While it is still unclear how the cuts will impact all AmeriCorps programs locally, some programs have been eliminated outright and the organizations that rely on the service members are preparing for further fallout.

Habitat for Humanity loses vital volunteers

AmeriCorps members have been a vital part of Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley’s workforce for around 15 years.

Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley hosts two types of AmeriCorps service members to build homes.

Members of the AmeriCorps National program come to Eagle County for a term of 10.5 months and make up a critical portion of Habitat for Humanity’s year-round construction staff; this year, the two AmeriCorps national members made up 25% of the team. Additionally, a team of National Civilian Community Corps members visits each year to boost winter construction productivity.

“That program has just been so critical to our ability to increase our home-building capacity,” said Elyse Howard, Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley’s vice president of community affairs and philanthropy. “When we started hosting AmeriCorps members, we were building at Fox Hollow in Edwards, and we were probably building about two to four homes a year. This year, we’re building 30.”

A team of eight National Civilian Community Corps members served for six weeks over the winter this year, a time of year that Habitat for Humanity struggles to find volunteers. In that time, the team “advanced our construction building timeline by about three months,” said Cassie Scales, Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley’s volunteer coordinator.

The National Civilian Community Corps members received notice that their terms of service had been terminated while working with Habitat for Humanity.

“When they got sent home very abruptly, I think they were about halfway through their service term,” Scales said. “They all had to figure out where they were going to live and where they were going to go.”

The AmeriCorps National program has not been canceled as of now, but the Trump Administration’s skinny budget released on May 2 would cut funding to all AmeriCorps programming if approved as is.

Habitat for Humanity’s AmeriCorps National members serve as construction crew leaders, organizing the plethora of local volunteers who help build homes.

“We can’t host as many volunteers on site without our AmeriCorps Nationals,” Howard said.

“It’s difficult for us to hire construction crew leader staff here because of the cost of living and because the construction workforce tends to be so transient,” Scales said. “And because we’re a nonprofit, we really can’t offer to pay our construction staff quite as much as some of those private builders who are working on the multi-million dollar projects when we’re just trying to build simple, decent, affordable houses for our local families.”

AmeriCorps National members who have worked for Habitat for Humanity have gone on to work in construction and pursue degrees in architecture. Many have stayed in Eagle County, with one returning to a full-time position with Habitat for Humanity.

Of Habitat for Humanity’s three ways of providing affordable home ownership opportunities — the traditional site build, modular construction and local financing partnerships — the loss of AmeriCorps assistance will “greatly impact” Habitat for Humanity’s ability to rapidly build homes on-site, Howard said.

Losing AmeriCorps service members will not only slow down the process of building homes, it will also increase the cost of the homes if Habitat for Humanity has to hire more construction crew leaders.

“We use volunteer labor to keep the cost of these homes down,” Howard said. “So the less paid construction staff we have, the more affordable the home is for the future homeowner.”

How AmeriCorps service in Eagle County schools will be affected is still unknown

The Vail Valley Foundation’s YouthPower365 hosts AmeriCorps members through its Peak Pathfinders program. The program, established in 2021 in partnership with the Eagle County School District, brings AmeriCorps members to Eagle County to provide academic and socioemotional support to Eagle County students in local schools.

Last year, Peak Pathfinders brought 14 AmeriCorps members to nine schools in Eagle County, working with students from kindergarten through 12th grade. This year, nine AmeriCorps members are serving in Eagle County schools, reaching nearly 1,000 students.

After completing their year of service, some Peak Pathfinders members have stayed on for additional time at Eagle County schools and even become full-time teachers at the district.

“YouthPower365’s Peak Pathfinders program is continuing to operate business as usual while awaiting direction from Serve Colorado, which holds our AmeriCorps contract,” said Walter Gilles, YouthPower365’s AmeriCorps manager, in an emailed statement to the Vail Daily.

“Our current contract term runs through the end of July. AmeriCorps members have been a valued part of our community for the last four years, and we currently have nine members serving nearly 1,000 students throughout Eagle County, providing vital mentoring, tutoring, enrichment, and wrap-around support service,” Gilles said in the statement.

The Eagle County School District declined to comment.

“We have not been informed of any AmeriCorps cuts and based on the communications we’ve had are expecting their services to continue till the end of the school year,” wrote Matt Miano, the district’s chief communications officer, in an email to the Vail Daily. “While next year is uncertain, we are certainly hopeful that the relationship continues as is and appreciate all the support we’ve received from them to date.”

Questions remain as organizations try to plan for next year with AmeriCorps

While Cassie Scales with Habitat for Humanity has moved forward with recruiting AmeriCorps National members to serve starting in the fall, she said she has heard numerous questions from potential candidates about the future of the program.

“It’s very up in the air, which is hard for them to plan,” Scales said. “(It is) obvious the stress about how this is going to impact them and their service and what they’re going to continue to do in the future.”

AmeriCorps has historically received bipartisan support; U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse spoke during his town hall in Eagle County in April about partnering across the aisle on AmeriCorps initiatives. For some, that has made the cuts to the program more concerning.

“It’s very disappointing to see when there are places where many people find common ground and agreement, it’s upsetting to see even those places or those pieces of government be drastically cut,” Howard said. “In such a divided world, common ground is important where you can find it. And this program has a lot of agreement on both sides of the aisle. It feels like it’s something that could be lifted up instead of torn down.”

The cinder pick-up schedule is as follows: 

• Monday — Vail Village from the Vail Golf Course to West Forest Road 
• Tuesday —North side of I-70 
• Wednesday — South side of I-70 
• Thursday — East Vail from the Vail Golf Course to end of East Vail 
• Friday — Vail Village from the Vail Golf Course to West Forest Road 

The town is also encouraging residents to get outside and help clean up their neighborhoods this spring. Residents can dispose of collected trash and large items in dumpsters provided by the town from May 5 through May 16 or until they are full, whichever comes first. Please do not dispose of electronics, household hazardous waste such as paint or chemicals, or commercial landscaping materials in the dumpsters. The dumpsters will be located at the North Trail trailhead parking lot in West Vail at the west end of the North Frontage Road, the Ford Park parking lot and the East Vail interchange parking area at I-70 exit 180.

For more information, contact Streets Superintendent Charlie Turnbull at 970-477-3425.  

Eagle is projected to add over 1,600 households and 2,166 new jobs by 2040, and town officials are focused on enhancing how people move through and engage with Eagle. The wayfinding project will help establish clear, cohesive signage that reflects Eagle’s brand and directs people to key destinations like shops, restaurants, parks, trails, cultural landmarks, and public services. 

“This grant supports a transformative project that will help make Eagle more accessible, welcoming, and economically vibrant,” said Larry Pardee, Eagle Town Manager. “By improving how people navigate our community, we create a better experience and encourage exploration of everything Eagle has to offer — from our trail system and open space to local businesses and community events.”

