KSJD Local News

How wide should a sidewalk be? Do carports have to match the design of your house? Those were two of the questions the Cortez City Council considered at their meeting Sept. 8.

The Interior Department defended reductions to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante after a survey found most Utah voters favor restoring protections.

County-commission candidates Rebecca Busic and Rodney Cox voiced similar views on some issues but clearly disagreed on others during a forum put on by the Republican Women of Montezuma County in Cortez on Thursday.

Two-thirds of voters in Utah believe protections should be restored to the entire acreages of two national monuments that were recently downsized. That’s according to a statistically valid survey conducted by the research firm New Bridge Strategy and funded by Grand Canyon Trust.

The Bureau of Land Management says few immediate changes will be visible as the agency begins developing a replacement management plan.

Voters will have many decisions to make in the Nov. 3 election.

Conservation groups, Indigenous tribes, and the outdoor retail company Patagonia have filed lawsuits over recent drastic cuts in the size of two national monuments in Utah.

A plea agreement appears to have been reached for a 21-year-old Cortez woman charged with first-degree murder.

The town of Mancos is issuing citations as mandatory watering restrictions continue amid drought and heavy demand on the town’s water system.

Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper would like to see a new political party called the Agriculture First Party. That was one of the comments he made on a hot Thursday afternoon at an overlook to McPhee Reservoir.

The Navajo Nation has passed legislation designating the confluence of the Colorado and the Little Colorado rivers near the Grand Canyon as a sacred site.

The Montezuma County commissioners have discarded the idea of adopting an ordinance regulating rubbish in the county.

The District Re-1 School Board named Montezuma-Cortez Middle School Principal Andrew Pearson as interim superintendent for the district at a special meeting Thursday night.

Monsoon rains have so far delivered little help with moisture across the region.

A former member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council and of the Montezuma-Cortez School Board has been sentenced to life in prison.

Montezuma-Cortez School Superintendent Eddie Ramirez has resigned.

SCYC served 353 students in Mancos last school year through federally funded before- and after-school programs. The program is free and has no waitlist, but transportation home remains a significant barrier for some families.

Elementary-school teachers in the Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 School District have been left scrambling to fill in some lessons after the school board dropped a controversial curriculum from its K-5 materials.

After a lengthy discussion, a divided Cortez City Council on Tuesday passed an ordinance that sets the language for a November ballot question. The measure will ask city voters to approve an increase in the lodgers’ tax from the current 2 percent to 6 percent.

A contempt hearing regarding long-running concerns about the Ironwood property south of Dolores has been delayed.

Extreme drought, limited irrigation water and rising production costs are reducing crop yields as Southwest Colorado enters harvest season.

The 2025 measles outbreak in New Mexico cost that state an estimated $5.4 million. That’s according to an analysis in the Annals of Internal Medicine published on Aug. 3.

District officials say temporary cooling measures will be used at three elementary schools while longer-term replacements remain unresolved.

More than 330 organizations and businesses have sent a letter to the Trump administration protesting the drastic reductions in two Utah national monuments.

Cortez native Jadon Cruzan will conduct the world premiere of his new Cortez Overture during a free Four Corners Community Band concert Aug. 15.

Monsoon storms have improved surface moisture in southwest Colorado, but low streamflows, dry deeper soils and weak snowpack impacts remain.

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the City of Cortez over a road closure.

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the City of Cortez over a road closure.

The long-running legal dispute between the Montezuma County commissioners and a corporation wanting to build a Dollar General store is not over yet.

The award-winning collection features stories, poetry and essays from more than 40 writers across the region.

A substitute judge will be temporarily handling cases on the docket of Montezuma County Court Judge Ian MacLaren.

The monsoon season is off to a promising but intense start in Montezuma County.

Montezuma County residents questioned commissioners about replacing millions in lost Kinder Morgan tax revenue during a community town hall in Dolores.

The Montezuma County commissioners continue to struggle with the issues of rubbish and blight. For some time they have said many county residents want unsightly properties to be addressed.

Cortez Municipal Court is launching a Teen Court program that will train young volunteers to serve as attorneys, jurors and judges in cases involving their peers.

The city moved forward with its professional show at Parque de Vida while Mancos, Rico and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe canceled fireworks because of fire conditions.

The Montezuma County commissioners on Tuesday approved resolutions notifying the county clerk of two measures they intend to put on the November ballot They also passed a resolution appointing themselves as temporary acting county administrators.

Montezuma County Assessor Leslie Bugg gave a grim report to the county commissioners Monday about revenues.

Officials say wetter weather is helping moderate fire behavior, but thunderstorms may still bring lightning, heavy rain and erratic winds.

Colorado is seeking public input as the San Juan Basin Area Agency on Aging steps down, while Mancos considers a sales tax increase for streets and broadband.

An article in the Journal and ongoing concerns about the county budget led to a tempestuous argument between Sheriff Steve Nowlin and the Montezuma County commissioners Tuesday. The commissioners then voted to spend up to $50,000 on a forensic audit of the sheriff’s office and detention center.

President Trump is expected to reduce Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. Conservation groups are preparing legal challenges, while Dolores County has reduced some Ferris Fire evacuation levels.

Drought still has the Four Corners in its fiery grip, but forecasters are hopeful that a good monsoon season may be coming.

A transition from one water supplier to another in the town of Dove Creek is reportedly proceeding smoothly, However, the town hall remains closed because of anger and threats directed at staff over major price hikes caused by the change.

The Babylon Fire southwest of Monticello is about 102,900 acres and 21% contained. Crews are prioritizing the Indian Creek and Twin Peaks area after active overnight burning.

The Montezuma County commissioners are planning to take on the duties of the county administrator themselves while they look for a replacement for current administrator Travis Anderson.

The Ferris Fire northwest of Dolores is about 51,000 acres and 21% contained. Fire activity has increased in Dolores River Canyon, and Dolores County has added Zones 13 and 14 to SET status.

As wildfires rage across the West, many municipalities are cancelling their fireworks displays, while others are not.

Unofficial Montezuma County primary election results show Rodney Cox leading the Republican commissioner race and Jerri Frizzell leading the clerk and recorder race.

More than a decade after it was named one of the highest-priority trail projects in the state, ground has not been broken on the Paths to Mesa Verde project. But that time may be growing nearer.