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COMMUNITY: Behind the scenes of ‘The Greatest and Best Play in The World,’ B1
GHS receives false active shooter call
VOL. 142. NO. 9 | THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023 | $1.00
One of numerous hoax threats made at schools across Colorado Bella Biondini Times Editor
On Wednesday, Feb. 22, schools across Colorado went into lockdown after receiving shooter and bomb threats — all of which were a hoax. Gunnison High School was one of those targeted, joining schools from the Western Slope and the Front Range including Grand Junction, Alamosa, Durango, Carbondale, Aspen, Cañon City and more. The Gunnison Police Department notified school administration about the possibility of a swatting call before the incident occurred. At approximately 1:57 p.m., the Gunnison Police Department received a fictitious active shooter call at the high school. According to a press release from the Lockdown A7
An apple a day
Abby Harrison
Erinn Cutright, a member of Mountain Roots Food Project’s food security team, loads boxes of fresh produce into her car on Feb. 28. The food security team has been donating boxes to early childhood educators around the valley for nearly six months. For the full story, see A14.
School district to expand on-campus TODAY therapy program in fall 2023 INSIDE
NEWS: MetRec drafting new community grant program, A3
SPORTS: Winter seasons draw to a close, B5
OBITUARIES A3 OPINION A4-A5
Four out of five positions secured for upcoming school year Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer Bella Biondini Times Editor
The Gunnison Watershed School District is working to ensure all students have access to free therapy sessions through a partnership with Gunnison Valley Health (GVH) — all without having to leave campus. Both community-centered
and statewide surveys conducted within the past couple of years identified students’ lack of access to counseling services as a growing problem. In addition to limited availability, obtaining private clinical counseling services for students in the valley often means they are regularly pulled out of school for appointments, putting them behind in the classroom. Parents and guardians are also impacted, losing time and money to bring children to appointments. In response, the school district entered an agreement with GVH to begin offering schoolbased clinical counseling during the 2021-22 school year at Gunnison Elementary School, Therapy A6
CLASSIFIEDS A15-A17 SPORTS B5 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM NEWS WORTH DEVOURING SINCE 1881
Bella Biondini
School-based clinician Evangelyn Willrodt’s office at Gunnison Community School is filled with painting materials and toys for visiting students.
A ‘cliff effect’ for local families on food stamps Emergency SNAP allotments end March 1
Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Just days ago, pandemicera emergency food assistance came to an end for families around the country. During the pandemic, all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households received
the maximum allowable amount for their household size, regardless of income changes. But an end-of-year federal budget bill mandated an end to the benefit, cutting the food budget for over 1,000 families in Gunnison County alone. SNAP provides a monthly stipend that helps low-income
families and individuals purchase the food they need. Benefits are calculated using individual income and expenditures, and participants receive an Electronic Benefit Transfer card preloaded with money to use at participating grocery stores. SNAP A6