The planning effort will also explore interactive kiosks, bilingual and accessible signage, and multimodal navigation strategies for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and transit users. These improvements will support ongoing community efforts, including Eagle’s Open Space and Trails Master Plan, Net Zero Action Plan, and Safe Streets 4 All initiative. 

The Colorado Tourism Office’s Tourism Management Grant supports infrastructure and planning projects that enhance visitor experience across the state. The grant provides up to $20,000 with a 4:1 match requirement and must be used within a one-year timeframe. 

The Westminster-based invertebrate museum’s Colorado Butterfly Monitoring Network is entering its 13th year of having Coloradans collect vital information about the health of the state’s butterfly populations. 

“Butterflies are essential to our ecosystems,” said Shiran Hershcovich, the Butterfly Pavilion’s lepidopterist. “The Colorado Butterfly Monitoring Network becomes such a big piece of this conservation puzzle because understanding our systems is that first step, so we can take science-informed action. Our time to course correct for protecting invertebrates is short, it’s quite urgent, so we want to make sure that every step we take is the right one and the most impactful.”

As the annual program kicks off, the Butterfly Pavilion is looking to expand its network beyond its historic participation to other parts of Colorado, including the Western Slope. 

“Right now, we have a good picture of the declines that are happening across the Colorado Front Range, but there are areas in our state where we have no real clue of what’s going on with butterfly populations,” Hershcovich said. “So, we are lacking critical data on even which butterflies are out there, which butterflies really need help and which butterflies need urgent restoration efforts.”

Butterflies on the decline 

The data collected by volunteers on hikes and walks through the program has been used to give glimpses and a bigger picture look at what is going on with the pollinators. Most recently, the data was among the citizen science programs that informed a scientific study of butterflies in the United States.

The study, published in March, found that the overall abundance of butterflies declined by 22% between 2000 and 2020, or by around 1.3% each year. It found that 107 butterfly species declined by more than 50% and 22 species declined by more than 90%.

“That’s quite a drastic decline,” said Hershcovich, who was one of the study’s co-authors. “Unless we really work to secure their future, those numbers are going to keep going down. It’s quite a dangerous time to be a butterfly.”

The overall decline matters because butterflies are “excellent ecosystem indicators,” Hershcovich said.

“As soon as the habitat is damaged or degraded, one of the first things that tends to respond to those changes is butterfly communities,” she added. “This is because, due to their ecology, they have such a close relationship to plants. They depend on very specific host plants to even be able to grow their next generation. So if those plants decline or disappear, so do those butterflies.”

As pollinators, butterflies also play a critical ecosystem role in helping plants reproduce. 

“Those plants, in turn, give us the food that we eat and even the air that we breathe,” Hershcovich said.

For this reason, looking at the conservation of butterflies means a lot more than protecting one species. 

“We are protecting an ecosystem, a complex home full of diversity, full of invertebrates,” Hershcovich said. “And those invertebrates, in turn, will feed the birds that we love to see, and the bears, and all of the other wildlife to have a complete, healthy home. And of course, we depend on these healthy systems as well. If they don’t survive, we don’t either.” 

The nationwide downward trend for butterfly species has been seen in Colorado as well, the result of what Hershcovich referred to as a “complicated cocktail of conditions.” 

“Butterflies are losing the habitat that they have depended on for countless generations,” she said. “Their former homes are now sprayed with deadly pesticides, and the plants that they rely on are suffering from herbicide use … And this is all happening against the backdrop of changing climates and more extreme climatic events.”

Expanding the network 

As the Butterfly Pavilion seeks to expand its monitoring program across Colorado, the goal is to one day have data from every county. 

The monitoring program started in 2013 with five volunteers. Now, the organization has trained over 200 volunteers from 13 Colorado counties. 

Volunteers are asked to select a favorite hike, route or neighborhood walk that they can walk for 30 minutes to an hour a minimum of three times between May to September, depending on weather and region. While walking, they report any butterflies they saw, habitat information and add the information to the Butterfly Pavilion’s database. 

“It really gets everybody to be an active participant in conservation and science, and it has ramifications that stem way beyond that,” Hershcovich said.

The individuals are trained and equipped by the organization to identify butterflies and report the right information. Right now, interested residents can sign up for a virtual training on the Butterfly Pavilion’s website through mid-June to join the 2025 monitoring network.

The commissioners on Tuesday gave direction to staff to simply collect short-term rental data instead of adopting regulations, deciding that the vast majority of those rentals are already governed by either local metro districts or homeowners associations. Staff has drafted a plan to collect that data.

Jill Klosterman, the county’s chief financial officer, detailed for the commissioners information about short-term rentals in the county, as well as the pros and cons of a couple of regulatory options.

Klosterman noted that the data regarding the number of rentals in the county is a few years old, dating from 2022, but has been relatively flat. That data shows roughly 5,200 short-term rentals countywide, with 3,200 of those units in towns, and 2,000 in unincorporated areas. Those 2,000 units are the ones that a county ordinance would regulate.

Of those, most are in areas including Beaver Creek, Bachelor Gulch and Arrowhead — places that were purpose-built as a resort and that already regulate short-term rentals.

According to a staff analysis, a single ordinance for the county would duplicate regulations already in place for a majority of short-term rental unit owners, and could result in the loss of units from the current pool.

The analysis notes that a second option, which would eliminate the duplication of regulations for those units, could open the county to litigation for disparate treatment of property owners.

The third option foregoes new regulations, and instead has county officials monitor rental, health and safety data from units.

Letting neighborhoods decide

Despite the time spent on the effort, Commissioner Tom Boyd said the effort was worthwhile.

The correct solution to short-term rental regulation, Boyd said, is neighborhood by neighborhood, through action taken by metro districts and homeowner associations.

Commissioner Jeanne McQueeney noted that the neighborhood Boyd lives in regulates short-term rentals, while the neighborhood in which she lives doesn’t.

What the county can do, McQueeney said, is develop resources for those districts and associations to create rules to govern short-term rentals.

Beaver Creek Resort Company Executive Director Jim Clancy praised the board for its decision, saying the commissioners have done a “great job” of listening to input from the private sector.

Clancy added that Beaver Creek is willing to share whatever data the county requests. And, he added, a number of properties that had been used as short-term rentals have recently changed hands, noting it will be interesting to see what the future use of those units will be.  

Holy Cross is a not-for-profit, rural electric cooperative utility serving the Eagle, Colorado and Roaring Fork River valleys governed by an elected board of seven directors. Directors are democratically elected from and by the members. Holy Cross provides electricity to nearly 61,500 homes and businesses and generates nearly $144 million in annual revenues.

As an electric utility not motivated by profit, Holy Cross is successfully providing electric rates in the lower third of all Colorado electric utilities, 99.9% service reliability, and returning over $20 million in member equity to members in the last five years. In 2024, Holy Cross provided consumers a power supply that is 75% clean renewable energy and has provided 80% clean energy so far in 2025 on the way to 100% in 2030.

