Opinion Columns – The Journal

Editorial cartoon: Wes Rowell

DATE: Jul 12, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Achieve promise our founders envisioned’

The League of Women Voters of Montezuma County recently hosted the screening of the documentary, “Undivide Us,” which “challenges the idea that citizens who disagree are not capable of civil...

DATE: Jul 10, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Achieve promise our founders envisioned’

The League of Women Voters of Montezuma County recently hosted the screening of the documentary, “Undivide Us,” which “challenges the idea that citizens who disagree are not capable of civil...

DATE: Jul 10, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Ballot not way to manage wildlife’

The previous Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioners were very circumspect about the wolf issue. It is not surprising that the proposal to intentionally release wolves was formerly rebuffe...

DATE: Jul 10, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Town halls for Dem ticket: ‘Think the Super Bowl with Taylor Swift in stands’

Mark my words: Joe Biden is going to be out of the 2024 presidential race. Whether he is ready to admit it or not. His pleas to congressional Democrats for support will not unite the party b...

DATE: Jul 10, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Our View: Historic Cortez Coloring Book delightful look at heritage

It may seem out of the ordinary for Colorado Public Radio to feature a story about a coloring book. And we can’t say we’ve ever opined about one. But the 2024 Historic Cortez Coloring Book i...

DATE: Jul 10, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Editorial cartoon

DATE: Jul 10, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘A wise man knows how to see himself’

President Joe Biden succeeded in accomplishing good policies for our future, recovering from Donald Trump’s chaotic disaster. But presidents don’t get to create and administrate good policie...

DATE: Jul 7, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Henson an exceptional public servant’

The city of Durango is lucky to employ many exceptional individuals. Unfortunately, one of their best has resigned. Former Housing Innovation Manager Eva Henson’s accomplishments during her ...

DATE: Jul 7, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Our View: VP’s access to Biden’s war chest brings potential for exposure

Dr. Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and contributor to The New York Times, shared a formal name for the mess that President...

DATE: Jul 7, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Editorial cartoon

DATE: Jul 7, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Replace train’s ‘airhorn with steam whistle’

I’ve lived here all of my adult life and one thing I find that doesn’t belong in Durango or the north Animas Valley and Hermosa is a diesel airhorn. So I have a solution. Why not just replac...

DATE: Jul 7, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Photos: Four Corners Motorcycle Rally returns to DurangoAnnual motorcycle event held on Saturday

Annual motorcycle event held on Saturday

Bulldogs defeat Plateau Valley 32-12 on Friday night

Montezuma-Cortez volleyball goes 0-2 on home floor

Former employees and area residents watch decommissioned power plant’s smoke stacks fall on Saturday

‘Fire in the hole’: Four smoke stacks demolished at San Juan Generating StationFormer employees and area residents watch decommissioned power plant’s smoke stacks fall on Saturday

WATERFLOW – “Fire in the hole,” could be heard before the explosion that rocked San Juan County, bringing down the smoke stacks at the San Juan Generating Station in Waterflow.Former employees and area residents began arriving around 7 a.m. Saturday to find a place to park in a dirt lot opposite the decommissioned power plant so they could witness the 9 a.m. Aug. 24 destruction of the stacks.“I don’t know what I’m feeling now,” Justin Yazzie said, with tears in his eyes as he watched the towers fall to the ground. Yazzie, 70, worked at the plant for 40 years and retired as a fuel and water analyst in the water laboratory.

“I was practically raised there,” he said.Working shifts, which included 12-hour days, he spent more time with co-workers than with his family.Yazzie said he has a lot of “good memories” that he shares with his former co-workers and other retirees. Despite the loss of the plant, he said he still favors fossil fuel and accessing it “ethically.”

“We need it. The people need jobs,” he said.Yazzie said he lives his tradition and culture. He farms the land and has cattle, which he “under grazes.”“I want to take care of the land, take care of Mother Earth,” Yazzie said, adding he did his part by putting solar panels on his house.Yazzie said the San Juan Generating Station “provided a good life of growing up for our kids.”“It also saved and left a good pension and 401-K to live comfortably,” he said. “I mostly feel sad for the next two generations that won’t have the opportunities I had.”As a single mother, Coral Singer also found opportunities to support her child by working at San Juan Generating Station. Singer worked as a server before she attended San Juan College for welding. She got a job as a boilermaker at the plant as a member of Local 627.She said the staff was 75% Native American, and “it was their bread and butter.”“Now we have to travel to find work,” Singer said. “It’s a sad day.”

