“Never has a name been so perfectly matched with a face.”
– We know, we don’t understand the whole Walton Goggins craze either
Still having fun
If you practically crash your car ogling the 1970s glory of this album cover every time it pops up on your touchscreen, you’ll want to listen up.
Not one, but two, ’70s soft rock icons will be appearing at this year’s La Plata County Fair: Firefall and Orleans. For those who don’t spend a lot of time on the ’70s or Yacht Rock channels (or weren’t fortunate enough to grow up in this most amazing era of furry chests, bell bottoms and feathered hair), please travel with us as we jump, platforms first, down the Firefall and Orleans Wikipedia time portal.
Interestingly enough, Firefall was founded in 1974 in Boulder by singer/ songwriter and former Flying Burrito Brother Rick Roberts and Jock Bartley, guitarist with Boulder rock band Zephyr (bonus points if you remember them). Another notable early member was the late Michael Clarke, also formerly of the Burrito Brothers and drummer for the Byrds.
In other words, these guys had chops, as evidenced by their six Billboard 100 hits including: "You Are the Woman” (No. 9, 1976; "Just Remember I Love You" (No. 11, 1977); and "Strange Way" (No. 11, 1978).
Bartley is now carrying on the Firefall mantle, complete with a new album this spring and a loaded national tour.
Photo by Alex Krebs
As for our scantily clad fellows on the afore-referenced album cover, they hail from – no, now New Orleans, smarty pants – but Woodstock, N.Y. (which might explain the hair.) Formed in 1972 by John Hall, Larry Hoppen and Wells Kelly, the band’s name came from their Louisiana musical inspirations at the time, including Allen Toussaint and the Neville Brothers. (Fun fact: founding singer/songwriter Hall went on to become a politician, serving as a Democratic U.S. representative from New York from 2007-11.)
The band is best known for its hits "Dance with Me" (No. 6, 1975); "Still the One" (No. 5, 1976); and "Love Takes Time" (No. 11, 1979).
The golden oldies get rolling at 7 p.m., Fri., Aug. 8 (gates and opening band at 5:30.) Tickets range from $35-$65, depending on how close you want to get to all that hair ,and are available at: tinyurl.com/2np8txrb
LaVidaLocal opinion
The metric of a man
This isn’t the first time numbers have threatened to ruin my life, dash my liberty and dull a non-zero portion of any shot at happiness.
They always start out with shiny promises, these numbers. Oh, if only I could quantify all my woes – and then track my progress with stats and data – I would become my fullest, best self. Maybe not at 100%. That’s an outlier result. But at least maybe my 70th percentile self. My solidly inthe-bell-curve self.
The numbers got to me this time when I was feeling, at best, like I might make numbers people invent negative percentile selfs. Numbers don’t lie – and there I was with indubitably fewer pectorals (0) and abdominals (1) than, say, Chris Hemsworth. (Who has 12 and 17, respectively.)
But it’s not fair to compare myself to the literal god of thunder from down under? Fine. I also have undeniably fewer pectorals (still 0) and abdominals (fine, also 0) than Liam Hemsworth (also 12 and 17, but less famously).
To be perfectly, abundantly clear: I do not WANT the number of muscles it takes to become a Hemsworth. This is not about how I feel about my largely functional body. I like that it gets to eat pizza. This is about how I have never, in any way, dedicated myself to any one thing with the fervor, focus and genetics that a Hemsworth applies to his trapezii.
enough walks?
Taking my phone for walks is essential for the health of my phone. Every step of the way, I ensure I provide it with enough enrichment for its needs. It gets to learn my habits and to eavesdrop on all my interactions. Its helpful suggestions, derived from my very own conversations with myself, have motivated me to numerify everything I do when I’m not walking.
Not even with the things I do every day. Things like walking.
Now I am aware that step counters are a thing I have only occasionally not been obsessed with. I am also aware that the 10,000-steps-a-day target is largely bubkes. A significant amount of walking or otherwise moving, regardless of some arbitrary numeric threshold, contributes to general health. I am ALSO aware that the moment I open up that dormant step-counter app, curious if I have been passively Hemsworthing my walking, I will find myself lacking.
The numbers will have their grip. I will calculate – sometimes several times a day – how many more steps I must take to elevate my daily average to that magical 10,000 steps or to reach a robust 20,000 steps or (first things first) to get to my front door. Spreadsheets might be involved.
Tracking my steps means, of course, that I can shunt most of the personal responsibility for my overall wellbeing to a simple metric: Do I take my phone for
Thumbin’It
Durango’s latest affordable housing project, Residences at Durango, just opened its doors, with 120 units for low-income residents and 48 more units expected to be ready by the end of August.
Silverton’s dog whisperer, John Keene II, did it again – recently catching a New Mexico family’s blue heeler, Luna, who had been on the lam since the 4th of July. (Apparently, Vienna sausages were the secret weapon.)
A critically endangered western lowland baby gorilla was born at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo this week. Mom, Asha, and baby (name TBD) are said to be doing fine and are extremely cute. Move over Moo Deng.
And I do mean everything. My intellectual stimulation is quantified by the streak on my language learning app. My friendships by a different streak on my language learning app. My professional performance by my streak of affording groceries.
These streaks are not to be confused with my natural state of “streaky.” The numbers hook my self-care to how many days in a row I accomplish even the quickest of tasks. If I’m a Hemsworth at anything, it’s rushing through my Spanish practice lesson at two minutes to midnight, just so my three friends won’t feel let down. I do this while pacing to up my step count. Gaming the metrics, baby.
