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Photos: Funeral procession for Cortez Police Sgt. Michael MoranHundreds of law enforcement vehicles escort the body of Cortez Police Sgt. Michael Moran

Hundreds of law enforcement vehicles escort the body of Cortez Police Sgt. Michael Moran

Officer was killed in the line of duty last week

Photo gallery: The 2023 Parade of LightsOn Saturday, the annual Parade of Lights brought a community together following the tragic death of Cortez Police Sgt. Michael Moran

On Saturday, the annual Parade of Lights brought a community together following the tragic death of Cortez Police Sgt. Michael Moran

Hundreds attend Candlelight vigil for Cortez police Sgt. Michael Moran

Residents, leaders express grief over loss of Cortez Police Sgt. Michael MoranSgt. Michael Moran is remembered as a friend, father and police officer Two days after Cortez Police Sgt. Michael Moran was killed Wednesday in the line of duty, residents and leaders from Montezuma County, Colorado and the nation have expressed their grief about Moran and their support for his family. The Cortez Police Department issued a statement on Wednesday, saying that he will be remembered “by his fellow officers for his dedication and sense of humor.” Thursday night, nearly 300 people gathered to pay their respects to Moran during a candlelight vigil at the police department.

Moran was fatally shot Wednesday as he made a traffic stop on South Broadway. The gunman was killed minutes later in a shootout south of town. Police officer Kurtiss Baumgartner tearfully spoke during the vigil about how Moran would flash a goofy smile and a joke in stressful situations, “immediately making everything OK.” “He was always there for you,” Baumgartner said. “He was so passionate about the things he believed in. The world lost a true hero.” City Councilor Matt Keefauver, a former principal at Southwest Open School, talked about how Moran visited to SWOS with his dog Otto to build a relationship with students. Keefauver said it was all the students could talk about for the next few weeks, and that they had been thrilled to meet Moran and K-9 officer Otto.“Michael was a father to two girls, he was a friend … and we’re here to remember him,” Keefauver said. “Michael was truly a special individual who gave everything for his community.”

Another attendee at the candlelight vigil said that Moran embodied what it meant to be a true police officer. “I’m going to miss him, I’m always going to miss him,” he said. “He loved coming to work, and he was amazing. He was a good cop. He was the true definition of a police officer.” KaLlisha Henneberger expressed her sadness over the loss of Moran, saying that he had been a friend to her when she had no one.“He was very good to me, me being who I am with a record,” Henneberger commented on Facebook. “He sat next to me in the hospital numerous times, never judging me, never reporting me, just setting his job aside and being a friend when I had nobody else in the world by my side. I’m very upset and mourning the loss of a good friend and somebody who would be by my side if I needed him. My condolences and prayers go our to his family and fellow officers. You will be truly missed Sgt. Moran. Rest in peace, my friend.” The Cortez City Council released a statement speaking of the community’s loss.“The Cortez City Council is deeply saddened about the death of Police Sgt. Michael Moran,” the statement said. “While in service to our city, Sgt. Moran made the ultimate sacrifice when his life was taken from him. This is a tragic loss to our entire community.” “On behalf of the residents of the City of Cortez, we wish to thank him and his family for his service to our country and our city. During this extremely difficult time our deepest condolences are with the Moran family, the members of the Cortez police department and all those who loved and respected Sgt. Moran,” they continued. “The City of Cortez City Council supports our police officers and we are grateful they, even in grief of this loss, continue to serve as the guardians of our community.”

