1. 50CENTS
TRINIDAD
COLORADO
Proudly Serving Southeastern Colorado and Northeastern New Mexico • www.thechronicle-news.com
~
Vol. 139, No. 74
TUESDAY
ARPIL14,2015 THECHRONICLENEWS
■ APRIL 14
Las Animas County
TUESDAY (9 a.m.) Board of
County Commissioners work session
will be held in the Las Animas Court-
house, 200 E. First St., Room 201.
Information: 719-845-2568. COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS: Gary Hill (719-
845-2595), Mack Louden (719-
845-2592), and Anthony Abeyta
(719-846-9300).
Trinidad City Council
TUESDAY (1:30 p.m.) Work ses-
sion followed by a special session will
be held in Council Chambers, City Hall,
135 N. Animas St., Third Floor. Infor-
mation: Audra Garrett, 719-846-9843.
CITY COUNCIL: Mayor: Joe Re-
orda and Council Members: Carol
Bolton, Joe Bonato, Pat Fletcher,
Anthony Mattie, Michelle Miles,
and Liz Torres.
Trinidad School District No. 1
TUESDAY (4:45 p.m.) The Trini-
dad School District No. 1 District Ac-
countability Committee will meet on
Tuesday, April 14 at 4:45 p.m. at Trini-
dad School District Administration Of-
fice at 612 Park St. Information: 719-
845-2048.
Memory Loss Support
TUESDAY (12:30-1:30 p.m.) This
group meets at the Legacy Assisted
Living facility, 33 Legacy Lane. Infor-
mation: 719-846-8662.
Calling all Square Dancers
TUESDAY (6-8 p.m.) Swing your
partner and join the fun at the Square
Dance Club at LaCasa on Hwy 12 in
Jansen. New members and beginners
always welcome. Info: Peter Monzon,
719-845-0375 or pmm49@hotmail.com.
Caregivers Support Group
TUESDAY (6:30 p.m.) This group
meets at the LaQuinta Inn on Toupal
Drive. Information: Age Wise Advisors,
347-852-0752.
BIBLE TALKS
TUESDAYS-APRIL 14, 21 & 28
(7:30 p.m.) All are welcome to attend
these free quiet, reverent services with
teachings about Jesus Christ that will
be held in the lower level meeting room
at the Sayre Senior Center, 1222 San
Pedro. There will be no collections tak-
en. Info: Daren Kindred, 702-353-4891.
Today’s Quote
“I found out that it’s not
good to talk about my
troubles. Eighty percent
of the people who hear
them don’t care and the
other twenty percent are
glad you’re having them.”
~Tommy LaSorda
■ PUBLIC SERVICE
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
WEDNESDAY (Noon) The monthly
Business Luncheon will be held in the
Sullivan Center at the TSJC Campus.
Info: John Schecter, 719-846-7727.
Trinidad Catholic Cemetery
THURSDAY (6:30 p.m.) Associa-
tion meeting will be at the Knights of
Columbus Hall, 205 S. Commercial St.
The public is invited to attend. Informa-
tion: 719-846-4934.
LOVE & LOGIC
APRIL 18 (9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.)
This outstanding parenting program
will be held at the Mt. Carmel Commu-
nity Center, 911 Robinson St. Registra-
tion & Info: 719-845-4894.
RELAY FOR LIFE
SATURDAY (1-3 p.m.) Las Animas
County Kickoff and Survivor Social will
be held at the Mt. Carmel Community
Center, 911 Robinson St. Event will in-
clude activities and refreshments. Info:
Mt. Carmel, 719-845-4880.
9HEALTH FAIR
SATURDAY (7:30 a.m.-Noon)
The annual 9Health Fair will be held at
the Mt. San Rafael Hospital, 410 Bene-
dicta Ave. Info: Lynda Pachelli at 719-
846-8051.
PEACOCK BALL BENEFIT
SATURDAY (5 p.m.) The 12th An-
nual Gala and community benefit for
Noah’s Ark will be at Brix Sports Bar on
Main St. Entertainment will be provided
by Dr. Fine. Evening events include:
Drinks & Appetizers (5 p.m.), Dinner (6
p.m.), Program (7 p.m.) and Dance (8
p.m.). Tickets/Info: 719-680-2385.
THEFINEPRINT
RIVERCALL
Purgatoire River Call as of:
04/10/15. Johns Flood ditch:
Priority # 20 --- Appropriation
date: 10/07/1865.
