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Beloved ‘Dog Heaven’ in Colorado Springs Closed Over Water Concerns
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Beloved ‘Dog Heaven’ in Colorado Springs Closed Over Water Concerns

By Seth Boster | The Gazette One recent afternoon near his Colorado Springs home, Sean Paige was hiking with Nellie the golden retriever en route to a favorite spot in Stratton Open Space: South Suburban Reservoir.  “She’s still anxious to get there, because she thinks it’s gonna be full of water,” Paige said.  But Colorado Springs Utilities announced the draining of South Suburban Reservoir in April 2024 for repairs to the dam. Nellie has been among dogs splashing in the water over the years — the place Paige has called “dog heaven” under the gaze of Cheyenne Mountain — but not the past couple of summers during the closure.  And not for summers to come, following an announcement by Utilities.  “Now it’s off-limits,” Paige lamented. “Try explaining that t...
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More Colorado Teachers Opt Out of Union Dues and Politics
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The Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

More Colorado Teachers Opt Out of Union Dues and Politics

By The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Gazette When a school district’s union speaks, it’s often billed as the voice of the teachers. Not so fast. Out of Colorado’s 179 school districts, fewer than 40 are formally “unionized” through collective-bargaining, or “master” agreements, in which unions negotiate pay, benefits and other matters on behalf of all teachers. Some districts agree to memorandums of understanding similar to collective bargaining. The majority of districts aren’t unionized at all. Sure, many districts have union affiliates, but they function more like clubs. And many teachers join because they’re led to believe they need the liability policies unions provide. It’s worth noting that comparable policies offered by the Professional Association of Colora...
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Pueblo Man Arrested After More Than 1,100 Child Exploitation Images Found
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Pueblo Man Arrested After More Than 1,100 Child Exploitation Images Found

By Grace Brajkovich | The Gazette A 43-year-old Pueblo man was arrested Tuesday after being accused of possessing over 1,100 sexually explicit photos of children, ranging from “infants to teenagers,” according to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office. Matthew Phelps was arrested by detectives with the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office after authorities were tipped off in May about “more than 1,100” images and videos of child pornography being downloaded to a device at his address in the 27000 block of Woburn Abbey. Detectives from the Sheriff Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit headed the investigation and were able to obtain a search warrant for Phelps’ address that was associated with the downloads. When serving the warrant, authorities say they found explicit images and vi...
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Councilwoman accused of welfare fraud resigns in Fountain
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Councilwoman accused of welfare fraud resigns in Fountain

By Savannah Eller | The Gazette Fountain City Councilwoman Detra Duncan announced her resignation Tuesday. The councilwoman has been accused of public assistance fraud dating back years, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Gazette. Duncan said in a statement to the city that her resignation was not an admission of wrongdoing. “While I firmly believe in the integrity of my service and my commitment to the residents of Fountain, I also recognize that recent circumstances have cast a shadow over my ability to serve effectively. The people of our community deserve leadership that can govern without distraction or doubt,” she wrote. According to the affidavit filed in June, investigators with the El Paso and Jefferson County Departments of Human Services allegedl...
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Autopen Investigation Reveals Biden’s Slow Decision-Making in Final Months
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Autopen Investigation Reveals Biden’s Slow Decision-Making in Final Months

By Kaelan Deese | The Gazette Former President Joe Biden’s ex-chief of staff Jeff Zients delivered the most revealing testimony to date in the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the alleged misuse of the autopen and internal efforts to conceal the then-president’s cognitive decline, according to a source familiar with the matter. Zients, who appeared for a closed-door transcribed interview on Thursday, confirmed for the first time that Biden’s “decision-making slowed” during the final stretch of his presidency. He said meetings that once required three sessions began to require a fourth, and acknowledged that Biden’s speech stumbles and memory lapses worsened with age — including during his time in office. The testimony, described by ...
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State Leaders Put Criminal Rights Ahead of Public Safety
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State Leaders Put Criminal Rights Ahead of Public Safety

By The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Gazette Only days ago, The Gazette editorial board weighed in on how easy it is for dangerous criminal suspects with lengthy records in Colorado to walk free — and never come back — as they supposedly await trial or other court proceedings. That includes when they are deemed “incompetent” to understand the charges against them — usually, due to presumed mental illness — and at times are released pending psychiatric assessment and treatment to restore their competency. Even under those circumstances, suspects can wind up going free for good, either because they fail to follow through on outpatient psychiatric care and disappear onto the streets, or, incredibly, they have been found permanently incompetent — and by state law, the char...
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State Triggers Emergency Prison Measures Due to Overcrowding
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The Gazette, Approved, State

State Triggers Emergency Prison Measures Due to Overcrowding

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Gazette Ongoing issues within the Colorado Department of Corrections have prompted the state to trigger its Prison Population Management Measures — a policy framework established in 2018 to address overcrowding. It marks the first time the measures have been put into effect. Under the law, the governor must implement the management measures if the state’s prison vacancy rate stays below 3% for 30 consecutive days, a threshold that was met on Aug. 16. The issue of overcrowding in the state correctional facilities has been a growing concern for months, with county sheriffs sounding the alarm in May over the shortage of prison beds, leading to increased strain on local jails. Facing a budget shortfall of over $1 billion, state lawmake...
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District 49 Staff Disciplined Over Alleged Approval of Charlie Kirk Assassination
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District 49 Staff Disciplined Over Alleged Approval of Charlie Kirk Assassination

By Ashleigh Quintana, KOAA | The Gazette Two staff members at School District 49 are on administrative leave following reports that they approved of the Charlie Kirk assassination. Kirk, a conservative activist, was shot and killed Wednesday during a speaking event at Utah Valley University in Orem. The suspect, identified as Tyler Robinson, 22, was taken into custody on Thursday night, about 33 hours after the shooting, FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters. The agency had received more than 11,000 tips as of Friday morning, the most since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, he said. According to Gazette new partner KOAA, D-49 said on Friday that the following statement was released to families at The Campus, which includes the Springs Studio for Academic Excellence and the Pik...
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Colorado Springs to shut community center as $31 million gap widens
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Colorado Springs to shut community center as $31 million gap widens

By Brennen Kauffman | The Gazette Colorado Springs will be closing Meadows Park Community Center in the next month and cutting 38 employees immediately in order to reduce the city's budget heading into 2026. Mayor Yemi Mobolade announced the series of cuts Friday afternoon to address what is projected to be a $31 million shortfall in the city's upcoming budget. "These measures will ensure we are delivering for residents while also committing ourselves to fiscal responsibility and a balanced budget. This city has been doing government efficiency for years, it's not new to us," Mobolade said. Meadows Park Community Center is one of four community centers run by the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department. Parks Director Britt Haley said in a statement the center was ...
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