News in Brief

EAGLE COUNTY – A Carbondale-area man was arrested July 6 for allegedly selling cocaine after an undercover drug sting conducted months earlier in El Jebel, according to the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office.

Cesar Manuel Ramirez Pinela, 30, was arrested after officers with the sheriff’s office drug task force obtained a warrant. Pinela was arrested for felony possession and distribution of cocaine. An undercover operator allegedly bought $400 worth of cocaine from the suspect in El Jebel on March 30. No information was available on why the arrest was made July 6.

He was being held in Eagle County Jail on a $50,000 bond. Pinela is allegedly in the country illegally, the sheriff’s office said, so U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has put a hold on any possible release.

Pinela was allegedly driving without a license when he was contacted, so he was charged with that offense as well.

BASALT – The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will hold a meeting in Basalt Town Hall at 7 p.m. Wednesday to discuss projected water releases into the Fryingpan River during late summer and early fall, prime times for trout fishing.

The meeting will also be used to review operations of the reservoir during spring run-off. Sudden warm temperatures caused quick snowmelt. Ruedi Reservoir filled quicker than anticipated, and water entered the spill-way. Flooding was avoided along the valley and in Basalt, but the close call put emergency response officials on alert.

Officials from the reclamation bureau, which oversees management of Ruedi, will open the session, which is open to the public, to questions from audience members.

CARBONDALE – The first leg of a bike trail that may someday link the towns of Carbondale, Redstone and Crested Butte is nearing completion.

The public is invited to celebrate the official opening of the 5.2-mile stretch of the Crystal Valley Trail at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, July 23, at 1:30 p.m. at the Roaring Fork High School parking lot in Carbondale.

A bike path in the Crystal River Valley allows riders to take in the Highway 133 Scenic Byway without pedaling in highway traffic.

“We’re certain the new bike trail will be popular among locals and visitors alike,” said Lindsey Utter, Pitkin County Open Space and Trails recreation planner, in a press release. “For many, the trail will make it possible for them to ride up the Crystal River Valley for the very first time.”

The asphalt trail is 8 feet wide, with an additional 4 feet of soft surface for equestrians and other users along the majority of the trail, where there is enough space.

Pitkin County Open Space and Trails funded most of the $3 million project with a $1.75 million contribution. Another $1 million came from a Great Outdoors Colorado Grant. Garfield County contributed $295,000, the town of Carbondale provided $195,000, the state Trails Program/Colorado State Parks chipped in $190,000, the Colorado Department of Transportation contributed $85,000, the Jelinek family contributed $50,000, and a $5,000 grant came from the Aspen Skiing Co. Environment Foundation.

This project is the first phase of a trail vision that will connect Carbondale to Redstone, and is the northernmost component of a 73-mile Crested Butte to Carbondale trail, according to Dale Will, open space director.

“The political groundwork for this ambitious vision now includes intergovernmental agreements uniting the town of Carbondale, and Garfield, Pitkin, and Gunnison counties,” Will said.

Gunnison County has already completed a section of the trail from the summit of Kebler Pass toward Crested Butte.