ASPEN — This weekend The Aspen Times, in continuing a tradition started eight years ago, takes a look at the biggest local newsmakers of 2011. On Saturday, we published our selections for spots six through 10, along with the honorable mentions. Today, it's the top five newsmakers of 2011.

No 1: Cocaine bust

World-class skiing, expensive real estate, and a party-like atmosphere could well define Aspen's tourism trinity.

A powder day isn't big news but is a legitimate excuse for arriving to work four hours late. An eight-figure home sale, even in this economic climate, isn't abnormal. And a typical Monday docket in Pitkin County District Court will list up to a dozen or so defendants charged with cocaine possession, many of whom are swallowed whole by Aspen's go-big bar crowd.

But when the Drug Enforcement Administration busted a half-dozen local residents — five of whom were in their 60s — on May 19, this was considerably bigger on many levels and in the eyes of the DEA, which over the course of its investigation confiscated bricks of cocaine, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and four Aspen properties.

The bust was so important to the DEA, in fact, that local authorities weren't notified about it until the morning federal officers and downvalley law-enforcement agencies initiated the raid — and took a half-dozen locals into custody.

A day after the arrests, which came in the wake of a Denver federal grand jury's multi-count indictment issued April 19, DEA officials said they left the local authorities out of the loop because they didn't trust them, referring to “close ties” between Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo and members of the alleged drug ring.

With the bust, the DEA said it had dismantled a drug trafficking ring that had run cocaine between Aspen and Los Angeles for 15 years, and by doing so had helped fuel Mexican drug cartels. The indictment says that from July 2010 through April, the defendants conspired to own and sell more than 11 pounds of cocaine. Four suspects in Los Angeles also were indicted.

In the months that followed the busts, more twists and turns came with the case.

Courtroom testimony from DEA agents clarified why the DEA didn't trust local authorities — it had intelligence that DiSalvo and his predecessor, Bob Braudis, attended a birthday party in March for Wayne Alan Reid, the suspected ringleader of the network. For their part, Braudis and DiSalvo said they weren't close friends with Reid, and went to the party simply because they got a word-of-mouth invitation.

Then there was the confidential informant who had fed tips to the DEA for more than a year, culminating with the grand jury indictment and the arrests. Word leaked of her identity, and in July, former Aspen Times columnist Michael Cleverly was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury after this newspaper reported that he had an email identifying the protected source along with her photograph and the subject line: “contract is out. … I'm offering $2 for the skin, dead or alive.”

Soon enough, rumors and innuendo surrounding the case began to die down, and the case played out in court, resulting in pending plea agreements for all of the defendants and the cancellation of the trial, which had been scheduled for February in the U.S. District Court in Denver. The sentencing hearings will be held this spring. One defendant was dismissed from the case entirely.

Much of the DEA's case hung on information provided to it by the confidential informant. Court records show that in March 2010, a woman approached the FBI office in Glenwood Springs about drug trafficking activity out of Aspen. The woman was close to Reid, and she was paid to feed information to agents over the course of a probe that lasted for more than one year.

Using intelligence the confidential source fed it, the DEA worked with sheriff's departments in both Mesa and Garfield counties to make highway stops of Reid, both leading to the seizure of cash and cocaine. Following Reid's April 8 bust on Interstate 70 near the Utah border, a federal grand jury in Denver convened, later issuing the indictment.

— Rick Carroll

No. 2: Deaths of Rieger, DeGraff

The deaths of two well-known Aspen restaurateurs in September and November shocked the community and drew attention to the community's high suicide rate.

Bil Rieger of Aspen, founder and co-owner of Kenichi Aspen restaurant, was found dead in his apartment above Clark's Market on Sept. 20. The Pitkin County Coroner's Office said Rieger committed suicide by hanging. He was 50.

Reiger was remembered by co-workers and friends for his charisma, business achievements and generosity, as well as his addictions and difficult emotional periods.

“Billy's a wonderful guy. We lost a great person,” said Brent Reed, a Kenichi co-owner and accountant for the past four years who knew Rieger for 18 years. “He created something really great here. … He provided a lot of jobs and livelihood for a lot of people.”

Rieger opened Kenichi in 1991, with some experience in investing in restaurants, but no experience in opening and running one. Five days after Rieger settled in Aspen, a friend told him about a deal in the works to open a local sushi restaurant. Rieger worked his way into a meeting of the restaurant's partners the following day, and that afternoon he wrote a check and announced his intention to be not just an investor, but the operator of the spot.

Kenichi, named for founding chef Kenichi Kanada, has been a prominent Aspen dining spot since, and Rieger opened two more Kenichi locations, in Austin and Dallas. In 2009, Rieger opened the beer-and-burger joint Bad Billy's in the former Cooper Street Pier spot on East Cooper Avenue. After Bad Billy's closed earlier this year due to the redevelopment of its building, Rieger submitted a plan to open a pub in the city-owned Wheeler Opera House, but failed to secure a lease.

Reiger was a native of Grand Rapids, Mich. He moved to Colorado to attend the University of Denver's business school. He began building an insurance business in Denver when, at 27, he developed testicular cancer. After spending two years in Washington, D.C., mostly in a hospital, he emerged cancer-free. He began spending time in Aspen, pursuing his passion for skiing before opening Kenichi.

Rieger publicly acknowledged his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction in a cover-story profile that appeared in the Aspen Times Weekly in March. Rieger connected those troubles in part to his position and success in the restaurant business: “I loved entertaining. I loved throwing the party. That's a dangerous lifestyle.”

Rieger also said in the article that he had been sober for two years: “I was done with the pain. Done with the lifestyle, done with the image, done with being unhealthy.” He added that he chose to speak about his addictions in the hope that he could be a positive example: “I am living testimony — anyone fighting the disease of drug addiction and alcoholism, you can change.”

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Many in the community also were taken aback by the death of entrepreneur Scott DeGraff in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving Day.

DeGraff was an Illinois lawyer-turned-restaurateur who moved from Las Vegas to Aspen in 2008. At the time of his suicide by carbon-monoxide poisoning (he was found in the garage of a home he owned), the 47-year-old was besieged by millions of dollars in debts and had suffered many recent business setbacks. On Sept. 30, he filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Denver, listing assets and debts between $10 million and $50 million.

In December 2008, DeGraff opened Junk and Liquid Sky, a restaurant and club, at Base Village in Snowmass. He was featured that season as Aspen magazine's “Man of the Moment” and discussed his philosophies of entrepreneurship.

But by the end of the 2008-09 ski season, DeGraff shut down both operations. Later, he opened a Junk location in downtown Aspen, but had to battle the city of Aspen over his application for a liquor license. The license wasn't approved until after he transferred ownership of the business to his wife. The future of Junk Aspen is currently unclear; recently the landlord of the property paid off the business's tax debt, a move that usually results in a lease termination.

Following the two deaths, Aspen Councilman Torre spoke up during council meetings to remind citizens that local resources are available to help individuals who may be feeling sad, lonely, angry or hopeless. The Aspen Hope Center has a 24-hour hotline, (970) 925-5858.

Experts say the Aspen-area suicide rate is three times the national average.

— Andre Salvail

No. 3: Lee Mulcahy

Former ski instructor Lee Mulcahy didn't win his job back from Aspen Skiing Co. in 2011, but he definitely managed to get under the skin of Skico officials and force them to make changes to the structure of their ski school.

Mulcahy's fight with his former employer went public back in Thanksgiving 2010 when his complaint to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) leaked. Mulcahy claimed he was fired for complaining about Skico policies and taking preliminary steps to form a union for ski instructors. Skico officials claimed Mulcahy was fired for multiple violations of company policy.

The NLRB found Mulcahy wasn't fired in retaliation for his actions. However, it also found while examining his claims that wording in Skico's personnel manual violated federal regulations. Language on conflicts of interest regarding employees who criticize the company in public had to be eliminated. Skico was also required to provide notice to all employees from the 2010-11 season that they have the right to form, join and assist a union.

Mulcahy considered the NLRB decision a victory even though he didn't get his job back. “People can talk about wages,” he said in July. “They can talk about job conditions and not get fired.”

