Guest Columns - The Journal

When it comes to survival, don’t bet against this fish

I love fish – the way they look, the way they fry up, the secret lives they live under the water. And of all the fish in the sea, river or lake, I most prize those that descended from the gr...

DATE: Jun 9, 2021 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Vote ’Yes’ on broadband ballot issue to improve service to Cortez area

On June 8 residents of Cortez will be asked to vote on a ballot issue exempting the City of Cortez from Senate Bill 152. SB 152 was passed by the Colorado legislature in 2005 after much lobb...

DATE: May 24, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Area youth vape, smoke at alarming rates

In 2017, Colorado reported higher youth vape use than any other state in the country. In 2019, one in four Colorado youths reported vaping, and in Montezuma County, the numbers were even hig...

DATE: May 19, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Transportation is a priority for small business, workers

Communities in Southwest Colorado have historically thrived because of the in- and out-of-state tourists that come to enjoy our limitless outdoor recreation opportunities and gorgeous vistas...

DATE: May 12, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Housing prices are over the moon

One hundred and fifteen thousand dollars. That’s what it takes for a down payment to buy an average-priced home in Durango. Then an aspiring homeowner must fork out another $2,900 each month...

DATE: May 12, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Writers on the Range: Pumping up fear on the Colorado River

Some Colorado River tribulations today remind me of a folk story: A young man went to visit his fiancé and found the family trembling and weeping. They pointed to the ceiling, where an axe w...

DATE: Apr 27, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Our View: Decline to sign animal cruelty ballot initiative

Don’t sign animal cruelty ballot initiative

DATE: Apr 27, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Jeff Kass: Columbine reporter connects the dots between mass shootings

I was one of the first reporters on scene at the Columbine shootings on April 20, 1999. And I covered it continuously, as a local newspaper reporter and eventually as a book author, for 10 y...

DATE: Apr 21, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Jack Turner: Both political parties practice voter suppression

There is great media focus on the Republican-dominated legislatures determined to unfairly reduce, restrict or eliminate likely Democratic Party voters – just look at the Major League Baseba...

DATE: Apr 20, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Benjamin Bellorado: Bears Ears murals, rock art, textiles deserve protection

For decades, the iconic archaeological sites of the stunning canyon country of Bears Ears in southeastern Utah have captivated the imaginations of visitors from around the world. While hiki...

DATE: Apr 13, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Michael Fields: 10 ideas for a GOP “Contract with Colorado”

A week after this last election, I wrote a column saying that Republicans need to develop a “Contract with Colorado” based on conservative policy proposals that 55% or more of voters support...

DATE: Mar 24, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Writers on the Range: An Idaho congressman aims to dump dams

Rep. Mike Simpson is a conservative Republican from Idaho whose concept of wildness in the 1990s was going into the rough at a golf course. He fought higher taxes and remains a strong advoc...

DATE: Mar 23, 2021 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns