The long-promised expansion of the Golden Peaks sports complex at Pagosa Springs High School came a step closer to reality Tuesday when the board of education for Archuleta School District 50 Joint approved plans for first phase construction to be completed before football season this fall.

Involved in the decision was scaling back a proposed equipment storage room with team meeting and restroom facilities. Initial estimates of $150 per square foot for the structure were deemed too high by the board.

Director Jon Forrest, himself a building contractor, was asked his reaction to the cost factor and said he considered it "out of line. I'd be surprised, if my company were to bid, if we'd go higher than $75 per square foot."

When told the higher figure included restroom facilities and locker rooms, the board decided to eliminate the locker rooms and allow teams to continue returning to the school building for halftime sessions. The planned structure at the northwest corner of the athletic complex, will still include a ticket booth and a room where officials can dress and relax.

Overall, the estimated first phase cost of $341,000 is expected to come down appreciably with the storage building changes.

Also included in first phase construction will be an underground drainage system, underground conduit for electronic scoring for each of the track event stations, an initial asphalt layer for a new track, extension of the field area to include room for a full soccer field on the football layout, and relocation of the east side visitor bleachers.

Nancy Schutz, district business manager, was asked how the planned expenditure would affect the capital reserve fund, currently with a balance of about $1 million.

She said an additional $400,000 is expected to go into the fund in June, so if the construction comes in at estimate or below, the fund will still have in excess of $1 million when the new school term starts.

She noted there are expected to be other draws on the fund in the near term, including school bus replacement.

Director Russ Lee, acting as president pro tem in the absence of Randall Davis, said, "I have some reason to question how much use a track will get. Are we going to get enough use to warrant the expense?"

David Hamilton, high school athletic director and assistant principal, told Lee and the board a good track is a community asset, not just a school project. "Everyone will use it, like they do the new facility in Bayfield," he said.

"Other coaches will use it for their teams sprints and conditioning. Even in winter, the track can be cleared and will be used," he added.

Right now, he noted, "spring track training is scheduled to start Feb. 21 and they have no training area. They need a place to develop their skills and this would provide it."

The overall plan includes a six-lane track with sprint lanes on the outside. High jump and pole vault stations would be outside the north end zone with long jump and triple jump sites outside the south end zone. Shot put and discuss stations would be at the southeast corner of the existing soccer practice field, immediately west of the recently completed concession stand-restroom facility.

Hamilton and Superintendent Duane Noggle pointed out one benefit of the expanded facility: when completed it will be a multi-purpose facility with football, track and soccer all on the same surface and all with lighting for night events if wanted.

By cutting back the plans for the storage building, architect Julia Donoho said, "we should be able to get everything done before the field is needed for fall football practice.

After some discussion on timing, she said "We may be able to gain a month with this concept. That means getting bids next month and starting construction in May."

When Noggle warned, "We want to be sure there are no safety problems for students because of construction," Donoho said all Phase I work could be finished before the beginning of the fall sports season.

If necessary to get the project underway, Hamilton told the board, "I can move the scheduled home games for girls' soccer to neutral fields. "If that means we gain construction time and avoid fall conflicts," he said, "it can be done. Other schools have been very cooperative on such projects before."

Noggle recommended the board proceed with Phase I and when director Clifford Lucero asked Schutz for her opinion, she said, "We've been promising the people this project for a long, long time. We have the money and can do it without depleting capitol reserve. We should get it started. I'm comfortable with doing this much now and then considering long-term financing before embarking on the final stage."

Finally, Hamilton pointed out the facility when completed "will give us an opportunity to host other schools, conduct our own meets and train on our own facilities, all things we've never been able to do.

"Hometown folks will get to see their hometown athletes perform," he concluded.

A motion by director Carol Feazel, seconded by Lucero, was approved unanimously, including a requirement that there be an on-site construction manager to coordinate the efforts of numerous subcontractors expected to be involved.

Archuleta County has submitted a report to the Colorado Department of Transportation concerning Highway User Trust Fund money that identifies 560 miles of eligible roads within the county.

HUTF money is allocated in Denver according to state statute and is spread among various entities, including the Colorado Department of Transportation, counties and cities.

Last year, Archuleta County projected income of $1,146,021 from the HUTF source. The money was placed in the Road and Bridge Fund where it constituted more than half of the fund's total. Through November of last year, the county had actually received $1,126,861. The final payment for December has not been received. The state routinely runs two months behind in making this payment.

In the 2002 budget, the county is projecting income of $1,187,770 from this source. Again, HUTF money is a line item in the road and bridge budget.

The county report contains a detailed, mile-by-mile inventory of county roads, including those eligible for HUTF money, the number of miles of arterial roads, the number of miles of local roads, and the total miles of roads not eligible for HUTF funding.

According to the report, Archuleta County has 179.07 miles of arterial roads, 362.44 miles of local roads, 560.27 miles of roads eligible for HUTF money, and 191.62 miles of roads not eligible for HUTF money.

Within the county, HUTF money is shared by Pagosa Springs, the county, and chartered road improve ment districts.

The state formula for disbursing HUTF money is a complicated, three-tier approach. The fund includes money from taxes collected on gasoline sales, money paid by truck operators, money from vehicle registration and license sales, and money from motor vehicle penalty assessments.

First Tier distribution to counties is taken from a fixed, $69.7 million allotment designation. Each county is guaranteed to receive an amount equal to the distribution they received in state fiscal year 1987-1988.

Second Tier distribution is made among 17 counties, primarily on the Front Range. No money reaches Archuleta County from the Second Tier.

Third Tier distribution is made only if the fund exceeds $86.7 million. After reaching that point, counties receive disbursements based on: 60 percent on the basis of lane miles, 30 percent on vehicle registration, and 10 percent on square feet of bridge deck for bridges greater than 20 feet.

It's a matter of paperwork and no new taxes.

Since 1996, the Town of Pagosa Springs has managed the Pagosa Springs Sanitation District - taking on responsibilities for operation, maintenance and administrative services. However, the sanitation district continues to have a separate board of directors, separate legal fees and requires a separate audit - loose ends dating back to when it operated independently.

The dilemma is in black and white. A vote in November 2000 to dissolve the district and transfer its debt over to the town resulted in a split decision.

Voters approved the idea of forming a Pagosa Springs Sanitation General Improvement District under direction of the Pagosa Springs Board of Trustees, but disapproved a series of questions necessary to transfer the debt.

The questions, Town Administrator Jay Harrington said, were incredibly complicated and difficult for voters to understand because of language required under the Taxpayers Bill of Rights. All failed by various margins. Since 2000, some of the debt has been retired, reducing the number of questions needed. However, a set of three questions to transfer the debt are back on the ballot in 2002.

"It's a fairly common sense approach," Harrington said. "In an age when government is expanding, this is a way to reduce a layer of government."

Still, reading the ballot may result in confusion. Ballot issue A starts out: "Shall the town of Pagosa Springs Sanitation General Improvement District taxes be increased $19,500 annually in the first full fiscal year, and by such amount as may be generated in succeeding years, by the imposition of a mill levy of 0.9 mills on all taxable property within the boundaries of the district ..."

The words "shall," "taxes," and the phrase "be increased" are all right there. What isn't in all that verbiage is - at the same time these town "increases" are taking place to fully form the Pagosa Springs Sanitation General Improvement District, the debt involved with the former Pagosa Springs Sanitation District is dissolved. One is traded for the other. In an ironic twist, the town is already responsible for bookkeeping and billing services for the sanitation district and has been for years.

According to the 2002 budget, the current mill levy for the Pagosa Springs Sanitation District is 3.4 mills, representing $73,375 in property taxes. Of that, 0.9 mills is used for operating expenses, and the balance goes toward paying off debt.

Terry Smith, President of the Pagosa Springs Sanitation Board of Directors, said placing sanitation operation in the hands of town staff and the board of trustees is just good sense and has been the goal of the current board since the questions first made the ballot in 2000.

"Control is going to end up where it needs to be," he said. "They can incorporate it into the expansion the community is going through - they deal with that day to day."

He gave credit to Harrington and the town for securing grants for expansion projects, providing good management and working to meet state standards over the past six years.

"I'm real proud of what the board has done," he said, "but it just makes so much sense that it be managed right there where the decision-making is being done anyway. I see nothing but positives."

The decision as to the transfer of debt from the Pagosa Springs Sanitation District to the Pagosa Springs Sanitation General Improvement District will be handled as a separate ballot on town election day, April 2, because of differences in district boundaries. All Pagosa Springs registered voters and property owners with land inside the Pagosa Springs Sanitation General Improvement District boundaries are eligible to vote. The election will take place at Town Hall, 551 Hot Springs Boulevard, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Education in Pagosa Springs appears to be riding a school board-manned roller coaster car on a collision course with one heading the opposite way on the same track - one carrying state and federal government mandates.

The governmental car in the thrill ride carries increases in mandated testing and grading at both the state and federal levels; on the other is a board of education mindset influenced by the writings and local appearance of Alfie Kohn, a man described by Time magazine as "perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's use of grades and test scores."

As the state increases its Colorado School Assessment Program (CSAP) testing as a means of evaluating student performance and quality of educational programs, the federal government, too, has passed and President Bush recently signed, legislation requiring public schools to test and grade all students in reading and math in grades three through eight.

At each level, supporters have said the expanded testing will give parents and school officials the information they need to improve their programs. Critics have said the tests require teachers to "teach to the test" and thus eliminates exposure to subjects not covered.

Kohn espouses no grades at all. Writing in the Sept. 27, 2000 issue of Education Week, he said, "Standardized testing has swelled and mutated, like a creature in one of those old horror movies, to the point that it now threatens to swallow our schools whole."

"Our children," he continued, "are tested to an extent that is unprecedented in our history and unparalleled anywhere else in the world."

He quotes Minnesota Democratic Sen. Paul Wellstone, in a speech delivered in Spring 2000: "Making students accountable for test scores works well on a bumper sticker, and it allows many politicians to look good by saying that they will not tolerate failure. But it represents a hollow promise. Far from improving education, high-stakes testing marks a major retreat from fairness, from accuracy, from quality, and from equity."

