All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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In celebration of 25 years, the Courier staff thought it would be fun to give a brief summary of articles from Volume 1, Issue Number 1 of the Left Hand Valley Courier, published April 1, 1997: - Niwot celebrated the recording of the town plat 122 years prior on March 30, 1875. - Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church added 5,000 square feet to its building. - Niwot High School was celebrating 25 years of educating local high school students. - Niwot Elementary School sent a team to Odyssey of...
Whether you need a necklace clasp replaced, the pendulum on your great-great-grandfather's grandfather clock rehung, or are thinking of popping the question, Niwot's one-of-a-kind, full-service jewelry shop will save you a trip into the city. Family owned and operated since 1996, Niwot Jewelry & Gifts at 300 2nd Avenue offers a wide selection of fine jewelry, with prices to fit any budget, plus a range of expert, on-site repair services that are increasingly hard to come by. For owner and...
Two years after the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns sent a shock through the local economy, Niwot isn't just back in business, it's booming. Over the past 12 months, shoppers, diners, and retailers have been flocking to Cottonwood Square and 2nd Avenue, driving sales tax revenues to all-time highs while driving the commercial vacancy rate to an all-time low. Part of this growth is due to an economy that is on the rebound from a slowdown in 2020, plus the easing of many pandemic restrictions....
Last summer was the first time I signed up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) membership with a local farm. I had long debated about getting a vegetable share, but for various reasons, mostly owing to my frazzled memory, I missed the spring sign-up window. By the time I remembered my good intentions, CSA registrations were usually filled, and I would have to content myself with picking up local fare at the weekend Farmer's Market. Not a bad option, mind you, though I only would ever go...
The Niwot Local Improvement District’s advisory committee may be without a Niwot Community Association representative for at least the next few months, after the Boulder Board of County Commissioners office was unable to appoint a candidate for the open position during the latest recruitment period. According to county liaison Mark Ruzzin, both a small number of applications and other priorities in the BOCC office contributed to the inability to seat a new member. “The commissioners, as you can...
Jack's Solar Garden is seeking applicants to fill two community-focused roles for 2022. The family-owned solar garden, which is located between Niwot and Longmont off of North 95th Street, recently posted a call for their 2022 Artist on the Farm program and opened a position for an agrivoltaics education specialist at the farm's non-profit Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center (CALC). Agrivoltaics, or the practice of growing crops in conjunction with solar panels, is Jack's Solar Garden's unique...
On Dec. 7, Niwot resident Steve H. reported seeing three bobcats in his neighbor's yard on Paiute Avenue, which the Courier published in its Dec. 15 edition. Since then, the Courier has received some feedback from local resident Dr. Sharon Greenleaf La Pierre, on how our community can protect bobcats. Dr. La Pierre was the Founding Chair of the Wildlife Legacy Trust Fund serving the Community Foundation of Boulder County. She currently works at Red Raven Farms to rescue animals and raise...
On the gusty morning of Thursday, Dec. 30, Niwot realtor Deborah Read Fowler and her family were on US Highway 36 headed to Breckenridge when they noticed something alarming: a plume of dark smoke rising on the outskirts of Boulder. As they drove on, the scene quickly escalated from alarming to frightening as it became clear that the wind-driven fire was out of control and headed east. For the rest of the drive, she and her husband stayed tuned to radio reports, which only confirmed their worst...
For much of Thursday Dec. 30, Coloradans were glued to various news sources, waiting for updates about the Marshall Fire, which spread quickly across the Marshall-Superior-Louisville area of Boulder County. At the same time, five miles west of Niwot, the Middle Fork Fire also spread quickly, but was soon contained. Emergency response, at first, largely focused on preserving life and evacuating people from homes, stores and more. Actively fighting the fires was difficult early on, especially...
