The Aspen Times

Colorado voters will find two citizen initiatives — Amendment 87 and Proposition 136 —  on their ballots this November that propose dueling visions for the state’s income tax system. Led by a coalition of progressive groups known as Protect Colorado’s Future, Amendment 87 would replace the state’s flat income tax with a graduated system, which raises or lowers taxes based on how much a person or business earns.

The spirit of giving will take center stage at Aspen Chapel Gallery’s October exhibit, which pairs a feast of art with a gift to Harvest for Hunger. “Feast D’Arte,” a mixed-media show in partnership with Harvest for Hunger, will open from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 7 inside the gallery. It is the 270th consecutive exhibition since the space opened 41 years ago. “Each of the artists is going to come up with something very unique and different,” Gallery Co-Director Michael Bonds told The Aspen Times.

Oral history can take us back a long time. We celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a date signifying the beginning of our country. Aspen dates back more than half that number. That seems like a very long time, but oral history, the stories handed down generation to generation, for Aspen are within a generational memory.

I am a child of the 1980s who idolized Madonna and Michael Jackson, playing their records on repeat on my beige and white Fisher Price record player as a kid. I finally got to see a Madonna concert in 2015, and a few years before that, I was so excited to finally be able to see Michael Jackson perform live.

With fall in full swing, Colorado officials are warning drivers that there will be increased wildlife activity near roads and highways as many species begin to move to lower elevations for winter. “Last year troopers responded to over 3,900 crashes involving wildlife, with autumn as the most active months,” said Matthew Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, in a news release.

The Snowmass Recreation Center on a summer afternoon. Madison Osberger-Low/The Aspen Times The Aspen Recreation Center reopened on Oct. 1, following closures for critical infrastructure improvements. The recreation center was closed from June 1 through Sept. 30 for repairs to the pool deck and draining system, according to a press release.

Harvest for Hunger’s van, affectionately known as Little Larry, was reported stolen two weeks ago from the Snowmass Village food rescue nonprofit, and it has yet to be found. The 2007 Chevy Econo was stolen on Sept. 19 at 10:30 p.m. Snowmass Police Chief Brian Olson told The Aspen Times that it was last seen on Highway 82 heading west toward Glenwood Springs, but license plate recognition footage did not capture the vehicle there.

Fishing the Roaring Fork Valley during fall is the stuff of dreams, at least for me. This goes for the Crystal, Roaring Fork and Fryingpan rivers, and everything in between. The shorter periods of light touching the water and the dip in water and air temperatures causes something special to happen. Big fish are all of a sudden showing up in the runs that you fished all summer, and they weren’t there last week — these fish have been elusive up until now.

A ballot measure headed to voters in November is asking Coloradans to forgo tax refunds to improve teacher salaries and shrink classrooms. Supporters and opponents disagree, however, on whether or not the measure would count as a tax increase — and whether it would be an efficient use of taxpayer money.

There’s an event in England each September quite unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, even though I grew up there. Even though I was an avid equestrian growing up, my second most favorite outdoor activity (and it was always outdoors, rain or shine) was thrifting at “car boot sales,” the British version of garage sales, with junk from the trunk of a car. There were endless antiques, antiquities and, of course, vintage clothes and accessories.