Columnists

Dear Abby

Grandma feels slighted by stolen nickname

DEAR ABBY: We have five grandchildren. All but one call me MeeMaw. I’ve been MeeMaw since my first grandchild was…

July 6, 2024

Dear Abby

Online acquaintance wants to get closer

DEAR ABBY: I’m a 70-year-old Black woman who looks about 45 or 50. I recently met a man online while…

July 6, 2024

Opinion

On wolves: Ballot box ‘right framework for ethical issues’

Skiba Since the passage of Proposition 114, which mandated the restoration of gray wolves to Colorado, there has been a…

July 5, 2024

Opinion

‘Taught to think with our wallets, not our brains’

cca After the first presidential debate, the whole nation is panicked because one candidate can’t stop lying and the other…

July 5, 2024

Creating Community

Harm reduction: A response to substance use and overdoses

La Plata County Public Health Department’s Harm Reduction program is a response to the rise in opioid-related overdoses both nationally…

July 3, 2024

Downtown Lowdown

Caitlin Cannon returns to Durango

Singer-songwriter Caitlin Cannon’s move to Music City has been a worthy venture. The one-time Durango resident starting splitting her time…

July 3, 2024

Dear Abby

Woman targets man with disabilities

DEAR ABBY: My son “Ethan” is a visually impaired adult with disabilities. He’s articulate, down to earth and joyful to…

July 2, 2024

Action Line

Looking for relief – and a smiley face – at Santa Rita

If you’re looking for a place to relieve yourself at Santa Rita Park, aim here. (Action Line) Dear Action Line:…

July 1, 2024

Opinion

‘Disingenuous to place blame on energy producers versus consumers’

George SharpePicasa Vermont recently passed a law intended to “fine” oil and gas companies for damages caused by climate change.…

June 30, 2024

Opinion

Politics ‘a world of personal attacks, most outrageous lies imaginable’

cca Here we are at the end of June. Another “high point” in the never-ending election cycle that defines politics…

June 30, 2024

Opinion

It will cost you: ‘Climate change slows economic growth’

Mayor Dick Whitedu1-i-syn Thirty-eight trillion dollars per year! Climate change – especially global warming – slows economic growth around the…

June 30, 2024

Opinion

‘Learned the hard way clinical depression needs medical care’

cca Maybe I’m destined for cycles of deep depression. I’ve just come out of another that left me drained of…

June 30, 2024

La Plata Health Watch

Look out for the signs of heat illness

Living in the dry heat of the Southwest is one of the many advantages of Durango and surrounding communities. If…

June 28, 2024

Local First

Celebrate local independent business on Independence Day

As we celebrate the anniversary of our national independence, it’s also a good time to celebrate how local independent businesses…

June 28, 2024

Opinion

‘By almost any measure, charter schools succeeding’

cca With all the challenges we face in Colorado, it was truly astonishing to see several Denver-area politicians introduce a…

June 28, 2024

Opinion

Truth in West: ‘Many wetlands result of irrigated agriculture’

Rick Knightcca Imagine Westerners waking up one morning only to discover that many of their most cherished wetlands have dried…

June 28, 2024

Dear Abby

Daughter cuts off contact with family

DEAR ABBY: My older daughter, “Brianna,” age 42, does not want anything to do with me or her brother and…

June 27, 2024

Culture Gulch

The trouble with tragedy

The talkback at PlayFest’s staging of “Hop Tha A” on Wednesday night explored difficult questions. (Judith Reynolds/Special to the Herald)…

June 27, 2024

Downtown Lowdown

Andy Frasco & The U.N. ‘bring a show’

Andy Frasco has been in the music business most of his life. The Los Angeles native however didn’t start in…

June 26, 2024

Opinion

Rather than age, ‘pay attention to what old men have to say’

cca As you watch tomorrow’s presidential debate, here’s something we all should remember – the issue here is not, repeat…

June 26, 2024

Dear Abby

Wife refuses to repeat tall tales

DEAR ABBY: My husband of almost 40 years is not well. He has been a good provider, but his life…

June 25, 2024

Dear Abby

Girlfriend finally calls it quits

DEAR ABBY: My girlfriend and I broke up after six years. Both of us have children from marriages that ended…

June 25, 2024

Action Line

In the mountain park: Access to aliens, and a long-ago fire

This concrete pad dates back at least 60 years. What aliens landed here? (Courtesy Cosmically Curious) Dear Action Line: When…

June 24, 2024

Sports

Changing Leads

Jenny Johnston/Western Chroniclescca There is always a lot of learning and talk about “getting on the right lead,” to direct…

June 23, 2024