A rockslide closed I-70 westbound near the No Name rest area for over three hours Saturday afternoon. 

CDOT Regional Communications Manager Lisa Schwantes said she was notified of the incident, just east of Glenwood Springs at mile marker 119, around 2:15 p.m.

Westbound traffic was being stopped at Dotsero as maintenance crews cleared rocks and debris from the roadway.       

No serious injuries were reported as a result of Saturday’s rockslide according to Schwantes. However, a semi-truck required towing and rocks scattered along the interstate were large enough to require a front-end loader, Schwantes said.

I-70 westbound reopened at around 5:20 p.m.

In the immediate area of the rockslide, I-70 westbound was limited to one lane and CDOT urged motorists to use caution.

Saturday’s rockslide was the first of the season to cause an interstate closure, Schwantes said.

Editor’s note: The weather isn’t making it easy for many folks to get a print copy of Friday’s paper, so we’ve made the e-edition free to access today. Go here to read Friday’s paper.

Roaring Fork School District has canceled school Friday in anticipation of continued adverse weather.

All after-school and extracurricular activities are also canceled, although Glenwood Springs High School’s girls swim team had already left for an event in Grand Junction and would still compete.

In a statement Thursday night, district public information officer Kelsy Been said early reports point to unsafe road conditions continuing Friday.

“Although we do not usually make snow day decisions this early, we’ve received earlier than usual reports from road and highway plowing operations departments of expected unsafe and hazardous road conditions,” Been writes. “Any decision to cancel school is based on student and staff safety.”

Go here to read Roaring Fork School District’s policy on cancellations.

In addition:

• Colorado Mountain College’s Glenwood Center, Spring Valley, Carbondale, Rifle and Leadville campuses will be closed Friday for the entire day. The Aspen campus remains open. Central Services in Glenwood is closed. For more information, call the CMC Rifle snow line at 625-6990 or the CMC Spring Valley/Glenwood Center snow line at 947-8153.
• Glenwood Springs City Hall will open at 10 a.m. Friday, instead of 8. The Community Center will open at 6 a.m. for normal business hours.

• Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is closed Friday. Friday Afternoon Club is canceled.
• Interstate 70 westbound from Golden to the Eisenhower Tunnel is closed. No alternate routes are available, and CDOT strongly recommends people don’t travel during today’s storm.

A winter weather advisory from the National Weather Service remains in effect until 5 p.m. Friday, with up to 8 inches of snow expected Thursday night and up to 4 more inches expected Friday morning.

Garfield School District 16 schools in Parachute are not canceled for Friday, and Friday is a normal off day for Garfield Re-2 schools.

Call 511 for the most up-to-date road conditions.

It’s been just over a year since Proposition 125, which allows Colorado grocery stores to sell wine, went into effect. The impacts of the voter-approved measure have locally-owned liquor stores in Colorado’s mountain towns begging legislators for a lifeline.

Stores on the Western Slope have reported taking substantial financial hits now that the market has shifted.

“We’re literally fighting for our lives right now,” Central Park Liquors part-owner Greg Neely said.

Neely’s store in Steamboat Springs is next to a City Market grocery store. Following the passing of Proposition 125, his store took such a financial hit that it had to lay off 11 employees in the last year, cutting staff from 33 to 22, he said. 

Just over a year after grocery stores introduced wine into their aisles, legislators heard enough from store owners to convince them that a remedy is worthwhile. Legislators introduced House Bill 1373 on March 12.

Sen. Dylan Roberts, a prime sponsor of the bill, said the legislation aims to even out the playing field and ensure that liquor stores have a viable future while still honoring the voters’ decision to allow wine in grocery stores.

This bill proposes creating a cap on the strength of beverages that can be sold at grocery stores, placing rules on the prices alcohol wholesalers can charge and regulating where alcohol can be displayed in stores. It also aims to eliminate a license that allows drugstores to sell spirits. 

Roberts — a Frisco resident and representative for Clear Creek, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt and Summit counties — said sentiments from his constituents, a handful of which are his Frisco neighbors, have made it clear something needs to be done soon. He said the impacts of Proposition 125 on Colorado’s mountain towns are particularly evident. 

“In our small mountain and rural communities, we have small businesses, we have small independent liquor stores, we don’t have a lot of large chain retailers,” Roberts said. 

“If we lose independent liquor stores, we lose the ability for other businesses to get good traction and expand their business,” he added. “It has an extreme trickle-down effect.”

Sen. Perry Will — who represents Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose and Pitkin counties, is another prime sponsor for the bill working alongside Front Range legislators Rep. Naquetta Ricks and Rep. Judy Amabile. House Speaker Julie McCluskie is also sponsoring the bill, but she is not a prime sponsor. 

Roberts said a driving force behind the bill is to ensure liquor stores “retain the ability to sell spirits, and so that we won’t see a situation where grocery stores continue to expand their alcohol selections to include hard liquor.”

