The Durango Herald

Much has been written about the short “special” session last week that followed the adjournment of our regular 120-day session. The centerpiece of the governor’s call of the special session, the civil-unions bill, failed to pass despite appearing to have sufficient votes overall that would have passed the bill. In this case, procedural moves...

Legislative aide learns about rural concerns

My venture into legislative politics began last session when I participated in Colorado State University’s Capitol internship program.

In a telling exchange House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., explained how Washington politics could doom the United States to an even more serious economic mess.

In 1968, I was the first member of my family to attend a public school in my sophomore year of high school. Up to that point, my sisters, brother and I had all attended parochial schools. While enrolling for my high school courses, I was told by the counselor that I was college preparatory (I don’t know who determined that), so don’t sign up for...

Last month, I had occasion to be in New York City, and as is always the case when I visit there, I left with a head full of new thoughts after taking in as much of the city as I could cram into five days. The thing that affected me most, though, took me quite by surprise.

Lessons learned on the road to the future

With the school year coming to an end, students are excited to begin a new stage of their lives. As a senior, I am especially eager to see what my future has in store for me. Looking back at my high school experience, I am thankful for nearly all of the seemingly small and the large events that happened throughout; although many things were not...

La Plata Electric Association members returned two incumbents to the co-op’s board of directors this year and replaced two others with new faces. The results represent a subtle, but real and important change.

The actions taken on the night before the last day of the second session of the 68th General Assembly on the floor of the Colorado House of Representatives were quite different, to say the least. No one, including all of the staff and all of the lobbyists with years of institutional knowledge, had ever seen anything like it. As usual, in the...

It’s a challenging assignment to sum up the last week’s events, or non-events, as the case may be. I’d anticipated being finished midweek and headed home for the interim, but instead, the Legislature has been summoned back by the governor to a special session.

Chimney Rock

The volunteer group based in Pagosa Springs known as the Chimney Rock Interpretive Association has been critical to the enjoyment and protection of Chimney Rock Archaeological Area east of Bayfield. With minimum financial support and maximum care and affection, its members conduct well-guided tours, maintain trails and provide a modicum of...

Have you ever wondered why you usually don’t have to pay sales tax when you buy something on the internet, or when you go to Farmington and buy a sofa and have it delivered here? It’s because of the “dormant commerce clause” of the U.S. Constitution. This doctrine has always been a thorn in the side of local businesses, especially in the age of...

As I write this, there are three days left in the legislative session and a ton of bills that have not even been heard in committee much less gone through second and third readings on the floor of the House. We will adjourn the session at midnight on Wednesday and some bills will die on the calendar. Legislators will be tired and tempers will...

With only a few days left in the session, we still have much to do. I’ve not been able to come home on the last couple of weekends as Friday floor and committee work have run late enough to cause me to miss my flights. Still, the session’s end is in sight, and I’ll be home soon.

Colorado always has been a state of open skies, open spaces and big ideas. And every visitor to Southwest Colorado who sets eyes on those twin spires of rock jutting more than 300 feet into the crisp mountain air – the landmark known as Chimney Rock – can grasp immediately why our state has that reputation.