Ad

Local home sales solid so far in 2016

La Plata County real estate market is in its 4th year of likely having more than 1,000 homes sold in the calendar year! This compares to the great recession when a low of 561 hom...

Pro & Con: Propositions 107, 108: Presidential, open primaries

No: Weakening political parties would only make things worse Colorado voters have a rare opportunity this fall to finally do something about the state’s dysfunctional political system — make...

New ways of voting part of county’s first all-mail presidential election

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Election Day can’t come soon enough for most of you, but those of us tasked with carrying out this fundamental part of the democratic process are...

Colin Kaepernick case and the First Amendment

The recent protests of the national anthem by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick have sparked a nationwide discussion of free speech rights and the First Amendment. ...

Neighbors: Adult Education Center gives second chances

In addition to underfunding both K-12 (42nd in the nation) and higher education, the state of Colorado has the ignominious distinction of being the only state that does not fund adult educat...

Leaders, not bobbleheads

While fishing the other day, I mentioned to my friend and fishing partner, Sam, I was going to write a column about leaders. He instantly became agitated and wanted to know how a newspaper c...

Pro & Con: Ballot Issue 3A: Funding for School District 9-R

Yes: Invest in our children and our community’s future Imagine a Durango community in which all of our youth, regardless of which school they attend, receive the education they deserve. That...

Ideal conditions make for spectacular fall foliage

If you can figure out how to maneuver through the national political scene that has infected my Facebook page, you can see that almost every one of my local “friends” has taken a photo of th...

In Freddie Gray death, forensic medicine couldn’t answer critical questions

In April of 2015, Freddie Carlos Gray Jr., a 25-year-old black man, broke his neck while in police custody in Baltimore. The medical examiner ruled Gray’s death a homicide, but no officer wa...

Support end-of-life options, vote ‘yes’ on Proposition 106

We get the diagnosis: We have six months to live. We’re in pain, very ill and can’t see ourselves struggling through these next few months. None of us want to be confronted with t...

Pro & Con: Ballot Issue 1A: Funding county roads and bridges

Yes: Public safety and economic needs require this small tax hike Safe and well-maintained roads and bridges are an essential component of our local infrastructure. Unfortunately, more of La...

Pro & Con: Ballot Issue 1B: Funding a new airport terminal

YES: La Plata County’s future prosperity is dependent on good air service Over the last four years, the La Plata Economic Development Alliance has met with nearly 150 businesses, from people...