I ask for your vote. I will continue to dedicate my experience, knowledge and understanding of Holy Cross’s member consumers and service territory for the benefit of the member consumers of Holy Cross Energy. I live in Basalt and am a lifelong resident of this region. For more information, please see GardnerBradford.com and Holycross.com/elections.

Ballots for this election will be mailed to member consumers on May 7.  Members may return their paper ballot or vote online on or before June 3.

Robert Gardner
Basalt

Offering partnership to longtime foes, Trump said he would move to lift sanctions on Syria and normalize relations with the new government led by a former insurgent, and he touted the U.S. role in bringing about a fragile ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthis. But Trump also indicated his patience was not endless, as he urged Iran to make a new nuclear deal with the U.S. or risk severe economic and military consequences.

With his carrot and stick approach, Trump gave the clearest indication yet of his vision for remaking the region, where goals of fostering human rights and democracy promotion have been replaced by an emphasis on economic prosperity and regional stability.

Trump also made a pitch to Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords started in his first term and recognize Israel. And he envisioned a hopeful future for the people of Gaza — emphasizing they must first cast off the influence of Hamas.

“As I have shown repeatedly, I am willing to end past conflicts and forge new partnerships for a better and more stable world, even if our differences may be profound,” Trump said as he laid out his outlook for the region in a speech at an investment forum.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, welcomed Trump to the kingdom with royal flourishes and lavished attention on him at every turn. It was a stark contrast to the crown prince’s awkward fist bump in 2022 with then-President Joe Biden, who tried to avoid being seen on camera shaking hands with him during a visit to the kingdom.

Trump shows disdain for ‘nation-builders’ and interventionists

The Republican president made the case for a vision centered in pragmatism. It’s something he sees as a necessity for the U.S., which he believes is still feeling the ill effects of 20 years of “endless war” in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“In the end, the so-called nation builders wrecked far more nations than they built, and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves,” Trump said.

Trump used the moment to extend an olive branch to Iran and urge its leaders to come to terms with his administration on a deal to curb its nuclear program. But he also warned that this opportunity to find a diplomatic solution “won’t last forever.”

“If Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch … we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure, drive Iranian oil exports to zero,” he said.

The latest entreaty to Tehran comes days after Trump dispatched special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Iranian officials for a fourth round of talks aimed at persuading Iran to abandon its nuclear program.

Trump, in his speech, also said he hoped Saudi Arabia will recognize Israel “in your own time.”

Saudi Arabia long has maintained that recognition of Israel is tied to the establishment of a Palestinian state along the lines of Israel’s 1967 borders. Under the Biden administration, there was a push for Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel as part of a major diplomatic deal. However, the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel upended those plans and sent the region into one of the worst periods it has faced.

Trump moving to restore relations with new leader of Syria

Separately, Trump announced he was lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria. He is expected to meet Wednesday in Saudi Arabia with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the onetime insurgent who last year led the overthrow of longtime leader Bashar Assad.

The U.S. has been weighing how to handle al-Sharaa since he took power in December. Gulf leaders have rallied behind the new government in Damascus and want Trump to follow suit, believing it is a bulwark against Iran’s return to influence in Syria, where it had helped prop up Assad’s government during a decadelong civil war.

Trump said calls from Gulf leaders as well as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shaped his surprise announcement.

“So I say, good luck, Syria, show us something very special like they’ve done, frankly, in Saudi Arabia,” Trump said.

Prince Mohammed carefully choreographed the visit as he looked to flatter Trump.

The de facto Saudi leader greeted Trump warmly as he stepped off Air Force One at King Khalid International Airport. The two leaders then retreated to a grand hall at the Riyadh airport, where Trump and his aides were served traditional Arabic coffee by waiting attendants wearing ceremonial gun belts.

The leaders signed more than a dozen agreements to increase cooperation between their governments’ militaries, justice departments and cultural institutions.

The crown prince has already committed to some $600 billion in new Saudi investment in the U.S. And Trump teased $1 trillion would be even better.

Fighter jet escort

The pomp began before Trump even landed. Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s provided an honorary escort for Air Force One as it approached the kingdom’s capital — an exceptionally rare sight.

Trump and Prince Mohammed also took part in a formal greeting and lunch at the Royal Court at Al Yamamah Palace, gathering with guests and aides in an ornate room with blue and gold accents and massive crystal chandeliers. As he greeted business titans with Trump by his side, the crown prince was animated and smiling.

Biden’s 2022 visit was far more restrained. At the time, Prince Mohammed’s reputation had been badly damaged by a U.S. intelligence determination that he had ordered the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

But that dark moment appeared to be distant memory for the prince on Tuesday as he rubbed elbows with high-profile business executives — including Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk — in front of the cameras and with Trump by his side.

Trump slammed Biden for “spurning” a “most trusted and long-standing partner.”

“We have great partners in the world, but we have none stronger and nobody like the gentleman that’s right before me,” Trump said of the prince. “He’s your greatest representative.”

Later, the crown prince feted Trump with an intimate state dinner at Ad-Diriyah, a UNESCO heritage site that is the birthplace of the first Saudi state and the location of a major development project championed by the crown prince.

Qatar and UAE next

The three countries on Trump’s itinerary — Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — are places where the Trump Organization, run by Trump’s two oldest sons, is developing major real estate projects. They include a high-rise tower in Jeddah, a luxury hotel in Dubai and a golf course and villa complex in Qatar.

Trump planned to announce deals at all three stops during the Mideast swing, initiatives that will touch on artificial intelligence, expanding energy cooperation and beyond.

.And Trump believes more deals with Saudi Arabia should be in the offing.

“I really believe we like each other a lot,” Trump said at one point with a smiling crown prince sitting nearby.

The case involves women who were deported to Honduras. Their small children went with them. It is not clear what the story is about the kids’ fathers.

The Trump Administration’s response is as follows: Only the mothers were deported. There were no proceedings to deport the kids — they are United States citizens. 

The mothers had the choice to leave the kids with family or friends in the United States, or to take the kids with them. They chose to take them. The ACLU claims that one mother has resided in the United States for years and has roots in the community. Other news reports mention relatives who are in the United States legally, and are willing to take the kids. So there might have been a way to leave the kids here safely, if the moms wanted to go that way. Their call.

Attorneys for the women claim that they were not given sufficient time or access to advisors to decide whether to take their kids with them or leave the kids in the United States. Immigration officials deny this.

It is unclear whether these women want to return their kids to the United Sates or whether the government would resist any such efforts.

I watched an NBC reporter interviewing Secretary of State Marco Rubio about this matter. She kept talking about how the kids were being deported, despite his point that they weren’t deported, for the reasons stated above. The NBC person did not deal with Rubio’s point; she just kept on with the party line. Typical for the mainstream media. 

Terry Quinn  
Eagle

A trip to New Orleans isn’t complete without indulging in its unique culinary offerings. One night after the show, my friend and I were eager to try a new restaurant.

Without a plan, we wandered around the area near the music venue, looking for something interesting. As we strolled through a bustling intersection filled with restaurants, we were naturally drawn to those that were busy. However, when we tried to get a table, the few restaurants we approached were fully booked.

We continued walking and came across a restaurant called Don Villavaso on the Bayou. It was a large establishment, disturbingly blaring hip-hop music, with only about a dozen tables occupied. We were hungry, but not desperate enough to enter an empty restaurant; after all, the lack of patrons suggested a mediocre dining experience. We eventually found a decent restaurant farther from the festival that could accommodate us. This experience reinforced the idea that scarcity drives demand. People instinctively desire what they cannot easily obtain, including a table at a fully booked restaurant.

The median home price in Eagle County has dropped nearly 5% over the past year, from $1,600,000 to $1,525,000, while the median days on the market have slightly increased from 23 to 30 days. Although these numbers aren’t dramatic, they indicate a slight trend toward a buyer’s market. Here’s what you need to know about this trend and how scarcity drives demand when selling your home.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column where I discussed the parameters for accurately valuing a property. The most important consideration is a close, if not identical, comparison of the most recent sale in your neighborhood that matches your home’s size, scope, and condition.

Additionally, there are two distinct pricing strategies for listing your home: pricing aggressively or pricing to sell. Although sellers understandably expect top dollar for their homes, listing above market value can have drawbacks and consequences.

Informed buyers know the most recent sales in a specific neighborhood. If a home is priced above these recent sales, especially with a slight downward trend in median home prices, demand decreases. Extended days on the market can tarnish the home’s perception, similar to an empty restaurant.

Conversely, buyers are drawn to deals that seem exclusive. Pricing a home slightly below market value can generate attention. A busy open house and a ringing phone create buzz. When potential buyers sense this excitement, they feel compelled to purchase the home before someone else does, often resulting in offers above the asking price.

Whether it’s the vibrant atmosphere of a renowned music festival or the strategic nuances of real estate, the principle of scarcity remains a powerful force. In New Orleans, the blend of diverse musical genres and unique culinary experiences draws people in, creating a buzz that’s hard to resist.

Similarly, in the housing market, understanding and leveraging scarcity can significantly impact the success of selling a home. By carefully considering pricing strategies and market trends, sellers can create a sense of urgency and desirability that encourages competitive offers.

Ultimately, both music festivals and real estate transactions remind us that the allure of something special — whether it’s an unforgettable performance or the perfect home — lies in its unique appeal and the demand it inspires.

Ryan Richards is the growth director and a luxury real estate agent at Keller Williams Mountain Properties.  He is the founder and co-owner of the Bunkhouse, Vail’s first and only boutique hostel. You can find him at RyanRichards.com or 970-401-0720

What is known as “The Oath” goes something like this: “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” Or else, more modernly, “Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”

The ath is used far and wide to swear in witnesses to court proceedings before they offer testimony. It is like the little “14k” stamped on gold to assure its authenticity.

First of all, the word “solemnly.” Let’s stop and consider it for a moment. In its secular sense, the word means “marked by grave sedateness and earnest sobriety.” In other words, offered seriously and with temperance. You’re neither giddy nor distracted.

Next, let’s dwell upon the verb “to swear.” It can mean “to assert as true,” or better yet, “to assert by what is holy or precious within you.” The word “affirm” is similar. It means to earnestly attest to something.

So, at the outset, this is deep and serious stuff.

Then, at least historically, The Oath is topped off by asking for God’s help in steering you to do right. It ends by asking for guidance and assistance from whom or whatever you may hold as holy or divine. 

There are, of course, somewhat similar versions. Instead of invoking God’s assistance, The Oath can go like this: “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth under penalty of perjury?” So, if God’s watchful eye isn’t quite enough to stiffen up your spine, maybe the fear of enjoying the hospitality of your local constabulary will be.

So, at this point, we’ve got ourselves a rye (or “wry”, perhaps) oath sandwich, solemnity on one side and God as the heel of the loaf on the other. But what about the “fixin’s” in the middle? Well, that’s the truly inspired part. You see, it covers all the bases.

Lies, you’ll note on reflection, come in three general flavors: there are lies of commission, lies of omission, and lies of influence or diversion.

Lies of commission are fibs, plain and simple. You’re making stuff up. So, the first part of The Oath compels you “to tell the truth.” When you said, “I do,” what you’re swearing to is that you’ll leave your inventor’s kit at home. You’ll answer what is asked of you honestly.

Lies of omission are those where stuff is conveniently left out. An example here might be useful. You’re asked, “Did you see so-and-so take the iPad?”

You say, “Uh-uh.”  But what you leave out is that while you may not have actually seen him filch it, you saw him stuff it in his backpack, drop it in the back seat of his Volvo, saw him playing “Angry Birds” on it, and heard him brag over Skittles and beer about the heist. While you truthfully responded that you didn’t actually “see” your pal take the darn thing, you know good and well he did, and you have “omitted” the relevant information that you have. So the “whole truth” covers that. Tell us (truthfully) “everything you know.”

Lies of Influence are a little bit harder to get your arms around. Think of them as feints or diversionary tactics. “Did you take the iPad, Mr. So-and-so?”

You say, indignation swelling in your breast, “Me? I’d never do a thing like that!”

You remember the movie “The Best Little Whore House in Texas?”  Charles Durning plays a sly and wily politician (am I being redundant here?). When caught with his metaphorical (and perhaps literal) pants down (it is, after all, a whorehouse), he sings a memorable song, the key lines of which go like this:

“Ooh, I love to dance a little sidestep, now they see me now they don’t/ I’ve come and gone and, ooh I love to sweep around the wide step/ cut a little swathe and lead the people on.”

Besides a lesson for our season of political unrest, that is a lie of influence. A Houdini move. A little sleight of hand. Distract the questioner and leave him flatfooted, thinking he’s been answered. Or at least left scratching his head.

So where am I going with this?

Well it’s this: The Oath covers that kind of move as well.  ” … and nothing but the truth.” In other words, don’t try to deceive us with distractions or fancy footwork. Speak the truth and nothing else. While the current unrest in Kashmir and the coming crisis of global climate change might indeed be gripping, what we are talking about here is an iPad and who pilfered it, so let’s stick to that. And nothing else. That and that alone will be our truth.

So The Oath’s a gotcha! It’s got you coming, going, and sidestepping slickly around the middle.

It’s brilliant!

For a further discussion about The Oath and other matters of deceit, I commend you to read “Spy the Lie,” by former CIA officers Phillip Houston, Michael Floyd and Susan Carnicero, whose discussion of The Oath was the seed that germinated into this column. It is a must-read for any budding new or wannabe attorney.

Perhaps G. Washington aside, oh, how these people sometimes are inclined to fib!

Rohn K. Robbins is an attorney licensed before the Bars of Colorado and California who practices in the Vail Valley with the Law Firm of Caplan & Earnest, LLC. His practice areas include business and commercial transactions; real estate and development; family law, custody, and divorce; and civil litigation. Robbins may be reached at 970-926-4461 or Rrobbins@CELaw.com. His novels, “How to Raise a Shark (an apocryphal tale),” “The Stone Minder’s Daughter,” “Why I Walk so Slow” and “He Said They Came From Mars (stories from the edge of the legal universe)” and “The Theory of Dancing Mice” are currently available at fine booksellers.   

Alexa Blanch defeated Peak to Peak senior Sydney Lewis in the 3A final at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs to become Vail Christian’s sixth state tennis champion in the last three years. She joins her brother, Daniel (No. 2 singles 2023), Heidi Iverson and Sofia Elalayli (No. 4 doubles, 2023) and Aria Webster and Kamryn Mitchell (No. 2 doubles, 2023)

“Congratulations to Alexa and everyone who worked so hard for this moment,” head coach J.D. Webster stated. “We had so much fun (and) we are so proud of our team.”

The Saints also saw No. 3 singles Heidi Iverson and the No. 2 doubles team of Camden Allen and Autumn Woods advance to Saturday’s championship round. All three athletes earned silver medals.

“To have four players in the championship matches truly is a beautiful accomplishment,” stated assistant coach Kirsten Webster. “To see our whole team surround each other and cheer each other on this weekend made my heart so happy and spoke to the family that these girls are.”

Vail Christian qualified its entire line to the state tournament for the fourth-straight year. Blanch swept St. Mary’s Myla Delgado 6-0, 6-0 in the first round, then rallied to eliminate Shannon Schmidt 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to advance to day 2. In Friday’s semifinal, she took down No. 1 seed Josephine Carter of Severance 6-3, 6-0 to set up the final against Lewis, who was part of the Peak to Peak squad that went down to the wire with Vail Christian at last year’s state team semifinals at Homestead Court Club.

“After having already three matches before the championship, I didn’t feel too nervous. Instead, I tried to think of it as just another match and face it calmly with determination,” Blanch said prior to her 6-2, 6-4 victory.

“The first moment after I won I was still in a little bit of shock and didn’t quite process that I’d actually managed to win states,” Blanch continued. “When my teammates all gathered around me and we all hugged and took pictures is when it really hit me and I was so happy and proud of myself.”

Iverson moved up on the podium stand after taking third at No. 3 singles in 2024. She said her 6-3, 7-6 semifinal win over Peak to Peak senior Ranye Ezenekwe was one of her best matches all year.

“Getting to championship Saturday was my goal all year long,” Iverson said. “The energy my teammates and coaches brought was incredible. So, I’m super proud to have taken home the silver medal in the end.”

The freshmen duo of Woods and Allen upset No. 1-seeded Eaton in a 6-2, 0-6, 7-5 second-round win, then took out Lutheran 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the finals. There, Peak to Peak’s El Allen-Bonney and Lhadze Olsen proved to be too much, coming away with the 6-4, 6-0 victory. Allen described the state experience as simultaneously “stressful and exciting.”

“States was so much fun,” Woods added. “Not only did I enjoy getting a chance to compete, but I enjoyed meeting so many great people from other schools.”

Vail Christian’s No. 1 singles senior Jessie Allen was ousted in the first round while the team’s No. 1 doubles squad of Olivia Zajac and Sabrina Nabonsal fell in the playback semis. Ella Pecinka and Paige Asbury lost in the second round of the No. 3 doubles bracket and Chloe Demmler and Anabelle Woodbridge suffered a tough 5-7, 7-6, 6-2 defeat in the first round against the top No. 4 doubles team, Prospect Ridge.

Other prep notes: soccer and lacrosse seasons come to an end

• The No. 11-seeded Battle Mountain boys lacrosse team allowed seven second-half goals to fall to No. 6 Golden 10-6 in the second round of the 4A boys lacrosse state tournament. The Huskies finished the year with an 8-8 overall record.
• No. 14 Vail Mountain School lost to No. 3 Evergreen 13-2 in the second round of the state tournament last Friday. The Rangers finished the year with an 8-9 overall record.
• Madison Skinner scored three goals to lead Prospect Ridge Academy to a 3-0 win over Vail Mountain School in the second round of the 3A girls soccer state tournament. The Rangers ended their season with an 8-4-2 mark
• Ridgeway defeated Vail Christian 2-0 in the first round of the 2A girls soccer state tournament. The Saints finished the year with a 9-4 mark and 4-0 league record.
• The Battle Mountain and Eagle Valley girls soccer teams concluded the 2025 season in the first round of the 4A state tournament. The No. 31-seeded Devils fell to No. 2 Green Mountain 5-0 while the No. 29 Huskies lost to No. 4 Lutheran 10-0.

Although districts could end up receiving less money than they were promised by lawmakers last year, many educators are breathing a sigh of relief over the new finance formula.

Colorado lawmakers approved the School Finance Act on Wednesday with a vote of 57-8, sending the state’s new school funding formula to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk as it waits to be signed into law. Just weeks before, Polis signed a $43.9 billion state budget spending plan for the next fiscal year that gives K-12 schools more money, though less than they initially expected, as lawmakers worked to close a $1.2 billion spending shortfall.

How K-12 education fared in the state budget

The Joint Budget Committee committed to routing roughly $150 million from the general fund to begin implementing the school finance formula — bringing total state and district spending to $10 billion next year for K-12 education. This is $256 million more than the funding districts received this year from the 2024-25 state budget.

One of next year’s biggest changes to the education budget from the General Assembly’s spending plan increases per-pupil funding by $195 in Colorado as an inflation adjustment. The state’s base per-pupil funding of $8,692 differs from actual per-pupil funding for individual districts, which can increase based on where the schools are located and their student demographics.

Average per-pupil funding in Colorado is set to rise to $11,852 — $412 more per student than the previous year.

The overall increase in funding is good news for schools, which, according to studies commissioned by the Colorado legislature in 2023, are underfunded by over $3.5 billion. Compared to the funding increase promised by lawmakers when the old school finance formula was established last year, however, K-12 education will be receiving around $16 million less next year than originally expected.

The school funding formula, which was introduced with the elimination of the budget stabilization factor in 2024, was designed to invest an additional $500 million into schools over six years. Since the 2009-10 fiscal year, the budget stabilization factor had been used to reduce school funding allocations by around $10 billion as a means to balance the state budget.

The newly approved School Finance Act, led by Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, will still distribute the $500 million to schools, though the timeline has been extended to seven years. Instead of receiving $90 million in the first year of the formula, like originally planned, districts will get $75 million.

The change that was arguably most feared by education groups, however, has found some give-and-take in its resolution.

