Top 5 most-read stories last week

Stories in this list received the most page views on aspentimes.com from May 12-19.

1. Female wolf dies in northwest Colorado, marking fourth death of British Columbia wolves this year 

One of Colorado’s reintroduced wolves died on Thursday, May 15, in the state’s northwest region. 

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials confirmed on Friday that they received a mortality alert on the female wolf’s collar on Thursday. The agency provided no additional details on the incident or the cause of death. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will conduct the investigation and necropsy to determine what caused its death.  

-Ali Longwell 

2. Local legend keeps generosity, art, and rare pigs alive in Aspen 

In a town that often seems to glitter more than it glows, Nick Costello is one of the few who still burn with the original fire that once made Aspen a sanctuary for seekers. 

His life — a colorful collage of artistic defiance, agricultural stewardship, and community mischief — starkly contrasts the increasingly polished version of Aspen that has emerged in recent decades. In the eyes of many longtime locals, Costello isn’t just living in Aspen, he’s preserving its soul.

He arrived in the Roaring Fork Valley about six years ago with the simple intention of finding community and contributing to it. 

-Westley Crouch 

3. Glenwood woman arrested for alleged drug use in in closed Aspen hotel 

A Glenwood Springs woman was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly setting off a fire alarm while using drugs in a closed Aspen hotel.

The woman, 39, was picked up by Aspen Police around 11 p.m. outside of the Annabelle Inn, located at 232 W. Main Street, according to an affidavit. She is currently held in the Pitkin County Jail and has not posted her $1,000 cash surety bond.

On the night of the incident, a hotel property manager responded to the hotel’s general alarm and saw the suspect running down the internal stairs of the hotel into the courtyard. She grabbed the woman by the arm and notified the police. The building’s fire alarm was also triggered during the incident.

-Skyler Stark-Ragsdale 

4. Yogi’s enters battle with Aspen to keep lease 

Yogi’s is ready to take the city of Aspen to war.

The city is attempting to evict the American-style lunch restaurant and arcade after the business failed to pay the past three months of rent and utilities, amounting to $21,204.81. 

Aspen filed a lawsuit to the 9th Judicial District Court to evict the business from the 1,615 foot city-owned space located at 455 Rio Grande Place — adjacent to the Rio Grande Park — on Thursday. 

-Skyler Stark-Ragsdale 

5. ‘First Five Feet’ critical for Aspen homeowners when fire strikes 

In the face of flames, nothing is guaranteed. But in the event of a local fire, both Mother Nature and the Aspen Fire Protection District will give preference to homes and properties with completed mitigation work.

Ali Hammond, director of community wildfire resilience and the Aspen Wildfire Foundation, calls this the “First Five Feet.” While wildfire mitigation can — and should — extend farther than that on a property, the first five feet closest to the house can make the biggest difference when winds pick up and embers start to fly.

“The first five feet are the most critical, the most important, for doing your mitigation,” Hammond said at a Wednesday Aspen-Pitkin County Housing Authority meeting. “Give firefighters enough space to safely defend this home. They’re not going to risk their lives for, candidly, homeowners who haven’t put in the time and effort to create that safe space.”

-River Stingray

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