News

• Ski Patrol Puts Contract Proposal to Membership
• Mountain Town at the Center of New Whodunit

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Remembering David Shute

David Shute of Illinois died Friday evening in his room at the Bear Creek Lodge, according to the San Miguel County Coroner’s Office.

Shute, 73, was visiting Telluride as part of a 150-person ski trip. The coroner’s office said he appeared to have died peacefully while sitting in a chair, and friends initially believed he was taking a nap.

Mountain Village police and EMS attempted to resuscitate him, but officials said he had been unresponsive for too long.

The cause and manner of death remain under investigation.

Crippin Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Shute is survived by his siblings: Joe, Barbara, Judy and Mary.

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Ski Patrol Puts Contract Proposal to Membership

The Telluride Ski Patrol Union will put a contract proposal to its membership on Monday.

“We’ll have an all-membership meeting tonight where people are able to ask any questions they might have about the last, best, and final offer from the company. And then we’ll take a formal ballot on that contract,” said Jackie Kearney, secretary of the Telluride Ski Patrol Union and a ski patroller at Telluride for the last six years.

“The executive committee will not be making a recommendation for this contract, that does not mean we’re recommending against it or for it. It just means we are not making a formal recommendation about it,” Kearney said.

Telluride Ski Patrol began contract negotiations with the Telluride Ski Resort in early June. Their contract expired in August, and the two sides held their final days of negotiations Friday and Saturday.

“We, as a union, feel like we haven’t really seen movement from the company, although they did finally put some money on the table in the last two days,” Kearney said.

At a broad level, the proposed contract includes an average 9% to 11% pay increase for this year, along with a cost-of-living increase after that, with a minimum 5% raise each year.

Steve Swenson, a spokesperson for the Telluride Ski Resort, spoke at an intergovernmental meeting on Monday. He said Telski believes it presented a strong and fair offer to the union.

“We hope we can have a successful vote tonight and patrol can continue to do their work and we can have a good holiday season for the community,” Swenson said.

If members vote to accept the contract, the union will move forward and continue working under the agreement. If members vote it down, Kearney said leadership will discuss next steps.

“There’s not a one-way road to a work stoppage. At any point between a contract being voted down and the actual act of going out, there’s opportunity to come to an agreement for a contract,” she said.

Kearney said the union’s goal remains reaching a sustainable agreement.

“This is about the community, it’s not us vs. them, it’s us being honest about what we need to make this job sustainable. It’s not some sort of money grab or something like that. We’d really prefer to continue working and come to an amicable agreement,” she said.

With a vote scheduled for Monday evening, union leadership said they expect results by Tuesday or Wednesday, at which point they will determine next steps.

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Mountain Town at the Center of New Whodunit

In 1993, the Jack Frost Collective turned Franklin, Colorado, upside down with an eco-terrorism plot to stop a ski resort from expanding into the habitat of the endangered Canada lynx. The FBI set up a national task force, and local law enforcement and politicians floundered. It was up to an intrepid newsroom to solve the crime.

True? Not quite. That’s the story at the heart of Michael Bourne’s new novel, We Bring You an Hour of Darkness. Bourne will be in Telluride this week for a book signing, and KOTO News sat down with him to talk about small mountain towns, the tension between old and new, and the importance of local journalism.

Michael Bourne will appear at Between the Covers Bookstore in Telluride for a book signing on Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 3 to 4 p.m. His new book is We Bring You an Hour of Darkness.

Story begins at 4:15.

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Grab Your Christmas Tree Permits

It’s that time of year again — Christmas tree season has arrived. Before cutting down a tree, officials encourage residents to visit their local land management agency and help keep public lands funded by purchasing a permit.

For those planning to cut a tree on U.S. Forest Service land, permits cost $8, with up to five permits allowed per household. They can be purchased online at recreation.gov.

Fourth graders can receive a free tree permit by visiting everykidoutdoors.gov and downloading a voucher.

The Bureau of Land Management has also announced $1 tree and firewood permits through the end of the year. Permits are available at forestproducts.blm.gov.

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Patagonia Hosts Flash Stitch Night With Local Artist

Looking to turn your drab, old clothes into fashionable wearable art? Join Patagonia Telluride and local artist Caitlin Sappington of Disco Swell for a flash stitch night. Create wearable art, choose from curated designs of flash sheet and get them stitched live in the store onto your fleece or soft goods.

Swing on by Patagonia tomorrow, Tuesday December 9^th from 3-6pm. The event is free and open to the community.

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Colorado Lawmaker Launches Primary Challenge Against Hickenlooper

Democratic state Sen. Julie Gonzales has launched a Democratic primary challenge against Sen. John Hickenlooper. For the Colorado Capitol News Alliance, Bente Birkeland has more.

Story begins at 10:35.

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EPA Steps In on Cleanup of 2023 Pipeline Spill

Last December, a rupture on an Enterprise Products pipeline in southwestern Colorado, on tribal and county land, spilled tens of thousands of gallons of refined gasoline onto Florida Mesa.

The Environmental Protection Agency is now getting involved in the cleanup process.

For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KSUT’s Clark Adomaitis has more.

Story begins at 11:25.