All Entries in the "Hot Topics" Category
Illegal Drugs in Lamar: Update
Although there are illegal drugs in Lamar, statistics provided by the Lamar Police and the Lamar Fire and Emergency Departments show heroin and meth use ranks lower in their estimate than illegal usage of prescribed drugs. Both Chiefs discussed those figures from their viewpoints of law enforcement and emergency medical response situations during a Lamar […]
PUMA Details Early Economic Survey, Requests More Responses
Prowers County representatives and PCDI Board members received a preliminary overview of the economic study recently conducted by PUMA, Progressive Urban Management Associates, on the last day of their most recent visit, Wednesday, May 25th. “We’re at the mid-way point of our mission with you,” explained Brad Segal, President of the economic development firm hired […]
Stolen Corvette Involved in Fiery, Fatal Crash in Otero County
On Tuesday, March 29, 2016, around 4:43 p.m., the Colorado State Patrol received a report of a reckless driver on Hwy 350 near Highway 71 in Otero County, Colorado. The reporting party stated a white Corvette tried to run her off the road. The reporting party turned off Highway 350 and went to Rocky Ford […]
PCDI Hosts Annual Meeting, New Director Vote
The annual Prowers County Development Incorporated annual meeting held Tuesday, March 29th at the Rodeway Cow Palce Inn was brief and had a low attendance, as was anticipated on both counts. Minus an executive director for over a year by choice and circumstances, there was no annual director’s report to summarize developments from the preceding […]
Lamar City Council, Prowers County Discuss Funding Rail Line Upgrades
Rick Klein, La Junta City Manager, detailed the unique success story of how local funding from numerous small communities in three states, has directly related to 127 miles of improvements for railroad tracks and infrastructure. The latest funding effort marks the third year the Lamar City Council has joined with other communities in Colorado, Kansas […]
Elections in Holly April 5
There is one write-in candidate for Mayor of Holly and four candidates for Holly Trustee which will go before qualified voters in the community on Tuesday, April 5th. Votes can be cast from 7am to 7pm at the Holly Town Complex at 200 South 3rd Street. Tony Garcia is the lone write-in candidate for mayor […]
Planning and Zoning Commission to Discuss WPA Buildings for Community Corrections Site
After years of lying idle, the WPA Buildings on East Maple Street in Lamar may be put to use. Doug Carrigan, CEO of ATC, Advantage Treatment Center in Sterling, Colorado, addressed the Lamar City Council during a work session earlier this month and outlined a concept for a 30-40 bed facility in town. At that time, […]
Funding Window Opens for Lamar’s Reliever Route
Brian Long, CDOT’s Resident Engineer for the Lamar area discussed the opportunity for securing a new funding grant for the Lamar Reliever Route with the Prowers County Commissioners on Monday, March 21st. The commissioners approved a letter of support for the grant application termed FASTLANE. Long said its existence was brought to his attention very […]
Prowers County Rural Fire Department Received Grants, Urges Red Flag Caution
Staffon Warn, Prowers County Rural Fire Chief and Emergency Operations Manager, said his department had received a grant of almost $40,000 from the Colorado Division of Fire Safety Prevention and Control which will purchase sets of self-contained breathing apparatus and two sets of bunker gear for firefighters. He informed the Prowers County Commissioners, he had […]
LCC President Marrin Announces Retirement
(Lamar, Colorado; March 21, 2016) John Marrin, Lamar Community College’s president for the past eight years, has recently announced his decision to retire. Marrin said that leaving is bittersweet and that he will miss the LCC family, but having spent 40 years in higher education he thought it was time to retire. He made this […]
PCDI Annual Business Meeting Set for March 29
Prowers County Development Incorporated will hold a scaled-down annual meeting on Tuesday evening, March 29th at the Rodeway Cow Palace Inn at 7pm. Traditionally the annual meeting offered a banquet and a featured speaker, but as there is no executive director at this time, it was decided to hold a brief business meeting which will […]
Healthy Gain for City Sales Tax
The January 2016 City Sales Tax report shows Sales and Use Tax up for the start of the year. City Sales Tax is up 6.15% and Total Sales is at 9.06% for a $23,461.12 increase over last year. Receipts for January are at $282,450.18. Year to Date collections are also up for the past two […]
Lamar Council Okays Vehicle Purchases for Fire & Public Works Departments
The city’s Sanitation Department was given the go-ahead by the city council to piggy-back a bid with the City of Montrose for a 2016 Scorpion Automated Refuse Truck. The truck costs $247,224 and has been budgeted in the 2016 Capital Improvement Fund at $250,000. The council authorized another $2,000 for a five year extended warranty […]
Triumph Bancorp, Inc. to Acquire ColoEast Bankshares, Inc.
DALLAS, March 07, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Triumph Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:TBK) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire ColoEast Bankshares, Inc., parent of Colorado East Bank & Trust, headquartered in Lamar, Colorado. ColoEast Bankshares, Inc. is a bank holding company with $759 million in total assets as of 12/31/2015. Its community […]
Colorado Employment Situation | January 2016
Employers in Colorado added 5,200 nonfarm payroll jobs from December to January for a total of 2,583,800 jobs, according to the survey of business establishments. Private sector payroll jobs increased 4,300 and government increased 900. According to the survey of households, the unemployment rate decreased three-tenths of a percentage point to 3.2 percent. The number […]
