Columnists - The Journal

Keeping our sights on protecting the Dolores River Canyons, our Western heritage, and outdoor recreation economy

This fall, we visited the heart of the Dolores River Canyons in Western Colorado. I biked an old mining road that overlooked the Paradox Valley where Utah’s La Sal Mountains rose above the r...

DATE: Jan 22, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Though we cannot prevent lightning strikes or high winds, there are things we can do

It is mid-January as I am writing this. I look out at the pastures and crop fields here in the North Valley and I see the tans and browns that I have looked at since November. The tractors a...

DATE: Jan 22, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

A slippery business

What is black’s best move?

DATE: Jan 20, 2025 | CATEGORY: Columnists

Bureaucracy is made up of people we know, and is not all bad

Bureaucracy is an example of a “devil term” in today’s politics. All you have to do is mention the word, and people think of waste, excessive size, barriers to getting things done, impersona...

DATE: Jan 15, 2025 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

The better part of valor

What is black’s best move?

DATE: Jan 14, 2025 | CATEGORY: Columnists

A historic anniversary: The Battle of New Orleans

On Jan. 8, we celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, which ended the War of 1812 with the British. That war was not popular at the time, and has been treated negatively by A...

DATE: Jan 8, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Still waiting for a sign along U.S. Highway 550

Dear Action Line: What is the purpose of this very expensive sign in the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 550 about a mile south of the intersection with County Road 220? I have not seen...

DATE: Jan 6, 2025 | CATEGORY: Action Line

The woman behind the jeans

DIAG 1 The World Blitz Championship Tournament concluded last week in New York shortly before the ball fell in Times Square. After a hard-fought finals match that went deep into the tie...

DATE: Jan 5, 2025 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner

Jimmy Carter seeded Colorado’s renewable energy leadership

Jimmy Carter had an underappreciated role in Colorado’s story. It started in May 1978 when he announced that the Solar Energy Research Institute in Golden would get $100 million in federal f...

DATE: Jan 5, 2025 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

A legacy of conservation: Honoring Aldo Leopold’s land ethic and 30 years of CCALT’s mission

As we mark the 75th anniversary of Aldo Leopold’s “A Sand County Almanac” and approach the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, we find ourse...

DATE: Dec 31, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

To go long or short?

DIAG 1 The World Championship Rapid Chess Tournament ran Dec. 26-28 in New York and was literally played on Wall Street. The top three winners were all Russian. The historic surprise of...

DATE: Dec 30, 2024 | CATEGORY: Columnists

The gift

It was Dec. 25 and the first day of the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah. As the Rabbi’s son, little Charley, crawled into bed, he made a Hanukkah wish and dreamed of playing Santa in a game of...

DATE: Dec 23, 2024 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner