Josie Taris

Pitkin County prepares to close Maroon Creek Road ahead of possible government shutdown If federal legislators fail to approve a new budget, the Maroon Bells Scenic Area and surrounding public lands could go unsupervised.

If the federal government shuts down Wednesday, Pitkin County will likely close vehicular access to one of Colorado’s most-photographed sites.

County officials said their primary goal is to protect the Maroon Bells landscape if there’s little-to-no supervision from the U.S. Forest Service.

Nearly 70% of Colorado land zoned for housing prohibits the most affordable types of homes, study finds In the first comprehensive review of Colorado land use laws, the National Zoning Atlas found that you can build single-family homes almost anywhere. But apartments, condos and townhomes are widely prohibited.

Nearly 70% of Colorado land zoned for housing prohibits the most affordable types of homes, study finds

Mobile home residents to submit offer as other bidder comes into focus The residents of two Roaring Fork Valley mobile home parks are preparing to submit offers totaling $42 million in the next few days in an attempt to stave off an offer from apparent Dallas-based inves...

With $12.6 pledged from local partners (largely govt), residents of two mobile parks in the RFV will be submitting offers totaling $42 million to buy their parks under a resident-owned community model.

The other offer on the table appears to be from a Dallas-based group raising rents in Jackson.

Federal air, water quality studies to end this year A decades-long partnership between Wilderness Workshop and the White River National Forest to fund and facilitate air and water quality studies is expected to end this year, another casualty of the sl...

A longstanding contract b/w a Carbondale nonprofit and the White River National Forest for air and water quality data collection likely won’t be funded beyond year’s end due to budget cuts.

The contract is just $38k. Local funders could step in, but stakeholders say it’s the feds’ responsibility.

3 RFV counties named in deleted ‘sanctuary’ list Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties all appeared on a since-deleted U.S. Department of Homeland Security list enumerating sanctuary jurisdictions, despite diverging language in resolutions in each cou...

Pitkin, Eagle & Garfield Counties all have distinct resolutions on their cooperation with federal immigration LE/county services eligibility—but all ended up on the since-deleted DHS sanctuary list.

County managers say they’re less likely to act quickly on fed directives bc of the confusion.

Patrollers union, SkiCo to enter contract talks After a season of big events in the ski patrol labor scene, the union representing Aspen Skiing Co. ski patrollers is set to begin contract negotiations with the company on Tuesday.

It’s contract negotiation time for the Aspen Snowmass ski patrol union & Skico.

White River National Forest supervisor, deputy supervisor resigning White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams and Deputy Supervisor Heather Noel are resigning from their positions with the U.S. Forest Service.

Breaking: Two White River National Forest leaders resign, at least one through the Trump admin’s “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation program. The WRNF is the country’s most visited national forest and is the cornerstone of the regional recreation economy.

Forest Service firings cause resource management confusion As criticism mounts against the Trump administration for the U.S. Forest Service layoffs, local governments and nonprofits are waiting to learn the extent of the resource management gap they might see...

County roads, local open space and the White River National Forest itself could all see minimized enforcement presence this summer with at least 15 WRNF employees fired. They were all probationary, in their first year or so of their current positions with the WRNF.

Fired USFS employees told jobs no longer ‘in the public interest’ The rash of federal layoffs impacted the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District, with a ‘handful’ of probationary employees receiving termination notices last Friday.

Updates coming on this story, but for now: two GS-5 forestry techs talk about how the probationary period firings will risk wildfire and major human impact on the Aspen Sopris Ranger District of the White River National Forest

'Not a buyout': Attorneys and unions urge federal workers not to resign Unions and attorneys who represent federal employees are telling workers not to take the offer from the Trump administration to resign from their jobs by Feb. 6 and still be paid through September.

Unions and attorneys who represent federal employees are telling workers not to take the offer from the Trump administration to resign from their jobs by Feb. 6 and still be paid through September.

Sorry editor, I missed deadline because of this:

PitCo looks to hire permanent private security Pitkin County is seeking a private security contract for its administration, human services and library buildings.

