Civic Election results: D51 override and Orchard Mesa pool fail, Hurd pulls ahead in CD3 Unofficial results from Mesa, Montrose, Garfield and Delta counties as of 5:38 p.m. Wednesday, with most local ballots counted: what is settled and what is still close. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 9 min read
A Grand Valley Transit bus on Main Street in downtown Grand Junction, June 2022. Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Grand Valley Transit proposes cutting the first hour of bus service starting in January Two options would push the first downtown departure to 6:15 a.m. on weekdays, and possibly Saturdays too. Comments are open through Nov. 21. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 2 min read
Mesa County plans to spend $31.9 million from reserves and cut 61 positions in its 2027 budget Commissioners vote Nov. 17. Much of the reserve draw is for approved capital projects, but the general fund keeps spending more than it takes in. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 3 min read
Mesa County I-70 daytime lane closures hit Grand Junction next week I-70 between Horizon Drive and Clifton runs one lane each way from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, Fourth Street downtown is closed through Nov. 20, COtrip lists Hanging Lake Tunnel lane closures through Nov. 6, and 6000 Road north of Banner Road in Montrose County is closed by flooding. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 6 min read
Photo by Nils Huenerfuerst / Unsplash Halloween Lands on a Saturday: Candy Crawls, Costume Parties and an Extra Hour of Sleep Trick-or-treating in Fruita and Delta, Montrose's Candy Crawl, a ballet at the Asteria, costume parties in Grand Junction and the Rim Rock Marathon. Here is what is happening on the Western Slope this Halloween weekend. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 3 min read
Civic Civic Look-ahead, Week of Oct. 26: Budget season heats up in Grand Junction and Fruita Grand Junction and Fruita hold budget workshops, Montrose County commissioners meet in Olathe, and Garfield and Montrose are lined up for Nov. 2. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 5 min read
Mesa County I-70 closures hit Grand Junction, Glenwood Canyon this week I-70 ramps at Horizon Drive close in stages Sunday and Monday nights, Fourth Street is closed downtown, Four Canyons Parkway is open, US 6 east of Fruita has night flaggers, and the Hanging Lake Tunnel repair is scheduled to finish by Oct. 31. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 5 min read
Events Western Slope Weekend, Oct. 23-25: Sara Evans, Main Street trick-or-treating and a film night in Rifle Sara Evans at the Avalon, trick-or-treating on a closed-off Main Street in Grand Junction, a free home expo in Montrose, the Wild and Scenic Film Fest in Rifle, and Dia de los Muertos in Carbondale. Here is what is happening in Mesa, Montrose and Garfield counties this weekend. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 5 min read
Civic Grand Junction backs off its plan to move the Senior Recreation Center City Manager Mike Bennett says the city will keep the center at 550 Ouray Ave. and cover about $100,000 a year in building costs. The 2027 budget it came from still has one workshop and two hearings to go. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 2 min read
Civic The $101 million Glenwood Canyon I-70 overhaul slides to 2028 because of the Aspen airport closure CDOT did not want a seven-month airport shutdown and a canyon construction season in the same summer. The state added $5 million to cover the cost of waiting. Meanwhile, emergency tunnel repairs are slowing westbound traffic through Oct. 31. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 2 min read
Civic Civic Look-ahead, Week of Oct. 19: Data center pauses and a Garfield hearing Grand Junction and Fruita both weigh pauses on new data center applications this week. Garfield County holds a Monday hearing on a planned development, and Montrose votes Tuesday on a housing resolution and shelter funding. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 6 min read
Civic Su boleta, en español: guía electoral del Western Slope para noviembre de 2026 La boleta de noviembre está en inglés. Nuestra guía en español explica cada pregunta, qué significa desde el Western Slope y cómo votar, incluido dónde pedir ayuda en español. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 1 min read
Mesa County Road work: Patterson signal dark Saturday, Blue Mesa holds The Patterson and 25 Road signal is off Saturday, the westbound US 6 closure through Palisade is off COtrip's list, Rifle closes East Seventh Street through Wednesday, US 50 at Blue Mesa gets 20-minute holds, and Hanging Lake Tunnel holds run through Oct. 31. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 6 min read
Celtic Thunder Events Western Slope Weekend, Oct. 16-18: Two Oktoberfests, Celtic Thunder and a pirate haunted house Two Oktoberfests in Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, Celtic Thunder at the Avalon, electric violinist Mia Asano at the Mesa Theater, Symphony in the Valley in Rifle and Glenwood, and a fall festival in Delta. Here is what is happening in Mesa, Montrose and Garfield counties this weekend. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 5 min read
2026 Election Endorsements Trellis editorial. Our news coverage of every measure, without a position, is in the Western Slope Voter Guide. This is where we tell you what we think. Before you get to the 14 statewide measures, look at the bottom of your ballot. District 51 wants a $23.2 million override By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 6 min read
Civic Grand Junction and Mesa County propose 2027 budgets with staffing cuts; Montrose opens at-large council vacancy Grand Junction and Mesa County unveiled 2027 budgets that cut staff, Grand Junction took the first vote on a one-year data center pause, and Montrose opened an at-large council seat. The data center hearing and the Montrose application deadline both fall on Oct. 21. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 5 min read
Mesa County Road construction alert: US 6 closed in Palisade, Ida Road closes Monday Four Canyons Parkway is set to open, Patterson and 25 Road lose their signal two Saturdays in a row, and Glenwood Canyon has tunnel holds through Oct. 31. Here's what's under construction in Mesa, Garfield and Montrose counties this weekend and the week of Oct. 12. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 6 min read
Photo by Geoffrey Moffett / Unsplash Civic Grand Junction moves toward a one-year pause on data centers Grand Junction City Council approved the first reading of a one-year pause on data center applications for facilities drawing one megawatt or more. A public hearing is set for Oct. 21. Mesa County adopted its own moratorium on Sept. 29. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 3 min read
Events Rooftop disco, Octoberfest's last call and ghost walks Comedian John Crist at the Avalon, Paul Cauthen at the Mesa Theater, a 70s rooftop dance party, the last Octoberfest of the season at Glenwood Caverns and a craft expo in downtown Glenwood. Here is what is happening in Mesa, Montrose and Garfield counties this weekend. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 3 min read
Civic Western Slope civic week ahead: Budgets, a data center pause and a Montrose council appointment Grand Junction considers a data center pause and about $10 million in budget adjustments, Montrose is expected to fill a council vacancy, and Mesa County weighs new paratransit buses. Your October 5–11 guide to public meetings across the Western Slope, with hearing dates and ways to weigh in. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 6 min read
Civic ID numbers on mail ballots and two other voting amendments Amendments 84, 85 and 86 would change how mail ballots are checked, how ballot questions are written, and when congressional maps can be redrawn. Mesa County has history with the first and a stake in the third. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 4 min read
Photo by John Bell / Unsplash Events Western Slope Weekend Oct 2-4: Blue Angels Above, Art and Harvests Below Blue Angels over Grand Junction, artists on Main Street, fresh-hop beer in Montrose and Potato Days in Carbondale: your October 2–4 weekend guide covers the big gatherings and quieter outings, with parking reservations, ticket details and a car-free harvest party in Basalt. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 5 min read
Events Western Slope Weekend: Paonia’s Harvest Festival, Ghost Walks and Pumpkin Picking Paonia’s Mountain Harvest Festival fills the weekend with music, farm tours and local food. Across the Western Slope, September 25–27 also brings ghost walks in Glenwood Springs, pumpkin picking near Montrose, and a sidewalk sale and concerts in Grand Junction. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 4 min read
Civic Western Slope Voters Face Choices on Hunting Rights and Wildfire Funding Western Slope voters face two outdoor-related ballot measures this fall. Amendment 83 would establish constitutional hunting and fishing rights. Proposition 137 would direct existing tax revenue to conservation and wildfire prevention. Here’s what would change and how the measures differ. By Western Slope Trellis Staff • 4 min read
