News, Colorado Springs Independent

Help victims of the Black Forest Fire here

Edie Adelstein — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Ways to give by Edie Adelstein This week, opportunities abound for helping Black Forest Fire victims. You can visit the Colorado Black Forest Fire 2013 and Black Forest Benefit Facebook pages to find volunteer opportunities, or email bffvolunteer@elpasoco.com to have El Paso County connect you with help organizations.…

Waldo survivors help Black Forest victims, and more

J. Adrian Stanley — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Noted by J. Adrian Stanley and Pam Zubeck First fire, then paperwork At the Disaster Recovery Center, Waldo Canyon Fire victims lined up last week.…

A drive into the Black Forest burn site

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Horse trailers, vehicles, fences — all gray. The ground, a mass of talcum-powdery ash in hues of white, gray and black. by Pam Zubeck As I and other media members rode into the still-burning Black Forest area last Thursday, it was like we suddenly switched channels from a Technicolor movie of blue skies and green firs to a black-and-white film noir, where trees resembled matchsticks and everything was covered in various shades of ash. Horse trailers, vehicles, fences — all gray.…

How firefighters applied Waldo Canyon Fire lessons to the Black Forest tragedy

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Blazing fast by Pam Zubeck A year ago, local, state and federal firefighting forces were slammed with what would become, to that point, the most destructive fire in state history. On its fourth day, the Waldo Canyon Fire blew into Colorado Springs, claiming 347 homes and two lives.…

First Waldo, now this. Should we just expect huge wildfires from now on?

J. Adrian Stanley — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Black days by J. Adrian Stanley For the last two summers, we haven't had to flip on the TV to see apocalyptic scenes. They have been visible from our windows.…

KRCC: Live and local

Edie Adelstein — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

An interview with Jeff Bieri by Edie Adelstein In July, KRCC will grow to include both its Weber Street studio and a new satellite outpost at Ivywild School, allowing the member-supported radio station to bring a live-and-in-person element to its listeners. At the time of our interview with program director Jeff Bieri, the station was still in the process of putting together the sound system and studio control room in the gymnasium.…

After serving as a local police chief, Richard Myers went where few others would: Sanford, Fla.

J. Adrian Stanley — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

by J. Adrian Stanley In Colorado Springs, Richard Myers is simply the former police chief — one of the many department heads who swiftly exited following Mayor Steve Bach's election. Myers served from early 2007 until his sudden "retirement" in October 2011 (receiving severance pay worth about $72,000).…

Get paddled inside The Principal's Office

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Booze and beans by Matthew Schniper 'You have been naughty ... report to the Principal's Office." So reads the menu at the Ivywild School's other drink spot, the one for serious coffee, smart cocktails and respectable wines — all drinkables that aren't Bristol beer down the way.…

A new school, a new story

Edie Adelstein — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Long Story Short by Edie Adelstein In early 2011, the Ivywild neighborhood was hitting the skids, troubled by crime and declared a blight. Today it's rebounding in a big way, thanks in part to the Urban Renewal Area designation it earned at its lowest point.…

Thanks to one devoted staff member, the walls of Ivywild have plenty to say

Edie Adelstein — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

A brush with history by Edie Adelstein Marilyn Eggleston has a lot of school spirit. For nearly 25 years, Eggleston served as community liaison for Ivywild Elementary School.…

After fleet, city will turn to the Fire Department for more savings

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Just starting their engines by Pam Zubeck Up to now, Mayor Steve Bach has laid off people here and there. But last week, he took out 59 employees, an entire department, by outsourcing the city's fleet maintenance.…

Old School Bakery brings a twisted transcendence

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Baked goods by Matthew Schniper Alicia Prescott has given me a chef's coat and rolling pin and set me to work over a flour-dusted cutting board, pressing a mound of pastry dough that's been patiently resting for two days in a fridge. Inside a restaurant menu-like trifold, which creates "little layers of goodness" that keep the dough from drying out, the Blue Star's executive pastry chef has already spread cinnamon-sugar.…

