Talk about a small-town feud that went downhill fast.
The town of Silverton hit a wooden sledmaker with a stop-work order last month. There’s lots of talk about manufacturing versus crafts and acceptable downtown business uses, but when you get into the weeds of the story, you quickly get the sense this is one of those mountain town disputes that spun out of control. Hey, at least no one has gone Marvin Heemeyer on the town (remember the welder who bulldozed Granby over a zoning issue?) but it sounds like grown-ups need to intervene in this spat.
As scarce as wintertime mountain jobs are, we hope town officials find a way to compromise with Mountain Boy Sledworks and let them get back to work.
Historic black sheep. A gas station that had belonged to Billy Carter, the self-described redneck brother of the former president, is set to become part of an enlarged presidential historic site in Plains, Ga.
We realize we’re not talking Williamsburg here, but there is a certain charm in recognizing the humanizing effect Billy’s shenanigans (Billy Beer!) had on the nation’s highest office. After all, every family has a Billy, doesn’t it?
Get tested. Hundreds of people still need to get tested for hepatitis C, courtesy of an addict surgery tech who put her own drug cravings ahead of the health concerns of her patients. Kristen Diane Parker stole the painkiller fentanyl, then surreptitiously refilled the syringes she had used on herself with saline. Parker has hep C, and passed her infection on to at least 15 patients at Rose Medical Center. Early detection can help in the management of the disease, and we hope those potentially exposed seek medical help.
The comeback car company. Ford Motor Co. refused to take government bailout money, yet posted a $1 billion profit in the third quarter. To borrow a line from GM, way to keep America rolling, Ford. (Of course, the government-sponsored cash-for-clunkers program helped.) Yet, unless union workers approve a new contract with concessions, Ford will have to tap the brakes on its celebration. Union workers have made serious concessions in recent years, but they need to step up again. It’s in their best interests to continue to help their employer remain viable.
At least Wall Street got vaccinated. One day after military officials said terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay were scheduled for H1N1 vaccines — while the rest of the country waits — the Obama administration said no vaccines were on the way to Gitmo. Which made us think, hey, why is Gitmo still open?
Editor’s note: Short Takes is compiled by Denver Post editorial writers and expresses the view of the newspaper’s editorial board.
