Indy - June 14, 2023 Vol 31. No. 23

Laura Muir Mellini honors her “loud and fast” husband, Indy family member gone too soon

Mayor Yemi Mobolade, city’s first elected Black mayor, takes oath of office BY PAM ZUBECK |

Our mission is to deliver the truth, build community and engage citizens.

PUBLISHER

Fran Zankowski

EDITORIAL

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Bryan Grossman

MANAGING EDITOR Helen Lewis

COPY EDITOR Mary Jo Meade

SENIOR REPORTER Pam Zubeck

CULTURE REPORTER Nick Raven

INTERN Marynn Krull

CONTRIBUTORS

Rob Brezny, Jim Hightower, Mike Littwin, Matthew Schniper, Andrew “Shaggy” Warren

SALES

AD DIRECTOR Teri Homick

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Email us:

Submit a letter letters@csindy.com

News tips news@csindy.com

Editor bryan@csindy.com

Advertising...................................sales@csindy.com

Distribution distribution@csindy.com

Events events@csindy.com

Publisher fran@csindy.com

The Indy is published weekly by CitizenPowered Media, Fran Zankowski, publisher, 235 S. Nevada Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903.

Application to mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Colorado Springs, CO.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 235 S. Nevada Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903.

Want to receive the print version at home every week? Never miss an issue — subscribe or become a member for early delivery to your inbox. To become a member, visit csindy.com/join.

COVER PHOTO BY Sean Cayton

Matthew Schniper “Mother May I,” Dawna Isham-Pierce

BELOW THE SURFACE

Accurate groundwater assessment can prevent guesstimating water supply for new developments

BY PAM ZUBECK | zubeck@csindy.com

AHELICOPTER TOWING

an unusual-looking device was to begin flying over eastern El Paso County after airborne testing that began on June 8, as part of an effort to determine how much water lies below ground in the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Ground Water Management District.

“We will be able to define how much water is left,” District President Dave Doran tells the Indy

The study could raise questions about whether the county’s 300-year water supply rule is being aptly applied.

The Upper Black Squirrel district covers 350 square miles out east and is home to at least 28,000 people. It encompasses Falcon and extends north to Hopper Road, then zigzags along Black Forest Ridge on the west going south to Squirrel Creek Road and extends east up to 3 miles beyond Ellicott Highway.

The Upper Black Squirrel basin was designated by the state in 1969, and the groundwater management district was established by electors in 1979. Since then, development and population in the district have exploded as agricultural uses have given way to urban growth, Doran says.

“I would venture to guess there are 30,000 [groundwater] wells,” he says. That number does not include additional larger wells that serve metropolitan districts and municipalities.

The district includes the 1,800-acre Norris Ranch southeast of Colorado Springs and the 5,500-acre Flying Horse East property located near Schriever Space Force Base, both of which would like to be annexed into the city of Colorado Springs but might be turned away due to the city’s new water rule that ties annexations to city water supply. Both have applied for wells in the Denver Basin, the groundwater aquifer that underlies that geographic area, Doran says.

The district’s study uses a low-altitude helicopter towing a large hexagonal frame — what contractor Jared Abraham described as “a big metal detector” that “reads” electricity conductivity of sand, gravel and clay — as part of a project to map groundwater aquifers and subsurface geology in the district.

The project should yield a clearer picture of the available groundwater and how that groundwater is connected to surface water, if it is. Abraham, senior geophysicist with Laramie, Wyoming-

based Aqua Geo Frameworks, predicted a final report by fall.

On May 23, Doran and Abraham briefed the Board of County Commissioners about the study and its potential to reveal what lies below the surface.

Commissioner Carrie Geitner was excited to see what the study reveals.

“The conversation around water is such an important one, as you know,” she said. “There are so many pieces we’re trying to understand and put together. I’m eager to know the results.”

THE STUDY COMES AT A TIME

when developers want to build more houses to address the housing shortage in El Paso County, even as the city has limited annexations by linking them to the city’s limited water supply.

The city’s new rule, adopted earlier this year, requires the city to have 128 percent of the water supply to serve the existing city and new annexations at the time those annexations are approved.

That means that property previously permitted to annex might have to wait to become part of the city until additional water rights are secured, putting pressure on developers of land outside the city to come up with their own water supply or prove that groundwater beneath the surface is sufficient for their subdivisions.

As Doran told commissioners on May 23, “As we know, water is on all of our minds, whether you live in the city or county. Those in the city have a very big advantage. The city has a seeable, knowable, touchable water supply. We [outside the city] are totally dependent on groundwater. We’ve always grappled in trying to figure out the hydrology of our basin.”

Though the Board of County Commissioners adopted a rule in the late 1980s that requires new developments in the county to document a 300-year water supply for those

This hexagonal frame works like “a big metal detector” to read conductivity as part of a study of available groundwater.

Jared Abraham continued on p. 4 ➔

Courtesy Jared Abraham

Courtesy Jared Abraham

developments, some question whether those certifications are legitimate.

Doran tells the Indy the district’s board has “great concerns” about additional pumping of water from the Denver Basin aquifers, which are nonrenewable. Two years ago, the district contracted with the U.S. Geological Survey to monitor a network of wells “to find out how fast they’re being depleted, what the trends are for how long this water will last,” Doran says. Early results show the water table falling by several feet a year.

The board’s concerns extend to the state water engineer’s office, which issues water sufficiency findings to allow new wells to be dug.

Those certifications, Doran says, bear a disclosure statement warning that water supply might not be sufficient, which then means the county must make a decision.

“It just seems like

the county doesn’t want to hear what the state is telling them, or it’s so vague what the state is telling them, and they’re going ahead [approving developments],” he says. “For every subdivision, the state has told them, ‘We do not guarantee this water for 100 years. We recommend you seek a renewable source of water.’”

Doran and other Upper Black Squirrel district board members believe there’s a finite amount of water. Moreover, some layers are hard to pull water out of, “so it really is just a paper game,” Doran says. “The critical thing to get across to people is if they [state officials] don’t guarantee water for 100 years, the 300-year rule means nothing.

“Let’s say the Norris Ranch has a determination of water [from the state],” he adds. “Then, the county gives them approval for that many homes based on a guesstimate of how much water underlies that land. They don’t know. There’s no way of knowing how much water is there and how much is left. They don’t ever have to prove to the state that they

➔ continued from p. 3

This map of the Black Squirrel district shows where mapping will be done.

Courtesy Jared Abraham

Amnet has been absolutely amazing to work with. Everyone has gone above and beyond. I cannot say enough good things about the whole team.”

can literally pump enough water for what the county just approved for rooftops. That becomes a real house of cards.”

While the district has the ability to promulgate rules to restrict some uses, it has no authority over handing out permits for drilling wells. And while the district can ask users for their pumping records, the vast majority of wells are for domestic use and they’re not metered.

“We need to be able to collect empirical data,” Doran says. “We’re relying on data from the 1960s when it was very sparsely populated.”

Noting the study is long overdue and will provide data for how much water lies below, he says, “Nobody can tell you with any certainty how much is left.”

DORAN TOLD COMMISSIONERS

on May 23 that district officials attended several groundwater conferences in Texas, Georgia, New Mexico and Arizona where they were exposed to the aerial mapping technology.

“A light went on,” he said, noting the technology could be a game-changer and is catching on all over the world.

Aqua Geo Frameworks has conducted nearly 100 similar projects. One in Nebraska helped a district locate a preferred site for a recharge project. Another in northern Colorado considered how best

to manage recharge ponds and how those would influence flows in a nearby river. Another mapped a contamination site in Wyoming to establish the end of the plume, and a companion project looked at where best to expand water well sites.

Doran says data from the Black Squirrel would enable the state to make “good, solid best management” decisions upon which development decisions could then be based.

The $400,000 study, funded by the district, entails Aqua Geo Frameworks mounting instruments below a helicopter to collect and record geologic measurements to learn more about subterranean aquifers.

The technology allows for fast data collection, at 90 mph as the helicopter flies about 100 feet off the ground. The technology will capture detailed information down to 2,000 feet below the land surface, Abraham, who formerly worked for the U.S. Geological Survey and holds geology licenses in eight states, told the Indy by phone on May 11.

“This really fills in the blanks for us,” Doran says. Relying on wells data, he notes, gives information only for certain spots spread out over a large area. “You’re trying to guess what’s in between that. This technology gives you the ability to fill in all those areas.”

As Abraham adds, “If you drill a hole, you get a sample. You may have a change 10 feet away, so what’s happening in that hole may not be happening 10 feet away.”

Looking down about 2,000 feet into the ground of the Upper Black Squirrel will inform the district on how it can protect and manage the aquifer, Abraham says.

The study, which will yield a report in about four months, Doran says, will also enable decisions on best sites for recharge projects, where water is either pumped into underground aquifers or allowed to flow there gradually.

Some suspect the deeper aquifers have more interaction with shallower alluvial water than previously thought, allowing the alluvial layer to drain more quickly. Cherokee Metro District, for one, has wells that tap only the alluvial layer, Doran says.

tilt,” Abraham told commissioners on May 23, meaning is the groundwater of equal depth in certain areas, or does it taper off?

The flights are being performed in compliance with FAA regulations, and the helicopter, which will fly from Meadowlake Airport and cover 790 line miles, won’t fly over homes and other buildings.

Nobody can tell you with any certainty how much is left.

— Dave Doran

“This is really interesting,” Commissioner Stan VanderWerf said after the presentation. “It’s kind of amazing what technologies are out there today to assess how we can store surface water. I’m looking forward to the outcome of this research.”

Because the Denver Basin extends to Wyoming, there are thousands of straws sucking water from it, he says. “We want to create a picture of how big the bathtub of this aquifer is. What is the

Commission Chair Cami Bremer, who is part owner of Norris Ranch outside the city limits that will need to find water in order to develop or find a way to be annexed into Colorado Springs, thanked Doran and Abraham for letting commissioners and residents know about the study.

729 S. Institute Street – Cheyenne Addition - $289,900

2

Den or office. Carport.

1

UNDER CONTRACT

600 sq. ft. exterior basement for storage. Bring your paint brush & imagination to make it own. Sold as is & priced accordingly. Walking distance to Memorial Park. MLS# 8675884

club

heated

tennis

basketball

245 Hidden Valley Road – Woodmen Valley - $450,000

Forested 4.7 acre lot in Woodmen Valley.

If you want to feel like you are far away from the city but be 6 minutes from I-25, this is the lot for you. Towering pines, scrub oak, & wildlife. Country property surrounded by city.

Paved road & city water. Hear the Star Spangled Banner from the Air Force Academy & watch the Thunderbirds soar overhead. Zoned A-5. Horses welcome & no mandatory HOA dues. MLS# 8658840

240 Hidden Valley Road – Woodmen Valley - $895,000

Custom 4900 sq. ft. walkout rancher on 7.26 acres in Woodmen Valley. Towering pines, scrub oak, rock formations, & drop dead gorgeous Pikes Peak view. 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. Gated paved driveway. Hot water heat. 2 kitchens & 2 laundries. Totally privacy & horses welcome. Bring your imagination & make this forested retreat your own. MLS# 1633275

BY PAM ZUBECK

HOURS AFTER TAKING office as the city’s 42nd mayor, Yemi Mobolade put his stamp on the city’s website, adding a video of his inauguration speech, a video of the entire ceremony and a video message to citizens in which he vows to carry out his campaign promises to strengthen public safety, build infrastructure and enhance economic vitality.

Going by “Mayor Yemi” on the website, he challenged citizens to play their part.

“You are a critical part of the solution,” he says in the video message. “You will have the opportunity to share your voice. You are important to me. I look forward to building an inclusive, culturally rich, economically prosperous and vibrant city on the hill that shines brightly.”

His June 6 oath of office took place under sunny skies, before an enthusiastic crowd of more than 1,000 people spread over the grounds of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum.

A West Nigerian immigrant who became a citizen about five years ago, Mobolade is the city’s first elected Black mayor. He succeeds two-term mayor John Suthers and inherits a shortage of police officers, a city filled with pothole-ridden roads and a growing homeless problem.

But Mobolade’s speech largely focused on a call for unity in the community, and he indicated to reporters afterward that he’s counting on a second term. This came to light as he described his thoughts of what he might say to his successor “eight years from now.”

