Correction: Susan Use was not among the library board members who joined the Garfield County commissioners in interviewing the “25 candidates [vying] for three GarCo Library trustee positions.”
Giving thanks
The board of Age-Friendly Carbondale thanks the Aspen Thrift Store for its support of our organization with a recent grant. With this help, we can continue our advocacy work for the people of Carbondale.
Looking ahead to 2025, we are excited to focus on several impactful initiatives. These include enhancing the safety of Highway 133, providing legal assistance to members of our migrant community facing unforeseen challenges and furthering our efforts to plant trees and beautify public spaces throughout Carbondale.
This group of volunteers thanks the dedicated volunteers at Aspen Thrift for their support of our efforts.
Age Friendly Carbondale
Board of Directors
Satank safety
I want to begin by expressing my utmost respect and appreciation for law enforcement officers who serve and protect our community. Their work is vital, and I recognize the challenges they face daily. That said, the recent history of the “defund the police” movement has led to an environment where certain policies have become more lax, potentially impacting public safety. My concerns about the recent incidents in Satank are rooted in policy and coordination rather than being directed at individuals.
I am writing to express my concerns and pose critical questions regarding the recent incidents in Satank involving a known felon. Given his record, I ask the following …
Why wasn’t the registered owner of the white truck contacted, given that the driver has a history of vehicle theft? Would this not have been a prudent step in an investigation?
Why weren’t three nights of trespassing and attempted unauthorized entry into a home at 3am considered just cause to detain the individual, if only to underscore the seriousness of the situation? How can we as a community feel secure if such persistent behavior does not warrant immediate action?
Why wasn’t Moron’s parole officer immediately informed of these trespassing incidents and attempted break-ins as they occurred? Such behavior, likely, constitutes a violation of his parole conditions and should have prompted immediate action to hold him accountable.
Why did it take 25 minutes for the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office to request assistance from the Carbondale Police Department (CPD)? I was told that concerns about “liability” were a factor. This raises questions about how interagency liability policies may hinder swift collaboration in situations where public safety is at risk. If CPD officers are available and monitoring dispatch, shouldn’t there be clearer protocols to expedite assistance?
This incident has left Satank residents deeply unsettled. If persistent attempts to break into a home by a known violent felon on parole do not justify swift and decisive action, what does? I strongly believe this warrants a broader public conversation.
I also want it to be known that the suspect returned to Satank on Wednesday, Dec. 11, and was prowling around the same residence yet again. Clearly, the warning he received from law enforcement officers over Thanksgiving week was not enough to keep him away.
Jason Albet
Satank
Job well done
What makes Carbondale special? It is people like Jerilyn Nieslanik and Jerry who have spent decades helping to keep Crystal Meadows and its residents living in a safe and supportive environment. They have both gone above and beyond the simple demands of their jobs. They have provided emotional and psychological support in a safe and caring environment. They will be missed but they are just two of many people who make Carbondale special. Job well done folks. Thank you for a job well done!
Marty Silverstein
Carbondale
Participate, City Market
It’s amusing if Kroger/City Market cannot afford to put up holiday lights on their store on 133. The rest of the building is lit up nicely … Perhaps they are spending all the profits on mergers!
City Market, become involved in Carbondale.
Leary O’Gorman
Carbondale
RE: Childcare
When I think about our childcare journey, it basically started when I was pregnant. As CECE Coalition director Maggie Tiscornia noted in her Nov. 27 column, this is an ubiquitous experience for new mothers in the Valley. Everybody told us that we needed to put our names on waitlists when I was pregnant — which I thought was crazy, so I didn’t. Thankfully, my husband was smart enough to listen to what we were told and put our name on lists. I’m grateful he did, because our daughter was 18 months old before we got a spot somewhere. That was more than two years of waiting.
We also had a nanny to help with care, who was tough to find given that I was newer to the Valley. But, we were able to find someone we trusted through a family friend. Then, I took time off for maternity leave after having my second child, and I had a plan in place to work with the same nanny again after my leave. Two weeks before I was supposed to go back to work, she ended up taking another job. This was frustrating for us as parents, but understandable given that we weren’t employing her while I was on maternity leave. She was having to find other work during that time. I am concerned for people like her who offer childcare. We are paying around $30/hour for a nanny. This concerns me for two reasons. First, that’s hard on us — it’s a lot of money for a family to spend on childcare. And secondly, a nanny or teacher can’t live long-term in this Valley on $30/hour. So overall this feels like a huge predicament.
School is great. Once we got our daughter in, we fell in love with the school; trust the teachers; and it’s fantastic because the school is almost never going to cancel. Obviously kids get sick, but with a nanny, they sometimes get sick and have to cancel morning-of and then I have to cancel my workday. So it was a big stress on my work to be cancelling on my clients the day-of. My husband and I recently made the decision for me to leave my job and care for our children more at home. Part of this was prompted by the stress caused when we didn’t have last-minute childcare due to illness or other unexpected situations. Some of this is, of course, what you sign up for when you have kids — but in the end it was a big part of our decision. It is so hard when you can’t know for certain if you’ll have childcare, even when you have it all lined up. The need for more childcare options in our community is urgent.
Rebekah Fulker
Carbondale
Putin’s U.S.
Yes, Trump wants to be the authoritarian leader. But there is much more to this than that. Trump is destroying the country. The new cabinet members are incompetent, and they announce that they want to destroy their departments. Tariffs will raise prices on common products, which will raise the cost of living for the lowest-income people who can least afford it. Trump is freeing the Jan. 6 prisoners who will be his private army. Climate action will be stopped dead. Expect a whole series of crises. Not to mention, our efforts outside of our borders going haywire.
Ask this question: Who would have the interest, and stand to benefit the most, from this catastrophe? Putin. Putin hates the U.S. Always and with good reason. The U.S. has been making trouble for Russia forever. Now, we are in the digital age with so many nefarious ways to make trouble. No frontal attack is needed. Do you think Trump had more votes fair and square? I think not, and that Elon Musk had a hand in that.
Look at every new Trump move and ask: Would this make Putin happy? Would this cause Americans more problems? Yes.
The real goal is to destroy the US.
Patrick Hunter
Carbondale
Border Czar
With mass deportation on the menu, what policy will we have on our plate? Will we ape Denver Mayor Mike’s give me illegals or give me jail attitude? Or, will we allow Border Tsar Tom Homan access to our jails?
Are we going to protect over a million asylum seekers whose claims have been denied or shield a million “got-aways?” The Donald has promised not to deport Dreamers. Trump wants to rid us of criminals and gangsters.
Denver has spent millions on illegals at the expense of U.S. citizens. What cost has Biden’s open-border treason laid upon us?
So I ask Sheriff Lou, what ya gonna do?
Bruno Kirchenwitz
Rifle