NEWS: Western’s VP of inclusivity resigns, A12
SUBSCRIBE TODAY gunnisontimes.com
VOL. 143 NO. 30 | THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2024 | $1.00
Gunnison chosen for fire weather monitoring Equipment to be stationed near night sky observatory Bella Biondini Times Editor
THE RADISH PATCH KIDS: The Junior Mountaineers paid a visit to Mountain Roots’ Sunshine Garden to harvest radishes and learn about seed germination on July 23. For more, see B4. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)
INSIDE
TODAY NEWS: $60 million ranch for sale in Gunnison, A5
COMMUNITY: Into the blue, B1
SPORTS: 40 Stingrays qualify for state swim meet, B10 OBITUARIES A3 OPINION A4 CLASSIFIEDS A14-A17 SPORTS B10 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
Gunnison has been selected as a host site for a fire weather observatory. The station, expected to come online next year, will help meteorologists better characterize the conditions that lead to wildfires. Scientists understand the weather combinations that create an increased risk of fire Observatory A6
Lake Fork bridge New Deputy DA unlikely to close arrives in Gunnison Allen has completely, background in domestic officials say violence work CDOT aims to complete repairs before snow falls Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
After weeks of inspections on the Lake Fork Bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced it’s unlikely the bridge will be shut down completely. The goal remains
to have Lake Fork and the middle bridge, a few miles east, repaired by late fall. The Hwy. 50 middle bridge closed in mid-April after CDOT officials discovered cracks in the structure’s steel. Since then, it’s been unclear if the Lake Fork bridge, made of the same faulty “T-1” steel, was headed for the same outcome: an immediate closure that prevents Gunnison residents from traveling to Montrose and other Western Slope cities. CDOT and Gunnison County officials gave an update on the projects at a
FEED YOUR FAMILY OF 4
BAGEL BREAKFAST SANDWICHES
FOR UNDER $12
Bridge A7
Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Following the departure of Deputy District Attorney Darren Struble in late May, who served in the role for two years, Rachel Allen was hired at the start of July to fill his role. As deputy district attorney, she serves the 7th Judicial District, which includes Gunnison County. Allen previously worked for AmeriCorps VISTA, in support of nonprofits serving victims and survivors of domestic violence. Inspired by the work of state prosecutors, she
later attended the University of Montana Alexander Blewett III School of Law. After graduating, she moved to Vermont and drafted bills for the Vermont Legislative Council, ran the legal program at a domestic violence nonprofit and later served the State of Vermont as a staff attorney for several years. But the mountains of Colorado beckoned Allen, an avid trail runner. In 2019 she moved to Montrose and became an assistant attorney for the city. She then took a job as a deputy DA in the 7th, serving Ouray, the City of Montrose and its “West End.” Then, after a little over a year as an assistant county attorney for San Miguel County, she married a Crested Butte resident and moved to the Gunnison Valley. The Times sat down with Deputy DA A10