Monday, Jan. 5, marked the first Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting of 2026. The agenda opened with the appointment of three trustees for the Garfield County Public Library District. Library Board of Trustees Chair Adrian Rippy-Sheehy and Executive Director Jamie LaRue were on-hand. Describing the selection process, Jankovsky explained, “The library will get one vote […]
Amy Hadden Marsh
Posted inNews
Living Stonehenge
Amy Hadden MarshFrom the Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England Looking out the bus window, I couldn’t see a thing. It was pitch black outside. No roads — except for the one upon which we were traveling and lit only by our headlights — no cars, no lights in the distance signaling habitation, just a curtain of […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: ‘Merry Christmas to the Sheriff’s office’
Monday’s Garfield County Commissioner (BOCC) meeting was the last one of 2025. First up was an anti-climactic presentation on mill levies for the 2026 budget year. Juby Cummings of the county assessor’s office requested certification of mill levies, but did not have the exact numbers. “We are waiting on five certifications of mill levies from […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: Library trustee interviews set for Friday, Dec. 10
Maybe it’s because we’re coming up on the winter holidays and everyone is ready for some time off. Maybe it’s because we’re coming up on the end of the year and no one wants to start anything new. Maybe it’s the early-morning icy roads that are keeping the December Garfield Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) […]
Posted inFiction
No place like Glastonbury for the holidays
Winter holiday celebrations in Glastonbury, United Kingdom, also known as “the heart chakra of the world,” are a joyous mixed bag. It’s two months of pilgrimages and parties. After the Wild Hunt, heralding Hallowe’en and Samhain (SOW-en), the beginning of winter in the old Celtic traditions, comes Carnival. Floats the size of semi-trucks are pulled […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: Santa says, ‘You gotta be nice’
The first of December brought snow to the Roaring Fork Valley but it did not bring public comments to the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting. For the first time in a few weeks, no one had anything to say that wasn’t on the agenda. Not even about the upcoming library board of trustees interviews (which […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: Term limits, a Highway 82 analysis — and that’s just the public comments
“I maintain it is high time to legislate for term limits for all elected [Garfield] county positions,” offered Carbondale resident Susan Rhea during the public comment period at Monday’s Garfield County Commissioners’ (BOCC) meeting. For the second week in a row, a small crowd showed up at 8am to speak before the BOCC dove into […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: Grants galore and more
No public comments at this week’s Garfield County commissioners’ (BOCC) meeting. “It’s a skinny audience,” observed Commission Chair Tom Jankovsky. The meeting itself took up a little over an hour of Jankovsky’s and Commissioner Mike Samson’s time. Commissioner Perry Will was absent. The consent agenda was approved and discussion moved into fourth quarter discretionary grants. […]
Posted inNews
Scuttlebutt
Rockfall mitigation on holdThe Colorado Department of Transportation has shut down rockfall mitigation work along Highway 82 outside of Carbondale for the winter. Safety for workers and motorists is the primary concern. Work started mid-May and included clearing culverts, rock scaling and more. Crews will resume work next spring. Lift-Up ups serviceIn the first week […]
Posted inLocal Government
Garco report: Library, SNAP and South Bridge
Garfield County commissioners (BOCC) got an earful of fiery public comments at the beginning of Monday’s meeting. Citizens concerned about the appointment process for county library trustees responded to a call to action on Facebook over the weekend, urging the community to speak at the meeting. Sixteen commenters talked about issues ranging from the current […]