Over the past two months, Basalt Town Council has been discussing a hotly contested ordinance that would establish a fee on short-term rentals (STRs) in order to generate funding to address the affordable housing crisis in Basalt. After several public hearings and despite continued pushback from the community, as well as divided outlooks among council […]
Sopris Sun
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: Positive library vibes, landfill gas, wolf study confusion
The best recipe for a short meeting is a short agenda, and that’s just what the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) served up on Monday. But, first the public comments. John Mallonee of the Garfield County Library District Board of Trustees offered an update on general library news, making it clear that he was not representing […]
Posted inLocal Government
RFTA Report: CEO shares internal reports and responds to public comment
The May 8 Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) board meeting focused on presenting results from internal monitoring reports and updates. The meeting was hosted at its usual location: Carbondale Town Hall, with some attendees online. RFTA CEO Kurt Ravenschlag presented several internal reporting methods for tracking how well the organization interacts with the public and […]
Posted inColumns
Money Juice: It is your civic duty to be rich
Resist the temptation to continue struggling and stressing. It is selfish and places the burden of meaningful change on others. No one gives you a prize for being the most exhausted when you die. Does the new hospital wing have your name on it? If not, why? Is one of the many Roaring Fork nonprofits […]
Posted inColumns
VOICES Radio Hour: Love at first hit!
By Patrick Curry I vividly recall the moment when my life divided into a before and after. It’s a muggy summer evening. The sun hangs low, casting the basketball court in burnt orange and penny. I’m playing a pickup game on a blacktop court in a dead-end playground. I’m 14, six-foot-four, and indestructible. Basketball is […]
Posted inColumns
Literate Life: What is leadership?
Jamie LaRue is the executive director of the Garfield County Public Library District. My partner and I just finished co-teaching a leadership institute for librarians in the Western States. But I keep thinking about it. Some people, I know, think leadership is all about power. But I always wonder: power to do what? To make […]
Posted inFiction
Works in Progress
What in the … Ginny Parker doesn’t spend as much time on the ranch off Emma Road these days, where she spent most of her life. But her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren still keep an eye on things. A peculiar sheep has been spending some quality time with the family after saying hello over the […]
Posted inFiction
Works in Progress
‘Big Money’By Lee Mulcahy In Vail and Aspen’s grip a duopoly reigns,Where wealth’s tight fist binds up the plains.A season pass in Japan at Niseko’s Moiwa, so grand,Costs one day’s fee at Vail on our leased land. Billionaires rule Aspen’s snowy domain,Silencing songs that dare complain.Dan Sheridan’s tune, “Big Money ruins everything,”Banned from the […]
Posted inLocal Government
Carbondale Report: Earth Day meeting posits drought resiliency planning
All trustees were present for the regular meeting on April 22, Earth Day, which began with a proclamation declaring May 3, 2025 as Carbondale’s Arbor Day. The proclamation included many beautiful statements about the role of trees. The consent agenda was approved including meeting minutes, seasonal deck licenses for Allegria and Bodegón, Dandelion Day permits, […]
Posted inLocal Government
Library Report: Hershey attends first library board meeting as its Glenwood representative
The lines were clearly drawn at the Garfield County Public Library District’s Board of Trustees meeting on April 3, the first meeting where newly appointed Glenwood Springs representative Tony Hershey sat at the table as a board member. Members of the public spoke for more than 45 minutes at the beginning of the meeting, divided […]