- A 49-year-old man was found dead Monday morning near Cortez’s Main Street.
- Standing-room-only crowd attends Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 school board, many in a show of support for former girls’ swimming coach Ian MacLaren.
- Montezuma County Commission hosting a public workshop on BLM Master Leasing Plan.
A 49-year-old man was found dead Monday morning near Cortez’s Main Street. Police Chief Roy Lane reports that Brainard Cuthair of Towaoc was spotted at 8:19 a.m. by city employees collecting recycling. Cuthair was reportedly lying at the top of a grassy area behind Shiloh’s Restaurant near Walmart. There were no signs of trauma or a struggle. Autopsy results are pending.
A standing-room-only crowd attended Tuesday night’s meeting of the Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 school board, many in a show of support for former girls’ swimming coach Ian MacLaren, who was let go in November. Several current and former swim-team members or parents read statements praising MacLaren’s skills and character. However, others said they supported the school’s decision to replace the fourth-year coach. MacLaren is the fourth MCHS coach to be terminated this season. Re-1 Superintendent Alex Carter said the audience was the largest he’d ever seen for a school-board meeting, and board member Jack Schuenemeyer said he wished such crowds showed up to talk about academic issues.
The Montezuma County Commissioners are hosting a public workshop on Thursday, December 10th, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the County Annex. This workshop is to seek public feedback on specific lands being considered for a BLM Master Leasing Plan for oil and gas development.