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News in Brief

ASPEN Pitkin County Jail officials discovered an inmate hanging by a bedsheet in a cell on Monday afternoon in what they believe was a suicide attempt.On lockdown after an earlier confrontation with jailers in which the inmate tried to break a window with a chair, the inmate failed to respond to jailers who forced their way into the cell at 3:50 p.m.Officers were able to release the semiconscious inmate from the sheet anchored to an overturned bed, and the inmate was taken to Aspen Valley Hospital.Quick action by jail deputies resulted in the inmate regaining consciousness, jail administrator Don Bird said in a news release. The inmates name was not available pending the results of the investigation.

ASPEN Alpine Bank-Aspen is encouraging those planning on donating to the Aspen Thrift Shops ongoing capital campaign to do so through a special account, where the bankers have put up a $50,000 matching grant.And eager donors can make their donations at a kickoff party from 3-5:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at the bank, where there will be free food, beverages and party favors courtesy of Alpine Bank.The Thrift Shop is in the middle of a capital campaign to raise approximately $1.5 million, which will be used to redesign and expand the building to three stories.According to Sherri Draper, one of the volunteers who works at the store, the fund currently stands at between $800,000 and $900,000.The rebuilding project is to go hand in hand with the redevelopment plans of the Aspen Volunteer Fire Department next door. Both organizations are on city-owned land, and each pays a nominal rent to the city.Draper said The Thrift Shop is due for demolition in the spring, when the store will move to an as-yet undetermined temporary home while a new store and firehouse are under construction.The party is to include a special presentation of the grant, and organizers are hopeful that Alberta Moore, an original volunteer who has been with The Thrift Shop since its founding in 1949, will atttend.

BASALT A prescribed burn will target 160 acres of forest land on Basalt Mountain this fall to reduce wildland fire risk and improve wildlife habitat.The Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit will ignite the burn in October or early November. It will be conducted before or between deer and elk hunting seasons to reduce the impact to hunters. Basalt Mountain Road could be closed for several hours on the day of the road, and campers might be asked to temporarily relocate.Specific dates cannot be set because firefighters need a proper mixture of fuel moisture, weather and temperatures, according to a news release from the White River National Forest supervisors office.Basalt Mountain has been regularly targeted for fall prescribed burns in recent years because of the buildup of fuels and proximity of homes to forest lands.Federal and local firefighters will manage the burn. Approval from the Colorado Air Pollution Control board will be necessary before ignition.