Letters to the Editor

No one deserves to be murdered for their speech
Letters to the Editor

No one deserves to be murdered for their speech

November 19, 2025

That’s despite insidious lies that individual had promoted on climate change, immigration, gun control, gay and transgender rights, separation of church and state, and affirmative rights, to name just a…

Protest as ceremony: A call for peaceful action
Letters to the Editor

Protest as ceremony: A call for peaceful action

November 19, 2025

I am writing to share my reflections on the protest at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on Oct. 28. I believe this event demonstrated both an example of our…

The unsung heroes behind our veterans
Letters to the Editor

The unsung heroes behind our veterans

November 19, 2025

As a military veteran who has proudly served in Vietnam, I wish to thank the many Americans who honor us on Veterans Day. I, too, want to thank my fellow…

After 55 years, a heartfelt thank you
Letters to the Editor

After 55 years, a heartfelt thank you

November 16, 2025

I took advantage of Applebee’s free meal for veterans on Veterans Day. In addition to the meal, I was also given a “thank you” for serving and a hearty handshake.…

Data reveals risks at 12th and Camino
Letters to the Editor

Data reveals risks at 12th and Camino

November 16, 2025

I’m a Durango resident, mechanical engineer, and daily user of the Camino del Rio and 12th Street crossing. I walk or bike through this PHB/HAWK multiple times a day –…

Stronger action needed on GHG goals
Letters to the Editor

Stronger action needed on GHG goals

November 16, 2025

Thank you to Durango City Council for holding a public hearing on sustainability, particularly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2021, council passed Resolution R-2021-71 to reduce communitywide GHG emissions by…

Durango must act to meet climate goals
Letters to the Editor

Durango must act to meet climate goals

November 16, 2025

I wanted to thank the Durango City Council for hosting a public hearing on our climate goals on Nov. 4. By the Mayor’s own admission, no one at the hearing,…

Prop. 114 needs to be overturned in 2026
Letters to the Editor

Prop. 114 needs to be overturned in 2026

November 14, 2025

On Nov. 8, the San Francisco Chronicle released an investigative report on forced wolf reintroduction in Northern California. After four months and 18,000 hours of staff time logged, California Fish…

Democrats’ surrender hands victory to bullies
Letters to the Editor

Democrats’ surrender hands victory to bullies

November 14, 2025

The Dems cave. This time, the consequences are terrible. Voters will be driven away by the Dem leadership’s weakness. Why support candidates who give up to a bully? Arrogant Trump…

FLC flunks another free speech test
Letters to the Editor

FLC flunks another free speech test

November 12, 2025

Once again, Fort Lewis College has earned an F for its handling of campus speech and academic dialogue. Last spring, the administration denied local expert Jackson Clark II the opportunity…

Defending even what we despise
Letters to the Editor

Defending even what we despise

November 12, 2025

I was relieved that after an initial denial, a Turning Point USA chapter was granted Registered Student Organization status at Fort Lewis College. This is the right call, disturbing as…

Both parties share blame for border failures
Opinion

Both parties share blame for border failures

November 12, 2025

The editorial pages had a letter, “Four decades of failure on immigration,” (Letters, Herald, Nov. 9) that really hit home on the subject of immigration. Forty years ago, President Reagan…

Don’t trash good food, feed families
Opinion

Don’t trash good food, feed families

November 9, 2025

In a postcard dated Oct. 27, 2025, I wrote the following to President Donald Trump: Since SNAP, or once called food stamps, is gone the first week of November for…

In Defense of Coach Bob Pietrack
Letters to the Editor

In Defense of Coach Bob Pietrack

November 9, 2025

I am pictured in the team photo published with the article, “Claims of slurs, bullying led to Fort Lewis College basketball coach’s resignation,” concerning Coach Bob Pietrack (Herald, Oct. 8).…

Protect the quiet beauty of Haviland Lake
Letters to the Editor

Protect the quiet beauty of Haviland Lake

November 9, 2025

My husband and I have lived at Haviland Lake for 40 years and have watched both the main and Chris Park campgrounds develop. The Forest Service has made thoughtful upgrades…

