The deadline to vote in the La Plata Electric Association election is quickly approaching on Tuesday and is worthy of your attention. One seat in each of LPEA’s four districts…
It’s been nearly 80 years since the first atomic bomb was tested in New Mexico. Communities have been reeling ever since. Aspen Coriz-Romero Anila Lopez Marks For generations, Americans who…
Sept. 17, Constitution Day (and Citizenship Day) is the beginning of Constitution Week, Sept. 17 through 23. This year marks the 237th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution by…
Biden’s greatest achievement was the evacuation of our troops from Afghanistan. Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump all failed to get us out of Afghanistan. Biden got us out with minimum…
Politically, I respect the gifts of conservatism and the gifts of liberalism. They each have useful contributions and ideas for us to hear, measure and blend. Where things go awry…
Cross Those of us who live in Durango West and beyond are not happy (Bayfieldians, too). During the month of August we had to endure the chip sealing road project…
Jason Mietchen’s letter to the editor (Sept. 6) had a number of interesting points ranging from good observations to misinformed facts to snark. Mr. Mietchen is absolutely correct that the…
I want to share my experience with Matt Salka and why he has my full support for reelection as county commissioner. When my son was diagnosed with cancer, our family…
The many policy issues in November’s presidential election pale in relevance compared to the stark difference in character between the presidential candidates. Donald Trump has a long reputation as an…
Colorado’s Legislature has referred to the voters the question of applying a 6.5% excise tax to the purchase of firearms and ammunition to fund multiple mental health prevention and treatment…
In 2019, Colorado voters approved a tax on sports betting for the benefit of water conservation and protection projects, with the ballot language as Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights requires estimating…
As a native son, Jeff Hurd knows our Western Slope of Colorado. He raises his family in Grand Junction, where he is known as a genuine and hardworking leader. He…
I am writing to encourage Colorado voters to vote yes on Initiative 310, open primaries/ranked choice voting. I live in Alaska, where this system was approved by voters in 2020…
I am disheartened to read of the ongoing attacks on Bayfield Town Manager Katie Sickles by Trustees Alexis Hartz, Tom Au and Kat Katsos, et al. As a six-year resident…
I never cease to be amazed at the pass that Donald Trump gets in the mainstream media despite the consistently outrageous things he says, but this one really takes the…
That downtown Durango’s youngest business owners favor exploring the city’s Next Steps proposal for a more pedestrian friendly, walkable city is telling. This fits with the idea of urban design…
According to Lindsey Graham, Don Trump is “Bat (dung) crazy.” But that was then, before the wholesale of souls who made a bargain with the devil that Trump’s fascism is…
The La Plata County Commissioners are proposing to allocate 70% of the lodgers tax collected annually to support tourism related workforce housing and child care, something that is permitted by…
Ellen Stein Ellen Stein, The Durango Herald’s and The Journal’s opinion page writer and editor between 2016 and 2018, is serving as the two newspapers’ Opinion Contributor for the November…
As you may have heard, the upcoming presidential election is the most important in our lifetime. They say that every four years, of course. But this time, it’s probably true.…
In the dystopian novel “1984,” George Orwell depicts a regime that manipulates language to control thought. By eliminating language of dissent and rebellion, this regime replaces plain language with “Newspeak”…
Next Step is a step in the wrong direction for our downtown. Surely, you all remember the city’s last great project idea, an unsightly overpass over the Animas River and…
Just wondering when the city is going to decide there needs to be some monitoring on the river trail. For the umpteenth time this week (it’s only Wednesday), a helmetless…
As a mother raising my children in La Plata County, I care deeply about the future of our community. I want my kids to grow up in a place where…
As the daughter of a career Air Force officer, and the proud grandmother of an active duty airman, I will never understand how any current member of the military, any…
La Plata Electric Association is in the beginning of a historic period that will shape the future of energy in our region. On April 1, 2026, LPEA will exit its…
I would like to take a moment to emphasize the importance of attending the upcoming Alliance Summit focused on “People, Place, and Purpose.” As has traditionally been the case, this…
How much time should students spend in the classroom each week? And each day? We are among those who believe that the four-day week creates a larger teacher and administrator…
Durango School District 9-R is asking taxpayers for another $150 million bond, even though we still haven’t paid off the $90 million from 2020. The school board seems comfortable spending…
Working two to three jobs in the 1990s-into the 21st century, I secured home mortgages on the south side of East Third Avenue that couldn’t be done in 2024, by…
