News

• Challenges Ahead For Aspen Forests
• Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Room Draws Ooh's And Ahh's

Just as new research shows that aspen forests are a fountain of biodiversity, Aspen’s namesake trees in the Roaring Fork River watershed are battling warming temperatures, drier conditions, climate disruption, and unchecked herds of deer and elk. Although local aspen forests are currently still healthy, they face serious challenges.

On a busy day at the Aspen Art Museum, a line of people stand outside the ten-by-ten foot stainless steel cube that houses “Where The Lights In My Heart Go,” by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Kusama’s Infinity Rooms use mirrors and pinholes of light to create the illusion of an expansive, immersive space.

• Expansion Coming To RFTA's Glenwood Springs Maintenance Facility 
• Lissa Ballinger Hired As Art Base Curator 
• Colorado Town Cancels New Year Fireworks, Cities Environment
• With Drought Plans Finished, Water Managers Pause Colorado River Negotiations

Aspen Institute curator Lissa Ballinger will now also help choose exhibitions for the Art Base in Basalt.

Ballinger has worked in the art world for 20 years and spearheaded the Roaring Fork Valley’s celebration of the Bauhaus in 2019. 

• RFTA Nominated For State Art Award For Rio Grande ARTWay
• Colorado Governor Pardons Immigrant Facing Deportation

The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, or RFTA, has been nominated for a state arts award for its work on Carbondale’s Rio Grande ARTWay.

The Colorado Business Committee for the Arts selected RFTA as one of 12 nominees for this year’s Business for the Arts Award.

The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority is making some upgrades to its maintenance facility in Glenwood Springs, right across the street from the West Glenwood Park and Ride. The renovations will more than double the building’s capacity for repairs.

• Aspen Airport Unveils Upgrades Ahead Of Holiday Season
• Community Menorah Lighting Marks Start Of Hanukkah
• For Those Struggling With Depression Over Holidays, 'Don't Keep It To Yourself'

Last week, the Aspen Pitkin County airport unveiled a series of upgrades just in time to accommodate holiday travelers.

Airport administrators moved their offices across the street, making way for 109 new seats in the lounge and expanded floor space. In hopes of easing traffic congestion, the airport also added 100 new parking spaces and a cell phone waiting lot.

Hanukkah began Sunday night, and to celebrate, people gathered in front of a large menorah in Willits. They stood together, wishing their friends, family and neighbors ‘happy Hannukah’ while singing blessings and songs. 

For those struggling with grief or mental health issues like depression, the holiday season can be particularly difficult. Jill Davis is a peer specialist with Mind Springs Health, which offers counseling services on the Western Slope.  

The high altitudes of the Roaring Fork Valley can complicate things when it comes to baking those holiday treats: cookies can spread and cakes can collapse into craters.  According to two experts from Colorado State University Extension, just a few small changes can help. 

• Glenwood Springs' 27th St. Bridge Is Open...But Not Finished
• Aspen Hotels Expect Another Busy Holiday Season
• Aspen Center For Environmental Studies Welcomes New Golden Eagle
• Colorado Regulators Approve Tougher Oil, Gas Air Rule

Welcome to another week in the Roaring Fork Valley! This is Week in the Arts, a curated list of upcoming exhibitions and events.

Holiday crowds are are descending on the valley by the thousands. Aspen Chamber lodging data from the end of November showed 70% rooms already booked for Christmas Day, with a peak of 79% booked on December 28th.

Approaching Labor Day weekend of 1961, many Aspenites who had plans to go camping or enjoy outdoor concerts watched in trepidation as monsoon rains didn’t let up for two days. Then, that Friday night, the damp chill turned rain to snow — large, wet snowflakes fell overnight and for the next two days, thoroughly coating the green, late-summer landscape.

• Let Them Roar Wraps Up Immigrant-Rights Campaign With Special Solstice Shows
• New 'Small Cell' Technology Coming To Aspen In 2020

Local band Let Them Roar performs two special winter solstice shows Friday and Saturday at Steve's Guitars in Carbondale.

They’ll play what they’re calling “a continuous soundscape,” immersed in complete darkness.

Across the nation, upgrades are coming to the way wireless signal reaches the phone in your pocket. Small cell technology, as it’s called, will lead to the installation of lots of new transmitters. Due to a combination of state and federal regulations, Aspen will not have much control over that process when the cells come to town.

• Carbondale Aims To Reduce Single-Use Plastics By 2030
• Pitkin County Considers Raising Tobacco Purchase Age To 21

Colorado has the highest rate of youth electronic cigarette use in the nation, and use among high schoolers in Pitkin County is among the highest in the state. Now, the county is considering measures to change that.

The Town of Carbondale will start working to reduce the use and sales of single-use plastics over the next ten years. 

The town’s Board of Trustees is working with consulting company LBA Associates. The company will conduct research and public outreach in collaboration with PR Studios to draft a plan by July 2020. 

• Eagle County Joins Lawsuit Against JUUL Labs
• Relocation Management Plan To Receive Further Scrutiny 
• Julia Hedman's Jewelry Debuts At Harvey Preston Galley