NEWS Briefs & NOTES from your editor, 7/22/21
If there ever is an emergency in town, or timely news
needing to be distributed, you can trust the Lyons Recorder
to put it online immediately.
Things are perking up in Lyons economy. We have three new permanent businesses: Solace, Moxie’s, and Cluck N Burger, plus some food carts and food trucks visiting. I plan to do an introduction to each of the storefronts, similar to what I did for Main Street Brewery a few weeks ago.
But the thing that I like best about these places is that they are offering ‘’community spaces’’ for people to get together. Main Street has remodeled the empty lot next to them, adding tables and chairs and umbrellas – which is open to kids and dogs. Pizza 66 did the same thing last year, building a sandstone patio behind their business, with wood picnic tables and umbrellas. The new owners of the Lyons Den are going out of their way to ask folks what they would like them to do, so that they would be a welcome addition to the community, and not just another bar with loud music. Moxie’s lent their front parking lot this week to local and guest musicians to have an informal jam session.
Add to that a bunch of fun interactive opportunities at local restaurants: like, trivia, poker Wednesday, acoustic jam sessions, Karaoke Friday, Open Mike, …and, of course, LIVE MUSIC! Even the library is offering multiple community events each month, like author talks, live music, art opening, and more. So, come on out and support your local businesses and join old friends and meet new ones in downtown Lyons!
Let’s get to the news…
GENERAL local NEWS=====
AIR QUALITY: According to weather maps and Air Quality Control maps, last week Lyons had around 70 AQI (bad) air quality. Pinewood Springs has around 4; perhaps being in a valley is beneficial. This week, the smoke is now travelling across the NORTHERN States, and not hitting Colorado. However, on Wednesday, EPA said the Air Quality for Estes was AQI 81, Longmont 75, Lyons 71…Pinewood 4.===NOTE: 0-50 Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk. (SEE ALSO Wildfires section below under “NATURE“)
Here again are the US Weather Service links:
Smoke Forecasts (update hourly):
https://hwp-viz.gsd.esrl.noaa.gov/smoke/index.html
AirNow Smoke/Fire Map:
https://fire.airnow.gov/
@CDPHE Air Quality Page:
colorado.gov/airquality/
DUCKS / fundraiser – at Concerts – the Lyons LEO Club is hosting a duck-race fundraiser that will take place on Labor Day. Ducks will be available for ‘adoption’ at each Thursday night concert in Sandstone Park. With each $5 donation to LEO Club, you can have a duck entered in the race for a chance at a grand prize! Hope to see you there!
CLUCK N BURGER – new PERMANENT Food Truck, located at the corner of Hwy 36 & 66 intersection. Grand opening was July 9th. They are open every day but Mon. and Tues., 11 a.m. to 12 a.m./midnight, and when they get more staff, they will open 7 days.
Monday Tuesday -closed till we find 1 more staff member.
10pm Wednesday Thursday
12am Friday Saturday
8pm Sunday (temporarily until we find more staff)
————-They are looking for a cook or cashier for Fri. to Tues. — hillcountryfoodtrucks@gmail.com. They hope to have Sat. and Sun. brunches. And, plan a lot of entertainment, like COMEDIANS!! Currently have yard games and music. (no liquor license) We will have a full article on them in the near future (as well as the other 2 new businesses in town).
LEAF – just a reminder: If you’re experiencing an unexpected financial crisis, LEAF might be able to help! https://www.leaflyons.org/basic-needs–resource-matching… They also have a food bank on Wednesday afternoons.
*LEAF had its annual “Thank You Volunteer” Picnic Wednesday 7/22/21 – more news to come!
GIFTED: Kahlie Sue gifted her painting to Michael Tovani of his late sidekick, Taz, to tide him over till he’s perhaps ready to rescue a new Schipperke dog (done at Western Stars Gallery)
JETS FLYING OVERHEAD – Bob Freeman explains ‘’practice area’’ == 7/14/21 I ‘d like to add some context to the discussion about the aircraft flying aerobatics near the Cemex gravel pit. == see separate article with explanation, and photos of the All-Star Game, including Mrs. Hank Aaron.