From struggles to support

Liquor stores sounded the alarm when Proposition 125 was first introduced and warned of the negative impact they expected to encounter if it passed. Now the stores say their trepidations have come true, so they are going to their representatives looking for help. 

Liquors store employees in Frisco are pushing the town to support House Bill 1373, and the topic has also come up in Breckenridge Town Council.

The Summit County Chamber of Commerce said it was propelled to testify in favor of the bill at the capitol due to the feedback the organization has heard from local businesses.

“When Proposition 125 passed, that just crushed our independent liquor stores,” Summit County Chamber of Commerce executive director Cheri Ryan said. “A lot of them are seeing revenue drop from 30% to 40%.”

Documents obtained by the Summit Daily show that for Locals Liquors in Silverthorne, wine sales dropped by $222,184 year over year since the implementation of Proposition 125.

Local Liquors owner Chris Carran said that stores in Summit County hit a rough patch this holiday season causing sales at independent liquor stores to go “way down.”

“What we found out was — especially during Thanksgiving — that people were just picking up their wine when they were picking up the turkey,” Carran said.

Stores across the Western Slope have taken similar hits. Documents obtained by the Summit Daily show Copper Wine & Spirits in Glenwood Springs saw a decline of $137,396 year over year in wine sales alone.

Carran and Brady said mitigation measures such as those proposed in House Bill 1373 are needed to keep liquor stores in mountain towns alive.

Opposition to the bill

The Colorado Retail Council is among the loudest voices speaking against House Bill 1373.

The council is a not-for-profit organization that was founded by a group of retailers that wanted to be more involved in law-making that concerned their industry. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a not-for-profit organization differs from a nonprofit in that it is considered a recreational organization that does not operate with the goal of earning revenue.

Representative of the Colorado Retail Council Chris Howes said that the organization’s purpose is to serve as the voice of Colorado’s retailers at the state capitol. He said the organization lobbies on behalf of big box stores, convenience stores and brochures that are a part of nationwide chains. Kroger, owner of City Market, is a member of the Colorado Retail Council. 

“We’re wholly opposed to the legislation,” Howes said. “We think it’s drastic and upends a decade and a half of modernizing alcohol licensing bills in Colorado.”

Howes explained the Colorado Retail Council has been backing initiatives such as bringing full strength craft beer and wine to Colorado grocery stores.

“The voters of Colorado agreed with us,” Howes said.

Fine details of the bill

A pillar of the bill would cap the strength of alcoholic beverages that grocery stores can sell, which would be 14% alcohol by volume, if passed. Roberts said legislators landed on that percentage after consulting with the beverage industry. Sponsors of the bill are particularly keen on the cap, Robert said. 

“Everybody goes to a grocery store, of all ages, and having hard liquor in grocery stores presents a public safety risk — given the different environment that a grocery store is compared to a liquor store,” Roberts said.

The bill also aims to hold beverage wholesalers accountable, something liquor store owners, such as Carran, have been calling for throughout the past year.

“There’s allegations that wholesalers are offering better discounts and deals to liquor-licensed drugstores to grocery stores than they are to small liquor stores or restaurants,” Roberts said, explaining the provisions role in the bill.

The bill proposes giving the state’s licensing authority more teeth to enforce antidiscrimination practices.

House Bill 1373 also seeks to eliminate the liquor-licensed drugstore license. Roberts explained that this type of license was created to allow retailers that operate as a drugstore to get a license to sell alcohol. If passed, the bill would convert that license to a fermented malt beverage and wine retailer license which wouldn’t allow sales of hard liquor.

Additionally legislators are aiming to put some guardrails on the ways in which grocery stores can advertise alcoholic beverages. The bill is proposing a requirement that would force grocery stores to only display alcoholic beverages in a single location of its sales floor.  

Legislators backing the bill are shooting to get the new regulations and restrictions it would bring into effect as soon as Jan. 1, 2025. 

On April 11, the bill passed through the House Finance Committee with a 7-4 vote. It passed through the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee on April 4, after seven amendments, ending in a 6-5 vote.

This story is from SummitDaily.com.

Editor’s note: This is the third installment of the series The Longevity Project, a collaboration between The Aspen Times and the Glenwood Springs Post Independent.

There’s more to mitigating sleep apnea than just a good night’s rest for Aspen cosmetic dentist Andrew Turchin, DMD. 

“There’s so many things that happen, from cardiovascular to memory, to just getting up and not getting a full night’s sleep,” he said of the negative impacts of sleep apnea. “And what I think it’s not spoken about enough is the amount of sleep our bed partners get.”

There’s a common misconception that sleep apnea, an obstructive disorder that affects breathing patterns while asleep, only impacts people with weight issues. According to Turchin, however, even the ostensibly healthy City of Aspen has a diverse set of patients who encounter this ailment.