Strangely enough, none of these efforts make me feel like I am a better self. Numbers don’t lie –but then again, neither do rocks, and I have found much more inner calm among those than I ever did in algebra class. I find myself remembering, yet again, that numbers alone aren’t destroying my life – but thinking I can quantify my way to passion, dedication and my very first abdominal muscle means I might be missing something deeper and more fulfilling.
I’m reminded of the time an elderly neighbor entrusted me, a teenager, to watch her house for a week. She told me how many times to water her plants. Accomplishing that metric drove me, still a teenager, to actually remember to watch her house and water her plants. The numbers had me.
Riding by that house a short time later, I pointed out the front porch flowerbed and proclaimed I must have done a good job watering them right on schedule. My family laughed and laughed. Ninetieth percentile laughter. Those flowers, they said, were fake. Plastic flowers. They needed watered exactly zero times to look that bright.
That all adds up to a pretty good lesson, if (unlike me) you care to do the math.
Time to tighten the belt. Again. According to estimates from the Colorado Division of Insurance, private insurance rates are expected to go up by nearly 40% on the Western Slope next year, equating to $5,186 a year for a 60-year-old.
International travelers – mostly Canadians and Mexicans – have been staying far, far away from Durango and the U.S. in general this summer. We’re sure it has nothing to do with wanting to make Canada the 51st state or masked men kidnapping immigrants off the streets.
Days after a Black Sabbath reunion concert, Ozzy Osbourne crossed over the heavy metal rainbow bridge at the age of 76 – not bad for someone who snorted ants and bit the head off a live bat.
SignoftheDownfall:
– Zach Hively Land of the Crave In Sweden, the biggest jar of Hellmann’s mayonnaise you can buy is the “American Size,” because our fatness has made us a global joke. And really, we deserve it because the American Size jar of mayo contains 24oz as where the standard jar sold in America is an even larger 30oz. But instead of being insulted, we doubled down: at this year’s Minnesota State Fair, which opens in two weeks, Lu Lu’s Public House sells deep-fried ranch dressing, which is made mostly of mayo. Yes, we’re deep-frying condiments now, and yes, you can order extra ranch for dipping. So unfortunately, if we took a yea-or-nay poll as to whether or not there was hope for our country, I’m afraid the mayo-nays would have it.
SoapBox D-Tooned/
Co-op should build natural gas plant
LPEA’s new 10-year deal to buy hydro power from Vallecito Dam is being pitched as a win for local clean energy. In reality, it’s a small, unreliable and likely expensive gesture that does little to serve member needs. At best, the project provides 5.8 megawatts, enough for just 2,500 homes, or 2% of LPEA’s load. Vallecito’s hydro is seasonal, highly dependent on snowmelt and river flows. During drought or under flow restrictions, output drops leaving LPEA to scramble for backup power. That’s not reliability.
Meanwhile, administrative costs at LPEA are skyrocketing, with more consultants, legal fees and new staff added to manage an energy plan that’s increasingly complex and fragile. All while LPEA quietly replaces affordable Tri-State energy with small, uncertain projects like this without clear cost comparisons or member input. And here’s the bigger question: Why is LPEA ignoring a true local energy solution, natural gas?
The San Juan Basin already produces clean-burning natural gas that meets all state, federal and tribal emissions standards. A local, gas-fired power plant could provide stable, affordable and dispatchable energy, create local jobs, and keep energy dollars here. It’s a win-win, yet it’s being ignored in favor of symbolic but impractical “green” gestures.
Members deserve real solutions, not PR moves. We need LPEA to stop chasing headlines and start building a reliable, affordable and locally grounded, affordable energy future.
– Patrick Hegarty, LPEA member, District 4
The real fraud, waste and abuse
Between Elon Musk’s brief, disastrous tenure with the misnamed “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) and the Republicans’ mad rush to gut health care and food assistance for millions of lower-income Americans, you’d think they’d just discovered a massive cabal of leftist criminals committing “fraud, waste and abuse” in the federal government. Of course, any pretext that all this was in the interest of reducing the deficit was belied when Trump’s Big Ugly Bill handed giant corporations and the richest among us billions in tax cuts.
A quick look back, though, shows that there’s nothing new in the Repub-
by Rob Pudim
lican charge that our government is awash in fraud, waste and abuse. That verbal triumvirate has been standard fodder with so-called conservatives since at least the Reagan administration. And strangely enough, those little words always seem to mean tax cuts that increase deficits while undercutting needed services.
Not surprisingly, the quest to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse is never aimed at the actual source of those three evils. In fact, among Donald Trump’s first actions in his second term was to fire most of the government’s Inspectors General, whose job it is to ferret out such misuse of taxpayer funds. As DOGE went to work slashing and burning through one agency after another, there was no sign that they had identified even a hint of bad behavior or poor management in those agencies.
In fact, the biggest fraud in this whole charade is the unproven accusation that fraud, waste and abuse are rampant within the government. How else can anyone justify throwing millions of people off Medicaid when its money goes not to patients but to healthcare providers? If the Republicans in Congress really wanted to take on fraud, waste and abuse in Medicaid, why didn’t they look for misuse of funds where the money actually goes? Why didn’t they insist on detailed audits and investigations to find the culprits? All they accomplished by denying health care to millions was to reduce the pool of money that fraudsters could go after – that, and causing thousands
more preventable deaths every year.
