The Year 2022 (Double Deuces) is coming to an end after what turned out to be an interesting 12 months.
Annoying weather, particularly high winds, high heat and continued drought, definitely was a staple, though there also were elections, fires, the conclusion to Yuma School District-1’s $32 million expansion/renovation project, the “Indians” mascot was eradicated just in time, and even COVID-19 reared its ugly head every once in a while.
Let’s just get at it, and you can decide what to think of 2022.
January 2022
• The year began with Yuma County Sheriff Todd Combs announcing he would run for a second term.
• The region received its first measurable snowfall of the season over the New Year’s Day weekend. It was about 2-3 inches but did not pack much precipitation. The Pioneer reported that Yuma had 12.65 inches of precipitation in 2021.
• Byron Pelton, a Logan County Commissioner, announces he will run for Colorado State Senator District 1 seat.
• School resumes with Yuma High School staff and students utilizing the renovated wing for the first time as the $32 million expansion/renovation project nears its end.
• The City of Yuma began the new year looking at ways to cut back in General Fund expenditures due to tight revenue.
• Trent Bushner announces he will not run for a fifth term as a Yuma County Commissioner in the November 2022 election.
• It was January 4, 2022, when two vehicles were stolen from rural locations in Yuma County.
• It is reported that COVID-19 cases are on the rise in region. Yuma County had 106 active cases as of January 10, including 46 over the previous seven days.
• Beverly Wenger announces she will seek a sixth term as Yuma County Clerk & Recorder.
• Yuma’s Dave Blach is appointed to the Colorado Agricultural Commission, replacing fellow Yuman Brett Rutledge.
• Another snow hits the region before the end of January, dropping about four inches.
• The Colorado Commission on Indian Affairs lets Yuma School District-1 know it will not accept “Tribe” as the new mascot for Yuma schools as it is too closely associated with Native Americans. The district is told to come up with a new plan. The Yuma-1 Board of Education decides to do one final public survey presenting Yetis, Aggies, Pioneers, Bison and “No Mascot” as the choices before having to make a final decision to present to the CCIA at its March meeting.
• Eight people make the cut as candidates for the Yuma City Council election in April — incumbents Marc Shay, Daniel Ebersole, Terri Frame and Marylu Smith-Dischner, and challengers Jerome Benish, Zane McMeekin, Shannon Scholefield and Dana Olsen-Josh.
• Yuma County ends the first month of 2022 with 147 active cases of COVID-19, one of the highest number of cases since the pandemic first hit here in mid-March 2020. However, there are no hospitalizations and no deaths. The Omicron variant is pushing up the cases in the region.
• Yuma once again has a connection to the Super Bowl as the Cincinnati Bengals upset the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game at the end of January. One of their starting linebackers is Logan Wilson, whose grandmother is Yuma native Sharri (Pagel) Wilson, grandfather the late Skip Wilson. Yuma relatives who attended the AFC Championship game included Kathy Christianson, Cindy Gardner, Lorry and Gary Hoffman, John and Cindy Gardner, Cory, Jaime, Alyson and Thatcher Gardner, and Britney Riley and Javier Garcia from Wray.
• The Republican River Water Conservation District begins putting out public education pieces about the need to retire wells in coming years due to the 2016 resolution to the Republican River Compact with Kansas and Nebraska, requiring the water use fee assessment for irrigated acres to increase from $14.50 to $30 per acre from 2023 through 2029.
February 2022
• Yuma School District-1 puts two surveys online seeking public feedback regarding a new mascot, and a proposed four-day school week calendar.
• It is announced that Dr. Elizabeth Hickman will retire in September as executive director of Centennial Mental Health after 14 years in the position.
• COVID-19 cases in Yuma County finally start coming down, after topping out at 183 active cases on February 1.
• The Yuma City Council held a lengthy discussion about the challenges of funding the General Fund, and the need to educate the public while moving toward putting a sales tax increase question on the November ballot.
