Issuu

Taking back the bad things we said about Texas

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FREE Nov. 5, 2026 Vol. XXV, No. 43 durangotelegraph.com

inside

T H E

O R I G I N A L

I N D I E

W E E K L Y

L I N E

O N

D U R A N G O

B E Y O N D

Going whole hog

When it rains, it pours

Play it forward

Hot Dog comp pairs gluttony, giving in bun-filled night p7

Digging out from the floods and facing a new normal p8

Using music as a salve to unite, rebuild and heal p10

2 n Nov. 5, 2026

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lineup

4 La Vida Local

Turning the corner Here’s to going from jaded to hopeful, all in a single night by Jennaye Derge

4 Sign of the Downfall 4 Thumbin’ It 5 Writers on the Range

6 Soapbox 7 Local News

Going whole hog Hot Dog eating comp returns for a night of gluttony and giving

10 Between the Beats 11 Murder Ink

12-13 Stuff to Do

Clearer than mud

13 Ask Rachel

As floodwaters recede, are we facing a new normal of extremes? by Missy Votel

14 Free Will Astrology 15 Classifieds

On the cover A worker with the D&SNGRR surveys the railroad crossing over the Animas River as the water comes precariously close to breaching the bridge on Monday. The river peaked that day at 13,000 cfs at the gage below the pumping plant./ Photo by Missy Votel

Play it forward While Durango recovers, let music and community be the salve

by Stephen Sellers

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As we sift through the dregs of our leftover Halloween candy, there’s one candy that seems to divide us even more than politics or sports teams. Yes, it’s candy corn. The small, waxy, cloyingly sweet triangles – which not so ironically resemble rotting teeth – are either relished or reviled, depending on one’s sugar tolerance. (For the sake of appearing impartial, we will withhold the fact that we fall into the former camp.) But just what is it that makes us want to either consume an entire bag in one sitting or throw up at the site of these innocent tricolored confections? Well, Colorado Public Radio’s Hayley May attempted to get to the bottom of the candy corn bag, so to speak.

8 Top Story

by Missy Votel

EDITORIALISTA: MISSY VOTEL missy@durangotelegraph.com

Children of the corn

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RegularOccurrences

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In the name of research, she consulted Caitlin Clark, not that Caitlin Clark, but a senior food scientist at Colorado State University (who, for the record, is a candy corn hater.) Clark told May there's actual science behind the great candy corn divide. And it turns out, it might have to do more with texture than taste. "The texture is pretty polarizing," she said. "It's like a fondant and people either love it or hate it.” A combination of sugar, corn syrup, confectioner’s glaze (also going by the less-appealing name “shellac”) honey (hey, that’s healthy!) and artificial flavors, candy corn has a consistency that people often describe as waxy… and they’re not wrong. “There is wax in candy corn. It's called carnauba wax, and that's what helps it be kind of shiny on the outside,” said Clark. (We suspect this may be that whole “shellac” thing.) But texture is only part of the equation, Clark said. Our brains interpret flavors differently, including variations in how sensitive we are to certain tastes. In the end, candy corn’s staying power – it’s been around since the 1880s, when it was first marketed using the name “chicken feed” – may have more to do with nostalgia. That means some might associate it with costumes and happy childhood memories while others remember abject disappointment over not getting a Snickers instead. Still, despite her dislike, Clark doesn't think candy corn deserves such a bad rap. "I don't think anything deserves that level of vitriol. It's just a candy," she said. Nov. 5, 2026 n 3

LaVidaLocal Jaded but still hoping It was about 5 p.m. last Thursday when my friend and I were eating supper – which is dinner for old people – upstairs in the Zia Cantina. I’d just taken a big bite of my burrito when I started my diatribe about how I had lost all hope. “Like, everything recently has just ended in disappointment and heartbreak, and I no longer care to have any hope that anything will work out,” I said as I was waving my carne asada with lime cilantro rice in the air. She looked concerned but supportive, gave a little laugh and told me there’s a word for that. “I think that’s called being jaded,” she said. As we laughed into our burritos, there was a noticeable influx of people shuffling into the bar. And in lobster-pot fashion, my friend and I didn’t notice we were being boiled by a crowd until we were consumed by bustling humans, and it was too late. “I think there is an event happening,” my friend said. I looked around and nodded. The familiar buzz of social gathering intensified, and as she and I were in the middle of a conversation about losing hope, a man walked into the room and everyone started clapping and cheering. I had never seen this man before in my life, but he was shaking hands, laughing and cooing at babies, so I thought this must be someone special. I turned around to someone I knew sitting behind me. “Psssst,” I whisper-yelled. “Who is that?” “It’s Dwayne Romero!” I nodded in acknowledgment – I had voted for him – but not the face. Then everyone cheered as HD-3 candidate Romero stood up on a table to give his speech about trials, tribulations and hope. He had hope for our future, hope for everyone in that room and hope for our town, state and country. All the eyes that were on him hoped he was right. They hoped he would be elected in the midterms; hoped he could make things better. Everyone was an optimist that night. Everyone, that is, except me. I’ve generally always been an optimist. Probably a little too much, but we’re all a little optimistic by nature (we have to be for survival). We utilize our imaginations to see a world where everything is good. A world where everyone is happy, and we can trust in each other to have our best interests at heart. A world where our leaders take

care of us. Where people show up for us when we need them, and we have the capacity to do the same. We can all see this world – some of us with vivid color – and it hurts when things don’t turn into the colorful, optimistic pictures we have painted. Keeping this imagination alive over the past two years has felt nearly impossible, and consuming bad news over and over isn’t helping. I ﬁlled out my ballot this year with waning-to-little hope. The only thing holding me together was the tactile action of scribbling in little bubbles with a black pen to – hopefully – make things better. After I sealed my ballot envelope and signed my signature, I half-heartedly hoped that my vote would make a difference. Then, I opened my computer and a video popped up of progressive Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, or “Lula,” defeating the far-right Flávio Bolsonaro in the country’s presidential election. The bleak veil of my outlook on life lifted for a moment as I saw thousands upon thousands of people cheering, hugging and crying in the streets. What was that weird tingling sensation sending lightning bolts throughout my body? What was that feeling? What were those tears in my eyes? What was that smile creeping upon my lips? I saw happiness in the eyes of all these people, dancing in the streets of São Paulo. I’d honestly given up on seeing a world where the good guy won, and the bad guy lost. But this shook me. I couldn’t even remember what that scenario felt like. But it happened in Brazil, and it gave me a little spark in my imagination. Maybe that could be us dancing in the street? Maybe those are all my friends and neighbors out there with me: hugging, crying, jumping around, celebrating. Maybe I can imagine this happening to us, too. At this writing on Sunday, I don’t know what the results of Tuesday’s midterm election will be. But, I’d love to see people celebrating and cheering in the streets because the good guys won and the bad guys lost. I’d love to go back to Zia and give Dwayne Romero a high ﬁve instead of having to embrace my crying friends. Wouldn’t it be nice to be shaking my carne asada burrito in the air because I’m happy and not because I’m jaded? I hope that happens. I hope we showed up. I hope we voted. I hope we’re celebrating. I hope that after a long time of not being able to, I can feel some hope. – Jennaye Derge

