Columnists - The Journal

Democracies are weakened, face failure when citizens do not participate in them

In 1920, a man named David C. Stephenson came up from Texas to Indiana and resurrected the old dogma that sprouted from the outcome of the Civil War. He blasted out the rhetoric of “America ...

DATE: Dec 10, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Why there’s no commercial airline in San Juan County, N.M.

Dear Mr. Know-It-All: How did mountainous, wintry La Plata County get the region's commercial airport instead of wide-open, drier Crouch Mesa? Is it true that the powers that be in San Juan ...

DATE: Nov 29, 2024 | CATEGORY: Columnists

Let’s scrap the stigma of mental illness

Even though one in five Americans is estimated to suffer from mental health illness, talk about mental health in the rural West remains muted. I’d like to talk about it this Thanksgiving bec...

DATE: Nov 26, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Crosswalk collision: Who’s at fault, and who wins?

Dear Action Line: While driving, I recently had a very close call with two e-bikers, and wondered who would be at fault if an accident had occurred. With e-bikes accessible to anyone who...

DATE: Nov 18, 2024 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Grateful for your investment in student success, commitment to their future

My career as an educator spans more than three decades. I was a principal in the Montezuma-Cortez School District, in the mid 1990s, when Superintendent Bill Thompson and Business Manager Ji...

DATE: Nov 12, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Bicyclists’ safety on the line on U.S. Highway 550?

Dear Action Line: I’m concerned about the recently repaved and restriped area on U.S. Highway 550 between County Road 250 near the top of Shalona Hill and the turnoff to Rockwood. While ...

DATE: Nov 11, 2024 | CATEGORY: Action Line

McLachlan reflects on eight years of service listening, compromising and understanding

Only 100 Coloradans at any one time have the job I have been honored to hold for the last eight years as a state legislator; I never really thought about that until I started nearing the end...

DATE: Nov 8, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Acidic mine drainage haunts Western rivers

It was summer 2015 when the Animas River in southern Colorado turned such a garish orange-gold that it made national news. The metallic color came from the Gold King Mine, near the town of S...

DATE: Nov 5, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Comet’s appearance illuminates Durango’s dark sky policy

Dear Action Line: Recently, we were gifted with the return of a once-every-80,000-years comet. From the college mesa, as I scanned the horizon, my eyes were constantly assaulted by some ...

DATE: Nov 4, 2024 | CATEGORY: Action Line

The seduction of scapegoating

Immigration has risen to the top of the issue list for a clear majority of Americans. For many voters, it is now more important than the economy, inequality, health care, education, housing,...

DATE: Oct 22, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Disinformation threatens our democracy; we need stronger defenses

The American voter is under siege by disinformation. This means you and me. We need stronger defenses. Politicians and their supporters have always exaggerated, always offered misinformation...

DATE: Oct 19, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Wyoming shoots itself in the foot

This summer, the Biden administration offered Wyoming $35 million to help the state plug and clean up abandoned oil and gas wells. When Wyoming turned down the cash, it seemed hard to believ...