By KAILEEN GRUBER 
The Ramspondents

On Nov. 4, Chris Conway led the District 1 councilmember race in the first and only round, collecting 51.69% of first-choice votes. 

Currently on the afternoon of Nov. 5, Conway sits at 52.5% of first-choice votes; 3,227 District 1 residents have selected Conway as their first choice to represent them on city council. 

“When I found out, I was just so proud of all the people who have donated their time and hard work towards my campaign,” Conway said. “I was just excited to get to work.”

Throughout his campaign, Conway has brought attention to the affordable housing crisis in Fort Collins. 

“Its the biggest concern of a lot of people, many people say “I love Fort Collins, it's a great city, but it's too expensive,”” Conway said. “We don't have the supply of housing to keep up with the demand, so it drives the cost of living up for everyone.”

Conway plans to make zoning plans pass through the city government at a faster rate to build new housing, which will then decrease the cost for new and existing housing. 

Another citywide issue Conway aims to solve is transportation, especially to and from Old Town. He plans to increase transit and walkways in neighborhoods which will help draw people toward downtown. 

“Old Town has a huge mix of shops, along with housing and parks. We need to make it so people can walk or take the bus to their favorite places,” Conway said.

The availability of transit to downtown will also help alleviate some of the financial stresses of the city government. Conway believes that when people are able to easily access downtown, they will be more prone to spending money, in turn increasing the sales tax revenue of the city. 

Conway said he hopes to provide community support to those struggling with the recent shutdown of the federal government, which has cut SNAP benefits for approximately 33,000 Larimer County residents. 

“We all collectively need to support our most vulnerable populations. We all need to find ways to support food banks, Vindiket, the CSU food pantry,” Conway said. “We need to do what we can to find the resources to help people in need.”

Conway has one final message for the people of Fort Collins: "I'm excited to represent the people of Fort Collins and District 1.” 

Kaileen Gruber is majoring in Journalism and Media Communication as well as minoring in Music Business at CSU. She is the vice president of the Music Business Collective.

By BEAR ATWOOD
The Ramspondents

A little under 33,000 people in Larmer county alone use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Due to the current government shutdown those on the program will only receive half of their current allotments as announced Nov. 3. 

Even so, there is still no clear information on when these reduced allotments will be accessible.

Despite the shutdown, the Larimer County Department of Human Services still recommends for people to continue to submit applications and recertifications as counties are still taking in and processing applications. 

While the delays are still in place, the department encourages people to find other resources in their communities as the fate of November's benefits are still in limbo including visiting local food banks and contacting 211 Colorado.

Brooke Corbel is the Advocacy & Strategic Initiatives Manager for the food bank. A large part of her job is meeting with local and state legislators in order to identify and communicate their clients' needs in order to take a more proactive rather than reactive approach.

“We are anticipating a lot of need in a shorter period of time,” Corbel said. “To meet that need, we are relying on our community and donors to support us financially, because to meet that need, we need to source products outside of our normal channels, and that is more expensive.”

Since the food bank is a nonprofit and not a federally funded program they are not impacted by the shutdown, but in order to better prepare for a surge in people using the service the food bank will need to purchase more produce rather than solely sourcing them from their typical channels such as food drives and partners, according to Corbel. 

“Anyone that wants to come join us, we welcome them, but we are lucky we are not at a shortage of volunteers right now,” Corbel said. “Now that we are expecting much longer lines, more sign ups, people coming to us - we're really going to rely on those financial donations to order specific truckloads of different types of foods to make sure that folks coming through our doors have those staples.”

In addition to the food bank, some local establishments have also offered free food to those impacted by the delays. 

Friendly Nick’s Butcher is offering free meat products for those who show their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) for those on SNAP or federal identification card for furloughed federal workers. So far, the butchery has raised over $83,700 through a GoFundMe page set up by Nick Chase.

Other restaurants have offered free meals to those affected including Mo Jeaux's Bar & Grill, Taco John's and Chicken Salad Chick.

Another way the local community has come together to help those affected is the American Association of University Professors @ Colorado State University is hosting a National Day of Action to Support Higher Education on Nov. 7 for mutual aid providers in Northern Colorado to collect donations. 

Brian Munsky is an associate professor in Biomedical and Chemical Engineering at CSU and the Communications and Organizing Co-Chair for the association. 

“With this week’s major reduction of SNAP benefits, thousands (especially families and students) are facing an immediate increase in food insecurity that may also affect their ability to pay for housing, medical care, and educational expenses,” Munsky wrote in an email. “ Existing infrastructure and volunteers may not be equipped to handle this increased need.”

For more community resources, contact the Larimer County Human Services through email at [email protected] or by phone (970) 498-6300.

Bear Atwood is a writer and reporter with a passion for community-based journalism. He’s a first gen college student attending CSU with a major in English and a minor in Journalism and Media Communication.

By CALVIN MASTEN
The Ramspondents

Fort Collins is scheduled to close the intersection of East Drake and South Lemay on Nov. 8 and 9. Repairs to the asphalt are set to take place this weekend, resulting in detours in the area.

From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, and Sunday. Nov. 9, the intersection between East Drake Road and South Lemay Avenue will be closed for asphalt repairs. 

The City of Fort Collins advises drivers in the area to be aware of the closure and how to navigate the detours if the intersection is an area they may commute through. 

Residences and businesses can still be accessed through posted detours. Southbound traffic on Lemay will go onto East Prospect Road., northbound traffic on Lemay will go onto East Horsetooth Road, westbound traffic on Drake will go onto South Timberline Road, and eastbound traffic on Drake will go onto South College Avenue.

Sidewalks in the area will remain open for residents and pedestrians. These closures and resulting repairs are a part of the effort from the City of Fort Collins Essential Street Operations.

More information regarding the aforementioned City of Fort Collins Essential Street Operations can be found at its website or by calling the Streets Department at (970) 221-6615.

For general information regarding future street closures and repairs, contact Fort Collins’ Street Maintenance Program Manager Darren Moritz at (970) 221-6615 or at [email protected].

Calvin Masten is a third-year Journalism and Media Communication major and Sociology minor at Colorado State University. His fondness for interpersonal stories and human connections drives his enjoyment of writing, editing, and filming.