Under the new federal law, the performance of children tested could affect a school's federal funding. Schools with persistently low scores would get extra money, but low achieving poor students could use part of it for tutoring or transportation to another public school.

If scores don't improve over a six-year period, schools could be closed, then reopened with new teachers and administrators. The new operation then would have 12 years to get students reading and doing math proficiently - that proficiency based on continued testing.

A similar situation is created in the state where CSAP ratings of schools, based on student test performance, determine the schools own grade on a sliding curve. Those schools rated "low" have three years to increase that ranking or the state will take them over and convert them into charter schools - a legislated threat viewed by many as unconstitutional because state law mandates schools be under local control.

In another Education Week article, Kohn wrote, "A number of prominent educators are finally raising their voices against standardized testing - particularly multiple-choice, nor-referenced tests; particularly tests with 'high stakes' (read: bribes and threats) attached; and particularly in the era of a federal mandate to force every state to test every student in grades 3 through 8 every year. Yet even as more opinion leads us to better understand the damage attributable to testing mania, it is still rare to hear objections to the standards movement."

At both the state and federal levels, authorities say, it is unrealistic to attempt to determine education programs and subsequent funding without knowing how the students are performing in the base data fields necessary for them to learn.

If weekly tests, or monthly tests or report cards are not telling the whole story, they argue, the governmental entity needs to devise the test, grade the test and then give the school a grade, too.

Kohn, however, wrote in October 1994, "Why are we concerned with evaluating how well students are doing? The question of motive, as opposed to method, can lead us to rethink basic tenets of teaching and learning to evaluate what students have done in a manner more consistent with our ultimate educational objectives.

"But not all approaches to the topic result in this sort of thoughtful reflection. In fact, approaches to assessment may be classified according to their depth of analysis and willingness to question fundamental assumptions about how and why we grade."

As opposed to the governmental mandates at both state and federal level, Kohn suggests three levels of inquiry.

In level 1 "are the most superficial concerns, those limited to the practical issue of how to grade students' work. Here we find articles and books offering elaborate formulas for scoring assignments, computing points, and allocating final grades - thereby taking for granted that what they do must receive some grades and, by extension, that students ought to be avidly concerned about the ones they will get."

Later, he says, the concern at this level "is merely that we are not correctly dumping individuals into the right piles. The major problem with our high schools and colleges, the argument goes, is that they don't keep enough students off the "excellent pile." He says they call it grade inflation.

His level 2 asks whether the traditional grading is really necessary or useful for assessing students' performance. Alternative assessments, like portfolios of student work are sometimes suggested, he says, "but when a portfolio is used merely as a means of arriving at a traditional grade, it might be more accurately grouped under level 1."

His level 3 then, rather than challenging grades alone, challenges the whole enterprise of assessment - and specifically why we are evaluating students as opposed to how we are doing so. "No matter how elaborate or carefully designed an assessment strategy may be," he says, "the result will not be constructive if our reason for wanting to know how students perform is in itself objectionable."

He says questions are raised about whether grades are reliable enough to allow students to be sorted effectively. "Indeed," he says, "studies show that any particular teacher may well give different grades to a single piece of work submitted at two different times. Naturally, the variation is even greater when the work is evaluated by more than one teacher.

"What grades offer," he says, "is spurious precision, a subjective rating masquerading as an objective assessment."

He says, "the trouble is not that we are sorting students badly - a problem that logically should be addressed by trying to do it better. The trouble is that we are sorting them at all.

"Are we doing so in order to segregate students by ability and teach them separately?" he asks.

"Whatever use we make of sorting," he says, "the process itself is very different from - and often incompatible with - the goal of helping students to learn."

Finally, to set the stage for part three of this series, consider this statement from Kohn:

"Getting students to become preoccupied with how they are doing can undermine their interest in what they are doing. An excessive concern with performance can erode curiosity - and paradoxically, reduce the quality of performance."

Next: Where they stand.

Regs are needed now

The oil and gas industry will be in Pagosa Country news for some time to come. It might even be in your own back yard.The equation is clear: energy demands, plus abundant gas reserves along the southwest border of Colorado, multiplied by an industry strong on lobbying power and dedicated to maximizing profit while minimizing regulation, equals headaches for landowners and government alike.

It seems, at the moment, we are at the mercy of the industry.

Archuleta County does not have oil and gas regulations in place to contain the barely restrained activity of drillers. A set of county regulations was ready for consideration last year, but somewhere in a less-than-urgent process, they were taken back for revision. Hopefully that revision does not mean a simplification and weakening of those proposed regulations.

On the state level, nothing will be done soon to improve industry relations with landowners, since Rep. Mark Larson's proposed bill to impose a surface use agreement as the starting point in the state permitting process went down to defeat in committee last week, the victim of a persistent lobby and a lack of informed concern on the part of other legislators.

Larson has tried for four years to find a way to strengthen the hand of landowners whose properties lie above mineral resources leased to or owned by other interests. At this point, with a simple bond, perhaps itself insufficient, a company can move onto private or government-owned property and extract the methane gas it owns. Too often, that effort occasions an affront to the surface owner and brings with it the environmental harm that can come of unfettered extraction - the saline and toxic water that is sometimes part of the process, the pollution of water wells by the gas.

The federal government has not moved to deal with the problem, failing to ask for agreements between surface and mineral owners before the start of extraction, neglecting to impose high enough bond amounts on energy companies, unwilling to put effective environmental standards into place.

With the defeat of Larson's initiative, surface owners in southwest Colorado and especially in Archuleta County are under the gun when faced with the demands of drillers. All a developer must do is post a bond with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, then move full speed ahead. Larson wanted a reasonable agreement with a surface owner struck prior to the posting of that bond. If that process failed, he suggested a panel be called in to determine the fair market value of the surface used. With failure at that juncture, Larson's bill would have required the matter to be settled by the courts.

Larson believed this bill was in a form the gas and oil industry indicated it approved the last time Larson pressed the issue, last year.

Obviously not. Industry pressure helped Larson's bill to collapse in committee. Larson is discouraged by the latest failure to lasso the energy industry and force it to work in relative harmony with surface owners, but he is not defeated. He says he will try again for a pre-drilling use agreement. Knowing our Representative, he will not be deterred.

Archuleta County must also make moves soon to do what it can to facilitate a harmonious relationship between surface owner, driller and local government, to ensure tax benefits and fee revenues flow to mitigate road and other impacts. It should pursue Energy Impact funds to deal with road problems caused by industry traffic from government and Southern Ute lands. County government cannot afford to drag its feet the way it has done in the matter of the Community Plan and enactment of land use regulations. Local government should act as an advocate for all of us in this situation.

Industry need is not going to dissipate; the right of mineral owners to utilize their resource cannot, and should not be denied. But, the situation must improve dramatically and the time for solutions is now.

Karl Isberg

It's time for my annual catfish diet

Dear Folks,

According to my calendar yesterday was the first day of Lent and today is Saint Valentine's Day.

(Whoa. Since I'm typing this on Tuesday morning that means I better stop searching the key board and go select a valentine for Cynthia before I forget.)

I'm trying to remember that yesterday was Ash Wednesday so that I don't forget that tomorrow is the first evening for the local Knights of Columbus's annual fish-fry suppers at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Hall.

I've got to give the Knights credit for capitalizing on the large number of Pagosans who moved here from Texas, Oklahoma and areas of the South. Though many of these folks probably come from Protestant backgrounds, they possess a strong attachment to fried catfish, hush puppies, coleslaw and french fries.

Besides serving Pagosa's former Southerners an epicurean delight, the fried catfish suppers serve as enjoyable ecumenical experiences for folks of all backgrounds and convictions. It makes for a worthwhile fund-raiser.

I understand a dish of ice cream goes with the meal. Usually I go overboard on the catfish in lieu of abstaining from the dessert. To be honest, it's not so much that I deny myself the ice cream, it's more that I'm so stuffed with fried catfish that there's no room for dessert.

Last year I even found myself questioning whether or not it was right for me to feast on a Lenten season fish fry. Some folks might consider eating fried catfish, rather than meat, as a form of fasting or penitence. For me, abstaining from fried catfish involves much greater self-denial than does not eating a juicy steak or tender roast beef.

Along with the flavorful food, the "boarding house" atmosphere that abounds around the long folding tables always adds to the dining pleasure. The supper comes with a guarantee that you won't leave hungry or without seeing at least one of your friends, or without making at least one new one. It's an unpretentious gathering that offers a taste of Pagosa from earlier days.

Another highlight is that Father John from time to time treats the diners by playing some popular polkas or music from the "Big Band" era on the piano.

I like to think that Martin Luther, Charles Wesley and some of the other great hymn writers can't resist tapping a foot during those moments when Father John sneaks a slight polka-like tempo into the traditional music that is set to some of their hymns.

Don't mistake this as an advertisement. I can't tell you the times. I don't know the price for adults or children.

All I know is that a few years ago as I exited the SUN building's back door on a Friday evening the mouth-watering fragrance that emanates when folks are frying catfish filled the air. I followed my nose up the alley to the Parish Hall parking lot. Just outside the kitchen door a group of men were turning catfish fillets on the grill of a metal deep-fry barrel. I wasn't sure if it was yellow catfish, blue catfish or channel cat', but I didn't care. The aroma told me it didn't matter.

So I rushed home for Cynthia and Drew in hopes of returning to the Parish Hall before the serving line closed.

Having been raised in Durango rather than "Way down yonder in the land of cotton," Cynthia somewhat questioned my enthusiasm. But not for long. The food that first night hooked her on fried catfish. It's either the delicious food and relaxed atmosphere, or the fact that someone else does the cooking and cleaning up that keeps her returning each Lenten season.

