Columnists

Pepper Trail: ‘Still so many places worth saving’

For a long time, climate change was largely perceived as a distant threat. But Oregon writer-biologist Pepper Trail, 70, who often writes for the opinion service Writers on the Range, said h...

DATE: Apr 10, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Consider ‘candidates’ views on health care, proposed solution’

The 2024 elections may well be decided by voters this fall based on economic conditions but health care is turning out to be an unexpected central campaign issue. The League of Women Voters ...

DATE: Apr 7, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

NM fire survivors ‘who generously spoke vital to work’

In February 2023, I signed a lease on a dusty studio apartment in Las Vegas, New Mexico, just outside the burn scar of the largest wildfire in New Mexico history. Based on the railroad ties ...

DATE: Apr 5, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

State budget: Do not follow rules well, it appears’

We must be thoughtful. Colorado’s budget is constitutionally required to be balanced, so last week, the House debated exactly how to do that. It’s never easy. The budget is called the “Long ...

DATE: Apr 3, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Importance of securing a source with absolute best water quality’

The unsung heroes of Colorado’s water sectors are the local public water providers. At the turn of the century, our town mothers and fathers repeatedly made strategic and visionary decisions...

DATE: Mar 31, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Poetry takes only a mind looking for answers’

Poetry is first and foremost a connection between oneself and their world. Poetry, now more than ever, is incredibly important. It is vital to our understanding of our existence. When I read...

DATE: Mar 31, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Super Bowl ‘ad failed to capture’ foot-washing, Holy Week message

During the Super Bowl last month, a Christian organization ponied up millions of dollars for a commercial that confused more people than it inspired. That is too bad, during this Holy Week, ...

DATE: Mar 29, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Bears Ears’ ‘integrity matters less than political gamesmanship’

Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument rarely leaves the news. The political tussle over this stunning expanse of red rock canyons exemplifies all the cultural dissonance in the rural West. Thr...

DATE: Mar 27, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Not understanding how women prefer depraved, demented old guy as Trump’

Now, I’m a guy and don’t understand women, something two former wives and a daughter have frequently told me. But listening to President Joe Biden’s recent State of the Union Address and fol...

DATE: Mar 24, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Conserve what’s best about the Dolores’

The Dolores Canyons region in western Colorado is a quintessential western landscape – high, wide and wild. Dolores country is home to a diverse array of wildlife, from mountain lions and tu...

DATE: Mar 24, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Don’t have confidence to explain what I’m thinking’

I am often asked what changes I notice as my Alzheimer’s disease progresses. The overarching symptom is lack of confidence. I was lucky before in that I had an abundance of confidence in alm...

DATE: Mar 24, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Hunters, anglers lost an ally by opposing my confirmation’

I recently resigned from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife commission in the face of opposition from hunting, outfitting and livestock producer groups. The opposition to my confirmation provid...

DATE: Mar 22, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

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