COLORADO FLU/WHOOPING COUGH CASES ON THE RISE
Undated—More people in Colorado have been coming down with the flu or whooping cough lately. State health officials say more cases have been confirmed with both diseases. As of November 16th, about 12-hundred cases of Whooping Cough, or Pertussis, were confirmed. There were only 411 reported in all of 2011. Whooping Cough is not fatal in most cases but can be life threatening for infants and those with weak immune systems. As for the flu, the numbers are slightly higher than this time a year ago. As of the end of November, 52 cases of influenza had been confirmed. Health officials say this year’s flu vaccinations are a good match for the strains across the country.
GARCO COMMISSIONER HONORED
Glenwood Springs—The county commissioner of the year is John Martin. The Garfield County Commission Chairman, who’s been elected to office four times was given the honor last week in Colorado Springs at the Colorado Counties Incorporated winter meeting. Martin says he’s humbled and flattered by the award but says everyone in the county deserves credit and recognition for what he calls a “team effort.”
DISPLACED BASALT RESIDENTS LOOKING FOR MORE HELP
Basalt—-Many of the residents evicted from the Pan and Fork Mobile Home Park are illegal immigrants but need a place to go since the town of Basalt bought the park to do flood mitigation work. Basalt Town Manager Mike Scanlon says he’s working on plans to build an affordable housing project as a long-term solution. In the meantime, the town and a non-profit development group is paying displaced families over 20 thousand dollars to relocate. Angry residents however say that isn’t enough money to stay in the valley. Another major problem is since many of them are here illegally, they aren’t eligible for federally-funded housing. Scanlon says before a housing project is built, he’ll need another non-profit group to step up and help as well as the approval of the town trustees.
CITY MARKET GAS STATION COMING TO RIFLE
Rifle—Soon you won’t have to drive to Grand Junction to get cheap gas prices at City Market. A City Market gas station is coming to Rifle. The new station, with a half-dozen gas pumps and a clerk’s booth will be built at the corner of Railroad Avenue and 14th Street. The property was first purchased for $600,000.00 by the Rifle Regional Economic Development Group but sat dormant when the economy went sour. The city hopes to break ground on the new gas station in the spring.
