Jeff Hurd

“I want to honor Dennis Webb, who is retiring after nearly 20 years as a local environmental reporter for the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. His fair reporting helped the people of western Colorado understand complex issues about our land and water.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dennis Webb, who is retiring after nearly 20 years of covering the environment and natural resources for the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. Out West, public lands are not an abstraction. They shape how people work, ranch, hunt, and live. Dennis helped the people of the Western Slope understand the policies that shaped those lands, from water rights to grazing to wildfires and wildlife management. His reporting earned the respect not only of readers across western Colorado but of legislators and officials in Denver as well as here in Washington, D.C. Good journalism doesn’t tell people what to think. It helps them understand the issues well enough to think for themselves. Dennis did that with clarity, fairness, and a deep understanding of the West. Thoughtful local journalism is increasingly rare, and western Colorado is better because Dennis Webb devoted his career to getting the story right. I wish Dennis a well-earned retirement, and I thank him for his service to readers on the Western Slope.”

“I am celebrating Grand Valley Power on its 90th anniversary. It was Colorado's first rural electric cooperative, started by local farmers when power lines did not reach them. Today, it provides power to over 18,000 members.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Grand Valley Power as it celebrates 90 years of keeping the lights on in Colorado’s Third Congressional District. In 1936, a small group of farmers in the Grand Valley could not get electricity. The costs were too high, and the power lines simply didn’t reach that far. So, they did what western Coloradans do: They came together to solve the problem themselves. Neighbor by neighbor, they built what became Colorado’s first, and today its oldest, rural electric cooperative. Within a year, electricity reached 250 homes and farms for the very first time. What many Coloradans already took for granted transformed lives across Mesa County. Today, Grand Valley Power serves more than 18,000 members across the county. It remains not for profit, member owned, and rooted in the same cooperative spirit that inspired its founders nine decades ago. Ninety years is a testament not only to a successful electric cooperative but to the enduring power of neighbors working together to strengthen their communities. I am proud to recognize Grand Valley Power and everyone who carried that mission forward.”

“I want to honor Juan Agredano, his family, and their restaurant, C & J Cafe in Delta, Colorado. They have worked hard and served their community for decades.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Juan Agredano and his family, owners of C & J Cafe in Delta, Colorado, a community institution that has served Western Slope families since the 1980s. When I visited last month, I was welcomed the same way every customer is: like family. This is no accident. It is the culture that Juan; his wife, Robin; and their daughter, Jennifer, have built through decades of showing up for their community day after day. C & J Cafe is the kind of place that doesn’t just feed people. It brings them together. Whether it is the legendary cinnamon rolls, said to be the largest in Delta County, or simply the warmth at the door, the Agredanos have made their restaurant a cornerstone of community life. When the challenges of COVID threatened restaurants across the country, Juan and Jennifer kept showing up. They kept serving their neighbors, and their neighbors never forgot it. I am proud to represent a district with families like the Agredanos whose hard work, generosity, and commitment strengthen the communities they call home.”

“I want to honor the Colorado Army National Guard members and rescue workers who saved a stranded hiker from a high mountain peak.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Colorado Army National Guard aviators who saved a life on one of Colorado’s most challenging peaks. Earlier this year, a hiker was stranded on Crestone Peak, more than 14,000 feet above sea level. Flight for Life cannot reach that altitude. Ground crews could not reach this hiker. The mission fell to our Colorado Army National Guard aviators. Chief Warrant Officer 5 Mike Antinora and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Josh Friederichs flew their Black Hawk helicopter at the limits of its capabilities, hovering at 14,380 feet, while Sergeant Noah Jordan and Staff Sergeant Jake Beehler worked the hoist, lowering 180 feet of cable to reach where no one else could. They brought that hiker home safely. This is what our National Guard does not just in combat overseas but here at home when no one else can answer the call. I am proud to recognize Chief Warrant Officer Antinora, Chief Warrant Officer Friederichs, Sergeant Jordan, Staff Sergeant Beehler, and rescue technicians Gerrit Padgham and Steven Gosselin. Colorado is safer because of their service.”