Thumbin’It This might seem like ancient history by now, but the Milwaukee Brewers won their first World Series in the franchise’s 57-year history. Here’s to underdogs, the rust belt and beer. The pendulum swingeth mightily on Tuesday’s historic midterms, delivering big wins for women and people of color, including the country’s first Muslim senator, first female Native American governor and first female Black governor. LFG! Durango yet again shows it’s hard to keep a good town down, with people showing up in force to clean up and help neighbors after this week’s devastating floods. Special props to emergency crews, who braved fierce waters to rescue stranded residents and pets, and clear roads

4 n Nov. 5, 2026

SignoftheDownfall: While recent ﬂoods have been called 100year events, there is mounting consensus from climate experts that this may become the “new normal” with climate change. And seriously, how do two usually unassuming streams produce so much silt? So not to be a party pooper, but as the pundits say, the end of the midterms typically ushers in the beginning of the next presidential election cycle. So ﬁnish your champagne, because here we go … Despite several progressive victories Tuesday night, it appears Colorado’s two measures that would infringe on trans children’s rights are poised to pass as of press time. We don’t get it, either.

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Go Float Jason Golden was arrested in October for getting drunk and running across a ﬂoat at The Apple Day Parade in Johnson County, Kentucky. Prior to his arrest, Jason’s bid to become county sheriff as a write-in candidate wasn’t going very well, but when they put him in handcuffs, Jason shouted, “I didn’t have nothing to drink,” and it turned things around. He used the slogan in a TikTok campaign ad and got 7,000 new followers, one of which is me. True, “didn’t have nothing” is a double negative if you think about it, and Jason was totally drunk because before running across the ﬂoat, he stopped by the Republican Party booth and put someone in a headlock. Of course, Jason got 96 votes and lost the election, but just like everything else that happened on Tuesday, we all saw it coming.

WritersontheRange

A comeback on the brink War on prairie dogs could erase progress in bringing back black-footed ferrets by Ted Williams

along with bullet fragments, then die of lead poisoning. (Trigger warning: The following essay contains a This October, the Prairie Dog Coalition cirgraphic description of “sport” prairie dog hunting. Alculated a petition to ban prairie dog shooting though it is meant to illustrate the cruelty of the pracin Colorado, where 500 black-footed ferrets tice, if you are a devout animal lover or at all sensitive, have been released since 2001. The U.S. Forest you may want to skip the last few paragraphs.) Service permits and promotes prairie dog he black-footed ferret is among the shooting on national grasslands. Game and planet’s most endangered species. A fish agencies permit and promote it on state native of central North America, it was lands. The Sioux Nation permits and promotes considered extinct until Sept. 26, 1981, when a it on reservations. Because so many raptors were dying of Meeteetse, Wyo., investigator named Shep relead poisoning, Audubon of Kansas has ofdiscovered it. Shep was a ranch dog who delivfered nontoxic copper bullets to prairie dog ered a carcass to his owners’ front steps. shooters at the same cost as cheaper lead Black-footed ferrets need prairie dog towns rounds. According to game managers and as habitat. They prey on the rodents there and even the National Rifle Association, copper use their tunnels for refuge. Prairie dogs are Great Plains ground squirkills more efficiently than lead. But varmrels that sound and act a lot like dogs. They inters resist copper because they’ve always bark, sit erect, wag their tails, wrestle like used lead. After four years, Kansas Audubon puppies and exchange kiss-like greetings. didn’t have one taker. They are also maligned. Ranchers claim I accompanied famed prairie dog shooter they compete with cattle for grass. They don’t. Rich Grable to the Rosebud Sioux reservation Cattle, bison, deer, elk and pronghorns graviPrairie dogs engage in a common greeting mistaken as a kiss. The oft- in South Dakota. “Mr. Dog,” as he’s known, estate to prairie dog towns because prairie dogs maligned rodents are actually a keystone species that support habitat chews the standard tripod, preferring to rest bring rich, moist soil to the surface, aerate and for several other species, including endangered black-footed ferrets./ his Remington .222 rifle on foam rubber at the fertilize soil, and improve water retention – all Photo by National Park Service base of his truck window. Crack. Mr. Dog cut a target in half, sending of which encourages lush, nutritious vegetahindquarters spinning. “Dead,” he declared, punching tion. Prairie dog towns support at least 150 species. Center warns that the change “removes a key legal It’s still a crime to intentionally kill or harm indihis dashboard-mounted kill counter. Babies, with paws shield that keeps forests, rivers and wild lands intact.” vidual black-footed ferrets or other creatures protected on siblings’ shoulders, exploded in red mist. Once he Since Shep’s rediscovery, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife by the Endangered Species Act. But on Sept. 14, the killed five with a single shot. Service and partners have undertaken an expensive “Can ya hear it go plop?” he cackled. “Dissolved Trump administration decreed that it’s perfectly OK to and complicated black-footed ferret recovery program. him! Ha. Ha.” Whenever a target dragged itself back destroy the habitat these animals require for survival. They have protected and restored prairie dog habitat into its burrow, minus body parts, Mr. Dog shouted: “I It’s “common sense,” proclaims Trump’s Interior Secrethroughout the West, immunized prairie dogs against done something to him.” One year he killed 7,652 tary Douglas Burgum. rampant sylvatic plague, bred ferrets in captivity and We’ve already wiped out 98% of prairie dog towns. released them in prairie dog towns in Wyoming, South prairie dogs. Mr. Dog appreciates most wildlife. Yet he’s part of a But now, developers can legally build shopping malls Dakota, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexranching and federal and state management culture on top of prairie dog towns occupied by black-footed ico and, most recently, Arizona. that perceives prairie dogs as divine typos in need of ferrets. These same prairie dog towns can also legally Black-footed ferret recovery is hailed as one of the “Wite-Out.” be eliminated by poison applied by ranchers and most spectacular success stories of the Endangered Unfortunately, that blots out whole ecosystems, and county, state and federal agencies. Species Act. But it may be for naught, even if the “This rule guts the standard that has safeguarded imit has a good chance of blotting out black-footed ferTrump rule is vacated by challenges in the courts. periled wildlife (for 50 years),” Defenders of Wildlife rets – even if the Trump rule is overturned. That’s because America remains at war with prairie Ted Williams, a longtime environmental writer, is a consays. Another nonprofit, Animal Wellness Action, likens dogs. County commissions, the U.S. Forest Service and tributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an Trump’s weakening of the Endangered Species Act to USDA’s Wildlife Services poison them. “Varminters” independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conver“stripping anti-discrimination provisions from the Civil shoot them for recreation, leaving them to rot, but not sation about the West. ■ Rights Act.” The Environmental Protection Information before raptors and other scavengers consume them

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Nov. 5, 2026 n 5

SoapBox Nov 1, 2026 Everyone hunkered Closing down for a rain day Shovel sand, not snow

Nov 2, 2026 Neighbors mucking out Heartbreak by the bucketful Hope each shovelful – Karen Carver, Durango

Confront insurance monopolies For decades, Americans have relied on competition in the insurance market to help make healthcare affordable. But in most of the country, competition hardly exists anymore. That's a primary reason health premiums are growing nearly three times faster than wages, even as patients spend less time with their doctors and face routine delays and denials. In nearly three-quarters of commercial insurance markets, consumers lack meaningful choices. Americans are rightly frustrated about paying nearly $30,000 in premiums for family coverage that squeezes patients at almost every turn. Roughly 70% support using antitrust enforcement to break up large health insurance companies. And by a 20-to-1 margin, voters want to block insurers from buying healthcare providers.

