January 2018

Sharing is caring, as the adage goes, and now there’s a 40,500-square-foot embodiment of the sentiment in the Valley. The new Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 53 Calaway, Ct., officially opened Jan. 19, and it’s been abuzz ever since. “I’m guessing, based on how busy it was, we had to have over 500 people — easy — on Friday and Saturday,” Habitat for Humanity Roaring Fork Valley President Scott Gilbert said of the store’s opening weekend. “It’s kind of like a frenzy.”

Praise be! There’s finally snow! Wet, heavy snow. And while this reporter is all about earning turns, there’s a way to work smarter — not harder — while on the hill, thanks largely in part to Carbondale local Peter Arlein and friends. Arlein is the founder and CEO of Snow Shed Wax. The company, which makes a topsheet spray for skis and snowboards, distributes to retail stores in the United States and Canada and online behemoths like Backcountry.com.

This week, the Colorado High School Activities Association reiterated what many Carbondalians have known since 1989 — that Tricia Bader Binford was one of the finest athletes the state has ever seen. “She was definitely a special player,” said Larry Williams, who was an assistant coach when Binford played for the Roaring Fork Rams. “Her basketball IQ was well above average, for a freshman especially and her speed made her an incredible defensive player and helped her offensive game.”

There are several reasons why one employee may receive higher compensation than another — education, experience and salary negotiations at the time of hiring, among others. But the numbers for Garfield County also reveal another discrepancy among incomes: gender. Men who are employed full time in Garfield County earn, on average, more than 1.5 times than a woman working full time, according to Data USA, an online platform for public, government-published data. The average income of a man in the area is $55,599, whereas the average income of a female is only $37,594.

Rocks talk to Garry Zabel, and he’s looking forward to sharing their stories. “If you pick up a rock that has a ripple, it’s telling you something,” he said. “Every type of rock has characteristics that geologists know how to read.” A professor emeritus at Colorado Mountain College, Zabel is perhaps best known for the field trips he leads to Utah and Arizona. As part of the ongoing Naturalist Nights speaker series, however, he’s preparing to tackle geology closer to home with a presentation at the Third Street Center at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 24 and the next day in Aspen.