Man killed in Aspen ski crash remembered for quiet demeanor, adventurous spirit
According to an obituary marking his life, Clifford Hastings 'Hasty' Johnson 'died doing something he loved in a place he loved.'
Skier partially buried, injured in avalanche near Ophir as CAIC calls conditions 'spooky'
An Aspen Skiing Co. spokesperson provided a brief statement to FOX31 after the Pitkin County Coroner's Office identified Johnson following his crash.
'We can confirm that Hasty Johnson suffered a fall in Highlands Bowl yesterday, February 26,' the ski resort spokesperson said. 'An Aspen Highlands paramedic patroller was on-site and responded immediately. The patroller called in a helicopter for assistance in transportation to Aspen Valley Hospital. Hasty had a long history here in Aspen and will be remembered fondly. Our hearts go out to his family and friends at this difficult time.'
Johnson retired from Hines, a global real estate investment management firm, as Vice Chairman in 2023, boasting a 45-year career wherein he initiated the firm's acquisition program and investment management business, according to his obituary, which was originally published in the Houston Chronicle.
Johnson was remembered for his humor in the face of inclement circumstances, and for his adventures while hiking, skiing, rock climbing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, biking, fishing and bird hunting, as well as diving into the coral reefs of the South Pacific and fishing in Matagorda Bay.
'This quiet man will speak volumes to all who knew and loved him for the rest of our lives, as we attempt to model his competence, humility and adventurous spirit,' the family wrote in Johnson's obituary.
Family of man killed in Berthoud Pass avalanche say his legacy of kindness will live on
The obituary noted that Johnson is survived by his wife of 46 years, Edith 'Sis' Johnson; two daughters; and three siblings. A memorial service is planned to be held in Houston.
This is not Aspen's first ski death of the season. In January, a 22-year-old woman was killed after skiing into a tree on the Exhibition ski run at Aspen Highlands. Additionally, Lynn Ban, the star of Netflix's reality show 'Bling Empire: New York' died weeks after a skiing accident in Aspen, which prompted emergency brain surgery.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Too close for comfort: Residents encounter coyotes this summer
Coyotes have long been part of Niagara-on-the-Lake's landscape, but recent sightings have some residents on edge, saying the animals are venturing too close for comfort. Wandering through gardens, stalking pets, and lingering in tourist areas, coyotes are leaving some too afraid to walk their dogs or let pets outside. But the Humane Society of Greater Niagara says more sightings don't necessarily mean there are more coyotes — and the Ministry of Natural Resources says it hasn't received any recent reports from the area. The town says it has received one service request related to coyotes and directs all complaints to the humane society. Cortnie Welychka, senior manager of operations at the humane society, said the rise in sightings is likely due to growing public awareness, more homes near natural corridors like the Niagara Escarpment, and faster information-sharing through social media and 'neighbourhood networks.' 'Coyotes have always been present in Niagara,' she said. As agencies and the town aim to balance coexistence with safety, officials stress the importance of not feeding coyotes — intentionally or not — as this can cause them to lose their fear of people and become aggressive. Meanwhile, some residents are calling for stronger measures to keep coyotes out of urban areas and are urging people to stay educated on risks to prevent conflict. NOTL makes ideal habitat for coyotes, Welychka says Welychka said NOTL presents 'a unique environment for coyotes.' Its mix of residential neighbourhoods, farmland and tourist areas provides them with easy access to food, shelter and safety from natural predators, she said. And they're not picky eaters either. Coyotes will happily grab whatever curbside takeout is available. Unsecured garbage, compost, pet food, bird seed and fallen fruit all make for an easy meal — the rodents they attract are just a bonus on the menu. Properties in town with thick brush, vineyards, and green spaces give coyotes the cover they need, creating cozy spots to den and quiet routes to slip through neighbourhoods. Welychka said they are smart and adaptable, hence why they can thrive in suburbs and urban areas. The town's steady stream of visitors doesn't help, she said — with more food scraps left behind and less caution around pets, coyotes are more likely to venture closer. Encounters leave residents feeling unsafe Old Town resident Sheryl Johnson said she will not take her three Yorkies, Mia, Portia and Pandora, for a walk — or let them into her backyard. One time, Johnson encountered a coywolf — a coyote-wolf hybrid — that stalked her while she was walking the two Yorkie-Havanese mixes she had at the time, Parker and Pennelope. 