My granddaughter Sara interviewed me for a college assignment. She wanted to know about the revolutionary changes I’ve experienced in my eight and a half decades on earth, things like computers and Artificial Intelligence (AI). At 18, Sara sees change as pretty sudden. At 85, I see it as more gradual, an “evolution” rather than […]
Opinion
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Letters – May 21, 2026
453 years of serviceWe would like to thank the RE-1 School District for the beautiful retirement celebration honoring employees who have dedicated their lives to the children and families of this community. The evening was heartfelt and deeply moving, filled with stories that reminded all of us what makes a school district truly special. From […]
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Letters – May 14, 2026
A love letterThere are so many reasons to love you, Carbondale, and I am not sure we say it enough. I recently had hip surgery and as I have crutched around town, rehabbing and slowly testing my limits, I have heard your support. People in cars and bikes shout words of encouragement as they go […]
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Following my heart through uncertainty
VOICES Radio Hour is brought to you by VOICES in partnership with KDNK, The Sopris Sun, and Connection is Medicine Foundation. Each episode we share stories from members of our community. We hope this serves to preserve our oral history of who we are, where we come from and who we aspire to be, through […]
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Crystal Theatre: Mending our social fabric
“Are you crying?” My friend was sniffling and wiping his glasses. The penguin in the biographical film, “The Penguin Lessons,” had just died. As the lights at the Crystal Theatre came up, I saw some of the crustiest old characters in Carbondale also wiping their eyes. This is a good thing, I thought. This is […]
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View from the Therapy Pool: Religion, the curse of mankind
Thunder River Theatre’s current production of “Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday” expressed many poignant and touching ideas on deity, aging and the afterlife that inspired some deep thoughts on my part. A lifelong atheist, I’m giving second thoughts to the Native American concept of a Great Spirit or Creator. It’s not something that’s visible […]
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A mother’s voice behind a little ‘blue heart’
This month of May still arrives tinted with the blue of April, a month dedicated to autism awareness. And in the midst of that transition, I would love to speak from a different place, not only as the mother of a little “blue heart,” but as the woman behind that diagnosis. And I think May, […]
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Everyone is an artist
Editor’s note: Sarah Pletts is a Colorado Mountain College community education instructor. What happens when you join an art class? Can you quantify the experience gained? When you start to read this, pause a few moments and take stock. Look closely around yourself and identify three objects. Take a chair for example — most are […]
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Letters – May 7, 2026
5-Point award — there’s moreWe accidentally missed an award in our first email and want to be sure we celebrate “Arctic Alchemy” for winning the Hayden Kennedy Award. This award represents the best of human endeavor to better understand and experience our world. Team 5PointNewsletter excerpt THANK YOU for your teachingWhen a member of our […]
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Continuing a tradition
While Klaus Kocher and I were coordinating with mothers as they arrived for the Mother’s Day photo shoot this year, we came across a 1991 bound volume of the Valley Journal. The archive included that year’s Mother’s Day edition, which featured a former editor of The Sopris Sun, Will Grandbois (as a baby, of course), […]