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Category Archives: 2007
Cities mull the ethics of taxing groceries
If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat… Since the Beatles’ George Harrison penned those bitter lyrics in 1966, not much has changed. Governments still rely on taxes to … Continue reading
Published in April 2007
County works to deal with growth-related problems
The development boom in Montezuma County is creating a few headaches for county officials. On the one hand, they have to deal with developers who follow the rules but whose subdivisions prove controversial for various reasons. On the other, they … Continue reading
Published in April 2007
Local women debate need for HPV vaccine
Is the pharmaceutical industry trying to pull one over on us, or is the new HPV vaccine the key to preventing cervical cancer in young girls? The Centers for Disease Control have approved a vaccine that protects women against … Continue reading
Published in April 2007
Podunovich finds her voice in performance poetry
Some poets publish poetry. Some perform it. Some create poetry for family and friends. Some write it in private journals. Renee Podunovich has done all of that. At this moment, she’s into performance poetry. “I really like the idea … Continue reading
Published in April 2007, Arts & Entertainment
The growing problem of graffiti
Each morning as Rick Becher opens his plumbing shop on South Washington Street in Cortez, he wonders what new damage has been done during the night to his building’s alley wall and garage door. Becher, owner of Rick’s Plumbing, … Continue reading
Published in April 2007
‘The stink’? A talk about the term ‘Anasazi’
Craig Childs discusses his new book and the ancient culture that did not vanish “Earth is the region of the fleeting moment,” sang Tecayehuatzin, Aztec prince of Huexotzinco, in a Nahuatl poem. (Leon-Portilla, 1969-81.) The 1995 Desert Writers’ Workshop reading … Continue reading
Published in -March 2007
Planning board says no to 44-lot subdivision
A 44-lot subdivision with no water source other than residential cisterns got a resounding no from the Montezuma County Planning Commission in late February. The planning commission voted 5-1 to recommend denying the developers’ request for AR 3-9 zoning … Continue reading
Published in -March 2007
Goodtimes’ work shows why poetry matters
Editor’s note: Art Goodtimes of Norwood, Colo., is a county commissioner in San Miguel County, serving his third term. He is the highest-ranking elected Green Party official in the state. In addition, he’s a columnist for several papers, including the … Continue reading
Published in -March 2007, Arts & Entertainment
From herons to hummingbirds: Four Corners a birder’s paradise, but habitat loss, drought threaten species
Regardless of how much members of the class aves are disparaged by us beastmasters — “bird brain,” “for the birds,” “give him the bird,” and so on — many homo sapiens find them endlessly fascinating. Think of it. There … Continue reading
Published in -March 2007
Following in his footsteps: Author documents locations in L’Amour’s novels
“Louis L’Amour has been a major activity. . . since I retired from the oil business in 1992,” Bert Murphy drawls into the telephone from his home near Roswell, N.M. Since then, he has spent his time finding locations L’Amour … Continue reading
Published in -March 2007, Arts & Entertainment
County revved-up for new motorcycle rally
For the first time, the Montezuma County Commission has given the green light to a motorcycle rally. The commissioners voted 3-0 on Feb. 26 to grant a high-impact permit to Montezuma Rally Inc., a local group, to have a motorcycle … Continue reading
Published in -March 2007
Scenery: priceless; Jobs: hard to find
Leaders struggle to boost the economy of Southwest Colorado Last summer, when the Montezuma County commissioners were considering whether to permit a motorcycle rally to take place over Labor Day weekend, organizers for the Rally in the Rockies frequently argued … Continue reading
Published in -February 2007
Locals find raising guide dogs is a labor of love
The holiday travelers waited patiently at the Cortez Municipal Airport to board their flight for Denver. When the last passenger made her way through the metal detector, the alarm sounded. “We’ll have to pat her down,” a security officer … Continue reading
Published in -February 2007
An easy-to-read book with a hard message
There’s no reason you should’ve ever heard of Mukhtar Mai, one face of many in Punjab Province, Pakistan. But, once you’ve read one page of her story, “In the Name of Honor,” you’ll find she’s impossible to forget. In simple … Continue reading
Published in -February 2007, Arts & Entertainment
Defying tradition: An exhibit showcases the art of a Pueblo woman who chose her own path
In 1918 a baby was born at New Mexico’s Santa Clara Pueblo. Her grandmother named her Tse Tsan (Golden Dawn), and began explaining that women filled traditional roles of mother and wife at Santa Clara. Then, at age 6, Tse … Continue reading
Published in -February 2007, Arts & Entertainment
Buy-local movement gains steam in area
Not so long ago, residents of Southwest Colorado relied on their own abilities to provide for their families — planting and growing a garden, raising chickens and slaughtering some hogs and cattle. People alive today remember salting, curing and … Continue reading
Published in -February 2007
Ag producers raising questions about survey
Many Montezuma County farmers and ranchers recently received the “2006 Agricultural Identification Survey” from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. It is a detailed questionnaire with 22 multiple- choice questions: What acreage do you own, rent or use rent-free; what … Continue reading
Published in -February 2007
How did this happen?
How on earth did this happen? Lots of smart people (and even notso- smart ones, such as myself) saw it coming and spoke out against it. Right from the first – not after it became politically safe and – possibly … Continue reading
Published in -January 2007, David Long
Taking off the white gloves
By 1918, the National American Woman Suffrage Association had struggled for 150 years to win the vote. “They were so polite,” sighs Boulder, Colo., novelist Sybil Downing, whose own grandmother worked for Suffrage. “(They) pleaded and reasoned.” And they failed. … Continue reading
Published in -January 2007
Power-plant debate heats up
Power plants seem to be growing increasingly unpopular. While debate rages over plans to build a 1,500-megawatt power plant on Navajo Nation land south of Shiprock, N.M., some critics are challenging plans by Tri-State Generation and Transmission, Empire Electric’s energy … Continue reading
Published in -January 2007
Out of tune with community needs?
People traveling along Highway 184, slipping past Summit Lake on their way from Dolores to Mancos, probably aren’t turning the radio dial in the car to check in for local traffic updates. But when searching the airwaves, this Four Corners … Continue reading
Published in -January 2007
Will a much-touted project to revamp the Four Corners end up as a monumental failure?
Four tattered and sun-bleached state flags flap in a crisp breeze that stirs up an occasional dust devil. A wide arc of plywood vendor stalls stand mostly empty, but people at one or two are hawking jewelry, pottery, T-shirts and … Continue reading
Published in -January 2007