Stuff by Will Grandbois

• Sections: News Published Jan. 3, 2018

  Into a bit of a pickle(ball)

  
  I’d been wanting to try my hand (or foot?) at pickleball since I first heard mention of the sport a few years ago. I had no idea how it was played, but with a name like “pickleball,” I assumed it would emphasize fun over finesse, trial and error over technique, recreation over rules, and community over competition. In short — as anyone who has ever attempted to play soccer or tennis with me would attest — my kind of sport. read more →
• Sections: News Published Jan. 3, 2018

  Rolling into 2018 via aikido

  
  Mike Jones, chief instructor at Roaring Fork Aikikai, first got into aikido exactly because it’s a martial art that requires more art than actual combat. That’s not to say it doesn’t pack a punch; at the end of our 90-minute class, he showed me a quick, seemingly effortless move that had me on my knees in an instant. “One of the reasons I got into aikido [is] there’s no yelling. read more →
• Sections: News Published Jan. 3, 2018

  Pages of the Past: Crumbling mansions and affordable housing

  Jan. 5, 1978: “The brick house” — arguably the grandest ranch home in the Valley when 300 people arrived on a chartered train for the housewarming in 1908 — was in the process of demolition. Built by Charles Harris (The Journal calls him Davis), one of the lower valley’s first settlers, it cost $12,000 and included 18 rooms, six foot wide stairs, 10 foot ceilings on the first two of three floors and gingerbread ornamentation throughout. read more →
• Sections: News Published Dec. 31, 2017

  Roving reporter: New Year's resolutions

  ’Tis the season for reflection on the past and resolutions for the future. So we asked a few locals who were out and about after the holidays about their plans for 2018. Compiled by Megan Tackett read more →
• Sections: News Published Dec. 30, 2017

  New Year's Eve happenings

  Looking to ring in 2018 right here in Carbondale? Here are some of the offerings we know about. read more →
• Sections: News Published Dec. 29, 2017

  Pills implicated in Carbondale man's death

  One man died and another was hospitalized as a result of apparent overdose on Dec. 28, according to a Carbondale Police Department press release. First responders arrive at a Carbondale home around 5:30 p.m. and found a 30-year-old man dead, the release said. read more →
• Sections: News Published Dec. 27, 2017

  Happy trails to 2017

  There’s no way a single issue can truly capture all the happenings of a year in Bonedale and beyond, but hopefully our 51 other issues have given readers a good sampling. We’ve been in the first row for folks’ highs and lows, tried to branch out without losing the basics and given readers what they want as well as hopefully what they need. The list that follows is far from comprehensive. We have tried to focus on things we felt made the year stand out, as well as those that might have lasting impacts on years to come. We have also tried to hold our remembrance of those passed until the end, while the news of the newborns has yet to be written. read more →
• Sections: News Published Dec. 20, 2017

  ‘Shop with a cop’ part of a broader philosophy

  While distrust of law enforcement increases nationwide, Carbondale cops do double duty as notaries, locksmiths, driving instructors and special event security. In an effort to further emphasize that small-town approach, the Carbondale Police Department took it a step further with its first “Shop with a Cop” event. Chief Gene Schilling, Officers Mike Zimmerman and Brandyn Rup and some of the office staff offered needy kids some extra support for the holidays. read more →
• Sections: News Published Dec. 20, 2017

  Catherine Store housing proposal a no go

  The Garfield County Planning Commission voted unanimously Dec. 13 against a proposal to allow a significant change to its comprehensive plan, a guiding document that attempts to envision how the county should grow. Had it passed, the amendment would have allowed a developer’s request to build up to 400 small homes in the pasture northeast of the intersection of Catherine Store Road and County Road 100 to be considered by the Commission. With the denial, the county will keep its highest density land use designation as “rural high density,” which would allow only 124 homes in the pasture. read more →
• Sections: News Published Dec. 20, 2017

  Students share more than just stories

  If compassion can be taught — and it’s been widely postulated it can — the Storyteller Project could serve as a textbook example of how to do it. On Dec. 18, Carbondale Middle School fifth graders presented their Storyteller poems. It was the culmination of three weeks of work. The project, now in its second year, is a collaboration between CMS and Voices, a Carbondale-based nonprofit dedicated to amplifying community voices through performance art. In this case, that included spoken word in the form of poetry. read more →