With a titch of technology and support from the community, The Valley Journal lives on! The Sopris Sun’s predecessor and Carbondale’s 33-years-strong newspaper no longer prints issues, but its treasured archive has now been fully digitized. Carbondale Branch Library Manager Tracy Kallassy started the digitization process, funded by the library district, three years ago with […]
Business
Posted inBusiness
Sunsense reborn
On Oct. 1, Sunsense Solar officially transferred ownership and management from Scott Ely to the newly established Sunsense Limited Cooperative Association (LCA). The Carbondale-based company thus became an employee-owned cooperative. As this process unfolded, Ely conversed with The Sopris Sun (via email) about the company he had founded and run since 1990 and about this […]
Posted inBusiness
Fina Asian Market provides new eats
Upon walking into the red brick building, customers are cheerily greeted by Owner Fina Rudianti. At the front end, Rudianti’s partner James Duffey helps answer questions patrons have about item locations and descriptions. It’s been just one month since Fina Asian Market opened, yet the new store is already a lovely third space for the […]
Posted inNews
Picking up the pieces at 711 Main Street
Main Street in Carbondale has surely changed over the years, from a dirt road to a cemented street and refurbished, or entirely new, buildings masking the old spunk with fresh flair. The building at 711 Main Street is a good example of meshing history with the modern age, and can be yours for the tune […]
Posted inBusiness
Vision from within
At 829 Pitkin Avenue, Glenwood Springs, a charming white-brick house with a notable garden stands welcoming to all who pass by. In the house, the mix of modern plush blankets over massage tables fits perfectly with the historic door frames and elagent windows. This is where Zach Parks, a blind massage therapist, runs his practice, […]
Posted inBusiness
Seeking clarity with Shelley at City Market for 32 years and counting
Editor’s note: The quotes in this story have been translated from Spanish to English. Most mornings at City Market in Aspen, you can find a local legend. Her name is Araceli Moreno, but most people know her as Shelley — a name her father gave her and one she’s gone by over her long career. […]
Posted inBusiness
Getting ‘loc’d out’ at Circadian Coffee
Enter Circadian Coffee, the long-awaited, and now in-business, drive-thru coffee shop in El Jebel. Located in the plaza by the El Jebel Laundromat, it’s a convenient place to sit while you wait for your laundry or even pull a boat through on your way to Ruedi. It’s been more than three years in the making, […]
Posted inBusiness
‘Whatever the customer wants’
Editor’s note: This translation was assisted with AI. Adriana “Adri” Monje Balderrama, from Santa Isabel, Chihuahua, has lived in the valley for 30 years and resides in Rifle. On Jan. 9, 2026, she opened Adri’s Tacos in New Castle. How did the idea of opening a food trailer come about?I’ve always loved cooking. I’ve owned […]
Posted inEnvironment
Smart irrigation system slashes water use at Crown Mountain Park
A new, smart irrigation system is now fully operational at Crown Mountain Park that can slash the mid-valley park’s water usage by 20% to 30%, or tens of thousands of gallons of water a day — coming not a moment too soon during a historically dry year. The new irrigation system, called Baseline, uses real-time […]
Posted inBusiness
Too early to tell; New RVR golf club ownership team gets settled
Folks are chattering about the recent River Valley Ranch (RVR) golf club sale, and wondering what it means for the future of the club and the surrounding RVR community, annexed as part of municipal Carbondale in 1994, and the townspeople at large. The listing price for the golf club was $24.5 million, but according to […]