Singer’s son, Franklin Miller, watched the stacks go down while he was by his mother’s side. He said he will be happy to see the land reclaimed.“We don’t get precipitation like we used to, and the native plants used in ceremonies and medicinal purposes don’t grow here like they used to,” Miller said, adding he believes this is because of the coal-fired plants.“We have to go deep in the forest to find the medicinal plants,” Miller said, adding the plant’s demolition will “help clean up the air and bring back the native plants.”Tom Harper worked at the plant for 10 years in the computer department working on a 40-year-old PBX system and network switches. He said he had “mixed feelings” about seeing the smoke stacks go down.“It was a fixture for so long in the area,” Harper said. The plant opened in 1973 and originally had four coal-burning units. Units 2 and 3 were closed in 2017, and Units 1 and 4 continued operating until September 2022, when those two units were retired.Units 1 and 2 were jointly owned by PNM and Tucson Electric Power, according to a news release from the Western Clean Energy Campaign.Units 3 and 4 provided power to PNM, plus a mix of municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and as far as California, the release said.

Former employees and area residents watch decommissioned power plant’s smoke stacks fall on Saturday

Aztec High football season in turmoil before opening gameNic Williams awaits word from school board regarding future as head coach

AZTEC – Parents and players representing the Aztec High School football team showed up Wednesday afternoon at the offices of the Aztec School district to support current head coach Nic Williams while the school district held meetings behind closed doors to determine the fate of the coach and other members of his coaching staff. More than a dozen football players, most of whom were accompanied by their parents, angrily sought answers from the board, which met privately with Williams who was put on paid administrative leave by the district earlier this week.In what was called a “predetermination meeting” with Williams and members of the board on Wednesday, the only news to come out of the meeting is that Williams will have a chance to defend himself against running a dangerous drill during a recent practice.

That meeting has not yet been scheduled, leaving many on the team to believe Williams will not be on the sidelines on Friday night when Aztec opens its regular season at Fred Cook Memorial Stadium against Rio Grande High School.An updated team roster on Maxpreps.com, which appears to have gone through numerous changes both before and after the Wednesday afternoon meeting, currently contains no one’s name on the active coaching roster. There had been as many as 11 names listed as either head coach or assistant coach before the roster was updated again late Wednesday evening. Aztec High School athletic director David Sweet denied there was a change at the head coaching position and that access to changes to the Maxpreps roster could only come from himself and Williams.

“There has not been a coaching change at this time and I did not implement that,” Sweet wrote in a text message to the Tri-City Record. “Me and coach Williams should be the only two people who have access to Maxpreps to make a change like that.”Players, many of whom have spent at least one or two seasons on the Tigers, voiced their frustration as they awaited answers from the board as to the status of their head coach.“It’s unfair what’s happening to (Williams),” said senior quarterback Angelo Griego. “He’s the first coach that we’ve had in awhile that’s believed in us and has given us a chance. Previous coaches haven’t given me a shot and now they’re trying to take it away from us.”Watch the interviews at the Tri-City Record’s YouTube channel, at: https://www.youtube.com/@tricityrecordnmWilliams was not informed of a coaching change at the Wednesday meeting and had no knowledge of the status of the rest of his coaching staff.“That’s for the administration to communicate with the public,” Williams said. “All I know is that I’m on administrative leave right now.”More than a handful of players who showed up in support of their head coach have suggested that they will not play on Friday if Williams isn’t on the sidelines.“This guy believes in us and these coaches are building us to not only be better players but better men,” said junior wide receiver/strong safety Jace Archuleta. “I appreciate our whole coaching staff and there’s just not going to be a football program if (Williams) gets fired.” In spite of the suggestion that players will not participate on Friday night, Williams wants his team to play and to win the first game of the season.“I love this place and I love these kids,” Williams said. “I wanted to make sure these kids were well-coached and make sure this community is happy. I want them to stay strong and play like you’ve never played before.”

