Columnists - The Durango Herald

Shanta holds a different kind of fundraiser

For most fundraisers, nonprofits sell tickets and offer silent and/or live auctions to fund their mission. Tricia and Mike Karpfen, along with the supporters of Shanta Foundation,...

DATE: Oct 13, 2015 | CATEGORY: Neighbors

Dynamics of legalized pot make it unlikely fodder for tourism marketing

In 2012, Coloradoans voted 55 percent to 45 percent to legalize the sale and use of recreational marijuana. From that day, we began the dubious process of trying to build a bridge and walk a...

DATE: Oct 13, 2015 | CATEGORY: A Take on Tourism

In Durango, no-shows make their presence known

I recently organized a large celebration. The party was a hit, despite the fact that 40 of the invited guests who RSVP’d never showed up. I was taught that an RSVP is your word and a courtes...

DATE: Oct 11, 2015 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Traveling down the rough road of broken trust

Do you trust your airline, car rental company or hotel? Does it trust you? It’s a question seldom asked. But when I checked into the Mountain Sky Guest Ranch near Emigrant, Montan...

DATE: Oct 10, 2015 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

What are behaviors and what do we do with them?

In the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities field we talk about behaviors a lot. I mean a lot. So much so that it’s easy to forget that out in the real world, grown-ups aren’t often d...

DATE: Oct 10, 2015 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Say ‘yes’ to Question 1A

First property tax increase in decades needed for roads and bridges

DATE: Oct 10, 2015 | CATEGORY: From our Congressman

Fair housing laws affect landlords, tenants

We read the statistics almost daily that housing in Southwest Colorado is in short supply. The term “housing crisis” is becoming popular. As Economics 101 teachers explain on Day 1, the law ...

DATE: Oct 10, 2015 | CATEGORY: From our Congressman

Mountain Chile Cha Cha turns 10

The oldest race in the Pagosa Springs GECKO (Giving Every Child Knowledge of the Outdoors) Racing Series celebrated its 10th birthday this year on a beautiful, blue sky September morning. ...

DATE: Oct 8, 2015 | CATEGORY: On the Run

Las Cafeteras’ ‘Real History of the Americas’

Songwriting is storytelling. Since man began making melody and music, songs have come together to weave tales of history and heritage that have carried on into the rock ‘n’ roll and hip-hop ...

DATE: Oct 8, 2015 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

World music highlights eclectic October at The Fort

October arts offerings are diverse and many at Fort Lewis College. It started with “A Girl’s Guide to Coffee,” written by Eric Coble, FLC alum, and directed by Felicia Meyer. The show runs t...

DATE: Oct 8, 2015 | CATEGORY: View from the Fort

Couple restores mining-era boardinghouse outside Silverton

Dr. Bob Brokering always wanted a little log cabin in the woods, so when his wife was in Europe, he bought one. Only it wasn’t little. It was the historic miners’ boardinghouse a...

DATE: Oct 7, 2015 | CATEGORY: Gulliford's Travels

New boxes will give you a bird’s-eye view of nests

The Durango Nature Center is a hybrid between a place that is kept in its natural state and managed to maximize observation of native species. This means that although we try to...

DATE: Oct 7, 2015 | CATEGORY: Durango Nature Studies