News

• A Short-Term Rental Update for Mountain Village
• Colorado Senators Continue to Push for CORE Act
• TAB Recognizes Robert Presley

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Remembering Alexander Hartman

Norwood lost a member of its community Wednesday when Alexander “Sandy” Hartman was discovered dead in his home. He had been fighting multiple illnesses over the years, which finally took their toll. He was 81.

The San Miguel County Coroner’s Office notes Hartman loved his Norwood community, known as one of the most positive guys in town.

He made his living restoring old cars and refurbishing old boats. Hartman moved to Colorado from Florida more than 20 years ago to be with his twin brother. Being in the mountains was a dream for them since they were young.

Crippin Funeral Home will attend to services.

Hartman is survived by his brother, Key.

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A Short-Term Rental Update for Mountain Village

Short-term rentals in Mountain Village contributed nearly $4.5 million in lodging-related taxes in 2025.

“That’s including all lodging, not just STRs. STRs specifically are hard to quantify how much lodging tax revenue are coming from STRs,” said Daniel Alvarado, senior planner for the Town of Mountain Village.

Alvarado presented the information at a Town Council meeting last month. He said breaking out STRs in lodging tax reports is difficult because of how third-party sites like Airbnb and VRBO report their figures.

But, he added, “Our gut feeling was it was somewhere around $3 million, but that’s just an educated guess.”

According to Alvarado, there are currently 631 valid STR licenses in Mountain Village, though he noted that doesn’t mean all of those properties are actively renting.

Alvarado said the town’s recent study focused specifically on STRs in the Meadows, based on resident interest in potential regulation and in increasing opportunities for full-time residents to operate STRs.

Drew Nelson, Mountain Village’s housing director, said there are 36 short-term rentals in the Meadows as a whole. Most are in the Terraces and Northstar, with others scattered across Outlaws, Fairway Four, Boulders and Parker Ridge.

“There are actually 362 total units down there, so you’re looking at roughly 10% of total units in the Meadows as short-term rentals,” Nelson said.

Deed-restricted units are not allowed to be used as STRs, and Nelson said the majority of free-market units in the Meadows do operate as STRs.

“What we did find is that 75% of the free market units in the Meadows are actually short-term rentals. It’s a higher number than we anticipated,” he said.

Conversations around limiting STRs often include questions about whether they reduce available housing for local workers. Nelson said town staff don’t believe changes to STR policy would free up meaningful numbers of units.

“We don’t think that units that are short-term rentals would likely become workforce housing,” he said. “What we’re seeing is there’s not the same number of advantages for someone to rent their home at an affordable rate to somebody working in the workforce when you’re looking at large cost, you’re looking at large units – that was one of the other things we saw in those dispersed STRs, they’re 4-bedroom plus units – so we don’t anticipate, if we were to regulate short-term rentals, that all of a sudden you’d get a massive influx of long-term rentals or things like that.”

Town staff are not recommending any changes to Mountain Village’s STR policies but say they will continue monitoring short-term rentals for compliance and community impact.

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Colorado Senators Continue to Push for CORE Act

The long-running Colorado public lands bill is back before Congress. The Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act, or CORE Act, would protect 420,000 acres of public lands by designating new wilderness areas and other conservation protections. The legislation has been introduced multiple times over the years. On Tuesday, Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining on its importance.

“It creates new wilderness recreation and conservation areas providing lasting protections for iconic landscapes like Mount Sneffels, the Tenmile Range, the Thompson Divide and Mount Emmons. The CORE Act demonstrates Colorado’s approach to protecting public lands over the past 15 years,” Bennet said.

Locally, the bill would expand the Mount Sneffels Wilderness and give greater protections to the Sheep Mountain and Ophir region. Ruthie Boyd, program director at Sheep Mountain Alliance, said the organization has worked with community partners for nearly 15 years on the legislation, which began as the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act.

