Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News

COVID outbreaks have shut down some Colorado schools. Will holidays and cold weather make things worse?

When COVID-19 swept through an elementary, middle and high school in Pagosa Springs in November, many kids in Archuleta School District #50 JT once again had to abandon the classroom to learn at home. Along with shutting down the high school for five school days amid a string of staff absences, the rural southwest Colorado […]

Posted inGrowth, Housing, News

Housing in small Colorado towns is “damn near a crisis.” But the solution isn’t as easy as just building more.

MANCOS — There’s no affordable housing in Mancos. Zero rental units. Nearly no houses on the market. The town’s school district struggles to hire teachers because they can’t find a place to live. It’s the same story with the town government, the hospital and the nursing home.  It’s an “overwhelming issue” for the town of […]

Posted inEconomy, Growth, Housing, News

“It’s scary”: The housing shortage has reached a crisis point in southwest Colorado

DURANGO — Pagosa Springs paramedic Matt Robison was living with two friends in a 1,200-square-foot house until this summer — when his rent would have leapt 60%, to $2,400 a month. Robison hit the road, working wildland fires and living out of his truck.   Sixty miles west, professor Rebecca Clausen has heard from faculty at […]

Posted inBusiness, COVID, News, Outdoors

How Colorado’s independent Wolf Creek ski area plans to navigate a coronavirus reopening

Almost 4,200 Wolf Creek skiers responded to a survey sent by the ski area’s owner, Davey Pitcher.  They were largely from New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma as well as surrounding communities like Pagosa Springs and South Fork. Typical Wolf Creek skiers. They all said, heck yeah they wanted to ski this season. And they were […]