Indy - Oct. 25, 2023 Vol 31. No. 42

Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | ALWAYS FREE

BEST OF

2023

FIND INSIDE

A PUBLICATION OF CITIZEN-POWERED MEDIA

CONTENTS

Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | Vol. 31, No. 42 Matthew Schniper

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

8

CRUNCHY WATER WITH FISH FLAVOR: Popping the IKEA lingonberry

NEWS

PUBLISHER

Fran Zankowski

THE WIRE: News in brief HOME WORK: City looks to build a 3D house to see if the technology can help solve the housing shortage DOSED: AMR trial set for woman’s death following ketamine injection

3 4 COVER DESIGN BY Zk Bradley

EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE EDITOR Bryan Grossman MANAGING EDITOR Helen Lewis COPY EDITOR Mary Jo Meade SENIOR REPORTER Pam Zubeck CULTURE REPORTER Nick Raven CONTRIBUTORS Rob Brezsny, Bill Forman, Jim Hightower, Clay Jones, Mike Littwin, Matthew Schniper, Andrew “Shaggy” Warren

SALES AD DIRECTOR Teri Homick ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Monty Hatch, Sean Cassady, David Jeffrey

ART AND PRODUCTION GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Zk Bradley, Rowdy Tompkins

6

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 12 12 13 14 25

WEALD & WOE PLAYING AROUND BIG GIGS SIDE DISH CALENDAR

8

OPINIONS 28 30

FAIR & UNBALANCED LOWDOWN

Matthew Schniper

CANDY 31 31 33

PUZZLE PAGE ASTROLOGY NEWS OF THE WEIRD

OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Lanny Adams DIGITAL/SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST Sean Cassady EVENTS, MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR Tracie Woods

Citizen-Powered Media Board PRESIDENT Ahriana Platten SECRETARY Ralph Routon EX OFFICIO John Weiss

Email us: Submit a letter........................ letters@csindy.com News tips.......................................news@csindy.com Editor.............................................. bryan@csindy.com Advertising................................... sales@csindy.com Public Notices.......................... robyn@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.

34 Check out content from this week’s Colorado Springs Business Journal and be sure to visit csbj.com for more...

CORRECTION: The Oct. 18 story “Spin Doctors: Some D11 board members use public funds to hire PR firm ahead of elections” incorrectly reported work sessions are closed to the public.

Community members are welcome to attend and observe but public comment is not allowed.

In our “Film COS” story in that same issue, we reported that production on The Ascendants took place across Colorado and New Mexico, but the movie was shot entirely in Colorado.

The Indy regrets the errors.

REALLY INDEPENDENT OUR MEMBERS MAKE IT WORK

As a small, independent nonprofit news organization, we rely on our community of readers to keep fearless reporting in Colorado Springs.

JOIN TODAY AT CSINDY.COM/JOIN

The Indy is a publication of Citizen-Powered Media.

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

2

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | NEWS

14

Compiled by Pam Zubeck

Colorado State Patrol

THE WIRE

INDY WRITER HONORED Indy Senior Reporter Pam Zubeck was named Journalist of the Year on Oct. 19 by the American Advertising Federation Colorado at an event at City Auditorium.

Zubeck has been with the Indy since 2009 and won the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Pam Zubeck Award for public service in 2013 for her investigation of the city’s problematic response to the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire. She’s also been recognized with numerous Colorado Press Association and SPJ journalism awards over the years.

She’s worked as a reporter in the local market since 1993 and has also been employed at newspapers in Oklahoma and Kansas.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with Pam for half a decade and I can’t think of a more deserving person for AAF’s Journalist of the Year award,” said Indy Executive Editor Bryan Grossman. “Pam tackles some of the state’s most difficult investigative journalism and appears to do it with ease. And she’s a workhorse. I have to remind her to slow down — not for her sake, but for the sake of her editors.

“Pam has had a hand in changing the communities in which she’s worked for the better during her 40-year journalism career. The Pikes Peak region is no exception.

I look forward watching Pam continue to create positive change and make powerful people sweat upon hearing, ‘It’s Pam Zubeck; she wants to talk to you.’”

The other nominee for Journalist of the Year, Matthew Schniper, writes food and drink columns for the Indy, has served as editor of the Indy, and is well known throughout the Pikes Peak region and beyond for his food and drink reviews. Schniper also produces columns on SubStack under his Side Dish brand.

The statewide branch of the national advertising industry group also honored Linda Weise, CEO of the Colorado Springs Community Cultural Collective, with its Everest Award, and Kimberly Way of AdPro as recipient of the Silver Medal, given to those who have made outstanding contributions to advertising.

See all the winners at csindy.com.

ROAD TAX: WORK TOTALS FOR 2023 The city reports via news release that the Public Works operations and maintenance team repaved 177 lane miles, replaced more than 200,000 linear feet of curb and gutter, and installed 354 new pedestrian ramps this year using money from the 2C sales tax ballot measure.

Those lane miles are fewer than in some previous years.

In 2016, the measure’s first year, 214 lane miles were paved and the next year, 238. But in 2021, only 166 lane miles were paved, according to city data.

This is the third of five years of the extended 2C program, approved by voters in 2019 at a sales tax rate of 0.57 percent; 2C was first approved by voters in 2015.

“The 2C road improvement initiative continues to be a crucial investment in the future of our city’s infrastructure,” Mayor Yemi Mobolade said in the release. He appeared at a news briefing at Panorama Park on Oct. 18 to laud the paving program where nearby Fenton Road had recently been repaved. “It’s a commitment to enhancing the quality of our roads, making them safer, more efficient, and more accessible for everyone....”

Since the program’s inception in 2015, 2C has repaved 1,576 miles, replaced more than 306 miles of curb and gutter, and 3.6 million square feet of sidewalk. It’s led to the installation of 1,809 new pedestrian ramps, and the retrofitting of 7,613 existing pedestrian ramps, the release said.

Interstate 25 just north of Pueblo has fully reopened after an Oct. 15 train derailment that killed Lafollette Henderson, a truck driver from California. Gov. Jared Polis toured the site on Oct. 18 along with National Transportation Safety Board officials, local legislators, county leaders, staff from the state’s federal delegation, and Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar. A preliminary investigation revealed a broken rail just east of the bridge over I-25 likely caused the coal train to jump the track and collapse the bridge, a news release said. Southbound and northbound I-25 reopened by Oct. 19, but state officials cautioned motorists about ongoing repairs in the area and to observe reduced speed limits. Polis said, “It remains clear that investments in rail are needed now more than ever and Colorado has been working for months to take advantage of historic [federal] safety and rail funding....”

SECOND CHANCES A Sept. 15 event allowing El Paso County residents to clear outstanding warrants was a raging success — 386 people showed up at the El Paso County Courthouse to wipe their criminal records clean.

One man came from Florida to take care of an outstanding warrant dating to 2015, says Danny Kay, a local defense attorney who advised participants.

Called Second Chances, the event lasted nearly two hours longer than planned because so many people participated, Kay says.

The session involved cooperation from the 4th Judicial District’s courts, the public defender’s office and district attorney.

Warrants eligible for clearance: probation violations; offenses involving misdemeanor or traffic infractions; Class 4 drug felonies; and Class 5 and 6 felonies. (Ineligible offenses included any warrants outside of El Paso County, as well as Colorado Crime Victim Rights Act, assault, domestic violence, unlawful sexual behavior, child abuse, and careless driving involving death cases.)

“It was good to see groups usually fighting each other coming together to actually help people,” Kay says, referring to defense attorneys and prosecutors. “Judges were clamoring to get involved.

They wanted to help so much.”

Clearing warrants also is good for taxpayers, he says, because the process of serving a warrant, making an arrest and follow-up court actions can cost $1,000 per person. If incarcerated thereafter, “Then they can end up losing their jobs and [facing] other collateral consequences,” he says.

Kay says another prominent defense attorney, Josh Tolini, participated and told him it was his best day in the courthouse in many years.

“People were crying and were so happy they were able to get these things done,” Kay says, adding a similar event is planned for next spring.

Matter of Record El Paso County commissioners will hold the year’s final “on the road” meeting in commissioner District 4, served by Longinos Gonzalez Jr. It begins at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31, at Fountain City Hall, 116 S. Main St. Colorado’s congressional delegation issued a letter to the IRS on Oct. 16, urging the agency to follow its 30-year precedent in not taxing Colorado residents’ Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights’ (TABOR) refunds. The IRS now is considering treating the payments as income for tax purposes.

Colorado Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and Reps. Joe Neguse and Brittany Pettersen, all Democrats, have introduced legislation to change the name of Mount Evans Wilderness to Mount Blue Sky Wilderness. The change aligns with the U.S. Board of Geographic Names’ recent decision to rename Mount Evans as Mount Blue Sky. Only Congress can change the name of a wilderness area. John Evans, who was involved in the slaughter of Native Americans at Sand Creek, was governor of Colorado Territory in the 1860s.

Manitou Springs has completed Phase III of the Creek Walk Trail. The $554,134 project was funded with a $424,033 grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation and a $106,008 allocation from the city. The new phase connects the Pool & Fitness Center to the Chamber of Commerce and improves accessibility for multi-modal transportation.

NEWS | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY

3

HOME WORK

City to test 3D printing as potential solution to housing shortage Echo Architecture + Interiors

BY PAM ZUBECK | zubeck@csindy.com

Artist’s rendering depicts how the 3D house on East Monument Street would look.

T

HE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND 3D PRINTing dates to the 1980s, when the first 3D printer patent was filed. Since then, the technology has expanded to include the ability to print just about everything — including houses.

Some contend that 3D printing homes is both cheaper

WHEN YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT REAL ESTATE

BOBBI PRICE

719-499-9451 JADE BAKER

719-201-6749

www.BobbiPrice.com bobbipriceteam@gmail.com Member of Elite 25 and Peak Producers

4

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | NEWS

and faster than traditional construction — so could it be the answer to Colorado Springs’ housing shortage?

Not likely, at least for now, according to city officials, who dispute that 3D printed homebuilding costs less than traditional construction. In fact, the city’s Chief Housing Officer Steve Posey says it’s quite the opposite.

1601 N Billy the Kid Lane – Pueblo West - $28,500 1.47 acre lot at end of quiet cul de sac with sweeping unobstructed mountain & Pikes Peak views. Flat at front of lot & moving back the lot gently slopes to allow for a walkout. Backs and sides to open space.

Easy commute to both Colorado Springs or Pueblo.

MLS# 5628454

156 Ellers Grove – Sand Creek Commons - $290,000 Upper level 1357 sq. ft. 3 bed, 2 bath condo backing to large common lawn area. Central air.

Gas log fireplace.

Brand new flooring and fresh paint throughout.

Open & bright.

Move-in ready.

Low monthly HOA. MLS# 5866091

“What we’re finding out is that 3D technology is still more expensive,” Posey said in a September interview with the Indy, noting that some of that cost differential stems from proximity. He says the nearest 3D printing home construction company operates out of Denver.

While it’s taken a while for the city to advance its 3D house project, it’s now poised to hire a contractor to print one, along with a companion accessory dwelling unit on a vacant lot owned by the city.

— Steve Posey “One reason the city is interested in driving this is, we want to create opportunities for new technology and new companies to come into Colorado Springs,” Posey says.

The state, along with the city of Greeley, announced earlier this month that a 3D printing company is moving there, which could lead to more 3D houses in the northern reaches of the state — and perhaps one day in other parts of Colorado.

This is an example of a different way to build a house.

213 Coffee Pot Drive – Crystal Park - $64,900 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

1404 Ledge Rock Terrace – Pinon Bluffs Town Homes - $550,000 Westside 3436 sq ft 4 bed, 3 ½ bath 1 ½-story townhome with total 1-level living.

Beautiful mountain & Pikes Peak views.

Huge trees. Across the street from Ute Valley Park. A/C. Security system. Gas log fireplace. Former model with vaulted ceilings. Tons of glass & sunshine.

MLS# 1911501

Echo Architecture + Interiors

Artist’s rendering of the front (left) and the back of the accessory dwelling unit, which would be co-located on the lot with the main residential unit

The announcement said Alquist 3D, a manufacturer of 3D printed homes and infrastructure, chose to relocate its operation from Iowa to Greeley, where it will create 79 jobs at an average annual wage of $73,987. The company also will partner with Aims Community College to teach the 3D technology and create a potential workforce. Alquist created the first owner-occupied 3D printed home in the United States, the state said in a release.

LAST FALL, THE CITY ISSUED A REQUEST FOR proposals for consultant services for a 3D-printed house design.

Local firm Echo Architecture was hired for $12,255 to develop a concept drawing for the house and ADU. Those plans were for a 1,200-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bath home, with a 700-square-foot 1-bedroom, 1-bath ADU on a lot at 2709 E. Monument St. Both structures must be fully ADA accessible and include energy-efficient components, city officials say.

By late this year or early next, the city will issue another RFP for a developer-builder-nonprofit team that would actually build the home, and fund it. The cost might be partially offset by state grant money intended for infrastructure and, possibly, funds from the city’s Housing and Urban Development grant, Posey says.

