Category Archives: July 2012

No containment on Air Park Fire (web only)

The Air Park Fire south of Durango, measured at 514 acres at 7 p.m. Sunday, did not make any significant runs during the night. According to the Durango Interagency Dispatch Center, a very small amount of precipitation fell over the … Continue reading

Published in July 2012

Fire near Durango prompts pre-evacuation order (web only)

DURANGO – The Airpark Fire, reported at noon today south of Durango, has grown to an estimated 500 acres as of 7 p.m. Sunday, according to the Durango Interagency Fire Center. A pre-evacuation order has been put in place and reverse … Continue reading

Published in July 2012

Fire restrictions eased on public lands (web only)

Effective Friday, July 13, 2012, fire restrictions will be lifted at higher elevations and eased at lower elevations of the San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado. Updated maps, which show specific boundaries for the specific zones considered higher and … Continue reading

Published in July 2012

Primary voters lean toward the middle

Victors in Montezuma County commission races are viewed as moderate Montezuma County voters stuck to the middle of the Republican road in the June 26 primary, choosing two county-commissioner candidates who were widely viewed as more moderate than some of … Continue reading

Published in July 2012

Is climate change to blame? Researchers predict future years will bring more wildfires, heat waves

As wildfires sweep through swaths of the West, turning forests, grasslands and even homes into charred ruins, many scientists say the destructive blazes are linked to climate change. And, they say, things are only going to get worse unless carbon … Continue reading

Published in July 2012

Locals’ views differ on warming theory

Local citizens tend to view climate change through the lens of their political viewpoint, with progressives accepting it as a fact and conservatives regarding it with skepticism or downright scorn. Curtis Heeter, co-chair of the Southwest Colorado Greens, said he … Continue reading

Published in July 2012

The debate over a Navajo-Hopi water settlement rages on

While people everywhere in the drought-stricken Southwest pray for rain, powerful energy and mining corporations, politicians, grassroots citizens and tribal-government leaders are praying for their share of water from the Little Colorado River. But no one can agree on who … Continue reading

Published in July 2012

A judge overturns a license for the Piñon Ridge uranium mill

A key permit required for the Piñon Ridge uranium mill in Montrose County, Colo., to move forward has been revoked by a Colorado court citing a flawed public hearing process. On June 13, Denver District Judge John McMullen invalidated Energy … Continue reading

Published in July 2012 Tagged

Low-altitude flights to undergo new impact study

The U.S. Air Force has for now backed off its controversial proposal to conduct nighttime, low-altitude training missions over the deserts, mountains and towns of the Four Corners region. Cannon Air Force Base had proposed flying sorties of the C-130J … Continue reading

Published in July 2012

Life with Singers: An exhibit at The Farm showcases the family’s artistry

Sometimes a genome just gets stronger, better and bolder as it passes into the next generation. So it is with the artistic skill emerging in three generations of the Singer family who are native to Gray Mountain, a vast monocline … Continue reading

Published in July 2012