'I picked up both dogs and I ran,' she said. Johnson grew up on a Niagara farm and is used to seeing coyotes, but as more subdivisions go up, she said the animals are being pushed closer to town — human behaviour, including neighbours feeding them, is making the problem worse. 'They're even coming out in the daytime in a way they have never come out before,' she said. Some coyotes in the neighbourhood, including a mother and her two cubs, have started to appear almost tame, she said, a change she's noticed more in recent months. 'But they never can be tamed,' she said. 'They're wild animals. They have wild instincts for a reason. It's what keeps them alive.' 'It's not up to us.' Johnson most often sees coyotes on Ball, Delater, Ricardo and sometimes Front streets: Busy areas near hotels, beaches and tourist foot traffic. She even saw coyotes take down a deer at Parkway and Ricardo once. 'One of my first concerns was, kids are unpredictable. Kids will try to pet something that looks like a dog. How do they know any different?' she said, adding there are lots of children nearby. Last fall, a friend of Johnson was devastated after a coyote killed her chihuahua. 'All (the owners) heard was a little tiny rustling of the leaves and then a small whimper,' said Johnson, emphasizing how quickly and quietly an attack can happen. Resident Barbara Worthy said she's seen coyotes around for years, but never this many. Their growing presence has left her feeling like she's living in 'watchful cautiousness,' she said. 'I can't go out walking down the street at night anymore outside my house,' she said, calling the issue 'an inevitable problem of nature and urbanites.' Worthy once had a close encounter in Old Town when a coyote came around the corner and up her driveway, just as she was getting into her car. She quickly scooped up her dog, Louie — a 10-year-old, six-pound white multi-poo and beloved museum mascot — and got him inside. Though she didn't feel in danger, the moment was 'a bit nerve-wracking,' she said. Last week, she spotted five coyotes playing in the street, right outside her front door, around 1 a.m. 'My dog was barking his head off,' said Worthy. 'It's not like they're just walking down the street. They're walking the scene — going in and out of gardens,' she added. Marah Minor, the town's communications co-ordinator, said that while the town does not intervene in routine sightings, it may step in if a coyote poses a public safety risk, working with the humane society and provincial wildlife authorities to assess the situation. Feeding coyotes increases risks Purposefully or not, feeding wildlife is 'one of the greatest risks when it comes to coyote habituation,' said Welychka. And not only is it dangerous, but Welychka said it's prohibited under NOTL bylaws and enforceable with fines. Mike Fenn, spokesperson for the Ministry of Natural Resources, said attractants like pet food left outside, excess bird or squirrel feed, and food scraps should be removed, as they can teach coyotes to associate humans with easy meals. 'They are also opportunistic feeders,' said Fenn. Over time, this can condition them to 'become aggressive and dependent on humans for food,' he said, leading them to return more often and lose their caution around people. 'Once coyotes lose their fear of humans, the risk of conflict rises,' said Welychka. Johnson said this dependency isn't good for coyotes either — it disrupts their natural behaviour. Coyotes not naturally dangerous, experts say Welychka said one of the biggest misconceptions about coyotes is that they are 'inherently dangerous to people.' 'In reality, coyotes are naturally shy and try to avoid human contact,' she said. Native to Niagara and having adapted to life near people, coyotes are not normally aggressive toward humans. It's actually rare, said Welychka, often tied to being fed or getting too comfortable around humans. 'Lethal control measures are often misguided,' said Welychka. 'Removing coyotes typically creates a territorial vacancy, prompting new coyotes to move in and sometimes causing an increase in reproduction rates.' Johnson said even when bred with domestic animals, coyotes remain wild. On a farm near where Johnson grew up, a coyote bred with a dog. The family tried to keep one of the pups, but Johnson said it couldn't be domesticated and was turned over to a conservation area for safety reasons. Co-existence involves careful measures and 'hazing' To get coyotes to keep a distance, Welychka said to make some noise. 