The Aspen 80 The influence of ultra-wealthy homeowners in the Aspen area is inescapable. The building and maintaining of palatial residential developments, and catering to their occupants, forms the bedrock of much of the local economy, but this sector often plays as an enigma in its local-culture footprint. Seldom do we get to know who […]
Author Archives: Curtis Wackerle
Curtis Wackerle is the Editor and Executive Director of Aspen Journalism, where he guides the nonprofit’s mission to deliver in-depth, independent reporting on environmental and community issues in Colorado’s mountain regions. He has extensive experience in journalism and editorial leadership, including 14 years at Aspen Daily News, where he covered city hall and, from 2016 until joining Aspen Journalism in 2020, served as editor in chief. Under his direction, Aspen Journalism has grown as a trusted source for nuanced coverage of water, land use, public policy and socioeconomic issues in the West. He grew up in Portland, has a journalism degree from the University of Montana, and lives in Woody Creek.
Posted inThe Runoff
The Roundup | A date circled on the calendar
Local journalist Kaya Williams had June 9 circled on her calendar, as the date that the pending sale of the 3,739-acre St Benedict’s Monastery property in Old Snowmass was scheduled to close. But as she reported this week in collaboration with Josie Taris of Aspen Daily News, the deal, which we first reported this spring, […]
Posted inWealth and Property
The Aspen 80
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.
Posted inThe Roundup newsletter
The Roundup | From human rights to water rights
This week’s roundup of stories speaks to the power of collaboration. Every story is the result of award-winning journalists asking the tough questions, and following curiosity with tenacity to seek complex answers. Each story is shared in print and broadcast through public radio and on our website. What you’ll read and listen to this week […]
Posted inThe Roundup newsletter
The Roundup | Consent, stopgap stewardship and water law’s cold truth
A letter from the editor of Aspen Journalism and roundup of original stories: Dealing with the world as it is in three different settings.
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The Roundup | Changing outlooks on local aircraft, youth service, public lands and water
Happy off season and thanks for reading the Roundup — the best way to stay up to date on all of Aspen Journalism’s reporting. Below, you’ll find a rundown of our recent coverage on a wide array of topics of local interest, including changes to how we’ll be flying this summer, Pitkin County boosting a […]
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The Roundup | Decades of history catching up to the present
Aspen Ski Patrol‘s historic battles The two-part series on the history of the Aspen ski patrol unionization movement — unfolding over decades before the formation in 1986 of the Aspen Professional Ski Patrol Association, which remains the local patrol’s collective bargaining unit — was a reminder that the Aspen of today was forged through contentious […]
Posted inAward-winning journalism
Aspen Journalism receives seven awards in the four-state Top of the Rockies contest
Aspen Journalism receives seven awards in the four-state Top of the Rockies contest Aspen Journalism was recognized with seven awards in the 2025 Top of the Rockies Excellence in Journalism competition organized by the Society of Professional Journalists Colorado Pro Chapter. Reporting from Heather Sackett, Laurine Lassalle and Paul Andersen added up to three first […]
Posted inAward-winning journalism
Aspen Journalism receives seven awards in the four-state Top of the Rockies contest
Aspen Journalism was recognized with seven awards in the 2025 Top of the Rockies Excellence in Journalism competition organized by the Society of Professional Journalists Colorado Pro Chapter. Reporting from Heather Sackett, Laurine Lassalle and Paul Andersen added up to three first place, two second place and two third place awards. More than 80 news […]
Posted inThe Roundup newsletter
The Roundup | With eyes wide open
Hello, and welcome back to The Roundup. In our last edition, we looked at local issues affected by federal decisions; in this edition, Aspen Journalism’s reporting looks at what has become “normal” and what is being done to improve the baseline. Stories have been flying off the Social Justice Desk as Eleanor Bennett and Kaya […]