Yet while antitrust powers are an important tool, they won't restore market competition on their own. To fix our problems, policymakers will also need to unwind the policies that fueled consolidation in the first place. A few large insurers increasingly control not only health plans but the entire patient care journey, from doctors and pharmacy benefit managers to clinics and hospitals. That has reduced their incentive to improve outcomes and compete on care quality. Instead, every prescription, treatment decision, and coverage policy now presents an opportunity to expand profits. Take pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the intermediaries that determine which drugs patients receive. Today, just three PBMs, each affiliated with a major insurer, process roughly 80% of all U.S. prescriptions. Insurers argue that PBMs exist to lower costs, but since PBM reimbursement is tied to drug costs, they make more by steering patients toward higher-priced drugs. One House Oversight Committee found more than 1,000 cases in which PBMs steered patients toward needlessly expensive drugs. This consolidation is no accident. Policies such as the Affordable Care Act and the Inflation Reduction Act have distorted the market and empowered the largest insurers over their smaller competitors. Obamacare imposed strict limits on how insurers could structure their coverage. That has made it harder for smaller insurers to compete through lower-priced, flexible alternatives while strengthening the position

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of larger incumbents. Obamacare also tied federal subsidies to rising premiums, inflating insurer revenues while weakening incentives to hold costs down. And other federal programs have created similar distortions. Weak oversight of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which gives safety-net providers access to discounted drugs, has enabled some hospitals and insurers to profit by pocketing drug discounts rather than passing savings on to patients. Policymakers can help by making greater use of antitrust tools like the Sherman and Clayton Acts. But policymakers cannot stop there. To prevent consolidation from recurring, Congress must also address the root causes of insurance monopolies. It should give money to patients instead of insurers and make companies compete for customers. Congress should also curb wasteful ACA subsidies, revise the Medical Loss Ratio rule, strengthen oversight of federal programs such as 340B, and reform Medicare rules that pay hospital-affiliated providers more than independent ones for providing the same care. All of these policies drive consolidation, which drives up prices. Patients deserve a healthcare market in which insurers compete for their business – not one in which a handful of companies own every step of a patient's care. – Joel White, Council for Affordable Health Coverage, a nonprofit organization that advocates to lower the cost of health care for Americans

LocalNews

The wiener takes it all

Hot Dog Comp serves up competitive eating with a helping of love for local veterans by Missy Votel

Although the event is free to spectators, donations will be collected for veterans, and part f you’re looking for a reprieve from all the of the proceeds from the $15 entrance fee for recent mayhem and destruction, local rescontestants will also go into the donation pot. For Neff’s part, he buys all the buns and ident Cal Neff has just what the doctor orhot dogs out of his own pocket. Hebrew Nadered. (Actually, no sane doctor would ever tional, if you must know, although sometimes order this, but stay with us here.) there are not enough in town, and he has to On Wed., Nov 11, at 6 p.m., he will be hostresort to other brands. ing the Animas Hot Dog Comp at the Ameri“Last year, we had 300 hot dogs. It adds up can Legion, which is pretty much just as it quick,” he said. “But I’m here for it, to make sounds. The event will pit 15 brave souls in a it happen.” contest of gastronomical fortitude as they try Speaking of which, as of last Tuesday, there to shove as many hot dogs down their gullet was still a spot open for one lucky competitor, as humanly possible within 30 minutes. And preferably without a strong gag reflex. Local just to make sure those dogs are down and stay businesses have donated prizes for all eaters, down, there will be a requisite five-minute and the grand champ – in addition to being waiting period post contest in the event of crowned King or Queen Frankfurter – will win any, shall we say, reverse digestion. (And in a “custom trophy.” case there are any complications, a firefighter Neff, who was the reigning champ for two will be on hand for Heimliching, hair holding years – with 11 and 12 hot dogs, respectively or any other medical needs.) “You’ve got 30 minutes to shine,” said Neff. – said he has decided to retire from competi“If you throw up, you’re disqualified.” tion and eating hot dogs in general. Best of all, this spectacle is completely free “I can’t do it anymore,” he said. “To be for intrepid viewers who are into competitive honest, I can’t really stomach hot dogs.” But for those who can, he said there are eating or maybe just competitive-eating cuvarious strategies for becoming top dog, from rious, making it the best free spectator event the intermittent binger to the off-the-coucher outside of Snowdown. “It’s just a good scene for locals without to the dipper (more on that in a second.) “One guy told me he doesn’t really eat, and having to break the bank,” Neff, who when when he does, it’s giant meals,” said Neff. not slinging dogs is slinging gear at BackcounAs for the popular dipping method, in try Experience, said. “I want it to be free, espewhich contestants dip the entire hot dog, bun cially with everything going on these days.” This will be the fifth annual running of the included, into a glass of water to make it slide dogs, but only the second time it’s been held down easier, Neff said he is not a fan. “I’ve tried it. It’s like a weird, beige mash. in a public venue for the carnage-loving Rex Kwon Do fights back the regurg while fellow contestants at last year’s masses. The first three were held in Neff’s Animas Hot Dog Comp take a hot sec to collect themselves. This year’s It’s not very appealing,” he confided. Then again, who said anything about palatapartment, the result of a serious wager among comp takes place at the American Legion on Nov. 11. /Courtesy photo ability? This is all about helping the veterans two friends – you know, a lot like the Iron this at my house anymore.” and giving locals something to do on a dark hump day Horse of hotdog eating. After the third year, Neff started thinking about a eve. In addition to the main event, there will be live “Me and my buddy Jack were sitting around, and I said, ‘I bet I can eat more hot dogs than you,” Neff re- larger venue for the event, which always takes place on music by Farmington Latin dance band Los Mitotitos to 11/11 – incidentally, also Veteran’s Day. That’s when he help work off the food coma, and for those attendees who called. Well, the gauntlet was thrown, one thing led to decided to make it not just about gluttony (although it are still hungry, even after watching the “feast”ivities, theanother and before you could say, “hold the mustard,” mostly is) but to turn it into a fundraiser for veterans. re’ll be – you guessed it – hot dogs for sale. He reached out to the good folks at the American Legion “There’s not many chances to do this kind of thing,” the two were livestreaming their comp on the FB. “It started with eight people, then went to 10 and about hosting in 2025, and they were happy to oblige – Neff said. “The idea is to put smiles on faces and make a kept growing,” he said. “Eventually I said, ‘I can’t host and even signed up for another round in 2026. Wednesday night more fun.” ■