'It's important for residents to act assertively during an encounter, never turning their back or running,' she said. Clapping, yelling, banging pots or blasting an air horn can scare them off, and waving your arms, flapping a garbage bag, opening umbrellas or spraying water helps send the message too, Welychka said. In the past, residents were seen carrying large sticks and baseball bats to stay safe. 'Hazing should be practiced consistently,' she said. Welychka advised pet owners to take extra precautions, especially when protecting small pets that can look like prey to coyotes. Never leave dogs or cats unattended outside, she said, 'particularly during early morning and evening hours when coyotes are most active.' People should also walk dogs on short — not retractable — leashes, keep cats indoors, bring pet food inside after feeding, clean up outdoor food sources like compost or bird seed, and consider motion lights, fencing, and other deterrents to help keep properties safer, she said. The ministry's advice is straightforward: 'If you encounter an aggressive coyote, remain calm, use a flashlight, make a lot of noise, avoid turning your back, and never approach it. Once at a safe distance, contact 911,' said Fenn. Worthy said the goal is for people and coyotes to be able to co-exist:'We don't want to eradicate these wonderful animals.' 'They have their right to be here too,' she added. 'But we don't need them to be urbanized like this.' Johnson said the town's approach seems 'problematic' to her. 'The town said they couldn't do anything until the coyotes became a nuisance. So it's like, what, they have to bite somebody before the town can do anything?' she said. Johnson said the town should post signs to warn residents and visitors where coyotes are most active — and enforce property standards in those areas. It should also explore how to relocate coyotes to safer, non-urban areas. 'I don't want to cause (coyotes) harm,' she said. 'I also don't think they should be where we have all the tourists.' Coyotes aren't pets and shouldn't be treated like them, said Johnson — food sources need to be limited and wildlife kept out of urban areas, much like how bears are managed. Johnson said educating residents on risks and prevention is key. With so many tourists, dogs and small children, 'in Old Town, it's just too dangerous,' she said. 'I find it very disconcerting.' Minor said the town's approach focuses on public education, with tips, reporting guidance, and safety info available on its website at . paigeseburn@ Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Mayor Brandon Johnson announces $40 million to upgrade Chicago's homeless shelters
Tania Navarrete welcomes a group of city employees to her new apartment on the South Side. She guides them through the living room and bedroom and then into her kitchen. Art lines the walls and the fridge is fully stocked with food. The employees, on a 'special assignment' for the day, are with the city's Homeless Outreach and Prevention team. They helped Navarrete find and move into the new apartment about a month ago. The 33-year-old had lived for about three years inside a tent at the contentious Gompers Park homeless encampment after being evicted from her apartment. 'It's so comfortable here compared to the park,' Navarrete told the Tribune. 'So much problems over there. I better stay here.' The group of four employees made a quick stop at Navarrete's apartment last week to check in and bring her supplies, including food, bedding and a new toy for her black cat, Tinkerbell, a stray that Navarrete picked up at Gompers. The team spends their days building trust with many of the more than 7,000 people across the city experiencing homelessness. The goal is to help them rebuild and improve their lives. Navarrete is a success story, a bright spot in a system plagued with inequities and community pushback. But success stories take time and require resources, Luis Santiago, a community intervention specialist said. And there's two resources he said he's lacking most in his job — affordable units, particularly on the Northwest Side, and quality shelter space. The city combined its migrant and homeless shelters, called the 'One System Initiative,' to mixed success. 'Shelter space is so tight right now because of One System,' Santiago said. 'We just need more shelter, and that takes funding.' In a step toward that goal, Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Department of Family & Support Services announced Wednesday a $40 million investment to 'modernize' homeless shelters throughout the city, calling it the 'largest local shelter capital investment in Chicago's history.' Seven shelters received provisional grants, according to DFSS. Citywide the department hopes to improve around 750 permanent shelter beds, increase Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility and create 350 beds in private rooms citywide, a news release said, citing research that shows noncongregate shelters improve health and housing outcomes. 'Overall, this is an investment for healthier, safer and more private and more accessible facilities,' Johnson said at a news conference at Saint Leonard's House, a grant recipient that provides interim housing for formerly incarcerated men on the Near West Side. 'This investment spans across the city to seven shelters on the North, South and West sides of our city so that residents experiencing homelessness can find quality shelters wherever they are,' Johnson added. Half of the money for the program will come from federal funding, specifically the HOME Investment Partnerships American Rescue Plan Program, DFSS said. The other $20 million will come from locally issued bond funds. Meanwhile, the city faces a more than $1 billion anticipated deficit for 2026, a major pending union contract and other budget challenges. 'We are facing a budget dilemma, but we can fix it,' Johnson told a group of shelter officials at a roundtable Wednesday. 'We just have to have the political will … What I don't want is this zero sum where we have to cut services and find these so-called efficiencies that end up leading to closures.' Shelter operators said the money is long overdue and will be put to good use. Ivory Snow, chief administrative officer for Saint Leonard's Ministries, said the nonprofit plans to use the grant to install air-conditioning, convert shared spaces into about 40 private bedrooms and add ADA accessible bathrooms. 'Allowing for peace and privacy and dignity, just being able to go to your own room and if I need to chill and have a moment and kind of process today, our residents will be able to do that,' Snow said. At a Franciscan Outreach shelter, executive director Robret Simpson said they recently had to evacuate when temperatures climbed above 90 degrees. They want to use the grant money to install air-conditioning, she said. They also plan to move the women's dorm so female residents don't have to walk through the men's dorm, as well as build a dining room. 'Our guests stand up to eat in 10 minute increments with partitions, because that's what we have to do,' Simpson said. 'It's creating a space where we are matching not just what we're trying to do in services with the space that they're existing in, but also creating a better hope for a population that we all know has been historically disconnected from that feeling.' 'So for us, it's life-changing,' she added. A Garfield Park transitional home run by Inner Voice plans to install a lift to bring people to the first floor and install an accessible bathroom, said Jackie Edens, the group's president and the city's former director of homeless services. 'ADA accessibility is also beyond just mobility, but it's about vision and hearing too,' she said. 'So that was all taken into account. A lot of these architectural plans, the renderings were being thought of, so (we are) trying to be holistic in our approach to serving people with any kind of disability.' People with disabilities — which make up about 19% of the adult homeless population — have long expressed concerns about the lack of accessible shelter space. A number of lawsuits have been filed against the city accusing the shelter system of failing to provide accommodations mandated by federal law. Iliana Rivera Haven, a housing community organizer with the disability rights group Access Living, which is part of several lawsuits, said in a statement that the city has denied people with disabilities access to its shelters for decades and that 'any investment in ADA compliance to correct that problem is a win for the people of Chicago.' 'That said, even though we have been fighting for accessibility for years, this announcement was surprising news to us and to our allies working to end homelessness — we've received no details on the city's plans or how this investment will address long-standing barriers,' Rivera Haven said. 'Advocates with lived experience would welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the city to ensure this funding delivers real change for disabled Chicagoans experiencing homelessness.' Doug Schenkelberg, executive director for the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, said the organization supports Johnson's efforts to 'create safer, more dignified spaces for unhoused Chicagoans, particularly at a time when the federal government is poised to abandon housing investments and embrace racist policy choices.' 'It is crucial for the city, state and federal governments to pair investments in shelter with more permanent solutions — housing with supportive services — so all Chicagoans have a safe place to call home,' Schenkelberg said.
Chicago Tribune
15-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Indian Prairie School District 204 to pilot weighted grading system this school year
Indian Prairie School District 204 is piloting a weighted grading system this year, with the goal of standardizing grading and promoting equity across the district, according to district administrators. The district will be testing out the new weighted grading practice at the middle and high school levels, according to a presentation to the school board on July 7 by Deputy Superintendent Louis Lee and Waubonsie Valley High School Assistant Principal Montrine Johnson. Under the recommended grading practice, student work is divided into two categories: formative and summative. Formative assessments, including things like quizzes and entrance and exit slips, would be weighted at 20% of a student's grade. Summative assessments — cumulative evaluations, such as unit tests, final exams, projects and essays — would be worth 80% of a student's grade. This recommendation came out of research done by a committee of educators and administrators, according to the presentation. The committee looked at grading-related topics like re-takes, zero's, formative and summative assessments, the role of homework and extra credit in grading and resources for students with 504 plans and Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs, and multilingual students. Formative assessments are 'low-stakes,' Johnson said at the school board meeting on July 7, and show students 'exactly where they are, what their strengths are and the areas in which they need to grow.' Summative assessments, on the other hand, are meant to measure the knowledge and skills that a student has learned. The rationale for the weighted grading system includes a focus on more equitable grading, Johnson said, since the grading system looks at students' mastery of topics and skills and lets students know what they're aiming for and what their grade represents. It also standardizes grading practices, Lee told the board. The district currently has over 250 different gradebooks, he said, to track and measure grades. 'That many, just, different forms of how we're valuing work…is inconsistent, sends the wrong message to students,' Lee said. Both administrators acknowledged that criticism of this sort of grading practice exists. Lee noted that, for example, weighting can devalue formative assessments, and impact student motivation to do daily work. But the district's sub-committee looking at formative and summative assessments, for which Johnson was a co-facilitator, ultimately landed on recommending this 80% and 20% grading system. A couple middle schools already have similar weighted grading systems, the district administrators noted. The board responded with numerous questions about the proposed system — and some concerns. Board member Susan Demming, for example, asked about the specific percentages that were decided on. Johnson said these percentages were common in looking at neighboring schools, and said that the committee felt the percentage for summative assessments couldn't be more than 80%. Board vice president Supna Jain asked if the idea is for this grading system to be a guideline or a requirement. Lee said the long-term plan is for it to be a requirement, but that there would be flexibility as to, for example, how assignments are categorized and how they're designed. Board member Mark Rising expressed concern about the weighting of formative and summative assessments. 'We have very different learners across our district,' Rising said. 'And when we're setting an 80/20, formative-summative (system), we are automatically setting up kids for failure, in my opinion. There are kids that their homework, their extra credit sustains their grade. There are some kids that have test anxiety. I fear we are creating not a more equitable system, I fear we're creating a more inequitable system.' To the board's questions, Talley noted that this sort of grading already exists in the district, meaning it's not an entirely new system, but it isn't standardized across district schools and classrooms. He said he asked this work to be done over three to five years because 'of the questions that people are asking' and that this is the beginning of the process for the district. Lee, too, pointed to the timeline as board members shared their questions and concerns. 'We want to provide a long runway for this,' Lee said. Meanwhile, the sub-committees are continuing to work on grading and implementation, Lee said. Re-takes, for example, are one point of concern. Lee noted that re-takes are common in college, for standardized tests and post-graduate examinations, and said they are evaluating what role they should have in classes in the district going forward. The weighted grading pilot will be starting in the fall, according to the presentation, and is set to include both teachers already implementing a similar system and some that aren't, Lee said. The total number of classrooms and teachers participating in it will not be finalized until teachers return in August, Lee told The Beacon-News. From there, Lee said the plan is to present data from the pilot to the school board in the spring, train teachers starting in August 2026, and potentially implement the grading system as standard policy in August 2027.
