News

Pitkin County Public Health released a set of amendments to its standing public health order on Thursday. They will remain in effect until July 3. The changes provide updated timing and clarity to the particulars of industry-specific reopening plans. Below are the latest dates and rules. Full details can be found here.

• DOJ Investigates Beef Price Fixing Amid Rancher, Attorneys General Concerns

• Roaring Fork Valley Students Share Their Pandemic Stories Via Virtual Roundtable
• Snowmass Village Mayor Weighs In On Unique Challenges Of Reopening

COVID-19 has impacted everyone, but not everyone is experiencing the pandemic in the same way. That’s the idea behind Roaring Fork Schools’ roundtable discussion called “Sharing Stories: Life During a Pandemic.” Each event is hosted in English and Spanish, and features students, faculty and parents sharing their own stories of what this time at home has meant for them. 

Tourism is returning to Pitkin County, and short-term lodging, like hotels and condos, can operate at 50% capacity each day. In a recent Board of Health meeting, Snowmass Village Mayor and board chair Markey Butler said that isn’t the best fit for her town. She spoke with reporter Alex Hager about why she's pushing for a different plan.

More than 500 high school seniors in the Roaring Fork Valley graduated Saturday from parked cars and outdoor celebrations rather than traditional gymnasium and football field ceremonies because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Car horns replaced rounds of applause, and graduates wore face coverings. Now that these graduates have their diplomas, some worry their college plans may not go according to plan. 

• 'Personal Responsibility' A Key Factor In Latest Public Health Plans
• After Days Of Demonstrations, Denver Says It Will Give Free COVID-19 Tests To Protesters

Pitkin County’s gradual reopening is underway. Hotels and restaurants have plans to field guests at partial capacity, using guidance from county public health officials to help suppress the spread of COVID-19. Those plans rely heavily on personal responsibility, according to Jordana Sabella, manager of planning, prevention and partnerships for Pitkin County Public Health.

• Aspen Fire Department Unveils Wildfire Risk Map
• Local Organizations Take Steps To Prevent A 'Tsunami Of Evictions' This Summer

The Aspen Fire Protection District has a new online tool to help residents find out how vulnerable their houses might be to wildfire. An interactive online map rates areas for their general wildfire risk and structures for their individual fire vulnerability.

Longtime local resident Maria works in housekeeping and lives in a shared mobile home in El Jebel. She said she’s worried about paying her $300-a-month rent this summer. (We’re not using her full name because she’s undocumented.)

This is Week in the Arts—a curation of virtual exhibits and events around the Roaring Fork Valley.

• 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.”

• PHOTOS: The Strange New Normal Inside The Colorado State Capitol

• Utah Aims To Test 10,000 Residents In Ambitious COVID-19 Study
• Aspen Police Activity Down During March And April

Data from the Aspen Police Department shows a significant decline in police activity from last spring. In March and April, there were 40% fewer total calls for service than the same period in 2019.

• For Some In Rural Communities Spared By COVID-19, Sacrafices Stir Resentment

This is Week in the Arts—a curation of virtual exhibits and events around the Roaring Fork Valley.