{"id":7243,"date":"2025-10-16T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koto.org\/?post_type=news&#038;p=7243"},"modified":"2025-10-17T10:57:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T16:57:35","slug":"newscast-10-16-25","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/koto.org\/es\/news\/newscast-10-16-25\/","title":{"rendered":"Newscast 10-16-25"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Mindy Smith Exits Races for Telluride Town Council<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The West End Roundup with The San Miguel Basin Forum<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>County Previews 2026 Budget<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Driver Rescued After Vehicle Crashes Off Keystone Hill<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Emergency personnel responded to a vehicle crash on Keystone Hill late Wednesday night, just before 11 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the San Miguel County Sheriff\u2019s Office, the vehicle went off the road at the top of the hill, traveling approximately 350 feet down an embankment before landing on its side in the San Miguel River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dispatch was notified of the crash by Apple\u2019s Crash Detection feature. As responders searched the area, they heard the driver yelling for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First responders extricated the driver, a 31-year-old man from Ridgway, who was wearing a seatbelt. He was transported to the Telluride Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>San Miguel County Search and Rescue, sheriff\u2019s deputies, Telluride Fire, the Telluride Marshal\u2019s Department, Mountain Village Police, and Colorado State Patrol responded to the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mindy Smith Exits Races for Telluride Town Council<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The race for Telluride Town Council is now down to three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mindy Smith is stepping out of the race for Telluride Town Council. She withdrew her name on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a statement to KOTO, Smith said she doesn\u2019t regret the decision to leave the race, but does regret the timing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said it \u201cdoesn\u2019t feel right receiving this role without a vote, to be appointed because of a lack of candidates.\u201d She added, \u201cThat is not representation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith said she hopes to find ways to continue contributing to the community, but she\u2019s \u201cnot ready for council,\u201d adding she hopes to run in the future when she\u2019s better prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The announcement comes just days after candidate Marisa Marshalka also left the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that, the number of candidates running is down to three: Dan Enright, Kristen Permakoff and Meehan Fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While there are only three candidates, there are four seats open for Town Council this year. Enright and Fee are running for reelection, while Geneva Shaunette and Jessie Rae Arguelles are termed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe three remaining council candidates will be elected to serve on Town Council. They are being sworn in at the Nov. 25 Town Council meeting. At that meeting there will be an immediate vacancy created,\u201d said Telluride Town Clerk Tiffany Kavanaugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said at that point, Town Council will be responsible for deciding how to fill the final seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTown Council will need to decide if they want to hold a special election, or appoint a member to Town Council,\u201d Kavanaugh said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kavanaugh said an appointment would be for a partial term \u2014 either until the next regular election in two years, or until a special election, likely in November 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If Town Council moves to appoint a new member, the Telluride Home Rule Charter states it must happen within 30 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey would need to interview applicants in public and then decide to appoint somebody,\u201d Kavanaugh said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be eligible for appointment, an individual must be 18 years or older and have lived in the Town of Telluride for at least one year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kavanaugh said if Council decides to call a special election, it would take roughly three months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe would go through the whole nomination petition process again. The cost of a special election is typically around $15,000. It would be the exact same process that we went through in August: we open the nomination petition process, we get people to circulate petitions, and then we certify candidates for the ballot,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enright, Permakoff and Fee will be sworn in to Telluride Town Council on Tuesday, Nov. 25, joining Mayor Teddy Errico and Councilmembers Elena Levin and Ashley Von Spreecken. At that point, Town Council will decide how to move forward with filling the final vacant seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As ballots for the November election have already been mailed out, Smith and Marshalka\u2019s names still appear on the ballot. However, votes for either candidate will not be counted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The West End Roundup with The San Miguel Basin Forum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Today on the West End Roundup with the San Miguel Basin forum KOTO\u2019s news team chats with editor Regan Tuttle. In today\u2019s headlines: West End Trails Featured in Documentary, Crime Reporting in Montrose County, and Nucla Cell Tower Causes Concern.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The San Miguel Basin Forum is a locally owned and operated newspaper out of Nucla Colorado. Visit SanMiguelBasinForum.com for biweekly news, events, and local happenings in the West End.