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Nov. 5, 2026 n 7

TopStory

The Animas River as most, if not all, of us have never seen it, flowing under the 9th Street Bridge on the morning of Mon., Nov. 2. The river crested at 13,000 cfs a few hours later, downstream at the ALP pumping plant gage./Photo by Missy Votel

When it rains, it pours. And pours Durango digs out and helps neighbors while confronting an unsettling new normal by Missy Votel

here was something especially ominous about last Sunday. Even after back-to-back-to-back-to-back storms in as many weeks, this one seemed especially dark and foreboding. Coming home from the morning dog walk, both me and the dogs looked like drowned rats. The deluge was so relentless, that rain even found its way into the tops of my shin-high rain boots. I peeled off my sopping wet outer layers, and the dogs curled up on the couch, where they remained content to bask in eau de wet dog for the rest of the day. When friends texted me to come over that afternoon to watch my guys play their guys on Sunday football, I declined.

8 n Nov. 5, 2026

“I don’t think I want to leave the house,” I confided, feeling a bit guilty about my lack of sociability. Throughout that night, I woke up to rain intermittently pounding my roof. Despite our pleas for rain all year, I couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of existential angst and dread. I’ve often feared that the steep hillside behind my house would let loose, given enough of a drenching. The following morning, I awoke to find my neighborhood intact, somewhat miraculously spared the wrath of hydrological and gravitational forces. As the sun peeked its way through the clouds for the first time in a few days, I – like most Durangoans – tentatively ventured out to our beloved Animas River to see what she looked like at 13k.

At the Whitewater Park, people lined the shores, gawking at the spectacle. I stared, slack jawed, at the roiling brown, river-wide monster that was the Ponderosa Wave, my home away from home for much of the river season. Normally a glassy green wave, it now looked like a nightmarish Willy Wonka movie. “It smells like Conﬂuence Park,” a kayaker friend standing next to me sniffed, referring to Denver’s infamously polluted stretch of whitewater. Indeed, authorities had closed the the swollen torrent, not just for obvious reasons, but because of contamination from raw sewage and chemicals upstream. While my friend claimed he saw a line along the righthand side, I was notconvinced and secretly very relieved to take a respectful hard pass – as many

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river runners did that day. It was not until I returned home from river rubber-necking, that the magnitude of the disaster started to really hit home. Doomscrolling took on new meaning as posts and conversations with friends started flooding in (no pun intended), painting a devastating picture. Friends who live along Junction Creek had their driveway bridge blown out by the typically docile stream that had become a raging beast. Farther downstream, another friend’s house survived, only thanks to an all-night sandbagging brigade. Yet other friends on Columbine, which was ground zero for the wrath of Junction Creek, somehow escaped relatively unscathed. Their neighbors, not so much.

“We’re fine. Just digging out and helping neighbors. Flooded garage, mess in the back yard, but we weren’t half as f*cked as some of our neighbors,” they succinctly put it. Up north, in the Animas Valley, Mother Nature’s seemingly indiscriminate fury had been unleashed on a friend’s mobile home park. Social media posts showed the park turned into a lake by the deceptively docile-sounding Hermosa Creek. I texted to see if she and her family were OK. The text back was like a gut punch. “We did lose the house,” she wrote. A nearby shed became unmoored and crashed into the side of their home, creating a mortal wound. “We waded out last night in waist-high water with our cats in trash bags.” I wasn’t sure if the cats in the trash bags was the most tragic or funny thing I’d heard that day. (The cats, for the record, were purrfectly fine.) As for the house, she wasn’t sure how much inside was salvageable. For the time being, her husband’s employer had put them up in a condo. She seemed relatively upbeat as I struggled for words, only able to find my default fourletter ones. All I could do is send her some stupid photos of my cat in a Halloween costume, in an effort to lighten the mood, and offer to come by later in the week with a shovel and work gloves. Meanwhile, as the good people of Durango and the Four Corners pull together to toil in the mud, waiting for our fickled and pickled orange dictator to release FEMA funds, people have come out in full force to help total strangers. Yet, there is plenty of work still to be done. For those who want to roll up their sleeves, a good place to start is the La Plata County Fairgrounds, which has served as a shelter for those displaced by the floods as well as a de facto command center. Show up with a shovel and work boots, and you will gladly be dispatched to the frontlines of mud and debris-clearing duty. If you can’t show up in person, local businesses from Ska to Durango Joe’s are holding food and supply drives. Manna is taking food donations, and the Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado has set up a relief fund (www.swcommunityfoundation .org.) These are but a few of the opportunities, which are sure to multiply in days and weeks to come. But beyond the rebuilding, perhaps we need to take a sobering look at the long-term future. As the author of the viral post of the house slamming into the bridge in Pagosa Springs noted, in two years, that town has seen three 100-year floods, two of them a week apart. If this doesn’t have the coal- and gas-smudged fingerprints of global warming all over it, I don’t know what does. And, according to the experts, this kind of weather whiplash is only going to become more commonplace. As Cody Moser, a senior hydrologist at the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, explained to the New York Times this week, when temperatures warm, the air can hold more water. That means storms can carry greater amounts of precipitation and deliver more intense rainfall than in the past. Conversely, that increased capacity to hold water also means the air can suck more moisture out of the landscape, exacerbating drought. “We are seeing a higher frequency of more extreme events on both ends,” Moser told the Times. Meanwhile, Donald Trump continues to embrace fossil fuels and seems more interested in Nicki Minaj’s ass (words I never hope to hear come out of an octoge-

Clean-up crews, many of them volunteers, continue removing caked mud from Columbine Drive on Tues., Nov. 3, in a cruel race against the drying effects of the sun./ Courtesy photo

Bystanders check out the Animas River as sand bags hold back a flooded Animas River Trail on Mon., Nov. 2./ Photo by Missy Votel

Kayakers decide to take the high road after scouting the whitewater park – which was technically closed – on Mon., Nov. 2. / Photo by Missy Votel narian’s mouth ever again) and his pathetic monuments to self than the suffering of people he was elected to serve. We can only hope Tuesday night’s Blue tsunami will help reverse the tide on climate policy – among other things. And maybe, just maybe, we will ﬁnd a silver lining to the clouds. ■

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A mobile home in the Animas Valley sits submerged in the waters of Hermosa Creek on Mon., Nov. 2./Courtesy photo Nov. 5, 2026 n 9

BetweentheBeats

Making a joyful noise

As community faces long road to recovery, music can unite us by Stephen Sellers

Name that local First one to answer correctly wins a free hot dog.

10 n Nov. 5, 2026

hat a surreal juxtaposition this past weekend brought. The joyful revelry of families trickor-treating along Third Avenue on a rare Saturday Halloween, the streets alive with costumes, laughter and celebration, contrasted with – just a jack-o’-lantern of hours later – the realization that entire parts of our community were catastrophically changed forever. We’re a small town. We’re not Asheville, and my guess is Billy Strings ain’t coming to the rescue with $15 million in economic activity from six sold-out shows (though I’m sure he would if he could. I’ve heard he’s a great guy.) But, we can learn from Asheville, New Orleans and other cities that have been hit by disaster. My humble call to artists, musicians and music lovers of Durango is to mobilize like. How might we work together? Whether it’s beneﬁt concerts, art auctions, community meals or musicians trading their instruments for shovels and lending a hand in the cleanup, there’s no shortage of creative ways for to show up for our neighbors in the long, cold months ahead. We need grassroots leadership. We need you. At a time when so much of our national conversation is consumed by division, we have an opportunity to make a difference. Not in a comments section, but right here, in the red silt, bucket by bucket. That’s what being neighbors means, regardless of what sticker is on someone’s truck or whose campaign sign is in their front yard. With that spirit in mind, here’s a few shows happening this November you don’t want to miss – dibs to our treasured local bands. As always, dear readers, see you on the dance ﬂoor. • Durango Bluegrass Meltdown Fundraiser featuring Tone Dog, Fri., Nov. 6, 6 p.m., American Legion – One of Durango’s jammiest bluegrass groups is set to take the stage at the American Legion, a venue enjoying a revival as the de facto locals’ spot to catch a great show without breaking the bank. Joining Tone Dog will be the Stillhouse Junkies’ Alyssa Wolf and national bluegrass treasure Gene Libbea, a longtime bassist for the

Alicia Glass plays The Swarm at The Hive on Fri., Nov. 6 Nashville Bluegrass Band. Proceeds will help keep the coffers full for one of Durango’s most beloved local festivals as organizers gear up for their 2027 event. • Alicia Glass, Acid Wrench & Ded Namez, Fri., Nov. 6, 7 p.m., The Swarm at The Hive – Durango’s very own Alicia Glass brings her raucous, glorious rock and roll back to The Swarm at The Hive, Durango’s all-ages, sober music venue. Glass and her band have been busy recording a new album in some unlikely spots around town, including a local mechanic’s garage and the former Channel 37 space, now home to the Cold Storage art collective. Joining the bill are local favorites Acid Wrench and Ded Namez. • Team Green & Nero, Fri., Nov. 6, 8 p.m., Indigo Room at iAM Music – High Country Hustle’s Seth Yokel and Chuck Hank bring their talents to the intimate Indigo Room under the moniker Team Green. Joining them on opening duties are fellow High Country Hustle member and Berklee-trained ﬁddle wunderkind David Delaney and Durango banjo picker Brendan Shafer, making their debut as Nero. • COLAB West, Wed., Nov. 11, 8 p.m., Black Heron Lounge – What is a COLAB, you might ask? Born from the DNA of the infamous Dallas-based jazz, funk and soul jam, COLAB West is the

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brainchild of bass player extraordinaire Wade Campbell. Turns out, this might just be the hottest weekly jam in town, regularly drawing capacity crowds on a Wednesday night at the Black Heron. With a rotating cast of talented musicians, this function is beginning to hit its stride just as we need some midweek fuel to keep the ﬁre burning. • Marmot Ridgerunners, Sat., Nov. 21, 7 p.m., Durango Dance Collective, 1315 Main Ave. – Durango’s contra dance scene is alive and well, and if you haven’t experienced it yet, consider this your invitation. The Marmot Ridgerunners are a fantastic band in the burgeoning Contra scene. No experience necessary and newcomers are always welcome. There’s something beautifully simple about a room full of strangers of all ages becoming friends through music and movement. • Ms. Kait & The Rougaroux Old Time Jazz Band, Sat., Nov. 28, 7 p.m., The Subterrain – Odds are you missed the debut of Durango’s hottest old-time jazz band, Ms. Kait & The Rougaroux. If that’s the case, fear not! You’ve got a holiday weekend opportunity to catch them live at The Subterrain, with local favorite Chuck Hank handling opening duties. Burn off that Turkey grease with some of your favorite swing moves. ■

MurderInk

Prepare for take-off In “Passengers,” a father-daughter reunion turns into an unforgettable journey by Jeffrey Mannix

uropa Editions, one of the world’s most selective and renown publishers of international literary writing, has just released “Passengers,” a novel by Alexander Maksik of Australia. “Passengers” enjoys the distinction of being chosen for the long list of 10 fiction books to be eligible for the National Book Foundation’s book award presented Nov. 18 in New York City. This distinction is enormous. To be selected as the chosen book is career making. “Passengers” is a dark horse for the long list. I reckon the essence – a conversation between a father in his seventies and a 29- year-old daughter walking the concourses at LAX awaiting a departure to Paris after a weeklong odyssey – likely won’t conform to what the jury considers quintessential literature. With all due respect for the National Book Foundation and all the extraordinary books they’ve elegantly gilded over seven-plus decades, “Passengers” is simply a stunning work of literary art. Just imagining a nonstop conversation between previously estranged family members in a place of strict conﬁnement for 200-plus pages is itself spellbinding. And to make this conversation trail behind what appears to be a catastrophe in the making is a Houdini trick of a most talented recounter. As Ivan and Nina are waiting out their delayed ﬂight to Paris, Nina, who is something of a cynic, hardened by a broken family and distrustful of Ivan’s absence, is skeptical of atonement. But an offer from Ivan of a luxury trip to Europe is accepted for its indulgence, and the day to leave is upon them. They meet hours in advance at LAX and head for a fun couple of hours with early morning drinks at the Turbulence Grill near their departure gate. Nina softens with Ivan’s solicitous stories, and after a drink or two, Ivan is emboldened by a budding new relationship he had hoped for. They wile away the

hours until time to assemble for their flight. In high spirits, they arrive at their gate to be told by a harried attendant that their flight won’t leave for another hour. They nonchalantly decide to walk off their drinks and continue building affections. On their stroll, they pass other gates where flights have been delayed and waiting passengers are sprawled on seats and on the floor with a jumble of luggage. After returning to the gate, they are again told that

