Christmas came rather early for the Basalt Police Department (BPD) this year. For about the past few weeks, the midvalley law enforcement agency has been using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help its patrol officers knock out otherwise time-consuming paperwork. Called Code Four, an AI assistant launched eight months ago by 19-year-old MIT dropouts George […]
Local Government
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
Negotiations secure Hogback bus service in 2026
In early November, Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) CEO Kurt Ravenschlag presented to the Garfield County Commissioners. He was speaking to the role public transportation plays in regional commuting, and asked the commissioners to allot funds specifically to help cover RFTA’s Hogback services west of Glenwood Springs. Garfield County has contributed varying amounts toward this […]
Posted inNews
Medicare Advantage dropped in Garfield County
In early October, Grand Junction-based Rocky Mountain Health Plans, a subsidiary of UnitedHealthcare (UHC), informed its customers that UHC would no longer be offering any Medicare Advantage (MA) plans for Garfield and other western Colorado counties. UHC was the only insurer providing MA plans in Garfield. Some backgroundMedicare, federal health insurance for senior citizens (ages […]
Posted inLocal Government
RSFD Report: State grant funds locally-sourced food, Bridges principal plans exit at end of school year
In November, the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) Board of Education held one regular meeting. The Nov. 12 session included an update on student enrollment and related budget work, public comment and the review of several policies and resolutions. Over the past month, the district has announced several student and family related policy changes to […]
Posted inLocal Government
Carbondale Report: Trustees reconsider park amenities and Cavern Springs support
Tuesday’s meeting, Nov. 25, was over in well under an hour. All trustees were in attendance sans Christina Montemayor. Much of the meeting consisted of public comments. To begin, Judith Alvarez, known locally as director of La Clínica del Pueblo and the Safe Abundant Nutrition Alliance, was the first of three Cavern Springs Mobile Home […]
Posted inLocal Government
Basalt Report: Fire mitigation underway on Basalt Mountain
This week, contractors employed by the Town of Basalt hauled their saws and shovels into the forests of Basalt Mountain to continue a wildfire fuels mitigation project begun earlier this year. Since Nov. 17, crew members have been working from 7am to dusk thinning out potential fuel sources in order to minimize risk of wildfires […]
Posted inLocal Government
Glenwood Report: City Council approves a string of interesting ordinances
The Glenwood Springs City Council passed a series of ordinances on first reading dealing with topics including housing, drive-through restaurants, emergency services and public consumption of alcohol at a downtown park during its Thursday, Nov. 20 meeting. All council members were present in-person for the second regular meeting of the month. No members of the […]
Posted inEnvironment
Treasure Mountain Ranch land use change still pending
On Nov. 20, the Gunnison County Planning Commission held a public hearing on a land-use application from Treasure Mountain Ranch, Inc. (TMR), the company that owns significant acreage in and around the historic townsite of Crystal. The application seeks a Minor Impact Land Use Change to consolidate parcels and cluster new development in the Crystal […]
Posted inYouth News
Balancing fear with the American Dream
This article comes by way of The Sopris Stars, a new monthly youth publication powered by The Sopris Sun. Editor’s note: Due to the sensitivity of this article, student sources were kept anonymous. Latino and white communities are intertwined in the Roaring Fork Valley, yet young immigrants, or children thereof, have felt threatened under President […]