The Pikes Peak Bulletin received more than a half-dozen letters to the editor in favor of the original Ray Nixon Power Plant closure date. For background, read Colorado Springs seeks bill to keep Ray Nixon coal plant open past 2029 closure deadline in The Colorado Sun and Colorado Springs Utilities enlists state lawmakers to keep […]
Two new restaurants worthy of attention and praise opened recently. Thai comes to Manitou Springs Manitou Thai & Ramen marks what may be the first Thai place this town has ever seen. For a village rife with burgers and beef jerky, this humble Asian eatery in the space inside the Baker House formerly occupied by […]
A conservative Facebook friend recently posted this on his page: âGee, I wonder why Bad Bunny got so much exposure at the Grammyâs last night??â The first response to that post: âPolitics?â Behind those comments lurks an interesting assumption. It assumes, of course, that Bad Bunny (who will be playing at this yearâs Super Bowl […]
Editor’s note Feb. 6: After this piece was published, a Black History Month proclamation was added to the Colorado Springs City Council’s Feb. 10 agenda. Read about it here. For generations, the stories of black Americans and other marginalized communities have been filtered through systems that benefited from their exclusion. People were told to take […]
As a freelance writer and podcaster, I get emails every week asking me to review a product (NO), or write about some poll or survey about the âbest trailsâ in Colorado, or promoting some vacation resort (still NO), but my favorites are from publishers asking me to look at a new book. Sometimes, the book […]
As some Republican governors, and even some members of Congress, start to criticize federal agents killing citizens, and Trump looks for which of his lackeys to throw under the bus, I see signs of hope. Not just that Trump is TACOing again, but that maybe this means the Republican party might be reassessing their crooked, […]
Another American citizen killed by ICE in Minneapolis. How many more will it take? How many more will it take before Congress grows a spine and defunds these brutal, deadly raids on our people? How many more will it take before our own local officials stand up and call this what it is? I cheered […]
Colorado Springs, especially the South Side, needs to pay attention to what just happened at City Hall. Councilmember Kimberly Gold was issued a formal reprimand for speaking plainly about what the public witnessed during the MLK proclamation discussion. She did not make up facts. She did not disrupt the meeting. She described the moment clearly […]
The 25th Amendment gave Congress the ability to remove a president who is âunable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,â covering physical or mental incapacitation. But this Greenland thing should be the breaking point. He wrote a message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre making it clear that the primary reason […]
The Colorado Springs City Council dais is not supposed to be a stage. It is not supposed to be a place where personal beliefs get turned into official statements, as if one manâs worldview represents thousands of people who live, work, and raise families in District 1. And yet, year after year, council member Dave […]
In my front room hangs an old framed photograph inherited from my mother, a Norwegian immigrant. I keep it in a prominent place to remind me that when history comes calling, I have a choice how to answer. It reminds me that our regular lives can be upended by extraordinary circumstances, and we may become […]
Trumpâs war on truth misfired this week. The shot that killed Renee Nicole Good on Jan. 7 can not be silenced, though the attempt to do so has been monumental. This may be the one. This may be the crack that finally crumbles the tower of lies that has been growing taller and taller since […]
Horrifying and exhausting. Those two words sum up how so many of us feel about the state of our country in 2025. How could they not? For 12 months, weâve watched a political cult dismantle our country, just as it also took backhoes to the White House. As historian and analyst Heather Cox Richardson wrote […]
My god. The sense of relief. Finally. Finally! After dodging, obstructing, delaying ⌠finally, Donald Trumpâs Justice Department finally released the infamous Epstein Files this week. At last, the long-suffering victims will find justice and closure. What a long-horrible journey this has been for all of us, but especially for the women, many victimized as […]
As this column is called âThe Epstein Files,â I feel obligated to comment on this ongoing saga of whether the files will or will not be released, which may be coming to an end in December due to the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The good news about Jeffrey Epstein becoming a household […]
Iâm nibbling the Pistachio and Zaâatar Crusted Colorado Lamb Loin in the elegantly renovated, recently reopened Penrose Room at The Broadmoor resort. The meat is so juicy and tender, maybe the best lamb Iâve ever had. But I have to admit that even though this meal is epic, I am left with a slight aftertaste […]
I joined the Army straight out of high school. I was young, eager, and believed in something bigger than myself. Over the next twenty-one years, I served overseas in both combat and non-combat roles. I spent a combined more than four years of my life in training fields, sleeping outside on trucks, and under trees […]
Whether small, medium or large, cities across the nation have one recurring problem: they donât have enough money, and their inhabitants donât want higher taxes. Consider Manitou Springs, a small city with big city problems. To visitors, Manitou may seem like a little bit of paradise at the foot of the Front Range, blessed with […]
Before the federal government shutdown, before Novemberâs delayed benefits, the charitable food system has been holding its threads from snapping â sustained by dedicated staff, volunteer boards, generous donors, farmers, ranchers and volunteers working exhausting hours. During COVID-19, we saw the lines wrap around buildings and down streets. The threads stretched, but have held. The […]
I love the Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. I used to work there as communications director. But for as long as I can remember, the Fine Arts Centerâs museum has suffered from that common museum curse of elevation. Itâs like all the pieces are up on a high pedestal. Even exhibits that have featured […]