As for waste, isn’t it curious that DOGE and the Republicans have done nothing to rein in spending at the Pentagon? As Sen. Everett Dirksen, R-Ill., reportedly said back in the day, “A billion here, a billion there – pretty soon you’re talking real money.” Republicans never seem to see a weapons system that they don’t like, and they like to throw money at it. And how is it that the response to the Department of Homeland Security’s overspending its current budget is to give them more money without even a cursory look at why that happened? Where’s the oversight?
Then there’s abuse. I’m not sure what the deficit hawks mean by this, but they sure seem to like paying for it. How else to explain the huge increase in funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as they continue their raids, detentions and deportations unchecked by any semblance of due process or common decency? Is Congress happy to see billions of dollars flowing to what is now the country’s largest supposed law enforcement agency with no hearings, no accountability and no recourse?
I’m all for going after fraud, waste and abuse in our government. But if we’re going to do that, let’s look at where those are actually happening and who is responsible. We probably won’t reduce waste as much as some would like, but then again we don’t need to give huge tax cuts to those who don’t need or deserve them.
– Michael J. Dover, member of Indivisible Northampton, Mass., for PeaveVoice
The claw back Trump’s cuts leave KSUT, others facing massive budget holes
by Parker Yamasaki & Kevin Simpson / The Colorado Sun
President Donald Trump is not the first Republican in office to go after the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Kennedy-era nonprofit that manages federal funding for thousands of local TV and radio stations. But he is the first one to succeed.
On July 18, Congress approved a $9 billion rescissions “claw back” of $1.1 billion in CPB funding, eliminating all federal support for NPR and PBS – which Trump has repeatedly called politically biased – and inflicting collateral damage on hundreds of local member stations.
“Federal funding has had bipartisan support for almost 50 years because of senators understanding the importance of public TV and radio to their very rural communities,” Tami Graham, executive director of KSUT, said. “They get it. I mean, they got it. They got it until now.”
KSUT was one of the first radio stations in the nation to be founded by a Native American tribe, the Southern Utes, and has continually focused its coverage on Indigenous affairs for the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, Jicarilla Apache and a large portion of the Navajo Nation. The radio is an important resource for connecting tribal nations in the region, Graham said, while also providing hyperlocal news and emergency alerts.
Graham runs one of 52 stations in Colorado that had its federal funding revoked, with many looking at their next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, with a sudden shortfall. KSUT will be down $330,000, or about 20%.
Nearby KDUR, located on the Fort Lewis College campus, is also slated to lose about 20% of its operating budget. And KSJD, in Cortez, lost one-third of its budget.
At KSUT, the 20% reduction means they have to reconsider national news segments, like “Morning Edition” and BBC news, as well as local programs like Native Voice 1, an hourlong call-in talk show that focuses on Indigenous issues. Tribal stations reportedly have an opportunity to retrieve the revoked funds through a carveout in the bill, but Graham is skeptical
that it will amount to anything.
“It’s sort of, at best, a Band-Aid, and at worst a backroom deal to get this bill to pass,” Graham said. “Even though we’re on that list, I doubt we’ll ever see funds.”
In May, KSUT along with Colorado Public Radio and Aspen Public Radio sued Trump over an executive order to cut funding, arguing it violates free speech.
“It’s especially difficult (with Native Voice 1) because, I mean, talk about an underserved community,” Gra-
ham said. “People in these areas don’t get their voices elevated nearly enough as they should.”
Not out of thin air
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been a target of various Republican presidents and lawmakers since its formation in 1967.
Fearing a decline of TV and radio shows from informational, educational and cultural programs to more saccharine content driven by ad revenue, Congress
The Eddie Box Jr. Media Center, which has served as KSUT’s home since 2020. Trump’s budget bill “clawed back” $9 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, including $330,000 – or 20% – of KSUT’s annual budget. Other local public stations are also taking a 20% hit. / Photo courtesy KSUT
passed the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, solidifying funding for stations to focus on programs “of human interest and importance.”
It didn’t take long – only five years and one administration change – before the newly formed network faced its first existential crisis. In 1972, President Richard Nixon vetoed continued funding for the network and continued to attack the corporations, upset by a news program, then anchored by Robert MacNeil and Sander Vanocur, that he called “the liberal hour” in internal White House memos.
President Ronald Reagan, President George H.W. Bush and U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich have all tried to dismantle public broadcasting, but were either voted down or backed out after discovering it was politically untenable. Even deeply conservative areas listen to the radio, it turned out. Some think that Trump was able to push the cut through because people simply don’t rely on public media as much as they used to, making it less of a political risk to cut its funding.
But that argument doesn’t seem sound to Graham. “This argument we’ve been hearing a lot from Republicans is like, ‘Hey, it’s the modern day, people have access to lots of ways of getting information,’” Graham said. “Well, in rural areas, especially tribal communities, we
may not have reliable internet or broadband signal, we may not have cell service. If there’s an emergency happening – a wildfire, a flood – people absolutely tune in to the radio. Their local radio.”
Tim Russo, station manager at KGNU in Boulder, made a similar point. KGNU lost $155,000, or 15% of its budget, for the upcoming fiscal year.
Their CPB funds are divided into unrestricted funds, which they use for facility maintenance, staff and equipment, and restricted funds, which are spent on programs from different stations and the public radio satellite system, where emergency alerts come in.
“The Fourmile fires, the Gold Hill fires, the Jamestown flooding,” Russo said. “We’ve had our fill of climate-driven catastrophes, and we’ve got so many people that live in those rural foothills that turn to KGNU, because our volunteers can jump on that hyperlocal coverage in a way that the bigger stations can’t.”
It’s this expansive volunteer network –Russo said they have more than 400 active volunteers at the station, about 200 of them producing on-air content as DJs or hosts – that allows them to be more nimble and community-driven than some other stations.
But it also means there isn’t much room for cuts.
left:
Johnson, Mike Santisteven and Lorena Richards in KSUT’s studio. KSUT was one of the first radio stations in the nation to be founded by a Native American tribe and has continually focused its coverage on the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, Jicarilla Apache and a large portion of the Navajo Nation./ Photo courtesy KSUT
“I bring that up to say that we run an extremely frugal budget as it is,” Russo said. “It’s thanks to all the volunteer and community support that we can run on a very tight budget. But that just means it’s going to be that much more difficult for
us to balance a budget. Like many stations, we don’t have deep reserves.”
The Colorado Sun is a nonprofit, awardwinning news outlet covering Colorado. Sign up for their newsletters, and follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & Bluesky. ■
From
Samantha
LocalNews Serving the servers
Grant offers free month of tools (and more!) for local hospitality workers
by Missy Votel
Got projects but no tools, let alone space to store them all? If you’re a member of the local service industry – of which an estimated 42% of the local workforce is – you’re in luck.
Thanks to a unique partnership between the Durango Tool Library and In the Weeds, a local nonprofit supporting restaurant, service and hospitality workers in Southwest Colorado, you can now borrow the tools of your DIY dreams for a month for absolutely free.
“They get a free month, really, no strings attached,” Tenny Webster, owner of the Durango Tool Library, said.
The program is made possible through a Destination Advancement Grant from Visit Durango (now absorbed by the City of Durango.) The mission of the grant was to further strengthen La Plata County as a socially and environmentally sustainable destination.
“We do not cater to tourists, but we thought, what if we turned it around and said, ‘Look, we would love to support the people who support the tourists,’” Webster said.
Because, let’s face it – most of these workers are scraping by, something Webster and partner Kathleen Gollner, who together founded the Tool Library in 2021, know well from their days as library science students in Vancouver, B.C. “We were dirt poor, living in this 140-squarefoot apartment in Chinatown,” Webster said. “Even if we could afford our own tools, there was no space to store them.”
Webster said he and Gollner had thought about going after a grant, even though technically they are not a nonprofit organization. They are instead what’s known as a public benefit corporation – a for-profit/nonprofit hybrid that allows companies to pursue social or environmental causes while still making a profit for the owners.
“We’d been talking about going after a grant for a while and figured we may as well give it a shot because we’re doing a good public service,” Webster said. “We felt like maybe if we can help the hospitality and service workers in La Plata County, and Durango specifically, make their lives a little easier, would that not help improve people’s experi -
Durango Tool Library co-founder Tenny Webster inside the library’s Bodo Park location where members of the local service industry can get one free month’s worth of tool checkouts thanks to a partnership with In the Weeds and Visit Durango. On the wall behind him are the “check-out” slips the library has amassed in its 3½ years, which just surpassed 5,000./
ence when they came to visit?”
Webster said he knew getting the grant might be a long shot. Which is where In the Weeds came in.
“It was all possible because of our partnership with In the Weeds. They are perfectly positioned to reach our target. We worked with them in terms of what the grant would look like,” he said.
And after more than a year of work, they found out this spring the grant had
been approved. “It was kind of a shot in the dark, but they loved it,” Webster said.
The grant allows the Tool Library to give out “mini grants” for a free month of tool rentals (regularly $35 for first-time members) to up to 200 people through the end of the year. The only requirements are that participants be La Plata County residents and employed in the service or hospitality industry.
Vouchers are available at the Tool Li-
brary (278 Sawyer Dr., Unit 4A in Bodo Park) or through In the Weeds (intheweedsco.org.) The Tool Library and In the Weeds also have handed flyers out directly to restaurants and businesses and tried to spread the word via ads and social media.
Since launching the program about a month ago, Webster said there have been about a dozen folks who’ve taken advantage of the offer. The most money anyone has saved was about $1,500, which is definitely more than a shift’s tips. “But even if you come in and just check out a carpet cleaner and get your rental deposit back, that’s pretty huge,” he added.
The grant also allowed the Tool Library to secure more items, including: a ladder; an additional carpet cleaner; a cordless string trimmer (aka a weed whacker); an additional food dehydrator; and an impact wrench (used to remove extra stuck bolts, especially handy when working on cars, apparently.)
And if you’ll allow us to digress for a moment, we dare you to go into the Tool Library and not find something you need. Their assortment of more than 485 tools and tool sets is a handyperson’s (or wanna be handyperson’s) dream, including but not limited to: pressure washers; bike tools; ski-tuning tools; baking needs; electronics repair; sewing machines (including an industrial one that can “go through four or five layers of denim”); miter saws; a beam cutter; electric and push lawnmowers; chainsaws; air compressors; and, of course, power tools, doohickeys, widgets and thingamajigs galore.
Wanna change your own motor oil? They got that. Spring form pan for your first foray in Martha Stewarting? Got that, too. Hammerschlagen? Yep (but not to check out, just for fun.)
There are even fruit-tree gleaning kits for those of us cursed, er, blessed with a natural abundance of say, millions of teeny, tiny apricots that explode into a sticky mess on impact when hitting the ground.
“You can glean your fruit and then use the fruit dehydrator to save it,” Webster said.
In fact, Webster is pretty hard-pressed to think of anything the Tool Library doesn’t have – “There’s literally anything
Photo by Missy Votel
you can imagine here” – although an orbital floor sander and hydraulic press (of which we haven’t the foggiest) top the wish list. Speaking of which, there is a bulletin board at the library whereby members can suggest and “vote” for new tools (currently, a new sewing table is in the lead.)
He also added that the library is in the process of phasing out gas-powered tools in favor of electric ones, although some of the chainsaws (which were donated) still use gas.
Webster said the library gets about half of its tools through donations. Often, someone will buy a tool for a specific project – as was the case with the library’s floor nailer (rumored to be the only one in town) – then once done, will donate it. This helps not just keep costs down but with the tooloperation learning curve as well.
like they can try things,” Webster said. “If we have time, and we’re not totally swamped, we’ll just grab some wood or whatever and do a demonstration, and they can try it themselves.”
“A lot of times they’ll be able to show me how it works or answer questions,” he said. It’s intel that Webster is happy to pass along to members.
“We try to lower the barrier to entry so people feel
He also added that about half of the library’s members are women. He said the library serves every generation, too, except those under 18 (sorry, insurance.)
“When we opened three and a half years ago, we were hoping this would be a place where people who are not familiar with tools could feel good about coming in and not feel like they’re getting talked down to. And it’s kind of been borne out. It’s great.”
Down the road, Webster envisions growing the tool collection to a thousand or more – all tools, mind you, that aren’t collecting dust in your over-crowded garage or shed.
“It’d be great to not allow anyone an excuse to buy anything to stuff in the garage and leave it for five years,” he said.
The Durango Tool Library is currently open WednesdaySunday, and memberships start at $25/month with a $10 startup fee. For more info., go to: durangotoollibrary.com. ■
FREE Recovery Yoga Classes
Tues. 10am starting 7/29 • Smiley Bldg, Room 20A
Supportive yoga for recovery, sober curiosity and addictive tendencies
Shop dog and inspiration for the Tool Library’s logo, Rango, sits amid the library’s nearly 500 tools and tool sets. Rango can be found at the library most weekends./ Courtesy photo
Webster with one of the library’s most popular items: an electric lawn mover, which incidentally comes with two batteries./ Photo by Missy Votel
Quick’n’Dirty
A harmonious partnership
Two local music education nonprofits, Stillwater Music and the Be Frank Foundation, will now be making music together. The two organizations announced this week they have joined forces to expand their reach and impact, with the goal of bringing music education to even more students across Southwest Colorado.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Stillwater has grown from a rented office space with “12 kids, some instruments and a vision” to the area’s go-to music school with its own dedicated performance venue, The Lightbox, at 1316 Man Ave. Today, Stillwater has 30-plus staff and serves more than 1,000 students of all ages and abilities through classes, lessons and school programs.
The Be Frank Foundation, founded in Bayfield by Lech Usinowicz, has provided orchestra programs and instrument rentals to schools in La Plata County since 2013, helping to make music more accessible to kids who might not otherwise have the opportunity.
Under the consolidation, Be Frank will be absorbed into Stillwater Music. Its orchestra programs will continue, backed by Stillwater’s team, and Usinowicz will serve as Stillwater’s new Orchestra Department Chair.
“We are thrilled to bring these two incredible organizations together under one mission: to make music education accessible, inspiring and communitydriven,” Jana Leslie, executive director of Stillwater,
said in a press release.
Usinowicz, former executive director of Be Frank, looks forward to the next chapter. “Joining forces with Stillwater Music allows us to build on everything Be Frank has accomplished over the past decade,” he said. “Our orchestra students will continue to thrive, and now they’ll have even greater resources, opportunities and support behind them. This partnership ensures that orchestral music remains a vibrant part of our schools and community for years to come.”
and
Farmington, LPEA pool efforts
And speaking of pooling resources, LPEA and the Farmington Electric Utility System (FEUS) announced they will be teaming up when it comes to responding to major outages or emergencies on the region’s power grid.
The two utilities, which together serve about 83,000 customers throughout northwest New Mexico and Southwest Colorado, recently entered into a formal
“mutual aid agreement.” The deal will enhance crossborder cooperation by sharing crews, equipment and expertise when severe events, such as wildfires, storms or system failures, exceed one utility’s capacity to respond. It is hoped the partnership will allow for faster power restoration and reduced service disruptions.
“This is about neighbors helping neighbors,” Chris Hansen, CEO of LPEA, said. “Whether it’s responding to a wildfire in Pagosa Springs or restoring power after a storm near Farmington, this agreement ensures we can act quickly, safely and together.”
Though LPEA is a member-owned electric cooperative and FEUS is municipally owned, the agreement creates a foundation for more agile responses in emergencies, particularly as the Four Corners faces increasing wildfire risks and extreme weather conditions.
the Four Corners is also a critical transmission hub for the Western grid and a growing center for energy transition efforts. The new pact will help ensure service continuity, especially in times of crisis.
“Mutual aid is about answering the call when our fellow utilities are in need,” FEUS Utility Director Hank Adair said. “FEUS and LPEA are long-standing neighbors in an interconnected energy landscape, and this agreement is a natural fit for both utilities’ shared commitment to safe, reliable service.”
In addition to sharing field crews and equipment, the agreement outlines expectations for communication, safety standards and cost accountability during joint response efforts. The agreement also leaves room for collaboration on large-scale projects, and LPEA and FEUS hope the agreement can serve as a template for expanded cooperation with other regional utilities.
“Utilities today must be flexible, coordinated and prepared,” Hansen added. “This agreement reflects those priorities and demonstrates the real-world value of partnership.” ■
– Missy Votel
a.m.-1 p.m., featuring a new DJ every week and brunch dishes from all our food trucks This week’s live music: 7/24, 6-9pm, Moe Coole 7/25, 7-10pm, Ross Bullock • 7/26, 6-9pm, Rockin’ Randy 7/26, 10pm-12am, Alanna Pearl • 7/27, 10am-1 pm, Mech
Stillwater’s Jana Leslie, left, and Lech Usinowicz./ Courtesy photo
Farmington Electric Utility and LPEA have signed an agreement to pool resources and efforts when it comes to outages
emergencies./ Courtesy photo
Stuff to Do
Thursday24
Walk & Wonder, a walkers’ meetup, Thursdays, 11 a.m.-12 noon thru Aug. 31, White Rabbit Books & Curiosities, 128 W. 14th St., Ste C-2
“Share Your Garden” surplus garden produce distribution, 4:30-6 p.m., Animas Valley Grange, 7271 CR 203
Ben Gibson plays, 5 p.m., Balcony Bar & Grill, 600 Main Ave.
Ska-B-Q with music by Jim Sobo, 5 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
Thursday Night Group Ride, 5:15 p.m., Purgatory Sports, 2615 Main Ave.
Concert Hall at the Park with Afrosonics, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Buckley Park
Durango Fiesta Days, 8 a.m.-10 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds
San Ignacio Fiesta Parade and Festival, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., 115 Ute St., Ignacio
Fun in the Sun, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., ELHI Community Center, 115 Ute St., Ignacio
Open Mic Poetry in The Magic Garden, 12 p.m. noon, White Rabbit Book Store & Curiosities, 128 W. 14th St.
Yarn Meetup, 1-3 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Live Music, 3 p.m., Purgatory Resort
High Altitude Blues plays, 6 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.
Jose Villarreal plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Kirk James Band plays, 6-9 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, 18044 CR 501, Vallecito
Ben Gibson plays, 6 p.m., Cliffside Bar and Grill, 314 Tamarron Dr.
Adam Swanson plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Rockin Randy plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.
“A Special Tribute to the Music of Walt Disney & Other Hollywood Fantasies” Music in the Mountains Pops Orchestra Concert, 7 p.m., Community Concert Hall, FLC
“5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche” presented by Durango Arts Repertory Theatre, 7:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Eli Emmitt & Dana Ariel play, 8-10 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave., #207
Sound Underground EDM Night, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste. F
Alanna Pearl play, 10 p.m.-12 a.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.
Sunday27
Durango Fiesta Days, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds
Eli Cartwright plays, 10 a.m.-12 noon, Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.
Mech plays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.
Walk & Wonder, a walkers’ meetup, Sundays, 11 a.m.-12 noon thru Aug. 31, White Rabbit Books & Curiosities, 128 W. 14th St., Ste C-2
“5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche,” 2 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Open Folk Jam, 2:30-5 p.m., The Tangled Horn, 275 E. 8th Ave.
Weekly Peace Vigil & Rally for Gaza & Palestine, every Sunday, 4 p.m., Buckley Park
Ben Gibson Duo plays, 4 p.m., Wines of the San Juans, 233 NM-511, Blanco, NM
Nina Sasaki & Dan Carlson play, 4-7 p.m., The Clubhouse at Dalton Ranch, 589 CR 252
Music in the Mountains Orchestra Concert: Raiskin Conducts Shostakovich, 5 p.m., Community Concert Hall, FLC
The Durango Brass, free concert, 6-7 p.m., Buckley Park
AskRachel
Doctor doom, cat’s meow and heeding the call
Interesting fact: It is, in fact, unhealthy to hold it in for extended periods. (Hashtag not a doctor, hashtag not medical advice.) So please just go far enough off the trail that no one can use their five senses on your sweet release. Hashtag thank you.
Dear Rachel,
I’m going through the rigamarole to get a new health care provider. Every office I call presents a new hurdle, though. Not taking new patients. Doesn’t accept my insurance. Only has room left in the “Last Names J-K” file folder. All I want is health and care, yet that seems too much to ask. What’s my best way into the system? Is there some trick I don’t know about?
– Sick and Tired
Dear Krank and Cranky, The whole system is a sham. I wonder sometimes what Hippocrates might think of it. Of course, the world is full of Hippocratic hypocrites. And
Blue Moon Ramblers play, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Devin Scott plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Monday28
Death Cafe, 4-5:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30 p.m., in person at the Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave., Ste. 109 or online durangodharmacenter.org
Adam Swanson plays, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Terry Rickard plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Suicide Forrest, Death Support, Moral Dispute & Mommy Milkers, metal show, 6:30 p.m., The Hive, 1175 Camino del Rio
Comedy Open Mic, 8 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave
I’m no expert over here. I just think sick people should be seen, and no one should go into life-altering debt over lifesaving care. As for getting in with providers … have you tried slipping them a $20 when you shake their hand?
– Not above bribe, Rachel
Dear Rachel,
Everybody in Colorado takes their dogs everywhere, right? And everyone admires dogs. Well, I’m fed up with people not getting to admire how handsome my cats are. But with all the dogs everywhere, there’s no place safe for me to take my cats to the brewpub or the concert. What state is like Colorado for us cat people?
– Cat Stevens
Dear Feline Out of Place, Sounds like you need a cat-atonic state. How about Catifornia? Maybe either North or South Catolina? I presume you’ve already considered the Catalina Islands and Sas-cat-chewan.