“And I think the result of that is the current version of the CORE Act, which includes the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act, is really robust in protecting a lot of important landscapes in our area, such as Ice Lakes Basin, the stands of spruce trees along Sheep Mountain, and many of the pristine and ecologically important landscapes that surround the San Juans. It’s really evolved to become that from a lot of input from local leaders and businesses and ranchers and various stakeholders over the years. So we’re really excited that the CORE Act is receiving this hearing, and really hopeful that it will continue to progress in this Congress,” Boyd said.

Bennet told the committee the legislation has strong bipartisan support across Colorado, including in San Miguel County.

“Coloradans negotiated this bill at trailheads and at kitchen tables. County commissioners across the political spectrum, outfitters, ranchers, hunters and anglers and local businesses rolled up their sleeves to find the best way forward to preserve our special places. These Coloradans know how fundamental public lands are to our identity and economy, and they did the hard work to ensure the CORE Act reflects the diverse interests of our diverse state. The result is a balanced bill that enjoys the full support of seven counties, 17 towns and cities and our governor,” he said.

Bennet also submitted 50 letters from Colorado supporters. But despite steady support at home, the bill hasn’t gained traction in Washington. President Joe Biden designated the 53,000-acre Camp Hale–Continental Divide National Monument in 2022 — a piece of the original CORE Act — to honor the legacy of the 10th Mountain Division. The rest of the legislation has received hearings in both chambers but has not advanced.

Boyd said that in an administration unfriendly to public lands conservation, persistence is the only real path forward.

“I think this is a huge question that we’ve been dealing with a lot since January, and there isn’t a really clear answer as to how we can continue to move these things forward in a difficult political landscape. But I think what it takes is just a lot of persistence and consistency in what we’re advocating for and a lot of continued outreach to all of our stakeholders who have been involved — just encouraging them to continue expressing their support, continue to uplift the voices of people who really care about these issues, and try and think creatively about other ways that we can move support forward and continue protecting these landscapes in the meantime,” she said.

The Trump administration has made its stance clear, prioritizing extractive industries and supporting the selloff of public lands. Despite that, Bennet continues to push for the CORE Act and the Dolores River National Conservation Area legislation, both of which have bipartisan backing in Colorado and nationally.

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TAB Recognizes Robert Presley

People now know TAB — the Telluride AIDS Benefit — as a high-glam, high-energy, raucous fashion show. But that’s not how it began.

“That started with a dance party on Main Street in the summer, there were some other events, and it evolved into a fashion show the winter of ’95 at the Opera House,” said Kathleen Morgan.

“It was all local merchants, and Free Box line, and it was hilarious,” she said.

The fashion show, the dance party and other early events were fundraisers for Robert Presley, a local fashion designer and creative force who was battling AIDS.

“It started out super funky, and creative, and unexpected. It was ridiculous, our shows were two hours long, they were what Telluride is. All these funky, creative people,” Morgan said.

Morgan, who runs the wearable art program for the Telluride AIDS Benefit, was a friend and collaborator of Presley. She said that in those early years of the fashion show, the Free Box was always a central feature.

“The Free Box was always heavily involved, and right up Robert’s alley in terms of making something out of nothing,” she said.

In her first fashion show, Morgan said she created 50 Free Box outfits in two weeks.

“Sock man, garden woman, it was all kinds of stuff,” she said.

Decades after TAB’s beginnings, the organization — which works to combat HIV and AIDS by raising awareness and eliminating stigma while supporting prevention, testing, education and care — is hosting a Free Box Dance Party in honor of Presley and World AIDS Day. The community is encouraged to wear their favorite free box look and dance the night away to DJ YAK.

But it’s not just a dance party. This week, TAB also announced its 2026 wearable art theme.

“I continue Robert’s legacy by having a wearable art line. We feel like it’s crucial to Telluride and to give people an opportunity to go outside of their comfort zone and create pieces,” Morgan said.

The theme this year is “Uncommon Creatures.”