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Story begins at<\/em> 4:25<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">County Previews 2026 Budget<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>San Miguel County is heading into 2026 with a minor net surplus budget, though officials are maintaining a conservative approach to spending amid expected decreases in sales tax revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>County Assistant Manager Jarrod Biggs previewed the 2026 budget at the County Commissioners meeting on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs we&#8217;ve been talking about all fall, we&#8217;ve been kind of projecting a pretty conservative budget based on the 5.25 limit, based on a number of other things that are happening in the local economy, a minor decline in sales tax and a few other things,\u201d Biggs said. \u201cAnd we&#8217;ve actually been pretty fortunate not only to have a balanced budget this year, but to continue to have a minor surplus, and we&#8217;ll talk about that momentarily as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Biggs said after initial calculations, the projected surplus for the 2026 general fund is $745,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo you can see here our starting fund back our ending fund balance for the current year is projected to be 28,000 or 28,000,005 36 267, and that is based on a surplus of $2.7 million open the overlap next year,\u201d Biggs said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He noted that while the general fund is projected to run in a surplus, operating funds are a different story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNine of our operating funds are dipping into their reserves, but our general funds are not,\u201d Biggs said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Operating funds range from road and bridge to parks and recreation. A budgeted deficit for these funds does not necessarily mean they will result in a year-end deficit. Planned maintenance or unexpected repair costs can cause a fund to draw from reserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Biggs added that open positions at the county continue to contribute to significant vacancy savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOne note from last year you recall we we had personnel settings or vacancy savings that were very significant last year, think we were on the order of about $1.4 million and that&#8217;s because we could not get full staffing. It was a challenge to get full staffing and and we ended up saving some money this year,\u201d Biggs said. \u201cWe&#8217;re projected to be about $800,000 of savings and so, so that&#8217;s our projection through the end of the year. So it&#8217;s, it&#8217;s still a significant amount of money, but we are making progress in the right direction to actually get fully staffed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The county\u2019s only two debt services are for the Norwood Sheriff\u2019s Office and associated solar panels. Capital projects in the 2026 budget include an EV charging station, purchase of an electric pickup truck, and upgrades to the Miramonte county offices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Biggs said grant funding is expected to decline from about $1.3 million this year to $800,000 in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe faucet has gotten pretty tight on some grants,\u201d Biggs said. \u201cWe know that that&#8217;s happened with some federal grants. It&#8217;s happening with some state grants based on budget restrictions that the state has.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Work on the 2026 budget will continue in November during Commissioner meetings, with final adoption scheduled for Dec. 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Telluride Gondola Closing for Off-Season<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Get in your gondola laps while you can. The first and only free public transportation of its kind in the country \u2014 the Telluride-to-Mountain Village gondola \u2014 is shutting down for the season Sunday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First opened in 1996, the gondola has carried millions of tourists, locals and commuters between the two municipalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the fall off-season, regular SMART bus service will operate between Telluride and Mountain Village. The gondola reopens for the winter season on Nov. 19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Database for Missing Indigenous Looks to Support Relatives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Navajo Technical University is working on a sovereign database system to track and support families of missing Indigenous relatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KSUT\u2019s Clark Adomaitis has more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Story begins at<\/em> 15:42<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Polis, Weiser Push Back Against Nebraska Water Lawsuit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Governor Jared Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a lawsuit filed against Colorado this summer by the state of Nebraska.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The lawsuit alleges Colorado violated a century-old water agreement on the South Platte River by illegally diverting water and preventing it from reaching Nebraska\u2019s farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At a press conference, Polis said the claims are baseless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe won&#8217;t sit by while Nebraska chases a meritless and premature lawsuit that circumvents their rights under the agreement and threatens our water resources and our rural communities in northeastern Colorado,\u201d Polis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Polis and Weiser said the allegations are not supported by evidence and rejected claims that Colorado is obstructing Nebraska\u2019s effort to build the Perkins County Canal \u2014 a contentious proposal to divert water across the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mountain Towns Share Climate Strategies in Breckenridge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mountain towns are on the front lines of climate change, facing the realities of wildfires, floods and unpredictable winters. Their economies and way of life depend on clean air, healthy ecosystems and reliable snow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leaders from rural and resort communities across the West gathered recently in Breckenridge for the Mountain Towns 2030 Climate Summit. The event offered a chance to share strategies and solutions among communities that are both vulnerable to climate impacts and positioned to lead on climate action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rocky Mountain Community Radio\u2019s Maeve Conran spoke with reporter Caroline Llanes, who attended the summit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Story begins at<\/em> 18:00<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8211; Mindy Smith Exits Races for Telluride Town Council<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The West End Roundup with The San Miguel Basin Forum<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; County Previews 2026 Budget<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-category":[515],"news-tag":[],"class_list":["post-7243","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","news-category-newscasts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Newscast 10-16-25 - KOTO FM<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Today&#039;s Headlines: Mindy Smith Exits Races for Telluride Town Council. 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