Garfield County Libraries has resisted censoring books, but leadership changes could turn the tide
New trustees settling into roles confront the legal landscape and conflicting viewpoints
Several measures were considered by library trustees over the past year. But so far, the board has declined to implement any new policies due to reasons ranging from Colorado laws to a skepticism over whether there is a genuine problem to be solved.
RECENT WATER DESK NEWS
Pitkin County looks to boost Roaring Fork streamflows with water purchase
Deal for water used on Front Range has $6.5 million price tag
Colorado River experts say some management options don’t go far enough to address scarcity, climate change
Feds release draft report on how to share shrinking river
As e-bike use grows, so do accidents
PitCo Open Space, which manages Rio Grande Trail, reports record e-bike crashes in 2025.
More than 60% of the bike and e-bike accidents on Pitkin County OST’s properties involved an e-bike, as they become increasingly popular among locals and visitors.
MORE ON THE GARFIELD COUNTY LIBRARY DISTRICT
Garfield County Libraries director announces retirement, encourages community to protect the ‘freedom to read’
LaRue faced effort to restrict or remove certain books
Garfield County commissioners pick former City Council member Tony Hershey to fill library board seat
Completes BOCC’s remaking of board amid ongoing book-restriction controversy
‘Free-For-All’ book fair in Glenwood Springs aims to increase community access to a diversity of books
Local volunteers gave away about 7,000 new and used books in English and Spanish, promoting literacy equity
Garfield County commissioners appoint two new library trustees amid book restriction controversy
Censorship is a ‘slippery slope,’ appointee says, but ‘reasonable’ restrictions could be considered
RECENT CONNIE HARVEY ENVIRONMENT DESK NEWS
Private ski area proposal near Steamboat divides community
Luxury resort plan by Yellowstone Club operator seen by some as an economic boon; others fear an environmental and socioeconomic disaster
FEATURED HISTORY SERIES:
ASPEN SKI PATROL STRIKE
APSPA: From corporate burr to community asset
Ski patrollers have negotiated crucial protections now benefitting all SkiCo workers
FEATURED SERIES:
St. Benedict’s Monastery
‘Bless this house’: Community at St. Benedict’s Monastery bids farewell
With closure and final Mass on Jan. 11, a message of acceptance
St. Benedict’s Monastery sells for $120 million
Wall Street Journal reports buyer is Palantir CEO Alex Karp
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Real time snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin
SNOTEL sites in the Roaring Fork basin show that snowpack has never been this low at this point in the season, breaking the previous record low of 6.1 inches measured on Jan. 29, 1990.
Real-time local streamflow
Stream-gauge readings from the Roaring Fork and Colorado River basins updated in real time with an interactive mapping feature
RECENT DATA desk STORIES >>
Transportation coalition seeks consensus on high-occupancy toll, congestion-pricing recommendations
Would you pay $17 to drive in what’s now the bus-only lane at the entrance to Aspen?
RFTA to study how Rio Grande Trail’s railroad corridor can be used for mass transit
Scheduled for 2028, the plan will explore how the historic alignment can accommodate bikes, pedestrians and mass transit, including rail.
Carrots won’t cut upper-valley congestion without sticks
Traffic experts call for disincentives, such as congestion pricing and restricting parking, to get cars off the road.
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ASPEN SKI HISTORY COVERAGE: ASPEN SKI PATROL STRIKE
APSPA: From corporate burr to community asset
Ski patrollers have negotiated crucial protections now benefitting all SkiCo workers
Public Lands series by Paul ANdersen >>
Common ground: Protecting our public lands
A legacy of native expulsion gives way to a project to assert federal protections and adapt to changing values
Becoming the White River National Forest
Cherished public lands forged in a progression of exploration, exploitation and preservation
A crisis of the commons
The fraught legacy and magnetic promise underpinning public lands in the United States
THE BILLIONAIRES OF ASPEN
The Aspen 80
Property records analysis shows where the Forbes billionaires list and local owners overlap
There have never been more billionaires in the world—3,028, by Forbes’ count, crossing the 3,000 threshold for the first time in 2025. It stands to reason that there also have never been more billionaires in Aspen, their collective influence shaping the community’s social fabric.
Keep reading
NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL
Nuevos datos confirman el aumento de las detenciones de inmigrantes y un cambio en el perfil de las personas detenidas
Las leyes más estrictas hacen que permanecer en el país sea una “batalla cuesta arriba”
La comunidad se moviliza para la “Semana de la Conservación Latina” a pesar de las preocupaciones por las medidas contra la inmigració
El Bosque Nacional White River no participará en el evento de este mes
Se inaugura una nueva residencia asequible para personas mayores en una región que se enfrenta al envejecimiento de la población y al aumento de los costes
El proyecto de Catholic Charities en Glenwood Springs, valorado en $23 millones, rinde homenaje a la donación realizada por los Benedict en la década de 1990
Parques de casas móviles bajo contrato para propiedad de residentes
El acuerdo propuesto entra en el periodo de diligencia debida para las inspecciones
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