He predicted that change will eventually lead to formation of a union. Skico officials dismissed his claims as delusions of grandeur. They said employees always had the ability to talk about job conditions without fear of getting fired.

NLRB investigators also said Skico had to dismantle its committee system in the ski school, a structure that had been in place for about 20 years. Advisory boards that work on issues such as benefits, training and safety can be influenced and intimidated by Skico appointing management representatives as members, the labor board ruled.

Skico changed the system but won't discuss the alterations with anyone outside the company.

Mulcahy was a former golden boy in the ski school. He started teaching skiing in 1997-98 and became one of the top instructors. He was a member of the elite “Diamond Pro” club of high-performance instructors.

Mulcahy started criticizing Skico leadership and its owners, the Crown family of Chicago, in 2010 for some of their actions. He contended that rookie instructors and other entry-level employees weren't paid a living wage. He leveled stinging criticism on Skico managing partner Jim Crown and his wife, Paula, through a barrage of letters to the editors of local newspapers and with an unflattering sculpture erected as part of a public art display in Aspen in August. In one regard, Mulcahy was ahead of the Occupy movements that protest the actions of the wealthiest 1 percent of the world's population.

During his very public fight with Skico, Mulcahy passed out information critical of the company's pay scale while visiting Skico property, such as The Little Nell hotel and Silver Queen Gondola Plaza. The Skico banned him from all its property and warned he would be prosecuted for trespassing if he pressed the issue. The ban stands but Mulcahy vows he won't be silenced by Skico.

— Scott Condon

No. 4: Preservation battles

For local preservationists, 2011 represented another year of battles to save historic Aspen structures.

On April 18, the University of Colorado Medical School exercised its right to tear down the Given Institute in the city's West End. The building's demolition was a condition of the purchase of the 2.25-acre property where the building was located. Next-door neighbor Jonathan Lewis paid $13.8 million for the land, which lies on a scenic bluff overlooking Hallam Lake.

Two months earlier, Colorado Preservation Inc. placed the building on the state's 2011 Most Endangered Places List. Also, Aspen's Community Development Department staff — chiefly historic preservation officer Amy Guthrie — worked with an unnamed developer for several months early in the year in an effort to save the building from demolition.

After several public meetings, negotiations between the City Council and the potential developer over concepts for the property broke down. The would-be developer nixed its purchase option and pulled its land-use request. Soon after, the medical school decided to sell the property to Lewis, who also has residential plans for the former Given site.

At one time, the property was owned by Aspen matriarch Elizabeth Paepcke. She sold it to the medical school more than 40 years ago for a nominal fee so that the site would serve as a place of inspiration for students and conference-goers.

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Another historic-preservation issue came about in the fall when the owner of two buildings on East Hyman Avenue submitted plans for the redevelopment of the property.

Aspen Core Ventures LLC originally sought demolition plans for the Little Annie's restaurant and Benton buildings to accommodate a new mixed-use commercial development. The city Historic Preservation Commission, weighing the historic value of the structures, initially voted to endorse demolition of the Little Annie's building but not the Benton, citing its role as a studio for famous (and deceased) artist Tom Benton.

Following public outcry over the potential loss of the Little Annie's structure, the City Council planned to “call up” the issue to determine whether the commission overlooked any information in arriving at its decision. Before the council could address that question, the owner-developer asked to place both properties on the historic-structures list and submit new redevelopment plans that would involve saving the buildings.

Aspen Core Ventures also wants to build a three-story, mixed-use commercial building on an empty lot at the corner of South Hyman Avenue and East Hunter Street. Officials have expressed concern that plans for that building are too grandiose and that the structure would dwarf the Annie's and Benton buildings.

The stage is now set for a Jan. 9 public meeting that is expected to include a presentation and negotiations between council members and the owner-developer.

— Andre Salvail

No. 5: The Snowmass fossil find

For a second straight year, bones dating back more than 100,000 years captivated the country and thrust Snowmass Village into the spotlight.

The fossils at Ziegler Reservoir, just outside of Snowmass, first made headlines late last year, when a bulldozer operator working on enlargement of the reservoir unearthed what turned out to be the tusk of a mammoth. A frenzied, four-week dig ensued before winter weather locked up the unexpected treasure trove until springtime.