Oh, I wasn't kidding about the Valentine gift. Twelve paragraphs above I saved what was on the screen of my laptop and went shopping. I found a silver-bead necklace with hearts and matching earrings for Cynthia. Now I have to remember to take it home.

I'm not sure if the necklace is stylish, but it's the sort of thing female teachers wear to school on Valentine's Day. As for Drew, a candy bar and red balloon are more appropriate for a student's Valentine.

As for me, I'm easy to please. Eating supper Friday evening at the Parish Hall is my Valentine's treat.

Know you are loved and please keep us in your prayers.

David

25 years ago

Taken from SUN files of February 10, 1977

After hearing citizens committee reports Tuesday night of this week the school board voted to set the amount of $3,950,000 as the total of the bond issue to be voted upon March 22. Purpose of the bond election is to obtain funds for the construction of a new high school.

Dr. Herbert Thompson, a resident of the community for the past 30 years, and for many years the county's only physician, passed away at his home February 3. Dr. Thompson had retired from practice a few years ago but was still active in his flower garden and with other hobbies. He was a highly respected member of this community. He had ministered to a large percentage of the county population at one time or another and was a man dedicated to his profession.

75 years ago

Taken from SUN files of February 18, 1927

Two linemen of the Mountain States Telephone company journeyed up East Fork Canyon this week to repair the long distance telephone lines, presumably taken out by snow slides, which are accustomed to run in that section each season. They are still at work in that vicinity at this writing.

About two feet of heavy wet snow fell in this vicinity the past week, with proportionate depth on Cumbres and other mountain passes. As a result the San Juan Basin was without mail service for a couple of days, but conditions have again reached almost the normal stage.

E.P. Wilson, deputy internal revenue collector, is an official visitor in Pagosa Springs to assist local residents and business firms in making their income tax returns.

50 years ago

Taken from SUN files of February 15, 1952

Last weekend the SUN moved into larger quarters, taking over the remainder of the building formerly occupied by the SUN and the Whatsit shop. This gives the paper a new office space, more room in the job printing department and room for a larger stock of merchandise.

School attendance hit a new low the last couple of weeks due to mumps, with nearly half the students out. Colds have hit quite a number or residents as well.

Miss Joan Wiley arrived Sunday night from Steamboat Springs where she had participated in the Winter Carnival the past weekend. Joan received a sterling silver trophy for 3rd place in the women's slalom ski event. She plans to visit in Pagosa for a few days and will then return to Sun Valley, Idaho, for a short period.

91 years ago

Taken from Pagosa Springs New Era of February 10, 1911

Town council met in regular session Tuesday evening with Mayor Patterson, Clerk Emigh and all trustees present. In addition to transacting routine business and allowing bills, council ordered a new stove purchased for the library rooms and through the mayor appointed a committee consisting of Lowenstein, Howe and Day to draft an ordinance revising the water rates. Mark Todd, W.W. Mullins and A.H. Harris were granted a license to conduct a moving picture show.

Toner has been named as the county seat of the proposed county of Piedra. The proposed county of Piedra has approximately 12 townships to be taken out of Mineral and Hinsdale counties, no part of Rio Grande County being included.

Twins special blessing for couple

The Porters started trying to have children three and a half years ago.

They endured a miscarriage, a tubal pregnancy and several months of drug treatments before learning last June they were expecting twins.

For several months, Sarah drove to Durango every other week for prenatal appointments. Each time, doctors performed an ultrasound - just to be sure, considering their past problems.

"It was good for the nerves," Eric Porter, said.

Everything seemed fine with a due date set for Feb. 23.

"The day I first went into labor we had a doctor's appointment," Sarah said. "He was confident they were going to stay in there full term or close to it."

That very night, Sarah woke up in pain.

"I was crying," she said. "I said I couldn't do this for eight and a half more weeks. Then I realized the pain was coming at regular intervals, about every three and a half minutes."

The Porters went immediately to Mercy Medical Center where doctors were able to stop labor with medication for about two days before taking the babies by emergency C-section.

At birth, Gabe weighed 3 pounds 13 ounces. Little Amber tipped the scale at 3 pounds 5 ounces. Both Sarah and Eric were thrilled with their tiny miracles, both of whom had a long way to go before making the trip home to Pagosa Springs.

"They were in the hospital a little over a month," Sarah said. "Amber had to be on a ventilator at first, and Gabe was doing great until he got NEC." The ailment, which can be fatal, is caused when holes in the intestine lining become filled with bacteria.

"He was doing so great and then he got this horrible, horrible thing that babies die of," Sarah said. Gabe proved his toughness, hanging on through a week of IVs, medication and no food. Throughout the babies' hospital stay, Sarah lived in Durango at one of the hospital's manor rooms, caring for and watching her children.

On Jan. 29, they finally went home, and as of Feb. 6, Amber had beefed up to 5 pounds, 6 ounces and Gabe reached a whopping 5 pounds 8 ounces.

"I just couldn't imagine life without kids," Sarah said, feeding Amber. "It was really traumatic, but I know it could have been worse."

Back when the Porters first decided to start trying to have children, Sarah didn't think anything of it.

"I thought, no problem, people have children all the time," she said. After three months with no results, worries began to form. Tests followed. First Eric, then Sarah. They got pregnant, only to find out it was a tubal pregnancy that had to be terminated. A laparoscopy confirmed that Sarah was suffering from endometriosis, a problem with the lining of the uterus.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians website, the endometrial tissue - the lining of the uterus - is usually shed during a woman's monthly menstrual cycle. In people with endometriosis, the lining materials actually flow back into the fallopian tubes and can coat parts of the ovaries, pelvis, bladder and other areas. Monthly, this material swells and bleeds. It is often painful and can cause scar tissue to form on the uterus.

The condition doesn't generally affect overall health, but can make it more difficult to become pregnant. Effective treatment includes several possible medications that stop a woman's periods and allow the condition to clear up. In Sarah's case, she took shots for six months, the side effects of which mirrored menopause.

"I had hot flashes, mood swings," Sarah said.

"She'd be crying one minute and laughing the next," Eric said.

After the six months was up, Sarah went on a fertility drug and the couple soon found out they were pregnant. Then came a miscarriage at 10 weeks.

"We were devastated," Sarah said.

"We had just started telling people," Eric added.

Doctors were unsure what caused the miscarriage, but the couple had to wait another three months to try the fertility drugs again. For the second time, they discovered they were pregnant after the second month on the medication, and a first ultrasound revealed twin spots.

Most of that pregnancy was normal, Sarah said, although, toward the end, daily activity became rather difficult.

"I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without stopping," she said. Besides that, everything tasted like mint, and the smell of lunchmeat, no matter how faint, made her feel ill.

Then came labor at 32 weeks and the emergency C-section.

"It happened so fast," Sarah said.

Once the decision was made, Eric got dressed in scrubs and waited in the locker room. He was allowed in after they removed the first baby - a boy - Gabe.

"I kept yelling for them to get my husband," Sarah said.

A bad reaction to the anesthetic left the new mom's body swollen for days after the birth.

"My feet were gigantic and I itched all over," she said. "The anesthesiologist kept coming by to see if I was OK."

As for the babies, they dropped weight, still trying to develop their sucking skills, a common problem in preemies. Then came Gabe's NEC, and finally, the trip home.

"I learned so much from the nurses," Sarah said. "They really helped prepare me to come home."

People in the community were also a big help.

"We were so fortunate," she said. "So many people we didn't know offered support, prayers. We've been having a meal brought to us every single night. That's been wonderful."

Eric stayed home for a week, and then Sarah's grandmother arrived to add a helping hand.

"The first two days I stayed home from work was pretty stressful," Eric said. "Now, it's no big deal. I'm not scared they're going to break every time I pick them up."

Still several days away from when the babies' original due date, Sarah and Eric are starting to get into a routine with the month-old, growing twins, and both said their beautiful babies were well worth the wait.

"We've got our one boy, and our one girl, and this, to me, completes us," Sarah said.

Before I discuss this last week's activities at the State Capitol, I need to correct an impression I might have left from last week's column.

I mentioned that I was working with Rep. Mark Larson on the Surface Damages bill having to do with oil and gas drilling and surface owners. I am the Senate sponsor and Mark is the House sponsor. But this is a House Bill and Rep. Larson has done most of the work so far on this bill and it has been substantial. He has had to re-write this bill and research this issue in depth. This is not an easy position for Mark to take and, in my opinion, he is to be commended for his tireless work on this issue. My hat is off to him.

Things started off with a rush. I have two bills dealing with the insurance industry and their customers. The PIP bill (Personal Injury Protection sections of your car insurance) is an attempt to allow persons who are injured to use some of their coverage to reimburse them for living expenses while they are receiving re-training. Being able to receive money for living expenses while being retrained makes all kinds of sense. This bill allows persons injured to receive money from their insurance company to pay for living expense while they go to school or get other training so they can get back to a productive life. Tim LaFrance from Durango came up and testified as well as a brave lady from Boulder who had been severely injured in a car crash south of Cortez two years ago. The bill was passed with a surprising majority (5 to 2) out of the Senate Business, Labor and Finance Committee. We are hopeful that it has equal support in the House.

The second bill, the Prompt Pay bill, is still being researched by all affected by the bill. It is my desire not to impose burdens on insurance companies that are already in compliance with the provisions of this bill. We are trying to make slow paying companies accelerate their processing of claims. Committee will hear this bill in coming weeks and I will keep you informed of its progress.

My bill to extend the Southern Ute Air Quality Commission and create a residency requirement for those members who serve on the commission passed the Senate Ag Committee but by a party line vote. The pressure was on by the Governor's office to stop my bills and for a variety of petty reasons; the lobbyists for the Colorado Petroleum Association were out in force against the bill. Ironically one of their arguments focused on the fact that they (the oil and gas people) were not participants in the drafting of this bill. It is ironic because those fee owners who live within the reservation boundaries were not included in drafting the bill that set up the commission in the first place. The petroleum industry's position against my bill was a signal for the Republicans to vote no in spite of Leonard Burch's, Southern Ute chairman's, testimony for the bill as well as support from those fee owners who live within the reservation. It did pass but on a party line vote of 5 to 4. Ah, politics!

