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This Sunday VOL. 142. NO. 44 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2023 | $1.00
Senior Care Center still down by one ‘neighborhood’ Relies less on traveling nurses than last year Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
MONSTER MASH ON MAIN: A boo-tiful witch wanders down Main Street in search of candy during the annual Trick or Treat Gunnison Business District event on Halloween. Like many of her fellow princesses, monsters and ghouls, she had a wide selection of chocolate and other sweets all afternoon. For more, see A10. (Photo by Abby Harrison)
INSIDE
TODAY
NEWS: Lowline Fire closure lifed, A3
COMMUNITY: WCU football loses and wins together, B1
SPORTS: GHS teams to host playoffs, B8
OBITUARIES A3 OPINION A4 CLASSIFIEDS A14-A17 SPORTS B8 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
During the winter of 2022, the local senior care center shut down one of its three wings. A year later, the wing remains closed, but Gunnison Valley Health (GVH) is working to reopen it Senior center A6
City to place new Western passes sharps disposal enrollment containers milestone Rise in improperly discarded needles
Bella Biondini Times Editor
Following an uptick in the number of used needles found and reported in public restrooms, parks and trash cans, the City of Gunnison plans to install a network of safe “sharps” collection containers in city limits. Sharps are devices with points or edges that can puncture or cut skin and are frequently used to manage peo-
p l e’s m e d i ca l c o n d i t i o n s, including allergies, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer and hepatitis. A hard plastic container is typically used to safely dispose of hypodermic needles and other sharp medical instruments. But these containers, which are commonplace in public restrooms and facilities across the country, are few and far between in Gunnison. For several years, the Gunnison Police Department has offered free disposal of household prescriptions through a state medication “take-back” program as well as a sharps disposal box with financial support from Gunnison County Substance Abuse and Prevention Project Sharps A7
Significant growth in off-campus students Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Western Colorado University welcomed more students this fall than ever before, but not necessarily on campus. Just over 3,700 students enrolled for the 2023-24 school year, but a significant share of that growth is due to high school students taking Western classes off-campus. Despite a slight drop in fulltime, degree-seeking students,
the university saw a staggering 50% increase in concurrent enrollments, a program that allows high school students around Colorado to take Western courses before they graduate. At the same time, more Colorado students are leaving the state for higher education, so the administration is looking to keep numbers strong by securinging more transfer students, keeping potential transfers from leaving and supporting programs like concurrent enrollment that expand Western’s reach across the state. Western welcomed 500 more students in concurrent enrollment than it did last year. Concurrent enrollment has been a popular offering in com-
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