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Category Archives: 2005
Albuquerque exhibit explores Spain’s soul
“(The city) has never seen a show quite like this,” boasts the Albuquerque Museum’s web page featuring “El Alma de España: The Soul of Spain,” an art show which opened May 15 in the brand-new North Gallery. It’s the first … Continue reading
Published in Arts & Entertainment, June 2005
Pray tell: What’s the difference between a democracy and a theocracy?
Is it just me, or is anyone else getting fed up with this country’s Christian majority? Even after last fall’s election installed several more of “their kind” in Congress, these Bible Belters and Thumpers are still constantly complaining that their … Continue reading
Published in David Long, May 2005
Rover by nimble, Sparky be quick
Dog agility popular in Cortez Each week, a group of dog lovers from throughout the county gathers for an evening of running, jumping, weaving and climbing. Although the dogs do much of the work, the human members of Montezuma Agility … Continue reading
Published in May 2005
Is too much of Mesa Verde off limits?
Hikers looking to explore the vast backcountry at Mesa Verde National Park have few options, a criticism often heard from locals but defended by archaeologists as necessary to protect the park’s fragile historic resources. But with the park’s 100-year anniversary … Continue reading
Published in May 2005
Budget crunch worries Dolores teachers: Group brings concerns to school board
As the Dolores School District Re-4A begins work on a budget for the 2005/06 school year, a group of teachers presented concerns about the forthcoming budget during the Dolores school board’s regular meeting April 21. The group has been dubbed … Continue reading
Published in May 2005
Bike-share program coming to Dolores
The students at Southwest Open School are at it again. Service, that is. This spring’s annual Mountain Biking class is preparing a service project intended to help the community of Dolores by providing free bikes for town use. The Mountain … Continue reading
Published in May 2005
On top of my pyramid
For the past two weeks, I’ve been on what my chiropractor calls a “detox diet.” This diet is supposed to purge my liver and colon of all the toxins I ingested during my three-week Easter egg diet. My meals now … Continue reading
Published in janelle holden, May 2005
Do family values include whores in the White House?
It’s getting to the point where that old saw — believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you read — may need to be revamped. Perhaps to: Believe nothing of what you hear, read or see, … Continue reading
Published in April 2005, David Long
‘Mr. Gordy’ helps teach the joy of reading
At the age of 86, Cortez resident Gordon Milligan still knows the joy of being of service. For the past eight years Milligan has worked to assist first- and secondgraders at Manaugh Elementary School with reading. He also helps Beech … Continue reading
Published in April 2005
Hurdles to mental-health care abound
Budget cuts, area’s remoteness can hinder treatment A man is brought to the emergency room, chattering incoherently and describing things only he can see. He isn’t drunk or under the influence of another drug. A social worker is sent to … Continue reading
Published in April 2005
Tagged mental health
Have you heard the buzz?
Tom Herzog likes the sounds of silence. That’s why, in 1994, he bought 45 acres on Haycamp Mesa in Montezuma County, land surrounded largely by the San Juan National Forest. His nearest neighbor is 3 miles away. “I was a … Continue reading
Published in April 2005
For rafters, happy days are here again
Crowds expected for first good season in years For the first time in four years, whitewater rapids will likely return to the lower Dolores River canyon this spring, bringing boaters a much-needed thrill and revitalizing a drought-stricken river with a … Continue reading
Published in April 2005
Birding festival has Cortez a-flutter
This April brings a new event to Montezuma County, the Ute Mountain Mesa Verde Birding Festival. Offered through a partnership with the Forest Service, BLM, San Juan Mountains Association, Mesa Verde Country, Ute Mountain Tribal Park, Mesa Verde National Park, … Continue reading
Published in April 2005, Arts & Entertainment
Cinderella strikes again
I briefly considered writing this column about current affairs, but had second thoughts when I scanned through recent headlines. About the only news that struck a chord with me was the tidbit that Martha Stewart used dandelions and wild apples … Continue reading
Published in April 2005, janelle holden
Wolves at the door?
Debates rage over how, and whether, to return the animals to Colorado Number 293, as she was known, was born and raised in the Swan Lake pack of northern Yellowstone National Park before she became the first confirmed wild wolf … Continue reading
Published in March 2005
Remote hiking path center of controversy
Geyser Trail dispute exemplifies conflicts when public, private lands meet Disagreement is bubbling hot over the future of a remote Southwest Colorado trail that leads to the only natural geyser in the state. The 1 1/2-mile Geyser Hot Springs Trail, … Continue reading
Published in March 2005
Readers weigh in on the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The bad news is only 14 readers took the time to respond to our survey on “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Our Area” in our January issue. The good news is the responses were all interesting and … Continue reading
Published in March 2005
Hell on earth: Women’s accounts of polygamy
“And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given to him; therefore is he justified. But if one or other of the ten virgins, … Continue reading
Published in March 2005
Tougher laws aren’t the answer, DPA maintains
The burgeoning popularity of methamphetamine has prompted calls for tougher laws and longer sentences for offenders. But many critics question the wisdom of looking to law enforcement to squelch meth abuse. Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, … Continue reading
Published in February 2005
A ticking time bomb
Meth use explodes, but treatment options remain limited Along with the mantra, “Sex, drugs and rock’n’roll,” the ’60s counterculture offered this warning: “Speed kills.” And prophetically, the abuse of speed — which back then came largely in the form … Continue reading
Published in February 2005
A sheriff’s deputy plunges into her job
On her first day of work, Vigil rescues a couple from icy Narraguinnep The sheriff’s deputy quickly stripped off her duty belt and tied the rope around her waist. Motivated by the frantic screams of the two people struggling in … Continue reading
Published in February 2005
Lead clean-up in Rico set to begin in spring
In Rico, a history of hard-rock mining has left behind dangerous levels of lead on the properties of some residents, prompting a clean-up program expected to begin this spring. Under supervision from the EPA and the Colorado Department of Public … Continue reading
Published in February 2005
Greenlee convicted of 2nd-degree murder
The January trial and conviction of a Cortez man for second-degree murder cast a spotlight on the shadowy world of methamphetamine use in Montezuma County. Farrell Greenlee, now 35, killed 23 year-old Marcie Stewart with a shotgun blast to the … Continue reading
Published in February 2005
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb
I was lying flat on my back, staring at my chiropractor’s ceiling while he lectured me, once again, for doing something stupid. I was just beginning to heal from a wrestling match with a 200-pound garbage can the week before, … Continue reading
Published in February 2005, janelle holden
Tiny Mosquitoes Cause Big Fuss :West Nile intensifies debate over pest-control methods
In the dead of winter, few people are thinking about mosquitoes. The 2004 season ended, at least in Southwest Colorado, on a positive note, with experts happy that the West Nile Virus did not strike more drastically than it might … Continue reading
Published in January 2005
Roads create conflict at Cedar Mesa
Conflicts involving poorly crafted, unclear covenants are fairly common among residents of new subdivisions in the Southwest, where idyllic rural developments continue to sprout like encroaching cheatgrass and spread like drought-fueled wildfires. But since last spring, some heated disagreements … Continue reading
Published in January 2005
Possibility of polygamist sect near Mancos raises questions
Most people have an idea of what polygamy (or plural marriage) is. Some even know the history of the Mormon Church and this lifestyle. What many do not understand are the implications for a small-town community into which a group … Continue reading
Published in January 2005
New public-lands fee measure passes
Congress has given final approval to a major expansion of a controversial system that charges citizens fees for entering public lands. In a move that avoided public scrutiny and Congressional debate, the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act was inserted at … Continue reading
Published in January 2005