ROCKY GRASS & LaVern Johnson Park Closure = This is a reminder that LaVern Johnson Park will be closed to the general public beginning at 9 am on July 21 through noon on Monday, July 26 for the Rocky Grass Festival. Per the lease agreement, Town of Lyons residents are allowed to walk into the park with valid proof of address in Lyons. Bohn Park is open and available to all in the meantime. Thanks for your understanding.
SENIOR NEWS
=== Denver Museum of Nature & Science BUS TRIP== The Town of Lyons is sponsoring a bus trip for Lyons seniors 55 and over on August 20, Friday. The bus is free; you pay a discount price for ticket to museum and IMAX movie and ‘’special summer exhibit.” Contact Lisa Ramsey, as soon as possible to register and pay: LRamsey@townoflyons.com
===NAME CHANGE: The Lyons Bistro, which has been the name of the senior center ‘’lunch room,’’ for five years, is being changed to Redstone Café, and the logo is also changing. We have asked BCAAA why this is happening, since there is no change in location, staff, or catering service. Sponsored by Boulder County Aging. – We have received no answer yet.7/22/21
===Town of Lyons needs ART TEACHER for seniors. LRamsey@townoflyons.com
===Exercise classes continue Tuesday and Thursdays. See SENIOR NEWS or FLASH Things to Do for more details.
===Montane Forest Hike for Seniors
Thursday, July 29, 10 a.m.-noon—Near Nederland. Location provided when registered.
Join volunteer naturalists for an easy hike through the diverse landscape and forest in the montane life zone. We will explore this area’s unique geology and mining history, as well as watch for wildflowers and signs of wildlife. Registration required. Register here.
Nature
LINDEN TREE LEAVES – botton ½ of tree with NO leaves!== Robyn Sloan said: I found out why the elk have been hanging around unusually close to our house. In 2 nights they ate all the Linden tree leaves and flowers that they could reach. That has never happened in the 20 years that tree has been there. On the bright side, I finally got my husband to move me a few sandstone rocks for a new flower bed.
7/16/21 – a large 300# black bear was seen on Prospect St. – looking thru trash! Just because you don’t live near open space doesn’t mean bears won’t roam your backyard and look into your trash can!
HUMMINGBIRDS – update since last week – Two sample comments:
Cathy Rivers says=Fewer here in Stone Canyon this year. Usually several are fighting for a spot.. Saw one at our feeder today. // Jen Wingard said: I got the first one last night (witnessed anyway). Weird year //
Others added: fewer in Stone Canyon … lots in Blue Mtn … and fewer in Spring Gulch ….Lots of them on St Vrain Road // But 80% of the responses said noticeably fewer than in past years.== A handful of people said that they saw them on the flowers in their yard, and that they did not have bird feeders.
Wildfires Continue to Grow in the Western U.S. (Oregon and California), destroying Everything in their Path. In Oregon on Sunday (7/18/21), the largest wildfire in the U.S., the Bootleg Fire, set additional dry forestland areas ablaze. There are wildfires raging across 12 states WESTERN states. The wildfires in the western US and Canada are sending smoke eastward, worsening air quality and causing colourful sunsets in some places. More than 80 large wildfires in 13 western states charred nearly 1.3 million acres (526,090 hectares), by Tuesday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho.
CANADA – 300 wildfires! — British Columbia (home of the Canadian Rockies!!) was among several provinces in Western Canada that saw record temperatures last month as a so-called “heat dome” trapped in hot air over the region. They say the June heatwave was “stronger and earlier” than seen before,” and for temperatures to stay above the range deemed typical for an extended period of time was a “pretty strong indication that we’re seeing evidence of a shift in climate here”. Several wildfires were sparked at that time amid extremely dry conditions and a surge of lightning strikes. The village of Lytton, BC, was burned to the ground after a fast-moving blaze engulfed the community, killing two residents, just after it broke the country’s all-time heat record of 117 degrees.