County Commissioner Jim Candelaria told The Journal that he has been receiving texts and phone calls from other commissioners in Colorado who expressed their condolences.“As the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, along with other phone calls, text emails that I've received from commissioners around the state, we would like to express our deepest condolences for the loss of Sergeant Michael Moran, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” Candelaria said. “We're definitely behind the City of Cortez PD and will offer any assistance that we can possibly provide for them if needed. This is a crime, as all crimes are, that is senseless. Words can't express really what happened. So our deepest condolences for to the family and for the loss of Michael.”District Attorney Christian Hatfield also expressed his sense of loss.“It is extremely tragic, and our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends. He was a consummate professional and a pleasure to work with. Anything my office can do to help victim advocates out and people around the state, Colorado District Attorney's Council and others, all expressed their willingness to help with anything we can do for the community. We're here,” Hatfield said. Police departments in Rifle, Boston, Mountain Village, Colorado Springs, Mesa County, Jefferson County, Lafayette Colorado, El Paso, Durango and more posted statements about Moran and in support of the Cortez Police Department. “Our office joins law enforcement agencies across the United States in mourning with the Cortez Police Department,” the El Paso Police Department said on Facebook. “Their loss is felt here in El Paso County and from corner to corner in Colorado. ‘Greater love hath no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’”“Sending our deepest condolences to the Cortez Police Department as they grieve the loss of Sgt. Michael Moran in the line of duty on November 29,” the Mountain Village Police Department said via Facebook. “Our hearts are with the entire Cortez community, the officer’s family, friends and colleagues during this time.”The Colorado Fallen Hero Foundation is accepting monetary donations that will be given to Moran’s family. Donations can be made at their website. A memorial benefit is being held for Sgt. Moran’s family on Sunday, Dec. 10 from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the County Annex building, 107 N. Chestnut St. in Cortez. There will be a silent auction, and organizers are taking donations for the auction.There will be chili, drinks and dessert for $10 a plate. Questions can be directed to Jaime Cox (970) 739-5421, Emily Baumgartner (970) 799-7501, Wendy Knuckles (970) 759-3365 or Elizabeth Edwards (970) 903-6703. Moran will also be honored at the Parade of Lights on Saturday night. Funeral services are still pending.

Sgt. Michael Moran is remembered as a friend, father and police officer

Grace’s Kitchen serves an estimated 500 meals on ThanksgivingCrew cooked 34 turkeys and more than 200 pounds of meat in preparationGrace’s Kitchen, located in St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, spent the past month roasting 34 turkeys and over 200 pounds of meat in preparation for the 500 meals they were expecting to give out on Thanksgiving Day.“Food is kind of my love language,” said Chris Snyder, who helps coordinate the kitchen during this event along with his family. “And so to be able to share that with individuals and be able to to just enjoy a meal together, I think it’s everything that's perfect.”Since the pandemic hit, the Thanksgiving meal drive has shifted from a dine-in event to a take-out and delivery system, which allows them to serve more of the community.“What we've seen this year is this new pattern of somebody signing up and saying, OK, I'm going to take four, so I can give some to my neighbor. There's this extra tier now,” said Victoria Atkins, who helped coordinate the event. “So that just gives me hope for the world.”“You know, Thanksgiving is basically about gratitude,” said Atkins. “We shouldn’t just be grateful. We should act, and show our gratitude.”

Crew cooked 34 turkeys and more than 200 pounds of meat in preparation

Cortez Turkey Trot draws about 50 participants1-mile course runs around Parque de VidaThis was the 20th year of the Turkey Trot at Parque de Vida in Cortez, organized as a fundraising event for For Pet’s Sake Humane Society. Roughly 50 walkers and runners came out – some in costume, some with their pets–- to enjoy the 1-mile course around the park.“People enjoy it,” said Ric Plese, who began running this course on Thanksgiving 28 years ago before he handed it off to For Pet’s Sake 20 years ago to become a fundraiser. “You know, there's been some really cold, cold Thanksgiving mornings, but for the most part, it gets a pretty good crowd. And the costumes are what's fun. There's been turkeys and donkeys in costume over the years. It's been fun.”For Pet’s Sake is run by all volunteers, and events like this one help keep the organization afloat.“Our food and costs have increased tremendously this year,” said board president Lynn Dyer. “There are a lot of needs as a community, both for medical care and for spay and neuter fees.”Anyone interested in supporting For Pet’s Sake can find them on Facebook or the web, and details for their big year-end fundraiser will be announced soon

1-mile course runs around Parque de Vida

Photos: Mancos Bluejays win 2023 Colorado 8-man football titleBluejays win first title, beating beat Haxtun 40-0The Mancos High School Bluejays scored on the opening possession to set the tone, then added three more scores before halftime to put the game out of reach for the Haxtun Bulldogs.At the end, Mancos walked off the field with its first state title in eight-man football.

