Ear to the ground:

“It’s like when a celebrity who is semi-attractive gets plastic surgery.”
– One local boater’s synopsis of the new Whitewater Park


Save the Stache

Bike season didn’t start out so well for Ethan Deffenbaugh.

The local father of two boys was in Denver on April 10 when the communal city bike he was riding suddenly became unhinged. Deffenbaugh soon found himself making an abrupt introduction with the sidewalk.

The rest is blurry, but he was rushed to Denver Health Hospital with multiple facial and skull injuries. Two major surgeries later, Deffenbaugh is recovering in Durango with the help of partner and nurse (no, really), Molly Marquez.

Unfortunately, it may take longer to recover from the hospital bills, which are expected to mount. As such, the local hockey and soccer communities – of which both Marquez and Deffenbaugh are part of – have banded together to help.

In addition to being a common fixture on the ice and field, Deffenbaugh is perhaps best known for his  well-coifed handlebar mustache. As such, a fundraising campaign, “Save the Stache,” has been set up to offset Deffenbaugh’s medical costs. If you’d like to help Save the Stache, visit the crowd-funding site www.giveforward.com and search “Ethan Deffenbaugh.”


Stamping out hunger

Local mail carriers will be doing double duty next week, not only making sure the mail goes through, but making sure everyone is fed.

Sat., May 10, is the National Association of Letter Carriers “Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive” in which carriers pick up nonperishable food from local mailboxes. Now in its 22nd year, the campaign has gathered more than 1.3 billion pounds of food nationwide.

According to the USPS, 49 million Americans, or one in six, are unsure where their next meal will come from. Sixteen million of those are children and nearly 5 million are seniors.

“Most donations are made to food banks around the holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas. By now their supplies are running low,” mail carrier Seana Brandon, coordinator for the Durango and Hesperus post offices, said. “Summer is an important time ... children cannot access breakfast and lunch offered to them through school.”

Brandon said food gathered locally stays local, going to the Durango Food Bank as well as other area food banks.

Residents are asked to bag nonperishable (canned goods, juice, pasta, cereal, peanut butter, rice, etc.) food and leave it by their mailbox or in a designated collection area on Sat., May 10. And please, no glass – the ride in the mailtruck can be bumpy.

“Yes, this makes our day a bit more work and a little longer, but it’s worth it to help feed our neighbors,” said Brandon.

For more info, go to www.nalc.org

In this week's issue...

January 25, 2024
Bagging it

State plastic bag ban is in full effect, but enforcement varies

January 26, 2024
Paper chase

The Sneer is back – and no we’re not talking about Billy Idol’s comeback tour.

January 11, 2024
High and dry

New state climate report projects continued warming, declining streamflows