2021

January 2021

• Empire Electric plans a new rate structure

• A shot in the arm: Native American tribes create their own plans for COVID-19 vaccinations

• Local recalls have had mixed success

• Effort to unseat McDaniel continues: Criticism of the school-board member brings attention to a lunch club

• Back and forth?: Trump shrank Bears Ears. Will Biden return it to its original size?

February 2021

• Under fire?: Cortez’s chief shares his views on police work, protests and the future

• Making a trip from ‘Yellowstone’: Four States Junior Rodeo contestants get a visit from actor Forrie J. Smith

• Centennial farmers: Bessie White recalls the community and bonds of the Great Sage Plain

March 2021

• Shelter from the storm: Laurie Knutson discusses her final, pandemic-threatened year at the Bridge

• Migration time? Is the pandemic boosting real-estate sales in Montezuma County?

April 2021

• What is a healthy forest?: The Forest Service is trying to re-establish one through the proposed Salter Y project

• Zed’s Hamper (April 2021)

• Time for some humor: Duane Abel and the comic strip ZED join the pages of the Free Press

May 2021

• Zed’s Hamper (May 2021)

• Free Press wins four awards in Top of the Rockies contest

• Harassment charges proceed against six locals

• How can forest health be improved?: The Salter Y project has critics, but offers likely long-term gains

• Empire’s new rate structure, explained

• Cortez voters to decide broadband’s future

June 2021

• Two MCHS grads discuss the lunch clubs

• A matter of pride: Cortez, Mancos pass proclamations celebrating the LGBTQ2S+ community

• ‘Montezuma’ and ‘Cortez’: Why are they so called? The story behind the names, and the names behind the stories

• Honoring those who came before: The Montezuma Heritage Museum is slated to open in Cortez this autumn

• Zed’s Hamper (June 2021)

July 2021

• Environmental assessment release for Salter project

• A special guy

• Remembering Russ Brown, a supporter of journalism

• Diversion for most: Five locals charged with harassment in a January incident in Cortez will have those charges dropped if they complete the court’s requirements

• Pondering twists of fate: A local author finds that things have a way of working out

• Left high and dry: A severe drought has definite and unfortunate impacts on wildlife

August 2021

• Twin Rocks is a hub for Four Corners visitors

• Better late than never: Farmers Telephone will celebrate its centennial one year afterward

• A needed shot in the arm?: Despite disease worries, many resist the idea of vaccination

September 2021

• How critical should be be?: Race theory sparks fears about its being taught in schools

• Bill would provide permanent residency for Sabido

• Here’s the buzz on hummers: Citizen scientists rise early to record data on the tiny, much-loved birds

October 2021

• School schisms: District Re-1 sees rifts over curriculum, Lunch Bunch, COVID-19

• Reaching out for help: School District Re-1 asks the community to fill some shortages

• Zed’s Hamper (October 2021)

• Curriculum committee will need to be revamped

• An unsustainable situation?: Two CMS teachers voice concerns over discussions of drastic measures

November 2021

• Zed’s Hamper (November 2021)

• Are wild horses a native species? The answers and opinions vary

• Where the buffalo roam: National parks struggle with animals that invade their boundaries

• Ertel’s celebrates 100 years of service to the community

December 2021

• Is our area insensitive?: The region is drawing national attention, for negative reasons