20231102

This Week: 5 ~ Redstone Store 11-13 ~ Español 14 ~ Sports 18-19 ~ Opinions 21 ~ Works in Progress

Your nonprofit

community newspaper

Volume 15, Number 39 | November 2 - November 8, 2023

Free Hockey Goes West

By James Steindler Contributing Editor People were turning their heads when they saw a zamboni treading along Railroad Avenue in Rifle a couple of weeks ago. After setting roots in the midValley for the past few years, the Colorado Extreme (CE) crew has laid a rink in West Garfield County at the Rifle Fairgrounds.

“This is a perfect fit for our mission,” CE’s founder, Sheldon Wolitski, told The Sopris Sun. “Based on the growth and success of our program in Carbondale, it was an absolute no brainer for us to go there.”

In fact, the rink at the fairgrounds is the same one that CE started out with from its inception at Crown Mountain Park just a few years ago.

The CE staff had done their homework, having checked out placement options in Parachute and Rifle. Rifle, being more centralized in West Garfield, ended up being the ticket.

(Left to right) Felix Alvarenga (dressed in the Sully suit, Colorado Extreme’s mascot), Beatriz Martinez, Javier Martinez, Benjamin Andrade, Yuri Perez, Elena Alfaro and Bertha Sanchez signed up 100 West Garfield youth recruits within the first 24 hours of outreach in Rif le. Courtesy photo

The rink is set right in the arena in front of the stands, already equipped with power, lights, speakers and the works, said Wolitski. It really works out, because typically the arena remains unused through the winter months.

CE provides an opportunity for kids not just to get on the ice and play hockey, but to build camaraderie with their peers and gain positive life values. The sport has lifted Wolitski and his fellow coaches to new heights in life, and the intention is to pass on what it’s done for them. Besides, it keeps the kids off the screens and out of trouble.

Seeing as though RE-2 School District students only have a fourday school week, the rink will be open all day on Fridays. Wolitski expressed that parents were equally as excited that their kids will have something to do on Fridays, while they’re still at work.

Alesha Marrow lives outside of Rifle and has been driving her three kids up regularly to CE’s rink on Catherine Store Road. She’s been bracing neighboring families for a potential rink in Rifle, and reiterated how grateful parents are now that it’s come to fruition. She expressed that CE always puts its money where its mouth is, delivering what it promises and debunking that feeling that it’s too good to be true.

The Rifle location is kicking it off with 12 and under programming right off of the bat, which CE just began to offer here in the midValley this season. This goes to show that the organization doesn’t move slowly, but offers what it can at full speed.

Everyone starts out in the “Learn to Skate” program, but Wolitiski is confident that the newcomers will be teaming up and playing games before we know it.

Wolitski is always considering what

comes next, and gave The Sopris Sun some insight. “If we get the support from the [West Garfield] community in joining the program, then once we get approvals for the Carbondale rink, we’ll be looking at Rifle next,” Wolitski stated, referring to CE’s intent to one day have a year-round indoor facility.

After only 24 hours of canvassing in West Garfield, CE had more than 100 sign-ups.

Wolitski would like to hire from within the West Garfield community, and is in the midst of searching for a new coach with some hockey experience, and someone to help maintain the rink. If you know someone who may fit the bill for either position, email carlos@ coloradoextreme.org To find out more about the program, visit www. coloradoextreme.org

OPINION

Ps & Qs Jeannie Perry

I’ve got a question for ya; how old is the term "bucket list"? Okay two questions, did a GenXer invent it?

The internet is all in a tizzy trying to determine if the guy who wrote the movie “The Bucket List” (starring Morgan Freeman) invented the term, but I could swear I heard it long before 2007. They claim this could be the Mandela Effect: when a large number of people misremember the details of an event, or even the event itself. Just like those poor souls who still don’t think they witnessed seditious treason.

Anyway, hats off to whoever coined the term “bucket list” because I have referred to it often as I knocked off those big dreams one by one! My bucket list has certainly evolved over the years.

From setting foot on every continent to watching every Morgan Freeman film, I’m honing in on what makes a life well lived… and all the technology of today only makes it easier to accomplish, e.g. watching “High Crimes” and “Million

LETTERS

Thanks Sopris Sun

Thanks for making “GHOSTS, GOBLINS, AND GHOULS” available for the Roaring Fork Valley children on the Works in Progress page of The Sopris Sun on Oct. 26.

I hope lots of them danced to it in costume this Halloween. It may even get a few of them interested in making music.

Clay Boland, Carbondale

Bear in mind

It’s a sad truth but harsh reality that the Aspen bear got euthanized because it swiped and injured a security guard. It is clear that when bears injure a person, their fate is sealed despite actions and circumstances. It becomes a liability and, sadly, that is Colorado Public Wildlife’s policy and their officers can’t stray from that because of lawsuits.

Although we had excellent natural food sources this year — only a few bears have been looking for trash lures or attractants — there is still no reason to let our guard down and be less attentive; especially now as it gets colder and food gets scarce due to freezing temperatures.

We must be vigilant, taking extra precautions by caring for human safety first, and remain proactive to prevent bears from finding themselves in this predicament.

Roaring Fork Valley Bear Coalition has provided bilingual Bear Aware BearWise® education as a top priority

A.I.

Dollar Baby” on a long plane ride to Pago Pago. What would’ve been science fiction fifty years ago is now included in coach.

According to several experts in the artificial intelligence field, we might only have about seven good years left before A.I. takes the reins and rarely lets humans out on our own recognizance.* I don’t want to alarm anyone, but the time to fire up that welding torch, or go hiking in Yosemite, or write a memoir called “Sarcasm with Strangers” is now.

In the futuristic book “Klara and the Sun,” parents can purchase an “artificial friend” for their kid. Of course, in the story there are older models sold at a bargain price for the parents who can’t afford the latest and greatest. As long as there are humans (or apes) on the planet, there will be ways to show off one’s status. I wonder if even the robots will develop a way to differentiate themselves. Like, the shiniest one will be coveted by all those with tarnished limbs …

There was an experiment conducted recently with a robotic cleaner (I, of course, instantly pictured Rosie from The Jetsons). The robot was tasked with cleaning the kitchen and they measured its achievement by checking the level of cleaning fluid used by the robot each day. Then, one day, they caught the robot dumping the cleaner down the drain.

If I’m being honest, I am a little worried about what the world will look like as artificial intelligence takes on human traits and inevitably, takes over.

since 2019. We have assisted Aspen and Roaring Fork Valley community members with bear-resistant trash cans, electrified doormats, bear spray, blaster sirens, stickers, magnets, backpacks, NeighBearHood bear alert yard signs and banners.

Being hands-on and boots on the ground, providing innovative and solution-based proactive tools for community members has proven beneficial. We collaborate with the Boy and Girl Scouts Troops of Aspen, local law enforcement, CPW and other community groups.

Our bear info booth at local community and farmers markets throughout the RF Valley has positively impacted our residents and visitors.

We are a volunteer-based nonprofit 501(c)(3), if you need help or would like to get involved, please contact: Daniela Kohl 305-710-2977, bearinfo@roaringforkbears.org, or find more information at www. roaringforkbears.org Daniela Kohl Roaring Fork Bears

RE: Wildlife McCarthyism

I don’t know if a particular current program, policy or project inspired Dale Will to pen his column highlighting “Wildlife McCarthyism,” but it is rampant in opposition to renewable energy projects. Though the Atlantic coast is a long way from here, you may have heard the hysterical cries that

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • November 2 - November 8, 2023

Not so much in an evil-machines-hijackall-the-diners way like they sold us in 80s movies, but in more of an endless ennui. I mean, what will A.I. do when it realizes there is no point to it all?

There was an art installation in the Guggenheim Museum called “Can’t Help Myself.”** Sun Yuan and Peng Yu designed a robotic arm which leaked hydraulic fluid the same color as human blood. The arm had a large shovel at the end and so it would constantly scrape the leaking fluid back towards its center, even as it continued to spill out. In the beginning the robot had extra time on its hands because the fluid wasn’t leaking much, so once in a while the shovelarm would stop scraping fluid and do a little dance for the crowd — sort of a one-armed sprinkler dance move that brought joy. But the fluid leaked out more each day and eventually the robot only had time to try to keep up. Then, in 2019, the last of the hydraulic fluid leaked out and the robotic arm ceased moving.

Talk about art imitating life. We think we have all the time in the world when we’re young doing the sprinkler with our friends on the dance floor, but as the years move along, we have to work harder just to keep our joints oiled, and eventually we simply leak out and stop.

So right now, while we still have some fluid left, let’s take advantage of this time and space to do what we love.

You can find me on my couch saying, “Alexa, play The Shawshank Redemption.” *www.bit.ly/VFAIFuture **https://www.guggenheim.org/ artwork/34812

offshore wind development is “killing whales” and “destroying whale habitat,” among other impacts. But, that “Wildlife McCarthyism” drowns out the measured responses of experienced observers of the ocean.

A Nantucket captain of whalewatching ecotour boats said, “No one denies that there are some impacts …

The sonic blasting used by the oil and gas industries is not used for turbines.

Impacts to the benthic community are temporary. Observations in Europe show displacement of fauna during construction but they return afterwards.

It is my belief these turbines will create a sanctuary for species like the North Atlantic Right Whales because large fast-moving ships — one of the leading causes of mortality — will not be in the area.”

There are similarities to claims that onshore wind and solar farms are “destroying” habitat, farmland, cultural sites, viewsheds, etcetera. Mr. Will’s column provides some good guidance that can be applied to dealing with these issues, too.

Fred Porter, Carbondale

Yes on HH

Saying that a special district will lose money if HH passes is false. If HH fails, and the Fire District board votes to keep all their mill levy, unlike Colorado Mountain College which has decided to lower their allowed mill levy, continues on page 22

Editor Raleigh Burleigh 970-510-3003 news@soprissun.com Sol del Valle Editor Vanessa Porras Contributing & Digital Editor James Steindler Editorial Designer Hattie Rensberry Advertising Designer Emily Blong Delivery Frederic Kischbaum Bartlett Hank van Berlo Proofreader Lee Beck Executive Director Todd Chamberlin 970-510-0246 adsales@soprissun.com Board Members / Mesa Directiva board@soprissun.com Klaus Kocher • Kay Clarke Lee Beck • Donna Dayton Eric Smith • Roger Berliner Elizabeth Phillips • Jessi Rochel Andrew Travers • Anna Huntington

The Sopris Sun Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on second Thursdays at the Third Street Center.

The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with a mission to inform, inspire and build community by fostering diverse and independent journalism.

Donations are fully tax deductible.

Sincerest thanks to our Honorary Publishers for their annual commitment of $1,000+ Lee Beck & John Stickney Kay Brunnier • Frances Dudley Michelle & Ed Buchman Sue Edelstein & Bill Spence Deborah & Shane Evans Greg & Kathy Feinsinger Gary & Jill Knaus • Eric Smith Peter and Mike Gilbert Carly & Frosty Merriott James Noyes • Megan Tackett Patti & George Stranahan Anne Sullivan & John Colson Elizabeth Wysong • Alpine Bank Emily & George Bohmfalk Kathy & Carter Barger Sandy & Paul Chamberlin Karen & Roger Berliner Gretchen Greenwood & Lee Mulcahy Donna & Ken Riley

Legacy Givers for including us in their final wishes.

Mary Lilly

Donate by mail or online: P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 520 S. Third Street #26-B 970-510-3003 soprissun.com/Donate The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a proud member of the Carbondale Creative District

SCUTTLEBUTT What's the word on the street? Let us know at news@soprissun.com

Glenwood Caverns Our Underwriters and Nonprofit Partners!

The morning of Oct. 28, a body was discovered in a women’s restroom at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. After an initial investigation it was relayed to the public that the deceased was armed with a semi automatic rifle and handgun, as well as improvised explosive devices on his person and in an associated vehicle.The male was identified as Roaring Fork High School graduate Diego Barajas Medina, a 20-year-old male and resident of Carbondale. During a press conference on Oct. 30, Sheriff Lou Vallario speculated that there was reason to believe that Medina may have been planning some sort of an attack, but decided to take his own life preemptively. The coroners office is investigating the death as a suicide. Reportedly, there was a message on the restroom wall, where the young man is suspected to have written, “I”m not a killer, I just wanted to get into the caves.” The FBI is assisting with the ongoing investigation.

