City, Politics and Northern Colorado

Just a Matter of Time

2011-05-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

As my graduation date draws near with a degree in journalism and minors in history and communications, I feel like there are a myriad of things that I will be taking with me as I leave the University of Northern Colorado.

The journalism field continues to move into the online realm. I feel the journalism program has prepared me when it comes to working with computers and the various programs associated with this profession. During my four years in the journalism program at UNC, I am exceedingly pleased with the education I received.

If I were to provide guidance to future students in the program, I would suggest taking more multimedia classes and to pay close attention during lessons about interviewing. All aspects of the program are designed to have the student succeed and to prepare them for a life after college. There have been times when my writing was fantastic and other times when it has been sloppy. This is something I will continue to strive for and become more consistent with.

As sad as I am to leave UNC, I am also excited to begin the next step of my life, career and academia. Ideally, my perfect job would incorporate writing of some sort, it does not have to be for a newspaper, but if I am able to include my love into my future career then I know I will have succeeded with my goals.

Road Diet

2011-04-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

Items at City Hall have been fairly quiet lately. The main exception to that would be the “road diet” which the city is considering.

Traffic planners for Greeley could put the city on a “road diet,” in the next 25 years to reduce costs and to get as much of the city’s roadways utilized as possible. This means that particular areas of roads that rise up on the maintenance lists will be examined for possible lane reductions to accommodate turning lanes and bike lines in an attempt to minimize congestion and compound the uses of the road. Some of the plans could include the installation of roundabouts and any new major roads will be constructed for various uses. One of the main issues this diet faces is the possibility for road congestion on U.S. 34 and then it could create the problem of diverting traffic either north or south of the major highway.

Update at the Midway Point

2011-03-11T16:48:00.000-08:00

Covering a beat is not the easiest task for a journalist. It is time consuming, exciting and, at times, a little dull. However, I have enjoyed writing about my beat, the Greeley City Council, this semester. This topic is something I find interesting because not many people follow local politics and are usually unaware of the issues in their communities. I have written two stories this semester. The first was a day-in-the-life story, where I spent a day aboard the UNC Bear Bus. It was interesting seeing the types of people who use public transportation and those who are occasional users. The second story I wrote was a profile piece on Robb Casseday, the newest City Council member. This story was interesting to write because it allowed me to know Casseday as a person instead of solely as a councilmember. I enjoyed completing both of these stories; the only aspect of these stories that I have disliked thus far has been the video assignment for the profile piece. I think the things that I have done consistently well would be either my interviews or my observations. The one thing that I can improve upon is not leaving my assignments to the last minute to complete. I am looking forward to the rest of the semester so I can continue to report and learn about my beat and the people on it.

Same Council: New Perspective

2011-02-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

For most individuals blogging is a new and exciting frontier. I am one of the few individuals who can say this is not my first venture into this arena. This is the second class I have had to write a blog for, and the second time I have covered the Greeley City Council. The first class I covered the council for was reporting on contemporary issues. Unlike my first trip into the blogging atmosphere I am more confident with my skills as a reporter, and I know that blogging is something I enjoy, because it allows me to share my thoughts and inform the public what is happening in the City of Greeley. I have completed two internships with the South Platte Sentinel in Sterling, Colo. That experience has prepared me for covering and reporting on a deadline. With this experience I hope to further my knowledge of running and operating a blog.

“This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

2009-12-08T20:22:00.000-08:00

Most journalism classes deal with the typical writing stories, editing, designing and how to put all of those aspects together into a cohesive unit. However, this class was different. It never occurred to me that I would learn so much about local government, not in a political science class, but instead in a journalism class. This class incorporated how to create and update a blog, as well as, the creation of a class Web site.

This class helped to reinforce what I had learned during my internship, and it helped act as a guiding force into the real world of journalism. For students planning on taking this class, do not do so with a light heart; be prepared to work for your grade. The one thing that I do wish that we would have done is covered different types of city government.

One of the most difficult aspects of this class is setting up interview times. This class only met once a week, which makes procrastinating that much easier. When writing stories and setting up interviews, the sooner it is done, the better. The council members are busy, but they are willing to work with you.

If I had known all of the work that was involved with this class, I probably would not have registered for it, but the assignments were done in a manner that wasn't overwhelming. I am glad that I took this class because it provided real world experience in an educational setting.

New Council Spreads Wings

2009-11-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

The Nov. 17 meeting of the Greeley City Council marked a first for several of the new council members.

This was the first meeting to discuss business for the recently elected council, senior council members. The meeting served as a way for the new council members to wet their feet and become acclimated with the new council and have individuals approach them with questions and concerns.

There was still some trepidation with the new council, but they seemed to have a well functioning synergy. New mayor, Tom Norton, was absent due to an obligation he had to attend in another state. John Gates from Ward III acted as mayor pro-tem.

Norton was sworn in at a special meeting held at 6 p.m. on Nov. 16. He was not sworn in with the rest of the council because there were unqualified ballots that needed to be counted before he could assume the seat previously filled by Ed Clark.

It was a brief meeting, but the council members used it to get a feel for their new partners on the council. The council also discussed the new committees they would be working for, and some took the time to thank previous committees they had served on.

Election Night in a Newsroom

2009-11-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

Several new faces will be joining the Greeley City Council after the Nov. 3 elections.

Election night in a newsroom is a buzz worthy venue. The Tribune in Greeley, Colo., is an interesting place to witness the results come in from the county clerk and recorder's office. Some of the electoral races had clear victors, while the other races were too close to call. The night started off with a staff meeting in which Tribune Editor Randy Bangert, and Managing Editor, Kelly Tracer assigned stories and deadlines to the reporters and editors.

Between having to constantly update the public on the results of the races, and coming up with different headlines and leads for candidates who may or may win, this makes people working there have to operate on a different level.

In Ward II, Donna Sapienza has the edge of Randy Sleight with 57.95% of the vote. Ward III has been captured by John Gates with 77.21% of the vote. Mike Finn and Bill Sterling are battling it out in Ward IV and Sandi Elder has the lead in the at-large election with 48.32%.

Spending election night in a newsroom is a highly educational experience. Watching people layout pages, and turn in and edit ever changing results. After witnessing this, I now realize the importance of having faith in your co-workers to know that they will get their stories turned in on time, which in turn results in a well oiled machine.

Marijuana Dispensaries Go Up in Smoke

2009-10-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

The Greeley City Council voted 6-1 in favor of not allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in Greeley.

This ordinance specifically prohibits dispensaries to be established as an allowed land use under the development code. This action does not prevent individual patients from cultivating or using medical marijuana in the city, nor does it hinder in the delivery of medical marijuana to patients in the city by care-givers who operate dispensaries outside of Greeley or the ability of groups of patients to collectively cultivate marijuana for medicinal purposes, as long as these activities are in compliance with state law.

At-large council member, Carrol Martin was the only member on the council to disagree with the ordinance.

“I don’t believe that marijuana should be legalized…yet, if we do allow this, then it should be highly regulated, and if we required everyone to register then there is less of a chance for it to be sold to kids,” Martin said.

While mayor Ed Clark disagreed with Martin’s regulation ideas.

“We already do regulate it, by not allowing it into the community,” Clark said.

As of right now, cities do not have the direction on how to deal with this law or how to enforce it. Under Colorado law, medical marijuana may be cultivated and consumed by people with a doctor’s prescription as a treatment for several chronic ailments including muscle and nerve disorders, glaucoma, wasting disease and the side effects of chemotherapy.

Construction Fees Denied

2009-10-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

The continuation of the final reading of an ordinance that established development fees for public improvements, facilities and equipment for trails, drainage and transportation services was met with a resounding no at the Greeley City Council meeting Tuesday night.
The council denied the proposal after listening to several members of the community. The council members felt that with the current economy, now was not the right time to be raising fees. The board’s collective mindset was pro-business, but they did not support the raise in fees.
Some council members were in favor of looking at this issue 18 months from now. The council is also willing to be patient and wait for the economy to stabilize and will wait for another business to popup within the community.
In 2007, a study of the transportation, drainage and trail impact fees was completed. The fees are then charged to the new development with the revenue generated to be used to build a new infrastructure to support the development.
The plan was developed as an option to boost the construction development fees over a five year period, while residential fees would essentially remain the same as current fees. Depending on location within the city, commercial and retail businesses would have had decreases in overall fees.

Getting Started

2009-09-22T18:59:00.001-07:00

Blogging is a new frontier for most individuals; I am not exempt from this experience. This is the first class that I have had to write a blog for; my other classes have required formal writing assignments. It is similar, because both require me to place my ideas into words and onto a page. I think that blogging is something that I will enjoy, because it will allow me to share my thoughts and what is going on in the City of Greeley. I hope to gain a better knowledge of how to operate and run a blog.