Freeing oil and gas deposits from its shale, tight sand and coalbed methane coverings was first done with explosives in 1865. Using pressurized fluid and sand, hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, was invented in 1947 and commercialized by Haliburton in Kansas in 1949. Beginning in the 1990s, the process, combined with horizontal drilling, started the methane […]
Fred Malo Jr.
Posted inLetters
Letters – Dec. 25, 2025
Clay Center thanksI’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to the incredible community who made the Carbondale Clay Center’s two-day Cup Auction event a tremendous success. Thanks to the generosity of 246 donated cups from talented artists all over the world, the dedication of our volunteers and the hard work of our staff, we raised […]
Posted inLetters
Letters – Dec. 11, 2025
Thank you, RFHSNext time you meet a Roaring Fork High School (RFHS) student, shake their hand and offer them a heartfelt thank you. Over a period of three weeks, RFHS students filled the shelves at the Lift-Up pantry. They collected more than $1,000 and nearly 3,000 food items. A month ago, the pantry was struggling […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters – Nov. 12, 2025
Correction: Garfield County Public Library District Director Jamie LaRue received a letter of interest for a vacant trustee position in early August, but did not forward it to County Manager Fred Jarman until Oct. 1. Ring the bell The holiday season is rapidly approaching, but these are difficult times for many of our neighbors. It […]
Posted inLetters
Letters – Oct. 23, 2025
Re: No KingsI was impressed by the “No Kings” crowd last Saturday. Unlike last June in Sayre Park, not one person gave me a middle-digit salute, though I was wearing my “not fit for print” t-shirt. Thank you, peaceful protesters! It seemed many if not most of the crowd seemed to be older folks, older […]
Posted inLetters
Letters – Oct. 16, 2025
A bad dreamIt was a little over a year ago that I attended the Garfield County community meeting regarding the proposed development by Harvest Roaring Fork, LLC. The meeting was held on the property site, at the confluence of Cattle Creek and the Roaring Fork River, between Carbondale and Glenwood Springs.As I stood on a […]
Posted inLetters
Letters – Sept. 11, 2025
Thank you, CEF! The staff and students of Crystal River Elementary School had the opportunity to partner with artist Daniel Dancer last week and create an all-school piece of art that was featured by The Sun on the cover! We are incredibly grateful to the Carbondale Education Foundation (CEF) for making this opportunity possible. Our […]
Posted inFiction
Works in Progress – Aug. 14, 2025
Country CousinsFred Malo Jr. Carbondale Not having the foresight to get married and raise children, I got exactly what I deserved. I’ve become a 76-year-old with no immediate family. What I do have is a bevy of first cousins on or near the Camas Prairie in north central Idaho. Each year I travel to the […]
Posted inFiction
Works in Progress
Memories of racismBy Fred Malo, Jr.Carbondale Like most people my age, my short-term memory really sucks. I can’t remember what I did five minutes ago. On the other hand, my long-term memory is spooky good. I remember details of a trip my family made to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee in 1953, when I was […]
Posted inLetters
Letters – May 22, 2025
Let’s dive inGrowing up in the Roaring Fork Valley, the Carbondale pool was more than just a place to cool off. It was where I learned to swim, to trust my body and to feel strong in the water. Years later, I watched both of my kids take their first strokes in that same pool, […]