Mail-in ballots
Garfield County voters who choose to mail in their ballot must make sure to include two postage stamps on the envelope, and send it out no later than Monday, Oct. 26, to ensure it makes it to the County Clerk’s Office in time for the final count. The status of submitted ballots can be tracked by visiting garfield.ballottrax.net/voter
Structure fire
The Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District responded to a house fully engulfed in flames on Monday afternoon, Oct. 12. The fire crews responded at 1:16pm to the incident involving a single-family home at 16400 Highway 82, just northeast of Catherine Store. There were no injuries reported. “The home was fully involved when crews arrived,” Incident Commander Ashley Buss Greene said in a press release. “The surrounding vegetation created the potential for a wildfire, so our priority was to contain the fire to the structure and protect the surrounding area.” The district said the structure is a total loss and investigators are working to determine the cause.
GarCo mini-forum
On last week’s episode of Everything Under The Sun, The Sopris Sun’s weekly public affairs show on KDNK Community Access Radio, Editor James Steindler hosted a mini-forum between Garfield County District 1 commissioner candidates Jonathan Godes (Democrat) and Eric Rudd (Republican). Each candidate was allotted 90 seconds to respond to a list of questions. An extended version of the mini-forum is available at kdnk.org/podcast/everything-under-the-sun A direct link can also be found on The Sopris Sun’s website, soprissun.com
Mountain bike injury
Seventeen-year-old Carbondale resident Reed Russell, a nordic ski coach, a member of the Utah-based Outlaw MTB program and a World Cup mountain bike competitor, suffered a spinal injury in a severe mountain bike accident, and currently lacks mobility from the chest down. Russell has coached some of Sopris Nordic Council’s youngest skiers through its Bill Koch program, and, as one of their top riders, has been part of the Outlaw MTB team for nearly a decade. Support Russell’s recovery and the immense medical and rehabilitation expenses that he and his family are facing by donating at reed-russell.vercel.app Note “Reed Russell” in the Venmo memo line.
Motorcycle injury
Patrick Casse — an 18-year Carbondale resident ”who loves everyone,” as well as the outdoors, mountain biking, dirt biking, skiing and snowboarding — suffered a spinal cord injury in a motorcycle accident, and is facing specialized rehabilitation and a different way of life, according to an email to The Sun. His family seeks aid for the “enormous expenses” that accompany his recovery: rehabilitation, medical equipment, accessibility needs, transportation and more. Donate to Casse’s recovery and journey ahead at gofund.me/cd4f6f0fe and/or share Casse’s story.
Glenwood Library manager
Nathan Chadwick brings two decades of library experience to the Glenwood Library as he begins as the new branch manager. He received a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Missouri. Chadwick has worked in libraries in Kansas, North Carolina and, most recently, in Maryland, where he managed the Long Branch Library and worked in adult services at the Gaithersburg Library. “There’s something special about this area,” Chadwick said in a press release. “The library system and the staff I met gave me the encouragement and confidence to make this leap. It also feels like a place that fits my desire to help libraries grow in positive ways, supporting staff, strengthening partnerships and finding new ways to serve the community.”
Library board vacancies
Garfield County invites applications to two open volunteer positions on the Garfield County Public Library District Board of Trustees. One seat represents the Silt area, the other is a “member-at-large” position, according to a press release. The board meets at 2pm on the first Thursday of each month at one of the branch locations. Terms run for five years, expiring next on Dec. 31, 2031. Apply by 5pm on Oct. 20 by sending a letter of interest to Garfield County Manager Fred Jarman at fjarman@garfieldcountyco.gov
Hunter tips
The White River National Forest offers hunters tips for the season, with rifle hunting season underway. Hunters are encouraged to review the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Big Game Hunting brochure to adequately understand Colorado regulations, study motor-vehicle-use maps at fs.usda.gov/r02/whiteriver to understand where motorized travel is and isn’t allowed and remember to pack out everything, while planning ahead and saving room for any harvested game. Visit tinyurl.com/hunterinformation2026 for more information.
They say it’s your birthday!
Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Matt Alberico, Darren Broome, Calder Morrison, Lupita Ochoa and Corey Mineo (Oct. 15); Alex Heinig, Oriana Moebius, Daniel Torres and Abby Zlotnick (Oct. 16); Eric Berry, Ian Edquist, Carianne Eisenson and Mike Grandbois (Oct. 18); Hannah Condon (Oct. 19); Gabe Alcala (Oct. 20); Heidi Hendricks and Caitlin Kinney (Oct. 21).