Opinion & Letters to the Editor

Edit toon 052924

Our view: Legislative wrap-up

Lawmakers take action on cellphone use, education funding and Indian boarding schools

‘Somebody needs to stop this seizure’

The Uravan Belt within the Dolores Corridor is home to as much as 21% of America’s uranium deposits along with as much as 80% of our vanadium production. America is…

Give us more ‘Mortie the cat’ cartoons

In a time when most of us have instant access to digital news, it’s easy to keep up to date on national and international events, including some trenchant political cartoons.…

‘Next Step’ would take away more downtown parking

Durango is one of the few small towns in Western America that still has a functioning, vital Main (street) Avenue. The addition of trees and new light posts enhanced it…

‘What has happened to dental services’

What has happened with our dental services here? It seems that they have gone from a five-day, 40-hour workweek to a four-day, 32-hour workweek. Do they think we only have dental…

Soldiers

Stones among the Pines reflected in the Light. Stones of young Souls together in the night. Partners sharing Death their names on stones so white. I pray the gift you…

Mercy lab’s ‘issues’ tied to staffing, not training

In support of my profession, I feel compelled to respond to Lenny Papineau’s letter to The Herald dated Wednesday, May 15. He suggested the decline in quality of healthcare services…

We won’t forget what happened 101 years ago

Shaun Ketchum Jr. One hundred and one years ago, my Ute ancestors were forced to live within a barbed-wire camp in Blanding, a small town in southeast Utah. For six…

‘Fixing’ Hesperus Ski Area not among Mountain Capital Partners’ priorities

Like many who cherish our “local gem” – Hesperus Ski Area – I’m left with more questions than answers about the decision to forego fixing its lift and exclude it…

A return to the fireworks that are loved

Kudos to Durango’s city leadership for listening to the many Durangoans who soon after last year’s 4th of July evening show that used drones said, no more, please. For two…

Wildlife quid-pro-quo: ‘Something to still think about’

cca The wildlife quid-pro-quo. It was a proposition advocated more than a half century ago by Willard D. Klimstra, then director of Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Cooperative Wildlife Initiative. Essentially,…

Polis has kind words, but is that enough for Tri-State?

Allen Bestdu1-i-syn Colorado Gov. Jared Polis gets summoned almost daily to deliver remarks. On a recent Friday, for example, he wore an orange jersey to honor former Bronco Randy Gradishar…

Property taxes

debate about merits, demerits of Senate Bill 233

Hunting is a valuable tool in managing lions

Andrew Carpenter (Courtesy of Writers on the Range) Asking the public to decide if it’s a good idea to ban hunting mountain lions and bobcats is no way for a…

Kudos to M-CHS Choir

Kudos to the Montezuma-Cortez High School Choir. My family and I were fortunate enough to be in the auditorium for their performance of the “Star-Spangled Banner” on May 11 during…

Mercy Hospital reduced to ‘corporate medicine’

The letter put forth by Catherine Winchester concerning the general influence of Centura Health-CommonSpirit was interesting. The evidence is now clear that what was once a robust “Regional Medical Center”…

Bodo Industrial Park helped grow city, county

Foundation responsible for development has come to an end

‘Coexist with wildlife? People have gotten far far from nature’

cca Wildlife populations have always changed and adapted. Sometimes populations grew until they surpassed the carrying capacity of the land. An extremely hard winter, several years of hard winters or…

Colorado houses are too big. We need more starter homes

Trish Zorniodu1-i-syn How big is too big for a house? This is a question I’ve asked myself often, especially as I watch all sorts of fancy, new homes pop up…

Colorado legislation ‘safety clause’ being overused

What is this “safety clause” used at the end of our Colorado legislation? It is attached to the end of a bill, which in essence prevents Colorado voters from reviewing the…

Optometrist wants community to ‘see’ him as the right Empire Electric Board candidate

I am once again running for the Empire Electric Board of Directors. As a retired family optometrist and a longtime resident of our community, I hope you may “see” me…

Pickleball net at Santa Rita Park kept kids from playing basketball ‘outside’

While walking on our river trail past the basketball courts on May 4, I noticed a large group of young kids (counted 30) trying to play basketball. There was a pickleball…

‘Staggering’ salaries for health care execs

In 2021, CommonSpirit/Centura paid its top three executives $17.3 million, $14.6 million and $5.4 million, respectively. They also paid more than $1 million to more than 25 other executives during…

‘Reflect on profound impact mothers have’

As Mother’s Day draws near, in all probability like many of you, I have begun walking down memory lane. Yes, it’s a time to ponder the incredible impact our mothers…

Mother’s Day

Simply put It’s a badge of honor When the little dude Spews up on momma. Moms are great In every way. Here’s to them all On Mother’s Day Ralph Blanchard…

‘Trump running to be ruler’

Of all the things that the Founding Fathers firmly believed in avoiding, foremost was that this country would never have a “ruler.” We would have presidents. Not the same thing.…

‘Bad things happen when God sidelined’

Terry Tempest Williams, keynote speaker at the Four Corners Climate Summit at Fort Lewis College, said that God is not welcome at the big people’s table for a climate discussion.…

‘Safety clause does not allow referendum’

What is this “safety clause” used at the end of our Colorado legislation? The safety clause is attached to the end of a bill, which in essence prevents review (or…

Mercy’s ‘nonfunctioning lab appalling’

Mercy Hospital (CommonSpirit/Centura) has failed the community with its outpatient services. Not only has it had at least a decade of losing good physicians/staff members, but its outpatient laboratory services…