Sangre de Cristo Sentinel

Sangre de Cristo Sentinel A Conservative weekly newspaper from the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, published by the Mountain Publishing Co., Inc. in Westcliffe, Colorado.

08/16/2025
08/15/2025

The Sentinel is Back

Dear Readers,

As I am sure most of you know, two weeks ago today, The Sentinel announced that it was closing and had published its final issue. What might have seemed final at the time, has turned out to be a mere pause. I am happy to say, that as of today, The Sentinel will be continuing.

Our family was presented a unique and unexpected opportunity to acquire The Sentinel and take over its operation. After some thoughtful consideration and prayer, we decided to commit to keeping the Sentinel going and are its new owners and publisher.

Longtime county resident Walter van Woudenberg recently said, “it’s a sad trend that credible small community news sources/papers are disappearing.” We agree and feel blessed that we are in a position to keep The Sentinel from joining that list.

At their worst, newspapers can be purveyors of misinformation, contain biased reporting, and publish sensationalized narratives that negatively impact public understanding and trust. At their best they are informative, uplifting, and help people to recognize and appreciate the world around them. Our goal for The Sentinel is the latter. We’re committed to providing a trustworthy paper that is accurate, timely, and relevant. Some of our future issues will be great, some will be less so. But anywhere we fall short of the mark will be an error that is human and honest.

We hope that you as are excited as we are to see The Sentinel continue. Our goal is to publish our next issue on Friday, August 29th, just in time for Labor Day Weekend. It’s an aggressive goal, but one we feel confident we can meet. Thanks in advance for your patience in the days and weeks ahead. We have lots to learn, but are buoyed right now by the outreach and support we have received in making this decision and our excitement about the positive role The Sentinel can play in the future of our community.

Sincerely,
Michael & Reggie Foster

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𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐈 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 – 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲
After consultation with the Wet Mountain Fire Protection District Fire Chief and a thorough review of current fire danger conditions, Sheriff and Fire Warden Rich Smith has implemented Stage I Fire Restrictions for Custer County, effective at noon August 7, 2025.

𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐈 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞:

𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠
(Exceptions: Fires and campfires in permanently constructed fire grates in developed campgrounds and picnic grounds; charcoal grills and wood-burning stoves at private residences if the area is cleared of all flammable materials within a three-foot radius.)

𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭.

𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, except:
- Inside an enclosed vehicle or building
- Within a developed recreation site
- While stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞, unless in a cleared area free of vegetation.

𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬
(Any previously issued permits are now revoked.)

These restrictions will remain in effect until modified in accordance with Custer County Resolution 18-17.

The US Forrest Service and Bureau of Land Management have not enacted fire restrictions for their public lands in Custer County. Users of these public lands should use extreme caution.

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝
For updates, visit:
Custer County Sheriff's Office Website https://custersheriff.colorado.gov/

To sign up for Everbridge emergency alerts (cell phone, landline, text, or email), use the link below:
https://member.everbridge.net/355009111785665/new

Know your neighborhood's fire evacuation route:
https://custersheriff.colorado.gov/sites/custersheriff/files/documents/FireEVACRoutes.pdf

Respectfully,
Rich Smith
Sheriff/Fire Warden
Custer County, Colorado

The photo shows the hourly "Severe Fire Danger Index Analysis" provided the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. While our area is at less risk than some areas of the state we need to all work together to keep our county safe.

Dangerous grants:
08/05/2025

Dangerous grants:

Despite support from the Urban Trails Committee, the City of Grand Junction confirmed it is not pursuing a state-run climate grant that could have required new local policies, including a potential “vehicle climate fee.” At its July 9 meeting, the Urban Trails Committee, chaired by City of Grand...

In Aug 1 paper. Congrats Custer County FFA 4-H ers. Excellent year!
08/03/2025

In Aug 1 paper. Congrats Custer County FFA 4-H ers. Excellent year!

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