Bluejays win first title, beating beat Haxtun 40-0

Snowstorm moves through the areaThe season’s first big snowstorm causes problems for drivers and makes for a winter wonderland

The season’s first big snowstorm causes problems for drivers and makes for a winter wonderland

Snow descends on DurangoForecasters say storm could dump 6 inches in Durango area

A fall storm that moved into Southwest Colorado Friday morning was expected to dump 6 inches of snow in the Durango area – more than weather forecasters had initially predicted.Snow started falling about 9:15 a.m. Friday and intensified shortly before 11:30 a.m., blanketing parks, vehicles and the hilltops overlooking the city. Roads became slick about 2:30 p.m. As of 4 p.m., the Durango Police Department had responded to six crashes, in addition to a few stranded motorists.U.S. Highway 160 at County Road 44 near Mancos Hill was closed from around 4 p.m. to just after 6 p.m. because a vehicle carrying an “oversized load” had spun out and blocked both the eastbound and westbound lanes, according to Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Lisa Schwantes.“Right now our officers are able to keep up with the crashes that are coming in,” said Cmdr. Nick Stasi, with the Durango Police Department. “As always with winter weather, we remind drivers to slow down and give extra space for the cars in front.”Snow started accumulating very fast as the day went on, making it “challenging for plow operators to keep up,” according to CDOT.

Southwest Colorado’s five major mountain passes were icy and snowpacked Friday afternoon. But all five remained open as of 4:15 p.m.The Pacific storm favored the southern and central Colorado mountains, said Dave Byers, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.“Durango looks like a 70% chance of getting 6 inches or more of snow by the end of tonight (Friday),” Byers said.He expected a half inch to three-quarters of an inch of moisture from the storm, which is up from the one-tenth to two-tenths of an inch that was predicted earlier this week. Meanwhile, the mountains could receive 1 to 2 feet of snow from the storm, he said.“In the last few days, it has really picked up,” Byers said. “The southern mountains are catching the brunt of it.”The snowy weather didn’t stop Liz Ferrill and her family from stopping by Cream Bean Berry for a Unicorn Sundae. “We thought it might be a festive way to celebrate,” said Ferrill, who was visiting from Snowmass, where the first snow occurred in September.For others, the snow provided the impetus they needed to swap out tires or purchase new snow tires. Andre Payne, a sales person at J/P Tire in Durango, said the phone began ringing shortly after 9 a.m. with people wanting to switch to snow tires.“We’ve been pretty busy,” he said.

It is not unusual for drivers to wait until they see the first snow and then want to swap out tires. The tire shop began advising customers to switch to snow tires about three weeks ago. Some people take the advice, other choose to wait.“We can always tell people what to do, but if you're not ready for it then you have to suffer the consequences of waiting two hours or maybe getting in an accident,” Payne said.Byers said Friday’s storm was the result of a southwest flow pulling moisture from Southern California, Arizona and the Gulf of California.As the moisture-laden atmosphere hits the San Juan Mountains, it wrings out the moisture, he said.Temperatures are expected to cool off as the storm makes its way out of the region this weekend. The highs this weekend will be in the upper 30s, and the lows could dip into the single digits, he said.“There’s still a northerly flow that is pulling cold air down out of Canada,” he said.Byers characterized Friday’s storm as a “shoulder storm” between summer and winter, but he said it is a sure sign that a regular track is settling in for Southwest Colorado.“We’re expecting regular storms … from now on, more into that winter pattern,” Byers said.Residents can expect mostly clear conditions through Wednesday, with clouds moving in the following day ahead of another storm that looks “very similar” to Friday’s storm, Byers said.shane@durangoherald.com; mhollinshead@durangoherald.com

Forecasters say storm could dump 6 inches in Durango area

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