• Chrystal Hammond announces she will run for Yuma County Treasurer. She had served as deputy treasurer since 2015, and was appointed treasurer by the Yuma County Commissioners following the retirement of Dee Ann Stults.
• The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office announces an upgraded video kiosk system to include free onesite inmate visitations in the Yuma County Jail.
• Not surprisingly, the region is hit an arctic deep freeze, including wind chills well below zero for a few days after a Sunday with a high in the 60s.
• The month ends with Yuma-1 Board of Education member Thomas Holtorf making the motion to “Just be Yuma” in regards to having a mascot for the next school year. The motion is unanimously approved by the five-member board. Obviously, Yuma will not have a mascot as “Indians” is now outlawed.
• The slate of candidates for the May election of the Yuma Hospital District Board of Directors is set — incumbent Monica King and challengers Robert Dorothy, Kathleen Drullinger Haerr, Mathew Liming and DeAnn Sewell. Seats held by King and Roy Mekelburg, who is not seeking another term, are up for election.
• The Yuma-1 Board of Education unanimously approves a four-day school week calendar, as well as a bit pay increase, in an effort to continue to attract and retain quality educators and classified staff.
• COVID-19 cases continue to plummet as the month ends with Yuma County having just three new cases over the last seven days of February, with just 39 active cases after beginning the month with 183.
• Local students excel at the Northeast Colorado Science Fair, including YHS senior Fatima Duran. Others qualifying for the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair in Fort Collins are Cesar Varela, Bridger Lynch, Conner Evans, Ana Alacrco, Denton Piel, Dylani Perez, and Liberty’s Tonya Rothbauer.
March 2022
• Richard Holtorf of Akron announces he will run for the restructured State House District 63 in the November election. He currently is the state representative for District 64. The restructured District 63 has put Yuma and Washington counties in the same district for the first time in years.
• Jamie Unger announces he will run for the Yuma County Commissioner District 1 seat. The seat currently is held by Trent Bushner, who is not running for a fifth term.
• Yuma County reaches the milestone of zero new COVID-19 cases on March 8, the first time that had occurred since the end of June 2021.
• Adam Gates announces he is running for Yuma County Commissioner District 1 seat, which is being vacated by Trent Bushner, who previously announced he would not run for a fifth term
• Cindy Taylor announces she will run for a fourth term as Yuma County Assessor in the November election.
• House Bill 1132, titled “Darcy’s Last Call Act” is introduced by state Rep. Richard Holtorf of Akron. It requires rural residents to notify local fire departments when they do controlled burns. It is named in honor of Darcy Stallings of Yuma, a volunteer firefighter who was killed in a wreck in October 2021 while responding to a fire call that turned out to be a controlled burn outside of Yuma. Darcy’s family and friends testify in favor of the legislation.
• A series of vehicle thefts takes place in the Yuma area over the second weekend of the month. One was left in an alley in Yuma, another at a gravel pick southwest of Yuma, and one at a rural location near the Washington County line that had been dropped off at a repair shop in Yuma less than four hours earlier.
• Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Kate Greenberg, Dr. Rebecca Niemice, the newly-appointed Burea of Animal Protection program manager, met with ag producers during a town hall meeting at the Eckley Community Center to discuss issues and concerns.
• A heavy snow hit the area in the middle of March, particularly causing issues in the Joes/Kirk area in southern Yuma County, as well as around Vernon south of Eckley.
• Yuma County Republicans will have a primary election in June as Adam Gates and Jamie Unger both receive enough delegates at the Yuma County Republican Assembly to get on the ballot. Also, Sheriff Todd Combs and Curtis Witte, a member of the Yuma Police Department, both attracted enough delegates to force a primary election for that position,, as well.
• Candidates for the Yuma City Council are featured in the Pioneer leading up to the conclusion of the mail-in ballot election in early April.
