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Scott Franz

Stories by Scott

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Steamboat invites public to help shape future of Emerald Mountain Park

City officials are hoping community members who already flock to the park to hike, bike or horseback ride will share their thoughts on how the park should be developed in the future.

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Hayden graduates 31 seniors in lively ceremony

The graduating seniors plan to study psychology, mechanical engineering, gunsmithing, pediatric nursing, dental hygiene and environmental science, among many other topics.

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Great Sand Dunes National Park is a photographer's dream

It'll probably take another couple of weeks for me to get all of the sand out of my car and the focus ring on my camera. By then, I already may be on my way back to the dunes.

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As city's plans for new police station progress, proposal for new fire station on pause

Until February, a new fire station was included in all of the city's multiple proposals to relocate its emergency services out of the existing headquarters on Yampa Street.

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Lowell Whiteman students reflect on global excursions

More than 30 students from The Lowell Whiteman School recently returned from their spring trips around the globe as part of the campus's Global Immersion Studies program.

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Successful suicide prevention program in Steamboat to be in spotlight at mental health conference

The program has a team of volunteers on call at all hours to help people who find themselves at Yampa Valley Medical Center following a suicide attempt or who have had suicidal thoughts.

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Road construction season starts in Steamboat with work on city's busiest intersection

Through early June, motorists should expect to encounter some delays and lane closures at Third Street and Lincoln Avenue as workers improve the traffic signals at the intersection and realign lanes.

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Buck Brannaman horse clinics bring riders from all over the world to Hayden

The clinics at the Routt County Fairgrounds in Hayden over the weekend marked Brannaman's 20th in the Yampa Valley,

Community support helping to close major budget shortfall at Heritage Christian School

An outpouring of community support along with some recent gains in enrollment have upgraded Heritage Christian School's financial situation from dire to optimistic.

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The Lowell Whiteman School's new leader has long history with campus

Meg Morse last month was named the interim head of school immediately after former campus head Chris Taylor retired earlier than expected.

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Third-graders in Steamboat Springs continue to outperform state results on standardized reading test

The results from the reading portion of the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program released Tuesday showed third-graders here scored well above the state average.

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Revived plan to build police station in Steamboat Springs clears important hurdle

Although the Steamboat Springs City Council agreed Tuesday night that a new, more efficient facility is needed, the project still must clear more hurdles and votes in the weeks to come.

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8th-graders take over college campus in Steamboat Springs for career day

More than 400 eighth-grade boys and girls from public and private schools throughout Northwest Colorado descended on the Colorado Mountain College campus in Steamboat Springs for a day of workshops, food and fun.

Steamboat Springs School District expects more revenue in budget next school year

For the first time in five years, the district is anticipating it will receive more from the state for each of its students, not less.

Jerry Buelter named Steamboat Springs Middle School's next principal

Buelter, the school's longtime assistant principal, will take over the helm for Tim Bishop beginning in the fall.

Steamboat Springs High School earns high rating from national magazine

U.S. News & World Report recently ranked the campus as the 20th best high school in Colorado based on the academic performance of its students.

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North Routt Chili Cookoff draws a big crowd

The North Routt Chili Cookoff and the Flamingo Flocking Fundraiser together raised $3,310 for the North Routt Community Charter School and the North Routt Preschool.

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Steamboat Springs City Council to discuss police station relocation Tuesday

City officials will be challenged to convince the Steamboat Springs City Council that the police station, which has been passed over for several years because of limited funding, should be a budget priority.

Steamboat Education Fund Board set to give final OK to grant requests

The second readings of the grants come after the board's grant-vetting committee spent months trimming by about $300,000 an initial list of requests worth $2.75 million.

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Postal Service completes move of Sundance mailboxes to downtown location

The Postal Service recently finished moving all 2,584 mailboxes from the Sundance at Fish Creek substation to the downtown station.

Steamboat Springs School District plans to change how pay raises are calculated for top employees

For years, the district's directors and administrators have received pay raises based on how much of an increase the district's teachers and classified staff receive.

US Sen. Michael Bennet to host town hall in Steamboat Springs on Friday

The Democratic senator from Colorado is expected to talk with residents about a wide range of issues, including the Farm Bill, forest health and the upcoming wildfire season.

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With low enrollment, Steamboat Springs School District's Montessori program might end

Started in fall 2004, the district's elementary school Montessori program at Strawberry Park Elementary School once was so popular parents had to hope their child's name was drawn from a lottery to earn a spot in the class.

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Steamboat Ski Area testing lights for possible night skiing

A bigger Four Points restaurant isn't the only new attraction in the works at Steamboat Ski Area. The resort also is looking into the possibility of illuminating some of its lower-mountain terrain to offer night skiing.

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Steamboat educators still not on board with major school finance bill that is nearing governor's desk

The caucus that represents more than 100 rural school districts across the state is not backing the major school finance bill approved Monday by the Colorado House of Representatives.

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At lively town hall in Steamboat Springs, state Rep. Diane Mitsch Bush defends gun control measures

During the two-hour meeting, the Democratic freshman representative didn't shy away from any political hot topics as she also discussed her positions on several other pieces of legislation.

