20 06 18

Because every town needs a park, a library and a newspaper

Carbondale’s weekly

community connector

Volume 12, Number 19 | June 18 - June 24, 2020

'I can't breathe'

Protestors gather at the corner of Fourth and Main at 6 p.m. each Saturday, lying in a circle chanting the words Eric Garner and George Floyd made famous (photo by Will Grandbois), taking a knee per Colin Kaepernick (photo by Cat Campbell) and marching around town (photo by Olivia Savard). A larger, more centralized event is planned from 6 p.m. June 19 — the day the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached the last slave state — beginning at Rifle City Hall. For additional reading on Black Lives Matter see pages 12 and 13.

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OPINION

By Laurel Smith When I was a second grade teacher I set my watch’s second hand to match the clock in my classroom.

Every day, at 30 seconds past 9:28, my students split off into six different rooms to receive their small group reading instruction. As my students left, less familiar faces arrived from other classrooms. I sat with them for 14 and a half minutes and then rang a small bell to signal the next rotation of children. I don’t know what education will look like in the fall, but I am

Can we ask schools to do the impossible? certain that that is not it.

Creating big, meaningful change in public K-12 education is extremely slow and difficult to accomplish. There are a lot of moving parts in this surprisingly rigid system. School districts attempt to integrate more best practices and data driven instruction into their curriculum, but they do this by squeezing more into already packed schedules. Which is exactly what led to me shifting eight-year-olds from room to room every fifteen minutes.

With my attempts to close the achievement gap as a teacher, I always felt like I was trying to stop a bleeding wound with a Band-Aid when I needed a surgeon. I believed then as I do now that if we truly want change, we need to start from the ground up and build something new.

This fall, education will have to change. It is a horrible reality that in a global pandemic having hundreds of children in one building moving from teacher

to teacher puts the health and safety of students, staff and families at risk. It is my hope that given this challenge schools will take this as an opportunity to mindfully build something new.

To be successful, schools will have to make brave decisions and rethink what education should look like.

From what we know now about COVID-19, building smaller class sizes and keeping kids outdoors as much as possible would go a long way to curb the spread of the virus. It is easy to idealize what this could look like locally: small groups of students meeting outdoors with teachers in non-traditional settings like parks and farms.

Money saved on building upkeep could be put into staff, and maybe some administrators could return to teaching to help decrease class sizes.

This and other ideas that would radically change education would have been completely impossible one

year ago. But now when faced with the alternative of distance learning, it seems like redefining education is both impossible and our only option.

There are no easy answers.

It is my fear that schools will simply not have the resources or the time they need for this type of change. Decades of underfunding has now left schools ill-equipped to deal with disaster. To get schools going again safely administrators will need to be exceptional leaders and overworked and underpaid teachers will be further pushed to their limits. Only time will tell if that is too much to ask of a system, we have not been willing to fully invest in.

We will get through this for better or worse, and when we do let us not forget the terrible position schools were put in.

We need to commit to building a better education system in the future and give schools the foundation for them to survive in the face of disaster.

LETTERS Thank you, Colin!

Dear Editor: There are people in our community who are unsung heroes. There is no fanfare or glory, they simply go about their business, getting things done. In my mind, Colin Laird, Executive Director of the Third Street Center is one of them.

Prior to COVID-19, I had been a tenant at Third Street for almost four years. It was

Sincerest thanks to our

Honorary Publishers for their annual commitment of $1,000+ Email marilyn@soprissun.com for more information.

Jim Calaway, Honorary Chair Kay Brunnier Scott Gilbert – Habitat for Humanity RFV Bob Young – Alpine Bank Peter Gilbert Umbrella Roofing, Inc. Bill Spence and Sue Edelstein Greg and Kathy Feinsinger Carolyn Nelson Jim Noyes True Nature Healing Arts Nicolette Toussaint Jill and Gary Knaus Megan Tackett Ken & Donna Riley Michelle & Ed Buchman CoVenture Lee Beck and John Stickney

Legacy Givers for including us in their final wishes.

Mary Lilly

And all our SunScribers and community members for your support.

not my first rodeo at Third Street, I was one of the initial tenants when the building first opened, and served on the committee that helped to make the abandoned building come alive.

When Novel Coronavirus hit, the world at large came to a full stop. I had just taken over the lease to the studio after sharing the studio for three years with a studio mate.

I hoped this was going to be a

passing thing and I could ride the wave.

In the month prior to COVID, Colin had supported my business Creative Awakenings International, offering me a fiscal sponsorship.

As a mental health service provider, the nonprofit status offered me the opportunity to begin searching for grants and to continue my mission of supporting the underserved in our community. Colin

encouraged me not to give up my lease, by offering me several options that would help me to stay on as a tenant.

Unfortunately, the lockdown was put in place, the building closed to the public and as the weeks stretched on, it was very clear that I could not sustain an empty space.

Through this incredibly challenging time, I have come to know Colin in a way I did not as my "landlord." I have Continued on page 12

It truly takes a village to keep The Sun shining.

Donate online or by mail.

P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 520 S. Third Street #32 970-510-3003 www.soprissun.com Editor Will Grandbois • 970-510-0540 news@soprissun.com Advertising: Todd Chamberlin • 970-510-0246 adsales@soprissun.com Graphic Designer: Ylice Golden Reporter: Roberta McGowan Delivery: Tom Sands Proofreader: Lee Beck Current Board Members board@soprissun.com Raleigh Burleigh, President Marilyn Murphy, Vice President Linda Criswell, Secretary Klaus Kocher, Treasurer Kay Clarke • Carol Craven Megan Tackett • Gayle Wells Donna Dayton The Sopris Sun Board meets at 6:30 p.m on second Mondays at the Third Street Center.

Contact board@soprissun.com to reach them.

Did you know that Valley Meals and More includes The Sopris Sun in its Friday deliveries?

Thanks John, Alyce, Forrest and the whole crew for helping us stay connected!

Courtesy photo

Meanwhile, Amber Sparkles drew inspiration from the outdoors to put some personal touches on the new rack for the Launchpad. Courtesy photo

The views expressed in opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect those of The Sopris Sun. The community is invited to submit letters up to 500 words to news@soprissun.com. Longer columns are considered on a case-by-case basis. The deadline for submission is noon on Monday.

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • June 18 - June 24, 2020

Founding Board Members Allyn Harvey • Becky Young • Colin Laird Barbara New • Elizabeth Phillips Peggy DeVilbiss • Russ Criswell The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a proud member of the Carbondale Creative District The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

Donations to The Sun are fully tax deductible.

Knaus, McCourt take their leave from RFHS

By Will Grandbois Sopris Sun Staff While two of Roaring Fork High School’s fixtures have been phasing out for some time, this year they mean it (mostly). As they prepare for retirement, Spanish Teacher Jill Knaus boasts 34 years in the district, while Art Teacher Cathleen Crayford-McCourt has 28.

Knaus, neé Heider, hails from Denver originally and first started learning Spanish from the television before taking proper classes in middle school — backed by family trips to Mexico.

“The people were so friendly, and I just loved the culture,” she recalled.

She aced her AP Spanish test at George Washington High School and went on to study education at Colorado State University.

“I was one of those weird people that always knew I wanted to be a teacher,” she said. “It gives me a lot of satisfaction to see people grow and change.”

There, she met Gary Knaus, an aspiring medical man with roots in Rifle. She spent his med school years teaching at Sheridan High School and then substitute teaching in Greeley, where she obtained her Master’s degree.

In 1986, after the family relocated to Carbondale and Gary was working at what would become Roaring Fork Family Practice, Superintendent Jim Bader offered her a district-wide job teaching English as a Second Language.

Back then, there were only about a dozen kids who needed the help, but as their numbers swelled, she cut down to just Carbondale, then just Roaring Fork — where she initially taught both Spanish and ESL before switching to Spanish only.

“A lot of the kids that I had when I first started teaching are now grown and they are teaching in the school

district. I’ve had some of their children,” she observed.

It has been rewarding to watch native and non-native speakers come together to help each other.

“Even if the kids wouldn’t hang out together outside of class, at least they knew each other,” Knaus said.

“Anytime that you can get different types of people together, you realize that people are people and kids are kids.”

