Today's News

Editor’s note: The Courier profiled Kristen Moeller and David Cottrell, who lost their home in the Lower North Fork Fire, at the beginning of April. We have checked on their progress six months after the disaster.

One step forward and two steps back.

That’s the best way to describe the past six months for Kristen Moeller and David Cottrell, who lost their home in the Lower North Fork Fire. Moeller says they still have good and bad days after the devastating fire, which started six months ago today.

A home on Buffalo Park Road was destroyed by fire on Thursday afternoon.

Evergreen firefighters saw smoke rising from an area near the home about noon and responded before the fire station received a 911 call from a neighbor, said Doug Saba, Evergreen Fire/Rescue spokesman.

The resident, who was not identified, was not home when the fire started from undetermined causes, Saba said. She returned while firefighters were working at the scene.

Spend any time in the Southwest, and you will become enamored with the bold colors that surround and envelop you. A trip to New Mexico overflows with bursts of turquoise, the rich hues of a sun-streaked sky, or the audacious adornments of Native American festival garb. Perhaps it was these rainbows of color that inspired Steve and Jenni Sonnen to surround themselves with Southwestern art when they opened the doors of Mirada Fine Art in Indian Hills. Perhaps it was the work of contemporary painter Pablo Milan.

Fifty years ago, Indian Hills wasn’t much different than it is today. Sure, there are more businesses, houses and traffic now, but the sense of community is still there.

Fifty years ago, Parmalee Elementary School opened its doors, and since then the school hasn’t change much either. Two of Parmalee’s alums took a school tour Sept. 13 and reminisced about their time there in anticipation of the school’s 50th birthday party.