Associated Press - The Durango Herald

The Latest: Trump will be a 'special guest' at White House press briefing

President Donald Trump is expected to appear at Tuesday’s White House press briefing to mark the first anniversary of the start of his second term. The rare appearance comes as the president...

DATE: Jan 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Anthony Joshua's driver arraigned after deadly crash in southwest Nigeria

SAGAMU, Nigeria (AP) — The driver in a deadly car crash that injured British heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and killed his two friends in Nigeria was arraigned on Tuesday on four counts...

DATE: Jan 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Trump slams UK deal to hand over Chagos Islands after he previously backed it

LONDON (AP) — A startled British government on Tuesday defended its decision to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the plan, whic...

DATE: Jan 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Russia batters Ukraine's power grid again as officials seek momentum in US-led peace talks

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia bombarded Ukraine with more than 300 drones and ballistic and cruise missiles in its latest nighttime attack on the Ukrainian power grid, President Volodymyr Zele...

DATE: Jan 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Iran warns Trump not to take action against Khamenei

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran on Tuesday warned Donald Trump not to take any action against the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, days after the U.S. president calle...

DATE: Jan 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

The Latest: Greenland and threat of Trump tariffs loom over Davos

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Corporate chiefs and government leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, are in Davos, Switzerland, this week, joining an elite annual World Economic Forum t...

DATE: Jan 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Prosecutors rest in Uvalde officer's trial over response to 2022 school shooting

Prosecutors on Tuesday rested in the trial of a former Uvalde, Texas, school police officer after more than a week of presenting a case to jurors that he failed in his duty to stop a gunman ...

DATE: Jan 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Syrian military, Kurdish-led forces announce new truce after guards leave camp housing IS families

RAQQA, Syria (AP) — Guards from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces abandoned a camp Tuesday in northeast Syria housing thousands of people linked to the Islamic State group, and the Sy...

DATE: Jan 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

The new ‘Be The People’ campaign wants to unite hundreds of millions of Americans to solve problems

As the official celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence culminate on July 4, a well-financed, privately funded initiative will kick off to try...

DATE: Jan 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Jury selection begins for luxury real estate brothers accused of sexually abusing women

NEW YORK (AP) — Jury selection began in New York City on Tuesday in the federal trial of two luxury real estate brokers and their brother, who are accused of sexually abusing dozens of women...

DATE: Jan 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Teen triplets who represent Jamaica send one to race at Olympics, two to cheer as sisters fall short

The teenage triplets who represent Jamaica in ski racing will be heading to the Milan Cortina Olympics — one to race and two to cheer him on from the stands. The bid of Helaina and Henniyah ...

DATE: Jan 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

No. 1 Indiana tops final AP Top 25 football poll of season as Big Ten's title run reaches 3 straight

Indiana achieved one more first to end its magical season full of firsts: The national champion Hoosiers are No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 college football poll. After beat...

DATE: Jan 20, 2026 | CATEGORY: Associated Press

Colorado history gets weird, wild, wacky at Fashion Do’s and Don’tsAnnual Snowdown event has become so popular, auditions are now required

Cowboys. Fancy ladies. Gold miners. Even-toed ungulates that some in Durango might consider more like rats.Where can you find a runway show that takes you on a whirlwind tour through the weird, wacky and wildly exaggerated 150 years of Colorado history? Only at Durango’s annual Fashion Do’s and Don’ts, held Wednesday, where models and audience members donned costumes celebrating Colorado’s sesquicentennial – the theme of this year’s two-week Snowdown celebration.Standout acts included the Ghosts of Durango, which featured four of Durango’s most famous ghosts: a Rochester hotel ghost in a Victorian get-up of a more “modern” variation; the Strater Hotel’s head of housekeeping, also head of more discreet services; a young girl haunting El Rancho bathroom; and Sheriff Bob Thompson, killed in a 1906 gunfight. according to emcee Suzan Lane. A Another act was the secret circus society, featuring Rubi Starr, Jeni Gross, Tabatha Joy Bettin, Adrienne Young and Ethan Deffenbaugh dressed as a car and the roadside pests better known as deer. Group members said the inspiration for the costume came from lived experiences driving the Durango roads. The two-person Cantine Couture act starred Leslie Ponce and Tyler Frakes in an homage to the plentiful variety of Mexican restaurants found in any Colorado town. Ponce, dressed in comically large Mexican pointy cowboy boots, ambled down the runway as if taking a stroll under the hot, dusty, high-altitude sun, while Frakes flitted about the stage in a bright yellow salsa dress. Ponce said this years costume had been tough to decide, but the final decision was inspired by TikTok videos of Mexican cowboys in pointy boots. This was the duo’s third year strutting down the runway. Why they keep coming back for more, Frakes said laughing, was, “for the fame, the glory and the attention.”

