PitCo social service needs rise in 2008

by Curtis Wackerle, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Pitkin County public assistance agencies, which provide services like food stamps, health care assistance and help with heating bills, have seen a 20 percent spike in the caseloads they handle so far this year.

It’s a disturbing trend that is likely to worsen once winter — with its oppressive heating costs — hits the area, according to officials with Pitkin County Health and Human Services.

Roy discloses Smuggler commission

by Troy Hooper, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Pitkin County commissioner candidate Shellie Roy said she made a $90,000 commission from the county’s purchase of nearly 200 acres on Smuggler Mountain a few years ago.

The disclosure comes as her opponent, incumbent Commissioner Michael Owsley, accuses her of breaching the public’s trust for using information she gleaned as a commissioner for her own personal gain, i.e. the commission.

Forest cop patrols Aspen-Sopris district

by Andrew Travers, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

If you’re going into the woods to shoot some elk this weekend for the opening of rifle-hunting season, be on your best behavior. The U.S. Forest Service now has a law enforcement officer patrolling the federal lands around Aspen.

The forest beat position had been vacant for a year, and before that was filled by a Paonia-based officer who focused mostly on the Sopris side of the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District. So it has been some time since the Aspen area had someone exclusively enforcing forest law.

Snowmass budget ‘hopes for the best, plans for the worst’

by Catherine Lutz, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

SNOWMASS VILLAGE — Flat sales taxes and a tanking real estate industry are prompting the town of Snowmass Village to take a conservative approach to its 2009 budget, trimming wherever possible and searching for new revenue sources while doing everything it can to retain its employees and maintain service levels.

“We need to anticipate a storm and we need to anticipate how it’s going to impact us,” Snowmass Village Town Manager Russ Forrest said Tuesday, introducing a daylong special meeting on the budget which will come back for the council to adopt on Oct. 20.

Houpt leads charge to oust Martin

by Lynn Burton, Aspen Daily News Columnist
The election season of 2008 is a wacky one and the wackiness has trickled down all the way to the Garfield County commissioner race.

County Commissioner Tresi Houpt is contributing to the wackiness by going on record in a letter to the editor and a newspaper ad, asking for GarCo residents to vote for commissioner candidate Stephen Bershenyi in his race against incumbent John Martin. In her letter to the editor, Houpt also went after commissioner Larry McCown, who is not running for re-election, and endorsed both Steve Carter and Bershenyi.

McCain flip-flops on torture

by Nat Hentoff, Aspen Daily News Columnist
During the widely seen and analyzed premier presidential debate, Barack Obama was grossly mistaken when, toward the end, he said: “I give Senator McCain great credit on the torture issue, for having identified that as something that undermines our long-term security — because of those things, we, I think, are going to have a lot of work to do in the next administration to restore that sense that America is that shining beacon on a hill.” Our torture has shamed us.

In fact, although McCain in the past has spoken eloquently against torture during interrogations of terrorism suspects, his actual votes in Congress tell a different, shameful story.

RFTA ballot item confusing

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

RFTA does a remarkable job. We are fortunate that unlike most western counties we have an excellent bus system. RFTA is struggling with costs from ridership increases due to Aspen’s parking policies and high gas prices and does need our financial support.

Let’s obliterate the view

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

Good manners indicate we thank Lift One task force members for the inordinate amount of time they’ve given to discussions about Lift One and Aspen Street development. However, I’m confused.

Community comes through for KDNK in Carbondale

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

KDNK reached its $50,000 goal last Friday following a live broadcast from Leadville. KDNK has remained strong for 25 years thanks to the support of the Roaring Fork community. The power of people is an amazing thing to experience and at KDNK we get to experience that power daily. Over 70 volunteer DJs a year program the station. An ever-growing youth radio collaboration educates youth on the technicalities and power of the airwaves. Local and national news is broadcast daily and all this emanates from a tiny studio in Carbondale. In this time of economic uncertainty people know the value of investing locally.

This is National Physician Assistant Week

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

The extremely active population of the Roaring Fork Valley is lucky to have world-renowned medical professionals available to help us manage our health. This week, members of Orthopaedics Associates of Aspen and Glenwood, along with physician assistants (PAs) around the United States, recognize National Physician Assistant Week.