“Your non-sanctuary county resolution does not align with the values of our communities,” declared Alan Muñoz Valenciano, regional organizing manager for Voces Unidas de las Montañas, during the open public comment portion of Monday’s Garfield County Commissioner (BOCC) meeting. “Referring, in that resolution, to immigrants arriving in Garfield County as a significant public health risk […]
Voces Unidas de las Montañas
Posted inNews
Commissioners double down on reluctance to aid migrants
The Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) held their first regular meeting of March at the Garfield County Sheriff Annex outside of Rifle. It was a quick meeting — just over an hour long — with one particularly divisive item on the agenda: a resolution declaring Garfield County as a “non-sanctuary” county.Commissioner Mike Samson began by thanking […]
Posted inColumns
Mature Content: Carbondale makes room at the inn
About 21,000 people live on Martha’s Vineyard, and median home prices are almost identical to Carbondale. In September of 2022, when 50 refugees suddenly arrived courtesy of Ron DeSantis, the island’s population increased by 0.002%. Volunteers cared for them at a temporary church shelter for 44 hours, at which point Massachusetts’ governor helped move the […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
Reality of Venezuelan migrant crisis settles in Carbondale
It’s widely known by now that migrants from Venezuela are arriving by the day to the Valley, and more specifically Carbondale. The Sopris Sun delivers this report to fill in some of the cracks of an already heavily publicized issue. Some background For about 10 years there has been an ongoing migration from Venezuela. Many […]
Posted inNonprofits
Grant assists Voces Unidas with parent organizing in school districts
A national grant awarded recently to a prominent Latino advocacy organization is designed to bring more Latino parent voices to the table on critical issues such as the growing gap in student achievement for area school districts. The Glenwood Springs-based nonprofit Voces Unidas de las Montañas announced earlier this month that it was awarded a […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
Apple Tree water quality meeting set for May 18
Apple Tree Trailer Park, outside of New Castle, is home to several families which make up its small community. With a little push from a regional community organizing nonprofit, residents have begun to organize and advocate for their shared needs. VOCES Unidas de las Montañas “is an advocacy organization that works to elevate the voices […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
‘Carbondale es tuyo’
First, an admission. Last week, The Sopris Sun printed the incorrect date for the town’s Spanish-outreach meeting both in English in our calendar and in Spanish in Chisme del Pueblo. Moreover, we will not have this article translated until next week. These shortcomings are unintentional and evidence of the work that we share toward better […]
Posted inEspañol, Opiniones, Uncategorized
El proceso de redistribución de distritos
Por Jacqueline Argueta Nevarez Voces Unidas de las Montañas In English Es probable que en estos meses esté escuchando más sobre el proceso de redistribución de distritos de Colorado. Esto se debe a que una vez por década se determinan los límites de los distritos legislativos estatales y del Congreso, y este es uno de […]