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El Paso County

Colorado School District Uses Affordable Housing As Recruitment Tactic
El Paso County, Local, thelobby-co.com

Colorado School District Uses Affordable Housing As Recruitment Tactic

By The Lobby Harrison School District 2 in Colorado Springs has announced plans to construct affordable homes for its employees, according to reports. The district intends to build 20 duplexes, each covering 352 square feet, on a one-acre parcel of land at Mountain Vista Community School. The estimated cost of the project is $6 million, and the homes will be available for rent at $825 per month. This initiative aims to address the affordable housing faced by many teachers in Colorado Springs. The average rent is $1,720 per month, while the average home price is $523,456, as reported by Forbes Advisor. With a starting salary of $47,545 for new teachers in the district, many find it challenging to secure suitable housing without resorting to multiple roommates. The constructi...
First Migrant Bus Arrives In El Paso County
El Paso County, National, thelobby-co.com

First Migrant Bus Arrives In El Paso County

By The Lobby | The Lobby Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's sanctuary city policies have come under fire once again, this time for his apparent change of heart regarding the busing of indigent migrants to other cities. Just a few weeks ago, Johnston criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott for employing a similar strategy, calling it "inhumane, reckless, and inefficient." However, it seems that the mayor now sees no issue with transferring the burden of these migrants to other municipalities. On January 28th, a bus carrying migrants arrived in Colorado Springs from Denver. El Paso County Commissioner District 2, Carrie Geitner, expressed her concern, telling Fox21, "This is not just a local challenge. It is a national emergency and it's destroying cities and communities around our natio...
Colorado Springs officials: ‘We will not be designated as a sanctuary county’
denvergazette.com, El Paso County, gazette.com

Colorado Springs officials: ‘We will not be designated as a sanctuary county’

By Savannah Eller | COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE On Wednesday a group of local officials, including the El Paso County board of commissioners and City Council member Dave Donelson, called a press conference to respond to the news of migrants arriving in Colorado Springs. The officials presented a united front against El Paso becoming a sanctuary county, admonishing state and federal government for lack of action in stemming illegal immigration.  "Allow me to state unequivocally that we will not be designated as a sanctuary county. All five El Paso County commissioners are united in our position," said board chair Cami Bremer.  Bremer and vice chair commissioner Carrie Geitner led the conference, coming out strong against the harboring of migrants in El Paso County. Commissio...
El Paso official to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston: Keep asking for federal funds | Border Crossroads
coloradopolitics.com, Downtown Denver, El Paso County, Local

El Paso official to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston: Keep asking for federal funds | Border Crossroads

By Nicole C. Brambila | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS Editor's note: Welcome to Border Crossroads, a series of dispatches from America's southern border, where reporter Nico Brambila and multimedia producer Tom Hellauer are chronicling the crisis that is spilling over into Denver and other interior cities.     EL PASO, TEXAS — El Paso Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino offered some advice to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston: Keep pushing for federal money to address the crisis brought on by surges of immigrants crossing the border. El Paso Deputy City Manager, Mario D'Agostino, discusses how his city obtained federal funds to address the immigration surges in recent yearsPlay Video “Don’t give up on the funding requests,” D’Agostino said. "Continuing to push for the fund...
Former state lawmaker Janak Joshi jumps in GOP congressional primary in Colorado’s 8th
coloradopolitics.com, Denver Metro, El Paso County, Local

Former state lawmaker Janak Joshi jumps in GOP congressional primary in Colorado’s 8th

By Ernest Luning, Colorado Politics Former state Rep. Janak Joshi on Friday joined the field of Republicans hoping to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo in Colorado's 8th Congressional District. Vowing he'll be "big government's worst enemy," the former physician, who represented Colorado Springs districts for three terms last decade in the legislature, said his unabashedly conservative track record makes him the best candidate to win the battleground seat, which could decide which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives after this year's election. “I’m the only candidate in this race with a proven conservative record to show that actions speak louder than mere words," Joshi said in statement to Colorado Politics. "We already have too many say-anything pol...
Army veteran who was college football’s oldest player joins GOP primary in Colorado’s 5th CD
coloradopolitics.com, El Paso County, Local