Fashion Do’s and Don'ts has been one of the most highly anticipated Snowdown events since it’s inception in the 1990s. It has more than doubled in size over the past several decades. Last year, there were a record number of models, and in order to keep the event at a manageable size, this years fashion show was the first one to require the acts to audition. But many of the models were unphased by the change. “It was actually easy,” said Jodi Zuber, one part of the two-person duo that made up the 1950s Texas Invader Ski Couple. Her partner-in-costume, Danny Jaques, said they had been doing this for several years, and it’s good with everything going on in the world to “get some levity and let your hair down.” The performers were not the only ones in costume. Audience members also dressed in a wide variety of unique takes on what makes Colorado, Colorado. JonBenet Ramsey made a miraculous appearance, being played by an 82-year-old woman, as did Casa Bonita, an ensemble that included a taco, sopaipilla and gorilla in chains – to name some of the characters. By the end of the show, people were in high spirits, as usual. “It was just delightful,” said a first-time audience member. If blessed with the chance to get the much coveted tickets – he said he would jump on it. jbowman@durangoherald.com

Annual Snowdown event has become so popular, auditions are now required

Photos: Snowdown 2026 Fashion Do’s and Don’ts

Photos: Durango High School basketball teams lose to Montrose High School

Photos: Local girls high school wrestling at La Plata TriDurango girls wrestling went 2-0 to win Tri on Thursday night at Bayfield

Durango girls wrestling went 2-0 to win Tri on Thursday night at Bayfield

Photos: Fort Lewis College women’s and men’s basketball take on Westminster UniversityBoth Skyhawks teams were victorious on Saturday afternoon

Both Skyhawks teams were victorious on Saturday afternoon

Photos: An afternoon in 2004 with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell as he works on Capitol HillDurango Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride had the chance to spend an afternoon with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004, photographing him during meetings and around the Capitol.

Durango Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride had the chance to spend an afternoon with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004, photographing him during meetings and around the Capitol.

Photos and video: ICE protests return to DurangoAbout a dozen protesters tried to block federal agents from leaving with a detainee on Thursday

About a dozen protesters tried to block federal agents from leaving with a detainee on Thursday

The Durango Herald’s year in photos 2025

Photos: Chapman Hill fires up the snow guns

The Latest: Trump will be a 'special guest' at White House press briefing

Anthony Joshua's driver arraigned after deadly crash in southwest Nigeria

Trump slams UK deal to hand over Chagos Islands after he previously backed it

Russia batters Ukraine's power grid again as officials seek momentum in US-led peace talks

Iran warns Trump not to take action against Khamenei

The Latest: Greenland and threat of Trump tariffs loom over Davos

Prosecutors rest in Uvalde officer's trial over response to 2022 school shooting

Syrian military, Kurdish-led forces announce new truce after guards leave camp housing IS families

The new ‘Be The People’ campaign wants to unite hundreds of millions of Americans to solve problems

Jury selection begins for luxury real estate brothers accused of sexually abusing women

Teen triplets who represent Jamaica send one to race at Olympics, two to cheer as sisters fall short

No. 1 Indiana tops final AP Top 25 football poll of season as Big Ten's title run reaches 3 straight

Videos & Photos

Search Directory Plus

Most Popular

Most Recent

Ballantine Communications, Inc.

Contact Us

Find Us

Videos & Photos

Search Directory Plus

Most Popular

Most Recent

Ballantine Communications, Inc.

Contact Us

Find Us

Subscribe

Newsletter Signup