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their flight has been delayed, now for two hours. So back to ebullient Sadie, their waitress at the Turbulence, they go for lunch, another round of drinks and fruitful conversation. Feeling frustrated with delays, they head back to their gate to find no attendant and see that the overhead monitor has posted cancellation of their flight and every other flight. They now notice that the concourse is overrun with passengers, and on another meander they find other concourses closed and all gates sealed. And it’s getting dark from a sky that’s a peculiar color. By now, Ivan is fading and rambling on incoherently. Nina becomes aggressively sober and worried about Ivan’s decline, decides they’re being held prisoner and notices that the air conditioning is discharging a peculiar odor. She sees people sleeping on the floor, propped against walls and in every seat. Stealing away now becomes critical, and she tugs Ivan from one chained door to another until she finds one unlocked. With no idea where this black door leads, they felt they had found an escape. “They decided to believe in the door … they had made it their purpose for living and so they stood before it like pilgrims in anticipation of a miracle, and when the bar gave, and the door swung out and they followed it into the night, they were filled with such meaningless joy. “It was the moon, not quite full, only just free of the faraway mountains that stopped them smiling. It was to do with the color, which sobered them both. Something like ancient iron, like an old scab ready to fall, somewhere between red and black.” We’re near the end of this amazing journey with Ivan and Nina. I’ll save the outcome and advise that if you buy one book this year, you will cherish “Passengers.” And if Maksik wins the National Book Award, drinks are on you. But, the first drink is on Maria’s Bookshop, with a 15% Murder Ink discount. ■

Nov. 5, 2026 n 11

StufftoDo

Thursday05 Cribbage, 8-10 a.m., Just the Drip Coffee Shop, 1600 Florida Rd. Cancer Support Group, 10-11:30 a.m., Wells Group, 1130 Main Ave. Kiwanis Club of Durango Meets, 12 noon-1 p.m., TBK Bank, 259 W. 9th St. Spanish Conversation Hour, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Matt Rupnow plays, 6-9 p.m., Ofﬁce Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

First Friday Artist Social, 5 p.m., ArtRoom Collective at the Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave.

“Romantic Giants: Brahms & Dvorak,” presented by the San Juan Symphony, 6:30 p.m., FLC Community Concert Hall

Ross Douglas plays, 5-7pm, Lola’s Place 725 E. 2nd Ave. “Be My Icon,” exhibition opening, 5-8 p.m., Blue Rain Gallery, 934 Main Ave., Unit B

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” 7:30 p.m., FLC Mainstage Theatre iAM Music Songwriter Night, 8-10 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave.

“Disabled in Durango,” DEI forum presented by The League of Women Voters, 5:30 p.m., VFW Post 4031, 1500 Main Ave.

Sunday08

Fly Fishing Film Festival, 6-8:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Wildbelly Fermentation Festival, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Mancos Community Center, 130 Grand Ave., Mancos

Larry Carver & Friends play, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Durango Dharma Center Family Program, 10:45 a.m., 1800 E. 3rd Ave, Ste. 109

2 Steps From Normal plays, 6-9 p.m., Ofﬁce Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Record Brunch Club, 12 noon-3 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.

CO-150 Film Festival screening “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” (1999), doors 6 p.m., Mancos Opera House, 136 Grand Ave., Mancos

Durango Bluegrass Meltdown Fundraiser, 610 p.m., American Legion, 878 E. 2nd Ave.

Irish Jams, 12:30-3 p.m., Durango Beer and Ice, 3000 Main Ave.

“Imagined Futures,” artist talk with Tyrrell Tapaha, 6-7:30 p.m., FLC Center of Southwest Studies

“Alice in Wonderland,” presented by DHS Troupe 1096, 7 p.m., DHS Theatre

Silent Sundays with Swanson, 2 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Matt Lewis plays, 6-9 p.m., Ofﬁce Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” 7:30 p.m., FLC Mainstage Theatre

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” 2 p.m., FLC Mainstage Theatre

Jason Thies plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Team Green with Nero, 8-10 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave., #207

Emergency Warming Center Volunteer Orientation, 2-5 p.m., Sacred Heart Parrish Hall, 254 E. 5th Ave.

Adaptive Sports Association Winter Volunteer Orientation, 5:30-6:30 p.m., 463 Turner Drive, Ste.105

Submit items for “Stuff to Do” by Monday at noon at: www.durangotelegraph.com/send-us-your-stuff-to-do/

“Backstage Pass,” exhibit opening, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Stillwater Music, 1316 Main Ave., Ste. C

Dart Tournament, 5:30-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave. Avalanche Awareness Class with Friends of the San Juans, 6 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Best of the Durango Independent Film Fest, 6:30-8 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Saturday07

Kirtan Chanting with GaiaShakti, 7-8:30 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church, 419 San Juan Drive

Wildbelly Fermentation Festival, 8 a.m., Mancos Community Center, 130 Grand Ave., Mancos

Weekly Open Mic, 7-9 p.m., The American Legion, 878 E. 2nd Ave.

Purgatory Resort Job Fair, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds

Friday06 Earlybird Toastmasters, 7-8:30 a.m., Center for Innovation, 835 Main Ave., Ste. 225 Veterans Morning Coffee, 8-10:30 a.m., American Legion, 878 E. 2nd Ave. Leadership Circle, 9-10 a.m., The Center for Innovation, 835 Main Ave., Ste. 225 Frontera Jewelry Grand Opening, 12 noon-7 p.m., 1018½ Main Ave. Durango First Friday, 4-7 p.m., various locations. downtown Durango Ana Hernandez Romo “Entre Mundos / Between Worlds,” exhibition opening, 4-8 p.m., FA Contemporary Art, 600 Main Ave., Ste. 208

12 n Nov. 5, 2026

Chili Cook-Off, 12 noon-2 p.m., Durango HarleyDavidson, 750 S. Camino Del Rio “Preserving Stories: A Guide to Recording Oral Histories,” 1-2 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave. Open House, 1-4 p.m., SanaVita Health & Wellness, 1539 Florida Rd., Ste.112

Sunday Sound Journey, 5-6 p.m., Dreams of Tibet Studio, 988 Main Ave. Funk Jam Sessions presented by Jimmy’s Music & Supply, 5-7 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave. Ben Gibson plays, 6-9 p.m., Ofﬁce Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Blue Moon Ramblers play, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Monday09 Durango Fall Prevention, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Durango Parks & Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave.

“Alice in Wonderland,” presented by DHS Troupe 1096, 2 & 7 p.m., DHS Theatre

Adaptive Sports Association Winter Volunteer Orientation, 12 noon-1 p.m., 463 Turner Drive, Ste.105

Friends of SW La Plata Library District Open House, 2-3 p.m., Sunnyside Library, 75 CR 218

Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Meditations on Compassion 4-5 p.m., Dreams of Tibet, 988 Main Ave.