• The Pioneer features that the new autism center in Yuma is getting closer to opening.
• Lone Star senior Alison Davis of Yuma is named as a recipient of the prestigious Daniels Scholarship Program.
April
• The mail-in election season coms to an end on April 5 with Marylu Smith-Dischner, Terri Frame, Jerome Benish and Marc Shay being elected to the council. All but Benish already were on the council. The first three earned three-year terms, while Shay won a two-year term. The terms are shorter than usual as the city is moving council elections to the November election cycle beginning in 2025. the final April municipal election will be in 2024.
• Jennifer Deem is announced as the new executive director of Baby Bear Hugs upon the retirement of long-time executive director Ruth Seedorf.
• No surprisingly, the Yuma area and region are pummeled by high winds, even knocking over a big, healthy tree on S. Ash St., and resulting in multiple highway closures due to blowing dirt.
• Dwain Weinrich announces he will run as an unaffiliated candidate for Yuma County Commissioner District 1.
• Yuma Baseball Organization’s food-preparation equipment at the concession stand at Jeff Armstrong Ball Park is stolen. Contributions helped the YBO replace the sno-cone machine, nacho cheese machine, popcorn popper, hot dog roller and bun storage.
• The Pit at YHS is eradicated of all “Indians” imagery as the floor is redone to come into compliance with new state law.
• A stolen vehicle from Washington County is found near Vernon south of Wray on County Road AA.
• Candidates for the Yuma Hospital District Board of Directors are featured in the Pioneer as the deadline for the May 3 mail-in ballot election approaches.
• The Yuma-1 Board of Education votes 3-1 to move forward with a $1.5 million project to convert the old ag building at YHS into the new central office, housing district, transportation and maintenance.
• High winds and continuing drought finally result in a devastating grass fire in central Yuma County on Friday, April 22. The day’s high was nearly 90 degrees, and the high winds made for perfect conditions for the first, which wiped out the rental home of Harrison and LeAnne Rehor south of Eckley. LeAnne escaped just ahead of the flames with their children, as did neighbor Meghann Blach with her children. The Blach’s house spared. The fire burned about 4,000 acres, and kept area firefighters and local residents busy well into the evening.
• Recently-elected Yuma City Council members Marc Shay, Terri Frame, Marylu Smith-Dischner and Jerome Benish are sworn in for their new terms during the council’s first meeting after the election.
May
• The Yuma District Hospital Board of Directors election comes to an end with Monica King being elected to another four-year ternm, and DeAnn Rawson Sewell earning her first term. Chris Blecha, Cindy Stulp and Andrea Anzlovar are the other board members.
• After wind and fire, the Yuma region finally receives more than 1 inch of precipitation in rain and a little snow early in May. It was more precipitation than the area had received in all of the first four months of 2022. The gusty winds, however, continued.
• Michael Dischner, Megan Hansen and Tracy Hardesty are elected to the Yuma Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, along with current board members Bob Carpio and Candy Gilliland. Also on the board are Marylu Smith-Dischner and Crystal Mitchell.
• Crews from Concrete Specialties deal with a tricky project replacing a valve deep inside one of the two aeration basins at the City of Yuma’s wastewater treatment plant east of town. The valve is located 21 feet below ground and is in a tight spot.
• Andre Baucke and Josslyn Munoz are crowned the 2022 Yuma High School Prom King and Queen during the Grand March held in The Pit prior to the prom being held at the Yuma County Fairgrounds.
• The family and fellow firefighters of the late Darcy Stallings attend two ceremonies honoring Darcy, at the State House Chamber and another at the Fallen Firefighters Memorial at the Lakewood Cultural Center.
• Yuma County gets to zero COVID-19 cases in May, going 14 days without a new case. It is the first time with zero cases since the first case was announced in March 2020.
• The Yuma Ambulance Service is featured in the Pioneer as the City of Yuma makes the case that it will require new revenue sources to keep it going.
• The Yuma County Commissioners vote to bring back a beer garden for the second straight year at the Yuma County Fair.
• An expanded recycling system in Yuma County becomes a reality. New bins in Yuma, Eckley and Wray provide for new recycling products such as glass, tin cans, aluminum cans, and paper. The effort is thanks to a grant, and a partnership with SE & EC in Las Animas.
• A power outage plunged all of Yuma into darkness at 11 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, but power was restored about 30 minutes later.
• High school graduations take place all over the region, including Yuma’s 47-member Class of 2022. Graduating Cum Laude was Kinley Eryring, and those with High Distinction were Andre Baucke, Alyson Gardner, Meidi Reyes, Kobe Rayl, Neidin Quezada, John Smith, Samantha Wells, Tyler Allen, Mia Dischner and Elle Roth. Graduating with Honors were Clay Robinson, Jaxson Lungwitz, Harper Whitehead, Mckenzie Struckmeyer, Bryton Goldenstein and Brekyn Josh.
• Yuma School District-1 gets word from the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs is has been removed from the “non-compliant” list in regards to HB 21-116, avoiding the $25,000 per month fine that would go into effect on June 1.
• In related news, a lawsuit attempting to overturn the Mascot Bill is dismissed in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. The challenge had been pushed by the Native American Guardian’s Association (NAGA), taken up by the Mountain States Legal Foundation in Lakewood, and included several people with local connections being entered as plaintiffs. Mountain States Legal Foundation tells the Pioneer in an email that it will not appeal the dismissal.
• Sheriff Todd Combs and other county officials work to come up with a controlled burn policy, in which citizens need to call the W-W Combined Communications Center before having a controlled burn that cannot be contained in a steel container.
• State legislator Jerry Sonnenberg of Logan County sees his run as a state representative and state senator, spanning 16 years, come to an end, as the Colorado General Assembly convenes the 2022 session. Term limits pushed out the popular northeast Colorado politician.
• Josh Rahe of Yuma Middle School is named the Bank of Colorado’s Teacher of the Year.
• Rains on Memorial Day and the following day bring about 1 inch of much-needed precipitation to Yuma.
• State legislation brings $30 million to the Republican River Water Conservation District to help with the retirement of irrigated acres in the basin. Don Brown of Yuma, a member of the RRWCD Board of Directors, was among those who attended the bill signing by Governor Jared Polis in Alamosa, along with RRWCD Board President Rod Lenz.
June
• Rainy weather and a leak made for a bumpy start to the season for the Yuma Municipal Pool. The leak is making it difficult to keep the chemical levels at the right level.
• An outbreak at an unidentified facility results in COVID-19 cases exploding to 60 after going about two weeks in May with zero cases. However, there were no severe symptoms nor hospitalizations, and cases remained low in neighboring counties.
• The Yuma City Council approved the comprehensive site plan for the Church Annexation at the northeast end of Yuma by Yuma Development LLC. The plan features 241 residential lots of various sizes, as presented to the council by Kent Carlson and Scott Carlson of Carlson and Associates.
• Ryan Saffer, a long-time dispatcher, is featured as the director of W-Y Combined Communications Center.
• The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office reports a shooting incident involving four to five people at Yuma County roads 57 and M. Firearms were recovered but no one was injured.
• Chancey Williams is announced as the nightshow act for the Yuma County Fair later in the summer.
• Republican county commissioner and county sheriff candidates are featured in the Pioneer as the primary election season nears the end.
• Peighton Roth, a 2016 Yuma High School graduate and University of Wisconsin graduate, is featured in the Pioneer in her new role in the scouting department with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• The primary election season comes to an end with incumbent Todd Combs beating Curtis Witte in the Republican race for Yuma County Sheriff, and Adam Gates beating Jamie Unger in the Republican race for Yuma County Commissioner District 1. Eckley’s Jessie Vance lost to Richard Holtorf of Akron in the State House District 63 primary.
