Ariana Brocious

The Colorado Secretary of State's office expects more people to register to vote this election cycle because of the closely watched Presidential race. As Bente Birkeland reports, voters have until midnight on Tuesday to register to vote online.

Two wildfires are currently burning north of Hotchkiss this afternoon. Both fires are believed to be caused by lightning as the area received numerous lightning strikes during the past 24 hours. Smoke may be visible in the area throughout the day and may settle into valleys overnight.

In this week's report from the Watch Newspaper: Miner in stable condition after accident, Montrose Memorial Hospital acquires new buildings, Hydropower on the Horizon from Ridgway Dam.

At last week’s Paonia Town Council meeting, representatives from Union Pacific Railroad announced that they want to close three railroad crossings in the town limits. KVNF’s Ariana Brocious spoke to Delta County Independent Reporter Kathy Browning about the proposal.

For more on the story, read Kathy Browning’s piece in this week’s edition of the Delta County Independent.

Coloradans across the state turned out for watch parties last night, as President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor squared off in their first debate at the University of Denver. Statehouse reporter Bente Birkeland attended a watch party in downtown Denver. She talked to fellow reporters and voters about the debate’s impact and whether it lived up to expectations.

Headlines:

• Recap of Presidential Debate
• Delta Police Identify Man Found dead
• Wildfire north of Rifle closes highway
• Shearer Creek Fire contained
• Montrose BOCC May Fund Clinics Next Year

Members of the West Elk Mountain Rescue Team completed their fourth rescue of the summer on Sunday when they helped rescue an injured climber from the Marble area. The climber didn’t return to the trailhead Saturday night, and was still missing Sunday morning. KVNF’s Ariana Brocious spoke to West Elk Mountain Rescue President Phil Volckhausen, Training Director Steve Morris, and Team Member Tony Prendergast about the rescue and the team’s efforts.

This is the debate between Republican incumbent Don Coram and Democratic challenger Tammie Theis, candidates for House district 58, which encompasses Montrose, San Miguel, Dolores and Montezuma counties. Club 20 Chairman Steve Reynolds moderated the debate. Each candidate was given three minutes for opening remarks, and Don Coram was first.

A few years ago, an 8,000 gallon gas tanker clipped a curb and tipped over in near Delta, spilling gasoline. Now, Delta County is more able to respond to hazardous materials spills like that one. Delta County’s emergency manager Rob Fiedler reported the news to Delta County Commissioners on Monday. KVNF’s Marty Durlin has more.

The West End School District has seen its enrollment continue to drop over the last couple decades, and has had trouble keeping school facilities up to code. This year, the district was awarded a nearly 13 million dollar BEST grant from the State of Colorado. BEST grants — which stands for Building Excellent Schools Today— provide matching money for school districts that can’t afford building repairs on their own.