Pitkin County commissioners endorse route for bike race

by Brent Gardner-Smith, Aspen Journalism
While Pitkin County’s special events committee still needs to approve a permit for the USA Pro Challenge bike race in August, the county commissioners on Tuesday signed off on a proposed 22-mile route for the circuit between Aspen and Snowmass Village.

All five commissioners said they were now comfortable with the route of the first of two races, which are to be held on Monday, Aug. 19 and Tuesday, Aug. 20.

Highlands ski patrol looks past area boundaries in search for missing skier

by , Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Teams of ski patrollers using ropes searched the zones just beyond the Aspen Highlands ski area boundary Tuesday in an effort to find local skier Jeff Walker, who has been missing for five days.

Patrollers looked for signs of Walker in the bowls surrounding Highlands using a technique called a steep angle rescue operation, which employs a rope system anchored within the ski area  to support rescuers searching out-of-bounds steep slopes, according to Jeff Hanle, Aspen Skiing Co. spokesperson. The search produced no new information about Walker’s location, but the patrollers plan to go deeper into the backcountry today, Hanle said.

Mountain Collective adds three more big name winter resorts

by Chad Abraham, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Whistler Blackcomb among those partnering with SkiCo on pass

Whistler Blackcomb, North America’s largest ski resort, California’s Mammoth Mountain and Snowbird in Utah are joining four other ski resorts, including Aspen-Snowmass, in the Mountain Collective program, the Aspen Skiing Co. announced Tuesday.

News in brief

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
Prosecutor: Reid should get four years

A federal prosecutor is recommending that Aspen resident Wayne Reid be sentenced Monday to four years and four months in prison for leading a California-to-Aspen cocaine ring.

Hundreds expected to attend first Après Ski Cocktail Classic

by Chad Abraham, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

After a day on the slopes, there’s little better than kicking back with a beverage to celebrate and unwind.

The Après Ski Cocktail Classic in Snowmass Village takes that idea and plans to super-size it starting on Thursday, the first day of the event’s first year.

County doles out $1.8M to nonprofits

Aspen Daily News Staff Report, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Pitkin County is distributing more than $1.8 million to local nonprofits this month.

The money comes from the Healthy Community Fund grant program, which is funded by a dedicated property tax. The recipients for this year total 69 health and human service and community nonprofit programs. The grants provide support for programs serving children, families, adults and seniors. Some of the activities receiving funding this year support the safety and well-being of children and families, victims of domestic violence, mental health counseling, drug and alcohol prevention and treatment programs, public health services, programs for seniors, and efforts that conserve a healthy environment. 

Nothing takes the place of preparation

by Paul Menter, Aspen Daily News Columnist
“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”
-John Wooden

Rand Paul won an important constitutional victory

by Nat Hentoff, Aspen Daily News Columnist
I am postponing a planned column on the educational struggles of low-income kids because of Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s rousingly inspirational 13-hour filibuster last week on Barack Obama’s nomination of John Brennan to become director of the CIA. This caused many Americans who do not think of themselves as libertarians to prize anew their individual self-governing constitutional rights against an overreaching government.

I’d previously written that I hoped one day to vote for Paul for president in 2016, knowing his national name recognition was so low that there would be no chance. But now, with the Constitution being reborn among more of us, this March 7 Politico headline looks more likely: “Rand Paul: ‘Seriously’ weighing 2016 bid.”

Dog friendly buildings

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

Your editorial of March 7, concluding that the city is right to leave the issue of dogs up to the homeowners of Burlingame, suggested in the final paragraph that in future affordable housing developments, dogs should be given more consideration.

Clean, green, fiscally responsible politics

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

Now that all four current City Council members have indicated their intentions to run for mayor and the sitting mayor may run for City Council, Aspen’s May 7 election is shaping up to be a doozie.

Everything is inside out

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

Aspen’s longtime but now dearly departed architect Robin Molny once observed that Aspen was perhaps unique in having two new (at the time) brick buildings across from each other on Main Street, namely the Shell station and the U.S. Bank building, in that the former looked like a bank but was a filling station and the latter looked like a gasoline station but was in fact a bank.