Francisco v. Carbondale

RJ Paddywacks Cool Bricks Studio White River Books Alpine Animal Hospital

Nonprofit Partners

Wilderness Workshop 5point Film Festival Basalt Library Aspen Strong Carbondale Rotary Colorado Animal Rescue Carbondale Arts Carbondale Chamber of Commerce Interested in becoming an Underwriter or Nonprofit Partner in 2023? Email Todd@ soprissun.com or call 970-987-9866

The civil rights law firm Killmer Lane, LLP filed an amended race discrimination lawsuit against the Town of Carbondale and three of its police officers, including Chief Kirk Wilson, on behalf of Michael Francisco in Colorado federal court on Oct. 29. “The case is primarily based on the Carbondale police arresting and then forcibly removing Francisco from the Carbondale City Market on Dec. 24, 2020, because of his race, violating his civil rights,” reads a press release from the law firm. Francisco filed a claim against City Market, based on the same incident, but reached a settlement.

According to the press release, Francisco attempted to settle the claim outside of court with the town, but did not reach an agreement. “It is very disheartening to see that Carbondale still won’t take responsibility for forcibly removing me from the Carbondale City Market in handcuffs because of my race,” Fransico is quoted in the press release. “Carbondale has already put me through so much trauma. I hoped that they might finally do the right thing once City Market stepped up to the plate and agreed to resolve my case. Sadly, I was mistaken.” Once served, Carbondale and the named officers have 21 days to respond to the complaint.

Get to the ballot box

It’s too late to mail in your ballot, but there’s still plenty of time to drop off your ballot before the Nov. 7 election.

Coloradans can still register to vote, deliver their ballot to a designated ballot box or vote in-person at a voting center until 7pm on Election Day. Visit www.GoVoteColorado.gov to register, find your closest voting center or drop box, track your ballot or learn more.

First Fridays come home

Carbondale Arts is officially taking over First Fridays, starting with this week’s Día de los Muertos celebration. In recent years, the monthly event grew under the administration of the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce. But, it was actually Carbondale Arts (then the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities) that founded the local First Friday tradition in the early 2000s as a way to highlight the arts in our community and support businesses along Main Street.

District Ranger Kevin Warner and the U.S. Forest Service hosted nearly a dozen members of the Bioregional Visioning Circle (BVC) on Oct. 24. The meeting began with a tour of the current Sopris Ranger District office and continued with a conversation in the conference room. Although BVC is at odds with the current plan to demolish three buildings and remove several trees, the meeting proceeded respectfully. Asked what they can do to help the district office keep funding for renovations while exploring other options, Warner made it clear they’re not interested in changing the current plan, with a company already under contract to begin the work. “I don’t want anything to do with trying to reuse buildings that are 85-plus years old,” he said.

Photo by Raleigh Burleigh

Emergency alerts translated

Garfield, Eagle and Pitkin community members can now receive emergency alerts in over 130 languages with the ReachWell app. It is available to everyone, even visiting tourists, and does not require users to create an account or enter personal information. Just download the app, accept push notifications, select your preferred language and add the county’s emergency alert channel.

Standard social studies stick

After mulling the controversial American Birthright Standards for social studies, the Garfield Re-2 school board ultimately voted 3-1 to adopt the 2022 Colorado Board of Education adopted standards in accordance with the community social studies committee’s recommendations. The move reflected the majority of public comments at the meeting, as well as the recommendations of a committee made up of teachers, parents and others established to review the social studies curriculum and study alternatives.

Redstone deliveries

The Sopris Sun is looking for someone to fulfill its deliveries to Redstone on Thursday mornings. There are only a couple of stops leading to the Redstone General Store from the Third Street Center in Carbondale. If you are interested in helping deliver the weekly news, please reach out to news@soprissun.com

They say it’s your birthday!

Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Marge Palmer and Dave Weimer (Nov. 2); Suzie Brady, Zack Jones, Kay Hagman Knickerbocker and AJ Waski (Nov. 3); Jeff Achey, Debra Burleigh and David Cappa (Nov. 4); Niki Burns and Trina Ortega (Nov. 5); Beth Broome and Murry Daniels (Nov. 6); Lee Beck, Brett Nelson and Noreen Steiner (Nov. 7); Rick Carlson and Mira Winograd (Nov. 8).

WE ARE PLEASED TO SPONSOR “WORK IN PROGRESS”

Looking for your next good book?

Stop by and browse at White River Books!

65 N 2nd Street, Carbondale • 970-340-4503 Hours: Tues. 10-3; Wed.-Sat. 10-5; Sun. 12-4. Closed Mondays.

Facebook: white river books •

www.whiteriverbooks.org • Instagram: @whiteriverbooks

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • November 2 - November 8, 2023 • 3

COVID is still here, but can be difficult to track

By London Lyle Sopris Sun Intern

As temperatures drop and we head into peak flu season, COVID remains prevalent. Therefore, The Sopris Sun delivers this update.

Currently, Garfield County Public Health is offering flu vaccines, as well as the updated 20232024 Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID vaccines at a one-stop-shop. People can walk in from 9am to 4pm (except between noon and 1pm) on Wednesdays at the Glenwood Springs office (2014 Blake Avenue) and Thursdays in Rifle (195 West 14th Street). The COVID vaccines are available to anyone 6 months or older, and are covered by most major health insurance providers, including Medicare and Medicaid.

The Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) offer several online tools where you can find COVID data, such as how particular counties track in comparison to others when it comes to vaccination rates. In Garfield County, for example, 74.4% of the total population have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, and 67.1% have completed the primary series (not including the updated 2023-2024 vaccine).

Carrie Godes, a public health specialist with Garfield County Public Health, noted that it’s difficult to track the number of COVID cases with 100% accuracy in the county due to a number of factors.

For instance, “Most people who are sick are doing at-home tests. That’s an example of information we’ll never be able to collect data

Join us at

The Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork for a

Campus Tour

Thursday November 9th 9:30am-11am

on,” Godes told The Sopris Sun. “We’re only getting our data from a couple of sources, and those would mainly be hospitalizations and [wastewater sampling] that’s tracking the virus through CDPHE,” she continued. “So we have these two pieces to look at and go, ‘What is our best guess for what COVID is doing?’”

When comparing numbers from the CDC with Garfield County, the hospitalization rates in Garfield are currently low. But, Godes pointed out that they were slightly higher during the month of October than they were in September.

“While that might look like one thing, there are so many caveats that make it really hard to tell the full story,” Godes explained.

She relayed that there are times when a patient will be admitted to the hospital for an ailment other than COVID, such as a scheduled surgery, and given a COVID test (as is now routine). If they test positive, they are recorded as a person who was hospitalized for COVID. “You could go in for something completely different, test positive, and then be counted in these numbers,” she stated.

According to an online database, run by CDPHE that monitors COVID trends in all of Colorado’s counties from wastewater samples, there was no notable increase in October. This method is significant because it tracks the levels of virus particles in wastewater, and can be an early indicator of increasing or decreasing COVID rates. Visit www. bit.ly/COCOVIDWastewater for those trends.

When it comes to taking precautions, the CDC recommends staying up to date on vaccinations.

While someone who is vaccinated can still catch COVID, vaccines can help keep people safe from serious illness or death.

Explore our 13-acre campus along the banks of the Roaring fork river.

Glimpse into our classrooms & ask questions of teachers, alumni & enrollment.

Adult only tour for families with children in Early Childhood to Middle School are welcome to attend.

This is the only campus tour offered this semester before admissions open in February ’24 for Fall ’24!

Art by Dominic Furer, youth correspondent

If one does test positive, the standard is to isolate for five days and then wear a mask for the subsequent five days while in public. Of course, handwashing and being mindful of one’s surroundings also helps.

“Just be cautious. Some people are immunocompromised. Some people cannot afford to get sick. Choosing to wear a mask is a great strategy for those folks,” Godes concluded.

Another pointer she gave was being mindful of ventilation in the household; anything from opening the windows on a warm day to turning on the bathroom fan can help.

The Garfield County COVID page, with information on vaccines, case data and testing, can be found at www.garfield-county.com/ public-health/novel-coronavirus/

HOUSE CALL VETERINARY SERVICES Complete mobile vet care for the Roaring Fork and Crystal River valleys. Book your stress free visit online or visit our website for more details.

Oneal Bogan DVM Lindsey Brooks DVM

RSVP required Space limited

mountainpawsvet.com Ph. 970-236-8428 Your Mid-Valley Real Estate Expert Professionally Representing You with 16 Years of Experience

Discover the difference with Waldorf Education

Learn more & RSVP Waldorfschoolrf.com

Newborn to 8th grade • 16543 Highway 82, Carbondale CO • (970) 963 - 1960 @waldorfschoolontheroaringfork

4 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • November 2 - November 8, 2023

HILARY PORTERFIELD

Call me, I love to talk real estate!

970.319.5757 • hilary@hilaryporterfield.com • roaringfork-homes.com ©2023 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated.

Redstone General Store asks community for support

By Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor

“How do we nurture each other again?” Oriana Moebius asked on a crisp autumn day in Redstone. Together with Rochelle Norwood, Moebius owns the Redstone General Store on property purchased by her husband, Tyler Moebius, in 2020. On Oct. 13, they celebrated three years since resurrecting the business which has existed in some form since 1893 and closed at the onset of the pandemic. The anniversary was tempered by a dawning realization that without substantial assistance the Redstone General Store will have to close at the end of this year.

“It's taking more life force than the two of us have,” said Norwood. She and her mother, Gina Tassinari, receive salaries to manage the store, from 8am to 6pm, every day of every week.

Fresh baked goods are prepared each morning. According to Moebius, the rent costs around $5,000 per month, plus insurance, and there are pending repairs.

The day of our interview, an Egyptian man cycling from Nashville, Tennessee to Joshua Tree, California wore a wide smile as Tassinari fed him a giant burrito and ice cream and placed a Redstone General Store patch on the fellow's saddle bag.

While summers are characteristically

busy at the store, visitation drops with the falling leaves. Rather than become a seasonal store, this team is committed to providing the local community with a year-round hub.

Without the Redstone General Store, residents of the Crystal Valley would have to drive to Carbondale for food staples and supplies. For this reason, Norwood and Moebius regard the Crystal Valley as a food desert. This situation is amplified when sections of Highway 133 are blocked by mudslides — not an infrequent occurrence.

“We need the support of this larger community,” said Norwood. “If [the store] goes away, there are so many losers.”

Norwood and Moebius are seeking to turn the business into a nonprofit by integrating the neighboring building to function as a community center where events and classes can be hosted, and by establishing an educational component where people of all ages can learn to prepare and market products.

Receiving grants to teach youth and adults vocational skills could help cover the mortgage during the slower winter months, and Norwood has a background in arts education and previously owned a chocolate and ice cream business.

A press release stipulated that $1 million is needed to secure the building and assure other needs are met.

“Given more resources, we can

The Redstone General Store is currently open seven days a week, year-round.

Photo by Raleigh Burleigh

truly serve with greater capacity,” said Moebius. With her husband having made an initial investment to save the store, it's up to Moebius and Norwood to find a successful and sustainable model for the public to continue to benefit from a community hub in Redstone. She calls it “a hearth.”

According to Moebius, additional funding would help 1) hire more employees and 2) make needed repairs and expand the kitchen.

“It's more than a store,” Moebius repeated. The current vision emphasizes selling local items including food and gifts, in addition to other goods like camping and emergency supplies.

On the final Thursday of each month, the Redstone General Store hosts a community meal with live music.

They serve as a stop on the American Discovery Trail for through-hikers to replenish rations. And on any given day, customers from near and far can drop in for warm company and a homestyle meal.

Beyond selling things, the Redstone General Store functions as a welcome center for tourists and a gathering place for locals. The space next door has been sparsely used, so far, but it's served as a private meeting space, multigenerational classroom and even a thrift store. Part of continues on page 23

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • November 2 - November 8, 2023 • 5

Congratulations to the RFHS Speech Team Photos and text by Sue Rollyson Sopris Sun Correspondent The Roaring Fork High School Speech Team recently hosted eight regional schools for a tournament on Saturday, Oct. 28.

A big shout out to the expansive Rams Speech Team, including members: Nicola Stringham, Jane Taylor, Anasophia Brown, Goldie Anderson, Gus Richardson, Iggie Richardson, Sim Perutkova-Rand, Lucy Silcox, Masamo Stableford, Maddie Lucks, Kate Taylor, Olivia Rullet, Mackenzie Drew, Remington Webster, Vianne Camara, Jem Badgett, Eli Sorensen, Kayla Kaufman and Dani Gonzalez Nunez. And, a special thanks to Coach Denise Wright for training the public speakers of tomorrow.