Tuesday29
Yoga of Recovery free classes, Tuesdays, 10-11:15 a.m., Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave., Room 20A
Locals at Leplatt’s Pond, music, food trucks, fishing and family fun, 5-9 p.m. every Tuesday through July, LePlatt’s Pond, 311A CR 501, Bayfield
Nina Sasaki and Dan Carlson play, 6-8 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.
Might have to give up on states and go with smaller-scale locales. Pittspurrgh? Nashville, aka Meowsic City? Really, I have to think anywhere with a nice urban/subpurrrban interface would suit you well.
– Cat-ching on, Rachel
Dear Rachel, We’re all supposed to stay extra hydrated when exercising at elevation. But guess what that leads to? For me, it means nature calls. What’s the proper trail etiquette for … erm … lightening the liquid load on a hike? And don’t dare tell me to hold it. That ain’t happening for 8 miles.
– Full Tank
Dear Waterlogged, A healthy person should be able to hold it for some standard amount of time. I’m not a doctor; I don’t know what that time is. But I also remember watching “Liar Liar” several decades ago, and Jim Carrey who could not lie ran through the repercussions of hold-
Sean O’Brien plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
“Taste What You Hear” Music in the Mountains Special Benefit Event, 6 p.m., Strater Hotel, Pullman Room, 699 Main Ave.
Concerts in the Plaza with The Ben Gibson Band, 6-8 p.m., Three Springs Plaza, 175 Mercado St.
Wednesday30
Weekly Bird Walks, 8-9:30 a.m., Durango Public Library Botanical Gardens, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Thrift Store Scavenger Hunt, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., La Plata County Humane Society Thrift Store, 1111 S. Camino del Rio
Animas High School Campus Tour, 5 p.m., 22 Osprey Way, animashighschool.com to RSVP
Ben Gibson plays, 5 p.m., Balcony Bar & Grill, 600 Main Ave.
telegraph.com
ing it in. I’m inclined to listen to recommend you tuck yourself behind a tree and let it flow. Unless you need an excuse to get in to see the doctor. In which case, hold it as long as you can, then hold it longer.
– Doin’ the dance, Rachel
Bingo Night, 5-7 p.m., Animas River Lounge at DoubleTree Hotel, 501 Camino Del Rio
Family festival, 5-9 p.m., Rotary Park
YOPE plays Community Concert Series supporting Habitat for Humanity, 5:30 p.m., The Powerhouse, 1333 Camino del Rio
Word Honey Pollinator Session, 68 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Adam Swanson plays, 6-9 p.m., The Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Chuck Hank plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Live Jazz, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 636 Main Ave.
True Western Open Rodeo Championship Buckle, 5 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds
Open Mic, 7 p.m., EsoTerra, 558 Main Ave.
Comedy + Karaoke, 7 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
July 24, 2025 n 13 telegraph
FreeWillAstrology
by Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In Hindu cosmology, the Sanskrit term “Lila” refers to divine play. It’s the idea that all of creation is a sacred and artful amusement performed by the gods with joy, sorrow, artfulness and flair. I hereby proclaim Lila to be your theme of power. You have been so deep lately, so honest, so drenched in feeling. Now, life is giving you a big wink and saying, “It’s playtime!” You can start this fresh phase by making a list of all the experiences that bring you fun, recreation and entertainment. Emphasize these pursuits in the coming weeks.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the high desert of Chile, astronomers work at observatories on mountaintops where the air is dry and the sky is clear. There, away from light pollution, the universe reveals itself with astonishing intimacy. But even the most powerful telescopes can’t function during the day. I suspect you will be like those observatories in coming weeks: capable of seeing vast truths but only if you pause, quiet the ambient noise and look during the dark. This should embolden you to use your intelligence in new ways. Stillness and silence will be conducive to your deep explorations. Night will be your ally.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Are you courageous enough to let go of sparkly clean but unfruitful fantasies so as to clear space for reality’s disorderly richness? Are you wild enough to relinquish naïve fears and hopes so you can see the raw truths blooming right in front of you? Are you cagey enough to discard your innocence that's rooted in delusion even as you bolster the part of your innocence that's fueled by your love of life? Maybe you weren't mature or bold or crafty enough to accomplish these heroic feats before, but you are now.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Coral polyps are tiny, soft-bodied creatures. Over centuries, they assemble massive reef systems, turning their fragile exoskeletons into monumental architecture. These creatures can be a symbolic reminder that your sensitivity is not a weakness; it’s your building material. Keep that in mind during the coming weeks, when tender care and nurturing can be primal sources of power. Start creating an enduring sanctuary. Generate a quiet miracle. Construct an elegant masterpiece. For best results, allow your emotional intelligence to guide you. You have the precise blend of aptitudes necessary to coax beauty from vulnerability.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I predict your imminent future will be a ticklish and tricky but ultimately uplifting masterpiece. It will feature guest appearances by members of your private hall of fame, including one future luminary you have not yet fully appreciated. This epic series of adventures may begin when you are nudged to transform your bond with a key resource. Soon, you will be encouraged to explore territory that offers unexpected help. Next, you will demonstrate your understanding that freedom is never permanent but must constantly be reinvented.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Sci-fi author Octavia Butler wrote, “All that you touch, you change. All that you change changes you.” The coming weeks will be prime time for you to honor and celebrate that. You won’t be a passive dreamer, gentle traveler or contemplative wanderer. Rather, I predict you will be a tidal force of metamorphosis. Parts of your world are pliable and ready for reshaping, and you will undertake that reshaping. But it’s important to know that the shift will go both ways. As you sculpt, you will be sculpted. As you bless, you will be blessed. Don’t be shy about riding along on this feedback loop. Do it with reverence and glee. Let the art you make remake you. Let the magic you give become the magic you are.