Officials with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science spent last winter plotting their return in May, when a seven-week push by volunteer crews armed with shovels, including a select group of area teachers, unearthed more than 5,000 bones from 41 different animals. More than 30 scientists from around the country and beyond converged at the site as the painstaking excavation continued.

Photos of fossil hunters hoisting giant mastodon bones out of the muck captivated the public.

“It is really one of the world's great fossil sites,” said Dr. Kirk Johnson, charismatic co-leader of the excavation team and vice president of the Research and Collections Division at the museum.

Before dam reconstruction at the reservoir began in July, the museum carted away a wealth of material, from fossils to ancient, pollen-laden peat — enough material to recreate a picture of an ecosystem extending from about 45,000 to 150,000 years ago. In the lab, scientists continue to unlock the mysteries of Ziegler, where families of mastodons — animals of different ages — apparently died en masse. The theory: an earthquake or series of quakes liquefied the bottom of the ancient lake, trapping the animals where they stood.

Only three partial fragments of mastodons had ever been discovered in Colorado before Ziegler. At one point, Johnson estimated some 3,000 of the bones uncovered at the reservoir might be from mastodons, including behemoth skulls and massive leg bones.

The remains of mammoths, giant bison, sloths, deer and other animals were also recovered.

By year's end, Ziegler was refilled with water and the museum had announced a forthcoming book by Johnson and Dr. Ian Miller, a museum scientist and co-leader of the dig, offering a first-person account of the astounding discoveries.

“Digging Snowmastodon: Discovering an Ice Age World in the Colorado Rockies,” published by the museum and Aspen-based People's Press, is due out March 15. In addition, the story of Ziegler will be featured in the February issue of National Geographic, which hits the stands on Jan. 31.

Still to come: Snowmass Village's plan for a facility that pays tribute to its Ice Age past and a cast of “Snowy,” the young, female mammoth who was the first to turn up at Ziegler.

— Janet Urquhart

Those we lost…

• Henry Edward Catto Jr.

Catto was a distinguished diplomat, businessman and philanthropist, and a proud Woody Creeker. He died on Dec. 18 at the age of 81.

At the time of his death, he was vice chairman of The Aspen Institute; he and his wife, Jessica, established the Catto Fellowship for a Sustainable Future at the Institute. They also were major supporters of the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, providing essential funds to preserve Rock Bottom Ranch and Toklat as ACES facilities. Few things in his extraordinary life thrilled him as much as being made an honorary Pitkin County sheriff by former sheriff Bob Braudis. He was a longtime supporter of numerous arts organizations, including the Aspen Music Festival and School, the San Antonio Symphony, the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Witte Museum in San Antonio.

• William R. (Bil) Dunaway

One of Aspen's most legendary figures, Dunaway, the longtime owner, editor and publisher of The Aspen Times, died Feb. 25. He was 87.

Long considered to be the voice and conscience of Aspen, week in and week out he attended Aspen City Council meetings, reporting to his readers on what their government was doing.

When he first bought the Times in 1956, the city and county governments were run by entrenched politicians, men who had held the offices for years and made many decisions behind closed doors. Dunaway's first big battle in Aspen was to insist that their decisions be made in public.

His editorials won awards almost every one of the 38 years he owned the newspaper, from 1956 to 1994. He was named Outstanding Editor of Colorado by the University of Colorado Journalism School in 1962 and was named Editor of the Year by the Colorado Press Association in 1978. The Aspen Times, under his leadership, was named the outstanding newspaper in the state year after year.

In the 1990s, Dunaway agreed to sell The Aspen Times to a group of local backers named Full Court Press. The paper later was purchased by its current owners, Nevada-based Swift Communications.

• Elizabeth Haas Pfister

A pioneer in flight, Pfister died Nov. 17. She was 90 years old.

