Tag: Weird Grand Junction stuff
Activism, Democracy, Diversity, Elections, Grassroots advocacy, Lobbying, politics, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
CMU 20000 Steering Committee asks City Council to reconsider changing name of North Ave. to “University Blvd.”
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The CMU 20000 Steering Committee has formally asked the Grand Junction City Council to reconsider it’s decision to change the name of North Avenue to “University Boulevard,” saying the matter has “become an inadvertent distraction” from the overall goals of the CMU 20000 effort. The steering committee sent a letter to City Council on October 13 asking them to reverse their decision, and City Council has added the item to the agenda for it’s next meeting.
Activism, Consumer advocacy, Economics, Ethics, Human rights, politics, Safety, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
Businesses beg city to fix Horizon Drive Deathtrap; City claims “Sorry, no funds”
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Matthew Bandelin, struck by a vehicle and killed at age 38 while trying to cross Horizon Drive in January, 2015
The headline article in today’s Daily Sentinel, “No quick fix on Horizon,” tells how for years businesses along Horizon Drive have been begging the City of Grand Junction to make the street safer for pedestrians.
Three pedestrians, all tourists, have been killed by vehicles on Horizon Drive in the last seven years trying to cross the street between the hotels and restaurant establishments. The three victims were all killed within 700 feet of each other. These people lost their lives merely because they visited our town. Many others have been very badly injured crossing Horizon Drive, but lived. The safety problem on Horizon has been well known to the City for a long time, but nothing has been done during all this time to make the street any safer for pedestrians.
Activism, Atheism, Equal rights, politics, Religion, Secularism
Grand Junction City Council to Host Satanic Invocation Wed., August 2 at 6:00 p.m.
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Grand Junction, Colorado will host the state’s first Satanic invocation at their regular City Council meeting on Wednesday, August 2 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is at City Hall Auditorium, 250 N. 5th Street. It will be only the second Satanic invocation ever to occur in the continental United States.
Grand Junction became a national trailblazer in alternative invocations after the city crafted an invocation policy in 2008 that welcomes all comers. City Council agreed to open up the invocation opportunity to anyone who wants to say it (rather than just religious groups), refused to censor what is said at the invocation or place a time limit on speakers. The policy led to the City hosting the state’s first-ever atheist invocation (video) on January 5, 2011.
Advertising, Pop culture, Propaganda, Religion, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
Dare to Care Auto Sales’ Weird Gay Business Sign
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A large sign graces North Avenue that appears to promote homosexuality.
Dare to Care Auto’s business sign at 2914 North Ave., on the north side of the street
Pop culture, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
Cavalcade in Fruita: a Unique, Enchanting Local Entertainment Venue
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Cavalcade at 201 E. Aspen in Fruita
It’s no secret that there are a few ways in which Fruita has been blowing the doors off Grand Junction lately. Their property values are increasing faster than those in G.J., they’ve got a fantastic rec center, they’ve attracted a young, fun, creative crowd by emphasizing outdoor activities and now there’s another little surprise that makes the place even more special.
It’s a wonderful little locally-owned, non-profit entertainment venue called Cavalcade, located on Fruita’s main drag, at 201 E. Aspen.
Activism, Diversity, Equal rights, Ethics, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
Central High Seniors Take Steps Toward Eliminating Religious Baccalaureate
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Word is out that Central High School’s Senior Student Senate has voted to change the school’s annual baccalaureate from a religious event featuring a blessing by a pastor to a secular event featuring 3-5 minute speeches by students about what they are grateful for. By the time the Student Senate voted on the issue, it was too late to change the name of the event because the materials promoting it had already been printed, but they say next year the name of the event will be changed as well.
Consumer advocacy, Food, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
The Citrus Gypsies are Back!
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The Citrus Gypsies’ booth at First Street and Patterson Road
The Citrus Gypsies are those wonderful people who for the past three years have been driving down to Arizona, picking up the sweetest, juiciest oranges, grapefruits, lemons and pomelos and other goodies from a long-established orchard in Arizona, driving it up to Grand Junction and selling it at two booths, one at the corner of First and Grand Ave., and the other at Patterson and First Street.
