Ear to the ground

“It’s getting tough. I’ve had to cut myself off from buying any new clothes.”

– A Durango real estate agent on ways of dealing with the national housing crunch

The Telegraph season

Old St. Nick hasn’t been very good to the DurangoTelegraph this year. The jolly old elf dropped Christmas Eve on a Monday and Christmas Day on a Tuesday, the paper’s traditional hump days. Add the beginning of Kwanza to the mix on Dec. 26, our standard press day, and a recipe for shabby journalism was starting to take shape.

In addition to this bizarre holiday alignment, past Christmas editions have been a little light on content and advertising. As a result,Durango Telegraphstaffers are doing the unthinkable this year – skipping one of our 52 issues. That’s right, there will be no paper hitting the streets on Thurs., Dec. 27. Instead, theTelegraph is going with the flow this year, and our editors, reporters, sales folk and photographers will be taking a well-deserved rest.

Before you pick up the phone, pick up another publication or pick up on a rumor that we’ve gone out of business, rest easy. We will be putting out a stunning, content-rich and award-winning “double-issue” on Thurs., Dec. 20. That edition will contain all of the news, opinion and entertainment information you need to weather two weeks of the holiday season in style.

An early edition also means early deadlines, however, and theTelegraph will be looking for a little help from its adoring public during these tinsel-filled times.

“On the Town” entertainment submissions for the week of Christmas and New Year’s will be due by 5 p.m. on Mon., Dec. 17. Those of you planning big New Year’s Eve parties need to let us know a week early. Interested in selling off your Christmas loot or renting out the mother-in-law quarters? Classified advertising will be due on Dec. 18 at noon. People with grievances about the Dec. 20 holiday issue can file them in person at either Horse Gulch, Deer Creek or El Rancho depending on what Mother Nature delivers.

Battle of the bands

A $1 million recording contract could be rolling into Durango this week. Original Durango-based band Formula 151 took the stage in Denver on Dec. 5 in the Bodog Music Battle of the Bands for their shot at fame and fortune.

The band, featuring Dave Mensch, Katherine Jetter Tischhauser, Mike Kornelson and Steve Dejka, took first place during the Denver auditions on Oct. 27 and have high hopes for this week’s battle. The first win was based on fan voting on-line and in-person at the show.

The Bodog Music label is behind the battle of the bands – “the search for the best unsigned bands in the country.” Grand prize includes a $1 million recording and marketing contract, live shows in major cities across the globe and a reality TV show. For more information and results, visit www.bodogbattle.com.