Election – The Durango Herald

Where’s Don Coram? Lauren Boebert’s GOP challenger says his late start is all part of the plan

State senator is making long shot bid to unseat congresswoman with deep pockets and a national following

DATE: May 23, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Prosecutors debunk Colorado clerk’s 2020 election claims

DENVER – Prosecutors in a western Colorado county said Thursday they found no evidence of tampering in the 2020 presidential election as alleged by a clerk who has become a prominent voice a...

DATE: May 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Mystery attorney in Elbert County election security case is former state House minority leader

Joe Stengel attests in affidavit he was in possession of unsealed metal box for more than three months

DATE: May 16, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Campaign sign placed in front of Durango-area church raises questions

Church of Christ on Florida Mesa is tax-exempt, but rules apply when it comes to politicking

DATE: May 14, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Identity of attorney should be public, secretary of state argues in Elbert County election security case

‘Forensic images’ stored in an undisclosed location with a ‘private attorney’

DATE: May 9, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Meet the three Democrats competing to flip Lauren Boebert’s seat in Congress

Candidates think incumbent’s controversy-filled first term could provide them an opportunity

DATE: May 6, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Democratic incumbents outraise, outspend GOP opponents in Colorado for statewide offices

Griswold, Polis and Weiser lead competitors in fundraising

DATE: May 6, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Election-system hard drive copies turned over to Colorado secretary of state

Elbert County clerk ordered to turn over materials in connection with potential security breach

DATE: May 5, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Can Lauren Boebert’s national profile trump her GOP primary challenger?

Republican voters across CD3 have mixed feelings about the freshman congresswoman

DATE: May 4, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Coloradans can expect a wave of anonymous political texts as 2022 campaign revs up

Laws require people, groups behind political text messages disclose who they are, but that seldom happens

DATE: May 2, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Don Coram outraises Lauren Boebert in 1st quarter in Southwest Colorado

Some of the congresswoman’s biggest monetary supporters work in oil and gas

DATE: Apr 29, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Denver judge rejects effort to end Don Coram’s primary challenge against Lauren Boebert

Lawsuit alleged 390 petition signatures submitted by Coram were flawed

DATE: Apr 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

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Patriotic drone show unfolds above Durango’s night skyAbout 1,200 people watched production from city Transit Center

One hundred forty drones took to the skies above Greenmount Cemetery at 10 p.m. sharp Saturday in a glowing and patriotic spectacle featuring vibrant images colored red, white and blue against the black backdrop of night.About 1,200 people gathered Saturday at the Durango Transit Center to watch the city’s premiere drone show produced by Verge Aero after a street dance and band performance by McCurry Trio and Desert Child for Independence Day celebrations.Spectators were treated to drone depictions of the American flag, star patterns, a soaring bald eagle and a homage to the city with drones flying in formation to spell out “Durango” to close out the street dance that started at 6 p.m. Across the valley from Greenmount Cemetery, the headlights of cars shined from Rim Drive near Fort Lewis College where more spectators watched.

Ellen Babers, Durango community events administrator, said the show went well. She heard “Ooh’s” and “ah’s” from the crowd when the drones transitioned from one image to another.She said a segment that consisted of stars rotating at various intervals, shrinking into smaller stars before expanding into the shape of a larger star, appeared to be a crowd favorite.“People really liked the Durango part,” she said. “When it spelled out Durango, people seemed surprised. Like, ‘Oh, this isn’t just a generic show, this is about us.’”Other images included an outline of the continental United States, the letters “USA,” and a spinning globe shape that gave the drone show a 3D feel.

The drones were laid out earlier in the evening in a square grid, with each drone placed 4 feet apart. Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer of the drone show, worked with a crew of about six people, including volunteers. Saturday evening at Greenmount Cemetery where the drones launched and landed, Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer with Verge Aero, and his crew of about six people, including volunteers, had laid all the drones out on the grass in a square grid. Each drone was placed four feet apart. Smiatek synced the drones to a GPS and radio tower in preparation for the evening’s show. Six minutes before takeoff, a deer wandered straight past the drone grid, narrowly avoiding stepping on them.“That could have been a disaster,” Smiatek said as his crew scanned the nearby area with flashlights. No other deer were visible.Two minutes before takeoff, the crew’s portable generator shut off – out of gas.

“We have double secure power,” he said. “The generator fell off two minutes before the show started. It’s like Murphy’s law, anything that could happen will happen. So it’s best to be prepared.”During prep, the crew ran several tests with the drones. The drones shot up 3 to 4 meters, hovered for about one second and then dropped back to their designated grid space on the grass.

Smiatek worked from a makeshift command station where his laptop and transmission tower were perched.“The base station is the heart of the show,” he said. “It’s a computer and it’s a distribution system connected to radios and an antenna. And that’s it, basically. Very flexible and a good system.”Chris Lutts, vice president of sales at Verge Aero, said he thinks Durangoans enjoyed the performance. From Greenmount Cemetery, he could hear the cheers and whistles of the audience at the Durango Transit Center.“The people we’ve been working with have been great,” he said. “Clearly, the city enjoyed it, so that’s awesome. That’s why we do this. It’s no different than any other entertainment, man. You love that feedback. It’s validation that what you’re doing is something that people really like.”cburney@durangoherald.com

About 1,200 people watched production from city Transit Center

Photos: BurroFest in Mancos

Fun times at the Ute Mountain Roundup rodeo in Cortez

Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Hobby Horse Community Bike Ride

Photos: Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Sprite Kids Race

Men and women compete in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic dual slalom races

Riders compete in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Roostmaster race

Riders compete in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic men’s pro road raceQuinn Simmons takes the win

Quinn Simmons takes the win

Cyclists compete in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic women’s pro road raceKira Payer takes first

Where’s Don Coram? Lauren Boebert’s GOP challenger says his late start is all part of the plan

Prosecutors debunk Colorado clerk’s 2020 election claims

Mystery attorney in Elbert County election security case is former state House minority leader

Campaign sign placed in front of Durango-area church raises questions

Identity of attorney should be public, secretary of state argues in Elbert County election security case

Meet the three Democrats competing to flip Lauren Boebert’s seat in Congress

Democratic incumbents outraise, outspend GOP opponents in Colorado for statewide offices

Election-system hard drive copies turned over to Colorado secretary of state

Can Lauren Boebert’s national profile trump her GOP primary challenger?

Coloradans can expect a wave of anonymous political texts as 2022 campaign revs up

Don Coram outraises Lauren Boebert in 1st quarter in Southwest Colorado

Denver judge rejects effort to end Don Coram’s primary challenge against Lauren Boebert

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