Trinidad Reservoir Accounting:
Release 36.73 AF
Inflow 112.49 AF -- 56.72 CFS
Evaporation 9.76 AF
Content 20,497 AF
Elevation 6,184.33
Precipitation 0
Downstream River Call / High-
land Canal: 05/31/1866.
PAGE3
ROBOTATTACKS!
WEATHERWATCH
Tuesday: A 10 percent chance of showers
before 7 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near
70. South wind 10 to 15 mph. Night: Mostly
cloudy, with a low around 41. South southwest
wind around 15 mph.
Wednesday:A20percentchanceofshow-
ers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny,
with a high near 64. West southwest wind 10
to 15 mph. Night: A 30 percent chance of
rain and snow showers. Some thunder is also
possible. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.
West northwest wind around 10 mph.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of rain and
snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near
47. North wind around 10 mph.
Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers
and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high
near 51. North wind around 10 mph. Night:
A chance of rain and snow showers. Some
thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a
low around 33. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.
Steve Block / The Chronicle-News
The Fort Carson Band during the most recent 2013 Armed Forces Day Parade.
Photo courtesy Trinidad State Junior College
Trinidad State’s Robotics Team won First Place in the 1.5 Kilogram or more Division at the College Robotics
Challenge held at Great Sand Dunes National Park. In the photo from left are Brian Sanders, deputy director of
NASA’s Colorado Space Grant Consortium, and the TSJC Robotics Team, Alfonzo Barandarian, Mary Carpen-
ter, Marissa Esquibel and Hayden Alworth.
Photo courtesy Trinidad State Junior College
SUPPORTING OUR VETERANS
SCIENCE CHALLENGE
ART
WILDLIFE
Armed Forces Day Parade back on in Trinidad
Skill, innovation, inspiration: Trinidad
State Robotics Team wins State Challenge
CPW says
it’s time
again to
be aware
of bears
By Steve Block
The Chronicle-News
Motorcycles will again thunder down Trini-
dad’s Main Street in honor of America’s military
veteransastheArmedForcesDayParadereturns
to the City after a one-year hiatus. The motorcy-
clists are scheduled to arrive here at 10 a.m. on
Saturday, May 16, and head directly toward City
Hall, where the big parade will begin.
It’s part of the annual “Run for the Wall,” in
which veterans of recent conflicts and those cur-
rently on active duty from all over the U.S. are
invited join in the ride for those who cannot. The
Run for the Wall recognizes the sacrifices and
contributions made by all veterans who serve
our nation. The Ride begins on May 13, beginning
from three locations in various parts of the coun-
try, and culminates on May 23 in Arlington, Va.,
with a solemn ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial, honoring those who have fallen in the
service of their country.
The parade lineup begins at 9 a.m. in the City
Hall parking lot. The parade route goes from City
By Steve Block
The Chronicle-News
Technical skill, innovation, inspiration and
solid teamwork have helped the Trinidad State
Junior College’s Robotics overcome many chal-
lenges. On Saturday, April 4, the team won its
second consecutive state robotics challenge in the
1.5 kilograms or more division at the Great Sand
Dunes National Park.
The challenge was jointly sponsored by NA-
SA’s Colorado Space Grant Consortium and Ad-
ams State University with robotics teams from
32 colleges entering the competition. Trinidad
State’s team was the only competitor to success-
fully negotiate six of the seven obstacle courses
included the challenge, though the nature of those
By Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Special to The Chronicle-News
Colorado’s bears have awoken
from their winter’s nap and are
again active throughout the state.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife urges
state residents in bear country to
make sure they aren’t providing
any food attractants around resi-
dences.
By following some simple steps,
we can all pitch in to avoid conflicts
with Colorado’s wildlife. Here are
some tips to help keep bears out of
trouble and away from your house:
-- Keep garbage in a well-secured
enclosure.
-- Only put out garbage on the
morning of pickup.
-- Take down all bird feeders
-- birds don’t need to be fed during
the summer. Bird feeders are a ma-
jor source of bear/human conflicts.
Continued on Page 2 ...
Continued on Page 2 ...
Continued on Page 3 ...