A middle ground for the new school funding formula

Earlier versions of the Polis’ 2025-26 budget request proposed exchanging Colorado schools’ four-year enrollment average model for funding to current-year enrollment estimates, which is already the practice for 40 other states. At the time, the legislature predicted the change would result in the loss of $150 million to education funding because of the consistent decline in Colorado public school enrollment in the last three years.

The school finance act passed on Wednesday, May 7, will keep four-year enrollment averaging, though lawmakers were clear about a plan to move away from averaging over the next few years in a way that avoids sudden funding drops.

“With this bill, Colorado has made good on our promise to fully fund K12 education under Amendment 23, supporting students and educators,” Shelby Wieman, press secretary for the governor’s office, told the Post Independent. “Gov. Polis appreciates the sponsors for working to increase school funding and turning on the new, student-focused school finance formula by funding it in a sustainable way.”

The Colorado Education Association, the largest teachers union in the state, has expressed approval for the revised School Finance Act after months of advocating for a budget that would avoid unnecessary cuts to education.

“This session showed what happens when educators stand together,” Colorado Education Association President Kevin Vick said in a statement. “We made it clear to lawmakers that they could not balance the budget on the backs of our students and educators again, and they listened. We protected education funding, increased it and laid the groundwork to ensure we never go backward again.” 

The association had been vocal about its disapproval of the proposed changes to student count averaging, which have since been addressed to avoid steep funding cuts for schools with declining enrollment. In March, the association invited thousands of educators and community members to the steps of the State Capitol to rally for “no more cuts to education” and a “responsible School Finance Act.”

The Colorado Education Association also applauded the bill’s creation of the Kids Matter Fund, a permanent funding source that helps to mitigate future shortfalls by allocating $233 million from income tax revenue into the State Education Fund.

For now, every school district is slated to receive either more or equal funding next year, even the ones experiencing declining enrollment.

“We showed this year that when educators organize, we win,” Vick said.

(Overall place, R1, R2, time [penalty], seed time trial)

1. Meg Dean, Kate Kalamon – 1:33, 1
2. Carly Finke, Natalia Gray – 1:45, 4
3. Elena Bethmann, Hallie Jaeger – 1:40, 2
4. Jamie Blume, Ruth Eipper – 1:44, 3
5. Elizabeth J Martin Dilley, Caroline Davis – 1:45, 5
6. Claire Stuhlmann, Alice Richards – 2:09 [0:15], 6
7. Melissa Mills McLoota, Tanya Caruso – 2:13, 7
8. Madison Rahhal, Megan Twohig – 2:27, 8
9. Jessica Kane, Carley Dierolf – 2:49 [0:15], 9

Men raft

(Overall place, R1, R2, time [penalty], seed time trial)

1. Jeremiah Williams, Robert Prechtl – 1:24, 1
2. Joel Richards, Brock Johnson – 1:31, 2
3. John Anicito, Chris johnson – 1:31, 3
4. Drew Verratti, Kyle Wilkison – 1:31, 4
5. Caleb Maloney, Calen Golas – 1:34, 5
6. Wesley Zittel, Jim Rabun – 1:36, 6
7. Scott Simpkins, Mallane Dressel – 1:37, 7
8. Max Pedersen, Chris Joyce – 1:38, 8
9. Jake Carani, Nick Haller – 1:38, 9
10. Fred Searles, Andrew King – 1:39, 10
11. Brad Kremske Kyle Hagadorn – 1:39, 11
12. Ryan Scmidt Tanner Stone – 1:49, 12
13. Dan Levine Chad Bronsing – 1:50, 13
14. Jason Connolly Chris Clark – 1:56 [0:15], 14

Women SUP

(overall, name, time [penalty], seed time trial)

1. Trinity Wall – 1:33, 1
2. Mallane Dressel – 1:46 [0:15]
3. Jamie Blume – 1:40

Men SUP

(overall, name, time [penalty], seed time trial)

1. Jeremiah Williams – 1:20, 2
2. Rob Prechtl – 1:20, 1
3. Scott Simpkins – 1:23, 3
4. Jim Callen – 1:25, 4
5. Michael Chebatoris – 1:28, 5
6. Chris Johnson – 1:35, 6
7. Ryan Frey – 1:36, 7
8. Tim Hunckler – 2:04, 8

Women kayak

(overall, name, time [penalty], seed time trial)

1. Natalia Grey – 1:34, 4
2. Bella Borski – 1:31, 2
3. Carly Finke – 1:31, 1
4. Tessa Prince – 1:32, 3
5. Jennifer Hodgkiss – 1:37, 5
6. Ruth Eipper – 1:48, 6

Men kayak

(overall, name, time [penalty], seed time trial)

1. Derrick Dreyer – 1:20, 1
2. Jeremiah Williams – 1:22, 3
3. John Anicito – 1:22, 2
4. Rob Prechtl – 1:22, 3
5. Ken Hoeve – 1:26, 5
6. Karl Borski – 1:28, 6
7. Joel Richards – 1:32, 7
8. Michael Wagner – 1:35, 8
9. Jason Connolly – 1:51 [0:15], 11
10. Nicholas Tessmer – 1:51, 10

Junior kayak

1. Calder Parrish – 1:44, 9

Cottonwood Pass drivers are urged to use caution when driving this road. Traffic and weather can significantly impact road conditions. Furthermore, portions of the road are not paved, there are many sharp turns, and steep drop-offs.

Be advised that regulations prohibit travel on portions of Cottonwood Pass for oversized vehicles without permits. Any vehicle that exceeds 8 feet six inches in width, 14 feet six inches in height, and 35 feet in length will require a permit to travel over Cottonwood Pass.

An announcement will be made when Cottonwood Pass closes. For more information, contact the Eagle County Road & Bridge Department at 970-328-3540 or road@eaglecounty.us.

Hale’s removal, according to a statement from the club’s board of directors, stemmed from a disagreement over his residency.

“For the past three years, John Hale divided his time between the Front Range, where his family lives, and Vail, where he served as Executive Director of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail,” according to the statement. “In February 2025, John and the board decided to mutually and amicably part ways after he informed the trustees that he was not able to return to the Vail Valley as a permanent resident.”

Hale said he and his family moved from Eagle to the Front Range in 2021 so his daughters could attend high school and pursue competitive golf.

“We initially planned to return to Vail once they graduated,” he said. “However, as the years went by, we realized that we enjoyed living here, and last fall we made the difficult decision to stay in the Front Range instead of moving back to the Vail Valley.”

Following that decision, Hale said he informed the Ski and Snowboard Club Vail board that he would not be selling his home in the Front Range to move back to Vail.

“I had no intentions of returning for a ninth year, and the board also wanted to head in a different direction,” he said. “This past winter, we mutually and amicably agreed to part ways, and I have no negative feelings toward anyone involved. It was an enjoyable and fruitful eight years, and I wish everyone at SSCV all the best.”

