Skier dies in fall on Sopris

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
A backcountry skier died on Mount Sopris after falling and tumbling down a chute off the mountain’s eastern peak on Friday, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

Several sources knowledgeable of the incident identified the victim as Lathrop Strang, a Carbondale-based architect and son of former U.S. Rep. Michael Lathrop Strang (R-Colorado).

APD unsure on hybrids

by Curtis Wackerle, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
With a desire to go green, but some concerns about emergency reliability, the Aspen Police Department has reservations about converting its entire fleet to hybrid SUVs.

Since March, Aspen cops have been trying out a Toyota Highlander-turned-police-vehicle with an eye towards replacing their entire fleet of Volvo XC90s with the more fuel-efficient car.

Housing lawsuits piling up

by Troy Hooper, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
A California property owner is continuing his crusade to absolve himself from Aspen’s affordable housing obligations, this time suing the city and its housing authority over a multi-unit apartment complex on Cooper Avenue.

California resident Arnold Meyerstein filed suit in Pitkin County this week asserting that Aspen’s rules constitute rent control, which the Colorado Supreme Court ruled illegal in the often-cited “Telluride case” back in 2000. Meyerstein made the same argument in a lawsuit he filed earlier this month against the city of Aspen and its housing authority for a dispute over two properties he owns at Aspen Highlands.

Pitkin the state’s wealthiest county

by Troy Hooper, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
A new federal study confirms what many people could probably guess : Pitkin County is the wealthiest county in the state.

Of the 64 counties in Colorado, per-capita personal income reached $86,122 in 2006, which was the most recent year cited in the study. That figure is about $70,000 more than Colorado’s poorest county, Crowley County, some 200 miles to the east, where the average income is $16,859.

Crystal River trail from C’dale to BRB Campground coming

by Brent Gardner-Smith, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
The Crystal River Caucus on Thursday night endorsed a proposal to build a five-mile paved bike path along Highway 133 south of Carbondale, from Snowmass Drive near the old Carbondale high school to Seven Oaks Road at the BRB Campground.

The trail is being planned and proposed by the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails department and has received conceptual approval from the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Gas drilling battleground

by David Frey, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
If it’s a battle shaping up between the energy industry and the Ritter administration, then Garfield County is the battleground.

Industry representatives have balked at regulations proposed by Gov. Bill Ritter aimed at reducing the impacts on landowners and the environment. Energy giant EnCana says the brewing regulatory climate is so troubling it’s shifting its attention elsewhere. Other energy companies warn tougher regulations could force them to move, damaging the state’s biggest economic driver.

Executive Service Corps turns 10, hires first full-time exec director

by Damien Williamson, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
With nearly 400 nonprofits in the valley and more cropping up every year, it seems only appropriate for an organization to exist that not only helps new nonprofits grow efficiently, but assists the old ones in operating more effectively.

Fortunately for the Roaring Fork Valley, the Executive Service Corps has been around since 1998 doing just that. And this year, as the nonprofit with the goal of helping other nonprofits turns 10, ESC has hired its first full-time executive director in the company’s history to help with the recent explosion of business, and has set a new goal to simply “keep on doing what we’re doing,” according to ESC President Debbi Falender.

Business Calendar

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23 “Microsoft Excel 2007” computer class presented by Bytemarks in Basalt. Space is limited. 5-8 p.m. Call 927-2333.

Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association hosts its annual awards luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Glenwood Springs Community Center. Tickets are $35. RSVP at glenwoodchamber.com or call 945-6589.

Movers & Shakers

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
ACRA ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD MEMBERS

The Aspen Chamber Resort Association board of directors announced their recent election results, voting in five community members to serve two-year terms. Warren Klug, of the Aspen Square Condominiums, was re-elected to the lodging seats; Jeff Gorsuch of Gorsuch Ltd. was elected to the retail seat; Chris Macdonald of FuseMedia was elected to the service seat; Charles Bantis of Vectra Bank was re-elected to the finance seat; and Carol Hood of Mason Morse Real Estate was re-elected to the real estate seat.

