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Colorado's employment and population growth will slow for a third consecutive year in 2018. The state will stay competitive in recruiting and every major sector will add jobs according to an economic outlook released by the Leeds School of Business at CU Boulder.

The size of the county's labor force has increased over the past year, but so has the number of people reported as employed. A report on Colorado's employment situation released last week shows a total labor force of 14,841 in November 2017, up about a thousand from November 2016.

Dec. 18:

Three people escaped serious injury in a single vehicle accident on Trap Club Road near Adobe Buttes Landfill. The Colorado State Patrol handled the investigation.

At the municipal election scheduled for April 3, Delta voters will fill two council seats and be asked to consider taxation on the sale of marijuana, even though sales are currently prohibited.

A petition is being circulated that asks Delta City Council to reconsider a 2013 ordinance prohibiting retail marijuana stores, marijuana cultivation facilities, retail marijuana products manufacturing and marijuana testing facilities within the City of Delta.

And then there was one.

Of the five blighted properties targeted for remediation by the City of Delta, only one appears to be viable.

The City of Delta has engaged the services of Better City to move the city forward on the gateway project. A name-brand hotel near the Gunnison River is the centerpiece of the effort.

Evidently anti-energy activists are going to try again even though their attempt in 2016 didn't even make the ballot. The language they filed seeks "2,500-foot buffer zones between oil and gas development and occupied buildings, such as homes and schools and vulnerable areas, such as playgrounds and drinking water sources."

I caught wind of a recent report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis from the U.S. Department of Commerce touting growth in GDP across a multitude of states. Leading the charge? Mining.

In his letter to the editor of Dec. 13, "Nullifying the estate tax," David Lindbergh outlined a utopian and unsubstantiated description of the trickle down theory. The more money and power structured into the system for the top tiers of society the more they will spend on houses, cars and boats, etc. hiring others to maintain their growing assets and thus the benefits trickle down.

Coloradans across the state are hardworking individuals who know what's best for them, their families, and their communities. They understand that keeping more of their own money in their own pockets instead of sending it to Washington will provide them with more freedom to make their own decisions.

I attended the Summit on Education Reform in Nashville, Tenn., where speakers and panelists from across the nation discussed directions education is taking and how our schools can prepare students for an ever changing future.

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos spoke about school choice and the role of parents in selecting the best school for their children.

I am so tired of all the misinformation and half-truths being written and said about the GOP tax bill that I felt compelled to research and give the public straight information. All of these facts are from Forbes, Business Insider and the The U.S. Tax Foundation.

Delta senior Logan Church joined an elite group of wrestlers Saturday night, winning his second heavyweight title at the 41st annual Warrior Classic wrestling tournament at Central High School in Grand Junction.

Church was the defending Warrior champion and was seeded first at the 42-team tournament.

Last week's swim meet held in Montrose was an eight-team event. Glenwood Springs won the Montrose High School Girls Swim and Dive Invitational on Dec. 16 with 443 points.

The Panthers finished sixth with a score of 167 points.

Results are posted for the recently held Nuggets Skills Challenge hosted by Bill Heddles Recreation Center in Delta.

Sports Coordinator Whitnee Lear reported there were 28 participants in the annual event.

Former Delta High School student athlete Skylyn Webb competes on the University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's indoor track and field team. Webb recently earned NCAA Division ll provisional qualifying marks.

Explore the spectacular groomed ski trails on the Grand Mesa with guides from the Grand Mesa Nordic Council. Whether you're new to the Grand Mesa or new to cross-country skiing, a guided tour is a terrific way to enjoy a winter adventure with other outdoor enthusiasts.

Senior CommUnity meals are served at four dining sites in Delta County -- Cedaredge Community Center (Monday-Thursday), Delta Community Center (Monday-Friday), Hotchkiss Senior Center (Monday-Thursday) and Paonia Senior Citizen Center (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Meals on Wheels are also delivered from each location. More information is available by calling the Cedaredge meal site, 856-3636; the Delta meal site, 874-7662; Hotchkiss Senior Center, 872-3494; and Paonia Senior Citizen Center, 527-3435.

