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Colorado Springs e-bike policy gains narrow vote of approval
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Colorado Springs e-bike policy gains narrow vote of approval

By Seth Boster | The Gazette Colorado Springs' Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Advisory Board on Thursday narrowly approved a policy to expand electric bike access on city trails. This was after a separate committee overseeing the city's parks and open spaces rejected the proposal ahead of final City Council consideration. The prior rejection by the TOPS Working Committee took issue with an update to city code that would define Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, powered by an electric motor, as "non-motorized use." Members of that committee struggled to square the suggested definition with the 1997 voter-approved TOPS ordinance, which cleared the way for sales tax portions to fund and acquire lands such as Red Rock Canyon, Stratton and Blodgett open spaces, as well as Ute Valley Park ...
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Oil and gas industry to push for policy changes under Trump administration
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Oil and gas industry to push for policy changes under Trump administration

By Scott Weiser | The Gazette The oil and gas industry sees an opening to reverse "heavy handed mandates" with the incoming Trump administration, arguing that last week's elections showed that Americans want the widest possible portfolio of energy sources — not "government mandates and restrictions." Meanwhile, environmentalists are gearing up for a fight.  In Colorado, oil and gas industry leaders said the state's stringent regulations would adequately protect public health.    READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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WWII, Korea and Vietnam Vet jumps from plane at 99, and it may not be his last jump
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WWII, Korea and Vietnam Vet jumps from plane at 99, and it may not be his last jump

By MARY SHINN | The Gazette Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Jim Akin carried an estimated 10,000 paratroopers as a pilot, and when he skydived at 99 years old over the summer it was in their honor. “I thought, ‘Boy, I hope I got the guts to do it,’” he said. The somersault in the air, the 40 seconds of free fall and hitting 120 mph — he loved all of it. He hopes to do it again to mark his 100th birthday in April. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Bzdek: Is Colorado paying enough attention to marijuana’s toll?
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Commentary, gazette.com, State

Bzdek: Is Colorado paying enough attention to marijuana’s toll?

By Vince Bzdek | Commentary, The Gazette Just before Javonte Hill got out of the Navy and settled in Denver, he was diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and depression but had not sought treatment yet. His girlfriend, an occasional marijuana user, recommended he try pot as a way “to chill out.” “You know I’m not like a pot smoker. I just got out of the military,” he recently told a New York Times reporter. But he’d heard it was a much safer alternative to alcohol, and he wouldn’t wake up hung over, so why not? READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT THE GAZETTE Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author t...
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USPS closes trash cans in Colorado Springs post offices to prevent election material theft
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USPS closes trash cans in Colorado Springs post offices to prevent election material theft

By Brennen Kauffman | The Gazette United States Postal Service has closed trash cans inside several post offices around Colorado Springs to prevent election materials from being stolen. The post offices on Fountain Boulevard, S 8th Street and Uintah Street had taped over the front of their trash cans to prevent them from being used. At the post office on Pikes Peak Avenue and South 25th Street, trash cans were entirely removed from the lobby areas. Paper signs posted around the Cheyenne Mountain facility asked customers to "Please discard any/all mail at home." The signs were attributed to USPS Management and dated to Thursday. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Bulletin highlights insider threats, terrorism and fires in ballot boxes as Election Day nears
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Bulletin highlights insider threats, terrorism and fires in ballot boxes as Election Day nears

By Marianne Goodland | The Gazette, via Colorado Politics With Election Day only a week away, the number of threats to the voting processes are escalating, putting election officials, law enforcement and the federal government on a heightened state of alert. And Colorado has not been immune.  The Colorado Information Analysis Center, part of the state Department of Public Safety, recently sent out a “situational analysis bulletin” to election officials and law enforcement, highlighting dozens of election-related threats in Colorado and nationwide.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Bzdek: When judges break the rules, it’s time to judge the judges
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Bzdek: When judges break the rules, it’s time to judge the judges

By Vince Bzdek | Commentary, The Gazette Despite five years of searing reports by investigative reporter David Migoya into serious problems afflicting the Colorado Supreme Court, the commission that reviews judicial performance gave all the justices on the ballot this year glowing recommendations. The two most senior members of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez and Justice Brian D. Boatright, plus junior Justice Maria E. Berkenkotter, will be on the ballot for a retention vote. Now it’s up to voters to decide if their coverup and unethical handling of a pay-for-silence scandal, their stonewalling of investigations into that scandal, and their rule breaking and conflicts of interest uncovered by Migoya warrant a “NO” vote. The three justices involved in t...
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Greeley man files first lawsuit against McDonald’s in E. coli outbreak
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Greeley man files first lawsuit against McDonald’s in E. coli outbreak

By Carol McKinley | The Gazette A 34-year-old Greeley man who ate at a McDonald's in early October and got seriously ill has filed the first lawsuit in the U.S. related to the recent McDonald's E. coli outbreak. Eric Stelly is suing for "in excess of $50,000 for past and future economic damages," according to the lawsuit. One person in Mesa County, an older man with other medical conditions, has died of E. coli poisoning related to the outbreak, according to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Sheriff requests $600k budget increase for ‘grossly underpaid’ El Paso County deputies
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Sheriff requests $600k budget increase for ‘grossly underpaid’ El Paso County deputies

By Savannah Eller | The Gazette El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal packed a meeting with deputies on Tuesday to ask the Board of County Commissioners for funds to bridge the gap for what he called "a massive, unacceptable pay disparity" between his and other regional law enforcement agencies. Roybal asked commissioners for a $600,000 increase in funds for 2025 in the county's preliminary balanced budget, to be matched with funds from the Sheriff's Office public-safety sales-tax revenue pool.  An El Paso County deputy is paid less overall than other Front Range sheriff's deputies, according to statistics Roybal showed from the National Fraternal Order of Police. Roybal claimed El Paso County, with a starting salary of $72,696 and a maximum salary of $92,664, was "dead last" amo...
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Lawsuit dismissed to remove road tax extension from Colorado Springs ballot
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Lawsuit dismissed to remove road tax extension from Colorado Springs ballot

By Breeanna Jent | The Gazette An El Paso County District Court judge this month dismissed a lawsuit that sought to remove the so-called 2C road tax question from Colorado Springs' November ballot. Douglas Bruce, the author of Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights amendment, filed a three-page civil lawsuit against the city of Colorado Springs in late September, alleging the city violated TABOR requirements a dozen times in its approved ballot language for  ballot issue 2C that asks to extend a dedicated sales tax for local road maintenance. On Nov. 5, voters will ultimately decide whether to extend the current 0.57% temporary sales and use tax for the next 10 years, from 2026 through the end of 2035. The 2C tax equates to 5.7 cents on every $10 purchase. The current tax is schedul...
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