Rams orators who placed at the tournament:

Anasophia Brown placed 1st in Lincoln Douglas Debate Kayla Kaufman placed 1st in Original Oratory Vianne Camara placed 2nd in Value Debate Goldie Anderson placed 2nd in Poetry Reading Sim Perutkova-Rand placed 3rd in Poetry Reading Sam Stableford 3rd place in Informative Speaking Olivia Rullet & Remington Webster placed 2nd in Duo Interpretation Iggie Richardson placed 3rd in Impromptu Speaking Mackenzie Drew placed 4th in Lincoln Douglas Debate Eli Sorensen & Jem Badgett placed 5th in Duo Interpretation Dani Gonzalez Nunez placed 6th in Informative Speaking

Kayla Kaufman won 1st place in Original Oratory.

Vianne Camara placed 2nd in Value Debate.

(Left to right) Olivia Rullet and Remington Webster won 2nd place Duo Interpretation, and Jem Badgett placed 5th in Duo Interpretation with his partner, Eli Sorensen (not pictured).

(Left to right) Ram orators Jem Badgett, Kate Taylor and Eli Sorensen.

“The da Vinci system’s surgical technology extends the power of our surgeons’ eyes and hands, enabling us to achieve the healthiest outcomes for our patients.”

Chris Roseberry, MD, FACS

Trauma and General Surgeon, Chief of Medical Staff

Minimally Invasive, Robotic-assisted Surgery is Here

So you can get back to what matters most.

When life means surgery, trust our team of experts.

Our highly-trained surgeons—in tandem with robotic technologies and excellent patient experience—offer you the peace of mind you deserve.

970.925.1120 | aspenhospital.org |

6 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • November 2 - November 8, 2023

Ask your doctor if this surgery is right for you.

AspenValleyHospital

Get to know da Vinci.

RFSD starts from square one following superintendent’s resignation

By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent On Oct. 25, at a regularly scheduled meeting, the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) Board of Education voted unanimously to accept the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Jesús Rodríguez.

The resignation agreement includes a clause for the school district to pay Rodríguez a $144,182.43 lump sum no later than two weeks after his Oct. 23 resignation date.

Rodríguez began the job on July 1 last year, and after only one year, three months and 23 days into his five-year contract, an agreement between the board and Rodríguez was made that his departure was in the best interest of all parties.

A series of controversies during Rodríguez’s tenure undermined community trust and confidence in his leadership. An Oct. 27 article, written by reporter Rich Allen and published by the Aspen Daily News, chronicles those events leading up to the superintendent’s departure.

With this latest turn of events, the RFSD community grapples with the departure of a short-tenured school superintendent.

The abrupt exit has raised questions and prompted a need for reflection.

If you do a Google search for the term “superintendent resignation,” the results will yield dozens of news articles from around the country reporting on district superintendents who have resigned for various reasons.

In a February 2022 Education Week

article, the National Superintendents Roundtable, a professional network organized by the Schlechty Center, surveyed nearly 400 superintendents. Survey results revealed that 63% said they had considered quitting in the 2020-21 school year, though only 17% resigned.

The RFSD is not alone in the dilemma it currently faces, which leads to the question: Where do we go from here?

Since mid-August, when Rodriguez took a parental leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), entitled under U.S. labor law, Dr. Anna Cole, chief of student and family services, has served as acting superintendent.

Cole was the sole applicant for the internally posted interim superintendent position and was approved, by a unanimous vote, as the lone finalist at the Oct. 25 meeting. A vote at the next regularly scheduled board meeting on Nov. 8 will likely move Cole from acting to interim superintendent, which would entail serving in a temporary capacity until the end of this school year in May. A superintendent search by Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, the consulting firm that yielded Rodríguez as superintendent candidate last year, will begin. Board President Kathryn Kuhlenberg said the firm is “required” to provide another search, with most of those services at no charge, because Rodríguez’s contract was terminated ahead of his stipulated two-year service requirement.

Programs Coming Soon at Basalt Regional Library Fiesta: Halloween & Dia de los Muertos

Sat, Nov. 4, 10:30AM-12:30PM Celebrate Day of the Dead with the library and Anderson Ranch Arts Center by creating sugar skulls and colorful altars.

Book Talk: The Covenant of Water

Tues, Nov. 7, 5:30-6:30PM Discuss Abraham Vergese’s The Covenant of Water, a stunning and magisterial epic of love, faith, and medicine.

Health insurance purchasing season underway

By Allyn Harvey Valley Health Alliance

Individuals and families who buy their own health insurance have 10 weeks to choose a plan. So, the clock is ticking.

The official health insurance purchasing period through the Connect for Health Colorado website opened on Nov. 1 and runs until Jan. 15. Insurance purchased by Dec. 15 goes into effect on Jan. 1, while insurance purchased between Dec.16 and Jan. 15 is effective Feb. 1.

Connect for Health Colorado is the online health insurance marketplace for people who are not covered by an employer’s health insurance plan. The website (www.connectforhealthco. com) is designed to help people find the right health insurance plan for their budget and needs, as well as determine if they are eligible for a monthly premium reduction under the Affordable Care Act. Connect for Health Colorado offers well-trained assistants to help people understand the plans and navigate the website.

They can be reached by calling 855-873-6166.

Two health insurance companies are offering coverage next year between Aspen and Parachute: Rocky Mountain Health Plans and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.

“It’s important that people review their options and find a plan that fits their individual and family needs,” said Chris McDowell, executive director at the Valley Health Alliance. “Connect for Health offers a great service in helping people review plans and understand the total cost of care, which includes monthly premiums and other out-of-pocket expenses.”

To learn more about health insurance options and primary care services in the Aspen to Parachute region, check out the Valley Health Alliance website, www.ourvha.org

I'm just waiting until you say the magic word…

Tre a t s !

The full schedule of events can be found at basaltlibrary.org/events-calendar 14 Midland Avenue | Basalt Colorado 81621 | 970.927.4311 | basaltlibrary.org

Working To gether For Pets A nd Their Peo ple 2801 Glenwood S CR 114 prings, CO (970)947-9 173

CARE has 5 s, 8 cats and 1 guin dogs, ea pig available fo r adoption . Ca ra m

.R.E. S offers a “C.A K C A W Y D D A RJ P milies, ew adoptive fa package” for n s for Points” plan including a “Paw % discount e 15 and a first timpet. ew n for your

elo is one cut e tri-color guy ! Gu inea pigs are exce llent pets fo r y o u n g c h il d re n .

Fa m il ies of the va lley, conta ct us!

RJ Paddywacks

400 E Valley Rd. # I/J

Next to City Market in El Jebel

970.963.1700 rjpaddywacks.com

El Jebel, Colorado 970-963-1700 RJPaddywacks.com

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • November 2 - November 8, 2023 • 7

REGISTER TODAY!

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Visit soprissun.com to submit events

Community Classes in Carbondale

FELTED BAG WORKSHOP Join Jill Scher to make a unique felted bag and take home a piece of wearable art to keep or to gift.

Sat/Sun, 9am-3pm, 11/11-11/12 SWING DANCE - LINDY HOP Build on the basics with Charleston, Lindy Hop (West Coast) basics and expand your dance knowledge.

Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30pm, 11/8-12/6 SKETCHBOOK WORKSHOP Explore different approaches to developing sketchbooks, growing your creativity, and gaining confidence in your artistic ability.

No class 11/21.

Tuesdays, 9am-12pm, 11/14-12/5 OPEN PAINTING STUDIO Bring paintings or drawings to complete, or start something new.

Miranda Watson will be available to support, or guide you if needed.

Tuesdays, 1:30-8:30pm, 11/14-12/5

MASTERING CELL PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY Learn the quick and easy tricks available in your phone. Sandy Kaplan will show you how to get the images you truly want, and enjoy making photos with your phone.

RESCHEDULED: Mon/Wed, 9am-12pm, 11/20-12/4 no class 11/22 VEGETABLE GARDENING 101 The time to start thinking about next year’s garden is now. This class gives you all the basics you need to know to grow and enjoy your own food from spring to fall.

Wednesday, 6-7:30pm, 11/15 QUICKBOOKS PRO WORKSHOP Overview of Quickbooks on PC desktop for current users, and answers to some of the common questions and issues seen in Quickbooks files. Bring your questions to this interactive class.

Wednesday, 9am-1pm, 11/28 CARBONDALE STUDENT ART SHOW AND CELEBRATION! Save the date and join us for some holiday cheer and see the artwork that is being created at your Carbondale CMC campus!

Tuesday, 6-8pm, 12/12

FOR MORE INFO AND TO REGISTER...

coloradomtn.edu/community-education

Carbondale Lappala Center • 690 Colorado Ave • 963-2172

The Valley’s largest celebration of Día de los Muertos, held annually on the First Friday in November in Carbondale, begins with the creation of a community ofrenda (altar) in front of the Launchpad on Nov. 3 at noon. Families can also create their own ofrendas in Chacos Park (Fourth Street Plaza). At 5pm, the festivities commence at Chacos Park with performances, face painting and more. The annual procession, with traditional dancing by Aspen Santa-Fe Ballet Folklórico, sets off from the Third Street Center at 6pm, and ends at Chacos Park with more fun to be had. Carbondale Arts has put on the event for the past 19 years. Visit www.carbondalearts.com for more info about Friday's celebration. ¡Feliz Día de los Muertos! Photo by Sarah Overbeck, Carbondale Arts

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2

FAIR TRADE Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Glenwood Springs hosts the Ten Thousand Villages Fair Trade International Craft Fair today (noon to 6pm), tomorrow (10am to 6pm), Saturday, Nov. 4 (10am to 5pm) and Sunday, Nov. 5 (noon to 4pm).

TEEN LIBRARY COUNCIL The Basalt Teen Library Council convenes at the library at 4pm. Teens can join and make their voices heard. Visit www. basaltlibrary.org for more info.

BRIDGE Bridge pros and amateurs face off at the Basalt Library at 4pm every Thursday.

CHRIS PUREKA Genderqueer Americana artist Chris Pureka performs at TACAW at 8pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3

CRYSTAL THEATRE The Crystal Theatre shows “Stop Making Sense” tonight, tomorrow and Thursday, Nov. 9 at 7pm. There is a 5pm showing on Sunday, Nov. 5.

SISTER HAZEL Rock & Roll band Sister Hazel performs at TACAW at 8pm.

Tickets at www.tacaw.org

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4

EARLY LEARNING Grandparents, relatives, friends, neighbors, babysitters and nannies who take care of children, ages 0-5, are invited to a two-part workshop regarding early childhood learning.

The first workshop takes place at the Glenwood Springs Library, today at 1pm, and the second occurs at the Rifle Library on Nov. 11, also at 1pm. Both workshops are bilingual.

Call 970-945-5958 for more info.

ENGLISH CLASS Valley Settlement offers a free ESL class at the Basalt Library from 9am to 12:30pm every Friday. Visit www. valleysettlement.org or call 970-9630851 for more info and to register.

NIGHTMARE BEFORE XMAS Crystal River Ballet Company performs a rendition of “A Nightmare Before Christmas” at the Launchpad at 7pm. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Visit www. crystalriverballet.com for more info.

NATURE JOURNALING Practice, and get tips on, nature journaling using words and drawings at the Carbondale Library at 1pm.

Call 970-963-2889 for more info.

ZIKR DANCE ENSEMBLE Zikr Dance Ensemble, Denver’s nationally acclaimed contemporary dance company, performs at TACAW at 8pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org

CLAY CENTER OFRENDA The Carbondale Clay Center will be closed this First Friday, but an ofrenda honoring some of its late potters, Sandie Gardner, Angus Graham and Peg Malloy, will be on display in front. People are welcome to stop by and contribute to the ofrenda.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5

DÍA AT THE LIBRARY In celebration of Día de los Muertos, the Carbondale Library offers face painting, crafting and Mexican hot chocolate from 4-7pm. The annual Día de los Muertos procession will pass by the library at 6pm.

8 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • November 2 - November 8, 2023

at The Art Base at 5pm. Register at www.theartbase.org

2D ILLUSTRATION Brian Weller guides a 2D storybook illustration workshop

ARTE EN ESPAÑOL The Aspen Art Museum invites families to create art inspired

by Día de los Muertos from noon to 4pm. Learn more at www.aspenartmuseum.org KDNK AT EL DORADO KDNK DJ Brett Haynes plays his funk and soul set live at El Dorado in Carbondale from 3-6pm. Check it out in-person or turn your radio on.

GITNB AUDITIONS Dance auditions for the Green is the New Black Fashion Extravaganza take place at the Launchpad from 5:30-7:30pm. Reach out to Meagan Londy with questions at 303-775-7037.

"Hitched to Everything Else in the Universe"

by Rev. Florence Caplow As an ecologist and conservation biologist, Rev. Caplow will reflect on how we are born into a magical tapestry of interconnectedness with each other, with other species, and with the planet. As John Muir wrote, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” But this also means that what happens on the far side of the world is never separate from us.

How do we live and act from this understanding?

