NEWS Briefs & NOTES from your editor, 1/4/24

It looks like our “above average” temperature spree is coming to an end. In November and early December we had most days from 55 to 60 degrees. The last week it went down to the upper 40s. And, now this weekend, Sunday, will bring in the colder weather and snow.

Longmont’s weather is close to Lyons weather, so I wanted to share this fact — This year, through Dec. 15 (not counting the Christmas snowfall of a couple of inches), Longmont received 21.10 inches of precipitation. The heaviest months were: 6.50 inches falling in May and 4.89 inches in June. The current 30-year normal for Longmont is 15.21 inches.

“That was the wettest, all time, May and June period; those two months combined,” Dave Larison, who is a retired NOAA meteorologist, previously said. “In that period, we had 11.39 inches. … The normal combined for those two months is 3.72 (inches).”

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Longmont Humane Society is having a “teen volunteer training program” on January. 9^th. The youth volunteer program welcomes teens ages 13-18. Please visit their Teen Volunteer Page!

R.I.P CELEBRATION: Gregory Schrodt’s Celebration of Life at the Wildflower Pavilion on January 6^th at 2p.m. The fire fighting community and first responders will be honoring him, and attending the celebration of life. Thank you to all who put on the service. Our continued condolences to the family.

LEAF NEWS & Senator Neguse:  === NEW ROOF: Congressman Joe Neguse visited LEAFs future home, just in time to kick-off construction of the new roof. LEAF has a lot in store for the community this year including continued art therapy for teens, addiction recovery group sessions, and completing renovations so we can welcome the community to it’s new hub! To learn more, check us out at LEAF’s Capital Campaign LINK === He also announced that our own Lyons resident Nancy Reckling was awarded their Volunteer of the Year winner. See our article about her in this week’s edition.

SEWING SUPPLIES NEEDED (Cuba) – local Robyn Sloan is travelling to Cuba Ciego de Avila, a smaller town in the middle of the country, in mid-February.  == They need: Needles, straight pins, sewing scissors, zippers, buttons, cotton yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks, sewing machine needles. I’m also bringing matchbox cars and small plastic figurines for the kids.

FRETLINERS: a few hours after we published our last edition, we got an article from our local music critic Dave McIntyre about the award-winning ‘local’ music group, the Fretliners. Since they would be performing at Oskar Blues for New Year’s Eve, we decided to not hold the article for our January 4^th edition, and published it on that Thursday. If you have not read it, it is worth a read, as it has some inside quotes from one of the musicians on the “songwriting process.”  LINK to ARTICLE

POLAR PLUNGE: The annual polar dip in the frigid St. Vrain River took place on January 1^st, thanks to Jason Stillman, who was one of the first people to plunge 15 years ago, back when it got started. He made sure everyone remembered two fellow plunges from years pass, who have died – Stevie LaRue and Great Schrodt. See our Photo Spread for some great! Photos by Glen Delman. And a list of the original plungers! ARTICLE & List

RTD is dropping fares “systemwide” as of January 1^st. Our article will have a full breakdown of prices. It is not a big discount, but it is based on a study that they did to make fares equitable, and continue their ongoing strive to help with a cleaner environment. There will no longer be Regional and Local breakdowns. This does not affect the Lyons Flyer.

REAL ESTATE: The market is slow because people wanted to keep their low interest rates; but it is predicted that more homes will enter the market in the coming months. —- Mortgage rates have dropped 9th week in a row. —- Homes seem to be more or less $600,000 in the big cities, with Boulder being the most expensive, mainly around $800,000. —-  A Side NOTE:  A Boulder home sold for $8.3million in November. The home was in the Knollwood neighborhood. The three-bedroom, four-bath, 3,917-square-foot, four-year-old home did not look that impressive in the photo. It was on a heavily treed mountainside, with what looked like a lap pool, and a steep driveway.

The new townhomes on Evans Street at still under construction. I always find that Everything Takes Longer Than Expected! — The owner Leigh Williams says: Our crew is back from their holiday, and working on the last several items before we announce application and move-in dates. This week we’re concentrating on paving sidewalks, and engineering a rain garden to protect the creek. Soon we’ll do a final round of flooring and painting. Soon after, we’ll hold an open house and starting inviting applications. 1/3/24

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==WELLNESS/HEALTH==

==In a Crisis?== The Lifeline # is 988 (suicide and crisis). Call 844-493-8255 ; or text / talk to 38255.

