Night work at C’Dale entrance

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
The Roaring Fork River bridge at the intersection of state highways 133 and 82 at the entrance to Carbondale will be closed Thursday and Friday nights, Sept. 4 and 5, from 8:30 p.m. to 6 a.m., to allow for final asphalt paving and pavement markings, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

 CDOT and contractor Sema Construction have scheduled this work to be performed during a low-volume traffic period at night to avoid closing this critical intersection during the daytime peak traffic periods.

WestPac picks Aspen councilman as COO

by Catherine Lutz, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Aspen City Councilman Dwayne Romero is taking a day job as chief operating officer for Snowmass developer Related WestPac.

Romero, who was elected to the council in 2006, said he will continue to make City Council business a priority, although he does plan to divest himself of his position with Steeplechase Development Partners, a local firm he co-founded about three years ago.

APD officer was likely hung over

by Troy Hooper, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Lawson Wills says blood-alcohol content was from night before

A veteran Aspen police officer fired last week for allegedly showing up to work under the influence of alcohol may have been drinking the night before but not after he woke up to go to work, his friend said Tuesday.

Krabloonik owner meets dog advocates

by Andrew Travers, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Recent efforts by locals to reform the long-controversial treatment of sled dogs at the Krabloonik kennel and restaurant in Snowmass Village netted a meeting with owner-operator Dan MacEachen yesterday. The Tuesday afternoon conversation ended with a “handshake” agreement from MacEachen to improve the standard of care for his dogs.

MacEachen was cited in May for violating 10 state regulatory laws for the care of his more than 260 sled dogs, including infractions on how they are fed, leashed and medically treated.

Two valley residents are RNC delegates

by Curtis Wackerle, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

It just so happened that on the first night of the Republican National Convention, the delegate from Pitkin County was seated next to the delegate from Boulder County.

“We were wondering which county had fewer Republicans,” said Frieda Wallison, an alternate delegate at the Minneapolis-St. Paul RNC who lives in Old Snowmass.

Mortgage market tightens further

by Brent Gardner-Smith, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
The recent era of easy mortgages for resort real estate is over, local bankers and mortgage brokers say, and the tighter money market is having a negative effect on the Aspen economy.

"People were able to get stated income loans," said Mike Taets, president of Timberline Bank of Aspen. "Those days are gone. Now you have to do more than put down on a piece of paper what you make."

Rafters follow in footsteps of skiers with epic season

by Damien Williamson, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
It's now official: More than just the powder-hounds were pleased with the epic '07-'08 snow season; river rats had their fun, too.

In the valley - and across the state - rafters, kayakers and even whitewater sledgers enjoyed what many claim was one of the best seasons in recent memory. As late as April 1, the snowpack for the Roaring Fork River basin was at 148 percent of average. Compare that to April 1, 1984 - one of the biggest runoff years in recent history - where the snowpack was at 139 percent.

Tax breaks for wind, solar energy set to expire

From the Jim Abrahms, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — Congress is putting the short-term future of renewable energy companies in jeopardy even as the presidential candidates and most lawmakers hail windmills, solar panels and biofuels as long-term solutions to high gasoline prices and global warming.

Some $500 million in investment and production tax credits will expire Dec. 31 unless Congress renews them. Without that help, solar and wind power companies say they will reverse planned expansions and, in many cases, cut payrolls and capital investment.

Why oil is still a dinosaur

by Michael Brylawski, Mountain Business Journal Columnist
We're never going to see gas at $1.20 a gallon again, and oil isn't likely to stay near $120 a barrel for much longer, either.

Even with a short-term dip in price, a few hard truths remain unchanged: Oil is a declining, non-sustainable resource that is cooking the planet. If we hope to continue our standard of living, we're going to have to find a more climate-friendly way to power our cars.

Reality bytes with Comcast cap on Internet

by Curt Brandao, Mountain Business Journal Columnist
Don't say I didn't warn you.

Weeks ago we learned about a pilot project for a metered Internet, a tiny Time Warner test program that began capping broadband use for customers in Beaumont, Texas, based on how many gigabytes they download.

Resort report: What's happening in other resort communities

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
TELLURIDE: DEVELOPER ARRESTED FOR FRAUD

A New York developer who promised to take over Telluride's largest hotel and transform it into a five-start resort was recently arrested in Manhattan on four-dozen charges of theft and fraud, and accused of stealing $17 million from friends, business partners and family, the Telluride Daily Planet reported. Adam Hochfelder, a 37-year-old real estate entrepreneur, allegedly forged documents and lied about his financial status to secure loans from a host of sources.

MarketWatch

by Chris O'Connor, mountain Business Journal Writer
The buzz is omnipresent. Without fail, renewable alternative energy is in the news and at the forefront of many people's minds on a daily basis. In the past few weeks, the Aspen Skiing Co. revealed a 150-foot tower with four anemometers is in route to Snowmass as part of a feasibility study for a wind energy project on top of the mountain. California utility company, PG&E corp., announced a huge 800-megawatt solar energy contract. Locals had the opportunity to hear oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens explain "Pickens Plan" at the Paepke Auditorium, and many attended a discussion with Ted Turner, T. Boone's partner on the project, during the American Renewable Energy Day in Aspen. Also, Denver International Airport completed and dedicated a 7.5 acre, 2 megawatt solar array, capable of supplying the energy needs for 1,800 homes annually.

