Author: Durango Herald Editorial Board

In the last decade of the 19th century, with strikes and violence between corporate owners and workforces over working conditions and wages, a holiday to recognize labor’s value was created by its advocates. The original Labor Day had organized labor, unions or unions to be at its core, but the reduced demands would flow to…

Historians are at odds over why school calendars begin in the fall and summer is the season for breaks. Some say children helped on farms in summer. Others says cities were sweltering in June, July and August before air-conditioning. By the late 19th century, though, reformers pushed to standardize school calendars across urban and rural…

Note the bumper sticker, “Bikes, Durango’s replacement for horses.” Now, we’re witnessing another possible replacement and a sharp Durango divide – people hating on ebikes. And those who love that electric zip in their rides. More to the point, classic bike riders want novice ebikers to follow the rules of the road, and be courteous,…

During a year that is seeing worldwide unusually heavy rainfall and flooding, months of arid conditions and fires, and more triple digit days than usual, it couldn’t be more necessary for Congress to take a major first step toward slowing the increasingly threatening global climate change in this country. And it has. Nevermind the legislation’s…

As long as water flows clear, clean and freely from our faucets, we have a false sense of security. We’re removed from any urgency on securing water and building resiliency. Yet, signs that threaten our supply and access are all around us. Aging infrastructure, drought and aridification, unplanned mine releases and wildfires. When we talk…

It’s a bit of a surprise that Heidi Ganahl, Colorado’s Republican nominee for governor, selected an election denier as her running mate. Navy veteran and business consultant Danny Moore was booted from his role as chairman of the state’s Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission after Facebook posts surfaced in which he wrote that President Biden was…

Prestigious prizes are awarded annually to cartoonists and illustrators for journalism excellence, and the Pulitzer Prize is as distinguished as they come. It’s the highest honor, the crowning achievement. We’re biased, but we see our in-house cartoonist Wes Rowell as worthy of being in this company. By Jan. 25 of every year, about 1,100 journalism…

A reader recently reached out to say the freedom to own assault weapons and recent mass shootings have left him noting the exits while shopping at City Market. Point taken. Lately, we’re feeling more vulnerable and fearful than free in public places. We’ve lost that sense of safety in numbers. With the most recent shooting…