Itís August, and what a summer itís been: hot and harrowing ñ again. The Black Forest fire is behind us, but the rebuilding and relief efforts will be with us for a long time. Read our Black Forest News page for stories about the business community and information on challenges renting houses for those who lost their homes to the fire. We are completely grateful and supportive of our Falcon firefighters. So, itís disconcerting when we are obligated as a newspaper to write about a controversy that has been brewing the past few months within the Falcon Fire Protection District. However, it is our obligation to our readers. We have heard from a few subscribers who are curious (and somewhat leery) about the decisions the board has made in the last few months; and, as the local newspaper, itís our job to search for some answers.Robin Widmar, in her summary of the board meetings, has reported that residents and even a former board member have attended board meetings to express their dissatisfaction with the inner workings of the FFPD. A recall of board members has been mentioned as a ìpossibility.îLindsey Harrison talked to board members and Falcon firefighters to try to bring the truth to the surface. It hasnít been an easy road because the majority of board members havenít been eager to talk, and the statements given are often conflicting. Thereís more to the story than meets the eye, and with the public dissension and a possible lawsuit against the FFPD, the story wonít end with this issue, either.Some good news in Falcon is that Falcon School District 49 has a new chief executive officer on board as this school year begins. You can read all about Peter Hilts on our D 49 News page.Speaking of school, John and I just moved our second daughter to a new (different) apartment in Fort Collins, where she attends Colorado State University. Lots of parents are doing the same, while adding up the costs to get their kids a higher education.Many parents are paying less for their kidsí college tuition, with the burden shifting to students, according to a new study published by CNBC.com. Sallie Mae released a report a week or so ago stating that scholarships and grants have ìtrumped parental contributionsî as the No. 1 source of paying for college for the first time in four years. Contributions from parental income have dropped to 27 percent, and student borrowing has increased 4 percent in the past four years, covering 18 percent of college costs. I havenít seen a decrease in my college budget for two daughters ñ one is a senior this year and the other a junior! Weíre almost finished.College costs keep rising and inflation isnít keeping up. The cost of a four-year college education, including tuition and fees, at a private school increased 167 percent between 1982-83 and 2012-13; for a public university, the cost rose by 257 percent, according to The College Board. So, good luck to all returning students ñ and all the cash-strapped parents.See you in September,– Michelle
