Author - The Durango Herald

Josh Joswick: 2020: Tyranny, insanity and plain ol’ bull

In this time of rancor and ill-will toward our fellow man – wait a minute, isn’t it still the holiday season? – we can all agree on something: Merriam-Webster’s dictionary is an impartial so...

DATE: Dec 31, 2020 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Charles Brennan: Report shows rural Colorado struggled before the pandemic

As Coloradans start to imagine rebuilding an economy after the pandemic, a newly released report suggests that, as of the end of 2018, many parts of rural Colorado still haven’t recovered fr...

DATE: Dec 30, 2020 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Timothy Egan: Lewis and Clark’s travails offer guidance

Every five years or so I try to return to land’s end, the continent’s western edge, where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean – the final heave of the River of the West. I pref...

DATE: Dec 27, 2020 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Letter: Enjoy back country safely, avoid avalanche dangers

Seventy percent of the mountains in Colorado are the San Juans, right in our backyard. The “Magic Juans” extend from Durango to Lake City and Dolores to Saguache and beyond. Because of this ...

DATE: Dec 27, 2020 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Melissa Youssef and Jim Griffin: 9-R bond election was more significant than you thought

Amid all the noise and drama of the November presidential election, readers may have missed the full significance of the recent Durango School District 9-R bond vote, also on Nov. 3. ...

DATE: Dec 22, 2020 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Justin McBrayer: Why fact-checking fails to change minds

Nearly everyone agrees that we face a fake news epidemic the likes of which we haven’t seen before. For years, American citizens have reported that they are more concerned about fake news th...

DATE: Dec 21, 2020 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Richard Grossman: Half a century later, population is still the issue

“Family planning could bring more benefits to more people at less cost than other single technology now available ...” – James Grant “Either we reduce the world’s population volun...

DATE: Dec 20, 2020 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Farhad Manjoo: Our mental health is worst in two decades

Nine long, deadly months into the pandemic, Americans report severe psychic distress. According to a new Gallup survey, Americans’ assessment of our mental health is “worse than it has been ...

DATE: Dec 17, 2020 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Ernest House Jr.: A solid plan to restore 30% of Colorado’s lands and waters by 2030

“In a state known for its mountains, rivers and scenic beauty, the slow but persistent loss of nature threatens life as we know it in the Centennial State.” That’s according to a...

DATE: Dec 16, 2020 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Dugald Owen: The reasoned view, acceptance of uncertainties mark maturity

Editor’s note: Fort Lewis College held its second virtual commencement on Dec. 4, when 150 students gathered online to hear recorded speeches. Professor Dugald Owen gave the commencement...

DATE: Dec 14, 2020 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Dustin Bleizeffer: One state still craves coal

As the rest of the West rushes to meet increasingly ambitious goals to reduce carbon emissions, one state is moving in exactly the opposite direction. It’s Wyoming, which even wa...

DATE: Dec 13, 2020 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Paul Krugman: Learn to stop worrying and embrace debt

Amid all the wild swings in U.S. politics over the past decade, one thing has remained constant: the GOP position on government debt. The party considers high levels of debt an existential t...