MOSQUITOES – first positive West Nile virus mosquitoes have been found in Larimer County. Be sure to empty out any rainwater puddles and containers in your yard, to avoid breeding grounds. Wear bug spray when you are out gardening or lounging. You know the drill…
Construction (within approx. 40 mile radius of Lyons)
I have made a separate ARTICLE showing the construction going on, within a 40 mile radius of Lyons. (The Highway 36 closure of one lane begun Monday July 12).
FREQUENT QUESTION: “Why is CDOT allowing them to trench this fiber optic line in the height of summer”. CDOT has a contractual obligation to Crown Castle Fiber (the contractor) to allow installation in order to finish in time before the State Highway 7 project which will begin this fall.
LARIMER COUNTY BUILDING CODE: see below under Government.
HWY 7 Construction starts in Sept. through Memorial Day 2022. 7 miles of the road will be closed all day, except for a couple of hours for residents. SEE OUR ARTICLE for details – a map – and a link to a Virtual MEETING.
Government
LARIMER COUNTY BUILDING CODE: The Larimer County Building Division has made it easier for contractors, homeowners, and other interested stakeholders to participate in updating county building codes. To take part in the questionnaire, click https://www.larimer.org/larimer-county-and-city-fort-collins-jointly-update-their-building-codes. You don’t need to answer every question if you don’t have an opinion — simply move on to the next question. You can submit questionnaire answers anonymously, but if you would like to engage in further communication or be notified of code webinars or forums, please provide a name and contact information at the end of the questionnaire. Larimer County’s current 2018 building code amendments and the 2021 model codes can be viewed at https://www.larimer.org/building/codes.
HWY 7 Construction – September thru Memorial Day 2022. — See our article for more details.
Boulder County Deputies – RABBIT MTN ENCOUNTER -On July 16, 2021, at approximately 7:20 am, a Boulder County Open Space Park Ranger patrolling the Rabbit Mountain Open Space, in Boulder County observed a male party with their dog off-leash which is a rule violation. The Ranger contacted the suspect and informed him he was going to receive a citation for the offense, the suspect became verbally uncooperative at that time.=== The suspect asked if he could sit in his car because he felt he was having an “asthma” issue. The Ranger accommodated the suspect and was behind the suspect’s vehicle to obtain the vehicle’s license plate when the suspect put the car in reverse and “gunned” the engine striking the Ranger and injuring him with the vehicle. After the vehicle struck the Ranger the suspect was continuing to drive off causing the Ranger to jump out of the suspect’s way to avoid being run over.==== The suspect drove off nearly causing an accident at Highway 66 and North 53rd Street where he was stopped by Boulder County Deputies. A High-Risk traffic stop was attempted but the suspect was not cooperating with commands and was subsequently taken into custody.=== The suspect identified as 24-year-old Gregory Noriega was arrested and charged with First Degree Assault and was taken to the Boulder County Jail.=== The Park Ranger was transported to the hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and released later in the day.
Russian hacker known as ‘bot master’ to be sentenced in US Federal prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of at least 12 years for a Russian hacker known internationally as the “bot master” on charges he operated a network of devices used to steal computer credentials, distribute spam emails and install malicious software.
OPIOID CRISIS: On Monday, US Department of Health and Human Services signed a renewal of the “Determination that a Public Health Emergency Exists” as a ”Result of the Continued Consequences of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic” for another 90 days The U.S. has been under public health emergency since late January 2020.
ACTIVITY====
(this paragraph is a repeat) ========click on each link to learn more=======
==The Town sponsored events are listed in “To-Do / FLASH NEWS”
==See also JULY SENIOR NEWS. As usual we have a TON of tips, links, and more in the MONTHLY article! Next one comes July 22.
==THURSDAY CONCERTS in SANDSTONE PARK – This starts July 1st through August 17; free. Plus add any ”rain date” (make up) concerts later in August
==REDSTONE MUSEUM opened Tuesday, June 1st, 7 days a week~ see our article for descriptions, day/times, and more!
There will be no children’s history camp this year, due to COVID-precautions.
==LYONS PARKS – see article on all the amenities offered in our two major parks, along with new regulations and restrictions pertaining to reservations and crowd size. (note, this is not a list of Recreation programs)
==LYONS LIBRARY HAS KICKED OFF THEIR SUMMER PROGRAMS – see our ARTICLE this week 7/15/21.
