Arapahoe County in January completed a $1 million project that improves the Dry Creek Road and I-25 interchange, offering drivers a streamlined experience navigating one of the area’s busiest exchanges.
Work began last September to expand the number of southbound I-25 on-ramp lanes and make safety and operational improvements to the intersection.
Crews lengthened the turn lanes on westbound Dry Creek Road to allow more motorists to turn left onto the southbound I-25 on-ramp. The lengthened turn lanes allow motorists turning left more room to get out of the through lanes on Dry Creek Road, reducing congestion.
The southbound I-25 on-ramp also saw improvements, including an additional third lane to be utilized during peak hours, new metering, signage and striping.
The work also includes new traffic signals at the intersection and upgraded pedestrian ramps that meet American Disabilities Act standards.
The project was funded by Arapahoe County, Colorado Department of Transportation, City of Centennial, Inverness, Panorama and Southgate at Centennial metropolitan districts.
The March 15th deadline for farmers to make their ARC/PLC decisions for the 2023 crop year is fast approaching. In an effort to provide growers with the most up to date information needed to make this important decision, CSU Extension and the USDA Farm Service Agency have teamed up to conduct a Farm Bill Decisions webinar.
The webinar will be held Tuesday, February 7th from 6:00pm to 8:30pm. Topics to be addressed are: the mechanics of ARC/PLC and the limitations of ARC-IC for fruit and vegetable producers, the payment outlook in 2023 for ARC-CO/PLC for the major program crops in Colorado and managing the 2023 margin squeeze.
Come support the Deer Trail Eagles as they take on the Byers Bulldogs on Tuesday, February 7th, 2023 starting at 4 p.m. with JV Boys, Varsity Girls, and Varsity Boys! Little Dribblers will be playing at halftime of the girls’ and boys’ games. FBLA is running concessions and we know you want the night off from cooking.
Meal Deal: $7.00
Sloppy Joe
Bag of Chips
Pickle Spear
Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie
Water or Pop
If you want Gatorade or Tea instead of Water or Pop, add a $1.00.
BENNETT — The town of Bennett is seeking nominations for this year’s Adams County Mayors & Commissioners Youth Awards.
The program recognizes youth in the sixth through 12th grades, up to 20 years old, who have overcome personal adversity to create positive change in their lives. Anyone who knows a deserving young person who has risen to the challenges while maintaining a positive attitude and serving as a role model for other teens can submit a nomination, due no later than Tuesday, Jan. 31.
Fiscal Year 2023 ACEP-ALE Applications are due February 17, 2023
DENVER, CO – Colorado Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist, Clint Evans, announced the 2023 application cut-off dates for eligible entities to participate in the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agricultural Land Easement (ACEP-ALE) in Colorado. There is one signup offered for complete and eligible applications to compete for available funding. Application packages are due on Friday, February 17, 2023, by 4:00 PM Mountain Standard Time (MST) for funding. Ranking pools offered for parcel applications are General, Grasslands of Special Significance (GSS), GSS Gunnison Sage Grouse, GSS Greater Sage Grouse, and General Urban Agriculture
The purpose of the ACEP-ALE program is to (1) protect the agricultural viability and related conservation values of eligible land by limiting nonagricultural uses of that land that negatively affect the agricultural uses and conservation values and (2) protect grazing uses and related conservation values by restoring or conserving eligible land.
Applicants (eligible entities) must be a federally recognized Indian Tribe, state or local units of government, or a non-governmental organization. Applicants must have an established farmland protection program that purchases agricultural conservation easements for the purpose of protecting agriculture use and related conservation values by limiting conversion to nonagricultural uses of the land.
USDA provides up to 50 percent of the appraised fair market value of the conservation easement in this voluntary program and up to 75 percent for qualifying Grasslands of Special Significance (GSS), including projects in Sage Grouse territory. The qualified landowner retains ownership and continues to use the land for agricultural purposes.
To be eligible to receive ALE funding, eligible entity applicants must demonstrate a commitment to long-term conservation of agricultural lands; a capability to acquire, manage, and enforce easements; adequate staff capacity for monitoring and easement stewardship; and the availability of funds. All landowners of record and the land being offered for enrollment must also meet specific eligibility criteria as outlined in the application materials posted to the State ACEP website.
Fully completed application packets must be received by no later than 4:00 PM MST on an advertised signup date to be considered. Application packets may be sent to the attention of Easements Program Manager, by email (preferred) to ; by FedEx or UPS to USDA-NRCS, Denver Federal Center, Building 56, Room 2604, Denver, CO 80225; or by USPS to USDA-NRCS, Denver Federal Center, PO Box 25426, Denver, CO 80225.
Applications postmarked or time stamped after the deadline WILL NOT be accepted. Only fully completed and properly executed applications that are submitted by the signup date on the appropriate forms and accompanied by all required supporting documentation will be considered for funding in FY 2023. All qualified applications will be reviewed, ranked, and considered for funding according to the Final ACEP rule, policy, and guidance. Complete applications received after the cutoff date may be considered if another sign-up date is announced
Incomplete applications WILL NOT be considered.
For more information about ACEP-ALE, please contact Laura Trimboli at 970-403-6379 or . You can also visit your local NRCS at your nearest USDA Service Center or visit the Colorado NRCS ACEP website.
