Regan Mertz
Arts & Culture ReporterRegan is a journalist for Aspen Public Radio’s Arts & Culture Desk. Regan moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in July 2024 for a job as a reporter at The Aspen Times. While she had never been to Colorado before moving for the job, Regan has now lived in ten different states due to growing up an Army brat. She considers Missouri home, and before moving West, she lived there and worked at a TV station.
Regan graduated from the Jonathan B. Murray Center for Documentary Journalism, earning a Master of Arts in Documentary and Photojournalism in December 2022. She received her Bachelor of Journalism in Radio and Convergence Journalism from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in May 2021. Throughout college, Regan worked at every Missouri School of Journalism publication, including the local NPR station.
She spent her summers working as a fellow for the Reynolds Journalism Institute, where she worked on a podcast with The Oregonian and audio stories for South Dakota Public Radio. She has also worked in Washington, D.C., at the Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival and Symposium and at the Library of Congress as a research assistant.
Regan is a White House Correspondents’ Association scholarship recipient and has won awards from the Missouri Broadcasters Association and a Missouri Press Association, along with receiving an Edward R. Murrow in 2021.
When not reporting, she enjoys trying out new hikes with her dog and reading with her cat. Regan is also learning to ski for the first time this winter.
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Pitkin County commissioners proclaimed June as Pride Month during a meeting Wednesday. This comes after some commissioners initially expressed concern over potential federal funding cuts if they issued a proclamation, as the county is already standing out for its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and immigration policies. -
The two exhibits feature 29 artists who use mixed materials, analyzing current events as part of their work. Their artwork will be on display until Aug. 2. -
Cook Inclusive was founded in Oct. 2021 and provides therapeutic recreation and employment services to the Roaring Fork Valley’s disability, Deaf+, queer and neurodivergent communities. Reporter Regan Mertz sat down with Executive Director Ashley Stahl to talk about challenges facing the LGBTQIA+ community. -
Pitkin County commissioners were hoping to discuss whether to proclaim June as Pride Month during a Tuesday work session, but they did not get to it. Commissioners said last month the county has already lost funding in public health, senior services, immunization programs and more. -
The Wheeler/Stallard Museum held a celebration of life for Aspenite Robert Chamberlain Thursday evening. Chamberlain donated hundreds of photo negatives and prints, dating back to 1958, to the Aspen Historical Society before he died in 2024. -
The Roaring Fork Valley Wildfire Collaborative was founded by local fire and forestry leaders, who recognized the importance of collaborating to protect our high-risk valley from wildfire. A little over a year after it launched as a nonprofit, it has implemented large-scale forest projects and led public education campaigns. -
In these times when water rights can be very politicized, reporter Regan Mertz sat down with Kate Collins, Executive Director of the Middle Colorado Watershed Council. The council works to evaluate, protect and enhance the health of the middle Colorado River watershed. -
Local nonprofits Cook Inclusive and AspenOUT hosted a second Queer Prom at The Launchpad in Carbondale over the weekend. Despite the Trump administration’s policies targeting gender-affirming care, the local queer community continues to gather and celebrate. -
Wheeler Opera House Executive Director Mike Harrington told Aspen City Council that the community wants more high-profile acts. Harrington said these marquee acts will build the Wheeler’s existing programming and its international reputation and the council agreed. -
The restaurant has survived COVID-19, maintenance issues on the 120 year old building and, as co-owner Jared Ettelson calls it, the great egg crisis of 2025. Co-owner Charlie Chacos said the reason for their success is simple.
