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by Kimberly Black Crestone Food Bank manager Karol Penner resigned, effective Sept. 18, after nearly a year leading the pantry within La Puente’s Food Bank Network of the San Luis Valley. Sherice Shiner from La Puente will serve in the interim until a new management team is found. No one has stepped forward to take over management yet. “I know the core volunteers we have want to keep it as accessible as possible because there is an element of real need in the community,” Penner said. She cited injuries sustained at the food bank and a desire to spend more time with...

Hearing highlights issues with state hospital systemic failure by Kim Black Baca Resident Leslie Lorish remains in custody and it is unlikely that she will be released any time soon. That decision was handed down by a judge following a hearing on Aug. 28. Judge Kim Cortez ruled Lorish incompetent to stand trial and ordered inpatient restoration, requiring her to remain in-custody until the state hospital can admit her. Lorish’s next hearing on restoration treatment is set for Sept. 25 at 3:30 p.m., at the Alamosa Competency Court, in Alamosa, CO.  The most recent ruling followed an earlier hearing on Aug. 18 that...

By Anya Kaats A proposed glamping and wellness retreat known as Dark Sky Dunes has withdrawn its request to be excluded from the Baca Grande Water and Sanitation District, following a reassessment of infrastructure costs and a renewed commitment to working with local utilities. The project, envisioned by co-founders Adam Escobar and Brandon A. DeHoff is situated on a 171-acre parcel between Crestone and Casita Park. Escobar is a native Floridian who lives in Denver, and DeHoff was born and raised in Colorado. Escobar and DeHoff aim to create a “glampground” for friends, family and eventually, public guests. It features geodesic...

By Kaitlyn Fletcher After nearly two months of public pressure, political opposition, and policy constraints, Senator (R-Utah) Mike Lee withdrew his controversial provision to sell public lands from the Senate Reconciliation Bill.  Amidst this win, the Trump administration rolled back other environmental rules that will allow public lands to be stripped of their resources under the guise of wildfire mitigation and energy dominance. This agenda continues to threaten this American legacy for future generations. “Because of the strict constraints of the budget reconciliation process, I was unable to secure clear, enforceable safeguards to guarantee that these lands would be sold only to...

By Kimberly Black As the U.S. Senate prepares to take up H.R.1, passed by the House at 1 a.m. on May 22, local food banks are already feeling the effects of shrinking federal support. The bill proposes $267 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next decade. It would expand work requirements to individuals aged 18 to 64 (currently 18 to 59), shift more financial responsibility to states, repeal the SNAP Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program, limit caregiver exemptions to those with children under age 7 (down from under age 18), restrict states’ ability...

By Kim Black  A Moffat resident’s complaint about a neighboring lot used as a dump has prompted town officials to take notice. The property, located at 151 W. 6 St. — just north of the Mirage Trading Co. and less than 500 yards from Moffat High School — has become an eyesore and health concern.  Trash bags, toilet paper, and exposed refuse cover the lot. An excavator was used to dig a pit where additional waste was dumped and left unburied. The site, visible from the school, a nearby coffee shop, and Hwy. 17, has raised alarm as a potential environmental...

By Anya Kaats  The town of Crestone and the Baca Grande Water and Sanitation District (BGWSD) have signed a 20-year Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for BGWSD to process the town of Crestone’s wastewater.  While the town of Crestone has been paying BGWSD for ongoing wastewater treatment services since 2002, the two entities had been operating without a signed IGA since Feb. 2022.  Negotiations of the new IGA provoked questions among Baca residents about discrepancies between the cost they pay for wastewater treatment service versus what the town of Crestone pays.  On average, the town of Crestone currently accounts for around 20% of the monthly...

By Anya KaatsPhoto by Anya Kaats The Crestone Energy Fair (CEF) has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Mountain and Plains Environmental Justice Grant Hub (MAP EJ) to further its research on alternative building techniques. The funding will allow the organization to refine its data collection methods and continue advocating for sustainable housing solutions and preserve Saguache County’s lack of building codes. This grant comes on the heels of the recently concluded Sustainable Home Showdown (SHS), a citizen-led research initiative that evaluated a diverse array of homes in the Crestone area. The SHS aimed to collect data on home efficiency,...