Summer Reading Program offers prizes and challenges for all ages. https://lyons.colibraries.org/2021-virtual-summer…/
==SOFTBALL – Cheer on your LYONS Team every Wednesday!
====================END of WEEKLY REPEAT
TEXAS HOLD EM == They had this at Pizza 66 Wedn July 21 – call to confirm future dates – “Texas Hold’em at Pizza Bar 66 tonight! Sign up starts at 6:30, play starts at 7! No buy in, no poker skills needed either. Come and try your luck at winning a gift certificate.”
RockyGrass (click here for lineup)
This is one of two premier music festivals held annually in summer in the town of Lyons. Three days of popular musicians perform in Planet Bluegrass’ spacious park land, along the St. Vrain River. Ticket holders are required to re-sell their tickets back to Planet Bluegrass “to be polite,” so you can contact them for last minute sales. (Do not go to the ticket counter at the site). NOTE — PARKING — Planet Bluegrass offers parking on their property. They no longer lease space in the town’s parks. LaVern Johnson Park is closed 7/21 to 7/26, except for walk-up residents, walking through – see above under “General News” for more details.
OLYMPICS START July 23! In Japan. No fans in the stands, due to recent COVID-19 outbreaks, and to minimize health risks. First Lady Jill Biden will attend the Opening Ceremonies. — Tokyo 2020: Toshiro Muto not ruling out 11th hour cancellation of Olympics due to Covid-19 There have been nine more positive cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of 67. Major sponsors have cancelled plans to attend the opening ceremonies. 10,000 of the 80,000 volunteers quit in early June. The first major test may come in the men’s soccer tournament (Japan faces South Africa — that could struggle to field 11 players due to the coronavirus.) That match (and other soccer matches) are scheduled to take place on Thursday, a day before an opening ceremony.
The Perseid meteor shower peaks in mid-August. Up to 100 meteors can be seen per hour, but be patient! You might only see one every 5 minutes! It begin this Wednesday and will peak in MID-AUGUST. Shooting stars may be visible on clear nights starting at about 10 p.m. but mainly start about 2 a.m. You can always check our “Things to do” column for items like this. The Perseids are considered “the best meteor shower of the year,” according to NASA.
Dechen Hawk’s band was scheduled to perform at 7/1 Free Thursday Concert in the Park. Dechen lives in town and plays keyboards, fronting a great band with beautiful ballads to gritty throwback funk and soul. **UPDATE** This concert was rained out, and will be performed on August 26.
JUDGE THESE FLOWERS – CO State Univ. Ft. Collins has a 3 acre garden where they experiment on best flowers for Colorado. On July 31, they want you to come and judge them and vote for the top three. Free refreshments and door prizes. Go to our “Things to Do” column to see more information.
Square Dancing season has started again! Lyons “Red Rock Ramblers” is no longer operating, but the Lyons folks are joining other groups across the Front Range. Contact LaVern Johnson to get the ‘’flier’’ with all the news and dates: lavern921@aol.com / or (303) 823-5925. We also have news in THIS week’s article celebrating LaVern’s 94th birthday.
SEE ALSO SENIOR NEWS ARTICLE THIS WEEK.
COVID-19 NEWS=====
OUR COVID SECTION WAS GETTING SMALLER AND SMALLER, BUT NOW THE ”DELTA VARIANT” IS BRINGING BACK BIG COVID NEWS…….
See this week’s fascinating article about two counties, 1 in CO – 1 in WY – with 8,000 people in them, see their covid numbers rise and fall and rise and fall… and WHY –– and the reasons why — here is a sample: “It kind of trickled in and it never really exploded here,” said Graves, a lifelong resident and mayor of the town of about 3,500, the largest in Platte County. Many residents say the virus that causes COVID has felt more like an inconvenience imposed on them by outsiders than a public threat. Then there’s the “Colorado Navy,” the locals’ nickname for the parade of vehicles with boats in tow that cross the state line each summer. Their numbers swelled last year as people searched for lakes and campgrounds open during the pandemic, said Shawna Reichert, executive director of the Platte County Chamber of Commerce. Campers were packed so tightly around Grayrocks Reservoir, a popular fishing spot outside of town, Reichert said, “it literally looked like a city.” xxxx continued xxxx
United States
COVID-19 cases are now rising in all states, and have doubled over three weeks, as the more transmissible, and more dangerous, Delta variant spreads. ***99.5% of those who recently died did NOT receive the vaccine ** and 97% of Hospitalized persons have Delta ***and 41% of cases in Colorado are in Mesa County 7/18/21., which has the state’s lowest vaccine rate.
