Planning ahead to help keep your cool

Family trips are coming to an end as school begins, so we might imagine less competition for our asphalt. However, in the upcoming week — and for the rest of the school year — the Roaring Fork Valley, from Aspen to Rifle, will find more than 12,000 people accessing our schools not only in the early mornings but throughout the day.

Allow extra time to reach destinations. You can thank yourself at the end of any driving trip.

Danger is just one letter away from anger.

Be safe, be community invested.

Diane Reynolds, Slow Down in Town, Glenwood Springs

Baseless complaint wastes taxpayer dollars

The secretary of state has granted the Colorado Elections Division’s request to dismiss Tony Hershey’s most recent, baseless complaint against the city of Glenwood Springs (complaint 2024-110).

As a citizen of Glenwood Springs, I am disgusted by Mr. Hershey’s frivolous use of our state’s legal apparatus to carry out what appears to be a personal vendetta against the people of Glenwood Springs and their elected representatives. His frequent, vitriolic missives to the local newspapers lament what he considers to be misuse of government resources, but I can think of no greater waste of taxpayer dollars than for city staff to spend their time responding to his litigious fever dreams.

Mr. Hershey, please find a new hobby.

Mark Kirch, Glenwood Springs

Vote yes on early childhood care funding

As parents and Glenwood Springs residents, we’re grateful to see the child care crisis getting the attention it deserves. The lack of affordable, accessible care makes it incredibly hard for families to work, plan for the future or even stay in the valley. And it’s not just about parents’ convenience — it’s about giving kids early learning opportunities to help them thrive.

With a background in speech-language pathology, I (Molly) have seen firsthand how quality child care impacts language, social-emotional development and long-term success. Every child deserves a strong start, and every family deserves support. Unfortunately, regional day care waitlists are long and the options are few.

That’s why we’re voting yes on the upcoming ballot measure to help fund early childhood care and education. It’s a smart, community-focused investment that benefits everyone. To learn more about the measure and how to get involved, we encourage readers to visit strongstartbrightfuture.com.

We love living here — and we believe this community can lead the way in ensuring all families and children have access to the care they need to succeed.

Once again, thank you for bringing awareness to this important issue. Let’s keep the momentum going — for our children, our working families and the future of the Roaring Fork Valley.

Molly and Austin Hamilton, Glenwood Springs

Grieving is OK but despair is not an option

Our national parks are burning for weeks without end and venerable monuments are reduced to ashes. Our cities are choking in toxic smoke from wildfires half a continent away.

Soaring temperatures around the world are turning summer into a season of misery.

Masked ICE agents round up our undocumented workers, herd them into inhumane detention camps and deport them to countries they never knew. Families are being torn apart.

Our great universities are being muzzled and extorted into compliance with the White House doctrine du jour.

Meanwhile, our president fiddles with tariffs, plays power games, paves over the 100-year-plus Rose Garden at the White House and builds a $200 million ballroom to frolic in with his cronies.

Enough to drive one into despair and to a life of resentful misery?

No way. Unless completely sold out to the dark side, every one of us carries a spark of goodness, and that can be kindled into a mighty flame.

Try it out, it works. Just step out and greet the first person you meet with a warm smile and you’re guaranteed to kindle their spark. Now imagine every one of our 8.2 billion fellow humans doing that.

To quote Gandhi: “As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world as in being able to remake ourselves.”

Gerard VanderBeek, Glenwood Springs