Marci's Favorite 2010 Stories

My reporting assignments in 2010 varied from land use to bear problems to kids playing rock and roll. Four of my favorite stories aired on our local news this morning and they are listed below.

The first is a story on the Pitkin County Commissioners voting in support of the Hidden Gems plan. I liked this story because the Hidden Gems plan was front and center for a lot of people in the Valley this year. There were vocal opponents and proponents. Bumper stickers can still be seen plastered on cars, revealing how the driver feels about this issue. The Hidden Gems plan was divisive but it brought the Valley together in a way, because everyone had an opinion.

Another big news maker was the discovery of mammoths, mastodons and more at a dig site in Snowmass Village. The story I picked out regarding this discovery, focused on Snowmass Village's efforts on marketing the huge find. The discovery and the excavation that followed, received national news attention...The trick now is for Snowmass to hang onto to that public interest.

A heartwarming story I enjoyed reporting on in 2010 focused on a Basalt family's efforts to adopt two young boys from Haiti. The Ketchum family decided to adopt the children after they had been brought to the United States following an earthquake in Haiti in January. When I reported on the family in March, they thought the boys would be living with them by Summer. It turns out, the Ketchums are traveling to retrieve their new children THIS WEEK because of hold-up's between the U.S. and Haitian governments.

My final favorite story from 2010 focused on science and a threat to Aspen's water. In May, officials at Aspen's Water Department were using more chemicals to get dust out of the water supply. The dust, from desert areas in nearby states, also causes snow to melt faster, which water officials feared could lead to a water shortage. I liked this story because it brought out a new threat to water which is often overlooked in the face of other threats like climate change and water distribution.

Hidden Gems story

Mammoth Marketing story

Ketchum Family story

Dust in Water story

Christmas Eve Musings and Sermons

Today is Christmas Eve. I suppose after Easter, it's probably the most attended day of worship in churches. But that is NOT a scientific fact, just an assumption or maybe an educated guess.

I'm a Jew so Christmas was never a big deal in my house, but I did go to our neighbor's Christmas Eve party yearly growing up. Aside from my love for mini-hot dogs and Swedish meatballs, which was fervent and only satiated on December 24th, I loved the glow of the tree, the sound of the music and (I can't lie), the present under the tree with MY name on it.

As I got older I even attended several years of midnight Mass at a nearby Catholic church and the service was always beautiful. My favorite part of church is the peace handshake at the end of the service.

Each year I've been at Aspen Public Radio I do a story on Christmas Eve Day about sermons. It's not deep or research intensive, but it's fascinating to me. I ask local pastors what their message will be in their sermon. It's true, it's generally the same. Joy. Peace. Love. The story of Christ. But making it fresh every year, that seems to be the catch. I've heard tales of likening the Christmas story to the movie Avatar, the stars in the sky and the beauty of our modern world. I'm amazed and in awe of those who are committed to their faith and the desire to share it. It can't be easy coming up with a sermon each Christmas Eve, but it's probably not easy coming up with one each Sunday either.

My yarmulke goes off (meaning hats off) to all those who are spreading their message of joy and peace tonight, and hopefully it will stick and 2011 will be a most joyous and peaceful year.

Name some great water songs

Here are a few to wet your whistle.

A Little Water Music Mix

What are some other great water songs?

Water Law in Colorado

As part of our week-long series about water we have researched more aspects of the topic than we can possibly broadcast on air. One of the most interesting aspects, and most complicated is water law in the state.

Water law in Colorado was at first modelled after California and how that state dealt with water rights during intensive mineral mining, like during the gold rush. The general framework for Colorado water law was built around the first miners who came here and progressed from there.

I got the chance to interview Justice Gregory Hobbs, a state Supreme Court Justice and water expert. Not only is he a passionate water expert, he's also a great poet! He recited poetry to me at the end of our interview. If you want to learn more about this fascinating subject, you can listen to our interview.

Water, Water, Water. Slurp, Slurp, Slurp.

When I write and research about water sometimes I just get thirsty.

We've been working on this water series for nearly two months and the day has finally arrived. (Literally, it's 3:09 am. In three more hours the first story will play on APR and KDNK).