He operates The Ageless Smile in downtown Aspen and has also been treating sleep apnea for years. He said his sleep apnea patients even include the “60-year-old, very thin women who absolutely don’t fit the stereotype of sleep apnea.”

Turchin said, according to several studies, about 80% people with sleep apnea are undiagnosed, and 50% of those people still go untreated.

“They estimate that it could be seven to 10 years off someone’s life if they have something like severe sleep apnea that’s untreated,” he said.

Risks run the gamut. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to memory loss, cardiovascular issues, uncontrolled blood pressure, and an unmitigated increase of the stress hormone cortisol, which can lead to obesity. According to Mayo Clinic online, too much cortisol exposure also increases the risk of anxiety, depression, digestive problems, headaches, muscle tension and pain, heart disease and heart attacks, and stroke.

Meanwhile, the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep is neglected when sleep apnea persists. This stage of sleep allows muscles to fully lose control and rejuvenate the body. This leads to sleep deprivation, thus heightening the risks of accidents at work, according to Turchin.

“Train operators, truck drivers are all supposed to be tested,” he said. “But sometimes things slip through the cracks, where they stop using their (sleep) devices.”

Sponsored by

His sleep apnea treatment is a multifaceted process. His practice first offers free sleep screenings. After a screening, the data is reviewed and a diagnosis is made. Depending on the severity of the sleep apnea, sometimes he will offer the patient a continuous positive airway device (CPAP) — a sleep mask that treats the sleep-related breathing disorder. For moderate or mild conditions, the patient is given oral devices.

“Sometimes, somebody just has positional apnea. The testing system will tell us whether, when someone’s snoring, if people are just positional,” he said. “In other words, they only snore on their back, and on their side, they never snore. Oh, great, then we can talk about positional therapy.”

Turchin then lives for the positive results of the treatment.

“It’s just so gratifying when someone says I have so much energy, I’ve hiked further today than I ever have, or I kicked butt in pilates,” he said. “It feels great.”

The Ageless Smile is located at 400 W. Main St., suite 100. It can be reached at 970-925-7730, or take its 3-minute sleep apnea quiz at andrewturchin.com/services/sleep-apnea-snoring-treatment. 

Over the counter

Trying to treat sleep deprivation also triggers people to seek medication.

Brice McConnell, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of Neurology and Director of the Sleep Research Program at the University of Colorado. He maintains that sleep medications can ironically reverse the intended goal of a good night’s rest. 

McConnell, who researches age-related neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s, said proper sleep is a critical neuro-protector that helps remodel and restore the human brain. Sleep also is understood to be a protector of pathological aging.

But when folks can’t nab enough sleep, they seek accessible sleep aids like Benadryl or its generic version of diphenhydramine, as well as other pharmaceuticals like Tylenol PM and other “PM-based” sleep aids. As a neurodegenerative disease specialist, he maintains that these medications are linked to sleep rhythm disruption.

“As of now, the medications for sleep don’t reproduce normal sleep physiology,” he said. “Oftentimes, we think about sleep rather simply as sort of turning our brains off. But that’s really not the case. We flip a switch when we fall asleep, but the switch turns on a brain maintenance mode.

“The older we get, the more vulnerable we are to these medication-related problems,” he added. 

People in their mid-60s start becoming more vulnerable to disrupting their circadian sleep rhythm.

“There are population-wide studies that show that there’s a small but measurable risk of people taking those medications chronically and increasing their risk of getting Alzheimer’s or related disorder,” he said. “But we also know that the older we get, the more powerful those medications are at causing some fogginess to our thinking the day after we use them.”

Right now, McConnell and his fellow researchers are figuring out what treatment is most protective of sleep. He said he’s using digital biomarkers to help decode brainwaves and understand how the brain functions during sleep. 

Biomarkers come in the form of simple headbands and wearable technology applied when catching Zs, according to him. This method records data from the brain, which helps determine whether the brain is getting enough protective sleep.

“One of our driving interests now is understanding what could we be doing differently, from a pharmaceutical development standpoint, to really get more normal sleep,” he said.

May 16, 1935 – April 13, 2024

Shirley I. Allen Boulton was born May 16, 1935 in Winterset, Iowa to Frank E. and M. Oleta Allen. She had one sister, Cleda, and two brothers, Bill and John. She graduated from Winterset High School in 1953, and shortly thereafter married Lewis Young. They had two sons, Kenneth and Thomas. They divorced in 1962, and in 1966, she married Bob Peters and they and the boys moved to Rifle, Colorado. When that marriage ended in 1972, she later married J.R. Boulton.

Shirley worked for attorneys Gavin D. Litwiller and Stephen L. Carter for twenty years, and then for the Garfield County Treasurer’s office for eighteen years. She also worked for Sam Potter Agency and Commonwealth Title for short periods of time.

