Editorials

Our view: ICE

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is back putting a chill on families, businesses and our community

Hurd’s betrayal and hypocrisy on full display

Rep. Jeff Hurd promised he would protect Medicaid from cuts and then voted for the so called “Big Beautiful Bill,” which will cut Medicaid and food stamps. Is this behavior…

Like tank treads on a Rose Bowl float, do we need a new national anthem?

Ages ago, I traveled overland from Europe to Nepal: the Orient Express train from Munich to Istanbul, a boat through the Black Sea, and from there a medley of local…

It’s time to stop preaching fiscal austerity and start practicing fiscal justice

I am writing as a paraeducator at Riverview Elementary School. I work in the Significant Support Needs program, assisting students with some of the highest needs and modifications requirements in…

Working for public lands that support real people, places and livelihoods

June is Great Outdoors Month – a time when families across the country head outside to enjoy the rivers, mountains and open spaces that define the American West. In Colorado’s…

Rep. Hurd voted for cruel budget bill

On May 22, in the wee hours of the morning, the House passed a budget bill that will cut $700 billion from Medicaid and $500 billion from Medicare. If this…

The chaotic and unforgiving USA

Dear America, How are you? It’s been a while … more than a hundred days since I’ve heard from you. Are you negotiating and getting kickbacks in Qatar? Or, were…

It’s time for a third impeachment

The malevolence sweeping the power structures in this country is allowing people to be the very worst versions of themselves. Nothing manifests the belief more than watching how Donald Trump…

Trump vs. Harvard and the truth

I finally understand our president’s total disdain for Harvard University. Harvard’s motto is “Veritas” in Latin. The English translation is “Truth.” Gerald Schaerer Durango

Hurd’s vote benefits the richest at poorest’s expense

Rep. Jeff Hurd’s “yes” vote on the budget reconciliation bill was wrong for our district. He said he would support clean energy tax credits. This bill rescinds the clean energy…

A government by billionaires, for billionaires

I’m afraid this country is no longer “by the people, for the people.” It is now under leadership that is run by a billionaire for billionaires. A man who ran…

There is plenty of need for courage

Many Democrats have decided to wait out Trump and do their best to get back to the White House in 2028. That’s the strategy ancient democrats adopted when Julius Caesar…

Thanks to all, my first IHBC paid big dividends

I just finished my first time riding in the Citizen Tour of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic. What a blast! Durango to Silverton – 49 miles of breathtaking scenery over…

Our view: Safety first

Durango’s streets and trails should be and feel safe for six year olds and seniors

The GOP is not the party of the working class

Josh Hawley, Republican U.S. senator from Missouri, recently wrote an opinion article in The New York Times imploring his Congressional colleagues not to cut Medicaid benefits in their effort to…

There’s hope for single-payer health care

My medical colleagues and I regularly see patients who have waited far too long to seek care and who have suffered needlessly as a result. Why? Because they either totally…

Mountain Middle, helping make better dog families

Thank you to Mountain Middle School and Shane Voss for letting us use your fabulous school to host a dog handling seminar. We spent a weekend training our local dog…

We can’t fix hot or dry, but we can fix dense forests, together

In Western Colorado, we understand how connected everything is: forests to watersheds, snowpack to irrigation, public lands to the economy. And we’ve seen what happens when one part of that…

Hurd is hurting the Western Slope

The House recently passed their “Big Beautiful Bill” of health care cuts, cuts to veteran services, increased energy bills and juicy tax cuts that disproportionately benefit billionaires. This bill’s passage…

Lehigh County’s ethical investment, a model for local governments nationwide

When public officials steward our tax dollars, they must uphold both financial responsibility and the values of the community they serve. Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, took that obligation seriously when Controller…

Wolves help, not hurt, elk populations

What’s the greatest threat to Colorado’s elk population? Habitat loss, climate change, chronic wasting disease or wolves? According to many Colorado hunters, the answer is “wolves.” I recently heard this…

Our view: In remembrance

We must double down on supporting, not abandoning our veterans

Veterans’ plea: Stand up for us

We, the undersigned, are Vietnam veterans who are currently receiving medical and mental health care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics. Every one of us stepped…

The time to speak up loudly is now

I recall from pre-Fox, pre-Limbaugh days that I could talk with Republicans about what they valued and their view for legislative policies and social programs. We could find common ground…

We need a small-dog and more dog parks

This is like the “emperor has no clothes.” There is only one dog park in Durango. This dog park is not one-size-fits-all. I have a small, energetic dog who quickly…

Author invokes facts selectively and inconsistently

In the recent opinion column, “Democrats are invoking the ‘Rule of Law‘ selectively and hypocritically,” (Herald, May 18), the author employed a mix of “alternative facts,” false equivalencies and omissions…

Medicaid, a lifeline that matters because I matter

I am writing as a proud member of the disability community in Southwest Colorado. I live, work and volunteer independently with the support I receive through Medicaid. I’m deeply concerned…

Using the fund balance is not sustainable

After reading articles (Herald, May 4, Herald, May 6) on the salary negotiations between Durango School District 9-R and its employee associations, I understand the frustration on both sides. Our…

ICE just ‘disappeared’ five hardworking men

I’m writing regarding the recent arrest of five employees of Rock Solid Granite in Durango. These men are hard working, skilled stone masons, not murderers and rapists. They show up…

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