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Winter-like weather returns to forecast in Steamboat Springs

After a few days of sunshine and warm temperatures, weather forecasters are predicting a blast of winter-like weather will return to Steamboat Springs on Tuesday.

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Veterans returning home from combat readjust to civilian life in Routt County

After more than a decade of deployments to the Middle East, soldiers are learning to adapt to life away from the war zone.

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Routt County Veterans Affairs officer, volunteers secure benefits for soldiers

The flurry of activity in Michael Condie’s office earlier this month reveals why it could take decades for communities across the United States to fully realize all of the physical and mental impacts the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have had on young veterans.

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Dean Smith reflects on 37 years in the military

At age 60, the assistant manager of Yampa Valley Regional Airport glows when he talks about the service to his country that started at the advice of a judge when he was 17.

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Routt County high school students eager to start serving in military

There are five seniors in Routt County who have enlisted in the military this school year, and they represent a very small percentage of their graduating classes.

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AUDIO SLIDESHOW: Memories of war recounted by Ty Upson

Ty Upson pauses at each photo in the album. The mosques, sunsets and sandstorms each evoke a powerful memory of his two deployments to Iraq.

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After finishing in 2nd for lodging tax dollars, Yampa Street stakeholders resume other revitalization efforts

The lodging tax committee's decision makes the outlook for the Yampa promenade project muddier, Mainstreet Steamboat Springs Manager Tracy Barnett said, but not impossible.

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Fund Board agrees on minimum level of funding for Steamboat Springs School District

The decision came after members of the board expressed concern that the district's share of the available tax revenue has fallen in recent years, while Hayden and Soroco's shares have risen.

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Snowy start to workweek in Steamboat Springs should give way to warmer days

A break from the recent snow and cold Sunday spurred bikers to hit area roads and kayakers to play in the Yampa River. And some more warm days are in this week's forecast for the Yampa Valley.

To mend athletics shortfall, Steamboat school district considering a combination of fee increases, program cuts

Proposed changes include a new $20 fee on extra-curricular activities, a scaling back of the cheerleading program and the elimination of the high school's speech team.

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Trails projects poised to earn backing of lucrative lodging tax revenue

The lodging tax committee agreed Wednesday to recommend that the Steamboat Springs Trails Alliance's sweeping trails projects receive 90 percent, or an estimated $600,000, of the tax revenue annually for the next decade.

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City officials project urban renewal authority funding will be scarce for future base area projects

Steamboat Springs city officials told the city council on Tuesday night that funding for base area improvements from the urban renewal authority will be scarce for at least the next three to four years.

In wide-ranging meeting, Steamboat School Board weighs in on budget proposals

In a wide-ranging meeting Monday night, the Steamboat Springs School board weighed in on the district's budget proposals for next school year and tabled a request to renew the contracts of the district's administrators and directors.

Northwest Colorado BOCES hires next executive director

The BOCES board last week announced Amy Bollinger, a longtime educator, will start as executive director of the agency July 1st.

Steamboat Springs Redevelopment Authority to discuss base area improvement plans

The Steamboat Springs City Council on Tuesday night will discuss the plans to improve the base of the ski area amid some tension with stakeholders who help to oversee the projects there.

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Nancy Spillane praised for leading troubled Denver preschool to a better place

Parents, teachers and new board members at Paddington Station Preschool said this week that Nancy Spillane was a savior. She was a friend. She was exactly what the troubled school needed when it desperately needed it.

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Heritage Christian School seeks community support to survive budget crisis

A daunting $260,000 shortfall at the school is being met with prayer and a strong resolve to carry on.

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Steamboat Springs School District lays out options to solve athletic funding crisis

The Steamboat Springs School District is more determined than ever to end its two-tiered system of sports funding next school year. But in order for all 22 sports programs in the district to be funded equitably, something has to give.

Steamboat Springs School District kicks off budget season with community forum

On a night when the budget proposals of seven district programs and buildings were presented to the public, funding for the elementary schools spurred the most feedback.

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Giving circle bolsters area nonprofit groups with grants

A growing nonprofit dedicated to preventing suicides in Northwest Colorado will expand its reach thanks to the continuing generosity of a passionate giving circle.

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Steamboat Springs School District's budget season starts Monday with community forum

Board President Brian Kelly said the school district will have to “take a hard look” at a small number of school programs and classes that have declining enrollment and decide whether they should continue to be funded.

Steamboat Springs City Council gives final OK to major condo project

A major condo project slated for Whistler Road and Skyview Terrace earned final approval from the Steamboat Springs City Council on Tuesday night, but some of the development's neighbors aren't happy with the decision.

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Lodging tax finalists make closing arguments

Although the lodging tax committee didn't eliminate any projects during the three-hour meeting, some of its members did start advocating for certain projects and two frontrunners emerged.

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Stormwater task force starts meeting in Steamboat Springs

A task force composed of 17 engineers, property managers, hydrologists and city officials has embarked on its mission to help the city chart a course for millions of dollars' worth of potential improvements to its stormwater system.

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