Shirley never met a stranger and was loved by everyone who knew her. She was “Mom”, “Gramma Shirley”, and “Aunt Shirley” to so many people. Her hobbies were reading and playing cards, and she enjoyed horseback riding and playing golf. The highlights of her life were spent with her sons, whether pinning the wings on Kenny at the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division Jump School Graduation or traveling with her son Tommy as they attended Nitty Gritty Dirt Band concerts and sold merchandise.

Shirley was predeceased by her parents, sister Cleda, Brothers Bill and John. She is survived by her sons, Kenneth and Thomas, as well as many special nieces and nephews. She passed away peacefully surrounded by friends and family April 13, 2024, at the age of eighty-eight. Her positive influence through her great example and wonderful two boys leaves a legacy and tradition of love and service.

Shirley’s Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, April 27th at 1:00 p.m. at the United Methodist-Presbyterian Church in Rifle, Colorado.

December 22, 1948 – March 23, 2024

Beloved teacher, father, and friend Jerry William Pluger passed away at his home in Des Moines, Washington on March 23, 2024. Jerry was born to Ione Elaine Pluger on December 22, 1948, and spent his cheerful childhood with her and his grandparents, Bill and Augusta Pluger, on their dairy farm on Pluger Road in Shiocton, Wisconsin. He was the valedictorian of his high school and the first of his family to attend college.

He attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison and graduated with his teaching degree through UW/Whitewater after student teaching in Wales. He received his Master’s in Reading from the University of Northern Colorado in 1996. He married Deborah Holt in 1973 and they welcomed their first child, Joshua, in 1974. After camping and skiing in Aspen for several years, they left Wisconsin and moved to Glenwood Springs, Colorado in 1977. The family grew when Molly was born in 1978, and Jerry was proud to deliver Megan in 1981. Jeremy was adopted from Korea in 1986. Although he and Deb later divorced, they remained lifelong friends.

Jerry began his legendary teaching career at Carbondale Elementary School and later moved to Sopris Elementary in Glenwood, where he taught for the remainder of his 34-year career before retiring in 2011 “Being able to laugh at yourself is healthy and makes life easier,” Jerry once said. “My wish is for each of my children, be it my own four, or the hundreds I have taught, because they are also my children, to be able to find a job that they really love. Getting to laugh, learn, explore, and be challenged and excited each day is unbelievable. I try to face each day with my eyes smiling and ready for whatever adventure comes my way. Life is good.” Jerry was a big kid himself, often saying that he never left 3rd grade. He loved silly humor and took any chance to find the humor in every situation.

Jerry had a special place in his heart for Disney and visited Disneyland over 115 times in his life. He admired Walt Disney’s ability to bring out the child in everyone. After his retirement, he moved to the Pacific Northwest to be closer to his kids and grandkids and spent his days traveling to visit friends, with his family, or on the beach in his “office”.

He loved teaching, travel, dogs, and the Packers, wore shorts year-round, and treasured his family and friends. He often heard from students who will never forget him and consider him their favorite teacher ever. He was part of a close-knit group of hikers from the Roaring Fork Valley who often walked for days along the coasts of England, Scotland, and even New Zealand.

Jerry leaves behind a joyful legacy – his son Josh Pluger and wife Carrie and grandkids Olivia and Dylan of Seattle, daughter Molly Pluger and grandson Charlie Johnson of Tacoma, daughter Meg Pluger of Tacoma and grandson Anthony Cox of Glenwood Springs, and Jeremy Pluger of Tempe, AZ. He is also missed by Deb Williams and her son Ben and friends and family in Wisconsin.

A celebration of his life will be planned for the Roaring Fork Valley, sometime this summer. Friends and relatives can share thoughts and memories on Jerry Pluger’s Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Humane Society in your local area, as Jerry loved dogs, or to any of the wonderful projects by teachers looking for funding on Donors Choose, including these projects that were special to Jerry:

https://www.donorschoose.org/project/equitable-educational-spaces/8140163/
https://www.donorschoose.org/project/sharing-of-thoughts-and-needs/8160241/
https://www.donorschoose.org/project/always-on-the-move-movement-paths-for-s/8150536/
https://www.donorschoose.org/project/photo-and-film-making/8281076/
https://www.donorschoose.org/project/teaching-1st-graders-to-code-with-card/8146276/
https://www.donorschoose.org/project/ell-learning-tools-for-ymhs/8271723/

Adventure and inspiration return to Carbondale with the 17th annual 5Point Film Festival slated for April 25-28. The event celebrates the spirit of adventure through films, art and community activities at various local venues, including the Carbondale Recreation Center.

The festival will open with New York Times bestselling author Jedidiah Jenkins hosting the evening on Thursday and carry throughout the rest of the week with numerous filmmakers and artists in attendance.

