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Students from Roaring Fork High School and Carbondale Community School were among approximately 150 that attended EcoFlight’s “The Value of Wilderness” seminar at Aspen High School on Nov. 8. Presenters included Sloan Shoemaker of Carbondale-based Wilderness Workshop, and local author and founder of Huts for Vets, Paul Andersen.

The harvest may be over, but if you visited the Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS) garden on one of these crisp November days, you’d find Linda Halloran as busy as ever, putting that rich ground to bed for the winter one last time. After 15 years at the helm of a school gardening program that has become a national model, she plans to hang up her keys to the CRMS greenhouse — and the skid-steer — for good on Dec. 31.

A ballot question asking Carbondale Fire District residents to more than double their property tax mill levy failed in Tuesday’s election with 1,515 (57 percent) casting “no” votes and 1,133 (43 percent) casting “yes” votes.

After approving a temporary tax hike two years ago, Carbondale Fire District voters rejected a permanent property tax mill levy hike 57 percent to 43 percent on Tuesday, setting the stage for probable staff cuts and other budget reductions in 2014.
“No matter what, we’ll (still) have to dip into our reserves,” fire district board member Michael Kennedy told The Sopris Sun.

“The bar is open!” declares the nattily dressed gorilla, togged out in coat and tie and reflective sunglasses.
This gorilla, name unknown, is featured in all the ads for Lisa’s Hot Mess at the Third Street Center in Carbondale, as well as on the restaurant’s wall. The bar he is referring to is the latest addition to the restaurant, which has been owned by Lisa Hook for about two years. She does all the cooking and creates the menus, which are “constantly evolving.” Lisa says she has been in the restaurant business for 30 years and was manager at The Brickyard in Rifle before coming to Carbondale.

(This article is the second of a two-part series on the transformation process at Glenwood Springs Elementary School).
While the Re-1 school district’s visioning process has encouraged community members to begin dreaming about possible changes in our schools, Glenwood Springs Elementary School has already embarked on a path of significant change.

Manitou nips Roaring Fork 56-54

The annual Dia de los Muertos procession and performances return to Carbondale for First Friday on Nov. 1, as the Crystal Theatre brings in Woody Allen’s new film and the Main Street Gallery and Framer shows new paintings by Virginia Broyles.

The Re-1 school district’s visioning meetings earlier this fall opened the door for people to start dreaming. A strong consensus emerged at the Carbondale meetings around the idea of including more real world, project-based learning in schools and putting a greater emphasis on character development.
While many people in Carbondale are feeling skeptical about the possibility of real change, Glenwood Springs Elementary School is undergoing a transformation toward some of the very ideas that emerged at the visioning meetings: project-based learning and character development.

Garfield County Clerk and Recorder Jean Alberico is urging voters to take mail-in ballots to drop-off sites on or before Nov. 5 if they were not returned to her office before Oct. 31.
“Postmarks do not count and ballots must be received at a drop-off location by 7 p.m. on Election Day,” Alberico said in a press release.
Besides the Garfield County Courthouse in Glenwood Springs, the drop-off site for Carbondale residents is town hall at 511 Colorado Avenue. Alberico and other county clerks mailed out ballots the week of Oct. 15-18.