All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 3534 - 3583 of 4144
At roughly 11:15 p.m. on Jan. 12, Boulder County 911 received a call for a structure fire at a condominium complex in the 7400 block of Singing Hills Drive in Gunbarrel. Prior to the arrival of deputies and firefighters, neighbors in an adjoining condominium unit helped evacuate two women inside the unit that was on fire. A 57-year-old woman who had been evacuated by her neighbors from a unit on fire collapsed a short time after her evacuation. Deputies and firefighters were with her and immediately began CPR. Despite the immediate life-saving...
On Thursday, January 18, 2018 at approximately 9:24pm, Boulder County Communications received a 911 call about a fire inside a home in the 8100 block of Rye Court in unincorporated Boulder County, in the Niwot area. The person who called 911 was an occupant of the home and reported that there was a fire inside the garage. Fire personnel from Mountain View Fire and Boulder Rural Fire arrived on scene and were attacking the fire by 9:31pm, and had the fire fully extinguished by 10:17pm. The residents were able to evacuate the home safely and no...
Colterra restaurant at 121 Franklin Street in Niwot suffered severe interior damage in an October 2017 fire. News that Colterra was unable to provide assurances that it would be able to reopen in time for a scheduled September 2018 wedding led to speculation as to when the restaurant might return. Colterra Food & Wine owner Bradford Heap provided a statement during the Niwot Business Association meeting Jan.9 regarding the restaurant and future plans. “My team at Colterra food and wine and I are still trying to make sense of what happened on O...
Life is beyond sweet these days for Brandon Busch. A graduate of Johnson and Wales Culinary School, Busch acquired Concertos Chocolates in Gunbarrel just over six months ago and powered through his first official holiday season in the gourmet chocolate industry. Busch has renamed the business Lift Chocolates. “Lifting” resonates with Busch who served nearly 10 years in the Marines as a heavy lift helicopter pilot. After his time in the service in Hawaii and Maryland, and stints in Iraq and Afgha...
The Boulder Rural Fire Protection District -- with the assistance of the Boulder County Multi-Agency Fire Investigation Team (MAFIT), which includes sheriff's investigators -- has completed its on-scene investigation into the cause and origin of the overnight structure fire that claimed the life of a 57-year-old Gunbarrel woman. The scene investigation determined that the fire originated within the deceased woman's condominium; however, at this time, the cause of the fire could not be found....
Just after 11:15 p.m. on January 12, the Boulder County Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call of a structure fire in a condominium complex in the 7400 block of Singing Hills Drive in Gunbarrel. Prior to the arrival of deputies and firefighters, neighbors in an adjoining condominium unit helped to evacuate two women inside a unit that was on fire. A 57-year-old woman who had been evacuated by her neighbors from a unit on fire collapsed a short time after her evacuation. Deputies and...
At the heart of each community are places where locals gather -- newcomers are welcomed, food is shared, ideas are discussed, holidays are celebrated, accomplishments are acknowledged, information is disseminated and music is enjoyed. The result is a coming together that brings a sense of being part of vibrant community. Left Hand Grange No. 9 fulfills all of these needs in Niwot. Over 150 years ago, when the United States was primarily an agrarian society, people lived more isolated lives on...
Kirk Stewart wears many hats and, a kilt now and then too. A longtime resident of the Niwot area, Stewart steps up in many capacities for the community. Stewart’s professional life was as an aerospace engineer and a civil engineer. He has worked for governmental agencies and aerospace firms. For the past nine years, after leaving working life behind, he amped up his community service activities. Stewart is a very energetic member of the Rotary Club of Niwot. Through the organization he’s bec...
The Niwot Community Association Board will see some changes in leadership for 2018. At the Jan. 3 NCA meeting, President Dick Piland announced that he will not run again when his current term ends in April. Piland has served as NCA president since April 2013. New officers will be voted on at the NCA’s annual meeting for members. That meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, at the Left Hand Grange in Niwot. NCA board members are putting together a slate of candidates for the open positions, and will also take nominations at the a...
Burlington Elementary’s Left Hand Courier Student of the Week is Koli Hines. Koli is a third grader and has been a Burlington Trailblazer since preschool. Koli’s favorite subjects in school are art and math. Outside of school, she studies dance at Airborne Gymnastics and Dance. Koli studies tap, jazz and ballet, but her favorite is ballet. The Burlington community had a chance to see Koli’s dancing talent when she performed with her dad in the talent show last year. She is an excellent stude...