• The Yuma County Cattlemen’s Association held its annual banquet in late June in Eckley. Board members were elected, scholarship winners introduced, the Bill Seward Memorial Award presented to Deb Roundtree, and winners of the Feedlot and Performance Contest announced.
• Yuma buildings are vandalized with spray paint for the second time in a few weeks.
July
• The community enjoys a Let Freedom Ring event held in downtown Yuma held by the Yuma Chamber of Commerce and participating businesses. Love music, food, treats and special deals at businesses were enjoyed by all.
• The City of Yuma again held the Third of July celebration at the Jeff Armstrong Ball Park, attracting a large crowd to an evening of events culminating with the Yuma Volunteer Fire Department’s fireworks display.
• Dwain Weinrich officially gets on the ballot through the petition process as a candidate for Yuma County Commissioner District 1, giving Republican candidate Adam Gates a challenge in the November election.
• Major changes to the Yuma County Fair & Rodeos schedule are featured in the Pioneer as the annual extravaganza approaches. The “main” part of the fair now will run Wednesday through Monday in early August, instead of Saturday through Wednesday.
• Wheat stem sawfly is making its mark on a local winter wheat harvest that already was struggling through drought conditions and falling market prices. However, quality of the wheat has been strong, and yields have been better than originally anticipated.
• The heat was unrelenting in July in Yuma, with seven straight days of highs above 90, and for it to continue through at least 11 consecutive days. Twelve of the first 19 days in July have highs above 90, including two above 100.
• A mural is painted on the side of the Yuma Chamber of Commerce building by the crew from Some Girls and a Mural out of Limon, as the first of several to be painted around Yuma as part of a Chamber project.
• Darcy’s Stage is completed in time for the Yuma County Fair & Rodeos. Volunteers spent several days in the heat constructing the outdoor stage to be used during the fair and other times of the year in honor of the late Darcy Stallings, who was a longtime fair superintendent and fair board member, who was killed in an accident the previous October while responding to a call as a member of the Yuma Volunteer Fire Department.
• Governor Jared Polis and Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg visited the former Bonny Dam site with members of the RRWCD Board and South Fork Republican Restoration Coalition while visiting the area to discuss boosting Colorado’s agricultural economy and protecting the state’s water.
• A 4-1 vote by the YSD-1 Board of Education gives the green light to upgrade the YHS Auditorium for nearly $600,000.
• An algae bloom presents challenges at Lake Yuma. The city is recommending people and their pets stay out of the water. High heat and some rains led to the bloom at the storm runoff pond.
• The Yuma Police Departments makes a presentation to the YSD-1 Board about Officer DJ Hass being placed in the Yuma schools as a School Resource Officer.
• The heat wave finally comes to an end in late July with highs in the mid-80s after 11 straight days of highs above 90, and 13 of 15 days, including two days above 100.
• The rain finally came as Yuma ended up with an official 4.42 inches of precipitation in July, the wettest month to date in 2022.
August
• Grace Schaffner is featured in the Pioneer as the Yuma County Fair Queen as the fair is about to begin in early August.
• Marilyn Welp is featured in the Pioneer as the 2022 Yuma County Fair Parade Grand Marshal, in recognition of her many years as a volunteer with the fair and as a 4-H leader.
• The revamped Yuma County Fair & Rodeos seems to get through its new schedule fairly smoothly. New events such as the BBQ contest, cornhole and cow pie throwing were well received. Kim Latoski announces her retirement as the fair manager. She has been involved with the fair and 4-H for more than three decades.
• The Junior Livestock Sale, held for first time on a Saturday afternoon, set a record of $521,000 in total receipts, obliterating the 2021 record sale fo $384,800. However, the total number of “lots” in the sale keep dropping as there were 126 head sold, down 40 from the previous year.
