Homecoming

Woodland Park High School will be celebrating homecoming the week of Sept. 9-12.

The festivities begin with the Homecoming Parade on Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. It will be followed by a community tailgate party at the turf field at Gateway.

The homecoming football game will be on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. against league rival Lamar. The following night will be the homecoming dance for grades 9-12 in the main gym.

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State of the County

The State of the County Breakfast will be held on Sept. 23 at 7:30 a.m. at the Ute Pass Cultural Center. Teller County Commissioner Erik Stone will be the speaker for what an event flyer calls “a morning of updates, progress amd community.”

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Truth and Liberty

Charis Bible College is holding a free Truth and Liberty Conference on Sept. 10-12.

“As America celebrated 250 years of liberty this July, millions reflected on the sacrifices, faith and courage that gave birth to this nation,” an event announcement says. “But America’s story is not finished. The celebration may have ended, but the battle for truth and freedom continues.”

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Eleven Mile drownings

The Park County Coroner’s Office has released the names of two men who drowned at Eleven Mile Reservoir within eight days of each other.

The bodies of Paul Scanlon, 67, and Michael Nwansi, 29, were recovered from the reservoir on Aug. 6 and Aug. 14, respectively, authorities said.

Scanlon, of Arvada, was kayaking Aug. 6 when his vessel flipped over, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. First responders pulled him from the water and administered aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Scanlon was wearing a life jacket, officials said.

Nwansi, of Denver, was sharing a paddleboard with another person Aug. 14 when they both fell into the water, according to the Park County Sheriff’s Office. The other paddleboarder was successfully rescued. Search-and-rescue personnel recovered Nwansi later that morning. He was not wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident, officials said.

Both incidents are still under investigation, according to the Coroner’s Office.

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Distracted driving

Colorado State Patrol investigated 3,781 distracted-driving-caused crashes in 2025 along with a range of additional crashes linked to side effects of distracted driving.

In 2025, CSP investigated 4,607 lane violations; 2,954 cases of speeding; 2,919 instances of cars following too closely and 1,883 cases of drivers failing to yield the right of way, according to the release.

While driving at 50 miles per hour, one second of distracted driving equates to 73.33 feet traveled “blindfolded,” a press release said. At 75 miles per hour, that total increases to 110 feet.

A “hands-free” law went into effect in Colorado Jan. 1, 2025, that made holding or manually using a phone or other mobile device for any reason while driving illegal.