The U.S. has seen a string of COVID-19 outbreaks tied to summer camps in recent weeks in places such as Texas, Illinois, Florida, Missouri and Kansas, in what some fear could be a preview of the upcoming school year. ===In some cases the outbreaks have spread from the camp to the broader community.=== The clusters have come as the number of newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. has reversed course, surging more than 60% over the past two weeks from an average of about 12,000 a day to around 19,500, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. ===The rise in many places has been blamed on too many unvaccinated people and the highly contagious delta variant.
ONE STATE BACK WITH MASKING: California – Health officers in seven counties (half the state’s population) have asked residents to return to masking in public as Covid-19 numbers surge across the state. In Los Angeles County they must wear a mask upon entering any indoor public establishment (eg, stores, work, and restaurants). Restaurants will not be further restricted or closed. The more transmissible Delta variant is now 71% of all cases. The county recorded 1,537 new cases on Thursday. That’s the highest daily number since early March. 61% of adults are vaccinated.
7/22/21 – The United States is extending border restrictions with Canada until Aug. 21, which bans all non-essential travel to and from the country. Canada previously announced it would allow fully vaccinated Americans to visit for non-essential travel starting Aug. 9. The US is trying to keep the Delta variant from spreading further.
WORLD NEWS:
We haven’t talked about “World News” for a few weeks because things were improving in spring, but now the Delta variant is changing things.
Australia has been an oasis of very few COVID cases. This spring it had 5 to 20 deaths each week. In approximately the past 10 days, it has spiked to “new confirmed” 100=120 cases! All parts of the country, as of Wednesday, are under some form of lockdown as it struggles to contain outbreaks of the Delta variant. 34% of their population has the first dose of the vaccine.
France has declared that no one can eat in a restaurant without a “covid passport” and the next day 1 million people signed up to get the vaccine!!
The UK had a peak around January 1st, and then dropped low in spring, and restrictions started to be lifted. But the Delta variant hit hard in July; and now, this week, they are having an average of 44,671 new cases per day. == German, France and Spain have the next highest rates in Europe, and Eastern Europe this week.
================
CO reached its 70% vaccinated rate on July 3. (City of Denver reached it on June 10th) The State ended its Health Emergency orders. Remaining Mask order: must wear one in jail, homeless shelters, hospitals (not schools). Colorado is one with the most cases for any state.
State of Colorado: 6,523,252 TOTAL administered
as of 7/20/21–3,047,756 fully vaccinated
3,313,931 – one dose
CASES
567,838 cases so far (up from 564,164) – 522 cases reported on 7/21 (396 cases reported on 7/15)
7,096 deaths due to COVID
State Positivity rate 3.8 (up from 3.54%)
State 7-day positivity rate 3.76 (up from 3.10%)
Boulder County – as of 7/17/21: 78% have at least one dose – unchanged since 7/10 (73% full course coverage – same)
– 7 day positivity rate 2.9% – This has been on an upward climb SINCE JUNE 17th – first time it’s gone down.
Boulder has 50 cases of the Delta variant.
Larimer County as of 7/21/21: 59.6% – up from 59.2% – have at least one dose (56.3% – up from 55.9% – full course coverage)
– 7 day positivity rate 2.6% – up from 2.4% – This has been on an upward climb SINCE JUNE 20th
Current testing results is 5.2%
Larimer has 40 cases of the Delta variant.
Help Wanted=====
Have you ever thought about being an investigative reporter? Talk to us for more details…
FEATURE WRITERS: Join our crew of 33 local writers! (2 new writers this week! thanks!)
