Come December, the mid-valley will get its own newspaper. The Aspen Daily News plans to launch the Roaring Fork Weekly Journal, which will cover Basalt, Willits and El Jebel.
David Cook, publisher of the Daily News, said the mid-valley is ready for its own publication, in large part because of the development happening there.
"Obviously, as you drive through the mid-valley, you see hustle, bustle and development," he said.
A weekly publication gives readers the in-depth reporting and longform feature-writing Cook thinks they want. M. John Fayhee, formerly a reporter for the Daily News, will edit the Weekly Journal. Cook says he and his colleagues plan to have a Spanish-language section of the paper, too.
"I view [the Latino community] as a very, very underserved and important part of our community," he said.
Cook thinks the mid-valley is "searching for its identity" in the midst of significant change, and says the newspaper will help generate civic discussion.
"I think having your own voice, via a news product, is really the cornerstone of that," Cook said.
The first issue of the Roaring Fork Weekly Journal is scheduled for December.
