• Local School Districts Outline Potential Plans For 2020-21 Year
• Local Authors Celebrate Their First Joint Novel With Colorado Book Award Nomination

Andy Stone and Linda Lafferty's co-authored novel “Light in the Shadows” marks the first time the husband and wife have shared the same byline. In some ways, though, a joint undertaking was perhaps inevitable for the husband-and-wife team.

Starting a business can be a gamble, and the stakes are even higher during a pandemic. Owners of two new businesses in the Roaring Fork Valley are taking the leap at a time when unemployment is soaring and social distancing measures are hurting industries all across Colorado.

• Basalt Town Council Approves 'Basalt Bucks' Program To Stimulate Local Economy
• Aspen Words Goes Virtual For Summer Programming

Basalt Town Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday launching the Basalt Bucks program. In an attempt to help businesses ordered to shut down by Gov. Jared Polis when the pandemic made its way to Colorado, all addresses within the town limits will receive a $20 voucher to use at Basalt restaurants or retail stores.

Aspen Words is going online with part of its Summer Words Writers Conference & Literary Festival due to COVID-19. The literary organization kicks off its June programming virtually with a writing workshop hosted by the literary organization’s executive director Adrienne Brodeur. The discussion focuses on the ins and outs of writing about real people (Thursday, June 4, 5:30 p.m.).

When the pandemic took hold, Tracy Doherty kept going to work as a pediatric nurse at Valley View Hospital. Her line of work usually comes with some stability, so she was surprised when she was laid off earlier this month. 

 “Being a nurse you kind of never expect to lose your job,” Doherty said. “I knew they were going to be cutting staff, but I didn't think it would be nursing staff.”