“Our flagship festival happens here and it’s where we got started, so it’s a way to really bring our community together around inspiring film content that we show throughout the five days,” 5Point Executive Director Luis Yllanes said. What began in Carbondale in 2007, the festival has turned into a national tour that features and premieres films throughout the country.

The festival has evolved following COVID, introducing live music last year and an art exhibition this year at the Launch Pad. The exhibition will feature work from film guests Tre’Lan Michael, whose film premieres Thursday, and more.

A highlight of the festival is the Saturday Changemakers program. Hosted by professional rock climber Timmy O’Neill, the program will showcase Ben Knight’s film “Mirasol” and a documentary by environmental activist John Francis, “Symphony of Tiny Lights.”

The festival also features a live podcast by Fitz Cahill from “Dirtbag Diaries” on Saturday and concludes with a concert by Austin band Rattlesnake Milk at Thunder River Theatre. Included will also be the 5Point 5K run, which will take place Saturday at 8 a.m. 

“Saturday is our biggest day because we start early with that 5K and we go till late at night,” Yllanes said. “There is so much to do throughout the course of the week and we can’t wait to bring this event back to Carbondale, where it all began.”

The community is integral to the festival’s success. Carbondale Mayor Ben Bohmfalk appreciates the event’s impact. 

“It’s probably the biggest kind of spotlight event that comes to Carbondale and gives us some attention and I think it’s really well aligned with Carbondale’s identity and values,” Bohmfalk said. “Every year, this is an event that Carbondale and Roaring Fork Valley residents, and even visitors, mark on their calendars.”

Tickets for the main film events are priced at $35 for the Changemakers program and $50 for evening film programs. The festival will close with a free family program on Sunday at noon, followed by an ice cream social, ensuring the event ends on a sweet note for all attendees.

To purchase tickets and learn more, visit aspenshowtix.com.

In celebration of Diversity Month, the Glenwood Springs Chamber and FirstBank hosted the city’s first “Let’s Talk Business” event on Wednesday. 

The bilingual event, called Hablemos de Negocios in Spanish, invited local Latino business owners and community members to share their stories of success and learn from local vendors. 

“Recognizing the rich diversity and entrepreneurial spirit within the Latino business community, we seek to create opportunities to promote collaboration, business growth, and mutual success,” Glenwood Springs Chamber Latino Business Advisory Council member Giovanna Kennedy said.

The event itself kicked off with a social hour with food catered by Hugo’s Restaurant and Taquería el Yaqui, followed by an introduction of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Latino Business Advisory Council and its new members.  

The Glenwood Springs Chamber Latino Business Advisory Council is a committee of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Board of Directors with the goal of building relationships between the board and the Latino business community. 

Some of its members include Jorge Rojas López with First Bank, Margarita Alvarez, Gladys Arango, Breanna McCallum and Kennedy. 

“In my work with the community, I have had the fortune and privilege to listen and detect some concerns that become potential points of interest that we can work on, and one of them is the desire and need of our Latino community to form and own their own business,” Arango said. 

She continued by stating that entrepreneurship can help Latinos achieve economic independence and improve their quality of life, which is precisely what the event hopes to inspire people to do.

The second half of the night invited three Latino business owners to share the challenges, struggles and triumphs of opening a business in Glenwood Springs, accompanied by a panelist Q&A where representatives from Colorado Mountain College, First Tech and Garfield County Public Health responded to questions about the resources and steps available for attendees hoping to kick off a new business venture. 

The first to share their story was Katya Robledo Ortiz, owner of Kumbala Hair Salon and member of the Latino Business Advisory Council. 

Robledo Ortiz arrived in the valley in 1997, during a time when there weren’t very many Latino-owned businesses. 

She took jobs at restaurants and cleaning houses, all the while being a young mother and wife. Her cleaning schedules would keep her at work from 6 in the morning to midnight. 

“When I got home, everything seemed super small to me, because the houses I cleaned were castles in my eyes,” Robledo Ortiz said. “I got home sad but at the same time happy because I knew that I was coming home to a place where I had a lot of love, and I knew that I had to raise a little angel of mine.” 

Her career eventually took her into nursing, and she was able to go to school to work as a certified nursing assistant caring for the elderly. In 2001, her mother came to Colorado. Robledo Ortiz’s mother had owned a beauty salon in California, where she had helped her out since a young age.  

“I opened my clothing business to share the rent of the local shop where my mother would also open her beauty salon together (in Colorado),” Robledo Ortiz said. “One day my husband advised me to leave everything and dedicate myself to studying cosmetology, I was excited and super happy because I knew that I no longer had to have so much stress and I would only dedicate myself to studying one thing.” 

Robledo Ortiz opened her beauty salon in 2008, though the partnership with her mother didn’t work out, meaning she was completely on her own. She signed a three-year lease for her shop — 16 years later, Kumbala Hair Salon still sits in the same spot. 