The Niwot Business Association’s plans to create a visitor attraction connecting Old Town and Cottonwood Square received a big boost late last year when local businessman Scott Deemer of landscape design firm Outdoor Craftsmen, Ltd., agreed to donate both labor and materials towards the creation of a public art space on the northeast corner of the Cottonwood Park West neighborhood. Construction of the park-like area could begin as soon as late January, according to NBA’s Chuck Klueber, who has b...
In the Niwot community, Scott Tibbitts is known as an entrepreneur. Tibbits is the founder of the company, Katasi, and his distraction-free driving product, the Groove, recently hit the market. But at Niwot Elementary School, Tibbits is known for a different role: the school’s favorite storyteller. “I like that he always does this spooky voice when it’s spooky,” said third grader Luke VanMiddlesworth. “I also like how he makes them up by himself.” On the last school day in December, Tibbitts vis...
The Aria Singers of Gunbarrel are gearing up for their spring session and ready for people to join up. The group of women has been around for 10 years, and currently has 28 members. Julia Luerman is a relatively new member, but said that she is excited to start the spring with new director Mary Chapin Durling. The choir holds its spring concert in May, with another concert in December. The singers take the summers off. “We sing a pretty broad spectrum of music,” Luerman said. “It covers a variety of genres, musical periods — classical and con...
Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a disturbance at 5:14 a.m. on Dec. 31 at the Copper Canyon apartments in Highlands Ranch, south of Denver, in what turned out to be a deadly encounter that received national news attention and a message of support to law enforcement officers from President Trump. Among those deputies was former Niwot resident Jeff Pelle, son of Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle and former Niwot Post Office employee Stephanie Pelle. The younger Pelle was one of five d...
Three of the 25 Colorado recipients of the Girl Scouts of America Gold Award in 2017 hail from Niwot’s Ambassador Troop 70480. The Girl Scout Gold Award represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouts. Open only to high school girls, the Girl Scout Gold Award is the most prestigious award in the world for girls — and the most difficult to earn — and it’s only available to Girl Scouts. Kayleigh Limbach “My Gold Award project was creating a guidebook for incoming International Baccalaur...
Nathan Hemenway earned the rank of Eagle Scout last month after completing 49 achievements for merit badges. Boy Scout Troop 161, sponsored by Left Hand Grange No. 9, now has 83 scouts who have attained the rank of Eagle. Scoutmaster Justin Brooks, Troop Advancement Chair Michelle Law, and Troop Treasurer Mike Horn presented the award at the Court of Honor. Hemenway began scouting as a Cub Scout in San Ramon, CA. After earning the Arrow of Light, he bridged to Boy Scout Troop 888 in San Ramon....
It is with great sadness that we report the heartbreaking news that Ed Navarro, longtime sports photographer for the Courier, passed away Dec. 31 after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Though his death will be felt deeply by his wife Trudy, a retired teacher, and his two children, Ed “Lucky” Navarro and Emily Marcellus, his friends and the many lives he touched will also experience a great loss. I knew Ed as a lawyer in Longmont for many years before he took up photography. I recall seeing him...
It is with great sadness that we report the heartbreaking news that Ed Navarro, longtime sports photographer for the Courier, passed away Dec. 31 after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Though his death will be felt deeply by his wife Trudy, a retired teacher, and his two children, Ed “Lucky” Navarro and Emily Marcellus, his friends and the many lives he touched will also experience a great loss. I knew Ed as a lawyer in Longmont for many years before he took up photography. I recall seeing him taking photographs along the fence at a Niwot Hig...
Robert Racansky has not been seen since November 26 and his credit card was used fraudulently on December 18 Boulder County, Colo. - The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for assistance with a missing person case. Robert Racansky, date of birth of 5/2/1969, was last seen on November 26, 2017. The last activity on his cell phone was on November 30, 2017 at approximately 10:45 a.m. near the area of 14th and Walnut in Boulder. Mr. Racansky is a white male, 5’10”, gray eyes, shaved head, and is approximately 220 pounds. Mr. R...
