Local News

The budget for next year, which includes pay raises and bonuses for employees, is up $53 million from the 2020 adopted budget of $439.9 million, according to a news release.

During Wednesday’s school board meeting, Superintendent Don Haddad outlined a series of upcoming meetings in which he plans to gather information and data to help decide if it will be safe for students to return to schools in January.  He said he hopes to be able to send information about the district’s reopening plans to parents around Dec. 21, and to teachers and staff in January.

Fire crews were called at 6 p.m. Tuesday to the sugar mill. When they arrived, personnel found an approximately 25-by-50-feet outdoor debris pit to the south of the mill’s storage area engulfed in flames, according to a news release. While battling that fire, crews discovered a second fire burning inside the main building. 

The five-day rolling average of COVID-19 cases is headed in downward trend, while the case rates by age groups also are declining, except for those 75 years of age or older, Jeff Zayach, Boulder County Public Health executive director, said in the first of planned weekly virtual updates on COVID-19 activity in the county.

The state is expecting 46,800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine the week of Dec. 13 and 95,600 doses of the Moderna vaccine the following week of Dec. 20, according to Scott Bookman, COVID-19 incident commander for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. 

The skunk was spotted near the walking path at St. Vrain Creek, west of Hover Road, according to a Boulder County news release.

Elaine Waterman, executive director at Firehouse, will host a virtual ugly sweater class on the art center’s Facebook page on Thursday. Sweater-making kits also are available for purchase.

The planned route drew praise from council members who noted Longmont has long been promised and then denied the Northwest Rail line between Boulder and Longmont by the Regional Transportation District.

New Colorado law supplies $5 million in relief for gas and electricity payments

No additional public testimony will be taken during the hearing. The commissioners will either adopt or request staff members make additional changes, according to the county’s oil and gas webpage.