Category Archives: News

A 38-year-old woman who started a fire that destroyed a trailer home at the Cedar Mountain Trailer Park in Craig in late November, has pleaded guilty. Jessica Kane accepted a plea bargain by admitting she was guilty to a reduced, misdemeanor arson charge. The Craig Press reports she’ll serve six months in jail but will receive credit for 48 days already served.

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Moffat County Commissioners gave the go-ahead Tuesday on an agreement that could mean a new entry way for the Moffat County Courthouse. It would be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The memorandum of agreement is with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, and the CU Denver Colorado Center for Community Development to start on the design and drawings. Then there will be more hearings and meetings to get the actual project going. Moffat County Sheriff KC Hume says a single-point entry is a benefit for the public and employees and it helps with security.

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Deer on the side of the road on Hwy 13, south of Baggs. Photo courtesy Shannon Lukens.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife would like your opinion on how deer and elk herds are managed in Colorado. The agency is developing a new herd management plan for the White River mule deer herd. It is one of the largest in the state. It migrates between Routt, Moffat and Rio Blanco counties. It is also developing a new plan for the Gore Pass elk herd, which lives in southern Routt County. A public meeting is at 5:30 Wednesday night at the Colorado Parks & Wildlife office in Steamboat, at 925 Weiss Drive. There is also a meeting in Eagle at the same time, and then another meeting in Kremmling on Jan. 24.

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The Moffat County Courthouse is getting an upgrade. County Commissioners will discuss the plans at a special meeting tomorrow, where they’ll also discuss the sale of county hospital property. At the courthouse, a new handicap-compliant entrance will be built, on the entrance facing Victory Way. It should be ready to go by July 25.

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The government shutdown may stop construction on the $29 million dollar medical office building in Craig, next to Memorial Regional Health. The shutdown has stopped the flow of construction dollars from a major United States Department of Agriculture loan being used to build the new medical office. The project and cash flow for the project are in jeopardy, plus Memorial Regional Health’s credit could be negatively impacted. That’s according to the hospital’s CEO, Andy Daniels, who says they can probably cover costs for January and February, but not in March.

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Craig Police are looking for a man suspected of several crimes. 47-year-old Todd Smith is a white male, about 5’, 10” tall, with brown hair and brown eyes. His picture is on the KRAI Facebook page and website. Police say Smith is wanted for contempt of court for the original charge of dangerous drugs. Police think Smith is still in the Craig area.

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Jonathan Alexzander Waugh pled guilty to crimes against his aunt, and he’ll serve 16 years in prison. The Craig Press reports that Waugh was sentenced to 16 years and three years mandatory probation. The sentences will be served consecutively to prior sentences from guilty pleas he made on assault, burglary, and arson out of Mesa County. Waugh was staying with his 70-year-old aunt, Susan Reeves. He assaulted her, and set her house on fire back in June.

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Intermittent power outages continued on Monday in Craig. Century Link and Spectrum were both having problems. No word on the cause of the outages, which have affected the Craig Press, local businesses, and residents.

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The body of a man from Meeker was found Saturday afternoon on the trail leading to the yurt near Rio Blanco County Road 12, in the Flat Tops Wilderness. Autopsy reports on 48-year-old Brett Smithers are pending but foul play is not suspected.

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Five people have been arrested for a number of charges, most revolving around a drug deal gone wrong when a man tried to sell coffee as heroin. For that full story, visit the Craig Press website.

At least three people were involved in a head-on crash yesterday between a pickup truck and a Dodge Dakota on Moffat County Road 103. All of the parties involved refused transport from the medical services on site. The cause of the crash was not revealed at the scene. Continue reading →

Craig Mayor John Ponikvar is running for re-election. The incumbent mayor has announced his candidacy for a second term in the upcoming city election, which will be in April.

State Representative Bob Rankin has been chosen to replace the empty seat of state senator Randy Baumgardner. The decision was made by the Vacancy Committee for the Republican 8^th Senate District, which is what Baumgardner represented. That includes Moffat, Routt, Rio Blanco, Summit, Jackson, Grand, and Garfield Counties. Rankin’s nomination was finalized on the fourth ballot. The committee met at the Moffat County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Craig Wednesday.

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Yampa Valley Electric has wrapped up its food and funds drive. It’s a campaign with employees and the YVEA board, to give back to the community. Team members contributed $4,437 dollars to help members in need pay their electric bills. The money raised was distributed to the Community Budget Center, and LOVE, Inc in Craig, and also LiftUp of Routt County. Food that was collected filled two YVEA truck beds. It was passed out to area food banks from Routt County to Baggs, Wyoming.

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