News

• Telluride responds to ICE rumors
• Advocates push to secure voting rights in Colorado
• Cat Movie Fisher with Risho Unda

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Telluride responds to ICE rumors

In the weeks since Donald Trump was sworn in as president, rumors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) showing up in communities have spread across the state and nation.

In San Miguel County, there have been half a dozen reports in the past week. According to the Telluride Marshal’s Department and San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office, all have been false.

“The rumors that have been going around are extremely harmful to our community,” said Telluride Chief Marshal Josh Comte. “They cause a ridiculous amount of panic and fear and have caused a lot of disruption in our schools. When we get these reports, we vet them to see if they’re true. Every report we’ve gotten these past days has been completely untrue.”

One rumor claimed ICE was at Telluride Elementary School on Wednesday. While untrue, Telluride School District Superintendent John Pandolfo says they have procedures in place if immigration were to come to the school.

“Let’s say we did have a visit from agents. The school is a private location. We have security, and only authorized people are supposed to be in the schools,” Pandolfo said.

Pandolfo added that there are situations where someone might be allowed into a school building or the district might provide information regarding a family, but that would require a valid, confirmed warrant or subpoena.

“If there was a request for something specific, there would need to be a fully vetted subpoena. It wouldn’t be an immediate share, and we’d be contacting parents,” Pandolfo said.

Pandolfo also said the district would likely put the school into a “hold” to ensure all students are safe in the building. If there were a verified report of immigration at the schools, the district would inform families and community members immediately.

“The most important thing is for students and families to know that every child has the right to an education, and the privacy, safety, and well-being of students is the priority,” Pandolfo said.

As rumors of ICE circulate around the community, Chief Comte urges everyone to check their sources.

“I fully understand the fear that’s out there with the new administration and the changes that are coming. I really want to urge people to take a step back, pause when you get that information, and verify the truth of it,” Comte said.

San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office Operation Sergeant Lane Masters shares Comte’s sentiment. He added that he doesn’t believe San Miguel County is likely to be a target of ICE, and he wants to keep it that way.

“We don’t want to make ourselves a target, and we don’t want to draw them in. We don’t want that to happen here, and I don’t think it’s going to happen here,” Masters said.

At the same time, he acknowledged the Sheriff’s Office works with ICE.

“I’m not saying we’re actively participating in this nonsense that’s all over the news, but we work with these people. Really, they’re only interested in people who’ve committed crimes,” Masters said.

Chief Comte said the Marshal’s Department is often informed when ICE comes to town. However, as a federal agency, Immigration agents don’t need the Marshal’s permission to be here.

In the midst of fear and anxiety, both Masters and Comte emphasized they still want the community—regardless of documentation status—to feel comfortable reaching out to them.

“I don’t want people to live their lives looking over their shoulder. The worst thing I fear is that someone will be victimized and not call us. I understand they’re worried about their legal status, but we don’t work for the feds, we don’t work for ICE, we frankly don’t care about their legal status,” Comte said.

“We are here to support the community regardless of documentation status. Everyone has the rights awarded to them as members of the community. We still want them to come forward and trust us. We will fully investigate the crime. We want that to continue. Unfortunately, that’s taken a hit, and we want to regain that confidence and build on it,” he added.

Superintendent Pandolfo, Chief Marshal Comte, and Sheriff Sergeant Masters encourage the community to reach out if they have questions or concerns.

Statewide immigrant rights activists have created a Colorado Rapid Response Network, a 24-hour hotline aiming to track, verify, and confirm ICE raids in communities across the state.

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Advocates push to secure voting rights in Colorado

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark piece of legislation that secured voting rights for millions of Black Americans and future generations of racial minorities in the United States.

Since 1965, the right to vote, as outlined in the 14th and 15th Amendments, has been protected through law.

If you ask Aly Belknap, the executive director of Common Cause Colorado, those rights may be at risk for millions of voters in Colorado.

“We also know that the current presidential administration has really committed to dismantling civil rights and liberties, including the Department of Justice, which enforces the Voting Rights Act of 1965. So, without the protections of that legislation federally, Colorado voters really have nothing standing in the way of discrimination in any elections that we’re a part of, whether it’s state elections or local elections,” Belknap said.

Belknap is working to build support for Senate Bill 1—the Colorado Voting Rights Act, which would codify voting protections for Coloradans in all elections.