Thingyan
Local Burmese artist,
celebrates new year
with mural for temple
Eric John Monson / The Chronicle-News
Thingyan is the Burmese New Year
Water Festival and usually falls around
mid-April. This past weekend local
Burmese artist and democratic revo-
lutionary from that country, Sitt Nyein
Aye, spent this weekend designing and
paintingamuralthatwillbedisplayedin
the Sitagu Buddha Vihara, a buddhist
temple in Austin, Tx. Aye, 56-years-
old, has lived in Trinidad for about the
past three years, but has showed little
of his work. As a supporter of the pro-
democracy movement in Burma, he
previously lived in political exile in India.
See more on page six. A feature of
Aye and his finished mural will appear
laterthisweekinTheChronicle-News.

2. Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Page 3The Chronicle-News Trinidad, Colorado
April 16
Education&State
Skill, innovation, inspiration: Trinidad State Robotics Team wins State Challenge
... Continued from Page 1
obstacle courses came as something of a
surprise to the team, according to Faculty
Robotics advisor Cindy Clements.
“Last year’s course was held on some
pretty rocky ground, so that’s what we
prepared for this year,” Clements said. “In-
stead, they held this year’s challenge on
very fine sand at the dunes, with wooden
obstacles inserted in the sand. We had very
tired motors there at the end. We could hear
them grinding away, and we had to change
the battery once. The sand was very thick
and it was hard to walk on and it was blow-
ing. Hayden Alworth (lead programmer)
programmed the robot to go back one foot
when it encountered an obstacle, turn and
then go ahead, but
as it turned out it
would only go back a
few inches and they
weren’t clearing the
obstacles. Hayden
had to change his
program at the last
minute, and quadru-
ple his numbers so
that it would actually
go back far enough to
clear the obstacles,
which is why we did
a face plant a couple
of times. He did a
good job of adjusting
his program on the
fly.”
The robot, called
BEK-E, or Beacon
Enhanced Kinet-
Explorer, was put to
the test during the
2.5-hour challenge,
but team Co-Captain
Mary Carpenter said
the team felt very
confident going in to
the competition.
“We felt very
well-prepared go-
ing in, and I’m very proud of our team’s
performance,” Carpenter said. “We had to
overcome a few problems. Our compass is
designed to work in a circle, but our robot
wound up on a hill, so our circle turned into
an ellipse and that threw off the values. We
also had a problem with the beacon not ini-
tializing.”
The team members said that the obsta-
cle courses in this year’s challenge were a
little easier than the year before.
Next week comes the Research Sym-
posium at Colorado University-Boulder.
Each robotics team had to submit a formal
research paper about their robotics project
along with a poster board, and make a pre-
sentation about all the research that went
into their project.
Carpenter and lead programmer
Hayden Alworth will head for Portland,
Ore., on May 20-21 with BEK-E as part of the
demonstration.
“We’re working on getting her up there
still. I really don’t trust her with someone
who’s not near Hayden,” Carpenter said.
Clements said there was a turnover on
the team every year, what with Trinidad
State being a two-year college. She said the
future of the program depended on whether
the college could continue funding it.
“Our grant from NASA is going down
in the near future. It’s supposed to be go-
ing up after that,” she said. “NASA’s been
having some problems getting their paper-
work done. In fact, they told us the worst
case scenario for that was we were going
to lose all of our funding for two years, but
they’ve managed to get a stopgap measure
passed, so now we’ll get funded, but at a less-
er amount for the next two years and then
they hope to be back up to normal, which is
about $10,000 per year. That doesn’t go very
far if you consider that one spool of model-
ing material costs $250 and that only makes
two wheels. Plus I usually pay out half of
that in stipends to the students, and the
faculty doesn’t get any compensation for
that. The school does pay them a stipend
of $1,000 but that’s not that much. One of
the judges said that our robot was the most
advanced robot on the course. That was
pretty impressive considering that we had
the Colorado School of Mines there and CU-
Boulder and Ft. Lewis State and Western
State.”
Students from the robotics programs
have gone on to similar programs at four-
year colleges. The Trinidad State Robotics
Program has made great strides and has
attracted attention from other schools and
research organizations interested in the fu-
ture of robotics.
Photos courtesy Trinidad State Junior College
TSJC’s robot hits the dunesTrinidad State’s Robotics Team won First Place in the 1.5 Kilogram or more Division at the Col-
lege Robotics Challenge held at Great Sand Dunes National Park. Above and below, members of
the TSJC Robotics Team, Alfonzo Barandarian (in hat above), Mary Carpenter and Hayden Alworth
work on their robot during the competition.
