It was November 2023 when Voces Unidas de las Montañas, an advocacy organization, sounded the alarm about close to 100 unhoused people, mostly from Venezuela and unfamiliar with a Colorado winter, camping in cars and tents beneath the Veterans Memorial Bridge at the north entrance to Carbondale. According to Carbondale Police Chief Kirk Wilson, what […]
immigration
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Voces Unidas rally sends message of solidarity
About 60 people gathered at Sayre Park in Glenwood Springs on Sunday afternoon for a community rally organized by Voces Unidas de las Montañas and the Voces Unidas Action Fund. Voces Unidas Regional Organizing Manager Alan Muñoz said the gathering was initiated to publicly denounce the actions of the Garfield County commissioners, who, on March […]
Posted inColumns
Phase 3 of Carbondale’s response to unhoused migrants
Since November, the Town of Carbondale has been responding to an unprecedented influx of unhoused migrants — specifically addressing housing needs during the winter months. We are now transitioning to our third and final phase of this response which involves gradually phasing out emergency services while participating in a coordinated regional approach to homelessness throughout […]
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Hope goes a long way
Since I could remember, I always knew I was Mexican-American and that I was the daughter of two immigrant parents who gave up everything they ever knew — culture, language and people — to give my siblings and me a better future in the United States. From a young age, I understood what it meant […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: Commissioners deny Carbondale $50K request for newcomer help
At the regular meeting held on Tuesday this week, the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) heard from library malcontents during the open public comment period. Commissioner Tom Jankovsky arrived late due to traffic problems and had to leave after the first item on the agenda — a letter to the BOCC written in early January by […]
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Sudden spike in unhoused population exposes regional gaps
“It’s nice to know the folks here have shelter to go to. We’ll see what the next phase brings, but it buys us some more time,” Carbondale Trustee Colin Laird said on Jan. 30. In more than one way, Laird has been on the frontlines of Carbondale’s response to the recent influx of more than […]
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Supporting new arrivals from Venezuela
Since early November, when Carbondale realized the presence of over 100 refugees, mostly from Venezuela, living in cars and tents by the river at the intersection of highways 82 and 133, the Roaring Fork Valley has rallied to support these newcomers through the harsh winter. There’s no easy solution for this unprecedented scenario; it’s a […]
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Valley Settlement receives $2 million donation
On May 23, Glenwood Springs-based organization Valley Settlement received a transformational $2 million donation from famed philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Valley Settlement, which provides education and mentoring programs for immigrant families throughout the Roaring Fork Valley, will use the donation to expand its programming into western Garfield County as part of its recently approved five-year strategic […]
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Our Town: The man behind the Christmas tree
Carlos Loya Rico is the foreman for Carbondale Public Works Department’s Street Crew. He sat down with The Sopris Sun to share with readers a little about his personal history. The interview has been edited for clarity and fit. Tell me about how you ended up in the Valley. My first trip to the U.S. […]