Columnists - The Journal

James: Strong words and actions

Tyranny, conformity, risk and change are strong words. I imagine the men with powdered ponytails and short pants understood them all too well. They could and would no longer con...

DATE: Jan 15, 2018 | CATEGORY: Watch Yore Topknot

Sheek: Cortez gets an updated, user-friendly website

At the Tuesday council workshop, Jon Brooks, Manager of Marketing and Events, unveiled the I had the privilege of getting a sneak preview to prepare for this column, and I must say that I ...

DATE: Jan 11, 2018 | CATEGORY: From the Mayor

Samuelson: The curious disconnect between politis and the economy

WASHINGTON – For President Trump, a lot is riding on the economy in 2018. If it continues to do well, it should bolster his popularity and his claim that he understands it better than his cr...

DATE: Jan 9, 2018 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Parker: With her new role, Gretchen Carlson wins again

WASHINGTON – If karma is a b---h, then justice is a beauty queen. After recent revelations that the CEO of the Miss America Organization and its pageant scriptwriter were talking ...

DATE: Jan 4, 2018 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Life in Big Bend and the young Cortez in 1885

I was born in Kansas in the Indian Territory in 1870. About five years of age, I came with my family to Colorado, where we lived for a short time. When I was fifteen years, old D...

DATE: Jan 2, 2018 | CATEGORY: Looking back

Going ’round in circles

The sky is a beautiful blue, and there’s just enough chill in the air to make it fresh. Buzz and I are loping great big one-eighth-mile circles. He has his head down and just eno...

DATE: Jan 1, 2018 | CATEGORY: Watch Yore Topknot

The 10 best things Trump has done in his first year

As we approach the end of President Donald Trump’s first year in office, the list of extraordinary things he has done - for both good and ill - is nothing short of remarkable. Tr...

DATE: Jan 1, 2018 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Rankin: Preparing Colorado’s students for an unforeseen future

I attended the Summit on Education Reform in Nashville, Tennessee. Jeb Bush opened the conference and repeated a quote from the first conference in 2008: “The country’s school system is an 8...

DATE: Dec 29, 2017 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

James: Gettin’ all wound up

I just finished a great Zane Grey book, Riders of the Purple Sage, and am halfway through another titled Tonto Basin. They’re both great stories, and the main characters’ lives are influence...

DATE: Dec 28, 2017 | CATEGORY: Watch Yore Topknot

Samuelson: GOP tax cut erodes budget discipline even further

WASHINGTON – What I most dislike about the Trump/Republican tax plan is the shameless cynicism with which it has been peddled. Recall how it works: The government borrows $1.5 tr...

DATE: Dec 25, 2017 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Philip Runck and the spirit of Christmas

Apples were king for rancher, and he shared the wealth during the holidays

DATE: Dec 23, 2017 | CATEGORY: Looking back

Childs: Rep. Tipton, do you remember home?

The sun is just up here in Western Colorado, another brilliant blue sky day, which makes me think of you in Washington, far from the canyons, mesas and mountains where you grew up. ...

DATE: Dec 18, 2017 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns