Sunday, June 20th - Summer Begins At 6:57pm Tonight... The annual "Summer Solstice" occurs this evening at 6:57pm MDT... This is when the sun reaches it's farthest point North and begins it's six month journey Southward... Our days will now be progressively getting shorter until December 21st, when the Sun reaches it's Southernmost point and starts North once again... This apparent movement of the Sun is due to the Earth's tilt in respect to it's orbit... More information can be found below:

Thursday, June 17th - Area Photographer Passes On... It is with sadness that we report, Estes Park photographer Jim Osterberg passed away on Wednesday morning... Osterberg was well known for his spectacular photographs and his work on the Estes Park Vacation Planner... "As a fellow photographer, Jim was one of the best... His work will continue to live on for years to come",  states SMN owner Darrell Spangler, "I remember back when "Hale-Bopp" was here, and sharing in his photographic interest of the event"...  Visitation for Mr. Osterberg is scheduled at Allnutt Funeral Home, 1302 Graves Avenue, Estes Park, on Saturday, June 19th from 2:00 until 5:00 PM...  Memorial donations may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Fund through Allnutt... We would like to extend our sincere condolences to the Osterberg family and all of Jim's friends... 

Rains Continue To Soak Area... Welcomed and much needed rain is continuing to soak the area for the second day... The forecast is calling for showers and storms each day through the weekend with the possibility of some becoming severe... With the ground becoming saturated, residents should stay alert for changing conditions as heavy rains could quickly lead to flash flooding, particularly in drainage areas near the "Bobcat Gulch" widlfire region... No flood watches or warnings are in effect at this time for the Drake/Storm Mountain area...

Tuesday, June 15th - Lost Dog Found After Being Hit By Truck... One of two "Great Pyrenees" that escaped from their kennel last week has been recovered... The large white dog was reportedly struck by a truck early this morning and taken, by a resident who found it, to an animal clinic in Estes Park where it was eventually reunited with it's owner... The dog suffered only minor injuries... A second dog is still lost and the owner is asking residents to please help in getting the dog back home... If you see or have any information about this dog please contact SMN at: 622-9796, or Roger at: 290-1402...

Monday, June 14th - Gas Prices Unchanged In Estes... Despite recent drops in oil prices, the price at the pumps in the Estes Park area have remained unchanged... A check this morning showed a gallon of regular at $2.13 to $2.15... Gas prices in the valley have been reported to have dropped as much as $0.06 in the past couple days, with an average price of $1.96 for a gallon of regular...