Left Hand Valley Courier - All Local, All The Time

It's the children that drew them to teaching and what they'll miss the most in retirement. But two Niwot Elementary School teachers have decided it's time to focus on other things in life. "I came...

Poo per mile. It's probably not a measure you've ever heard of. But on May 1st the calculation came in at 268 piles of poo per mile on the trails at Coot Lake and west of the Boulder Reservoir. The "L...

They started by stirring things up in their physical education class at Niwot High School last fall. Freshmen Samantha Zacky and Anne Haley became partners in pickleball and every other sport they...

I didn't have my glasses on, and thought maybe the brown bump on the edge of my dog Stering's eye was a growth that sprouted quickly. I'd seen bumps like that on other dogs. I went about my day, but p...

Only a few prairie dogs remain at the Monarch Park Open Space on the corner of 79th Street and Highway 52, clearing the way for a reseeding operation by Boulder County that began in early April. The...

Weather has been winning the battle for the tennis courts this spring, but Niwot girls tennis is settling into the season with a 2-1 record and getting close to nailing down the lineup. The team...

Niwot's Casey Grothus is heading to California next month to give a presentation at the corporate headquarters of a major tech company in Silicon Valley. It's something he never imagined as a child...

First Hole A hawk whistles as it lands on the giant cottonwood just behind the first tee. It's an appropriate send-off as I begin my final round at Haystack Mountain Golf Course. As always, there is...

A new restaurant is dipping its toes into the dining waters at Boulder Reservoir. Driftwind opened with concessions on June 5 and is slowly ramping up over the next weeks and months to include special...

He was 120 pounds of black and brown love at the end of the school day for kids at Niwot Elementary School. For the past two years Sully the German Shepherd would wait outside the school to pick up...

I scooped up some scrap hay at a barn where I kept my horse and noticed a dark spot in the midst of the pale green. Between my hands and the hay was a frail body no bigger than my thumb, a mix of...

Cottonwood Square in Niwot is about to have one less cottonwood tree. Boulder County Public Works is planning to cut down a tree on the south side of Niwot Road, just east of 79th Street. It's...

Bobcats have become a regular feature on the Nextdoor social media platform. Several people have recently posted photos and stories about seeing them in Niwot and Gunbarrel. Avara Yaron was walking...

Pink tulips and crisp lettuce are signs of spring at the new Treehouse Farm Collective a few miles northwest of Niwot. The season offers a fresh beginning for plants and people, including two...

The "Little Shop of Horrors" has been a big place of opportunity for performers at Niwot High this spring. Students are movie stars instead of theater stars for their grand finale, something they...

The south end of the West Twin Lakes Trail in Gunbarrel will close for up to three weeks for emergency stabilization of a bank along the Boulder and Left Hand Ditch that flows through the area....

Niwot Elementary's Jessica Easley says she has an amazing job. Her passion for teaching and dedication to her students earned her Teacher of the Year for her school, an award she's won multiple times...

It's not every teen who can find an emergency bandmate in their house, let alone one who can play Zimbabwean music. When Niwot High senior Noah Randall couldn't play in-person with his band during...

It's always a great honor to be named a finalist for Teacher of the Year, but this year's group earned recognition in a pandemic year that brought unforeseen challenges to them, students and schools....

Air pollutants east of Longmont were recently measured at the highest ever seen by a scientist with 40 years experience in the field. On January 6 and February 1, readings from air monitoring...

Life may have started out a little sad for orphaned baby squirrels at Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, but they have a cozy place to curl up and grow up thanks to homemade nesting baskets...

It's all about the dirt. Improving the soil improves the plants, improves the yield, improves the quality and amount of locally grown food, and benefits the environment, which is why Boulder County is...

Repairs on the Cottontail Trail in Gunbarrel could begin this week, causing a temporary closure to two sections of the trail. The trail is part of the LOBO Trail. Impacted sections are between...

It wasn't the final run that Niwot High School senior Emily Creek dreamed of, but she's grateful she got to be part of a team and go to the state championships all four years of her high school...

