David O. Williams is an award-winning freelance reporter based in the Vail Valley of Colorado, writing on health care, immigration, politics, the environment, energy, public lands, outdoor recreation and sports. His work has appeared in 5280 Magazine, American Way Magazine (American Airlines), the Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), Aspen Daily News, the Aspen Times, Beaver Creek Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, the Colorado Independent, Colorado Politics formerly the Colorado Statesman), Colorado Public News, the Colorado Springs Gazette, the Colorado Independent (formerly Colorado Confidential), the Colorado Springs Independent, the Colorado Statesman (now Colorado Politics), the Daily Trail (Vail), the Denver Daily News, the Denver Post, the Durango Herald, the Eagle Valley Enterprise, the Eastside Journal (Bellevue, Washington), ESPN.com, the Glenwood Springs Post-Independent, the Greeley Tribune, the Huffington Post, the King County Journal (Seattle, Washington), KUNC.org (northern Colorado), LA Weekly, the London Daily Mirror, the Montgomery Journal (Maryland), The New York Times, the Parent’s Handbook, Peaks Magazine (now Epic Life), People Magazine, Powder Magazine, the Pueblo Chieftain, PT Magazine, Rocky Mountain Golf Magazine, the Rocky Mountain News, Atlantic Media's RouteFifty.com (formerly Government Executive State and Local), SKI Magazine, Ski Area Management, SKIING Magazine, the Summit Daily News, United Hemispheres (United Airlines), Vail/Beaver Creek Magazine, Vail en Español, Vail Valley Magazine, the Vail Daily, the Vail Trail and Westword (Denver). Williams is also the founder, publisher and editor of RealVail.com and RockyMountainPost.com.
Debating snowmaking, cloud seeding for skiing during worsening climate crisis
Looking up at the grassy, brown lower slopes of Colorado ski resorts these days, streaked in places with patches of artificial snow, it’s natural to wonder, what’s the point? As the…
Colorado congressman leads charge on access issues plaguing mobile app stores
Despite a recent court ruling that could carve off a big slice of Apple and Google’s revenue for rival tech companies and app developers, Colorado Congressman Ken Buck continues to sharpen his…
Colorado reservoir proposal fans flames of climate change, trans-mountain diversion debate
Where were you in ’52? That’s the year the Colorado Front Range cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs first started gobbling up water rights in the remote, somewhat lush mountain…
Colorado governor links lengthy interstate closure to wildfires, mudslides, climate change
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Monday said his office is preparing a state disaster declaration and a request for a federal declaration after torrential rains over the last five days…
Tech innovation helps boost recovery for Colorado’s outdoor recreation industry
If Colorado’s tech and outdoor rec sectors weren’t inextricably linked prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they certainly are now, panelists on a recent webcast said. “The marriage of tourism, travel,…
Dormant Colorado rail line could see revival as ambitious Amtrak plan moves forward
Last week, Amtrak issued a statement and a map detailing its plans for new routes as part of the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan, including a new Front Range passenger rail route from Cheyenne to…
Colorado weighs data privacy bill as feds drag feet on regulating tech industry
Colorado this legislative session may be joining a handful of states trying to fill a federal void in regulating personal data privacy and security, but most experts agree the state-level…
Feds reject request for streamlined approval of lease deal on UP’s Tennessee Pass rail line
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board — the federal agency that oversees railroads — has rejected a request by newly formed Colorado, Midland & Pacific Railroad for expedited approval of its…
Opinion: Revived rail line through Colorado ski country could bolster rivers, battle climate change
In doing some research for my appearance on Forrest Whitman’s On The Rail’s podcast on KHEN 106.9 FM radio in Salida, Colorado, I realized that I first started seriously writing about passenger…
Analysis: Local jurisdictions have some limited leverage as rail companies do battle
Where the hell is Sage, Colorado? And why would a railroad company be considering starting a commuter passenger rail service there and running trains along the long-dormant Tennessee Pass Line…
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