Opinion Columns – The Durango Herald

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‘Truest form of patriotism, a love that isn’t complacent’

Patriotism did not bring my grandfather to the Army recruiter’s office in 1956. Poverty did. A youth spent picking cotton and working odd jobs to help feed his family meant that he was a goo...

‘Baby-boomer cohorts lazy about issues we cared so passionately about’

I will forever be grateful to our former public defender, a man I greatly admire, a man who helped change my life for the better. Back in the late 1980s, I taught a class at Durango High Sch...

DATE: Jul 7, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Rooted in long-standing traditions of hunting, fishing, exploring wild places’

As a proud member of the Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and a proponent of the Sportsmen for the Dolores coalition, I am writing to voice my strong support for the designa...

DATE: Jul 7, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

On wolves: Ballot box ‘right framework for ethical issues’

Since the passage of Proposition 114, which mandated the restoration of gray wolves to Colorado, there has been a steady stream of condemnation of what critics, including some members of the...

DATE: Jul 5, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Taught to think with our wallets, not our brains’

After the first presidential debate, the whole nation is panicked because one candidate can’t stop lying and the other can’t stop stuttering . . . because all we have left is a choice betwee...

DATE: Jul 5, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Politics ‘a world of personal attacks, most outrageous lies imaginable’

Here we are at the end of June. Another “high point” in the never-ending election cycle that defines politics in this country. When I was young, elections were fairly limited in their time f...

DATE: Jun 30, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Disingenuous to place blame on energy producers versus consumers’

Vermont recently passed a law intended to “fine” oil and gas companies for damages caused by climate change. Vermont is joining more than two dozen cities and states, which are suing Exxon a...

DATE: Jun 30, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Politics ‘a world of personal attacks, most outrageous lies imaginable’

Here we are at the end of June. Another “high point” in the never-ending election cycle that defines politics in this country. When I was young, elections were fairly limited in their time f...

DATE: Jun 30, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

It will cost you: ‘Climate change slows economic growth’

Thirty-eight trillion dollars per year! Climate change – especially global warming – slows economic growth around the world. By mid-century, year-on-year economic impacts (compared to a non-...

DATE: Jun 30, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Learned the hard way clinical depression needs medical care’

Maybe I’m destined for cycles of deep depression. I’ve just come out of another that left me drained of any hope. The new drug cocktail I’m taking now might be the magic bullet. I pray so. T...

DATE: Jun 30, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘By almost any measure, charter schools succeeding’

With all the challenges we face in Colorado, it was truly astonishing to see several Denver-area politicians introduce a bill this past legislative session attempting to tear down one of the...

DATE: Jun 28, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Truth in West: ‘Many wetlands result of irrigated agriculture’

Imagine Westerners waking up one morning only to discover that many of their most cherished wetlands have dried up, gone. This is not fiction during these times of determining the true value...

DATE: Jun 28, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Photos and video: Going for the gold by devouring piesContestants try their best to win the Oscar’s Pie Eating Contest on Friday in Durango

Contestants try their best to win the Oscar’s Pie Eating Contest on Friday in Durango

Photo: Fireworks light the sky in DurangoDurango celebrates Independence Day on Thursday night

Durango celebrates Independence Day on Thursday night

Photos: Working with woodLocal craftsman uses wood joinery, rather than nails or screws to construct homes and other structures

Local craftsman uses wood joinery, rather than nails or screws to construct homes and other structures

2024 Fourth of July Parade draws crowd Thursday in downtown Durango

Photos: Downtown Durango hosts Fourth of July ParadeDowntown sidewalks were full for Thursday’s celebration

Downtown sidewalks were full for Thursday’s celebration

Durango Rotary Club, Parks and Recreation department host Independence Day events

Law enforcement conducts active threat training at Park Elementary SchoolResidents may see and hear police activity Thursday and Friday

Law enforcement agencies across Southwest Colorado sent officers to participate in active threat training this week at Park Elementary School in Durango. Those in the neighborhood can expect police vehicles parked on the premises, officers in tactical gear conducting exercises inside and outside the school, and signs advising that training is in progress. The sounds of shouting, airsoft weapons and the popping of a starter pistol will also be audible near the school, said Karla Sluis, spokeswoman for Durango School District 9-R.Sluis said that members of the school district’s safety department have gone door-to-door with flyers notifying residents around Park Elementary School about the training.

Hosted by the Durango Police Department and the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, this week’s voluntary training invited officers from law enforcement agencies across a five-county region of Southwest Colorado encompassing La Plata, Archuleta, San Juan, Montezuma and Dolores counties.

La Plata County Sheriff’s Office deputy Mike Latham, lead instructor for this week's training, said Wednesday and the first half of Thursday were mostly preparatory, teaching officers the school’s layout and devising scenarios, whereas the latter half of Thursday and Friday residents should anticipate some noise as active threat scenarios play out.

Latham said active threat training teaches officers proper protocol during active threat scenarios, especially in densely populated areas where they have become increasingly common.Park Elementary School is not the only Durango School District facility law enforcement has conducted active threat training. Latham said schools lend themselves well to this sort of training because, “It gives us all kinds of doors to work on, different rooms, different scenarios we can run. We can pretend it’s a mall with nice big corridors, we can even pretend it’s an outdoor area in the gymnasium.”Latham has participated in active threat training multiple times in the past and described the drills as exhilarating and nerve-wracking. He said one of the training’s main goals is teaching officers how to manage stress and remain calm with lives on the line.

“I take a pulse oximeter in the morning and get a baseline on their heart rates,” Latham said. “And sometimes, just before they’re about to engage a threat, I say ‘Timeout.’ Put it (the oximeter) on there, and their heart rate’s skyrocketed to 140, 150, 160 just in training.”

Latham said throughout his career active threat training has evolved to become safer for officers and fall in line with increasingly professional police standards.“When I first started we were just running into halls and rooms hoping for the best,” Latham said. “Now the tactic is still to get there, still stop the taking of lives, but tactics are much better than they were 20 years ago.”

Residents may see and hear police activity Thursday and Friday

Photos: Flower powerDurango Botanic Gardens holds 11th annual ‘Gardens on Tour’ on Saturday

Durango Botanic Gardens holds 11th annual ‘Gardens on Tour’ on Saturday

Wil Collins shot 6-under-par on Sunday, 18-under-par overall, to win the tournament at Hillcrest Golf Club

Photos: 2024 Burro Fest puts local arts, music and food on displayOn Saturday, more than 1,000 people head to Mancos for burrosFor the town of Mancos and its businesses, it’s the biggest day of the year, said Stephanie Hallum, event coordinator for Mancos Creative District, in an interview with The Journal.This year’s Burro Fest featured 10 animal artists, a Makers Market with 20 additional local artists and makers, live bands, a kids area, a silent auction and food trucks.Photo gallery by Ilana Newman, for The Journal

On Saturday, more than 1,000 people head to Mancos for burros

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