Corrections: A photo by Alison Osius in last week’s paper was mistakenly attributed to Laird Little. In “PEAK learning comes to Marble Charter School,” Karly Anderson was named, but she has since left Marble Charter School and Hope Dwiggins will take her place supporting the PEAK program. Lastly, in the Carbondale commercial inventory article published last month, Justin “Chester” White is called an alumnus of Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS). He in fact worked as a staff member for the HS2 program for several years during the summers, but never attended CRMS.
Libraries
For 16 years, the Garfield County Public Library District selected its own trustees, which the County affirmed through appointment. The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) took over the selection process in 2023, complaining in part that the library was not timely in filling vacancies.
The BOCC was notified of Myrna Fletchall’s resignation as the Rifle trustee on June 23, 2025. Seven weeks later, the BOCC notified the library that it intends to leave the Rifle position vacant until December 2025 and the community without representation for six months. At that time, two additional trustee positions will also become vacant.
This is a problem of the County’s own making. The BOCC rejected an intergovernmental agreement proposed by the library last year to allow the library to again run the selection process itself and to permit the reappointment of trustees in good standing for a second term. Now the BOCC will spend three months in an involved process when their time is better spent in addressing the County’s financial woes and other pressing issues.
The BOCC is taking a further step — denying representation because it can’t manage its own process. It puts convenience ahead of library governance.
Isn’t it about time to hand trustee selection back to the library district, which is, after all, an independent subdivision of the state, established by the voters, and more than capable of managing its own business?
Jocelyn Durrance
Carbondale
Gas prices
The price for a gallon of regular gas in Rifle was $3.49 as of Aug. 17.
Except for the independently owned station on 5th and Railroad; their price was $2.89 per gallon.
Are all the other gas stations just 20% greedier or are they colluding to dupe the public into financing their price gouging?
And wow, head upvalley to Bonedale and the same gas is $3.84. Keep heading upvalley to Aspen and we find Californicated costs.
So, is it corporate greed or is the station on 5th and Railroad giving away gas for economic empathy?
Bruno Kirchenwitz
Rifle
Keeping the republic
Marines and National Guard troops on the streets of Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. are ostensibly restoring law and order. President Trump says get used to it. He’s just getting started making America great again.
Maybe we will get used to it. That, or protest and get tear gassed, or maybe just shot in the legs, as Trump suggested during his first term, as a way to curb Black Lives Matter demonstrators.
With Trump, “an emergency” always justifies the means. Despite a steadily falling crime rate, there’s an “emergency” crime spree in Washington. Send in the Guard. Random deportations in LA got some local blowback. Bring in the Marines! It’s beginning to feel normal.
This could be a dress rehearsal for something bigger.
Trump indicated he’d like to stay in office longer than his constitutional two-term limit. What if he insists he be placed on the ballot again in 2028? Or if he just won’t leave? MAGA loyalists control virtually every government office, and Supreme Court be damned! Such a move would hardly go unnoticed and could bring millions into the streets. It would certainly qualify as “an emergency.” Trump could call out the National Guard, the Army, the Marines. Who could stop him? He’s the commander-in-chief. This could be our very own Tiananmen Square.
On the last day of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a woman — yes, a woman, Elizabeth Willing Powel — asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin famously replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
Buckle up.
Ed Colby
New Castle
Martial law
President Trump brought troops into Washington, D.C. He claimed the crime rate was out of hand, a homeless problem, a lack of public safety and the city was overall unsightly. He said that foreign dignitaries were asking why the city was rundown. The crime rate has actually fallen over the last two years.
Two things. First, on January 6, 2021, the Capitol was attacked. Trump refused to send the military to help the police. Odd.
Second, now Trump sends the military and establishes a precedent. The practice becomes normalized. A few more cities and we have martial law.
Patrick Hunter
Carbondale
25th Amendment
Trump has always been able to create and describe dystopian worlds, like in his inaugural addresses. I think it helps him to create a purpose and a dark ephemeral busy work to focus on. Describing Washington, D.C. on Aug 11 Trump said,” Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs and homeless people.” This creates an excuse to incite D.C. with federally-commanded troops. It’s the amazing work of a sick imagination that has a total lack of connection with reality.
The media has done a great job of disappearing Trump’s inflammatory berserk from view, but it had an eloquence for me that of all electees he is most worthy of the 25th Amendment that give rise to the removal of a sick president — one who is unable to do his job for the country. Even JD Vance would be better than this mad dog loosed on the public.
John Hoffmann
Carbondale
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