“The reason we want a nonprofit to be involved,” Posey says, “is we expect [it] to sell the house to a qualified low-income buyer, and the buyer would rent the ADU in the back to another qualified low-income tenant.

“The city won’t own the property at the end of the day,” he adds.

Posey says city officials hope to keep the cost below $300,000. At that price the two units would cost around $157 per square foot, significantly lower than the $220 per square foot reported by Realtor.com for the local median home listing. The website reports the median “sold home” price in Colorado Springs is $437,000.

So a 3D home could be a bargain, given local market prices.

But other local factors are at play, Posey notes. One, he says, is, “We don’t have a local 3D printing company. One of the challenges is having the equipment ready to go.”

Posey also says it’s not as simple as pouring the

concrete walls of a home.

“A 3D printed house is a house with a concrete shell, and that concrete all by itself doesn’t meet local energy efficiency codes,” he says. “So there are challenges in terms of getting that wall assembly suitable for our clients.”

That means additional insulation would need to be installed, which would add to the cost.

Another factor in pricing, Posey says, is bringing 3D technology to scale. It would be less expensive for a company to pour 100 homes than one home.

The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, which issues permits and inspects construction, Posey says, “has been very open to this as a concept and generally is very open to doing what they can to make sure innovative construction techniques can come into our market.”

PPRBD spokesman Greg Dingrando says via email that while he can’t speak to price or advantages and disadvantages of 3D construction, local codes would allow for printing a house, he says.

“There is a path for 3D printed construction to comply with local building code requirements,” Dingrando says. “3D printed construction would be considered unconventional construction and therefore would require a licensed design professional to stamp the plans.”

The 3D company moving to Greeley expects to create jobs and train students on 3D technology and construction. Alquist was approved for up to $1.1 million in incentives by the Colorado Economic Development Commission over an eight-year period and another $335,000 over a five-year period, based on job growth and other performance measures, the state’s news release said. The city of Greeley provided an additional incentive package totaling $2.85 million.

Even Gov. Jared Polis in a release said Alquist is part of the formula for lowering construction costs and building houses faster.

A FEBRUARY ARTICLE BY THE WORLD ECOnomic Forum says 3D construction can cost up to 45 percent less than traditional methods.

The Forum says a project of about 100 homes on the outskirts of Austin, Texas, is using 3D printer robots via a partnership between U.S. construction company Lennar and 3D company ICON. “Developers say the technology is cheaper, faster and more sustainable than conventional construction methods,” the article says — and it could help the nation solve its housing shortage.

The Forum article says site printers are almost fully automated and can construct walls, including electrical and plumbing systems, roughly three times faster than traditional building methods.

Jason Ballard, CEO of ICON, told CNBC that 3D houses also have “better design, higher strength, higher energy performance and comfort, and increased resiliency.”

The National Association of Home Builders notes on its website that 3D printing homes is “gaining traction” and even Habitat for Humanity has embraced the method — but the Colorado Springs Housing & Building Association appears to be taking a wait-and-see approach.

Asked to comment on how 3D homes could impact the local market, HBA CEO Renee Zentz says via email, “The HBA and its members are focused on building safe homes that follow building codes and utilize the best and most innovative building materials and construction practices. As different technologies like 3D printing evolve, our industry and members will review these new technologies to see if they can help make homes safer, more energy efficient and, most importantly, more affordable.”

The city might take on another 3D project, or some other innovative construction method, Posey says, using another city-owned lot in the 700 block of East Cucharras Street.

But first, the city must choose a developer for the Monument Street plot, and for now, Posey isn’t seeing any downside.

“The upside is that if it can scale, it could be a solution that helps us meet some of our housing needs,” he says.

“In a very broad sense, we have been building houses the same way since the 1950s. This is an example of a different way to build a house.”

NEWS | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY

5

File photo

American Medical Response and one of its medics have been named in a lawsuit over a ketamine-related patient fatality.

DOSED

AMR trial set for woman’s death after ketamine injection

A

TRIAL IS SET FOR DEC. 4 in a lawsuit filed by the family of Jerica LaCour, who died in 2018 after being injected with ketamine by an American Medical Response medic who’s since been disciplined in connection with the case, according to court documents.

The lawsuit, filed in October 2022, alleges that Jason Poulson, a paramedic working for AMR at that time, administered ketamine to LaCour. Ketamine is a drug used to sedate people experiencing crises, a condition sometimes labeled “excited delirium,” which has since been debunked as a diagnosis.

According to court documents, LaCour, 29, a mother of five children, was found at a parking area at 945 Conrad St., near Galley Road and Powers Boulevard, around 7 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2018.

When officers arrived, she was “being 6

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | NEWS

held up by a bystander, but later she was on her hands and knees and laying down on her side on the asphalt of the parking lot, sobbing and crying uncontrollably,” the lawsuit says.

She’s also described in court documents as being “incomprehensible at times and was crying about her children,” but was “not violent and didn’t hit anyone.”

Her behavior, the lawsuit contends, didn’t fit the criteria of excited delirium, which was defined at the time as a “medical emergency in which a person develops extreme agitation, aggressiveness, overheating, and exceptional strength that cannot be managed by routine physical or medical techniques,” the lawsuit says.

THOUGH SOMEWHAT RESISTANT initially, LaCour became compliant to some degree before Poulson adminis-

BY PAM ZUBECK | zubeck@csindy.com

tered a dose of ketamine, after the needle became compromised by touching his and LaCour’s skin, according to the lawsuit.

The cab of the semi-truck where she was found smelled of marijuana, and officers and Cimarron Hills firefighters, who also responded, reported a smell of alcohol on her breath, according to the lawsuit.

When Poulson said he would give her ketamine, Cimarron Hills firefighter and medic Leah Grissom objected and told Poulson she had “calmed down,” the lawsuit says.

Body-worn camera footage shows Poulson taunting the patient by saying, “Guess who’s getting some ketamine?”

“The Medic went to administer medication to the Patient,” Grissom wrote in her incident report. “I told the Medic she had calmed down and did not need to administer Ketamine. The Medic stated

that she was in excited Delirium. As he was trying to administer the medication his hand slipped and he grazed his palm with the syringe needle and grazed the hand of the Female before he was able to administer the Medication in her Left thigh. The Patient now was bleeding on her left hand....”

The lawsuit notes that “Shortly after the injection..., Ms. LaCour stopped breathing. Leah Grissom informed Defendant Poulson that Ms. LaCour was not breathing, but Defendant Poulson inexplicably stated she was fine.” After Grissom said three times she was not breathing but was ignored by Poulson, the ambulance left for Memorial Hospital, the lawsuit says. She was pronounced dead at 7:52 p.m. that evening.

She left behind five children ages 12, 11, 7 and 10-year-old twins. The lawsuit, reported earlier this year by KRDO, is

brought on their behalf by their father, In a motion for summary judgment, Anthony LaCour.

AMR and Poulson argue that the plainThe El Paso County Coroner’s Office tiffs have not retained a physician to tesautopsy report states she died “as a result tify that ketamine was the cause of her of respiratory arrest associated with death “within reasonable medical probaacute alcohol and ketamine intoxication” bility,” and further argue that a so-called and that “cardiomegaly, cardiac fibrosis, expert, Jeremy Lemaster, is not a bona obesity, and recent cocaine ingestion confide expert and should not be allowed tributed to death.” to testify on the plaintiffs’ behalf as to Postmortem toxicology tests showed cause of death. the presence of alcohol, cocaine, THC (a District Judge Marla Prudek grantpsychoactive chemical in marijuana) and ed the defendants’ motion to preclude ketamine in her system.

Lemaster’s testimony, in part, by barring Poulson later failed to disclose the use him from testifying about specific cause of ketamine in his report or say that the of death, though he will be allowed to syringe had been compromised. Those testify about paramedic standards of actions, which were discovered in an care and use of ketamine by paramedics. audit, led to Poulson (Lemaster, of Grove, agreeing to be placed Oklahoma, is a longon probation from time paramedic who’s Nov. 12, 2021, until worked in several Dec. 3 of this year, by states and trained oththe emergency mediers.) cal services division of Asked to comment, the Colorado Departan AMR spokesperson ment of Public Health says via email, “Ameriand Environment. can Medical Response The lawsuit also does not comment on contends that Poulson ongoing or pending claimed he took the litigation of any kind.” patient’s vital signs Ketamine came to but never did and the attention of lawthat he signed off on a makers as the cause report on another perof death for Elijah son’s behalf without McClain, who was that person’s knowlinjected after officers — Lawsuit against AMR edge. stopped him in Auro“The above evira while he was walkdence, viewed in a ing home because light most favorable to Mrs. LaCour, is someone called 911 and said he looked such that a jury could find, beyond a reasuspicious. Aurora paid a $15 million sonable doubt, that injury-causing torsettlement in response to a lawsuit, but tious conduct was attended by circumafter a split decision in the criminal trials stances of fraud or malice or a wanton of two officers who were at that scene in and reckless disregard of Mrs. LaCour’s 2019, the trial for the third officer continrights and feelings,” the LaCour famues this week. ily’s legal team, Daniel Kay, Cindy Hyatt AS KRDO REPORTED, THE COLOand Justin Walker, argued in a Sept. 22 rado Legislature adopted a bill in 2021, motion to seek punitive damages, which with the Appropriate Use Of Chemical can soar into the millions of dollars.

Restraints On A Person bill, limiting when That motion also alleges AMR was ketamine can be used by paramedics outnegligent and careless in its hiring, trainside of hospitals. The bill also eliminated ing, supervision and practices. excited delirium as a justification for use POULSON AND AMR BOTH DENY of the medication by paramedics. Another the lawsuit’s allegations, saying in bill was adopted in 2022, the Ambulance response to the complaint, “Based solely Service Sustainability And State Licenson the allegations by Plaintiffs in the ing bill, imposing regulations by the ColComplaint, which are not admitted by orado Department of Public Health and this Defendant, Plaintiffs’ alleged injuEnvironment on ground ambulance serries and damages may have been caused vices and creating the EMS System Susin whole or in part by independent acts tainability Task Force. or omissions of other parties for whose Prior to adoption of those measures, conduct this Defendant is not respon26-year-old Hunter Barr of Colorado sible. Plaintiffs’ alleged injuries and Springs died in 2020 within hours of damages are related in whole or in part AMR medics injecting him with a double to preexisting or subsequently occurring dose of ketamine, as reported by the Indy. medical conditions not caused or conSince those bills were enacted, KRDO tributed to by any act or omission of this reports, the use of ketamine in the field Defendant and for which Defendant ... is by emergency medics has dropped not responsible.” dramatically.

Ms. LaCour was not breathing, but Defendant [Jason] Poulson inexplicably stated she was fine.

DENTISTRY WITH A

HEART

IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN. ORAL HEALTH IS CRUCIAL TO YOUR OVERALL HEALTH!

$199 COMPREHENSIVE

EXAM SPECIAL! INCLUDES EXAM, REGULAR CLEANING & X-RAYS. NO INSURANCE NEEDED!

BOTOX NOW AVAILABLE! WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT!

105 N. Tejon St. • 719.260.0216 TheDowntownDentistCS.com

REALTORS® WALKING WITH YOU THROUGH LIFE’S CHANGES

NEWS | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY

7

. . . e k i l If you Popping my lingonberry at IKEA STORY AND PHOTOS BY MATTHEW SCHNIPER

. . . e v o l You’ll 0 am rvice 9:3 e e S y a d riv Sun tridge D 5075 Flin CS.org L www.CS 894 6 6 719-59

I

WENT TO IKEA NOT BECAUSE I wanted to or needed anything.

No. I went because a 15-year-old girl made me do it on her birthday.

It was one of her big requests, right up there with mini golf and an escape room: Force mom’s boyfriend to go to IKEA. And you know that not giving in to a child on their birthday is akin to telling a Make-A-Wish kid to go kick rocks. You can’t say no. You do whatever they want.

Them’s the unwritten rules. Or I guess I just wrote ’em. Whatever. It wasn’t all that dramatic in the moment, it was just annoying.

You see, up until now, one of the things in my life I was most proud of is that I’d never been to IKEA. Not having been to IKEA was part of my identity.

You: You wear a cross around your neck or put pronouns at the bottom of your email or flash designer footwear or treat waitstaff rudely.

Me: I haven’t been to IKEA. Boom.

But no longer — no. ’Cuz this punk-ass kid (actually she’s amazing, artistically gifted and disarmingly sweet) … this wish-droppin’, ego-poppin’, fun-stoppin’, entitled birthday girl (I’m creating rising drama here — roll with me), she’s stripping away this cherished part of my persona by making me go to IKEA. The nerve! Little shit.

So that’s the setup. True story.

