Opinion Columns - The Journal

Channel your inner cowboy (and cowgirl)

It’s hard to be friends with your neighbor if you never meet them. In a world of growth and digital communication, communities can struggle to maintain meaningful, face-to-face relationships...

Our view: ‘Yes’ to upcoming ballot questions

Vote ‘yes’ on Amendment K Amendment K to the Constitution would give election officials an additional week to process issue signature petitions and require publicizing ballot measures 30 da...

DATE: Oct 1, 2024 | CATEGORY: Editorials

Robert Logan for CU Regent

Voters from Congressional District 3 will elect our representative to the University of Colorado Board of Regents this November. The CU Board of Regents oversees major decisions made for the...

DATE: Oct 1, 2024 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

No to Independent Log Co. Conditional Use Permit

We are strongly opposed to the granting of a Conditional Use Permit for the 10-acre parcel owned by the Independent Log Co. on the property at 1050 Lebanon Road in Cortez. The proposed ILC p...

DATE: Oct 1, 2024 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Editorial cartoon

DATE: Oct 1, 2024 | CATEGORY: Editorial Cartoons

Mountain lions are our natural allies

I’ve hunted practically as long as I can remember, pursuing small game, upland birds, waterfowl, and deer, elk and caribou. It’s been a lifelong passion, and helped shape my values as a care...

DATE: Sep 24, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Our view: We look forward to Montezuma-Cortez schools’ continued improvement

A few words of praise for the improved state scores earned by the schools in Montezuma-Cortez RE-1, as reported in the Sept. 18 issue of The Journal. The scores for two elementary schools ar...

DATE: Sep 24, 2024 | CATEGORY: Editorials

The murder of the local California condor

The California condor is the biggest bird in North America and has been on the endangered species list since 1987 when the bird went extinct in the wild. Currently, there are only 560 or so ...

DATE: Sep 24, 2024 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Serving on the hospital board is one way to support the hospital

We are fortunate to live in a rural community that has a hospital; many rural residents must travel long distances for health care. Dr. Emil E. Johnson opened the first hospital in Cortez in...

DATE: Sep 24, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Our view: ‘Yes’ to Cortez Fire Protection District’s half-cent sales tax

The Cortez Fire Protection District, which serves the majority of Montezuma County and participates in support agreements for the four smaller districts and Mesa Verde National Park, is aski...

DATE: Sep 17, 2024 | CATEGORY: Editorials

Editorial cartoon

DATE: Sep 11, 2024 | CATEGORY: Editorial Cartoons

Vote ‘yes’ on Initiative 310

I am writing to encourage Colorado voters to vote yes on Initiative 310, open primaries/ranked choice voting. I live in Alaska, where this system was approved by voters in 2020 and first imp...

DATE: Sep 10, 2024 | CATEGORY: Letters to the Editor

Bluejays won their Homecoming game, 48-0, on Friday

Gavin Frost, Frankey Montoya, Zye Kuenzler and Vince Lopez all took part in the 3A Region 1 golf tournament on Monday at Conquistador Golf Course

Bluejays win 48-0 on Thursday night

About 1,000 sheep move along down Buck Highway during the annual event on Saturday

Photos: 250 people march in Farmington to honor Navajos killed in Chokecherry MassacreMore than 250 people marched Saturday morning in downtown Farmington to commemorate the 50 years since the brutal slayings of three Navajo men by three white teenage boys. The march was followed by a ceremony honoring the families of the victims at the Totah Theater.

More than 250 people marched Saturday morning in downtown Farmington to commemorate the 50 years sin...

Airplane crashes southwest of Chimney Rock National Monument; one injuredPlane took off from Animas Air Park in Durango

A small plane crashed Tuesday afternoon about 5 miles southwest of Chimney Rock National Monument, the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.A pilot and a passenger safely evacuated the aircraft and were able to walk to a nearby house for assistance, the Sheriff’s Office said. One of the occupants needed medical assistance, according to a news release issued by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.The crash was reported at 12:03 p.m. on private property near Colorado Highway 151 and Forest Service Road 613 in southwest Archuleta County.The cause of the crash remained under investigation as of Tuesday evening.Photos of the downed plane show relatively minor damage. The nose of the plane is buried in a hillside and the right wing is heavily damaged. The tail number traces back to Gregg Flying Service in Durango.

Flight-tracking software showed the airplane taking off about 10:15 a.m. from Animas Air Park but showing no arrival time at a final destination airport.The plane traveled southeast past Durango-La Plata County Airport and dipped into New Mexico for a bit before heading north over Navajo Reservoir. The plane then made a U-turn near Chimney Rock National Monument before flying south again along Highway 151. The flight path abruptly ends near Sheep Canyon and the Piedra River.

The aircraft is listed as a 1978 Cessna 172N fixed-wing, single-engine plane with four seats, according to an FAA registry. A man who answered the phone at Gregg Flying Service said one occupant suffered injuries, including a possible broken arm and leg.When asked if the plane was associated with Gregg Flying Service, the man hung up the phone. When a reporter called back, the phone was hung up again.shane@durangoherald.com

Plane took off from Animas Air Park in Durango