The Delta County Libraries offer many educational and entertaining activities and events for you and your family to enjoy. See www.deltalibraries.org for more details.

Josh and Erin Solaas of Paonia are the parents of a son, Jaxon Dale Solaas, born Dec. 21, 2017, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. He weighed 7 pounds and was 19.5 inches in length.

John Moore of Hotchkiss was named to the fall scholastic honor roll at Oregon State University. Moore, a senior majoring in fisheries and wildlife science, earned straight As.

Delta County Joint School District has joined the Colorado Education Network, a statewide coalition committed to the goal of adequate and equitable funding of public education in Colorado.

According to the resolution, per pupil funding in 50J is $928.60 below pre-recession levels, when adjusted for inflation.

Assessed valuation in Delta County Joint School District #50 dropped substantially in 2017, particularly in the portion of Gunnison County that lies in district boundaries, but the school district mill levy remains steady. The general fund mill levy has been frozen at 22.656 by the state for almost 10 years, according to Jim Ventrello, 50J business manager, and will generate an estimated $7,852,081.

Hotchkiss resident Arlette Joan Jardon died Dec. 21, 2017. She was 78.

Frances Elaine LeGault died Dec. 24, 2017, at her home in Delta. She was 97.

Delta resident Gary K. James died Dec. 25, 2017, at Willow Tree Care Center in Delta. He was 75.

Paonia resident Helen M. Sample died Dec. 14, 2017, at her daughter's home in Paonia. She was 76.

Delta resident Tillie M. Jackson died Dec. 19, 2017, at the HopeWest Hospice Care Center in Grand Junction. She was 80.

The conceptual design and final report for the Rogers Mesa Access Control Plan (ACP), prepared by Stolfus and Associates in close cooperation with Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), has been approved by county commissioners Doug Atchley, Mark Roeber and Don Suppes. They entered into an intergovernmental agreement with CDOT at their Dec. 18 meeting, accepting the ACP.

On Saturday, Dec. 9, people flocked to Paonia Library for a variety of holiday festivities, including a puppet show. Friends of Paonia Library hosted their big, holiday book sale, providing parents the opportunity to browse for books while their children enjoyed the show.

Uncertainty about which portions of Lorah Lane are owned by the Town of Hotchkiss and which lie in the county can only be resolved through a title search, town trustees concluded at their Dec. 14 meeting. Ultimately, the town would like to install a sidewalk from Hotchkiss K-8 to the highway, but it's not certain if there is enough right-of-way.

The following history of the miner statue at Paonia Town Park was submitted to the Town of Paonia Board of Trustees by mayor pro tem, David Bradford:

On April 15, 1881, an explosion at the Mid-Continent Coal Mine, officially known as Dutch Creek Mine No. 1, outside of Redstone, killed 15 coal miners.

The corner of Paonia Town Park where the miner's statue stands will soon be designated as the official entrance to the park.

Paonia trustee David Bradford presented a proposal for upgrades to the southeast corner of the park, where the miner's statue has stood tall and proud for almost 35 years.

The Town of Paonia will benefit from an unexpected increase in annual sales tax revenues.

Based on fiscal year 2017 annualized year-end budget numbers, the town estimates an increase of 6.9 percent in local sales tax revenue.

How long ago? I don't really remember. I know it was in the Nevada-years and the local Audubon Society had received word about the "rufous- sided towhee" in Arizona.

The Cedaredge Area Chamber of Commerce (CACC) is now accepting nominations for Business of the Year, Non-Profit of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and new & Improved. Winners must either operate or do business within the Surface Creek area, or be a member of the CACC.

Joe Agne, pastor of the Cedaredge Community United Methodist Church, loves to play Santa Claus. He's featured on the Back Page this week.

Agne has served as the pastor of CCUMC since July 2016.

Trustee Bob Eckels, Orchard City's road committee chairman, opened a meeting on Thursday, Dec. 14, to consider a budget proposal for road funding in 2018 and beyond. Eckels stated that the information gathered would be set for consideration at a later date.