A porcupine passes the hours in Placerville on Wednesday. [Photo by Kevin Ludwig]

Non-profits are always looking for donations and support, and this week, Telluride Adaptive Sports has a two-fold opportunity for supporters to play some golf, donate to a good cause and walk away with some great auction items.

For the adults who live there, the town of Ophir is one big playground.

A few years ago, the U.S. didn?t even have a major road bike stage race. Now, Telluride appears poised to host the world?s elite cyclists and teams during the Lance-Armstrong championed Quiznos Pro Challenge, a seven-stage contest ripping across Colorado in late August of 2011.

Two years after becoming the owner and steward of the Valley Floor, the Town of Telluride is in the process of creating a trails and river restoration plan for the open space and wants to know what you think.

Imagine finding a cure for Lou Gehrig?s disease or Parkinson?s. Imagine paraplegics walking again with a repaired spinal cord. Those possibilities could one day become a reality, with the help of stem cell research and regenerative therapies.

Columbia University film professor Annette Insdorf tells her students that it only takes the first shot of a film for audiences to trust the filmmaker and instantly engage with what they are about to see, similar to the first few pages of a new book.

Usually, incumbents hold an edge in winning re-election when challenged. But perhaps not this year, as polls indicate an enormous distaste for Congress ? one poll puts the disapproval rating at 70 percent. Inexperience, this election season, may be the best experience.

The Telluride Film Festival wound down last night under a canopy of stars at the Abel Gance Outdoor Cinema with Colin Firth?s brilliance in ?The King?s Speech,? but there?s still hope for those who missed some of the best films in TFF?s weekend run: The after the fest screenings.

For Australian director Peter Weir, the qualities that attract him to a certain film or script are hard to explain.

55F Overcast

Mostly sunny. A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning. Highs 55 to 65. South winds 10 to 20 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph increasing to 40 mph in the afternoon.

Mostly clear. Lows in the 30s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph decreasing to 20 mph after midnight.