In 1968, she organized Pitkin County Air Rescue. Prior to her involvement, rescues were carried out by the Civil Air Patrol, which flew out of Denver. Local pilots, coordinating out of Aspen, and initially out of Betty's living room, were able to achieve greater success. Pfister, the wife of Art, also was the 52nd woman in the world to obtain a helicopter license. She became an esteemed member of an elite international organization of women's helicopter pilots known as the “Whirly Girls.” In the early '70s, she became a member of the United States Helicopter Team. Her team represented the U.S. in the World Helicopter Championships in both England and Russia.

The National Women's Pilot Association, also known as the Ninety-Nines, has counted Pfister as a member for more than 40 years. She organized the Aspen chapter in 1981. Her recognition in the field of aviation over the years has been significant. She was honored with the Elder Statesman of Aviation Award presented by the National Aeronautic Association in Washington, D.C., in 1994. She was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame in 1984.

In the late '90s, a quieter accomplishment was offering local high school-age children scholarships to flight school. Student selection was based on their essays and applications. This went on for a few years. Betty got a huge kick out of those kids. She sent several kids to Space Camp and once took a group to flight school in Florida herself.

In 2009, the Women Air Service Pilots, of which Pfister was a member, were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President Barack Obama. Congress elected to make WASPs eligible for veteran's benefits and at long last, these fearless women were given the recognition they so richly deserved. There were only about 300 WASPs still living by the time the award was bestowed. She traveled to Washington, D.C., with members of her family, to attend the ceremony at the White House.

• Paul Soldner

Soldner passed away on Jan. 3 in Claremont, Calif., where he had headed the ceramics department at Scripps College and Claremont Graduate University for 40 years. He was 89. He split his time between Aspen, which he considered home, and Claremont, always returning to Aspen every spring to enjoy the summer and fall.

Soldner co-founded Anderson Ranch Arts Center, first known as the Center for the Hand and Center for the Eye, and helped nurture it into the internationally respected center for art education that it has become. In 2004, he was inducted into the Aspen Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to the community and for his international reputation for innovation ceramic art.

• Yvan Pierre Taché

Yvan Pierre Taché passed ion Oct. 11. He was 86 years old.

He was one of Canada's pre-eminent ski racers in the late '40s and early '50s, competing in the FIS World Alpine Ski Championships at Aspen in 1950, taking third in the U.S. Nationals downhill and combined and fifth in Sun Valley's famed Harriman Cup that year. He would win the prestigious Silver Belt in 1952, after finishing second and third the two previous years, both times behind his best friend and Quebecois “Gold Dust Twin” Yves Latreille.

In 1960, Stein Erikson invited Yvan to come teach under his direction at the Aspen Highlands Ski School. Yvan agreed, provided he was made supervisor and received head golf pro position at the soon-to-be-completed Aspen Golf Course. Stein went to bat for Yvan with Wally Mills, the designer and builder of the course, who agreed to Yvan's demands. Yvan spent three years with Stein at Aspen Highlands before moving to Aspen Mountain and Snowmass. He was an Aspen Ski School supervisor for 31 years. Yvan retired from ski teaching in 1993, after 49 years of lacing (then buckling) his boots every winter day, never once, his children insist, taking even a Christmas Day off. He had a growing family to feed and holidays are “go” time for ski professionals.

As Aspen's first-ever golf pro, Yvan ran the Aspen municipal course from 1961-1979, while Marie ran the restaurant and bar, and the kids picked range balls after school and helped in the clubhouse. He was a key figure in establishing golf in Aspen, founding the Junior Golf program that continues to flourish today. In 1984, he earned the status of Lifetime PGA Pro and in 2010 was honored by the PGA as one of a select group of 39 men to have been PGA professionals for more than 50 years. When Yvan retired as head pro in Aspen in 1979, he continued to teach, play and repair golf clubs well into his seventies.

• Charles Joseph Wyly Jr.

Wyly died Aug. 7 in a car accident in Aspen. He was 77.

Well known for his many business accomplishments, he was especially remembered for his great love of family, devotion to his church, and his passion for philanthropy and community. His local philanthropy included donations that helped set up the Wyly Arts Center, now located in Basalt.

His family and friends regarded him as man who embodied goodness and a peaceful nature. He had a home in Woody Creek and was active in local affairs.