Longtime Paramedic Takes the Helm at North Fork EMS
Austin, CO · November 11, 2026
Frost clings to the dry canal banks this morning, though bright afternoon sun will warm things up fast. Take a quiet moment today to thank the veterans in your life.
The Lead
North Fork EMS has appointed Tanya Applegate as its interim district chief, following the unexpected resignation of Robert Good after just six weeks on the job. Good returned to the Front Range for family reasons, prompting the district board to unanimously elevate Applegate from her role as assistant chief.
The transition brings steady, deeply familiar leadership to emergency medical services across the valley. Applegate, a fourth-generation local with deep roots in ranching and mining, has spent over 15 years with the agency and previously earned the statewide Robert Marlin ALS Professional of the Year Award for advancing regional patient care. In addition to running frontline paramedic calls, she spearheaded the district's Community Paramedicine and CARES initiatives. Daily ambulance operations across the district continue uninterrupted while the board determines the timeline for a permanent search.
Local Pulse
Place-Wise Steps Back Into Foundation Leadership Health Darnell Place-Wise resumes directing the Delta Health Foundation to bolster charitable funding for regional medical care.
Historical Society Negotiates Fort Uncompahgre Oversight City Hall Delta leaders are drafting an operating agreement granting the county historical society day-to-day management of Fort Uncompahgre.
Today's Outlook
- High 60°F · Low 33°F — Clear
- Grab a warm jacket for chilly morning errands before mild sunshine takes over.
What's On Around Town
Today
- Jean Munro: Scenes in Stillness Grand Mesa Arts & Events Center (195 W Main St), Cedaredge, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM · Free Vibrant Western Slope landscape paintings celebrating natural silence and color.
- VOGA Farmers Social Big B's Delicious Orchards (39126 Highway 133), Hotchkiss, 5:00–8:00 PM Casual potluck and conversation connecting North Fork and valley growers.
Tomorrow
- IMPROV Games Paonia Library (80 Samuel Wade Rd), Paonia, 4:00–5:30 PM · Free
- Fair Board Special Meeting Delta County Administration Building (560 Dodge St), Delta, 6:00–8:00 PM · Free
Friday
- Delta County CattleWomen Dinner and Dance Delta Elks Lodge (563 Main St), Delta, 5:00 PM · Paid
- Hotchkiss Second Friday Art Walk The Creamery Arts Center (165 W Bridge St), Hotchkiss, 5:00–8:00 PM · Free
- Community Climbing Cedaredge Middle School, Cedaredge, 6:00–8:00 PM
Spotlight & Story
- The Stolte Shed
- Erected in 1909 as a bustling fruit-packing warehouse along Surface Creek, workers once graded and boxed tons of crisp local apples here for the rails. Today at Pioneer Town, the cedar timbers shelter community banquets, line dancing classes, and acoustic concerts.
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