MARIJUANA STATE
Colorado moving
toward making
PTSD eligible for
medical pot
KRISTEN WYATT,
Associated Press
DENVER (AP) — Colorado may
add post-traumatic stress disorder as
a condition to be treated with medical
marijuana — a dramatic turnaround
after years of rejecting appeals to
make PTSD the first ailment added to
the state’s medical-pot program since
it was approved by voters in 2000.
The addition of PTSD would be
the first mental-health disorder for
which Colorado doctors could recom-
mend pot.
Colorado’s chief medical officer,
Dr. Larry Wolk, will forward the ad-
dition to the full Board of Health for
approval this fall.
The addition would be a dramatic
turnaround for an agency that has
rejected PTSD at least three times
for inclusion on the marijuana reg-
istry. Wolk, who as recently as last
year testified against making PTSD
an ailment eligible for pot, said his
mind was changed by overwhelming
evidence that people with PTSD are
already on the medical registry, just
listing “severe pain” as their ailment.
“We don’t want people to suffer as
a result as a result of not being able to
access (the registry) honestly,” Wolk
said.
The change comes after Colorado
assembled a panel of doctors and
medical marijuana advocates to re-
view studies about the drug’s medi-
cal potential. The new Medical Mari-
juana Scientific Advisory Council
made the recommendation Friday,
saying that PTSD can be added for a
four-year trial.
“It’s momentous,” said Brian Vi-
cente, a longtime supporter of mari-
juana legalization who led efforts
for years to add PTSD to Colorado’s
medical marijuana registry. “It’s
contributing to the legitimization of
marijuana.”
If the Board of Health approves the
change, Colorado would become the
10th state to consider PTSD a condi-
tion eligible for pot.
Colorado last year awarded about
$3.4 million to two medical studies of
using the drug for treatment of PTSD.
Those studies are just getting under-
way.
Colorado currently has about
114,000 people on the medical mari-
juana registry. They all have a doc-
tor’s recommendation for using the
drug to treat one of eight debilitating
conditions, ranging from cancer and
AIDS to severe pain and nausea.
Wolk predicted that adding PTSD
to the list of qualifying ailments won’t
increase the numbers of people eli-
gible for medical pot. He did predict
a shift in listings on the marijuana
registry from “severe pain” to PTSD.
“It really better represents how
and why patients are using medical
marijuana,” he said. “Colorado is
known for the state where 96 percent
of the people get their medical mari-
juana for pain, and we don’t think
that’s a true reflection of the popula-
tion.”
The Colorado Department of Pub-
lic Health and Environment, which
oversees the registry, will request a
hearing about the PTSD addition in
June, with a public hearing on the
question expected in September.
Rocky Mountain National
Park faces crowd challengesAssociated Press
Officials at Rocky Moun-
tain National Park are
looking at ways to address
overcrowding on peak days
when visitors and vehicles
put a burden on trails,
roads and wildlife.
The park had a record
3.4 million visitors last
year, and officials have be-
gun talking about ways to
protect park resources.
Too many people in the
park can affect the trails,
roads and wildlife, but they
also can hinder the natural
experience park users are
seeking with crowds and
noise, said Rick Fedorchak,
chief of interpretation and
education.
“If you’re at Bear Lake
on a summer day, you’re
not going to hear those nat-
ural sounds until you’re a
quarter mile up the road,”
he said.
Weekends in the sum-
mer have long been busy
in the park, but visitation
has spread out through all
seasons with snowshoeing
and sledding in the win-
ter, fall colors and elk rut-
ting, spring flowers and, of
course, beautiful summer
days.
On Sept. 27, officials
counted a record 13,295 ve-
hicles, the Loveland Report-
er-Herald reported.
“The weather was beau-
tiful,” said Kyle Patterson,
park spokeswoman. “The
colors were amazing. The
elk were rutting,” with
their bugle calls that attract
wildlife lovers from all over
the country.
Park officials have al-
ready taken some steps to
reduce crowding.
Shuttles run from loca-
tions in the nearby town of
Estes Park to prime stops in
Rocky Mountain National
Park to cut down on ve-
hicles and emissions in the
park.
The buses also cre-
ate challenges with large
groups of people dropped
off in a single location at the
same time, Fedorchak said.
Park rangers are urging
people to visit on weekdays
if they can, and to hike and
climb in the early morn-
ing or late afternoon to
avoid the prime time from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There are
also signs that warn people
when areas are full.