Nic Williams awaits word from school board regarding future as head coach

Documentary aims to tell story of Kirtland Central girls basketball‘Kirtland Dynasty’ filmmaker in final phase of production for ambitious project

KIRTLAND – The story behind one of the most successful high school sports programs in America is about to be told to a national, if not international, audience with the help of an enterprising filmmaker and San Juan County native.Lynette Lewis, a graduate from Piedra Vista High School who lives and works in Phoenix, is in the final stages of making the documentary “Kirtland Dynasty,” which is likely to be released next year.The documentary features interviews and historic archived footage from the Kirtland Central girls basketball team, winners of 21 state championships dating to 1980. Lewis, who played basketball at Piedra Vista and has deep ties to the community, has had the support of coaches and administrators from schools in San Juan County and the Navajo Nation.

“I grew up knowing the impact of basketball in the community, and I looked up to a lot of these players who came up before me, and now as an adult, it inspired me to tell the story of this specific school that created this legacy,” said Lewis, 36. “I spoke with several players from the 1980 state championship team, and from there it just kind of trickled down where other players and coaches came out and participated.”In addition to producing and directing the documentary, Lewis serves as director of Basketball Operations and Program Development for the Native American Basketball Invitational, one of the most prestigious basketball tournaments for high school students in the country.Born in Shiprock, Lewis moved to Farmington and is working in Phoenix with former professional basketball players and coaches in hopes of promoting the sport for future generations. Her work with NABI, which dates to 2011, allows her to offer tournament management, consultation and basketball skills training services for Indigenous communities.

Lewis is Navajo and graduated from Piedra Vista High School in 2006. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University and has spent much of her professional career advocating for Native youths on and off the basketball court. Lewis has managed camps across Arizona and other parts of the country. “Giving back to the community is something we’re deeply committed to, and that comes in the form of basketball training camps and helping manage tournaments,” Lewis said.Lewis and her team of filmmakers shot footage of games from the 2022-23 season, as well as this past season as Kirtland Central worked its way to a third consecutive trip to the Class 4A state finals, which ended with the Broncos beating St. Pius at The Pit in Albuquerque last March.

That victory secured the Broncos’ 21st state title, which ranks them fourth in the country for most state titles by a girls high school basketball team. USA Today recently honored the Broncos with the distinction of being the national Girls Team of the Year by the newspaper company in the most recent High School Sports Awards. Lewis hopes the documentary will not only help tell the story of the team and its success, but also bring about added interest in basketball and the importance of the sport across the Navajo Nation.“The female representation of the sport is one that doesn’t get told enough,” Lewis said. “It’s hard as far as exposure is concerned, that even with as much talent as there is on the reservation, but there’s no one there to see it and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to do this.”

In addition to interviewing players and coaches from Kirtland Central, Lewis also explores other top basketball talent representing the Navajo Nation, including Navajo Prep athletic director and girls basketball coach Rainy Crisp. Navajo Prep won its latest Class 3A state championship this year.“Female Indigenous athletes mean a great deal to me, and I wanted to do something for my community and show people how immense the talent is out here,” Lewis said. “(Crisp) is someone who a lot of us look up to, and I wanted her presence in the documentary being a state champion player and coach.”The documentary focuses on former Kirtland Central greats like Nadia Begay-Watson, who played for the Broncos in the early 2000s before playing college basketball at Boise State University. Begay-Watson is Kirtland Central’s volleyball coach. Also featured in the documentary is Jaimey Reboca, who followed her prep career as a Bronco by playing two seasons at Montana State University.“Kirtland Dynasty” is in the final phases of production, including editing before the project gets pitched to national or international distributors like Netflix or Hulu. The editing and distribution process requires nearly $50,000 in funding in hopes of having the film be released by next summer.“Telling this story is really important to me, and I hope we can get the word out even more with the trailer out there,” Lewis said. “I think if we can keep getting the word out and promoting the film to the right people, we can have this out sometime next summer.”For more information about “Kirtland Dynasty,” email Lewis at info@lrlewisllc.com.

‘Kirtland Dynasty’ filmmaker in final phase of production for ambitious project

La Plata County Fair Demolition Derby all the (road) rage in IgnacioFierce competition, cash prizes and lasting friendships make up annual smash ’em up

People braved near 90 degree weather to fill the bleachers at the Sky Ute Fairgrounds in Ignacio on Saturday for an afternoon of fender benders, road rage and twisted metal at the La Plata County Fair Demolition Derby.The celebrated demolition derby, traditionally held at the La Plata County Fairgrounds in Durango, was moved to Ignacio this year because the county disallowed the event at the Durango location because of liability concerns.Beyond food and beverage vendors, including Jack-a-lope Acres’ roasted corn, Carrie Foster the Ice Cream Lady’s mobile treats, Roberts BBQ with briskets and quesadillas, derbyists in the rodeo arena revved their engines and locked fenders in the Stock Cap event, the first of four divisions to compete on Saturday.

