1,200 Democrats turn out in Jackson Hole

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — By the numbers, it was an astonishing show. Teton County, which is virtually the same as Jackson Hole, has about 20,000 residents, of which about 6,600 are registered Democrats.

About a third of them — 1,200 people — turned out for the county convention. Four-fifths of them voted for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

The Jackson Hole News&Guide didn’t say the last time that many people showed up for a meeting — possibly, because it hasn’t happened before. But usually, at county assemblies, only a few dozen people show up.

That Wyoming’s few votes still matter in this year’s exceedingly tight race primary between Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton is itself uncommon. But clearly, Wyoming is enjoying being on the national stage, something other than fly-over country.

Taos Pueblo gets biomass burner

TAOS, N.M. — Greenhouses serving the Taos Pueblo are now being heated by burning wood that has been gathered from a nearby forest.

The Taos News reports that a forest fire in the mountains above the pueblo led to thinning of forest, to abate the fire danger. The rising price of hydrocarbon fuels is making greenhouses in colder climates impractical, notes the newspaper, but the pueblo wants to continue growing some of its own food.

Milk more thane $4-a-gallon, gas close

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Milk is running above $4 a gallon, and gasoline is getting close in the Lake Tahoe area.

AAA reported $3.75 per gallon for regular unleaded in Tahoe City, the highest in Northern California. But the Tahoe Daily News says that premium grades of gas were going for more than $4 per gallon at some stations. Milk was going for $4 to $4.59 at a local Safeway.

Official: Minor increse in foreclosures

GRANBY, Colorado — Newspapers in the mountain towns of Colorado keep looking for evidence of the tsunami of housing foreclosures hitting their communities. The real estate market has definitely slowed down, but nobody seems to find a wall of foreclosures about to crash.

A case in point is a report in the Sky-Hi Daily News, which reported that Grand County in the first two months recorded 29 foreclosures, compared to 59 for all of last year.

Christina Whistmer, the Grand County treasurer, said foreclosures are “only slightly up.” Susan Penta, the marketing director for Grand Elk, a housing project geared to the upper-middle-class vacation-home buyers maintained that that the second-home market is generally healthy.

“The vacation home buyer generally has the discretionary income to withstand the current storm.”

But Ross Cooney, who built three prize-winning homes in the at Grand Elk hoping to find buyers, said the current storm is substantial. I really like Granby and I like Grand Elk. It’s a beautiful spot. But boy, the economy is a disaster.”