“Beer 101: Part Two,” 6-7:30 p.m., Durango. Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Adam Swanson plays, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Dustin Burley plays, 6-9 p.m., Ofﬁce Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

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AskRachel

Brushing up on English, fist shaking and latte letdown Interesting fact: It’s hard to be interesting on a week like this. Please stay safe, everyone, and take care of each other as best you can. And don’t drink the river water. Dear Rachel, My granddaughter asked me why we call them toothpaste and toothbrush. She said it should be called a TEETHBRUSH and TEETHPASTE. She is 9 years old, and I don’t know what to say, so I said Rachel will tell you. Grandma is smiling with the question. – Gumma Dear Toofless, Unknown tidbit I just made up: it’s also called a “hairbrush” for a single hair, not “hairsbrush.” Go figure. Why do we do this in English? We have “footwear” and not “feetwear,” and yet “pants” somehow gets to be plural despite a pair being exactly one thing? It’s not right. Let’s tear English down to the ground and start over, you plucky 9-year-old. Go get your legswarmers, and I’ll get my eyesglasses. – Typing with fingersless gloves, Rachel

weeknight? I’m sure there is in town, but I live out in the county. I’d rather not call the Sheriff (and they have better things to do) but I also feel like telling these kids to stop revving their engines and blasting country after 11 p.m. is just gonna get arrows stuck in places I don’t want them. Any helpful advice? – N. Somniac Dear Officially Old Now, This is the hardest part of growing up: realizing your parents had it right. Music can be too loud. And it can get too late. How they didn’t snuff me out when I was blasting objectively soulless music in my bedroom is beyond me. I think the only thing you can do here is put on your flannel bathrobe, toddle out to the dirt road, and shake your fist at those kids. It’ll work as well as it always has. – With ears ringing, Rachel

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

Dear Rachel, Is there an agreed-upon time that’s too late for neighbors to be playing loud music on a

Dear Rachel, Going out for coffee used to feel special. It was a respite. It was A Moment. Now, too many coffee shops are handing you your $6 latte in a paper cup with a lid. It’s not that it feels like they’re rushing me out before I sit down (even though they are). It kills the joy of using a fancy cup on a little dish, like I

never would at home. What gives? – Whole Latte Disappointed Dear De-Caffed, I’m ruined by capitalism and bitterness. Paper cups must be cheaper than dishwashers. That’s all I can think of. But you’re right. There used to be nothing more teethsome than an exquisite cappuccino in a café. Now, the chairs have no armsrests, and a barista’s foamy artwork is no longer eyescandy. At least now I don’t feel bad for leaving lipsgloss stains on my cups. – All froth and no bite, Rachel

Jazz Church, 7:30-9:30 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Sustainability Summit, 6:30-8 p.m., FLC Student Union Ballroom

Guys Who Give Quarterly Impact Event, 6-7 p.m., Steamworks Brewing, 801 E. 2nd Ave.

Joel Racheff plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

FLC Percussion Ensemble/Jazz Combo, 7 p.m., FLC Roshong Recital Hall

Adaptive Sports Association Winter Volunteer Orientation, 6-7 p.m., 463 Turner Drive, Ste. 105

Tuesday10

Wednesday11

Four Corners Free Mobile Health Clinic, 2-5:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Wild New Way Women’s Collective: “The Ripple Effect,” doors 8:30 a.m., Durango Collective, 1315 Main Ave.

Trivia Night, 6-8 p.m., Zia Cantina, 2977 Main Ave.

Breast Cancer Networking Group, 4 p.m., Cancer Support Community SWCO, 1701 Main Ave., Ste. C Vallecito Nordic Center Season Kickoff & Fundraiser, 5-8 p.m., Zia Cantina, 2977 Main Ave.

Durango Fall Prevention, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Durango Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave. Green Business Roundtable, 12 noon, The Powerhouse, 456 W. 12th St.

Writers & Scribblers, 6-8 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave. Nathan Schmidt plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Chuck Hank plays, 6-9 p.m., Ofﬁce Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Animas Hot Dog Competition, 6:30 p.m., American Legion, 878 E. 2nd Ave.

Rotary Club of Durango presents Roger Ptolemy speaking about Rotary Youth Leadership, 6 p.m., Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave.

Art Showcase of Bob Ross-Inspired Paintings, 12:30 p.m., V.F.W. Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave.

No Sew Tote Bags, 6-7:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Ukulele Night, 5-7 p.m., Four Leaves Winery, 528 Main Ave.

Terry Rickard plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Ska Bingo Night, 5-7 p.m., DoubleTree Animas River Lounge, 501 Camino del Rio

Upcoming

Tuesday Trivia, 6-8:30 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Money Talks, casual personal ﬁnance meetup, 5:30 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.

“Actually, It Is Rocket Science” ﬁlm showing and Friends of the San Juans fundraiser, Thurs., Nov. 12, 5:30 p.m. & 8 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Randy Crumbaugh plays, 6-9 p.m., Ofﬁce Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Meditations on Compassion, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave., Ste.109

“Alice in Wonderland,” presented by Troupe 1096, Nov. 12-13, 7 p.m.; Nov. 14, 2 & 7 p.m., DHS Theatre

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San Juan Basin Archaeological Society: “The First Peopling of South America,” 7-8:30 p.m., FLC Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum

Nov. 5, 2026 n 13

FreeWillAstrology by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries psychologist Abraham Maslow coined the term “peak experiences”: surging upflows of heightened clarity, awe, vitality and love. He also identified another category, “plateau experiences.” These are gentler but more enduring states, characterized less by ecstatic fireworks than by a leisurely delight in being alive. I believe you’re in a phase that favors those plateau experiences. So the semi-bad news is that you may not be besieged by a nonstop flood of spectacular epiphanies. The good news is you’ll harvest a steady stream of subtle amazements. A calm, glowing contentment can teach you all you need to know right now. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A finely crafted mechanical watch depends upon many gears moving at different speeds. Some spin rapidly, while others barely move. Yet each contributes to the overall success of timekeeping. Please remember this when you get restless about your uneven progress. Not every area of your life can or should be in dynamic motion simultaneously. One project may require vigorous action while another benefits from patient incubation. A single standard of productivity isn’t right for you these days. Harmonious coordination rhythms serves you best.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): A bird doesn’t perceive reﬂective glass as we do. To it, the spotless glass façade of a building may look like a continuation of the outdoors, with blue sky, clouds, trees or water. But humans have the know-how to create bird-friendly patterns that interrupt this illusion by giving the glass enough “texture” to register as a solid obstacle. With these visual clues, birds are less likely to collide with the structure. In coming weeks, I hope you will summon comparable thoughtfulness. Your small gestures can protect others from unnecessary confusion or pain. You’ll have extra power to express subtle kindnesses that free people to navigate the world more safely. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You may be feeling so physically well right now that it seems almost implausible. Your mind may be operating so sharply that you wonder whether you can trust it. Even love may appear so straightforward and righteous that part of you suspects you have misunderstood the signs. But that’s the cosmic joke: These blessings don’t come with an invoice or a looming punishment. You’re allowed to receive them freely. Tell your harsh inner critic that its counsel isn’t needed. Then make ample room for the release and freedom that are unfolding.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I invite you to ruminate about the stories you’ve been telling about yourself. Are they still accurate? Still empowering? Or have some become outdated myths that no longer honor your identity? During coming weeks, I predict you will be energized as you revise your personal mythology with imaginative generosity. It’s time to retire narratives that shrink you. Reinvent an old saga so it makes you more of a hero and less of a victim. Compose two fun new tales that are spacious enough to accommodate the curious beauty you’re on your way to becoming.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I’m not right 100% of the time, but even when I’m not completely correct, I usually get close to at least one of the key truths simmering in your story. In the oracle you’re reading now, I’m offering a concise burst of guidance that I believe is even more likely than usual to be 100 percent accurate. I’m urging you to examine the balance of give-and-take in one speciﬁc relationship. Your gift for harmony can sometimes tip into always being the one who accommodates, adjusts, and gives more, until the scales sit lopsided and you barely notice. Investigate that possibility, please. Fixing the imbalance is an act of care for a bond that’s worth keeping healthy.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Among elephants, older matriarchs lead the herd. They carry detailed memories of watering holes, migration routes and brushes with danger. During tough times, their accumulated experience becomes indispensable. This reminds me that your own history contains wisdom you haven’t fully appreciated. And now is an excellent phase to bring it into your conscious awareness. Instead of dwelling on old disappointments or mistakes, focus on what knowledge you’ve harvested from living through them. Your future and the futures of those you care for will improve in direct proportion to the respect you show your past.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): How long has it been since you’ve meandered around a library? I’m old-fashioned about books, so that experience is high on my list of pleasurable adventures. I enjoy searching for speciﬁc books but I also love browsing the shelves without a ﬁxed destination. Both approaches are valuable, though browsing often produces happy surprises. One unexpected title leads to another, opening pathways no search engine could have predicted. With this in mind, Scorpio, I recommend that you browse freely in the coming weeks. Wander through ideas, friendships, music, bookstores, museums, forests, conver-

