In this episode of The Local Show on Grassroots Community Network, host Erik Skarvin sits down with May and Troy Selby, the owners behind Aspen’s beloved 520 Grill / Silver Peak Grill. With more than a decade of service to the Roaring Fork Valley, they discuss how a chef-driven, locally focused, affordable restaurant became a true community hub. The conversation explores the origins of 520 Grill, Troy’s diverse culinary background, their commitment to flexible, customer-driven menus, and their multi-generational staff culture — including mentorship programs for Aspen High School students. They also discuss community partnerships, volunteer support initiatives, and their proposal for the city-owned Rio Grande Park restaurant space. Topics include: The evolution of 520 Grill and Silver Peak Grill Chef-inspired comfort food and customizable menus Supporting local families, students, and workers Affordable dining in Aspen’s changing economy Community engagement and small business sustainability Future plans near Rio Grande Park A thoughtful look at how food, entrepreneurship, and civic spirit intersect in a mountain town. Know Aspen. Watch GrassRoots. GrassRoots programming is made possible by the producers' creativity itself, direct contributions from viewers, members of the Roaring Fork Valley community, and through grants from the Pitkin County Healthy Community Fund, The Town of Snowmass Village, the City of Aspen Community Non-Profit Grant Program, and The Aspen Thrift Shop. Founded by citizens of Aspen, Colorado in 1972, GrassRoots TV is the first and oldest community operated and programmed open-source media center and television station in the United States. Virtually all of the programming is created by local residents, occasionally with world renown guests. In partnership with the American Archive of Public Media and the Library of Congress, GrassRoots is currently cataloguing, restoring and digitally archiving 700 of the most at-risk original video programs out of its 45,000 title Community Video Archive. Help sustain this community treasure by donating now! Go to: https://bit.ly/GRTVContribute Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE, HIT LIKE and leave a COMMENT to let us know if you enjoyed this video, it is important to us and the community for you to become part of the conversation. Thanks for tuning in! Download the GrassRoots Community Network iOS and Android apps Subscribe for more videos: https://bit.ly/2Ycpi4P Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrassRootsCommunityNetwork/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/grassrootstv Web: http://www.grassrootstv.org/

An important and informative program about a collaborative community program between law enforcement and mental health professionals. The co-responder team jointly responds to calls where substance abuse and/or mental health challenges may exist in the community and other at-risk populations. - To de-criminalize mental illness by reducing incarcerations of low-level offenders with mental illness. - To de-stigmatize mental illness, making it easier for people to seek and receive treatment and encouraging positive conversations around mental wellness. - To decrease emergency room visits for mental health care. - To reduce repeat police calls for individuals in need of community-based services and mental health support. Know Aspen. Watch GrassRoots. GrassRoots TV programming is entirely funded by direct contributions from members of the Roaring Fork Valley community, and through grants from the City of Aspen Community Non-Profit Grant Program, Pitkin County Healthy Community Fund, The Town of Snowmass Village and The Aspen Thrift Shop. Founded by citizens of Aspen, Colorado in 1972, GrassRoots TV is the first and oldest community operated and programmed open-source media center and television station in the United States. Virtually all of the programming is created by local residents, occasionally with world renown guests. In partnership with the American Archive of Public Media and the Library of Congress, GrassRoots is currently cataloguing, restoring and digitally archiving 500 of the most at-risk original video programs out of its 45,000 title Community Video Archive. Help sustain this community treasure by donating now! Go to: https://bit.ly/GRTVContribute Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE, HIT LIKE and leave a COMMENT to let us know if you enjoyed this video, it is important to us and the community for you to become part of the conversation. Thanks for tuning in! Download the GrassRoots Community Network iOS and Android apps Subscribe for more videos: https://bit.ly/2Ycpi4P Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrassRootsCommunityNetwork/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/grassrootstv Web: http://www.grassrootstv.org/

