News

• Mountain Village Moves to Appoint New Mayor
• San Miguel County Approves New Mining Codes
• Spawn of the Subhuman Comes to the Airwaves

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Mountain Village Moves to Appoint New Mayor

Mountain Village will appoint a new mayor next week following the resignation of former Mayor Marti Prohaska.

The vacancy comes after Prohaska learned that the Mountain Village Town Council had requested a private investigation into her conversations with Telluride Ski and Golf Resort owner Chuck Horning. The investigation concerned discussions related to the labor dispute between the ski company and the Telluride Ski Patrol Union, as well as the potential sale of the resort.

In her resignation letter, Prohaska said she does not regret her actions but did not believe it was fair for Mountain Village staff or taxpayers to “shoulder the burden” of an investigation.

Mountain Village’s mayor is not elected by voters. Instead, a council member is appointed by the remaining members of the Town Council. The council will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, to appoint a new mayor.

Mountain Village is also accepting applications to fill the open seat on the Town Council.

To be eligible, applicants must be registered voters in the Town of Mountain Village and must have had legal residency within the town for at least 120 days prior to Feb. 19.

Those interested in serving may submit an application, including candidate information and a letter of intent, by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11. Applications are available at townofmountainvillage.com/town-council.

The appointed council member will serve the remainder of Prohaska’s term, which expires in June 2027. Town Council will hear from candidates and make the appointment at its regular meeting Feb. 19. The new council member will be sworn in at that time.

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San Miguel County Approves New Mining Codes

San Miguel County commissioners approved new regulations for mining operations in unincorporated private and public land on Wednesday.

They’re the first county in Colorado to do so.

Most notably, the rules require operators to conduct hazard assessments and create mitigation plans for potential negative impacts to wildlife habitat and the environment.

Historically, the region has been part of the Uravan (YUR-uh-van) mineral belt in southeast Utah and southwest Colorado, an area rich in uranium and vanadium.

The Sunday Mine Complex, operated by Western Uranium and Vanadium, is an active uranium mine in San Miguel County.

The Trump administration has also expressed an interest in uranium and vanadium as “critical minerals” for the nation’s national energy security — uranium for nuclear power and vanadium for batteries and steel development.

Uranium could play a key role in developing nuclear energy in the region, but it’s left a legacy of pollution and public health issues that disproportionately impact Native Americans in the West.

Commissioner Anne Brown said during the meeting that a recent visit to the Sunday Mine Complex was helpful for her, and she believes the operation is well-regulated.

“But at the same time, I cannot give up what I view as another responsibility of ours, which is to mitigate any impacts that may come from other operations. And that is what these regulations are set up to do,” Brown said.

Brown also said she understands the importance of uranium in developing nuclear energy, and she feels the county has a responsibility to contribute their natural resources.

“A desire to … allow mining in this in the county, but to do so with care towards the impacts that it could potentially have on the community. So I feel like we’ve landed in what I hope is the right sweet spot,” she said.

The Colorado Mining Association says the county’s regulations duplicate those already in place for agencies like Colorado’s Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety, and for the Bureau of Land Management.

The industry group asked the county to sign an agreement to streamline their rules and avoid litigation. County staff said they were not given adequate time to review the agreement, saying they would consider signing it in the future.

Staff also told commissioners that courts have upheld counties’ rights to require permits for activities on public lands.

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Spawn of the Subhuman Comes to the Airwaves

Story begins at 4:35.

A hijacked plane, an evil scientist and a celebrity-turned-gorilla — what more could you ask for in a night at the radio theater?

“This winter, we’re doing a radio show. It’s a 1942 script called Spawn of the Subhuman,” said Brock Benson.

Benson is the producer and director of this winter’s N3 production, the radio play Spawn of the Subhuman. N3 Music & Theatre Club is a program based out of the Norwood Park & Recreation Department that brings together students from Norwood, Nucla and Naturita.

“We landed on one that was probably taken very seriously in 1942, and now it’s hilarious,” Benson said. “It’s an evil scientist kidnapping a celebrity because he’s going to graft her voice into a gorilla and tour the world getting rich with his singing gorilla. Then our female star of the show outsmarts the evil scientist.”

The radio play features Nucla Middle School students Emma Sutherland, Dee O’Connell, Audrey Martinez and Kayla Spor. Benson also has a role in the production.

“OK, as the gorilla,” said O’Connell. “I was once Stephanie Wilder. I made an appointment with the doctor — Audrey — and she was planning to do other stuff with me, like experiment with me,” O’Connell said. “She took my vocal cords and put them into a gorilla.”

