Now after twenty-years Christo a well-known artist is trying once again to produce a new visual art exhibit that covers 42 miles of the Arkansas River with fabric panels. These panels are between .5 to 2.5 miles long stretched across 8 or 9 sections of the river. The project will be in the works for about 28-months.

Those who do not live in the Valley think that this is a fantastic idea.

Why?

Money!

This project includes set up and tear down for about a year. It will create more than 600 jobs and generate more than $121 million for the local and state economy.

Even a local TV show’s reporters are gushing about the project.

I do not agree with hanging fabric over this stretch of the river. First of all, the area is basically through a canyon with small towns along the way. The larger towns are north of the area. This means more traffic congestion along the canyon. Of course river rafters are biting at the chomp to advertise this amazing feat to get more rafters. As for creating 600 jobs, has anyone figured out what would happen once the fabric is covering the river?

There is a reason that this stretch of the river is open and not covered. Fish and wildlife have easy access to the river. Natural grasses and trees need light to grow as well as attract fish and wildlife. The river freezes in the winter time, how long would it take for the river to unfreeze with a fabric covering it?

Also I can just imagine what will happen once the river is covered. Some idiot will try to walk on the fabric or drive a car on it. Or someone may try to express their artistic expression by spray painting the fabric with graffiti. Who will maintain the fabric once it is up? We get high winds along the canyon and I can see pieces of it floating in the river or laying on the road.

For eight years, the citizens in the Valley have said no to the project. Don’t let the cities of Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Denver or Canyon City allow this project to go forward. They won’t have to put up with the consequences of this idiotic expression of art. Keep the Rags across the River out of our beautiful Arkansas River.

Until later,

Linda

Be on alert, there are gnome thieves lurking in Arvada, Colorado.

An Arvada, Colorado woman had almost 200 garden gnomes in her front yard. It was her prize possessions that took years to build. But some vicious low-life thieves stole about 150 of them and now her yard is looking empty.

Her gnome garden had tiny bearded creatures arranged in a tiny gnome village, complete with mushroom homes. The owner has no idea who stole them but thinks the thieves may wanted them for their own yard or to sell on Ebay or Craig’s List.

If you see any of these gnomes for sale on the Internet or see some lurking in someone else’s yard please call the police. However, the owner hopes that the thieves will let the gnomes roam back home.

First it was Columbine High School, then Platte Canyon High School and now Deer Creek Middle School. All of these schools are located in either small suburban or mountain communities. Kids who attend these schools are from middle class parents. These aren’t urban schools where crime is happening all around them.

The whacko who did the shooting was a 32-year-old man named Bruco Strong Eagle Eastwood. He has had prior arrests back to 1996 for threatening someone with a weapon, assault charges and domestic violence charges. He is currently being held on a $1million bond. Why wasn’t he previously in jail for all of those charges he racked up?

The girl student was shot in the shoulder and has been released from the hospital but the boy student is in serious condition with a gun shot to his chest. Pray for him.

When did it become the “in” thing to shoot kids while they are in school?  School should be the one place that our kids can go to all day long, to feel safe and secure. But these perverts have taken this away from them.

When did it become the “just” thing to do to release a criminal from jail on bond so he can go out and commit crimes?

Something has to change. We have to keep our kids safe and get dirt-bag criminals off the streets.

Until later,

Linda

I too was stunned after reading this article. This child is being charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on two other children. This bully used a foot, a locker door as well as scissors to assault these children. In addition, there were punches, kicking and scratching during some of the assaults.

What was totally shocking was that the bully was an eleven year old GIRL! This girl faces long-term suspension from school. I hope that her parents and authorities will get her mental health counseling that will help her to control herself and not be a future inmate in our prison system.

 Until later,

Linda

A young widow of an Air Force Airman, Bradley R. Smith, came to Colorado Springs, Colorado for a memorial service for her husband.  He died last month in Afghanistan.

While taking some time to have a meal at a local restaurant, a thief or thieves broke into her car and stole this brave Airman’s belongings. They stole a red Garmin wristwatch with a black band along with his dog tags. In addition, two laptops, a digital camera and cell phone were also stolen. The car window was broken as well as the heart of this brave Airman’s wife.

Please, if you know anything about this incident, contact the Sheriff’s office at 719-520-7246 or Crime Stoppers at 719-634-7867. You can remain anonymous. If you are the low-life drugged out criminal who stole these items, the Sheriff’s office is asking you to bring these items to any of its police stations and drop off the items – no questions asked.

As for me, I think good old Western justice would be the order of the day.

Until later,

Linda