Kathleen Shannon

“CenturyLink has indicated a possible problem in calling 9-1-1 in the Roaring Fork Valley.” Look familiar? Subscribers to Pitkin County emergency alerts may have seen this message via text and email on May 27.  “Any time the internet is out, home phone service is out. That’s why 9-1-1 is unavailable,” said a CenturyLink sales representative. […]

As the heat of summer and fire season both barrel toward the arid West, COVID-19 adds complications to an already delicate situation. Fire restrictions were placed in 11 National Forests and on BLM-managed spaces in 11 counties across Colorado in early April that are not due to expire until the end of May. Still, Western […]

My life during the stay-at-home order took a sudden turn when I adopted a 6-month-old puppy last week. What better way to fill unexpected downtime? In fact, I’m writing this article between bursts of puppy energy, lots of pets, and periodic exchanges of things that shouldn’t be chewed for things that should.  I’m not the […]

For so many Carbondalians, Mushroom Rock feels like a backyard. The COVID-19 stay-at-home order, however, is blurring the boundaries of mountain town backyards and home trails. As local recreation areas see increased use amidst warming weather and residents stuck at home, land management agencies are trying to keep up with rapidly-changing public health information.  Amidst […]

While emptying shelves in the grocery store seem to be filling shoppers’ supply of anxiety, backyards are starting to look more like opportunities. Echoes of WWII’s Victory Garden initiatives are ringing through the chambers of social media outlets and garden supply phone lines during COVID-19, nationally and locally. The historical movement encouraged teamwork and community […]

Whether you, reader, are consuming this local news via the internet or a hard copy of the paper, I’m willing to wager that you are reading it at home. While the nation scrambles to find normalcy under the utterly abnormal circumstances brought on by COVID-19, communities are learning to adapt much of their public life […]

A half hour into our hike up a dry but snowy creek bed, ducking under fallen trees and scrambling up icy chutes, I begin to doubt whether the forest closing in on us will actually disclose an ice wall worthy of climbing. Without Mike Schneiter, so familiar with the path, we wouldn’t have found the […]

As part of its month-long Imagine Climate initiative, the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) will be hosting two Climate Billboard Community Kick-offs, unveiling four new black-and-white bilingual public art pieces in the valley. Though the pieces have been done by different artists and will be displayed in various locations, they all share a common […]