During the pandemic, when the school cafeteria became a potential breeding ground for a deadly disease, I searched for the sanctuary of a pod school, reducing the number of children mine would interact with. I discovered the refuge of Waldkinder through word-of-mouth and pulled my daughter out of her first-grade public school class. This outdoor […]
Elizabeth Key
Posted inColumns, Opinion, Uncategorized
Guest Column: Wheels on the bus
During the past few years, Roaring Fork School District children have circled the Valley on ever-lengthening bus routes. After years of the pandemic-inspired “mommy bus,” I recently returned to the school bus system. I was shocked to discover that a seven-minute car ride can take up to two hours on the bus. I imagined my […]
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Scuttlebutt & Calendar – May 25, 2023
COO Bohmfalk Ben Bohmfalk, Carbondale’s mayor, has been hired by Roaring Fork Schools as the new chief operating officer, a position currently held by Jeff Gatlin who accepted a similar role with the Jefferson County School District. Bohmfalk has worked for over 20 years with the district, initially as a high school social studies teacher […]
Posted inColumns, Opinion, Uncategorized
Silent, but deadly
Lately, I have nightmares of swimming through snow, my omniscient yoga instructor’s voice guiding me to take deep, cleansing breaths as my mind spools and the wind whips through my permeable lungs. I wake up gasping. My first thought is, I survived the night; I’m alive. Dying in your sleep has been lauded as the […]
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Colorado History: From an ancient sea to present-day extractivism
Colorado’s present-day topography and natural resources have been millions of years in the making. Initially, the land mass known today as “Colorado” was located south of the equator as part of a supercontinent. As the continent drifted, geological processes broke it down and covered it with seawater. During this continental drift, the equatorial heat of […]
Posted inColumns, Opinion, Uncategorized
The loudest voice in the room
Why do representatives sometimes vote in favor of big money instead of protecting the community? A couple of decades ago, I wrote a letter to the editor comparing Aspen to the seven deadly sins. My mother was worried, fearing the resulting community ire. The letter mostly garnered praise except for one woman who told me […]
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Bosom Buddies opens cafe con leche in El Jebel
Breastfeeding is a personal choice, but it can also be a biological decision. My first experience with breastfeeding was challenging. As an expecting new mother, I spent my nesting months obsessively researching. The literature said the science was conclusive; breastfeeding provides the optimal nutrients to enhance babies’ eyesight, brain growth, nervous system function and a […]
Posted inLetters, Uncategorized
Letters – Aug. 25, 2022
Re: Redstone incident I am a regular contributor to The Sopris Sun and also a resident of Redstone. I moved to the Redstone community last October and I find many of my encounters to be lovely and inclusive. I believe we have a wonderful community up here with diverse individuals. I was horrified to learn […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
Housing insecurity takes a toll on health
Melanie Test is a web and graphic designer living with her 13-year-old son in the Crystal River Valley. After moving nine times in as many years, Test is still seeking to provide a stable environment for her son. As a single mother, she has experienced significant stigma about her circumstances that lay the blame at […]
Posted inColumns, Opinion, Uncategorized
The Crystal Palace has fallen
My childhood home was built around a blue spruce in Aspen’s West End. It wasn’t a good climbing tree — its bark rough with budding pine needles, slathered in sap and opportunistic ants. Still, we struggled up the trunk, planning tree forts and pretending to be pirates peering out of our crow’s nest across the […]