© 2024 Aspen Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Your Morning News - December 3rd, 2014

Health Care Sign Ups Are Go

Residents in the Roaring Fork Valley and around Colorado have had about two weeks to sign up for health insurance through the statewide online marketplace, called Connect for Health.

So far, about the same number of people have signed up for private insurance compared to this time last year although last fall, there was more time to go online and find a plan. A lot less people have signed up for Medicaid this time around. In fact, fifty thousand fewer compared to last year. Since Medicaid clients don’t have to sign up each year the same way private insurance customers do, officials say it's likely those numbers are down because so many people have already signed up for the government funded health care plan.

Officials are trying to motivate residents who plan to use Connect for Health for private insurance. Shopping for a new plan or renewing an old one is most affordable if done by December 15th.

Local Health Panel Meeting

Health officials from across the Roaring Fork Valley spoke about region’s top health concerns yesterday. They went before elected representatives for Aspen and Pitkin County.

The Aspen Daily News reports the agencies found the most frequent problems are limited access to health care, mental health issues, a lack of affordable housing, underage marijuana use, affordable child care and the need for more senior services.

County Commissioner Rob Ittner said the big takeaway was that “things are getting more difficult for families.”

The deadline is looming to comment on a management plan for a new open space parcel in the mid-valley. The Glassier open space near Emma will be used for recreation and agriculture.

Unlike most Pitkin County-managed open space parcels, the Glassier land will give agricultural producers a chance to grow crops. About half of the 282-acre land is irrigated and at one time, was used for ranching.

A draft management plan is up for public comment until Friday. It lays out where trails and parking will be and splits the agricultural land into six chunks to allow leaseholders to grow variety of crops. Gary Tennenbaum is Assistant Director of Pitkin County Open Space and Trails.

“We’re pretty strong on trying to do natural, organic and sustainable agriculture and really trying to find ways to protect our water. And, we’re trying to provide people with an opportunity to grow things on land that would otherwise be too expensive.”

Once the management plan is approved, the county will start a bid process for agricultural producers. The draft plan will go before the County’s Open Space and Trails board on December 18th.

A graduate of Rifle High School is among the first Americans killed in the fight against Isis in the Middle East.

The Glenwood Post Independent reports 30-year-old Air Force Captain William Dubois died Monday when his fighter jet encountered mechanical problems and crashed.

Dubois participated in ROTC in high school and college. His father, William Dubois told the paper his son was the “best man” he ever knew and his short life was well-lived.

Dubois was a resident of New Castle, where flags have been lowered to half-staff at Town Hall and the town cemetery.

State Aviation Chief Steps Down After Financial Error

The head of Colorado’s aviation department has stepped down. The move comes after painful financial news from the state’s Division of Aeronautics. The agency made a massive mistake, resulting in local airports missing out on millions of dollars of grant money.

Low gas prices mean the agency’s grant program brought in way less money than expected. About fifteen million dollars was supposed to roll in the door and be distributed next year. But only three million turned up in the accounts. Division Director David Gordon, based on the Front Range, is no longer leading the agency. A CDOT deputy director has taken his place. It’s not clear whether the dramatic drop in grant money will affect the Aspen Pitkin County airport.

Related Content