This is the best citrus around, folks, far better than what you get at the local grocery stores. The Citrus Gypsies make multiple trips back and forth to Arizona during the latter part of the winter and they get fruit from the same orchard each time, so with every trip they make, they bring back fruit that has been on the trees longer, and that is even riper and juicier. They make several trips throughout the season until the citrus harvest is done, and then these great folks disappear until next year.
Consumer advocacy, Corruption, Crazy Republicans, Elections, Grand Junction Chamber, Lies, Lobbying, politics, Stupid Republicans, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
Mike Anton is Back, This Time Plugging an Events Center
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Michael P. “I’m Your Worst Nightmare” Anton, author of the Grand Junction’s only negative campaign ad, and cheerleader for the chamber’s lies and political interference
Mike Anton is back, appearing on TV and speaking to groups around town, telling Grand Junction residents they should vote for an extra sales tax to build an events center downtown.
Do you remember Mike Anton?
No?
Well then let’s recap exactly who Mike Anton is, and what he has done over the last few years, so you will remember him:
Anton owns a business in town called EmTech. He sat on the board of directors of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce in 2013, the year the chamber backed Rick Brainard for city council.
Remember how THAT turned out?
Children, Education, Equal rights, Ethics, Extremism, Human rights, Lies, Separation of Church and State, Weird Grand Junction Stuff, Women
She’s Back! Self-Styled Grand Junction Missionary June Fellhauer Returns to Pitch her $99 Religious Video Series to D-51 Girls
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Self-styled G.J. missionary June Fellhauer, giving a talk on “Women’s Purpose” July 12, 2015 (Photo credit: YouTube)
June Fellhauer is back, once again taking advantage of School District 51’s “PeachJar” literature distribution system to plug her $99 video evangelism series to girls 11 years and up.
Fellhauer is kind of like Grand Junction’s own Shelly Donahue, but without the plastic bags of full of spaghetti and waffles, and titillating talk about masturbation. And unlike Donahue, Fellhauer apparently preaches only to girls, not boys, at least when she preaching for money.
Several days ago Fellhauer sent out a flier to D-51 families promoting another free sales-pitch event, this one called “Becoming Love,” aimed at girls 11 and up. The purpose of the event is to recruit kids’ families to pony up $99 for their daughters to view Fellhauer’s online, four-week video series in which she teaches biblical myths to girls with the primary message that women are subservient to men rather than qualified, able individuals in their own right. Fellhauer warns girls not strike out on their own, and tells girls if they remain helpers underneath the “cover” of their men, the men will “lift them up,” and they will get their power that way.
Environment, Ethics, Human rights, Pollution, Public health, Safety, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
City Council to Consider Ban on Open Burning at Tonight’s Meeting
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Open burning in Grand Junction’s residential areas creates respiratory problems for residents, pedestrians, bicyclists as well as visibility hazards for motorists.
Does the smoke from open burning make you choke?
The Grand Junction City Council will consider bringing the City a bit further into the 21st century this evening when they consider an ordinance to ban open burning at their regular meeting.
Below is a summary of what the ordinance will do, taken from page 85 of tonight’s agenda. There are plenty of exceptions to the burn ban, but at least is does make it illegal to burn household and yard waste. That’s better than the “no action” alternative City residents been suffering with.
Looking at what else is on tonight’s agenda, council probably won’t get to this item much before about 7:45 p.m., and probably won’t get to the part where they allow public comment on the ordinance until maybe 8:20 or 8:30 p.m. If you’ve suffered from clouds of stinky, suffocating smoke overtaking your neighborhood during the five months of the year when open burning is still allowed, you might want to weigh in in favor of this measure:
animal abuse, Ethics, Ethnic/Minority, Fake patriotism, Hate, Intolerance, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
Who Is the Woman Cutting Loose With a Racist Rant in Front of the Mesa County Health Department?
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Adding to concerns about the growing undercurrent of bigotry, hatred and intolerance that runs in western Colorado, this unidentified Grand Junction-area woman cut loose with a racist rant towards a Latino family in the parking lot of the Mesa County Health Department on Monday, August 1.
The family expressed concern about a dog that was left in a hot car in the parking lot. The temperature that day was in the mid to high 90s.
One of the Latino family members filmed the woman’s rant as evidence in case the woman harmed them, then posted the video on Facebook, where as of August 4 it had gotten over 360,000 views. It’s also posted on YouTube.