Clearly enthralled with the new mayor, the crowd erupted in vigorous applause, cheers and hoots, and gave him a standing ovation when introduced by master of ceremonies Matt Meister, meteorologist with Fox21. When Mobolade urged the crowd to repeat the gesture for Mayor Suthers and his wife, Janet, they readily obliged.

IN HIS 12-MINUTE ADDRESS,

Mobolade, 44, invoked President Abraham Lincoln’s plea for the nation to come together, and quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Jesus, focusing on inspiration and optimism, and included an acknowledgement of the achievements of past mayors.

“Make no mistake about it,” he said, “I stand on the shoulders of many giants before me.”

“As we stand on the mountain of this defining era in our city’s history,” he said earlier in his address, “it is with great humility and gratitude that I stand before you and accept this responsibility as your elected mayor. And as the

continued on p. 8 ➔

Mayor Yemi Mobolade takes office as the Springs’ first elected Black mayor

| zubeck@csindy.com | Photos by Sean Cayton

THE U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC EXPERIENCE

ONLY RIGHT HERE IN OLYMPIC CITY USA! Take a tour of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center and get a glimpse of the day in the life of a Team USA Athlete training for Olympic and Paralympic glory. Want the full Olympic & Paralympic experience? Check out the Podium Package and save big on visiting the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum here in Colorado Springs!

city’s first elected Black and immigrant mayor, I am a living proof and promise to the American dream.”

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center 1750 E. Boulder Street Colorado Springs, CO 719-866-4618

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum 200 S. Sierra Street Colorado Springs, CO 719-497-1234

COME CELEBRATE WITH US!

Citing his priorities of improved public safety, affordable housing, higher-paying jobs, and better infrastructure, Mobolade said, “It’s time to go to work.”

But he can’t do it alone — Mobolade invited citizens to get involved in the city’s future, to “join me in building a united Colorado Springs.”

To that end, he quoted Dr. King, who said, “We must all learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools.”

The former pastor also quoted Jesus, saying, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”

“True strength lies in unity,” he said, vowing to listen to the citizens and find common ground on issues.

He pledged to live courageously, lead by example, and be accessible and proactive. He also noted that his State of the City address falls on his 100th day in office and promised to “share the progress that we have made” at that time.

“Greater things are yet to come,” he said. “Let us carry this hope and optimism in working for the good of our city — and it will take all of us to make Colorado Springs into a world-class city.”

Suthers kept his remarks brief, calling the swearing-in ceremony “the first day of the future of Colorado Springs.”

Suthers, who grew up in the Springs, expressed gratitude for being able to live the life he imagined for himself. His public service includes serving as district attorney, U.S. attorney, Colorado attorney general, director of the state Department of Corrections, and mayor.

He urged citizens to embrace the future and embrace the challenge of building a city that matches its scenery. He also publicly thanked his Chief of Staff Jeff Greene, who Mobolade has replaced with communications profes -

sional Jamie Fabos, who formerly led Suthers’ office of communications and left a similar job at Colorado Springs Utilities to serve as Mobolade’s top aide.

Although the Indy has requested information about the payout that will be made to Greene under an employment agreement that promises six months’ pay ($115,922) if dismissed without cause, the city didn’t disclose anything about that before our press deadline.

Among the dignitaries attending the ceremony was Gov. Jared Polis, who promised the state’s backing for the city’s agenda. “Colorado cannot succeed without Colorado Springs’ success,” he said. “The state will always be a partner in moving Colorado Springs forward.”

KAREN ATKINSON, WHO’S LIVED in Colorado Springs for decades, said her residency dates to a time when the Union Printers Home, at Union Boulevard and Pikes Peak Avenue, was the edge of town.

“It’s the first time I have been thrilled with the outcome of the mayor election,” she said at the ceremony. “We have a mayor that cares about my city.”

Steve Calu, sitting on the base of a statue, said he showed up because he voted for Mobolade and appreciates the history represented by the museum, which served as the county courthouse until 1972.

Mobolade immigrated from West Nigeria at age 17, earned several degrees and came to Colorado Springs to establish a church. He has since worked for the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, for the city, for several churches and started two businesses and the nonprofit COSILoveYou. He officially announced his candidacy for mayor on April 4, 2022, and claimed the office by defeating longtime politician Wayne Williams in the May 16 mayoral runoff election.

By City Charter, he will be paid $129,740 a year. (He was earning a salary of $107,147 at the time he resigned from a city economic development job in early 2022 to run for mayor.)

➔ continued from p. 6

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MATTHEW SCHNIPER

JARHEAD COFFEE  REPLACES PIKES PERK

Appetizers

TONY’S

IF YOU’VE LIVED IN THE SPRINGS A LONG time, you may know that the history of Pikes Perk dates back more than 20 years to original owner Rick Roehrman, who founded the roastery and provided beans to several locations franchised by other owners. Earlier this year, Roehr-man sold the roastery. There’s still a Pikes Perk Mountain Shadows (6894 Centennial Blvd.) and The Perk Downtown (14 S. Tejon St.) is another offshoot. Plus, there’s the Colorado Springs Airport location. But Roehrman’s original spot at 5965 N. Academy Blvd. has recently become Jarhead Coffee (jarheadcoffee.co).

Tina Vilca (with some support from her husband Joseph, a defense contractor) is Jarhead’s owner. She started her business as a pop-up coffee stand inside Pikes Peak Athletics (602 Elkton Drive), selling to families attending swim meets and such, and still operates a spot inside the PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic at 3141 Centennial Blvd. that’s open to the public. To make a long story short: Tina was originally looking to purchase the roastery from Roehrman, but in meeting with the other Perk-related owners she learned that Troy Hommertzheim, owner of the North Academy Boulevard location, was looking to sell. So she went the café versus roastery route and bought the biz from him.

326 N. TEJON ST. | 719-228-6566 | TONYSDOWNTOWNBAR.COM

Winners of 70+ Independent “Best of Awards” in 20 yrs. A great Midwestern Tavern with warm beer, lousy food & poor service!!! Pabst, Fried Cheese Curds, Leinenkugle’s, Walleye Fish-fry, cocktails, burgers and more. 11am-2am daily. HH 4-6. GO PACK GO!

FUJIYAMA

22 S TEJON ST. | 719-630-1167

Beautiful, award-winning downtown restaurant with a full-service bar. Enjoy authentic sushi & creative rolls, teriyaki, tempura, udon & more! See our ad or call for great lunch, Happy Hour, & Ladies night specials! Fri. & Sat. 11am-2:30pm lunch & 5-10pm dinner. Sun. 5-9pm dinner.

SAIGON CAFÉ

20 E. COLORADO AVE. | 719-633-2888 | COLORADOSAIGONCAFE.COM

Open for Lunch and Dinner Mon-Sat. Welcome to the Saigon Café the award winning Vietnamese restaurant in Colorado Springs. Our cuisine is cooked with fresh vegetables, herbs and meats in authentic Vietnamese style. Try our renowned noodle bowl, a lunchtime favorite. M-Th 11AM–3PM; 4PM–8:30PM F-Sat 11AM–3PM; 4PM-9:30PM

AMERICAN ASIAN BBQ

BIRD DOG BBQ

3 LOCATIONS + CATERING | BIRDDOGBBQ.COM | 719-573-7671

Bird Dog now offers online ordering from the location of your choice! Order and pay online, then skip the line when you pick it up! Visit our website at www.BirdDogBBQ.com and click ORDER ONLINE to place your order. We also offer our award-winning catering services in individuallyboxed meals! Call 719-573-7671 for details.

YOUR RESTAURANT HERE

Call

Send in the Marines.

CATERER

PICNIC BASKET CATERING COLLECTIVE PBCATERING.COM | 719-635-0200

Picnic Basket Catering Collective including sister companies Cravings

Five Star Events and Buffalo Gals Grilling Company provide full-service catering for open houses, family reunions, business meetings, weddings and rehearsal dinners. Distinctively different styles sure to please any palate. Voted Best Caterer (Gold) by Indy readers.

CRAFT PUB

ODYSSEY GASTROPUB

311 N. TEJON ST. | 719-999-5127 | ODYSS EYGASTROPUB.COM

Voted Best New Restaurant 2015 by Indy readers. Specializing in an eclectic mix of craft food, craft beer, and craft cocktails. Odyssey Gastropub is a downtown gem with a warm, intimate atmosphere and awesome staff. Start your adventure with us! Mon.- Fri. 11am - 10pm, Sat. & Sun. 10am - 10pm

GERMAN

EDELWEISS RESTAURANT

34 E. RAMONA AVE. | (SOUTH NEVADA & TEJON) | 719-633-2220

For 50 Years Edelweiss has brought Bavaria to Colorado Springs. Using fresh ingredients, the menu invites you to visit Germany. Support local business! We’re open and doing drive-thru and takeout with a limited menu that can be found on our website! www. edelweissrest.com.

SOUTHWESTERN/MEXICAN

JOSÉ MULDOON’S

222 N. TEJON ST. | 719-636-2311 | 5710 S. CAREFREE CR @ POWERS | 719-574-5673

Since 1974. Features authentic Tex-Mex & Mexican fare in contemporary Sante Fe-styled establishment. Across from Acacia Park, and west of Powers & Carefree. Josemuldoons.com. Support local restaurants! We are open for delivery, carry out, and dine-in at both locations! Please check our Facebook page for hours daily, as they are subject to change.

STEAKHOUSE

THE FAMOUS 31 N. TEJON ST. | DOWNTOWN | 719-227-7333

Colorado Springs’ finest upscale steak house and lounge located in the center of downtown. Dine in an elegant and classic steak house environment. Award winning prime steaks, fresh seafood, premium wines, craft brews and piano bar provide a provocative mix of atmosphere and entertainment. Reservations suggested.

MACKENZIE’S CHOP HOUSE

128 S. TEJON ST. HISTORIC ALAMO BUILDING | DOWNTOWN | 719-635-3536

Offering half off all bottles of wine under $100! Voted Best Power Lunch, Steakhouse and Martini! Downtown’s choice for quality meats and mixed drinks. Mackenzieschophouse.com. Open Mon.-Fri. 11:30am-3pm for lunch, and 5pm- close every day for dinner!

About that name? Jarhead is of course the slang term for a Marine. Tina was in the Marines for five years, completing a 15-month tour in Iraq that ended in 2010. She was part of the Lioness Program, which, according to a military description, “was formed… to provide culturally-sensitive searches on Iraqi women” (Muslim culture forbids a man to touch a woman not related to him). Hence the need for female soldiers to accompany units of men. She worked near the border with Jordan, also assisting with humanitarian aid in refugee camps. After the military, she was a writer/editor for the Marine Corps Association Foundation, then performed the same duties for the National Archives under the Obama and Trump administrations.

Once Joseph left his military service, they moved to the Springs in 2019. The pandemic came along, and Tina handled mom duties for the couple’s five combined children. Following the success of the Pikes Peak Athletics pop-up she opened during that time, she purchased Hommertzheim’s Pikes Perk in September 2022, operating it under that name until she was able to overhaul the branding. She’d also sold cold brew at the Old Colorado City farmers market last year, she tells me, so some folks may already be familiar with her logo design.

To get into the coffee game, Tina was mentored by her now-dear-friend Trina Lemons, who operated 14 coffee shops on military bases in the Springs over the past 20 years. Then came study under Glenn Powell of Barista Espresso and Specialty Roasting; he’s another coffee pioneer in the Springs area, in the biz for three decades.

She now serves beans at Jarhead that are roasted by Barista — Powell formulated her exclusive blends including Trina’s Blend, a light/medium roast used for the house drip. The Full Metal Jacket blend is the house espresso. She won’t disclose either blend’s exact country-of-

origin makeup, but says Trina’s features a trio of South American beans mixed with one Asian bean. And the Full Metal Jacket hosts five South American beans. (“Full” indeed.)

Tina notes that she’s refreshed the food menu, shifting from her predecessor’s pre-made/reheat model to made-to-order burritos and sandwiches. She also buys quiches and puff pastries seasonally from Kogler’s Bakery out of Lakewood. Other cakes, muffins, shortbreads and lemon bars are coming from Shamrock.

