Regional News - The Durango Herald

Fentanyl features in Colorado’s first gubernatorial debate

PUEBLO – Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis, and his GOP challenger, Heidi Ganahl, offered differing versions of the state with the economy, crime, education and post-pandemic recov...

DATE: Sep 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

How much does it cost to run a political TV ad during a Denver Broncos game?

It ain’t cheap – up to $150,000 for one 30-second ad – but candidates are willing to pay it

DATE: Sep 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

Durango Police Department Tuesday 9:10 a.m. A scooter was found near Miller Middle School. 9:38 a.m. A car rear-ended another vehicle near the intersection of South Camino del Rio a...

DATE: Sep 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Mike Lindell says Tina Peters mistaken about him paying for man’s lawyer

Embattled elections official accuses Gerald Wood of being knowing participant in alleged election system security breach

DATE: Sep 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Diversity, equity concerns surface during investigation into Colorado’s emergency management agency

Employee alleged leadership at division created a ‘toxic and hostile’ work environment

DATE: Sep 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

Durango Police Department Monday 2:46 p.m. A woman was reported screaming at someone in the 2900 block of Main Avenue and was arrested on suspicion of assault. 5 p.m. A boat trailer ...

DATE: Sep 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Body of famed U.S. extreme skier from Telluride recovered in Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal – The body of a famed U.S. extreme skier who went missing this week after falling from the world’s eighth-highest mountain was recovered Wednesday and transported to Nepal's...

DATE: Sep 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Telluride ski mountaineer missing on Nepal mountain

KATHMANDU, Nepal – Nepalese rescuers in a helicopter were searching Tuesday for a famed U.S. ski climber a day after she fell off near the peak of the world’s eighth-highest mountain. Also ...

DATE: Sep 27, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Colorado’s official state fish makes second comeback after previously thought extinct

Wildlife officials report a breeding population of greenback cutthroat trout

DATE: Sep 27, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

Durango Police Department Sunday 3 a.m. An arrest was made on suspicion of disorderly conduct in the 600 block of Camino del Rio 8:51 a.m. Six people were reported trespassing in the...

DATE: Sep 26, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Classic movie has Colorado town scrambling to revise lewdness law

DENVER – A Denver suburb’s plan to show a nearly 50-year-old movie at its arts center has officials scrambling to revamp the town’s indecency laws. The Denver Post reports the city of Pa...

DATE: Sep 26, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Weekly planner for Sept. 26-Sept. 30

Information and agendas about local meetings: City of Durango: www.durangogov.org or call 375-5000. La Plata County: www.co.laplata.co.us or call 382-6210. Town of Bayfield...

DATE: Sep 25, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

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

Fentanyl features in Colorado’s first gubernatorial debate

How much does it cost to run a political TV ad during a Denver Broncos game?

The Blotter

Mike Lindell says Tina Peters mistaken about him paying for man’s lawyer

Diversity, equity concerns surface during investigation into Colorado’s emergency management agency

The Blotter

Body of famed U.S. extreme skier from Telluride recovered in Nepal

Telluride ski mountaineer missing on Nepal mountain

Colorado’s official state fish makes second comeback after previously thought extinct

The Blotter

Classic movie has Colorado town scrambling to revise lewdness law

Weekly planner for Sept. 26-Sept. 30

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