The stock car division, featuring custom cars made for crashing, appeared to be the most popular event among contestants with nine participants compared to six participants in the Mini and Truck divisions slated for later in the day.A Limited Welding division was planned for the final event, wherein derbyists could pay a $50 entry fee to compete using special cars with stronger welds.Dominick Cisnerds driving car No. 18 took first place and $1,912 in prize money. Following in second was Darell Cordary in car No. 3, who won $1,147, and Ken Fusco in car No. 86 taking home $765.“I race stock cars. It’s an adrenaline rush. But the derby is way better,” Cordary said after the Stock Cap competition ended. “You just go out there and it’s legalized road rage. I mean, it’s a good time. Nothing like it. You beat each other up. Have a good time and you’re all friends at the end of the day.”John Farrell, owner of Farrell’s Welding and Cordary’s brother-in-law, watched with his friend Christian Alonzo of KDR Klutch from the pit on the south end of the arena.Farrell said he helped Cordary and other derbyists fix their vehicles up for the big day Saturday, as is tradition for longtime competitors.

“It’s fun. It’s awesome,” he said. “Everybody hangs out, puts in a little work and builds the car.”“See how long it lasts,” Alonzo chimed in.“See how long it lasts,” Farrell said, nodding his head. “Everybody helps each other. Daryl and Jamie (Patton, car No. 6), they compete against each other all the time, but they help each other all the time.”Ralph Brawley of Team 86 said his teammate Ken Fusco’s car No. 86 was built years ago just to get wrecked on Saturday.“We built that car five years ago,” he said. “Ken’s been out of commission for a while. He just came back. And now we got it running.”He said he loves the demolition derby because “you get to drive around and hit everybody.”“It’s like road rage at its best. And you’re allowed,” he said.He agreed with others that the derbyists are very cooperative in fixing up their vehicles before the big day. But the friendliness only lasts until they get into the arena.“Then it’s all over. Everybody’s open,” he said.The 2024 La Plata County Fair Demolition Derby is his 17th year participating, he said.“It’s all good. It’s a lot of fun. We wait every year for this. It’s too bad the county is against us. … (The Sky Ute Fairgrounds are) a great venue, too. It’s just, we lose our continuity with the fair,” he said.He said the Southern Ute Indian Tribe “bent over backward” to help realize the demolition derby in Ignacio this year.“The tribe has been wonderful. And then all our sponsors. … It’s great. We have a lot of people that really put a lot of good energy in with us, and it helps,” he said.Brawley said Team 86 is the only team in the La Plata County Demolition Derby that’s won all three divisions on the same day.

“I think it’s great,” Lin Dobbin, county fair demolition derby co-superintendent, said. “This is our first time here (in Ignacio). I’m very pleased.”She said she gives her thanks to the town of Ignacio and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe for hosting the derby.cburney@durangoherald.com

Fierce competition, cash prizes and lasting friendships make up annual smash ’em up

Photos: Ranch life rodeo in Cortez Montezuma County Fair Ranch Rodeo took place Friday

Montezuma County Fair Ranch Rodeo took place Friday

Durango mountain bikers place 7th and 13th in Paris 2024 Olympics men’s rideRiley Amos made his Olympic debut; Christopher Blevins overcame a flat tire

ELANCOURT, France – As defending champion Thomas Pidcock of Great Britain churned up the Olympic men’s mountain biking course at Elancourt Hill in France, riding like a madman to get back into the lead, he didn’t have the devil behind him.It was Durango’s Riley Amos.If Americans need reassurance that their first medal in the sport will be soon in coming, they need to look no further than the results of Amos and fellow Durangoan Christopher Blevins on Monday in the Paris 2024 men’s Olympic mountain biking race.Blevins, 26, recovered from a flat tire in the early laps to finish 13th in the 36-man field. That was a one-spot improvement over his Tokyo Olympics performance where he didn’t encounter such a setback.