Starbuds Niwot has been moving forward for owners Ernie, Callie and Caitlin Craumer since opening the doors at 6924 N. 79th last month. Caitlin said that they have had a great reaction from the local business community. “We’ve had a lot of other business owners come in and introduce themselves and welcome us to the community,” Caitlin Craumer said. “There are also a lot of people who have never been inside a dispensary come in and see how it looks and how it feels.” “We’ve had a lot of new cu...
Retiree Joan Grunzweig is doing a poor job, … a poor job of retiring that is. After closing the chapter on the traditional working life of an elementary school teacher in California, she’s reinvented herself as a fabulous, frenetic, full-time, self-employed baker. These days she can be found in Niwot being a churning ball of energy that’s measuring, mixing, baking and decorating. Her Niwot-based business, Joan’s Petite Sweets, carries the tagline, “a few bites of confection perfectio...
Beyond the Mountain Brewing Company opened its doors in Gunbarrel early this month, bringing more flavor for those looking for a nice place to sit down for a brew. Managing member Charles Hixon and head brewer Morgan Way have had this as a goal for a long time — they’ve known each other since they were 15 and both started brewing in college. They hail from Virginia and Maryland, but had a hunch Colorado would be a good place to open a tap room. “Colorado has one of the best beer scenes and we wanted to learn from the best,” Hixon said. “So we...
Boulder County Commissioners approved a $426.9 million budget last week for the 2018 fiscal year. The budget includes a decrease in property tax of 2.117 mills to make the total county property tax at 22.726 mills for 2018. Commissioners estimate property tax revenue to come in at $178,590,811 — up from $165,014,873 in 2017 — based on increases in property values which enabled them to make the cut. “With rising property values you can collect the same amount of money with a lower mill levy,” Commissioner Deb Gardner said. “So it’s mostly a co...
Two Boulder County departments are working together to improve the trailhead at Left Hand Valley Grange Park on 83rd. Matt Wempe, with Boulder County Transportation, said that they are building the restrooms while the Parks and Open Space department is doing the rest of the improvements. “It’s really meant to serve not only folks using the park but those use the Longmont-Boulder regional trail,” Wempe said. The restroom will be a two-stall prefabricated building colored similar to the rest...
The Niwot United Methodist Church choir will be heading to the famous Carnegie Hall in 2018 to perform a new Christmas cantata by Pepper Choplin, a renowned composer, as part of a 200-member choir. Choir member Mike Weiss said that the choir performs a lot of Choplin’s music, and recently began posting videos of performances online. “We’ve done a lot of his music in the choir at church,” Weiss said. “Awhile ago we took to recording performances at the church and putting them on YouTube. Apparently someone found us on the site somehow as an aud...
The Women’s International Niwot Club (WINC) held the seventh-annual Holiday Fayre at the Left Hand Grange earlier this month. According to WINC president Deborah Fowler, 541 people stopped by the Fayre and contributed to the record bake sale for the event that raised $1,400. Santa and Mrs. Claus stopped by, and gift certificates were handed out from local merchants. “We were trying to make it a community event by promoting local businesses as well,” Fowler said. WINC had given out bags and maps...
Another statewide award has been given to administrators at Niwot High School, this time honoring assistant principal Andrea Smith. Smith earned the award from the Colorado Association of School Executives as Assistant Principal of the Year in the state, following NHS principal Eric Rauschkolb’s award earlier this year. “The recognitions we’ve received are really a reflection of the good work going on all over the place at NHS,” Rauschkolb said. “The teachers are amazing, the students for the m...
Born in the age of rumble seats, ice boxes, and boys’ knickers, Bill Yoh has seen and experienced an enormous number of changes in the world over the past 100 years. Yoh will officially become a centenarian on Dec. 19, 2017. Born in rural Pennsylvania, and residing in Philadelphia for most of the first two-thirds of his life, Yoh has called Niwot his home since 1984 - over 33 years ago. It was a snowy winter day in Eureka, PA, when Yoh’s mother went into labor. As if the urgency of the situation...
Weeks of rigorous memorization drills paid off for Niwot Elementary fifth-grader Greta Stauch last week when she claimed first place in the school’s annual spelling bee. Stauch correctly spelled ‘orthopedic’ to claim victory in the 12th round, after her lone remaining competitor, fellow fifth-grader Roland Pridgen, stumbled on ‘endeavor.’ “My dad was watching me when Roland was spelling his word,” said Stauch, who survived three rounds of written elimination tests before the final verbal round....
Boulder County is now accepting applications for open positions on the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee. The nine-member LID Advisory Committee “is an independent board that provides the Boulder County Commissioners with recommendations for improvements to the LID,” according to Boulder County. The committee is primarily responsible for overseeing expenditures of the town’s sales tax revenue, which is generated by business retail sales within Niwot’s business district, i...
According to Boulder County Transportation’s Andrew Barth, the majority of those attending the Dec. 4, 71st Street Shoulders Project open house “were strongly in favor of all aspects of construction.” While the new alignment of 71st Street to Highway 52 was well received, many who left comments requested installing a traffic signal at the intersection. Barth responded by saying, “…area is controlled by CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) so we cannot accommodate {that request} at this time.” CDOT has been informed of the request. Ba...
The Niwot Historical Society received some good news - the 1910 fire cart was accepted in the Colorado Collections Connections’ top 10 significant artifacts list for 2017. The contest has been going on for five years, and Niwot has gotten enough votes from the public to be included on the list for the last two years — with the branded blacksmith doors making it in 2016. Niwot Historical Society president Kathy Koehler said that the cart is significant due to its construction and the time per...
The Rocky Mountain Christian Church had a busy October, particularly one busy day. Over 700 volunteers from both the Niwot and Frederick campuses showed up for an amazing feat of service to area communities. They served breakfast to the public at Indian Peaks Elementary School, built a community garden, packed 100,000 meals to send to hurricane victims in the Houston area, did service projects at the Longmont Children’s Home and did several clean-up projects in Longmont and Frederick. All of t...
Niwot senior Stephanie Reitzig has been awarded first place for her essay on the First Amendment in a scholarship competition sponsored by former Colorado Congressman David Skaggs. Skaggs, who represented District 2 from 1987 to 1999. Reitzig was presented a $1,000 check during a visit to her world history class on Nov. 27. Earlier this fall, Skaggs received the 2017 Distinguished Service Award from the United States Association of Former Members of Congress (FMC), honoring his years of public...
Gunbarrel residents were able to get a first look and make comments about preliminary plans for changes to 71st Street at an open house, held at Emerson-Micro Motions in Gunbarrel on Dec. 4. Many in attendance felt that the changes were necessary. Lindsey Killion who lives in The Lookout said, “I think it’s a good idea that the county try something here because there are a lot of people who use this stretch, whether biking or walking. It’s kind of a dangerous scenario at this point.” Theodor...
Plans for a parking lot west of Old Town Niwot took another step closer to reality last week after Boulder County and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) closed on the deal to purchase a two-acre vacant parcel between Murray Street and the railroad tracks north of the Excel Electric building on Dec. 1. The final purchase price was $170,000 plus inspection, survey and closing costs, which the Boulder County Commissioners formally approved in their business meeting on Nov. 28. On...
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Gunbarrel hosted a Thanksgiving Eve service Nov. 22, with six area churches participating. The ecumenical service, which has been a tradition for several years for Niwot United Methodist Church, St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church and Valmont Community Presbyterian Church, doubled in size. This year the service expanded to include participation by Vinelife Church, Harvest Baptist Church, and Shepherd of the Hills. An offering was taken for the benefit of the Association for Community Living (ACL), which...
Plans for a parking lot west of Old Town Niwot took another step closer to reality last week after Boulder County and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) closed on the deal to purchase a two-acre vacant parcel between Murray Street and the railroad tracks north of the Excel Electric building on Dec. 1. The final purchase price was $170,000 plus inspection, survey and closing costs, which the Boulder County Commissioners formally approved in their business meeting on Nov. 28. On...
There aren’t many students who would opt to spend a precious Saturday formally arguing about charged political topics or reciting long poems from memory, but then again, there aren’t many students like the polymaths of Niwot’s Forensics team. Led by co-captains Aileen Ma and Stephanie Reitzig, the team is off to a blistering start this year, with medal-winning performances from both their seasoned veterans as well as some high-spirited newcomers. Such was the case last Saturday at the annua...
