I keep coming back to the same question every winter. What makes a fur jacket any different from a leather one? Both are sourced from an animal’s exterior, both have a place in our culture’s history, and both are praised for their quality and visual appeal. Yet, why does one invite more backlash while the […]
January 2026
Posted inYouth News
Reticent but hopeful: A conversation with Venezuelans
Editor’s Note: The source living in Venezuela is referred to by alias initials (FA) to help ensure anonymity and safety. “Its culture is incredible. I don’t think there is a culture that has more joy in life and incredible charisma,” Mike De La Rosa, a Roaring Fork Valley resident originally from Venezuela said of his […]
Posted inYouth News
Confronting vaping across schools
With the stress that modern life presents to the youth, it is no surprise that many have turned to controversial sources for relief. Throughout the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD), tobacco and vaping use in schools appear to be a large problem. According to Joel Hathaway, executive director of schools at RFSD, there have been […]
Posted inEnvironment
Winter nighttime temps surge above historical average
As Roaring Fork Valley residents navigate this winter’s low precipitation, leaders at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) are warning that shifting average temperatures are also a significant concern. At the beginning of the month, Forest and Climate Director Adam McCurdy noted the asymmetric warming trend in ACES’ monthly “Wild Tracks” newsletter. Asymmetric warming […]
Posted inYouth News
The fact and fiction behind teen caffeine use
Teenage caffeine related hospital visits are rare, but the number of visits have roughly doubled over the past six years. That’s according to Indiana University’s Riley Children’s Health hospital, which analyzed over 223 million hospital visits of patients ages 11 to 35, from 2017 to 2023. According to a 2024 national poll by C.S. Motts […]
Posted inEducation
Glenwood charter school seeks legal ruling on ability to bus students from neighboring district
A decision whether the charter Two Rivers Community School (TRCS) will be able to continue busing students from the neighboring Garfield Re-2 School District now rests with a judge. Re-2 Superintendent Kirk Banghart in October 2025 sent a letter to Roaring Fork District Re-1 Superintendent Anna Cole requesting an end to TRCS’s practice of busing […]
Posted inYouth News
Aperture of Hope makes teens feel seen
Aperture of Hope, an organization operated by Cath Adams, focuses on community building and exploration for teenagers. Through the Glenwood Community Center, Adams runs teen-centered events and workshops intended to build hope for young people who may be struggling or just trying to figure life out. The organization, an offshoot of Adams and her husband’s […]
Posted inBusiness
Revel Bikes is leaving Carbondale
When Adam Miller did the Grand Traverse in 2017, the most memorable part of the race wasn’t the 40-mile, middle-of-the-night ski traverse from Crested Butte to Aspen. It was the small town he passed through on the drive back to Crested Butte. Miller had already been thinking about where he wanted to live and grow […]
Posted inSports
X Games and back again
Reflection & photos by Isaac SterlingSopris Stars Alumnus Twenty-five years of X Games Aspen, so many memories made, records broken and dreams coming true. The X Games would not be the event it is without the people coming out in all sorts of weather to support and watch these athletes throw down. This year, spectators […]
Posted inBusiness
Owner wants new Carbondale restaurant Amara to be ‘worth the drive’
Gushing in a provocative broth that would make gods salivate, a plated trifecta of oxtail, beef cheeks and short ribs was plunked onto the bar by Chef Barry Dobesh. Though light fixtures were dimmed for a perfect romantic evening, there were no customers. Instead, the earthy interior dining room was full of empty tables. With […]