Editorials

The Love I’ve Found with You

(To Linda, for our 55th) Like a sailor facing wave and wind Yet holding steady to a course that’s true I am safely bound for journey’s end Anchored in the…

Legacy of Charles Bradshaw

On Aug. 5, 1881, the Rio Grande Railroad opened the Silverton Branch. In 1981, Charles Bradshaw bought the railroad from the Rio Grande, saving both towns and the railroad. His…

Plateaus and filling in the gaps

cca Heartbreakingly, I may have played my last game of enjoyable pickleball. The Alzheimer’s Association outlines three stages of Alzheimer’s Disease: early, middle and late. The first stage is Mild…

The Reason Why

Help me understand Lord I don’t know the reason why For I’ve lost my precious loved one And my mind is all awry. As I seek to understand Lord Did…

‘No evidence people living near wells in danger’

George SharpePicasa When the La Plata Board of County Commissioners considers the details of the Chapter 90 regulations, I hope they keep the intent of the rules in mind, which…

‘Adequate security is prevention’

Over the last few months – years – school shootings have increased. As I understood one newscaster, this year alone there have been more than 100 to date. While several…

Going to Mercy lab a ‘physical hardship’

Today, I went to the lab at Mercy Family Medicine Horse Gulch to do my routine – but frequent – blood draw. I was notified that the next time I…

‘Red flag’ threat was ignored

The school shooter in Nashville communicated with a gal friend about this horrific event about to happen. The friend called law enforcement right away in the morning. Law enforcement did…

Our View: Yazzie’s win good for Durango

Too often in this country, our vote “yes” for one candidate is really a “no” vote for someone else we strongly don’t want to see win the seat. Voting against…

Our View: Gun bills a sensible start

No single fix will end the tragedies of gun violence in this country. But two Senate gun bills on their way to the governor’s desk for signing take sensible steps…

Editorial cartoon: We know your dance moves

Our View: Courage in 9-R Narcan decision

Students brought A game; school board, district staffers heard them

Election offers ‘a sense of hope’

This City Council election has provided me with a sense of hope that I haven’t experienced in a local election before. As a young working professional, I’m thrilled to see…

‘Every child on Western Slope deserves high-quality preschool’

Barbara McLachlan Cleave Simpsoncca Families who live and work in Colorado’s mountain communities are all too familiar with the challenges of finding child care. Colorado’s Universal Preschool program can be…

We’re losing trust, the linchpin of modern society

The Other Sidecca Measuring the well-being of society is an imperfect science. Some prefer financial measures, while others look toward education, access to housing and mental health. Certainly, gauging the…

Council needs clear governance policies for boards

Mearl Webbcca As a former City Council advisory board member, I’d like to share some thoughts on some of the trigger issues that brought our boards to the brink of…

Hate – not guns – the problem

The root problem with mass shootings is not the guns, it is the hate. When a person is consumed with hate, he or she becomes incapable of feeling any empathy…

‘Water priority public urination’

After repeated pleas for U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert to address water issues in the West, after a plethora of embarrassing antics intended to shame her political opponents that backfired –…

Kiddos say ‘vote for Harrison’

We are Durango kids and we support Harrison Wendt for City Council. Harrison makes us feel comfortable sharing our thoughts. He pushes us to do our best, has a great…

Wendt, Yazzie are ‘rare gems’

Durango’s City Council election is a chance to compare those committed individuals willing to do this difficult, thankless job. But it’s also is a referendum on the kind of city…

‘Evil hides in pious, disingenuous words’

Another school shooting, this time in Nashville. Three children and three school staff members killed. So far, 128 mass shootings this year, more than one per day. Fifty-one school shootings…

Extra mail spilled out of box

Recently, I stopped at the Durango Post Office drive-through to put my mail in. The outside box was completely full with mail falling out onto the ground. Extra mail was…

Impressed by Wendt’s ‘commitment to serve’

April 4, the last day of voting for Durango’s City Council election is almost here. It’s high time to decide whom to vote for and drop off your ballot. I…

‘Go visit Animas City Cemetery’

I am generally not one to extol the virtue of this area’s hidden gems. The internet and social media’s popularization of the Ice Lakes Trail and the ensuing closure of…

Our View: Camera story shared around the world

Spencer Greiner found a camera stuck in the mud in the Animas River while fishing on Tuesday. Miraculously, the photos from a wedding in 2010 were still intact. (Courtesy of…

Fox News ‘storytelling, entertainment’

I’ve had the impression for many years that the Fox News Channel is not journalism. I think it’s storytelling and entertainment with little distinction between fiction and nonfiction. The network…

Our View: Uncle right to call out lawmaker on gun tweet

The most biting criticism oftentimes comes from family members. And Uncle Chris Soper did not hold back in saying, “Shame on you!” to his nephew Republican Rep. Matt Soper of…

‘Right to be armed to the teeth?’

I just read a recent newsletter from Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, warning me and all in the 3rd Congressional District that President Joe Biden plans to infringe on our Second Amendment…

Bill addresses poor math scores with train-the-trainer system

Barbara McLachlan I am surprised as anyone else that as an English teacher, I am running a bill about the attributes of math and the necessity that students understand it.…

‘Why are we paving paradise?’

The City of Durango is about to make a tremendous mistake by paving one of the few downtown green spaces west of the Animas River. The city proposes to put…