Army veteran who was college football’s oldest player joins GOP primary in Colorado’s 5th CD

By Ernest Luning | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS The Army combat veteran who recently held the distinction of being the oldest Division I player in college football — while still in uniform — wants to represent Colorado's 5th Congressional District. Joshua Griffin, a Fountain Republican, joined the crowded primary last week for the El Paso County-based seat occupied by retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn. "I spent two decades fighting for our country," Griffin told Colorado Politics. "We need somebody to come in and represent the people — and only focus on the people." A political newcomer, the 37-year-old filed nearly a year ago to challenge state Rep. Mary Bradfield, a Colorado Springs Republican, in the GOP primary in House District 21, but said he decided to switch to a ...
HAMAS Protesters Gather Outside El Paso County Democratic Party Offices for Theatrical Stunt
El Paso County, Local, thelobby-co.com

HAMAS Protesters Gather Outside El Paso County Democratic Party Offices for Theatrical Stunt

SOURCE: THELOBBY-CO.COM A group of Colorado pro HAMAS terrorists gathered outside the El Paso County Democratic Party office on January 19th, staging a theatrical stunt. The ‘protesters’ stacked bundles of cloth made to look like body bags outside the door, claiming that each bag represented 3,000 lives lost in Gaza. This disturbing act was organized by the Colorado Springs People's Coalition (CSPC), a group that is unhappy with President Joe Biden's handling of the situation in Palestine – a war that began with the October 7th early morning sneak attack on the civilian population of Israel. Colorado Springs People's Coalition (CSPC) list of demands posted on Facebook. The CSPC's statement, released on the same day as the protest, revealed their misguided intentions. They a...
EDITORIAL: Pot stores close as problems mount
El Paso County, gazette.com, Local

EDITORIAL: Pot stores close as problems mount

By Wayne Laugesen | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE Colorado Springs’ elected leaders and voters have been wise to reject marijuana, an increasingly unpopular “recreation” option. They did not fall for the false buzz of Big Marijuana, which promised reductions in crime, less illicit drug use and tax manna for the common good. Consequently, Colorado Springs appears progressive and alive as so many other large cities go to pot with homelessness, crime and open-air drug use. By rejecting recreational sales, Springs voters put themselves ahead of the curve. Pot is no longer the next big thing. It could become the next bad fad of the past, lingering in the margins with gangsta rap and skinny jeans. Springs voters most recently said “no” to commercial drug sales in November 2022 by a margin of n...
Annual count of Colorado Springs-area homeless population expands hiring street people to assist
El Paso County, gazette.com, Local

Annual count of Colorado Springs-area homeless population expands hiring street people to assist

By Debbie Kelley | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE For the second time, a yearly census to determine how many homeless people are living in El Paso County on a given night will hire helpers who are familiar with life on the streets to do the counting. Debra Stilen will be among those conducting the Point in Time survey that begins on Monday, a process required by the United States Department of Urban Housing and Development for communities to receive federal funding for programs and services for homeless people. After 20 years of homelessness, Stilen entered transitional housing last year. She was ready. But many of her friends are not. “What I find is a lot of them want to be counted, but people who are homeless are so used to being abused or bullied or negative aspects when it comes to a...
Colorado Springs shelters nearly 900 homeless people as temperatures continue to dive
El Paso County, gazette.com, Local

Colorado Springs shelters nearly 900 homeless people as temperatures continue to dive

By Debbie Kelley | SOURCE: The Gazette Colorado Springs’ shelters and ad hoc warming centers accommodated nearly 900 homeless people who sought to escape Sunday night’s subzero temperatures. The 352 people that hundreds of Hope COS volunteers removed from outdoor camps and under bridges and transported to emergency overnight centers inside three local churches set a record, the organization’s founder Melissa Oskin said Monday. “It’s just about double what we had as a high before that,” she said. READ FULL ARTICLE ON GAZETTE.COM