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In Hindu traditions, the deity Ardhanarishvara is depicted as half-male, half-female – a divine fusion of opposites. I invite you to be inspired by their symbolism in the coming weeks. Balance will not be about making compromises or pushing to find middle ground. It will be about embracing the full range of possibilities. Energies that may be contradictory may in fact be complementary. Benevolence will coordinate well with fierceness and vice versa. Your craving for beauty will not just coexist with but synergize an affinity for messy fertility. This is a time for sacred synthesis. Don’t dilute. Integrate.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The medieval mystic Meister Eckhart wrote, “God is not found in the soul by adding anything, but by a process of subtraction.” Subtracting what? He wasn’t referring to losing something valuable, but rather to letting go of obstacles that obscure our direct experience of the divine. I invite you to make abundant use of this principle, Scorpio. Slough off layers of illusion, outmoded fantasies, and self-images soaked in others’ longings. As you let go, do so not in bitterness but in a joyous quest for freedom.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I’m hoping that the Season of a Thousand Feelings hasn't confused you. I’m praying that you have maintained a measure of composure and aplomb while navigating through the richest emotional flow you’ve experienced in many moons. It’s true that in some ways this barrage has been draining. But I’m certain you will ultimately regard it as being highly educational and entertaining. You will look back at this bustling interlude as a gift that will take a while to harvest completely.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Greek myth tells us that Persephone didn’t just return from the underworld each spring; she ruled there half the year. Yes, she was taken there against her will, but she adapted, transformed and ultimately wielded great power in the depths. In coming weeks, you have the chance to navigate realms that other souls may not be brave enough to enter: taboos, unusual yearnings, ancestral memories. Go gently but with intense resolve. Don’t act like a tourist. Be a sovereign explorer, a maestro of mystery. Claim your throne in the underworld. Use it to create healing maps for others. When your work is done and the moment comes, you will rise again into the light.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You are ready to graduate from the University of Senseless Suffering. It’s time to get your diploma and treat yourself to a vacation. I’m not saying you will never again experience pain, of course. Rather, I’m telling you the good news that your dilemmas in the coming months will be more fully useful and redemptive. They will feel more like satisfying work than unpleasant ordeals. Congrats on the upgrade! You are forever finished with at least one of your arduous lessons.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Greek philosopher Heraclitus said you can’t step in the same river twice. The river may appear to be the same, but the water is always flowing. What Heraclitus didn’t say is that you are never the same, either. Eternal change is your destiny. Ruminate eagerly on this truth. Hopefully, it will help you let go of any hyper-perfectionist urges. It will inspire you to see that the plan you made a while ago may need revision – not because you were wrong, but because you have grown. It’s time to reassess and recalculate. The goal isn’t to stick to the blueprint but to build something that breathes with your becoming. Let the ever-new version of you draw a fresh map. It will be wiser than the last.
Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon.
Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $5 minimum
Even better, ads can now be placed online: durangotelegraph.com Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check. (Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)
Ads can be submitted via: n classifieds@durango telegraph.com n 970-259-0133
Classes/Workshops
Aikido Crash Course
Is Aikido sprint tai chi? Dancing for ninjas? You decide. Try the fast, fun $8 weekly crash course Mondays 5:30615pm. Must register online: durangoaikido.com
West Coast Swing
Ready to dance? Join our 3-week West Coast Swing Basics series for beginners! It’s fun, social, and easy to learn—no partner or experience needed. A new series starts every few weeks, so join us for the next one! We also offer a weekly social dance – a fun drop-in option or included with your series registration! Sign up at: www.westslopewesties.com
ForSale
Vintage 1977 Airstream Land Yacht
$19.5k 970-759-0551
’96 Mazda Pick-Up
4.0 liter V-6 4x4 auto 200k miles. Good engine, bad trans. $500. 970-2599709 (no texts)
Reruns Home Furnishings
Patio sets, bistros and yard art. Also looking to consign smaller furniture pieces. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat.
BodyWork
Massage by Meg Bush LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199.
Wanted
Books Wanted at White Rabbit
Donate/Trade/Sell 970 259-2213
Services
Chapman Electric
Colorado licensed and insured. Residential and commercial. New, remodel and repair. Mike 970-403-6670
Boiler Service - Water Heater
Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917
Last seen in Durango, July 21, 2024, by St. Columba Church. He is chipped, missing left canine tooth, white, big black spots, green eyes. Reward. 970-403-6192.
CommunityService
Dog Fosters Needed
Parker’s Animas Rescue needs foster families to provide temporary homes for rescued dogs: parkersanimal rescue.com.
Community Compassion Outreach at 21738 HWY 160 W is open Tues., Wed. and Fri. 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. for case management, client services, snacks, drinks, meals and support for those with substance-use disorders and co-occurring mental health issues. Saturdays Coffee & Conversations, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Thursdays Harm Reduction, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Engaging Volunteer Opportunity
Alternative Horizons needs volunteers to staff our hotline. Training provided. For info., visit alternativehorizons.org
The Maker Lab in Bodo Park Collaborative workspace, tools, learning and equipment featuring metal and woodworking, laser cutting, 3D printing,
electronics and sewing. Classes for all levels. www.themakerlab.org.
Grief Counseling
The Grief Center of SW Colorado is offering free grief counseling services for children, teens and young adults. Please contact us below if interested. griefcenter swco@gmail.com or 970-764-7142