Meanwhile Amos, making his Olympic bit his elite-level debut at age 22, proved he could keep pace with athletes like Pidcock, who grabbed the gold medal. His seventh-place finish goes down as the best Olympic result ever for an American man. Todd Wells, Amos’ first pro coach, previously set the standard with a 10th-place finish at the 2012 London Games.“There’s always been history at the Olympics,” Amos said, choking up over the enormity of his accomplishment. “So, to do that at 22 and have my absolute legends of the sport, Todd Wells and Chris (Blevins), be my mentors the past couple years and learn from them and move forward is a huge step for U.S. Mountain Biking. So, I’m thrilled.”

Amos may have been something of a mystery to many of the riders because he had not competed in a single UCI World Cup elite-level race. Instead, he has been ripping through the U23 circuit, winning all but one of eight World Cup races this season. He gained valuable UCI points along the way and his resulting spot on the front row of the Olympic race – reserved for the top eight riders – may have tipped off some of the other racers to his talents.If not, his ascension to the front of the pack for the first half lap or so of the race surely did.“I got swarmed really hard in the first two laps. Like, so aggressive, a super intro to racing with the big guys,” he said. “But at the same time, I definitely proved I’m competitive and really anything can happen on race day, and I just tried to slowly tick forward, rider after rider.”“I’m just so thankful to be here,” he added. “It’s amazing.”For a couple of laps early in the race, the Durango contingent raced if not with each other then just a few wheels away from each other toward the back of the lead group. The plan, Blevins said, was to conserve energy while staying within striking distance if an opportunity to move to the front presented itself.Feeling like he had more to give, though, Blevins moved in for a closer look at the leaders just before the start of the fourth lap of the eight-lap, roughly 21½-mile race. What he saw didn’t let the air out of his tire, but a puncture did.Blevins rode about half the course on the soft tire before reaching the area where racers are allowed to get mechanical help. The damage, though, had been done.“On top of the flat, you use that anaerobic faster in trying to come back to the group,” USA Cycling sports director Jim Miller said. “And then you don’t have the turbo button to press anymore.”Blevins kept pushing, though, and climbed at least three spots in the standings through attrition.“It was a really tall order to get (back into contention),” Blevins said. “I would have had to have near-magic legs, and I didn’t have those.”Pidcock had a pair, though.He was probably hoping to save them for next weekend’s men’s road race, where he will also represent Team GB. But Monday, he needed to tap into them for the mountain bike win.

Pidcock punctured his front tire on the fourth lap, just like Blevins. One big difference, though, was that Pidcock’s happened just as he was entering the assistance area. Even though it took his mechanics a moment to realize their rider needed a repair, they had him back on the course in seconds. He never even dropped out of the top eight.One of the first riders Pidcock, 25, came across as he rocketed back into medal contention was Amos. He said he had no illusions of being able to keep pace with the Renaissance cyclist who has won cyclocross titles and a stage of the 2022 Tour de France.“I definitely wasn’t trying to follow his wheel,” Amos said. “But it’s pretty cool to be in the mix with all those guys. I just had a smile on my face when I was on the wheel of a legend.”Pidcock returned to the lead pack with two laps to go. After battling with France’s Victor Koretzky nearly to the end – including a controversial clashing of tires as Pidcock passed on the final rocky section – the Brit seized the victory. He became just the third mountain biker to win back-to-back gold medals since the sport was added to the Olympic program in 1996.Koretzky secured the silver to the delight of thousands of French fans lining the course. Just two seconds behind him, South Africa’s Alan Hatherly became the first athlete from an African country to medal at an Olympic cycling event.They did it in 90-degree heat.

Thrilled with his result, Amos said he sees a bright future for the USA men’s mountain biking team. Frustrated with his, Blevins has the same outlook. Both said they plan to be in Los Angeles in 2028, but maybe this time they’ll be the guy to bring home the country’s first medal.“Giving everything at the Olympics is the goal, and I think I accomplished that,” Blevins said. “Obviously, I’m a bit disappointed to not be able to fight for the front positions. But that’s the sport. It’s part of it, and everybody goes through it. And you’ve just got to appreciate the opportunity. And I know I’ll be back.”Julie Jag is a former sports reporter for The Durango Herald and now works at the Salt Lake Tribune. She is covering the Summer Olympics from Paris.

Riley Amos made his Olympic debut; Christopher Blevins overcame a flat tire

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