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6

EIA OPEN HOURS English in Action hosts open hours with English-speaking tutors present at the Basalt Library at 6pm. Call 970-963-9200 for more info.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7 YARN GROUP Yarn makers convene at the Basalt Library at 5pm.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8

KICKSTART YOUR ART Kindergarten through fifth graders learn how to draw characters and illustrate ideas in a multimedia workshop with Brian Weller at Glenwood Springs Elementary School in a four-part series starting today at 2:15pm. Visit www.bit.ly/ glenwoodrec-arts for more info.

CODING CLUB Aspen Science Center hosts Coding Club for seventh through tenth graders at the Carbondale Library at 3:45pm. Visit www. aspensciencecenter.org for more info.

HOLIDAY CARDS Craft holiday cards with Angela Shetzer at the Carbondale Library at 5pm. Call 970-963-2889 for more info or to register.

Photo by Sarah Overbeck

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10

BOOK TALK Jillian Gibbs, Carbondale resident and founder of Advertising Production Resources, discusses her book, "The Marketer's Guide to Creative Production," at Explore Booksellers in Aspen at 4:30pm.

CRYSTAL THEATRE The Crystal Theatre shows “Killers of the Flower Moon” tonight through Sunday, Nov. 12 at 5:30pm, and again on Thursday, Nov. 16, also at 5:30pm.

CLAY OPENING Carbondale Clay Center hosts an opening reception for its “Holiday Invitational Cash & Carry Exhibition” at 6pm. Browse unique handmade gifts and support artists. More info at www.carbondaleclay.org CHRISTMAS BOUTIQUE The annual Carbondale Christmas Boutique, where local artisans offer handmade gift items and treats, takes place at the Carbondale Firehouse from 8am to 3pm. Visit “Carbondale, Colorado Christmas Boutique” on Facebook for a preview of this year’s goodies.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9

LEGAL CLINIC Volunteer attorneys offer free legal consultations for civil cases at the Basalt Library, 2-5pm. Call 970-9274311 or email info@basaltlibrary. org to make an appointment.

TRUE COLORS Celebrate the creativity and resiliency of local youth, and join in a community discussion around resources for local youth and their families at TACAW at 3pm. This “True Colors: Free Community Engagement Event” is the result of a collaboration between YouthZone, TACAW, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Tom Karrell Coaching and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. Visit www.youthzone. com/truecolors for more info.

MOUNTAIN PITCHES COVENTURE hosts its annual Mountain Pitch Event at the Third Street Center from 11am to 7pm. Visit www.coventure.io for more info.

GONG BATH Imbibe in the sound healing vibrations from gong master Richard Rudis at the Aspen Chapel at 6pm. Visit www.bit.ly/ GongBathAC for tickets and more info.

‘SPAMALOT’ Theatre Aspen Education presents the 7th-12th grade production of Monty Python’s “SPAMALOT,” opening tonight at 7pm at the Aspen District Theater. The show continues tomorrow and Saturday night, also at 7pm, and closes with a Sunday, Nov. 12 matinee at 2pm. Visit www.theatreaspen. org for tickets and more info.

Sunday, November 5th, 10am at Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist Community Room @ Third Street Center in Carbondale or via Zoom Join Zoom Meeting - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82605258305 Meeting ID: 826 0525 8305 - Passcode: chalice

Two Rivers UU is delighted that Florence Caplow, who was our TRUU residential minister from 2016-2017, truu.org has agreed to lead our Sunday worship remotely once a month for the coming year. Rev. Florence Caplow (she/her) has served Unitarian Universalist congregations in Illinois, Washington State, and Colorado. Before becoming a minister, she worked as a botanist for 25 years, specializing in the conservation of endangered plants. She is also a writer, editor, change coach, and ordained Soto Zen priest.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11

PRINTMAKING CLASS Pam Porter teaches printmaking at her studio at the Third Street Center (Room 6) from 9:30am to 3pm. More info and registration at www.thecreativeflowstudio.com

WALDORF TOUR The Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork hosts a campus tour from 9:3011am. For more info or to register, visit www.waldorfschoolrf.com

Live in-person service. Live Music by Ellen Stapenhorst.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12

disABILITY FILM FEST Glenwood Springs High School hosts the “disABILITY Film Festival” at 2pm. Visit www. bit.ly/disabilityfilmfestival for more info and to register.

KDNK AT ELDORADO KDNK Music Director Cody Lee DJs a live set at El Dorado in Carbondale from 3-6pm. Check it out in-person or turn your radio on.

RANDOM CONVERSATIONS The Carbondale Library hosts the “Lost Art of Random Conversations” community building event at 6pm.

HOLIDAY SAVINGS AT

MANA FOODS N AT U R A L F O O D S S T O R E

Order Your Thanksgiving Turkey With Us Now!

Mary’s Organic Turkeys $6.80 lb And remember us for all your holiday baking needs.

No lines, no hassle. Affordable prices.

CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS SUSTAINABLY- AT MANA FOODS

Mana Foods 792 Hwy 133, Carbondale

Open 7 days a week 10-6:30 / Phone: 970-963-1137

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • November 2 - November 8, 2023 • 9

November 2-3 noviembre First Friday | Primer viernes

Community Altar | Ofrenda Comunal

Participating Businesses Negocios Participante

5:00pm

6:00pm

6:30–8:00pm

­

­

­

4th St. Plaza

Third St. Center

4th St. Plaza

Details available at | Más información en carbondalearts.com

10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • November 2 - November 8, 2023

Sol del el

Conectando comunidades desde 2021

Valle

Volumen 2, Número 36 | 2 de noviembre - 8 de noviembre de 2023

Con la ayuda de un subsidio Voces Unidas organizará a padres en los distritos escolares Por John Stroud The Sopris Sun Traducción por Dolores Duarte Un subsidio nacional otorgado recientemente a una destacada organización de defensa de los derechos de los latinos, tiene como objetivo aportar la voz de más padres latinos en cuestiones críticas como la creciente brecha en el rendimiento escolar de los distritos escolares del área.

La organización sin fines de lucro Voces Unidas de las Montañas, con sede en Glenwood Springs, anunció a inicios de este mes que recibió un subsidio de $150,000 dólares del NewSchools Venture Fund para ayudar a acelerar sus esfuerzos en torno a organización de padres en los distritos escolares rurales de la región montañosa central.

El subsidio será utilizado para contratar a más organizadores enfocados en diversificar el liderazgo de los padres. El objetivo inicial son los distritos escolares de Roaring Fork y el condado de Eagle, ambos distritos escolares de "mayoría minoritaria" y con importantes diferencias de rendimiento entre los estudiantes anglosajones e hispanos, dijo Alex Sánchez, director general de Voces Unidas.

"Nuestro objetivo es mejorar los resultados de todos los estudiantes mediante la movilización de los padres para servir como agentes de cambio del sistema escolar", dijo Sánchez en un comunicado de prensa.

"Creemos que trabajando juntos con los padres, los distritos escolares y los socios de la comunidad, podemos crear sistemas educativos rurales más equitativos que reflejen mejor las necesidades y experiencias de todos los estudiantes de nuestra región".

Sánchez señala que los latinos representan más del 50% del alumnado tanto en el distrito escolar de Roaring Fork (57%) como en el del condado de Eagle (52%).

Arte de Sofie Koski

Sin embargo, hay "brechas de rendimiento persistentes y crónicas experimentadas por los estudiantes latinos, inmigrantes y con pocos recursos en comparación con los estudiantes blancos" en esos y otros sistemas escolares rurales en todo Colorado, dijo.

Según datos recientes del Departamento de Educación de Colorado, los alumnos latinos de las escuelas de Roaring Fork están en promedio, 2.8 grados detrás de sus compañeros blancos y, cuando llegan a high school, tienen 1.9 veces menos probabilidades de inscribirse en al menos una clase avanzada o AP (Advanced Placement).

El distrito escolar ha estado trabajando para abordar la brecha de rendimiento, especialmente desde que los resultados de los exámenes estatales cayeron de forma generalizada tras las interrupciones escolares que se produjeron durante la pandemia de COVID-19.

A principios de este año, el distrito puso en marcha un amplio Plan de Aceleración del Aprendizaje, que tiene como objetivo aminorar la diferencia en logros académicos y ayudar a los estudiantes a retomar el rumbo de su aprendizaje.

Aún así, esa brecha entre estudiantes anglosajones y latinos sigue existiendo.

"El problema número uno en nuestras escuelas es el rendimiento de los estudiantes", dijo Sánchez en una entrevista posterior.

"Debemos asegurarnos de que nuestras escuelas satisfacen las necesidades de todos los estudiantes".

Una forma de hacerlo es garantizar una participación diversa de los padres en los debates de resolución de problemas a nivel escolar y de distrito, dijo.

"Nuestras escuelas son el conducto hacia el futuro, y tenemos que depender de ellas para la próxima generación de líderes, creadores, analíticos", dijo Sánchez. "Para ayudar en eso, necesitamos que más padres

expresen sus aspiraciones y estamos creando políticas y aportando fondos para abordar las necesidades y preocupaciones de los niños de hoy".

Esta misma semana, Voces Unidas contrató a su primera organizadora local utilizando los fondos del subsidio para empezar a trabajar con padres de alumnos latinos en las escuelas de Roaring Fork.

Ana Chavira creció en el área de Basalt, y se convirtió en maestra en escuelas de Roaring Fork después de obtener su licenciatura y postgrado en enseñanza en el Colorado Mountain College y CU-Boulder, dijo Sánchez.

Se espera contratar un puesto adicional a tiempo completo en el distrito de Roaring Fork, y otro en el distrito escolar del condado de Eagle. A largo plazo, Voces Unidas está tratando de ampliar sus esfuerzos de organización en el Garfield RE-2, Garfield Distrito 16, Summit y los distritos del condado de Lake.

Estos esfuerzos de organización de padres son

comunes en los distritos escolares urbanos. Sin embargo, en muchos condados rurales donde hoy la mayoría de los estudiantes de la escuela pública son niños de color, la diversidad no se refleja en la participación de los padres, dijo Alan Muñoz Valenciano, gerente regional de la organización de programas de Voces Unidas.

"Los padres latinos quieren ser defensores eficaces de sus hijos -en el aula y a nivel escolar y de distrito-, pero rara vez los distritos escolares locales están preparados para incluirlos", dijo Muñoz Valenciano en el comunicado.

"Esperamos ver a más padres latinos participando en los debates políticos de los distritos y abogando por mejores resultados para los estudiantes".

Eso también se extiende a exhortar a más padres latinos a participar para puestos vacantes en la junta escolar, y a fomentar el cambio desde posiciones de liderazgo dentro de las escuelas, dijo.

OPINIÓN

Criticas

Por Hector Salas-Gallegos

Solía haber un gran mal que recorría mi casa los sábados y domingos por la mañana. Su nombre era Margarita Vargas.

Ella y la Sonora Dinamita atravesaban cualquier paz matutina que pudiera tener y me decían que no solo había comenzado el día, sino que ya había desperdiciado la buena luz del sol. Su clásico, "Que nadie sepa mi sufrir", era y

Enamorándome de la música de mis padres

sigue siendo una canción que despierta a demasiados niños antes de que empiecen las caricaturas el sábado por la mañana. Para mí, era raro el fin de semana en el que no me despertara con una rola clásica y el olor a Pinesol.

Esto fue antes de que Spotify y Apple Music se apoderaran, cuando la radio era nuestro DJ indiscutible. Creaban el programa de la radio con la comprensión innata de que el bloque de canciones de la mañana del sábado estaba designado para limpiar el desmadre, como si pudieran presentir la necesidad colectiva de una banda sonora que pudiera transformar el caos en orden.

Alrededor de los 17 años, una voz angelical en la radio me despertó gentilmente un sábado. Traté de encontrar el nombre de la canción sin

CHISME DEL PUEBLO

preguntar directamente, busqué la letra en línea, pero mis esfuerzos llegaron a un callejón sin salida. No fue hasta que me armé de valor y le pregunté a mi mamá sobre la canción que descubrí que era su canción favorita: "Qué bello" de Sonora Tropicana. Esta fue la primera y única vez que mi mamá me "recomendó" una canción.

Mis padres llevan décadas introduciendome a la música. Cuando visitamos a mi hermana en Phoenix, manejamos más de 10 horas.

Nos dirigimos al oeste a Utah y luego al sur a Arizona. En el camino, hay vastos tramos donde lo único que llenaba el vacío era nada más que los colosales monumentos rojos que perforan la tierra y las baladas de amor que llenan el vacío.

En esos días, yo usaba un

iPod de marca patito con solo lo mejor de una colección de clásicos de R&B de mi hermana que usaba para ahogar las canciones de cumbia. Incluso a través del canturrear de Usher, aun podía escuchar la trompeta y el acordeón norteño filtrarse, sacándome de mis ensoñaciones.

A mi avanzada edad de 26 años, me encuentro escuchando cada vez más cumbia, norteñas, merengue y boleros. Me sorprende la cantidad de letras que ya me sé. Escucho a Bryndis y vuelvo a la parte trasera del auto de mis padres, cuando miraba por la ventana congelada hacia esos grandes riscos solitarios. Lo que realmente me asombra es la profundidad de mi conocimiento, adquirido casi por ósmosis, sobre la discografía de artistas icónicos como Los Bukis, Juan Gabriel,

Traducción por Jacquelinne Castro

nombrados tienen 21 días para responder a la queja.

Cavernas de Glenwood

Hacia la urna electoral

En la mañana del 28 de octubre, un cuerpo fue descubierto en el baño de las mujeres en el Parque de Aventuras de las Cavernas de Glenwood. Después de una investigación inicial se transmitió al público que el difunto estaba armado con un rifle semiautomático y una pistola, además de dispositivos explosivos improvisados en su persona y asociados a un vehículo.

El hombre fue identificado como el graduado de Roaring Fork High School, Diego Barajas Medina, un hombre de 20 años residente de Carbondale.

Durante una conferencia de prensa el 30 de octubre, Lou Vallario especuló que había una razón para creer que Medina posiblemente planificara algún tipo de ataque, pero decidió tomar su propia vida preventivamente. La oficina forense está investigando la muerta como suicidio. Según se informa, había un mensaje en la pared del baño, donde el joven se sospecha haber escrito, “no soy un asesino, solo quería entrar a las cuevas.” El FBI está asistiendo a la investigación en curso.

Francisco v. Carbondale

El bufete de abogados de derechos civiles Killmer Lane, LLP presentó una demanda por discriminación racial contra el pueblo de Carbondale y tres oficiales de policía, incluyendo el jefe Kirk Wilson, de parte de Michael Francisco en la corte federal de Colorado el 29 de octubre. “El caso se basa principalmente en la policía de Carbondale arrestando y luego desalojando forzosamente a Francisco de el City Market de Carbondale el 24 de diciembre del 2020, debido a su raza, violando sus derechos civiles,” describe el comunicado de prensa publicado por el bufete de abogados. Francisco presentó un reclamo contra City Market, basado en el mismo incidente, pero llegaron a un acuerdo. De acuerdo con el comunicado de prensa, Francisco intentó resolver el reclamo fuera de la corte con el pueblo, pero no llegaron a un acuerdo. “Es muy desalentador ver que Carbondale todavía no puede tomar responsabilidad por sacarme forzosamente del City Market de Carbondale y me esposaron por mi raza,” dijo Francisco en el comunicado de prensa. “Carbondale ya me ha hecho pasar por mucho trauma. Esperaba que finalmente pudieran hacer lo correcto una vez que City Market tomara responsabilidad y aceptara resolver el caso.

Desafortunadamente, estaba equivocado”. Una vez entregado el reclamo, Carbondale y los oficiales

Bronco e Intocable.

Siendo un niño latino adoctrinado en América colonial, siempre siento que tengo que demostrar mi latinidad, incluso a mis amigos latinos y latinas. Aunque quizás no conozca todas las letras, hay una familiaridad innata con el ADN cultural tejido en las melodías de mis padres. A veces luchamos con el síndrome del impostor, sintiéndonos como un montón de niños que "no saben". Pero en este viaje de ingeniería inversa de nuestra identidad latina, le debemos una profunda deuda de gratitud a nuestros padres por regalarnos su música, el puente que nos conecta con nuestras raíces y herencia. De esta manera, no son solo las viejas canciones de nuestros padres. También son nuestras.

Ya es tarde para enviar su voto por correo, pero todavía hay suficiente tiempo para entregar su panfleto de votos antes de la elección del 7 de noviembre. Los residentes de Colorado todavía se pueden registrar para votar, enviar su panfleto de voto a una urna electoral designada o votar en persona en algún centro de votación hasta la 7 p.m. en el Día de la Elección.

Visite www.GoVoteColorado.gov para registrarse, encontrar su centro de votación o urna electoral más cercana, rastrear su voto o para saber más.

Primer Viernes llega a casa

Carbondale Arts está oficialmente tomando control de los Primeros Viernes del mes, comenzando con la celebración del Día de los Muertos. En años más recientes, el evento de cada mes creció bajo la administración de la Cámara de Comercio de Carbondale. Pero, de hecho fue Carbondale Arts (anteriormente Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities) quien fundó la tradición local del Primer Viernes a principios de los años 2000s como una manera de destacar en artes en nuestra comunidad y apoyar a los negocios a lo largo de Main Street.

Alertas de emergencia traducidos

Los miembros de las comunidades de Garfield, Eagle y Pitkin ahora pueden recibir alertas de emergencia en más de 130 idiomas con la aplicación ReachWell. Ya está disponible para todos, incluyendo turistas visitando, y no requiere a los usuarios crear una cuenta ni ofrecer información personal. Solamente descargue la aplicación, acepte la notificación, seleccione su idioma preferido e incluya el canal de alerta de emergencia del condado.

Cerrado por temporada

La carretera 82 de Colorado en Independence Pass (aproximadamente los marcadores de milla 47 al 84) está cerrada por el invierno. Es un poco antes del cierre del año pasado el 4 de noviembre, pero más tarde del cierre del 28 de octubre en el 2021. Arando curvas empinadas en ambos lados de la calle no es seguro durante los meses de invierno y las secciones de la calle están expuestas a peligros significativos de avalanchas.

La calle usualmente abre nuevamente el jueves antes del fin de semana del Día de la Recordación, si lo permite el clima.

12 • el Sol del Valle • soprissun.com/espanol/ • 2 de noviembre - 8 de noviembre de 2023

"Sincronías" parte 47, por Leonardo Occhipinti

Estándares de ciencias sociales

Tras anular los polémicos estándares de American Birthright para ciencias sociales, la junta escolar de Garfield Re-2 terminó la votación de 3-1 en adoptar los estándares adoptados de la Junta de Educación del 2022 en acuerdo con la recomendación del comité de ciencias sociales de la comunidad. El movimiento refleja la mayoría de los comentarios del público en la reunión, además de las recomendaciones de un comité hecho de maestros, padres y otras personas el cual estableció la revisión del currículum de los estudios sociales y alternativas de estudio.

Envios a Redstone

The Sopris Sun está buscando a alguien que pueda cumplir con los envíos a Redstone los jueves por la mañana. Solamente hay un par de paradas que llevan a la tienda general de Redstone desde Third Street Center en Carbondale. Si está interesado en ayudar con los envíos de las noticias semanales, por favor contacte a news@soprissun.com

OPINIÓN

Bibliotecas de Garfield Por Mari Plaza-Munet

El Día de los Muertos es una festividad importante en México y muchos países de América Latina y el mundo. Esta es una festividad importante donde las familias se unen para honrar a sus antepasados o a quienes fallecieron. Si bien esta importante celebración ocurre en diferentes épocas del año para otros países, los mexicanos la celebran del 1 al 2 de noviembre.

Como nota histórica: “La inevitabilidad de la muerte es más aceptada que temida. El Día de los Muertos se remonta a los aztecas, quienes no solo tenían unos días sino un mes entero dedicado a los muertos. Las festividades eran presididas por la diosa Mictecacihuatl. El rito anual presenta esqueletos, altares y otros adornos de la muerte, pero la antigua festividad celebra la vida en un abrazo a la muerte.

Los esqueletos bailan y cantan. Flores, frutas y dulces decoran los altares.

El lado mórbido de la muerte está enterrado bajo la música y los recuerdos.

En el calendario azteca, este ritual

La historia del Día de los Muertos

caía aproximadamente al final del mes gregoriano de julio y principios de agosto. En la época posterior a la conquista, los sacerdotes españoles lo trasladaron para que coincidiera con la festividad cristiana de Todos los Santos, el “Día de Todos Santos”. El resultado es que ahora los mexicanos celebran el Día de los Muertos durante los dos primeros días de noviembre. Según la tradición, las puertas del cielo se abren a la medianoche del 31 de octubre y los espíritus de los niños pueden reunirse con sus familias durante 24 horas. Los espíritus de los adultos podrán hacer lo mismo el 2 de noviembre según lo indican los archivos de la ciudad de Los Ángeles.

Durante el homenaje a la muerte, el Día de los Muertos, la gente en México se reúne con música, oración, comida y bebidas en una celebración que ocurre en los cementerios, alrededor de las tumbas de los difuntos. Los preparativos para este importante evento comienzan a mediados de octubre, y las familias se unen para limpiar y arreglar los cementerios y refrescar los espacios con flores de cempasúchil (flor de caléndula, marigold) y otras. La flor de cempasúchil representa los muertos.

Las ofrendas colocadas en los cementerios se presentan como obsequios a los muertos que desean regresar, y se colocan flores en un sendero para apoyarlos a cómo regresar a casa. Y se ofrendan comidas y bebidas que simbólicamente se preparan con mucho amor para estos que ya partieron,

convirtiéndose en parte de la celebración donde las familias cantan, bailan, comen y toman.

Entre los alimentos presentados está el destacado "pan de muerto", un pan dulce horneado para los difuntos.

En cuanto a la decoración, uno de los íconos más visibles es la figura del esqueleto que adorna las celebraciones.

Las catrinas, llamadas calacas en español antiguo, son las imágenes más creativas, divertidas y celebradas que identifican esta festividad en todo el mundo. Los orígenes históricos de la catrina, que datan alrededor de 1910, fueron creados por el artista mexicano José Guadalupe Posada. Posada hizo esta primera catrina, y muchas otras catrinas, como

una representación satírica de los ricos.

Muchos países celebran la tradición de honrar a los muertos. A pesar de la creencia común de que el Día de Muertos es una tradición exclusivamente mexicana, otros países lo celebran como festividad, entre ellos India, Corea, Nepal, Japón, Camboya, Tailandia, China, Irlanda, Ecuador, Belice, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Brasil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Perú, Filipinas, y Haití, -cada uno con sus singularidades en diferentes épocas del año.

Lo único que une a todos estos países es un deseo profundo y constante de honrar a quienes fallecieron, los antepasados, con una celebración que rinde homenaje a sus vidas y "oraciones" que los apoyen después de la muerte para un buen regreso a casa.

el Sol del Valle • Conector de comunidad • 2 de noviembre - 8 de noviembre de 2023 • 13

Rams rue missed chances in narrow playoff loss

By Luke Wander Sopris Sun Correspondent When two strong teams face each other in knockout soccer, the result tends to depend either on one moment of brilliance or one minor mistake.

For long stretches of Tuesday’s playoff game against the Liberty Common Eagles, the Roaring Fork Rams seemed one moment of magic away from scoring the goal that would send them into the state quarterfinals. Cruelly, it was a mistake that proved to be the game’s decisive moment.

Despite mixed starts to their seasons, both Roaring Fork and Liberty Common came into this playoff matchup on winning streaks. Since falling 1-0 to Summit High on October 10th, the Rams had scored 29 goals in their last five games, all victories, including a 3-0 thumping of Timnath to begin their playoff campaign last week. Meanwhile, the Eagles had won their last six games by a combined score of 34-4.

As if they were in need of more motivation to win, the Rams were also determined to avenge their 3-0 loss to Liberty Common in the semifinals of last year’s 3A playoffs.

Nerves were clearly frayed in the opening 10 minutes of the game. Both teams were sloppy in possession and found it difficult to establish any sort of rhythm. Just as the Rams began to settle down and dictate the game, a clever ball from winger Jacob Barlow put Yusbani Duarte through on goal, but with only the goalkeeper to

beat, Duarte poked a tame shot wide.

Roaring Fork’s midfield trio of Foster Hayes, Eli Cohen, and Josh Hernandez controlled the pace of the game in their characteristic technical fashion during the first half, though it did not lead to any goals.

Early in the second half the Eagles set out to change that. Thirty seconds in, Liberty Common’s Andrew Dutoit was given a yellow card for his rugby-esque tackle on counterpart Foster Hayes, but the message was clear: the Eagles were going to make their presence felt in midfield.

Despite the uptick in intensity, the Rams still managed to create chances. In the 51st minute Yusbani Duarte burned his defender down the left flank and snuck a shot around the goalkeeper. It looked like the piece of magic that Roaring Fork needed to win the game. As the ball crept closer to the goal line, to everyone’s surprise Eagles defender PJ Wrona’s left foot somehow managed to hook the ball out of danger. The Rams insisted the ball had crossed the line, but the referee waved play on.