But you know what happens when you take a food critic to IKEA? There will be meatballs. Yeah. Suddenly the forced march (sorry, I meant to write the word “journey” there) takes on a whole new meaning and mission: Make Matthew eat a bunch of lingonberry-laced stuff and film his reactions. That’s after the first part of the mission, which I sum up as: Make Matthew roam through every goddamn display room on the IKEA map, not revealing to him that there’s two layers (separate floors) to this unique hell until he discovers it, and also don’t allow him to use any of the shortcuts that he also hadn’t noticed until near the end.

(Dammit!)

BEFORE WE BEGIN, THERE’S some relevant stuff you should know

8

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | FEATURE

about me. 1) I generally dislike shopping and try to do it efficiently, often buying backups so I can prolong the time until I return. 2) Not since I was a child of the ’80s roaming the mall with friends aimlessly have I lollygagged around a store without a purchase in mind. I don’t go anywhere unless I need something. (Exception: art galleries and foreign street markets, which are cultural endeavors.) 3) I’m a dedicated recycler and upcycler, so I loathe American overconsumption and I don’t replace what ain’t broke just ’cuz something else is more novel (shaped like a cat, etc.). OK, stage set.

As I pull the car into IKEA’s cavernous underground parking lot I ask: “Is this an independent city-state like the Vatican?” We park and work our way up escalators to the entryway. There, birthday girl shows me IKEA’s architectural scale model and I start nerding out over the huge solar panel array and waterwise features and eco-aspects that make IKEA respectably cool. (Oh crap, I’m not gonna like this place am I? Shit. Stay in character.) Next we ride yet another escalator up to the real beginning of the maze (my second escape room of the day) and I encounter my first couple designedout living rooms that look like slices of people’s real homes, furnished down to tiny details as if elaborate stage sets waiting for actors to arrive and argue about something, or maybe sing.

I suddenly feel like a voyeur. “Are you sure it’s OK to touch stuff?” I feel like I should tiptoe or sign a guest book. Then I quickly realize I’m being weird and within minutes I’m acting like an ass, imitating a gorilla as I walk by the Grilla (literally a grill) to make the children laugh.

In the ensuing hour (or was it a lifetime in another dimension?) we all zombie about, occasionally inspecting an item or sitting on a couch to rest or we just tromp forward because there’s no going back when you’ve come this far to please a child.

We finally arrive at the threshold of a warehouse where they tell me you go to match item numbers for big item

purchases. Thankfully we have none of these and can quickly pass through this Home Depot-lookin’ aircraft hangar of space. But not before backtracking to the cafeteria for dinner. By then, I’ve broken my vengeful vow to not buy anything, because nobody told me there’d be plants!

Make that #4 of relevant stuff to know about me: I freaking love plants. I have a solarium/greenhouse and between it and my outdoor perennials I have a significant collection. (Hmmm, I guess I do impulse-buy stuff. Damn.) IKEA, you discovered my Achilles — touché.

“you can be sure that food from the soil is tasty!” reads IKEA’s website), do not leave me feeling exultant. The chickpeaand mixed vegetable-composed veggie rendition have a mushy texture and mostly taste like the topping pea pesto, which is thick like a green lentil purée.

And I’ve already maxed out on the dimpled, insipid peas that accompanied my main order of meatballs with a baseballsized scoop of dry, sad, boxed mashed potatoes. The pea-protein Plant Balls (which need to be ordered sans cream sauce to be vegan) taste like what a toaster smells like when crumbs are burning off in the bottom, with kind of a toasted TO THE CAFETERIA AT LAST. MY marshmallow skin vibe. spectators’ anticipation for watching But all the balls are still a better option me mouth meatballs is palpable. Here than what arrives with my order of the we are, 12 years since Salmon Fillet, which IKEA deposited its is at least “responsistorpack butik (big bly sourced.” My cut box store) along the tastes fishy, like it Front Range and I’ve already had one fin held out this long. But in the great beyond.

I’m resigned to my fate (Whatever the Swedas I grab a lunch tray ish term is for that and slide it down the — probably somecold, grooved metal thing that translates counter feeling like a to “cat food factory.”) school kid and prisThe unremarkable oner at once. We load topping red pepup, check out and per relish does little begin our furniture to mask that, while store feast. the accompanying I’ve bought all three hockey puck-shaped meatball options: the and -sized vegetable veggie, plant balls medallion (actually — Chuck Palahniuk, (vegan) and Swedish compressed potatoes, Fight Club beef-and-pork meatbroccoli, leek, onions balls. I learn that the and cheese) are again latter — purloined bland and mushy, culturally from Turkey as the Swedes inspiring me to fetch salt and pepper publicly confessed in recent years — are packets in a (failed) attempt to resuscitate the best option, which isn’t to say I dig them. Next, on to the “seasoned” them. I mean, they’re fine. Just fine. Barevegetables. There’s no sealy fine. Grandma’s house safe-and-simple soning to speak of and sorta bland and hamburger-y and unless you inoffensive but not special, not spotlightcontinued ing, not nation-representing abroad in on p. 10 ➔ some win-me-over, ambassadorial way.

The cream sauce on them (butter, flour, veg and beef stock, cream and dashes of soy and Dijon) assists with richness but doesn’t elevate them much, while dips into the lingonberry jam just remind me of tart cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving.

At the precipice of popping my lingonberry I do not have any magical mouth orgasms or orgiastic delight. I don’t moan “uuuummm.” I groan “h mmmmm” (like… that’s it? … yawn). It’s an anticlimax, my IKEA virginity bespoiled but my heart hardly palpitating.

The non-meat balls, promoted as “Heavenly flavors from the soil” (and

“DELIVER ME FROM SWEDISH FURNITURE. DELIVER ME FROM CLEVER ART.”

Unhappy conscript on a forced IKEA march FEATURE | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY

9

WORLD PREMIERE OF

NEW films + red carpet gala SAT. NOV 4 4:30 PM

COMMUNITY CELEBRATION All ticket holders are welcome to the lobby party with a cash bar. Celebrate films past & present while networking with local media, academic leaders, & community non-profits.

6:30 PM | DOORS OPEN AT 6:00 FILM PREMIERE + DISCUSSION Watch NEW documentaries and engage in moderated discussions with filmmakers.

4:30 PM VIP RECEPTION

Fishy salmon and abysmal vegetables equals sad face. ➔ continued from p. 9

Intimate reception with filmmakers of past & present. Wine and hors d’oeuvres included.

Saturday, November 4

Cornerstone Arts Center 825 N Cascade Ave, Colorado Springs

GET TICKETS • YouthDocumentary.org • At the door • Scan QR Code

YouthDocumentary.org

COLORADO COLLEGE FILM + MEDIA STUDIES

10

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | FEATURE

consider freezer essence. My eyes tell me all I need to know about this mix of corn, zucchini and squash. The latter two ingredients are translucent like sautéed onions, devoid of spirits. They may as well be the fake plants IKEA sells alongside the real ones.

We force each person to eat a forkful of salmon and veggies and try to keep a straight face; nobody wins.

The unpleasant taste lingers in the mouth and is not supportive of enjoyment in any way, like an itchy butt when you’re trying to sleep.

Birthday girl, the tables turned on her, gives her bite a review of: “crunchy water with fish flavor.” I can’t beat that.

But I can try to reset my palate with dessert and the Swedish Temptations trio: a cheesecake slice, a Swedish almond cake with chocolate and crunchy caramel (named Daim), and a small punsch-roll named dammsugare or Kafferep at IKEA. The cheesecake rates totally lackluster and the marzipan punsch-roll chews odd and gritty with a medicinal taste, like an old-fashioned candy stick infused with fluoride. Research reveals that to be the punsch liqueur which contains arrack, a coconut-flowera nd-suga rca ne spirit from Southeast Asia. I’m glad to try something new, but don’t care for it.

I finish with the crunchy almond cake, which I actually do like (finally,

“ALL THE BALLS ARE STILL A BETTER OPTION THAN WHAT ARRIVES WITH MY ORDER OF THE SALMON FILLET.”

something!), thinking of a Little Debbie Star Crunch from childhood, but more grown up. While we look this one up on our phones for info, though, we discover a recall underway on a batch of the Daim reported to have a metal object found in one of them. Something about the phrase “potential foreign material contamination” makes me chew with more attention and concern. I wash my final bites down with coffee, which I can also say something positive about. It’s surprisingly good and wholly serviceable.

IKEA sells an organic, medium-roast, Rainforest Alliance Certified blend that’s smooth and easy with no off-putting over-roasted notes.

With the meal finally behind me, we make our way back through half of IKEA’s maze and through the warehouse and into an initial line of checkout aisles. I’m confused, because I can see yet more ahead after that, and I discover there’s a final grocery market, with a second set of checkout kiosks. Like at Costco, there’s a stall selling hot dogs, including a veggie dog. As much as I’m tempted to find out (I’m really not), I’m full and use that as an excuse to decline. Birthday girl thankfully doth not protest.

I meander quickly through the market and notice how many of the items we just ate in the cafeteria are now for sale in frozen form. I have to say they do such a poor job of

preparing them for you here that I’m amazed anyone’s loading anything up to go — like “Here, have these plant-based meatballs that you didn’t enjoy the first time.” It’s like asking a total zero on a second date. Why would you?

A chef friend later tells me that he went to an IKEA in Sweden and it was actually good and that he believes what we’re getting has been botched in translation ostensibly on the prep side. I’m left thinking of my food experience as akin to visiting a hospital cafeteria, and I wonder with such a limited menu why it can’t be executed at a higher level.

Then again, I don’t expect my mechanic to clean my teeth or my dentist to change my oil, reflexively, so why should I expect a home furnishings store to feed me well? The whole exchange seems counterintuitive. Like, don’t go to IKEA specifically to eat, even if it is kinda affordable, with the entrées mostly under $10. Go to shop if you really need something, and if you move quick enough you can escape back into the world for dinner. At least, that’s me. You might feel differently. You might even think I should have told the birthday girl to kick rocks to begin with and kept my chastity belt ever laced tight, nary tainted by mushy foreign orbs and sauces.

It’s too late for that now, though. I’ve seen too much. And it was a lot. And it didn’t leave a great taste in my mouth.

Deliver me from Swedish furniture, and the meatballs it rolled in on.

Hauling an unnecessary bounty.

FROM SERVICEMEMBER TO CYBERSECURITY EXPERT LAGARIAN S., CLASS OF ‘14 & ‘19

National University’s flexible online options and convenient course formats enable you to fit education around your military service.

• 190+ career-focused programs • Dedicated military support team • 4- and 8-week courses available

NU.edu/military FEATURE | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY

11

PLAYING AROUND SHOW PREVIEW

GUTTERMOUTH - JAN 25 (ON SALE NOW) Thu, Oct. 26 - 7:00pm

Fri, Oct. 27 - 8:00pm, Ages 18+

POP PUNK NITE: THE HALLOWEEN PARTY! BY: VAN FULL OF NUNS Sat, Oct. 28 - 6:00pm

FIGHTING THE PHOENIX SAINTS OF NEVER AFTER, ATLAS//BELOW, BLOODMOON SACRIFICE, CHRONIC SLAUGHTER Tue, Oct. 31 - 7:00pm

HIGH ON FIRE PALLBEARER, CLARION VOID Thu, Nov. 2 - 7:00pm

STRUNG SHORT EUPHORIA, BROTHER NASTY Fri, Nov. 3 - 7:00

JOE HERTLER & THE RAINBOW SEEKERS GRAHAM GOOD & THE PAINTERS, MOON VEIL Sat, Nov. 4 - 8:00pm, Ages 21+

GIMME GIMME DISCO A DANCE PARTY INSPIRED BY ABBA Mon, Nov. 6 - 7:00pm

LUCKY

BY CHOICE LATE NIGHT SAVIOR,

Weald & Woe

LONGPASSAFIRE, BEACH DUB ALLSTARS MINDSTATE

WEALD & WOE @ Vultures

L

IKE CORPSE-PAINTED BARbies, black metal bands come with a variety of accessories, both musical and visual.

Take, for example, Weald & Woe, a Boisebased outfit that started out five years ago as bandleader Artos’ solo project and has since taken on a life of its own.

Visually speaking, the band isn’t all that original. In promo photos, they sport basic-black cowls and shiny swords, an image they may or may not want people to take seriously. The same can be said for their Bandcamp page, which includes

the slogan “swords not optional” and invites potential fans to “‘hear our tales of magic and might.”

But it’s on their albums, particularly the newly released For the Good of the Realm, that you’ll find Weald & Woe stepping away from Ragnarock stereotypes with a combination of surprisingly melodic songcraft, intricate guitar arrangements, and the dulcet tones of medieval-era musical instruments that collectively ward off the onset of sonic tedium.

In that sense, the group’s self-described

“trve castle rock” (their spelling, not ours) can be seen as part of a folk-metal diaspora that extends from the Irish band Cruachan’s Celtic metal to the Singapore band Rudra, whose mission is to find common ground between extreme metal and Indian classical music.