We saw a number of District 6 people in Denver this week. Ken Francis is here today to applaud the historic preservation district designation of the Red Mountain Pass area. We saw and talked to Chairman Burch, Mr. Sam W. Maynes, several people attending the Farm Bureau meetings - Phyllis Snyder from Cortez and Lynn Harvey from Yellowjacket. Aaron Tucson from Durango was here. We said hi to Les Mergelman from Olathe and Becky Brown with the Delta Federal Credit Union. Jim Sower with Pine River Valley Bank in Bayfield had breakfast with me. I enjoy seeing people from our district - please stop by if you are here.

The accounting system used by Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District does not contain enough information to separate old from new costs, a citizens advisory committee told the utility's board of directors.

PAWS directors received input from the advisory committee at a special public meeting conducted Tuesday night at the Extension Building. About 50 citizens attended the meeting.

"We will take everything under advisement. We will probably act at the March meeting," PAWS board chairman Harold Slavinsky said at the close of the meeting.

Tuesday's meeting was the outgrowth of a series of events connected with PAWS pricing maneuvers. While adopting the 2002 budget last fall, PAWS replaced a Facilities Upgrade Fee with a Capital Improvement Fund. The new fee included all new building within PAWS district boundaries. The older fee had only applied to new building in subdivisions platted subsequent to 1983.

The need for the fee change, according to PAWS, is paying for capital improvements over the next 20 years as identified in an engineering study.

Because of a perception that the proposed fee structure placed a disproportionate share of new construction costs on a small segment of the community, a group of citizens met with PAWS directors at a public meeting Dec. 18. A majority of the audience were from the building, development and real estate communities.

As a result of public comments at that meeting, PAWS agreed to postpone implementation of the CIF; appointed a broad-based citizen committee to research PAWS pricing policies and make recommendations; and agreed to listen to the committee's recommendations before making a final decision concerning the proposed CIF.

Tuesday night, the committee appointed as a result of the December meeting reported to the PAWS board. The board made almost no response, but promised to consider all input from the committee and make a decision on the proposed CIF by the regular March meeting.

The approach taken by the committee, as documented in a written report, was to seek "equitable and fair treatment for existing and future members of the district. Equitable treatment means assuring ourselves that each service in the system is paying the right fee based on the costs for that service. To accomplish this it is necessary for us to split PAWS expenses into four categories: treated water daily operations, treated water growth issues, wastewater daily operations, and wastewater growth issues."

The report concludes, "Unfortunately, in attempting to split PAWS expenses, the existing accounting system does not separate these expenses into the categories we needed. As a result, we asked the staff to provide at least a best guess approximation of expenses in each of the four categories. We're greatly concerned that we cannot obtain the documentation necessary to determine district costs on a growth/non-growth basis."

The committee also faulted population projections used by PAWS as a foundation for predicting future capital needs.

"We were unable to support the population and EQR projections with existing documentation," the report said. All of the projections used by PAWS exceed Department of Local Affairs projections by almost 29 percent, according to the report. The committee recommended reconsideration of the population projections used.

Another committee recommendation was to treat inclusion as a buy-in much as individuals or businesses buy into existing organizations by purchasing a pro-rata share.

Only recommendations approved by all committee members were forwarded to PAWS.

Actions recommended by the committee are: 1) Continue the temporary postponement of the new CIF fee; 2) Begin tracking expenses on a growth/non-growth basis; 3) Re-examine the population projections and EQR requirements thoroughly; 4) Review current inclusion fees policies and consider a buy-in approach; 5) Once all the facts are available and a final determination made, publish the findings along with the data that supports all of the actions taken.

Additional suggestions advised PAWS to revitalize water conservation efforts and to credit past equity contributions such as standby fees.

Finally, the report thanked the PAWS board of directors and staff for "overwhelming cooperation." Members of the advisory board are Bob Hart, chairman, Allan Bunch, Windsor Chacey, Darrel Cotton, Ray Finney, Mike Heraty, Mamie Lynch, Bill Newell, and Steve Schwartz.

Mike Heraty read the report during Tuesday's meeting. A number of people made public comments, mostly repeating from the report.

Concern was expressed that PAWS pricing policy doesn't consider residents surviving on low incomes.

Almost all who spoke advised that a fair and equitable PAWS policy, well-publicized, will be received and supported by everyone. June Madrid files to run again for county clerk

June Madrid has filed an affidavit to succeed herself as Archuleta County Clerk and Recorder. Madrid is Republican.

Madrid first took over duties as county clerk during March of 1989 when former county clerk Martha Valdez resigned. Madrid was appointed to fill the Valdez vacancy and has been elected to the office each election since.

"For those who know me, you know I'm not here because of the political aspects of this job," Madrid said. "I'm here because I love my job and love the people I work with. I have a very open-door policy and you will always find me in the office. I take my job very seriously and strive to do it the best I possibly can. Archuleta County has been my home for over 35 years and I intend to stay around."

Madrid cites the number of years and tasks she has performed in the clerk's office as proof of her qualifications for continuing.

She worked in the office from 1970 through 1975 for then county clerk Felima Gardner. Following that, she worked for Phil McClendon, CPA, and Peggy Cotton for five years before returning to the clerk's office.

Her accomplishments include:

"It was tough the first two years. Everything in the clerk's office is set by state statutes so there was a lot to learn going from deputy clerk to clerk.

"The clerk's office handles motor vehicles for titles and registrations. We do marriage licenses. We do all liquor licenses outside the town but inside the county. We do all recording of legal documents that pertain to real estate. The county clerk is the official clerk to the board of county commissioners. This makes me responsible for the minutes of the board meetings and making sure they are filed for future record. Every fee and everything we do is set by statute.

"And we do elections. We have an election every year now. I help special districts and the school's elections (with their help, of course) and I do coordinated mail elections in odd years. For all of the elections, the clerk is the designated election official.

"I have seen our county grow from approximately 3,000 people to over 10,000. The work load in my office is amazing.

"I have upgraded our record system (recording public documents) twice since I have been in office and am currently making another change. It's so hard because technology is constantly changing and people coming from bigger areas expect us to be pretty much high tech. What we have is what we can actually afford but I think we are keeping up with the times pretty well. Every time we change it affects our title companies and I try to be fair to them.

"I have seen my office go from bringing in $500,000 in revenues to over $2,500,000 in the past 10 years.

"Many changes have occurred over the years. Some I have had a hand in, while others we can thank our legislature for. Some good, some not so good. I don't think anyone knows how hard the clerks work when legislators start processing bills that cost taxpayers money through motor vehicle fees."

Madrid was born in Houston, Texas, and moved to Denver at the age of five. The family moved to Pagosa Springs in 1963. Her father J.C. Wood was the Methodist minister, her mother Doris Wood owned Pagosa Insurance Agency. She is married to Butch Madrid. They have three children, Tracie Castillo living in California, Ed Madrid living in Arizona, and Rich Valdez living in Pagosa Springs.

Resource professionals and non-formal educators from all agencies, businesses, and communities are invited to attend an "Education Made Easier" workshop on Feb. 20-21 at the San Juan Public Lands Center in Durango. The first day will be an all-day session from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the second day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Topics include:

€ Addressing Diversity in Your Audience - diversity of cultures; diversity of physical abilities; and diversity of learning styles

€ How to manage large groups

€ Find out from teachers what works and what doesn't in a classroom

€ Discover how Project Learning Tree is a resource for non-teachers

€ Learn more about Service-Learning from local participating students

€ Explore non-traditional teaching techniques

There is no cost for the workshop, however, a $2 donation is requested for lunch. For more information, contact Cheryl Wiescamp, Durango Nature Studies, 382-9244, or Kristine Borchers, San Juan Public Lands Center, 533-9862.

This workshop is sponsored by the Bureau of Reclamation, San Juan Public Lands, ANCRE, and Durango Nature Studies.

For directions to the San Juan Public Lands Center, call 247-4874.

William "Bill" Lucero has filed an affidavit with the Archuleta County Clerk to run for sheriff of Archuleta County. Lucero is a Republican.

Lucero is currently an investigator for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in Ignacio.

"I feel I have what it takes to be productive," Lucero said when asked why he is running for the sheriff's office. "I have been in law enforcement since 1989."

A Monte Vista native, Lucero has lived in Pagosa Springs since December of 1996.

After graduating from Monte Vista High School, Lucero served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, then attended Trinidad State Junior College where he obtained education enabling him to receive Colorado POST law enforcement certification.

His law enforcement career began as a detention officer with Alamosa County, Lucero said. From there he moved to the Monte Vista Police Department where he was promoted to sergeant after two years.

"As a sergeant, I was in charge of several people," Lucero said, "major investigations, and patrols. I've had several kinds of training including crime scene investigations, interviews and interrogations, and sexual assault investigations."

During that time he served on the San Luis Valley Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team.

Over the years, with other family members, Lucero had been passing through Pagosa Springs while going to Navajo Lake to boat. When an advertisement for a Pagosa Springs law enforcement position appeared, Lucero applied and won the position.

With his family, Lucero moved to Pagosa Springs in 1996. Since moving to Pagosa Springs, Lucero has been employed by the Pagosa Springs Police Department and the now-defunct Pagosa Lakes Department of Public Safety.

At Ignacio, Lucero is involved with gaming investigations. A major task is investigating the backgrounds of those seeking gaming licenses. In addition to being certified by Colorado, Lucero has a federal law enforcement certificate from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

If elected sheriff, Lucero promises to be proactive. "I am concerned about closure rates," Lucero said. "It's easy to take a report. I believe that is just the start of handling a case. We need to be aggressive, talk to people, close these cases."

"There are other aspects to what I've done," Lucero continued, "from grunt to patrol to simple cases to sergeant and major cases making command decisions."

Lucero has been married to Seana for eight years. The couple has sons ages seven and four.