• Kale Morris has the Grand Champion Swine, Teagan Gales the Grand Champion Market Sheep, Forest Rutledge the Grand Champion Market Goat, and Lea Richardson the Grand Champion Market Beef.
• Round Robin Senior Showmanship winners are Bradie Midcap, Lea Richardson, Casie Midcap, Kaitlyn Meisner and Lyndsey Mekelburg. Round Robin Junior Shopmanship winners are Tatum Soehner, Colby Morris, Kace Chamberlain, Taryn Mekelburg and Brylee Meisner.
• With Yuma County considering a wind energy project in the southwest corner of the county, the commissioners hear from concerned citizens about updating the Yuma County Land Use Code.
• Gary Baucke announces his retirement after decades with the Yuma Ambulance Service.
• Yuma School District-1 enters a six-week pilot program with the Yuma Police Department to have a School Resource Office in the Yuma schools when the 2022-23 school year begins on August 16.
• Yuma-1, the Yuma police and other area agencies carry out a five-hour “Emergency Response and
September
• Arturo Moran is featured as the new director of the Yuma Chamber of Commerce.
• YHS graduate Ashley Miller is featured as she is part of the engineering team from Aerojet Rocketdyne working on NASA’s Artemis project, which is designed to get astronauts back on the moon, eventually leading to a launch to Mars.
• Yuma County youth that saw their animals qualify for the Colorado State Fair Junior Livestock Sale are Lea Richardson, Forest Rutledge, Nash Richardson, Lyndsey Mekelburg, Jayci Mekelburg, Emrrie Chamberlain, Chloe Smith, Camden Welp, Kace Chamberlain, Levi Yearous and Stevie Seward.
• Early counts show Yuma School District-1’s enrollment is holding steady with a preliminary count of 876 students in Pre-K through 12th grade.
• Yuma County leadership is sent for a jolt as Robin Wiley announces he will be resigning as Yuma County Commissioner on September 14 after serving 22 years, due to family medical issues. The Yuma County Republican Central Committee is tasked with selecting his replacement for the remainder of his current term.
• A cow moose has been wandering across southern Washington and Yuma counties. It likely is in Kansas by now. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Officer Josh Melby said it probably came from the northern Front Range. As far as he knows, it is the first sighting of a cow moose in Yuma County.
• Former Yuma resident Tresa Juhl, 33, was found dead at her residence in rural Washington County. Her cause of death is under investigation.
• The Yuma Historic Preservation Committee sponsored a tour of Yuma churches within walking distance of downtown Yuma, attracting a large crowd. It was part of the final First Friday of the season in downtown Yuma put on the Yuma Chamber of Commerce. hatching in September. One of the newborn turtles made it to Pioneer Headquarters, but was taken to Lake Yuma and successfully took to the lake water.
• It was a cold and misty Saturday morning when Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold visited with about 20 people at City Park.
• Yuma went through a wild weather swing. It was above 90 and even 100 on seven of the first eight days of September, but dropped from 100 degrees to 64 degrees in one day, and just 56 the next day while Old Settlers Days was taking place. However, the temperatures quickly warmed back to the 80s and 90s.
• A little fun is had at the expense of the Yuma County Republican Central (Vacancy) Committee when it miscounts the number of eligible voters to determine the replacement for Robin Wiley as Yuma County Commissioner. The discrepancy is discovered after the meeting, resulting in a second one being held two days later, which ended with Mike Leerar getting the required votes to replace Wiley for the remaining two years of the current term. Jessie Vance seemingly has won the initial vote, which had one too many votes.
• A string of copper wire thefts from electrical substations seemingly comes to an end as two suspects are arrested in the predawn hours of September 13 following a three-month investigation that spanned four counties in northeast Colorado, according to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office.
• The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office also keeps catching older guys who come to Yuma County expecting a sexual encounter with a minor. The adult men come to Yuma County after making contact online with turns out to be a Yuma County Sheriff’s deputy, after the adult men first try to make contact with a minor online to meet for sex.