Of course, when it comes to bringing their music to the stage, all of the aforementioned bands share an innate ability to deliver the kind of headbanging excess that allows fans to get their fix of self-inflicted whiplash. So be careful out there. — Bill Forman

Weald & Woe, with Upon a Field’s Whisper and Victim of Fire, Thursday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m., Vultures, 2100 E. Platte Ave., $10, all-ages, vulturesrocks.com; listen at tinyurl.com/Weald-and-Woe.

ACACIA RIDGE, AUGHTER Sat, Nov. 11 - 7:00pm

OVIRA SIGHTLYNE, LAVA GATO, ARCTIC ORIGINS

Thu, Nov. 16 - 7:00pm

FRENSHIP TOWNIE Fri, Nov. 17 - 7:00pm BANDWAGON PRESENTS

KOLBY COOPER WITH SPECIAL GUESTS Sat, Nov. 18 - 6:00pm

ALESANA

LIMBS, VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE, ACROSS THE WHITE WATER TOWER Sun, Nov. 19 - 7:00pm

SLOTHRUST PRONOUN NOV 25 - MOUTH FOR WAR NOV 29 - FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, EXODUS NOV 30 - RENE VACA DEC 1 - THE EMO NIGHT TOUR DEC 2 - CRASH TEST DUMMIES DEC 7 - HAIL THE SUN

1-866-468-3399

12

WEDNESDAY 10/25 The Black Jacket Symphony: Eagles’ Hotel California; 8 p.m., Pikes Peak Center, pikespeakcenter.com.

Halloween Party with Harry Mo & The CRU, roots reggae; 6:30 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/events.

Locoween 2023 with Lucked Out (appearing as Hatebreed), with Series Break (appearing as Paramore), Summer Stars (performing emo hits), Civil Disobedience (appearing as Bolt Thrower), Liars Club (appearing as Green Day); 6 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Deirdre McCarthy Band, violinist/vocalist; 6:30 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/jackquinns.

Peak FreQuency: Soundmarks with pianist Kelly Zuercher; 7:30 p.m., Ent Center for the Arts, tickets.entcenterforthearts.org.

THURSDAY 10/26 Carlos Barata, Portuguese American singer-songwriter; 7 p.m., Axe and the Oak Distillery, facebook.com/imwithcarlos.

Long Beach Dub Allstars, dub/ska/reg-

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

gae rock, with Passafire, Mindstate; 6 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks. com.

Colin McAllister Trio, Latin jazz; 7:30 p.m., Summa, dizzycharlies.com.

Deirdre McCarthy & Friends, singersongwriter/fiddle/violin; 7 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com.

John McEuen & The Circle Band, founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; 7 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazerstheatre.com.

My Second Rodeo, originals/covers; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

Nerea the Fiddler, “crazy fiddle lady”; 7 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/jackquinns.

Weald & Woe, “the majesty of the medieval era with the ferocity of classic black metal,” with Upon a Field’s Whisper, Victim of Fire; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

FRIDAY 10/27 David Berkeley, singer-songwriter; 7 p.m., Black Forest Community Center, blackroseacoustic.org.

The Carpenter’s Daughter, multigenre mountain music; 7:30 p.m., Jack

Quinn’s, facebook.com/jackquinns.

Colorado Floyd, Pink Floyd jam band; 7 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazerstheatre.com.

Dalonius Funk, funk jam; 7 p.m., Summa, dizzycharlies.com.

Eternal Temples, reggae/rock/spacefunk/jam; 8 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com.

Halloween Battle of the Bands; 5-10 p.m., Crystola Road House, facebook. com/CrystolaColorado/events.

The Long Run, Eagles tribute; 7 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhallco.com.

Love Capone; 7 p.m., Analogue Books & Records, Pueblo, analoguepueblo. com.

MINKA, funk/synth, with Yan Yez; 7 p.m., Oskar Blues, coloradosprings.oskarbluesfooderies.com.

Missy & The Dirty Secrets, rock; 8 p.m., Buzzed Crow Bistro, buzzedcrowbistro. com.

Peculiar Pretzelmen, blues/folk/psych, with The Black Mariah Theater, Briffaut, GMAN; 7:30 p.m., What’s Left Records, facebook.com/whatsleftrec. mon cher, indiepop, with Major Grey, TSterling; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Pop Punk Nite: The Halloween Party,

PLAYING AROUND with Van Full of Nuns; 8 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Terrapin Flyer, Grateful Dead band; 8 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

SATURDAY 10/28 John Adams Band, John Denver tribute; 7 p.m., Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts, trilakesarts.org.

Barely Garcia, Garcia/Dead covers; 8 p.m., Mother Muff’s, mothermuffs.com/ calendar.

Brahms Requiem, Colorado Springs Chorale, with Chamber Orchestra of the Springs; 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, cschorale.org/brahmsrequiem.

Celebracion del Dia de Muertos, with Estephanyart, DJ Caribe; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Voces Unidas for Justice; tinyurl.com/ muertos-23.

Andy Clifton, singer-songwriter/guitar; 7 p.m., Abby’s Irish Pub, abbysirishpub. com.

Eternal Temples, reggae/rock/spacefunk/jam; 2-6 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com.

Jeremy Facknitz, singer-songwriter/ coffin race after party; 4 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

Fighting the Phoenix, metalcore, with Saints of Never After, Atlas//Below, Bloodmoon Sacrifice, Chronic Slaughter; 6 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Halloween Battle of the Bands; 5-10 p.m., Crystola Road House, facebook. com/CrystolaColorado/events.

Heady Halloween; 7 p.m., Sunshine Studios Live, sunshinestudioslive.com.

Brandon Henderson Band, acoustic/ alt-rock; 7:30 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/jackquinns.

BIG GIGS

shutterstock.com The Black Jacket Symphony, Broadmoor World Arena, Oct. 25 P!NK, Ball Arena, Denver, Oct. 25 Marc Rebillet, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Oct. 26 Long Beach Dub Allstars with Passafire, Black Sheep, Oct. 26 Static-X, Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, Oct. 26 Weald & Woe, Vultures, Oct. 26 Yes: The Classic Tales of Yes Tour, Paramount Theatre, Denver, Oct. 26 Raye, Gothic Theatre, Englewood, Oct. 27 Los Rakas, Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox, Denver, Oct. 27 Terrapin Flyer, Lulu’s, Manitou Springs, Oct. 27 Itchy-O’s HallowMass 2023, Mercury Cafe, Denver, Oct. 27-28 Vincent Neil Emerson, Globe Hall, Denver, Oct. 27-28 Fighting the Phoenix, Black Sheep, Oct. 28

Mija, Larimer Lounge, Denver, Oct. 28 Random Rab with Sugar Nova, Fox Theatre, Boulder, Oct. 28 The Motet, Boulder Theater, Boulder, Oct. 28 Rawayana, Bluebird Theater, Denver, Oct. 28 Tales of Us, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Oct. 28 Lil Yachty, Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, Oct. 29 Skillet and Theory of a Deadman, Broadmoor World Arena, Oct. 29 Teddy Swims, Mission Ballroom, Denver, Oct. 29 Allah-Las, Bluebird Theater, Denver, Oct. 30 Phillip Phillips, Gothic Theatre, Englewood, Oct. 30 Eddie Izzard, Paramount Theatre, Denver, Oct. 30-31 Protest the Hero, Bluebird Theater, Denver, Oct. 31 Continued at csindy.com

GET SOCIAL WITH THE

CSINDY.COM

SUNDAY 10/29

Upcoming music events

Multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello has two Colorado shows next week: Nov. 1 in Denver and Nov. 2 in Boulder.

Jaguar Stevens, garage rock; 9 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Knuckin’ Futz, rock covers/Halloween bash; 7 p.m., Buzzed Crow Bistro, buzzedcrowbistro.com.

Tony Luke, “guitarslinger”; 4-7 p.m., Colorado Mountain Distillers, Guffey, colomtndistillers.com.

Nothing But ’90s, Halloween bash; 7 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhallco. com.

Otis & the Apostles, country; 7:30 p.m., Back East Bar & Grill, Monument, backeastbarandgrill.com/monumentevents.

Pricelexs, rap; 7 p.m., Oskar Blues, coloradosprings.oskarbluesfooderies.com.

The River Arkansas, country/blues/ folk/Americana; 6 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Triple Nickel, country/Halloween party; 6 p.m., Whiskey Baron Dance Hall & Saloon, tinyurl.com/whisk-dh.

Kody West, singer-songwriter; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Zepparella, women-powered Led Zeppelin tribute; 7 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazerstheatre.com.

Genitorturers, industrial metal, with Nth Degree, Kobra Thighs, Witchhands, Psilo.x.Pulse; 6 p.m., Sunshine Studios Live, sunshinestudioslive.com.

Halloween Battle of the Bands, final day; 5-10 p.m., Crystola Road House, f a c e b o o k . c o m /Cr y s to l a C o l o r a d o / events.

Harp Twins Rockin’ Halloween, twin harpists; 6 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazerstheatre.com.

Johnny Johnston Blues; 1-4 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch. com.

Abigail Lapell, singer-songrwriter; 7 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Rubberneck, Toadies tribute, with inTheTeeTh, Florissant; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Skillet & Theory of a Deadman, Christian hard rock, with Saint Asonia; 8 a.m., Broadmoor World Arena, broadmoorworldarena.com.

Traditional Irish music; 3 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/jackquinns.

MONDAY 10/30

10th ANNUAL CREEK WEEK CLEANUP RESULTS

Thank you to all of the citizens and sponsors who made it happen!

Over in 85 85 Over 2000 volunteers in differentsites sitesremoved removed13.5 25 tons different tons of Fountain Creek Creek of litter litter from the Fountain Watershed Creek Week Week Watershed during Creek this doing your your this year. year. Please keep doing part trails, part to to keep our parks, trails, and waterways and waterwayslitter-free litter-freeall allyear yearround! round!

THANK YOU TO THE 2023 CREEK WEEK SPONSORS! PREMIER SPONSORS $5000

CREEK SUSTAINERS $2000+ X 3 YEARS

Steve Langemo, guitar; 5:30 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch. com.

TUESDAY 10/31 High on Fire, metal, with Pallbearer, Clarion Void; 7 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

WEDNESDAY 11/1 Aaron Lewis, country; 7 p.m., Pikes Peak Center, pikespeakcenter.com.

Deirdre McCarthy & Friends, singersongwriter/fiddle player; 6:30 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/ events.

CREEK CHAMPIONS $2000+ DEBRIS DEMOLISHER $1000-1999

RUBBISH REMOVERS $500-999

WASTE WRANGLERS $1-499

THURSDAY 11/2 Noche de los Muertos, “explosion of music, dance, and remembrance”; 7 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Strung Short, pop-punk, with Euphoria, Brother Nasty; 7 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Visit www.fountain-crk.org to learn more about your home watershed.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY

13

Appetizers PAID ADVERTISEMENT | TO PLACE YOUR ENTRY CALL 719-577-4545

AMERICAN TONY’S

326 N. TEJON ST. | 719-228-6566 | TONYSDOWNTOWNBAR.COM OVER A QUINTILLION SERVED

SERVING COLORADO SPRINGS SINCE

THE TURN OF THE CENTURY

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!

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MATTHEW SCHNIPER

ASIAN FUJIYAMA

22 S. TEJON ST. | 719-630-1167 COLORADO’S FINEST JAPANESE CUISINE & SUSHI BAR

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.

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.

PAID ADVERTISEMENT • 719.577.4545

Dave’s Hot Chicken: From a Hollywood parking lot to your Colorado tummy.

SHOP, DINE, READ, LOCAL Nonprofit publication of Citizen-Powered Media

csindy.com

14

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

DO FEAR THE REAPER

C

OLORADO SPRINGS NOW HAS A DAVE’S HOT CHICKEN (1286 Interquest Parkway, daveshotchicken.com). I’m told it’s the 158th location for the franchise, which is wild given it wasn’t even a thing until mid-2017.

There’s a backstory on that I won’t detail here, but just know that it supposedly started with $900 and folding tables and a fryer in an East Hollywood parking lot.

Obviously, the company’s game is hot chicken, à la Nashville hot chicken but with their own proprietary spin and spice blend. Chicken items come in seven variations ranging from “no spice” and “light mild” to “extra hot” and “Reaper.”

The menu’s astonishingly simple, with chicken tender options #1 to #4 and some sides (fries, kale and cabbage slaw, mac n’ cheese), fountain drinks, a few milkshake flavors with either Oreo or M&Ms topping. That’s it. When you see the word “slider” it means a chicken tender across a potato bun (the size of an average hamburger) and when it says “tender” it places the chicken piece atop a generic piece of white bread (Texas barbecue style). Crinkle-cut fries are lightly dusted in the house spices and they go nicely with a tart Dave’s Sauce.

The chicken’s good, steamy-moist on the inside and not crunchy on the outside, just crisp and dry from the heavy seasoning dusting. At the lower heat levels, you can taste a nice earthy chile smolder and at the “hot” level I try (one below “extra hot”) that same spice amps up with the addition of something more potent and biting, somewhere in the heat-index realm of strong cayenne I’d say. But when I do the playfully silly thing and sign the waiver on the receipt (I’m given a copy too) to try the “Reaper” hot — well, that’s when shit gets 100 percent pain-train bananas across my tongue.

And sinuses. And eyes (’cuz I accidentally touch ’em). It’s funny (once) but in no way enjoyable and I don’t advise you do it unless you find daredevil food challenges very fulfilling or just good TikTok fodder.

Anyway, here’s a little more of what I learned about Dave’s and local franchisee Jay

• The corporate office sent a team of graffiti artists known as Splatter Haus out from California to paint up the C. Springs Dave’s interior and exterior; the job took four guys four days total. All the work is freehand and it looks pretty badass.

• The chicken is halal meat, sourced from Wayne Farms. Jay says the daily prep process is “heavy,” as everything’s made to order.

BLUE STAR ON THE HORIZON, GOLD STAR ACQUIRED

I Jay Hafemeister (left) and District Manager Todd Anerino

Hafemeister, who I first met more than a decade ago: • Hafemeister’s family has operated franchises in Colorado for 45 years. His father started with the Wienerschnitzel brand, then part of the Galardi Group that included Tastee-Freez and Original Hamburger Stand.

Next came Hardee’s and finally Carl’s Jr., which they’ve been with for the past 25 years; they own and operate all 12 locations in El Paso County.

• “The simple, small menu is exactly what we love about the brand,” he says.

F YOU’VE LIVED HERE A WHILE, YOU know how influential to the Springs food scene The Blue Star was — launched in 1995 at 1645 S. Tejon St., across from founder Joseph Coleman’s Ivywild School ventures that remain vibrant today.

The Blue Star’s been dormant since 2017 (and oncehoppin’ Nosh never returned either after shuttering that year) but the big news is that may not be the case for much longer. I ran into Coleman at the Dave’s Hot Chicken preview and stole a moment of his time to catch up on all the Blue Star Group haps that we could fit into a few minutes in the parking lot. We discussed some 30,000-foot-view topics about the industry (especially post-pandemic) and hard lessons learned by Coleman during his ambitious decades in the restaurant business.

I can say one-on-one (at least with me) he’s remarkably transparent about his moments of failure. But he’s quick to explain how he’s adapted since.

Anyway, here’s the bit you’re waiting for: Coleman confirmed that he’s looking at reopening The Blue Star sometime in 2024, in its old spot, when he finds more investors/funding. The update from lessons learned: He

only plans to open in around 2,500 square feet of the former 6,000-square-foot space so that his kitchen can have a singular focus (versus the old bar half and dining room half). He says he burned out too many chefs with weekly-changing menus that fell into inconsistency. This go-around — likely headed by former Blue Star Chef Will Merwin, who more recently launched Stellina for Coleman — “it will be the greatest hits,” says Coleman. It’s everything I’ve learned about the old Blue Star and why the new one will be better.”

And Blue Star Group made one more big announcement: They acquired the popular food truck Gold Star Pies, which will later this month become Gold Star Bakery inside Ivywild School. (My former colleague/ reviewer at the Indy called Gold Star Pies “a full body experience” in 2017.) Gold Star owner Heather Briggs and her sister (and baker) Tessa Flowers say they’ll remain actively involved in the business despite the sale to Blue Star Group.

“The brand got too big for the engine that was in it and Blue Star has a big engine,” says Briggs in a press release. “The Blue Star has a great, professional team and I feel good about their ability to take what we built and keep serving our community in a good way. ... It’s a win-win for everyone.”

The release goes on to say popular pie flavors will continue and even be “available to purchase with optional cocktail pairings at the neighboring bar, Principal’s Office, a collaboration Briggs dabbled with during COVID and is ‘excited to build up more.’” Also look for new cookies, brownies, gluten-sensitive options and more. An official grand opening is set for Nov. 1. continued on p. 16 ➔

Full-service catering of life’s special moments.

See our holiday menu at www.pbcatering.com

719.635.0200

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY

15

PAID ADVERTISEMENT • 719.577.4545

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!

YOUR RESTAURANT HERE Call your sales rep today to advertise your establishment.

PAID ADVERTISEMENT • 719.577.4545 16

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Gather’s Beef Carbonnade calls for PPB’s Golden Strong Ale. ➔ continued from p. 15

GOING FOR GOLD

W

HEN GATHER FOOD STUDIO’S CHEF DAVID COOK TOLD me he wanted to make a Beef Carbonnade for this month’s Schnip’s Pick collaboration with Ranch Food Direct and I saw that his recipe called for a can of Belgian beer, I reached out to my content partner Focus on the Beer to recall who locally is canning one. The answer: Pikes Peak Brewing Co. (pikespeakbrewing.com), with their Gold Belgian-style Golden Strong Ale. I phoned up PPB’s founder and Head Brewer Chris Wright to invite him to the collaboration. I’ve known him since 2010, when I interviewed him ahead of his 2011 opening in Monument. Since we hadn’t caught up in some time, I took the opportunity to touch base on what’s new: • Earlier this year, PPB started smoking meats on Fridays and Saturdays at their Monument taproom/brewpub. Chris’ wife Judi is the pitmaster, smoking on a Yoder setup with a blend of woods, depending on what’s cooking. Pulled pork sandwiches are a regular popular item and she does specials like bbq chicken and a smoked mac n’ cheese.

• Also earlier this year, Pikes Peak Brewing turned over operations of its satellite Lager House location Downtown to COATI’s operators. Wright says it was a business decision related to it underperforming for him. COATI does continue to feature PPB beers.

• In the face of ongoing post-pandemic concerns — including changing consumer habits, more competition, beer in grocery stores now, etc. — Wright has targeted wholesale growth by releasing three new brands this year. “It’s a lot of experimentation and we’re trying to innovate,” he says. So, joining the year-round lineup now are a blackberry vanilla sour; a tri-IPA mixed pack featuring the Elephant Rock American IPA, Ocean of Clouds hazy IPA and new Mountain Fog double hazy IPA; and finally the Gold Light, a lighter version of the Gold Belgian ale at only 5 percent ABV versus 8.7 percent.

• The history of the Gold: Wright says when he first opened in 2011 he did a market survey and noticed nobody around him was making a Belgian blond. It was a strong seller in the opening days when folks would ask for “the lightest beer. … They’d try it and love it. … People like the high ABV and light color and sweeter finish.” He started canning it in 2013. It remains his bestseller today, more than 20 percent above the Elephant Rock IPA, his No. 2 beer.

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.

NOVEMBER 2023

ELECTION H

H

H

H

H

H

™

H

H

H

H

H

CITIZENS PROJECT

H

H

H CANDIDATE SURVEY VOTER GUIDE

H

MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND

OTE!

This publication is a free, nonpartisan service provided by Citizens Project to encourage informed voting and voter turnout. The responses were not edited for grammar, punctuation, or spelling and were truncated if they exceeded the specified word count. Responses can also be viewed on our Website: CitizensProject.org. Candidates were asked a variety of questions. To view the full set of questions and answers for participating candidates and the full language and analysis for ballot initiatives visit CitizensProject.org

Election Day is Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Ballots are mailed to active registered voters beginning October 16.

October 30 is the last day citizens may register to vote or update their voter record at GoVoteColorado.gov. After October 30, citizens must register to vote or update their voter record and receive their ballot at a Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC). They may do both through Election Day November7. October 30 is the recommended last day to return your ballot by mail. Postmarks do not count. There are 24/7 secure ballot drop boxes throughout the county to return your ballot. November 7 – Election Day. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. Postmarks do not count.

“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”

For problems or questions call the County Clerk’s Office at (719) 575-VOTE (8683) or visit EPCvotes.com.

Track your ballot at: https://colorado.ballottrax.net/voter/ Just Vote Colorado Election Protection Hotline: 866-687-8683 — Español: 888-839-8682

Voter Registration Questions: To register or update your registration visit govotecolorado.com

– Franklin Delano Roosevelt

BALLOT ISSUES EXPLAINED H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H Proposition HH - Reduce Property Taxes and Retain State Revenue Shall the state reduce property taxes for homes and businesses, including expanding property tax relief for seniors, and backfill counties, water districts, fire districts, ambulance and hospital districts, and other local governments and fund school districts by using a portion of the state surplus up to the proposition HH cap as defined in this measure?

A “no” vote on Proposition HH maintains current law for property taxes, TABOR refunds, and state and local government revenue limits.

Proposition II - Retain Nicotine Tax Revenue in Excess of Blue Book Estimate

A “yes” vote on Proposition HH lowers property taxes owed, allows the state to keep additional money that would otherwise be refunded to taxpayers, temporarily changes how taxpayer TABOR refunds are distributed, and creates a new property tax limit for most local governments.

Without raising taxes, may the state retain and spend revenues from taxes on cigarettes, tobacco, and other nicotine products and maintain tax rates on cigarettes, tobacco, and other nicotine products and use these revenues to invest twenty-three million six hundred fifty thousand dollars to enhance the voluntary Colorado preschool program and make it widely available for free instead of reducing these tax rates and refunding revenues to cigarette wholesalers, tobacco product distribu-

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

tors, nicotine products distributors, and other taxpayers, for exceeding an estimate included in the ballot information booklet for proposition EE? A “yes” vote on Proposition II allows the state to keep and spend $23.65 million in tax revenue that has already been collected from the sale of cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products, including interest, and to maintain the current tax rates on cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products. The tax revenue will be spent on preschool programs.

A “no” vote on Proposition II means that $23.65 million will be refunded to wholesalers and distributors of cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products, and tax rates on cigarettes, tobacco products, and nicotine products will be reduced.

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

| Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY 17 Candidates were asked additional questions. Visit CitizensProject.org to read their responses to all of the questions.ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPAID INSERT • CITIZENS PROJECT

Additional questions that appear in the digital version available at

citizensproject.org

H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

Candidate answers are listed below by District, in the order that they were received. Responses were not edited for grammar, punctuation, or spelling and were truncated if they exceeded the specified word count. The information regarding candidates was provided by the candidate or their campaign.

H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

Why are you running for school board, and what makes you the best candidate? (100 Words) What are the most pressing challenges for your district this year, and how will you address them? (100 Words) How can school districts be more transparent regarding every dollar they spend outside of CORA requests? (150 Words) There are numerous examples of parents of students with IEPs receiving letters stating that schools can’t meet their needs. What can be done to support those students and parents? (150 Words) What role should charters play in public education? (100 Words) Considering the frequency of youth suicides, how can your district better meet students’ social/emotional needs? (150 Words) As the state deals with funding issues for education, what can be done to ensure all students have everything they need to succeed?

(150 Words) ** Several districts were also given a “district specific” question answered in the complete digital voter guide accessed at: citizensproject.org

™

218

CITIZENS PROJECT

QUESTIONS

H H H H H H H H H H

We are using these 2 questions for the print publication. The questions are 5 & 9 in the Full Digital Voter Guide:

5. How can the Board of Education help create an environment to recruit and retain teachers when so many are leaving the profession? (100 Words) 9. How should your district ensure a religiously and politically neutral learning environment that respects all students, parents, and employees? (150 Words)

DISTRICT 2

H

H

H

H

Corey Williams

District: Harrison District 2 Website: Education: Bachelor of Science in Accounting National American University, Rapid City Graduated: Sep 2020 Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Project Management National American University, Rapid City Graduated: Dec 2021 Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership National American University, Rapid City Expected Graduation: May 2026

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Pamela Robinson District: Harrison District 2 Website: Education:

5. Assessing why, finding the root cause to why teachers are not staying in the profession is the initial step. Identifying theses root causes will initiate the conversations needed to develop a plan to recruit and sustain high quality teachers.

5. Our district’s positive trajectory is evident in our higher retention rates, with former teachers returning after hearing about our improvements. These educators, who are committed to providing the best for our children, find an environment that supports their growth. The shift from a potentially toxic environment to a better one reflects our dedication to positive change. We’re proactive in supporting teachers’ professional development through improvement plans, recognizing that they are key to our students’ success. Our ongoing commitment to creating a nurturing educational atmosphere continues to yield positive results for both educators and students.

9. By following federal and state laws/policies that provide guidance in how to support and respect the diverse population we serve and who are employed by the district.

9. “The principle of separating church and state is essential, as it promotes an environment where the focus is firmly placed on the needs of our children and their education. As a person of faith and a dedicated researcher, my commitment lies in ensuring that the learning environment remains inclusive and supportive for all students.

5. By establishing and clearly communicating our district values, school boards can attract the teachers that align with the vision and culture of the district. Then by creating a supportive community of teachers and administrators I believe teacher retention can become more obtainable because it is an environment teachers are excited to work in.

Regardless of the religious beliefs of the parents or the challenges they may face at home, our primary concern should always be the well-being and educational development of our children. It’s crucial to recognize that children cannot effectively focus on learning if they are hungry when they arrive at school. Moreover, the learning environment must be a safe and nurturing space, providing a sanctuary from any difficulties they may encounter outside the classroom.”

