According to Crowley/Otero Health Health Director Rick Ritter, that s no accident. It s been a long road, Ritter said. It s been arduous and difficult and just, you know, we re all ready for it to be over. And we re getting closer. We just need to keep doing what we re doing. Doing our part to make sure we keep the rates down. And it s (not just) individuals we don t want people to get sick but businesses depend on us. We don t want to see any of our businesses go the other way and have to have less customers and be shut down. Nobody wants to see that. It s like I say in our updates, it s up to us. And that means all of us.
What does that mean for neighboring counties?
LA Junta Tribune
Otero, Bent and Crowley counties have officially moved to Level Blue (Caution) on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment s COVID-19 dial.
The recent transitions from Level Orange (High Risk) to Level Yellow (Concern) and now to Blue are promising signs that recent downward trends in novel coronavirus case rates are continuing.
The transition to Level Blue comes due to an updated state COVID-19 dial. This version of the dial was changed because state modeling projections indicate that it s unlikely for COVID-19 patients to overflow hospitals, according to the state in a public health and environment press release.
Monday marked the second anniversary of the death of La Junta man Anthony Chaparro, 31, who was found allegedly beaten in the street at the intersection of Raton Avenue and Seventh St., about a block away from the La Junta Police Department in one direction and his apartment in another on Jan. 20, 2019.
A call was placed to the police department around 6:30 a.m. Jan. 20, 2019, about a male that was severely injured by what appeared to be an assault after an unidentified person came across Chaparro in the street, according to police news releases.
Chaparro was taken to Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center and transferred from there to Parkview Medical Center where he died Jan. 25, 2019. The La Junta Police Department said the 31-year-old s death was suspicious in a news release to local media.
LA Junta Tribune
The City of La Junta hosted its first council meeting of the new year on Jan. 4 via a Zoom meeting.
The meeting started with mayor Jeffri Pruyn and other council members paying tribute to former La Junta mayor Ardeth Sneath, who passed away on Jan. 2.
It then passed an ordinance making supplemental appropriations to the general fund, internal services fund, water fund, waste water fund and conservation trust fund for the year 2020. It was approved unanimously.
The council then filled the seat of planning commissioner, which was previously occupied by Jim Goodwin. Council member Paul Velasquez was offered the seat, which he accepted. The council approved his appointment unanimously.
LA Junta Tribune
La Junta City Council approved bylaw amendments and board recommendations to Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center at its Dec. 21 city council meeting.
There were no new appointments to the Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center board. Those reelected to the hospital board include Board Vice Chairman Dale L. Leighty, Secretary/Treasurer Rob Pickering and Joseph Pentlicki, D.M., the last of which is a City of La Junta appointee, Mayor Jeffri Pruyn said.
Bylaw amendments regarding the hospital were also approved at the Dec. 21 meeting. City attorney Phil Malouff broke down the amendments for council members.
The proposed changes include allowing notices to be sent digitally, more oversight of hospital finance committees spending authority, and elimination of dependence upon local legal council.