Mail-in voting under way

by Brent Gardner-Smith, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

At least two dozen people in Pitkin County have already voted in the Nov. 4 election. They’re done: No more decisions, no more commercials and no more debates for them.

Did they receive special treatment?

Obama surrogates to speak at Paepcke

by Curtis Wackerle, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

It might be as close as Sen. Barack Obama gets to Aspen this election season.

At Paepcke Auditorium on Saturday, Obama surrogates Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; Arturo Rodriguez, president of the United Farm Workers union; and Oscar-nominated actor Edward James Olmos will hold a community forum. The event will take place between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

POLICE BLOTTER — Alleged murderer from Oklahoma caught by Basalt police

by Andrew Travers, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
A fugitive wanted for beating and strangling a man to death in Tulsa, Okla., was arrested in Basalt on Wednesday afternoon.

Federal investigators and local police say John Richard Beato, 22, killed Antonio Flores in his Tulsa mobile home in August 2007.

Publisher’s note

by David Cook

There is little I enjoy more than my morning ritual, which includes coffee in a local shop in downtown Aspen or Basalt and reading the newspaper. The recent trend of digesting the news online never totally resonated with me. However, I have learned to accept and even enjoy online news, but it will never replace the feeling of a newspaper in my hands.

This economy mixed with online trends have been a tough road to hoe for many news organizations, ours being no exception. The cost of paper — the finite resource on which we print — has risen drastically. The cost of gas that enables us to get the finished product to the box has seen gain like never before. The amount of financial resource required to bring a kick-ass digital product to market is almost as daunting.

COMMUNITY BRIEFS

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
Ushers needed

The Aspen Community Theatre is looking for ushers for its production of “Chicago” on Nov. 6-9 and Nov. 13-16. Call time is 6 p.m. for evening shows and 1 p.m. for Sunday matinees. All shows are at the Aspen School District Theatre. To sign up, call Bob Albright: 925-2220, ext. 206, or 927-2175.

Please, just answer the question

by Kristine Crandall
During the most recent presidential debate, you had to feel for the young man who asked Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama how the $700 billion bailout is going to help the people who already have been hit hard during this economic crisis.

McCain talked for several minutes about how the economic crisis is a forest fire lit by the matches of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, those evil pyromaniacs (especially Fannie — evil stepmother who gave lots of goodies to Obama). McCain continued with his clichéd metaphors as he wrapped up, stating: “There were some of us that stood up against it. There were others who took a hike.”

Pay-leen sales drop

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
Editor:

Ever since the announcement of McCain’s VP pick, Chris Tavelli of Yield Wine Bar, San Francisco, claims sales have dropped dramatically on a once popular wine by the name of Syrah Palin (pronounced “Pay-leen”). Seems folks who are on the “B” side of the presidential race think the unfortunate label is a tad too conservative for their political taste.

Golf fundraiser a success

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
Editor:

The Animal Rescue Foundation and the Little Red School House would like to recognize the hard work and incredible job done by Cindy and Bob Glowacki of the Steak Pit and Double Dog Pub and Blake McDougal from Stubbies in Basalt for a fantastic Stubb/Dog Golf Tournament held recently at the beautiful Iron Bridge golf course in Glenwood Springs. The event was flawlessly executed on a beautiful fall day and was a big success in raising thousands of dollars for both of our organizations thanks to them.

Tune in

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
Editor:
 

Vote yes on 4A

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
Editor:

The Common Sense Alliance group (CSA) still believes that the only people who use RFTA are “people who are too young, too old or too broke” to use their own form of transportation. It only shows you how misinformed they are and that they haven’t taken a bus lately.

Vote for Obama

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
Editor:

Sixty-one Nobel laureates in science just announced their support of Barack Obama for president.

This cow could be president

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
Editor:

Apparently, this new stray cow isn’t so different from the Bush administration.

I deserve an apology

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
Editor:

Last week, Ehud Olmert, prime minister of Israel, said in an interview in an Israeli newspaper that if Israel wants peace it must give up most, if not all, of the Palestinian West Bank territory it captured in the 1967 war and has militarily occupied ever since.

Mudslinging begins

Aspen Daily News Staff Report
Editor:

You know the campaign is heating up when the mudslinging starts!