8 awesome stories that made this week great; excluding crime and politics
Politics and crime related stories often dominate the news, but there are a lot of other great stories around Colorado Springs that can get lost in the mix.
Therefore, this will be a politics- and crime-free zone full of wonderful reporting and writing from Gazette reporters in the past week.
Here are eight articles you may have missed:
Outdoor Women’s Alliance has goal of expanding Colorado Springs network
“A woman’s approach in the outdoors is different than a man’s approach, inherently,” Bégin said. “When in a group of all women, women are generally more willing to fail, get up and try again because your peers generally understand why you approached that (climbing) route or ski run in the way that you did. There is value in going with a co-ed group, but it’s much less intimidating for many women to learn from people who experience the same troubles and limitations.”
New Belgium Brewing announces Tour de Fat stop in Colorado Springs
The season kicks off May 20 in Asheville, N.C., and cycles into the Pikes Peak region Aug. 26; Los Angeles-based alt rock band Wilderado will headline the Colorado Springs stop at the Pikes Peak Center.
Colorado Springs Olympic Museum project nearing final hurdles
The museum, designed as a showcase for the nation’s Olympic and Paralympic movements through exhibits and displays, is being counted on by community leaders to boost area tourism and inject life into southwest downtown Colorado Springs.
Colorful Colorado: The lows and highs of Alma
This is 10,578 feet, according to the welcome sign: “North America’s HIGHEST incorporated town,” it reads off Colorado 9, leading to the main street, with the first sign of modernity being the weed dispensary that advises passers-by to “get rec before Breck!”
Jalen Robinette improves marks on Pro Day as another Air Force player emerges as NFL prospect
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior outside linebacker leapt 40 inches in the vertical, ran an unofficial 4.41-second 40-meter dash and became the name scouts asked the other players about in hushed tones in a setting where information was kept tightly to the vest.
Garden of the Gods Club in the midst of $60 million expansion in Colorado Springs
The 334-acre resort just east of Garden of the Gods park completed a $12 million International Health and Wellness Center that includes medical offices and a spa and is just starting construction on 37 upscale cottages and villas that will cost at least $48 million and will have access to all of the resort’s facilities. While the spa, cottages and villas are targeted at club members, they will be available to the public.
Seventeen-year-old Melanie Hayes’ Dexcom network includes her mother, father, big sister and two best friends. “If I’m even slightly high, I start getting texts,” she said. “My friend David will send me a text with an emoji for up or down. If I’m down, he’ll say ‘Hey, drink a juice.’ That’s really helpful.”
From Afghanistan to Colorado Springs, the evolution of a veteran’s moonshine distillery
Once home, he researched methods and mashes and practiced in his garage, developing the 10 flavors he offers today. His friends loved the stuff, as did a distributor who tried it and connected Girard with investors and business partners.
Tour de Fat Beer, bike and music festival from New Belgium Brewing Co. Aug. 26, Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., $18. newbelgium.com/events/tour-de-fat.
Preliminary concept renderings for the United States Olympic Museum were released at a press conference Thursday, May 14, 2015. Courtesy of Diller Scofidio and Renfro
ALMA – It’s tough living here. “Definitely, you’ve got to be a hearty soul to make it a long time,” Mayor Gary Goettelman says. Just ask Erik Mursewick, 41, whose family has been here for decades. He’s shoveling the sidewalks outside what used to be Alma’s Only Bar, now boarded up like other structures around the place. Shoveling, he says, is how he makes money in the winter so he can live in the surrounding hills spotted with cottages and sideways-leaning shacks. Read more here.
Air Force Academy football player Jalen Robinette talks with a scout from the Indianapolis Colts during Pro Day at The Academy Tuesday, March 21, 2017. Pro Day is a chance for AFA players to be seen by NFL scouts. This year for the first time Academy graduates have the option of playing sports professionally immediately instead of first serving at least 24 months on active duty. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette
Garden of the Gods Spa client Kathryn Congdon sits in a salt inhalation room on Thursday, March 9, 2017. The club’s salt rooms are the first in Colorado Springs and are used for therapy for stress management and detoxification. Carol Lawrence, The Gazette
Siblings Melanie, McGuire, Emily and Ashley, all of whom have type 1 diabetes, goof off as parents Julie and Bubba Hayes watch at their home on Wednesday, February 1, 2017. Julie and Bubba Hayes have four out of five children with type 1 diabetes. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette
Mike Girard, pictured Thursday, June 16, 2016, at his tasting room, started 3 Hundred Days of Shine more than a year ago in Monument, Colo., and produces nine different flavors of the Colorado moonshine. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)