A year ago this blog highlighted the plight of homeowners who suddenly found themselves repeatedly locked out of their own common space park for months at a time by an overzealous homeowners association (HOA). The example was the Moonridge Falls subdivision in Grand Junction where, without consulting homeowners, the HOA locked the ornamental gates to the home owners’ small open space park in winter due to a sudden fear that ice on the 2-foot deep irrigation pond in the park posed a danger. No one had been injured on the pond, there hadn’t been any accident or incident involving the pond, the pond ices over every year and the park hadn’t been locked before as far back as most neighbors could remember.
Category: Consumer advocacy
Advertising, Consumer advocacy, Dangerous Republicans, Embarrassing Republicans, Ethics, Extremism, Generic idiocy, Health, Health care, Lies, Local scut, Pandemic, Propaganda, Public health, Republican lies, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
“Mesa County Concerned Citizen” fraudulently promotes $182 ripoff box of common OTC items as an “early and effective treatment of COVID-19”
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• •In its January 3, 2022 email blast, the local extreme right wing group “Mesa County Concerned Citizen” included a plug for “The Defense Box,” an item selling online that contains about $60 worth of common over-the counter items like Pepcid, Listerine, Vitamin C and baby aspirin, that costs $182.36, including shipping and tax.
The group says the items are an “early and effective treatment option” for Covid-19.
None of the items in the box are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment, prevention, mitigation or cure of Covid-19.
Activism, Children, Consumer advocacy, Democrats, Pandemic, politics
Got kids? If so, you’re about to get serious financial help from the Biden-Harris Administration and the Democrats.
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• •American families with children will start getting substantial monthly payments from the government starting July 15 to help with the costs of raising their kids, and it’s all thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration and the Democrats, who voted in a Coronavius relief bill last March.
On March 11, President Biden signed The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also known as the COVID-19 Stimulus Package, into law. Most people know it as the bill that made the government send out $1,400 Coronavirus relief checks to Americans earlier this year, but there is another vastly important part of the Act that will start benefitting American families very soon.
Section 2 of the Act changes the rules regarding the Child Tax Credit to speed financial relief to most working American families.
Consumer advocacy, Cronyism, Equal rights, Ethics, Harassment
CO homeowners helpless against rogue homeowner associations
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• •Homeowners in the Moonridge Falls subdivision in Grand Junction woke up last December 21 to find their homeowners association (HOA) had suddenly locked them out of their own common space park.
Residents couldn’t remember a time when the gates to the park had ever been locked. No one had been hurt in the park. No accidents had occurred in the park recently, not even a close call, but for some reason the HOA suddenly decided to lock the park and keep everyone out, even homeowners, as though it was a crime scene or a grave emergency had just occurred. The HOA put up a sign saying the park would stay locked as long as there was ice on the pond. Yet long after the ice had melted, the locks remained, leading residents o wonder what was really up, and what they could do about it.
Consumer advocacy, Economics, Ethics, Lauren Boebert, politics
Group files ethics complaint against Rep. Boebert’s exorbitant campaign mileage reimbursements
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• •The government watchdog group Accountable.us has filed a complaint (pdf) with the Office of Congressional Ethics requesting an investigation into House Rep. Lauren Boebert’s exorbitant mileage reimbursements in 2020. Boebert claimed to have driven 36,868 miles in 2020, enough to circumnavigate the globe almost one and a half times, even though there were several months in which there were no posted public campaign events.
By contrast, her predecessor, former District 3 Congress member Scott Tipton, reimbursed himself a total of $12,255 from his campaign coffers for travel over the entire decade he held the office.
Activism, Consumer advocacy, Ethics, Health, Pandemic, Public health
Petition asks the Mesa County Public Health Dept. to enforce mask mandate at Mesa Mall
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• •A Move-On.org petition is asking the Mesa County Health Department to enforce the state-wide mask mandate inside the Mall.
The petition states,
Covid-19 is spreading fast and hard through Mesa County. Many people are still not taking the threat seriously. It is putting [Mall] employees, tenants, and guests at a ridiculously high risk of catching and spreading the virus. The effects are dangerous and deadly and we have a moral and social imperative to do what we can to keep each other safe. The Mesa Mall is responsible for the safety of those who enter it’s walls. If they can’t provide a safe place for people to work, shop, and visit, then they should shut down for the health and safety of our community.
A mask mandate is currently in place throughout Colorado to reduce the spread of the deadly, communicable Corona virus that is sweeping the country. It requires everyone 11 years and older to wear a face mask in enclosed public places. Masks are recommended anywhere people are sharing air.
How to effectively complain about businesses that aren’t enforcing the mask order:
Consumer advocacy, Coronavirus pandemic, Deplorables, Economics, Embarrassing Republicans, Fake patriotism, Harassment, Hate, Health, Intolerance, Public health, Safety, Trump Insanity, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
The pitfalls of Mesa County’s “5 Star” Coronavirus protection program
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• •Mesa County has been touting it’s “Variance Protection” (“Five Star”) program as the key to keeping businesses open amid the pandemic, and while the goals of the program are laudable, the widespread lack of enforcement, particularly of masking requirements, can unfortunately create a climate of additional threats to patrons, and not just to their health.