Boulder County will conduct extensive field work as part of the preliminary design phase of the proposed bikeway connecting Longmont and Boulder along Highway 119. The proposed bikeway design was initially presented to the community at a public meeting on Aug. 30. Since then, Boulder County has received more than 1,000 survey responses and 45 comments, in addition to the questions and comments from attendees of the meeting. The estimated timeline for the project has a preliminary design being...
For a growing share of Boulder County residents, the 2021 holidays brought at least one unwelcome visitor-the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, local testing sites recorded nearly 3,000 new positive cases*, one of the highest weekly totals at any point during the pandemic. That has driven the testing positivity rate to 20.2% and the seven-day case rate to 757.5 per 100,000 residents, also unprecedented figures. According to state and county health officials,...
After weeks of unseasonably dry weather, a frigid winter storm brought several inches of snow and below-zero temperatures to Boulder County on New Year's Eve. While that was good news for the first responders battling the Marshall Fire, it was less so for local birds, who found their favorite watering holes inaccessible on the biggest party night of the year....
We're in the home stretch of the holiday shopping season, and for those of you with a few names left to check off your gift list, be sure to consider one of the dozens of unique items from the artists, growers and crafters that call Niwot and Gunbarrel home. Gas up and grab a gift When you fill 'er up at the Niwot Conoco in the Cottonwood Shopping Center, don't just drive off - go inside where you'll find a treasure trove of charming gifts for your loved ones. You'll be stunned by the corner of...
In 2020, charitable giving rose to an all-time high in the U.S., even as many Americans struggled with uncertainty and disruptions. While that is good news for the nation's non-profit organizations, the unfortunate reality is that much of the bounty went to high profile causes and groups, leaving small and locally-focused charities scrambling to make up for lost fundraising opportunities. As 2021 comes to a close, many of those groups could still use some help to balance the scales. "There are a...
The importance of small community papers I recently viewed an excellent PBS documentary about the Storm Lake Times in Storm Lake, Iowa. One in four local newspapers have been shuttered in this country, many bought up by big national corporations. I love that Niwot has a local newspaper that keeps the community current on local news and events, including our talented high school athletes and all the amazing folks who volunteer to help make Niwot the friendly community we all enjoy. I love supporting LHVC and reading the paper digitally so I can...
Many see libraries as central fixtures of a community, but many also simply see libraries as buildings that house books and movies. Libraries have the opportunity to provide so much more than that. Oakland, Calif., has a tool library, where people can rent out equipment; Memphis, Tenn's central library, which is a National Medal Winner, has a studio called CLOUD901. This studio boasts professional grade lighting, film and editing equipment which is available to the community, specifically...
Back when she was a budding high school track star, Elise Cranny never thought she would be honored as she was during this year's Niwot Homecoming celebration. The 2014 Niwot graduate and 2021 U.S. Olympian was given a hero's tribute during the annual parade and football game on Sept. 17. Before finishing 13th in the Olympic 5,000 meter race, Cranny helped Niwot win two 4A girls track titles and competed collegiately at Stanford University. She said that with no fans allowed in Tokyo, the...
This month's Left Hand Laurel goes to Thom Lynch. Lynch moved to Niwot in September 2018 and decided the best way to meet folks and to make a difference was to jump in with both feet. So, the new guy in town joined the Rotary Club of Niwot and not long after became the president-elect of the organization. Lynch had been an active Rotarian for a year before he moved to Niwot, after being recruited to the organization by his then girlfriend who was the president of a chapter in Syracuse, NY "I...
When local rockers Francis & the Wolf started recording their second album, the members had no idea that it would take four tumultuous years to finally come together. But, last week, the band finally released "Truth Be Told," a full-length album featuring 10 original songs that examine "the sweeping ups and downs of life." On August 13, the group is throwing a release party at Wibby Brewing that's a celebration both of the new album and of weathering the tragedy, heartbreak, and triumph that...
Niwot High School alum Elise Cranny will take the world's center stage on July 30 at 4 a.m. MST when she competes for Olympic gold in the women's track and field 5,000 meter event. Cranny, who graduated from Niwot in 2014 with multiple Colorado state titles in cross country and track before running at Stanford University, won the Team USA 5,000m qualifying race in June with a time of 15:27.81. Her family watched from the sidelines at Hayward Field in Oregon as Cranny punched her ticket to...
India has been reeling from the effects of COVID-19, with more than 338,000 deaths and nearly 28.5 million cases as of June 1. Although the country is on the other side of the world, some people in the community refuse to accept that living so far away means they're powerless to help. Some Niwot community members have organized a trivia and curry night fundraiser for India at Niwot Wheel Works, 101 2nd Avenue in Niwot, on Monday, June 14. Proceeds from the dinner will be donated to support...
Last year, the Cal-Wood Fire burned 10,113 acres and damaged or destroyed 26 structures. The fire, which was fully contained on Nov. 14, burned for nearly a month, and an investigation by the Boulder County Sheriff's office found the cause of the fire to be undetermined. Now, six months later and after months of planning, modeling, surveying, and assessing fire damage, Boulder County Parks and Open Space, along with other key stakeholders, are beginning the recovery work on some of the land...
Visitors looking to get out on the trails or to head out camping in certain areas of Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests this summer have some new rules and regulations to navigate. In a recent press release, the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland managers noted that they are currently "exploring new strategies to help visitors have safe and enjoyable outdoor experiences this summer while protecting wildlife, clean water and healthy forests." In 2021, these s...
Saturday, April 24 marked the first of five concerts hosted by The Old Oak Coffeehouse on 2nd Avenue in Niwot. According to its website the event is, in part, to celebrate that "the pandemic is beginning to show signs of ending and there is Light at the End of the Tunnel." While Old Oak hosts a few events with different musical acts, this concert showcases the House Blend Band, made up of owners Michael Tomich, Patty Machen and Paris Tomich, as well as friends John Lawrence and Andrew Bunin....
On a recent sunny afternoon, I was talking with Niwot resident Alicia Livitt about compost for her garden. She was explaining that she would like a compost pile, but didn't really see where one would fit in her landscape and as an amateur gardener, the whole idea of it seems intimidating. This is an understandable and common sentiment. In the October 2020 article Home Composting by Sharon Bokan, she breaks down how to compost your own yard and garden waste in easy to follow steps. For anyone...
On April 3, the Longmont Farmers Market started in full swing for the 2021 season. The market, which is held at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through November 20. "It was great that we were able to open on time this year," said Brian Coppom, executive director of the Boulder County Farmers Markets (BCFM). Last year, the opening day for the Boulder County markets was delayed by eight weeks due to COVID-19 restrictions. For the 2021 market,...
From historic droughts and wildfires, recent air quality scandals, unwanted dam expansion, rapid development, and population growth, Colorado is facing both challenges and opportunities in the management of the state’s natural resources in light of climate change. The Longmont Museum is tackling these tough topics with a week-long virtual program to discuss these big issues facing our environment. The Climate Change series will examine climate change, its impact, and potential solutions. ...
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 investing more than $300,000 in grants to local agricultural projects and farms through the Sustainable Food and Agriculture Funds. Michael Moss of Kilt Farms has two properties he leases from the county. One of them, on the Diagonal Highway west of Niwot is a productive organic vegetable farm. But...
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 conservation easement on the adjacent Rainbow Nursery tree farm would preserve its rural character, giving them confidence to move forward with their dream of a business doing horse boarding, training and growing hay. In fact, their property is subject to a conservation easement on the lower 16 acres of...
As we eagerly await the official start of spring, there's plenty to look forward to in Niwot during March. Starting March 1, and continuing all month, visitors to Niwot can participate in a St. Patrick's Day-inspired virtual scavenger hunt. This festive activity, sponsored by the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) and the Niwot Business Association (NBA), will send players on a quest to find the lucky leprechauns hidden around town. Owner of Deborah Read Fowler Real Estate (DRF) and recent L...