A hundred lives for one life
Letters to the Editor

A hundred lives for one life

November 9, 2025

This is par for the course for Israel’s Netanyahu. Palestinians unaffiliated with Hamas kill an Israeli soldier during the ceasefire. Netanyahu then unleashes his war machine and kills 100 Palestinians…

Bayfield High brings ‘Radium Girls’ to life
Letters to the Editor

Bayfield High brings ‘Radium Girls’ to life

November 9, 2025

Opening night was amazing! Do not miss the opportunity to see Radium Girls at Bayfield High School. Come support your local students and enjoy a night of heartfelt theater. Bayfield…

Trail safety is everyone’s responsibility
Letters to the Editor

Trail safety is everyone’s responsibility

November 9, 2025

Oops. I was on my bicycle and realized I was exceeding the proposed 10 mph speed limit. Lesson learned – I’ll be more mindful moving forward. But trail safety isn’t…

Let the Animas sing its own song
Letters to the Editor

Let the Animas sing its own song

November 9, 2025

I have been wondering what Edward Abbey would think about the re-engineering of Smelter Rapids, and now, the proposed construction of a surf wave feature in the Animas River. I’m…

Still waiting for Trump’s promised deals
Letters to the Editor

Still waiting for Trump’s promised deals

November 9, 2025

I’m hoping someone out there can help me find some things. I went to a few of our local grocery stores and asked a few managers to point me toward…

The abusive core of American power
Letters to the Editor

The abusive core of American power

November 9, 2025

In the USA, we live in a culture of abuse. From the beginning, our culture abused the native peoples of this continent, colonizing, enslaving and pursuing genocidal elimination. From the…

Four decades of failure on immigration
Letters to the Editor

Four decades of failure on immigration

November 9, 2025

America’s struggle with immigration is a function of both D.C. cynicism and lack of leadership. The last meaningful immigration legislation was passed in 1986 during the Reagan administration. Since Reagan,…

On the right side of history
Letters to the Editor

On the right side of history

November 9, 2025

Several letters to the editor this week took issue with tactics used by peaceful protesters when they crossed the line from “lawful to unlawful.” To chide protesters’ passive resistance alongside…

Potential closure of Southwest Memorial Hospital
Letters to the Editor

Potential closure of Southwest Memorial Hospital

November 9, 2025

I am writing to express deep concern about the potential closure of Southwest Memorial Hospital, a critical access facility essential to our region’s health care system. Southwest Memorial Hospital employs…

Bayfield deserves better from its leadership
Letters to the Editor

Bayfield deserves better from its leadership

November 9, 2025

In April 2024, I was appointed as Bayfield’s deputy town clerk by resolution (Resolution 613) for a one-year term, pursuant to Bayfield Municipal Code § 2-6.9. My position was eliminated…

Hurd’s silence is complicity, not leadership
Letters to the Editor

Hurd’s silence is complicity, not leadership

November 9, 2025

It is no secret the Trump administration is working hard to see that a requiem will be dirged for our country and the government that was exemplar to the world.…

Community PowerX was promotion, not education
Letters to the Editor

Community PowerX was promotion, not education

November 9, 2025

LPEA, which ballyhooed its Community PowerX event as “increased community engagement” and an opportunity to address “misinformation,” was carried away by its own exuberance. (Herald, Oct. 31). For the event,…

Both sides wrong in ICE protest
Letters to the Editor

Both sides wrong in ICE protest

November 9, 2025

It sounds like many protesters don’t realize they broke the law during the ICE protests. Once they blocked the fence and prevented ICE from doing their job, they broke the…

Turning pepper-sprayed eyes to justice
Letters to the Editor

Turning pepper-sprayed eyes to justice

November 9, 2025

While I agree that the protesters violated federal law by forming a human chain and putting locks on the ICE facility, the police seem to have conveniently overlooked the multiple…