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KDNK's Spring Membership Drive kicks off April 3rd at the Village Smithy. Join or renew early!

Local Newscast: Trustee Katrina Byars Talks Affordable Housing

KDNK's Local Newscast airs weekday mornings at 6:41 and 7:41 during Morning Edition. 

Town Trustee Katrina Byars is outspoken about her advocacy for affordable housing in Carbondale. And yet, earlier this month when the board voted to adopt new community housing guidelines for including affordable rentals in new developments, she cast the sole “no” vote. News Director Gavin Dahl sat down with her late last week to learn more about her position. Despite the concerns expressed by trustee Katrina Byars, Garfield County Housing Authority executive director KT Gazunis praised the town’s new guidelines for community housing, telling the Post Independent last week that Carbondale is quote “very forward thinking and at the cutting edge to keep workforce housing and other kinds of housing in the community.”

Ski resort counties are some of the wealthiest in Colorado, but they're having a harder time connecting people who need assistance than poorer counties. Eric Galatas explains.

A coal lease modification was approved by the Bureau of Land Management last week, allowing Peabody Energy’s Twentymile Coal to access an estimated 340,000 additional tons of federal coal from Foidel Creek Mine, an underground mine about 20 miles southwest of Steamboat Springs. According to Steamboat Today, the lease involves 310 acres underground in the existing mine, which has been utilized by Twentymile since 1983. Foidel Creek Mine is made up of six federal, private and state coal leases and currently produces about 7 million tons per year, according to numbers from the BLM. Carbon emissions from burning coal are one of the leading causes of global warming. From mining to processing to transportation to burning to disposal, coal has more environmental impacts than any other energy source.

 
The City of Glenwood Springs offers Christmas tree recycling to residents, which helps keep organic material out of the landfill. Real Christmas trees can be dropped off to the leaf collection site near the Airport. Directional signs to the drop-off site have been installed along Midland Ave. Trees must be free of ornaments, wire, lights and tinsel.
    

  

Gavin became one of the youngest station managers in public radio on February 1, 2017. He is a writer and producer with a passion for community media. Prior to starting at KDNK as news director in 2016, Gavin worked for national radio programs Alternative Radio with David Barsamian and Nonprofit Radio with Tony Martignetti along with local stations KGNU Boulder, KYRS Spokane, KRBX Boise, KAOS Olympia, and Air America Radio affiliate KPTK Seattle. His nonprofit management experience includes Open Media Foundation, where he led a government transparency team, and Common Frequency, where his policy advocacy supported dozens of noncommercial radio startups. Boulder Weekly, Raw Story, Austin American-Statesman, Boise Weekly, and The Sopris Sun have published his reporting. His TV credits include directing teams at Colorado Channel, crewing for Democracy Now!, and hosting on Free Speech TV. He graduated from the Evergreen State College in 2008 with a BA in media production and community organizing.