South of the Border

A quarry free-for-all in Fremont County erupts in bitter lawsuits, sweet government contracts and a threat to the Mexican Spotted Owl.

• by Cara DeGette

Billboards warn of doom for kids who curse their parents

Billboards paid for by the New Life Church foretell ominous consequences for children who defy their parents.

• by Rebekah Shardy

Rail plan leaves neighbors divided

City utility officials say their plan to buy out only 15 properties for a newly redesigned rail spur will allow the working class community around downtowns Martin Drake power plant to survive. But residents affected by the latest rail spur proposal tell a more ambiguous and far less optimistic story about the neighborhoods future than power company spokesmen.

• by Malcolm Howard

On Patriotism

We must never relinquish our sense of justice for a false sense of national pride. "My country right or wrong" is neither moral nor intelligent. Patriotism is support for the highest ideals of the nation, not for whoever happens to be in the White House.

• by Rev. Jesse Jackson

Natural Wonder

Martha Grahams choreography unearths the raw beauty of human effort.

• by Tess Powers

The Outsider

As an embittered former politician, I should take some sour satisfaction in the extraordinary political ineptitude of School District 11. I don't; I'm distressed, saddened, upset, and, most of all, mad as hell.

• by John Hazlehurst

Damn the Hype!

With a new Stanford study saying the Internet can hurt ones social skills, black-and-white alarmism over the Internet rears its ugly head again.

• by Donna Ladd

Samantha Erin Burnett

Meet Sam, my neighbor and a real life Leap Day baby.

• by Tess Powers

IQ: D-11 shortfall

District 11's budget shortfall and the school board's attempt to find $5 million worth of budget cuts have dominated local news in recent weeks.

• by Matthew Fullen

Duck Soup

Like television before it, the Internet has grafted itself onto the big commercial beast that threatens to entertain us to death.

• by Cecil L. Bothwell III

WWJD

Bella Giovanna!

It's possible there's no culinary tradition more comforting than good Italian cooking. Lucky for us, most every American city now boasts at least one authentic Italian restaurant where we can savor the real thing without forking over airfare to Milan. In Colorado Springs, that place is Café Giovanna.

• by Kathryn Eastburn

Spicin' Up the Blues

Cab driver-turned-modern blues man Mem Shannon drives home a sound that keeps the blues in the present tense.

• by Paige Pancratz

June of 44

The band June of 44 calls Chicago their home and have a smugness about them that comes from living in a city that has had a "cool scene" for a hundred years.

• by David N. Bitz

Vince Converse

The Springs has been a haven for the blues, and this week weve got Vince Converse, who will be performing at Castaways on February 24, to prove it.

• by Kristen Sherwood

American Gothic

Blessed with remarkable characters and an extraordinary cast, Boys Dont Cry is a must-see.

• by Kathryn Eastburn

Bad Hair Day

Real characterization is replaced by a series of superficial traits, and real issues are swapped for a fluffy, feel-good gloss in Hanging Up.

• by Andrea Lucard

Guilt by Chicken

Encore! Dinner Theater opens its doors with Murder Most Fowl .

• by Owen Perkins

It takes a village to really dance

African dance ensemble Harambee performs traditional dances that celebrate the concept of community.

• by Malcolm Howard

Event Listings

If there's something going on, we've got it listed here.

Seven Days

What's happenin' this week in the big city -- highlights from our listings.