Local First - The Durango Herald

Bringing price relief and accountability to healthcare

It’s been a long, winding road since January 2018 when Local First received impassioned feedback at our annual meeting that the price of healthcare, and health insurance premiums in particul...

DATE: Aug 8, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local First

Keep doing your part to support local businesses

We are fortunate to live in an area with such a strong and ethical local business community. The vast majority of our local business leaders believe in the old saying, “A rising t...

DATE: Jul 4, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local First

Now more than ever, look Local First when shopping

These are strange times. The COVID-19 weirding experience that we are all facing personally and professionally continues to hang over our homes and the economy. Reflecting on the ...

DATE: Jun 13, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local First

How do we go back to ‘normal,’ and should we?

As we enter May, we enter what is normally a time for celebration around Durango – event season begins, Fort Lewis graduation occurs and almost every weekend there are multiple happenings ar...

DATE: May 16, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local First

The COVID mandate: Adapt and survive

The theme song that appears to be emerging from the COVID-19 health crisis is “adapt and survive.” As thousands of businesses come to a screeching halt, we are all scrambling to ...

DATE: Apr 18, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local First

Supporting local business during the coronavirus

As I sit here trying to write my first column as managing director of Local First, three months into the job, the world is facing a pandemic. Whether we actually get hit hard by coronavirus ...

DATE: Mar 20, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local First

Centura backs out of Southwest Health Alliance

In response to the growing support of the Southwest Health Alliance, a community-based health insurance cooperative in affiliation with the Peak Health Alliance, Centura Health announced tod...

DATE: Feb 22, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local First

Here’s how to help your Local First Foundation

Local First, the nonprofit organization that is the voice of local, independent businesses in La Plata County, has been serving the business community for 12 years now. We are ap...

DATE: Jan 25, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local First

’Tis the season for the Be Local Coupon Book

You’ve seen it around town – the bright teal book with the close-up of a Local First board member donning cool shades with a reflective Local First logo encouraging us to hone our 20/20 visi...

DATE: Dec 28, 2019 | CATEGORY: Local First

Look local: Amazon enters the public sector

At Local First, we talk a lot about the impacts of shopping online to our local economy. And, to remind our readers, our name is “Local First,” not “Local or Death!” We encourage ...

DATE: Nov 30, 2019 | CATEGORY: Local First

Health care co-op saves money, helps people

Have you heard about the Southwest Health Alliance? We recently teamed up with Peak Health Alliance to bring affordable and effective health care to the La Plata County region. T...

DATE: Nov 2, 2019 | CATEGORY: Local First

How is the Creative District coming along?

In my February 23rd column on the Durango Creative District, I had just finished a 30-day trip down the Grand Canyon and spoke to the inspiration of the outdoors and a burgeoning initiative ...

DATE: Oct 5, 2019 | CATEGORY: Local First