Opinion Columns - The Durango Herald

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‘Alzheimer’s can’t keep me from running’: With dementia, get moving and mindful

When my husband, Dr. Alan Schooley, was diagnosed with Young Onset Alzheimer’s at age 51, the Denver medical team recommended the MIND Diet, intense exercise and meditation. I worked the MIN...

DATE: Jul 23, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

La Plata County budget crisis calls for shared responsibility and leadership

To begin, we welcome Elizabeth Philbrick to the La Plata County Board of County Commissioners, replacing Clyde Church who resigned his seat so that he could take care of his family. We thank...

DATE: Jul 21, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

ICE, or how to waste billions to sabotage the economy

Someone should sic DOGE on that pork barrel with a fuse, ICE. POTUS’s “big, beautiful bill” wastes billions of taxpayers’ money funding the largest, most expensive police force in the world,...

DATE: Jul 20, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Go ahead be yourself, it looks good on you and you’ll flourish here

I had an epiphany the other day. It was low key as epiphanies go, easily overlooked, but it illuminated an aspect of how life is lived in Durango. I’ll explain. The day began with two of us ...

DATE: Jul 20, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

If history is any guide, this moment signals a new beginning about to commence

Not proud, wanting to be, but just not feeling it. That sums up the mood of young adults in America these days. The numbers don’t lie, the youngest two generations are significantly less lik...

DATE: Jul 18, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Cruelty is the point, fear the purpose of Trump’s approach to immigration

Immigration is what built the United States, but it has always been problematic. Almost every group of people who immigrated after the first English/Protestant settlers faced legal and extra...

DATE: Jul 16, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

America’s fight against global hunger is dying in the field and deserves a vigorous defense

U.S. foreign aid goals have evolved since the creation of the U.S. Agency for International Development in 1961, but investments have historically focused on three things: health, humanitari...

DATE: Jul 13, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

When the air isn’t safe to breathe: Wildfires, climate change, and the public health crisis we’re ignoring

Friday morning in Durango, I checked the Air Quality Index out of habit – only to find it at 108. That’s “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” according to EPA standards. But the truth is, at th...

DATE: Jul 13, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Federal cuts and frozen funds threaten Southwest Colorado schools, hospitals, individuals and families

To start off on a positive note, my family and I had a wonderful time celebrating our nation’s Independence Day last Friday. We enjoyed the Rotary pancake breakfast in Durango, hosted by Day...

DATE: Jul 13, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

If you pay attention, nature’s shows are always better than human-made

I have lived in Colorado for 42 years now, 37 of those in Durango after an initial five-year stop in Colorado Springs. Not a native, but not bad. We’ve all heard of people in Durango who wer...

DATE: Jul 11, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

A note on history: Paying for the beneficial public services that individuals and states cannot provide

Fellow citizens and working-class taxpayers, we have watched several financial crises unfold that the government has helped solve, all being paid for by us. As we watched the powers in Washi...

DATE: Jul 9, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Wildfire threats are growing, LPEA is acting and we hope you will too

Wildfire is a familiar reality in Colorado. We’ve dealt with the smoke and the unease it brings. As fire seasons become longer, hotter and less predictable, the risk feels less distant and m...

DATE: Jul 6, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion