On this week's Mountain Edition, hosts Alycin Bektesh and Claire Woodcock bring you a compilation of the week's news.

This week, senate Republicans once again tried to end the Affordable Care Act. The replacement plan, named after authors Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, needed 51 votes in order to pass. By Tuesday, it was clear there wasn’t enough support and so the vote did not happen.

On Tuesday, Gov. Hickenlooper appointed Rep. Bob Rankin of Carbondale to the Education Leadership Council, which aims to improve the state’s education system. Rankin wants Colorado’s young people to be better suited for the workplace.

On Thursday, the Aspen Art Museum will host The Great Debate, a forum where presenters will confront one of the most fundamental questions of contemporary art.

It’s been a particularly challenging summer season for Mountain Rescue Aspen (MRA), with eight deaths in the Elk Mountain Range, including five on Capitol Peak.

Bear activity in downtown Aspen is at an all time high this fall, and officials are urging people to secure their trash. Bad human behavior at the recycling center on Rio Grande Place is proving to be a challenge for Liz Chapman, who is the city’s waste reduction and environmental health specialist . Each morning, she picks up garbage that bears got into. Aspen Public Radio’s Carolyn Sackariason joined her to talk about the problem.

The Wilderness, Nature, and Society Seminar is a part of the Socrates Program at the Aspen Institute. This seminar is centered on readings and discussions about sustainability, environmental philosophy and ethics. Participants hike in the Colorado Rockies and stay in the 10th Mountain Division Huts. Joining host Christin Kay and environment reporter Elizabeth Stewart-Severy this week are Elliot Gerson, Executive Vice President of Policy Programs, Public Programs, and International Partners at

Bears Ears is one of 27 national monuments under review by the Trump administration. Recent reports indicate that Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has recommended a drastic reduction in its size.

The Trump administration’s budget proposes deep cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Kate Gazunis , executive director of the Garfield County Housing Authority, has something to say about it.

At its meeting Tuesday, Basalt Town Council will consider the updated Stott's Mill application, a development proposal that’s been on their radar for many years.