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NRA is gunning for Morse

Pam Zubeck — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:52:47 -0600

This just in from Christy Le Lait, who's working to keep Sen. John Morse from being recalled:

A mass mailing funded by the NRA and coordinated with Basic Freedom Defense Fund has gone out to voters throughout Senate District 11 supporting the recall effort of Senate President John Morse and urging voters to join up with BFDF to remove Sen. Morse from office.

“Basic Freedom Defense Fund has released numerous statements to the media and on their website claiming to be a grassroots organization,” stated Christy Le Lait, representative for A Whole Lot of People for John Morse, the issue committee fighting the recall attempt.…
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Crimestoppers: We need you.

Matthew Schniper — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:11:00 -0600

Yes, by assigning this blog post to the "Breaking News" category I am quite literally and intentionally punning.

You see, our office building, located at 235 S. Nevada Ave. across from the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, has been broken into and burglarized three times over the past two weeks.…

Election unkind to incumbent Councilors

Kirk Woundy — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:45:36 -0600

Now with another few hundred votes in — and, we would guess, only a few hundred more left to be counted — Helen Collins has opened up her lead over Deborah Hendrix in District 4 to almost exactly 300 votes (2,243 to 1,944). Andres Pico's lead over David Moore in District 6 has slimmed slightly, but still stands at more than 100 votes (3,767 to 3,652).…

Oil and gas possibilities 'disappointing,' says Ultra

Chet Hardin — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:56:14 -0700

The petroleum that sits underneath El Paso County does not appear to present commercial possibilities. That's what Ultra Petroleum, which holds the majority of the approved permits for oil and gas drilling in El Paso County, had to say when it announced its results for the fourth quarter of 2012.…

USA Today outlines Colorado's sequestration situation

Kirk Woundy — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:45:33 -0700

In a report out this morning, USA Today breaks down the potential impact of sequestration, or a series of across-the-board federal budget cuts, state-by state. Colorado certainly sees a big threat, with more than 4,800 Army-related jobs affected (either furloughed or lost) and another 6,000-plus civilian Air Force jobs furloughed.…

Philharmonic music director accepts new position

Bill Forman — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 09:50:55 -0700

Josep Caballé-Domenech, who came onboard as the Colorado Springs Philharmonic’s music director back in May of 2011, has accepted a position as general music director of German symphony orchestra Staatskapelle Halle. The Barcelona-born conductor will also continue on here with the Philharmonic, dividing his time between the two orchestras.…

Security alarm got no CSPD response before double homicide

Chet Hardin — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:25:51 -0700

At approximately 11:10 a.m. on Jan. 14, a security alarm for the Bassett Drive home of Staff Sgt. David Dunlap and his wife Whitney Butler was triggered, the Colorado Springs Police Department has confirmed. An officer was not dispatched in response to the alarm.…

Personhood proponents back Joshi's bill

Chet Hardin — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:41:09 -0700

Last year, Colorado voters were so supportive of a "personhood amendment" that Amendment 62, which would have mandated that "the term ‘person’ shall apply to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being," failed to even get enough support to make the November ballot.

Undaunted, Springs Republican Rep. Janak Joshi has sponsored HB 13-1032:

The bill provides that, if the commission of any crime codified in the criminal code or traffic code is the proximate cause of death or injury to an unborn member of the species homo sapiens, the prosecuting attorney, in charging the underlying offense, may also charge the homicide or assault offense that is appropriate to the death or injury.

On Monday, Personhood Colorado plans to hold a press conference at the Capitol in Denver to show their solidarity with Joshi.…

Breaking: Crouse sues city over destroyed marijuana

Bryce Crawford — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:16:04 -0700

Just when you think the saga of leukemia sufferer (and medical marijuana patient) Bob Crouse has ended, it pulls you back in. Finally able to return to normalcy after winning his protracted trial with the help of the public defender's office, and then winning the return of his marijuana, seized as evidence, with the pro-bono help of attorney Clifton Black, Crouse is confronting a final hurdle: repayment.…

One local man's goodbye to the NRA

Pam Zubeck — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:16:36 -0700

Today, National Rifle Association executive director Wayne LaPierre broke the gun lobby's silence since the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., by calling for armed guards in every school in America.

That so-called solution has prompted at least one high-profile resident of Colorado Springs, Ret.…

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UPDATE: Amber Alert issued for Springs girl

J. Adrian Stanley — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 10:28:58 -0700

Essence Lovato was recovered from a Fountain home last night, following a tip from a citizen. She was unharmed.…
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Concealed carry permits all the rage

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 12:03:08 -0700

One in 28 residents of El Paso County has a concealed handgun permit (CHP), and the Sheriff's Office has been flooded with new applicants since the July 20 Aurora theater shooting, and more recently, the Dec. 14 massacre of 26 people at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

As of Dec. 4, there were 22,341 active CHPs in our county of 636,000 people (according to July 2011 Census numbers).…
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Silver Tongue Devil calling it quits

Bill Forman — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 10:50:24 -0700

The area music scene will have to get by with one less venue this coming winter.

Scott Hunt, owner and manager of the Silver Tongue Devil Saloon, has informed us that the Green Mountain Falls venue is closing due to financial constraints.…
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County ban on marijuana businesses moves forward

Chet Hardin — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 09:47:34 -0700

Yesterday, the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners gave the preliminary OK to two measures restricting the use and sale of recreational marijuana.

The first resolution, which passed unanimously, banned the use or possession of marijuana on county property.…
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Bach: No outside review of Waldo fire needed

Pam Zubeck — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:30:43 -0700

Mayor Steve Bach isn't inclined to support an outside examination of the city's handling of the Waldo Canyon Fire, he said today at his regular news conference.

The statement came in response to a media question about his reaction to the Independent's report this week, called "Misfire: How city leadership left residents — and their heroes — exposed during the Waldo Canyon tragedy."

Said Bach: "We are continuing to do an after action review of the Waldo Canyon Fire, as we've said before, and that will be going on for some months.…
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Democrats make inroads in state government; A64 passes

Bryce Crawford — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 23:32:00 -0700

Even before the conference room at the downtown Antlers Hilton hotel had filled, it was clear that the El Paso County Democratic Party was ready to celebrate — and election results on the national level certainly did nothing to dim that.

But it was in the state contests where the effect may be felt soonest, since victories in two local House districts are likely to help give Democrats control of that chamber in January.…
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Grim times at GOP results-watching party

Chet Hardin — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 23:18:54 -0700

El Paso County Republican Party Chairman Eli Bremer did his best to keep the crowd upbeat.

In the ballroom at the DoubleTree Hotel, the Republicans had hung a stage-wide flag.…
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Colorado's 'dark money' group back in the headlines

Bill Forman — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 12:56:59 -0700

When we ran our cover story on the Colorado-based Western Tradition Partnership back in January (see "Money Talks" and "WTF is WTP"), the secretive advocacy group was still flying well under the radar. In fact, that’s the big selling-point for WTP, and similar 501(c)4 organizations that promise their corporate and private donors the ability to influence elections with total anonymity.…
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UPDATE: 27 hurt in Air Force Academy snow 'ritual'

Kirk Woundy — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:30:57 -0600

The Air Force Academy has released a statement about this year's "First Shirt/First Snow" event. Turns out that the original injury tally was too low: Actually, 27 cadets were hurt, six of whom were taken to a local hospital.…
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City wants more control over Urban Renewal

J. Adrian Stanley — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 19:25:18 -0600

On the orders of Mayor Steve Bach, the city has completed the investigation of the independent Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority it launched eight months ago. And it's looking for some major changes.…
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Udall, Bennet ask for federal study of Waldo fire

Pam Zubeck — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:59:05 -0600

Colorado Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet have issued a letter to Tom Vilsack, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, urging an in-depth study of fire conditions and what can be done to mitigate the risk as a result of the Waldo Canyon Fire and other wildland fires in Colorado.

Specifically, Udall and Bennet want a "scientific review" of the Waldo Canyon Fire that would cover topics including what treatments were used to stop or slow the fire; the role (if any) of "community wildfire protection plans" in fire management and losses; projected fire-related costs over time; the effectiveness of post-fire stabilization and restoration approaches; and much more.…
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Parents: Sex predator targeting kids in Fountain

J. Adrian Stanley — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 16:14:12 -0600

Fountain parents need to keep a close eye on their kids until a dangerous predator is caught.

The Fountain Police Department is warning the public about a suspect that has already approached several children in the area, exposing himself and/or trying to force the children into his vehicle.…
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Neumann Systems — and its jobs — may be leaving Colorado Springs

Pam Zubeck — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:38:41 -0600

Dave Neumann, owner of Neumann Systems Group, which developed the NeuStream emissions control technology being installed on coal-fired Martin Drake Power Plant, is exploring moving his business elsewhere.

In an exclusive interview with the Indy, Neumann says Councilman Tim Leigh's crusade against his company and his efforts to kill Colorado Springs Utilities' contract with Neumann Systems could lead to the loss of 60 jobs and a multimillion-dollar benefit of the city receiving a cut from the firm's gross sales.…
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MRFF member killed in embassy slaying

Pam Zubeck — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:29:54 -0600

Glen Doherty, a former Navy SEAL and member of the Advisory Board for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, was one of the three Americans killed in an assault on the American Embassy in Libya on Tuesday, which also claimed the life of U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens.

The MRFF was formed in 2005 by Mikey Weinstein, a 1977 graduate of the Air Force Academy, after his son reported cadets using pejorative language against Jews, and faculty and staff advocating for fundamentalist Christianity.…
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Rain threatens burn area

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 13:04:11 -0600

Rain hasn't yet caused major problems in the Waldo Canyon fire burn area, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa reports to us minutes ago.

Although rainfall, which began this morning, has raised Fountain Creek by 12 to 18 inches, Maketa said the burn area appears to be handling the moisture without causing shifting soils.…
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