Opinion
Our vanishing culture of argument
A guy I knew in college once told me, as I struggled to make a point in a dorm lounge argument, that I had “the verbal acuity of shampoo.” The…
Editorials
Opinion
Question 1A: Ensuring core services continue and our shared future thrives
Effective leadership requires adapting and being forward-thinking. We believe leadership in local government comes with the responsibility to guide our communities through both stability and change – the hard times…
Letters to the Editor
Herald must stop catering to the loud minority
I am so glad to see the Herald finally post a letter representing the beliefs of the majority of Americans (Herald, Sept. 10). The Herald continues almost exclusively to post…
Letters to the Editor
Immigration isn’t a simple matter
I’m responding to the letters, “Immigration laws should be enforced, not ignored,” (Herald, Sept. 7) and “Don’t like deportations? Change the law,” (Herald, Sept. 7) that enthusiastically support current deportation…
Letters to the Editor
This is not who we want to be
Thank you for the story of Martin Geobany Terazzas’ detention by ICE (Herald, Sept. 10). While I absolutely believe that employers and immigrants need to abide by the laws of…
Letters to the Editor
Respect wildlife, stop spreading glass
Many of us recreate on the Horse Gulch trails and have seen the shards of glass that some people have spread around. The shards are clearly not there by accident.…
Letters to the Editor
Geo Terrazas is one of us
First, I do not know the family of Geo Terrazas, the guy who got hauled away by ICE recently and is being detained by them. But I do know he…
Letters to the Editor
Patriotism protects debate, dissent, diverse views
Mike Sigman labeling the Herald “anti-American” (Letters, Herald, Sept. 10) because it reports on immigration, racial justice or restorative justice is pretty much what I’d expect to hear from him.…
Editorials
Our view: Free speech
Let’s follow Hurd’s and Kirk’s lead: The proper response to reprehensible speech is more speech
Letters to the Editor
The backdoor to privatizing Social Security
Beware seniors, families with grandparents and young people who want to know that their FICA taxes will someday be a source of retirement income. Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent slipped…
Letters to the Editor
Criminals aren’t law abiding, ban gun free zones
There’s been another tragic shooting. This time at a public high school in Evergreen, followed closely on the heels of the shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis. How do…
Opinion
How federal budget cuts are going to affect our community’s food security
Close your eyes and think back to COVID days – Do you remember the empty grocery store shelves? Your grandparents calling asking you to deliver food because Meals on Wheels…
Opinion
Autumn calls: Keeping up the fight for public lands
With the end of summer in sight and the beginning of fall in the crosshairs, hunters and many others are looking forward to mountainsides of aspens bathed in golden light…
Letters to the Editor
End lawless seizures, demand humane immigration policy
Immigration is an issue that my friends who voted for Trump want to see addressed. They want a much tighter border and an efficient and fair immigration process. However, I…
Letters to the Editor
La Plata County needs reform, not higher taxes
I agree with Kelly Hegarty regarding the proposed tax hike (Letters, Herald, Sept. 3) that stringent county planning regulations have significantly impacted oil and gas revenues. La Plata County commissioners…
Letters to the Editor
Editor’s note: A misprinted puzzle and the hunt for humor
In response to Steve Grant’s question (Letters, Herald, Sept. 10) about why the Aug. 22 “Puzzles & Funnies” page reappeared on Aug. 29: a designer mistakenly ran the Aug. 22…
Editorials
Our view: Constitution week
A reminder that the Constitution protects everyone, and rights belong to all
Letters to the Editor
City of Durango made a huge mistake
My wife and I walk our dogs daily. Sometimes on city street sidewalks, sometimes on the river trail, north, south and through town. In our opinion, the city made a…
Letters to the Editor
Honoring a (nother) longtime volunteer: Buck Skillen
“Just ask Buck” has been a mantra of Five Rivers Trout Unlimited (5RTU) since Buck Skillen reinvigorated the chapter in the late ’90s. Buck spent more than two decades responding…
Letters to the Editor
Honoring a longtime volunteer: Tom Jones
Tom Jones sat on the Five Rivers Trout Unlimited (5RTU) board for years all while holding multiple positions, including past president. He was passionate about helping our native cutthroat trout,…
Letters to the Editor
Read, think about, and honor the Constitution this week
Celebrating the privilege of our liberty and freedom this year, the 238th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States of America, I urge all Americans to…
Letters to the Editor
Hurd betrayed the most vulnerable and should resign
About 30 years ago, I was principal of a Durango middle school that hosted a class for many children with disabilities. I loved them all, but one particular young man…
Letters to the Editor
No one is illegal on stolen land
There is a very well-documented record of what the rise of fascism looks like and it appears that the current administration is using it as a playbook. For example, the…
Letters to the Editor
Unity is paramount, land acknowledgment is divisive
Fort Lewis College opens performances and semesters with a “land acknowledgment.” That is harmful to society. It separates “we the people” into those who are rightfully here and those who…
Guest Columns
To keep ‘thousand points of light’ shining, the nonprofit sector should consolidate
The leaders of nonprofit organizations should consider merging with their peers. The cascade of federal money supporting the nonprofit sector is decreasing and it appears unlikely to increase in the…
Opinion
A budgetary crisis: What happened during the Special Session
This week was a difficult week for Colorado – and for our country. The ache of gun violence is persistent nationally, and another school has been impacted by this inexplicable…
Opinion
On the ubiquitous rhetoric of, and short step between, hatred and murder
I am writing this on Sept. 11, 2025. Twenty-four years ago today, this country was attacked by radicalized terrorists. For a while, as we worked through the recovery, shock and…
Opinion
Do simple things well, to mow or not, and other retirement musings
To mow or not to mow. That is the question. Whether ’tis nobler to cultivate green, weed free space or to xeriscape. Here in dry Southwest Colorado, I have felt…
Editorials
Our view: This is who we are – but don’t have to be
Gun violence is now a defining feature of American life. In just eight months of 2025, the U.S. has endured more than 300 mass shootings, 30 mass murders, nearly 17,000…