Sexual assault
On Nov. 2, 2024, an 82-year-old woman in Carbondale was sexually assaulted in her home. A community meeting was held two days later. Police asked for video footage, promised updates, and emphasized their commitment to the investigation. Since then, only one formal update has been issued — a press release dated Nov. 12 and posted on the Carbondale Police Department website.
That release thanked the community for support, acknowledged the trauma of the incident, offered safety tips and emotional health resources, and concluded with: “No additional information will be released at this time.”
That was five months ago.
Since then, the silence has been absolute. No public updates from police. No reporting from local media. No word on whether the DNA evidence was processed. No confirmation of leads. No clarity about whether the suspect is still at-large. No discussion of what steps, if any, have been taken to improve community safety or institutional response.
It now feels as though this horrific assault has simply been allowed to fade from view. And that is unacceptable.
Let’s be clear: the Carbondale Police Department will not necessarily be the driver of public accountability. That responsibility lies with the press.
The media cannot wait for law enforcement to decide when to speak. It is the role of journalists to ask questions, file records requests, revisit cases, and follow up — especially when the public’s safety and the community’s trust are at stake.
This is not about identifying the victim or sensationalizing the crime. It is about ensuring that serious, violent incidents do not disappear into silence, and that survivors are not forgotten. Journalism is not a relay system waiting for press releases to hand off; it’s an active pursuit of truth.
It’s time for our local newsrooms to re-engage this story. Not to provoke fear, but to demonstrate that we are a community that doesn’t look away.
Jeanne Souldern
Glenwood Springs
Note: I previously contributed to The Sopris Sun as a freelance reporter. I do not currently have an editorial or staff role with the paper. These views are my own.
Celebrating libraries
How many of you have treasured memories of the public libraries you used as a child or a young parent with children who needed a wide array of fun books? Remember the bookmobiles that drove through neighborhoods to bring books to us?
The morning after our Garfield County Library District director, Jamie LaRue, spoke to a sizable and very interested crowd at our library, I woke up thinking about my childhood libraries. I told the story of Rumpelstiltskin with puppets I made at the Denver Public Library to earn my Girl Scout storytelling badge when I was 11. I remembered the small house in Washington Park, the Eugene Field Library in Denver. The words of Field’s poem, “Little Boy Blue,” wandered through my brain. “The little toy dog was covered with dust, but sturdy and staunch he stands….” Such a sad poem caught my attention when I was a child as it allowed me to feel loss that was not part of my reality.
Libraries provide books that feed imagination and dreams and are filled with knowledge that gives us a window into the broad world even if we are not scientists, astronauts, or Arctic explorers. Libraries are the bedrock of democracy because they provide everyone with free access to knowledge, community, and sharing with strangers and neighbors for the public good.
“Free for All: The Public Library” was a movie shown last week at our library that tells the story of the many brave people, mostly women, who defied segregation and book bans to create and maintain a public library system throughout our country. It’s fascinating and inspiring and can be seen on PBS on April 29.
Thanks to all our wonderful librarians who make all these books and events possible. We are so grateful to you all!
Illène Pevec
Carbondale
Sam Adams
I have been asked why I sign my letters to the editor “Samuel Adams Jr. a.k.a. Clay Boland Jr.”
The answer is that I feel our great nation is now in the same relation to our plutocratically-controlled government that the original 13 colonies were to the British Parliament far across the Atlantic Ocean.
Our present leaders in Washington are equally as distant from their own country as the British Parliament was way back when.
When Paul Revere made his famous ride, it was actually to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams that they were going to be arrested for treason.
And what was Adam’s treason? Under various pen names, Sam Adams had attacked the many injustices perpetrated on the colonies — including The Boston Massacre of colonials by British soldiers. He was also accused of being behind The Boston Tea Party.
His writings and travels to other colonies helped unite the colonies, eventually culminating in the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution of 1776.
So here we are again. Let’s work to make 2025 the time to speak out, as Sam Adams did, against the seemingly unending injustices being perpetrated on our citizens and public lands by a government that seems more alien than American.
Defend our people, our land, and our freedom!!!
Write letters to the editor, contact your representatives, join groups of concerned citizens, and be sure to vote in the midterm elections.
Samuel Adams Jr. a.k.a. Clay Boland Jr.
Carbondale
RFOV
As Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers celebrates its 30th season, I want to offer a heartfelt thank-you to the thousands of volunteers who have given their time, support, and energy to our mission over the past 30 years. Since 1995, volunteers have been the driving force behind RFOV’s work to care for and restore our beautiful public lands.
Whether you were on our very first project on the Scout Trail in the summer of ’95, helped maintain Hanging Lake Trail, hauled rocks in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, cleared invasive species, or mitigated lands threatened by wildfire, your efforts matter. Every hour, every project, and every step has helped ensure our region has a vibrant network of shared outdoor spaces.
In 2024 alone, over 2,000 volunteers contributed more than 8,000 hours to projects across Garfield, Pitkin, Eagle, and Gunnison counties. That’s not just a number, it’s a testament to our community’s love for the outdoors and tradition of giving back. This year, RFOV is honoring its successes with a series of commemorative projects at some of our earliest sites, including the Maroon Creek Wetlands and Maroon Bells Scenic Area in Aspen, the Red Hill trail system in Carbondale, and Rifle Falls State Park in Rifle. These places, like our volunteers, represent the lasting impact of community-powered stewardship.
As we reflect on three decades of trail work, habitat restoration, youth programming, and fire mitigation, one thing is clear: none of it would be possible without you. We invite everyone to be part of this milestone season. Whether you’re a longtime volunteer or considering your first project, now is the perfect time to get involved. Visit rfov.org/calendar to sign up. To every person who has helped RFOV grow year after year — thank you. This 30-year celebration is because of you.
With deep gratitude,
Sophie Ahava
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers
Well done
The Center for Human Flourishing (TCfHF) acknowledges and thanks the sponsors of Spring Into Wellness First Friday 2025 — Carbondale Parks and Recreation and Carbondale Arts. We appreciate the partnership in planning and manifesting a very successful event.
Thanks also to the wellness businesses that cosponsored the event — 7 Hawks Healing, A Way Out, Colorado Community Acupuncture, Current Ritual – Kat Hardy, Dr. Greg Feinsinger Nutritional Counseling, Fifth World Coaching – Ben Germann, HeadQuarters, MHA Readings and Coaching Studio, Molly Kempel Nutrition, Pura Simple, Roaring Fork Reflexology, The Meeting Place, True Nature Healing Arts, Vis Foods. Thanks to the many practitioners and businesses that hosted tables at the Carbondale Recreation Center on April 4, First Friday. Many of these folks donated “prizes” for the bingo game. Thanks also to the businesses in town that donated prizes for bingo — Village Smithy, Sopris Wine & Liquor and Granetta Panini.
It takes a village to put on a successful event and Carbondale pulled it off again! We hope the people of all ages who came to the Rec Center enjoyed meeting the people in Carbondale’s healing arts community. A special shout-out for the support of Ces Lowdermilk, a CMC student interning with TCfHF for her capstone project. Another shout-out to Pablo Herr and members of the Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District for providing blood pressure screening and information on wildfire mitigation.
Grateful for all!
Rita Marsh
The Center for Human Flourishing
Letters policy: The Sopris Sun welcomes local letters to the editor. Shorter letters stand a better chance of being printed. Letters exclusive to The Sopris Sun (not appearing in other papers) are particularly welcome. Please, no smearing, cite your facts and include your name and place of residence or association. Letters are due to news@soprissun.com by noon on the Monday before we go to print.