Pitkin County employees said an uptick in tense interactions with members of the public and the greater landscape of attitude toward government pushed them to seek a permanent private security contract.

Frying Pan lot to get subdivided for 3 houses A 22-acre parcel in the Fryingpan Valley is headed for a three-parcel subdivision after the Eagle Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved an application.

Low density luxury homes or high density workforce housing in rural zones? Eagle County approved a minor subdivision up the Frying Pan, but noted the loss of high density cabins/trailer homes that once sat on the property.

Regulations for public lands likely to change under Trump The regulatory environment surrounding big conservation decisions in the Western Slope and beyond is likely to change under the second Trump administration. The conservative policy guide Project 2025 ...

Thompson Divide withdrawal likely safe under Trump admin, per local experts, though regulatory environment will transform.

UnitedHealth Is Strategically Limiting Access to Critical Treatment for Kids With Autism Leaked internal documents show that the insurance giant is culling providers of applied behavior analysis from its network and scrutinizing the medical necessity of therapy. Advocates say the company’...

NEW: After reviewing leaked documents, we have found UnitedHealth is strategically limiting access to a treatment for thousands of children with autism across the country in order to cut costs.

Advocates say the company’s strategy may be illegal.

www.propublica.org/article/unit...

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Not that I was ever a dedicated Tarheel football fan, but bringing on Bill Belichick is soooo cringe

I was so looking forward to this

Pfister tract subdivision splits BOCC Owners of two of the Pfister Tracts off of West Buttermilk Road hope to subdivide their land for four single family homes. In exchange, they’re willing to codify a conservation easement for 55 acres o...

My predecessor told me that these type of land use questions are going to be most important to the Roaring Fork Valley going forward. If county code allows a landowner to subdivide…what’s to stop the BOCC from approving their request?

Outdoor apparel retailer Halfdays opens flagship store in Denver The brand was founded by a former Olympic skier and is on a mission to bring more women to the mountains.

Hey #Denver! This retailer is on a mission to bring more women to the mountains, especially the outdoors! 🏔️❄️⛷️Olympian-founded and woman-owned outdoor apparel retailer Halfdays.com opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Denver’s #RiNo neighborhood www.denverpost.com/2024/12/05/o...

First pledge pitch done!! Full circle from listening to @wunc.bsky.social pledge drives on the ride to middle school…now asking listeners for donations with Aspen Public Radio 🤩

First E-175 flight lands in Aspen today The first official Embraer 175 flight to be employed for local commercial service touched down at the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport on Tuesday morning.

The first official E175 landed in Aspen today. The aircraft have updated flight deck tech, which allow for a different approach than what the CRJ700 uses.

Passengers off the flight said it was a much smoother arrival & a roomier plane. SkyWest operates the flights for United.

Cornerstone ready for court action over housing requirement Cornerstone Christian Center’s plans to expand have clashed with Eagle County’s affordable housing guidelines. The county requires one affordable housing unit for the expansion scale and expected job ...

Conservative church/school readies itself for a legal fight with Eagle County over affordable housing requirements for expansion plans:

Me: omg where is my kit I need to record a voicer!!

Also me: oh, it’s still sitting in my closet from the last time I tracked audio 3 days ago.

Seeking advice on how to pack out ski boots asap without just having to suffer through it!! Srsly thought I could’ve puked on the mtn today from the pain

It’s been so long since I shared a byline on a platform like this that I forgot to delete the URL in my first BlueSky post like a total noob. Good to be back :’)

Aspen Collection replaces AspenX after tepid local response to ultraluxury branding After three years of local criticism of the AspenX brand, Aspen One is relaunching its apparel and rental brand as Aspen Collections, focusing on local aesthetics.

www.aspendailynews.com/news/aspen-c...

Aspen One launches the rebrand of its apparel/experiences arm today with new clothing line Aspen Collection. The design totally centers around Aspen trees & local culture, unlike past ASPENX collections. Locals’ reactions incoming…