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Top 5 most-read stories last week: Lack of childcare forces families to move, a bear hunt near Trinidad and Beer Darts

Chris Smith and Erin Kersten intended to move into Summit County in April, but a lack of childcare has kept them from moving in.
Chris Smith/Courtesy photo

Stories in this list received the most page views on SummitDaily.com in the past week.

1. Boebert, Polis address Roe v. Wade during Glenwood Springs visit

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the cornerstone of abortion rights during a visit to Glenwood Springs on Friday.

At an event marking the reopening of a trail to Hanging Lake on Friday, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis and Boebert were both asked about the overturning of Roe v. Wade. 



Polis referred to a statement he issued earlier Friday morning.

“Coloradans do not want politicians making their health care decisions,” Polis’ statement reads. “Because of my administration and Democratic leadership in the Legislature, Coloradans don’t have to worry because our rights are still protected today despite the unfortunate reality that the U.S. Supreme Court just rolled those freedoms back for millions of Americans in other states.”



Boebert said the decision to overturn the federal abortion law, which was originally decided by the Supreme Court in 1973, was a win for states’ rights.

Post Independent

2. Two Keystone ski patrollers kickstart Beer Dart business idea

Summit County locals Jonathan Cernanec and Ryan Kryak found a way to turn a college drinking game, funded by two stimulus checks, into a business with over 1,000 products sold.

Cernanec and Kryak, now official entrepreneurs, call a garage they work in their “warehouse,” their living room, their “assembly room,” and their home in Dillon Valley their “office.” 

On a typical day, the two can be found sitting amongst two 3D printers in their “assembly room” putting together each and every set of their game by hand while Avatar the Last Airbender plays on the TV.

Cernanec and Kryak came up with the idea for their company, Beer Darts, in April of 2020.

Eili Wright

3. Update: Suspect from Silverthorne manhunt Friday believed to have left county, police say

Police believe the wanted Idaho man whose truck was held at gunpoint Friday in Silverthorne has left the county, Silverthorne Police Chief John Minor said Monday.

Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said the male suspect is wanted on a felony warrant for domestic violence out of Idaho County in northern Idaho.

Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said police thought the man could be in the vehicle Friday and could have been armed. After a more than three-hour ordeal, Silverthorne Police Department spokesperson Kim Jardim said the suspect was not located in the vehicle, camper or cargo trailer.

Minor said police searched the vehicle for the suspect Friday but had not conducted a detailed search for weapons or other items as of Monday. The Silverthorne Police Department is waiting on a pending search warrant to search the vehicle, Minor said. The white pickup truck, overhead camper and cargo trailer have been towed from the scene to an undisclosed location.

Summit County law enforcement officers are not actively searching for the suspect, but they are on the lookout, FitzSimons said.

Luke Vidic

4. Bear hunt underway after attack in southern Colorado

State wildlife officials are looking to find and kill a bear that swatted a woman early Friday as she slept in a tent near Trinidad with her husband and their 2-year-old daughter.

As the family slept, about 2 a.m., the bear stepped on a beach ball outside their tent, popping it, Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman Bill Vogrin said in a news release. The noise woke the child, who began to cry.

As the mother moved to comfort her daughter she likely brushed the side of the tent, and the bear apparently swatted at the movement, slashing at her through the fabric, Vogrin said. The woman suffered scratches on her head, and the bear wandered off.

Because the bear made contact with a human the incident is now classified as an attack. If state officials find the bear they will euthanize it, Vogrin said.

“This is an unfortunate incident because the bear was not aggressively pursuing the victim,” Mike Brown, Parks and Wildlife’s wildlife manager for the region, said.

The Denver Post

5. Lack of child care pushes families out of the county

Life in Summit County can come with many cost-of-living hurdles. For some it’s housing, but for others the leading problem is affordable and available child care. Early Childhood Options Program Manager Catherine Schaaf said Summit County’s combined waitlist for child care is more than 600 names long, and it can take years for families to earn a spot.

As a result, some families are unable to live in the county. Some are unable to move in. Others are forced to move out.

Chris Smith and Erin Kersten purchased a home in Frisco in the fall of 2020. Two years later, they’ve pushed back their expected move in date of April 15, 2022, as they wait for a spot at a day care to open for their 2- and 4 year-old children. Until then, they’re short-term renting their home.

Melissa Anselmo and Daniel Winer moved their family to Silverthorne during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2019. In 2021, their son was born in Vail. After an expansive search for available child care, they settled on the “expensive” option and found a nanny. After one year and a lot of lost dollars, they returned to the Front Range, deciding to rent their home to another family who’s since doubled its use as a day care.

Luke Vidic


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