Poet Laureates Announced

Durango has its first poet laureate and rising poet laureate who will serve three year terms writing poems for special events and occasions. The city of Durango adopted the 2024 budget at the December 5th meeting, and United Airlines has announced it will be starting twice daily trips with the Airbus A319, the largest plane currently serving the Durango, La Plata County Airport. You're watching the local News Roundup, brought to you by the Payroll Department and Serious Texas Bar-B-Q. I'm Gillian Arnwine. The Durango Poet Laureate program has announced the 2024 poet laureate and rising poet laureate. The poet laureate is Esther Belin, who has lived in Durango since 1997 and teaches at Fort Lewis College in the Native American and indigenous studies departments. Belin has published two single volume poetry books and is one of the four editors of the Diné Reader, an anthology of Navajo Literature, which won the 2022 American Book Award. The rising poet laureate is Durango High School Junior, Zoe Golden. Golden has been published in the Cambridge Hall of Poetry Magazine and the Durango High School newspaper. The laureate terms are three years and will begin in January. The Durango Poet Laureate committee received 33 nominations for the poet laureate position and 12 nominations for the rising poet laureate role. Find information about upcoming readings and events at the Durango Public Library website. The Poet Laureate program is funded by the Lodgers Tax Arts and Culture Fund. The Durango City Council adopted the 2024 budget at the December 5th council meeting with a vote of four to one. The budget totals $114 million in anticipated revenues with approximately $101 million in proposed capital expenditures. Upcoming capital expenditures include continued work with the Durango Mesa Park Foundation, the development of the 2.6 mile Smart 160 Trail, connecting three springs to the Animus River Trail, and funding for this city's civic center. The public is invited to review the adopted budget through the city's financial transparency tool. January, we'll see a second daily airbus, A319, between Denver and the Durango La Plata County Airport, operated by United Airlines. United Airlines currently operates five daily flights using the A319 plane with an overall uptick in travel, that once daily flight will become twice a day beginning January 9th. The move comes as the first phase of the terminal development program is on track to be completed. Enabling the airport to better handle a larger volume of passengers. The Airbus A 319 is currently the largest aircraft serving the Durango La Plata County Airport. Follow updates on the terminal design project at the airport's website. Learn more about these and other stories online at durangolocal.news. Thank you for watching this edition of the Local News Roundup. I'm Gillian Arnwine.