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News in Brief

A young woman passed out Saturday morning on the Ute Trail and was rescued using a litter supported by ropes and anchors, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.Two teams consisting of six members of the Aspen Volunteer Fire Department and seven members of Mountain Rescue Aspen organized for the evacuation. Bruce Benson, a sheriff’s deputy, said the rescue went smoothly and that Mountain Rescue had recently practiced exactly this kind of occurrence on the Ute Trail. According to witnesses, the woman was fine upon getting to the bottom of the trail.

A celebration of Sam Damey Esmiol’s life will take place at noon today at 101 Park Ave. in Aspen.Esmiol, 38, died July 26 in a paragliding accident.

NEW CASTLE – A 54-year-old Wyoming man died of multiple blunt force injuries early Thursday morning after a westbound train hit his truck early Thursday morning near New Castle.James Sparks was pronounced dead at the scene from his injuries, according to the Garfield County Coroner’s department.Sparks was heading westbound on Highway 6 at 3:25 a.m. when his dark gray 2003 Chevrolet pickup truck left the road on the left side, rolled down an embankment and came to rest facing south on the railroad tracks, according to the Colorado State Patrol.Sparks was not wearing a seatbelt.No injuries were reported by the train crew and it is not yet known if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash, according to Duran.The incident is the second train/vehicle collision to occur in the area in the last two months. In mid-May, a Burning Mountains Fire Protection District truck, driven by a volunteer firefighter and carrying a couple with an infant as passengers, was struck at a railroad crossing just east of Coal Ridge High School between New Castle and Silt. No injuries were reported. (Post Independent)



The Eagle County Commissioners voted to put a tax increase proposal on the fall ballot.If voters approve, the tax increase would raise $2 million to $3 million per year for projects aimed at “early childhood,” or kids between birth and 6 years old.Tax supporters were out in force Tuesday to lobby commissioners Peter Runyon and Arn Menconi to put the question to county voters. Commissioner Tom Stone, who has opposed the idea of a tax increase, was absent.The Eagle County tax question follows on the heels of a similar ballot issue that passed last year in Summit County. Other governments around the state are also looking into finding money for early-childhood services. (Vail Daily)

DURANGO – Firefighters rescued at least four people from a burning building in the downtown historic district Saturday.The cause of the fire was not immediately determined.The fire mostly burned the third and fourth floors of a building that contained the El Rancho Tavern and apartments of 24 tenants.There was no immediate estimate of damage. (Durango Herald)