Martinez jumps in.

“Stephanie Wilder’s lovely voice gave up on me. I tried to kill her. She killed me instead,” she said.

Benson said the production has evolved from the original script.

“Because of our cast and not having a lot of guys show up, there’s now a lesbian marriage happening, which I think is great,” Benson said. “The original script was opera singers, but our kids aren’t that familiar with opera, so it’s been pared down to duets. If you’re not laughing, there might be something wrong with you.”

To produce the show, the group held several rehearsals before recording narration at the Naturita Public Library. Benson produced the play and added sound effects.

The students said they were drawn to the project for their love of theater — and the comfort of not being seen on stage.

“I chose to do this because I don’t like being in front of people and I have stage fright, but I could still be in a play,” Sutherland said.

The radio format also challenges performers in new ways.

“With a radio play, you don’t get to use your body or facial expressions to get the story across,” Spor said. “You have to put the emotion and the feeling into your voice and let it come out.”

She added that the experience helped build community.

“I think my favorite part was just getting to know each and every person,” she said.

While the play is funny and entertaining, Benson said its impact goes deeper.

“There are some really talented kids around here who don’t always feel like they fit in, especially in such a sports-centric setting,” Benson said. “To bring some art and some joy to tweens and teenagers who are searching for their identity — these kids find a niche with this and they find their voice. Theater saves lives. Art is necessary for developing identity. That’s really what we’re doing here.”

A listening party for Spawn of the Subhuman will be held Friday, Jan. 23, at the Livery in Norwood at 6 p.m. The event is free, and the community is encouraged to attend.

After the listening party, the play will be available on Benson’s podcast, WECast.

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The Listening Club Becomes a Bone Machine

This Monday the Wilkinson Public Library holds its monthly Listening Club. It’s like a book club, but for albums. Charlie Weathers will lead the January club with his work of choice, Tom Waits’ 1992 album, “Bone Machine”.

The January Listening Club on “Bone Machine” on Monday, January 26^th from 6 to 7pm at the Telluride Music Company. More information is available at telluridelibrary.org.

Story begins at 11:20.

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Telluride Talks Mental Health in the Mountains

Living in mountain communities can be rewarding, but it also presents challenges.

The Telluride Mountain Club will host a Mental Health in the Mountains event next week to explore both the difficulties and benefits of living in a mountain town.

The event will feature a community-driven discussion with local therapists, community members and regional experts sharing their experiences and available resources.

Mental Health in the Mountains will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, at the Telluride Science and Innovation Center.

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Soldiers Caught Poaching at Fort Carson

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has concluded an investigation into active-duty soldiers who poached five mule deer on Fort Carson and one on state land just south of the city.

The probe began in November 2024 after a hunter reported a mule deer buck that appeared to have been illegally killed to Fort Carson Conservation Law Enforcement.

Officers found a dead buck partially processed and abandoned, with select cuts of meat removed and the antlers cut off. A second doe was found nearby, also partially processed and abandoned.

Investigators identified a vehicle linked to the case, along with social media images of Army Sgt. Jacob Curtis Keyser and Army Staff Sgt. Juan Salcedo, who were later convicted.

A search warrant of Keyser’s vehicle and phone uncovered evidence of poaching and trespassing on both military and state lands.

Keyser faced 30 wildlife charges, was fined nearly $20,000, and forfeited his hunting rifle. Salcedo faced 15 charges, roughly $9,000 in fines and 65 suspension points.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife will hold a suspension hearing to determine whether the men could face a hunting and fishing suspension or a possible lifetime ban across all 50 states.

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Colorado Democrats Push Bills to Expand Affordable Housing

Colorado Democrats rolled out a set of bills Wednesday aimed at making it easier to build affordable housing statewide.

For the Colorado Capitol News Alliance, Lucas Brady Woods reports that Gov. Jared Polis is backing the proposals. Polis and Democratic lawmakers have spent years pushing to increase density, especially near public transit, as a way to bring down housing prices. The three new proposals build on others that have either passed or failed previously.

At a press conference launching the bills, Polis said, “Our housing goals go hand in hand with our transit goals and our affordability goals and our climate goals, and by working together, we can build and we will build, a more affordable, livable and sustainable state.”

One of the bills would let local governments apply for new funding for transit-oriented housing and better access to transit. Another would create a tax exemption for land that will later be used for rental housing. The third would make it easier for schools and some other entities to build housing on their land, even if it isn’t zoned for residential construction.