Opinion Columns – The Durango Herald

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‘Our democracy, for the most part, in good hands’

Over several decades, Americans have witnessed a growth in political extremism and naked partisanship. Those are often accompanied by assertions to the effect that all government is inept an...

DATE: Jun 30, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Restoring the land can actually be fun

Driving back to Colorado State University with a van full of students after a day of working to heal some beat-up land north of Fort Collins, I wondered: Could ecological restoration be a ne...

DATE: Jun 28, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘How exactly is Polis saving us money?’

Gov. Jared Polis might have gotten his start in the digital flower business, but he just as easily could have been a used car salesman. Like so many politicians today, Polis has become incre...

DATE: Jun 25, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Titan sub entered our closest alien, hostile world

There’s an underwater mini-volcano of sorts – a conical vent that spurts steaming hot water – at the bottom of a waterway in northern Iceland. I had heard about the geological anomaly on a t...

DATE: Jun 23, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Going farther, deeper, higher for backcountry rescues

When I led groups into the Wyoming wilderness in the 1990s, once we left a trailhead, we were on our own. If somebody got hurt, we could walk or carry the injured person out or send runners ...

DATE: Jun 21, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Don’t treat dads like ‘dopes, emotional icebergs’

“What did the buffalo say to his son when he dropped him off at school?” “Bison.” That’s one of the gags in the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse archive of Dad Jokes. But father...

DATE: Jun 18, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

The case for diversity in higher education

College admissions is one of the most talked about aspects of higher education, and nothing animates those conversations more than the topic of race-conscious admissions. In the coming days,...

DATE: Jun 14, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Closing birthing center ‘a public health emergency’

Open letter to the Southwest Health System Board of Directors, It was with deep alarm that I learned of SHS’s plan to “temporarily” close the Family Birthing Center at Southwest Memorial Hos...

DATE: Jun 14, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Wilderness doesn’t need climbing hardware

We humans want the most out of life, so why shouldn’t we push to get more of what we want? That’s what some rock climbers must be thinking. They want to enter designated wilderness in order ...

DATE: Jun 14, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

War wounds everyone there – but no holiday commemorates

Jim Dyer died in April, but the news of his death and his formal obituary bracketed Memorial Day. That was fitting, for although the former state representative, state senator and Marine did...

DATE: Jun 11, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Caught in complex legal limbo while serving plates on Main Avenue’

The U.S. immigration system facilitates the exploitation of the poor, the traumatized and the displaced. I was recently reminded of this fact when a young migrant from South America walked i...

DATE: Jun 11, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

I can fix most popular sport in world

Unlike the World Series, the World Cup is a truly global event. Soccer (football) is the most popular sport in the world by any measure. So why hasn’t soccer caught on in America like it has...

DATE: Jun 9, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

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