LtCol Richard Merritt, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.) was born in 1935 in Seattle, WA. He was raised in Enumclaw, a small town at the base of Mount Rainier, where his love of the outdoors and his spirit of service first took root. In high school, Dick attained the rank of Eagle Scout, was student body president, and spent summers fighting fires for Washington’s Division of Forestry. He earned both Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of Washington.While in college, Dick received the Navy Reserve Officers Training Scholarship and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in June 1957. “The Colonel” proudly served his country for 26 years, four in the Navy and 22 in the Marine Corps. He served overseas in the Philippines, Vietnam, Republic of China, and Japan, as well as stateside. While stationed in Taiwan, Dick was responsible for the United States Pacific nuclear arsenal.Dick married his wife, Patricia, in 1975 and they adopted two Taiwanese children while he was serving in the Taiwan Defense Command. He retired from military service and moved to Aspen in 1979.Dick’s childhood love of skiing drew him to Aspen in 1967 while he was on leave from Vietnam. He fell in love with Aspen and soon purchased property, knowing that he would retire here. Dick began teaching skiing at Aspen Highlands in 1971 while on military leave and continued to teach skiing and work on the Ski Patrol after his military retirement. He served as Vice President of Aspen Highlands from 1979-1991. Dick recently retired from Aspen Skiing Company after a staggering 35 years of service to the Aspen ski industry!GrassRoots TV programming is entirely funded by individual members of the Roaring Fork Valley community, and also by grants from the Pitkin County Healthy Community Fund, the City of Aspen Community Non-Profit Grant Program, The Town of Snowmass Village and The Aspen Thrift Shop. Dick founded the Roaring Fork Veterans History Project that resulted in the recording of 81 local veterans' military experiences from World War II, including 10th Mountain Division vets, to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Founded by citizens of Aspen, Colorado in 1972, GrassRoots TV is the first and oldest entirely community operated and programmed open source media center and television station in the United States. Help sustain this community treasure by donating now! Go to: https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=26b4QExKAU0ju2CNwav6kg6-T8tlmGp5pDAiUI8-13Mzmw5z-1oMnehO-8sTlK-lhlv_RZVNY64NLZKl Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE, HIT LIKE and leave a COMMENT to let us know if you enjoyed this video, it is important to us and the community for you to become part of the conversation. Thanks for tuning in! Download the GrassRoots Community Network iOS and Android apps Subscribe for more videos: https://bit.ly/2Ycpi4P Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrassRootsCommunityNetwork/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/grassrootstv Web: http://www.grassrootstv.org/

Vanessa Otero is the creator of the Media Bias Chart and the Founder and CEO of Ad Fontes Media. A former patent attorney in the Denver, Colorado area, Vanessa holds a B.A. in English from UCLA and a J.D. from the University of Denver. Vanessa’s formal education and professional career has centered on analytical reading, writing, and reasoning, creating an ideal background for her to create a content analysis methodology for evaluating text. Alarmed by the unhealthy state of the media ecosystem, Vanessa used her expertise in content analysis to create the original Media Bias Chart in 2016. Then in 2018, she founded Ad Fontes Media to fulfill the need revealed by the popularity of the chart–namely, to meet the demand for a map to help people navigate the complex media landscape, as well as for comprehensive content analysis of media sources themselves. Today, Ad Fontes Media uses a systematic approach to content analysis in which a team of politically-balanced professional analysts examine and categorize news content creating data that is useful to news consumers, educators, marketers, and even publishers themselves. Ad Fontes also offers training in its content analysis methodology through products and services for educational institutions and for individuals. Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics, and the nation’s premier resource for unbiased information on elections, politics, and policy. Managing Editor Joel Williams helps provide curated content on all levels of U.S. politics that is relevant, reliable, and available for all. In addition, Ballotpedia’s policy content and assets are a gateway to learning about public policy and an unparalleled resource for clear, comprehensive, and factual information on key policy areas. Joel and Ballotpedia are firmly committed to neutrality in all their content. As a nonprofit, Ballotpedia's mission is to educate. They help you when: You need the latest political news and analysis from a reliable, nonpartisan source. You're making decisions about how you'll vote in an election. You want to access all opinions—fairly, clearly, and completely presented—surrounding a policy area. Change Your Mind. Watch GrassRoots. GrassRoots programming is funded by direct contributions from viewers, members of the Roaring Fork Valley community, and through grants from the Pitkin County Healthy Community Fund, The Town of Snowmass Village, the City of Aspen Community Non-Profit Grant Program, and The Aspen Thrift Shop. Founded by citizens of Aspen, Colorado in 1972, GrassRoots TV is the first and oldest community operated and programmed open-source media center and television station in the United States. Virtually all of the programming is created by local residents, occasionally with world renown guests. In partnership with the American Archive of Public Media and the Library of Congress, GrassRoots is currently cataloguing, restoring and digitally archiving 700 of the most at-risk original video programs out of its 45,000 title Community Video Archive. Help sustain this community treasure by donating now! Go to: https://bit.ly/GRTVContribute Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE, HIT LIKE and leave a COMMENT to let us know if you enjoyed this video, it is important to us and the community for you to become part of the conversation. Thanks for tuning in! Download the GrassRoots Community Network iOS and Android apps Subscribe for more videos: https://bit.ly/2Ycpi4P Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrassRootsCommunityNetwork/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/grassrootstv Web: http://www.grassrootstv.org/