As I sit with Tina in her shop for our interview, we both sip on her favorite house latte, which she’s provided for us. It’s called the Peeps, and has white chocolate, vanilla and marshmallow Monin syrups. She tells me she’s hooked on it and her staff know to prep her one when they see her arriving each day. I order mine half-sweet because I’m not a big sweet/flavored latte fan, and that allows me to still taste some of the medium espresso flavor through the sugar components; for its style, it’s nice.

While chatting, she tells me the spot’s longtime loyal clientele have been supportive of the changes and have thus far embraced Jarhead. She hints at possible future locations, aiming to put a Marine presence in a military city otherwise devoted to the Army and Air Force. “There’s not many of us walking around here,” she says. “That’s why they call us the few and the proud.

“It’s nice to be able to serve again, just in a different manner.”

PHO KING WING (SAY IT ALOUD)

CHEF/OWNER EDWARD

Baham and business partner Uriah Holland opened Pho King Wing (phokingwing. com) this past January at 4747 Flintridge Drive. With a name like that (tee-hee) and the odd, catch-all menu that ranges

Holland (left) and Baham are the personalities behind Pho King Wing.

➔ continued from p. 9

from Vietnamese pho and Mediterranean plates to wings, Southern food and random crowd pleasers like nachos and egg rolls, it has the potential to go off the rails.

“Like, what is this place trying to be? What’s their identity? Is this going to be yet another eclectic try-and-do-everything place that actually does little to nothing well — lacking core focus?”

That’s what I asked as the open premise of my recent review at Side Dish with Schniper (see sidedishschnip.substack. com/p/serious-not-serious).

“... though I usually have an impeccable gut instinct about these matters, I was wrong, and Pho King Wing, brand confusion aside, manages to pull off some menu mayhem,” I wrote.

I enjoyed wings injected with black garlic butter, Cornish hen, a gyro platter and bowl of the eponymous pho. Tune in to the full review to read chef Baham’s take on the expansive menu, plus, find a link to “the 14 most punny pho restaurant names in pho-king history.”

SMALL BITES

• The French Kitchen (4771 N. Academy Blvd., tfkcc.com) celebrated its sixth anniversary with a huge party June 3, which featured a chef’s competition

among five local chefs, with a $1,000 cash prize. I co-judged said culinary battle, which was both friendly and fierce, exhibiting a lot of talent between TFK chef/instructors Nathan Potter and Andre Derrill and guest chefs Carolina Ascanio (a private chef), Eric Brenner (chef/owner of Red Gravy) and Mario Vasquez (chef/owner of Colorado Craft). Ultimately, after many an amusing challenge — such as having their chef knives taken away during one round, forcing them to make do only with paring knives — chef Vasquez won the day, triumphantly incorporating a challenge ingredient, pink lemonade, into a poached pear dessert for his final course.

• For the month of June, Side Dish is collaborating with Ranch Foods Direct (1228 E. Fillmore St./4635 Town Center Drive, (ranchfoodsdirect.com) on a Schnip’s Pick cut of the month: tri-tip, featuring Gather Food Studio’s (gatherfoodstudio.com) Memphis-style mustard rub. See full details at sidedishschnip. substack.com.

• Colorado Farm & Art Market (farmandartmarket.com) kicked off for the growing season Wednesday, June 7, at The Well (315 E. Pikes Peak Ave.; a new location this year). That was followed by the Saturday, June 10, launch at Margarita at Pine Creek. Visit the website for market hours and full details.

• Huevones and Makaw’s food trucks have teamed up for a Food Truck Summer Market at 116 E. Boulder St., in the parking lot behind Ohana Kava Bar. They’re calling it El Callejon (“the alley”) on Boulder. They’ll have guest artists via CC Mobile Arts and musicians, plus lunch specials. They plan to run from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays and 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

Matthew Schniper is the former Food & Drink editor and critic at the Indy You can find expanded food and drink news and reviews at sidedishschnip. substack.com.

McLaughlin,

executive director of

Veterans Service Center and a

military veteran,

Pho King Wing’s Cornish hen

Julian Slee

July 12 4:30 - 6 p.m.

June’s First Friday brought out new art and fun exhibits

BY NICK RAVEN | nick@csindy.com

SPRINGING INTO SUMMER

Commonwheel Artists Co-Op – Colorado Colors

Pikes Peak Pastel Society and Belonging by Patti Paiz-Jones

102 Cañon Ave. • Through July 3

In the Commonwheel gallery, paintings by the Pikes Peak Pastel Society provided a multi-panel window for the imagina tion onto the Colorado outdoors. It’s tempting to lean into them if not for the beautiful and sometimes prickly cactus pottery of Patti Paiz-Jones. Some of her pieces also function as lamps.

Manitou Art Center – Hiraeth: A Longing for Home That Never Was by K8e Orr

513 Manitou Ave. • Through July 1

This long-in-gestation K8e Orr exhibit is an emotional whirlwind crafted from the childhood traumas of living with a parent with untreated schizophrenia. If you’ve ever visited Orr’s Jibwa shop a wall away inside the MAC, you’re already aware of the multidisciplinary and multiformat talents that pro vide variety and depth to her exploration. Like the title of the exhibit itself, Orr shopped for words with bespoke meanings to effectively title her works. A highlight that can’t be conveyed well outside the exhibit: Along the east wall is a series of homes with painted cels that can only be “seen” by inserting a white-tipped brush between the layers, exposing their details.

AS WARMER TEMPERATURES HEAT UP THE region, local art exhibitors are getting even more creative with their offerings this month alongside the reliable new exhibits from galleries. The Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs hosted a scavenger hunt for Art on the Streets’ 25th anniversary; Colorado College had its Mobile Arts van parked across from the Palmer Center to get people to exercise their creative bones and make art on the spot; Mountain Metro Transit had free bus rides anywhere in the system, but particularly through Old Colorado City and Manitou

Ultra Flat Black Lounge – Jayo exhibit

603 W. Colorado Ave. • Through July 2

Ultra Flat Black put up new work this month by Fallen Heroes tattoo artist Jayo from just across the street. The artist experimented with airbrushed landscapes and surreal dreamlike skies then bathed them in a glossy resin with custom frames. They’re perfect for getting lost in when the date isn’t quite working out.

Longing for Something or Someone Who You Love and Which Is Lost” by

Feeling

Lightspeed Curations – Love is Love by various artists

306 S. 25th St. • Through June

Lightspeed enlisted five creators this month to celebrate Pride and everyone brought incredibly interesting ideas to their walls. Among them, Jen Kruse provided vibrant acrylic works, Aaron Graves displayed vivid erotic photography, and Mateo Ramirez Rose used oils to play with emojis on natural settings. Yes, emojis!

The Bridge Gallery – Assemblage/Found Art by various artists

218 W. Colorado Ave. #104 • Through July 1

Just as the title says, The Bridge expanded into the Commons space this month to bring us tons of physical, three-dimensional art from scrap and random materials. Owners Betty Atherton, Deena Bennett and Michael Cellan brought a ton of work to the show, but also enlisted sculptures and other tangible works from Marc Shereck, Bill Burgess, Don Green and more. A favorite was Robert LeDon ne’s “Keep It Zipped,” a hemi-sphere lay ered with

“Cactus Lamp” by Patti Paiz-Jones

“Saudad: The

of

K8E Orr

“Birria Tacos” by Mateo Ramirez Rose “Family Ties” by Betty Atherton

unzipped leather.

Cottonwood Center for the Arts –

Pantone Color of the Year by various artists

427 E. Colorado Ave. • Through July 1

In celebration or exploration of Pan tone’s 2023 Color of the Year, Viva Magen ta (18-1750 for those playing at home), Cottonwood hosts a juried exhibition for the newly popular shade. So how do you celebrate a trademarked color? Well, with submissive aliens, a vibrant forest in quilt form, woven fiber puff balls and so much more, of course.

The Look Up Gallery

Steve Morrell exhibit

11 E. Bijou St. • Through June

Boulder-based Steve Morrell brought a series of highly specific studies on the human form to The Look Up Gallery this month. Unhin dered by clothing or gravity, the primary subjects of this new exhibit float in seas of color and abstraction with complicated fringing between them in otherworldly compositions.

Kreuser Gallery – Anchors that Weigh by Kearston Corey, Ghosts in the Blood by Chelsea Boucher and Altoids by various artists

125 E. Boulder St. • Through June

Chelsea Boucher’s works of mixed fabrics, plastics, baseball cards and freehand text compositions feel like a fanciful stream of consciousness, ripe for interpretation. In the next room, Kearston Corey’s intensely cinematic and nautical-themed paintings feature beautiful birds, plenty of anchors and wind-swept women. Finally, the Altoids exhibit required 11 local artists to submit not just a 10-by-10-inch painting, but also a piece of art constructed out of an Altoids mint container. The results were an exciting mix of bejeweled tributes to Frida Kahlo to bumble bees and Mr. Potato Head in drag.

Faith Gilbert exhibit

111 E. Bijou St. • Through June

The new oil abstracts of Faith Gilbert are almost purely texture. The spindly, organic threads of “Retro” are beautiful alongside the cool relief of “Backlit” or the nearly topographic “Entangled.” They’re subtle works, so take your time.

121

While the clouds were haunting outside, ready to rain, inside G44 Gallery, Brenda Stumpf’s works were scary in their own way. Through elaborate processes, her found photographs have been scratched up and transferred to much larger formats that highlight removed faces and scenery. These re-compositions are haunting remixes of a time that no longer exists. By contrast, Becca Day’s abstract paintings felt warmer to the senses with their palettes of earth tones and more playful compositions... or lack thereof.

The Garfield Gallery – Not That You’d Care by Brian Tryon and Having a Sense of Confidence by

322

At our final stop, The Garfield Gallery in the basement of Community Prep high school hosts a two-hander of a photo exhibit featuring gallery director and curator Brian Tryon and Community Prep student Bernardo Rascon Jr. Rascon’s stark photography focused on the loneliness of local wintry landscapes and gray skies in places familiar and not. Tryon’s work as a photographer pulled multiple duties, his works focusing on collages from scenes he’s shot. Meanwhile, an assortment of his photos were available for sale with proceeds benefiting Shutter and Strum, the before- and afterschool photography workshops Tryon runs with Chris Bacavis.

“Anchor in the Storm” by Kearston Corey

A smattering of Brian Tryon photos

“Elder” by Brenda Stumpf

“Strata” by Faith Gilbert

“Big Momma” by Steve Morrell

Around Us Swirls Dust by Brenda Stumpf by Becca Day

E. Boulder St. • Through June

Bernardo Rascon Jr.

E. Willamette Ave. • Through June

CREEPING

PLAYING AROUND

WEDNESDAY, 6/14

Acoustic Hour, local musicians; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

Gus Clark & The Least of His Problems, country ; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Jacob Christopher, country; 6 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhallco.com

Cari Dell, variety ; John Wise & Tribe, New Orleans R&B/blues/jazz/island; The Barefoot Family Caravan, psychedelic rock ; 6 p.m., Hillside Gardens, hillsidecolorado.com/upcomingevents.

Grits & Greens, rock/jam; 6:30 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/ events.

Mike Love & Full Circle, acoustic/folk/ reggae, with Keilana, A-Mac & The Height; 8 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Library Lawn Concert: Jeremy Facknitz, singer-songwriter; 6 p.m., Manitou Carnegie Library, ppld.org/librarylawn-concerts.

Mimic, covers from ’60s to ’80s; 6:30 p.m., Limbach Park, Monument; tinyurl.com/monument-sum23.

Joe Sciallo & Al Chesis, blues; 6:30 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, tinyurl.com/music-atQuinns.

Springs Contemporary Jazz Big Band, jazz ; 6 p.m., Bancroft Park, facebook. com/SCJBB/events.

THURSDAY, 6/15

Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Festival Artists Concert; 7:30 p.m., Packard Hall. Through June 23; see tinyurl.com/CC-summer23 for full festival lineup and tickets.

Crystal and The Curious, “whimsically sophisticated lounge music”; 6:30 p.m., Soda Springs Park, Manitou, manitousprings.org/2022-summer-concertseries.

Brian Parsons, singer-songwriter ; 5 p.m., The Well, wellinthesprings.com/ happenings.