HOSPITAL EXPANSION – We announced the expansion of the Veterans Hospital for NORTHERN COLORADO, and now we can announce the expansion of US-Health for Northern Colorado residents. Yes, our area, and especially the Ft. Collins area, is rapidly expanding. UCHealth broke ground in December as the first step in their major expansion project at Medical Center of the Rockies. The most noticeable part may be the new tower that will be built on the north side of the hospital (completed in 2026). Also, there will be created a cancer center (to open in 2024), an expanded emergency department and additional imaging and cardiac spaces. The project will increase the hospital’s bed capacity from 191 to 287; plus room to grow up to 323 beds. Thank goodness — Staffing will grow as well. UCHealth plans to hire more than 250 employees before the expansion opens.

Colorado Health Insurance rates in Northern Colorado are looking like they will be raised by about 14%.

INCIDENT: On New Year’s Day, a Lyons fire truck responded to a call for help – a woman in her 70s was having trouble breathing. The truck was seen with its siren/lights OFF about an hour or two later, leaving Blue Mt., so we will assume that she was feeling better.

NEED Health INSURANCE? == Don’t forget, Colorado has its own health insurance plan that anyone can join. (The Affordable Care Act/or/ Obamacare is the federal program; Coverage expires at the end of each year.) See our Article about the State of Colorado’s Health Care Plans. CO Plans start around $30/Month! DEADLINE to enroll is January 15. ===  CONNECT for Health Article

Health First Colorado, Colorado’s Medicaid Program – A public health insurance for qualifying Coloradans. It is funded jointly by the federal government and Colorado state government.

Watch out when doing searches online; several companies have similar names to Connect for Health Colorado, but they must put a disclaimer on their web site saying they are not a government program. Also, the official web site’s name will end in “.gov”

===CHRISTMAS NOTES===

==Annual Luminaria was a go on the Apple Valley bridge. Always a delightful site on Christmas Eve.

==Shauna Lee’s “new community tradition in Lyons” of singing and gathering in Lyons went off spectacularly. Join in next year at her Ranch House West shop on Main Street!

==The churches around Lyons reported a great turnout for the Christmas Eve services. Most had live music interludes. Plus, the weather was good, encouraging people to get out and celebrate the Christmas spirit in person. — See our Photo Spread of the Christmas Eve service at the Wildflower Pavilion.

== holiday sales rose from November through Christmas Eve – up 3.1% That doesn’t seem like a lot, but at least it was an upward trend. Some people say inflation is bad, but they seem to still be willing to spend lots of money at Christmas.

==LYONS Library CHRISTMAS PARTY was a success, with the room full of kids making crafts, decorating cookies, creating greeting cards, and getting a Christmasy photo taken. Adults prefer to make the “mulled wine spice jars.” Thanks to Miss Becky and Hannah for organizing and promoting this event. Becky says she hopes to do it again next year, and more.

RECYCLING GIFT PAPER ETC: Bo Co Recycling contacted us 1/5/24 with NEW rules (vs. what we got off their web pages): ……….Just wanted to clarify that wrapping paper is NOT recyclable in the curbside bins. The only place it can go is the Boulder County Recycle Center Drop Off Center. And folks DO need to remove all tape, and we don’t want metallic paper, dark or fluorescent paper, and as you correctly noted, tissue paper. These are all trash. No ribbons or bows either. ——— Gift bags are recyclable, but we DO want the handles removed. —— Wrapping paper really has no recycle value and should best be avoided in the future for more sustainable options. Thank you friends!

==CHRISTMAS RECYCLE (from web pages):  plain wrapping paper can be put in the recycle bin. In general, you do not have to remove “transparent or shipping tape” from any of the items. Tissue paper should be thrown out. Gift bags can be recycled. Greeting cards, as long as they’re free of plastic, metal, and photo paper.  ………..  Paperboard boxes should be flattened and recycled. Cardboard should also be flatten (it’s ok to leave the labels on) and put in the SEPARATE bin marked “cardboard.” —– NEVER put plastic bags, or black garbage bags in the recycle bins, as it slows down the workers and can even cause a shut down of the line. —– Food containers should be cleaned out/washed out as best as possible. —– Hard-to-Recycle materials like holiday lights, white hard block foam, clean cooking oil, plastic bags, bubble wrap, and more can be taken to the Eco-Cycle’s Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM) located at 6400 Arapahoe Road in Boulder. Some shipping companies will take your bubble wrap.

==CHRISTMAS TREE disposal, recycling –Saturday, January 6, from 8 a.m. to 12noon; Lyons. (They indicate that it is for residents, and have not responded if it’s ok for small areas like Pinewood Springs to participate.) This will be a Lyons Fire/Boulder County event. At 4687 Ute Hwy. (also known as Hwy 36; located east of the 36/66 intersection) ====trees must be stripped of ornaments, tinsel and other decorations. No wreaths, garland, artificial trees or tree stands will be accepted. Trees must be dropped during the specified hours in the identified area. Dropping trees after hours or in other locations will be considered illegal dumping and may be subject to a fine. The Town offers this free service as a convenience and cost-saving measure for residents, with the added benefit of keeping discarded trees/slash out of the landscape. === For more information, please contact the Town of Lyons303-823-5280

==Porch pirates: Firestone residents were given permission to ship their packages to the town’s police department where they could pick them up without falling victim to porch pirates. (Firestone is “across I-25” from Longmont)

===BUSINESS NEWS===           

Oskar Blues has a new schedule for the new year. They will offer live music only one weekend night, and only two more Sunday afternoon concerts left. Check their Facebook page for the current week’s lineup. It seems like now is not the time to cut back on music. All the outdoor venues are closed, and I would think they’d get a big crowd stopping by.

SPIRIT HOUND – week of January 2nd – we begin renovations in our main Lyons tasting room. Our new Timber Bar will be open for the duration of the construction, so not to worry – you will still be able to get your favorite cocktails on those chilly Colorado winter days

Remember to support all your local small businesses during the slow winter months.

A 26.5 acre piece of undeveloped land in Loveland has been purchased for $10 million. It will be used to develop a freight transfer facility.

Lyons owned CHUBurger is returning after a 4-year closure, in Longmont. We will have full details in our next “Biz Update” article.

ONE more chip for Colorado’s nation-wide fame! – the Longmont City Council approved, in December, a CHIP manufacturing zone within the city, boosting semi-conductor production.

One more SOLAR win for Colorado — Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. was selected by NASA to conduct research for their solar study.

===NATURE/Wildlife===

Reminder==== HELICOPTERS in mid-December  to mid-January: Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists will be counting deer and elk herds – (1) as well as determining sex, production of young and the overall health of the herds – (2) and to determine how many hunting licenses will be allowed in spring, for game management purposes. == Watch the air near Fort Collins, South Park, Castle Rock and across the Eastern Plains…

===GOVERNMENT & Transportation===

Lyons BOARD of TRUSTEES: With two federal holidays in January, this bi-monthly meeting will be postponed until Tuesdays.

OPEN FOR NOMINATIONS: The Town of Lyons has nomination forms available for pick up for people who desire to run for Mayor or one of the trustee positions in the April election. You can go to their web site for details, or see our ARTICLE. DEADLINE : January 22. (you must get supporting signatures, so give yourself enough time). 

January 6, 10a.m. – 11:30 a.m., Meet your legislators. courtesy of Boulder County League of Women Voters. — Join the moderated panel discussion about state legislative priorities for the upcoming 2024 session. No charge. Open to Public.  REGISTER

CONSTRUCTION on the NORTH side of Broadway in downtown Lyons has begun in late December. Most of the very wide sidewalks by Sandstone Park are done. Watch out for changing street lane configurations downtown.

TRAIN ROUTE – December 9, the Colorado transportation board agreed to use the  Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway freight route between Fort Collins and Pueblo as the best route for passenger rail service along the Front Range. This still has to be approved for environmental impact. Also, some cities will have the train go thru, but are not listed as having “stations,” so that needs to be clarified. (eg Berthoud). Lastly, the district has until April to determine whether to place a tax proposal on the 2024 ballot, as encouraged by Gov. Jared Polis. Those towns not on the map want to have language inserted that they will have the option to add “spur lines.” This line is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. It does go between Longmont and Boulder.

Sr. Joe Neguse said in his year-end statement: I am proud to announce that through our work to address these challenges, we’ve introduced 77 bills—more bills than any member of Colorado’s congressional delegation. Just last week the veterans’ Mental Health for Military Families Act bill was signed into law by the President. This law will address critical priorities for folks in our community by eliminating several fees for mental health care for Colorado’s military families.

REMINDER time to renew your parking passes and dog licenses! See Town Hall.

Towing without a valid permit; charging and keeping unlawful fees – Dec. 21, 2023—Attorney General Phil Weiser today announced that his office reached a $1 million settlement with Wyatts Towing after a months-long investigation found that since 2019 the company towed thousands of vehicles without a valid permit or proper authorization, charged unlawful fees and illegally kept consumer funds, and engaged in deceptive and unfair business practices to discourage Coloradans from exercising their rights under the state’s towing laws. — If you have been unlawfully towed in Denver (1.) notify the Attorney General (2.) read this News Release 

Over the Holiday Week, Airline flights were back to normal; no big list of cancellations this year. – Last year 2022 AIRLINE PROBLEMS: SouthWest airlines was fined $750 million in total. The vast majority going to passengers for refunds, reimbursements, rapid rewards, or future compensation — due to DOT’s actions — 16,900 flights were cancellations and stranded 2 million passengers. It’s not completely satisfactory to some passengers who said that their luggage was often lost for many days (or forever). Plus they were not able to delivery Christmas gifts they had bought. ==== The mandated compensation for future passengers affected by significant delays or cancellations caused by Southwest will begin on May 1, 2024. The compensation will be required until May 2027. They will have to pay a fee of $75 for flights that are delayed due to their fault., for 3 or more hours. BUT YOU have to ask for it! 

===SPORTS===

AFC PRO BOWL: Players Announced 1/3/24: It’s the second Pro Bowl each for Surtain and Simmons. Meinerz and Burton are third alternates. Snubs include Singleton and Sutton. 

BRONCOS – I’m sure you’ve heard that the quarterback we put all our faith in to take the team to a championship, Russell Wilson, has been put on the bench for the final two games. Many say it is because the Broncos now have no chance to be in the playoffs, so they don’t need him, and if he gets injured, he has a $37 million guarantee (in 2024).

===VOLUNTEERS NEEDED===

See our ARTICLE this week. Volunteering makes both you and the recipient feel joy. You can gather new like-minded friends. You can learn some new skills, or teach other your skills. And, surveys show that your health improves when you do something for another person. (Next week we will have a list of vacancies on Boards and Commissions)

==THINGS TO DO / and Library==

WINTER CONCERTS: — NEW Time!! 1 to 3 p.m. — Mark your calendars! (We will have a full article in our next edition)

+++Shauna Lee, Sunday Jan 21 (LaVern Johnson Park)

+++Elbow Brothers, Sat Feb 10 (LaVern Johnson Park)

+++Joe Kuckla  Sat Mar 9   (Bohn Park) — same day as Lucky Lyons Run! — All are weather -dependent. Watch the town’s web page for updates.

January 7, last day — Don’t miss your last chance to see “agriCULTURE: Art Inspired by the Land,” a collaborative, contemporary art exhibit pairing local and national artists with Boulder County farmers to create new, site-specific visual works inspired by farming and the natural world. Experience multi-media, large-scale artwork that explores how farming is connected to issues such as climate change, water rights, ancestral lands, local history, environmental impacts, cultural heritage, and so much more. The exhibit also features hands-on exploration activities for families including digital microscopes, a farm tractor sandbox, an interactive magnetic mural, and more.—this exhibit is at the Longmont Museum, but there are other associated exhibits in Boulder County.

2 New CHOIRs: (1.)  Ashley Johnson, Mayama, wants to remind people: Registration for A Big Beautiful Noise choir with Allie Tyler and myself is now open!! All voices welcome. No experience necessary. Come sing with us! The first FOUR classes are open to drop-in, so if you want to try it out before committing to a whole session, put it on your calendar and come see us on Tuesday’s from 6:30-8pm at Mayama in Lyons. Register – SEASON is Jan. 9 to May 28^th. at MAYAMA. ===== (2.) Note the new church just outside of town, Christian Promise Fellowship, is also recruiting people to join their Easter Choir. Contact their pastor at:  EMAIL

WOMEN ONLY SELF-DEFENSE Classes in Estes Park, offer by Vert Coworking: we have a few spots left in our upcoming Women’s Self Defense series THIS SATURDAY. Love to share what we’ve learned with you! Contact us at david@vertcoworking.com with questions or to sign up. 5 classes on Saturday mornings. See their Facebook page for more details (fee; includes gym membership during class).

