Local News

Since its humble beginnings in 1966, the Evergreen Artists Association Fine Arts Festival has rivaled some of the finest art shows in the country. And some say it’s even better than most, given its prime location.

The festival’s art is displayed among the old-growth Ponderosa pines of Heritage Grove near the Hiwan Homestead Museum. What better way to peruse the work of more than 100 artists than on a sunny mountain afternoon under the shade of these gentle giants.

A group interested in building a co-housing community for 20 to 40 individual homeowners is close to making an offer on 14 acres somewhere in Evergreen, at a location that could be served by the Evergreen Metro water system. The group is working on a feasibility study but is not ready to divulge the location, said Ginger Juhl, a spokesperson for Stillpoint Mountain Village. The group held an informational meeting on Aug. 12 at the Evergreen Fire/Rescue headquarters in an attempt to spread the word and gather more members.

Former Evergreen High music teacher William Eisenman will spend at least 15 years in prison following a June conviction for sexually assaulting one of his students.

Eisenman, 33, was convicted June 24 of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. Jefferson County District Judge Tamara Russell sentenced the former music and band teacher to a minimum of 15 years in prison Aug. 19, but the sentence could last for life if Department of Corrections experts conclude that he isn't rehabilitated when eligible for parole.

A hazardous chemical spill at a home in a residential area of Evergreen on Monday evening turned out to be nitric acid that had been stored in a keg-size container.

Authorities found two kegs and some 28 drums, most of which were empty, that had been piling up under some trees since the mid-‘60s.

Someone from the home was cleaning up the area about 5 p.m. Monday when one of the barrels accidentally tipped, releasing a sludgy substance that generated a small cloud of yellow smoke, said Evergreen Fire Chief Garry DeJong.