Colorado Springs Independent

MeadowGrass kicking into gear

Bill Forman — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:28:00 -0600

The gods of weather are smiling down upon the promoters of MeadowGrass, the three-day music fest that kicked off earlier today. If you still haven’t worked out which artists you’re planning to see, scroll down for the performance schedule below.…

No Rainbow Falls in your future

J. Adrian Stanley — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:20:07 -0600

Remember when Rainbow Falls was known as "Graffiti Falls"?

Well, if not, let me catch you up. Rainbow is a pretty little waterfall just outside Manitou Springs.…

Gasland Part II lights up UCCS crowd

Matthew Schniper — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:44:00 -0600

Filmmaker Josh Fox, propelled into fracking fame with Gasland, screened a pre-HBO preview of Gasland Part II at UCCS last night. (Editor's note: See our May 22 cover story on Fox's latest film here.)

Though Gasland Part II premiered at Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, last night's showing, as part of the Grassroots Tour, was only the seventh for the film — a rare treat for Colorado Springs audiences.…

Alton Brown headed for the Pikes Peak Center

Bryce Crawford — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:33:00 -0600

Having never seen any of his cooking shows, most of what I know about TV personality Alton Brown is that he hates molecular gastronomy, and is somewhat bizarrely worried about its effect on cooking at large.

Here he is in 2011: "Yes, there's xantham gum in my kitchen.…

Shortest candidacy in history?

Pam Zubeck — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:32:00 -0600

On Tuesday, political circles were abuzz with Steve Laffey, a former mayor in Rhode Island who moved to Colorado three years ago, announcing that he was running for governor on the Republican ticket.

Today, Laffey backed out calling another newly announced candidate, Tom Tancredo, a "good and honorable man" who has "a great background for the job."

So what planet did Laffey move here from?

Tancredo, a former Republican U.S. representative, said during his 2008 presidential run that, "If it is up to me, we are going to explain that an attack on this homeland of that nature would be followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina.…

Look out! It's a Super-Sized Bonus CineFiles!

Louis Fowler — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:38:00 -0600

Most weeks, I review more DVDs than the Indy can fit into print. You can look for extra write-ups here, on the IndyBlog.…

Sand bags to the rescue

Pam Zubeck — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:08:00 -0600

Today's drippy skies serve as a reminder that people who live in a potential flood zone can pick up some sand bags today, compliments of the Colorado Springs Office of Emergency Management.

They're available today starting at 5 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless building, 2424 Garden of the Gods Road, the city says in a news release.…

Voodoo Doughnut expanding into Denver

Matthew Schniper — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:46:00 -0600

One of the first places that travelers to Portland, Ore. aim for is Voodoo Doughnut. The shop is legendary, from multiple TV appearances to Rogue's Bacon Maple Ale tribute.…

Help two CC alums 'rediscover' the prairie

Edie Adelstein — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:22:00 -0600

In 1806, Thomas Jefferson predicted that it would take 100 generations or more to inhabit the western U.S. He had sent Lewis and Clark to forge a path from the Missouri River to the sea and inspect the vast lands the country had just acquired via the Louisiana Purchase.

It didn't take 100 generations.…

Tom Nalen named to Broncos' Ring of Fame

Bryce Crawford — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:18:00 -0600

Gary Zimmerman may have been the quintessential ’90s-era Denver Broncos offensive lineman — with his reticence to talk to the media, generally undersized frame and maniacal zone-blocking tendencies — but it was like-minded center Tom Nalen who always had my heart.

That shaggy dude was the linchpin for every success enjoyed by the cast-off running backs that coach Mike Shanahan would pull from the dregs of the draft, and for it he'll join 23 other former players in the team's Ring of Fame.…

Frack war tonight in Boulder

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:41:00 -0600

If for some reason you can't make (or wait for) tomorrow night's screening of Gasland Part II at UCCS, you could always leave for Boulder. Like, now-ish.…

Portions of Waldo Fire burn area to reopen

Bryce Crawford — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:30:00 -0600

The U.S. Forest Service today announced that roughly 40 percent of the area burned by last summer's Waldo Canyon Fire — and no, there's still no word on what or who started it — will reopen to outdoor enthusiasts this Friday, May 24. Available areas will include Rampart Reservoir, related campgrounds and picnic areas, and Schubarth Road.…

Bach mum on road closing

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:21:00 -0600

Despite the passage of several weeks since the Broadmoor Hotel announced it wants to close a segment of Cheyenne Mountain Boulevard, people still seem to care quite a bit.

