Latest news with #WhiteRiver
CBS News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Dangerous conditions for trout cause Colorado officials to close 2 rivers to fishing
Officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife decided this week to restrict fishing on two waterways while simultaneously giving anglers permission to remove all the fish they can from a reservoir. Low water levels are responsible in both cases. Cold-water species like trout are now stressed in sections of the White and Crystal Rivers in northwestern Colorado, the agency explained. Snowmelt coming from the mountains is decreasing and the volume of water in the rivers is falling below 50% of average. This, combined with mid-summer heat, has water temperatures reaching 71 degrees, a dangerous conditions for cold-water fish. Trout, in particular, struggle to recover following capture this time of year. "CPW takes implementing fishing closures very seriously," Northwest Region Senior Aquatic Biologist Ben Felt stated in a press release. "Closures, voluntary or mandatory, are implemented once river conditions meet a threshold where fish health is impacted." The voluntary fishing closures -- meaning CPW is asking anglers to obey the request -- went into effect Friday. The White River restriction is from 2 p.m. to midnight every day for the following sections in Rio Blanco County: "The White River is known as an amazing fishery," added Meeker Area Aquatic Biologist Gage Dean. "From Rainbow and Brown trout to Mountain Whitefish, anglers seem to be very successful when fishing these stretches. Closures are a necessary measure to help conserve these valuable resources for today and future generations." Some portions of the White River outside the fishing restrictions are already closed due to firefighter efforts on the Lee and Elk wildfires. The potential debris washing from the hillsides in the burn areas is another concern for the health of fish populations there. CPW personnel led an effort last week to rescue 266 rare cutthroat trout downstream from the Stoner Mesa Fire. The Crystal River closure is an all-day restriction. Anglers are asked to avoid a five-mile stretch of the river south of Carbondale in Garfield County until further notice. "Between drought conditions and wildfires," CPW's John Livingston told CBS Colorado, "it's a bad time to be a fish on the Western Slope." In fact, CPW suggested anglers in all cold-water areas of the state this time of year should fish early in the morning when water temps are the coolest and release fish caught species as quickly as possible. A previous voluntary fishing closure established due to similar conditions remains in place on the Yampa River from the Chuck Lewis State Wildlife Area to the western edge of Steamboat Springs town limits. Meanwhile, CPW also announced an emergency fish salvage at Narraguinnep Reservoir north of Cortez this week. The order eliminates bag and possession limits, meaning anglers can use all legal means of fishing at the lake to remove as many fish as they want to catch. Narraguinnep Reservoir is operated by Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company. The company is draining the lake to allow for planned construction at the reservoir's dam. A contractor is scheduled to begin work on the dam Monday. CPW says water conditions won't permit long-term fish survival. Narraguinnep contains bass, crappie, northern pike, perch and walleye. Livingston said CPW cannot move the fish due to tighter restrictions on non-native, warm-water species. Anglers, too, are not allowed to move the fish to other bodies of water. Plus, CPW determined the water is too low already to allow launching of its raft to recover these fish. The boat ramp at the reservoir is closed. CPW warned anglers to be cautious reaching the water's edge; deep mud may present a hazard. Narraguinnep is the second such fish salvage in the Cortex area. Summit Reservoir, about 15 miles away, received the same lifting of fishing restrictions in July due to failure of the dam's headgate there. Also last week, a partnership between CPW, Rocky Mountain National Park, the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced plans to remove all non-native from the Grand Ditch in RMNP. Called the Poudre Headwaters Project, biologists will use a poison to clear the 14.3 mile system of al species, then restock it with native Greenback cutthroat trout. Brook trout and other non-native species currently occupy those waters. All areas and trails within the project zone will be closed to all uses beginning on Monday, August 25 through Sunday, August 31. Treated areas will be marked with signs. The poison, Rotenone, decays over a short period of time and leaves no harmful residue, according to research. Its final product is reduced to water and carbon dioxide. CPW used the product to restock Rito Hondo Reservoir in Hinsdale County with Rio Grande cutthroat trout in 2023.
CTV News
08-08-2025
- Business
- CTV News
$1B in federal help for the lumber industry vital, groups say
More than $1 billion in support for the softwood lumber industry is breathing a sigh of relief for communities like White River, according to the town's mayor.