Are you knowledgeable in: – gardening tips — cooking/recipe articles – exercise – alternative medicine/herbs – Q&A quips — and more? You must be a Lyons-area writer, and all work needs to be original for the Lyons Recorder. It is “an extra bonus” if you can tie in “life in Lyons” with your article – especially with photographs.
And, LaVern would love to have someone take over her Board of Trustee meetings, as her hearing isn’t as good as it use to be, and it is very tiring to try and hear them speak. You only need to write up major discussions, not basic agenda items. You’ll be “in” on all the Town business news, who/what/where/when!!
For more information, write to: LyonsRecorder.Editor@gmail.com
This Week’s Articles:
===Hank Aaron Tribute /and/ Jets fly overhead (All-Star Game)
===Compare 2 small counties & why their COVID rates rise & fall & rise
===JULY 6 and 19 BOARD of TRUSTEE Minutes/and Parks-and-Rec
===CDOT – Highway 7 closing Sept-May 2022; see map & join virtual meeting
===McAllister Saloon now 140 years old; read its history
===SENIOR NEWS: Monthly article with tips, warnings, links, activities and more
===LIBRARY NEWS–Now fully open! JULY EVENTS
===Celebrate LaVern Johnson’s 94th Birthday
…………….
==NEWS BRIEFS & NOTES from your editor – “News Announcements” that are too short to have their own article.
Government, Covid, Activities, Town, Businesses, School, and Town ”gossip”.
==FLASH News/now called “Your To Do List” – find out details about upcoming activities, classes, and more.
==ABOUT TOWN by LaVern Johnson, tid bits of news from around town.
ENJOY!
MY WEEKLY MESSAGE OF CARE:
July 30th is “END WORLD TRAFFICKING DAY”
= https://www.iom.int/world-trafficking-day =
This year is the twentieth anniversary of the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, and its historic Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. Click here to read the IOM NEWSLETTERS
At present they are running three online fundraising campaigns:
Supporting Syrian Families: Ten years of conflict and displacement has left thousands of Syrians vulnerable and on the brink of poverty, starvation and economic distress. IOM is on the ground providing essential relief in the form of dignified shelters, medical assistance, counselling, and social support services. Your donation to IOM will help provide life-saving assistance to those who have fled Syria’s borders, and for those who remain inside the country.
Find a Way: Climate migration is already a grim reality for many people around the world. Find A Way is IOM’s global initiative focusing on the resilience and strength of those migrating due to climate change and embodies our commitment to finding solutions in the face of adversity. Whether it is preparing communities to be more resilient to climate change or working with governments to manage internal migration and prepare for when climate migration occurs, IOM will always Find A Way to support vulnerable communities and leave no one behind. In the face of climate change, you too can help make migration a choice, not a necessity.
Urgent Appeal for Covid-19 Response: The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an unprecedented global health, humanitarian, socioeconomic and human rights crisis. Globally, the number of cases and deaths continue to increase, and the containment of new variants is proving to be difficult. IOM is working in over 100 countries to ensure continuation of essential services, protect vulnerable populations on the move, scale up public health measures, and mitigate the longer-term socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19.
Note for US donors: Their office is located in Switzerland; American donors can make a tax-deductible donation through our national committee USA for IOM by clicking here.
Here is a list of stories describing their latest endeavors: JULY 2021
SAMPLES: == 7/13/21 – Santo Domingo – The first group of almost 100,000 Venezuelan migrants without legal status in the Dominican Republic have received visas allowing them to work, open bank accounts and join the social security system under the country’s Migration Normalization Plan.== 7/13/21 – At least 1,146 people died attempting to reach Europe by sea in the first six months of 2021 according to a new briefing released today by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).==Migrants, refugees, internally displaced as well as crisis-affected and mobile populations who are living with HIV must have equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines==7/9/21 – IOM, this week, launched the Open South America Portal, a web platform providing migrants and stakeholders in the region with access to reliable and timely information.
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Thank you for being steady readers of the Lyons Recorder. We hope you benefit from our articles each week, and have some fun, too! ………..Your Editor, Kathleen
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