"I'd like to see open communication lines between my office and other law enforcement agencies, maybe form a task force to pool information," Lucero said. "The door to my office is always open to the public. I will personally address the public's concerns. Visibility is important. My biggest quality is decision making. As sheriff I will have three priorities: the needs of county citizens, the needs of the department as a whole, and the needs of individuals within the department."

"I want to afford every citizen the same type of professional service, unbiased, non-selective, law enforcement," Lucero said.

We have looked at the process of the legislature many times through my articles.

"Process" generally means adherence to the rules of the General Assembly. It begins with the Speaker who has full authority to send a bill where he/she wants it to go. It includes the political wrangling behind the scenes where influential lobbies work toward the support or demise of legislation, including working on committee members and seeking to lock in votes before a bill is heard. Unfortunately, many times I am the only "lobbyist" for my constituents when opposition arises. The process also involves the building of coalitions of like-minded legislators who come together on a particular issue based on geography, ideology, or a host of other reasons. Rural and urban coalitions are the norm on many issues. This thing called "process" is the life blood of our political system and proliferates through a structure of constant checks and balances of power, all of which are driven by the assumption that the participants act ethically, openly and with integrity. Somehow, through all of this, the will of citizens of Colorado is supposed to be heard.

Thursday, this monster called "process" ate up one of my bills. HB02-1166, the Surface Use Agreement bill, died in the State Veterans and Military Affairs Committee after two-plus hours of hearings. Trying to educate nine committee members about mineral law while proposing a significant change in the current fundamentally unfair public policy, was more than I could overcome. Urban legislators are not overly concerned about surface owners in Southwestern Colorado ... especially when the industry (and at least a couple committee members) continue to take the position that the surface owner "should have known" that the mineral estate might be developed.

I guess I could say the "process" killed my bill. Since the Speaker has full authority to send a bill wherever he chooses, I do not have the right to question that call. And while many of the committee members committed to the industry against this bill without ever talking to me, I do not have the right to question their vote ... nor do they have the right to question mine. The ultimate accountability is to our constituents. And with the issue of how high-powered lobbying influences a legislative "process" having already been decided by the voters by term limits, the urban/rural issue will many times be decided without deference to good public policy or minority protections. Thankfully, the process changes in magnitude and scope with each election cycle. Perhaps, in the 64th General Assembly, this issue that has so much importance to our area, will hit upon a differently functioning "process."

I do not normally mention names in my column because I was once told by a wise editor that, while you are mentioning a few, you are leaving out many. However, the Surface Use Agreement Bill took on a life of its own.

Special thanks to all of those throughout the 59th District who called and made a distinct impression on committee members. Several members commented about the tremendous outpouring of support this bill was receiving from Southwestern Colorado. Special thanks to Bob Miller of Durango for his assistance in drafting and willingness to dedicate time at the capital actively working for this bills passage. Thanks also to La Plata County Commissioner Josh Joswick, and Ellen Roberts, Mike Matheson, Michael McLachlan, Gwen Lachelt, Jeff Robbins, and the hundreds of citizens who worked actively on this bill. While we did not carry the day, we clearly demonstrated how a community can come together and effectively work for change.

Apparently, it's already dirty tricks season. My office at the Capitol started getting phone calls Thursday about the Pledge of Allegiance. "Blast" recorded messages were going out that I was unpatriotic because of a procedural vote!

Senator John Andrews (R-Centennial), who is a former Nixon White House employee, asked the Senate earlier this week to skip the public testimony on his Pledge of Allegiance mandate bill. I oppose any bill avoiding public testimony in committee and voted to allow testimony and questions in committee. I did not - and would never - vote against the Pledge of Allegiance in our classrooms.

As a freshman legislator who has not experienced the "election year phenomenon" before, I am both amused and appalled by the practice of our more partisan colleagues who run "gotcha" legislation. "Gotcha" legislation is offered for no other reason than to get a legislator on record and then use it against them in some warped fashion the next election. It seems a silly way to waste our time. This week, the Senate has seen a barrage of these bills with patriotic themes, but carrying serious constitutional, legal and fiscal problems. In addition, these would take away the local control from school boards and communities.

Don't ever believe campaign literature that insinuates that any legislator is anything less than patriotic and civic-minded. I have yet to meet anyone on either side of the aisle who is not committed to their community, the democratic process and is supportive of our country. On a positive note, I had the satisfaction of having my first bill pass the Senate and my second and third bills are closer to passing - no small feat given the current political atmosphere under the dome in Denver these days.

The first bill reconciles fund-raising practices and state law, so that colleges and universities with liquor licenses can also accept donations from liquor manufacturers and distributors. Under the existing law, if a college or university has a license to sell beer in the student union, it precludes any donations from the liquor industry.

Our state budget is reeling right now and the legislature is in the process of finishing budget cuts that total more than $600 million in the current fiscal budget. Higher education has taken a significant hit in the process and will feel the pain next year. In times when our state revenues are tight and public money for higher education is scarce, my bill allows colleges and universities to create partnerships with an industry that historically been a big supporter of Colorado's academic institutions.

This bill now moves to the House, where Rep. Mark Larson is the sponsor.

Bipartisan sponsorship improves the bill's chances.

The second bill allows those injured in car accidents to use some of the $50,000 retraining coverage for living expenses during their retraining, which is now prohibited. This allows people to survive financially while they recover a normal life.

The third bill is the Southern Ute Air Quality bill. This bill, backed by the Southern Ute Tribe and other residents within the reservation boundaries, requires that three of the six commissioners on the Southern Ute Air Quality Commission (appointed by the Governor) live in Archuleta and La Plata Counties. And it would require at least one of the three should reside within the reservation boundaries.

While I am on the topic of higher education, let's talk about Fort Lewis College's future! I am watching closely the progress of the Blue Ribbon Panel that is considering whether to make FLC an independent school in the wake of the realignment of the Colorado State University system. That panel is tentatively set to meet in Durango later this month to discuss some of the options. I have heard many different opinions on this topic and have yet to hear a powerful consensus. I would urge the panel to weigh the options judiciously and not make any quick decisions.

Congratulations to our latest appointee to the Colorado Board of Education: Pam Suckla from Dolores and Slickrock. She has an impressive background for the position and I am looking forward to working with her on education issues.

Another Suckla, former Colorado Cattlemen's Association President Jimmy Suckla, was at the Capitol this week for a news conference to endorse federal legislation for country of origin labeling. He joined many others of the former CCA presidents to urge this legislation.

Little or no snow is predicted during the coming week for the San Juan Mountains, according to Gary Chancy of the National Weather Service office in Grand Junction.

Chancy's forecast is a bad omen for those hoping for an addition to the unusually low snowpack in the San Juan Mountains. The San Juan snowpack is about 54 percent of average, according to a Feb. 4 report from the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Lakewood.

"In a typical winter season, the state will have accumulated about 60 percent of the total mountain snowpack by Feb. 1," said Allen Green, state conservationist with the NRCS. "With only 40 percent of the accumulation season remaining, there's only a poor chance we can reach average conditions by April 1, the average date of peak snowpack. To reach that level, we'll need to add more than an inch of water equivalent per week to the state's snowpack."

This year's snowpack is 59 percent down from last year. Reservoir storage in the San Juan Basin is 80 percent of average, but equal to last year's total.

A slight system should be moving through Pagosa Country today, according to Chancy, creating mostly cloudy skies and a chance for snow at higher elevations. Temperatures should peak in the 38-48 degrees range and drop to the teens at night.

Skies will return to partly cloudy tonight and remain that way until Sunday night. A small disturbance is expected to move through the area Sunday night, followed by only partly cloudy skies through Wednesday.

The best chance for snow is tonight and Sunday night, Chancy said, and that snowfall more likely only at higher elevations.

Dan Keuning has returned to the Lower 48.

The pull from Pagosa Springs proved even greater than the sheer majesty of Alaska's mountains and glaciers, bringing him home to serve the Upper San Juan Hospital District after less than a year.

"I worked with the Alaskan Natives doing village health care," Keuning said. "I was doing primary care as a nurse practitioner. It was a great experience, but it was not home."

Keuning first came to Pagosa Springs in 1994. At the time, he worked for Mercy Medical Center's health and hospice services here, as an EMS first responder and as deputy coroner. He was also a member of the building committee for construction of the Dr. Mary Fisher Medical Center on South Pagosa Boulevard.

In 1998, Keuning went back to school at the University of Colorado, earning a master's degree as a family nurse practitioner. Through the Mountains and Plains Partnership program, he was able to take courses in the area instead of having to move.

Then came the adventure to Alaska. At first, Keuning, his wife and two sons, committed to two years. Opportunity called him back.

The Dr. Mary Fisher Medical Center had been short a provider for several months. Staff searched for another physician, looking especially to bring a female doctor to the community, but had no luck. They began negotiating with Keuning whose advanced training allows him to serve many patient needs.

"A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse with advanced training in an area of specialty," Keuning said. His specialty is family medicine, and he must be licensed by the state.

"What I do is primary health care for families - everything from well visits on babies to extreme urgent visits from those in immediate need," he said. He does have a physician advisor, in this case Dr. Bob Brown. However, Keuning can diagnose and prescribe medication and, using a series of protocols, is also able to stabilize and transfer patients in critical condition without a physician looking over his shoulder.

"The goals are to be able to keep and treat as many people here in Pagosa, as well as keeping the lines of communication open with Durango," he said

Right now, Keuning is seeing patients full-time at the medical center and one weekend a month at the Urgent Care Center. He continues to serve as deputy coroner, and is in charge of the new patient/physician education computer at the clinic.

With the addition to the staff, the medical center is now open until 6 p.m. during the week. Urgent Care is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.

There's more good news for working families in Colorado this year. As a result of new legislation, thousands of low-income families will be eligible for refunds from the Child Tax Credit in 2001, in addition to claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit refund.

