Recently, Representative Lauren Boebert voted to cut all funding for the National Endowment for the Arts…
Category: Opinion/Letters
EDITORIAL: Changing of the Guard at Pagosa Springs Town Hall? Part One
While researching this editorial, I noticed, in a drawing of the future east entrance to downtown, by the Hart Howerton architects, a rough sketch…
EDITORIAL: A New Direction for the Archuleta County Landfill? Part Two
“I think we aren’t far enough in the process to understand all the details yet, but our… we’re paying disposal fees just like everyone else. So we’re not motivated to raise prices, right?”
EDITORIAL: A New Direction for the Archuleta County Landfill? Part One
“Since 2015, Laurel has continued to build its place in the solid waste management history books…”
INTEL FROM THE IVORY TOWER: The ‘Maine’ Reason for the Latest Spree Shooting
The shooter wasn’t some Middle Eastern terrorist. He even served in our armed forces. But something changed in recent years…
EDITORIAL: Cost for Pagosa Sewer Service Heading for Increases? Part Two
No matter what, the cost of PAWSD wastewater operations are apparently destined to get much more expensive. Who should be paying the bill?
EDITORIAL: Cost for Pagosa Sewer Service Heading for Increases? Part One
The Pagosa Springs Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) Board of Directors will be discussing rate increases at their meeting today…
LETTER: Prescribed Burns in the San Juan National Forest
Most of our area’s ecosystem is described as Ponderosa with Gambel oak understory. This is a frequent fire ecosystem that evolved and benefits from regular low intensity fires…
EDITORIAL: Ride Free on Mountain Transit Express? Part Three
I stopped by the new pickleball courts on a recent Sunday, just before the lunch hour, thinking that I might find the eight new outdoor courts at Yamaguchi South full of pickleball players…
OPINION: Prescribed Burning, a Failed Policy for Wildfire Prevention
Prescribed burning has become a multi-million dollar annual business for both private and public sectors. But the metrics and science show it’s both a dangerous and inadequate band-aid…
EDITORIAL: How About Some Property Tax Relief?
If the state legislature doesn’t reduce our property tax rates, it could mean hard time ahead, for county governments all across the state…
EDITORIAL: Ride Free on Mountain Transit Express? Part Two
“You know, as Archuleta County goes through our growing pains, I think public transit is of vital importance for our community as a whole…”
EDITORIAL: Ride Free on Mountain Transit Express? Part One
As of November 1, the MET is now offering “Zero Fares” to military veterans, following a decision last month by the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners…
OPINION: Switch to Cleaner Cars Should Move Faster, in Colorado
Other states have introduced regulations that mandate 100% of new vehicle sales within a timeline…
EDITORIAL: Preliminary Election Results, and Outlook
When I checked the Colorado Secretary of State website, sure enough, Prop HH had been defeated by a sizable margin…
INTEL FROM THE IVORY TOWER: Should Biden Step Aside in 2024?
It’s time to look at the historical evidence to see if a President should run for another full term…
EDITORIAL: Colorado Legislature Poised to Tax Vacation Rentals as ‘Commercial’? Part Two
Here in Pagosa Springs, the Town government has put a ‘cap’ on the number of STRs (Short-Term Rentals) that are allowed in residential zoning districts…
EDITORIAL: Colorado Legislature Poised to Tax Vacation Rentals as ‘Commercial’? Part One
This would give county assessors less than two years to identify which vacation rentals are “commercial uses” and set up a system for tracking…
EDITORIAL: Tourism, at the Edge of the World, Part Five
Also during 2022, the Town received about $937,000 from its own separate 4.9% Lodging Tax, submitted by the lodgers located within the town limits…