News
Elbert 5-30-13
Elbert County
May 30, 2013
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourelbertcountynews.com
Elbert County, Colorado • Volume 118, Issue 18
Stampede ready for another round Elizabeth tradition returns June 7-9 By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com The Elizabeth Stampede kicks off summer with a cowboy tradition for rodeo lovers worldwide. The Stampede is June 7-9 in Elizabeth, beginning with the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association Xtreme Bulls professional bull riding. The all-bulls night is the start of three days of rodeo that this year is drawing visitors from as far as Norway, Germany and the United Kingdom, said Bill Sneed, Stampede board president. The Stampede has filled ticket orders for travelers who made sure to include a visit to Elizabeth’s biggest weekend on their American tour. “(Interest in the Stampede) is interna-
tional,” Sneed said. “It’s really interesting. A lot of (international visitors) are friends of friends, but some are people who found us on a tour.” The tour at Stampede includes a chute tour, which gives groups an inside look at the stock area where contestants prepare for competition. The tours are part of the Stampede’s effort to enhance the spectator experience, Sneed said. “We just find ways to get better every year,” Sneed said. The 2013 Elizabeth Stampede begins at 7 p.m. June 7. Vendor alley opens at the fairgrounds at 5 p.m. The Elizabeth Stampede Parade is at 10 a.m. June 8 in downtown Elizabeth, followed by the PRCA rodeo at 2 and 7 p.m. The Red, White & Blue rodeo is at 2 p.m. June 9, honoring veterans with the Stampede’s Military Day. More information about the Stampede, including ticket information and a schedule of events, is at www.elizabethstampede. com.
Bejeweled rodeo queens and their attendants make their way through downtown Elizabeth as part of the 2012 Elizabeth Stampede Parade. File photo
Ed-finance bill signed Fate of school measure will be in voters’ hands By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com
A tornado that roared through part of Elbert County in June 2012 destroyed this home and left more than 130 others damaged. File photo
Get ready, says emergency expert Oklahoma tornado hit close to home for local director By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com The devastating tornado that recently struck Oklahoma prompted Elbert County officials to issue a reminder about the county’s emergency alert system. The county’s office of emergency management points to the system for its potentially life-saving early warnings about severe weather. For Cory Stark, the county’s director of
emergency management, the value of such a warning hit close to home. Stark had five family members impacted by the May 20 tornado that struck near Oklahoma City, including one who was missing for several hours in the aftermath of the tornado. The uncertainty about the safety of his loved ones was a humbling experience for Stark, who typically watches severe weather response from an emergency-management perspective, not from a personal perspective. “It was an eye-opener for me because I was tuned in to the emergency management side, but also on a personal level you realize those are your loved ones and your
family,” Stark said. “We’re all capable of finding ourselves in a disaster regardless of Safety continues on Page 8
POSTAL ADDRESS
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.
Elbert County Director of Emergency Management Cory Stark is shown inside the emergency operations center in Kiowa. File photo
Colorado public schools are a step closer to a major funding overhaul after Gov. John Hickenlooper on May 21 signed a new school finance act that proponents say would provide a longoverdue modernization of an antiquated school funding formula for classrooms across the state. But the governor’s signature doesn’t make the reform measure a done deal. Voters must give the go-ahead to the legislation’s price tag of about $1 billion in new taxes, something that Republican lawmakers are sure to rally against in the fall. If a vote falls short this November, the proposal could come back for funding votes through 2017. Hickenlooper, who was flanked at the Capitol bill-signing by legislative co-sponsors of Senate Bill 213, dubbed the “Future School Finance Act,” hailed the legislation as a way to “allow Colorado to vault to the top of every state” when it comes to school financing and transparency. “This bill really positions Colorado to be the national leader in terms of school reform, in terms of school effectiveness,” Hickenlooper said. The legislation would mark the most sweeping change to the state’s school finance formula that’s been seen in decades. The act would fund full-day kindergarten, provide preschool for at-risk children and would increase needsbased programs for special education students and children who are learning English. The legislation also would provide more funding for students who are involved in gifted and talented school programs. The bill would give school districts greater flexibility in being allowed the opportunity to have longer school years and school days, if they choose to do so. The bill also is expected to increase per-pupil funding for most school districts across the state by way of a funding system that supporters say is a more equitable way of divvying up money. Schools continues on Page 8