MONTROSE

Special Edition COMING NEXT SUNDAY

9/11

SUNDAY September 4, 2011 VOL 129, NO. 38 $1.50 MONTROSE, CO 81401 www.montrosepress.com

Published for theUncompahgre Valleyand Lee Fortner ofMontrose

It will be sunny all day!High 85, Low 55See details, Page A13

Create your Profile and Post a Resume . . . Find what you’re looking for.

jobs.montrosepress.com

TODAY’S WEATHERINSIDE THE DAILY PRESS

LOCAL . . . . . . . .A2-5,8,14OPINION . . . . . . . . . .A6-7STATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A8NATION . . . . . . . . . . . .A9SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . .A10WORLD . . . . . . . . . . . .A11

COMICS . . . . . . . . . . .A12OBITUARIES . . . . . . .A13FOCUS . . . . . . . . . . .B1-4CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . .C1-4

Nation:Congress popularity

suffering Page A9

MONTROSEDAILY PRESS

3684 N. TOWNSENDMONTROSE, C0

81401HOURS:

MONDAY-FRIDAY8 A.M. - 5 P.M.

TEL: 970-249-3444FAX: 970-249-3331

REMEMBEREDBrought to you by and the Montrose Daily Press

Magic Circle Players Community Theatre420 S. 12th St., Montrose • 249-7838 • www.magiccircleplayers.com

Magic Circle Players Community Theatre420 S. 12th St., Montrose • 249-7838 • www.magiccircleplayers.com

Sept. 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24,at 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, 18 at 2:00 p.m.

OPENS

SEPT. 9!

By:Stuart M. Kaminsky

The Final Toastby Stuart M. Kaminsky

Council to heargolf course report,rezoning request

near riverBY KATI O'HARE

DAILY PRESS WRITERA quarterly report from the

Montrose Land Company, thefiscal agent for the BlackCanyon Golf Course, is expect-ed to serve as one of the high-lights of Tuesday's City Councilmeeting.

The reportis due to bepresented atthe council'sregularwork ses-sion thatstarts at 6p.m. in thecouncilchambers at107 S. Cas-cade Ave.

The council has supplied thecompany with two separate pay-ment of $12,500 to help fund thecosts of managing the city-deeded "back nine" of the pub-lic golf course. The paymentsare part of a five-year contactthat originated in 2008, requir-ing the city to fund the courseup to $50,000 based on need.

The council's regular meetingagenda did not show a requestfor funding from the land trust,but such a request could still beadded to the agenda at the startof the meeting.

Also during the work session,real estate agent David Kien-hotz will conduct a river prop-erty discussion with council.

The council only has a fewitems to address during its reg-ular meeting.

There will be a public hearingon the rezoning of the propertyat 1915 N. Townsend Ave. Prop-erty owner James Smith wantsit rezoned from general com-mercial to general industrial sohe can expand his business. Theproperty lines falls just outsidea 100-foot river buffer require-ment set by the city, whichraised concerns from somecouncilors during their Augustmeeting.

The council will consider therezoning request, but both thecity and the property ownerwant to maintain the back sec-tion of the property near theriver as commercial so that in-dustrial development can't takeplace too close to the river, ac-cording to earlier council re-ports.

The property was zoned in-dustrial until the previous own-ers had it changed to commer-cial in 2009, according to thecity.

A discussion of the annualMontrose Association of Com-merce and Tourism Gala also isamong city council's discussionfor Tuesday.

For the full agenda, visitwww.cityofmontrose.org andclick on "archive center."

To comment on this story, visit our website atwww.montrosepress.com.

t DetailsTuesday at the City

Council Chambersin the Elks Civic’sBuilding, 107 S.Cascade Ave.

• 6 p.m. City Coun-cil work session.

• 7 p.m. Council reg-ular meeting.

State's investigation into illegal tire dumpexpected to be finished in matter of weeks

BY KATI O'HAREDAILY PRESS WRITER

State health officials plan to wrap up an investigation into alarge illegal tire dump in Ouray County by the middle of themonth with an eye toward possibly filing charges against theland owner after many of the tires wound up in the Uncompah-gre River.

The Ouray County Sheriff's Department got a report of "hun-dreds" of tires floating down the Uncompahgre River near theBilly Creek area after a July 26 flash flood. The department isworking with the state Health Department to investigate the sit-uation.

"It's an unapproved disposal place," said Jeannine Natter-man, a public health officer for the Health Department. "This iswhy we have regulations because they (tires) end up in thewrong areas, like a river."

The July 26 flash flood caused an ordinarily dry arroyo toturn into a raging stream and eventually carried many of thetires into the Uncompahgre River.

"In that arroyo is where the tires had been buried, or justplain dumped," Natterman said. "The tires were then carriedinto Burro Creek about a mile down, where they went into CowCreek and then into the Uncompahgre River."

State officials say the land where the tires were dumped isowned by Butch Gunn, and their investigation could lead to

charges being filed against him.A report on the situation was filed with the state Health De-

partment on Aug. 9, and staff members from the department'sGrand Junction office visited the site on Aug. 12. Nattermansaid it "seemed to be common knowledge" that a tire store inMontrose was using Gunn's property to dispose of its usedtires.

"We have regulations that the fees collected (by businessessuch as the tire store) for tire disposal is meant to go to the dis-posal of the tires," Natterman said. "He was charging a fee but

‘This is why we have regulationsbecause they (tires) end up in the

wrong areas, like a river.’

Jeannine NattermanPublic health officer for the state Health Deaptment

s

SEE TIRES, PAGE A3

JOEL BLOCKER / DAILY PRESS

Lara Ammermann, a pitcher for the Montrose High School softball team, nearly died six months ago as a result of blood clots inboth of her lungs.

BY MATT LINDBERGDAILY PRESS SPORTS EDITOR

Lara Ammermann stepped into the pitching circle on ahot Aug. 23 afternoon, unsure if she could pitch the way shewas accustomed to in the Montrose High softball team’sseason opener.

Those doubts proved groundless, as Ammermann was tri-umphant, leading her squad to an 8-5 victory over PalisadeHigh that day. The Lady Indians hurler smoked her compe-tition by throwing 44 strikes out of 70 pitches, totaling eightstrikeouts.

After her post-game team meeting, Ammermann walkedover to her mother, who greeted her with a big hug andsmile. That warm exchange between the two was an indica-tion the game was about far more than the team’s first winor impressive statistics for the Montrose High junior. Forher, it was all the proof she needed that anything is possi-ble.

Six months ago, Ammermann nearly died from blood

clots in both of her lungs. Her recovery was long and diffi-cult, requiring her to battle against the odds. But by lateAugust, she had demonstrated that she could still do whatshe loved most: pitching in softball games.

“I think my mentality is much different,” Ammermannsaid recently. “I’ve always loved pitching, but I learned thatyou should appreciate everything you get because you nev-er know when or if it will be taken away. You should bethankful for every minute you’re on the field.”

In the beginningAmmermann's ordeal started a few days after Christmas

last year when she found herself suffering from severechest pain and gasping for breath, just barely making itthrough the Montrose girls basketball squad’s conditioningdrills.

BBaacckk ffrroommtthhee bbrriinnkk

MHS pitcher survives brush with death, returns to diamond

SEE AMMERMANN, PAGE A4

Those drills, Ammermann said, consisted of run-ning sprints and laps, in addition to the completion of17 so-called "suicide" drills in 17 minutes at the end ofthe two-hour practice. A suicide is an endurance testin which athletes start at one end of court, touch thefoul line, return back to the baseline and repeat thesame when reaching half-court, the opposite foul lineand baseline.

“I kept thinking ‘Why is everyone else doing this somuch easier?’ ” Ammermann recalled. “I was sotired, and I couldn’t breathe.”

Knowing how poorly she felt, Ammermann said shespent the remainder of practice taking breaks to re-cover when necessary while still participating indrills as much as she could.

When practice was over, she went home but saidher symptoms remained the same. Ammermann'smother, Lynette, arrived at the house a bit later andwas immediately startled by her daughter’s wheez-ing, which she heard as soon as she entered the home.

Lynette Ammermann, who is registered nurse,checked her daughter’s lungs and heard minimal airexchange. She then rushed her daughter to Dr. Timo-thy Sullinger and Dr. Julie DeVita-Bailey's familyclinic, where Sullinger diagnosed the girl with reac-tive airway disease secondary to bronchitis. RAD isan asthma-like syndrome developed after a single ex-posure to high levels of irritating vapor or smoke,which causes coughing, wheezing and shortness ofbreath.

Lara was put on Nebulizer treatment, Prednisoneand antibiotics, and given an inhaler before beingsent home. But only a few days later, she would findherself at Montrose Memorial Hospital.

On Sunday, Jan. 2, she took a walk around the blockwith her younger brother, Ethan, and decided to tryjogging. Soon after she picked up her pace, Larablacked out, and 7-year-old Ethan saw his older sisterfall face first into the snow.

“I don’t remember falling,” she said.Lara came to a few minutes later, but fell back

down, which prompted Ethan to race home for hismother.

“I was so dizzy and so confused,” Lara recalled. “Icouldn’t remember how to use my phone, and I didn’tfeel good at all.”

When Lynette arrived at Lara’s side, she said herdaughter was “as blue as could be,” barely conscious,and her eyes had basically rolled into the back of her

head.Lara was rushed to the emergency room at MMH

and diagnosed with massive bilateral pulmonary em-boli in both of her lungs — also known as blood clots.The clots were causing right heart strain, as a re-stricted amount of blood was flowing into her heart,Lynette said. Lara quickly was put on the blood thin-ners Lovenox and Heparin to prevent further clots.

Fearing deathBy early afternoon on Monday, Jan. 3, Lara and her

mother were flown to Denver Children’s Hospital,and Lara’s father made the five-hour drive from Mon-trose to meet his family.

When Lara arrived by plane, doctors started her onHeparin and 48 hours of tissue plasminogen activa-tor. TPA is a protein that helps the breakdown ofblood clots.

In addition, she had to undergo three blood infu-sions, an ultrasound of her legs and a cat scan of herhead, among other tests.