Club employees had expressed frustration that Hale, when he was in Vail, was living in a Ski and Snowboard Club Vail employee housing unit at the base of Golden Peak. The Ski and Snowboard Club Vail clubhouse has two employee housing units which, according to deed restrictions on the units, can be rented to employees who are working at least 30 hours per week for the club. Those renters are allowed to own property in other areas.

While Hale technically complied with the employee housing law by working 30 hours per week for Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, compensation information available via ProPublica shows he was earning over $250,000 annually — leading many to believe the club was violating the spirit of the law by housing its highest-paid employee in a unit intended for workers in need.

The employee housing units, ideally, would be used to attract coaches or other hard-to-fill vacancies within the club, as affordable housing scarcity in the Vail area poses a challenge when it comes to attracting and retaining top coaches.

Ski and Snowboard Club Vail board president Kaia Moritz said the club has been hamstrung in its efforts to attract more kids by the challenges associated with hiring high-level coaches.

“I think the potential is limited by the number of quality coaches that we can hire, and that can live on a wage here in the valley,” she said.

Other coaching challenges have hindered the club, as well, including a shakeup during the fall of 2024, which resulted in the removal of coaches in the ski club’s FIS-level program.

That shakeup was the result of a culture at the club in which “parents, athletes, and even staff within Women’s FIS have felt uncomfortable expressing their true feelings,” according to an email Hale sent out in September, which led to numerous dismissals of coaches and the hiring of an outside human resources firm to avoid similar situations in the future.

New board chair incoming

Moritz plans to vacate the board chair position in the coming months, and incoming chair Jeffrey Martz said there will be a board-led initiative in the coming years to raise more money for local kids who want to join the club but might not be able to afford the cost of entry. An entry-level Ski and Snowboard Club Vail membership costs $6,000 to $8,000 and escalates into the five-figure range as kids become more advanced.

“We’ve launched an SSCV opportunity fund, which is a vehicle that the club is using to attract new funding to use specifically for needs-based support in our community, in order to increase participation and membership in the club,” Martz said.

Amid the coaching challenges, Hale was nevertheless able to oversee an increase in the amount of financial aid awarded to families during his four years as executive director, according to a statement from the club.

“John was instrumental in finding a way to offer early-season training on Golden Peak and to our Alpine and mogul teams in the face of many challenges,” according to the statement. “SSCV is one of the most successful ski clubs in the United States, if not the world, thanks to the work John did to attract talented coaches for SSCV kids.”

One of the club’s major challenges resulted from changes to the way Vail Resorts uses its early-season water for snowmaking after the resort expanded its snowmaking operations in 2019, moving its focus from Lionshead closer to Golden Peak at MidVail. That, in addition to changes in the amount of water allocated to the club by the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, have made the club’s goal of offering early season training on upper Golden Peak unattainable in recent years.

When Vail Mountain took on its newest expansion in 2019, adding a new surface lift to Golden Peak and offering access to higher-elevation terrain, the development was touted as a way to get ski racers on the slopes several weeks earlier.

Hale, while working under former executive director Kirk Dwyer in 2019, said the club was planning on taking over operations of the Golden Peak expansion, hiring its own team of in-house snowmakers and cat operators, but those plans were abandoned following the announcement.

Ski and Snowboard Club Vail suggested the venue could be open as early as October, but in the years that followed, the Golden Peak expansion was not able to open in November or even December. During the 2022-23 season, the Golden Peak expansion did not open until January.

Moritz said the club was not aware, in building the expansion, that temperature inversions exist on Golden Peak, causing snowmaking challenges.

“It is colder at the bottom of the mountain,” she said.

Financial challenges

A key responsibility for the incoming executive director will be restoring the club’s financial health and eliminating its budget deficit. The club is Vail’s oldest nonprofit organization.

During the 2023 fiscal year, the club took in $8,634,679 in total revenue with expenses totaling $9,227,786, and the 2024 fiscal year was worse, with $9,376,230 in expenses against a total revenue package of $8,519,170, according to financial statements available from ProPublica.

While the new director will need to be an avid skier or snowboarder, that person’s experience will not necessarily need to come from within the ski industry, Moritz said.

“We’re at a point now where we have strong sport directors who really know the athletic side of running an operation,” Moritz said. “We’re at a position now where we can hire somebody who’s got some really strong people management skills, some excellent fundraising skills, the ability to interface strategically with our partners here in the valley, those are skills that we think are really important, moving forward.”

The club closed its application period on April 15 and is now in the process of reviewing all the applications.

“People view the club as the premier winter sports club in the country, one of the premier youth development programs in the country, and I think that has attracted a lot of interest, and we’re really happy about that,” Martz said.

Between the new Ski and Snowboard Club Vail clubhouse, which opened in 2019, and the expansion of Golden Peak, the club’s expenses have multiplied in recent years, creating a new set of challenges for the incoming director, Moritz said.

“We don’t want to be operating at a loss, obviously, but we are a nonprofit, so the idea is to spend every dime that we raise and collect in revenue on kids,” she said. “That is the ultimate goal, but we’re looking for our next leader to have some financial creativity around how to make this sport accessible and available to everybody while still being able to pay for top-notch coaching.”

Kim has dedicated her career to advancing smart energy policies that lower costs while improving efficiency and sustainability. From leading regional energy planning efforts to shaping state energy codes, she has the knowledge and vision to help Holy Cross Energy keep our lights on, our bills low, and our grid resilient.

Ballots arrive soon, and voting runs through June 3. I encourage my fellow Holy Cross Energy members to vote for Kim Schlaepfer and ensure our co-op remains strong for years to come.

Geoff Grimmer
Director, Adam Palmer Sustainability Fund
Eagle Town Council member
Eagle

But now Trump finds himself navigating a series of geopolitical crises — and searching for glimmers of hope in the deep well of global turmoil — that are casting greater import on the first extended overseas trip of his second term.

“This world is a lot safer today than it was a week ago,” Trump crowed to reporters as he sized up the foreign policy challenges he’s facing as he heads to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. “And a lot safer than it was six months ago.”

The president was brimming with an overabundance of confidence about some of the world’s most intractable problems, from tensions in South Asia to the future of sanctions in Syria to the war in Ukraine.

But behind closed doors, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim al-Thani, and Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed will be looking to get a bead on how Trump intends to push ahead on resolving the war in Gaza, dealing with Iran’s rapidly progressing nuclear program and addressing India-Pakistan tensions.

And after weeks of threats and cajoling, it remains to be seen if Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will listen to Trump, who is demanding they meet in Istanbul this week to discuss ending Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Trump, for his part, projected confidence that the meeting will happen and even seemed somewhat optimistic that the end to the conflict is near. He floated the idea of making a detour from his itinerary to visit Turkey if he thinks his presence would be constructive.

