The end of December, and the beginning of January, are traditionally a time to relax, sitting in front of a warm fire, and do your best to avoid arguments about politics or religion.
That tradition doesn’t stop people from fighting wars, or going bankrupt, or posting hateful comments on social media. Nevertheless, it’s often a time when newspapers and news websites, lacking exciting news events to write about, look back on the previous year and summarize what did or didn’t happen during those 365 days.
Some of the things were not terrible. The global COVID pandemic, for example, officially ended on May 5.
Last week, our weekly newspaper, The Pagosa Springs SUN, began its traditional survey of the past year… brief summaries concerning local news… high school sports, government decisions, notable crimes, and missing persons. The December 28 issue covered January through March, 2023. Presumably, we can look forward to three more weeks of summarized news stories. (I was unable to find the ‘Year in Review’ on the SUN’s website; apparently you have to buy the printed version to learn what happened last year.)
We haven’t made it a priority, here in the Daily Post, to cover high school sports, so we’re grateful that the SUN dedicates several pages each week to that type of news.
Fact is, there’s a wide range of local and regional events and occurrences that we don’t find time to write about here in the Daily Post. We will mention in passing, however — for any of our readers who follow high school sports — that the Pagosa Spring High School wrestlers defeated the Durango wrestlers on December 20, by a score of 40-30.
One situation that got quite a bit of coverage this year: a lawsuit filed by Colorado voters Norma Anderson, Michelle Priola, Claudine Cmarada, Krista Kafer, Kathi Wright, and Christopher Castilian, arguing that former president Donald Trump is disqualified — according to the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment — from appearing on the 2024 Republican primary ballot, and presumably, also on the general election ballot, should he be the nominated Republican candidate. None of the petitioners in that lawsuit were Democrats.
Local activist Rachel Suh posted her opinion on Friday, that the Colorado Supreme Court violated Mr. Trump’s rights, by ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in that case.
The editor of Colorado Newsline, Quentin Young, wrote in support of the December 19 Colorado Supreme Court decision.
On Friday, Maine became the second state to ban Trump from the ballot, based on the 14th Amendment. Similar court challenges are pending in 15 other states. Courts in 16 states have dismissed the 14th Amendment challenge.
Meanwhile, back on the ranch, the Town of Pagosa Springs has petition forms available for local citizens who wish to run for a Town Council seat in April. The petitions require 25 voter signatures (as I recall?) and must be returned by end of day January 22. You must have lived within the town limits for at least 12 months immediately preceding the election, and be a registered voter.
At the most recent Town Council meeting, the three incumbents whose seats are up for grabs — Gary Williams, Mat deGraaf, and Leonard Martinez — all tentatively appeared willing to serve another term.
No one on the current Council has been impeached, or indicted for violating state or federal laws, so we’re doing better than certain national politicians.
Also in Pagosa, we saw some movement on the ‘housing crisis’ front. Whether all the movement was in a ‘positive’ direction can be disputed.
The former Pagosa Springs Inn & Suites motel at 519 Village Drive has opened its doors as ‘Pagosa Springs Apartments’ — offering former motel rooms on a lease basis. (Minimum one year lease.) A 280-square-foot studio apartment leases for $950 a month.
At the higher end, a 688-square-foot 3-bedroom former-motel-suite rents for $1,850 a month.
Peta are allowed with additional fees. (The fees listed on the Pagosa Springs Apartments website may be higher than what is allowed by a new Colorado law, HB23-1068.)
Farther west, beyond the town limits — out towards the wild west, so to speak — Habitat for Humanity is completing the third of three modular homes they installed in the Pagosa Trails subdivision this year, sold to local working families. 2023 marks the first time Habitat has attempted to build (or install) three homes in a single year. They plan to repeat that feat in 2024, again with modular homes.
The Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation — a 501c3 non-profit corporation designed by our local politicians back in 2010 — is working to obtain grants and favors from local banks to support an ambitious ‘workforce housing’ effort in 2024, after their board embraced the idea that a community without workforce housing is not much of a community at all. The Request for Qualifications was published in early December, and letters of interest are needed by this Friday, January 5. You can read more about that effort in today’s Daily Post.
Recently, the price of gasoline has dropped, locally, after remaining above $4 a gallon for most of the year. The lowest price, yesterday, was found at the City Market gas station at the west end of town: $3.19 per gallon.
City Market is offering free flu and COVID vaccines, presumably funded by the taxpayers. Grocery store eggs are once again priced below $4 a dozen.
The final version of the San Juan Basin Public Health COVID dashboard was posted on December 8.
SJBPH reported one Archuleta County death attributed to COVID during 2023, and a peak number of reported cases — 24 cases — on November 5.
SJBPH has officially ceased operations as of December 31, and public health monitoring and services in Archuleta County is now being conducted by the new Archuleta County Public Health Department and by the new Archuleta County Water Quality Department. We probably shouldn’t expect to see regular COVID monitoring for the time being, although COVID vaccinations are reportedly available.
Only 13 human cases of Guinea worm disease (Dracunculus medinensis) were reported last year, worldwide, down from millions of cases in the 1980s. None of the cases occurred in Pagosa Springs. Former president Jimmy Carter reportedly expressed the hope that he would live to see Guinea worm disease eradicated… and he might.
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can’t seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.