By Shannon Lukens.
Osnel Perez-Palacio was sentenced Thursday in Routt County Court. He was one of the men arrested Dec. 5 on charges of theft and burglary of gas from the Pilot Gas Station on 13th Street. The agreement reached was that Perez-Palacio would be sentenced to four months in jail, with 85 days already served, which means 35 days remaining. He also has to pay restitution of $6,550.
David Caboverde will be sentenced next Tuesday. Caboverde was with Perez-Palacio and also arrested Dec. 5. He will be making a plea and getting sentenced in Routt County Court at 3 p.m. next Tuesday, March 4.
Also, in Routt County Court on Thursday, a warrant was issued for a Failure to Appear for 27-year-old Darwin Mejia-Cruz. He was allegedly involved in an incident at Dream Island Mobile Park last month, where a gun was fired. Mejia-Cruz didn’t show up for his court date, but the attorney assigned to him said he was picked up by ICE and may have been removed from the United States. He is not in the ICE detention facility in Denver. With that warrant out for his arrest, he will be arrested if he ever re-enters the country.
Howelsen Ice Arena was the site of the Celebration of Life for Pete Van De Carr Thursday afternoon. Friends and family spoke about Pete’s impact on the community. The longtime Steamboat Springs local was the owner of Backdoor Sports and he was also a huge supporter of hockey and rugby, the Yampa River, and the Steamboat Springs community.
Be aware again this weekend in the backcountry, after a busy week of avalanches in Colorado. Here’s Brian Lazar with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
“Avalanches have taken place in every aspect in every elevation over the last week, pushing over 200 avalanches, just in the last week alone. And again, it’s the size of these things which is really what is scaring us.”
It’s the warm weather that has cause the heavy, wet avalanches. Lazar says that will continue through the weekend until Sunday evening when winter weather returns.
“So as we get into Sunday night and Monday, things will freeze. The wet avalanche activity will come to an end and we’ll start to pile up new snow. So we’ll have a return of storm snow instability, new fresh wind slabs and of course our persistent wind slab avalanche problem will stay with us.”
Check avalanche conditions at Colorado.gov/avalanches.
Deputy City Manager Tom Leeson is expected to be the new City Manager for Steamboat Springs. City Council is meeting March 4 to vote and confirm the decision. Leeson has been serving as interim City Manager, after the retirement of Gary Suiter.
Measles cases are rising in the United States. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is urging Colorado residents to get vaccinated against measles, as it is highly contagious. They say to especially consider getting vaccinated before spring break.
Today is the deadline to pay the first half of your property taxes. This is for those taxpayers who pay their taxes in two equal installments. The first half is due Feb. 28. The second half is due June 15. Or one payment in full can be made by April 30.
Fifty-two SoRoCo Middle School students spent the day Thursday at Stagecoach State Park.
“My name is Maci and I’m in 7th grade. And I love just being outdoors and doing science. I’m Zariah Smith and I’m in 8th grade, and I love this and we get to be outside and learn and do a bunch of fun activities.”
Julie Hoff teaches middle school science and organizes the day of activities at Stagecoach, which they do three times a year.
“We have this beautiful resource here and I wanted to make sure we utilize it. So we do science in the morning with Yampatika. In the afternoons, we focus on responsible use and responsible recreation. So we have all kinds of recreation activities.”
Those activities include ice fishing, snowshoeing, avalanche rescue, sledding, ski bikes and cross country skiing. The ski equipment was donated from Ski Haus for the kids to use. For lunch, parents sent in crockpots full of soups.
More on the Story — SoRoCo Middle School students study science and have fun at Stagecoach
Backcountry permits for overnight camping in the wilderness areas of Rocky Mountain National Park during peak season go on sale at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 1. The permits are sold online only, through Recreation.gov.
Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Permits
The application period for Colorado big-game licenses begins Saturday, March 1. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has made changes to the licenses, seasons and fees for this year. There are new rules for nonresidents, mainly with archery elk licenses. A video from CPW says hunting licenses have been reduced and restricted because of the very harsh winter in 2023, especially in Northwest Colorado. There was an exceptionally high mortality rate among deer, elk, and pronghorn.
“Big game biologists estimate that it may take three to five years for big game herds to recover and for populations and sex ratios to meet objectives. CPW thanks hunters for their continued patience until herds have fully recovered and license restrictions can be lifted.”
Moose licenses have also been added for the late rifle season in October.
CPW also has more on how to tell the difference between a coyote and a gray wolf, along with the state and federal penalties for killing a gray wolf in Colorado. State penalties for an illegal kill of a gray wolf include:
- Civil penalties of at least $1,000
- Criminal fines of up to $100,000
- Imprisonment for up to one year
- Suspension of license privileges for up to life
Agents are able to answer questions during regular business hours at 303-297-1192. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Hunting Resources
VIDEO — ‘What’s New’ 2025 Colorado Big-Game Hunting
More on the Story – Application period for Colorado big-game licenses begins March 1
Partners for Youth in Moffat County has organized fun events for middle school and high school students in Craig and Moffat County. It’s always free and food is provided, and kids can win prizes. Contact: Mackenzie@partnersyouth.org Friday, Feb. 28 is Blacklight Silent Disco from 9-10:30 p.m. in the commons at Moffat County High School.
There is an Ice Fishing Tournament Saturday, March 1, at Steamboat Lake. It’s a benefit for North Routt Community Charter School. Pre-register at the Steamboat Lake Outpost. The entry fee is $40, with kids 15 and under fishing free. Fish for big prizes, including a Three Forks Guided Fishing Adventure, an overnight stay at Three Forks Guest Ranch, and an ice fishing kit for kids. You can also big online at 32Auctions.com/NRCCS. Register today at NorthRouttCharter.org
The hills will be alive when the Sound of Music takes the stage in June. Tryouts are this weekend for kids ages six to 19. The Sound of Music is being presented by the Steamboat Spring Actor’s Studio and Undiscovered Earth. Auditions are from 1-5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Wildhorse Cinema. Singers need to come prepared to sing a song. The Sound of Music will be on stage at Strings June 6-8. Questions? Contact Marje Tracy at Marjetracy@gmail.com
It is Ski Free Sunday at Howelsen Hill. The City of Steamboat Springs is working with Queer Futures to make it a LGBTQ+ Pride-Themed day at Howelsen Hill. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Sunday. There’s a free lunch at noon and a community Rainbow Run on Long John at 1:15 p.m. Costumes are encouraged.
In sports…
The Steamboat Sailors Hockey Team is headed to the Frozen Four in the CHSAA 4A State Hockey Playoffs after a big shutout Wednesday night at Howelsen Ice Arena. The #2 ranked Sailors face the Pine Creek Eagles at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Robson Arena in Colorado Springs. Listen on KTYV 105.7 Sports on FM. The other game is Glenwood against Summit.
Six alumni of Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club have qualified for the 2025 NCAA Ski Championships, in alpine and cross country.
- Bode Flanigan, Boston College (alpine)
- Nicholas Unkovskoy, Middlebury (alpine)
- Hannah Soria, Colby College (alpine)
- Isabelle Washburn, Dartmouth College (alpine)
- Chase High, St. Scholastica (Nordic)
- Grey Barbier, Montana State University (nordic)
The Varsity Colorado State High School Championships for Nordic Skiing continue today at Howelsen Hill.
Check out what’s happening in the Yampa Valley on the Community Calendar on our website.
For the KRAI Time, Temp, and Weather Hotline, call 970-824-1918.