Author: Emery Cowan
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Cracks at Cliff Palace spark campaign to restore jewel of Mesa Verde
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK — Scott Travis stepped delicately around the ruins of Cliff Palace, his eyes deftly scanning the sandstone bricks, the carefully carved windows and the well-worn wooden beams at one of Mesa…
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Keep your eyes on the sky: Now is the time for stargazing
Stargazing – more formally, astronomy – is a simple hobby to pick up and the opportunities to pursue it are vast. To start off, stargazers don’t need much, just their eyes and a basic knowledge of constellations. Vicky Kitzmann uses a GPS tracker to locate Saturn, Mark and Venus as the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society…
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Sheriff faces complaints of eligibility, conflict
In the final months of his career as sheriff of Teller County, Kevin Dougherty is under fire and facing the possible loss of his job. One complaint against Dougherty deals with whether he is an inhabitant of the county. Dougherty bought a house east of Colorado Springs in June, but rents a room near Divide,…
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Springs telephone history spans cranking to texting
The year was 1880 when a few vocal citizens of Colorado Springs decided it was about time to join the web of telephone wires that were fanning out across the state. The Springs Gazette Chronicle also put in a good word for a “telephonic system,” touting the wonderful assistance it would provide businesses in the…
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Community centers blossoming under nonprofit management
The city’s community centers have come a long way since late last year when the city cut budgets and gave a harsh ultimatum: come up with operating money or face closure. After mostly fruitless fundraising efforts, a local church took over operations at Westside Community Center and the city found money in the general fund…
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Back to school: 3 families mix excitement, uncertainty
The words “back to school” elicit a barrage of familiar images and memories: School supply shopping, worries about first impressions and days packed with classes, homework and after-school activities. But for some, the experience this year means more than going through the same time-worn steps. A girl adopted after four years of foster care, a…
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outtherecolorado.com: Who needs GPS? Orienteering does without technology
FLORISSANT – As their start times ticked by, the competitors bolted into the Rocky Mountain wilderness just south of this mountain community. Their mission? Navigate over ridges, across streams and through dense forest to specific landmarks pinpointed on a predetermined course. Alexander Kiperman runs over tree limbs during “Top of the World” Sprint competition July…
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Summer Heat puts teen girls through firefighters’ paces
Crowded in the shade of the fire department’s training tower, six teenage girls crouched on the ground, concentrating on how to rescue their pretend victims. Weighed down with 40 pounds of bunker gear — fire-proof gloves, jackets, trousers and helmets — the girls struggled to lift each victim and carry her to safety. Then…
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Sheriff’s candidates return to patrol numbers in second debate
While touching on issues of medical marijuana dispensaries and illegal immigration prosecution, the Republican candidates for El Paso County Sheriff focused most of their energies and allotted minutes to promote their views on how to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the sheriff’s office at a debate Monday night. The issue provided a perfect battleground…
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Plenty of beer, barbecue and music at Colorado Springs festivals
Jesse Francomano and Amber Sage consider themselves seasoned beer festival attendees. As they sipped their favorite craft brews in downtown Colorado Springs at the 4th Annual Springs Beer Fest on Saturday, they agreed that spending an afternoon tasting beer was the perfect summer activity. Farther west on Colorado Avenue at the Old Town Showdown,…