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Ranchers double down on drought resilience, A5
NEWS WORTH DEVOURING SINCE 1881 VOL. 142. NO. 11 | THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2023 | $1.00
Spring storm adds to an already wet winter Drought unlikely to return to most of county before fall Alan Wartes Times Publisher
Just when February’s unusually cold and snowy weather seemed to be in retreat, March delivered a firm reminder that winter is not over yet. A “strong winter storm,” as it was Storm A6
INSIDE
TODAY COMMENTARY
AG reports on fentanyl and social media, A4
Mariel Wiley
Powder nights on the big hill Western Colorado University students made the most of this weekend’s storm with some late night sledding on the big hill above the Crismon Practice Field on Friday, March 10. Mila Lumae, Gibson Kenny and Joey Salat get a head start on boating season.
County universal pre-K enrollment strong Program provides 15 hours of free daycare per week Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
NEWS County signs on for additional opioid settlement dollars, A13
SPORTS Town League hockey produces three championship teams, B6
OBITUARIES A3-A4 OPINION A4-A5 CLASSIFIEDS A15-A18 SPORTS B9 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
The state’s new Universal Preschool (UPK) program rolled out only two months ago, and Gunnison County families have not hesitated to sign up. UPK
is a state-funded program that offers at least 15 hours per week of free, voluntary preschool for kindergarten-aged children. Since enrollment opened on Jan. 1, over 100 families in the county have applied for the free daycare hours. UPK is managed by the newly-formed Colorado Department of Early Childhood. The program will provide 15 hours of voluntary preschool for all Colorado 4-year-olds and a limited number of 3-year-olds. Up to 30 hours of free preschool will be available for students with one or more qualifying
factors, like household income, housing or foster care status. For families, UPK is ultimately a tuition credit, said Lana Athey, coordinator for the GunnisonHinsdale Early Childhood Council. “Parents were paying the providers this anyway, so it's really more of a break for the family,” she said. “Providing that tuition support lessens the amount they have to pay for preschool.” In the last six months, 110 students in Gunnison County have signed up for UPK, only slightly under the county’s original estimation of 130 families.
But with the state’s estimation of only 60% of eligible families actually applying for UPK, Gunnison’s initial round of applications proves otherwise. Adding to strong registration numbers is that all early childhood centers up and down valley agreed to be UPK providers, Athey said. “That was great, because we didn't know if all providers are going to latch on to being part of that,” she said. “But because they did, it allows greater access for those four-year-olds here Pre-K A6
Housing Authority enters negotiations for Frontier Land City commits up to $10,000 for feasibility study Bella Biondini Times Editor
The Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority is in negotiations
to purchase Frontier Land mobile home park — a vulnerable source of affordable housing that would be difficult for city leaders to replace. The mobile home park, located at 912 W. Gunnison Ave. sits just north of the airport, and houses approximately 40 residents — many of whom are Spanish-speakers or part of the Cora community, an indigenous group from Mexico. The units Frontierland A7
Jacob Spetzler
Frontierland sits among snow drifts on Wednesday morning, March 15.