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In a shifting of chairs, Republican parties have new leadership in many Colorado counties
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

In a shifting of chairs, Republican parties have new leadership in many Colorado counties

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice The only constant in life is said to be change. That certainly is the way it may feel for those in a number of county Republican parties around Colorado. From El Paso to Weld to Washington counties and other places dotting the map, new party leadership has been put in place during biennial reorganization, and more could be. In Adams County, both U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert and Gabe Evans spoke before Laura Garcia-Pascoe was elected as the new county Republican chairwoman. "Let’s win big together this cycle," wrote Boebert in a Facebook post and photo with Garcia-Pascoe, after her election. On Monday, during his weekly grassroots call, former Sen. Kevin Lundberg noted Sandra Aste had been named the Larimer County chair. "I am really exc...
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New El Paso County coroner taking a ‘behind the scenes’ role in contrast to predecessor
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gazette.com, Local

New El Paso County coroner taking a ‘behind the scenes’ role in contrast to predecessor

By Savannah Eller | The Gazette Dr. Emily Russell-Kinsley didn’t always want to be a forensic pathologist, but unlike most middle schoolers, she did know what the title meant. Growing up in an Oklahoma family of physicians, she was a grade-school fan of the popular series of crime novels by Patricia Cornwell following Virginia medical examiner Kay Scarpetta. Scarpetta, victim of her main-character status, is constantly in the crosshairs of fictional bad guys. That kind of attention, even more than the duties entailed by the job, put Russell-Kinsley off the profession as a child. She has always been a self-described behind-the-scenes person. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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El Paso County appoints Dr. Emily Russell-Kinsley as new coroner
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gazette.com, Local

El Paso County appoints Dr. Emily Russell-Kinsley as new coroner

By Savannah Eller | The Gazette El Paso County has appointed a forensic pathologist to replace resigning coroner Dr. Leon Kelly to serve out the remainder of his term.  A 12-year veteran of the El Paso County Coroner's Office, Dr. Emily Russell-Kinsley is currently the deputy chief medical examiner. She earned a medical degree from Baylor, has medical examiner specialty training and was appointed in 2019 to the Colorado Cold Case Taskforce as a forensic pathology representative. Russell-Kinsley is also a member of the Colorado Coroner's Association Board of Directors. Until the next general election in 2026, she will lead the busiest coroner's office in the state with a staff of around 30 people providing services to 22 counties.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Developer meeting on proposed Palmer Lake Buc-ee’s turns heated
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gazette.com, Local

Developer meeting on proposed Palmer Lake Buc-ee’s turns heated

By Savannah Eller | The Gazette A public meeting hosted to discuss a proposed Buc-ee's location along Interstate 25 packed the Palmer Lake Elementary School cafeteria Tuesday night, frequently turning hostile and argumentative between company representatives and community members. "We don't desire your beaver nuggets," said audience member Alexandra Olivier, who joined an overwhelmingly negative wave of comments at the informational meeting. Residents raised a myriad of concerns over the travel center, which has been proposed on a piece of current El Paso County land west of I-25 and directly south of County Line Road. Developers have submitted an annexation plan to the county that would bring the site into the town of Palmer Lake under a "flagpole" annexation, connecting the roug...
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El Paso commissioners give 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen $50k pay raise
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gazette.com, Local

El Paso commissioners give 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen $50k pay raise

By Savannah Eller | The Gazette Last week the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners approved a requested $50,000 raise for newly reelected Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen.  Allen is the only county elected official whose salary is set by commissioners and not state statute. The raise came recommended by the county budget office, which presented commissioners with a high and low end of cost-of-living increases based on a consumer price index and market data. Allen's salary will factor into the District Attorney's Office's 2025 budget and cannot be changed for the rest of his four-year term.  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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gazette.com, Local

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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El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrests two in human trafficking investigation
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gazette.com, Local

El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrests two in human trafficking investigation

By Mackenzie Bodell  | The Gazette The El Paso County Sheriff's Office arrested two individuals on human trafficking charges Wednesday following a 911 call from Colorado Ped Patrol. Patrol deputies responded to the call at the 600 block of Hathaway Drive in the Cimarron Hills neighborhood of unincorporated El Paso County and made contact with the reporting party, according to a news release sent out Thursday. Based on the initial information gathered, detectives from the sheriff’s office responded and assumed the investigation. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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El Paso County Board of Health takes a stance on recreational marijuana ballot measures
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gazette.com, Local

El Paso County Board of Health takes a stance on recreational marijuana ballot measures

By Savannah Eller | The Gazette The El Paso County Board of Public Health has officially come out against a ballot question that will ask Colorado Springs citizens to vote on allowing existing medical marijuana shops to sell recreational marijuana in city limits.  "This is a public health issue, and I think this is a stance we should be taking," said El Paso County Commissioner and Board of Health member Longinos Gonzalez.  The Board of Health oversees the county's public health department and is in charge of developing public health policies.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Gonzalez: Needle exchange site in Colorado Springs lacks transparency
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Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Gonzalez: Needle exchange site in Colorado Springs lacks transparency

By Longinos Gonzalez, Jr. | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Needle exchange programs and drug injection sites, described by proponents as “safe injection sites” or “overdose prevention centers,” are ideas that radicals throughout the state continue to push upon our communities, even where they are largely opposed by the public and previously rejected by local institutions.   Luckily, at least for one more year, the legislature rejected the most recent supervised drug injection site bill proposal.  Unfortunately, this bill is likely to find renewed advocacy in 2025 by numerous Democrats.  However, the push for needle exchanges, or syringe access programs, under the guise of “harm reduction” continues and has come to Colorado Springs without ever having compl...
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Inmate found unconscious in El Paso County jail cell has died, sheriff’s office says
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Fox21, Local

Inmate found unconscious in El Paso County jail cell has died, sheriff’s office says

By Brett Yager | Fox 21 News The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) said a man who was found unresponsive in his cell has passed away at the hospital. On Wednesday, Sept. 11 at around 8:15 p.m. during a routine welfare check at the El Paso County Jail, deputies found a man unresponsive in his cell. EPSO said evidence found suggested the man attempted to take his own life. Deputies and medical staff began lifesaving measures until first responders from American Medical Response and the Colorado Springs Fire Department arrived at around 8:32 p.m., and at 9:22 p.m. the man was taken to the hospital. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 21 NEWS
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