Columnists

Roadkill: It’s what’s for dinner

Landon Hutchinson, left, and Phillip Walley, in the truck, hunters from Mississippi, along with Marco Hernandez, load up the deer…

December 15, 2025

Opinion

Rep. Hurd, it’s time to introduce the Dolores River National Conservation Area bill

As County commissioners from Montezuma and La Plata counties with multigenerational histories in the Dolores River Basin, we have spent…

December 14, 2025

Opinion

Stewart’s 2026 legislative priorities: EMS pay, jail safety, health care subsidies

We have less than six weeks to go before the 2026 legislative session, so I’d like to give an overview…

December 14, 2025

What's Up Downtown

Tim’s top 10 for 2025

Walsworthdu1-i-syn Another trip around the sun is almost over, and what a year it was. There are lots of things…

December 14, 2025

Southwest Life

Getting up to steam

25th Anniversary of the Durango Railroad Historical Society

December 13, 2025

Stewards of the Land

Kudos to all those who kept San Juan Mountains Association going in 2025

Stephanie Webercca During the spring and summer, all of us at San Juan Mountains Association (SJMA) stood alongside our federal…

December 13, 2025

Creating Community

When neighbors know where to turn, communities grow stronger

In rural communities like ours, we pride ourselves on looking out for one another. Yet, when it comes to navigating…

December 12, 2025

Dear Abby

Effort to be good grandfather fails

DEAR ABBY: Ten years ago, I connected with “Christi,” a daughter I fathered with a woman I was in a…

December 12, 2025

Dear Abby

Family’s collective mental health declining

DEAR ABBY: As my parents have aged, my father has been misremembering things or making wrong assumptions. It has increasingly…

December 12, 2025

From the Extension Office

Take the stress out of gift giving by adding meaning

Perhaps, like me, you have mixed feelings about gift-giving. It’s a joy to stumble across something and know instantly that…

December 12, 2025

Opinion

The hazards of homelessness show ‘Housing First’ is practical, humane and cost-effective

I’d like to offer a bit of consolation and clarification. While I believe a majority of the public holds genuine…

December 10, 2025

Dear Abby

Too late to leave narcissist?

DEAR ABBY: I’ve been married to a narcissist for 28 years. He has gaslighted me for our entire 30 years…

December 10, 2025

Action Line

Has the Purgatory logo always been upside down?

cca Dear Action Line, Rumor among the Purgatory Underground (which, maybe appropriately, sounds a bit like a ski mountain upside…

December 8, 2025

Opinion

The Western Slope’s food insecurity crisis isn’t about geography – it’s about policy

As the holiday season settles over the Western Slope, the region’s beauty disguises a growing emergency: Families are struggling to…

December 7, 2025

Opinion

Southwest Colorado’s journey to 2026: How our stories and landscapes continue to shape who we are

In 2021, the American Association for State and Local History asked communities across the country to start thinking about 2026…

December 7, 2025

Opinion

Making life less affordable, one hidden tax at a time

You know those streaming services that quietly raise their prices every few months, and suddenly you’re paying $49.99 a month…

December 7, 2025

Dear Abby

Teacher has message for parents

DEAR ABBY: I am a teacher. I love my job, and I love my students. However, as I near the…

December 7, 2025

From the Extension Office

What team are you on?

Houk When I say cranberry sauce, many of you can hear the distinctive slurp sound it makes sliding out of…

December 6, 2025

Opinion

Christian nationalism: History shows the danger of faiths governing

My parents’ guidance: Never talk politics or religion. They must be shaking their heads. Of all the issues of concern…

December 5, 2025

Dear Abby

Wife still communicates with ex best friend

DEAR ABBY: My best friend of more than 10 years, “Ian,” ghosted me. We used to talk about everything –…

December 5, 2025

Downtown Lowdown

Local jazz trio plays a Christmas classic

It’s a hip record. Forget the seasonal-only listening, as The Vince Guaraldi Trio’s soundtrack to Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts” classic “A…

December 3, 2025

Creating Community

Celebrating the holidays with toddlers? These simple tips help keep it safe

When you’re decorating, shopping for toys, and hosting friends and family, it’s easy to overlook the little things that keep…

December 3, 2025

From the Chamber

Season of gratitude: Investing in what makes us unique

Jeff Dupont As we transition from fall to winter, the holidays are upon us. It’s the perfect moment to reflect,…

December 3, 2025

Authentic Aging

The holidays: Tyranny (and hope?) to the max!

Early November I’m pretty bummed about the world right now. The recent ICE abduction of the father and his two…

December 3, 2025