Colorado Springs Independent

Two dead from fire are identified

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:12 -0600

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office issued this statement regarding the two people who died in the Black Forest Fire on June 11:

The Black Forest Fire has been the most devastating in Colorado history. In addition to more than 500 homes destroyed, two people lost their lives.…
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UPDATE: State verifies signatures for Morse recall, jockeying begins

J. Adrian Stanley — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:08:15 -0600

Well, that was quick.

Apparently, the Dems aren't going to take the Morse recall sitting down.…

Your daily dose of doublespeak

Kirk Woundy — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:31:00 -0600

On April 5, the city communications office sent out a news release that started off this way:

Colorado Springs is one of the finalists for the All-America City Award

The National Civic League has invited 20 communities to the annual All-America City Awards (AAC) competition June 14-16 in Denver, Colorado. Colorado Springs is one of the finalists.

The unveiling of those awards stayed on schedule for last weekend, as Rich Tosches noted in his most recent Ranger Rich column.…

More people return to homes in Black Forest

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:05:00 -0600

Sheriff Terry Maketa said at a noon news briefing that he would allow re-entry to the Black Forest Fire burn area to 1,365 more people today. But about 2,600 people remain under mandatory evacuation as fire crews continue to snuff hot spots.…

Visual-arts coordinator needed at Sangre

Edie Adelstein — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:01:00 -0600

The Sangre de Cristo Arts Center is seeking a visual-arts coordinator, a position that reports to the curator of visual arts, currently held by Christel Dussart.

The coordinator is a catch-all position, overseeing administrative tasks, working as a liaison between artists and Sangre during exhibitions, working with interns and volunteers and helping manage Sangre's permanent collection.…

Water restrictions: meeting the goal

Pam Zubeck — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:57:00 -0600

After imposing watering restrictions in April, it appears the public is doing its part to hold water usage down.

Of course, there are higher charges for water if you exceed certain levels of usage, so that discourages over-watering.…

UPDATE: Visiting CC professor wins Emmy for WordGirl

Matthew Schniper — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:42:48 -0600

And it's Eric Shaw for the win!

At last night's 40th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, Shaw and colleagues Tom Martin, Jack Ferraiolo, Jayne Hamil and Ryan Raddatz walked away with the award for Outstanding Writing in Animation for WordGirl.…

VIDEO: Emotional crowds gather to thank firefighters

Craig Lemley — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:18:27 -0600

As the sun set on Saturday, the fifth day of the Black Forest Fire, a tragic time became a joyous occasion in front of Pine Creek High School. People lined the intersection with American flags, signs, banners and noisemakers to show their gratitude to the first responders, something that many firefighters had never seen before.…

The Top 11 best beers in the country

Bryce Crawford — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:37:00 -0600

Readers of Zymurgy, the American Homebrewer's Association's magazine, are clearly devoted enough to both order a print publication and read one solely about beer, so it's only right they be asked to rate the best beers in the country.

Unlike half of the (clearly insane) people I know, readers overwhelmingly (and correctly) chose hoppy brews, with IPAs winning nine of the 11 spots.…

What to expect at the disaster-assistance center

Bryce Crawford — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:31:00 -0600

The disaster-assistance center, located at the Citizens Service Center, has drawn some heat from Black Forest residents for being located so far south, but it's still got a wealth of information for those needing help.

Our reporter, Craig Lemley, stopped by over the weekend — look for more on that later — picking up two documents: one that you fill out when you first arrive, and the other a list of organizations available to help.…

Black Forest Fire 75 percent contained

Pam Zubeck — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:25:00 -0600

Firefighters have contained three quarters of the Black Forest Fire, which burned 14,280 acres, claimed about 480 homes and killed two people.

According to the latest fire report, full containment is expected Thursday.…

Free legal help to Black Forest Fire victims

Bryce Crawford — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:21:33 -0600

The El Paso County and Denver bar associations have three free events coming up open to people affected by the wildfire, says EPCBA executive director Claire Anderson.

“We are saddened to see our community again face a devastating wildfire," she says in a press release, "but we hope to offer clarity and guidance for those who have been impacted by the Black Forest Fire."

