Coal - The Durango Herald

Trump administration orders a Colorado coal-fired power generator to stay open

FORT COLLINS – The Trump administration has told another coal-fired power facility to remain open, this time ordering the owners of a Colorado electricity generating unit to keep it running ...

DATE: Jan 1, 2026 | CATEGORY: Business

What are those mysterious mounds along Highway 33 near Redstone? Coke ovens

Drive south on rural Highway 33 out of the small town of Carbondale and you’ll encounter a mysterious sight amid the mountains and wilderness: large, round brick domes in a long line. Sherid...

DATE: Dec 26, 2025 | CATEGORY: Southwest Life

In Colorado town built on coal, some families are moving on, even as Trump tries to boost industry

Craig residents have always been entrepreneurial and that spirit will get them through this transition, the Chamber of Commerce says. Still just about everybody here is connected to coal.

DATE: Dec 14, 2025 | CATEGORY: Southwest Life

New Mexico officials to hold update on San Juan generating station cleanup

PNM pollution cleanup plan delayed until November

DATE: Oct 6, 2025 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Through clear skies, Four Corners energy transition underway

Shuttered San Juan Generating Station replaced by expansive solar projects

DATE: Mar 2, 2025 | CATEGORY: Local News

Tri-State announces early closures of coal plants

La Plata Electric pushes back, saying it should decide its own future

DATE: Dec 7, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

How is Colorado doing in shutting down coal power plants?

New national EPA rules show we’re ahead of the game. Here’s how we got there

DATE: May 15, 2023 | CATEGORY: Regional News

New Mexico city ends bid to retrofit coal-fired power plant

FARMINGTON – City leaders have ended their bid to retrofit a shuttered coal-fired power plant in northwestern New Mexico as a way to preserve jobs and tax revenue for Farmington and surround...

DATE: Dec 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: AP New Mexico

U.S. shift away from coal hits tribal community in New Mexico

Realities of closing San Juan plant and mine setting in for surrounding communities

DATE: Oct 2, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Conservation groups sue over coal mines in Colorado, Montana

DENVER – Conservation groups filed lawsuits against state environmental agencies in Colorado and Montana this week targeting coal mines in the two states. Two groups sued Montana’s Departmen...

DATE: Jul 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Feud over closure of San Juan Generating Station could cost customers

Shutting down and converting to clean energy is supposed to save money

DATE: Apr 13, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

San Juan Generating Station requests extension to keep burning coal

Delays in converting to solar blamed on supply chain issues

DATE: Feb 18, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

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Colorado history gets weird, wild, wacky at Fashion Do’s and Don’tsAnnual Snowdown event has become so popular, auditions are now required

Cowboys. Fancy ladies. Gold miners. Even-toed ungulates that some in Durango might consider more like rats.Where can you find a runway show that takes you on a whirlwind tour through the weird, wacky and wildly exaggerated 150 years of Colorado history? Only at Durango’s annual Fashion Do’s and Don’ts, held Wednesday, where models and audience members wore costumes celebrating Colorado’s sesquicentennial – the theme of this year’s two-week Snowdown celebration.Standout acts included the Ghosts of Durango, which featured four of Durango’s most famous ghosts: a Rochester hotel ghost in a Victorian get-up of a more “modern” variation; the Strater Hotel’s head of housekeeping, also head of more discreet services; a young girl haunting El Rancho’s bathroom; and Sheriff Bob Thompson, killed in a 1906 gunfight. according to emcee Suzan Lane. A Another act was the Secret Circus Society, featuring Rubi Starr, Jeni Gross, Tabatha Joy Bettin, Adrienne Young and Ethan Deffenbaugh dressed as a car and the roadside pests better known as deer. Group members said the inspiration for the costume came from lived experiences driving Durango roads. The two-person Cantine Couture act starred Leslie Ponce and Tyler Frakes in an homage to the plentiful variety of Mexican restaurants found in any Colorado town. Ponce, dressed in comically large Mexican pointy cowboy boots, ambled down the runway as if taking a stroll under the hot, dusty, high-altitude sun, while Frakes flitted about the stage in a bright yellow salsa dress. Ponce said this year’s costume had been tough to decide, but the final decision was inspired by TikTok videos of Mexican cowboys in pointy boots. This was the duo’s third year strutting down the runway. Why they keep coming back for more, Frakes said laughing, was, “for the fame, the glory and the attention.”

Fashion Do’s and Don’ts has been one of the most highly anticipated Snowdown events since its inception in the 1990s. It has more than doubled in size over the past several decades. Last year, there were a record number of models, and in order to keep the event at a manageable size, this year’s fashion show was the first one to require the acts to audition. But many of the models were unfazed by the change. “It was actually easy,” said Jodi Zuber, one part of the two-person duo that made up the 1950s Texas Invader Ski Couple. Her partner-in-costume, Danny Jaques, said they had been doing this for several years, and it’s good with everything going on in the world to “get some levity and let your hair down.” The performers were not the only ones in costume. Audience members also dressed in a wide variety of unique takes on what makes Colorado, Colorado. JonBenet Ramsey made a miraculous appearance, being played by an 82-year-old woman, as did Casa Bonita, an ensemble that included a taco, sopaipilla and gorilla in chains – to name some of the characters. By the end of the show, people were in high spirits, as usual. “It was just delightful,” said a first-time audience member. If blessed with the chance to get the much coveted tickets – he said he would jump on it. jbowman@durangoherald.com

Annual Snowdown event has become so popular, auditions are now required

Photos: Snowdown 2026 Fashion Do’s and Don’ts

Photos: Durango High School basketball teams lose to Montrose High School

Photos: Local girls high school wrestling at La Plata TriDurango girls wrestling went 2-0 to win Tri on Thursday night at Bayfield

Durango girls wrestling went 2-0 to win Tri on Thursday night at Bayfield

Photos: Fort Lewis College women’s and men’s basketball take on Westminster UniversityBoth Skyhawks teams were victorious on Saturday afternoon

Both Skyhawks teams were victorious on Saturday afternoon

Photos: An afternoon in 2004 with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell as he works on Capitol HillDurango Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride had the chance to spend an afternoon with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004, photographing him during meetings and around the Capitol.

Durango Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride had the chance to spend an afternoon with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004, photographing him during meetings and around the Capitol.

Photos and video: ICE protests return to DurangoAbout a dozen protesters tried to block federal agents from leaving with a detainee on Thursday

About a dozen protesters tried to block federal agents from leaving with a detainee on Thursday

The Durango Herald’s year in photos 2025

Photos: Chapman Hill fires up the snow guns

Trump administration orders a Colorado coal-fired power generator to stay open

What are those mysterious mounds along Highway 33 near Redstone? Coke ovens

In Colorado town built on coal, some families are moving on, even as Trump tries to boost industry

New Mexico officials to hold update on San Juan generating station cleanup

Through clear skies, Four Corners energy transition underway

Tri-State announces early closures of coal plants

How is Colorado doing in shutting down coal power plants?

New Mexico city ends bid to retrofit coal-fired power plant

U.S. shift away from coal hits tribal community in New Mexico

Conservation groups sue over coal mines in Colorado, Montana

Feud over closure of San Juan Generating Station could cost customers

San Juan Generating Station requests extension to keep burning coal

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