Editor’s Note: This letter didn’t make it into this week’s edition. Because it references next Tuesday’s April 14 commissioners’ meeting, we’re posting it online now. Dear Editor: The sky is falling! The sky is falling! OK, it’s not falling. But if the right hallucinogenic drug is taken, you might believe[Read More…]
Opinion
EDITOR’S COLUMN – April 9th, 2026
“It takes a village to convince one person to prepare their property for fire season — and sometimes that one person is all it takes to put the whole village at risk.” ~ The Hotshot Wake Up Back when the evening news was the news, I remember watching stories about[Read More…]
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – April 9th, 2026
Ducey will not seek re-election to WREA Board of Directors Dear Editor: To the Membership of White River Electric Association, I will NOT be seeking re-election this coming year. I would like to personally thank you all, it has been extremely humbling to have so much support and for your[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN: Motive tells its own tale
Do you ever look at someone and just think, “Why?” Why did they make that decision? Why are they acting that way? There’s a reason we ask those questions. Motive matters. Motive, by definition, is “a reason for doing something, especially one that is hidden or not obvious.” In murder[Read More…]
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – April 2nd, 2026
Rio Blanco County Detention Center: Explanation on closure and reopening Dear Editor: I want to take some time to address the reopening of the Rio Blanco County Detention Center, since a couple of people have asked, “Why did we close the jail?” First, a little personal background. I worked in[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – On taxes
“Income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today.”~ Herman Wouk I can’t think of a single positive statement I’ve ever heard about taxes. It doesn’t matter if it’s sales taxes or income taxes or property taxes, the consensus has always been that taxes suck and we collectively[Read More…]
VINE & VITTLES – Bites, Bottles & Banter
MEEKER | An amazing opportunity has come my way: I get to write about food and drink, in any aspect I desire—on a recurring basis. Whether it’s recipes, recommendations, history, hot topics (yes, even those pesky rising grocery prices!), or just some lighthearted banter, I get to explore it all.[Read More…]
LOOSE ENDS: Playground Politics
MEEKER |“Playground Politics” are back with a vengeance It first became visible in the larger public meetings involving local issues. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for it. The size of the community didn’t appear to be as much a factor as a general disinterest toward collaborating with[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – It’s Sunshine Week, our annual reminder that freedom of information is essential to a free country
Laws governing public meetings, public records and open government emerged in the 1970s after the exposure of vast amounts of concealed government information and corruption — think Watergate and the Pentagon Papers. The idea was simple: government works better when the public can see how decisions are made. You would[Read More…]
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – March 19th, 2026
Sharing stories Dear Editor: I was privileged to share stories with Meeker Elementary students, from pre-K through fifth grade, in the last couple of weeks. The experience was wonderful; the students were attentive, their manners were impeccable, and I was left with a glow in my heart. Memories returned from[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN – ‘Suppose they gave a war and nobody came?’
A cartoonish poster with that phrase hung in my childhood home. The line comes from a movie made the year I was born — a film I’ve never actually seen — but the title stuck with me. I was in Lamaze class the night the first Gulf War started. Someone[Read More…]
LETTER TO THE EDITOR – March 12th, 2026
Noodle memories Dear Editor: I was raised in Meeker from 1943 to 1961, living at 645 Water St. with my grandparents John and Mary Murray. I graduated from Meeker High School in 1961, then moved away for college and a career that took me to Berkeley, California, where I now[Read More…]
