Attendance cap reduced for JAS Labor Day shows

by Curtis Wackerle, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Attendance at this year’s Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival will be capped at 9,100 general admission tickets — at least 1,000 fewer tickets sold than in previous years — due to an agreement forged between JAS and the town of Snowmass Village after last year’s event.

With 1,000 tickets set aside for VIP “patron pass” holders and 900 people to staff the event, total attendance at the festival, which begins today, is set at a maximum of 11,000 people per day.

DNC: The choreography of hope

by Andrew Travers, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

DENVER — If you wanted to get near the Illinois delegation yesterday during the historic nomination of their junior senator, Barack Obama, as the Democratic candidate for president, you had to get past an unlikely pair of gatekeepers: Hillary Klug, of Aspen, and actor Kal Penn, of “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” and “Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay.”

Klug, a 25-year-old University of Denver law student, is the daughter of a prominent Aspen family that includes her father, Warren, who runs the Aspen Square Hotel, and her brother, Chris, a bronze medalist in snowboarding in the 2002 Winter Olympics. She is volunteering as a media relations hand on the floor of the Democratic National Convention — keeping photographers, cameramen and correspondents in check.

PitCo backs away from exempting itself

by Brent Gardner-Smith, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

The Pitkin County commissioners voted Wednesday to withdraw a proposed ordinance that would have created a new, more lax process for reviewing public infrastructure projects.

The ordinance would have given the commissioners the ability to disregard any provisions of the county’s land-use code when reviewing projects the county itself was bringing forward in the public interest, such as communication towers or trails.

Tax questions could be tough sell in Snowmass

by Catherine Lutz, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Snowmass Village voters are facing an important tax threshold in this fall’s election, and if their elected officials’ feelings about it are any indication, two sales tax questions might have a tough time passing.

The town’s current sales tax rate is 9.9 percent, so any tax increase would bump that figure up to 10 percent, a rate that some consider prohibitive.

‘Luxury’ bus service to connect DIA and Aspen

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
A new ground transportation option will begin offering bus service between Aspen and regional airports next winter.

Gray Line, a tour bus and sightseeing company, is billing the service as a “luxury” option, with concierge service at the airport and buses equipped with GPS tracking and on-board entertainment. The service will connect Aspen with Denver International Airport and Eagle County Regional Airport. It will be direct and will not stop at points in between.

Natural gas explosion rips Rulison rig

From the From The Associated Press
RULISON — Garfield County authorities are investigating a natural gas explosion that occurred early Wednesday at a western Colorado rig site.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Tanny McGinnis said there were no injuries and the fire is likely to burn for several hours. She said it appears to be an industrial accident, but the cause is under investigation.

Do the Dems hope on dope?

by Jeremy Madden, Aspen Daily News Columnist
When the Democrats rolled into Denver, they were hurting.

For weeks, open wounds festered and the party was in disarray. Following months of passionate, pugnacious politics, a great gap was felt throughout the party. From top to bottom, friends, families and feelings had been beaten, bruised and battered.

Poverty is the real scandal

by Amy Goodman, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Former Sen. John Edwards was supposed to speak in Denver at the Democratic National Convention. His wife, Elizabeth Edwards, was to speak also. Poverty was their focus.

But they are not here because John Edwards had an affair. Will the Democrats now forget about poverty?

Reporter’s notebook: Wednesday

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist

Near midnight on Tuesday, Bill Clinton’s secretary of transportation, Rodney Slater, was spotted walking alone and annoyed down a dark section of 15th street in Denver. You know town is a cluster when even the country’s former head of transportation can’t find transportation.

9:30 a.m. Rumors that the city of Denver was giving movie tickets to homeless people to keep them off the streets don’t seem to be holding true. There were 65 passes handed out by the Homeless Coalition, said Brad Melieu, head of the Denver Rescue Mission. An informal survey of homeless people downtown turned up none saying they had gotten a movie pass. Local shelters did add extra beds, to accommodate more homeless if necessary, but Melieu said they were mostly unused.

Hillary with her Delegates

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, talks to her delegates and supporters on Wednesday in the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. She informed them that she had cast her vote for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., to be the 2008 democratic presidential nominee

Iraq war veterans

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Iraq war veterans form the head of a column consisting of thousands of anti-war protesters that marched to the public protest zone at the perimeter of the Pepsi Center and the Democratic National Convention in Denver

Bill Clinton

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
President Bill Clinton attempts to settle down the crowd in the Pepsi Center so that he could begin his speech in support of 2008 democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., at the Democratic National Convention in Denver

Sen. Joe Biden's keynote address

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Vice presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., blasts the Republican leadership from the podium of the Democratic National Convention in Denver on Wednesday evening during his keynote address

Ceremonial flags

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Delegates ceremonially wave flags on the floor of the Democratic National Convention at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Wednesday evening

Thanks to Chuck Peterson

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist

Editor’s Note:  The following was originally addressed to Mayor Mick Ireland and City Council members JE DeVilbiss, Dwayne Romero, Jack Johnson and Steve Skadron.

Editor:

Many thanks to Chuck Peterson of Tramway Engineering for attending Monday’s City Council meeting to be on hand to answer any questions regarding the proposed aerial people mover from Aspen to Buttermilk. 

Aspen’s getting like Moscow

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

I have to put my two cents in on the proposed deal between the city of Aspen and the owners of the Cooper Street Pier.

Let’s all hope

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

I was pleased to read last week that the state of Colorado and Rocky Mountain Rail Authority have launched a study of establishing high-speed rail service across Colorado — all the way between the Front Range and Grand Junction. With plans for average speed of 90 miles per hour, this rail service breakthrough will revolutionize travel in our state, and it will do it in a dramatically energy-efficient way. Just think of moving that fast, and arriving quickly and refreshed, all while using a fraction of the fuel required for cars or buses that move much more slowly.

Thanks from the APD

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

The Aspen Police Department would like to thank kids, parents, teachers, camp counselors, and businesses for their enthusiastic participation in the Picnic in the Park series. Officers sincerely enjoyed meeting the community at this summer’s picnics. We hope that residents and visitors alike gained a better understanding of the Aspen Police Department and the services we offer.

Back in the news

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

I see that Krabloonik has made the front page again with violations of care. I have a few questions about this situation.