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Today's Opinions

  • Editorial Thumbs

    Thumb DOWN for ... A REAL JOURNALIST GONE. Walter Cronkite, longtime CBS News anchorman and managing editor, died this week at age 92. His passing is nostalgic for those of us who remember when journalism was a highly regarded profession, one in which even superhero characters found refuge in the calling to report truth and expose injustice.

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  • Letter: Consolidation would hurt schools

    I found the Optic’s article on the Las Vegas school consolidations survey interesting. However, I thought I was somewhat biased, incomplete and misleading. My first impression was that most readers of the article would have a tendency to support the consolidation based on what was presented in the article. I arrived at the conclusion that various key factors were inadvertently omitted and it would be a travesty if people would support the consolidation without taking into account some of the concerns I’ve identified.

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  • Letter: Drilling and smoking in Mora County

    The public session to discuss gas drilling in Mora County turned out to be a walk down memory lane. I could hear echoes of statements made decades ago by representatives of the tobacco industry.

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  • EDITORIAL: Get experts to debate

    During Mora County’s public hearing on oil and gas drilling, everyone agreed on one thing: Mora County is one of the most beautiful places in the world. And, indeed, the view is incredible.

    Many of the speakers at the hearing said they didn’t want anything that would spoil the scenery, and in their minds, oil and gas drilling would do just that. They also contended that the drilling would cause water and air pollution.

    To help their arguments, some ranchers came in from San Juan County to talk about the negative impacts of natural gas drilling there.

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  • LETTER: Adding color to the fiestas

    Every year there are two big events that make me miss Las Vegas: the electric light parade in the winter and the Fourth of July Fiestas.

    They are celebrations unrivaled anywhere else in the country.

    This year I missed the fiestas a bit more because I noticed through Facebook that quite a few of my high school friends were going to be making a pilgrimage back to Vegas.

    I also missed a spectacle: a rainbow decorated float with George Michael music and people dancing.

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  • DULCEY AMARGO: Odyssey just now beginning

    LISBON, PORTUGAL — Bom Dia! That’s how each day began once I arrived in Europe — Portugal, to be exact. No snags, wonderful people, the ideal vacation and the realization of an almost-lifetime dream.Who could ask for more?

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  • EDITORIAL: Cop's claim without merit

    District Attorney Richard Flores has cleared Las Vegas police Officer Martin Salazar of any criminal wrongdoing in his handling of a suspect earlier this year. Earlier this summer, Flores sought a state police inquiry into jailers’ allegations that Salazar threatened a female arrestee with violence.

    We don’t know why the DA cleared Salazar or why prosecutors didn’t give credence to the jailers’ version of events. But Flores hasn’t shied away from prosecuting officials in the past. So it’s likely that he had good reasons for his decision.

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  • COLUMN: Don't break the chain

    First, my best friend got struck by lightning. The next day, my high-school buddy suffered a heart attack while boarding a bus. But the upside is that a man who works near me is now $7 million richer.

    Such would all be true if certain threats and promises really came true.

    But first some background:

    One of my teachers at Immaculate Conception School, Sister Ständige Angst, did a good job of convincing us of consequences. “If you fail to put others first, you will suffer,” she reminded us.

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