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By Dan Davis trekkerphoto.com
Headline RSS FeedSnow returns to the Vail Valley, Rogers' inauguration rant misses mark, support the Rocky
January 21, 2009 —
It’s snowing again in Vail. That’s a line I haven’t been able to write in about 10 days, and you have no idea how much it warms my heart to write those 21 words.
Vail was only reporting 2 inches new as of Friday morning, but it looks to me (as I write this about 9 a.m.) that another inch or two has fallen, and it’s still snowing.
I haven’t skied Vail since a foot and a half fell Jan. 12-13, the last time we had measurable snow, and I’m psyched to go up Saturday for Day 21 of my 08-09 season. Look for a full report at some point this weekend, or just come up and check it out for yourself.
Or if you can’t make it this weekend, just get up here in the next week. Forecasters are calling for 8-10 inches out of this storm and a chance of snow all the way through Wednesday. Looks like we’re back in the groove.
Now a few state and local media notes: Vail Daily editor Don Rogers is outraged at the $170-million-plus inaugural love-fest for President Barack Obama, even though it was reportedly mostly provided by private donors.
But Rogers doesn’t have a problem with the $300,000-plus in private funding spent by Republican Ali Hasan of Beaver Creek in a record (and unsuccessful) bid for the Colorado state House of Representatives.
His paper endorsed the excesses of Hasan’s egotistical bid for a position that typically takes far less than $50,000 to secure. But a day of historical events meant to instill confidence in the hearts of millions of Americans – which, let’s face it, is at the root of the current economic crisis – is a big waste of money.
Well, so is advertising in a paper with such a gloomy outlook. Put your money in RealVail.com, where we’re a lot more optimistic (and affordable) and believe in spending gobs of money on good old-fashioned marketing, which was what most of Tuesday was all about in D.C. anyway.
Next Thursday in Denver, be sure to get out and support one of the state’s great institutions, the Rocky Mountain News in Denver. Never has the imminent demise of an endangered species affected me so deeply.
I say this not because I’m a freelancer for the paper and have been writing for them for more than 20 years (my first professional byline was a sports story in 1988), but because it’s a great paper that provides an invaluable service to the state.
If the paper doesn’t survive in some form or another, we will be greatly diminished as a state, and it will be another victory for schlock journalism. Check out Rocky business columnist David Milstead’s piece on the plight of the Denver Post as well, and especially check out the comments at the end questioning the ability of the free Denver Daily News to fill the void.
The DDN is a product of Vail Daily founder Jim Pavelich (yes, the publisher of the new Vail Mountaineer). If that’s where you think journalism is headed, then we’re all doomed.
Here’s the blurb on www.iwantmyrocky.com on the event in support of the Rocky on Thursday:
“I Want My Rocky will hold a candlelight march from the Denver Press Club to the Denver Newspaper Agency building Thursday, Jan. 29, to show support for the Rocky Mountain News. The event is open to one and all: readers and writers, labor and management, Post and News and DNA, public officials and private citizens.
“Each marcher — 150 total — will hold a candle and placard representing one year of the newspaper’s 150-year history. The group will gather at the Denver Press Club at 6 p.m. and head out single file to the DNA building at 6:30 p.m. Marchers will ring the building. The person bearing the 1859 placard and candle will light the candle representing 1860, 1860 will light 1861 and so on through 2009. The vigil will last about a half hour.
“If you would like to be a part of this historic event, please contact John Ensslin at contactus@iwantmyrocky.com.”
1 Comment on "Snow returns to the Vail Valley, Rogers' inauguration rant misses mark, support the Rocky"
Jomama — February 2, 2009
Whatever the quality of the DDN, I hardly think its approach is going to "doom" anyone. Were you the one writing about a "gloomy outlook?"
As one who was involved in Denver journalism for years, I don't think the loss of a horde of self-important, overpaid union hacks is going to doom anyone. Whichever paper he's working for now, Woody Paige is a prime example.
So goodbye Rocky. In the grand scheme of things, you're now irrelevant -- but still of historical interest.
