It’s early in the morning, well not as early as I’d hoped, and my first press day as editor of The Sopris Sun. The temperature has cooled and I hear rain drops splattering the gutters outside our window — as good of a sign one can hope for right about now.
I know many of you, and some of you vicariously through my predecessor, Raleigh Burleigh, who I got to see off yesterday from the office at the Third Street Center. Oh, how I look forward to watching his story unfold. Many of you I’ve yet to meet, and I welcome the opportunity.
I won’t say too much about myself, and promise not to take up this coveted page-two column space with my own words very often. I hear Lee Beck, a news aficionado by any right and one of The Sun’s volunteer proofreaders, telling us not to put too much of ourselves in the paper and keep it about the reader. So, like I said, I’ll keep this part short.
My mother was raised in Carbondale and graduated from Roaring Fork High School. My father moved from back east to attend Colorado Rocky Mountain School. Most of my family — including four siblings — still live here. I have unwavering respect for those who came before us in Carbondale, from the hippies to the coal miners, and had the privilege of being raised watching my sisters barrel race at the rodeo grounds on Catherine Store Road and some of the last of the cowboys lasso steers in the Thompson Divide.
Ranch life is hard work, back breaking at times, but people love doing it. Anything one loves enough to pour themselves into, often despite themselves, must be worth it. The folks at Age-Friendly Carbondale come to mind, who’ve set a standard for getting stuff done, not for themselves but their neighbors and the rest of us who want to cross Highway 133 safely and will one day need all those benches around town, just to rest for a while.
Keeping The Sopris Sun and Sol del Valle rising each week takes a lot of work, but we’ve got an army behind it, many who do it solely out of that sense to do some good. But most of us can’t afford to volunteer full time, including writers and photojournalists — the beating heart of any paper. I mean, where would we be without them? Well, without a paper, I suppose.
Many who’ve fallen in love with this place can’t afford to stay. I know, we’ve all heard it before, but it’s the fact of the matter. I’ll go ahead and add the plug now: These are community-owned, nonprofit newspapers that won’t survive without your support. So please consider making a donation at www.soprissun.com/donate or by mailing a check to P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, Colorado 81623. Thank you.
Sol del Valle, in particular, is perhaps more important now than it’s ever been, keeping monolingual Spanish speakers connected at a time when that may not always feel like the case.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with Editor Bianca Godina, who is undertaking her own life transition and will leave a legacy to be cared for by Sol’s next editor. If you know someone who’s bilingual and passionate about community, send them on over to soprissun.com/oportunidad-laboral to find out more.
For five years and counting, I’ve gotten to work with the OGs (original gangsters) of local journalism, bending the ears of the stewards of The Valley Journal, a paper I flipped through as a kid from time to time.
Then there’re those fresh behind the keys, a few from far-off places, inviting a plethora of knowledge and perspective. Mixed together, this team makes for one of the most vibrant newspapers — with 100% original content!
Not to mention our growing Youth News Bureau team, who’ve got their own paper to run, The Sopris Stars, and have made it to press every final week of the month since October.
Skyler Stark-Ragsdale, The Sun’s new managing editor, brings a strong desire, bolstered with intention, to coach up-and-coming journalists. I’ll continue to heed the advice of our team, particularly that of Terri Ritchie’s, our lead designer, who’s been with The Sun, in one way or another, since the beginning. Because in this business, there’s one thing that’s for sure: the more eyes on it the better.
I’ll leave you with a cliche, but one I stand by. Every voice in this community matters, from our sage elders to the new family who just moved in across the street. The Sopris Sun and Sol del Valle will continue to listen and spread the word.
Thank you for being a part of The Sun and giving me a chance to steer the ship.
Not to mention our growing Youth News Bureau team, who’ve got their own paper to run, The Sopris Stars, and have made it to press every final week of the month since October.
Skyler Stark-Ragsdale, The Sun’s new managing editor, brings a strong desire, bolstered with intention, to coach up-and-coming journalists. I’ll continue to heed the advice of our team, particularly that of Terri Ritchie’s, our lead designer, who’s been with The Sun, in one way or another, since the beginning. Because in this business, there’s one thing that’s for sure: the more eyes on it the better.
I’ll leave you with a cliche, but one I stand by. Every voice in this community matters, from our sage elders to the new family who just moved in across the street. The Sopris Sun and Sol del Valle will continue to listen and spread the word.
Thank you for being a part of The Sun and giving me a chance to steer the ship.