Garfield County

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About a month ago, Annell, who works as a housekeeper in the Roaring Fork Valley, tested positive for COVID-19 after being exposed at work. Aspen Public Radio is only using her first name to protect her identity because of her immigration status. Annell was asymptomatic, but still struggled during her two-week quarantine because she could not work.

Cases of COVID-19 in the Roaring Fork Valley are on the rise, and many of the new infections are in young people. Health and government officials say the uptick in cases among those under 30 could be a harbinger of increased hospitalizations and halt the rollout of reopening plans.

Garfield County announced a new, free online mental health resource last week to help those struggling during the COVID-19 crisis. CredibleMindPRO is a website that provides tools, assessments and local mental health information through articles, podcasts and videos. 

Tourist attractions in Glenwood Springs were given the stamp of approval by the state to open Monday, June 8, including Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park and Iron Mountain Hot Springs. 

Garfield County recently adopted a new set of regulations that could be applied to mining projects. The new rules – called 1041 regulations – could shape the development of the controversial Rocky Mountain Industrials (formerly Rocky Mountain Resources) expansion near Glenwood Springs. 

The first rollbacks to restrictive statewide orders go into effect on Monday, April 27. Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced a transition to a new “Safer-at-Home” policy. The measures include a gradual return normal life, with a timeline for retailers and other businesses to reopen with specific precautions in place. Some rules will differ by county as local governments set their own pace for a return to normal life.

Colorado is holding its first presidential primary in 20 years on March 3.

Ballots were mailed to registered voters on Feb. 10. If you are a registered as a Democrat or Republican, you will receive that party's ballot. If you are not registered with a party, you will be sent both party's primary ballots and will be allowed to only return one. 

Garfield County is increasing efforts to get people vaccinated in the face of a hepatitis A outbreak in Colorado.

Hepatitis A is a liver infection that typically affects drug users, people experiencing homelessness and men who are sexually active with other men. The risk of illness to the general public is low. It causes nausea and vomiting for weeks or even months. 

For the second year, Garfield County Board of Commissioners authorized the Colorado Mountain College Foundation to apply on the county’s behalf for $75,000 in scholarship funds.

The state’s Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, or COSI, provides scholarship funds for 501c3 nonprofit organizations to administer. Each such nonprofit must be authorized by a county partner to apply for the funds, and then the nonprofit pledges to provide matching funds.

Data on transportation in Garfield County that's a part of an update to the 2030 comprehensive plan gives Carbondale the dubious honor of hosting both the worst bottleneck and the intersection that's the site of the most accidents in the county. 

Garfield County has one health insurance provider and one hospital, causing residents to sometimes pay more than their mortgage for basic health insurance. 

To help lower the costs, Garfield County’s Board of County Commissioners unanimously agreed at last week's meeting to partner with Peak Health Alliance, a non-profit that helps communities bargain lower health insurance costs.

Garfield County Commissioner Tom Jankovsky said the county paid $25,000 through a supplemental budget for research to find exactly what the county’s medical needs are.

Numbers from around the Roaring Fork Valley show slightly more than a third of registered voters cast a ballot on election day 2019, according to unofficial counts on Thursday afternoon.

All three counties also delivered among the lowest turnout rates in the state. Out of Colorado’s 64 counties, Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield all posted turnout percentages ranking in the bottom seven.

Garfield County is looking to diversify its economy so it’s not as dependent on oil and gas. The discussion comes as the county updates its comprehensive plan, which guides development through 2030. 

The U.S. Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, is helping launch a program in Garfield County to help people in foster care find housing when they leave the system. 

The Garfield County Housing Authority will run the "Foster Youth to Independence" program. It will work to reduce homelessness among young adults 25 years or younger who are in, or recently left, the foster care system. 

A solar panel installation in Cattle Creek? $75,000. A new mobile vacuum for the landfill to pick up wind-blown trash? $150,000.

On Tuesday, the Garfield County Commissioners examined the county’s five-year capital improvement plan.

At the Energy and Environment Symposium last week in Rifle, local government officials from around Colorado rubbed elbows with oil and gas industry representatives.

The annual event was especially charged, given that Gov. Jared Polis had just signed Senate Bill 181 into law, granting local governments new authority to regulate oil and natural gas.

Garfield County is holding a photo contest for its 2020 calendar.  The theme? Noxious weeds.

Take the purple loosestrife. Its bright flowers might make a great shot in any calendar.  But Sarah LaRose, Garfield County’s Vegetation Program Coordinator, says, don’t let noxious weeds like the purple loosestrife fool you with their good looks.

The Garfield County Commissioners are revisiting two permit applications for storage facilities near Carbondale.

The commissioners have visited the sites and will hear from public Monday afternoon.

On Thursday, big energy consumers in the Roaring Fork Valley, like the Aspen Skiing Company, meet in Glenwood Springs with governments and energy providers to discuss how to boost solar energy production

On Tuesday morning, Ninth District Judge James Boyd will swear in Sheriff Lou Vallario.

In 2019, Garfield County plans to recover over $580,000 from different towns and entities; in 2018, it gave away too much sales tax revenue.