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Your Evening News - December 5th, 2014

ACES is Aces with Charity Reviewer

The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies has gotten more phone calls and emails than usual today. That’s because the charity has been chosen as one of the best of its kind in the country. The national nonprofit reviewer Charity Navigator has listed ACES as the top botanical garden, park, or nature center. That’s in an online Holiday Giving Guide, put together by the well-respected charity review. ACES CEO Chris Lane found out about the accolade from a reporter with the Aspen Times.

“Knowing that this is a national ranking versus a local ranking gives it that much more prominence for our organization. I mean we’re proud, the whole organization staff here is very proud, cause everybody works really hard to do things right and use our money wisely.”

ACES was ranked out of more than a hundred other similar organizations. So far the Aspen nonprofit hasn’t from any new donors responding to the posting but staff is keeping their fingers crossed.

More Affordable Housing Talk Coming Soon

The question of affordable housing for Aspen’s workers will get a review at the next city council work session. The Aspen Daily News reports the move follows comments made by board members of Aspen/Pitkin County Housing Authority about the high cost of housing that is pushing more workers further down valley in order to afford a place to live. The housing authority says developer fees used to help mitigate the affordable housing requirements do not appear to be enough to handle the issue. Another housing authority board member says the Aspen City Council needs to find the backbone to change the situation. While the city’s fund for affordable housing is flush… and a majority of the funds are being used for the second phase of construction at Burlingame for 34 new units… the board says rentals units are still an important issue needed attention.

Aurora & Denver Students Walk Out of Class

Hundreds of Aurora and Denver middle and high school students walked out of class today, joining thousands nationwide. They were protesting two grand jury decisions in New York and Ferguson not to indict white police officers in the deaths of black men. Students marched peacefully to the Aurora municipal center, cheered on by pedestrians and drivers.  Aurora schools spokeswoman Georgia Duran says they prefer students stay in class but…

"We’ve started a conversation now and once students return to school I am confident that our teachers and our school leaders will continue the conversation in classes because these are very important civic issues."

Several students engaged with police officers in animated discussions about race relations. District officials said parents can call their student’s school to excuse their child’s absence.

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