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…
Category: Opinion/Letters
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…
A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW: Dear Abby, Dear Abby
But what does the writer expect “Abby” to say? All she (he?) can advise is to seek professional help…
OPINION: Anti-Semitism on Colorado College Campuses
We mourn the loss of all innocent people in this war…
EDITORIAL: Tourism, at the Edge of the World, Part Four
There might be a happy ending to the continued growth of Pagosa tourism, for a select group of people…
EDITORIAL: Tourism, at the Edge of the World, Part Three
I am personally acquainted with most of the 19 business teams that signed the letter…
EDITORIAL: Tourism, at the Edge of the World, Part Two
Tourism Board executive director Jennie Green was asked to comment on the suggestions made by this group of 25 businesses…
EDITORIAL: Tourism, at the Edge of the World, Part One
When I arrived at the well-publicized ‘Halloween Hootenanny’, the scene at Yamaguchi Park seemed relatively deserted…
OPINION: When the ‘Fake News’ Dog Whistle Blows
In this Age of Cacophony, how do we know what is truth… and what isn’t? What really is “fake news”?