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Citizen sues Colorado Springs for ‘end run’ around TABOR in $40 million bond ordinance
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Citizen sues Colorado Springs for ‘end run’ around TABOR in $40 million bond ordinance

By Norishka Pachot | Fox21 (COLORADO SPRINGS) — A lawsuit has been filed in El Paso County District Court against the City of Colorado Springs and Mayor Yemi Mobolade over alleged TABOR and constitutional violations. The lawsuit by Preserve Pine Creek Village, LLC, alleges that the City violated multiple provisions of the Colorado Constitution, including the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), which requires voter approval before creating multi-year government debt. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of a $40 million Private Activity Bond (PAB) issuance approved by the City Council on May 27. Tim Lewan, who lives in the Pine Creek Village area, says he donated to the legal fund because he’s been against the development of these apartments from the start. “We have been try...
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‘I’ve talked to fire chiefs—they’re scared’: Pueblo confronts growing homeless concerns
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‘I’ve talked to fire chiefs—they’re scared’: Pueblo confronts growing homeless concerns

By Hunter Phipps | Fox21 (PUEBLO, Colo.) — For people who live in the Bessemer neighborhood in Pueblo, they say things seem to be getting worse as the days go by. It’s why they decided to take their concerns to Pueblo City Council Members and speak out during the council’s work session on Monday evening. “It’s all over town from each and everybody’s district, we need our city back,” said Betty Finley, a resident who lives in the Bessemer neighborhood. One neighbor speaking out feels like more and more problems like drug use and trash are showing up, and feels helpless when trying to find anyone to help. “Right next door to us is another drug house, and it’s a revolving door for the homeless in and out, there’s people living in that backyard,” another neighbor who spoke out to c...
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Iranian Nationals Caught in Colorado Springs After Alleged Illegal Reentry
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Iranian Nationals Caught in Colorado Springs After Alleged Illegal Reentry

By Ashley Eberhardt | Fox21 (COLORADO SPRINGS) — 11 Iranian nationals who were allegedly in the country illegally were recently arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), two of them in Colorado Springs. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), one of the men arrested in Colorado Springs had been ordered to leave the country in January 1987. DHS said on June 22, ICE officials arrested Mahmoud Shafiei and Mehrdad Mehdipour — two Iranian nationals in the U.S. illegally — who were living together. Immigration officials first encountered Shafiei in Seattle, Washington, in January 1981. A judge ordered him removed in January 1987. According to DHS, his criminal history includes state and federal convictions for drug crimes and arrests for assault and ...
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Jail inmate escapes Pueblo County lockup, faces new charge two days before release
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Jail inmate escapes Pueblo County lockup, faces new charge two days before release

By Norishka Pachot | Fox21 (PUEBLO, Colo.) — The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office conducted a search for an inmate trustee on Thursday, April 24, after he escaped the Pueblo County Jail while working. At around 8:20 p.m. on Thursday, 26-year-old Lucas Brown was working in the kitchen at the jail, and was with other kitchen trustees throwing out trash when he ‘suddenly ran away.’ Detention deputies supervising the trustees reported seeing Brown run west on 9th Street. A deputy ran after Brown but lost sight of him, and other deputies secured the remaining trustees in the jail and called the communications center to report the escape. Sheriff’s Patrol deputies, including two K9s and Pueblo Police officers, joined the search and located Brown near 7th and Greenwood Streets less than 35...
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“One pill away from death”: inside Colorado Springs’ undercover fentanyl crackdown
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“One pill away from death”: inside Colorado Springs’ undercover fentanyl crackdown

By Austin Sack | Fox27 News (COLORADO SPRINGS) — A record number of fentanyl pills are being seized across Colorado, with local law enforcement agencies like the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) crediting the success partly to their department’s ability to deploy officers undercover. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Rocky Mountain Field Division announced it seized nearly 2.7 million fentanyl pills – or “fake” pills – in Colorado in 2024. This breaks the previous record set in 2023 with 2.61 million pills seized in the state. “It is an unfortunate record to set,” said DEA RMFD Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen. “We continue to work day in, day out fighting the cartels putting this poison on Colorado streets. While we have seen seizure numbers trendin...
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District 11 school board votes for parental consent in name change policy
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District 11 school board votes for parental consent in name change policy

By Norishka Pachot | Fox 21 News The Colorado Springs School District 11 (D11) Board of Education has voted to integrate a new name-change policy that would require parental consent. The new ACA policy directs the superintendent to develop a process for a student to request the use of a chosen name to reflect their gender identity. Therefore, students and parents/guardians must request a change to their legal name or gender on their official student record, and it would only be recognized after parents were notified. The new policy has sparked conversations about discrimination and even ‘sidestepping’ a state law. According to board member Julie Ott, the school board had received many emails about the subject, which the board hadn’t “in a long time on one subject.” READ THE FUL...
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With his first bill, U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo. Springs, aims to defund sanctuary cities
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With his first bill, U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo. Springs, aims to defund sanctuary cities

By Norishka Pachot | Fox 21 News Colorado Congressman Jeff Crank has introduced a new bill, which, if passed, would bar federal transportation dollars from going to sanctuary cities. On Thursday, March 6, Congressman Crank introduced his first bill to Congress as the Blocking Lawless Open Border Cities and States Act of 2025. Also known as the BLOC Act, it seeks to bar the Department of Transportation from funding infrastructure projects in sanctuary cities and counties that do not give a 48-hour warning to U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) ahead of the release of an illegal immigrant. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 21 NEWS
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Deputy for a day, U.S. Rep. Crank joins El Paso Sheriff’s Office on patrol
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Deputy for a day, U.S. Rep. Crank joins El Paso Sheriff’s Office on patrol

By Norishka Pachot | Fox 21 News Representative Jeff Crank participated in a ride-along with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) and was able to experience the work law enforcement does first-hand. Crank joined EPSO deputies on Saturday, Feb. 8 for a ride-along to learn about the challenges members of law enforcement face as they work to serve their communities. EPSO shared that during the ride along, Crank was able to visit and observe partners from the Cimarron Hills Fire Department as they treated an individual experiencing a medical emergency. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 21 NEWS
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United’s filing with Denver could signal possible HQ move out of Chicago
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United’s filing with Denver could signal possible HQ move out of Chicago

By Ben Bradley | Fox 21 News United Airlines has sent another signal about a potential move of its corporate headquarters from Chicago to Denver.  In a new filing with the City of Denver, United said it may eventually build more than 1 million square feet of office space to accommodate more than 6,000 employees on land it purchased in 2023 near the Denver airport. United employs nearly 5,000 corporate employees in Chicago.  The first priority for development of the Denver land is for a new flight simulator training center.  The airline says future growth and pilot training will create demand for 60 additional flight simulator bays than United currently operates closer to the downtown Denver. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 21 NEWS
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Senate confirms Coloradan Chris Wright to lead Energy Department
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Senate confirms Coloradan Chris Wright to lead Energy Department

By Rachel Frazin | KXRM-TV Fox 21 News, via The Hill The Senate on Monday confirmed Chris Wright, the CEO of fracking company Liberty Energy, to lead the Energy Department.  The vote was 59-38. Democrat Sens. Michael Bennet (Colo.), Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), John Hickenlooper (Colo.), Ben Ray Luján (N.M.) and Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.) as well as independent Sen. Angus King (Maine) voted with Republicans to confirm him. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle indicated support for his nomination during his confirmation hearing, and he sailed out of committee on a 15-5 vote.  READ THE FULL STORY AT KXRM-TV FOX 21 NEWS
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