Ear to the ground

“It needs more M&Ms.”

– Local 4-year-old’s assessment of mom and dad’s attempt to sneak flax oil, dried vegetable powder and goat'smilk  into a smoothie

Hummer’s last hope

The Hummer – the vehicle so many Durangoans love to loathe – appears to be headed for the high road rather than the junk heap.

Financially embattled GM is looking for any and every way to raise funds and avoid bankruptcy. Dumping Hummer is just one of the paths the major automaker is following.

The commercial version of the military vehicle started popping up in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as military seconds started rolling onto dirt and paved roads, and GM bought the rights to Hummer in 1999. This spring, the automaker announced it was putting the Hummer division on the auction block and would cancel production of the military-based sport utility vehicle if no buyers appeared.

Last week, GM revealed that it has three potential buyers for its Hummer division. GM Chief Executive Fritz Henderson said in a Friday conference call that a contract should be in place by the end of April.

Meanwhile, a Utah company has developed a green wrapper for the car many consider “the poster child of excess consumption and inefficiency.” Raser Technologies recently released the Raser H3, a green retrofit for the popular Hummer model. The Raser H3 boasts a 90 mph top speed, off road capabilities and up to 100 mpg thanks to a lithium ion-battery that charges in as little as three hours.

“We’ve taken the worst environmental offender on the road and made it greener than a Prius,” David West, the company’s vice president of marketing, told Wired.com. “It truly is incredible to see and hear a Hummer that truly hums.”

Great America

Add another feather to downtown Durango’s cap. The local burg has landed in the 2009 edition of The Great Towns of America. The book highlights towns that combine scenic location, charm, town centers, culture and a sense of place, according to authors David and Joan Vokac. The Vokacs spent 50 years working in community development before they penned their first edition in 1998.

The 2009 second edition includes 100 finalists with Colorado landing 10 towns on the list, including: Durango, Steamboat Springs, Vail, Aspen, Glenwood Springs, Breckenridge, Ouray, Telluride and Pagosa Springs.

“These are towns where you can walk a few blocks and experience a genuine closeness to nature,” said David Vokac.

A few of the other bests include Santa Fe and California’s Napa and Sausalito.