RESORT REPORT

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
What’s happening in other resort communities
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS: CONSIDERING RECREATIONAL USES

ALL BUSINESS

by Rachel Beck
NEW YORK — Reality hit after a few minutes into State Street Corp.’s initially upbeat earnings conference call: The financial services giant had a $3.2 billion skeleton hidden in its closet.

Winning over investor confidence these days doesn’t come by burying news. Amid today’s punishing financial crisis and economic downturn, shareholders want — and deserve — to know straight up about anything that could potentially hurt business or profits.

Digital Slob

by Curt Brandao
From criminal courts to airplane cabins to commuter trains, it seems news stories are illustrating the tug of war over cell-phone chatter on an almost daily basis.

And unless a miracle scientific breakthrough wins a race with time, everyone might be forced to pick a side -- “on” or “off”?

Clear numbers: 101,000 US casualties a year

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
A friend of mine who’s a librarian was recently reviewing job applicants. Asked his qualifications in library skills, one man put “machine gunner.” He was a vet who’d served in Falluja. The library is in a state school here in the United States that, last fall, had 650 such vets enrolled. The young man got the job but soon became irked by what he saw as the trivial preoccupations of his colleagues. He applied for a job at a nearby police department. All over the country, police departments are advertising for Iraq vets. Three-quarters of the way through the hiring process, the PD signaled to him that things looked good. Then, in rapid succession, three Iraq vets in the area were involved in lethal episodes: two murders and one suicide. The PD immediately called the young man in for a second psychological evaluation, then nixed him for the job. He’s 24. He can’t find anything satisfying to do and is thinking of re-enlisting. He’s against the war.

Those violent episodes are just part of bringing the war home. It’ll be active on the home front for years to come. Just fewer than one in three — 31 percent — of those who’ve been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from a brain injury or stress disorder or a mix of both these conditions. On April 17, the RAND Corporation released a study of service members and veterans back home from Iraq and Afghanistan. The 500-page study was titled Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery. It was sponsored by a grant from the California Community Foundation and done by twenty-five researchers from RAND Health and the RAND National Security Research Division. From last August to January, the team conducted a phone survey with 1,965 service members, reservists and veterans in 24 areas across the country with high concentrations of those people. Some had done more than one tour.

Hard to tell CNN from ESPN

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
By now there are so many sports metaphors littering the campaign coverage that it’s hard to tell CNN from ESPN. The Pennsylvania primary not only had its wrestling matches and boxing rings and slam dunks but almost turned pinochle into a contact sport.

But let us take a minute to replay the seniors event. It was the over-60 crowd that helped Hillary wrestle (sorry about that) her 10-point victory in Pennsylvania. Voters over 60 chose Clinton by 62 percent to 38 percent. That’s almost the mirror image of voters under 30 who chose Obama by 60 to 40. In some actuarial twist, every birthday between 30 and 60 sent more voters into the Clinton camp.

Let’s dress the men

by Beth Brandon, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Why won’t men let us dress them? By “us” I mean women. We really do know what’s best when it comes to fashion. With the exception of gay men and David Beckham, most men should not be left to sort out their wardrobes, more specifically, their dress clothes. When it comes getting spiffy with it, trust your female counterparts.

In theory, men can dress themselves. But when dressing nicely, take a tip from your girlfriend, mother or female coworker. I ask men about performance gear because I’m pretty sure they’re more into it than I am. I can cut out all that trial and error with just a few questions. So why are men so opposed to taking a little fashion advice from time to time? 

Please help

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Editor:

Hello. My name is Dusty Havens and I am 17 years old. I am a junior at  Basalt High School. The reason I am writing is to inform the public about my experiences in my travels and my current goals.

Bravo

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Editor:

Bravo to our local fire department and all of the departments brought in from the surrounding communities.

Be bear aware

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Editor:

We are back and we are black, brown, blonde and cinnamon.