• The hot summer of 2022 finally comes to an end, featuring 58 days with highs above 90 or 100 degrees, including several stretches of 90 or above. Record highs of 102 nd 103 were set on September 6 and September 8, and the high of 102 on September 7 fell one degree hort of the record high for that date.
• The YSD-1 Board of Education receives plenty of feedback in regards to the handling of autistic students in the Yuma schools, and the formation of a Gay Straight Alliance student group at Yuma High School.
• YSD-1, the Yuma Police Department and City of Yuma also move toward having a Student Resource Officer in the Yuma schools on a permanent basis, as the pilot program was a big success.
• Kallen Blach andAlly Mermis are crowned the 2022 Yuma High School Homecoming King and Queen during halftime of the Yuma-Wiggins football game.
October
• The Yuma City Council holds a Monday workshop to discuss where to possibly cut back in the General Fund if the city’s 1.5 percent sales tax increase does not pass in the November election. The consensus was to have the administration look at a 20-percent cut in each General Fund department.
• The Republican River Water Conservation District puts out a reminder that the assessment fee for irrigated acres will be increasing to $30 per acre on the 2023 tax roll.
• Dianna Cummins of Fort Morgan had the Best of Show entry in the Yuma Art Show with her oil painting titled “Mitt With His Old Halter.”
• The Yuma City Council holds another workshop to discuss possible cuts to the 2023 budget, including potentially not opening the swimming pool since it is need of extensive repairs that might not be finished in time to open it for the summer anyway.
• The Brent Flaming family had a new memorial erected in his memory in front of Yuma High School. The former one had to be taken down because of the “Indians” situation, so the family put funds toward a new red “Y” at the same location.
• The Yuma County Jail is downsized to being just a holding facility as dwindling staff has made it difficult to keep inmates fulltime. Sheriff Todd Combs said relatively-low pay for a difficult job led to the staff shortage. The hope is to get the jail back to full functionality.
• Governor Jared Polis, and most other candidates for statewide offices dropped by Red Willow on Main for an invitation-only candidate forum sponsored by Progressive 15.
• Yuma County Commissioner candidates Adam Gates and Dwain Weinrich are featured in the Pioneer as the November mail-in ballots are sent out to voters.
• The Pioneer runs an article about how the city’s sales tax increase would help the Yuma Ambulance Service stay in operation.
• Fallen firefighters Darcy Stallings of Yuma and Larry Wyant of Joes are honored at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Maryland.
• A new roof goes up at the Yuma Museum, which is part of an extensive upgrade at the facility so it can reopen and serve the Yuma community again.
• The Yuma County Cattlemen’s Association reorganizes with Travis Fonte serving as chairman, Clarence Young vice chair, Ray Hendrix as secretary and Brandon Newton as treasurer.
• It is announced that, after a nine-year hiatus, the Yuma Community Thanksgiving is coming back in 2022, with the Higgins, Mekelburg and Rutledge families resuming the tradition started by Doris Mekelburg many years ago.
• A fire scorches 3,250 acres in southwest Yuma County on Saturday, October 22. Multiple departments responded to the fire, along with plenty of support from the community. Luckily, no one was injured and no structures lost. Landowners banded together to evacuate cattle around the burn area, which covered 6-1/2 miles long and 1-1/2 miles wide.
• The Welcome to Yuma monument on S. Main St. near Highway 34 is demolished by a service pickup backing out of a driveway. It will be quite some time before the monument is restored.
• A wild early Sunday morning results in a sprayer being stolen from the Nutrien Ag location east of Yuma and then driven to the Nutrien Ag location in Wray. The suspect was arrested by Wray police while walking toward his residence.
• The Pioneer features how the city’s streets would benefit from the new sales tax revenue if voters approve the increase in the November mail-in election.
• Everyone has a fun time on a beautiful Monday afternoon during the traditional Trick-or-Treat Street in downtown Yuma.