Roma Ransom, psychedelic folk jazz; 7 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, tinyurl.com/musicat-Quinns.

Sun-Dried Vibes, reggae, with Ghost.wav; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Koe Wetzel, red dirt country/rock, with Pecos & The Rooftops, Dylan Wheeler; 7 p.m., Broadmoor World Arena, broadmoorworldarena.com/events/detail/ koewetzel.

Wayne Wilkinson Trio, jazz; 7:30 p.m., Summa, dizzycharlies.com/schedule.

FRIDAY, 6/16

Crystal and the Curious, “whimsically sophisticated lounge music”; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

Cycles, psychedelic rock fusion, 7:30 p.m., Brues Alehouse, bruesalehouse. com.

Dragondeer, psychedelic blues/funk/ soul/rock ; 7 p.m., University Village Colorado, uvcshopping.com/concertseries.html.

Dreamboat Annie (Heart tribute), Project Foreigner (Foreigner tribute); 7 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhallco. com.

Forté Handbell Quartet, “Into the West”; 7 p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church,

Monument, tinyurl.com/tlc-handbell. Hummdingers, “bluesy/jammy”; 9 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

Juneteenth Concert, string orchestra/ music by Black composers; 6 p.m., Bancroft Park, jeremyvanhoy@gmail. com.

J Knack, hip-hop; 7 p.m., Oskar Blues, coloradosprings.oskarbluesfooderies. com.

Music in the Park, Colorado Springs Conservatory/singer-songwriter; 11:30 a.m., Bancroft Park, coloradospringsconservatory.org/events.

My Blue Sky, “music of the Allman Brothers Family of Bands”; 7 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazerstheatre. com.

PARRISH, Sweet Spot ’91, Dillagood; 10 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com. Pepper, reggae/rock, with The Elovaters; 8 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks. com.

Rafiel and the Roomshakers, soul/ blues/R&B/country/rock; 6 p.m., The Well, wellinthesprings.com/happenings.

Sofakillers, cover band; 5 p.m., Red Leg Brewing, facebook.com/redlegbrewco/events.

Stereo Ontario, psychedelic rock, with The Sum Beaches, Los Toms; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Tawnya Reynolds, singer-songwriter; 6:30 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/events.

GR Swardson, rock; 8 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, tinyurl.com/music-at-Quinns.

WireWood Station, acoustic ; 5 p.m., First & Main Town Center, firstandmaintowncenter.com/stories-events.

SATURDAY, 6/17

Austin Johnson, acoustic blues; 7:30 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, tinyurl.com/musicat-Quinns.

The Black Opry Revue Tour, “for Black artists and Black fans of country, blues, folk, and Americana”; 8 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Family Elephant, blues/roots-rock ; 9 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

Giovannie & The Hired Guns, rock/ country ; 7 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Grapefruit Moon, acoustic; noon, The Well, wellinthesprings.com/happenings. Lonestar, country; 6 p.m., Whiskey Baron Dance Hall, tinyurl.com/whisk-dh.

Skin&Bones, cover band; 7 p.m., Notes, notesbar.com/events.

SMOKIN’, music of Boston, Kansas and more; 7 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhallco.com.

Two Faces West, “Crankin’ rock & blues trio”/album release; 7 p.m., Oskar Blues, coloradosprings.oskarbluesfooderies.com.

Zepplin Alive, Led Zepplin tribute; 7 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazerstheatre.com.

SUNDAY, 6/18

Euphoria, with WarGrime, RV BOMB; 7 p.m., Dog House, doghousecos.com.

Juneteenth Concert, string orchestra/ music by Black composers; 6 p.m., Panorama Park, jeremyvanhoy@ gmail.com.

To Keep the Wolves Away, with Ob Nixilis, Aligned in Ruins; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Kash’d Out, reggae/rock, with A-Mac & The Height; 6:30 p.m., Brues Alehouse, bruesalehouse.com.

Michael Reese, guitar; 1 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/ events.

Tawnya Reynolds, singer-songwriter; 5 p.m., Goat Patch Brewing, tinyurl.com/ tawnyareynolds.

Traditional Irish Session, Irish ; 3 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, tinyurl.com/music-atQuinns.

Sara Van Hecke, singer-songwriter ; noon, The Well, wellinthesprings.com/ happenings.

MONDAY, 6/19

Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Festival Artists Concert; 7:30 p.m., Packard Hall. Through June 23; see tinyurl.com/CC-summer23 for full festival lineup and tickets.

Jazz Jam: Matt Podschweit, keyboardist; 5:30 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

Little London Winds: Around the World, wind ensemble; 7 p.m., Soda Springs Park, Manitou, manitousprings. org/2023-summer-concert-series.

Denver rockers Jaguar Stevens take the stage at Lulu’s Thursday, June 22.

Courtesy Jaguar Stevens

TUESDAY, 6/20

Tidal Breeze Hot Club Jazz Trio, jazz; 6 p.m., Bancroft Park, shopoldcoloradocity.com/upcoming-events.

WEDNESDAY, 6/21

Ashlee and the Longshot Revival, country ; 6:30 p.m., Limbach Park, Monument, townofmonument.org/ calendar.aspx?CID=14.

Bestial Mouths, industrial electrogoth, with WitchHands, eHpH; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Double Barrel; Boot Barn Hall, 6 p.m., bootbarnhallco.com.

Countywyde, bluegrass; 6:30 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/events.

Foinn Sliabh, traditional Irish; 6 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, tinyurl.com/music-atQuinns.

Manitou Library Lawn Concert: Acad-

emy Jazz Ensemble, big band; 6 p.m., Manitou Carnegie Library, ppld.org/ library-lawn-concerts.

THURSDAY, 6/22

PLAYING AROUND BIG GIGS

Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Festival Artists Concert; 7:30 p.m., Packard Hall. Through June 23; see tinyurl.com/CC-summer23 for full festival lineup and tickets.

Frog & Fiddle, Americana/jam; 8 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

Jaguar Stevens, garage rock , with Same Dude, Joe Johnson; 8 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Keep, shoegaze, with Cherished, Nautiloid, Strainer; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

New Vintage Jazz, jazz; 7:30 p.m., Summa, dizzycharlies.com/schedule.

Upcoming music events

Mike Love, Black Sheep, June 14

Koe Wetzel, World Arena, June 15

Umphrey’s McGee, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 16-17

Giovannie & The Hired Guns, Black Sheep, June 17

Oliver Tree, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 20

Cody Johnson, Weidner Field, June 22

Shakey Graves, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 22

Widespread Panic, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 23-25

AJR and Jeremy Zucker, Weidner Field, June 24

George Strait with Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town, Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, June 24

Erykah Badu, Ball Arena, Denver, June 26

Zach Bryan, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 26-27

June 27

Lyle Lovett, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 28

Nita Strauss, Bluebird Theater, Denver, June 28

The Head and the Heart, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 29

Dirty Heads, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 30

Faster Pussycat, Sunshine Studios Live, June 30

311, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, July 1

The Arcadian Wild, Lulu’s, July 1

Brothers Osborne, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, Englewood, July 1

Dead & Company, Folsom Field, Boulder, July 1-3

Blink-182, Ball Arena, Denver, July 3

Continued at csindy.com

Charlie Puth, Bellco Theatre, Denver,

British Ghanaian singer-songwriter Raye will play Gothic Theatre in Englewood on Friday, Oct. 27.

Courtesy Raye

Your guide to events in the Pikes Peak region CALENDAR

ART EXHIBITS

45º Gallery, 2528 W. Colorado Ave., Suite B, 719-434-1214, 45degreegallery.com. Works by soft pastels artist Patrick Kochanasz and potter Clyde Tullis. Through June.

Art 1eleven Gallery, 111 E. Bijou St., 719493-5084, facebook.com/Art1elevenGallery. Large abstract oil paintings by Faith Gilbert.

Bella Art & Frame, 251 Front St., #11, Monument, 719-487-7691, bellaartandframe. com. 2023 Spring Show, with works by oil painter Steve Weed. Through June 24.

Bosky Studio, 17B E. Bijou St., 719-6405282, facebook.com/bosky.studio. Almost Maybe by Kurt Kieffer: “My goal is to create pieces that evoke emotions and inspire viewers to reflect on instances in their own lives that have enabled them to become better versions of themselves.” Through June.

The Bridge Gallery, 218 W. Colorado Ave., #104, 719-629-7055, thebridgeartgallery. com. Assemblage/Found Art, 2D and 3D art made from everyday objects and materials by Chris Alvarez, Dave Armstrong, Betty Atherton, Michael Bailey, Ron Burnham, Alan Burton, Nancy Burton, Jana Bussanich, Michael Cellan, John Lawson, Bob LeDonne, Marc Shereck and Phil Vallejo. Through July 1.

through July 7. Museum free admission day: June 16.

Commonwheel Artists Co-op, 719-6851008, 102 Cañon Ave., Manitou Springs, commonwheel.com. Colorado Colors, the annual member show by Pikes Peak Pastel Society, and Belonging, featuring sculptural works by Patti Paiz-Jones, inspired by the “rugged and resilient beauty of cacti.” Through July 3.

Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 E. Colorado Ave., 719-520-1899, cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com. Pantone Color of the Year, a juried show with works of all styles and mediums incorporating Pantone’s Viva Magenta, which, says Pantone, “represents reassurance, confidence and connection in a world trying to get back on its feet.” Through July 1.

The Compulsion to Find Order in Disorder, a new series from artist/photographer Robert Gray. The Carter Payne, 320 S. Weber St., tinyurl.com/Gray-45th. Through June.

Day Dreamers, featuring works by James Jerel Anderson — “the small day dreams that we experience throughout everyday life. The little things we see. And the inspiration that comes with them.” Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region, 121 S. Tejon St., #111; 719-634-2204, info@culturaloffice.org; through June 30.

G44 Gallery, 121 E. Boulder St., 720-9510573, g44gallery.com. Around Us Swirls Dust, mixed-media works by Brenda Stumpf “are archetypal and symbolic and came about through deep and somber introspection about memory, loss, loneliness, aging, and ultimately, death.” Sites of Transformation, works by abstract painter Becca Day: “I aim to capture the essence of life’s transformations — the sometimes messiness and wrestling involved.” Through June. Artist talks with Brenda Stumpf and Becca Day, Thursday, June 15, 5:30 p.m.

Gallery 113, 125½ N. Tejon St., gallery113cos.com, 719-634-5299. Featured artists: jeweler and sculptor Suzy Gardner, and Wendy Iaconis, who creates both functional and horse-hair pottery.

POLLINATOR PARTY

Manitou Pollinators will honor National Pollinator Week (June 19-25) with a party showcasing their inaugural Honeypalooza honey tasting contest for Front Range beekeepers. Buzz right in for free expert advice on gardening, beekeeping, composting and more, and stick around for the live music, food and vendors. Saturday, June 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Bud Ford Pavilion, Soda Springs Park, 198 Lovers Lane, Manitou Springs, manitoupollinators.org

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, 30 W. Dale St., fac. coloradocollege.edu. Contested Terrains, the work of five artists reflects “how human intervention has shaped landscapes across the Americas.” Nina Leo and Moez Surani’s Lullabies for a Waning Empire,

The Garfield Gallery, 332 E. Willamette Ave., 719-227-8836, garfieldgallery.com. Not That You’d Care, a fundraiser featuring photography and paintings from visual artist Brian Tryon; proceeds benefit Shutter and Strum — “Empower Youth with Expressive Arts!” Having a Sense of Confidence, photography by Community Prep student Bernardo Rascon Jr.

GOCA (UCCS/Galleries of Contemporary Art), Xi Zhang/Exit: Childhood, “affords an opportunity to take stock of the enormous evolution in Zhang’s work through the single largest collection of paintings from within the Metallic Leaf Garden series delivered to the public to date.” Through July 1. Gallery talk with Ivar Zeile, Saturday, June 17, 4 p.m., Marie Walsh Sharpe Gallery, Ent Center, 5225 N. Nevada Ave., 719-255-3504, gocadigital.org.

Kreuser Gallery, 125 E. Boulder St., 719464-5880, kreusergallery.com. Anchors

CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH!

Freedom for enslaved Black people in Texas — the last people still enslaved in the United States — finally arrived on June 19, 1865, when Union troops carried the news of emancipation to them at Galveston Bay. That day came to be known as “Juneteenth.”

