Pitkin County Sheriff

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.

After nine deaths in the Elk Mountain backcountry last summer, Mountain Rescue Aspen wanted change. The organization has teamed up with the Pitkin County Sheriff’s office and the U.S. Forest Service on a new campaign aimed at helping prepare people for backcountry adventures.

Local law enforcement officials have confirmed Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen are visiting Aspen this week.

It’s been a particularly challenging summer season for Mountain Rescue Aspen (MRA), with eight deaths in the Elk Mountain Range, including five on Capitol Peak.

This week on Curated, we take a tour of Owl Farm, longtime home of the late gonzo writer Hunter S. Thompson, in Woody Creek, Colorado. His widow Anita Thompson shares her plans to turn his home into a museum, and his friends recall the time he ran for Pitkin County Sheriff in 1970. 

Two bodies were recovered from the north face of Capitol Peak Tuesday. The climbers were young locals.

Mountain Rescue Aspen volunteers will resume their search for a climber who went missing last September.

It’s summer, which means that visitors and locals alike are flowing into the backcountry.  This also means that Mountain Rescue Aspen is getting busier, and they’ve made some high profile rescues recently. News Director Carolyn Sackariason sat down with Jeff Edelson, president of the nonprofit, to discuss safety precautions that can be taken before heading into the backcountry.

Pitkin County Sheriff, Joe DiSalvo, was recently contacted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. He learned the county is on a list with five others in Colorado who allegedly are going to lose federal funding.

Welcome to Valley Roundup. I’m Carolyn Sackariason.

A manhunt for two fugitives who are accused of robbing a convenience store at gunpoint in Carbondale ended peacefully with their arrests this week. But the nearly two-day search had many valley residents on edge.

Joining me this week are Randy Essex, editor and publisher of the Glenwood Post Independent, Aspen Daily News Editor Curtis Wackerle and Aspen Times reporter Scott Condon. I speak with them first about the manhunt in Basalt.

Welcome to a Valley Roundup.

The Aspen community lost a veteran newspaper columnist this week. Su Lum embodied watchdog journalism and never held back. Her co-workers and loyal readers remember her as a no-nonsense Aspen icon.

Longtime Aspen Times columnist Su Lum, known for acerbic wit, dies at age 80

As Aspen police officers increasingly respond to calls related to drugs and alcohol, homelessness and other mental health related issues, a new kind of policing has emerged. Elected officials recently signed off on a one hundred thousand dollar experiment to see if dedicating one highly trained officer helps in the field. Carolyn Sackariason spoke with Aspen Police Chief Richard Pryor about the new — and unprecedented — position he’s creating.  

Welcome to Valley Roundup. I’m Carolyn Sackariason.

  The Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office is resurrecting a program for sexual assault victims in the valley. The SANE program, which stands for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, has been dormant for four years. Aspen Public Radio’s Carolyn Sackariason spoke with District Attorney Sherry Caloia about the effort.

Welcome to Valley Roundup. I’m Carolyn Sackariason.

A lawsuit that the town of Basalt filed against one of its citizens has been thrown out of court by a judge.

Judge dismisses Basalt lawsuit over open records request

A man is calling Roaring Fork Valley residents, claiming to be a Pitkin County Sheriff  and then asking for money.

Welcome to Valley Roundup. I’m Carolyn Sackariason.

The presence of law enforcement will be constant at the Aspen Pitkin County Airport for the near future. Aspen Public Radio’s Carolyn Sackariason has the details.

Just like many places around the country, security is being beefed up at Sardy Field in response to Monday’s terrorist attacks in Brussels. Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo says he was asked by John Kinney, the airport’s director, to provide a deputy on site. The sheriff says an armed officer will be at the airport from the time it opens to the time it closes — for at least the next few days.

With over 100,000 people attending this past weekend’s Winter X Games, law enforcement questioned hundreds of people related to everything from intoxication to marijuana possession. Aspen Public Radio’s Carolyn Sackariason has more.

  Welcome to Valley Roundup. I’m Carolyn Sackariason

Law enforcement are investigating why a skier pushed a snowboarder off a chairlift at Aspen Highlands.

Authorities have a lead in chair lift assault case

Police may have suspect in chairlift incident

After 30 years, McDonalds has closed its doors in Aspen.

  Seth Beckton’s trip up the Loge Peak chairlift this week has now gone viral. News outlets nationwide are reporting on the incident, in which the stranger next to him threw him to the ground below.