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Roses and Thorns

Thorns to the drivers who refuse to allow other vehicles to merge at the Aspen Business Center bottleneck in the mornings and on Main Street in Aspen in the late afternoon. No one enjoys sitting in traffic, but being rude and getting feisty about one car pulling ahead of you isn’t the answer. A driver from Texas in a black Ford F-150 was determined not to let a small car with Arizona plates take its natural place in the merge sequence Wednesday morning. The same driver was belligerent about another vehicle merging between the roundabout and the Cemetery Lane light. Welcome to Aspen, Tex. Relax a little, and quit smoking cigarettes so you live long enough to enjoy your stay.

Roses to the midvalley emergency responders — cops, paramedics and firefighters — who have answered too many calls involving deaths already this summer. There has been a rash of tragic incidents in the past three weeks. Here’s hoping the responders get the help they need — be it time off or counseling — to make sure they stay healthy.



A rose to the Carbondale Council of Arts and Humanities for putting on the 43rd annual Mountain Fair at Sopris Park. The three-day festival of music, arts-and-crafts, food and more is free and packs a year’s worth of entertainment into one wild weekend.




Thorns to whoever is responsible for posting the public-notice signs in front of properties that are up for redevelopment. While we appreciate that the signs notify the public of upcoming Planning and Zoning Commission, Historic Preservation Commission and City Council meetings, shouldn’t they be taken down after the meetings are held? There are some signs that have been up months after the meetings. If local government feels a need to police residences and business that might be violating local sign ordinances, it also should make an effort to clean up after itself with the dated public notices peppered throughout town.