What has interested me the most in my research on water is how differently people assess Colorado's water situation. Some say we don't have enough, some say we have plenty to move forward into the future.

My general sense from some of the conflicting things I've learned is this: Colorado has enough water for people to drink and bathe. The state does not have enough water for everyone to have huge green lawns into the future. How Colorado residents want their state to look is an integral part of how they manage water. It is up to each individual to do their share if the state as a whole is going to have enough water into the future.

Conservation is key and not just on the Front Range.

Later today I'm going to post sound and put up some of my favorite interviews from my story. I have 20 pages of typed notes just from the five interviews I did on tape. That doesn't count the many more interviews I did for research and background. I think I've become a mini-expert.

And because I feel secure in my water supply (at least for now), I am going to shower when I get up in the morning. I hope you do too!

The Search for George Aldrich

Local law enforcement is calling on residents today to help them search "targeted areas" in the community for signs of George Aldrich, of Snowmass Village. The 28-year-old went missing November 27th. He was last seen getting off a RFTA bus on the outskirts of Aspen.

The striking part of this search, to me, is the Facebook page that has developed from it. There's a fan page, of which 5,429 people are signed onto (as of Thursday morning), called, "Find George Aldrich." Comments written on the Wall include this one from Elaine: "We are praying so hard that this will be the day they find George and he will be okay!" and this one from Kristen: "The longer he goes missing, the more devastating it becomes. C'mon George... Peace & Love to your family!"

George was last seen exiting bus 555 at the Truscott stop in Aspen. He spoke briefly to a woman who said he realized he was at the wrong stop when the shuttle left. He asked her if she could drive him to the Village Commons where he lived. She told him she did not have a car. She assumed he would wait for the next shuttle bus or attempt to hitch hike home. That was the last time anyone saw Goerge. Anyone with information should call the Aspen police at 970-920-5310.

From Beetle-Kill to Energy

A group of five local non profits plan to study whether biomass can be used in the Valley to heat and power buildings. The Roaring Fork Biomass Consortium received a grant from the Governor's Energy Office to conduct a feasibility study. Types of biomass are plants, wood, grass, animal waste and landfill waste. It's most commonly burned to create renewable energy. Locally, officials with the Consortium believe wood from trees killed by the Mountain Pine Beetle and wood leftover from construction sites could be used. One non profit in the Consortium, the Flux Farm Foundation, even wants to explore the idea of planting short-rotation woody crops to supply potential biomass plants with wood. Everyone in the group says jobs could be created, and the White River National Forest supports the study. After it's completed, the analysis will be available to local governments, private businesses and other non profits. Those entities can decide whether they want to build biomass plants in the Valley.

Kristina gets some training in investigative reporting

I've been at Northwestern University for the past four days learning about computer-assisted reporting. The fellowship is with the Education Writers Association, and it has been a terrific learning experience. I have new skills with Excel and Access that I can use to crunch numbers and create some compelling original reporting for Aspen Public Radio!

The first evening, George Papajohn spoke to the group of 20 reporters. He's The Chicago Tribune's associate managing editor for investigations and their consumer watchdog group. Papajohn has much experience culling stories from existing and original data. He directed our group to read a series of stories on the effects of the No Child Left Behind legislation, from 2004 and by reporter Stephanie Banchero. It is held up as an example of stellar reporting - and as a story that did not end the way the reporter may have predicted. It's a 3-part series you can check out here.

High Score for the Aspen Skiing Company

The Aspen Skiing Company did well on the latest environmental report card from the Ski Area Citizens' Coalition. It's no surprise though, to Ski-Co workers like Auden Schendler. He's the Company's VP of Sustainability and he says employees are constantly cranking on various aspects of sustainability. Recently the Ski-Co added two LEED certified buildings and it cut its energy use by using renewable sources. There are plans in the future too to possibly build a small hydro electric project and the Company is looking at using gas from coal mines to generate electricity. Researchers behind the report card say the Aspen Skiing Company is a green leader for the industry but they add, more can be done to keep improving. To hear the entire news story, log onto our website and look under Local News.