As it stands now, local governments are not permitted to change the tax designation of short-term rentals located in residential zones…
Category: Opinion/Letters
LETTER: The Harmful Influence of Corporations and Billionaires
I am sick of corporations and billionaire dynasties like the Koch and Walton families who think they are entitled to everything including public land and natural resources…
EDITORIAL: The STR Reality vs. Wishful Thinking, Part One
The Town Planning Commissions justification for recommending a steep STR fee increase was based partly on the property tax loophole enjoyed by STRs in Archuleta County…
EDITORIAL: Money, Water, and Fear for the Future, Part Two
“The Walton Family Foundation, in collaboration with Morning Consult, released a poll today revealing that 74% of Coloradans are worried about climate change and water scarcity…”
HMPRESENTLY: When Tendrils Spiral Around Good Intentions
I’ll be wondering, now, whether the Foundation is influencing some of the news coverage and commentary I’ve been reading…
EDITORIAL: Money, Water, and Fear for the Future, Part One
“55% of Coloradans fear state won’t have enough water in 100 years, poll shows…”
EDITORIAL: Eating Cake with Don Volger and Nicole Pitcher, Part Four
“We are down to one train operating in each of the pump stations, Station One and Two, and we are definitely close to an emergency situation…”
OPINION: Coalition Presses Washington to Reveal America’s ‘Dirty Dam Secret’
A diverse coalition of 136 groups has petitioned the EPA to add America’s dams and reservoirs as a source category under the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Program…
OPINION: Ideology and the Death of Truth
There is a fundamental, and obvious reason for this kind of reaction – namely, that we are not hard-wired to think in terms of cataclysmic catastrophes…
EDITORIAL: Eating Cake with Don Volger and Nicole Pitcher, Part Three
“And I have seen just an amazing change in understanding and maturity, and a deeper love for the community…”
OPINION: Vet Voice Foundation Ad Slams Big Oil’s Land Grab Attempts
In the ad, Hal Donahue, a Vietnam Veteran, says, “I didn’t fight for my country to let oil companies destroy our way of life…”
EDITORIAL: Eating Cake with Don Volger and Nicole Pitcher, Part Two
“And I think that fabric is what creates one of the things I love most about living in this small town…”
OPINION: 70 Years of Cloud Seeding, with Questionable Success
On mountain peaks scattered across Colorado, machines are set up to fire chemicals into the clouds in attempts to generate snow…
HMPRESENTLY: Snapped Up
That’s been the way of things, lately, with homes selling in an instant. With people shopping for homes, racing to outbid others…
OPINION: End of the Line for Tule Elk?
It wasn’t that long ago when a National Park offered the best protection for wildlife living within their boundaries…
EDITORIAL: Eating Cake with Don Volger and Nicole Pitcher, Part One
“It was always a team effort with the Council, the staff, volunteers, and the rest of the citizens of this wonderful town…”
OPINION: Next Move on Workforce Housing?
Thankfully, Town voters can make a decisive and decent choice by passing Ballot Measure A on April 5…
LETTER: A Nagging Question About Town Property Purchases
Why would the powers-that-be spend a lot of money essentially re-inventing the wheel — by which I mean, starting from scratch (roads, utilities, etc.) at Mountain Crossing?…
EDITORIAL: Town Council Discusses Significant Property Purchase East of Downtown, Part Twelve
The Town Council discussed this project behind closed doors, with Town staff, but no details of the plan have been shared with the public…