“The last several years I think city council and citizens at large have seen the performance of you officers and the things that you’ve brought to the community,” said Mayor John Graham during a swearing-in ceremony for members of the Manitou Springs Police Department. “You enforced the law, yes, and some of us have an […]
Friends, as we close out 2024, I want to take a moment to reflect on the significant progress made this year in Colorado Springs, marked by achievements that spanned across all five of the City’s priority areas. I started 2024 with my word of the year: “bullseye.” This word has served as a signpost for […]
The Manitou Springs City Council voted this week to approve the master plan for Higginbotham Flats/Overlook Park, but ongoing concerns about the 2025 budget leave the park’s future unclear. A presentation from Robyn Bartling and Mia Requesens of the architecture firm Hord Copland Macht presented the plan for the undeveloped parcels next to StorQuest Self […]
This piece originally appeared in the Colorado Times Recorder. The Colorado Springs School District 11 (D11) Board of Education voted Wednesday to allow the master agreement with the Colorado Springs Education Association (CSEA) to expire. After nearly an hour and a half of public comment from pro- and anti-union speakers, the board voted 6-1 to […]
On Dec. 6, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade posted a video to Facebook addressing the alleged hate crime hoax, his cooperation with the FBI in the investigation, and what Mobolade called “the false claims” that have been “amplified by a small group of politically motivated individuals.” (For background, see “Colorado Spring Mayor affirms he cooperated […]
This piece originally appeared in the Colorado Times Recorder. Colorado will soon see the launch of a program for legal psychedelic-assisted therapies across the state. Following the approval of a 2022 ballot measure that legalized certain psychedelic substances like psilocybin mushrooms for on-site use at dedicated healing centers, Colorado policymakers have released 107 pages of […]
Manitou Springs City Council approved a rate increase for the city attorney and passed a first reading of an ordinance regulating psychedelic natural medicine businesses during the Dec. 3 regular meeting. “Our firm rates are increasing commencing on January 1, 2025,” read a letter from City Attorney Jefferson Parker included in the meeting agenda packed. […]
Friends, I’d like to start this column by thanking the Pikes Peak Bulletin for soliciting regular correspondence from me. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts with you. My goal is to bring you relevant and timely information, stories and my perspective about some of the most pressing issues and opportunities for Colorado […]
When voters rejected Mayor Yemi Mobolade’s and City Council’s proposed ban on retail marijuana sales on Nov. 5, they handed the mayor his second defeat at the polls in less than two years in office. The first was in November 2023 when Mobolade asked taxpayers to allow the city to keep $4.75 million in Taxpayer’s […]
After several city officials said there would be no further comment from the City or mayor on the alleged 2023 hate crime hoax at this time, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade put out a new statement on Nov. 27. An indictment says three supporters of then-candidate Mobolade wrote a slur on a campaign sign of […]
When Chef Eric Brenner came to Colorado Springs in 2016 after starting multiple restaurants and consulting across the country, he’d intended to scale down and wanted just to focus on his Italian eatery, Red Gravy. But Brenner’s brain is an overflowing faucet of ideas, and in Susan Edmondson, he found the perfect collaborator to bring […]
Residents gathered at the Rockrimmon Library on Nov. 30 to commemorate the library branch before it closed on Dec. 1. Supporters of the library made signs, signed a banner and commiserated with each other and library staff. During an Oct. 16 meeting, the Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) Board of Trustees voted 5-2 not to […]
Three people have been indicted for an alleged hate crime hoax intended to influence the outcome of last year’s Colorado Springs mayoral runoff election in favor of then-candidate Yemi Mobolade. The indictment shows communications exchanged between Mobolade and one of the suspects, Derrick Patrick Bernard, Jr. (aka Phoenixx Ugrilla). Bernard has an extensive criminal record […]
With the success of Colorado Springs’ recreational marijuana ballot measure, members of the Manitou Springs City Council are concerned about the impact on Manitou’s sales tax revenue. “Does the fund balance ending in 2025 take into account the marijuana vote in Colorado Springs?” asked Councilor Julie Wolfe during the first reading of the 2025 budget […]
I‘ve covered plenty of elections in my 45 years of government reporting. But I’d never worked an election as a contractor for the election department. It was an eye-opener. First off, for all those misguided people who think the 2020 election was “stolen,” please. This process is ironclad. In any event, I could have been […]
As of press time, we know Donald Trump will be the 47th president of the United States and Republicans have a U.S. Senate majority, though control of the U.S. House of Representatives is still undecided. Here are the results of local races as of 11 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5: ● Congressional District 5: […]
“And tonight’s gonna be a good night; tonight’s gonna be a good good night,” The upbeat song “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas played from the speakers, setting the mood as attendees of the El Paso County Democrats’ election night watch party gathered in a meeting room in the International Brotherhood of Electrical […]
This piece originally appeared in the Colorado Times Recorder. Actress and climate activist Jane Fonda campaigned with El Paso County’s Democrats at an event for County Commissioner District 3 candidate Naomi Lopez on Oct. 27. Joining Lopez were Rep. Stephanie Vigil (D-Colorado Springs), Amy Paschal, running for House District 18, and River Gassen running for […]
More than 7,100 Coloradans have responded to our Voter Voices survey and across the political spectrum, many of them said the cost of housing is a top concern. If you’re a voter who’s concerned about housing costs, here’s where your vote has the most impact. Living in Colorado, for many, means spending a lot of […]
During the Colorado Springs City Council’s Oct. 21 Budget Town Hall, Kris Molinari, a case consultant and investigator with the Colorado Office of the Child’s Representative and the Colorado Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel, described a common experience for the region’s homeless population. “You return to your campsite and find it’s been cleared by the […]