The Earned Income Credit returns up to $4,008 from the Internal Revenue Service to single or married workers who were raising two or more children in their homes and earned less than $32,121 in 2001, or less than $28,281 if they were raising only one child. Colorado also has a state earned income credit that is equal to 10 percent of the federal tax credit a family receives.

The Earned Income Credit was created in 1975 to help low- and moderate-income families with children offset the social security payroll tax burden and to supplement wages. Colorado, which created a state earned income credit in 1999, is one of the 14 states also to give a state credit.

New rules enacted by Congress for the Child Tax Credit now enable parents with earned income above $10,000 and dependent children under age 17 to receive a new refund even if they owed little or no income tax.

Unfortunately, many workers may not know about the Earned Income Tax Credit, and especially about the new Child Tax Credit. So to inform Colorado families about these tax credits, a public education campaign has been launched locally by the Piton Foundation. It is part of a nationwide public information campaign spearheaded by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C.

"We consider the credits pro-family/pro-work incentives because they boost the paychecks of lower and moderate-income working people with children," said Diane DiGiacomo, the statewide campaign coordinator.

"At the same time, the credits infuse substantial federal dollars into state and local economies, since families who receive the credits are likely to use it to pay bills, purchase food and clothing, and for other family necessities," DiGiacomo said.

To receive the Earned Income Credit, families must file a 1040 or 1040A federal income tax form and also a Schedule EIC. Eligible families that owe no income tax receive a check from the IRS in the amount of their credit. If a family does owe federal income tax, the EIC reduces the amount it owes. The Child Tax Credit requires completing a new IRS form. To receive the state credit, families must file a Colorado income tax return, which they also need to file to receive their state sales tax refund.

Families with questions about these tax credits, can receive free help by calling (303) 83-CALL7, the consumer line at Denver's 7. The IRS also offers free tax preparation to lower and moderate-income families through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites located in communities throughout the state. Call (303) 83-CALL7 to find a local VITA site or visit The Piton Foundation's web site at www.piton.org.

The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) has become the first law enforcement agency in the Untied States to offer a computer program to improve customer service for filing vehicular accident reports.

Col. Lonnie Westphal, chief of CSP, said, "We are very proud to be the first to use cutting edge electronic technology to provide better service to our citizens."

"The use of the Internet offers an expedient solution to improving customer service for a mandatory activity that is often a tedious and frustrating, but necessary task," said Westphal. "Citizens involved in vehicular accidents currently must go to a State Patrol office during normal business hours to complete a counter report. Frequently, this involves taking time off work, locating the nearest office, and driving to the office perhaps at some distance, to complete the report."

"Using today's Internet and the World Wide Web allows a citizen to complete an accident counter report from their business, home or public access computer on the State Patrol's web page," Westphal said.

Using the new Internet filing system, individuals can submit data to the Colorado state web server at www.csp.state.co.us.

They will receive back on their computer a copy of the data submitted which they can print for their use and records. Filing can also be accomplished at workstations or kiosks in police stations, libraries or other public locations.

Counter reports are required to be completed by the public for certain vehicular accidents that are not investigated by a Trooper.

Troopers do not investigate property damage accidents when an accident alert is in effect and all vehicles involved can be driven from the scene. Also, Troopers do not routinely investigate property damage accidents when there is less than $1,000 damage to each vehicle or when the accident occurs on private property. However, such accidents are still required to be reported to the Department of Revenue, and individuals involved are required by law to come to an office within 24 hours and complete a counter report.

In these cases, the accident is not required to be reported to the Department of Revenue/Division of Motor Vehicles, but often the person's insurance company requires a police report to proceed with a claim. In those situations, people go to the CSP offices and complete counter reports.

"Any Colorado law enforcement agency can refer people to the CSP's web site to make an electronic counter report," Westphal said. "Many agencies do not retain copies of these counter reports and are not concerned with related data. However, those agencies which do want to track the accidents would be allowed access to the database on the web server. From the database, they could download the data for their jurisdiction."

"We foresee that this new service will help support the economy of the state through a reduction in workers taking time away from their jobs to report accidents, as well as provide a tremendous convenience to the public," said Col. Westphal. "There also will be a significant savings in time spent by law enforcement clerical staff in handling the reports and explaining them to the public."

Access for this no-cost service is through the Colorado State Patrol websites www.csp.state.co.us, or the State of Colorado website www.state.co.us or directly at crash.state.co.us.

The size of Archuleta County's average, newly-built home dropped during 2001 when compared with the previous year, according to a report just released by the Archuleta County Planning Department.

During 2001, prospective builders purchased 274 building permits with a total value estimated at $50,596,000, an average of $184,657 per single-family residential unit. During 2000, builders purchased 296 permits with total value of $67,733,000, an average of $228,827 per residential unit.

"Last year they built a lot of average homes in the 1,500 to 2,000 square-foot range," said Julie Rodriguez, a technician in the county building department. "That seems to be changing this year. Houses are getting bigger again."

Over the past five years the cost of the average single family residence in Archuleta county has grown from $162,230 in 1997 to $184,657 last year. During the same time span, the number of single family residential permits issued by the county has grown from 222 permits to 274 permits. The total dollar value of those permits has grown from $36,015,000 in 1997 to $50,596,000 in 2000.

The year 2000 seems to be a record year. During 2000, the building department issued 296 permits with a total dollar value of $67,733,000.

Comparing total dollar value on a year-to-year basis is not quite an apples-to-apples comparison, because the building department has used more than one method of estimating the value of a building being permitted.

"We've tried a variety of methods," Rodriguez said. "We think we've hit on what works best."

The building value estimated when application is made for a permit is based on the number of square feet in the proposed building. The value per square foot is based on the type of construction anticipated. Currently, an applicant pays $62.90 per square foot for a frame building, $70.70 per square foot for a Type 5 masonry building, $86.30 per square foot for a log building, and $90.50 for an all-masonry building.

Only 49 permits for mobile homes were issued in 2001. In 2000, the number of mobile home permits issued was 57. The total dollar value for mobile homes decreased from $3,954,000 in 2000 to $2,943,000 in 2001. The average value per mobile home permit also decreased from $69,368 in 2000 to $60,061 in 2001.

The value of commercial construction in Archuleta County for 2001 is estimated at $3,598,000, considerably more than the $2,221,000 commercial value for 2000.

Archuleta County issued a total of 490 permits during 2001, slightly more than the 485 permits issued during 2000.

A category labeled "Other" more than accounts for the increase. Other includes projects such as adding a porch, carport, or deck to a house, or other major renovation or remodeling projects. During 2001, 147 Other permits were issued, far more than the 105 issued during 2000. The value of Other permits during 2001 is $7,211,000. During 2000 the value of Other permits was $6,611,000.

In categories other than single family residences permits were issued in 2001 for: four duplexes, two three-plexes, two townhouses, and three apartments.

The count for the same categories during 2000 was: two duplexes, one three-plex, three townhouses, four condominiums, two apartments, and seven timeshares.

Pagosa Lakes is the building site of choice for one of every two building permits issued in Archuleta County.

Of the 490 permits issued by the county during 2001, 249 were for building sites located in Pagosa Lakes. The 2001 ratio of 51 percent is consistent with the 2000 ratio, which was 50 percent.

The next largest category of construction activity took place in a category labeled Other Subdivisions, a catchall for locations in the county outside of Pagosa Lakes, including Arboles, Aspen Springs, Airport, Unsubdivided Areas, and Cloman Industrial Park.

The relationship among categories remains unchanged when comparing 2000 building permits with 2001 building permits. Pagosa Lakes leads with 249 permits followed by Other Subdivisions with 123 permits, Unsubdivided Areas with 57 permits, Aspen Springs with 41 permits, Arboles with 17 permits, Airport with 2 permits, and Cloman Industrial Park with 1 permit.

During 1999, the breakdown showed Pagosa Lakes with 215 permits, Other Subdivisions with 139 permits, Unsubdivided Areas with 72 permits, Aspen Springs with 75 permits, and Arboles with 16 permits.

The "state-of-the-art" school bus which was heralded a year ago as the best of its kind, was deemed a lost cause Tuesday by the school board for Archuleta School District 50 Joint.

Superintendent Duane Noggle told the board the dispute over mechanical failures of the bus is a "contentious litany of ongoing woes culminated by the drive shaft falling off."

The bus, once the pride of the fleet, now sits at a dealer's site in Denver where it will stay for now.

Noggle told the board trying to get a corporate settlement for "this lemon" will take time. He said he had personally traced the history of faults with the bus' operation and believes it all tracks back to an improperly installed rebuilt drive shaft. "We're trying to get them to cover this as a warranty item," he said.

No one knows when, or if, the bus will be returned to service.

Noggle also told the board he has been negotiating with Baldwin Construction Co., contractors on the high school complex, over challenges made by the board last spring with reference to expanding joints in the commons area, fading paint, a hole in the gymnasium floor, a leaking fire suppression line and failure to install a heating element in one area of the structure.

The hole was patched, he said, "and we did the repainting ourselves." Rather than take Baldwin to court, he said, "we asked them to negotiate. They offered a $2,400 settlement, we asked for $3,600 and we finally agreed on $3,000." The missing heating element was installed, he told the board, but a special valve is still missing so it is not yet operable.

On a separate issue, Noggle told the board "an issue of teacher licensure has been pretty much resolved."

He said, "We need to make sure teachers are all aware of state statutes and their (personal) obligations." He said he had talked with teacher representatives and that they asked for letters of reminder.

"We're here to assist them," he said, adding, "I need to do a better job helping the individual teachers and being sure they understand the requirements."

Director Russ Lee, acting as president pro tem, told Noggle, "You were more than fair in handling the recent incident. Such actions are up to them (the teachers). It is a matter of professional conduct and ethics."

Noggle said, in the future, each teacher will be notified six months ahead of licensure expiration, and again shortly before the actual expiration date. "The applications are long and can be confusing," he said. "We'll be here to assist them if they need it."

Noggle also submitted for board perusal a new handbook for substitute teachers "designed to be a basic orientation to the district with an outline of what is expected of them and the rules regarding their employment."