In their attacking third, the Eagles made frequent use of long balls, but the Roaring Fork defense, led by senior goalkeeper Noel Richardson, proved up to the task of clearing the ball each time.

In the 62nd minute, one such long ball took a funny bounce off the ground and struck the outstretched hand of Ram’s defender Gabriel Salas in the box, giving the referee no choice but to award a penalty to Liberty Common. Senior Brady Poore stepped up and sent Richardson the wrong way to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

With a quarter of an hour left to save their season, the Rams became more desperate in their search for a goal. Despite coming back from being a goal down three times when they last faced the Eagles, the Rams were unable to find the goal they needed to extend their playoff run.

With the final seconds ticking off the clock, Foster Hayes created one last chance for himself but a Liberty

Roaring Fork’s Jeffrey Candela (12) fights for the ball.

Photo by Sue Rollyson

Common defender threw himself in front of the shot and the game, as well as Roaring Fork’s season, came to an end.

Coach Nick Forbes was somber but grateful to his team in the aftermath of the loss. “This team is so much fun to watch,” he said. “We created chances aplenty.

As the game goes on and we don’t take those chances, things get a little rushed and frazzled, and then it builds and builds and builds and that’s something we never overcame this year.”

Losing thirteen seniors to graduation will force Coach Forbes and the Roaring Fork Rams into a major rebuild next season. No matter what style of play takes shape, Forbes is adamant that one principle remains the focus: “We win and lose as a team. We have to look at ourselves as a whole and not just one individual, and take it on the chin.”

After a hard fought victory away from home, Liberty Common will take on Colorado Academy, the state’s top-ranked 3A team, on Nov. 4.

Despite Roaring Fork’s loss, playoff soccer is alive and well on the Western Slope. On Tuesday the Rifle Bears beat Fort Lupton 2-0 to set up a quarterfinal with Peak to Peak, and the Coal Ridge Titans upset Kent Denver in a 3-2 victory and will face Frontier Academy in their quarterfinal.

High hopes for future of Roaring Fork football after solid JV season

By John Stroud Sopris Sun Correspondent

The scene resembled Friday night lights in Anytown, USA on Oct. 16, when the Roaring Fork High School junior varsity football team hosted rival Glenwood Springs for the season finale.

Fans filled the stands after a pregame barbecue, the student pep band was playing and there was lots of good energy.

Except it was a Monday.

“We really wanted to have the game under the lights and not the usual afternoon time, and Glenwood agreed to that,” head Rams Coach Scott Noll said.

Roaring Fork had to cancel its varsity season this year due to low player numbers.

“The big thing we’ve been pushing is how to bridge that gap and get these younger players ready, and build some excitement with the middle school players coming up,” Noll said.

“I talked to a couple of the (youth) coaches after the game (a 44-8 win for the Rams), and it was a little emotional,” he said. “With that many people in the stands, it was pretty magical.”

Noll is confident Roaring Fork will return to the varsity ranks next season.

Because the decision was made to abandon the varsity schedule after practices had started for the season, rules allow a school to resume varsity play the following season. Otherwise, they would have had to wait two years, Noll clarified.

The Rams concluded the JV

season with a 4-3 record.

Several Roaring Fork upperclassmen opted to play varsity for neighboring Glenwood Springs, and former Rams coach Eric Bollock became the Demons’ wide receiver coach and later head coach after father-son coaches Robert and Hunter Holmes were let go.

With Roaring Fork juniors Hunter Noll and Balaram Koss, and sophomore Zack Bollock, all expected to return to the Rams roster next year, it should be a good foundation to build on, Coach Noll said.

Volleyball season concludes

The Roaring Fork girls volleyball team closed out the season with a 3-0 loss at Class 4A Steamboat Springs (2522, 25-15, 25-4) on Oct. 27.

The loss kept the Rams out of the 36team field for this week’s 3A Regionals, with a season record of 9-14. Roaring Fork finished at 2-5 in the 3A Western Slope League.

The Rams graduate three seniors: Ruby Denning, Nora Lindgren and Fernanda Ruiz.

Despite the disappointment of not making it into the postseason, head coach Karen Crownhart is positive about next season, when a still rather young Rams squad will mature even more.

“We are losing some really valuable leadership with our three seniors, but just as they matured from juniors into seniors and took on that leadership role, we have a good group coming up again next year,” Crownhart said.

A 3-2 win over Olathe at home last

14 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • November 2 - November 8, 2023

Photo by Sue Rollyson

week for Senior Night was a big turning point for the Rams, she said.

“We were down two sets, but never gave up and came back and won it at the very end,” Crownhart said. “It was such a great culmination of the season, to be able to finish off a tight game without losing it ourselves.”

Three area volleyball teams did earn bids to the 3A Regionals, Rifle at No. 16, Basalt at No. 29 and Aspen at No. 23; and in the 4A ranks, Glenwood Springs at No. 32.

State cross country results

Several members of the Basalt/ Roaring Fork cross country team competed at the 3A State Championships in Colorado Springs on Saturday, Oct. 28.

Top finisher for the boys was senior Owen Lambert, 29th out of 152 finishers in a season-best time of 17:08.5. Sophomore Towler Scott was 40th (17:23.1).

For the girls, junior Isabella Moon finished 47th (out of 151) with a time of 20:50.2. Sophomore Addison Raymond was 105th (22:32.7); junior Morgan Frank was 108th (22:41.1); and, with a pair of season-best times, junior Ana Cabrera was 117th (23:05.9) and senior Georgia Searles was 121st (23:11.2). Sophomore Caroline Cole was 122nd (23:11.7).

Competing in the 2A state meet, Colorado Rocky Mountain School runners Ben Oldham was 43rd with a season-best time of 17:56.3, and Sawyer McLernon was 88th (18:58.4), also a season best.

SECURITY

SAVINGS

INDEPENDENCE

You should have the financial freedom to retire with dignity.

More than 4 out of 10 Coloradans don’t have a retirement savings account from work.

Saving just a little now can make a big difference later.

Colorado SecureSavings allows workers to build their financial future with their own retirement account.

$

You’re in complete control – you choose how much to save from each paycheck, set up automatic payroll deductions, select the investment options that are right for you – and keep your account if you change jobs.

Start saving for your future today.

Visit ColoradoSecureSavings.com or call 1-844-692-1073

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • November 2 - November 8, 2023 • 15

Sister Hazel at TACAW on Nov. 3

By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent

The platinum-selling alternative rock band Sister Hazel will perform at The Arts Campus at Willits (TACAW) on Friday, Nov. 3.

In a recent telephone interview with The Sopris Sun, Ryan Newell, Sister Hazel’s long-time rhythm and slide guitarist, said their current U.S. tour is “upwards of about 100 shows.”

The band, founded in 1993 by lead vocalist and guitarist Ken Block, met while attending the University of Florida in Gainesville. While all band members have college degrees, “Being members of Sister Hazel is the only, quote-unquote, real job that all of us have ever had,” Newell said with a laugh.

The band’s namesake — Dr. Hazel K. Williams, known as “Sister Hazel” — founded Angel of Mercy ministry in Gainesville and advocated for the homeless and poor until she died in 2016 at 91.

In 2002, Block and bandmates founded Sister Hazel’s Lyrics for Life Foundation, a pediatric cancer charity created in memory of Block’s younger brother, Jeffrey, who, after a four-year battle with cancer, died at age 18.

The nonprofit organization collaborates with the Gainesville-based Stop Children’s Cancer, Inc., for which Lyrics’ events “have raised a million dollars,” Newell stated.

“An Evening of Making Music Matter” is an annual benefit fundraiser that has featured performances from musical guests, including Darius Rucker, Edward McCain and Emerson Hart of the band Tonic. The band also hosts an annual three-day "Camp Hazelnut" event for kids and families navigating the challenges of a cancer diagnosis.

Following in the footsteps of the inspirational Sister Hazel Williams, Newell said, “It feels great when we can give back. We finally are lucky enough to have a platform to make a difference, and if we didn't do it we'd feel like it'd be a wasted opportunity.”

When asked about the band’s longevity in today’s trend-driven music industry, Newell explained, “First and foremost, luck was involved because we like each other and are genuinely friends. We like to hang out with one another.

It's more than just that we make a good sound together. I know a lot of bands where the musical chemistry is there, but they don't like each other.”

Another factor Newell cites is that they respect one another’s opinions. “It’s just like a marriage — you have to learn how to pick your battles. When we were younger, we used to fight over everything, and sometimes over ridiculous things, because we were so passionate. But through the years, we realized

Let’s Get You

Covered.

Courtesy photo

when to sit out, like, ‘I'm gonna sit this one out, because someone else in the band seems passionate about it. I'm just gonna let them run with it.’ We give everyone their moment.”

The most revelatory moment in the interview came when Newell talked about the humor bandmates share.

“This almost sounds silly, but one of the biggest reasons we've stayed together for so long is we all share the same sense of humor. We laugh at the same things, and there's a lot of humor in this band, and we're laughing all the time … I laugh a certain way with these guys in the band that I don't laugh [like] in any other part of my life. There’s a lot of laughter — It's like my therapy."

At TACAW, you can expect to hear some new Sister Hazel music from an upcoming album, including the recently released single, “Coconut Trees.”

Newell said the new album will take listeners back to the immersive listening experience that has become somewhat lost in today’s land of playlists.

“Today, a lot of people don't listen to music, from an album perspective, from beginning to end, but we still very much try to make records that make sense from song to song and an album that you can play all the way to the end and it actually makes sense — it takes you on a journey,” Newell said.

Doors open at 7pm, and performances begin at 8pm for the standingroom, 21-plus show with opening act, and Colorado-raised country artist, Buckstein. Tickets can be purchased at www.tacaw.org

Looking to have fun and give back?

Join us at Rotary every Wednesday at 7a.m. at the Carbondale Fire Station!

Visit rotarycarbondale.org for details.

All are welcome!

Nov. 8 -

Rotary Environmental Committee Update Zuleika Pevec - CLEER Chris Peterson - ACE Hardware

Nov. 15 - Dash Wong - Navy SEAL

“A Life of Obstacles”

RSVP to Rick Carlson (970) 948-9650 • riccarlson@gmail.com

Health Insurance Enrollment Events November 5 November 12 November 19 December 3 December 17 January 14

| | | | | |

Glenwood Library, 9am – 1pm Edwards Integrated Health Center, 9am – 1pm Third Street Center / La Clinica del Pueblo, 9am – 1pm Rifle Library, 9am – 1pm Third Street Center / La Clinica del Pueblo, 9am – 1pm Glenwood Library, 9am – 1pm

Mountain Family Health Centers is a certified assistance site for Connect For Health Colorado. Cover ALL Coloradans expands access to health insurance for all – including those without documentation and DACA recipients.

Call: 833-273-6627 or 970-945-2840 to schedule an appointment Email: EnrollmentHelp@mountainfamily.org

Se Habla Español.

16 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • November 2 - November 8, 2023

Will Tuttle brings 'The World Peace Diet' to Carbondale

By Myki Jones Sopris Sun Correspondent

Will Tuttle, Ph.D., has spent four decades spreading the message of peace to the world through his written work, music, art, film appearances and public speeches all over the world. Tuttle and his wife, Madeleine, have used these mediums to spread their ethos of a vegan lifestyle as a step toward world peace.

He and Madeleine will be making a stop at the Third Street Center in Carbondale on Nov. 8, from 6:30 to 8:30pm, as part of their “Food for Freedom” tour. Tuttle will discuss his upcoming book by the same name (release date not yet announced) and present a lecture followed by a Q&A session. Madeleine artwork will also be available. And, there’s a chance attendees will hear some of his music.

"The idea is to spread the word about the many benefits of liberating animals and ourselves from eating them. I've been doing that for almost 44 years, and it's been great. I would say it's the smartest thing I ever did, besides marrying my wonderful wife." Tuttle told The Sopris Sun. "I'm happy to talk to people and share our experience with them."

Born and raised in Concord, Massachusetts, Tuttle grew up eating the Standard American Diet (SAD), consisting of meat, dairy and other animal (bi)products. At seven-years-old, he asked his mother if this eating standard was the same for everyone. She explained to him that some people are vegetarians. "[I asked her] 'Well, what do they eat?' and she said, 'Don't worry about it, you're never going to meet one.' She was right. I never met one, and we left it at that." Tuttle recalled.

He elaborated on his journey to veganism,

saying he began questioning many things when he graduated from Colby College in Maine in the early ‘70s.

"I was questioning the Vietnam War and other things, and I started reading into the Concord Transcendentalists, where I discovered Emerson and Thoreau,” Tuttle said. “They were interesting, and that led me to read the bible and other religious texts.

Eventually, my younger brother, Ed, and I left home and went on a pilgrimage."

Traveling on foot through the Appalachian Mountains, they eventually came upon a vegetarian community in Alabama, where they stayed for a few months. In 1980, Tuttle became a monk in Korea where he fully adopted the vegan lifestyle.

In 2005, he authored “The World Peace Diet,” a 350-page book outlining the state of the world and how one’s outlook and diet can impact the world around them. The book was inspired by his own journey of becoming a vegan, and included his research into animal agriculture.

"The attitudes required of us to eat meat, dairy products and eggs are not good. They are attitudes of disconnectedness. The attitude of domination over the weak by the strong. The domination of the sacred feminine dimension of life is prevalent in animal agriculture." Tuttle stated. "These attitudes are forced on us by our parents, and it was forced on them by their parents … and so on.

It goes back thousands of years."

This will be the couple's first time visiting Carbondale, and Tuttle said he is excited to speak with the community and engage in conversations led with understanding. He

Madeleine and Will Tuttle, courtesy photo

explained that during any appearance he does not blame anyone for following the SAD. "We speak everywhere: churches, conservative areas, farming communities. I haven't had a lot of pushback. I'm not trying to change anybody.

I'm telling folks what I've discovered,” Tuttle concluded. “The underlying idea is that when we focus on something positive and try to be loving, kind and let others be healthy and free … it will work out better for us."

For more information on the release of "Food For Freedom" or to keep up with Tuttle and his teachings, visit www.willtuttle.com

LAST CHANCE TO VOTE!

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • November 2 - November 8, 2023 • 17

GUEST

OPINION

By David Johnson

Editor’s note, David Johnson is the owner of Crystal Fly Shop.

I’m writing to express my belief that a Crystal River augmentation project with a $1.5 million budget at Janeway would be detrimental to the Crystal River, to the Janeway ecosystem and contradictory to a long-term goal of Wild and Scenic designation.

The idea of rechanneling part of the Crystal through Janeway was presented at a Restoration Workshop I attended in 2018, and is still under consideration with the West Divide Water Conservancy District and Colorado River Water Conservation District. The goal

Thoughts on Janeway and Wild and Scenic designation

would supposedly be wetland reconstruction and “natural storage” of water within the wetlands to prolong flows.

I have spent a lot of time at Janeway and nearby, and instead of benefiting the wildlife, as has been presented, wetland reconstruction would do more harm than good.

Janeway hosts elk, deer, turkeys, bears, mountain lions, coyotes and a slew of small mammals and waterfowl.

Particularly in the spring and winter, Janeway is crucial to elk as the meadow provides grass for foraging. Creating a side channel through Janeway would deplete these grasses, grow more willows — which is a much worse food source for big game in the winter — and leave empty ditches full of mud and red sandstone for most of the year where grass once grew.

In fact, a wetlands already exists in the wooded area at the north end of Janeway where the river bends back to the east and creates aquifers during high water, so an additional wetland is not needed. That wooded area provides cover for animals, but is nearly impenetrable at certain spots.

During winter and spring, elk come out of these and other neighboring woods because they need the grass in the open meadow.

The Avalanche and Janeway areas have been ground zero the last couple of years (hundreds of thousands of years, really) for mudslides coming out of the Swiss Village area, the Narrows and Avalanche Creek. If you park at the Forest Service sign, you will see the detritus of this summer’s mudslides still lining the banks and the shallows of the river — often many inches deep. If a channel is carved out of the river at the south end of Janeway, that channel will filter tons of sediment into the Janeway meadow from Swiss Village and choke off vegetation.

That meadow would look like the old campground near the Avalanche trailhead just up the road — a mud pit.

Creating another diversion off of the Crystal River will only decrease flows year round, most importantly during mudslide events when the river needs flows to be as high as possible to flush sediment downriver.

Water is the greatest artist and provider of life. For millions of years, water has used erosion as its medium to sculpt the mountains and landscapes that we now see, and rivers have carried away the crumbs of that rock and earth in the form of sediment.

This is what rivers do. This is why the Crystal Rivers needs to remain undammed, and Wild and Scenic — or a hybrid version — may be the best way to assure this From a fisheries standpoint, many of the most popular and productive fisheries in the West are tailwaters — dam controlled. More consistent flows create more dependable insect life, consistent temperatures and often better reproductive rates for trout and salmonids (unless dams themselves create obstacles to upstream spawning areas).

The reason why the Crystal would not benefit as a fishery from damming, like other rivers have, is because the Crystal Valley simply has too much erosion and the river needs these large natural spikes in flow to flush sediment; which,

in this case, keeps it from choking off insect life and oxygen levels for fish.

In the last few years, natural erosion of mainly sandstone in twenty or more slide paths from Perham to Placita has put more material into the river system than even the human-induced erosion at Coal Basin. When you add the massive amounts of slate from Slate Creek in Marble to the mix, it becomes obvious that any type of damming of the Crystal River will just add large deposits of sediment within the river system since dams are almost never managed to provide flushing flows when sediment levels are so high.

This is why we need Wild and Scenic designation, and this is why we need to leave Janeway “unimproved” as a condition thereof. Leave the Crystal alone, and leave Janeway alone. If the river wants to find its way into that meadow, it will.

ENTER TO WIN

AFTER-HOURS MEDICAL CARE ASPEN VALLEY HOSPITAL

THE BOOK of THE MONTH

From White River Books | Sponsored by JAMIE MAYBON

SCAN TO ENTER TO WIN

When You Have Unexpected Medical Needs

Our After-Hours clinic provides a convenient, cost-effective way to receive the compassionate care you deserve without a visit to the ER.

Whitcomb rrace No appointment necessary, walk-ins welcome!

Weekdays: 3:00 pm - 11:00 pm Weekends: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

234 East Cody Lane, Basalt 970.544.1250 Virtual visits available

After-Hours Medical Care

aspenhospital.org |

NOVEMBER Book of the Month

JOIN US

For November Book Club Wednesday Nov. 15, 5:30-6:30 at White River Books

Jamie Maybon 970.309.5552 jamie@masonmorse.com

AspenValleyHospital

18 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • November 2 - November 8, 2023

cbmasonmorse.com

The Post Office is overwhelmed

Opinion by Natascha Hildebrandt Special to The Sopris Sun

You’re repairing something.

Ace and the COOP don’t have the part. It’s cheaper to order it on Amazon than to spend the gas and time to drive to Lowe’s in Glenwood Springs to see if they have what you need. It arrives in a day or two! This is life in the rural USA. Little do we realize how our purchases burden our local mail carriers.

When I moved two years ago, I began a friendship with my local United States Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier.

She wraps packages in plastic, so they don’t get wet, and takes all kinds of care. She works damn hard. Occasionally, she vents — it seems to be all about Amazon. I became curious, how could I help her? What is the problem, exactly?

Auto-ship, for one. We are ordering monthly supplies of dog food, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, diapers, baby wipes, bleach, bottled water, bottled beverages by the case, reams of paper — sometimes two in a box — that fill the aging vehicles. The carriers must return to the Post Office a second or even a third

time, using up more gas and wearing on already old tires.

Rural mail carriers don’t get paid hourly, so there’s no extra pay if it takes her until 10pm to finish her route.

Amazon packaging is such that a USB plug might be packed in a box the size of a coffin and filled with air bladders. Things like RoundUp weed killer fall out of the boxes. The carriers handle items that are marked to be lifted by at least two people. There have been days when my carrier was near tears. She can’t plan anything in the evenings because she never knows what time she will finish work. Last year, she went over eight months working six days a week. Following COVID restrictions, rural carriers were denied hazard pay and apparently have had to take pay cuts due to the new rural route evaluated compensation system.

This is not an anti-Amazon tirade. The point is to shine a light on burdened members of our community and to realize this scenario is likely playing out throughout the U.S. in other rural areas. How can we make this better?

Communication would be one

way. The Carbondale Post Office has no way to contact Amazon to suggest they take over the old City Market space or to tell them they cannot handle the average of 2,700 packages a day. They don’t have staff or space to receive packages until 10pm, or midnight to 4am. Amazon will not send a manifest of what packages are coming, so the Post Office cannot plan. The volume of packages is such that there can be only one worker at the counter at the Post Office, which leads to long lines and problems if the person needs to leave their post for a break.

My carrier has worked for USPS for over 16 years.

At times she is paid 7-8 hours for 10-12 hours of work. At Christmastime the carriers used to go on “mission mode,” putting their personal lives aside, falling behind on chores and decompressing once the holidays were over. Now, the mission never ends. She doesn’t understand why Amazon doesn’t have their own fleet of delivery vehicles or why the details of the deal between Amazon and the Post Office are sealed. Is it a conflict of interest that

Art by Sofie Koski

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy owns stock options in Amazon? Why was a deal made where the USPS subsidizes Amazon at the cost of their workers?

As members of the community, we can at least try to be patient and kind with the people who work at our local Post Office and those who deliver for us. We can try to empty our mailboxes and lockers promptly and be more

understanding about having to go to the Post Office to pick something up. Some packages are too big, heavy, or there are too many, or something was damaged. Before we complain, we can ask our carrier or local Post Office why something wasn’t delivered.

It's raining and my mail carrier is negotiating the bumps in our road, with only one windshield wiper working, dreading the next Amazon holiday sale.

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • November 2 - November 8, 2023 • 19

Origins of El Día de los Muertos in Mexico

Mari Plaza-Munet Garfield County Libraries

El Día de los Muertos is an important holiday in Mexico and many countries of Latin America and the world. This is an important holiday where families unite to honor their ancestors or those who passed. While this important celebration happens at different times of the year in other countries, Mexicans celebrate it from Nov. 1-2.

As a historical note, “The inevitability of death is accepted rather than feared. El Día de los Muertos goes back to the Aztecs, who had not just a few days but an entire month dedicated to the dead. Festivities were presided over by the goddess Mictecacihuatl. The annual rite features skeletons, altars and other trappings of death, but the ancient holiday celebrates life in its embrace of death. The skeletons dance and sing.

Flowers, fruit and candy decorate altars. Death’s morbid side is buried under music and remembrances.

“In the Aztec calendar, this ritual fell roughly at the end of the Gregorian month of July and the beginning of August. In the postconquest era, it was moved by Spanish priests so that it coincided with the Christian holiday of All Hallows Eve, “Día de Todos Santos.” The result is that Mexicans now celebrate the Day of the Dead during the first two days of November.” * According to tradition, the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on Oct. 31, and the spirits of children can rejoin their families for 24 hours.

The spirits of adults can do the same on Nov. 2.

During the honoring of the dead, Día de los Muertos, people in Mexico gather with music, prayer, food and drinks in a celebration that occurs in cemeteries, around the tombs and graves of those who are deceased. The preparations for this significant event begin in mid-October, with families joining in to clean and spruce up graveyards and refresh spaces with fresh marigolds and other flowers.

The ofrendas (offerings) placed on the graveyards are presented to the dead who wish to return, as gifts, and flowers are placed in a trail to support those who passed so they know how to return home. As for all of the food and drinks that are on ofrendas, those become part of the celebration that families partake in as they sing and dance.

Pitkin County Cares Let us help you find the resources you need.

Pitkin County Human Services:

The first Catrina depiction created by Jose Guadalupe Posada, courtesy image One of the most noticeable foods is the ‘pan de muerto,’ a sweet bread baked for the deceased.

As for decorations, one of the most visible icons is the skeleton figure embellishing the celebrations. Catrinas, called calacas in ancient Spanish, are the most creative, fun and celebrated images identifying this holiday worldwide. The historical origins of the Catrina, dated around 1910, were created by Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada.

Posada made this first Catrina (image above), and many others, as a satirical representation of the rich.

Many countries celebrate a tradition honoring the dead. Despite the common belief that the Day of the Dead is exclusively a Mexican tradition, other countries celebrate it in some form including: India, Korea, Nepal, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, China, Ireland, Ecuador, Belize, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, Philippines and Haiti, each with their singularities at different times of the year.

The one thing that unites all of these countries is a deep and consistent desire to honor those who passed, the ancestors, with a celebration that pays tribute to their lives and “prayers” that support them after death for a good return home. * www.bit.ly/LAPDDiadeLosMuertos

CARBONDALE CLAY CENTER

CCC will be closed during Friday, November 3rd.

Join us the following Friday, Nov. 10th, for the opening of Holiday Invitational

Annual cash and carry exhibition Community Resources:

November 10th December 23rd Opening reception Nov. 10th | 6-8pm Unique Handmade Holiday Gifts! pitkincounty.com/humanservices (970) 920-5235

20 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • November 2 - November 8, 2023

135 MAIN ST. CARBONDALE, CO | CARBONDALECLAY.ORG |970.963.2529

Comparte tus proyectos creativos aún en proceso con nuestros lectores. Puedes enviarnos un correo electrónico con tus ilustraciones, creaciones literarias y poesía a fiction@soprissun.com

Share your works in progress with readers by emailing illustrations, creative writings and poetry to fiction@soprissun.com

A peace march in Florence

Gaza

By Illene Pevec Carbondale

By Rick Davis Glenwood Springs I had this neighbor who I had not met.

Some of his family perhaps knew some of mine, but time has not been so generous, and the memories are long forgotten.

My neighbor and his family were crazy, as well were mine, neither side wanted nothing less than total destruction of the other.

I had this neighbor, I did not know, Yet I desired his death.

In some moments I question this, Why? Because it is the way of things, it always was, and so it is.

I have this friend, he used to be my enemy, but as we buried the last of our family, across the way our eyes met, I saw his tears And he saw mine.

We laid down our weapons and wept in each other’s arms.

I participated in a candlelight peace march on Monday, Oct. 23 in Florence, Italy. The Catholic priest at San Miniato, a church built in 1018 on one of the highest hills in Florence, organized the march in collaboration with a Rabbi, an Imam, Florence’s mayor and the governor of Tuscany along with several civil society groups. No flags were allowed and no one tried to say or do anything political. This was a march for peace prayers. I was grateful to unite with so many people for such an important cause, peace for all people.

Only the priest spoke and this was intentional to not have anything said to cause political reactions. He made everyone laugh by acknowledging the dinner hour in which we gathered in the dark with the rising moon and apologized to the crowd for not having the ability to divide loaves and fishes.

Why Florence? It lies between the Ukraine-Russia war to the northeast

Photo by Illene Pevec

and the Israel/Hamas conflict to the southeast. I went to university in Florence for two quarters in 1968, and I return whenever I can to this place of great beauty. We walked from a bridge on the Arno to San Miniato, a big uphill climb.

My candle lasted all the way and I hope all of the prayers will last and continue.

Please add your prayers for peaceful solutions to be found and created. Peace comes from people united inwardly for the well being of all.

presented by carbondale arts

De c k the

WA L L S

Thursday, Nov 16, 4-7pm members-only opening friday, nov 17, 12-7pm public opening

LABOR OF LOVE AUCTION IS DEC. 1ST over 100 auction items drinks, food, fun

support local this holiday season!

special details to follow

carbondalearts.com

KDNK.ORG 76 S. 2ND STREET, CARBONDALE

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • November 2 - November 8, 2023 • 21

LETTERS

the Fire District will see almost a $2.5 million increase in the 2024 property tax revenues over the 2023 ones. If HH passes, that revenue will only increase about 90% of that, or $2.25 million.

Future increases will be limited to 3% annual property value increase, not the nearly 40% most property owners experienced this year.

So the special districts will see less of an increase in future property tax revenue, but not a decrease in future property tax revenue.

Vote for HH. Lower prop tax this year and limited increases in future years is good for homeowners and renters, who will see property tax increases passed on to them if HH fails.

Susan Rhea, Carbondale

No on HH

When examining the 2022 financial statements for Eagle County, the first thing one notices is that the fiscal 2022 surplus was $77.9 million and $29.9 million for fiscal 2021. Sales tax collection was up $8.8 million and property tax collection was up $1.02 million. The 2022 surplus was 261% of property taxes collected in 2022, raising the question why property taxes in Eagle County are even necessary, since even if zero property taxes had been collected in 2022 the surplus would still have been a hefty $48.0 million.

This whole discussion surrounding proposition HH is a smokescreen to hide the obvious fact that property taxes for everyone are too darn high. Add the fact that valuations for fiscal 2024 have soared means that upcoming surpluses have the potential to be even more egregious for all taxpayers including both primary and second home residences.

What needs to happen is a serious dialogue at both the county and state level about how to lower everyone's taxes so that more money stays in the hands of economically-active citizens and not idling in a government controlled money market fund providing no demonstrable value to the taxpaying citizens of Eagle County and the State of Colorado.

Vote “NO” on Proposition HH. Mike Meehan, Eagle County

From Jasmine

22 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • November 2 - November 8, 2023

I am excited to be running for a second term on the Roaring Fork School District’s board of education.

It has been an honor to serve our community these last four years.

As a community, we need to ensure that our scholars have access to the best possible education that we can provide. It is our responsibility to prepare them for the challenges that they will face in the future and to equip them with the skills that they will need to succeed.

We need to create educational environments where our students can thrive. This means investing in

continued from page 2

our schools, our teachers and our communities. It means providing access to technology and resources that will help our students learn and grow. It means creating a culture of inclusivity and diversity that will foster creativity and innovation.

As we look to the future, we need to think about the challenges that our students will face, and we need to prepare them for those challenges.

We need to give them the tools that they will need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

I believe that our students are the key to our future. They are the ones who will create the new technologies, the new businesses and the new ideas that will shape our world. We need to invest in them, and we need to believe in them.

So, as a candidate running for four more years, my hope is this: let us unite as a community and recommit to our students. Let us provide them with the best possible education, and let us give them the tools that they will need to succeed.

Together, we can create a brighter future for all of us.

Vote Jasmin Ramirez, District D, for Roaring Fork School board on Nov. 7.

Jasmine Ramirez RFSD, District D

From David

For personal reasons, I am a huge fan of Colorado Mountain College (CMC).

My father was a high school teacher who involved himself with improving graduation requirements. When alone, my dad talked to me about the importance of high schools and colleges needing to provide education tailored to the needs of the community. I admire CMC for being the type of college that my father envisioned. CMC continues to adjust to the community’s needs while delivering an affordable education.

As an engineer, I worked 38 years for a single company. My many roles included budgeting, strategic planning and decision analysis. Additionally, working for a corporation instilled in me extremely strong values of safety and diversity. Now retired, I am an adjunct faculty member at CMC teaching community education classes.

Putting students first is the core principle that guides my approach and priorities. My plan is to address forest fire evacuation. Responsible budgeting will ensure the long-term health of CMC while keeping education costs low.

Broadening the diversity of the board of trustees brings the board more in line with the perspectives of the student population and the community. Adding my experience to the board will address blind spots and improve the quality of decision making.

I’m running for the District 2 board position because CMC is important to me. I clearly see that the board of trustees can benefit from a wider range of work experience. Voting for me, David Use, will change and improve the board, taking a great education institution to a new level of excellence.

David Use, CMC Board Candidate continues on page 23

PARTING SHOTS

These cute little fur balls were part of a K9 costume contest and parade at Hendrick Dog Park on Sunday, Oct. 29. While The Sopris Sun was not able to secure all of the details about contest results, we do know this Panda was one of many winners of the

Redstone General Store

continued from page 5

the nonprofit vision is to keep this space available as Redstone's community center.

“If the General Store closed, my business would be screwed,” said Laura Reagan, referring to an art gallery and internet cafe she operates further north on the boulevard. Reagan is also the Redstone General Store's accountant and has been helping write grants. She sees Redstone's potential as a shopping destination with stores up and down the boulevard, anchored by two restaurants on either end and held at its center by the Redstone General Store.

In addition to becoming a nonprofit, the Redstone General Store is exploring other avenues, such as Pitkin County acquiring the building and leasing it. This would look similar to The Launchpad, rented to Carbondale Arts by the Town of Carbondale, or The Marble Hub building, similarly leased by Gunnison County to a nonprofit. Another option being floated is the co-op model, thus establishing the Redstone Community Store.

“While the overall goal may be to raise $1 million total, the more reasonable goal in the short-term is to raise enough money to secure the building,” the press release concluded. “This would help the store survive the winter and kick off Spring '24 with more momentum and learnings.”

Experienced people are sought to help with the transition to a nonprofit. Additionally, generous individuals and entities willing to pledge $10,000 per year for 10 years would guarantee success. Otherwise, donations of all sizes are currently being accepted at www.redstonegeneralstore.com You can contact the store at theredstonegeneralstore@gmail.com or by calling 970-963-3126.

LETTERS

‘Freedom to Read’

I came away from the Oct. 18 “Freedom to Read” forum impressed with the passion all attendees had for the power of reading. It was also clear that for some this power was exhilarating, while for others it was a source of fear. They worried that reading the wrong sorts of materials could lead to “grooming” and “desensitization” of their children.

I grew up in a family of readers; I was groomed to be a reader. Books were read and discussed as part of daily conversations. My reading spanned a variety of authors and genres, from classics to contemporary authors and included both fiction and non-fiction. II enjoyed extended dialogues with my family about what I was reading and valued the expanded worldview I was given. We talked about Shakespeare, whose plays were performed with men in drag playing the female roles and often included concepts that might even be considered by some to be “pornographic.” Should his books be placed on the metaphorical “top shelves,” only available to those over 18? I read fiction by Dickens, writing about the seamier aspects of Victorian life, and

by Sinclair Lewis, once vilified as a communist.

Where should those books be shelved?

The freedom to read is one of our fundamental rights. We are fortunate that Garfield County Public

continued from page 22

Library District’s executive director, Jamie LaRue, has both the understanding and conviction to ensure that our libraries follow the guidelines of the American Library Association to continue to provide the excellent services so valuable to society. As a user of the library I have access to the world, through books on shelves, books available through interlibrary loans and media that is available digitally.

The Dewey Decimal classification system is easy to use and allows users to know where materials are shelved; juvenile and young adult materials are NOT in the adult section. We can’t keep building taller shelves to restrict books from fast-growing teenagers! Parental involvement in their children’s reading does not mean restricting books. It means providing open and thoughtful dialogue about what they read.

Susy Ellison, Carbondale Letters policy: The Sopris Sun welcomes local letters to the editor. Shorter letters stand a better chance of being printed. Letters exclusive to The Sopris Sun (not appearing in other papers) are particularly welcome.

Please cite your facts and include your name and place of residence or association. Letters are due to news@soprissun.com by noon on the Monday before we go to print.

costume contest. Photos by Jane Bachrach

LEGAL

ORDINANCE NO. 7 Series of 2023

AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN OF CARBONDALE, COLORADO APPROVING A COMBINED APPLICATION FOR REZONING, SUBDIVISION EXEMPTION, ADMINISTRATIVE SITE PLAN REVIEW, AND A SPECIAL USE PERMIT FOR THE LITTLE BLUE PRESCHOOL EXPANSION PROJECT NOTICE: This Ordinance was introduced, read, and adopted at a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Carbondale, Colorado, on October 24, 2023.

This Ordinance shall take effect thirty (30) days after publication of this notice. The full text of said Ordinance is available to the public at www.carbondalegov.org or at the office of the Town Clerk, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, Colorado, during normal business hours.

ORDINANCE NO. 8 Series of 2023

AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN OF CARBONDALE, COLORADO AMENDING CHAPTER 17 OF THE CARBONDALE MUNICIPAL CODE (THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE) NOTICE: This Ordinance was introduced, read, and adopted at a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Carbondale, Colorado, on October 24, 2023.

This Ordinance shall take effect thirty (30) days after publication of this notice. The full text of said Ordinance is available to the public at www.carbondalegov.org or at the office of the Town Clerk, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, Colorado, during normal business hours.

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Locally owned.

Accepting new patients.

289 MAIN STREET (970) 963-2826

CARBONDALEAH@GMAIL.COM

Offering: Dentistry Surgery Wellness Geriatric Care Chiropractic Acupuncture Cold Laser

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • November 2 - November 8, 2023 • 23

Together, We're Golden and Grateful You can help Colorado communities continue to shine.

Use your Alpine Bank Loyalty Debit Card* and help us raise $2.5 million to support Colorado community causes. *Alpine Bank Debit Cards are available with no annual fee to individuals with an Alpine Bank Checking account.

INDEPENDENCE • COMMUNITY • COMPASSION • INTEGRITY • LOYALTY

ALPINEBANK.COM • MEMBER FDIC

The Power of Community:

Community Rewards An Easy Way for you to

Help Fund the Sun At No Cost to You Every Time you Buy Groceries

10 Sign ups would support a weekly column 100 Sign ups would support our annual Youth Journalism Program 1,000 Sign ups would support the Annual Cost of our local Government Oversight - a journalist covering every local City/Town, County, School Board, Library Board meeting for a full year.

2,500 Sign ups would support the annual printing costs of the Sopris Sun and el Sol del Valle.

Step 1: Create your Digital City Market Account Step 2: Go to COMMUNITY ---> City Market Community Rewards Step 3: Choose SOPRIS SUN LLC as your preferred nonprofit Step 4: Shop as you normally do City Market then makes a donation to the Sopris Sun 24 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • November 2 - November 8, 2023