Willow FireColorado River Fire Rescue responded to a fast-moving structure and wildland fire on June 10 that originated near Willow Creek Circle and spread along Government Creek to the Rifle Creek Apartments area, destroying four apartments. The fire was contained at 10 acres and an investigation into its origin is underway. The City of Rifle […]
Age-Friendly Carbondale
Posted inNews
Reclaiming Flag Day
Flag Day, while not an official federal holiday, is an annual celebration of when the American flag was instituted in 1777. This holiday has not been overtly celebrated in our community, until now. Partnering with the Town of Carbondale and the Carbondale Public Arts Commission, Age-Friendly Carbondale, a nonprofit group dedicated to enriching the community […]
Posted inColumns
Revolutionary changes
My granddaughter Sara interviewed me for a college assignment. She wanted to know about the revolutionary changes I’ve experienced in my eight and a half decades on earth, things like computers and Artificial Intelligence (AI). At 18, Sara sees change as pretty sudden. At 85, I see it as more gradual, an “evolution” rather than […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
What if books could talk?
Do you remember the first time someone truly saw you? How that person taught you the value of releasing judgment and simply listening? Well, the Human Library is back to do exactly that. A nonprofit organization created in 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark, it has since expanded across the globe. The nonprofit’s goal is to facilitate […]
Posted inColumns
Mature Content: Travel thoughts
Some people are devout travelers. My friend Harry combined his love of travel with his gift of gab in a career that started as a traveling salesman and turned into life as a Costa Rican citizen and businessman. Zach, a hippy kid, interrupted his education for a year of traveling in India on a shoestring, […]
Posted inColumns
Mature Content: ‘All Used Up’
We’re all “aging.” From our neighbor turning 10 to friends turning 80, if you manage to stay alive, aging happens. For a time, that process means gaining abilities. Then, slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, the gains stabilize. Eventually, they become losses. When 55-year-old Susan moved back to the Valley, and Ron made his Valley debut […]
Posted inColumns
Mature Content: ‘Don’t worry about it!’
Editor’s note: Some quotes in this column are paraphrased. Those of us living in America’s moderate- and left-leaning political spaces expected a bad year, and 2025 didn’t disappoint. The Trump-Kennedy Center, Trump-class battleships, masked (secret?) police in unmarked cars abducting our neighbors, the military patrolling city streets, yo-yo tariffs, more mass shootings, the continued dismembering […]
Posted inColumns
Mature Content: Joseph and Gerard
George Santayana was right when he wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In 1960, my friend John and I drove to Miami for spring break and came home with a tiny alligator we named Gerard Swope. We wanted to be cool. We thought having a pet alligator would make […]
Posted inColumns
Mature Content: Extractions of the heart
I awoke feeling sad about my appointment to explore having some teeth pulled. I love my teeth and don’t want to separate from them, but these thoughts were soon pushed aside by thoughts about another loss I’m even less ready for. My youngest granddaughter decided to complete her senior year of high school in Salt […]
Posted inLetters
Letters – July 24, 2025
Re: GarCo ReportIt is easy for folks to criticize elected officials as they conduct the business of local government, but it is uncommon that we recognize our local leaders for doing the right thing. Therefore, I am writing to thank the Garfield County Commissioners for working to protect the Shoshone water rights by urging the […]