SandBox Comments: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "Guard unit’s return thrills families"

Gary Harmon:

"MONTROSE—Crystal Kissner was rock solid atop an electrical stanchion that gave her a solid three-foot advantage over the rest of the crowd awaiting the return Thursday afternoon of the 928th Area Support Medical Company of the Colorado National Guard.

“There he is,” Kissner murmured, peering through the viewfinder of her camera. “I got him.”

The face in her viewfinder was that of her husband, Staff Sgt. Marcus Kissner, who returned to western Colorado with more than 50 members of the unit known as the “Witch Doctors.”

The unit arrived home after a charter flight from Washington state to Montrose Regional Airport under a crisp, blue sky.

More than 200 people gathered at the airport entry to cheer and wave bunting for the unit that left a year ago for a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Soldiers were hustled into waiting vans and then to the unit’s armory for debriefing and, eventually, reunion with their families.

“I’m just so excited,” Crystal Kissner said, clutching a poster of the unit’s witch-doctor logo, plus posters drawn by students at Clifton and Mesa View elementary schools, where she works as a substitute teacher.

The Grand Junction couple has two children, Brittani, 14, and Trevor, 12.

For the past year, Crystal Kissner has been able to communicate with Marcus via Skype, email and some regular mail, but she kept herself in the dark about other things.

“I didn’t watch any news for the year he was gone,” she said...."

So hard to think it has been a year since SandBox said goodby to the 928th Area Support Medical Company of the Colorado National Guard known as the 'Witch Doctors'.

Thank you for your service, welcome home.

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SandBox Comments: Denver Post "Feds: Colorado medical-marijuana dispensaries within 1,000 feet of a school must close"

So it begins.

Wonder what the City of Glenwood Springs is going to do now that we move closer to federal closures and prosecutions of marijuana based industry?

At the very least one would think our city council would be bringing the subject up to the people.  Sounds like a good thing for Mayor Pro-Tem Leo McKinney to start tackling.

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SandBox Comments: Steamboat Today "Jimmy Westlake: Viewing Venus"

"Steamboat Springs — Venus, the lovely evening star, is dominating our evening sky right now. She is the first “star” that you’ll see pop out of the evening twilight, so feel free to make a wish on her. The only other object that you might confuse for Venus is the planet Jupiter, which is halfway across the sky from Venus and not quite as bright.

Venus appears so dazzling in our sky for a couple of reasons: First and foremost, Venus is covered in very reflective clouds so that she gleams like a mirror in the sunshine. Second, Venus is relatively close to Earth right now, just more than one astronomical unit away. That distance will decrease during the coming weeks, and Venus will become even brighter in our sky — a blazing star in the evening twilight.

Here are some of the celestial highlights involving Venus this winter and spring while she is in our evening sky:...."
(Jimmy Westlake)

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SandBox Comments: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: December retrospective"

All credit:  Bob Berwyn