Over the next few days, Lara saw several more doc-tors and was given a variety of blood thinners. Onenight, her chaotic situation overwhelmed her, whichresulted in a sobbing Lara asking her mother if shewas going to die.

“I don’t think I fully understood how close I was todying up until that point,” Lara said.

Said Lynette: “There is no greater love than what

you have for your child, and in moments like that,you would take their position in a second. Lara wasso strong.”

Lynette said she had to reassure her daughter thateverything would be OK, despite not knowing if shewould survive.

After nearly a week in Denver, Lara's conditionseemed to stabilize, and the Ammermanns returnedto Montrose on Jan. 8.

Her own prisonBut less than 24 hours later, Lara found herself

back in Montrose Memorial hospital’s emergencyroom as familiar symptoms, such as relentless chestpain, returned.

Under the care of DeVita-Bailey, Lara stayed inMMH’s intensive care unit for three days. She contin-ued to take Warfarin, a type of blood thinner, and wasnot allowed to participate in any kind of athletic ac-tivities for the next six months while she took thedrug. If she got hit or fell, there was a high risk shecould bleed to death internally.

By March, Lara was allowed limited activity, at firstwalking a few steps at a time and then progressing toa quarter of a mile. She also gradually made her wayback to school and saw her local doctor for checkups.

“All of the school officials and counselors were sogracious and accommodating to her,” Lynette said.

Lara made a point to attend every basketball prac-tice, though she couldn’t play. The night before ascheduled doctor’s appointment in April, the realityof not being active sunk in with her.

“I cried because I didn’t know if I ever was going tobe play softball again or do anything I used to do be-fore it all happened,” Lara explained.

At her doctor visit the next day, Lara was given thego-ahead to start throwing pitches without a batter,and she quickly took advantage of that opportunity.For one to two hours each day, Lara locked herself inthe garage and pitched to a net five to seven feet away.She also threw to her father, Craig, whenever possi-ble.

"Lara's always been self-motivated," Craig said."She doesn't need to be told to practice. She'll be theone to come ask me to catch for her."

Although she missed her summer softball season,Lara regularly trudged to her family's garage fromApril through June, maintaining her lonely routineand continuing to throw pitches into the net to pre-pare herself for a return to her high school team.

“I worked at it forever," she said. "I did that so whenthe moment came that I could play, I was going to beready. Not being able to play basketball all season andnot pitching to a live batter was the worst. It wasn’tgood, because I felt normal. Except my blood wasn’t. Ifelt trapped.”

A4 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2011 LOCAL MONTROSE DAILY PRESS

s

Healthy Smiles that Last a Lifetime

New Patient SPECIAL

$120offcleaning, x-rays & complete exam for adults

$93 off for children

816 S. 1st St. • 249-2533www.drsharlenemartinson.com

Gentle Family

Dentistry

Dr. Sharlene Martinson DDS

Lumineers Porcelain Veneersno shots • no pain • no drilling sensitive areas • instant whitening • lasts 20+ years

Call for a FREE LUMISmile® consult today

m ust

prese

ntco

upon

.exp

8-31

-11

PLEASE

RSVPTO

249-9634

THE MONTROSE REHABILITATION CENTER ATVALLEY MANOR CARE CENTER

1401 S. CASCADE • 970-249-9634

YOU ARE INVITED TO ACELEBRATION OF SERVICE TOUR

AT VALLEY MANOR CARE CENTERAND MONTROSE REHAB ON THE

LAST WEDNESDAY OF EACHMONTH FROM 12-1 PM. LUNCH IS

PROVIDED. COME LEARN MOREABOUT OUR FACILITY AND THE

GREAT SERVICE WE GIVE.

MontroseElks #1053

Two Progressive GamesRegular $1,65800

Double Actionstarts at $1,00800

Tuesday, August 23rd

B•I •N•G•O

801 S. Hillcrest– 249-4852

Now Playing “Early Bird Bingo” at 6:30pm

Doors Open at 5pm

FREE Coffee & WaterFood Available Nachos, Sandwiches & MORE!

~ Please No Children Under Age 10 ~

ATTENDANCE DRAWING $175

B R E W I N G • C O M PA N Y

846 E. MAIN ST. 249-6889 horseflybrewing.com

HHeellpp HHoorrsseeffllyy cceelleebbrraattee ttwwoo yyeeaarrssiinn bbuussiinneessss FFrriiddaayy,, SSeepptteemmbbeerr 99tthh..

Happy hour pricing from 5-close as well as appetiz-er specials & hourly drawings for prizes, open micnight, musicians come down & get lots of exposure.

We’ve got two lives. The one we’re givenand the one we make.

~K.Yamada

Pam Schofield, M.A.Life Transitions: Coaching and Counseling

970-252-0911

AMMERMANN: Mother, who’s also a registered nurse, immediately startled by daughter’s wheezingFROM PAGE 1

SEE AMMERMANN, PAGE A8

JOEL BLOCKER / DAILY PRESS

Montrose High's Lara Ammermann reaches to catch athrow while playing first base during a recent practice.

COURTESY PHOTO

Lara Ammermann pitches during a little league game.