And while they might be a bit more focused on their devices, what they need from a teacher hasn’t changed over the years.

“They need to feel comfortable and that you care about them as a person,” she said. “I think that’s always been a real strength at Roaring Fork High School. Cathleen and I have such different personalities, but I think we’re able to communicate that to kids.”

Knaus’s personal approach has always been one of clearly defined expectations consistently applied.

“I’m not your friend and I’m not your mother,” she’d tell new students. But she continues to appreciate the energy of high schoolers and how they think.

It was a blow to suddenly be teaching remotely when the pandemic shut down schools — though she praised the district’s online efforts.

“It’s all that personal stuff. That’s the reason I teach,” she noted. “It gives me a lot of hope for the future when you see all the decent young people who are coming through the schools.”

“Growing creatively with her students and working to know their very hearts has made her one of the most beloved teachers in the district,” the district said of McCourt. “She has drawn out the talent and imagination of even the most hesitant aspiring artist.” Photos by Sue Rollyson

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“Her kindness, approachability and sensitivity coupled with Jill's ability to challenge, inspire and stimulate her students made her a great teacher,” the district said of Knaus. “In and out of the classroom, Jill will be greatly missed by all the generations that she has touched over her three plus decades in the RFSD family.”

McCourt grew up in Toledo, Ohio with a passion for art, but not really for teaching.

“I really wanted to work with old people,” she recalled. “I never liked babysitting; I never liked kids really.”

But when she signed up for a Saturday school program in college, she found fun in coming up with lessons, and ended up staying an extra year to get a teaching certificate.

After a year of teaching middle school, she ended up teaching at her own former elementary school.

With her future husband, a golf pro from Denver, staying right across the street, she began to feel trapped in some serious deja vu. When he suggested getting the hell out of Ohio, she was on board.

“I always felt like I was born in the wrong place,” she recalled. “We took off a summer and just drove all over Colorado. This was my favorite place.”

The first time she stopped through the Valley, there weren’t any openings, but when she stopped back through, it turned out the Carbondale Elementary School art teacher had resigned the day before.

“It was like all destiny,” she said.

She taught youngsters for eight years before switching to high school, which turned out to be her truest calling.

“I really loved the kids art, but

you didn’t have relationships with elementary kids,” McCourt said.

“They didn’t come to you for advice.”

Although she already knew most of her new students, the transition wasn’t without growing pains. Putting together an example project (she strongly believes you need to do in order to teach) takes a lot longer. But the satisfaction of watching an unsure freshmen learn to believe in themself was worth it — and something she’s missed teaching higher-level classes part time.

She also made it a point to build a program which could give her students a fighting chance for scholarships.

“They told me I’d never be able to compete with Glenwood, and that’s all I needed to hear,” she said.

McCourt is a firm believer that art is as important as the “core” subjects.

“We don’t necessarily know what we’re preparing these kids for,” she observed.“All they could tell us for next year was to expect it to look very different.”

She thinks Carbondale understands that.

“It’s the ideal place for an art teacher,” she said. “If I was going to do it all over again, I would pick the exact same school and the exact same community.”

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • June 18 - June 24, 2020 • 3

SCUTTLEBUTT Dance if you want to The DJs are back at KDNK, and the station is celebrating! Catch the “Safety Dance” from 10 p.m. to midnight on June 19, complete with a Zoom room for listeners to chat and see each other’s dance moves during the second hour of Moonlight Sessions and the first hour of Jerosvibe.

On your plate An extension of the normal 30-day grace period for vehicle registrations in Colorado is ending on July 1, 2020. Anyone with an expired motor vehicle or trailer registration must renew by June 30 to avoid paying accrued late fees. Visit mydmv.colorado.gov, mail in a renewal postcard with payment to 109 Eighth St., Suite 200, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 or call 625-0882.

Art from the heart The Aspen Chapel Gallery is seeking artists from the Roaring Fork Valley for a special show. Any valley artist may enter two pieces of any medium, though they must be framed and ready to hang. There is no fee; just email info@aspenchapelgallery. org for an entry form and drop off your work between 2 and 4 p.m. June 19, 20 and 21. The show opens June 24 with full COVID-19 protocols.

Part of the family A CDOT worker surveyed the damage after a sinkhole opened up at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Highway 133 on June 17. Not much was known as of press time, so keep an eye out for updates online and in next week's paper. Photo by Will Grandbois

The Roaring Fork School District has named Anna Cole the new director of family services. Cole has 20 years of experience working in education as a teacher, consultant, and in other specialized roles and has been

$500 REWARD For information leading to the arrest of person(s) who vandalized the office courtyard landscaping of Frosty and Carly Merriott at 1101 Village Road LLA2 last Wednesday night June 10, 2020.

The damages were well over $1000 and the plants were there for all to enjoy not for you to destroy.

serving as the family services interim director since former Director Sarah Fedishen resigned in late March.

Take charge Just in case you missed the announcement in the Town Report a few weeks back, Carbondale now has a level three fast charger for electric vehicles. The new Chargepoint 62.5 kW, two-plug charger is about eight times faster than the other chargers scattered around town. It’s located on Cowen Drive, between the Days Inn and Comfort Inn, so it’s an easy pitstop off of Highway 82 and there are plenty of snacking and dining options nearby. The Town installed it with a $30,000 grant from Colorado’s ReCharge program, assisted by local nonprofit CLEER.

Quick buck Basalt Bucks $20 vouchers will be in the mail soon to each address in the Town. So far, more than two dozen local businesses have signed up to accept Basalt Bucks. More information about the program and a list of participating businesses is available at Basalt. net/BasaltBucks. The program is being done in coordination with Wednesday Night Live, which will combine food, shopping and live street performances in downtown and Willits from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. each Wednesday through Aug. 19, with appropriate social distancing.

Fire off After initially leaving a few weeks out of the fireworks ban when they implemented it last month, Garfield County Commissioners

4 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • June 18 - June 24, 2020

Good vibrations From June 22 through July 17, Bonte Lane is offering healing sounds — singing bowl meditations, Yoga of the Voice, and/or singing simple songs from the Music as Medicine Project with groups of 1 to 20 people — while promoting and fundraising for Manaus.

Just book your time at bontelane@gmail.com and visit manaus.org to make your donation.

One movie, one town Looking to pair your weekend walkup concessions from the Crystal Theatre with a show at home? For $4, you can purchase a virtual ticket to "The Painter and the Thief " through NEON, with half the proceeds supporting your hometown theatre! Visit crystaltheatrecarbondale. com for more information.

They say it’s your birthday Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Bill Flanigan, Nancy Smith (June 18); Jennifer Bauer and Garrett del Castillo (June 19); Brandon Jones, Ty Burtard, Arleen Ginn, Todd Fugate and Ernie Kollar (June 21); Jessica Kollar (June 22); Lauren Whittaker, Keith Edquist, Marc Loggins and Felix Tornare (June 23) and Brian Keleher (June 24).

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have now closed the loophole. Fireworks are now prohibited in unincorporated Garfield County for the remainder of the year. All commercial vendors who may be planning or have been hired for a fireworks display must receive approval from their local fire districts.

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Are testing and tracing for the virus enough?

By Roberta McGowan Sopris Sun Staff Neither Carbondale nor Basalt have ordinances requiring a business to close if it has a specific number of positive COVID-19 test results from employees. And Garfield and Eagle counties don’t either.

“That’s because each business has a different set of circumstances,” explained Garfield County Chief Communications Officer Renelle Lott.

According to a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) spokesperson, “Businesses should report outbreaks to their local public health agency and work with them to identify and mitigate outbreaks and determine how a business can safely reopen.”

Carbondale Town Manager Jay Harrington added that “Garfield County Public Health is the entity that issues health orders for all of the county and provides contact tracing and noticing for quarantine and isolation requests.They have been really responsive when local businesses have reached out for direction.”

He said that the three valley

counties — Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield — are working together to get through this crisis.

Eagle County Communications Manager Justin Patrick explained, “When a positive COVID-19 test result is determined, public health officials contact the health care provider that evaluated and tested the patient.

A public health worker then contacts the patient regarding the test results and begins gathering information about how the patient may have contracted the virus.

Fortunately, we have received a high degree of cooperation and participation from our community.”

