News

A performing arts space called The Temporary in Willits Town Center is poised to become the midvalley’s happening new hangout. The venue, operated by nonprofit organization The Arts Campus at Willits (TACAW), opened Aug. 11 and has since attracted a cadre of fans with an array of performances. The buzz is growing and crowds are pouring in to several events per week, according to board member Jeff Orsulack and managing director Ryan Honey.

Many on the Board of Trustees presumed the public hearing would be relatively straightforward: The Laughing Dog Group, which manages a marijuana infused products (MIP) facility at 500 Buggy Circle, has been noncompliant regarding managing odors. The town was officially requesting that the board, therefore, revoke the company’s special use permit that allows Laughing Dog to do business in the marijuana industry.
After hearing all witness testimonies and public comment, however, it became clear that the case wasn’t so clear.

As alpinists around the world mourned the death of talented climber Hayden Kennedy, Carbondale locals struggled to find words to express the deep heartbreak over the loss of one of their own.
Hayden, 27, a Carbondale native, took his own life Oct. 8, one day after he and his girlfriend, Inge Perkins, were caught in an avalanche in the southern Madison Mountains near Bozeman, Mont.
Perkins, 23, of Bozeman, Mont., did not survive the slide.
According to the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center, Hayden was able to escape the avalanche debris and proceeded to search for Perkins before trekking out of the area for help. On Monday, rescuers discovered Perkins’ body beneath 3 feet of snow.

After nearly two years of planning, community members celebrated boots-on-the-ground progress of the Rio Grande ARTway last weekend with two volunteer work sessions at the new DeRail Park near Highway 133. A third volunteer work day is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Latino Folk Art Garden along the path near Eighth Street.
Carbondale Arts has been developing the Rio Grande ARTway, a 1-mile section of the Rio Grande Trail that bisects Carbondale. The concept is to establish a “creative place-making project that reflects the cultural diversity of the community, inspires greater use of non-motorized transportation, preserves our heritage, and strengthens our core creative community,” according to the ARTway master plan.

One suspect fled and another was taken into federal custody when law enforcement raided an illegal marijuana grow on public land near Redstone on Sept. 28, according to a criminal complaint filed in United States District Court. The complaint provides an affidavit by a special agent for the United States Forest Service for the events leading up to the arrest of Fernando Esquivel Herrera, 25 or 26.

Money talks, as the adage goes. During Potato Day weekend, a little money can say — and do — a lot. As both printed books and vinyl records continue to enjoy industry-wide renaissances, locals will have the opportunity to expand their collections in both arenas without paying retail prices — all while helping two Carbondale nonprofits.
Carbondale Homeless Assistance (CHA) will be temporarily taking over the 689 building on Main Street for their second annual book sale from 9 a.m. Oct. 6 to 3 p.m. Oct. 8.

While “fire” is right there in the name, it’s just one small facet of the services Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District provides across 323 square miles and six stations. “Maybe Emergency Services is more accurate but not as much fun to say,” observed Deputy Fire Chief Rob Goodwin. In fact, volunteers actually spend more time running the ambulance. According to data provided by the department for the past 12 months, of 1,197 calls for service, 576 were emergency medical service (EMS) related, with 101 motor vehicle accidents included in that figure.

It’s hard to miss the newest addition to the True Nature Peace Garden: a 6-foot-tall, 2,860-pound granite statue of Ganesha, a well-loved figure in Hinduism and Buddhism.
“Ganesha is a very important deity in India. He is the remover of obstacles to our happiness and purpose in this life,” Eaden Shantay, co-founder and co-owner of True Nature, said in an email while in Costa Rica. Shantay shares his founder and owner credits with his wife, Deva Shantay. In December, the pair traveled to Tiruvannamalai in southern India to further their studies of Vedanta, a spiritual philosophy based on India’s sacred scriptures.

The end of September and the close of summer brought with it the departure of some of Carbondale’s most honored guests: the 220 goats that munched their way along several miles of the Rio Grande Trail destroying weeds and rehabilitating soil in year two of three in a standing contract with the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA). After about 36 days of being corralled in temporary enclosures along the iconic trail, the goats were loaded into trailers and moved to their next job reducing potential wildfire fuel near the location of the infamous Storm King fire. Moving with them were co-owner Donny Benz, full-time employees Harmony Davies and Russ McKenna, and a couple of sturdy sheep dogs.

In days of yore, Homecoming meant balloons on Veterans Memorial Bridge, painted signs in every shop window and most of the town watching the game. While the Rams still enjoy community support, Athletic Director Jade Bath wouldn’t mind if it stepped up a notch this week. “I think it’s huge for the kids to see the stands full,” she said. “It means a lot to them whether they’re winning or losing, but particularly if they’re not having the best season.”