In January 2020, East Side Art Institute board members Nancy Utterback and Kathy Griffin painted a vision of a communal workshop for artists. They described how they were working on pitching the idea to the Boulder County Commissioners and were hopeful for approval. They were approved, but then COVID hit, drastically overthrowing their plans. "We were gearing up to do fundraising events and giving lots of classes," explained Utterback. Unfortunately, they had to stop those plans with the new...
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 with the vaccine rollout during its weekly community update webinarlast week, when several people asked when they can expect their vaccination, where to get it, and how they'll be notified. "I hate to say this, but if you really want to make sure that you are notified whenever there is...
On June 11, 2020, a beautiful flower bloomed somewhere in Japan. That same day in Colorado, Gunbarrel resident Beniko Olsen drove home with her family after 45 days in the hospital fighting for her life after contracting COVID-19. But first, she directed her husband and two sons to stop off at Starbucks for a long-anticipated Matcha latte. Olsen is a petite woman with a radiant smile and a joyous laugh. In her late 60s, she worked for over 20 years as a teacher's aide at a local preschool while...
It turns out there will be a high school wrestling season in Boulder County after all. In a letter to wrestlers and their families dated Jan. 12, St. Vrain Valley Schools' Arts, Athletics, and Activities Director Chase McBride announced that wrestling has been approved by Boulder County Public Health, reversing a Jan. 5 decision that disallowed the sport due to COVID-19 concerns. "After careful consideration and continued discussion with Boulder County Public Health, they have approved...
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recently announced that businesses and communities can now apply for a COVID certification program that allows certain areas of the community to open up to a less-restrictive level. The 5 Star Certification Program is voluntary, and it is up to each county to determine whether or not to implement it. According to the program's site, it is "set up at the county level through an administrative committee... It encourages businesses to impleme...
Wrestlers in St. Vrain and Boulder Public Valley Schools will likely miss out on the chance to compete during the 2020-21 school year, after Boulder County Public Health declined a request from the Colorado High School Activities Association to approve the sport for Season B, scheduled to begin on Jan. 18. In a message to wrestling families dated Jan. 5, Niwot High assistant principal and athletics director Joe Brown wrote: "Over the past several weeks, we have continued to work closely with...
Last month, Lorne Jenkins, a former Niwot resident and CEO of Mini Money Management, was named to the Board of Trustees for the Longmont Community Foundation, a public charity dedicated to "improving life in the St. Vrain Valley." "It was kind of a no-brainer for me," the former Cougar track star said of his decision to accept LCF's invitation. "I'm joining at a unique time because it pretty much is primarily Covid-based, and the basic things are planning around what's going to happen with...
We're in the home stretch of the holiday shopping season, and for those of you with a few names left to check off your gift list, be sure to consider one of the dozens of unique items from the artists, authors and crafters that call Niwot and Gunbarrel home. Niwot in watercolor Niwot's historic downtown is a frequent subject of resident and renowned artist Jane Langdon, whose graceful style evokes warmth and nostalgia. Recently, her wintry depiction of 2nd Avenue was featured on the Niwot...
At the final monthly meeting of 2020, the Niwot Local Improvement District's Advisory Committee met virtually to consider two funding requests related to marketing and economic development in 2021. Treasurer's Report But before the fun could get underway, the board heard from LID Treasurer Bruce Rabeler with an update on the district's finances through the end of November. To date, the board has approved $254,303.08 in funding requests in 2020, including $101,512 for the public parking lot....
In 2018, the EPA reported the total generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States was 292.4 million tons or 4.9 pounds per person per day. Of the total MSW, 25 million tons were composted. This included approximately 22.3 million tons of yard trimmings and 2.6 million tons of food waste across the United States. At a local level, Boulder County estimates that almost 20% of the waste stream in Boulder County is plant trimmings and fruit and vegetable scraps that could be recycled as compost. As part of Boulder County’s o...
