Welcome to Valley Roundup. I’m Carolyn Sackariason.

All of the tearing down of homes and buildings in Pitkin County means most of that debris is heading to the landfill, which has 15 years left of life on it. City of Aspen officials are considering making it mandatory to recycle that material.

Hard choices 
are forecast for construction waste diversion

Waste diversion plan to tackle demolition debris

PitCo 'Talking Trash' to extend landfill life

In Basalt, politics are starting to get heated. Citizens have staged sit-ins at council meetings, requiring the cops to intervene. And council members are turning up the pressure on the town manager.

Basalt town manager hires attorney for negotiations with council

Basalt manager, council feud over authorization for $35,000 expenditure

Basalt council was upset that Scanlon loan repayment wasn't secured

Meanwhile, the issue of carrying capacity in the valley continues. Leadership of the Aspen Skiing Company is calling for more — or better — hotel rooms and others say we are busy enough.

Guest column: On busyness and the resort economy

Outside Magazine has named Aspen the least livable resort in North America because of its cost of living, lack of affordable housing and the overall struggle of living among some of the richest people in the world.

http://www.outsideonline.com/2098101/top-five-mountain-towns-youll-never-be-able-afford-live

And adding to that difficulty of living in the valley is the lack of, and the cost of, proper child care.

Cost, lack of providers create child care pinch

Colorado works to ease child care pinch

Joining me this week are Randy Essex, publisher of the Glenwood Post Independent, Curtis Wackerle, editor of the Aspen Daily News and Andy Stone, columnist for Aspen Times.

Valley Roundup is a production of Aspen Public Radio news.