Dawson upper school biology teacher Melissa Barker was invited to participate in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Teacher at Sea program earlier this year. Barker spent two weeks aboard the NOAA fisheries research vessel Oregon II in the Gulf of Mexico, working on the SEAMAP (Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program) Summer Groundfish Survey. The objective was to monitor the size and distribution of shrimp and groundfish in the Gulf of Mexico. This survey is...
Osmosis Art and Architecture recently received an award for design in the detached homes category of the Denver area MAME awards. MAME, which stands for Major Achievement in Merchandising Excellence, is a prominent name in the design and building industry and exists all over the country. For Osmosis, 13-year veteran Jennifer Nusz was in charge of designing for builder Wonderland Homes. “It was a surprise to us, but it’s really great,” Nusz said. “It’s nice to be recognized for the design wo...
Tip Top Savory Pies, a Boulder-based company, is looking to break into the local food scene and beyond. Currently only sold over the counter at Old Oak Coffeehouse in Niwot, their pies are mainly available by order. After opening last July, the business found that the pies are popular enough that two employees had to be hired. They aren’t pies in the sense one would think of in America.These pies are savory and sweet pies that come in a variety of flavors, and are based on the style of pies f...
Niwot has the good fortune of being Alyson Bell’s family. And, as it is with the best of kin, Bell’s positive impacts are deep and immeasurable. “I like to keep a full plate and keep it rolling” Bell said. And that truly is the Alyson Bell effect. Her personal touch on Niwot’s signature events such as Let’s Wine about Winter, Rock & Rails, and The Great Pumpkin Party, through her organizing and hands-on effort and by ensuring that graphics, printed materials and online presences are emblematic,...
Plans for a public parking lot west of Old Town Niwot moved forward last week after Boulder County officials cleared some administrative hurdles. At a public hearing held on Nov. 15, the Boulder County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of amendments to the Boulder County Land Use Code that will allow for “offsite parking in areas where onsite parking is constrained and where the allowance of offsite parking facilities would help maintain the character and function of the a...
Plans for a public parking lot west of Old Town Niwot moved forward last week after Boulder County officials cleared some administrative hurdles. At a public hearing held on Nov. 15, the Boulder County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of amendments to the Boulder County Land Use Code that will allow for “offsite parking in areas where onsite parking is constrained and where the allowance of offsite parking facilities would help maintain the character and function of the a...
Dear Editor: As long-time Boulder County resident, I had visited Niwot many times, and then in the summer of 2016 I moved here. There are many things I like here, especially the community spirit and occasional fun events. This includes the Thursday Night Music. True it is popular and many people drive here for it. I take that as a compliment that the city is putting on a good event. For one night a week I see no issue with it. Every time I've been, I've only seen people enjoying themselves. So it was with surprise that I read the letter from...
Linda Klueber, Niwot Business Association (NBA) Secretary, and her husband, Chuck Klueber, NBA Streetscapes Representative, have worked together this year to produce Niwot’s annual holiday events, Enchanted Evening and the Holiday Parade. Enchanted Evening is celebrated each year on the day after Thanksgiving. This year it will be celebrated on Friday, Nov. 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. The Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band will kick off the holiday event at 5:45 p.m., at the corner of Niwot...
In a deal that helps both IBM and Xcel Energy reach their ambitious renewable energy objectives, the parties announced that by late 2018 a large array of solar panels will be up and running on 54 acres of IBM’s Gunbarrel facility. Xcel Energy’s stated goal is to provide 55 percent of its annual energy through renewable sources by the year 2026 (including both solar and wind with the rest coming from natural gas). IBM’s statement regarding its environmental goals reads that it aims to “procure el...
Local members of the Alliance of International Aromatherapists will be holding a Holiday Bazaar from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 25 at the Left Hand Grange as part of this weekend’s festivities in Niwot. Lora Cantele, an aromatherapist out of Gunbarrel, said that the event is for people who aren’t certified in aromatherapy, but want to get into using essential oils. At the bazaar there will be information on safe topical uses, inhalation and other different methods of using the oils. “We feel like it’s our duty to provide solid public e...
An open records and open meetings petition filed against Boulder County by Gunbarrel resident Kristin Bjornsen went before a judge for a hearing earlier this month, but the verdict is still out as the judge took it under advisement. Bjornsen first filed a request for records containing Twin Lakes-related documents that have been heavily redacted. Under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), citizens can petition a judge to order an entity to provide these records. Bjornsen’s complaint specificall...
