Author: R. Scott Rappold
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Ranch owner who built 8.5-foot fence in Colorado faces $66K per day fine
SAN LUIS • A Texas businessman who built an 8.5-foot-high fence partially around his ranch in Colorado’s San Luis Valley could face fines of up to $65,544 per day after state regulators determined runoff from the disturbed land could contaminate area water supplies. The Cielo Vista Ranch, which traces its origins to a Spanish land…
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Judge in Barry Morphew case rules to limit pre-trial publicity
ALAMOSA — Barry Morphew, the Colorado man accused of killing his wife and leaving her body in a remote field in the San Luis Valley, will likely face trial next summer. During a brief hearing in the case Monday, his attorney David Beller told 12th Judicial District Chief Court Judge Amanda Hopkins that his team…
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A smiling Barry Morphew makes first court appearance after extradition
ALAMOSA — Barry Morphew, the Colorado man accused of killing his wife and burying her in a shallow grave in the San Luis Valley, made his first court appearance Tuesday. Clad in orange and white jail garb, Morphew smiled at one of his daughters while being led into the courtroom. He was arrested in Arizona after…
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Law gives San Luis Valley control over disruptive fences
SAN LUIS • Residents of this rural San Luis Valley community, who have been fighting for decades for access to a mountain landscape guaranteed to their ancestors, celebrated a significant victory Tuesday. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis visited San Luis to sign into law a bill that gives local governments authority to regulate large fences on private property,…
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The massive fence that has divided means of life in the San Luis Valley
SAN LUIS • This land has gone by many names. The “Sangre de Cristo Grant,” so named by the Mexican government in 1844 to encourage settlement. “Taylor Ranch.” And now “Cielo Vista Ranch.” For Eli Rael, whose ancestors moved here in the late 1800s, it’s always been simply “La Sierra,” a communal mountain landscape where settlers…
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Federal judge declines to issue restraining order against alleged voter intimidation
A federal judge has declined to issue a temporary restraining order after finding no imminent threat from a group who allegedly interrogated and intimidated Colorado voters at their homes, including while armed. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer rejected a request from three civic organizations to temporarily block the U.S. Election Integrity Plan…
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5 Colorado fourteener hikes for parents with kids
For those who might want to introduce their kids to fourteeners, here are five of the easier high peaks. The best resource for maps, directions and hike details is 14ers.com. 1. Mount Sherman – One of the closer fourteeners to Colorado Springs, about two hours’ drive, is also the most kid-friendly. The trail climbs 2,100…
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Colorado’s aspen trees: the largest living organisms on Earth
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Aspen trees are the mostly widely distributed native tree species in North America, found throughout many northern U.S. states, the entire length of the Rocky Mountains, and a huge swath of Canada. But what comes to mind when people think of aspens? Colorado. That’s because…
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Cold play: From sledding to showshoeing, you can have fun in snow and stay nearby
In the Pikes Peak region, you don’t always have to make the two-hour drive to a ski area to play in the snow. We’re blessed with an average of 39 inches of snow a year, and when the big storms hit, thanks to our rolling topography and abundance of parks, Colorado Springs is transformed into…
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Hiking the Manitou Incline after years of excuses
There we were on a mild December morning, gazing up with a mix of anxiety and exhilaration at this ramshackle and ice-covered row of railroad ties. In the vernacular of Colorado outdoors lovers, you don’t “hike” this particular trail. You “do” the Manitou Incline. It’s the region’s steepest and most popular trail, 2,700 steps and…