its fiery grip, but forecasters are hopeful that a good monsoon season may be coming.

A transition from one water supplier to another in the town of Dove Creek is reportedly proceeding smoothly, However, the town hall remains closed because of anger and threats directed at staff over major price hikes caused by the change.

The Babylon Fire southwest of Monticello is about 102,900 acres and 21% contained. Crews are prioritizing the Indian Creek and Twin Peaks area after active overnight burning.

The Montezuma County commissioners are planning to take on the duties of the county administrator themselves while they look for a replacement for current administrator Travis Anderson.

The Ferris Fire northwest of Dolores is about 51,000 acres and 21% contained. Fire activity has increased in Dolores River Canyon, and Dolores County has added Zones 13 and 14 to SET status.

As wildfires rage across the West, many municipalities are cancelling their fireworks displays, while others are not.

Unofficial Montezuma County primary election results show Rodney Cox leading the Republican commissioner race and Jerri Frizzell leading the clerk and recorder race.

More than a decade after it was named one of the highest-priority trail projects in the state, ground has not been broken on the Paths to Mesa Verde project. But that time may be growing nearer.

Evacuation orders remain in place as the Ferris, Far Draw and Doe Canyon fires burn in western Montezuma and Dolores counties. Additional fires are also active in southeastern Utah.

Critics of HR 1 warned in a Zoom call Thursday that its impacts to patients and hospitals in rural Colorado will be enormous.

The Pantry Produce Share Program will provide fresh, locally grown produce to food pantries in Montezuma and Dolores counties and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Nation. In Dolores, the library district board has voted to terminate Executive Director Sean Gantt’s contract after discussing a third-party workplace assessment.

Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez has been honored nationally, even as it faces financial struggles that are being shared by many hospitals across the state and nation.

The Montelores Coalition’s first Strike Team projects will support cleanup at Hawkins Preserve, Mancos River restoration and derelict fence removal near Rico.

Because of an enforcement order issued by the state, the Town of Dove Creek soon will be getting its water from a new source. That decision has led to a price increase that made some town residents so angry that the Town Hall has closed because of threats to staff.

Grand Canyon National Park has issued a warning that, because of extreme heat, people should not hike below the rim between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The Montezuma County commissioners this week said no to both a sales-tax question and a proactive emergency declaration.

The Four Corners Poetry Festival brought poets laureate to the Durango Public Library for workshops and readings focused on memory, language, sensory writing and place.

Conservation groups are expressing relief that Congress appears unlikely to throw out the management plan for Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

A survey regarding voters’ attitudes toward a 1 percent sales tax in Montezuma County has been completed.