Southern Colorado Juneteenth Festival, with a car show, talent show, live music, food and drink, boxing showcase, Father’s Day Tribute, Gospel in the Park, Emancipation ceremony, 719 Poetry, Lil Miss Story Hour, and more. Friday-Sunday, June 16-18 at America the Beautiful Park, 126 Cimino Drive; see csjuneteenthfestival.com for more info and the full schedule.

Reflections on Juneteenth, “A Community Gathering of Word and Song” presented by Community Cultural Collective. Monday, June 19, 5:30-8:30 p.m.; free, but registration is required due to limited seating — tinyurl.com/reflect-juneteenth; Colorado Springs City Auditorium, 221 E. Kiowa St.

Juneteenth Prayer Breakfast, “[j]oin the NAACP COS Branch for breakfast as we pray for the community and moving forward together.” Monday, June 19, 7:30-9 a.m.; 506 E. Moreno Ave.; see tinyurl.com/ NAACP-Juneteenth for tickets and more info.

Juneteenth Family Storytime, for all ages. Saturday, June 17, 2-2:30 p.m.; Cheyenne Mountain Library/PPLD, 1785 S. Eighth St., #100; ppld. librarymarket.com/juneteenth-family-storytime. See tinyurl.com/Juneteenth-books for recommended kids books.

Juneteenth concerts in the park, the Pikes Peak Musicians Association will present music by Black composers. Friday, June 16, 6 p.m., Bancroft Park, 2408 W. Colorado Ave.; and Sunday, June 18, 6 p.m., Panorama Park, 4540 Fenton Road. There will be an interactive performance by DJ ChloeBeeBlessed at the Sunday concert, starting around 3 p.m. Contact: 719-209-328, jeremyvanhoy@gmail.com.

Rocky Mountain Wa Shonaji Quilt Guild trunk show, sharing the traditions of African American quilting. Saturday, June 24, 1:30 p.m.; for ages 18+, registration required at tinyurl.com/Wa-Shonaji; Penrose Library, 20 N. Cascade Ave.

that Weigh, featuring works by Kearston Corey: “Anchors can be anything that weighs a person down; a relationship, children, mortgage, job, commitments, chores, addiction, this list is endless. ... the choice to carry them is met with grace and beauty even as they drag us to the depths.” Chelsea Boucher’s Ghosts in the Blood, “a journey through ... my own selfhood and experiences, interpreted through themes of nostalgia, societal and personal expectation, neurodivergence, death, and whimsy.” Artist talks with Kearston Corey and Chelsea Boucher, Wednesday, June 21, 5:30 p.m.

The Look Up Gallery, 11 E. Bijou St. (inside Yobel), thelookupgallery.com. Paintings by Boulder artist Steve Morrell: “Steve is currently enthralled with the human form, in his perspective the ultimate vehicle for expression, in all its infinite shape, shadow and color.”

Manitou Art Center, 513/515 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, 719-685-1861, manitouartcenter.org. Hiraeth: A Longing for Home That Never Was, K8E Orr’s “stories

of being raised by an untreated schizophrenic mother.” In the Hagnauer Gallery through July 1. Plus a new show in the First Amendment Gallery.

Marvel & DC Art Expo, including Marvel, DC Comics, Disney, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and more. Friday, June 16, 5-9 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, June 17-18, noon to 6 p.m.; free, RSVP at tinyurl. com/marvel-free; Colorado Springs Event Center 3960 Palmer Park Blvd.

Pikes Peak Watercolor Society Member Show, through June 29, Library 21c, 1175 Chapel Hills Drive; pikespeakwatercolorsociety.com.

Portraits of Manitou by C.H. Rockey, “features original town views and significant historical buildings including The Cliff House, Barker House, The Wheeler Town Clock, Miramont Castle, Craftwood Inn as well as individual residences, parks, bridges and neighborhood scenes.” Manitou Springs Heritage Center, 517 Manitou Ave.; manitouspringsheritagecenter.org; through November.

Ivan Feoktistov/ stock.adobe.com

VROOM-VROOM!

The 101st Running of The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb hits the road at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 25. It’s the yearly motorsports race to the summit of Pikes Peak — 12.42 miles (and 156 corners) to the 14,115-foot summit — with a Fan Fest Downtown on Friday, June 23, from 5 to 9 p.m. (ppihc.org/fan-fest). For more info: ppihc.org/spectator-guide.

Surface Gallery, 2752 W. Colorado Ave., surfacegallerycos.com. Walking in Wonder, monotypes by Tricia Soderberg: “Much of the work in this exhibition is inspired by my love of botanical gardens. I’ve always felt a spirit of energy and renewal when visiting these places. I think of my process as being akin to planning and planting a garden.” Reaching In, by Joseph Liberti, includes “28 pieces of art (includes 14 miniatures) infused into metal and wood prints ... about exploring the nature of the moment using a closer look into the essence of flowers, plants trees and landscapes of Colorado.” Through June.

FILM

Being Michelle, presented by Rocky Mountain Women’s Film. “Follows the astounding journey of a deaf and disabled woman who survived incarceration under unimaginable circumstances by a system that refused to accommodate her needs as a deaf person with autism.” Tuesday, June 20, 6:30 p.m.; RMWF Screening Room at Lincoln Center, 2727 N. Cascade Ave., #140; see tinyurl.com/rmwf-Michelle for tickets and more info.

Outdoor Movie Night: Back to the Future, the 1985 cult favorite with Michael J. Fox as 17-year-old Marty McFly, who zips back 30 years in a time-traveling DeLorean. Wednesday, June 21, 8:30 p.m.; free, snacks provided; Heller Center/UCCS, 1250 North Campus Heights Drive; facebook.com/hellercenter. You may want to bring bug spray, a blanket, chairs and a picnic dinner.

KIDS & FAMILIES

Flower Power, [e]xplore nature with your 2- or 3-year-old through interactive activities, a story and a short hike.” Thursday, June 22, 9-10:15 a.m. and Friday, June 23, 9-10:15 a.m.; $3 per person including siblings and adults; Fountain Creek Nature Center, 320 Peppergrass Lane, Fountain, tinyurl.com/epco-fun.

Pikes Peak Culture Pass program, use your Pikes Peak Library District library card to get discounts or free admission to

area attractions — everything from Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum to the Space Foundation Discovery Center to ProRodeo Hall of Fame.See ppld.org/Discountdays for more info.

Summer Adventure, Pikes Peak Library District offers a truly massive list of activities for young people ages 0 to 18 in three broad categories: read, imagine and move. Runs through July 31; register an individual, family, class or group for free at ppld.org/ summerkids or download the app.

Summer Fun Moonlight Hike, “drop off your child (ages 7-12) for an evening of exploration, fun activities and night hiking. Dinner is included.” Friday, June 16, 5:30-9 p.m.; $25 ($20 member), prepaid registration required; Bear Creek Nature Center, 245 Bear Creek Road, tinyurl.com/epcofun.

Pride Month in Pikes Peak Library District, with reading lists for young kids and teens. See ppld.org/PrideMonth for more info.

Unique & Differing Needs Camp, “specially designed for campers ages 7-11 with autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorders, developmental disabilities/delays or medical fragility. Saturday, July 15, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; registration required online; Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road; cmzoo.org/events.

Summer of Discovery: Back to the Moon, includes workshops best suited to kids ages 6-12. On Saturdays through Aug. 5, “we will discover new facets of space travel, examine the importance of returning to the moon, learn how to use robotic technology, test our creative skills in engineering design challenges, and much more!” Space Foundation Discovery Center, 4425 Arrowswest Drive; see discoverspace.org/summer-of-discovery for fees and other info.

OUTDOOR REC

Orienteering at the Heller Center, with Professor Michael Larkin of UCCS’ De-

partment of Geography & Environmental Studies. “Learn the basics of orienteering while hiking Heller’s gorgeous 34 acres.” No experience or equipment necessary; wear closed-toe shoes. Saturday, June 17, 10-11:35 a.m.; Heller Center/UCCS, 1250 North Campus Heights; call 719-255-6277 for more info.

SOUNDS WEIRD, I’M IN

Goatflix & Chill: Mean Girls, “snuggle up with some goats, grab a delicious brew, and watch an outdoor screening of Mean Girls!” Saturday, June 24, 8 p.m., Goat Patch Brewing, 2727 N. Cascade Ave., #123. Goats like hair, so tie yours back? See tinyurl.com/goat-flick for tickets and more goat-friendly tips for attendees.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Colorado Springs Western Street Breakfast, with Pikes Peak Range Riders and their horses, Kids Corral, the Lil’ Cowboys and Cowgirls Round-Up costume contest, live music, Native American dancers and more. Wednesday, June 21, 5:30-9 a.m.; Downtown Colorado Springs; see cswesternstreetbreakfast.com for more info.

SoCo StillFest, “a spirits festival focused on Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico craft spirits.” Saturday June 24, 2-5 p.m.; 3104 N. Nevada Ave.; see tinyurl.com/ StillFest-23 for tickets and more info.

Sack Lunch Serenade, “[j]oin us on Thursdays as the Pikes Peak Area Theatre Organ Society (PPATOS) returns to the City Auditorium.... Bring your own sack lunch or purchase a lunch provided by the Community Cultural Collective’s culinary students from Shovel Ready at City Aud.” Thursday, June 15, noon; free; Colorado Springs City Auditorium, 221 E. Kiowa St.; communityculturalcollective.org.

Colorado Springs Garden Tour, with seven private gardens in the Divine Redeemer and Shooks Run neighborhoods: “Colorado Master Gardeners will be located in each garden answering your questions about the plants you see there as well as providing good gardening practices.” Saturday-Sunday, June 24-25, 9

a.m. to 3 p.m.; for tickets and more info, see tinyurl.com/23-gardentour.

STAGE & THEATER

Treasure of the Depths, “[j]oin our dancing buccaneers from Kinect Dance Collective in an epic swashbuckling voyage dedicated to battles, whimsy, and the ultimate hunt for gold.” Friday-Saturday, June 16-17, 7:30 p.m.; Millibo Art Theatre, 1626 S. Tejon St.; see themat.org for tickets.

The Boys in the Band, the Mart Crowley play presented by Springs Ensemble Theatre, “revolves around a group of gay men attending a birthday party in New York City. When it premiered off-Broadway in 1968, it was groundbreaking for its intimate portrayal of gay life. SET is proud to put this show on as part of Pride Month.” Through June 18; PPSC’s Downtown Studio, 100 W. Pikes Peak Ave. See tinyurl. com/SET-June for times and tickets.

Free-For-All: Pericles, PPLD and Theatreworks’ traveling (through July 1) production of the Shakespeare play: “a fast-paced journey of heroes, villains, shipwrecks, pirates, jousting and more.” Partial schedule of upcoming outdoor shows: Antlers Park , Saturday, June 17, 11 a.m., 31 W. Pikes Peak Ave. Simla Public Park on behalf of Simla Public Library, Saturday, June 17, 6 p.m., corner of Caribou Street/Highway 24 and Pueblo Avenue, Simla. Manitou Springs Memorial Park , 502 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, Friday, June 23, 5 p.m. See ppld.org/freeall-pericles for more info.

FARMERS MARKETS

Colorado-grown produce is available all over El Paso County. Check out the Indy ’s list at tinyurl.com/farmers-gardens23.

Abandon: The Gladys Aylward Story, Left alone in rural China, Aylward must navigate the Chinese feudal system, the Communist takeover and invasion by the Japanese during World War II while taking care of a growing number of orphans. Thursday-Saturday, June 15-17; Village 7 Presbyterian Church, 4040 Nonchalant Circle South; see villageartscs.org for times and tickets.

Larry Chen Photography

Don’t let the Springs become a news desert

LOWDOWN

By Jim Hightower jimhightower.com

SHRINK THOSE green grass lawns

GROWING UP, I LEARNED a lot of valuable lessons from the example set by my Ol’ Texas Daddy: a strong commitment to the Common Good, a healthy work ethic and a lively sense of humor. But there’s one thing about him I’ve rejected: his determination to have a perfect yard of thick, verdant, St. Augustine grass.