Ask-A-Lawyer—The El Paso County Bar Association will host Ask-A-Lawyer for victims of the Black Forest Fire from noon to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19, at the Disaster Assistance Center at the Citizens Service Center, located at 1675 W. Garden of the Gods Road.…
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UPDATE: Black Forest Fire destroys 482 homes, at 65 percent containment

Bryce Crawford — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:16:00 -0600

As hoped, it's been a good weekend for firefighters battling the Black Forest blaze. At a press conference earlier this afternoon, incident commander Rich Harvey said containment has increased to 65 percent.…

City's mandatory evacuation order lifted

Bryce Crawford — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:41:00 -0600

As of 3:30 p.m. today, the city of Colorado Springs has lifted all mandatory evacuation orders for areas within city boundaries. (Much of the Black Forest Fire is in the county, and is unaffected by this order.)…

UPDATE: 'Total losses' now at 389 in Black Forest Fire

Bryce Crawford — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:07:00 -0600

In an update time-stamped "approximately 12 p.m.," the El Paso County Sheriff's Office is reporting 389 homes now considered "total losses" in the Black Forest Fire. Along with those are another 12 homes with partial damage, and 2,178 homes that appear unaffected.…

Commanders optimistic for today

Pam Zubeck — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:53:00 -0600

Officials expressed optimism today at the first briefing of the day for the Black Forest Fire.

"I'm feeling much better today," El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said.…

Black Forest Fire evacuees: How to get your mail

Bryce Crawford — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:32:00 -0600

The United States Postal Service just issued the following:

The spread of the Black Forest fire has impacted the mail delivery to more than 10,300 addresses for Friday, June 14.

The Elbert Post Office has been evacuated.…
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Map of homes destroyed in the Black Forest Fire

Bryce Crawford — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:08:00 -0600

Using information provided by the El Paso County Sheriff's office, Boulder journalism students at the University of Colorado put together a map of homes that burned in the Black Forest Fire. And while it is updated regularly, it doesn't yet include numbers from last night that brought the total homes destroyed to an estimated 379.…

Damaged vs. total loss, according to El Paso County

Edie Adelstein — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:06:54 -0600

This morning, we spoke to El Paso County Assessor Mark Lowderman, who explained how the Black Forest Fire differs from the Waldo Canyon Fire.

Lowderman and his staff must inspect homes touched by the fire and assess their level of damage.…

PHOTOS: Humane Society rescues animals from fire

Bryce Crawford — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 10:14:00 -0600

The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region has been a part of the city's response to the Black Forest Fire from the beginning, says a press release from the organization, fielding dozens of calls each day for help evacuating animals left behind.

Teams of officers are searching areas that have already been affected by the fire, as well as areas that have not yet burned.…
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Eat meat to benefit Black Forest's A Joyful Noise Farm

Bryce Crawford — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 10:03:00 -0600

This week's cover story is about the rebirth at Ivywild School, the new multi-use facility located just south of downtown. Among an expanded Bristol Brewing Co., a bakery and some of the best cocktails around sits the Meat Locker, a seasonal restaurant run by chef Mark Henry.…

Fight progressing against Royal Gorge Fire

Kirk Woundy — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:25:00 -0600

The Royal Gorge Fire release below, from Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team B, is as of 10 p.m. Thursday:

Highway 50 reopens and Evacuations lifted at Royal Gorge Fire

Cañon City, Colo. — Fire officials announced this evening that U.S. HWY 50 was reopened as of 8 p.m.…
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Catholic Charities offers all kinds of help

Kirk Woundy — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:15:00 -0600

From counseling services to baby needs to gas cards, Catholic Charities of Central Colorado is on call. Keep it in mind as needs arise.…

VIDEO: CSFD saving a house in Black Forest Fire

Bryce Crawford — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:42:00 -0600

Another post showed the heroics of the militarily minded, air-based firefighting personnel. Now come the ground troops from the Colorado Springs Fire Department.…

VIDEO: Fighting the Black Forest Fire

Bryce Crawford — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:56:00 -0600

The military, and more specifically the U.S. Northern Command public-affairs office, is taking video from a variety of mostly first-person viewpoints and releasing them copyright-free to the public. They're very, very cool, with viewpoints shot from the Chinook helicopters dropping water from their Bambi Buckets; USAFA firefighters cutting lines, and a variety of other efforts.…