Eleanor Bennett
Morning Edition Anchor and ReporterEleanor is an award-winning journalist who currently serves as “the voice” of Aspen Public Radio during Morning Edition. Eleanor has reported on a wide range of topics in her community, including the impacts of federal immigration policies on local DACA recipients, the Valley’s COVID-19 eviction and housing crisis, and hungry goats fighting climate change across the West through targeted grazing. Connecting with people from all walks of life and creating empathic spaces for them to tell their stories fuels her work.
She has received several statewide and national awards in 2020 and 2021 including “Best News Feature” from the Colorado Broadcasters Association for her stories about an education initiative to bring more Ute history and cross-cultural conversations to local schools and a citizen-science project to help understand how climate change is impacting birds. She also earned a “Certificate of Merit” from CBA for “Best Morning Show” and contributed to the award-winning series, “In The Woods: Trees and Climate Change in the Roaring Fork Valley.”
Eleanor also pioneered the station’s Outdoor Report, which highlights local flora and fauna, recreation opportunities and environmental causes in the Valley, as well as the Aspen Public Radio Newscast, a podcast for Aspenites on-the-go.
Growing up in the Valley listening to KAJX in her parents’ car on the way to school, Eleanor learned the power and urgency of community storytelling. She was further captivated by the medium while interning at Aspen Public Radio after graduating from Middlebury College in 2015. From there, she covered issues of climate justice and women's empowerment for SiriusXM Radio in New York City. Eleanor also had the opportunity to work with French photographer and muralist JR to record the dreams, hopes and fears of 1,500 New Yorkers for a major interactive audio-visual exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum.
In 2019, Eleanor served as producer of Aspen Public Radio’s teen-focused podcast, Gen Z Tea. She became a full-time reporter and Morning Edition anchor for the station in August 2020. Eleanor is delighted to be home in the Rocky Mountains working with the Aspen Public Radio team to shine a light on the critical issues and community voices that shape our Valley.
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Una amenaza de tiroteo en una escuela obligó a las escuelas locales a asegurar sus edificios a primera hora de la mañana del miércoles. Las medidas de seguridad se levantaron para las escuelas locales después de que un sospechoso de 26 años de Glenwood Springs fuera arrestado en Old Snowmass alrededor de las 10 de la mañana.
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El 2022 fue un año ajetreado para Mawa McQueen, propietaria de un restaurante local. Fue una de las 20 semifinalistas del premio James Beard a la "mejor chef" de la región de las montañas, tuvo su primer stand de gran degustación en el Aspen Food and Wine Classic, abrió un nuevo restaurante de inspiración latina en Snowmass Village y aún encontró tiempo para experimentar con la cocina de África occidental de su infancia.
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A school shooting threat forced local schools to secure their buildings early Wednesday morning. Safety measures were lifted for local schools after a 26-year-old suspect from Glenwood Springs was arrested in Old Snowmass around 10 a.m.
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About 50 people showed up at Paepcke Park in Aspen on Sunday for the annual Women’s March on what would’ve been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Speakers talked about a range of issues important to women, from reproductive rights to domestic violence and sexual harassment.
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Government service providers and community groups in Pitkin, Eagle, and Garfield counties are coordinating efforts for the first time to better understand how many people are unhoused or experiencing homelessness in the area on a single night. Organizers are looking for volunteers to join the “Unsheltered Point in Time Count” on the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 25.
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2022 was a busy year for local restaurant owner Mawa McQueen. She was one of 20 James Beard semi-finalists for “best chef” in the mountain region, she had her first grand-tasting booth at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic, she opened a new Latin-inspired restaurant in Snowmass Village, and still found time to experiment with the West African cuisines of her childhood.
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Local environmental advocate Hal Harvey will be talking about his new book with Pitkin County Commissioner Greg Poschman at Explore Booksellers Thursday afternoon in Aspen. “The Big Fix: Seven Practical Steps to Save Our Planet” is about how individuals can influence policy decisions to address the climate crisis.
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A new organization launched in the valley last week to protect drivers and animals from collisions on Highways 82 and 133 and to increase habitat connectivity by building wildlife crossings. Aspen Public Radio talked with two local residents behind the effort.
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Local bars and ski slopes were abuzz with Argentinian soccer fans after the country narrowly beat France 4-3 during Sunday’s World Cup final. Aspen Public Radio caught up with one fan from Mar del Plata, Argentina at the Sundeck on Aspen Mountain.
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In Colorado's mountains, an immigrant family from Mexico cut down their first Christmas tree together, carrying on a beloved tradition.