Letters to the Editor

Thank goodness for people like Lachelt
Letters to the Editor

Thank goodness for people like Lachelt

September 28, 2016

County Commissioner Gwen Lachelt certainly knows about it. She has spent her life protecting our community’s health, economy and environment. Astute, balanced, intelligent, Lachelt knows both the benefits and dangers…

Bayfield kids deserve school support
Letters to the Editor

Bayfield kids deserve school support

September 27, 2016

All three of my children have gone through the Bayfield school system and I am thrilled with the support, education and caring they received from the staff. My children are…

Schwartz is hunter’s choice for Congress
Letters to the Editor

Schwartz is hunter’s choice for Congress

September 27, 2016

Colorado receives some $34 billion from outdoor recreation each year and nearly $20 billion on the West Slope. Gail Schwartz was chair of the Colorado Senate Natural Resources Committee and…

Gwen Lachelt has earned her re-election
Letters to the Editor

Gwen Lachelt has earned her re-election

September 27, 2016

She helped spearhead the response of communities downstream of the Gold King Mine spill and led the unwavering support for finally dealing with the legacy of mining contamination of the…

Elect balanced, responsible candidates
Letters to the Editor

Elect balanced, responsible candidates

September 25, 2016

How will we address climate change, healthcare or political and social unrest? The views of candidates, political parties, and voters are very opposite and so we, the voters, have to…

People, businesses do try to be inclusive
Letters to the Editor

People, businesses do try to be inclusive

September 25, 2016

I have cancer in my skull that has rendered me extremely sensitive to sound, so I can no longer enjoy crowded restaurants – much less any of our wonderful music…

Grateful for latest road work done well
Letters to the Editor

Grateful for latest road work done well

September 25, 2016

Our other “neighbors” are the various oil and gas companies who have drilled wells, installed pipelines, and have built a compressor station near our homes. The condition of our road…

There seems to be no end to gas project
Letters to the Editor

There seems to be no end to gas project

September 24, 2016

This morning, I was awakened by saws cutting my street at 6:48. Instead of having a full crew on the street to cut the lines for all the houses at…

Southwest Horizons LPEA’s only solar tie
Letters to the Editor

Southwest Horizons LPEA’s only solar tie

September 24, 2016

LPEA, through its unclaimed Capital Credits, has provided funding to the Southwest Horizons solar project, in conjunction with 4CORE. LPEA has no partnerships with or provided direct financial support to…

Support Durango’s children: ‘Yes’ on 3A
Letters to the Editor

Support Durango’s children: ‘Yes’ on 3A

September 24, 2016

A lot of this is paid for with your tax dollars, and it does not go unnoticed or unappreciated! I’d like to ask you to consider opening your heart, your…

Airport ‘yes’ vote could improve service
Letters to the Editor

Airport ‘yes’ vote could improve service

September 24, 2016

We need an airport capable of flights by larger planes (say, 737 size) with sufficient gates and loading ramps for all airliners. We need sufficient seating areas that are not…

Unethical acts by commissioners can’t continue
Letters to the Editor

Unethical acts by commissioners can’t continue

September 24, 2016

And in the past, I and the committee as a group have always had open access to our elected commissioners, regardless of political affiliation, to discuss the Improvement District. But…

Read and take the Constitution to heart
Letters to the Editor

Read and take the Constitution to heart

September 22, 2016

The author of The Constitution Today, Akhil Reed Amar, a professor at Yale, in a recent interview with Lily Rothman in TIME Magazine (Sept. 5), gave this answer to her…

Allow terminally ill a way to end suffering
Letters to the Editor

Allow terminally ill a way to end suffering

September 22, 2016

The nurse said, “I really want to help you, but I can’t. It’s illegal.” That evening, Janis aspirated, coughed continuously and a loud crackling sound resonated from her lungs each…

Durango Fire, Powerhouse meet puppies
Letters to the Editor

Durango Fire, Powerhouse meet puppies

September 21, 2016

It is very important for these puppies, during their training, to be exposed to as many different environments, sights, smells, sounds and distractions as possible while they are with their…