“I don’t know what will happen in the future, I would like to do so much,” she said. “I hope (my children) follow in my footsteps and (that) whatever they want to do, they do it with love and dedication.” 

Mirella Ramirez, co-owner of Specialist Auto Body Repair with her husband, was the second to tell her story.  

She started her career working in accounting in Guadalajara, Mexico. However, at the age of 23 she decided she would move to the United States to fulfill her two biggest goals: to learn English, and to learn how to drive. 

“I got here, and I thought being in the United States, I would know how to speak English,” Ramirez laughed. “So I found myself with my first obstacle.” 

She enrolled into English language classes, and soon after met the man who would become her husband. His dream since he was young was to open his own auto repair shop, and Ramirez said the things she learned working as an accountant in Guadalajara prepared her for starting the business. 

“But there were lots of trials,” she said in Spanish. “We didn’t have the resources, we didn’t have the team, we didn’t have a lot of things we needed to open a business.” 

Thanks to the help they received from friends and a loan from First Bank, they were able to open Specialist Auto Body Repair. 

Today, she has three children, one of which works at the shop, and continues to serve the Latino and overall community through her work. 

“A lot of friends helped us through this process, and now it is our dream to continue to help them,” Ramirez said. 

The third and final success story came from Hugo Muñoz, owner and chef of Hugo’s Restaurant in Glenwood Springs. 

Originally from Veracruz, Mexico, Muñoz immigrated to the United States at the age of 22 and worked as a dishwasher in New Jersey. It wasn’t long before the chef noticed his cooking skills and gave him the opportunity to work as a cook. 

Once in Colorado, he worked as a breakfast cook in Snowmass Village. Muñoz said he had a lot of mentors that pushed him to improve and introduced him to the business side of things. 

“I didn’t even know how to use a computer because I only studied up through middle school,” he said. “(My mentors) really pushed my career.” 

“I put a lot of effort into it, like every dreamer,” Muñoz continued. “It was something I enjoyed … I was lucky to have good chefs that to this day are my friends.” 

 After two years of working in Aspen and commuting from his home in Rifle, Muñoz decided he would open a restaurant in Glenwood Springs. 

“I always passed through Glenwood and thought, ‘I want to open a restaurant here,'” he said. “The people here are very nice. I’ve been at Hugo’s for three years and I feel that the community appreciates me a lot, like I do my customers.” 

“I feel very proud to be part of this community,” Muñoz added. 

The Q&A portion of the event explored questions such as: What educational resources are available for immigrants who didn’t finish high school? What banking services are available for people with an ITIN number? What are the requirements to open a business account, or to get a bank loan? What types of permits or licenses are required to open a business in the food industry? 

Those interested in having these discussions can reach out to the panelists from CMC, First Bank and Garfield County Public Health.

Tyson McLemme faced a court hearing Thursday, where his legal representation requested a restructuring of his bond, with a specific plea to allow him to reside in Nevada to be with his newborn daughter. Public Defender Desiree Palomares advocated for converting McLemme’s bond to a personal recognizance bond and permitting him to leave the state due to his ongoing parole in Nevada.

“Mr. McLemme would like to first be allowed to leave the state and live in Nevada,” Palomares said. “He is on zero tolerance supervision there, would be happy to sign any waiver of extradition, and he wants the court to convert his bonds to PR bonds.”

However, District Attorney Virginia Sorrell opposed the modification, highlighting McLemme’s extensive criminal record and the severity of the charges he faces, which include vehicular eluding and property damage following an incident near Joyce Park in September 2022. During that incident, McLemme allegedly struck his mother with a Jeep, hit several vehicles and a fence, and led Rifle Police on a chase before fleeing on foot.

“The people are opposing any modification to bond across these two cases,” Sorrell said. “This is a very aggravated vehicular eluding case in the town of Rifle causing a myriad of property damage. Mr. McLemme then left the state of Colorado and was arrested in New Mexico for felony possession of a controlled substance.”

In Farmington, New Mexico, McLemme was arrested in November of 2022 for shoplifting and found in possession of fentanyl. This arrest came after McLemme and an accomplice allegedly shoplifted meat from a local grocery store, leading to their identification through the vehicle they used.

Amid the legal discussions, McLemme’s mother, Myrna McLemme-Raymer, delivered a heartfelt statement about her son’s character and struggles.

“Tyson and I have always been very close,” McLemme-Raymer said. “He’s in need of counseling. I think he needs counseling most because he does love the Lord. He’s the guy preaching in the prisons and has them standing up to do the prayer at the end of the evening.”

She also expressed a desire for the court to consider an alternative to incarceration, emphasizing rehabilitation and counseling over further prison time.