Basalt Town Manager Ryan Mahoney gave high marks to Eagle County. “Everyone has been very responsive and very helpful. We are taking an educational approach” with the public.

Mahoney noted, “ There is not a mandate to close a business just because an employee tests positive for COVID-19. The logic is that if employees were practicing social distancing and using a face covering, their risk of infection is greatly reduced and therefore no need to quarantine.”

Counties get results from all positive tests and, in those cases, can require a 14 day “isolation” period for the affected person.

People who have been exposed to the virus by being in close contact with a positive person, are also asked to self quarantine.

The term “close contact” has been described as a household member, intimate partner, someone that may have shared a drinking glass or eating utensil or been within six feet of a person who is sick for 10 minutes. At City Market in El Jebel, four employees tested positive.

According to Eagle County officials, the virus was passed on at one of the workers' graduation celebration and not at the store. Fifty people who were exposed were quarantined. The supermarket remained open.

King Soopers CIty Market Division’s Jessica Trowbridge of Corporate Affairs stressed the company has strict social distancing and face covering policies. “We are taking this quite seriously and have also cut store customer capacity by 50 percent.”

At Heather’s Savory Pies & Tapas Bar in Basalt, Heather Lujan came down with severe symptoms.

She was rushed to the emergency

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and whether it is considered a high risk place of employment. Questions include where co-workers live and if the person has recently been in close contact with family or friends.

Experts agree a person can be infected for up to 14 days before symptoms appear. During that time period, a person is still able to pass on the virus.

Carey urged everyone to keep their immune systems healthy, including staying up to date with recommended vaccines.

She suggested calling family physicians or asking pharmacists to check recorded immunizations.

She added that pneumonia, shingles, and other illnesses can negatively impact immune systems and lower resistance to COVID-19.

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room at Aspen Valley Hospital where she tested positive for the virus. Heather’s closed immediately.

Tracing and testing are presently handled by each county’s public health department with being symptomatic as the primary criteria for COVID-19 testing. Valley View and Aspen Valley Hospital are authorized to do the testing along with other health care providers.

Testing is provided for people with COVID-19 symptoms such as shortness of breath, fever, fatigue, loss of taste or smell and other warning signs.

Garfield County public health nurse Theresa Carey described the tracing procedures that start with investigating the positive individual and asking where he or she works

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If you are experiencing ANY COVID-19related symptoms (cough, fever, shortness of breath, etc.), call your primary care physician.

Your physician will evaluate your symptoms and can give you a referral to be tested at AVH’s Respiratory Evaluation Center. If you do not have a primary care physician, call Aspen Valley Primary Care at 970.279.4111.

Patient care technician Samantha Rand demonstrates how to properly collect and handle a COVID-19 test. The new nasal swab tests can be self administered and sealed to cut down on physical contact. Photo by Laurel Smith

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Hit the trail with CMC

By Roberta McGowan Sopris Sun Staff Colorado Mountain College (CMC) is slowly and carefully navigating the rough waters of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

To help students figure out what’s going on, CMC has issued a Fall 2020 Trail Map loaded with detailed information and guidelines. It’s going to be a mixed bag of online and in person classes, depending on the specific curriculum.

After a productive summer session of distance learning, the college is poised to tackle the upcoming fall semester beginning Aug. 24 and running through Dec. 11. Registration is already underway and goes until Aug. 23.

As Dr. Carrie Hauser, CMC president and CEO, said, “Our focus is on providing the high quality, personalized and affordable education our communities have come to expect while doing everything we can to maintain a safe learning environment.”

In this strange, new set of circumstances brought on by COVID-19, CMC took the unprecedented step of offering free tuition, books and fees for students enrolled in the summer session who were in-district and instate students, plus district employees recently displaced by public health orders. The move was kick-started by the $1.6 million the college expected to receive in federal stimulus funds.

This follows on the heels of the huge jump in summer session enrollment. Hauser reported, “We were up 66 percent over last year. This year, most summer students lived nearby.”

“Our goal was to keep local students in their own communities,” Hauser continued. And it worked.

Many students opted to make the most of the opportunity by taking extra classes during the stay-at-home state orders, saving money and possibly shortening the time needed to graduate.

With the 2020 fall session beginning at the end of August, CMC has developed a hybrid combination of three learning environments.

Flex courses will have a specific class schedule with online video conferencing technology like Webex or Zoom. Some courses may have optional face-to-face aspects for small group discussions and projects.

Next, the In-Person category will apply to courses that cannot be delivered remotely, like veterinary technician, the Police Academy and outdoor education, always following enhanced social distancing and safety guidelines. Parts of these curriculums will incorporate distance learning, but students must be physically present when required.

Online Anytime will mean just that. Inperson attendance is not required, and the course will not have a specific videoconferencing schedule. However, students are expected to follow the syllabus guidelines for completing the homework in the time frame presented.

CMC Vice-President of Student Affairs Shane Larson handles the three campuses with residential facilities: Spring Valley, Steamboat Springs and Leadville.

“This year we will have reduced capacity to about 60 to 70 percent with mostly single rooms

Some health care courses cannot be delivered remotely, and CMC will offer them face-to-face at a designated time and location, adhering to enhanced social distancing and safety guidelines. Courtesy photo with some doubles,” Larson explained.

Asked how available housing slots will be prioritized, Larson said that students enrolled in the in-person courses will have first pick, and CMC will waive the requirement that new students live on campus. Meals for students living in on-campus housing will initially be only grab and go meals as dining rooms stay closed.

The cost of higher education, which impacts just about everyone, has also sparked renewed interest in scholarships. Hauser described the CMC scholarship options :“The President’s Scholarship is available for new students who have graduated from an in-district high school in the past four years.”

To make sure that all those eligible know about this program, Hauser announced that each graduate received a letter explaining the

opportunity to help cover tuition costs. In addition, Hauser directed students to also apply to the CMC Foundation where, “You are likely eligible for more scholarships.”

“Every year we award over $700,000 to CMC students. When you couple foundation scholarships with the President’s Scholarship, you may have the opportunity to attend CMC at little or no cost.” she added. “The President's Scholarship can only be used for tuition, whereas many of the scholarships from the foundation can be used for tuition, books, fees and campus housing.”

Plus, the United State Department of Education's office of Federal Student Aid has provided more than $120 billion in financial aid to those eligible to help pay for college or career school each year. Go to studentaid.gov to apply.

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Navigating the peaks and valleys with Rocky Mountain Kid C.L.U.B.S.

By Kate Phillips Sopris Sun Correspondent Think back to the last time you tried to pry a meaningful conversation from an adolescent. Painful to recall, right?

Well, at Rocky Mountain Kid C.L.U.B.S. (RMKC) adolescents willingly participate in meaningful conversations, and eloquently articulate their feelings to overcome the more challenging aspects of growing up — relatively pain-free.

For Maureen Thompson, M.Ed. and Lindsay Selig, M.A., RMKC has been years in the making. After a chance meeting at the local playground, Thompson and Selig quickly bonded over a mutual desire to help all children learn crucial life skills in an unforgiving and constantly changing society.

Having over 30 years of combined experience working with children, Thompson and Selig knew they were ready to embark on this next venture. Within months, RMKC was founded, offering children a safe and enriching environment for community,

learning, understanding, and behavior skills (hence the acronym C.L.U.B.S.).

According to Selig, research consistently shows that children with strong socialemotional skills are more likely to have better overall wellness and positive self-esteem, thus promoting fulfilling lives and healthy relationships.

Backed with research, RMKC launched their flagship program Social Emotional Wellness Group (SEW).

At SEW, children learn every day life skills like communication, mindfulness, and empathy to resolve friendship drama, overcome perceived failure, and be flexible when the unexpected occurs.

Since the unexpected is inevitable, one of the first skills RMKC students learn is “getting unstuck” when “Plan A” goes awry. RMKC student Aaden said that everyone — even adults -— has a difficult time managing stress. “If you're stuck on something,” Aaden said. “One thing you can do is go to ‘Plan B’ and figure out something else you can do.”

Useful skills such as

adaptation help children like Aaden navigate the challenging adult years that await.

The silver lining In 2006, Thompson was faced with one of the greatest tragedies a person could experience: her husband committed suicide.