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ran an article about the incident and the video in today’s paper.
So far, the woman engaging in the racist rant has not been identified.
UPDATE: Here is the ranting woman’s response after the video went viral. She claims she is hispanic herself so could not be racist.
Democracy, Elections, politics, Separation of Church and State, Stupid Republicans, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
Republican Kook Runs for Mesa County Commissioner Against Justman
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Mesa County Commissioner District 1 candidate John Davis in front of his eponymously-painted motorcoach when he ran for President of the United States in 2012
Another doozy of a Republican candidate is running for local office, this time against Mesa County Commissioner District 1 incumbent John Justman.
It’s John Davis.
The local Republican Party just keeps them coming, don’t they?
Economics, Legal marijuana, New marijuana economy, politics, Weird Grand Junction Stuff, Worker advocacy
DeBeque’s Economy Booms While Grand Junction’s Languishes
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The new marijuana economy is helping Colorado towns boom — but not Grand Junction
The little town of DeBeque, population 500, in Mesa County, Colorado, which voted to start selling retail recreational marijuana in 2014, is basking in the financial glow of its decision.
Marijuana sales taxes are now generating more revenue for the town than all the other retail establishments and oil and gas industry impact fees combined.
Children, Extremism
Teacher Reports Walking in on Bible Study Session in a GJHS Classroom
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A teacher reported to Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers (WCAF) that she accidentally stumbled into a Bible study group being held at Grand Junction High School on Tuesday, January 12 during lunchtime in an Advanced Placement (AP) English classroom. The teacher who walked in on the group was looking for a microwave oven to heat up lunch.
According to the teacher who walked in on the prayer group, the English teacher whose room it was in was present at the study session and sat, without interacting, while a younger man was talking. The identity of the younger man who was speaking was unclear, and it is unknown if he was a teacher, an older student, or from off campus. The Bible study session was being held in a room in the northern-most block of classrooms to the east of the main building, in the part of school that holds language arts and some science class rooms.
Teachers Cannot Lead, Organize, or Participate in Prayer with Students
The U.S. Department of Education Guidance on Constitutionally Protected Prayer in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, states that under the law, teachers cannot lead or organize prayers, or participate with students in prayers on school grounds during school time.
Atheism, Corruption, Democracy, Equal rights, Ethnic/Minority, Fake patriotism, Human rights
Will Grand Junction City Council Finally Respect Religious Diversity in 2016?
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“We are mindful that this 21st century brings a new diversity of citizens. We must strive to make our government sensitive to the values of Americans with minority views, whether religious, political or otherwise.”
— The City of Grand Junction’s website
“We say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” — City council members bow their heads during Christian prayers at a public meeting at City Hall, September 2, 2015
“During the invocation, you can sit, stand or leave the room.”
That’s what Grand Junction’s mayor tells citizens who would rather not have to worship Jesus Christ at the City’s public meetings. The statement assumes someone is going to be offended by the Christian prayers that come next.
But Council is okay with offending some citizens because Christianity has long been the preferred religion of City Council, and they use their taxpayer-funded public meetings to flaunt it.
The truth is there is a stark contrast between what City Council says publicly about its attitude toward religious diversity and the lip service it pay towards actually respecting religious diversity.
Advertising, Extremism, Fake patriotism, Propaganda, Stupid Republicans, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
Grand Junction Right Wingnuts’ “Donald the Dragon Slayer” Billboard
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Grand Junction right wingnuts’ “Donald the Dragon Slayer” billboard at the top of the 5th Street Hill. Notice the names of groups like “GLBT,” “Iran,” “FEMA” and “EPA” on the scales, and the gold dollar signs dripping off Donald’s right foot. Pure Grand Junction wacko propaganda at it’s most bigoted and embarrassing best.
Advertising, Aesthetics, Democracy, Hate, Intolerance, politics, Pop culture, Propaganda, Stupid Republicans, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
“Merry Christmas,” Wacky Grand Junction Style
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The owner of the land at the top of the 5th Street hill has a big holiday message for Grand Junctionites. The previous sign in this spot depicted Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as a dragon slayer battling Muslims and corporate media. (Photo Credit: AP – which does not stand for Associated Press)