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Vail Daily Hits and Misses

the Vail Daily Editorial Board

Got a quick Hit or Miss about issues, decisions or goings-on in the valley? Send yours to editor@vaildaily.com to be included.

MISS: From a reader to the Vail Daily for “poor coverage of Crawl to a Cure that helps local families dealing with members fighting cancer.”

MISS: To cute little brown and white mice. They carry hantavirus. Your chances of catching that deadly bug are a lot higher than ebola will ever be.



MISS: To fundamental attribution error. Yep, you read that right. We learned the term from no less of an educator than Eagle County Schools Superintendent Jason Glass. It sounds like something embarrassing, and it should be. It means blaming people for problems with a system.

HIT: To rum. More specifically, Colombian rum. Well, even more specifically, Parce Rum with a distinctive Cordillera connection through Brian Powers, whose family celebrated Colombian hospitality with Parce Rum in honor of his father, who died of cancer in 2010. The rum is available at several local restaurants and liquor stores.

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MISS: To polls showing three-quarters of Americans doubting the federal government will do a darn thing to address the nation’s various challenges, never mind solve any of them. That’s a black eye for the president, the Republican House, the Democratic Senate — vain stumblebums all in the view of citizens. Of course, the citizens earn no breaks. Since when do any even have a clue what’s going on really? We pay about zero attention and then wax on as if we’re experts if dumb enough to answer a phone call at home. Congress may be “doing nothing,” but we’re pretty much “know nothing.” That adage about at least three fingers pointing back at ourselves when we point a finger at someone else is particularly true with polls.

HIT: To the Greater Eagle Fire District, now 90 years strong and still a (very) dedicated volunteer outfit. They also are a great model for how this service is done right.

HIT: To the idea of an ice climbing park up in Red Cliff, which would fit well with the community and add a trickle of economic vitality without overrunning the tiny place.

HIT: To the United Way providing $120,000 in grants to worthy community service efforts. In many ways, the strength and quality of a community are determined by the strength and quality of its community service organizations.

HIT: To U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s visit last weekend to Red Cliff, a first for a senator. Looks like he made fast friends with Mayor Scott Burgess during his visit, declaring the town the “coolest place in Colorado I’ve ever been.” There are a few other cool places in Colorado, but we can’t argue with the senator’s genuine enthusiasm.

HIT: To dual enrollment and AP courses in high school that come with college credit. This is a huge step up for college careers. Both of the author’s kids took advantage of these classes and wound up with a pair of bachelor’s degrees each by the time they finished their undergrad college time, another boost.

HIT: To Vail Kids Adventure Games, a big success and a whole lot of fun for kids who came from across the country to compete this summer.

HIT: To the town of Vail studying special events in town with a close eye on putting together the best mix for the future of the town economically and also to match community values.

HIT: To local Republican Party Chairwoman Kaye Ferry’s call for clean, respectful election campaigns this fall. Wouldn’t that be a breath of fresh air?

MISS: To the politics of our times outside the races in our county that already include an unfair share of smashmouth partisanship. The best outcome is that voters finally stop responding to negative politics enough that the political masterminds have to turn positive to be effective. That’s a bit south of reality, however.


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