The Broadmoor would like to land big-name golf events, such as the U.S. Open, which have certain requirements.…

Get your high-fructose corn syrup here

Matthew Schniper — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:46:00 -0600

The folks at Baskin Robbins want you to know that they released some new sherbet flavored freezer bars. I know this because they sent us a box of them, plus this information from a three-page press release:

Sherbet_bars1.pdf

Sherbet_bars2.pdf

Here's the box:

But more importantly, here's the ingredient list:

Take the Yellow 5 alone and I'd advise against feeding this to your kid.…

J.R. Martinez to speak at Heroes of Mental Health Luncheon

Edie Adelstein — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:51:00 -0600

Tonight's the season finale of Season 16 of Dancing With the Stars, a season that pales in comparison to last year's most-awesome All-Star round, not to mention Season 13, in which J.R. Martinez, a soap star, motivational speaker and vet, took home the mirror ball trophy.

Another reason probably has something to do with the fact that Jacoby Jones is still in the running, and — hello!…

Aimee Cox joins Bach's team

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:37:00 -0600

Aimee Cox, who's worked for the City Council as its first administrator under the council-mayor form of government adopted two years ago, has been lured to the other branch by Mayor Steve Bach. She'll receive an 11 percent raise, to $90,000 a year.…

New Coloradan eyes governor's race

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:33:00 -0600

Gov. John Hickenlooper kicked butt in the last election, after the GOP nominated a relative unknown, Dan Maes, and right-wing loon Tom Tancredo split the vote for Republicans. (U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn endorsed Tancredo, who ran on the Constitution Party ticket.)

In 2014, the same thing might happen, as several candidates appear to be considering taking a run at Hickenlooper, a Democrat whose strong advocacy for business and industry has made him a popular political figure.…

Tonight's flood-insurance meeting is for business owners

J. Adrian Stanley — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:51:00 -0600

Ever since the Waldo Canyon Fire, we've been hearing about the risk of severe flooding off the burn scar. Risk has largely been discussed in terms of lost lives and homes.…

Baby boom at the zoo!

J. Adrian Stanley — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:31:00 -0600

Full disclosure: I get really excited about baby zoo animals.

But this year even those of us not overcome by the "cute factor" should be thrilled about the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's new arrivals.…

Police chief: Looking at helicopters and drones

Pam Zubeck — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:51:00 -0600

Last week, Police Chief Pete Carey said he was looking at reactivating the Police Department's helicopter unit, as well as unmanned aircraft — drones, in other words.

His comments came during Mayor Steve Bach's town hall meeting at Broadmoor Elementary, after a citizen asked what can be done to get aviation assets to respond to wildland fires quicker and whether drones are viable for early detection of fires.…

Local chef expands into crazy pop-up dinners

Bryce Crawford — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:46:00 -0600

Now that chef Brother Luck is back in town, having run the kitchen at the Craftwood Inn for the last seven months, or so, he's breaking out into one-off dinners through a new company called crEATe719 Kitchen.

"We will be hosting a series of *underground pop up dinners*," Luck writes in an e-mail to the Indy.…

Album release show marathon begins tonight

Bill Forman — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:44:25 -0600

The weekend is upon us, and with it three worthy CD release shows from local artists.

Tonight, local hip-hop collective Bullhead*ded is celebrating the release of its long-awaited debut album, 4Play, at the Black Sheep.…

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Homeless population growing, survey shows

J. Adrian Stanley — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:28:00 -0600

There are at least 1,171 homeless people in El Paso County, a one-day headcount revealed, up from 1,127 in 2012.

Performed as a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the headcount shows how many people were accessing services for the homeless on Jan. 29, 2013.…
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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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Bill Elder wastes no time announcing run for sheriff

J. Adrian Stanley — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:46:00 -0600

Remember when there were breaks between election seasons? Take a moment to reminisce, because that's certainly not the case anymore.…
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