Eleanor Bennett

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the valley, local schools are having to rethink their plans for the winter months. As of last week, nearly 250 students were quarantined in the Roaring Fork School District and the entire Roaring Fork High School moved to online learning for the week after several staff were exposed to the virus. 

“It’s very disruptive, the pivoting back and forth between distance learning and in-person learning,” said the district’s superintendent Rob Stein.

With election day less than two weeks away, many in Colorado are looking to a growing group of Latino voters who could be a big part of deciding the outcome. According to the Pew Research Center, Latino voters are the largest non-white voting demographic this year, making up 16% of Colorado voters in 2018. And yet, Latinos have been historically underrepresented in political office in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys.

To coincide with the 50th anniversary of Hunter S. Thompson’s historic race to become sheriff of Pitkin County, the new documentary, “Freak Power: the Ballot or the Bomb,” debuts on Friday, Oct. 23. While the film chronicles the gonzo journalist’s 1970 campaign in Aspen, parts of it feel eerily similar to today.

As temperatures rise and wildfires continue to burn across the West, many in Colorado are turning their attention to fire prevention. There's a woman who comes to the Roaring Fork Valley every year known as the "goat gypsy." Lani Malmberg and her herd of 1,200 Spanish cashmere goats help with fire mitigation, land restoration and weed control on private and public lands across all 13 Western states. 

• Independence Pass Closed Near The Summit For Rockfall Safety Work On Sept. 30 And Oct. 1 
• The Red Brick Center In Aspen Has A New Exhibition Featuring Works By Local Artists
• Colorado’s Recent COVID-19 Spike Appears To Be Leveling Off, But It's Too Early To Celebrate 
• Public Land Use Decisions Are Under Scrutiny Following The Removal Of The Director At The Bureau Of Land Management

• Colorado’s Colleges And Universities Will Allow Students To Apply For Free On October 13
• It's Especially Important To Get A Flu Shot This Year, But Less Than Half Of Americans Typically Get The Vaccine
• Drug Overdose Deaths Have Increased In Colorado During The Pandemic
• Colorado Continues To See A Surge In People Wanting To Sign Up To Be Poll Workers

• 2020 Census Extension May Allow For More Accurate Count Of Local Population
• With The Voter Registration Deadline Just A Month Away, How To Make Sure You Get A Ballot
• Colorado Regulators Are Now Requiring Oil And Gas Operators To Monitor Fracking Emissions Earlier And More Often

• Recent Wildfire Smoke In The Roaring Fork Valley Has Been Coming From Out-Of-State Fires 
• The Westbound Deck Of I-70 Reopens Friday, Sept. 25 In Glenwood Canyon
• The State Is Winding Down A COVID-19 Health Equity Initiative Governor Polis Formed To Tackle Racial Disparities
• A New Study Suggests Wildfire Smoke Is More Dangerous Than Other Air Pollutants For Asthma Patients         
   

• Colorado Is Bringing Nearly 400,000 Fish To Alpine Lakes, Including Some In The Roaring Fork Valley
• Some School Districts In Colorado Struggled To Balance Their Budgets Even Before The Pandemic
• Hotels In Colorado Saw Occupancy Rates Increase Again Last Month
• The State's Emergency Rent Fund Has Paid Out About $7.5 Million To Cover Housing Costs For People During COVID-19

• Registration Is Now Open For The Aspen Music Festival And School’s After School Music Classes
• Colorado Health Officials Say COVID-19 Cases Have Increased For The Third Consecutive Week
• Many Colorado Workers Will Be Forced To Take Days Off Without Pay Because Of Budget Shortfalls Due To The Pandemic
• Large Numbers Of Migratory Birds Have Dropped Dead Across The West.

• The Next Film Playing At Buttermilk’s Drive-In Theatre Will Have Audiences Dreaming Of Winter
• Officials Report That Warmer Weather Is Expected To Increase Fire Activity Near Grizzly Creek
• Colorado Researchers Call For National Guidelines On Alerting Potential Suicide 'Hot Spot' Schools

• A Recent Study Provides A Window Into What Forests Will Look Like In The Wake Of The Grizzly Creek Fire
• Economists Say Colorado’s Budget Picture Is Improving, But Their Latest Forecast Includes Several Warnings
• New Researcher Suggests There Could Be Fewer Aspen Trees In Colorado Because Of Climate Change

• The Roaring Fork School District Has Announced New Plans For Resuming In-Person Learning 
• Fire Restrictions Have Dropped Down To Stage 1 In Both Pitkin And Eagle Counties
• Colorado Has Seen Plenty Of Wildfires This Year, But Nothing Like The Catastrophic Fires Still Burning Along the West Coast 
• Senate Democrats Are Pushing The FCC To Expedite Progress On Broadband Connectivity In Native Communities 

• Anderson Ranch Arts Center Has Been Bringing Global Food Nights To Its Reinvented Cafe Space
• Climate Change Likely To Keep Hammering Colorado River's Biggest Reservoirs, Model Shows
• Colorado Secretary Of State Jena Griswold Will Ask Federal Mailing Officials To Pay For A New Election Flyer

• Pitkin County Has Seen An Uptick In New COVID-19 Cases Over The Past Two Weeks
• A Colorado Poll Found That Less Than Half Of Respondents Are 'Very Likely' To Get A COVID-19 Vaccine Once It's Available
• People Who Work At Or Manage Marijuana Businesses No Longer Have To Be Colorado Residents

• Basalt Elementary Early Childhood Center Temporarily Closes Due To Confirmed COVID-19 Cases 
• Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold Sued USPS To Stop Delivery Of Flyers Containing Inaccurate Information About The November Election
• Colorado Senator Michael Bennet And Other Democrats Are Calling On Internet Providers To Expand Coverage
• History Colorado Plans To Display A Toppled Union Soldier Statue To Spark Conversation About State M

• RFTA Gets Federal Grant For New Transit Hub In Glenwood Springs
• I-70 Repairs In Glenwood Canyon Are Expected To Cost 8 million Dollars
• Several Regional Ski Resorts Have Announced Measures To Adapt To The Pandemic
• Last Month Is Now Colorado's Hottest August On Record

• The Aspen Fire Department Is Holding A Virtual Remembrance To Mark The Anniversary Of 9/11 
• Governor Polis Has Plans To Use Emergency Funds For The Grizzly Creek Fire Area 
• A Denver Judge Will Decide Whether To Delay Distribution Of Colorado’s Voting Guide 

• Emergency Funding For Watershed Protection Headed To Glenwood Canyon
• There Are Two Designs For A New Public Park Along Carbondale's Rio Grande ARTway 
• Colorado Almost Set A National Record For The Shortest Amount Of Time Between A 100 Degree Day and Measurable Snowfall 

• Grizzly Creek Fire Updates 
• Conspiracy Theories Are Popping Up Everywhere These Days, Especially In Our Region
• Colorado High Schools Sports Officials May Allow Some Outdoor Sports This Fall 

• Firefighters Use New Technology To Contain The Grizzly Creek Fire
• Schools Are Grappling With How To Connect Low-Income Students With Internet Access
• Colorado Voters Will Get Another Chance To Watch A Debate Between Senate Candidates