• Yuma’s Matt Vincent comes out with his book “The Chronicles of Custer: First Stand of a Failed Campaign, covering the 7th Calvary during the Hancock Campaign of 1867 in Kansas, Nebraska and northeast Colorado, including Yuma County. Vincent has several book signings in the area.
November
• The local corn harvest is coming along slowly but steadily. The quality is good and irrigated yields are well above 200 bushel per acre, but not quite as high as what is now considered a bumper crop. The season’s hot and windy conditions even impacted the irrigated fields.
• Christine Daugherty of Yuma is awarded Special Advocate of the Year by the Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented. She is the Gifted and Talented coordinator for Northeast BOCES.
• A late Tuesday night in early November had some excitement as several law enforcement vehicles engage in a pursuit of a single vehicle in and around town, eventually coming to an end without any injuries on Highway 34 near the Highway 59 intersection. A man from Wray is arrested.
• The November mail-in election comes to an end, with Adam Gates beating Dwain Weinrich for the Yuma County Commissioner District 1 seat. The City of Yuma’s proposed sales tax increase was defeated.
• The outlook is not promising thanks to continued drought conditions for the opening weekend of the pheasant season.
• The Yuma Chamber of Commerce gets its CDOT Revitalizing Main Streets Small Multimodal and Economic Resiliency Grant. It will include all sorts of fun additions to the community.
• The Yuma City Council approves its side of the agreement for placing a School Resource Officer full time in the Yuma Schools for the rest of the 2022-23 school year.
• Representatives of NextEra Energy Resources hold an open house at the Yuma County Fairgrounds to provide information about its proposed solar energy project to be located a few miles north of Yuma. The solar panels would sit on approximately 2,000 acres about eight to 10 miles north of Yuma. The hope is to begin the project in 2024, and will take about 18 months to complete.
• Yuma Middle School again holds a classy Veterans Day ceremony honoring local veterans.
• Voter turnout in Yuma County ended up being about 85 percent after all the ballots are tallied.
• Yuma gears up for a big Saturday of Yuma Winterfest on the Thanksgiving weekend. Local businesses mostly report having a good turnout of shoppers as downtown Yuma is full early on the Saturday.
• The return of the Yuma Community Thanksgiving, held at the Yuma County Fairgrounds, turns out to be a huge success with hundreds of meals served.
December
• The renovation of the old ag building on the Yuma High School campus is completed as district office, transportation and maintenance personnel move into the new central office. The project cost all of the $1.5 million budgeted for it, but came completely from funds the district already had. The district did not have to go into the more than $8 million it has in reserves.
• High winds blow a nasty dust storm into Yuma in early December, resulting in highway closures, and the cancellation of the YHS winter sports season openers.
• Yuma District Hospital & Clinics announces masks again will be required at its facilities as the flu, RSV and COVID-19 cases are on the rise.
• A five-hole disc golf course designed by Yuma’s Erik Tribelhorn at the Yuma District Hospital & Clinics campus is opened. The project was spearheaded by the Yuma Lions Club, particularly Ray and Carol Heltenberg, along with several sponsors.
• Yuma and the whole region is pounded by a blizzard on December 13. Highways remained closed for days, and most schools did not have classes for two to three days, which happened to be the last week before the Christmas break. School Christmas concerts were postponed.
• The Yuma Drama Club presented three short Christmas-themed plays at the Yuma Theatre on the weekend prior to the blizzard.
• The weather stayed cold after the blizzard, and then the region, and most of the whole country, is visited by an arctic cold front that sends temperatures plummeting below zero, with wind chills approaching minus-50. The weather warms by Christmas Day, and the days after Christmas feature highs in the 50s and 60s.
• Eric and Naomi Myotte did not get to spend Christmas at their rural home after it caught on fire the Saturday before the holiday. However, they were warmed by the great support they received from the community.