National News

KDNK’s news team brings you local and regional news from the Roaring Fork Valley ... and beyond.

KDNK’s news team brings you local and regional news from the Roaring Fork Valley ... and beyond.

The Sopris Sun’s James Steindler attended last weekend’s vigil for late conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Glenwood Springs. He brings us this audio postcard.

Wilderness Workshop, based in Carbondale since 2004, has a storied history and legacy of big wins for mountain landscapes and the environment. Founded back in 1967 by Joy Caudill, Dottie Fox and Connie Harvey, this powerhouse trio of Aspen women convinced Congress to designate capital-W Wilderness in the Hunter-Fryingpan, Collegiate Peaks, Raggeds and West Elks, and doubled the size of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area. That was in the 1970s and 80s. A string of policy victories followed. More recently, energy has focused on staving off ravages from gas and oil extraction, including the hard-fought cancelling of gas leases in the Thompson Divide outside Carbondale.The hard work is not over for Wilderness Workshop. Advocacy director Erin Riccio (RICH-eeyo) just returned from Washington D.C. She stopped by KDNK this morning to tell news host Mike Lemmer about the trip, and new threats to wilderness and communities from the energy sector.

Thousands of people in the U.S. Department of Agriculture were fired in February as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce. Although wildland firefighters were exempt from the mass firing, many fired federal employees had secondary wildfire-fighting responsibilities.  This came during a busy wildfire season in Western Colorado, which included the fourth-largest wildfire in state history. Now the White River National Forest is hoping to fill fourteen new positions.

Lawmakers recently passed President Trump's controversial budget plan that includes over $1 billion dollars of rescissions from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The cuts will revoke all federal support for National Public Radio, the Public Broadcasting Service, and all their member stations.

On the eve of the passage of what some call the One Big Beautiful Bill, constituents of Congressman Jeff Hurd protested outside his Grand Junction office.

KDNK’s news team brings you local and regional news from the Roaring Fork Valley ... and beyond.

Colorado lawmakers recently voiced unified opposition to Republican plans to sell off public lands in a call with reporters.