“I wish that he could get counseling. He’s a good man and son. I want the court to please have mercy and not send him to prison but for more treatment,” she added.

Judge Deborah Grohs ultimately decided against modifying the bond, citing McLemme’s history of fleeing and obtaining new charges in different states.

“I’m not going to modify the bond,” Judge Grohs stated. “It is doubtful that he will be out and be supervised to do anything while on parole with two pending cases in two different states.”

McLemme will next appear for a preliminary hearing on May 6.

The votes are cast, counted and finalized: Now it’s almost time to celebrate this year’s Locals’ Choice winners.

The Glenwood Springs Post Independent is celebrating 25 years of Locals’ Choice from 6-8 p.m. at the Hotel Colorado, 526 Pine St. The event will feature a photo booth and music from DJ Tenza, small plates catered by the Hotel Colorado and a cash bar.

“Every year, the community helps us out by voting for their friends and neighbors who help make Garfield County great,” Publisher Peter Baumann said. “We’re excited to bring people together for a celebration party for the first time in years, and hope you can join us.”

Event sponsors will also be on hand to talk about their services and join in the fun in the Devereaux Room.

Big thank you to A-1 Heating & Cooling, Alpine Bank, Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, Iron Mountain Hot Springs, and Justin Floors Inc. for their partnership.

Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased here: www.postindependent.com/localschoicetickets

Vote no on A

I find myself having more than a few issues with Ballot Question A. But my biggest issue is we are about to essentially give property owners in this city the power to increase the value of their own properties. High demand + low supply = increased costs, and we all know what voting for this will do to supply… Decrease it. Why would any property owner vote to approve housing knowing that more housing means reducing their property value? If this passes, watch. Because you’re going to see a very small number of concerned property owners voting to keep the cost of their property value high, while citing an argument to “Keep Glenwood Glenwood”….

Let’s all be real: 

The people are here, the traffic is here, but the housing is not. The median individual income of our city is $38,954 (~$2700 monthly take home), while the average cost for a room is $1,430 per month (https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/glenwoodspringscitycolorado/PST045222). Our rental housing is currently 41% higher than the national average (https://www.apartments.com/rent-market-trends/glenwood-springs-co/), while our individual median income is right on with the national average ($37,585) per year). If we won’t build more housing, will we increase workers’ pay to keep up with living costs?… We all know the answer to that.

We have a clear problem here, and “Keeping Glenwood Glenwood” is not the solution.

Build more housing.

Vote No on A.

Kiefer Brocker, Garfield County

A gives locals a voice

The citizens of Glenwood have a unique opportunity on April 23  to vote for ballot issue A. If passed it would allow us to vote on the sale or development of city owned land before it can be sold or given away. Issue A also assures us a vote on future annexations; you know, the ones where we supply developers with ever scarcer water resources, sewer, police and fire protection, roads and road maintenance, on the taxpayers dime, while developers increase their bottom line. Measure A gives us a vote on mixed use housing planned on city land as well.

Keep Glenwood Glenwood has done hard work to get this opportunity before us. With its approval we can secure a say in our quality of life.

There is a lot of investment money sloshing around with investors and stockholders looking for investment in a desirable place like Glenwood and our valley where profit is assured. City Council with an honest concern for affordable housing is being short sighted to  propose city property to solve this essentially unsolvable problem. People will continue to move from elsewhere to escape heat, fire, floods and social discomfort, to our beautiful, temperate area. City property needs to be saved for parks and open space and perhaps a few well planned living spaces for city {school district] workers. 

The confluence area needs to come out from behind barbed wire and become a series of parks, playing fields and open space.

Please pass ballot issue A and create the people power to keep Glenwood, Glenwood.

Barb Coddington, Glenwood Springs

Buddy Program hosting Loteria fundraiser

I didn’t grow up with Monopoly or Scrabble — I grew up with Loteria. I learned to shout “Buenas” before I learned to shout “Bingo.” I remember the excitement building in me as my grandma got out the Lotería cards, the beans, and my grandma giving me her stash of coins so that I could place bets too. My family could play for hours. It’s something that brought my family together and a memory that I hold very dear to my heart. It’s exciting to share that the nonprofit I work for, The Buddy Program, is going to host our own Loteria Event. 

On Saturday, April 27, from 6-8 p.m. we will be hosting our very first Loteria event. We will have fun prizes and free traditional food. We are hopeful that this event lets the Latin community know that we value the importance of having Latin mentors. As a Latina, as a big sister, and as the eldest cousin — I understand the significance of allowing young people to comfortably speak the language of their choice, empowering them to connect with adults who share similar life experiences. Additionally, see that an adult who comes from the same culture is valued as a leader/mentor within their community. If you’re interested in learning how to become a mentor or would like to learn more about our organization, then come join us at the Glenwood Springs Community Center . Nos vemos pronto.

Cuídense,

Briana Sanchez, Aspen

Support English in Action’s ability to help our communities in years to come

Editor:

English in Action has come a long way in the thirty years since we started operating out of a few rooms at the Basalt Library, serving just a handful of our valley’s newest residents. In 2023, we served 380 individuals, a substantial increase over those early days. 

English in Action, with the help of almost 300 tutors and community members, helps immigrants learn English and develop the skills they need to pursue their dreams. We bridge cultural divides and offer opportunities to celebrate and learn about our diverse community.

Today, we are on the verge of achieving a significant milestone: creating our new home, the English in Action Center for Communication, in the heart of the mid-Valley. The Center will enable us to serve our entire community better. 

Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of hundreds of donors, we have raised $4.3 million towards our $5 million goal. With just $730,000 left to raise, we are close to realizing our dream. Yet, to achieve this goal, we need your support now more than ever.

I encourage you to visit the English in Action website and donate. By doing so, you’re not just contributing financially; you’re joining a community that empowers countless individuals.

Working together, we can make the Center for Communication a reality.

With heartfelt thanks,

Patrick Curry, Board of Advisors for English in Action; Carbondale

Glenwood Springs is a special place, where residents passionately care about the community. This dedication is evident in Ballot Measure A, which seeks to shape the way in which future decisions are made about growth and development. While we appreciate the intention of the measure, the Glenwood Springs Chamber encourages residents to carefully weigh the potential impacts of their vote as well as to consider how mechanisms for community engagement already in place might be enhanced or improved.

To assist those who may still be deliberating on their decision, we compiled an analysis of Ballot Measure A. This aims to provide a clear overview of the current charter provisions and the proposed changes, allowing voters to make an informed choice.  

Ballot Measure A proposes some changes to how certain residential projects and land decisions are handled in the City. Here’s a simplified summary (more detail is available in the analysis document ):

• If a project has between 5 to 8 residential units (should Ballot Measure A pass) it would need to be reviewed by both the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) and City Council. Currently, projects with 8 or less units are not subject to review by P&Z or City Council. However, a public notice is required for units of 5 units or more. This change would add at least two public meetings, one with P&Z and one with the City Council. This could make the application process longer, by an estimated 8 to 12 weeks.
• Similarly, projects with 9 to 24 residential units would necessitate City Council review in addition to the existing P&Z review, which includes at least one public meeting. This would add at least one public meeting potentially extending the application process timeline by approximately 4 to 8 weeks.
• Measure A also proposes that the City Council must seek residents’ approval through a vote for actions such as annexing land, selling or gifting city-owned land, or constructing mixed-use or residential housing on city-owned properties. This broadens the requirement for a vote to more than the current specific categories of city-owned land. Currently, mixed use or residential housing projects on city-owned land must go through all the same application and review process as projects on privately-owned land. There would be no change to this except the review thresholds would change as noted above should Measure A pass.

While these changes aim to enhance community involvement in decision-making processes, it’s crucial to consider the associated trade-offs. Additional review steps may demand more time and resources from city staff, P&Z, City Council and applicants. This could lead to reduced efficiency and increased project costs.

Furthermore, Measure A’s requirement for elections on annexations, selling or gifting city-owned land and certain land use decisions for city-owned property would reshape the City’s governance framework.  The current representative governance model would shift to direct citizen decision-making in these instances. While citizen input is valuable, it is important that decisions are grounded in expertise, research and a comprehensive understanding of policy.

Additionally, elections come with a cost to the city and taxpayers. How frequently might these elections need to take place? From where in the City’s budget will these elections be funded? If voter turnout is low, does this truly reflect the desire of most residents?

We would encourage voters to also consider the numerous opportunities already available and possible new avenues to enhance the voices of Glenwood Springs citizens. For instance, residents can actively participate in existing City Council meetings and with the Planning and Zoning Commission, voicing their concerns and contributing to discussions on city development. By serving on or participating with existing advisory boards and commissions, residents can collaborate on issues ranging from park enhancements to infrastructure development, enriching governance with diverse perspectives and insights.

Looking ahead, the upcoming City Council election in April 2025 presents an opportunity for residents to actively engage by running for available seats or supporting candidates who align with their values and priorities. The most recent City Council election had two unopposed seats. Having more than one candidate vying for each seat will offer residents a broader selection when it comes to their representatives.

In addition to enhancing participation in these already existing venues, how could these processes be made more accessible and easier to navigate? What additional proactive outreach could the city do that would make it easier for the community to engage?  How else might community members like to participate to ensure that their voices are being heard?  

In conclusion, we appreciate the intent of Ballot Measure A, but we encourage the voters to weigh all the pros and cons of the measure as well as other avenues for productive community engagement. Most of all, we encourage residents to vote by April 23. 

Angie Anderson is President and CEO of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association. Nicole Christianson is chair of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association Board.