“12 Days of Aspen” in High Gear
The Aspen Chamber Resort Association is hosting its annual “12 days of Aspen” series this holiday season.
The 12 days series has everything from children’s story hour to menorah lighting to Christmas buffet to New Year’s Eve celebrations. One recent event was at the end of Aspen’s pedestrian mall, with a classic American dessert. Jennifer Albright Carney is Vice President of Event Marketing with the chamber.
“We are doing make your own s'mores. So it’s free, open to the public, little holiday spirit.”
Carney explains the idea behind the series is to have some continuity to the holiday season for visitors. Twelve days of Aspen continues through the end of Wednesday.
Winter Break is a Hungry Time for Some
The holidays are a time of plenty for many in the Roaring Fork Valley. But for families without enough to eat, it’s especially tough. Families on an extremely tight budget can qualify for free or reduced lunch at school. But, when those kids are on holiday break, sometimes they don’t eat at home. In Pitkin County, nearly a hundred kids qualify for free or reduced lunch. That’s true of more than five thousand kids in Garfield County, and nearly three thousand in Eagle County. Kathy Underhill is Executive Director of Hunger Free Colorado. She says the problem likely is greater.
“Eligibility for these programs are based on the federal poverty line. Which this year, for a family of four, is just over $23,000 a year. That is the same no matter where you live.”
Underhill says in a place that’s much more expensive, like parts of the Roaring Fork Valley, more kids may be hungry at home than the numbers reveal.
Study: Legal Pot Problems Hit the ER
A new study on marijuana legalization in Colorado finds a rise in some emergency room visits since recreational pot became legal almost one year ago. Doctors are seeing more children for eating pot edibles, and more burn patients who got hurt trying to make hash oil. University of Colorado emergency doctor Andrew Monte is an author of the report. He says there is more to learn.
“We’re gonna learn more about the positive effects of marijuana on some health conditions, and we’re also going to learn more about the negative effects that may have been hidden due to the stigmatization of drug use in the past.”
The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
City of Aspen Plans Future Under Climate Change
The City of Aspen is planning for a future where the climate is warmer. City staff will present findings from their “climate resiliency planning” to City Council next week.
Over the last several months, researchers have been collecting data on how Aspen’s climate might look in 40 years. A new report uses global climate models scaled to our region and climate observations from local residents.
Ashley Perl is with the City’s Canary Initiative, a department created to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help the community plan for a changed climate. She’s expecting Aspen to heat up.
“It’s warmer, so our climate starts to look a little more like the Mid-Valley climate instead of the Aspen climate we know now. And, we start to see more rain instead of snow.”
The report pinpoints six sectors in Aspen that may be impacted by a warmer climate, including tourism and recreation. The idea is to deliver the report’s findings to elected leaders, stakeholder groups and community members so they can weigh in with ideas on how to prepare for a warmer climate. The report will be presented for the first time on Monday.