Praye ayers to all ll aff ffec ected the floo oods by th If you need anything, we are here to help! Buy • Sell • Trade • Consign ~ Home Furnishings ~ Clothing ~ Accessories ~ Jewelry Closed July 4 • Open Tues. - Sat., 12 noon - 5 pm • 572 E. 6th Ave. • 970-385-7336

14 n Nov. 5, 2026

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sations, and neighborhoods without demanding a predetermined outcome. Serendipity is preparing a curriculum especially suited to restless brilliance. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): There’s a Welsh word, hiraeth, that refers to a longing for a home that may never have existed. It’s a homesickness for a place or a way of being you can’t actually return to and aren’t sure was ever fully real. I bring this up, Sagittarius, because I suspect you’re feeling the tug of distant horizons lately, a restless ache for an elsewhere you can’t name. Don’t dismiss this longing as mere wanderlust to be scratched with a plane ticket. Sit with it. Ask what it’s pointing toward. The far country you ache for may be a quality of soul you’re being called to cultivate right where you are. Your true destination might be more interior than you assume. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Engineers who design a suspension bridge know the structure must be able to sway slightly in wind and weather. A perfectly rigid structure would eventually crack under stress. In the coming weeks, I’m hoping you’ll incorporate extra doses of this paradoxical attitude. It’s crucial not just to grudgingly acknowledge but to fondly celebrate the fact that stability will thrive on generous ﬂexibility. Some plans and convictions will grow even stronger because you’ll be willing to adjust and tinker with them. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Astronomers sometimes revisit old telescope data using improved software. In doing so, they may discover planets or galaxies that had been hidden from them for years. The information was always there. Only the methods of perception changed. I suspect you’re ripe for similar types of revelation, Aquarius. I invite you to return to old notebooks, abandoned ideas, neglected friendships, or forgotten ambitions. You may not have extracted all their value yet. Your present self possesses interpretive abilities that your former self lacked. Yesterday’s overlooked clue may be tomorrow’s breakthrough. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Nineteenthcentury Piscean composer and pianist Frédéric Chopin poured an almost unbearable tenderness into his nocturnes and preludes. His delicate, intimate music is among the most emotional ever created. Evoking potent, mysterious feelings was his specialty. I propose we make him your inspirational role model. Please do everything you can imagine to express your deep feelings with artistry and intelligence. Be as sensitive and impassioned as you dare.

classifieds

Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon. Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $10 minimum. Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check. (Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)

Ads can be submitted by emailing: classifieds@ durangotelegraph.com ForSale Loveseat and Sofa Microsuede brown couches. Asking $300 for both, or you can split them. Call 970-903-2149 for info. Reruns Home Furnishings Refresh your iiving spaces. Small furniture and furnishings, rugs, kitchenwares, artwork and more! Also looking to consign. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat.

Electric Repair Roof, gutter cleaning, fence, floors, walls, flood damage, mold, heating service.

Local Energy Action Fund Grants LPEA is accepting applications for its Local Energy Action Fund grant program supporting local projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide community benefit. Tax-exempt organizations within LPEA’s service territory are eligible. Projects may include heat pumps, EV charging infrastructure, induction cooking equipment, energy efficiency improvements, solar installations and more. Applications open through Nov. 30. Learn more at LPEA.coop/LEAF. Survivor of Suicide Loss Day Durango Recreation Center, Sat., Nov.

HaikuMovieReview ‘The Housemaid’ Oh, Sydney Sweeney didn’t your character learn anything in jail? – Lainie Maxson 21, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Hosted by The Grief Center of Southwest Colorado, The Cody Project and The La Plata County Suicide Prevention Collaborative. Registration requested: durango-col orado.isosld.afsp.org. If you or someone you know is considering suicide call/text "988.”

BodyWork Massage by Meg Bush 30, 60 & 90 min Meg Bush, LMT 970759-0199

Boiler Service - Water Heater Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917

OfficeforRent

Wanted Books Wanted at White Rabbit Donate/Trade/Sell 970 259-2213

CommunityService

Quiet Room for Rent in health care setting. Internet, beautiful views, deck, parking, W/D. 3750 Main Ave. $575/mo. Avail ASAP. Text 970.799.8670

Services Chapman Electric Professional, reliable repair and installation. Residential and commercial, new construction and remodels both big and small. Colorado licensed. Mike 970-4036670.

AmeriCorps Position Available Put your passion for community service to work at a nonprofit with deep roots in Southwest Colorado. Community Connections is seeking an AmeriCorps Member to strengthen Cybersecurity and AI Readiness from Dec. 7, 2026, through Aug. 13, 2027. In this role, you’ll help local organizations explore the impact of artificial intelligence while protecting private information—and you’ll collaborate with an innovative, service-oriented team and community partners. AmeriCorps Members receive a living stipend, education funding, professional development, and access to a community of practice with fellow ACC Members. View the full position description and apply at https://bit.ly/lfa-cci.

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New kid on the block? (Don’t worry – the Telegraph is here for you step by step.)

50% OFF one month of display ads* *1/8th page or larger • Ads start at just $80/week! Get your business in front of thousands of adoring fans each week to make sure you’r not a one-hit wonder

For details email: missy@durangotelegraph.com Nov. 5, 2026 n 15

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