It is intended, he said, "to be a warmer welcome for newcomers . . . something other than saying, 'here's the classroom, get started'."

In other action Tuesday the board, on administrative recommendation:

€ Named Eugene Spatz as transportation mechanic

€ Accepted the resignation, effective at the end of the school year, of Mary Jo Janowsky, an elementary school teacher since 1994

€ Named J.D. Kurz a volunteer track coach

€ Extended substitute status to Stan Gidley, a bus driver; Ana Lucero Alvarado for the cafeteria operation; teachers Scott Moore, Patsy Harvey, April Holthaus and Cindy Cunningham.

Dearle Ann Ricker of Pagosa Springs is a woman with a new assignment and a special event already scheduled to help make it work.

She is the newly-appointed local director for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization and is working with the Durango chapter to promote a fund-raising bowl-a-thon in Durango on March 9.

"I have 10 Pagosans signed up so far," she said, "and would like to get 50 to 100 prepared to bowl for pledges of a penny a pin."

The Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization pairs lonely youngsters with adult companions who are thoroughly screened before they are allowed to accompany the youths. Both the child and the accepted Big are expected to benefit from the association.

At present, the Pagosa Springs and Cortez units are being operated as adjuncts of the Durango program.

Ricker's appointment is the first step toward making the Pagosa Springs operation more independent.

Right now, she said, there are three Big pairs in Pagosa and "we hope to have 20 to 30 by the end of the year."

The March 9 bowl-a-thon will go from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ricker hopes to have all the Pagosa bowlers who sign up competing for funds at the same general hour so their families and friends can cheer them on.

Even if you're not a bowler and would like to assist the organization in this fund-raiser by sponsoring a bowler, your call will be welcomed.

So, all you would-be pin busters and those of you who want to support them, call Ricker at 264-5077 and get your name on the list.

Youngsters who need someone to care about them will benefit.

In January 28 licensed mental health professionals from southwest Colorado - psychologists, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors - completed disaster training offered by the Southwest Colorado Chapter of American Red Cross.

The Disaster Mental Health Services class, taught by Tom Salb, Ph.D, and Jo Hillard, R.N., M.A. ( Red Cross instructors from New Mexico), trained students to respond to local and national disasters.

Six months of planning preceded the 16-hour course.

"We are now much better able to meet the mental health needs of our neighbors should a disaster occur. We have planned for the worst, but remain hopeful that we will ultimately never be needed," said Nancy Choquette, training participant and coordinator for the Employee Assistance Program, a service of Mercy Medical Center.

A steering group of professionals from local agencies, including Fort Lewis College Counseling Center, Mercy Medical Center, Southwest Colorado Mental Health Center, Southwest Colorado Chapter of American Red Cross and private practitioners began meeting in July 2001 to prepare a community-based response to local disasters (possibly weather, transportation or wildfire related).

The events of Sept. 11 provided the impetus to prepare locally for an effective mental health disaster response and underscored the need to respond to farther reaching disasters as well.

The Red Cross training was identified as an integral element in preparing for whatever mental health needs might accompany a crisis, ranging from house fires to major disasters.

The steering group, now expanded to include those mental health professionals recently trained, will continue to meet to ensure that the community mental health response is ready should a local disaster occur.

Girl Scouts of Chaparral Council are welcoming Uwe Kind, internationally known educator and entertainer to their area and he will host an interactive concert at 6 p.m. Feb. 22 in Montezuma-Cortez High School to help Girl Scouts celebrate World Thinking Day.

The community is invited to take part in this one-of-a-kind concert. Tickets can be reserved through Friday by calling 970-247-4850. Cost is $3.75 per person and children five and younger get in free.

Uwe Kind (pronounced Oo-va and Kind rhymes with hint) is an educator, musician, artist and entertainer who has developed "Lingo Tech," a method of teaching languages using music and movement. Born in the former East Germany, he has lived in the United States since 1965 and has taught at the New School for Social Research in New York, Harvard University and the U.N. International School.

Thinking Day is a special day when Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world think of each other and give thanks and appreciation to their "sister" Girl Scouts. Thinking Day is celebrated Feb. 22, which is jointly the birthday of both Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the movement, and the World Chief Guide, Olave Baden Powell.

Girl Scouts of Chaparral Council, Inc., serves 6,000 girls and 2,000 adults in New Mexico and southwestern Colorado and is focused on meeting the needs of each girl by providing a program of experiences, based on the Girl Scout Promise and Law, for girls between 5 and 17 years old.

Girl Scouts of the USA celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.

A group of 20 seniors with perfect 4.0 averages leads the Pagosa Springs High School First Term Honor Roll released Tuesday.

Included in the top group are Ashley Gronewoller, Heather Beye, Kerilyn Frank, Jeffrey Johnson, Ross Wagle, Lori Whitbred, Matthew Ford, Aubrey Volger, Hank Wills, Katie Lancing, Kari Eden, Keith Frank, Kelly Kay, Josiah Payne, Ethan Sanford, Tiffany Thompson, Alysha Ranson, Hillary Wienpahl, Nora Fabris and Devin Higgins-Miller.

Close behind and the only senior at 3.75, was Alina Mendoza.

Grouped with 3.67 averages were Michelle Ferguson, Robert Kern, Natalie Ortega, Jenelle Newberg, Darin Lister, Michael Martinez, Bryce Paul, Callie Smock, Deborah Meyer, Dorothy Brinton, Toby Gunzinger, Tyrus Scott and Megan Squier.

Just behind them with 3.50 averages were Joetta Martinez and Shalaina Hamblin.

Rounding out the seniors honor list with 3.33 averages were Emily Finney, Eric Mesker, Jimmy Iverson, Carlena Lungstrum, Ronald Janowsky, Luke Boilini, Amy Moore, Amie Smith, Todd Henry, Sarah Firth, Caleb Mellette and Mollie McGrath.

Sixteen juniors led their class with 4.0 scores. They were Jeremy Oertel, Jordan Kurt-Mason, Clayton Mastin, Sarah Riley, Travis Reid, Clay Pruitt, Justin Smith, Katie Bliss, Sarah Smith, Sara Aupperle, Holly Gustafson, Kimberly Hitchcox, Jolyn Rader, Hannah Emanuel, Jessi Marlatt and Benjamin Rabb.

Twelve more juniors had 3.75 averages. They were Susie Rivas, Robin Willett, Zeb Gill, Drisa Carrizo, Kyle Frye, Lila Garcia, Jared Lincoln, Jason Schutz, Brandon Charles, Jamie Turner, Marylou Villalobos and Alexandra Rigia.

Following them with 3.50 averages were Jessica Buikema, Jared Earley, Sky Fehrenbacher, LeAnn Foutz, Ashley Wagle, Todd Mees, Stacey Smith, Kristina Elledge, Mylinda Blankenship, William Feht and Erin Fahey.

Rounding out the junior honors list with 3.25 averages were Jeremy Buikema, Jeremy Marquez, Cody Stowe, Chelsea Masanz and Travis Quiller.

The sophomore class was lead by 17 students with 4.0 marks, including Anna Bishop, Roxanna Day, Melissa Diller, Jenna Finney, Clinton McKnight, Randi Pierce, Ryan Wienpahl, Courtney Sell, David Kern, Ben Marshall, Melissa Wollenweber, Kyle Sanders, Kevin Muirhead, Malonie Thull, Ryan Zimmerman, Cassidy Chatham and Gregory Hudnall.

Close behind with 3.75 averages were Drew Fisher, Sierra Fleenor, Jordan Goodman, Aaron Hamilton, Liesl Jackson, Danielle Jaramillo, Ashley Lord, Melissa Martinez, Daniel McGinnis, Ty Peterson, Leslie Shepard, Jon Howison, Jennifer Lucero, Dan Lowder and Lauren Felts.

Eleven others were named to the honors list with 3.50 averages, including Kelly Johnson, Alexis Loewen, Drew Mitchell, Michael Quintana, Coy Ross, Brandon Samples, Amy Tautges, Ashli Winter, Daniel Durfee, Hannah Lloyd and Somer Evans.

Listed with 3.25 averages were Clayton Spencer and Sean Spear.

The freshman honor roll was topped by 21 students with 4.0 averages. They included Jessica Harms, Rachel Schur, Kelly Bartholomew, Christine Morrison, Audrey Miller, Levi Gill, Christena Lungstrum, Meagan Martinez, Kelli Ford, Brett Garman, Courtney Steen, Randi Andersen, Victoria Stanton, Brianna Scott, Chris Nobles, Melissa Maberry, Jesse Morris, Janna Henry, Mollie Honan, Rachel Watkins and Jesse Bauer.

Freshmen with 3.75 averages included Brittany Corcoran, Caitlyn Jewell, Kyrie Beye, Amanda Huang, Kelcie Mastin, Ryan Ranson, Landry Ward, Laura Tomforde, James Anderson and David Yerton.

Jacob Smith was next with a 3.60, followed by Derrick Rader, Lori Walkup and Ellen Emanuel at 3.50 and Marlena Lungstrum, Carson Park and Ana Valdez and 3.25.

Kati Wolf of San Francisco had a Fun Race time of 26 minutes 16 seconds Saturday to pace the seven women participating in the event at Wolf Creek Ski Area. Mark Garcia of Pagosa Springs had the fastest time of the day, winning the mens' 36-40 division in 25:84.

On the womens' side, Sarah Brown of Pagosa had a gold medal time of 43:64 in girls 12-14; Tracy Dowel of Pagosa paced the 26-30 group with a run of 27:86; Kim Wood of New Mexico captured the 31-35 bracket in 39:01; Amanda Pearson of Crestone was second to Wolf in 39:49; Donna Anderson of Pagosa captured the womens' 41-50 bracket in 37:82 and Mary Miller of Pagosa won the womens' 61-and over bracket in 33:43.