“I was thinking about flying over. I don’t know where I am going be on Thursday,” Trump said. “I’ve got so many meetings. … There’s a possibility there, I guess, if I think things can happen.”

But Ukraine’s allies remained deeply skeptical Monday about prospects for talks and whether Putin was serious about peace.

“If there is no ceasefire there cannot be talks under fire,” European Union commission vice president Kaja Kallas told reporters at a meeting on Ukraine in London. “We want to see that Russia also wants peace. It takes two to want peace, it takes only one to want war, and we see that Russia clearly wants war.”

Trump sees opening in Gaza

Just as Trump was preparing to depart Washington for the Saudi capital of Riyadh, the last living American hostage in Gaza, Edan Alexander, was released.

Trump and administration officials framed the moment — a goodwill gesture toward Trump by Hamas — as a chance to get foundering peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas back on track.

“This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved one,” Trump posted on social media after Hamas extended the offer Sunday. “Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict.”

While Trump pumped up Alexander’s release as a potential turning point, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was far more subdued. Israel, notably, has not stepped back from plans to expand its war in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s office, in a statement Monday, underscored it had “not committed to a ceasefire of any kind or the release of terrorists” in exchange for Alexander.

“The negotiations will continue under fire, during preparations for an intensification of the fighting,” the prime minister’s office statement said.

Trump takes a different tone on Syria

As he prepared to leaved Washington, Trump also said he’s weighing removing sanctions on the Syrian government. It’s an issue that’s top of mind for the three Gulf leaders, who have rallied behind the new government in Damascus and will want Trump to follow through.

“We may want to take them off of Syria, because we want to give them a fresh start,” said Trump, adding that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged him to do so.

The comments marked a striking change in tone from Trump, who has been deeply skeptical of Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa.

Al-Sharaa took power after his Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led an offensive that toppled former President Bashar Assad in December.

The Trump administration has yet to formally recognize the new Syrian government. Sanctions imposed on Damascus under Assad also remain in place.

Cajoling India and Pakistan with trade

Trump also took credit for his administration keeping India and Pakistan from returning to a state of all-out war amid the deadliest fighting in six years between the nuclear armed neighbors.

The president said he and aides were ultimately able to talk sense to India and Pakistan’s leadership and guide them away from further escalation by dangling carrots, while also threatening both nations with sticks.

“I said, ‘Come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys,'” Trump said. “‘If you stop it, we’ll do trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade.’ People never use trade the way I used it.”

The situation remains tenuous. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday that his country has only “paused” its military action and will “retaliate on its own terms” if there is any future terror attack on the country.

Big differences remain in Iran nuclear talks

The president will arrive in the region after his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, held the fourth round of nuclear talks Sunday in Oman with Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi.

As the talks continue, the Trump administration has sent mixed messages about what nuclear work Iran would be allowed to do under a potential deal.

Senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have said that Tehran would be required to import enriched material to run nuclear reactors for civilian purposes. Trump, however, said this past week that his administration hasn’t made a decision on the issue.

It’s also unclear if Trump will insist that Tehran give up support of Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi militants in Yemen as part of any nuclear deal.

Whatever his negotiating frame may be, Trump seemed confident that Iran is engaging rationally, and that he will cement a deal soon.

“You can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said of his demand for Iran. “But I think that they are talking intelligently.”

However, the two sides still appear a long way from any deal, even as time passes on a two-month deadline imposed by Trump.

Last week, House Republicans quietly and at the eleventh hour adopted a measure sponsored by Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada and Celeste Maloy of Utah to authorize the sale of thousands of acres of Public Lands in Utah and Nevada for oil and gas development.

Coloradans should be alarmed. Public Lands are the basis of the economy throughout the West. In Colorado alone, outdoor recreation generated nearly $14 billion and created 130,000 direct jobs in 2022, according to the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Office. 

Public Lands belong to all of us, be they national parks, wilderness, national forest, BLM or simply that special secret place that is all yours and no one else’s. That is something the vast majority of Americans agree upon. 

Call your Congressional representatives and senators today. Urge them to oppose any and all efforts to sell public lands to private interests. Let them and anyone else who will listen that Reps. Amadoi and Maloy, have in the words of Rep. Ryan Zinke, Montana congressman and former secretary of the interior, have crossed a “red line.” Encourage your friends around the country to do the same.

Pitkin County is working on zoning that would protect land there should the unthinkable happen. Counties throughout Colorado should be working on similar legislation. 

Get active and support groups that support public lands. The Sierra Club Headwaters Group and  American Hunters and Anglers Action Network are two that come immediately to mind, but there are countless others. Many of them will be at the Colorado Rally for Public Lands at the Capitol on Saturday, May 17.

The lands we love, and all they represent to us as Americans, need us. I hope we will answer the call, before it’s too late.

Jonathan Staufer, Vail Town Council member
Vail

Recent experiences include eating at a locally owned Mexican restaurant, noting a license plate that said FISHSKi, spotting the first raft floating down the Eagle River, observing a bull elk cross the river, biking, and swapping out AT, downhill and snowshoe gear for hiking shoes. These activities and others may now be in jeopardy.

Our winter playground, Vail, operates on National Forest Service lands, under a special use permit from the White River National Forest. Over 2.3 million acres of wilderness in central Colorado are managed by the White River district of the National Forest Service. Through a series of presidential executive orders, thousands of National Park Service staff have been fired or pressured to resign. Layoffs of 3,400 Forest Service employees will result in an increased risk of wildfires and insufficient trail maintenance. 

The Environmental Protection Agency regulates public waters; the EPA faces a reduction of almost $1 billion in fiscal 2025. The responsibility of the Fish and Wildlife Service is conservation and management of fish, wildlife and plants; cuts to their budget and layoffs of over 400 employees loom. Energy extraction on public lands is being mandated. The administration’s plans include rescinding the BLM’s Public Lands Rule and weakening the Endangered Species Act.

Folks come to the valley for recreation. As this is threatened, jobs and opportunities for hardworking locals will disappear. Accessibility to our amazing outdoors makes the current machinations in Washington D.C. seem far away. We may feel impervious and insulated. But are we really? If you think we are immune from what’s happening in D.C., remember the cuts to federal government agencies, workers and funding …. and then think again!

Wendy Klein
Martha Tyler
Eagle

Please join me in voting for Kim Schlaepfer for the Northern District seat on the Holy Cross Energy Board of Directors. Kim has spent years collaborating with our local governments, businesses and utilities, to craft practical energy solutions that benefit everyone. She recognizes Holy Cross Energy’s success depends on affordability, reliability and sustainability, and her experience ensures that all members will have a voice in shaping our energy future.

With Kim on the board, we can trust that Holy Cross Energy will continue to deliver clean, affordable power while maintaining a resilient energy grid. I encourage you to vote for her when ballots arrive in early May.

Kim Langmaid
Founder, Walking Mountains Science Center
Former mayor, town of Vail
Vail