Top five most-read stories last week
Skyler Stark-Ragsdale/The Aspen Times
Stories in this list received the most page views on aspentimes.com from June 9-16.
1. Bear encounter near Aspen drives campground tent ban
A close encounter between a black bear and two children has prompted the U.S. Forest Service to prohibit tents at a campground near Aspen.
The bear scratched and left puncture marks in a tent containing a boy and girl at Difficult Campground four miles east of Aspen toward Independence Pass. The children were both under the age of 12, officials estimated.
The incident occurred between late Monday night and early Tuesday morning, according to a Difficult Campground host who wished to remain anonymous for personal privacy reasons.
— Skyler Stark-Ragsdale
2. Main bridge into Aspen to be inspected on Thursday after falling debris report
Castle Creek Bridge, the main entrance to Aspen, will be undergoing a precautionary inspection in response to a report of minor debris falling from the structure earlier this week.
The inspection, which will be conducted by the Colorado Department of Transportation, begins at 10 a.m., Thursday, June 12, according to a news release. No set inspection completion time was given.
To facilitate the inspection, CDOT will implement alternating lane closures on the bridge throughout the day. Flaggers will be stationed at both ends of the bridge to assist with traffic flow.
— Westley Crouch
3. ‘Aggressive infestation’ almost eats away popular Aspen park
The city of Aspen departed from their standard policy of not using herbicides or pesticides when they treated Wagner Park last week to combat an aggressive disease called Ascochyta leaf blight that could have wiped out the turf.
Without the treatment, John Spiess, Senior Open Space and Natural Resource manager, said Wagner Park might not have survived.
“At Wagner, we had this unique situation where we had this fungal attack, and without using something like a fungicide, we potentially risked losing that entire park,” Spiess said. “It can be a really aggressive infestation.”
— River Stingray
Interstate 70 congestion, Colorado Highway 82 safety, and the availability of public transportation were on the minds of Western Slope drivers, riders, and commuters Monday as the Colorado Department of Transportation hosted a telephone town hall.
Hundreds of people from CDOT’s Region 3, which includes Summit, Eagle, Garfield, Lake, Pitkin, and Chaffee counties, tuned in to ask questions and provide feedback on the state’s roadways and transportation systems. CDOT Regional Transportation Director Jason Smith said the interactive meeting was meant to inform the transportation department’s 2050 Statewide Transportation Plan.
“We need your help,” Smith said. “Our transportation dollars are limited, and with a state as large and diverse as Colorado, we want your feedback on CDOT’s priorities and how best to distribute our limited resources.”
— Ryan Spencer
The Department of Homeland Security’s list of “sanctuary jurisdictions” — which listed several cities and counties on Colorado’s Western Slope — was pulled from its website on Sunday, June 1.
The department published the list on May 29, citing its decision under President Donald Trump’s Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens executive order. The page claimed that “sanctuary jurisdictions undermine the rule of law and endanger the lives of Americans and law enforcement.”
Of the 53 sanctuary jurisdictions identified for Colorado when the list was taken down, Western Slope counties included Eagle, Garfield, Pitkin, Rio Grande, Summit, and Lake counties. Towns included Avon, Basalt, Carbondale, Dillion, Eagle, and Vail; Routt County was not included on the list.
— Andrea Teres-Martinez
