Author: Pam Zubeck
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Deal may net city millions
Colorado Springs Utilities stands to gain hundreds of millions of dollars from a pollutioncontrol device under a contract recently struck with the inventor, whose tests on city-owned Drake Power Plant are promising.The city finalized a contract in May with Neumann Systems Group Inc. of Colorado Springs that includes a cut of the action if the…
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THE SPYGLASS: Rivera will run with the crowd on Sunday
Mayor Lionel Rivera will run this weekend, but not for political office. He’ll lace up his New Balance shoes, plug in his headset and jog a 5K route starting in Memorial Park to promote the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation’s State Games of the West. Rivera runs nine-minute miles now, but back in the day…
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Mega-truck designed for disasters relegated to mundane police work
In 2005, Uncle Sam bought El Paso County a quartermillion-dollar armored vehicle designed to handle everything from weapons of mass destruction to natural disasters. Since then, it’s been used 52 times for ordinary police work: arresting potentially violent suspects or fugitives, protecting dignitaries, handling civil disturbances and dealing with people barricaded in a home…
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POLITIGAB: Candidates surveyed on abortion
Political candidates in El Paso County are mostly a pro-life bunch, although quite a few candidates declined to weigh in on the abortion issue in a recent survey by Pikes Peak Citizens for Life.The anti-abortion advocacy group this month issued its “Voter’s Guide for El Paso County,” including candidate answers to questions on abortion-related questions.…
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City borrowing to build fire stations, park
Colorado Springs will borrow money to build two fire stations and a new north-side regional park, despite not having enough money for staffing one fire station and maintaining the park.The City Council indicated at its informal meeting Monday that it supports the plan and could give formal approval next month.”Why are we building a fire…
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Humane Society offers up a plan to license cats
Stray and feral cats have become the top issue facing the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, which on Monday proposed cat licensing to reduce overpopulation and euthanasia.City Council members expressed support, but it’s unclear when licenses for cats would be required. The cost would be the same as for dog licenses – $12…
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Springs City Council: We’ll keep praying
Local governing bodies will continue praying before meetings, regardless of how the Grand Junction City Council alters its policy after an atheist group challenged the practice.The Western Colorado Atheists sought to halt the Grand Junction council’s prayers before meetings, arguing they’re almost exclusively Christian, suggesting the city endorses a certain religion.That, the atheists argued, would…
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Money from water sales still pouring in
It may be bone dry in Colorado Springs, but snow is still melting in the high country, filling reservoirs and allowing the city to sell water to farmers, towns and subdivisions. Water sales totaling 12,200 acre feet of water have brought in $462,311 this year. An acre foot equals about 325,000 gallons. Colorado Springs…
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THE SPYGLASS: County flush with funds after septic rate increase
A friend from Oklahoma who wouldn’t trust government with a nickel used to say a slick way to fund Big Brother would be with a toilet paper tax. How better to fund the government’s diarrhea of the checkbook than by making every flush count, he cynically joked. Practically speaking, it’s something everybody uses and…
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Bruce under fire for empty property
Jane Thomsen and her west-side neighbors are tired of the boarded up, run-down building at 1326 W. Kiowa St. dragging down property values and serving as an occasional shelter to vagrants. “You can’t be allowed to have a property like this. It’s just not right,” Thomsen said as she strolled by nearby homes with…