The Citizen
05-08-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Three's not a crowd on a bowls green
In bowls, three is not a crowd; it is instead a partnership to success. Over the weekend of July 26 and 27, teams of three from various Lowveld bowling clubs competed in the Lowveld Trips Ladies' and Men's Competition. Eight ladies' teams and 16 men's teams competed against each other for the trophies and the opportunity to play in the Mpumalanga trips competition to be held in Ermelo in September. On a cool Saturday, 72 bowlers stepped onto the greens at Nelspruit Bowls Club and bowled it out over three rounds to make it to the semi-finals and finals held on a rainy Sunday. Bowls turned from an individual performance event to a team event in which each bowl delivered affects the performance of the individuals in the team. Each bowl sets up the next player's success and the outcome of each game. Bowlers from White River, LVCC, Barberton, Sabie, Lydenburg and Nelspruit battled against each other and teammates in a hotly contested event. On Sunday there were only eight teams left. In the men's competition three semi-finalists came from Nelspruit Bowls Club and one from LVCC. In the ladies' competition, of the teams who made it through to the semis, one was from Nelspruit, one from Barberton and two from White River. All eight of these teams will now compete in the provincial championships in September. The winners of the Lowveld Ladies' and Men's Trips were: Ladies: • 1st – Karien Greyvensteyn, Annette Stassen and Martie van Heerden (White River) • 2nd – Joy Goodison, Angie Josten and Annemarie van der Merwe (White River) • 3rd – Loraine Victor, Madaleine de Klerk and Diane Enslin (Nelspruit) • 4th – Marie Saayman, Wilna du Plooy and Chevy van Wyk (Barberton). Men: • 1st – Danie Theron, Werner Gouws and Jimmy Smith (Nelspruit) • 2nd – Deon Buys, Laurie Wiid and Hansie Schoeman (Nelspruit) • 3rd – Ben Enslin, Rohan Greyvenstein and Kurt Strauss (Nelspruit) • 4th – Greg Anderson, Riaan Lamprecht and Reagan Lamprecht (LVCC).
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Democratic senator says he has recordings of favors ‘promised' by Trump's IRS pick
Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said Tuesday he has recordings of business associates of President Trump's pick to lead the IRS, former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.), saying they expect to get favors from him once he is in office. Wyden cited recordings of two instances of people saying they expect to receive favorable treatment from Long. 'Our staff investigators have on tape now tax promoters saying you met with them at the inauguration and promised [them] a favorable private letter ruling,' Wyden said Tuesday during Long's confirmation hearing in the Senate Finance Committee. Long has worked as a tax credit promoter, an industry that pushed tax credits to businesses as the government sent out $5 trillion in rescue stimulus during the pandemic. Wyden's revelation about the recordings came at the end of Long's confirmation hearing and Long was not given a chance to respond, though he defended his work as a tax promoter throughout the hearing, specifically with regard to the disputed 'tribal' tax credits, which Democrats contend do not exist. 'My only involvement in this matter … was to connect interested friends of mine … just friends, if they had any interest,' Long said. The first recording mentioned by Wyden concerns an alleged 'promise' made by the former lawmaker to tax promoters about a favorable ruling from the IRS. The other concerns 'favorable treatment' for a company called White River Energy that had Long on its payroll regarding a 'tribal tax credit' that is in dispute. 'We also have on tape the White River CFO, who gave you the thousands of dollars, that he expects favorable treatment of these fake tribal tax credits,' Wyden said. Long, who received $65,000 from White River, according to the Senate Finance Committee, said he 'never talked to anybody' at the company but instead worked 'through' a company called Capitol Edge Strategies. Long couldn't name the Native American tribe on behalf of which he facilitated the sale of the disputed tribe tax credit. 'I worked through Capitol Edge Strategies. I didn't work through – I never talked to anybody at White River. I don't even know anybody at White River, and I don't have any way to know who the tribe is even,' he said. While Democrats homed in Long's potential transgressions along with how he would respond to requests from the president, Republicans said they appreciated Long's work in the private sector, saying it makes him a good advocate for small businesses. 'What he will do is bring a fresh and much needed perspective to the IRS,' Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said. 'Before entering public service, he was a small business owner and professional auctioneer – careers that grounded him in the real world challenges that everyday small business owners … face.' Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee released a detailed statement on Tuesday of the relationship between White River Energy and Long. In their account, White River sold phony tax credits to investors and then reassured them that they'd have friends in the IRS who'd be able to 'take the heat off.' Immediately after their credits were outed as fake, the company started donating to Long's inactive Senate campaign, Finance Committee Democrats said. 'Shortly thereafter, in mid-January, the folks down at White River decided it was time to whip out their checkbooks and start donating to Congressman Long's long-dormant Senate campaign. It still had outstanding debt dating back two and a half years. More than $165,000 poured into the campaign coffers, the vast majority of it from tribal tax credit promoters, including people at White River,' they wrote. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment . White River Energy did not immediately respond to questions about any previous interactions with Long or why they allegedly paid him $65,000. During Long's confirmation hearing, Democrats focused on Long's work as a tax credit promoter. 'You have a blatant conflict of interest here, having received payment for marketing [tax credits],' Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said during the hearing. The IRS has seen a string of different commissioners since President Trump took office. Usually, IRS commissioners are permitted to serve out their terms as nonpartisan civil servants but former IRS commissioner Danny Werfel resigned just before Trump's term started after he promised to fire him. Since Werfel, the IRS has been led by career agents Doulas O'Donnell, Melanie Krause and Gary Shapley, all of whom left amid controversies, including a power struggle between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and presidential adviser Elon Musk and the outside access of a government cost-cutting panel to sensitive taxpayer data. The IRS has pulled a 180-degree turn since the Biden administration, which authorized an $80 billion overhaul and major hiring initiative for the national tax collection office, which was clawed back by Republicans. The Trump administration has undertaken large-scale layoffs at the agency, specifically targeting new tax compliance hires. One report suggested the agency could lose as much as 40 percent of its workforce due to layoffs, hiring pauses, and regular retirement in the coming years. 'The IRS is at a crossroads, and we need a leader who doesn't just talk about modernization but who can get the job done,' Blackburn said during the hearing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri's Billy Long grilled over donations, tax credits in Senate confirmation hearing
Billy Long speaks during a press conference before filing for election during the Missouri Senate primary on Feb. 22, 2022, in Jefferson City (Madeline Carter/Missouri Independent). Former Missouri Congressman Billy Long denied any wrongdoing regarding his ties to companies involved with controversial tax credit schemes during his confirmation hearing Tuesday on his nomination to lead the Internal Revenue Service. Long, who worked as an auctioneer before serving six terms representing a Southwest Missouri congressional district, also denied seeking donations from anyone associated with those companies that he used to pay off a personal loan he gave to his unsuccessful 2022 campaign for U.S. Senate. 'You know as well as I do that anytime you're dealing with the (Federal Elections Commission), you have to follow FEC guidelines,' Long told members of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday. 'And that's exactly what I did all the way through.' Democrats on the committee were not convinced that Long didn't ask for the money. 'You expect us to believe that the money just fell out of the sky and it showed up in your campaign treasury?' said U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon. In December, Trump nominated Long to lead the IRS. At the time, Long's campaign committee had $130,000 in debt — money that Long had loaned the campaign himself. By early January, his Senate campaign committee raised $137,000, with much of the money coming from executives at companies that have been accused of selling fraudulent tax credits. Billy Long's bid to lead IRS under scrutiny over donations that paid off personal debt In addition to the campaign donations, Wyden hammered Long for allegedly raking in 'referral fees, steering clients to firms that sold fake tax shelters and pushing small businesses to unknowingly commit tax fraud.' A financial disclosure Long submitted as part of his confirmation process shows him receiving at least $5,000 in compensation from White River, an Arkansas-based oil and gas company that sold a tax credit that the IRS says doesn't actually exist. White River said in a statement that Long made an 'insignificant amount of referrals of these credits to third parties' for the company, and that no federal agency has ever told it the credits are invalid. Long on Tuesday denied he'd ever met or interacted with anyone at White River and claimed he had only referred the credits to a few friends. The Missouri Republican also faced tough questions from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, over whether President Donald Trump is allowed to use the IRS to strip organizations of their nonprofit status. Warren pointed to a portion of federal law that prohibits any member of the executive branch to request the IRS to conduct or terminate an audit on a taxpayer. 'In the first place, he wouldn't do that,' Long said. 'That's not my question, Mr. Long,' Warren responded. A few seconds of back and forth later, Long said he was 'going to follow the law,' but that 'I'd have to go to the lawyers at the IRS to tell me.' Warren wasn't impressed. 'If you think follow the law is you get to make it up on the spot,' she said, 'then you don't get to be the IRS commissioner.' U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, continued the line of questioning later, pressing Long over whether he had previously said he would ignore an order from Trump to audit a taxpayer. 'I think I told you that he wouldn't do that in the first place,' Long responded, 'but if he did, I'd do exactly what you said. So, yes.' In his opening statement, Long vowed to make long-needed changes at the agency if confirmed to be the next IRS commissioner. And if he isn't ultimately confirmed, he'll gladly head back to Missouri. 'I have the opportunity to make real transformational change to an agency that needs it more than any other federal agency,' he said. 'Or I can go back home to southwest Missouri where the fish are biting and as they say, they ain't going to catch themselves.'