Activism, Consumer advocacy, Health, Pandemic, Public health, Safety
Graph of cumulative Mesa County Covid cases shows where county is headed
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• •Whether through oversight or intention, the Mesa County Health Department does not have a graph of cumulative cases of Covid-19 on its website, but such a graph can give a clear picture of how well or how poorly our county is doing in preventing spread of Corona virus, and show us where we are going under the current conditions. This chart provides that missing information.
Atheism, Conservatives, Consumer advocacy, Corruption, Elections, Embarrassing Republicans, Equal rights, Ethics, Ethnic/Minority, Extremism, Local scut, Mesa County Republican Party, politics, Religion, Republican incompetence, Secularism, Tina Peters, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters takes exception to atheists on social media
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• •
Embattled Republican Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters expressed contempt for atheists yesterday in a comment on social media, sowing further doubt about whether she can truly conduct her office in an impartial manner.
Here is how the comment came about:
Participants on the public group Facebook page “Transparency in Mesa County” had been discussing the County Clerk’s office after it was found that they forgot to collect and count 574+ ballots from the November, 2019 combined general election.
Consumer advocacy, Crime, Elections, Embarrassing Republicans, Ethics, Mesa County Republican Party, Republican incompetence, Republicans violating laws, Secrecy, Tina Peters
Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters stonewalling list of voters whose ballots were lost
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• •Embattled Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters (R) has not complied with several Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) requests seeking a copy of a spreadsheet her office created containing the names of the 574+ disenfranchised voters whose ballots her office failed count in the November, 2019 general election.
The ballots were left in a collection box after the election and were not retrieved or counted. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold called the oversight a “serious dereliction of duty.”
Clerk Peters ordered the creation of the list.
Several former Clerk’s office employees report that Ms. Peters asked Sandra Brown, another Clerk’s Office employee, to create a spreadsheet of the names of all the voters whose ballots weren’t counted so Ms. Peters could send them each a written apology.
Internal emails from the County Clerk’s office support claims that the list in fact exists. In the emails, Peters asks other employees not to distract Ms. Brown from the task of creating the list, so she could finish it quickly.
Consumer advocacy, Deplorables, Embarrassing Republicans, Ethics, Extremism, Food, Pandemic, politics, Public health, Safety, Stupid Republicans
GarCo Public Health: Boebert’s food poisoned 80 people in 2017
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• •Calls started pouring into the Garfield County Public Health Department (GCPH) at 10:00 a.m. on June 6, 2017, from people complaining they had come down with severe diarrhea and nausea. In all, 17 people called or walked into the health department that day saying they had suddenly become ill with the same symptoms.
What did all these people have in common?
They had all attended the Rifle Rodeo on June 5 and eaten food supplied by the only vendor at the fairgrounds that day: Lauren Boebert, owner of Shooter’s Grill and Smokehouse 1776.
That’s according to a 10-page GCPH report titled Rifle Rodeo 06/05/17 Outbreak Report, which is publicly available on the internet (pdf).
Consumer advocacy, Deplorables, Elections, Embarrassing Republicans, Energy, Ethics, Extremism, Mesa County Republican Party, politics, Ray Scott, Republican incompetence, Republicans violating laws, Stupid Republicans
Why not Ray Scott? Consider his past as an elected official.
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• •What do you know about State Senator Ray Scott, who is currently a candidate for Mesa County Commissioner?
One question people have about Scott is, if he is already a state senator and his term doesn’t expire until 2022, why is he running for county commissioner? Why doesn’t he want to finish his term in the State Senate?
The answer?
Money.
Scott makes $30,000/year and a $45/day per diem as a state senator.
As a county commissioner, he would more than triple his salary. The salary for a county commissioner is now $92,681, not including benefits and perks, like insurance, use of vehicles, etc. — more than three times the average salary in Mesa County.
Activism, Consumer advocacy, Deplorables, Economics, Elections, Embarrassing Republicans, Fake patriotism, Janet Rowland, politics, Public health, Ray Scott, Republican incompetence, Stupid Republicans
Incumbent Mesa County Commissioners unilaterally failing to address Coronavirus pandemic
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• •The Mesa County Commissioners have been totally silent on the impact the COVID-19 crisis will have on the County’s ability to deliver basic services to residents during the many months before our economy returns to normal. Rather than buckling down and addressing the tough financial questions, they meet weekly to hear updates from County staff and to whine about just how terrible the Governor is. There is nothing wrong with these two activities. Staff needs to know the bosses support them. Complaining about what happens in Denver is a waste of time but it apparently makes them feel important.