“I felt powerless after my husband died,” Thompson said. “As an adult, I didn’t have the skills to deal with it.

I think about kids in today’s society and everything they have to deal with. How do they manage?”

For Thompson, her husband’s death had one silver lining: she was able to use the skills she gained from her tragic situation and create a spectrum of wellness programs for children of all abilities.

“Everybody has struggles, anxiety, and disappointments,” Thompson said. “Nobody wears a sign that says, ‘Help me, I’m struggling.’ With the kids, we share honestly about our days. It helps us create stronger bonds and show that yes, even adults have trouble sometimes.”

Between mass shootings, bullying and desensitization

to violence through video games, and now a pandemic that is derailing everyday life, Thompson and Selig believe that kids need to learn how to talk about these difficult experiences in order to grow into healthy adults.

This summer, RMKC has a variety of programs that kids can enjoy that focus on developmental growth, but also traditional summer fun.

Due to COVID-19, programs have very limited space and RMKC will be following a strict health protocol to ensure everyone’s safety.

“We are so proud that our programs have a 100% retention rate,” Thompson said. “It’s not because they are required to come, it’s because the kids like it and it’s fun. They see a difference in the choices they make and how they feel about themselves.”

Enrollment is now open for all Rocky Mountain Kid C.L.U.B.S. programs. Visit www. rockymtnkidclubs.org or email rockymtnkidclubs@ gmail.com to register or learn more about COVID-19 protocol.

RMKC co-founders Maureen Thompson (pictured) and Lindsay Selig are excited and ready to help valley kids cope with challenging times by doing what kids do best - have fun!

Photo by Will Grandbois

RMKC Summer Programming Adventures in Summer: Kids have the chance to safely get

outside and enjoy the summer sun with a traditional summer camp experience. This two-week program will focus on social developmental along with activities such as easy hikes and nature crafts. Group size is limited to four kids per session, and friends are encouraged to sign up together.

Dates: June 22 - July 3, July 6 - 17, July 20 - 31, Aug. 10 - 14 FabHERlous: Fifth to eighth grade girls build lasting relationships

through conversation and exciting hands-on activities. Using “brave talk” the girls build confidence and self-esteem and ultimately become better friends and bold bystanders.

Dates: Aug. 10 - 14 Social Emotional Wellness Group: At SEW, pre-K through

eighth graders learn emotional regulation and cognitive flexibility through guided conversation and engaging activities.

Children ultimately learn how to cope with everyday struggles and anxieties, and have fun along the way.

Dates: TBD

THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • June 18 - June 24, 2020 • 7

Ahora es ley en Carbondale usar una máscara en público

Frances Lewis and her three children Harper (12), Emory (9) and Orson Morris (9) enjoy the afternoon outside their home near Carbondale. During the shutdown, Frances took over supporting her kids with distance learning and meeting the needs of Harper — who is on the autism spectrum.

EL CUBRE BOCAS QUE USO TE PROTEGE A TI; EL CUBRE BOCAS QUE TU USAS ME PROTEGE A MI Para obtener más información sobre la nueva ley de la ciudad de Carbondale que requiere que las personas utilicen cubre bocas dentro de la ciudad de Carbondale durante la pandemia covid-19 mientras estén dentro de los negocios y en lugares donde es probable que haya contacto público, visite: carbondalegov.org

8 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • June 18 - June 24, 2020

Coping with coronavirus is especially difficult for our neighbors with autism

By James Steindler Sopris Sun Correspondent To many of us, the prolonged disruption to our routine was somewhat appreciated. Backyard improvements and walks close to home sufficed for a nice break from the structure of day to day life. However, for someone living with autism or other cognitive disabilities, a change in routine can cause serious stress for them and their families.

Ascendigo is a non-profit based in Carbondale that provides support to people with autism.

They offer a plethora of services to members and families who truly depend on its programs. In regard to their clients, according to Ascendigo’s Chief Operating Officer Dan Richardson, “COVID-19 has rocked their world.”

To him, the biggest takeaway is, “How important routine, schedule and consistency is to individuals with autism.”

Ascendigo has three subsidiary programs: “Life Enrichment” caters to adults and supports them in their homes, at work and recreationally, “Outreach” works with children and their families on a case by case basis to enhance behavioral and developmental growth, and lastly the “Adventures” program offers various outdoor activities for both adults and children.

The summer portion of the Adventures program will be the hardest hit. Typically, nearly

200 people participate throughout the summer but this year Richardson expects to see in the area of 30 participants.

Members get to take part in rock climbing, rafting, horseback riding and much more. “For our clients those types of activities and the way we support our participants through those activities help them make breakthroughs in their life,” Richardson says.

The summer camps are generally broken down into several one week sessions. Members attend as many sessions as they like and have the option of staying overnight in the dormitories at Colorado Mountain College Spring Valley Campus. The overnight camp benefits families by providing 24/7 care for the participants while they’re there. This respite period is significant as many caregivers of people with autism rarely get time to themselves.

The Outreach program had to suspend operations right away at the onset of the shutdown. Richardson and his team immediately began “ramping up” their telehealth (virtual health visits) model in order to continue providing lessons to child participants and their parents.

“It really wasn’t until late April or early May when that was a reality,” Richardson says. Inperson sessions have resumed as of the end of May. Many of the adults in the Life Enrichment Continued on page 9

Services for Harper came to an abrupt halt during the ‘Stay at Home Order”. Frances did her best to fill in the gap but describes that some days were “extremely difficult.”

Autism from page 8 program rely heavily on Ascendigo’s staff around the clock, so it could not simply be shut down, even temporarily. Typically adult clients are very active, either going to work or using town facilities such as the pool and the recreation center regularly. “As soon as businesses started closing down and the stay at home order came that meant a change in our adult clients’ schedules,” says Richardson, “and for individuals with autism modifying a schedule can be a significant impact.”

People with autism, “Often rely on others to help cope and relate” says Richardson, “And when you have the nature of social distancing that’s going to be more challenging.”

Again, “A fundamental point,” according to Richardson, “Is that the inconsistencies and chaos of COVID-19 has really rocked their world and more so than it has for a neuro-typical person.”

A mother’s perspective To Frances Lewis, it takes a community to raise any child — especially a child living with autism or other developmental disorders. Lewis can speak to both from experience. Along with her husband, she is raising twin nine year olds and their 12-year-old sister, Harper Morris.

Morris is living with autism and PraderWilli syndrome, a genetic disorder. Typically her busy schedule is spread between home, school, recreating with friends, horseback riding and more. All of a sudden, it was just home and it was challenging to get Morris to understand why that was and that it was hopefully only temporary.

“Cognitively helping her to understand the situation is very challenging” says Lewis, “she goes in and out of thinking ‘this is the way life is

going to be forever’ and is very distraught about that.” Morris copes by going into rages and her OCD is exacerbated. “When she gets upset or angry her outbursts last a longtime, like hours,” explains Lewis.

Lewis has had no breaks. Their usual respite provider who would take Morris on outings had to temporarily suspend her role due to the state health orders. “It kind of went from help to absolutely nothing, really — zero, zip,” Lewis states.

Homeschooling was difficult to keep up with, but Morris would still attend her virtual Zoom classes with her classmates from Carbondale Middle School. Even that caused her stress though. “If someone didn’t show up for Zoom time she thought they were dead,” says Lewis who had to explain to Morris that “Just because they weren’t here that didn’t mean that they aren’t here on Earth — they are.”

Morris did get the chance to see her teachers toward the end of the school year but it wasn’t the same. Everyone was wearing masks and social distancing the best they could. Yet again Morris was faced with a strange new reality and “was really confused about how to read the situation,” says Lewis.

To Lewis, “The main thing with Harper is being isolated and not having the support systems in place that help us manage her behaviors.” Not only does the family rely on the school system for many services but also other local agencies like Ascendigo and Smiling Goat Ranch for their behavioral health and therapeutic programs.

“When the schedules change that’s very hard for her to work through,” Lewis explains, “So we are grateful that things are starting to open back up again.”

It’s Now The Law in Carbondale to wear a Mask in Public.