New school

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Welcome to our detailed coverage of the Ivywild School Though it’s only been a part of the city of Colorado Springs for around 30 years, the Ivywild neighborhood has roots going back to the early 1900s. And though that history’s taken a hit in the past decade, resurgence is in the air with the reimagining of Ivywild School.…

The arts at Ivywild will be ambitious, but the groundwork is already there

Edie Adelstein — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Fantastic realism by Edie Adelstein Creativity has always been in the Ivywild School's DNA. Even bathroom breaks were illuminated by colorful, educational murals — the line "I am not a dinosaur" included.…

Pico: 'I am clear' in Serco arrangement

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

by Pam Zubeck City Councilor Andy Pico says his being employed by Serco, the international firm with which the city plans to contract for fleet maintenance, poses no ethics problem because he's recused himself from dealings with the company. "Call Chris Melcher, our City Attorney," he says via e-mail.…

Meat Locker chefs show respect for the whole beast

Bryce Crawford — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Charcuterie by Bryce Crawford Filling sausage casings is harder than it looks, and if you watch some dumb Indy journo who nearly ruined the first batch ever made in Ivywild School do it, it looks impossible. Luckily, better hands are at work.…

Millibo Art Theatre: Theater of dreams

Edie Adelstein — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

An interview with Jim Jackson by Edie Adelstein If original, small-scale theater is what you seek, the Millibo Art Theatre has long been the best destination in town. Founded in 2001 by husband-and-wife team Jim Jackson and Birgitta DePree, the MAT produces 20 shows between September and June annually.…

A neighborhood full of food, beer and art at Ivywild

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

The big picture by Matthew Schniper 'I'm late! I'm late!…

More trouble at Colorado's toxicology lab

Chet Hardin — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Defense attorneys in Colorado are raising the specter of thousands of DUI cases having been compromised. by Chet Hardin and Kirk Woundy Emboldened and infuriated by the results of a newly released report, defense attorneys in Colorado are raising the specter of thousands of DUI cases having been compromised by shoddy practices at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's toxicology lab. And they're demanding a U.S. Justice Department investigation.…

Forage no further than Hunt or Gather

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Market by Matthew Schniper What would a community hub be without a community market? We're talking about a place where even in off-farmers-market hours, you can find local, sustainably grown produce, truly farm-raised eggs, goat milk, cheeses and regionally ranched pork and beef.…

Distillery 291: Pass the Mike

Matthew Schniper — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Craft spirits by Matthew Schniper Distillery 291 to grow twentyfold, into Bristol Brewing's old space Inevitably it will be asked: "What's happening with the old Bristol space now that Ivywild's open?"…

Bristol Brewing goes all in

Bryce Crawford — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Craft beer by Bryce Crawford Laughing Lab Scottish Ale has won more medals at the Great American Beer Festival than any other Colorado beer. But when the inspiration for the name passed away in 2010 — Camden, a 16-year-old yellow Labrador retriever — it wasn't all the acquired hardware that drew dozens to the couple's neighborhood brewery in support.…

Parks money spread, commissioners throw weight around, more

J. Adrian Stanley — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Noted by J. Adrian Stanley and Pam Zubeck Money flowing into parks Playing fields, Memorial Park tennis courts and various playgrounds are among the beneficiaries of additional funding the Colorado Springs City Council was expected to approve Tuesday after the Indy's press deadline.…

Signature-gatherers do their job, Broadmoor steps backward, more

J. Adrian Stanley — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

Noted by J. Adrian Stanley and Pam Zubeck 16,000 signatures vs. Morse It appears state Senate President John Morse will face a recall election, opponents having turned in 16,000-plus signatures to Secretary of State Scott Gessler — more than twice the 7,178 needed.…

The 2013 Legislature actually passed a few bills unrelated to guns, weed and the culture war

J. Adrian Stanley — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0600

These laws could change your life by J. Adrian Stanley With state Democrats in charge of the 2013 legislative session, Republicans were left to bemoan everything from gun control measures and immigration reforms to the passage of civil unions and regulations on marijuana. In a recent meeting, conservative Commissioner Amy Lathen summed up her feelings about the session by calling it "the worst of all of them."…