BLACK HISTORY MONTH – Boulder Museum program: PCBH Guided Tours with Adrian Miller; January 6 |  12pm – 1pm; repeated Jan. 20 and March 9 ==  Dive deep into the history of Black Coloradans with a guided tour led by “Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History” Co-Project Director, Lead Curator, and famed soul food historian Adrian Miller. EXHIBIT TOUR DETAILS HURRY! Tickets are almost sold out. He won a James Bear award and finalist for a NAACP Image award. See the exhibit through a Black American perspective.

The LaVern Johnson Park Ice Rink = not open yet = see their web page for opening date (too warm still) ==  There is no charge to use the ice skating rink at LaVern Johnson Park. However, parking fees are in effect (great time to sign up for your 2024 parking pass). Remember, while the Parks and Public Works teams provide general maintenance to the rink, ice conditions are not guaranteed, and users should use always caution when skating; skating and any use of the rink is at the user’s own risk! === Rink Hours and Schedule: The rink is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, weather permitting. To accommodate various usages for the rink, the following rotating schedule is in effect, setting different hours for hockey and recreational/family skating. ==There are special hours for (1) Recreational/Family Skating (2) Hockey == and either bring your own skates, or rent some from the Town, on weekends, during open rink open hours. == ICE RINK & SKATE DETAILS  

LIBRARY – See their ARTICLE this week for 5 new exciting events for January 2024 – all free! LIST for January

What Native Plants Work Well at 7 – 9,000 ft?=== Tips for Living with Wildlife– Estes Park Garden Club – Everyone is welcome! — Monday, January 8, 2024 – 10:30 – 11:45 am — Estes Valley Library, Hondius Room = We are pleased to welcome back to Estes, Mike Kintgen, the Curator of the Alpine Collection at Denver Botanic Gardens (DBG). Mike will expand on his talk covering the best natives he presented in 2020 to the EP Garden Club and touch on aspects of design and cultivation with western natives. He will mention which plants have been most critter proof for him in his garden north of Steamboat Springs.

The National Western Stock Show & Rodeo, Jan. 6–21, 2024, celebrates Denver’s rich cowtown roots and is a cherished Colorado tradition since 1906.   www.NationalWestern.com

Repeat:  LIBRARY NEW HOURS: The library will no longer have “7:30p.m. closing time”, but will have uniform 7p.m. closing time Monday through Thursday, beginning in January. It opens at 10 a.m. 6 days a week (closed on Sunday) — Friday is 10 a.m. to 5p.m. and Saturday is 10a.m. to 2 p.m.  

DROP IN FOR CRAFTERS: Creatives of all kinds are invited to join us for our first Crafternoon of the year! We will hold monthly gatherings for adults to come work on their own portable projects (knitting, crocheting, sketching, etc) or take part in the provided project. This month we will be making watercolor postcards. Let us know you’re coming by registering on the event page: CRAFTER TUESDAYS

SEE ABOVE BIZ NEWS above for Oscar Blues new weekend schedule cut back.

UPSTREAM SONGWRITERS Workshop — four of our favorite, amazing musicians will be teaching at this workshop this month. The students will then perform their songs at three venues in Lyons. See the ARTICLE.

One Book, One Valley – the Estes Park Library community has voted on the book of the year for 2024! They have selected The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel as the 2024 One Book One Valley title. (MULTIPLE Programs all Month Long). — I have read the book and it is a mind-boggling book about a man who lives as a True Hermit in the woods; and never spoke to anyone for 17 years! Nothing like you’ve ever read or heard about before; you’ll never forget it. The library will have programs all month long in January surrounding the topic. They are arranging to have the author come to Estes Park! We will keep you informed of some of the bigger highlights. They have many copies of the book to check out. (The Lyons Book Club read this, and loved it! Much to discuss!)