“What that legislation does is it prohibits any election methods or practices that create disparities between communities and their ability to participate and be equitably able to elect candidates to their local governments,” said Belknap.

The legislation would ensure a standard of legal protections for voters in all elections, including smaller municipalities such as the town of Telluride.

Colorado already has state-wide mail-in ballots, and as Secretary of State Jena Griswold says, “Colorado has the best elections in the nation.” Despite this, Belknap says the system isn’t perfect.

“Communities of color are voting at a much lower rate than white people, and that’s because of barriers. It’s because of the inability to access the electoral process, particularly in municipal elections, which, as we know, tend to have quite low turnout as it is, and that impacts communities differently,” Belknap said.

Belknap presented at last Wednesday’s San Miguel County Commissioners work session, where she outlined the legislation, which would also expand access to bilingual ballots, which are currently only required in 20 counties based on their Spanish-speaking populations.

Commissioners expressed interest. Commissioner Lance Waring said, “The focus is on allowing those that are not getting to vote for various reasons the opportunity to do so and recourse to do so if they are not.”

Commissioner Anne Brown vowed to participate in Colorado county coalitions working on state legislature bills like this one.

With a population of roughly 7,800, San Miguel County recorded an 81% voter turnout in the November election last year, with just over 6,000 registered voters.

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Cat Movie Fisher with Risho Unda

In Cat Movie Fisher, Telluride High School’s Risho Unda interviews members of the school community about what they’re watching and reading. But this week, we’re switching things up. Unda is at the Special Olympics Western Regional Winter Games in Glenwood Springs. So, KOTO News chatted with him about the competition and his advice for new skiers.

Story begins at 8:58.

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West End discuss future

Interested in learning more about the values of the West End?

Join community members at the Lone Cone Library on Wednesday, Feb. 5, from 6 to 7:15 p.m. to review results of the initial outreach of the West End Vision project.

Over the past four months, the West End Vision project, a community-led initiative to build a shared roadmap for future growth and prosperity, has collected input from over 550 community members on the future of the West End.

Snacks and drinks will be provided, along with a comprehensive update to the information collected so far, ways to continue to provide input, and feedback on the process. The second half of the meeting will be an in-depth discussion of feedback on the values and how these might translate into future action.

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Celebrating poet laureates

Poets are the story keepers of our time. Through their words, U.S. poet laureates have reflected the political, cultural, spiritual, and economic forces of our world.

Beginning next week, Western Slope Poet Laureate Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer will lead a series of workshops to delve into the most recent poet laureates: Ada Limón, Joy Harjo, and Tracy K. Smith, in addition to Colorado Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson.

In each workshop, participants will read poems from the laureates, watch videos, and let their work guide conversation. Wahtola Trommer notes that no previous experience with or appreciation of poetry is necessary.

The workshops will allow the group to explore the voices shaping contemporary poetry.

The Lightning Rods for the Muse workshops will take place every Wednesday in February (starting Feb. 5) from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Wilkinson Public Library.

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Traffic fatalities in Colorado

Traffic fatalities in Colorado were down in 2024 compared to 2023.

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, there was a 5% decrease in fatalities last year. However, nearly 700 people still lost their lives.

Two hundred ten deaths were attributed to impaired driving, 183 to unbuckled seat belts, 162 to motorcycles, 120 to pedestrians, and 14 to bicyclists.

While the number of deaths is down, CDOT officials say even one lost life is too many and are committed to achieving zero deaths and serious injuries on state roads.

Chief of the Colorado State Patrol Matthew Packard urges drivers across the state to think about others and not put them at risk. He says, “It’s worth driving sober, putting down distractions, and driving the speed limit.”

This year, a law went into effect making it illegal in Colorado to drive with a cellphone in hand, to discourage distracted driving.

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Colorado looks to promote forest and wildfire education

A bill in Colorado’s state legislature would promote forestry and firefighting education for young people across the state.

Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes has more.

Story begins at 14:43.

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Trump executive orders impact LGBTQ community

Recent executive orders by President Trump are having a ripple effect across many communities in the region, including LGBTQ residents.

For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KVNF’s Lisa Young paid a visit to a bar in rural Delta County, where community members recently came together to offer each other support.

Story begins at 15:46.