San Juan Basin Public Health (SJBPH) is reporting a significant increase in COVID-19 cases for both Archuleta and La Plata counties over the past three weeks…
Category: Opinion/Letters
HMPRESENTLY: Yours Are As Mind-Muddling As Ours
What does it take to be a ballot writer? Deceptive communication skills? A postgraduate degree in obfuscation?
EDITORIAL: Killing Gallagher, Part Three
A Colorado land owner who allows cattle to graze annually on his or her ranch property qualifies as an agricultural business, and probably pays next to nothing in terms of property taxes on the land itself…
OPINION: All Life Is Sacred
Those opposed to Proposition 115 argue that pregnancy is more complex than just making a law. We agree…
OPINION: Michael Bennet Comments on McConnell’s ‘PPP Stunt’
“Mitch McConnell’s proposal is woefully inadequate. It fails to provide long-term support to our hardest-hit businesses that have been completely or mostly shuttered during the pandemic…”
EDITORIAL: Killing Gallagher, Part Two
No doubt some readers, sensing a steadily declining level of service from our local governments, would support most any tax increase — as they did in 2018, when Archuleta County voted to increase the school district’s mill levy…
EDITORIAL: Killing Gallagher, Part One
If Amendment B does not pass, the next round of Gallagher adjustments will likely reduce the rate on residential property to around 6%. Maybe even less…
HMPRESENTLY: Creaking & Cracking
The California Street building is different now. Not the overall look of the building; that hasn’t changed. But like many commercial buildings, the interior design changes as different business firms move in and out…
LETTER: Please Share My Story, and Vote ‘No’ on 115
Every day, I wake up and thank the fine people of Colorado for the beauty and fullness of my life…
EDITORIAL: A Little Nitrogen in the Water? Part Three
Maybe Colorado has simply become more serious about nitrogen in the water, no matter where it comes from…
HMPRESENTLY: An 1807 Sonnet, a Dog and a BBQ
Can’t remember the last time I had the barbecue going, out back at our place in California. There’s been so much smoke from wildfires…
EDITORIAL: A Little Nitrogen in the Water? Part One
“Algal blooms can severely reduce or eliminate oxygen in the water, leading to illnesses in fish and other aquatic life, and the death of large numbers of fish….”
EDITORIAL: Counting the COVID Cases
The ‘small n’ problem becomes apparent if we look closely at the number of cases illustrated by these various vertical lines. The largest number of cases confirmed on a single day was “10”…
Colorado River District ‘7A’ Ballot Measure is Seriously Flawed
First, the ballot question, and uses of the money, are completely vague. No actual projects are identified in the question…
OPINION: A Voice for the World’s People
A Global Week of Action for a World Parliament will occur from October 16 to 25. I urge you to register your support for this idea to spread democracy to the global level…
EDITORIAL: County Commissioners Budgeting Zero Property Tax Dollars for Roads, Part Three
The photo I used to illustrate this editorial dates from 2018. The presenter was Finance Director Larry Walton, and the outlook wasn’t entirely sunny…
EDITORIAL: Speculators Buying Up Colorado Water Rights? Part Seventeen
“How do you strike that balance? Where individuals use or benefit from this resource, but because it’s a resource ‘of the people’ and is necessary to all life, it’s important to make sure it’s available to everyone…”
LETTER: Trump and the Military
“Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” he said about our fallen soldiers…
EDITORIAL: County Commissioners Budgeting Zero Property Tax Dollars for Roads, Part Two
“So, we’ve got enough money right now to start and finish a one-courtroom courthouse, but we will continue to seek grants until we get to a three-courtroom courthouse…”