The naysayers will tell you that the alternative energy buzz and the stocks of these companies will fade if oil prices drop. There will be some volatility in the sector as oil prices fluctuate; however, this time around alternative energy is here to stay. As oil reserves dwindle, exploration and production companies will face astronomical costs to extract ever smaller reserves from more remote locations.

StockWatch

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
Editor's note: Due to Labor Day, percent weekly changes for all stocks are from Monday, Aug. 25 to Friday, Aug. 29.

Both Louisiana and the economy benefited from the limited impact of Hurricane Gustav this week. The price per barrel of light sweet crude oil tumbled nearly $10 at one point over the weekend as Gustav, which weakened to a tropical depression, didn't cause the damage to oil installations in the Gulf of Mexico as many had feared.

Face time: Our weekly profile of a local business community member

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
Marni Bistany
Chef/Owner AspenNatural

Some of us are B.S. intolerant

by Lynn Burton, Aspen Daily News Columnist
Here’s a phenomenon last week’s Democratic National Convention demonstrated. Some of us are B.S. intolerant.

Like folks who are lactose intolerant and can’t drink milk, we are B.S. intolerant and cannot tolerate party politics. Symptoms of B.S. intolerance include sudden high blood pressure and bulging eyes when exposed to political ads or speeches on TV. Other times, we are overcome with the urge to throw the nearest brick at the TV screen anytime a career politician such as Barack Obama, John McCain, George Bush or Nancy Pelosi come on. We break out in a full-body rash complete with exploding blisters all over our face when exposed to professional liars such as Carl Rove and James Carville (aka “political strategists”).

Will Biden be more than a hit man?

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist
When Joe Biden was campaigning to be the Democratic presidential candidate, he was the only one in either party who forcefully and consistently wielded the Constitution like a sword: opposing Bush’s warrantless wiretapping as an “unconstitutional expansion of presidential powers” (though Barack Obama voted for the FISA amendments, agreeing with Bush). And Biden also introduced the National Security with Justice Act of 2007 that would have ended some of Bush’s more egregious lawlessness.

That Biden bill included essential restorations of our rule of law, including international treaties we’ve signed. He would: “Prohibit (CIA) ‘Extraordinary Renditions’ (kidnapping suspects to be tortured in other countries); Close Black Sites & Extra-Judicial Prisons; Prohibit the Torture or Mistreatment of Detainees in U.S. Custody.”

Crowley’s firing is community’s loss

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

I’m confused. Why again was 18-year veteran Aspen police Officer Jim Crowley fired?

Dog treatment is inhumane

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

I have been informed of the inhumane living conditions of the sled dogs at Krabloonik Kennels. I am sure you have heard Gandhi’s famous words that “the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” By this standard, America has a long way to go before it can be considered a truly great nation. Please take a step toward that goal by calling attention to the mistreatment and neglect of dogs at Krabloonik kennels. No dog should be forced to live her life on a chain. No dog should be forced to lay in her own waste. No dog should be denied clean drinking water, exercise, and medical attention. I understand that you have already been informed of the many PACFA (Pet Animal Care Facilities Program) regulations being violated at Krabloonik, so I will not repeat them here. Whether your publication has “animal lovers” on staff or not, I hope you agree that no living being deserves to suffer, especially for the sake of mere entertainment. If you have an interest in maintaining the character of Aspen/Snowmass, I hope you will conclude that a business like Krabloonik can only have a place in your community if they treat their animals with care, kindness, and respect.

Shut Krabloonik down

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

I wish to add my total unhappiness and dismay to the thoughts of other Roaring Fork Valley residents and visitors regarding the very sad lives of the Krabloonik dogs. The conditions are unconscionable, especially in communities like this ... a very black mark on this valley. Because there is no regard for the quality of the lives of the sled dogs, Krabloonik should be immediately shut down. No more breeding, enlist volunteers of the community and of visitors to offer homes or find homes for these dogs, together with any necessary rehabilitation. I intend to contact the Aspen Animal Shelter and the Snowmass Town Council to lend my voice to the outrage of those we have heard from already. Let’s not rest until Krabloonik denizens are properly cared for or the business (a concentration camp) is shut down and it’s operators run out of town, making sure they cannot start another similar operation any other place.

A blight on Snowmass

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

The situation at Krabloonik kennels is unconscionable and needs to be addressed immediately. These dogs are being inhumanely treated. Many are in desperate need of veterinary care. There is nowhere near enough staff to properly see to the needs of roughly 260 sled dogs.

Skating club support appreciated

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

And now some good local news ... Anyone who has visited the Aspen Recreation Center or the Ice Garden has seen young ice skaters tirelessly practicing their jumps and spins over and over. Many of these young skaters belong to the Aspen Skating Club. The Aspen Skating Club is a local, nonprofit sports club serving students from all over the valley. The beauty and athleticism of ice skating is a sport that requires years of dedication and training for competitions and performances. The Aspen Skating Club is currently registering skaters of all skill levels for the new season and all students are welcome. If you have a child who is interested, please contact the club.

Do your job

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Columnist

Editor’s note: This letter was originally addressed to CNN and NBC news organizations.

Editor:

The arrest of Amy Goodman at the RNC should be, especially for you, who are journalists, the most important news story of the day. The Republican Party continues to violate constitutional rights and freedoms by arresting anyone who dares expose their violations.
 
It is time that you, who are in the news media, do your jobs and expose this violation of the right of a free press to cover and report what is happening. Please do your job.
 
Donald G. Theiss
Aspen