Kudos to Metz and crew for trail safety
Letters to the Editor

Kudos to Metz and crew for trail safety

September 21, 2016

The next day, I reached out to Cathy Metz, director of Parks & Rec, and asked that the city install a mirror so approaching riders and pedestrians can see what’s…

Agree on economy, jobs, clean energy
Letters to the Editor

Agree on economy, jobs, clean energy

September 21, 2016

Americans agree we all profit from a thriving economy and strong employment. We also all profit from clean energy. Clean energy supports our health with safe, non-toxic air and water.…

McLachlan targeting imaginary problems
Letters to the Editor

McLachlan targeting imaginary problems

September 21, 2016

In fact, the mean temperature appears to be moving in lockstep with sun spot activity. Another fact that is widely available. Manmade climate change formerly known as global warming is…

Tipton’s attack on Schwartz is nonsense
Letters to the Editor

Tipton’s attack on Schwartz is nonsense

September 19, 2016

Here’s what happened to coal. Coal ran headlong into simple economics that my representative must understand. “Stop drilling! … a 5-year-old could figure it out.” This was not a quote…

Gifted and talented shows need for 3A
Letters to the Editor

Gifted and talented shows need for 3A

September 19, 2016

As parents of a 9-R third grader, we have only recently had the “GT” (gifted and talented) veil lifted – and it’s both exciting and scary at the same time.…

Find a way to honor Martha Simpson
Letters to the Editor

Find a way to honor Martha Simpson

September 18, 2016

That there are no Durango streets nor memorials dedicated to her is of no surprise. She did nothing for accolades. On the occasion of our 50th reunion, it was the…

New airport part of good public services
Letters to the Editor

New airport part of good public services

September 18, 2016

Sparkman asks whether the airport is being prioritized over water and wastewater infrastructure in Durango. It is not. A substantial upgrade to Durango wastewater was approved and funded last year,…

Yes on 3A for best kindergarten program
Letters to the Editor

Yes on 3A for best kindergarten program

September 17, 2016

Full-day kindergarten is at risk of being cut next year. Colorado does not mandate all-day kindergarten, yet Durango 9-R has funded full-day kindergarten because educators recognize that all-day kindergarten is…

League to host series of election forums
Letters to the Editor

League to host series of election forums

September 17, 2016

The schedule for Candidate Forums (with La Plata County Commission candidates, District 2: Gwen Lachelt, Lyle McKnight; District 3: Kayla Patterson, Julie Westendorff; and state Legislative District 59 candidates, J.…

Presenting all sides lets people decide
Letters to the Editor

Presenting all sides lets people decide

September 17, 2016

It is unfortunate that American politics, and the election season in particular, have devolved to an “us against them” process. The issue discussions that become personal attacks and then the…

Let third-party candidates into debates
Letters to the Editor

Let third-party candidates into debates

September 17, 2016

In 2016, that would mean four candidates in the debates, including Clinton, Trump, Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Gary Johnson. As it stands now, only Clinton and Trump…

McLachlan has most real-life experience
Letters to the Editor

McLachlan has most real-life experience

September 17, 2016

Her Colorado roots go back over 150 years. They are in agriculture as well as the classroom, and are deeply grounded in a great family. To say that McLachlan has…

Loss of the Arc of History is a shame
Letters to the Editor

Loss of the Arc of History is a shame

September 17, 2016

Who hasn’t smiled driving by and looking for any changes to it? Are we so pretentious that we care what newcomers driving into the city think of our choice of…

Thirty years later, time to invest in airport
Letters to the Editor

Thirty years later, time to invest in airport

September 15, 2016

When I was appointed to the Airport Commission Board, a volunteer board that advises the airport director on issues related to the airport, I was a bit skeptical of the…

Amendment 69: The devil with pitchforks
Letters to the Editor

Amendment 69: The devil with pitchforks

September 15, 2016

If Obamacare is a nightmare, then Amendment 69 is the devil coming at you with all the pitchforks in hell. Please read the actual Article XXX on Amendment 69 that…