Ear to the ground:

“I had a radical hysterectomy. Thankfully, there were no Republicans involved.”
– Local woman discussing a silver lining to a recent medical procedure.

Send them packing

If school shopping is on your list of things to do today or tomorrow, why not throw a few extra supplies in the cart for underprivileged children in La Plata County.

On Fri., Aug. 15, the La Plata Family Centers Coalition will be holding its annual Back-to-School Back Pack drive at Wal-Mart. Volunteers will be on hand to collect school supplies that will in turn be stuffed into 500 backpacks, donated by BP. The backpacks will be given to local school children served by the Family Centers.

While many families of schoolchildren may already know this, sending kids off to school each fall is no cheap affair. Research shows  the average cost of outfitting kids in new clothes, pencils and notebooks  runs about $600 per child.

“The students are always thrilled and so grateful to receive their backpacks,” Family Centers Executive Director Roseann McDermott said.

The drive is also supported by United Way of Southwest Colorado, La Plata Electric Association and Durango Education Foundation.  Volunteers are also needed to distribute the backpacks Saturday from 9 a.m. - 1p.m. To help, call Rachel at 385-4747.

And they’re off

Although you wouldn’t know it in our corner of the state, the 2014 USA Pro Challenge hits the pavement again next week. Now in its fourth year, the race will take 128 of the world’s top cyclists on a tour of the Colorado mountains, from Aug. 18-24. This year’s route starts in Aspen and passes through Crested Butte, Gunnison, Salida, Colorado Springs, Woodland Park, Breckenridge, Vail and Boulder before the grand finale in Denver on Sun., Aug. 24.

Preliminary rosters have been released, with 16 teams vying for top honors, including several racers fresh off the Tour de France. 2013 Pro Challenge Tejay van Garderen, who finished fifth in the Tour, will be returning to defend his title along with his BMC Racing teammates.

The rest of the line-up reads like a who’s who of cycling:  Rafa? Majka and Michael Rogers (riding for the Russians); Ivan Basso (Cannondale, Italy); Jens Voigt (Trek, USA); and FLC alum Tom Danielson (Garmin-Sharp, USA.) “I’m super excited to be coming back,” said Danielson. “It’s the one event every year I really look forward to.”

In addition, this will be the “Farewell Tour” for Voigt, a fan favorite for 17 years. “I chose the Pro Challenge as my final race because of the fans,” said Voigt. “All the fans in Colorado love outdoor activities, so they are all experts … they know exactly how hard it is to go up those crazy-long climbs.”

– XXX