THE MASK I WEAR PROTECTS YOU; THE MASK YOU WEAR PROTECTS ME For more information about the Town of Carbondale’s ordinance requiring that people utilize face coverings within the Town of Carbondale during the COVID-19 Pandemic while inside places of business at locations where public contact is likely, visit: carbondalegov.org

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SNOWMASS VILLAGE MALL • CARBONDALE • SILT • PARACHUTE THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • June 18 - June 24, 2020 • 9

OPINION

By Jasmine Ferguson Carbondale Middle School student

You may be suprised to know that those products that you use daily, may actually be a product of animal testing.

That’s right; remember that sunscreen you may have used the other day? Or what about that vaccine you got a couple of weeks ago to prevent the flu? Yes, these and millions of other products all go through the same thing : animal testing.

As you may already know, animal testing is a term that refers to many types of procedures preformed on living animals for the purpose of testing the effectiveness of vaccines, surgical procedures, and many other possibilities. The list seems to be constantly growing. In fact, many of the products you use today

Animal testing is cruel and inhumane have been through the process of testing. Although animal testing saves many lives, we should help ban it because results of testing may not be reliable, it is cruel and inhumane, and it has many alternatives.

First and foremost, results of testing may not be reliable. It is estimated that about 100 million animal tests are conducted every year, and a vast majority of these innocent animals aren’t even protected by the animal welfare act. According to ProCon.org, “Animal tests on the arthritis drug Vioxx showed that it had a protective effect on the hearts of mice, yet the drug went on to cause 27, 000 heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths before being pulled from the market”.

This shows that although studies done on animals may turn out to be successful, it isn’t always the case with humans. Even though we are very similar in terms of genetics, we still aren’t exactly the same. We have different reactions to different things. Simply ignoring these differences isn’t going to benefit anyone, and will most likely end up causing more harm than good. If you were struggling with a life threatening medical condition, wouldn’t you want to know that you’re taking something that would help you, not cause more harm? This

process doesn’t guarantee that everything tested is 100% safe.

Yes, some tests do come out with good results, but is it really worth it for all the innocent animals and people that die due to unreliability in testing? Overall, we should help ban animal testing because people can get hurt in the process due to reliability of testing, and it would be best to be safe than sorry.

In addition, animal testing is also cruel and inhumane. From the study done in 2017, it showed that about 68 percent of all households in the United States own a pet (Bedford). That’s almost two thirds of the population in the United States, and considering that this study was done almost three years ago, this number has most likely grown.

Many of the scientists conducting these cruel tests may even own animals of their own outside of their work life. In his TED talk in 2015, awardwinning environmental scientist Carl Safina points out that animals have feelings and also experience pain, just like humans.

Joy, grief, jealousy, happiness, fear, and even pain. We as humans also experience things like this everyday.

Examples pop up right in front of your face and you may not even recognize it. For example:

maybe you just came home from a long day of work, and your dog is waiting patiently for you, then gets so excited to see you it starts to lick your face. Or maybe you are lying in bed one night and your cat jumps up on your bed only to lie down beside you.

Now imagine these poor, innocent animals locked up in cages day and night, being subjected to harmful, painful tests with no way out. Living in fear for the next test, only to put down after they are no longer of use. How would it feel to be forced to inhale toxic chemicals against your will? What if that animal being subjected to that test was you instead? How would you feel then? Not only might you feel that this would be horrible, being trapped like that, but also, how could we be so inhumane to put an innocent animal through this process? All things considered, we should help ban animal testing because it is cruel and inhumane.

Last, but not least, there are many alternatives to animal testing. Alternatives such as cell cultures, in-vitro, in-silico, human tissue, computer models, and volunteer studies are among the most known. Breakthroughs occur everyday, so it's quite possible that there will be more to come in the future.

Of course, these tests may be flawed, but don’t the positives outweigh the negatives? Some might argue that animal testing allows many lives to be saved, but this isn’t entirely true.

Even though animal testing provides many life saving cures and treatments, many people and animals are still dying. As regular animal tests are generally expensive, cruel and ineffective, alternatives to these tests are now becoming more popular and scientifically developed everyday.

Cruelty Free International states, “The standard test on pregnant rats to find out if chemicals or drugs may harm the developing baby can only detect 60 percent of dangerous substances.

But a cell-based alternative has 100 percent accuracy at detecting very toxic chemicals” (crueltyfreeinternational.org ).

Because alternatives can have more accuracy at determining whether or not something is safe, why shouldn't we start making the switch already? We can save countless lives from these drastic procedures. Plus, money and time won’t be wasted either.

All in all, animal testing should be banned, as it isn’t saving as many lives as you think it would be. It may not be reliable, it is cruel and inhumane, and there Continued on page 11

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10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • June 18 - June 24, 2020

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Animal from page 10 are many alternatives. All forms of testing have negatives, but at least alternatives are better for everyone, including animals, as they are not tested and these tests are cheaper, faster, and far more effective.

If you had a medical condition in which you needed medication, you would want it to be something that you could rely on, right? Animal tests do not guarantee that the medication is safe. And, if you were to buy a product, wouldn’t you prefer that it was humanly tested and nothing was harmed in the process?

Instead, maybe just remember that what you buy, is most likely to be tested on animals. Sunscreen, cleaning products, vaccines and millions of other things affect the lives of the things around you. When you buy something, money goes to the company that made it, and then the money goes to the centers that test the animals, until it becomes a never ending cycle. But, if we just pay a little more attention and alert the people around us we can help stop it, and fully transition to alternatives and save countless more lives in the process.

Innocent animals don’t deserve to die just so that we can live.

BRANCHING OUT

By Geneviéve Joëlle Villamizar In this week's Mountain Journal, a nonprofit journal centered on Yellowstone National Park, I read an editorial about the packed trails locals are experiencing in Livingston, Montana under the shadow of Bozeman’s population explosion amid COVID-19.

I felt their angst over an attempt to find pleasure in the wilds, only to find stress amid crowds. The close-in trails around our own growing mountain town are on their way to a similar fate, based upon current trends and growth predictions. Despite that, it does make my heart smile to see the increasing attraction to our natural world by an increasingly diverse user group.

However, I worry for the animals.

As I wrote last month, I rent

Let’s get real — escaping pressure and live with an old hippy/forest gnome. Over the last 20 years, on his humble piece of flat-ass ground (across from a vacant lot and an extensive trailer park near the heart of old town) he has converted a chain link fenced lawn into many of the natives we admire in the wilds- yet often pass on at local nurseries. They're happy under his care, growing exuberantly.

So much so, that I have no urge to leave this enchanting, unruly model of Colorado's arid high country.

The nature fix here? It's unreal.

The rub-off effect of living here has opened my heart and mind to the creatures of our world more so than ever before. The antics of an insect or bird, seemingly insignificant creatures in today’s high-stimulation world, can leave me fuller than winning the lottery or a really good kiss. (Well, maybe not that last one.)

Beyond our towns, out there?

We’re pressuring wildlife to death.

Over Cottonwood Pass,Vail's elk numbers are down 50 percent.

For mulies, Colorado Parks and Wildlife reports that “23 of 54 herds (43%),” failed to meet desirable quotas. Another one of Mountain Journal's articles examines our recreational impacts upon wildlife.

Ironically, busy trails and

packed trailheads are a good thing — we want Nature. We care! Can we translate that into action is the real question. As a landscape designer, an amateur naturalist, a mom dreaming of grandkids— I feel an urgency for change.

It's time to ditch the suburban narrative on land ownership and earn our cred as legit mountain people. Let’s ditch our imported aesthetics. It’s time to define a “new Western aesthetic,” as Wallace Stegner chided: “You have to get over the color green; you have to quit associating beauty with gardens and lawns; you have to get used to an inhuman scale; you have to understand geological time.”

Can we choose the very things we run to — rockiness, a sense of space, volume, complexity, dimensionality — and apply that to our towns and yards? The fact that most people want “zeroscape and low maintenance” leads me to believe that once people get their American Dream — land and a house — they want so little to do with the land part of their investment. They’d rather go ”out there.”.

Why is “getting away” from the very thing we’ve worked so hard to acquire, our norm? What cultural/ marketing zeitgeist convinced us that hanging out and tending our

piece of planet is lame, compared to all the fun stuff we do “out there,” past the city limit sign?

Scrolling social media and emails, we might sign petitions demanding wildlife migration corridors for antelope and land bridges for bears and mountain lions — but what about the connective tissue in town? What about the habitat, cover, and forage that’s so critical to the common creatures right here in our own backyards?

As public lands groan under the weight of our personal bests and Strava scores, doesn't it make sense to convert our private property into the kinds of places we don't want or need to escape?

Todd Wilkinson's aforementioned piece in Mountain Journal on recreation and wildlife pointed out, "though thrill-seeking riders see badlands as a perfect new virgin playground, these outskirts of Dubois are home to things the Dakotas and Moab can only dream of having — a rich assemblage of wildlife."

How much more pressure are we willing to place on the backcountry for the sake of our play? How many more trails will we break before we push aliveness from even the front country?

Let’s try blazing some trails in our own backyards.

Important Notice for Vehicle Owners From the Garfield County Clerk March 2020 - Executive Orders from the Governor extended the grace period for expired motor vehicle registrations and waived the late fees.

The late fee for vehicles is $25 per month with a maximum of $100.

The late fee for trailers is a flat $10 fee. The waiver of late fees ends July 1, 2020.

Renew your expired motor vehicle or trailer registrations before July 1, 2020 to avoid paying any accrued late fees. If the registration expired before January 2020, there might be late fees that were due prior to the March waiver that were not waived.

Renew online at www.mydmv.colorado.gov. Online renewals can be processed until 11:59 pm on June 30th.

Mail in the renewal post card with payment or use the drop-box for MV transactions at the east entrance of the courthouse or the front door of the Rifle County Administration Bldg. in Rifle.

Call 970-384-3700 x 1760 or 970-625-0882 with the plate number to renew over the phone.

The Garfield County Clerkʼs Office will not take any MV calls on Tuesday June 30, 2020. All staff members are assisting with the June 30 Statewide Primary Election.

THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • June 18 - June 24, 2020 • 11

LETTERS Continued from page 2 An open letter to the ‘reverse looter’ Presented by the Town of Carbondale & Steve’s Guitars

GUEST

OPINION

By Sophia Clark

SOPRIS PARK

The other day I found an envelope on the street. On it is written “To Business, Reverse Looting, Love Carbondale.”

Inside is $40.

I invite the people behind that envelope to reflect on these questions: Are you trying to set Carbondale apart from other parts of the country where people are rising together in the streets, as if that were a good thing? Would something different be happening in our streets if we had a larger Black population? Are you glad that we don’t? Do you think demands for justice are only legitimate if they are palatable to you? Do you think we should not be angry about racism and police brutality? That people here aren’t angry? You should know, people

of color are angry, exhausted, and working for change, right here.

And we should be standing with them. Learning, listening, taking action.

Please consider this fact: giving money to businesses and calling it “reverse looting” is upholding racism. I assume that you believe your intentions were good, and I hope you will reflect on how they are actually harmful.

Let’s talk about who is actually looting. We should be angry about the hundreds of years of labor looted from Black people who were enslaved to build the wealth of this nation and others. Their lives, their cultures, their homes, their freedom, their thriving — looted.

The looting and arson of Blackowned businesses, land, and lives by white terrorists asserting dominance during the Jim Crow era, and beyond.

The looting of the very land upon which we stand — every inch of it stolen from the indigenous people of this continent, at the price of genocide. The materials looted from the earth to enable lifestyles of excess, which will ultimately kill us and many other species as a result of climate change.

The looting of the futures of people who have been deported,

Sunday

June

of immigrant children who are taken and held in cages at the border. The looting of land, water, and labor by United States companies and government across the world, profiting off of this pandemic even, while income inequality deepens. I could go on. That is the looting we should be angry about.

I sometimes get uncomfortable in response to actions people use for protest. But I do not let my discomfort distract me from the truth. There is no politely asking for something so insidiously evil to end, when it has not done so in centuries, and when the response is to brutalize protesters. Those profiting from racism aren’t just going to give up. The uprisings in all 50 states and beyond are showing us the vision and necessity for another world that is possible.

Amazing changes are emerging from this historic moment.

If you would like to “reverse looting,” donate your money to racial justice. Give to those that are advancing policies for proven-effective alternatives to policing, ending voter suppression, creating alternatives to incarceration. Support the visions for a society centered on equity, rehabilitation, healthcare, mental health, housing, education, a livable climate, and

th 9

Sleepy Justice

a living wage for all. Or buy some books on oppression, start a club with your friends and educate yourselves about how entrenched racism is in this country, in this community.

Then maybe you’ll have an inkling as to the pain that Black people experience. Pain that is re-traumatized every week as we hear the name of another Black person murdered, with no justice.

Pain that is as a result of centuries of ongoing racial inequality upheld by policy. These systems also target all people of color, immigrants, trans and queer folks, poor people, women, people with disabilities — in unique, intersecting, and terrible ways.

If you want to reverse looting, invest in justice.

The message on that envelope implies an act of love on behalf of Carbondale. Acting against racial justice is not love. Transforming together and demanding justice is the true act of love.

I took the envelope, and I donated the $40 to Black Lives Matter Grand Junction. To the businesses who received such an envelope, I hope you reject this misguided action. Donate the money. Act in solidarity with Black folks, and all people of color, in our community, state, and nation.

huge respect for Colin as both a human being, and as the executive director of the Third Street Center. His integrity and continued support of my work helps me to keep moving forward, one step at a time. Thank you Colin, for all you have done to help me and to keep the Third Street Center a community treasure.

Sheri Gaynor Creative Awakenings International

Stepping Stones thanks Dear Editor: In this time of unprecedented challenges facing our valley and society at large, Stepping Stones is incredibly humbled by the outpouring of financial support from our donors.

With the generous donations we received to our Covid-19 Emergency Relief fund, we were able to disburse over $91,385 in financial assistance to 134 families in need.

Families received financial assistance for rent, bills, mental health and medical expenses.

A big thank you to Aspen Community Foundation, SkiCo, Tom's Door, First Bank, and Colorado Health Foundation, as well as the individual donors who contributed during this time. You made a big difference in the lives of local families who have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our board and staff are honored to serve the community and we are forever grateful for your support.

Kristin Nelson, Board President Georgine Garbarini, Board Treasurer

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12 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • June 18 - June 24, 2020

Bursting the white bubble; raising the white shield

OPINION

SEEKING HIGHER GROUND

By Nicolette Toussaint

About a week ago, a local lady, Marlene, asked online: “If I may, I have a question for anyone with a workable answer? Those Black people who have attained some degree of education, wealth, influence… Why don't they organize, reach out to their fellow man…?”

My friend Ron Kokish was gobsmacked. Echoing my initial reaction, he posted: “Your question is filled with unsupported assumptions too numerous to go into!”

The fact that Marlene doesn’t know about decades of black organizing speaks to a key issue: It’s possible for whites to grow up in a bubble.

Kids of color — especially black boys like Tamir Rice and Trayvon Martin — can’t afford that luxury. To ensure survival, black moms overtly teach their kids to read white

body language and how to act if stopped by the police.

Whites, by contrast, can arrive at adulthood wholly clueless. They “don’t see color” because they’ve learned a whitewashed version of American history: They have no idea they’re living on stolen American-Indian land.

They haven’t seen people of color because their neighborhoods, unbeknownst to them, were redlined years before their birth.

White folks often know little more about black history than the oft-repeated myth about Rosa Parks: that she was an apolitical seamstress who, out of sheer exhaustion, refused to give her bus seat up to a white man. In fact, Parks’ grandfather, Sylvester Edwards — a man who sat up nights holding a shotgun in case the KKK came by — taught her about black heroes like Crispus Attucks and Harriet Tubman. Prior to her arrest, Parks trained in civil disobedience. She was also secretary of the Montgomery National Association for Colored People (NAACP) — and had been for 15 years!

In posthumous papers, Parks wrote that it took a “major mental acrobatic feat” to survive as a black person in the United States.

My earliest awareness of race offers quite a contrast.

While visiting from Chicago, my grandmother took me to Denver’s Museum of Science and Nature. I was hanging on a banister when she hissed, “Get your hands off that!