Coordinated effort provides data on building comprehensive strategies to help end homelessness
ARAPAHOE COUNTY—Jan. 18, 2023—Arapahoe County will participate in the annual Point in Time Count of those experiencing homelessness on the evening of Jan. 23, 2023. Volunteers and community partners conduct the count throughout the County.
The effort raises public awareness, promotes collaboration across the region, and provides needed data. The goal is to inform local government and community partner response efforts to help house neighbors experiencing homelessness.
The count is conducted in coordination with seven metro area counties through the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI) and is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Arapahoe County counts those experiencing homelessness across all jurisdictions except within the City of Aurora, which stands alone as an individual HUD jurisdiction. Homelessness knows no boundaries and the data collected across the metro region informs coordinated efforts to support our most vulnerable community members. Including Aurora figures, more than 1100 individuals were counted in 2022—a 55% increase in just two years.
The 2023 numbers will be released later this year. In 2022, Arapahoe County kicked off a coordinated effort with local municipalities, service providers and community agencies to strategically work toward ending homelessness through a Homeless Coordinating Committee.
Data from 2022 is available from the MDHI website.
DENVER – Ahead of the holiday weekend, Colorado Parks and Wildlife wants to remind winter outdoor enthusiasts to check avalanche forecasts at www.colorado.gov/avalanche before going into the backcountry.
Early-season snowfall followed by heavy snow in December and early January has created dangerous avalanche conditions. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) interactive online map provides valuable, and potentially life-saving, information about dangerous avalanche areas around the state.
The CAIC recorded over 870 avalanches since Dec. 26, 2022. There has been a fatal avalanche accident each of the last three weekends, killing four people. The avalanche danger is not going down and people can expect these dangerous conditions throughout the holiday weekend.
“We have seen more avalanches this year than we do on a typical year, and recently they’ve gotten much bigger,” said CAIC’s Director Ethan Greene. “We want everyone to enjoy the wonderful public lands in Colorado and go home alive and well to their family and friends. We need everyone headed into the backcountry to plan their trip carefully and avoid avalanche hazards.”
In Colorado, outdoor adventurers must be mindful of the risks that winter weather and constantly shifting weather patterns can present. Dangerous weather conditions that raise concerns are unpredictable, such as strong wind gusts, heavy snow storms, cold water temperatures and avalanches.
Before heading out in the backcountry or on trails that go through avalanche terrain, CPW advises the following winter recreation safety tips:
Carry all required safety gear. Make sure you and every member of your group carry an avalanche-rescue transceiver, a probe pole, and a shovel – and know how to use this equipment.
Keep wildlife wild. Wildlife viewing ethics are particularly important during the winter. Maintain distance and do not chase animals.
Regardless if you enjoy relaxed activities like snowshoeing and ice fishing or more advanced activities like snowmobiling and skiing, CPW encourages people that plan to spend time outside this weekend and winter to recreate safely and be mindful of avalanches and wildlife on our landscapes.
To support avalanche safety programs in Colorado, visit cpw.info/keepcoloradowild. Colorado residents who get a $29 Keep Colorado Wild Pass with their vehicle registration through the Division of Motor Vehicles help support local search and rescue teams and avalanche safety programs.
Troopers will be looking for partygoers who fail to get a sober rider
(COLO) – Drive sober. It sounds obvious, yet hundreds of Coloradoans will get behind the wheel of a vehicle this weekend feeling buzzed, stoned or wasted. No matter what the substance is that impairs you, Colorado State Troopers are sending a message. Laws don’t care how you “feel” after you’ve consumed. Any time that you are impaired, you are violating the law.
So, this year, while you search for a babysitter or select the best outfit to wear to ring in the New Year, your Colorado State Troopers want you to arrange for a sober ride if you plan on consuming.
Looking at data from the Colorado State Patrol, last December (2021) troopers issued 388 citations for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and investigated 44 fatal or injury crashes caused by impaired driving.
“Historically December is a busy month for law enforcement due to poor decision-making at holiday parties which leads to impaired drivers on Colorado’s highways and community streets,” explains Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “When you fail to call a rideshare or a sober friend, you endanger every motorist and pedestrian on your path home.”
In addition to struggling with maintaining a consistent speed and erratic breaking, an intoxicated driver often drifts between lanes and sometimes hovers over a lane line. In a worst-case scenario, this could lead to a head-on collision, forcing another driver off the road or a side-swipe crash.
When the Colorado State Patrol looked at DUI/DUID fatal and injury crashes investigated by the Patrol for the first six months of 2022 (Jan – June 2022), the top five counties were:
In addition, with these same crashes, Troopers found that the at-fault driver of these DUI/DUID fatal and injury crashes was not wearing their seatbelt 63% of the time.
“We want you to live to celebrate the holidays,” states Col. Matthew C. Packard. “If you are going out, get a sober ride.”
Troopers continue to take a low tolerance approach to lane violations while launching a yearlong campaign called “Stay in Your Lane.” This campaign is designed to remind people to control their lane position based on their current driving environment. This campaign also aims to bring attention to three of the most common and avoidable behaviors that contribute to lane violations – driving aggressively, driving distracted or driving while impaired.
