Opinion Columns - The Durango Herald

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Art should inspire, be thought provoking, even shock, just not ridiculous

Right up front I need to say that I am not qualified to write about this topic. So, let’s get to it. I will boldly go where I should not. Not being qualified has never stopped me before. A b...

DATE: Dec 17, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Does artificial intelligence change how we talk about rural America?

About a month ago, I was doing research for a story about school choice on multiple state ballots when I came across something that stopped me in my tracks. Unless you’re living under a rock...

DATE: Dec 16, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Working together with renewed public engagement we can accomplish great things

City staff members and City Council are planning to introduce a ballot measure in April that, if passed by residents, will extend the city’s current half-cent dedicated sales tax on every ta...

DATE: Dec 15, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Celebrate our special community: Shop local, support nonprofits and embrace abundance

As we embrace the holiday season, we’re reminded of the strength and uniqueness of our community. The Giving Season is a chance to reflect on the abundance around us, not just in material go...

DATE: Dec 14, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

La Plata Electric Association is ready to deliver ‘Community Power’

Keeping the lights on for over 75,000 people 365 days a year is no simple task. Delivering electric power relies on a coordinated effort of generators and transmission lines strung over thou...

DATE: Dec 14, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Bureaucracy is comprised of people we know, and is not all bad

Bureaucracy is an example of a “devil term” in today’s politics. All you have to do is mention the word, and people think of waste, excessive size, barriers to getting things done, impersona...

DATE: Dec 12, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Worried about your brain? Ask a doctor about your concerns, unless you don’t want to know

Many people tell me I don’t act like I have Alzheimer’s. That’s because I don’t – yet. I have Mild Cognitive Impairment, also known as MCI. My impairment is caused by brain deterioration bec...

DATE: Dec 10, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

A legacy of conservation: Honoring Aldo Leopold’s land ethic and 30 years of CCALT’s mission

As we mark the 75th anniversary of Aldo Leopold’s “A Sand County Almanac” and approach the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, we find ourse...

DATE: Dec 9, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Let’s avoid the potential negative impacts of withdrawing from Tri-State

Declare victory and stay with Tri-State. What does that mean? This past March, the board of directors of La Plata Electric Association, a nonprofit electric cooperative, voted to withdraw fr...

DATE: Dec 7, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Why Colorado’s wolf restoration should be viewed as the success it is

Voter passage of Proposition 114 in the 2020 election was not a biological decision, as alleged in the opinion essay, “Polis can correct Colorado’s bad wolf-reintroduction bet” (Oct. 31, Col...

DATE: Dec 5, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

The Season of Small Business supports Colorado’s main street retailers and restaurants

The Season of Small Business is an annual U.S. Small Business Administration-led campaign designed to drive Americans to shop at small businesses throughout the entire holiday season. The pa...

DATE: Dec 3, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Charity also means a charity of spirit

Welcome to December 2024, folks. The holiday season is upon us. It is the time of year in most traditions and religions when we turn inward, when we focus on family and friends. The winter h...

DATE: Nov 30, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Durango High School girls basketball wins bigDHS girls basketball defeat Montrose in Sweet 16 game at DHS on Wednesday

DHS girls basketball defeat Montrose in Sweet 16 game at DHS on Wednesday

Photos: Horsing around

Photos: Winter storm leaves over a foot of snow

Photos: FLC hoops at WhalenSkyhawks women’s and men’s basketball teams lose to Colorado Mesa

Skyhawks women’s and men’s basketball teams lose to Colorado Mesa

Photos: Fashion at its bestSnowdown Fashion Do’s and Don’ts

Snowdown Fashion Do’s and Don’ts

Photos: Snowdown on SaturdaySnowdown’s Canine Fashion Show and Outlaw Josie Pete’s Golf

Snowdown’s Canine Fashion Show and Outlaw Josie Pete’s Golf

Photos: Snowdown Rock-em-Sock-em Snowbots pillow fights

Snowdown Light Parade can boast another successful yearLights flashed, fire trucks wailed and a foam cannon spewed suds

Bright lights, screaming fire trucks and children bundled up so thoroughly it seemed like an army of Michelin men had taken over downtown Durango. Yep. It’s the much anticipated Snowdown light parade, this year distinguished by a crowd of onlookers peppered with scrabble tiles, Clue characters and playing cards.

Locals flocked to Main Avenue on Friday to get a look (and maybe a Smartie or two) at the floats parading through town on various, creatively decorated vehicles. There were some obvious standouts at this year’s board game-themed parade. After a fire truck’s opening sirens came the Purgatory car, toting a brightly lit ski bum moonlighting as a DJ, likely giving the women of Durango some unpleasant déjà vu. Best dressed had to go to the Colorado Department of Transportation’s bulldozer, wearing the most believable Hungry Hungry Hippos costume seen yet. Biggest crowd pleaser? The dancers boogieing to Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” while the crowd sang and wiggled along. But what got the biggest rise out of the onlookers was the white plumes of motorcycle exhaust, courtesy of the Harley-Davidson club. The smell of burning octane was a convincing enough reason for people to briefly unclutch the rails and step away from their coveted positions at the front of the fence. Last but not least, another machine spewing its interior into the crowd: a foam cannon, the first one to make an appearance in the history of Snowdown. Much better received than exhaust, it extracted gleeful screams from kids and adults alike. jbowman@durangoherald.com