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VOL. 143 NO. 39 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2024 | $1.00
Country Meadows purchase may hinge on infrastructure One month left before residents’ deadline Bella Biondini Times Editor
As they attempt to purchase their mobile home park, Country Meadows residents have run into a problem many similar communities across Colorado have faced: deteriorating infrastructure. Country Meadows, recently renamed Ski Town Village, is located just north of the City of Gunnison. Residents individually own the 52 homes in the park, and pay monthly lot Meadows A6
INSIDE
TODAY NEWS: GUC adds winter flights to Chicago, A11
COMMUNITY: Daylight savings, B1
SPORTS: Mountaineer football tames Grizzlies, B6 OBITUARIES A2, A5 OPINION A4 CLASSIFIEDS A14-A17 SPORTS B6 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
FALL FLURRIES: The Elk Mountains were suspended between autumn and winter after the first snowfall of the season in the North Valley over the weekend. (Photo by Bella Biondini)
DA Ryan to step Forest Service suspends seasonal down before hires for 2025-26 election day National hiring Cites high turnover, toll on physical and mental health Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Seth Ryan, the 7th Judicial District Attorney, will resign at the end of October after 17 years of service. His reasons for resignation divulge the severity of staff shortages and heavy caseloads that rural prosecutors face in Colorado. He announced his resignation on Sept. 23, just a month and a half before embarking on
a second term. He was running uncontested for the seat this fall. In a recent press release, Ryan cited serious staff shortages in the office in the last year that have taken “a significant toll” on his physical and mental health, he wrote. “It is no longer sustainable for me to cover the daily requirements of court schedules across our nearly 10,000 square mile District while effectively managing, developing, and supervising staff ; circumstances beyond my control cannot be overcome.” The 7th Judicial District encompasses six Western Slope counties, including Gunnison. The District Attorney is an indeResignation A3
freeze affecting all regions Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
The U.S. Forest Ser vice announced this month that it won't hire any non-fire seasonals, those who work throughout the year to maintain trails, campsites and do critical restoration work, in fiscal year 2025 (FY25). The decision further winnows down the agency’s workforce and creates uncertainty around just how the Gunnison Valley’s 1.2 million acres of Forest Service land will be maintained. Letters sent to regional leadership teams in many Forest
Service regions across the Mountain West were leaked on the crowdsourced social media site Reddit two weeks ago. Soon after, Forest Service Chief Randy Moore confirmed during a Sept. 17 all-employee call that the agency is suspending seasonal hires, also called 1039s, for its coming fiscal year following anticipated budget shortages from Congress. The agency will continue hiring its over 11,000 seasonal firefighters for the coming fire year, National Press Officer Scott Owen wrote in a statement to the Times. “I know that this decision will affect your ability to get some of that critical work done. It will also be felt deeply by managers and units across the agency,” Moore said during the call. Forest Service A7