Nancy Davis thought a conservation easement meant the land was protected from development. So when she and her husband bought their property on Lookout Road in 2015 they were confident that the...

School volunteer Lydia Moy looks at every opportunity and raises it up a notch. "Your job is not to do 10,000 cutout Valentines for second grade, your job is to spread the love," Moy said. Moy has...

No one wants to go through another fire season like 2020 with months of dangerous air quality, eerie smoke, raining ash and tragic losses of homes, forest land and wildlife. That's why Rep. Joe...

There aren't many places where you can pick up a bag of birdseed, a bale of alfalfa, rent a Bobcat, buy a plush dog toy and goat's milk soap, check the community bulletin board to see who has...

It's been more than two weeks since my neighbors' dog got out, and made a beeline toward me and my dog as we walked down our driveway for our daily walk. I froze, not knowing what the dog wanted. I'd...

A Gunbarrel trail that washes out nearly every year will get a permanent fix this spring. Boulder County Commissioners approved the realignment and resurfacing of the Cottontail Trail that runs north...

It started with putting barrettes in her cat's fur when she was three years old. Liz Edge always knew she wanted to work as a hairstylist. In high school she nurtured an entrepreneurial spirit and... Full story

The time window is open, but details have been scarce on how people 70 and over can register and get the COVID-19 vaccine. Boulder County Public Health tried to address growing public frustration...

For more than a century Charlie Stromquist and his ancestors farmed 175 acres northeast of Niwot. Extended family had 405 acres adjacent to the north, which Boulder County bought years ago as...

A local teen who stutters and his speech therapist have an extra reason to watch Joe Biden give his inauguration speech next week. For the more than three million people in this country who stutter,...

Technically, there wasn't a special occasion, but it felt like one. Just going to dinner at a restaurant felt like celebration enough after not doing it for 10 months. We've been take-out and...

Marta Venezuela Moreno is like Santa Claus on a mission, her arms full of clear plastic bags containing goodies she's giving out to families and businesses in Longmont. But instead of toys, she's...

Boulder Housing Partners is now free to close a real estate deal to buy a property for an affordable housing project in Gunbarrel. But concerns about the development were centered more on the process...

Those hit hardest by the pandemic are not often the most vocal, the most visible. A group of eleven people from disproportionately affected communities are sharing their experiences to bring...

A 40-acre property west of Niwot has been eyed by Boulder County for years, prized for its views along the Diagonal Highway and for its agricultural use. This week, it is being recommended for purchas...

It is hard to find such a wide variety of interests and talents in one person, let alone see them all come together in one book. But Niwot resident Sandi Siegel has combined her love of yoga,...

Chances of getting COVID-19 are as high, or higher, than they've ever been during the pandemic, but there are simple steps people can take to be prepared if the virus strikes. Research suggests that...

Pvt. Joe Pacheco was a WWII soldier, a father, an American Indian and much more. His son, who shares his name, wanted to honor him for all those things, so he and his brothers got him a banner as...

When Karen Quinn took her grandson to look at the veteran's banners in Niwot, she didn't know how he would respond. Her grandpa, and her grandson's great, great grandfather was an Army Corporal in WWI...

A recycled crayon looks more like candy to a child at a demonstration at Inkberry Books in Niwot on Saturday. Most regular crayons are petroleum-based and don't break down well in landfills, said...

His mom cries every time he heads toward the flames of a wildfire. "She acts like I'm going off to war," said Mountain View Fire Protection District Lt. Chris Queen, who has been a firefighter for 34...

History can be learned from books and films and lectures, but a deeper layer of understanding comes from being in the place where things happened. That belief was what led me to visit Sand Creek...

The spike in COVID-19 cases tied to the University of Colorado last month is troubling, but those who have recovered have the opportunity to play a critical role in saving lives, improving health outc...

Locals seem to be heeding the fervent advice of health experts to get a flu shot this year. The King Soopers pharmacy in Gunbarrel went through three batches of flu vaccines by the end of August,...

Things will look different when St. Vrain Valley School District students step into the classroom next week for the first time since March. Everyone will be wearing masks, there will be arrows on the...