Sherrea Elliot-Sterling

District: Harrison District 2 Website: sterling4studentsandteachers @gmail.com Education: Mass Communications B.A.

9. Respect isn’t a matter of agreement but is about considering the feelings, traditions and rights of others.

In education there will come a time where the topic of politics and religion may be discussed. However, in order to maintain a teaching environment that is neutral we must support our teachers as they instruct and educate students on topics without persuading them in any way.

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Candidates were asked additional questions. Visit CitizensProject.org to read their responses to all of the questions.

DISTRICT 3

H

H

H

David Boyd

District: Widefield District 3 Website: Education: Masters Degree / Public Administration 5. I believe it is each school district’s responsibility to recruit/retain. I have been a substitute teacher for the last two school years and continue to do so. I have seen some of the problems created by WSD 3 administrators. Teachers have lost authority in the class room..this needs to be addressed. WSD 3 needs to be competitive in pay to retain quality teachers and attract quality teachers from other school districts. One means of doing this is to award the same years of service a teacher may have at a different school and income.

9. I encourage all students to feel free to practice their religion or not. Politics has no place in telling our children what they should believe, or to require our children what to think and speak.

I believe in the American morals and values that this country was founded on. No child should be discriminated against and no child should be subject to immorality. I believe in parental rights and the right of the parent to take an active role in their child’s class room learning environment.

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Alvin Sexton

District: Widefield 3 Website: alvinsexton.com Education: Bachelor of Science of Political Science from the University of Houston- Victoria. Masters in public administration (Finishing) University of Colorado-Colorado Springs

5. We must stand on the side of truth and give the teachers confidence that the board is with them in a time when a lot of people are against them due to x reason. We must set the standard that we are here to support teachers and to give them all the resources they need within our budgetary constraints.

9. By teaching from an objective point of view in these subjects. We must not teach our children what to think, but how to think.

Teach them to think critically and form their own opinion based on the facts. The district should not favor any one religion or political party.

Mark Walker

District: Widefield District 3 Website: Education: B.A Social Studies Education, M.A. Sports Administration Principal Licensure Colorado 5. One is to help find housing for these teachers. We need to look at finding a way to help teachers live in our community. We also need to find a way to increase the pay they receive. They also make sure that the staff is supported in the classroom to feel free to teach their subject and all topics that may come up without fear of being told what they can say and can not say.

9. As a History teacher for 23 years, I believe it is important to give students as much information as possible so that they can form their own opinions and viewpoints on all topics. I believe that this comes down to teacher training. It is important as a teacher to be able to see both sides of any ideological topic and present both sides so the students can make their own educated decisions. I do not feel that any teacher should ever lead a kid to believe in what they believe in.

OTE!

Election Day is Tuesday, November 7, 2023 October 30 is the recommended last day to return your ballot by mail. Postmarks do not count.

H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H & ENTERTAINMENT | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY Candidates were asked additional questions. Visit CitizensProject.org to read their responses to all of theARTS questions.

193

DISTRICT 11 H

H

H

H

H

H

Thomas Carey

District: District 11 Website: ElectThomasCarey@gmail.com Education: PhD, Chemistry – University of Colorado Boulder

5. Job satisfaction is fundamentally tied to compensation, a good working environment, and a sense of purpose. As an instructor myself, I know that most teachers understand that they are making an immense difference in the lives of students. The district therefore needs to offer competitive compensation and a good working environment. A good wage and strong benefits package is self-explanatory, but I believe school administration should also ensure that teachers are supported in matters of enforcing discipline and have sufficient work time to grade and prep high quality lessons, and have their rights respected on the job.

9. I strongly agree with the premise of this question that schools should strive to stay religiously and politically neutral. At the end of the day, ensuring neutrality is a matter of making sure the District has clear policy and guidelines to this effect and a superintendent that is both willing and able to enforce that policy.

District 11 Policy IB safeguards academic freedom for teachers within the constraints Board-approved Academic Standards, Policy IHAL guarantees neutrality in matters of religion, and Policy IMB handles how schools should teach controversial subjects.

Having clear policy is a good start, but the institution still needs a School Board and administration who will support and enforce such policies rather than undermining or ignoring them.

Jill Haffley

District: District 11 Website: www.ElectJillHaffley.com Education: BA: History, MA: Sport Administration, Teaching Licensure, Principal Licensure

5. The BOE can ensure that teachers have a seat at the table to advocate for their students’ futures, get the respect they’re due, and earn the pay and benefits that enable them to sustain long-lasting careers.

9. Ensuring a religiously and politically neutral learning environment requires the district have a mutually trusting relationship between the board, teachers, and the community.

The board and district must provide a strong, fact-based, and unbiased curriculum that teachers and parents can respect. In turn, teachers must faithfully teach the curriculum without their personal views. The school district must have policies that clearly spell this out. As in everything, communication and how policies are implemented in the classroom are crucial to their effectiveness.

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Jason Jorgenson

District: District 11 Website: jason4d11.org Education: MA in Curriculum & Instruction, BA double in Biology & Chemistry

5. The current superintendent and board are well on their way, starting with the “grow our own” program, adjusting our hiring timelines to start earlier than other districts in the region, and most recently going from worst to first in pay for early career staff salaries.

Moreover, as the board, we decided to have an affordable option for single benefit staff in the district health insurance, which makes D11 even more attractive to potential new staff while offering a better health insurance option to our current staff.

9. All curricula should be fact based and politically neutral. I was proud to propose and pass a resolution solidifying D11’s commitment to neutral classrooms earlier this year. As I speak with voters along the campaign trail, I see a lot of agreement that regardless of political views, people want schools to teach the fundamentals, and not impress their own ideologies. We can all agree that our district’s academic outcomes are not where we want them to be, and thus that will be my top priority as I stated earlier.

Parth Malpakem

District: 11 Website: ElectParth.com Education: Doctorate in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering 5. To help attract and retain teachers and support professionals, it is necessary to prioritize competitive compensation, effective professional development, and positive work culture. Serving on the Board, I championed historic pay raises and better health benefits for all our hard-working staff this past year. Certified teacher salaries now start at $50,000, an increase of over $8,000, resulting in one of the highest starting salaries in the Pikes Peak region. Two additional paid professional development days were also added to the calendar. I will continue to prioritize investing the district’s limited financial resources closest to students in the classrooms.

9. I am committed to promoting neutral and impartial classroom environments, free of radical and political ideologies. Curriculum must be age appropriate, rooted in facts, be unbiased, and teach students how to think and not what to think. The ultimate obligation school districts have to taxpayers is to ensure all students receive rich and rigorous educational experiences that prepares them for success after graduation. As such, my pledge is to partner with staff and parents to ensure every child is provided the opportunities and supports to be proficient in the fundamental core subjects.

Rachel Paul

District: District 11 Website: Education:

Jeremiah Johnson

District: District 11 Website: jeremiahjohnsonforboe.com Education: Computer Networking Security / Aerospace Propulsion

5. First we can ensure that our teachers have a safe learning and working environment.

Second we can address this with pay and benefits that compete with private sector jobs.

We need to collaborate with both young and experienced teachers to see what the best ways to improve are.

9. By openly embracing and welcoming all faiths, religions, and beliefs. You don’t remain neutral by banning religion or the lack of religion. You stay neutral by accepting all people, cultures, and their faith beliefs.

420

5. Contributing to a positive relationship with teachers is an important role of the school board.

Teachers want to be respected for their experience and their education.

The teachers in the district care so much about their students and want to impact them in positive ways. Teachers who feel valued stay with a district because they feel good about their work and their successes. Investing in educators is the most responsible and respected use of district funds. The school board can make fiscal decisions that are in the best interest of students and educators which will draw and keep quality educators.

9. All public schools should be religiously and politically neutral. This is just common sense.

Part of my motivation for running for this position is to keep neutrality in the forefront when making decisions. Charter schools that are politically based or have a religious charter should not be part of the public schools. Separation of church and state is a core value for this country and should be upheld within the public school system.

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Candidates were asked additional questions. Visit CitizensProject.org to read their responses to all of the questions.

DISTRICT 11 H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Shay Dabney

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Darlene Daniels

District: D11 Website: www.shayford11.com Education: B.S. Political Science/History

District: 11 Website: www.reelectdarleendaniels.com Education: BA from LSU

5. Currently our D11 leadership chooses to disparage both teachers and teaching itself by spreading the narrative that teachers are indoctrinating children.

5. The Board started this process last year when we approved the largest pay raise in the region. We must do more though. Teachers are the backbone of our community, and I think we can start supporting them when we pay them so they can live where they teach.

I also support Career and Technical Education programs to help us fill vacancies.

9. D11 should ensure a religiously and politically neutral learning environment by stressing how diversity of culture and thought benefits all involved parties.

9. District 11 is the most diverse school district in the region. We should support that diversity and make sure political and religious ideologies are not in play, starting from the school board itself. We have many forums where parents and community members can express their concerns, and I support those conversations happening in dedicated places.

Mary Coleman

District: 11 Website: Education: Harvard University, Public Education Leadership Program

Kate Singh 5. The board can start by treating all people - including teachers - with respect, dignity, and professionalism. Teachers should be involved at all tables where decisions are being made for them and for students, and should be treated as leaders. Dignity and respect look like appropriate pay, access to resources that support classrooms without teachers supplementing the budget with their own money, and leadership inclusion. No teacher should ever be in a position where they need legal representation for the district to honor their commitments.

9. This should start with board directors. As adults, we must model the need for separation of church and state, and encourage a politically neutral learning environment. Boards are nonpartisan for a reason and should remain that way and behave that way. The board must rigorously assess changes to curriculum to ensure a neutral and respectful learning environment.

DISTRICT 12 H

H

H

H

H

H

District: D11 Website: KateSinghForSchoolBoard.com Education: BS, James Madison University

5. The board can open communications with teachers and parents, it can pay attention, and it can implement policies and actions that would support those audiences. It can also put value on the student voice. Create inclusion and welcome people.

9. D11 should ensure religious and politically neutral learning by enforcing such a policy among its staff - and the BOE. The current BOE has introduced politics and religion in district conversation more than any other entity and it is unacceptable. The board should lead by example.

H

Besty Kleiner

District: 12 Website: electbetsykleiner.com Education:

Cheyenne Mountain High School graduated 1989, Washington and Lee University graduated 1993, Medical College of Virginia Medical Degree 2002, Masters in public health graduated 2008, Medical College of Virginia Internal Medicine Residency graduated 2005,Medical College of Virginia Chief Medical Resident 2005-2006, Medical College of Virginia Fellow in Infectious Disease graduated 2008 5. Teachers want to be appreciated for the invaluable impact they have on our children and our communities. A school culture that supports teachers academically, emotionally, and financially fosters teacher retention and job satisfaction. If a school creates an environment that retains teachers, it also facilitates recruitment. Offering competitive wages and benefits is essential to retain and attract superior teachers.

9. Religious neutrality is the law, and we cannot choose which laws we follow and which ones we do not. Politically, our schools are our community and should reflect that. We must be committed to ensuring that everyone in our community has a voice and can thrive in a supportive and inclusive environment that fosters academic and personal growth. As our world becomes smaller through information sharing and connectivity, we must embrace diversity both at home and in the classroom.

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Michael Grage

District: 12 Website: n/a Education: B.S., Economics, Texas A&M (1986) M.A., Dallas Theological Seminary (1988) Doctoral Studies (DNF), CU Boulder, Texas A&M University 5. Teaching as a profession has historically been low-paid, and under-valued in our country.

Our school district must continue to seek the best and brightest while marketing some of the non-compensation benefits to teaching in a high performing, safe school district with few severe discipline problems. We must invest in training teachers in mindfulness practices to help them manage stress, and we must continue the long- standing tradition of excellence in the district which allows teachers great autonomy in accessing and teaching mandatory curriculum. Treating teachers as professionals goes a long way toward retaining them.

9. As a long-time teacher in this district, I think we do an excellent job of remaining politically and religiously neutral–and I taught government and politics! Secular public schools must be ever on the alert for the incursion of any particular religion into the curriculum. We must not teach non-scientific models of creation, nor should students receive sex education that favors one particular religious ideology. Politically, we must continue to require mandatory civics courses, civil discourse, and we must emphasize critical listening before speaking critically.

& ENTERTAINMENT | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY Candidates were asked additional questions. Visit CitizensProject.org to read their responses to all of theARTS questions.

215

DISTRICT 14 H

H

H

H

H

Jill Bishop

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

5. Although compensation is a large conversation, I believe teachers need to be treated like professionals. The School Board needs to be visible, accessible and engaged in conversations that impact them in the schools. It is important to select great teachers, provide them the curriculum, the expectations and then allow them to teach. Provide them ongoing coaching and mentoring to support them as they move forward in their careers. Although everyone talks about teachers, it is important not to forget the staff and admin that supports the teachers. Without them, the schools could not function either.

9. Public education in it’s nature for everyone and no belief system should be highlighted over another. It should be devoid of bias and considerate of every student’s religious beliefs, cultural upbringing or their family dynamics.

