Author: Eileen Welsome
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El Paso County commissioners approve no-camping regulation
El Paso County commissioners unanimously approved a no-camping regulation Tuesday aimed at eliminating homeless campers who may be migrating from Colorado Springs onto county property. Speaking in support of the measure were homeless advocates and businessmen who say a similar city measure that went into effect March 11 has helped encourage scores of homeless individuals…
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THE COUNTY SEAT: Billions of gallons of water saved
A Save Kitchi poster you can download and print. Photo by
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On Final Four weekend, wheelchair players hit the court
Tim Johannsen, a 25-year-old former soldier who lost his legs during a roadside bombing in Iraq, dribbled down the court, looking for an opening through the thicket of wheelchairs so he could drop one in the hoop. It was his first time on the basketball court in a wheelchair, and he was loving it. “My…
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Cleanup of ‘unprecedented pile of trash’ under way
Canceled checks, pages from financial ledgers, water bills, office receipts and land records fluttered across the brown hills of eastern El Paso County this week, catching in barbed wire fences and landing in cattle pastures. After a flurry of phone calls and meetings, property owners responsible for the litter on Friday began cleaning up what…
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Reinstated grant money good news for local agencies
When Gov. Bill Ritter last fall announced that he was going to use $5.1 million in grants destined for local governments and social services agencies to balance the state budget, the ramifications were profound and immediate. In Teller County, ambulances were grounded, sheriff’s deputies laid off, road projects halted, and hiring plans put on hold.…
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City bails out Cherokee Water customers for a price
The Colorado Springs City Council has tentatively OK’d a deal that will enable its city-owned utility to provide water to a troubled district located in an unincorporated area of El Paso County. That agreement means homeowners living within the Cherokee Metropolitan District will have a reliable source of water for the next two years, but…
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De-icer suspected in utility-pole fires
A substance that keeps roads clear of ice could be leaving thousands of residents at risk of being in the dark when electricity is knocked out. Colorado Springs Utilities is investigating whether magnesium chloride, a de-icing liquid, might be the culprit behind recent utility-pole fires, including one March 8 that sent a power line onto…
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Utilities plans audit to see if there’s more water for parks
After catching a lot of heat last month from city officials, Colorado Springs Utilities rolled out a second proposal Wednesday to help keep parks cooler — and greener — this summer. The city-owned utility says it’s going to spend up to $500,000 to conduct an audit that will help officials in the parks department figure …
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Springs fire destroys 8 apartment units; residents displaced
Colorado Springs Fire Department officials have not determined the cause of a three-alarm fire at the Berkshire Apartments on Innsbrook Place near the intersection of Vickers Drive and Academy Boulevard. Lt. James Eddy, public information officer for the fire department, said it would probably be a day or two before investigators figured out the cause…