“We want something that doesn’t look like a human form. But it’s any material, any construction,” she said.

Morgan encourages people to think outside the box — not just about what a material is, but what it could become.

“My last outfit in ’96 was a bride, but a bride in a mini skirt. Her train was anything I could find that was white out of the Free Box for a couple weeks. Think about a theme you want to cultivate and then go early, go often, because the Free Box does provide. It’s shocking what you can find in there,” she said.

It’s all with the goal of creating something Presley would love.

“I often think if Robert was still with us, what would he be creating? What would he be excited about? What would he be pushing us — he always pushed us — because he was creating like a madman. He knew his time was limited and he was creating every single day, and delving into all kinds of corners. That’s what creativity really is all about, constantly exploring and learning,” Morgan said.

The Free Box Dance Party in honor of World AIDS Day will take place Friday, Dec. 5, at the Buck starting at 8 p.m.

Submissions for wearable art are open now and due by Monday, Jan. 5. Applications are available at tellurideaidsbenefit.org. The wearable art pieces will be showcased in the Telluride AIDS Benefit Fashion Show, Feb. 26–28, 2026.

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Telluride Ski Resort Outlines Limited Opening Day Terrain

The Telluride Ski Resort has announced its opening-day terrain. Village Bypass, connecting to Lower Boomerang and Upper Misty Maiden, will open on Saturday. A small rail garden will be available in Pick N Gad with hike access in and out.

The Chondola will operate for public transportation only, with no ski access on Meadows until more snowmaking is complete. Ski access from the Mountain Village Parking Garage to the Chondola will be available through Lower Double Cabin.

Telski officials say they’ll continue snowmaking operations as temperatures allow, with the goal of opening additional terrain as quickly and safely as possible.

The resort is opening on Saturday, Dec. 6 — a week late — due to warm weather and low snowfall in recent weeks.

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Weather Delays Openings at Multiple WYDAHO Resorts

Telluride isn’t the only resort pushing its opening day due to weather.

WYDAHO’s three ski resorts have postponed their openings to uncertain dates as they wait for cooler temperatures and snowfall.

The decisions temporarily halt lodging sales, require credited or refunded tickets and push back some employee start dates at Snow King, Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee resorts.

But the resorts have seen this before, said Jordan Wilsted, of Grand Targhee.

“It’s always a bummer to not have skiers up here before Thanksgiving like we normally do. But ski resorts are prepared to weather this kind of storm and we know that winter’s just around the corner,” Wilsted said.

Grand Targhee last delayed its opening in 2021. Jackson Hole last delayed in 2016, and Snow King in 2023.

Three-month forecasts show below-average temperatures and above-average snowfall due to La Niña weather patterns.

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Bear Conflicts Spike Across Colorado in 2025

Colorado Parks and Wildlife saw an increase in bear conflicts and sightings this year. From Jan. 1 to Dec. 1, CPW received more than 5,000 bear reports — a slight increase from the same period in 2024.

CPW officials say the 2025 numbers mark the highest since 2019 and exceed the seven-year average of bear-related conflicts and sightings reported to the agency.

In San Miguel County, CPW euthanized two bears this summer after they broke into homes in Telluride and Mountain Village. Officials in the region say there was also an increase in roadkill mortalities as bears searched for scarce natural food.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimates 17,000 to 20,000 bears live in the state. Most incidents involve bears attempting to access human food.

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State Senator Killed in Second Crash, Sheriff’s Office Says

The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office says the state senator who died last week was killed in the second of two crashes. Bente Birkeland for the Colorado Capitol News Alliance has more.

Story begins at 14:35.

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Colorado Domestic Violence Deaths Rose Sharply Last Year

Colorado saw a sharp rise in domestic violence deaths last year. With shelters at capacity and funding drying up, the state is struggling to keep survivors safe. For the Colorado Capitol News Alliance, Kyle McKinnon reports.

Story begins at 15:25.