Lord, how he worked at it — laying sod, (watering), fertilizing, (watering), weeding, (watering), spreading pesticides, (watering), mowing... (more watering). But it was too hot, too dry, too infested with blight, bugs and slugs. He was up against Texas nature, and he just couldn’t win.

So, I’ve gone in the opposite direction, slowly nurturing a natural yard of native trees, drought-tolerant plants, low-maintenance upkeep and a general live-withnature ethic in my little landscape. I’m hardly alone in my maverick rejection of the uniform “green grass imperative.”

deluge of pesticides, fertilizers, growth stimulants — and endless rivers of water — applied again and again, yard after yard. And — O, the irony! — their “green” includes eliminating bees, doodle bugs, butterflies... and, well, nature. One statistic tells the tale: Americans use over 70 million pounds of pesticide annually to maintain their lawns. That’s 10 times more poison per acre than all of America’s farmers use on their crops.

Just glance around you and you’ll see the grass lawn imperative at work throughout your community, probably surrounding your local schools, “greening up” corporate complexes, spreading across vast acreages of college campuses, forming miles of turf for golf courses, running along roadways.

In considering ways to help protect Mother Earth from the global environmental rampages by us humans, look out your window. In many cities and most suburbs, chances are you’re looking at a lawn — a grass-carpeted yard that looks almost the same as the one next door, creating an aesthetic that is repeated block after block. Of course, some see a lush expanse of green grass to be the ultimate in landscaping beauty, and there are even those who consider a well-manicured lawn to be a measure of moral character. But at what price?

Beauty and piety aside, though, the spread and intensification of “lawn culture” has become an environmental extravagance that is already unsustainable in whole sections of our country, and it adds up to a steadily increasing burden on Earth’s essential resources. While grass itself is natural, planting and keeping it alive year-round across thousands of square miles is not.

There’s nothing “green” about the

FORTUNATELY,

THERE’S

A YARD rebellion taking hold across our country as more and more households, neighborhoods, towns, businesses and schools shift to a nature-friendly approach. A particularly encouraging push for change is coming from school kids — elementary through college — who are appalled by the poisoning of our globe and organizing locally to do something that both makes a difference and makes a statement. Re:wild Your Campus is one exemplary channel for their activism.

Of course, some people consider a wild yard to be too scruffy, unattractive... unruly. That’s their choice, but some also insist that tidy grass lawns must be everyone’s choice. So they proclaim themselves to be the yard police, demanding that cities and homeowners associations make green-grass-uniformity the law, filing busybody lawsuits and running rightwing social media campaigns targeting people and groups that dare supplant the “perfect lawn” as the ruling aesthetic.

This is not a diatribe against grassy plots, which can be natural joys. But let’s get real, get creative and get in touch with the full balance and beauty of nature. These attacks are silly because they’re attacking the future, which is nearly always a losing strategy.

You can promote ground-cover sanity right where you live with native plants, xeriscaping, organic methods and “rewilding” your yard and community. To work for yard sanity and choice, go to Rewild.org/Rewild-Your-Campus.

To my husband, LOU

OU WAS UNMIStakably a force of energy in Colorado Springs that could not be contained. He enjoyed a long career in the local media industry, working for 35 years in radio broadcasting until 2017. He still had more energy to give, so much so that the day after he retired he went to work for the Colorado Springs Indy and Colorado Springs Business Journal — after only one phone call with then-owner John Weiss, he was back at it. He loved going to work each day in the sales department at the papers. He had an old-school approach to developing budgets and sales projections for each individual sales associate, noting their daily sales activities on his yellow legal pad. It came to be known as the infamous Yellow Pad, with all kinds of other terms of endearment associated with it. He loved to mentor people of all ages and backgrounds, never tiring of helping others in their professional and personal lives.

He was fiercely loyal. He protected me and lovingly watched over me every day. He would spot me in a crowded room and wave his hands frantically so that I would see him. At local community events, he would order us each a vegetarian meal, even if I might have preferred salmon. He exuded confidence when he walked in the room, was an impeccable dresser, and had great rhythm on the dancefloor.

He was loud and fast in everything he did, attributable to his Brooklyn upbringing. He was never subtle and his voice carried across every room. He sped through the grocery store so fast that he was practically dangerous with the grocery cart.

Lou welcomed opportunities to volunteer his time and energy in support of Colorado Springs through active roles on numerous boards and events throughout the years. Our local military community, particularly at Fort Carson, meant the world to him. He was proud of his 2006 Good Neighbor award and his ongoing informal designation as an honorary member of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

As a family, he loved all of us unconditionally and with laughter and vigor. He is affectionately known as Papa to his four grandchildren and delighted in making them Mama Mellini’s Italian red sauce and meatballs.

To my one and only, Louis Mario Mellini Jr., your love will sustain us.

— Laura Muir Mellini

Louis Mario Mellini Jr. Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

FAIR AND UNBALANCED

By Mike Littwin Courtesy The Colorado Sun

TRUMP’S NEXT STOP: WHITE HOUSE OR BIG HOUSE?

OK, TO ABSOLUTELY NO one’s surprise, Donald Trump has been indicted again. What did you expect?

We are living in a time where every action-packed story demands a sequel. Or three. Or nine.

And as in most sequels, you can expect much of the plot in this one to be fairly predictable, except maybe that part in the 49-page indictment that alleges Trump had hidden boxes of classified documents in a Mar-a-Lago shower, among other exotic locales.

It’s possible, I guess, to imagine an alternative world in which a twiceimpeached, twice-indicted former president who has the gall to expect to be elected president again would have been hooted off the political stage by now.

But in our little part of the multiverse, where Trump has created a Republican Party in his own corrupt image, that’s not how the story goes. Not now. Maybe not ever.

Certainly not before the end of the Hollywood writers’ strike.

It won’t matter to most Trumpists what is actually in the grand jury’s indictment, including the charge that he held on to documents concerning “United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack.”

Or that Trump apparently showed some of the top-secret documents, as CNN had originally reported, to people without any kind of clearance.

Or that many of the documents were seen lying around the estate — there’s a

photo of boxes with documents spilling from them (right) — which had thousands of visitors and guests.

Or that, according to one of his lawyer’s notes, Trump had asked him concerning the documents, “Wouldn’t it be better if we just told them we didn’t have anything here?”

But the more we learn, the more we can be sure the Trump cultists will still believe Trump is a victim. We can be sure Lauren Boebert and friends will continue to tweet about witch hunts. And, mostly, we can be sure the so-called GOP party leaders will cower in fear, as they have for the past many years, in all matters pertaining to the Bully-in-Chief.

IN FACT, IF HISTORY IS ANY guide, Trump will lose no support at all after his latest indictment for what he calls the “boxes hoax.” Instead, he’ll actually gain points in the Republican primary polls.

It’s just more proof that Trump had it right with his Fifth-Avenueshooting theory. That’s how it turned out following Trump’s indictment in the pornstar, hush-money, uh, hoax. That’s how it turned out after a jury’s determination that he had defamed E. Jean Carroll, who claimed Trump had sexually assaulted her.

For those keeping score at home, the “boxes hoax” has now officially led to 38 counts against Trump and more against a maybe too-loyal aide — the first time a former president has faced a federal indictment, but only because Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon before the prosecutors could get to him.

When Trump was arraigned in Miami

on Tuesday — where the judge, at least in the opening stages, was a controversial Trump appointee — he faced charges ranging from conspiracy to obstruct justice to violation of the Espionage Act for holding on to national defense secrets that, despite Trump’s ever-skewed interpretation of the law, do not belong to him.

This is serious stuff. There is every chance Trump could be convicted, meaning — and how would this be for a plot twist? — he could be running for president from prison.

And if he were to be nominated for a third time and go on to win the election, Trump could even conceivably be presi-

In my administration, I’m going to enforce all laws concerning the protection of classified information. No one will be above the law.

— Candidate Donald Trump, Aug. 18, 2016

Law enforcement says top secret information was left out for anyone to see.

Department of Justice via U.S. Southern District of Florida

dent while in prison. Sadly, I’m not making this up. Instead of watching Fox News and madly tweeting from the White House, he could be watching Fox and posting on Truth Social from the, uh, Big House.

I’ve heard people say that eventually — maybe after the third or fourth indictment — there might be some Trump fatigue and maybe Republicans will turn to, say, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose

universe is a place where, in his words, “woke comes to die” and a mouse plays the villain.

But I’m not buying it. Just look at how the Republicans running against Trump are playing it. The most common defense — I’ve heard it from DeSantis, from Nikki Haley, from Tim Scott — is that Trump is a victim of Joe Biden’s “weaponization of power” by using the Depart-

ment of Justice, a special prosecutor, the FBI and, for all I know, fish and game wardens, to prosecute a vendetta.

You can understand the, uh, logic. If it’s not a witch hunt, if it’s not a hoax, if it’s not a vendetta, if it’s not fake news, and if it’s not a weaponization of power, then Trump’s defenders would have to discuss the actual merits of the case, presented by special prosecutor Jack Smith, whom Trump has called “deranged” and a “psycho.”

I’M GOING TO ASSUME THAT

everyone here knows the outlines of the case — that Trump took classified documents with him when he reluctantly left the White House and, depending on the timeline, either lied about having the documents or — in a new version of the mind meld — claimed that he could legally declassify documents simply by thinking about declassifying them.

Trump is not only wrong about how a president can declassify a document, but the indictment alleges that Trump, in 2021, was showing visitors at his Bedminster golf club what is described as a “plan of attack” against Iran. Trump is heard while saying, “Isn’t this amazing” that he has this paper. This is all on audio, from which we hear Trump admit

that the documents he’s waving around are “secret” and that he no longer has the power to declassify them. This audio blows a giant hole in Trump’s defense.

This trial will have just about everything, including a heavy dose of irony. Everyone remembers Hillary Clinton and her emails and the lock-her-up chants that Trump brought with him to the White House. After he got there, he urged Congress to toughen laws on the mishandling of classified information. It did, and now Trump is facing the possibility of a self-imposed stiffer sentence.

The indictment quotes Trump on just that subject, as if to rub the point in: “In my administration, I’m going to enforce all laws concerning the protection of classified information. No one will be above the law.”

If Trump was right, he’s the one who’s now facing the possibility of being locked up. And if that were to happen — and, as of today, several more Trump indictments are looming — it could generate a sequel unlike any we’ve ever seen before.

Mike Littwin’s column was produced for The Colorado Sun , a reader-supported news organization committed to covering the people, places and policies of Colorado. Learn more at coloradosun.com.

Alleged evidence that national security is in the shitter.

Treasure of the De p ths

Kinect Dance Co ll ective

Free Will ASTROLOGY

GEMINI

(May 21-June 20): Among her many jobs, my triple Gemini friend Alicia has worked as a deep-sea rescue diver, an environmental activist, a singer in a band, a dog food taster, an art teacher for kids, and a volunteer at a sleep lab researching the nature of dreams. Do I wonder if she would be wise to commit herself to one occupation? Not really. I respect her de-

cision to honor her ever-shifting passions. But if there will ever come a time when she will experiment with a bit more stability and constancy, it may come during the next 11 months. You Geminis are scheduled to engage in deep ruminations about the undiscovered potentials of regularity, perseverance and commitment.

FRI JUNE 16

JUNE 17

Chanteurs en Chapeaux

CANCER (June 21-July 22): As religious sects go, the Shakers are the most benign. Since their origin in the 18th century, they have had as many women as men in leadership roles. They practice pacifism, disavow consumerism, and don’t try to impose their principles on others. Their worship services feature dancing as well as singing. I’m not suggesting you become a Shaker, Cancerian, but I do hope that in the coming months, you will place a premium on associating with noble groups whose high ideals are closely aligned with your own. It’s time to build and nurture your best possible network.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): For years, Mario A. Zacchini worked for a circus as a “human cannonball.” On thousands of occasions, he was shot out of a cannon at 90 miles per hour. “Flying isn’t the hard part,” he testified. “Landing in the net is.” His work might sound dangerous, but he lived to age 87. Let’s make Mario your role model for a while, Leo. I hope he will inspire you to be both adventurous and safe, daring but prudent. I trust you will seek exhilarating fun even as you insist on getting soft landings.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Now is a good time to take stock of how you have fared in the Dating and Mating Games through the years. Why? Because you are entering a new chapter of your personal Love Story. The next two years will bring rich opportunities to outgrow stale relationship patterns and derive rich benefits from novel lessons in intimacy. An excellent way to prepare is to meditate on the history of your togetherness. PS: The term “fate bait” refers to an influence that draws you toward the next turning point of your necessary destiny. Be alert for fate bait.

life force. In my estimation, Aquarius, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to reevaluate your relationship with influences that weaken the vitality of your body, mind or spirit. It will also be a favorable period to seek new modes of lasting liberation.

