Columns

I’m not going to debate facts with you. Stuff like – this part of Colorado is Spanish-speaking because it was part of Mexico until 1845, or that immigrants commit crime at a much lower rates than than people born here, or that immigration has always been a race issue since Europeans landed and determined native peoples here were religiously not people, or that immigrants are not stealing our jobs – none of this is going to change your mind about ‘putting America first’.

July 6 will mark the 23rd anniversary of the Storm King Mountain Fire just outside Glenwood Springs, as tragic and momentous an event as this area has ever seen. Fourteen firefighters were killed. For this innocent from back east, it was heart-wrenching and intimidating. I was the Glenwood Post’s man on the scene.

I recently binge-watched the entire first season of the show Stranger Things, and it made me nostalgic for the 1980s. The storyline is a cross between The Goonies and a Stephen King novel- think Firestarter. But it was the costumes and set design that really took me back — all the way to the way-back of the station wagon we had when I was growing up.

I am grateful for my life and time in Carbondale. I consider Carbondale my hometown, and I will always be connected to this place. Carbondale has given me many gifts.
When I was small, I learned to swim in our pool. I grew up knowing how to treat the water and mountains. Here, I learned the terrifying art of public speaking, because I had to speak up for our watershed. I know that the dandelion is a nutritious, and medicinal flower, not a weed. It is in our culture to take care of the beautiful natural resources that support our lives and nourish our spirit.

Jambo! Jina langu ni Katie Noll. That is Swahili for “Hi! My name is Katie Noll.”
I am a rising eighth grader at the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork. Each eighth grade student is required to do a project about a topic of interest to them. During my seventh grade year, I began to think about what might interest me and concluded it would be something that would help children less fortunate than myself.

Summer is in full swing and there’s so much to cram into this short but busiest season. The rivers are full, the wildflowers are glorious, the trails are melting out, and the high country beckons. Because our surrounding public lands are most accessible this time of year, we’re all out there busy pursuing the activities that keep us fit and renew our spirits.

In 2009, our first ever Daddy Daughter Trip was Yellowstone and we stayed in a cabin with no lock on the doors and there had been grizzly sightings! It was my first alone time with Shiloh and no Carly and she was a teenager for God’s sake! When the Pillow Pet came out, though, I knew I was still just Daddy. The Lamar Valley was referred to as the “American Serengeti” and that stuck; I wanted to take her to see the real thing. I began saving my money.

Last week, during a Glenwood Springs town hall meeting with Senator Michael Bennet, many locals worried about congress replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Bennet thinks the senate will consider the replacement, the American Health Care Act (ACHA), sometime before July 4.

Of all Carbondale’s many celebrations and traditions, the Wild West Rodeo stands out as a huge testimony to the agricultural way of life that has long been a part of this valley. The dedication of the large number of volunteers and the board to put on a weekly event during the summer is truly remarkable and we salute each and every one. The original Rodeo Club, which started in 1948, enjoyed much success and fun as they put on an annual Potato Days rodeo for the community.

More than one parent has remarked, upon watching a therapeutic “play-date” session in progress at Carbondale’s Smiling Goat Ranch, “This looks like a bunch of kids are just playing together outside!” What the words of this sentiment cannot express is the degree of wonder in their voices. Y