Whether you read the Nov. 4 issue of the Left Hand Valley Courier on our website or in our print edition, you will notice some big changes. While the pandemic had forced us to stop weekly printing for several months, we recognized that we needed to enhance the Courier's website to attract new subscribers to help us through this crisis. We were fortunate enough to receive a Facebook Journalism Grant that recognized the importance of community journalism. These funds helped us subsidize advertisin...
Last Tuesday, the Niwot Community Association (NCA) hosted a virtual forum for the Boulder County Commissioner Candidates. This year, two of the district seats are up for a county-wide vote, District 1 and District 2. Though the third commissioner, Matt Jones, is from District 3 which includes much of the Left Hand Valley, all commissioners are elected on a county-wide basis. County commissioners assist in making a number of decisions that affect the whole county--road maintenance to allocation of funding for services such as mental health and...
R.L. Maizes is a Niwot local whose debut novel "Other People's Pets" is set in a fictional small town on the front range of Colorado. For Maizes, setting the book in Colorado was a natural choice. "It's so inspiring to look out your window and see a red tailed hawk, to see a fox when you're on your evening walk," said Maizes. "I recently saw a bobcat going behind a neighbor's house. There's incredible wildlife both in Niwot and in Colorado, so it was really a perfect place to set a book about...
While Karen McCormick's journey running for state representative might, at first, seems to be somewhat unique, the common thread throughout her life is service. From the time she was little and watching her father interact with other Navy servicemen to her own career as a veterinarian, McCormick has seen the importance of helping others and strives to do it herself. "My dad...He was captain of an aircraft carrier, he made it a point to go to every department to ask what they needed...more...
In 2020, the public receives news from an enormous number of electronic as well as traditional sources. The information onslaught is relentless, can be frustratingly inaccurate, and isn't always able to portray what occurs in a localized area. Local journalists have an important role to fill in this kind of potentially confusing environment. Community newspapers such as the Left Hand Valley Courier tell stories about businesses, schools, parks, open spaces, neighborhoods, local infrastructure,...
A lot of things had to go right for Niwot football to have a fall season, and somehow, they did. In early August, The Colorado High School Athletics Association (CHSAA) postponed football's fall season until the spring, but on Sept. 16, in conjunction with Gov. Jared Polis, CHSAA allowed football and cheer and dance to opt for a fall season. SVVSD athletic director Chase McBride then had to wait for local health officials to give permission, which they did on Sept. 17, and SVVSD jumped on the...
Area schools received a boost to help high school students on their path to tech career readiness. The National Science Foundation awarded the Saint Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) and Front Range Community College (FRCC) a $494,175 grant to open a Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program in cybersecurity. This will be the SVVSD's, third P-TECH program, with the other programs focused on biomedical sciences at Frederick High School and computer information systems...
A growing number of local families are deeply frustrated with full-time remote learning in the St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD), and now they've banded together in an effort to get students back into the classroom. Earlier this month, five parents from Erie launched the St. Vrain Educational Advocates in hopes of bringing attention to their struggles and working with school and public health officials to combat the "unseen negative consequences" of keeping students isolated at home. "We...
At their virtual meeting on Sept. 1, the Niwot LID advisory committee members got a preview of what could prove to be a very busy fall around town, with funding requests for a slew of upcoming events as well as plans to preserve the Native American tree sculptures carved by the late artist Eddie Running Wolf. Treasurer's Report LID Treasurer Bruce Rabeler went first with an update on the district's finances, though there was nothing new to report on the revenue side, as the Colorado Department...
Gunbarrel resident Julia Williams has been an artist her entire life. A graphic design major at CSU, she has been wanting to paint a portion of the north side Lookout Road underpass for a long time. An opportunity to create her dream piece presented itself, "courtesy" of COVID-19. As the Courier reported in a July 15 article, The City of Boulder through its Boulder Creative Neighborhood Murals Program offers grants to support public art, especially local artists. Williams submitted several desig...