SAT JUNE 24 6PM

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): One of my favorite astrology teachers, Stephen Arroyo, notes, “Most people have a strong opinion about astrology, usually quite extreme, even though 95 percent have never studied it whatsoever.” Of course, astrology is not the only subject about which people spout superficial ideas based on scant research. Viral epidemiology is another example. Anyway, Virgo, I am asking you to work hard to avoid this behavior during the rest of 2023. Of all the zodiac signs, you have the greatest potential to express thoughtful ideas based on actual evidence. Be a role model for the rest of us! Show us what it means to have articulate, wellinformed opinions.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Meditation teacher Cheri Huber wrote a book called Be the Person You Want to Find. This would be an excellent title for your life story during the next 10 months. I hope you will soon ruminate on how to carry out such a quest. Here are two suggestions. 1) Make a list of qualities you yearn to experience in a dear ally and brainstorm about how to cultivate those qualities in yourself.

2) Name three high-integrity people you admire. Meditate on how you could be more like them in ways that are aligned with your life goals.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian actor Samuel Jackson loves the color purple. He insists on it being featured in his films, and he often wears purple outfits. In Black Snake Moan, he plays a purple Gibson guitar. In the animated movie, Turbo, he voices the role of a purple racing snail. In his Star Wars appearances, he wields a purple light saber. Now I am endorsing his obsession for your use. Why? First, it’s an excellent time to home in on exactly what you want and ask for exactly what you want. Second, now is a favorable phase to emphasize purple in your own adventures. Astrologers say purple is your ruling color. It stimulates your natural affinity for abundance, expansiveness and openness.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): People who understand the creative process say it’s often wise to stay mum about your in-progress work. You may diminish the potency of your projects if you blab about them while they’re still underway. I don’t think that’s true for all creative efforts. For example, if we collaborate with partners on an artistic project or business venture, we must communicate well with them. However, I do suspect the transformative efforts you are currently involved in will benefit from at least some secrecy for now. Cultivate the privacy necessary to usher your masterpiece to further ripeness.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Musician Frank Zappa (1940-1993) was a freaky rebel, iconoclastic weirdo and virtuoso experimenter. Everything normal and ordinary was boring to him. He aspired to transcend all categories. And yet he refrained from taking psychedelic drugs and urged his fans to do the same. He said, “We repudiate any substances, vehicles, or procedures which might reduce the body, mind, or spirit of an individual to a state of sub-awareness or insensitivity.” Zappa might have added that some substances temporarily have a pleasing effect but ultimately diminish the

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): If you are at a festival or fair where you could win a lot of money by smashing watermelons with your head, I hope you won’t do it. Same if you imagine you could impress a potential lover by eating 25 eggs in three minutes: Please don’t. Likewise, I beg you not to let yourself be manipulated or abused by anyone for any reason. These days, it’s crucial not to believe you can succeed by doing things that would hurt or demean or diminish you. For the foreseeable future, you will be wise to show what you do best and express your highest values. That’s the most effective way to get what you want.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries-born Vincent van Gogh’s painting Potato Eaters shows five people in a dark room barely illuminated by lamplight. Seated around a small table, they use their hands to eat food they have grown themselves. Vincent wanted to convey the idea that they “dug the earth with the very hands they put into their bowls.” I don’t expect you to do anything quite so spectacularly earthy in the coming weeks, Aries, but I would love to see you get very up close and personal with nature. I’d also love to see you learn more about where the fundamental things in your life originate. Bonus points if you seek adventures to bolster your foundations and commune with your roots.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Renowned Mexican artist Diego Rivera emerged from his mother’s womb in 1886. But some observers suggest that Rivera’s soul was born in 1920: a pivotal time when he found his true calling as an artist. During a visit to Italy, as he gazed at the work of 15th-century mural painters, “he found the inspiration for a new and revolutionary public art capable of furthering the ideals of the ongoing revolution in his native land.” (In the words of art historian Linda Downs.) I will be extra dramatic and speculate that you may have a comparable experience in the coming months, dear Taurus: a rebirth of your soul that awakens vigorous visions of what your future life can be.

HOMEWORK: What do you wish you could get help to change about yourself? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com.

to check out Rob Brezsny’s EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES

We’re going “full pirate” in an evening filled with dancing buccaneers on a swashbuckling voyage of battles, whimsy, and the ultimate hunt... for gold!

An original cabaret production by Eve Tilley and Solveig Olsen featuring antique hats modeled and exalted in song by some of the Pikes Peak Region’s finest vocalists.

Appetizers and dessert in the beautiful Millibo garden prior the program inside the theatre.

SUMMER SONG FEST

in Hats)

MILLIBO ART THEATRE JULY 7-8-9

PUZZLES

All words to be constructed pertain to the topic to the right. To your advantage one word has already been traced. You must trace the three remaining words, using only the letters designated by the darkened circles. Words may begin and end from either column but each letter can only be used once.

Each puzzle has a difficulty rating (right). Four stars signify the highest degree of difficulty.

Given to the right are the point values for each word. Your words must correctly match these point values.

MINI SUDOKU X

SUDOKU X

25 Good hole cards in Texas hold ’em

filled,

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL

Likely explanation

When Ocala, Florida, police officers questioned 37-year-old Daniel Robert Dinkins about a nearby burglary on May 13, he responded, “That may have been me.” Earlier, officers had been called to a home where someone had thrown a brick through a window where a baby was sleeping inside, then left a book on the front porch. Dinkins said he wanted to swim in the neighbors’ backyard pool and “wanted to share the book with them,” Ocala News reported. He also told police he was a “time traveler” and was trying to “save the baby from something way in the future when the child is much older.” Strangely, Dinkins said he wasn’t aware there was a baby sleeping inside. He faces a felony burglary charge.

Government at work

A central India food inspector, Rajesh Vishwas, lost more than his phone on May 21, NBC News reported. While snapping a vacation selfie at Kherkatta Dam, Vishwas dropped his phone into the water. According to him, his device contained sensitive governmental information, so he ordered the reservoir to be drained. Vishwas said he got permission from R.C. Dhivar, a local water resources official, but Dhivar argued that he’d given permission to drain only 3 or 4 feet of water. Instead, “They had emptied the water up to 10 feet.” It took three days to drain the 530,000 gallons of water, but Vishwas’ phone was unusable. He was suspended pending an investigation.

Can’t catch me

An unnamed woman in Tacoma, Washington, was arrested and detained in a negative pressure room at the Pierce County jail on June 1 after refusing for more than a year to get treatment for tuberculosis, KOMO-TV reported. A judge issued 17 orders for her to be involuntarily detained before police caught up with her.

“We believe she was trying to avoid being captured,” said Sgt. Darren Moss. Officers surveilled her while she was still at home and observed her riding a city bus to a casino. “The health department had asked her to just do it on her own ... now she’s going to have to do it in our facility, unfortunately,” Moss said. He said TB was once common in the jail, hence the negative pressure rooms, which “isolate the air within the room so it doesn’t infect the rest of the rooms within the facility.”

Cheesy

Delaney Irving, 19, of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, said of her May 28 victory in a cheese-rolling contest in Gloucester, England: “It feels great!” That’s in spite of the fact that she woke up in the medical tent after taking a fall and hitting her head, The Guardian reported. “I remember running, then bumping my head ... I still don’t really believe it,” she said. The contest involves rolling a 7-pound wheel of cheese down the almost-vertical Coopers Hill, and Irving wasn’t the only contestant who lost their footing.

CHESS QUIZ w________w ásdwds4si] àdsdsds$p] ßsdpdsdwH] ÞdsdrdsdN] Ýsdsdsdsd] ÜdsdwdOds] ÛsdsdsdPd] ÚdwdsdsIs] sÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈs

WHITE TO PLAY

LOOKING FOR A BARGAIN HOME IN BURBANK, OKLAHOMA?

“Bargain,” as in: more than 17,000 square feet for only $60,000. United Press International reported on May 30 that the former Burbank High School is on the market and listed as a single-family home. The building, constructed in 1924, features five “bedrooms,” four bathrooms and an indoor basketball court, along with an auditorium. The school closed in 1968, and conditions are pretty rough inside.

w________w ásdkdwgrd] àdr1s0N0p] ßwdQdshwd] Þ0s0Pdwdw] Ýwdwdsdsd] ÜdsHsdsds] ÛP)sdw$Pd] Ú$sdwIsds] sÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈs

“There is plenty of opportunity to make this property your own,” the listing promises.

Hint: Force checkmate.

Solution: 1. Rg8ch! Rxg8 2. Nf7 mate!

CHESS QUIZ w________w ásdsdsdsd] à0pdshs0p] ßsdwdpdsd] Þdsdsds!w] Ýsis)wdsd] Üdsdsds)s] ÛP)sdsdKd] Údsds1wds] sÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈs

3. Qxd8 mate [Blees-Markus ‘99].

w________w ákdwdwdsd] àdsdsdsdw] ßsgwdNdwd] Þdpdqdpdw] Ýs)wdsdpd] Üdsdwdw)w] ÛNdwdwdsI] ÚdQdwdwds]

CHESS QUIZ

Focus Insurance Insurance companies kick customers out as risks rise

Wildfires, hailstorms, wind (goodbye)

BY SARAH MCMAHON

Although not set to begin until Jan. 1, 2024, Colorado’s new Fair Access to Insurance Requirements plan may become the only solution for businesses and homeowners who are unable to get insurance coverage due to environmental risks. As the threat of wildfire grows each year, insurance companies are raising rates and denying coverage all along the Front Range.

“In the insurance industry, we have what’s called a hard market and a soft market, and right now we’re in the in the middle of a hard market,” says Veta Enright, agent at Your Insurance Lady. “I say to people: It’s hard on you, and it’s hard on me because it’s hard to get insurance, and it’s hard to sell insurance right now.”

continued on p. 27 ➔

Searching

Lets All Be Water Wise.

Water before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. up to three days a week. Follow the water-wise rules.

THE BOBBI PRICE TEAM

Build your dream home on this beautiful forested ½ acre lot backing to open space in Crystal Park. Towering pines & aspen. Mountain views & plenty of sunshine. Located in safe gated community of over 2000 acres with only 350 homes sites. Close to stocked fishing lake, club house, pool, & basketball & pickleball courts. Perfect mountain living close to town, located just outside of Colorado Springs. MLS# 4046587

2336 Conservatory Point Springs Canyon - $549,900

Open concept 2673 sq. ft. 3 bed, 3 bath rancher townhome with total 1-level living. No neighbors behind or in front – only deer, pines, & scrub oak. Finished walkout basement. Spacious master suite. A/C. Gas log fireplace. Vaulted & 9’ ceilings. Attached 2-car garage. Stucco & stone exterior. Trex deck & covered patio. $300/mo HOA covers everything outside for you. Movein ready. Seller will contribute $5000 towards buyers closing costs. MLS# 8308112

5 lots in classy upscale subdivision of 37 homes. Complex has clubhouse with pool table, kitchen, meeting area, & indoor pool. Build to meet HOA guidelines which include stucco exterior, stucco privacy walls & tile roof. Can buy 1 to 5 lots (package deals). Each lot can be sold individually for $25,000 each. Nice area in walking distance to shopping & dining yet quiet & tucked away.

MLS# 5194232

240 Hidden Valley Road Woodmen Valley - $895,000

Custom 4900 sq. ft. walkout rancher on 7.26 acres in Woodmen Valley. Towering pines, scrub oak, rock formations, & drop dead gorgeous Pikes Peak view. 3 large bedrooms, 3.5 baths. Gated paved driveway. Hot water heat. 2 kitchens & 2 laundries. Totally privacy & horses welcome. Bring your imagination & make this forested retreat your own.