What makes Aspen Aspen? 🌿 In this conversation, author Aaron Perry explores the soul, culture, and DNA of Aspen through his sustainability book Our Biggest Deal. From environmental stewardship to community values, this video dives into how Aspen’s past, present, and future are shaped by sustainability, place-based identity, and collective responsibility. Whether you care about climate action, sustainable communities, Aspen history, or thoughtful leadership, you’ll gain fresh insight into why sustainability isn’t just policy here—it’s culture. Topics include: sustainability, Aspen culture, environmental leadership, community values, and the future of mountain towns. Know Aspen. Watch GrassRoots. GrassRoots programming is made possible by the producers' creativity itself, direct contributions from viewers, members of the Roaring Fork Valley community, and through grants from the Pitkin County Healthy Community Fund, The Town of Snowmass Village, the City of Aspen Community Non-Profit Grant Program, and The Aspen Thrift Shop. Founded by citizens of Aspen, Colorado in 1972, GrassRoots TV is the first and oldest community operated and programmed open-source media center and television station in the United States. Virtually all of the programming is created by local residents, occasionally with world renown guests. In partnership with the American Archive of Public Media and the Library of Congress, GrassRoots is currently cataloguing, restoring and digitally archiving 700 of the most at-risk original video programs out of its 45,000 title Community Video Archive. Help sustain this community treasure by donating now! Go to: https://bit.ly/GRTVContribute Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE, HIT LIKE and leave a COMMENT to let us know if you enjoyed this video, it is important to us and the community for you to become part of the conversation. Thanks for tuning in! Download the GrassRoots Community Network iOS and Android apps Subscribe for more videos: https://bit.ly/2Ycpi4P Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrassRootsCommunityNetwork/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/grassrootstv Web: http://www.grassrootstv.org/

Know Aspen. Watch GrassRoots. GrassRoots programming is made possible by the producers' creativity itself, direct contributions from viewers, members of the Roaring Fork Valley community, and through grants from the Pitkin County Healthy Community Fund, The Town of Snowmass Village, the City of Aspen Community Non-Profit Grant Program, and The Aspen Thrift Shop. Founded by citizens of Aspen, Colorado in 1972, GrassRoots TV is the first and oldest community operated and programmed open-source media center and television station in the United States. Virtually all of the programming is created by local residents, occasionally with world renown guests. In partnership with the American Archive of Public Media and the Library of Congress, GrassRoots is currently cataloguing, restoring and digitally archiving 700 of the most at-risk original video programs out of its 45,000 title Community Video Archive. Help sustain this community treasure by donating now! Go to: https://bit.ly/GRTVContribute Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE, HIT LIKE and leave a COMMENT to let us know if you enjoyed this video, it is important to us and the community for you to become part of the conversation. Thanks for tuning in! Download the GrassRoots Community Network iOS and Android apps Subscribe for more videos: https://bit.ly/2Ycpi4P Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrassRootsCommunityNetwork/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/grassrootstv Web: http://www.grassrootstv.org/