Archive

  • Locations: News Published

    County commissioner candidates lay out their views

    In the contest to become the next Garfield County commissioner for District 1, incumbent Tom Jankovsky and his challenger, Michael Sullivan, both are essentially running on Jankovsky’s record. The difference is that Jankovsky feels his record has been exemplary and justifies keeping him in office, while Sullivan feels Jankovsky has not represented his constituents in District 1 and should be kicked out of office. District 1 encompasses the Garfield County portion of the Roaring Fork River Valley, including the town of Carbondale and most of Glenwood Springs. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Solar Rollers program expanding to other states

    The checkered flag has been dropped! High school student teams are signing up to build Solar Rollers this month, and the race is on. Thrilling as it is, the mini Daytona 500 that will be held next May isn’t just about the clash of remote-controlled, solar-powered cars hurtling along at speeds of up to 28 miles per hour. It’s really a race to educate students about energy. And this year, it will be zipping out of the Roaring Fork Valley into other states. “This will be the first time that Solar Rollers has gone beyond the local region,” said Noah Davis, the program’s founder. In 2013, four Roaring Fork Valley teams participated; in 2014, a total of 10 teams came from a geographical area that stretched from Aspen to Summit County. “We are going be challenged to handle 40-50 teams this year,” Davis muses. Teams from Reno, Nevada and Austin, Texas have already signed up. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Trustees OK bear ordinance

    The town of Carbondale wants your trash to be stored in containers strong enough to resist a grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), even though it is highly unlikely that a “grizz” will ever visit your trash can or your home. That is one of the provisions contained within an emergency ordinance passed by the town’s trustees at a meeting on Tuesday, which is intended to prevent the local population of black bears (much smaller and less fierce than grizzlies, but troublesome enough in their own right) from getting into your trash and triggering a process that too often ends when the bear is “put down” or killed by wildlife officials. “With the confluence of the Roaring Fork and the Crystal (rivers), they’re just starting to come into town more and more frequently,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife Manager John Groves, about Carbondale’s growing bear problems. “As we’ve seen in Aspen, it’s going to be a perpetual problem.” read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Cops bust teens for pilfering pot plants

    Three Carbondale teenagers — one of whom is implicated in another crime — have been arrested and charged with felony burglary after they allegedly stole pot plants from a private, back-yard garden over a period of weeks earlier this summer. The three are to appear in court on Oct. 8 to learn exactly which formal charges they are facing, which likely will include underage possession of pot, according to Deputy District Attorney Tony Hershey of the Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s office. The identities of the three are being withheld because they are minors, according to Carbondale Police Chief Gene Schilling. All three, Schilling said, were arrested and released into the custody of their parents. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Roundabout slated to open on Sept. 29

    Song request for KDNK at exactly 7 a.m. on Sept. 29: “Roundabout” by Yes from their 1971 album “Fragile.” That’s the time and date the Colorado Department of Transportation plans to open the Highway 133/Main Street roundabout to through traffic. It’s a day that some locals have dreaded, some have welcomed because they are sick of construction at that intersection, and that a few don’t much care about. In any case, the biggest change to Highway 133 since a traffic signal was installed at Main Street about 30 years ago is not big enough to warrant a police presence to ensure that motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians successfully navigate the new spin cycle on opening day. “Unless we get some calls, I don’t think anyone (a police officer) will be there,” said Carbondale Police Chief Gene Schilling. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Plug in to the Electric Vehicle Rally of The Rockies

    On Oct. 3, prepare yourself to spot electric vehicles (EV’s for short) cruising the I-70 corridor. The cars will be marked with placards noting the Electric Vehicle Rally of The Rockies and the drivers are encouraged to wear costumes, expanding on the fun factor for the affair. The event — hosted by Garfield Clean Energy, CLEER, Colorado Mountain College, CORE and the city of Aspen — is drawing attention to the availability of EV charging stations from Grand Junction to Vail. The idea is to promote EV tourism in the central Colorado Rockies. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Students fuel drive for RFHS solar array, school board gives OK

    There is something incredible about watching a dream one has had for years finally come true. For us and all members of the Roaring Fork High School Energy Club, that is what is happening now. After years of trying, we have cleared the final hurdle and are now on the way to getting solar panels at our school. On Sept. 10, a proposal for installing solar panels at Roaring Fork High School was passed unanimously by the school board. Within a year, the solar array, which will provide 100 percent of the school’s electrical energy, will be outside our library windows. The 379 kW solar array will also be installed with no upfront cost to the Roaring Fork School District. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Carbondale’s creative district process continues

    In June, the Carbondale historic downtown core was accepted as one of seven new candidates for Colorado’s Creative District program. The program, which is sponsored by Colorado Creative Industries (a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade), brought two years of grant money with it. Carbondale’s Creative District program will receive $10,000 in planning and development money this year and again next year. In year three, Carbondale’s creative district aims to achieve certification, receiving an additional $15,000. read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Peace Garden a “gift” to Carbondale

    Amid laughing children and a dozen other walkers, Alejandro Rico paces with Zen-like focus. Her sandals dangling from one hand, her eyes half closed, she steps barefoot from one slab of honey-colored sandstone to another. After completing the labyrinth, Rico, a Carbondale librarian, reflects, “I wasn’t conscious of walking. I was letting the experience take me where it would go. It took me in memories to times that were deeply beautiful and important to me.” read more →
  • Locations: News Published

    Town grappling with bears, trash is the problem

    Carbondale’s ongoing battle with garbage-eating bruins appears ready to move into a new phase, following a decision by the board of trustees on Tuesday to try to make residents more responsible in terms of putting out the trash every week. Trustee Frosty Merriott, at the board’s regular meeting on Tuesday, suggested the town should tighten up its own regulations regarding trash pickup, and somehow exempt itself from the “two strikes and you’re out” rule that results in the death of bears at the hands of local law enforcement and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. read more →