WHEN YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT REAL ESTATE

MLS# 1633275

213 Coffee Pot Drive Crystal Park - $64,900

1400 Tierra Berienda Drive Pueblo - $110,000

Major insurance companies like AllState and State Farm have recently announced their exit from California due to the high environmental risks. And while those big announcements haven’t come in Colorado, there are reports of State Farm kicking Colorado residents off their plans at a faster rate than in the past.

“Premiums are high, and insurance carriers are super particular about who they work with,” Enright says. “For instance, right now, State Farm is kicking people out even if they’ve only had one or two claims when it used to be if you had three claims within a five-year period.”

Gov. Jared Polis signed the FAIR plan into law under House Bill 23-1288 on May 12, 2023. It will serve as a last-resort option for business and homeowners to get insurance after they’ve been denied by private companies. Only time will tell how successful the program will be. In the meantime, many property owners must still scramble to get coverage.

“People are getting denied quite a bit just because of maybe multiple claims or maybe because of the location of the house, so if you’re in the forest, the insurance compa-

ny may not take that risk” says Dave Mellinger, agent and owner of Springs Insurance Brokers.

“Business and residential buildings come across the same issues when you’re talking about property coverage,” says Mellinger. “One of the biggest things that we’re running across is really the hailstorms. A hailstorm can cost more in a loss.”

Jumping ship doesn’t necessarily help.

— Keli Ortega

continued from p. 25 continued on p. 28

But unlike wildfires, hailstorms are not as closely connected to a property’s location — they can happen anywhere. Right now, people are not necessarily being denied for hailstorm risk, but the payouts for the damage from the recurring storms are driving the cost of insurance up for everyone.

As insurance companies have received more and more claims, they are tightening their underwriting guidelines. “They’re making it tougher to get insurance because they’re getting a lot of losses, and they’re losing money,” Mellinger says.

“If you live in the 80905 ZIP code or 80906 or even 80908, you have a hard time getting insurance in Colorado Springs,” Enright says. Those areas are connected to Cheyenne Cañon and Black Forest, respectively, which are risk zones due to the prox-

Winds over 100 mph tore through the Springs on Dec. 15, 2021.

➔ continued from p. 27

imity to the foothills and the Black Forest Fire in 2013.

Insurance companies are also more critical of the state and upkeep of properties —paying closer attention to the age of the roof, the fire mitigation in the area, the general maintenance of the building or any repair after previous weather events.

“It can be a challenge for homeowners and businesses to get insurance on properties when roofs haven’t been replaced in the past 15 years, even if they are in good shape,” says Keli Ortega, agent and owner of KO Insurance.

Lingering hailstorm damage is often to blame, as people may not readily fix smaller issues due to increase in cost or large deductibles. So insurance carriers are more particular about those issues than they have been in the past.

What can property owners do?

Ortega recommends paying close attention to property maintenance. The better maintained a property, the better chance an insurance company will insure it. “When the insurance company comes out there and

they’re doing their inspection, they see you as a good property owner who’s taking good overall care of their property,” she says. “And that is something that can help keep us out of trouble as a consumer, just mitigating your own risks when you do see them.”

She also advises owners to personally absorb more costs before filing claims because of the tightening on claim frequency. Too many claims, even small ones, can jeopardize your coverage.

“I really recommend that if we have a loss that’s under $10,000, regardless of your income or financial situation, we need to work really hard about absorbing those losses ourselves, and that’s a really tough conversation,” she says.

“It’s a tough conversation to have with an elderly person who is on a very fixed income; it’s a tough conversation to have with a single mom who’s on a very fixed income, but it is the same base recommendation regardless of financial status.”

— Veta Enright

Other recommendations include being cautious of the market, working with brokers and building a relationship with your agent.

Saving a few hundred bucks here and there isn’t necessarily a great idea.

Insurance companies love mitigation.

File photo

“If you’re in a wildfire area, and you have standard-market insurance, even if you’re seeing that premium increased, I recommend staying where you are because jumping ship doesn’t necessarily help,” Enright says.

“Saving a few hundred bucks here and there isn’t necessarily a great idea. Insurance carriers look at longevity, and it’s not necessarily a great idea just to save a couple hundred bucks to move if you’re in one of those areas because insurance carriers right now are changing their mind ... quite often.”

“Property owners will want to work with a broker who represents multiple companies, and then use a seasoned agent who knows the industry and the region. Use a local agent,” Mellinger says. Having someone who is familiar with the area can help you find solutions.

Working closely with someone can also benefit your likelihood of coverage as agents can be advocates for properties. “If you have a good agent, they can, on your behalf, talk to insurance carriers, talk to the underwriters,” Enright says.

“We’ll go out and take pictures and say, ‘Yes, this house is in one of those areas, but look: They can see their neighbor here; look, they have their trees cut up. So, there’s a less of a risk.’ Sometimes agents are able to negotiate on your behalf.”

“I think a lot of folks kind of think of shopping for insurance as a very transactional experience — and it very well can be,” Ortega says, “but I think having a relationship with an agent who’s really looking out for your best interest is like having an extra set of eyes on everything that you own and work so hard for.” n CSBJ

Some experts say needing to absorb damages totaling less than $10,000 is the new normal.

BODY & SOUL AUTOMOTIVE

CASH FOR CARS!

We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash! NEWER MODELS too! 1-866-535-9689

“The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” ~Earl of Beaconsfield. Don’t miss your opportunity to reach over 142,000 readers with your ad in the Indy. Call 719-577-4545

DIAGNOSED WITH LUNG CANCER?

You may qualify for a substantial cash award - even with smoking history. NO obligation!

We’ve recovered millions. Let us help!! Call 24/7, 1-866-553-5089

Viagra & Cialis

Alternative

$99/50 Pills Promo Bundle. Bundled network of Viagra, Cialis and Levitra alternative products for a 50 pill for $99 promotion. Call 888-531-1192.

SUPPORT OUR  ADVERTISERS! Tell them you saw their ad in the INDY! Hello, we’re Johnny and Charlie, two sweet boys who are best bros and looking for our furever home together! We’re both about a year old and love to play and pounce. Are you ready for fun?! HappyCatsHaven.org or 719362-4600.

BCI Walk In Tubs are now on SALE! Be one of the first 50 callers and save $1,500! CALL 844-514-0123 for a free in-home consultation.

BEAUTIFY YOUR HOME with energy efficient new windows! They will increase your home’s value & decrease your energy bills. Replace all or a few! Call now to get your free, no-obligation quote. 844-335-2217.

Denied Social Security Disability?

Appeal! If you’re 50+, filed for SSD and denied, Our attorneys can help get you approved! No money out of pocket! Call 1-877-707-5707

Directv Satellite TV Service Starting at $59.99/month! 1 Year

Price Lock! 155+ Channels available. Call Now to get the Most Sports on TV! 844-719-8927

FSBO

Get it in this week’s Indy! CALL 719-577-4545

DISH TV $64.99

For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/21/24. Call 1-866-566-1815.

Don’t Pay For Covered Home Repairs Again!

Men’s Sport Watches

Wanted.

Advertiser is looking to buy men’s sport watches. Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Here, Daytona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. The Advertiser pays cash for qualified watches. Call 888-320-1052.

LET US GUIDE YOU

To your potential customers and prospective employees. Advertise in the Independent. Call 719-577-4545

NEED NEW FLOORING?

Call Empire Today® to schedule a FREE in-home estimate on Carpeting & Flooring. Call Today! 855-721-3269

A-1 DONATE YOUR CAR, RUNNING OR NOT!! FAST FREE PICKUP. Maximum tax deduction. Support Patriotic Hearts. Your car donation helps Vets!

1-866-559-9123

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. 1-866-3702939

NEED TO RENT YOUR HOME?

Advertise it in the Independent TODAY! Call NOW 719-577-4545

Denied Social Security Disability?

Appeal! If you’re 50+, filed SSD and denied, our attorneys can help! Win or Pay Nothing! Strong recent work history needed. 1-877311-1416 [Steppacher Law Offices LLC Principal Office: 224 Adams Ave Scranton PA 18503

American Residential Warranty covers ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE/ $100OFF POPULAR PLANS Call 877-7075518 Monday-Friday 8:30am to 8:00pm EST

DONATE YOUR VEHICLE

to fund the SEARCH FOR MISSING CHILDREN. FAST FREE PICKUP. 24 hour response. Running or not. Maximum Tax Deduction and No Emission Test Required! Call 24/7: Call 855-504-1540

SAVE YOUR HOME! Are you behind paying your MORTGAGE? Denied a Loan Modification? Threatened with FORECLOSURE? Call the Homeowner’s Relief Line now for Help! 855-7213269

READY-SET-ACTION!

“Heaven never helps the man who will not act.” ~Sophocles. Take action today! Place your ad in the Independent and reach over 142,000 readers. Call 719-577-4545

- $289,900

Investor special with a lot of potential! 1620 sq. ft. stucco 2-story new build on 1.17 acres with no back neighbors. 3 beds, 2 baths, 2-car garage. Granite counters. White cabinets. Wood laminate floors. Stainless steel appliances. UL is master suite with custom bath & walkout to 36x8 deck. A/C. Priced to reflect what still needs to be done: lights, trim, baseboards, & hardware installed; master bath finishes; concrete driveway poured; & septic installed. MLS# 5769245 (OTHER)

729 S. Institute Street

Cheyenne Addition - $279,900

Fix me please! Cute 1108 sq. ft. 2 bed, 1 bath rancher. Den or office. Carport. Shed. 600 sq. ft. exterior basement for storage. Bring your paint brush & imagination to make it own. Sold as is & priced accordingly. Walking distance to Memorial Park. MLS# 8675884

240 Hidden Valley Road

Woodmen Valley - $895,000

Custom 4900 sq. ft. walkout rancher on 7.26 acres in Woodmen Valley. Towering pines, scrub oak, rock formations, & drop dead gorgeous Pikes Peak view. 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. Gated paved driveway. Hot water heat. 2 kitchens & 2 laundries. Totally privacy & horses welcome. Bring your imagination & make this forested retreat your own. MLS# 1633275

REAL ESTATE RENTALS

213 Coffee Pot Drive – Crystal Park$64,900

2336 Conservatory Point – Springs Canyon - $549,900

Open concept 2673 sq. ft. 3 bed, 3 bath rancher townhome with total 1-level living. No neighbors behind or in front –only deer, pines, & scrub oak. Finished walkout basement. Spacious master suite. A/C. Gas log fireplace. Vaulted & 9’ ceilings. Attached 2-car garage. Stucco & stone exterior. Trex deck & covered patio. $300/ mo HOA covers everything outside for you. Move-in ready. Seller will contribute $5000 towards buyers closing costs. MLS# 8308112

(CENTRAL) Call Bobbi at 719-499-9451 for more information.

Build your dream home on this beautiful forested ½ acre lot backing to open space in Crystal Park. Towering pines & aspen. Mountain views & plenty of sunshine. Located in safe gated community of over 2000 acres with only 350 homes sites. Close to stocked fishing lake, club house, pool, & basketball & pickleball courts. Perfect mountain living close to town, located just outside of Colorado Springs. MLS# 4046587 (LAND) Call Bobbi Price. The Platinum Group. 719-499-9451.

3179 County Road

61 – Cripple Creek$80,000

1408 Tierra Berienda – Pueblo - $25,000 4310 sq. ft. lot in upscale subdivision of 37 homes.

Close to I-25, shopping, and dining. Complex has clubhouse with pool table, kitchen, meeting area, & indoor pool. Small park. Must conform to blend in (stucco, tile roofing, & privacy walls). May purchase 1 to 5 lots. Call Bobbi at 719499-9451 for more information. MLS# 5093736 (LAND)

Beautiful 5.25 acre lot in a small gated community called Rainbow Ridge with only 9 parcels. Pikes Peak & mountain views. Community stocked fishing pond on lot. Towering pines & aspen. Lots of sunshine. Located approximately 10 miles south of Divide off Highway 67. Easy commute & private on several possible building

DEADLINE FRIDAY, 9:00 A.M. | CALL 719-577-4545

CASH FOR CAMERAS

We buy cameras & photo gear -working or not. Buy, Trade, Consign. Cameraworks 5030 N. Academy. CALL FIRST 594-6966