[Racial epithet] have touched those!” Huh? Growing up in Aurora, then a treeless suburb freshly carved from ranchland (originally Ute land) I’d never seen a black person. I gathered that if I met one, I might catch some disease.

Despite having a fairly progressive mom, despite hearing almost nothing about race at home, I was nonetheless exposed to the virus of racism. By middle school, I knew to avoid Denver’s Five Points. I had learned to fear “racial violence” from black males. (In hindsight, that’s statistically poor advice. Over my 60-some years, I have suffered violence from eight white males, but only one black one.)

Given my experience, I

decided to view Marlene’s post as a “teachable moment.”

I posted back links about mainstream black civil rights organizations: the NAACP, the Urban League, the National Council of Negro Women, SCLC, CORE, SNCC… I didn’t mention the Black Panthers, or my arm’s-length brush with them. In 1971, at CU extension in Denver, a black classmate brandishing a gun pulled me into a onewalled, open stairwell. As others gathered to watch from the gallery below, Bobby gripped my wrist and babbled semi-coherently: The cops were hunting him. They’d confused him with an Oakland Black Panther wanted for murder. I gradually realized that Bobby was far more frightened than I, and using me more as a shield than a hostage.

(When campus cops showed up, Bobby bolted, leaving me unharmed.)

Later, while chairing the National Organization for Women (NOW) in San Francisco, I met and marched with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Dolores Huerta. I began to glimpse the fear that people of color experience. I began to

wonder why we whites are so cruel, so selfish, so dangerous.

(I still do.) Slowly, it dawned on me that asking black people to fix racism is like asking the downstairs renter to fix the plumbing when a pipe breaks in the landlord's upstairs apartment.

Last week, I saw a photo of white women in Louisville lining up to shield black protesters from police.

NOW was protesting police brutality in the killing of Breona Taylor; white sisters were putting their bodies on the line. What’s more, at recent Black Lives Matters protests, organizers have started calling out “white shield,” asking white allies to move to the front, knowing that they will suffer less at the hands of the cops.

Frankly, I think that’s what’s going to have to happen if we’re going to really confront racism in the US. White adults are going to have to risk physical and emotional hurt while confronting white power.

Just as little black boys have done for decades.

LETTERS

From page 12

Bring on the pedestrian mall Dear Editor: The Carbondale Board of Trustees decision to turn Main Street into a one-way street between Third and Fourth Streets so restaurants and retail businesses can expand 15 feet into the street during the social distancing order has turned out well, as far as it goes.

I wish they’d gone the whole nine yards and shut down Main Street completely from Second Street to Weant Boulevard to create a pedestrian mall. Motorized wheelchairs could be provided for those with mobility issues. I don’t like to emulate anything about Aspen, but their pedestrian Mall south of Main Street works well.

This would increase traffic and create parking issues where I live — Fourth and Garfield — but I’m willing to make that sacrifice to have a nice, quiet, outdoor meal at one of the Main Street restaurants without inhaling the carbon monoxide and particulates and listening to the cacophony of diesel-powered pickups.

Incidentally, I’d also liked to see Grand Avenue in Glenwood Springs turned into a pedestrian mall from Ninth to Seventh Street. Highway 82 could bypass downtown by going around to Midland Avenue like it did during the Grand Avenue Bridge Continued on page 14

GARFIELD COUNTY, COLORADO NOTICE OF JUNE PRIMARY MAIL BALLOT ELECTION GARFIELD COUNTY, COLORADO June 30, 2020 Election Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2020

NOTICE OF COORDINATED Election Hours: 7:00 am to pm on Election Day MAIL BALLOT7:00ELECTION

Election Type: Mail Ballot with in person voting options at Voter Service & Polling Centers

June 8, 2020 — Ballots mailed to all active5,registered voters. as voting Republicans, Democrats, or Libertarians were sent7:00 a ballot forpm that party. Day Election Date: Tuesday, November 2019 Election Type: Voters Mail Ballotaffiliated with in person options at Voter Service & Polling Centers Election Hours: am to 7:00 on Election Unaffiliated voters were packet with11th both the Republican Democratic ballots.

Each voter ballot, vote only and Ballots will besent mailedabetween October and October 18th to all active and registered voters. in Glenwood Springs ormust the Earlychoose Voting VSPConly locatedone at the County Administration Bldg.one at 195 ballot, West 14th St. #D in return only one ballot. If both ballots are voted and returned, neither ballot is counted.

Rifle beginning Monday October 28th. Each VSPC open on Election Day will have at least one ADA accessible ballot

Voters who do not receive their ballots may request replacement ballots in person at the County Clerk’s Offices marking device (BMD) available for use from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. in Glenwood Springs or Rifle or by phone (970-384-3700 option 2), fax (970-947-1078) or email (elections@ The last dayatto the requestCarbondale that a ballot be mailed is October 2019.Colorado After that dateAve), voters the Return voted ballots by mail with appropriate Springs postage affixed ($0.55) or you mayorhand deliver yourCounty ballot to one Use a 24/7 ballotgarfield-county.com). drop-box located Town Hall 28, (511 Courthouse in Glenwood (8th Street) the Rifle must appear in person at the County Clerk’s office or a Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) to request a of the designated drop-off sites listed below.

Ballots must be received at a Voter Service and Polling Administration Building (195 W 14th St.). Or drop the ballot at the east entrance of the courthouse Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm. Center or replacement ballot, register to vote, or complete a change of address and receive a ballot. Any voter may surrender the County Clerk’s offices by 7:00 pm on Election Day to be counted. Postmarks do not count. Verify your voter mail ballot and cast theiravote on an ADACheck accessible your ballot marking device (BMD) located atat thewww.govotecolorado.gov Clerk’s office registration information and ballot (sent and received) at www.govotecolorado.com.

June 17, 2020 — their Haven’t received ballot? voter registration or track callyour 970-384-3700 option 2. You can update your Return ballots by mail (affix a 55¢ stamp). Do not mail after June 24 if you want to make sure the ballot is delivered to the County Clerk’s office by June 30th.

voter information if you’ve moved and still be mailed a ballot.

County Office Drop-off sites for voted ballots - Beginning October 14, 2019

Town Hall Drop-off Sites: October 15 – November 5, 2019

COUNTY CLERK & RECORDER COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING NEW CASTLE TOWN HALL PARACHUTE TOWN HALL SILT TOWN HALL CARBONDALE TOWN HALL June 26 – June 30 June 22 – JuneGARFIELD 30 (excluding Sunday) June 30 – Election Day 109 8th St, Glenwood Springs, CO 195 W 14th St Bldg.

D, Rifle, CO 450 W Main Street, New Castle, CO 222 Grand Valley Way, Parachute, CO 231 N 7th Street, Silt, Colorado 511 Polling Colorado Ave Ballot drop-off sites at the New Castle, Silt, and Parachute Town Halls Early in-person voting at these locations. No voting options Additional Voter Service and Center Eastthe Entrance M –30 F : 7:30 am – 5:00Election. pm M - F : 8:30 am – 5:00 pm M: 8:00 am -5:00 pm M -Thursday: 7:30 am - 5:00 pm M - F: 8:00 am- 5:00Open pm (Must wear aCarbondale, at the courthouse for June Primary mask) CO Suite 200 M - FCounty : 8:30 Administration am - 5:00 pm Building Election Day Open 7:00 am –New 7:00Castle pm Town Hall T-F: 10:00 am – 5:00 pmSilt Town Hall 24/7 Drop-Box ONLY Parachute Town Hall Carbondale Town Hall Garfield County Clerk & Recorder Election Day Open 195 7:00Wam pm D, Rifle, CO24/7 Drop-Box 231 N 7th Street 222 Grand Valley Way 450 W Main Street 511 Colorado Ave 108 8th St. 14th-7:00 St Bldg.

