Headlines June 24, 2021
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Wildfire Update
Summer wildfires continue to burn in western and central areas of Northern Colorado. The Muddy Slide Fire in Routt County expanded overnight to approximately 4 thousand acres in size. A mandatory evacuation order is in effect for areas near the blaze. According to the most recent information available at the National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s Incident Information System containment of the blaze is zero percent.
The Sylvan Fire, which started over the weekend in Eagle County, also continues to burn in Eagle and Pitkin Counties.
As do the West, Oil Springs and Wild Cow fires in Moffat, Rio Blanco and Garfield counties respectively.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has issued an air quality advisory for wildfire smoke in those areas with emphasis on the message that If visibility is less than 5 miles in smoke in your neighborhood, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy.
Raucous Caucus in Boulder
Last night ten potential candidates for Boulder City Council gathered online in a so-called “raucous caucus” organized by the Boulder Progressives and United Campus Workers Colorado. The event drew more than 100 attendees to watch the candidates present their positions and take questions from the moderator, local journalists and the public.
Boulder’s city council is looking at a high rate of turnover, with five of its nine seats open to challenge in the November election.
BVSD Wrestles with Bus Driver Shortage
The Boulder Valley School District is looking ahead to the upcoming school year and asking parents of school bus riders to sign up for service now due to a shortage of drivers.
Planning bus routes is a task of making sure to get the kids to school on time. Synchronizing capacity with distances between homes and school and different school starting times can be difficult. Being short of bus drivers makes it even more challenging.
BVSD needs to hire 50-60 drivers in the next few months. Due to competition from businesses like Amazon and UPS coupled with the high cost of living in Boulder Valley have been stretching their driver pool thin for several years.
They are asking to spread the word that BVSD is in need of hiring more drivers. They want people to know that BVSD was named the #1 employer in Colorado based on anonymous employee surveys. Bus driver jobs are part-time but they include benefits like health insurance. They also provide all training to obtain a commercial driver’s license.
Current bus drivers include artists, students, small business owners and others because being a driver allows them to pursue other interests during the day. BVSD is hoping that these incentives of being a bus driver will attract the drivers they need.