In the boys' 6-8 bracket, gold went to Shey Monkewiez of Alaska in 39:02. Ian Milligan of Pueblo took gold in boys 9-11 in 33:47 with Jacob Haynes of Pagosa Springs getting silver in 34:65 and Daniel Calhoun of Oklahoma taking bronze in 42:33.

Bryan Roth of Pueblo was gold medalist in boys 12-14 with a run of 34:18. He was followed by Chris Baum of Pagosa Springs in 36:61 and Logan McClellan of Pagosa in 38:61.

The boys 15-17 bracket became an out-of-state duel with Ryan Hensley of Oklahoma taking gold in 33:98 and Alex Zamora and A.J. Dome of New Mexico battling for the other two spots. Zamora got silver in 39:05 and Dome bronze in 39:42.

Tihomir Dimitrod of New Mexico won the mens' 21-25 bracket in 33:72 and David Cole of Pagosa captured mens' 26-30 in 28:92.

Mens' 31-35 gold went to C.J. Wolf of San Francisco. Steve Cahill of Ohio got silver in the bracket in 30:23 and Bob Calhoun of Oklahoma had a run of 33:98 for bronze. In the mens' 36-40, Garcia was followed by Will Spears of Pagosa Springs in 34:15.

The mens' 51-60 bracket gold went to Mike Evans of South Fork in 27:48 with Duncan Cullman of Alpine Village taking silver in 37:86 and Gerry Riggs of Pagosa bringing home bronze in 30:68.

The mens' 61 and over bracket was an all Pagosa Springs final with Dave Bryan talking gold in 29:70, Glenn Van Patter winning silver in 30:69 and Jim Cole snaring bronze in 33:97.

Items listed in the Police Blotter report where an alleged incident occurred, the nature of the incident, the officer involved and the status of the incident. Readers should not assume employees or owners of a place of business or a parking lot reported as the scene of an event are involved as perpetrators of the incident, or that individuals cited will be found guilty by the court.

Sheriff's Department

The Archuleta County Sheriff's Department logged 12 incidents Feb. 6 to Feb. 12.

Offenses:

Feb. 6 - Theft. 100 Block North Pagosa Boulevard. Deputy J. Gaskins responded. Case open.

Feb. 6 - Theft. Trujillo Road at pavement end. Deputy J. Gaskins responded. Case open.

Feb. 6 - Driving without valid driver's license, fictitious plates, no proof of insurance. Piedra Road and Cloud Cap Avenue. Deputy Walter responded. Case closed by summons.

Feb. 6 - Warrant arrest. North Birdie Court. Deputy Walter responded. Case closed.

Feb. 7 - Theft. Park Avenue. Deputy Karn Macht responded.

Feb. 8 - Warrant arrest. 300 Block Oakridge Drive. Deputy Hardy responded. Case closed by arrest.

Feb. 8 - Leaving the scene of an accident. Enchanted Place. Deputy Hardy responded.

Feb. 8 - Driving uninsured vehicle, displayed expired plates. Vista and Bonanza. Deputy Walter responded. Case closed by summons.

Feb. 8 - Warrant arrest. 300 Block Oakridge. Deputy Walter responded. Case closed.

Feb. 10 - First-degree burglary, criminal mischief, first-degree criminal trespass. U.S. 84. Deputy J. Gaskins. Case open.

Bookings:

Feb. 5 - Joseph Ray Chavez, Jr. Burglary, theft, failure to comply. (Original charge: theft.) Transfer custody.

Feb. 5 - Archie Dominic Ribera. Driving motor vehicle when license revoked. Posted surety bond.

Feb. 6 - Adrienne Jennell Crider. Wiretapping prohibited, third-degree assault. Posted surety bond.

Feb. 8 - Shaun Dewayne Jacobs. Retaliation against victim/witness.

Feb. 8 - Julia Ellice Tracy. Retaliation against witness/victim.

Feb. 8 - Michelle Evon Vasquez. DUI. Court-ordered jail stay.

Feb. 9 - William Donald Lewis. Third-degree assault, strikes, shoves, kicks, or otherwise touches a person or subjects him to physical contact. Posted surety bond.

Feb. 9 - Joseph Eloy Maestas. Owner-operated uninsured motor vehicle, driving motor vehicle when license restrained for express consent, failure to display valid registration.

Feb. 10 - Richard Lee Hilton. DUI. Thirty-day court-ordered jail stay.

Feb. 10 - James Christopher McKaughan. Second-degree assault, menacing.

Feb. 10 - Jonas Roland Montoya. Harassment, physical contact.

Feb. 11 - William Donald Lewis. Violation of restraining order. Posted surety bond.

Pagosa Springs Police Department

The Pagosa Springs Police Department logged 15 incidents Feb. 6 to Feb. 12.

Feb. 5 - Driving under revocation. Pagosa Country Center. Officer Valdez responded. Case closed by arrest.

Feb. 6 - False reporting. 500 Block South 7th Street. Chief Volger responded. Case closed by summons.

Feb. 8 - Criminal mischief. 5th and San Juan streets. Officer Smith responded. No suspect indicated. Case active.

Feb. 8 - Shoplifting. 300 Block Pagosa Street. Officer Allen responded. Case closed by two summonses.

Feb. 9 - Domestic violence. 200 Block Lewis Street. Officer Rockensock responded. Case closed by arrest.

Feb. 10 - Assault. 400 Block Pagosa Street. Officer Kop responded. Case closed by arrest.

Feb. 10 - Harassment. 500 Block South 9th Street. Officer Rockensock responded. Case closed by arrest.

Feb. 11 - Violation of restraining order. 200 Block Lewis Street. Officer Kop responded. Case closed by arrest.

Archuleta County Court: Judge James Denvir

Feb. 6 - Deryck M. Earley, Pagosa Springs. Guilty of driving under restraint. Five days jail, $138 costs.

Feb. 6 - Christopher Guezara, Pagosa Springs. Guilty of DWAI. Ten days jail - suspended, 24 hours public service, evaluation and comply, $459 costs.

Feb. 6 - Robert Anthony Johnson, Durango. Guilty of DWAI, second offense. One hundred and eighty days jail - 150 suspended, 60 hours public service, comply with evaluation, comply with day report program, $459 costs.

Feb. 6 - Joel Lucas Martinez, Pagosa Springs. Guilty of DWAI, second offense. Forty-five days jail - 15 suspended, 48 hours public service, comply with evaluation, $484 costs.

Feb. 7 - Carey L. Perkins, Albuquerque. Guilty of speeding. One hundred and twenty-eight dollars costs.

Pagosa Springs Municipal Court: Judge William Anderson

Feb. 6 - Juvenile, Pagosa Springs. Guilty of speeding. Defensive driving at defendant's expense, four points suspended, $50 costs.

Feb. 11 - Oscar Dominguez/Gonzales, Pagosa Springs. Guilty of shoplifting. Six months probation, no contact, $50.

Feb. 11 - Greg Vliss, Pagosa Springs. Guilty of shoplifting. Six months probation, no contact, $230.75.

Feb. 11 - Tommy Steed, Pagosa Springs. Guilty of careless driving. Four points, $50 costs.

Emergency Medical Services

EMS responded to 13 emergency calls from Feb. 4 to Feb. 10.

Feb. 6 - Trauma call. 40 Block Nugget Court. Quick Response Vehicle and ambulance responded. One patient transported to Mercy Medical Center.

Feb. 8 - Medical call. 100 Block Hermosa Street. Ambulance responded. One patient transported to Pine Ridge Extended Care Center.

Feb. 9 - Trauma call. Wolf Creek Ski Area. Ambulance responded. One patient transported to Mary Fisher Medical Center then to Mercy Medical Center.

Feb. 9 - Medical call. 90 Block Carefree Drive. Ambulance responded. One patient transported to Mercy Medical Center.

Feb. 10 - Medical call. Mary Fisher Medical Center. Ambulance responded. One patient transported to Mercy Medical Center.

Colorado Division of Wildlife officers and ATF and U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents uncovered evidence of illegal wildlife activities in the search of an Estes Park taxidermy shop, which stemmed from a two-year investigation.

A two-year, cooperative investigation by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and New Mexico Game and Fish into the illegal sale of wildlife and the commercial trafficking of trophy heads and antlers led to the execution of a search warrant at the shop. Division officers seized several trophy bighorn sheep, elk, deer, a bear cub and a computer, documents and records. Investigators are also looking into the possible unlawful sale of firearms and other items.

Colorado DOW officers, several agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and agents from the federal Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol and Firearms seized the evidence related to wildlife violations as well as evidence of other illegal activity.

New Mexico game officers served a search warrant, seized evidence related to wildlife violations and made arrests connected to the case last week in Las Vegas, N.M. Other suspects are currently being interviewed.

The Colorado suspect, the shop's owner, allegedly received and sold illegally killed wildlife and antlers and transported them across state lines. Charges have not yet been filed. The investigation could also lead to charges and arrests in other states, and the Estes Park police department is conducting its own investigation based on the DOW's information.

The New Mexico suspect allegedly killed wildlife illegally and traded, received and sold illegally killed or possessed wildlife. As is the case in Colorado, charges have not yet been filed. Investigators have numerous additional witnesses and suspects to interview.

Dal Schaefer, a criminal investigator for CDOW, said the case grew from a rash of trophy killings and poachings, primarily of elk and deer, along the Colorado-New Mexico border. Through Operation Game Thief and anonymous tips, game wardens gathered information from the field and amassed enough evidence for the two agencies to tie the crimes to individuals and begin covert investigations.

"The field officers are the ones out there gathering DNA, carcasses and intelligence," Schaefer said. "They gather enough pieces of the puzzle so that investigators can fill in those that are missing. The local game wardens really have their hand on the heartbeat of their communities and know what's going on."

John Bredehoft, chief of law enforcement for the DOW, said poaching and the commercial sale of wildlife is "big business."

"They are in essence stealing for profit from hunters and others who enjoy seeing these animals," Bredehoft said. "It's frustrating for wildlife officers to find poached carcasses of animals with their heads cut off, and making a case like this really makes all of us feel great that at least some