Author: Daniel Chac
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Utilities says it needs $1M-plus to repair backup pipeline
Colorado Springs Utilities says it needs to spend in excess of $1 million to repair a backup pipeline from Rampart Reservoir that never has been used in an emergency even as it is building a new $1 billion pipeline from Pueblo Reservoir. The Pine Valley Pipeline, which was damaged and exposed last week during a…
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Mayor plans to propose stricter fire, building codes
The Bach administration plans to propose stricter fire and building codes for new construction and rebuilds in Mountain Shadows following the Waldo Canyon fire. But whether it can apply more aggressive requirements to existing homes in hillside areas remains a topic of discussion that will require public feedback, Chief of Staff Laura Neumann said during…
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Mayor calls on council to reverse Drake decision
Mayor Steve Bach said Thursday he hopes the City Council will reverse its decision to go ahead with plans to install what he called “experimental” emissions control technology at the Martin Drake Power Plant downtown. But the mayor may have to keep hoping, because council President Scott Hente and other council members say the decision…
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Steve Cox announces July 31 retirement from city
Steve Cox, a longtime employee with the City of Colorado Springs who worked his way up the ranks in the Fire Department and then moved into the inner sanctum of the Bach administration, announced his retirement Wednesday. The news of his retirement, effective July 31, comes on the heels of a federal civil rights lawsuit…
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Minority group closely watching council redistricting work
A group of black and Hispanic community leaders in Colorado Springs is keeping a close eye on the redrawing of City Council districts and hoping the new boundaries give a minority a better chance of winning election. The Black/Latino Coalition wants the City Clerk’s Office to draw a council district in the heart of the…
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Mayor, CenturyLink feuding over cable TV agreement
If Colorado Springs awards CenturyLink a cable television franchise, Mayor Steve Bach says it should be required to commit to serve low income areas. “To be candid, CenturyLink does not want to put in the franchise agreement any specificity as to serving lower-income neighborhoods,” Bach said Wednesday during his monthly meeting with City Council. “I…
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Proposed panhandling law gets support at meeting
Colorado Springs is considering an ordinance that would prohibit soliciting for money in certain parts of the city, including downtown and the west side. More than a dozen people, including several business owners, attended a meeting Tuesday at City Hall to learn more about the proposal and give the city feedback. Everyone who spoke said…
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Fire department investigates Hitler video
A YouTube video portraying Colorado Springs Fire Chief Rich Brown as Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler led top brass to try to find out whether it was created by an on-duty firefighter. The video, which has received more than 1,300 hits since it was posted June 4, appears to have been created by someone with inside…
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Man who thought he won bet wanted taxpayers to pay up
They say anybody can sue anyone for anything. It’s true — and here’s proof: A man who mistakenly thought he won a football pool organized by a city bus driver wanted Colorado Springs taxpayers to give him the money when the driver refused to pay up. Don Miller said he gave a bus driver named…
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Springs man aims for ballot measure that would phase out property taxes
A man who moved to Colorado Springs about 16 months ago is trying to get a measure on the November ballot that would phase out property taxes in the city over five years. If passed by voters, city officials said the proposed charter change would lead to drastic cuts in such things as police and…