Monday – Friday: 8:00 am -5:00 pm Monday – Thursday: 8:00 am - 5:30 pm Friday and Monday: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm 7:00 am to 7:00 pm Must wear a masK. 24/7 Drop-Box Monday – Friday: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm June 27th: 10:00 am to 4, 2:002019 pm (excluding Sundays) Additional Voter Service & Polling Centers open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm on Election Day Only Saturday, June 27th:am toService 2:00 pm& Polling Saturday Early10:00 Voting Centers-October 28 –Nov Tuesday, June 30th: 7:00 am to 7:00 pm Tuesday, June 30th: 7:00 am to 7:00 pm CARBONDALE TOWN HALL, 511 Colorado Ave GARFIELD COUNTY COURTHOUSE, Room 200 ― M-F 8:30 am to 5:00 pm & Election Day from 7am to 7pm GLENWOOD SPRINGSfrom COMMUNITY CENTER, 100 Wulfsohn Rdof State for Protecting Health & Safety COUNTY ADMIN BLDG., Rifle 195 W 14th St. ― M-F 8:30 am to 5:00 pm & Election Day from 7am to 7pm The election judges at the vote centers and ballot drop-off sites must follow the guidance document the Secretary NEW CASTLE LIBRARY, 402 W Main St Voter Service and Polling Centers located at the Courthouse in Glenwood Springs and at the During the June 30 Primary. These procedures will limit the number of voters at a VSPC at one time and add time to the voting process. Please vote and return County Administration Building in Rifle will be open Saturday November 2, 2019 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. SILT LIBRARY, 680 Home Ave the ballot you received in the mail. If you must come to a voter center be prepared to waitPARACHUTE especially onGrand Election LIBRARY, 244 Valley Way Day June 30, 2020.

All voter services available at both of these sites.

Designated Election Official: Jean M. Alberico, Garfield County Clerk & Recorder

Sample available at www.garfield-county.com SampleBallots Ballots available at www.garfield-county.com or www.govotecolorado.com Questions: 970-384-3700 Option 2 for Garfield County Department Questions: 970-384-3700 Option 2 for Garfield CountyElections Elections Department

THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • June 18 - June 24, 2020 • 13

PAGES OF THE PAST Thomasville landmark goes up in flames From the archives of The Sopris Sun and Valley Journal

June 17, 1980 The Valley Journal showed just a smidge of favoritism in covering the Carbondale Slo-Pitch Association. After all, it was the paper’s team, — the Ink-Stains, led by Brad Hendricks — that came out on top in the opening contest, downing Claycomb Engineering 8-7. The newly minted Sopris Angels humiliated the Bank of Basalt, The Village Smithy topped A&B-Midland in a close game, Snowmass Coal rallied to defeat J.C. Electric, the Redstone General Store drubbed the Woodstock Cabinet Shop, Stark Construction topped American Tree and Cement and DiMaggio’s recruits from the Thompson Creek

Buzzards weren’t enough to earn them a win.

In other news… Cheryl Byers — of Overland, Kansas, but niece of Carbondalians L. Edward and Ioan Meredith — won several awards for her sketch based on an old VJ cover photo of local character Old Joe.

June 21, 1990 When Andy Arasz — owner of the Frying Pan Restaurant — died just hours before a daylong fundraiser intended to help pay for his recent heart transplant, the event became a celebration of his life. The day began with a balloon lunch carrying “messages of love” and continued with music from Twirp Anderson and Jim Dykann’s bands, a dunk tank with local dignitaries and the raffling of Arasz’s 1983 Honda Goldwing motorcycle.

In other news… After a lull in the ‘80s, the

building boom was back with a vengeance, and wildlife managers and ranchers were worried to see 8,000-square-foot homes marching down valley.

June 15, 2000 A propane leak caused a fire which destroyed Thomasville’s Sonnydale apartments — a two-story former motel which included eight residences and an unused restaurant and bar.

Phone lines were damaged in the process, delaying emergency response until the fire was so fierce that it took three or four hours to extinguish. Connie and Dale Sorenson, owners of the landmark, were without fire insurance but were just thankful that everyone got out alive.

Still, the cost was high, with one firefighter forced to abandon his cats to battle the blaze.

In other news… Trustees lowered the

acceptable decibel level for park events from 65 to 55 decibels.

June 17, 2010 A grand-opening bash was planned for the Third Street Center, which had been recently renovated from the defunct Carbondale Elementary School building. For the first time in years, the playground was full of children (though it was removed shortly thereafter). Tenants had already begun to move in, among them Ballet Folklorico, CLEER, The Manaus Fund, Senior Matters, Wilderness Workshop, A Spiritual Center and The Sopris Sun (all of which are still there — although the building is still closed to the public due to the pandemic).

In other news… The body of a potential gunshot victim was discovered off of County Road 100.

LETTERS construction. This should’ve been done a long time ago.

A key to controlling climate change is getting the greenhouse gas emitters off the road.

Pedestrian malls could help in that regard Fred Malo Jr. Carbondale

Overgrown Dear Editor: Is it just me, or do the Town's flower gardens look all overgrown with grass and weeds?

K. Floyd Keating Carbondale

A response to a response Dear Bruno: I hope you don’t mind that I call you that. Since you called me Roxy, it feels like we’re

Continued from page 13 family. And, actually, we are both members of this same human family.

I’m really glad to know that you believe all lives matter because that means that you believe that Black lives matter, as do the lives of Indigenous natives, Asians, Latinos, women, and children.

Unfortunately, our current federal administrators don’t agree with you, so they think it’s fine to take children from their parents and put them in cages along the Mexican border. Why do you suppose that is?

I agree with you that our schools have been hijacked to indoctrinate our children — for hundreds of years, actually. Who do you think has been in charge of that? All you have to do is look at the undeniable history of United States presidents. Except

for John F. Kennedy, who was Catholic, and Barack Obama, who is Black, all of the presidents since the 1700s have been white, male Protestant Christians or religion “unspecified.”

Did you know that the history books in the South have been different than those in the North?

It’s the people in charge who revise history to make themselves look good.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were among 12 U.S. Presidents who were slaveholders. But did you know that Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who inherited slaves from his father, set them all free? He was not a slaveholder and he was against the Civil War but participated in order to defend his home state of Virginia.

And it’s not about guilt. It’s

about including all of the truth.

Slavery has existed for hundreds of years (these days they call it human trafficking ). Undeniable.

In the 1800s the United States government created reservations where native peoples were not allowed to leave. The history of white Europeans stealing the lands of indigenous natives is also undeniable, as is the genocide that took place.

Guilt is not productive.

What is required is taking responsibility and making changes so this unequal system does not continue. When the Constitution was written saying “all men are created equal,” it didn’t include people of color or women. Women didn’t get the right to vote until 1920! The Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination on the basis of

race, color, gender, religion, or national origin, wasn’t passed until 1964! And it’s a law that has not been enforced.

The Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution declares that states must treat all citizens equally.

Do you think that is happening?

White people have a long way to go before they fear police as much as Black people do. White people have been lynching, burning, shooting, raping people of color with impunity for centuries.

Laws haven’t mattered. But I’m glad you agree that Black people killing Black people is a travesty.

If you sincerely believe that systematic racism and sexism have not existed in this country and still do, I hope you do some more reading.

Roxana Duval Carbondale

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14 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • June 18 - June 24, 2020

(970) 963-2826 Find us on Facebook

Dr. Benjamin Mackin Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

SERVICE DIRECTORY AD SPECIAL

If you buy 4 ads, we will slash the price from $45 to $25!

Todd Chamberlin 970-987-9866 adsales@soprissun.com

PARTING SHOTS

Girl Scout Troop 16190 delivered a check for $1600 and 30 boxes cookies to Carbondale's Lift Up on Monday. "It feels really good to donate money to organizations that help other people. I'm glad that we can make a difference. It's kind of cool that we get to donate so much money to them, because we worked hard to earn it,” said Girl Scout Lela Wiltgen.

Sun Ad Manger Todd Chamberlin also spent the day volunteering at Lift-Up as he prepared to celebrate a big birthday. Photos by Laurel Smith TUESDAY-SATURDAY

Sharing your story is not only helpful to your own mental health journey, it’s also a great way to show others they are #NotAlone.

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Much like our close knit community, our rivers and mountains, schools and businesses, The Sopris Sun is a local asset we are fortunate to hold dear. ~Kim and Lori Spence

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How to Help: Tax-deductible donations: Online: soprissun.com Mail a check: PO Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623

Sponsorship: Sponsor an advertisement for your favorite nonprofit or struggling local business today.

Contact: Todd Chamberlin 970-987-9866 adsales@soprissun.com

THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • June 18 - June 24, 2020 • 15

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