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Martin Luther King Jr.’s nephew speaks on nonviolent protest at annual Colorado Springs event
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Martin Luther King Jr.’s nephew speaks on nonviolent protest at annual Colorado Springs event

By Natasha Lynn | The Gazette The importance of nonviolent protest highlighted Monday's annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Colorado Springs. The theme of this year's event, presented by the Pikes Peak Diversity Council and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Preservation Society, was "mission possible," stressing the importance of protecting freedom, justice, and democracy. Local events began with an “All Peoples Breakfast” at the Antlers Hotel with speakers from the African American Youth Leadership Conference board, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Preservation Society, and various musical performance selections. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
Cattle rustling — the ‘easy crime’ — decimating Western Slope ranchers
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Cattle rustling — the ‘easy crime’ — decimating Western Slope ranchers

By Rachel Wright | The Gazette, via the Denver Gazette The grass crunches underfoot and dust billows in dense clouds as a truck and trailer speed out of public lands in Montrose County. The trailer is full of calves lowing plaintively. The driver gives the Western salute, one or two fingers raised as a four-by-four rumbles past. The truck turns on to the highway, nose pointed east. And without anyone the wiser, more calves have disappeared. Cattle rustling is a tale at least as old as Colorado itself, when poverty and drought turned desperate people into thieves. And now, thanks to the high price of cattle and uneven enforcement of branding laws across the surrounding states, ranchers say rustling is back in a big way on the Western Slope. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETT...
State EDC OKs millions in incentives to ‘Project Boron’ semiconductor maker for plant upgrades
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State EDC OKs millions in incentives to ‘Project Boron’ semiconductor maker for plant upgrades

By Rich Laden and Bernadette Berdychowski | The Gazette A semiconductor manufacturer seeking to expand and modernize its Colorado Springs plant would be eligible for a $3.68 million cash award from the state under a financial incentive for the company approved Thursday by the Colorado Economic Development Commission. The company, whose identity was kept confidential by state officials and instead was assigned the code name Project Boron, had requested refundable tax credits that are available under the CHIPS Refundable Tax Credit program — created by Colorado lawmakers in 2023 as a means of encouraging the development and expansion of the state's semiconductor industry. In turn, the financial support provided by the state helps Colorado companies secure funding through the fe...
Superintendent says D-11 failed ‘people of Jenkins’ amid mounting criticism over middle school closure
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Superintendent says D-11 failed ‘people of Jenkins’ amid mounting criticism over middle school closure

By Eric Young | The Gazette Bus pick-ups and drop-offs, a new start time and new channels of communication were among the updates Colorado Springs District 11 provided to Jenkins Middle School families Thursday night as they prepare to exit the school next week. For the second in a series of community meetings, D-11 superintendent Michael Gaal took to the stage of Doherty High School’s auditorium to speak directly to those in attendance, but not without an admission first — that was loud and clear. “The district has failed the people of Jenkins,” he said. “I am your superintendent. I am ultimately accountable for that failure. Our goal here tonight is to start to begin to regain your trust.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
More than one-third of Colorado households endure financial hardship, report shows
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More than one-third of Colorado households endure financial hardship, report shows

By Debbie Kelley | The Gazette A new report being released Wednesday from United Way Colorado and Ent Credit Union shows 37% of residents statewide and 34% in El Paso County are not earning enough to cover basic expenses such as housing, health care, transportation, food, child care and a rudimentary smartphone plan. Nearly 870,000 households out of about 2.4 million statewide were studied, more than two-thirds of which contain wage earners working in retail, food service, grocery, education, health care, law enforcement, firefighting, lodging, cleaning and other sectors. A national research organization and grassroots movement that United Way of Northern New Jersey started as United for ALICE, which is an acronym for “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed,” develo...
E-bike access to non-motorized trails could be debate decided by voters in Colorado Springs
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E-bike access to non-motorized trails could be debate decided by voters in Colorado Springs

By Brennen Kauffman | The Gazette Two former city leaders asked the Colorado Springs City Council to place a public vote about e-bike access on city parkland on the April ballot. Colorado Springs has been debating for months about whether to begin allowing battery and electric-powered bikes onto trails that are reserved for non-motorized vehicles through the city Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) program. During the public comment period of Tuesday's City Council meeting, prominent former council members Richard Skorman and Wayne Williams said that any change to the voter-enacted TOPS program is required to be made by a ballot measure. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
Senate bill aims to stop the expansion of grocery stores selling hard liquor in Colorado
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Senate bill aims to stop the expansion of grocery stores selling hard liquor in Colorado

By David Migoya | The Gazette The number of grocery stores selling hard booze under a quirky license initially designed for pharmacies would stop at about two dozen under a bill that advocates say is meant to save independent liquor stores. Senate Bill 25-33 would put an end to any new licenses for pharmacies to sell spirits such as whiskey — known as Liquor License Drug Stores (LLDS) — and leave at about 25 the number of stores such as King Soopers and Costco that already do. The bill is sponsored by senators Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, and Dylan Roberts, D-Steamboat Springs, who unsuccessfully backed a similar, though more comprehensive, bill last year. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
Lawsuit filed against town of Palmer Lake, officials over Buc-ee’s plan
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Lawsuit filed against town of Palmer Lake, officials over Buc-ee’s plan

By BRETT FORREST | The Gazette, via KOAA Several nonprofit organizations are suing the town of Palmer Lake, its mayor and other city officials over a controversial plan to annex land to open a Buc-ee's convenience store. The lawsuit, filed Friday, alleges a multitude of complaints including improper land annexation agreements, restriction of free speech and violation of open meeting laws for matters surrounding the development of the popular Texas-based chain, which opened its first Colorado location near Johnstown in 2024. Nonprofit Integrity Matters filed the suit along with Westside Watch, TriLakes Preservation, Inc, United Congregational Church, and other individuals and business owners in the Palmer Lake area. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
Colorado Springs native explores abandoned places in award-winning podcast
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Colorado Springs native explores abandoned places in award-winning podcast

By Jennifer Mulson | The Gazette Anemoia is one of Blake Pfeil’s favorite words. Author John Koenig coined the unofficial English word, which means a longing for a time or place you’ve never known, in his 2021 book, “The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows,” a collection of words he dreamed up for emotions not described in English. It’s an apt word for Pfeil, a Colorado Springs native, who explores abandoned spaces around the globe in his award-winning “Abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast.” Season three launched a week ago. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other streaming services, as well as blakepfeil.com/audio. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
School districts grappling with new state law to honor students’ chosen names
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School districts grappling with new state law to honor students’ chosen names

By ERIC YOUNG | The Gazette As more school districts adopt policies to adhere to a new state law regarding students’ chosen names, it’s been far from a simple decision for some in the Pikes Peak region. With the passage of House Bill 1039 into law last April, all public schools must now implement a written policy outlining how staff will honor a student’s request to use a name different than their legal name. All school personnel must address students and refer to them by these names during school and extracurricular activities. The new law intends to protect LGBTQ+ students whose chosen names differ from their legal names given at birth and reflect their gender identity. Refusing to do so now constitutes discrimination, and students subjected to it can file a school rep...

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