Thumbin' It

  • La Plata Open Space Conservancy receiving a $50,000 GOCO grant to help finance a conservation easement on a 67-acre property in the Animas Valley, helping to protect water quality, wildlife habitat and ecological connectivity.
  • Residents of Dolores banded together to say no to a dollar store – which detractors say puts local stores out of business, causes traffic and only adds to the proliferation of cheap plastic stuff. The store was voted down at a recent county meeting, but the Georgia-based developer says he'll be back.
  • Hey – no big fires were started in the area over the tinder-dry 4th of July weekend. Way to go, people.
  • Speaking of the 4th of July weekend, it was deadly in other ways, with CDOT reporting four deaths on state highways, including a cyclist, a motorist fixing a flat and a fiery head-on between a pickup and a semi on I-70.
  • The recent flood disasters in New Mexico and Texas, where the death toll – including dozens of young kids – continues to climb. Seems like a good case to NOT gut weather forecasting and emergency preparedness budgets.
  • Trump's BBB is having local impacts, with the Durango Adult Education Center saying it will have to lay off teachers and cut GED and English language classes in light of a 40% reduction in funding. But hey, every state is getting its own Alligator Alcatraz!