NEWS: More winter flights coming to GUC, A11
VOL. 143 NO. 35 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2024 | $1.00
Hospital receives rural EMS communications grant $500K will reduce ‘dead zones’ in response area Bella Biondini Times Editor
FRESH FACES: The Gunnison High School freshman Class of 2028 got rowdy during the first pep rally of the school year on Aug. 26. For more, see B7. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)
INSIDE
TODAY NEWS: Keep Colorado Wild raises $40 million, A12
COMMUNITY: Rain or shine gear testing, B1
SPORTS: GHS volleyball opens season with shutout, B10 OBITUARIES A2, A3 OPINION A4 CLASSIFIEDS A17-A20 SPORTS B8 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
With one of the most remote response areas in the state, the Gunnison Valley Health (GVH) paramedic team doesn’t have to go far to lose cell and radio coverage. But the introduction of new technology, paid for by a federal grant, will help first responders in rural Colorado, and Paramedics A6
School district GCEA can now considers a ‘seal increase selfof biliteracy’ generation share as soon as this year, pending New Tri-State The program, approval from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) program allows available at and the school board. A seal of schools across biliteracy is a credential given for up to 40% by a Colorado school or disstate, still awaits trict recognizing students who Abby Harrison have studied and attained profiTimes Staff Writer board approval ciency in two or more languagBella Biondini Times Editor
A new certification at the Gunnison Watershed School District will designate qualifying students as bilingual, a skill that is attractive to college admissions offices and future employers. The school district may launch a “seal of biliteracy” program
es by high school graduation. More than 70 schools across the Western Slope and the Front Range already offer the seal. Gunnison High School (GHS) Principal Jim Woytek, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Coordinator Erin Harrington and Spanish teachers Philip Handmaker and Janet WelshCrossley have been crafting the program over the past year. The Biliteracy A6
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Utilities around the Mountain West, including the Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA), will soon be allowed to increase their share of selfsupplied renewable energy. While the new “Bring Your Own Resource” program does not necessarily offer financial savings, it’s meant to expedite the co-op’s push toward a greener energy portfolio. The federal government
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recently approved a new program for GCEA’s power supplier — Tri-State Energy Generation and Transmission — that will offer the Gunnison Valley electric utility the chance to produce up to 40% of its own power. Currently, the utility is capped at 5% through its TriState contract, which expires in 2050. With the hydroelectric project at Taylor Dam slated to come online next month, and various solar projects around the valley, the GCEA will soon reach this cap. GCEA and its board of directors recently modified its strategic plan to increase its proportion of renewable energy from 70%
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