Activism, Consumer advocacy, Democracy, Elections, Embarrassing Republicans, politics, Public health, Safety, Security, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
Mesa County commissioners woefully silent during this pandemic
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• •Op-ed by Kathryn Bedell, candidate for Mesa County Commissioner, District 1 – from the 4/21/20 Daily Sentinel (Please support our local paper)
As a Western Slope appointee to the State of Colorado Agriculture Commission, I continue to address issues related to our local farm economy and food security. As I was isolating at home, reaching out to fellow farms and ranchers to see what they are thinking and what kind of help they might need, it occurred to me I haven’t heard a peep from our Mesa County commissioners.
I searched for recent comments from them and only found one advocating against a national popular vote, which has absolutely nothing to do with the current state of the county. I looked on the county’s Facebook page and saw nothing from our commissioners but noticed that Mesa County Public Health is keeping the county informed. I looked at the county website and the last update was 19 days ago and that was a link to Mesa County Public Health and Human Services.
Consumer advocacy, Extremism, Health, Health care, Public health, Safety, Security, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
As many as a third of responders to Daily Sentinel survey fail to grasp the seriousness of the Covid-19 pandemic
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• •The Daily Sentinel published results of a non-scientific online poll today asking readers for their opinions of the ongoing stay-at-home order due to the Coronavirus pandemic. About 72 percent of people said they agree with the order and are obeying it. Twenty one percent say they’re following the stay-at-home order even though they think it’s “over the top,” and 7 percent say they are not following the order at all because they think it’s “too extreme” or “unnecessary.”
This means about a third of people in our area aren’t really grasping the seriousness of this pandemic.
That’s scary.
Consumer advocacy, Ethics, Health, Human rights, Pollution, Public health, Safety, Security, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
It took a pandemic to stop open burning in Mesa County, as public officials finally recognize it as a public health threat
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• •The Mesa County Health Department suspended residential open burning in the county indefinitely on March 18 in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
No doubt tens of thousands of valley residents are greatly relieved.
The Health Department explained the ban by saying:
COVID-19 is a lower respiratory illness impacting residents with underlying medical conditions, more severely than other groups. This decision was made to ensure the best possible air quality for residents in high-risk categories, and to ensure our medical community has enough resources to care for the patients impacted by COVID-19.
The last-century scourge of open burning is halted at last, at least for awhile
Mesa County’s spring burn season — a throwback to a time when this area was predominantly agricultural — runs from March 1 through May 31. Every year like clockwork, as soon as the weather warms up and people start getting outdoors, they find their springtime ruined by plumes of smoke that give them sore throats, burning eyes, runny noses, headaches, asthma attacks, and exacerbate their lung conditions. Beautiful spring mornings are soon fouled by smoke drifting across the valley, forcing people to close doors and windows and grab their inhalers.
Activism, Consumer advocacy, Economics, Ethics, politics, Secrecy, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
Dennis Simpson recommends ways County Commissioners can handle COVID-19 pandemic
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• •Certified Public Accountant Dennis Simpson, a long-time advocate for transparency in Grand Junction City and Mesa County government, discovered that in 2019 Mesa County purchased two new late model SUVs at a cost of $45,000 each, for the exclusive use of Commissioners Scott McInnis and John Justman. Before that time, Simpson noted, the County had provided a single passenger car for all three commissioners to share. He also noted that the decision to greatly increase this transportation expense for taxpayers was not made in public, and that while Commissioner Rose Pugliese tried to distance herself from the purchase, she failed to protest it publicly.
When Simpson raised these issues to Scott McInnis, McInnis deflected attention from the matter by asking Simpson to instead focus on coming up with financial suggestions for ways the County can cope with the COVID-19 pandemic rather than concerning himself with the purchase of the vehicles, which McInnis dismissed as unimportant.
Simpson obliged and produced the following suggestions, which he submitted to all three county commissioners on March 19, 2020.
Activism, Atheism, Consumer advocacy, Ethics, Extremism, Human rights, Janet Rowland, Religion, Secularism, Separation of Church and State
Western slope nonprofit group encourages people to report violations of separation of church and state
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• •The western slope’s nonprofit watchdog organization Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers (WCAF) encourages people to report violations of separation of church and state in places like public schools and at local government meetings, so they can address the violations.
Past violations reported to WCAF have included a Mesa County Commissioner praying to Jesus Christ at the start of public hearings, a Delta county middle school student being forced to watch a nativity play after asking to opt out, a Delta County middle school teacher hosting weekly Bible study classes in his own classroom immediately before school and handing out free doughnuts to students who attended, Fellowship Church promoting its youth indoctrination center in a Mesa County middle school by showing a video about it during gym period and handing students admission slips to the facility afterward, a Mesa County elementary school student being told by a lunch aide in the cafeteria in front of her friends that she MUST believe in God “because God created everything,” a Delta County high school student having her grades slashed and college grant applications sabotaged for reporting Christian proselytizing going on within the school system, Colorado Mesa University students having Gideon Bibles foisted on them as they stepped off the dais at their graduation ceremony, a Delta County Middle School teacher telling her class that “non-Christians are bad people” and “the bombers aren’t Christians,” quoting the Bible in class, and much more.