Opinion Columns – The Durango Herald

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Truth, facts: What the difference means for democracy

Who knew epistemology could get a standing ovation? Then again, when was the last time anyone left a play thinking that it should be required viewing in middle schools? Such was my response ...

DATE: Mar 26, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Goodbye, best friends: Beer, tequila, wine

Beer introduced itself to me in high school and hitched a ride with me when I went away to college. We became sloppy roommates and our intimacy peaked over party kegs, a toilet bowl, and pin...

DATE: Mar 19, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Housing solution must include path to homeownership

Much of the talk this year, particularly around the City Council election, has involved affordable housing. But there has been a curious shift in the language. The preferred term now seems t...

DATE: Mar 17, 2023 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Getting down to pressing City Council issues

Many items deserve attention from the 2023 City Council candidates. Civility. Contention among councilors detracts from both their effectiveness and respect from the community. Could the...

DATE: Mar 15, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Betting, transfer rules make CU ‘Compromise University’

University of Colorado at Boulder has recently fired its latest head football coach and hired Deion Sanders to replace him. Sanders is coming off admirable success as coach of Jackson State ...

DATE: Mar 10, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Editorial cartoon

DATE: Mar 10, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Who’s driving the train, restructuring boards?

Sixteen former mayors of Durango are concerned about the proposed reorganization and restructuring of Durango’s boards and commissions. How each board or commission is continued, changed or ...

DATE: Mar 10, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Chronicle of abandoned oil and gas well - one of millions

Even from a distance it’s clear that an oil and gas well called “State Senate #2” in New Mexico has seen better days. The pumpjack sits idle, tumbleweeds surround the once-moving parts, and ...

DATE: Mar 9, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Colorado conflicted about cutting its water use

In Colorado, farmers had to enroll in a four-state program by March 1, if they want to get paid for fallowing their fields, perhaps the best option to plump up the Colorado River’s giant res...

DATE: Mar 6, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Look at everything from many different points of perspectives’

I was born and raised here in Durango. My family has lived in the Durango area for several generations. I’ve had a long history here from the time I was just a kid. In the early ’80s, I was ...

DATE: Mar 5, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Saving grace may well be contagious effect of kindness’

How do we measure the impact of another’s kindness on the world? That is the question I found myself asking on Feb. 9, as I sat beside my paternal grandmother, Dorothy Bess Waddell. Later th...

DATE: Mar 5, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Background, experience will contribute to city leadership’

I’m running for Durango City Council to help keep our community moving forward. Durango is facing many difficult and complex issues, and I believe my professional background and experience w...

DATE: Mar 5, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Hundreds attend Candlelight vigil for Cortez police Sgt. Michael Moran

Skyhawks score 41 points off turnovers Monday at Whalen Gymnasium

Snowstorm moves through the areaThe season’s first big snowstorm causes problems for drivers and makes for a winter wonderland

The season’s first big snowstorm causes problems for drivers and makes for a winter wonderland

Photos: Singing with SantaSanta Claus makes his first appearance in Durango

Santa Claus makes his first appearance in Durango

Snow descends on DurangoForecasters say storm could dump 6 inches in Durango area

A fall storm that moved into Southwest Colorado Friday morning was expected to dump 6 inches of snow in the Durango area – more than weather forecasters had initially predicted.Snow started falling about 9:15 a.m. Friday and intensified shortly before 11:30 a.m., blanketing parks, vehicles and the hilltops overlooking the city. Roads became slick about 2:30 p.m. As of 4 p.m., the Durango Police Department had responded to six crashes, in addition to a few stranded motorists.U.S. Highway 160 at County Road 44 near Mancos Hill was closed from around 4 p.m. to just after 6 p.m. because a vehicle carrying an “oversized load” had spun out and blocked both the eastbound and westbound lanes, according to Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Lisa Schwantes.“Right now our officers are able to keep up with the crashes that are coming in,” said Cmdr. Nick Stasi, with the Durango Police Department. “As always with winter weather, we remind drivers to slow down and give extra space for the cars in front.”Snow started accumulating very fast as the day went on, making it “challenging for plow operators to keep up,” according to CDOT.

Southwest Colorado’s five major mountain passes were icy and snowpacked Friday afternoon. But all five remained open as of 4:15 p.m.The Pacific storm favored the southern and central Colorado mountains, said Dave Byers, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.“Durango looks like a 70% chance of getting 6 inches or more of snow by the end of tonight (Friday),” Byers said.He expected a half inch to three-quarters of an inch of moisture from the storm, which is up from the one-tenth to two-tenths of an inch that was predicted earlier this week. Meanwhile, the mountains could receive 1 to 2 feet of snow from the storm, he said.“In the last few days, it has really picked up,” Byers said. “The southern mountains are catching the brunt of it.”The snowy weather didn’t stop Liz Ferrill and her family from stopping by Cream Bean Berry for a Unicorn Sundae. “We thought it might be a festive way to celebrate,” said Ferrill, who was visiting from Snowmass, where the first snow occurred in September.For others, the snow provided the impetus they needed to swap out tires or purchase new snow tires. Andre Payne, a sales person at J/P Tire in Durango, said the phone began ringing shortly after 9 a.m. with people wanting to switch to snow tires.“We’ve been pretty busy,” he said.

It is not unusual for drivers to wait until they see the first snow and then want to swap out tires. The tire shop began advising customers to switch to snow tires about three weeks ago. Some people take the advice, other choose to wait.“We can always tell people what to do, but if you're not ready for it then you have to suffer the consequences of waiting two hours or maybe getting in an accident,” Payne said.Byers said Friday’s storm was the result of a southwest flow pulling moisture from Southern California, Arizona and the Gulf of California.As the moisture-laden atmosphere hits the San Juan Mountains, it wrings out the moisture, he said.Temperatures are expected to cool off as the storm makes its way out of the region this weekend. The highs this weekend will be in the upper 30s, and the lows could dip into the single digits, he said.“There’s still a northerly flow that is pulling cold air down out of Canada,” he said.Byers characterized Friday’s storm as a “shoulder storm” between summer and winter, but he said it is a sure sign that a regular track is settling in for Southwest Colorado.“We’re expecting regular storms … from now on, more into that winter pattern,” Byers said.Residents can expect mostly clear conditions through Wednesday, with clouds moving in the following day ahead of another storm that looks “very similar” to Friday’s storm, Byers said.shane@durangoherald.com; mhollinshead@durangoherald.com

Forecasters say storm could dump 6 inches in Durango area

PHOTOS: Turkey Trot returns to DurangoNearly 600 competitors ran before they gobbled down their Thanksgiving feasts on Thursday

Nearly 600 competitors ran before they gobbled down their Thanksgiving feasts on Thursday

PHOTOS: Durango faces Lutheran in 3A state football quarterfinalsDemons fall to Lions, 39-30, on Saturday

Demons fall to Lions, 39-30, on Saturday

PHOTOS: Fort Lewis basketball teams host doubleheaderThe men’s team beat Western New Mexico 87-68, while the women’s team fell in the final minutes to Northern New Mexico, 67-62