Connie Brachtenbach District: Manitou District 14 Website: Education: BA in Sociology

9. The separation of church and state is outlined in the establishment clause of the First Amendment in our Constitution. Public schools are an entity of the state; therefore, we must remain religiously neutral. Education should be driven by research and the needs of children not politics. Politics, especially of late, often polarizes people. The education of our students is far too important to allow polarization to get involved. It is my role as an educator to foster critical thinkers who act with kindness and respect. Respect is at the heart of all high functioning relationships. Respect is imperative for all people in all situations. While we may occasionally disagree with one another, holding ourselves to a high standard of respect will benefit us all, most importantly our children. While words can be powerful, let us not forget the importance of listening.

5. Offering competitive salaries and benefits is crucial to attracting and retainingteachers. School districts must also be committed to providing professional development opportunities, mentorship programs, and other supports thatenhance job satisfaction and retention for teachers. Creating a positive and inclusive culture, where teachers feel valued will boost morale. Involving teachers in decision-making processes contributes to a sense of ownership and commitment to a shared vision for the district.

Working to create conditions that ensure teachers can focus on teaching and working with students is ultimately the environment that is most inviting to them in sharing their passion for learning.

9. Schools must establish and communicate policies that promote religious and political neutrality within the academic environment, while supportingcurriculum that is inclusive and respectful of various cultures, religions, and political beliefs. Educating students about diverse faiths and ideologies in anunbiased manner, fosters understanding and tolerance. Training to teachers and staff about religious and political diversity, bias awareness, and inclusion equipthem to facilitate discussions about these topics in a neutral manner. Respectingthe rights of students and staff to express or refrain from discussion ensuresthere is no pressure to participate. Encouraging diversity in educational materials supports the idea that a variety of perspectives are valuable to learning. Making certain that parents are aware of school policies, and encouraging them to communicate with teachers/ administrators about concerns, provides opportunities to increase awareness. Monitoring and addressing bullying is essential to providing a safe learning environment for all students.

H

H

H

Heather Cloninger

District: District 20 Website: heatherforasd20.com Education: some college 5. Again, we need to pay our teachers competitive wages. We need to quit letting people demonize their profession and allow them to be the professionals they are. Teachers are burnt out and I believe we need to offer them better support systems. ASD20 has made strides trying to lower insurance costs. This year, in addition to the insurance we currently offer, we have created opportunities for even more healthcare options.

9. Our schools should be places of learning and safety. It is important to me, as a board member and a mother, to have our schools provide quality education. We need to recognize we are part of a global community and ensure that we are mindful of the needs of everyone. We have policies in place to help create safe, educational opportunities for all students. We need to return to a culture of more civility, where differences are accepted and celebrated.

622

H

District: Manitou Springs School District 14 Education: BA from Colorado College

5. As a district we need to recognize the importance of leadership. Strong leadership builds a positive school culture through a deep understanding of the students, staff, and community at large. Culture impacts staff and students alike. High quality administration at all levels is imperative, this is the responsibility of the school board. If building relationships and providing opportunities for students is important, then certainly the same needs to apply to our staff. From a broader perspective, low teacher pay must be addressed at the state and federal levels through fiscal responsibility and prioritizing the education of our youth.

H

H

Magdalena (Maggie) Santos

District: Manitou Springs District 14 Website: Bishopforboard.org ducation: BA Behavioral Science

DISTRICT 20 H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Will Temby

District: Academy District 20 Website: willtembyford20.com Education: Retired (Was Managing Partner/Owner of a staffing firm for 12 years which was sold in 2022). Former President and CEO of Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce

5. As stated above, we need to make sure our teachers feel a genuine sense of belonging and to compensate them for their valuable work. We also must reject blanket narratives being applied to every teacher such as they are indoctrinating kids, bringing “wokism” into classrooms, “teaching” Critical Race Theory, parents have no rights, etc. I was an involved parent in the district for 25 years, andappreciate the excellence that resides in the population of our licensed and classified staff members. Are there opportunities and challenges? Always. Individual concerns that parents may have should be addressed individually.

9. For over 60 years, D20’s board of education was able to maintain a nonpartisan environment and respected the Separation of Church and State. Over the past 2-3 years, parent voices have become louder about myriad issues—some very founded and some unfounded. For the past four years, I have governed to my oath to serve all students and their families. I respect all viewpoints, but it is essential that the board of education genuinely values all perspectives. Unfortunately, there are groups across the political, religious and ideological spectrum that won’t be happy unless their viewpoint wins. This should be of deep concern to every stakeholder in the district. The challenge is formidable. The electorate must vote for the candidates who will best represent the current and future best interests of D20.

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Candidates were asked additional questions. Visit CitizensProject.org to read their responses to all of the questions.

DISTRICT 49 H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Marie La Vere-Wright

District: D49 Website: www.electmaried49.com Education: B.S. Physics, MA Genetics Occupation: STEM educator

5. Pay is one part of the solution; teaching pays less than careers requiring similar education levels. We must cease demonizing those who serve our children, and instead demonstrate respect for the profession. That starts with how the Board talks about the profession. We need to ASK them, what they need, and LISTEN when they answer, investing in training and resources they identify. Paying a living wage, engaging the community to provide the respect and support they deserve, and ensuring they have the resources they need to do the job well will go a long way to retaining excellent teachers.

9. We need to honor the “Big Rocks” and Cultural Compass our community worked together to create while I was on the board. To “Value all people”, we need to respect that our students, parents, and employees come from a variety of religious backgrounds, and represent the full political spectrum. Teaching our children to respect differences in belief and perspective in their peers is an important life skill, and needs to be modeled by adults, who should be neutral in their own approach. Trust, respect, care, and accountability are all values represented in our cultural compass, and when we hold ourselves to that compass as a Board and model that behavior, we can also expect that behavior in our employees who then model it for our students, who learn from our example far more than from our words.

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

Ralene Revord

District: D49 DD3 Website: www.raleneford49.com Education:

5. Our teachers spend a lot of time with our students and have a job that extends beyond school hours. We need to be able to recruit and retain high quality and high performing teachers by reflecting this in their pay as well as making sure they are provided the necessary tools in the classroom to meet academic performance standards with their students. Teachers also need to know they will be heard, supported, and safe in their classrooms and schools.

9. Every child deserves an excellent education. It is not the place of the school to push any sort of narrative or ideology in the classroom. Parents and families need to know their values will be respected and that they have complete transparency of what their child is learning.

Mike Heil

District: D49 – Director District 5 Website: mhforD49@yahoo.com Education: some college 5. Teacher pay is the first key. Next is restoring a culture that begins from a position of mutual trust. People thrive in environments where they are empowered to lead in their roles, are treated as valued experts in their fields of study and experience, are provided opportunities for growth and development, and where assistance is offered instead of rebuke.

This is a professional field and it is not new, there are already sufficient standards and processes to hold teachers accountable for misconduct.

9. An education is politically and religiously neutral when it is rooted in demonstrated fact, the curriculum is complete and inclusive, when the classroom allows for expression and discussion of such positions without specifically endorsing any, and when those class discussions are permitted to receive input from multiple perspectives, with the teacher playing devil’s advocate if significant alternatives are not already represented by the student body.

Additional questions that appear in the digital version available at citizensproject.org

We ensure it by enshrining it into our policies and practices, and exercising oversight of our non-operated charters to ensure they do so as well.

Candace Lehmann

District: District 49 DD2 Website: candaceford49.com Education: B.S. Biochemistry University of Georgia, Masters Science Technology and Leadership Webster University 5. Passing the MLO (ballot measure 4C) giving teachers a 7% raise should allow us to hold onto our teachers.

Communication is key for retention. We need to listen to teachers and support staff. The teacher who has been on their feet for 12 hours and the custodian who sees everything can offer more suggestions than a department head. We need to get creative as the days of just presenting a gift card to the teachers are over. Also District 49’s Voice of the Workforce survey which has a 92% completion rate can help us identify issues before they become problems.

9. This is a very divisive issue as everyone wants their interests represented. To respect everybody’s needs, schools have to be institutes of secular learning- educating to state and federal standards and no less. Pushing personal religious or political beliefs has no place in public education. When I am elected, it will be my mission to ensure my decision-making aligns with D49’s Cultural Compass to best serve all students, families, staff, and teachers of D49.

™

CITIZENS PROJECT

& ENTERTAINMENT | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY Candidates were asked additional questions. Visit CitizensProject.org to read their responses to all of theARTS questions.

237

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS IN THE COMMUNITY ™

CITIZENS PROJECT

Citizens Project is a fearless, bold advocate and an engaging voice that empowers and challenges our entire community to embrace equity, inclusion, and justice.

inform. inspire. engage.

OUR GOALS.

Citizens Project works to educate and empower people in the Pikes Peak region to embrace all members of our community, regardless of race, economic status, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, or physical or mental ability. Through our outreach, we seek to promote equity in our public spaces and challenge community members to uphold this value.

CITIZENS PROJECT PROMOTES ACTIVE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

A vibrant democracy requires that voters be informed, have access to elected leaders, and participate in shaping public policy.

Citizens Project ensures protection of our local democracy through protecting the right to vote, hosting educational forums, publishing voter guides, and working collaboratively with the community to promote equitable and just public policy.

We envision a Pikes Peak community that is a vibrant democracy in which individual rights are protected, differences are respected, and people fully participate in civic and community life.

OUR PROMISE.

Citizens Project promises to create a culture where we advocate for the equitable policies that benefit the entire community specifically the underrepresented. We will, as we have done historically, create inclusion by intentionally reaching and inviting marginalized communities to a collective table.

STAFF Executive Director Mike Williams

Programs and Operations Manager Shay Dabney

Development Manager Chris Davis

Communications Manager Lori Macmath

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Patience Kabwasa – Board Chair

Dr. Kim Dulaney – Secretary

Schuyler Foerster – Former Chair

Courtney Sutton – Board Member

Brenda Bartels – Board Member

Kevin Replinger – Vice Chair

Evangaline Rivera – Treasurer

Dr. Christina Leza – Board Member

Kim Buckiewicz – Board Member

E.J. Mason – Board Member

P.O. Box 2085 • Colorado Springs, CO 80901 • (719) 520-9899 • CitizensProject.org • info@CitizensProject.org 824

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Candidates were asked additional questions. Visit CitizensProject.org to read their responses to all of the questions.

ART EVENTS This year’s Arts Month is in its final week, but there’s still plenty of time to try something new. Go to artsoctober.com/events to see what’s happening, and be sure to enter this year’s sweepstakes to win the “ultimate Arts prize package,” tinyurl.com/ Arts-sweep.

Your guide to events in the Pikes Peak region

HALLOWEEN WEEKEND

stock.adobe.com

CALENDAR

ART EXHIBITS 45º Gallery, 2528 W. Colorado Ave., Suite B, 719-434-1214, 45degreegallery.com.

Acrylic paintings by Carlos Salazar Arenas and hand-blown glass by Danielle Park.

Academy Art & Frame Company, 7560 N. Academy Blvd., 719-265-6694, academyframesco.com. East and West: Classic and New Perspectives, works by faculty and students at Sheppard Arts Institute. Open through Oct. 30.

Anita Marie Fine Art, 109 S. Corona St., 719-493-5623, anitamariefineart.com. Storied Places, oil paintings that share the intimate emotional relationship between artist and place. Works by Chuck Mardosz, Richard Dahlquist and Joanne Lavender.

Paintings on display refreshed regularly through Nov. 9.

The Bridge Gallery, 218 W. Colorado Ave., #104, 719-629-7055, thebridgeartgallery.com. Liz McCombs’ Desert Dreams “highlights the remarkable resilience and tenacity of life in arid landscapes.”

Through Oct. 28.

Bosky Studio, 17B E. Bijou St., boskystudio.com. The Jane Doe Project: Studies and Sketches by Lindsay Hand, whose “deeply researched work — focused on power structures and the human spiritual experience — is frequently presented in partnership with institutes and entities outside of the traditional gallery experience.” Through Nov. 17.

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, 30 W. Dale St., 719-6345581, fac.coloradocollege.edu. Mi Gente: Manifestations of Community in the Southwest, with works from the FAC collection; through Feb. 3. FAC museum free days: Nov. 11 and 17.

Commonwheel Artists Co-op, 102 Cañon Ave., Manitou Springs, 719-685-1008, commonwheel.com. From Earth to the Sky, with three artists — painters Jean Pierre DeBernay and Hedy DuCharme and photographer Steve Shugart — sharing their personal interpretations of Colorado. Through Oct. 30.

Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 E. Colorado Ave., 719-520-1899, cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com. Ghosts (And Other Manifestations of Grief) by Aaron Graves — “...Ghosts are an absence and a void that isn’t easy to fill, or even come to terms with. But recognition of them can be key in understanding how humans grieve and how we can begin to go through that process….” Through Oct. 28. Art on the Mesa, works by Lauren Lang, live music and nibbles. Thursday, Oct 26., 5-7 p.m.; Gold Hill

The Pikes Peak region is up to its creepy bloodshot eyeballs with Halloween events and we’ve only hit some of the high points here. See p. 6-7 for celebrations of the musical kind, and check out tinyurl.com/Hallow-2023 for still more ways to enjoy All Hallows’ Eve.

alien monster-invaded building, where every corner holds a new surprise and every moment leaves you breathless.”

Saturday, Oct. 28, 6 p.m. to midnight; for “freaky, funny, and weird fanatics” (ages 18-plus); Colorado Springs City Auditorium, 221 E. Kiowa St.; tinyurl.com/AudBall-23.

Wrong Turn Haunted Maze, “10,000 square feet of frights and sights” starting at COATI’s rooftop bar and “descending down into our Haunted Warehouses across the alley. Brace yourself for an experience that will haunt your dreams and quicken your heartbeat.” Through Nov. 4, see coatiuprise. com/hauntedmazetickets for times; COATI, 514 S. Tejon St.

The Fear Complex, with four haunted adventures — Haunted Mines, 3D Carnevil, Sinister Manor and Sanitarium. Through Nov. 4; 2220 E. Bijou St.; thefearcomplex.org.

Hocus Pocus, chill out with a goat while you watch this Halloween classic. Saturday, Oct. 28, 6-10 p.m.; Goat Patch Brewing Co., 2727 N. Cascade Ave.; tinyurl.com/goat-n-flick.

Heady Halloween, costume contest, live music, prizes, food trucks, carnival games. Saturday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m. to midnight; Sunshine Studios Live, 3970 Clear View Frontage Road, Fountain; sunshinestudioslive.com.

Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival, a Manitou Halloween tradition, with a parade, the races, vendors and an after party at Soda Springs Park with live music. Saturday, Oct. 28, see full schedule at manitousprings.org/emma-crawfordcoffin-races; in the 900 block of Manitou Ave. and the park, 1016 Manitou Ave. Coroner’s Aud Ball Halloween Party, with El Paso County Coroner Leon Kelly. “Immerse yourself in the decaying and

Mesa Community Center, cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com/art-on-the-mesa.

Disruptor Gallery, 2217 E. Platte Ave., shutterandstrum.org. Not One or the Other by Maria Fetterhoff, who works mostly in acrylics and whose work is filtered through her Mexican heritage.

G44 Gallery, 121 E. Boulder St., 720-9510573, g44gallery.com. Lori DiPasquale’s You Are the Sky — “Our experiences, emotions, and external situations are like passing weather patterns. They may bring turbulence or tranquility, joy or sorrow, uncertainty and challenges.” Marisa S White’s Above/Below — “Each organism, no matter how small or insignificant, plays a vital role in maintaining the bal-

The Rocky Horror Picture Show shadowcast, “The original 1975 Cult Classic is back with live shadowcast, audience participation, sets, and more raunchy call-backs than ever!” Oct. 28-31, doors at 7 p.m.; Lulu’s Downstairs, 107 Manitou Ave.; tinyurl.com/Rocky-23.

Haunted Lantern Tour: Journey into Fear Director’s Cut, “wind your way deep inside Cave of the Winds and hear spine-chilling ghost stories.” Saturdays-Sundays through Oct. 31; Cave of the Winds Mountain Park, 100 Cave of the Winds Road, Manitou Springs; caveofthewinds.com.

HellScream Haunted House, delivering “heart-pounding moments of horror.” Sept. 22-Oct. 31, see hellscreamhaunt. com for more info and tickets; 3021 N. Hancock Ave. Ghost Stories of Old Manitou, walking tours by THEATREdART “tell the stories of real people from Manitou Springs’ history.” Through Oct. 27; tickets and more info at tinyurl.com/ Ghosts-Manitou.

ance of ecosystems. ... I explore these patterns and connections in an attempt to gain a deeper understanding of the world around us and our place within it.”

Gallery 113, 125½ N. Tejon St., 719-6345299, gallery113cos.com. Paintings by Gayle Gross and Karen Standridge inspired by the changing seasons and the shifting mountain light of October.

GOCA (Galleries of Contemporary Art, UCCS), Marie Walsh Sharpe Gallery, Ent Center for the Arts, 5225 N. Nevada Ave., gocadigital.org. Martha Russo’s Caesura — “her sculptural investigations appear at once fragile and potentially dangerous, cautioning one away while hypnotically drawing one in — ever closer — for inti-

FOR FULL EVENT LISTINGS, AND TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN EVENTS, GO TO CSINDY.COM!

mate examination.” Through Dec. 2.

Hunter-Wolff Gallery, 2510 W. Colorado Ave., 719-520-9494, hunterwolffgallery. com. October’s featured artist: Ed McKay, who works in oils and acrylics — landscape, wildlife, still life.

Kreuser Gallery, 125 E. Boulder St., 719464-5880, kreusergallery.com. Photographer Matt Chmielarczyk’s PAIROSCOPES — During COVID, he says, “Pairoscopes are the things we often overlook. Things that exist in our world to amaze those who make the time to observe and absorb.” Also by Chmielarczyk — Dia de Muertos. Home, by Valerie Lloyd, “A halfempty mug, a curated shelf, a carefully

continued on p. 26 ➔

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY

25

CALENDAR

Día de Muertos

Celebration

DAY OF THE DEAD

Matt Chmielarczyk

Photographer Matt Chmielarczyk’s Dia de Muertos — “a visual journey through Oaxaca’s sacred conversation with death” is up through Friday at Kreuser Gallery.

Seventh Annual Celebracion del Dia de Muertos, with food and drink, local vendors, live music, “pan de muertos and champurrado for the first 100 visitors” and the altar dedication ceremony; Saturday, Oct. 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Voces Unidas for Justice, 2519 Airport Road; tinyurl.com/muertos-23.

Día de Muertos, “a celebration of life that demonstrates remembrance, love, and respect for those who have gone before us,” with a community ofrenda, live music and performances, an installation by Cal Duran, hands-on art activities, food and drink for sale. Wednesday-Thursday, Nov. 1-2, 4-8 p.m.; free (reservations are encouraged); Colorado Springs Fine Arts Museum, fac.coloradocollege.edu/events/dia-de-muertos-2023.

Noche de los Muertos 2023 — “Tradition and celebration collide in a vibrant explosion of music, dance, and remembrance.” Thursday, Nov. 2; 7 p.m.; all ages; Lulu’s Downstairs, 107 Manitou Ave.; lulusdownstairs.com.

➔ continued from p. 25 arranged vase of flowers, a forgotten pile of laundry, an unmade bed: all of these small moments are markers of the people who last interacted with them.” Through Oct. 27.

The Look Up Gallery, 11 E. Bijou St. (inside Yobel), thelookupgallery.com. An October Arts Month Collaboration with works by artists from the gallery’s first year of solo shows: Leila Davis, Jes Moran, Isaac “Focus” Cisneros, Rachel Espenlaub, Becca Day, Shannon Mello, Jon Francis, Nathan Travis, Nichole Montanez, Clay Ross, Rachel Dinda and Brian Tryon.

Nov. 1 & 2 | 4–8 p.m.

Join us for a special family-friendly community gathering with: · Live music and performances · Hands-on art activities · Community ofrenda and more!

FREE! Registration is encouraged. fac.coloradocollege.edu

Supported by The Anschitz Foundation, Bee Vradenburg Foundation, and Institute of Museum and Library Services

26

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Manitou Art Center, 513/515 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, 719-685-1861, manitouartcenter.org. Manitou: The Art of the Great Spirit, “art celebrating artists who work, create and Live in Manitou Springs.”

Through Oct. 28.

Platte Collections, 2331 E. Platte Place, 719-980-2715, plattecollections.myshopify.com. Featured artist Elizabeth Morisette “brings upcycled art with texture, imagination and a touch of nostalgia.”

Surface Gallery, 2752 W. Colorado Ave.,

719-359-6966, surfacegallerycos.com. The Space Between, a curated photography group exhibit. “Ten art photographers captured their own interpretations of this phrase” — Nate Cuccaro, Allison Daniel, Robert Gray, Abigail Kreuser, Heather Oelklaus, Karen Scheffe, Richard Seldomridge, Denny Welker, Nancy Welker and Marisa White. Through Oct. 27.

True North Art Gallery, 31 E. Bijou St., 719471-3809, truenorthartgallery.com. Lil’ Late Grand Opening Party — yeah, they’ve been open for a while, but they never got to celebrate properly. Wednesday, Oct. 25, 5-9 p.m.

UCCS Downtown, 102 S. Tejon St. #105-a.

An art show collaboration presented by UCCS Downtown, Pikes Peak Arts Council and Colorado Springs School District 11.

ZoneFIVE, 1902 E. Boulder St., zonefivecs. com. Daydreams and Night Lights, a juried photography exhibition presented

by Radiant Aberration and ZoneFIVE that “explores the creative imagination. What oddity or mirage do you picture during the day? Have you captured apparitions or things that go bump in the night?”

Through Nov. 30.

FOR FULL EVENT LISTINGS, AND TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN EVENTS, GO TO CSINDY.COM!

CALENDAR

Cat Evans

DANCE

(A)Way Out of My Body with David Dorfman Dance, an all-ages performance that “investigates the ‘out of body’ experience as a metaphor for our body politic.” Saturday, Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. Ent Center for the Arts, 5225 N. Nevada Ave.; tinyurl.com/EntDorfman.

DANCE Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Kyiv Grand Ballet, the prime dancers from the National Opera and Ballet of Ukraine — “takes the vibrant style of a Disney animated movie and sets it to the musical motifs of Polish composer Bogdan Pavlovsky.”

Tuesday, Nov. 7, 70 p.m.; Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave.; pikespeakcenter.com.

FILM SHIFT: The RAGBRAI Documentary, tells the story the annual bicycle ride across Iowa through the riders’ eyes; features Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort owner Torie Giffin and her son Daniel. Friday, Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m.; Buffalo Lodge, 2 El Paso Blvd., RSVP at bicycleresort.com.

Warren Miller’s All Time, 74 years of filmmaking reimagined — “how, where and with whom we’ve made ski and snowboard movies since Warren first picked up a camera in 1949.” Saturday, Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.; Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave.; pikespeakcenter.com.

KIDS & FAMILIES MilliBOO, a Halloween fest for the little ’uns with “the laugh out loud comedy of Magician Scott McCray and the fantastic sing-alongs of Mr. Eric West and his Music for Kids.” Two shows Saturday, Oct. 28, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Millibo Art Theatre, 1626 S. Tejon St.; themat.org.

Boo at the Zoo, family-friendly evening with treat stations, lighted pumpkin patch, haunted house, animal visits, spooky graveyard and pirate cove. Oct. 2729 and 31, 4-8:30 p.m.; Cheyenne Moun-

tain Zoo, 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road; cmzoo.org.

Miners’ Pumpkin Patch, with a hay maze, games, vintage apple press, hayrides, gold panning, food trucks. Saturday, Oct. 28, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Western Museum of Mining & Industry, 225 North Gate Blvd.; tinyurl.com/pumpkins-wmmi.

Venetucci Farm’s Pumpkin Fest, includes the pumpkin patch, hayrides, games and pick-your-own flowers. Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Oct. 29; craft fair and farm animal visits Saturday and Sunday.

Balloonacy, “a red balloon drifts through the window of a solitary old man’s home.

But then some serious silliness begins....”

Oct. 28-Nov. 19; Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., fac.coloradocollege.edu.

POETRY & PROSE Poetry 719 Festival, through October: Colorado Springs Poetry Slam and Open Mic, Saturday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m.; Ultra Flat Black Gallery, 603 W. Colorado Ave.; Black Voices Matter Open Mic, Sunday, Oct. 29, 4 p.m.; Luxe Daiquiri Lounge, 2945 Galley Road. See full events list at tinyurl.com/ p719-festival23.

Dark Praise: Falling in Love with the Dark, performance/album release with poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and guitarist Steve Law: “Some growth and beauty is possible only in the dark.”

Thursday, Oct. 26., 5 p.m. True North Art Gallery, 31 E. Bijou St., 719-471-3809, truenorthartgallery.com.

“The Haunted” by Boogiavelli

ART EXHIBIT

Welcome to Your Nightmares, LightSpeed’s “gallery showing of the dark arts,” includes works by Nat Feather, Boogiavelli, Sherri Gibson, Lawson Barney, Daphna Wilker, Cat Everington, Jay Newskool, Sean Harvey, Noah Segura, Senor Trash and Valerie Bradley. LightSpeed Curations, 306 S. 25th St., 719-308-8389, lightspeedart.art.

NaNoWriMo 2023, National Novel Writing Month starts Nov. 1, when writers around the world hunker down to produce 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days. On Saturdays, 1-3 p.m., PPLD’s Rockrimmon branch will host national NaNoWriMo reps who will offer resources, strategies and encouragement. The kick-off party is Oct. 28, followed by sessions on Nov. 4, 11, 18 and 25; the Thank God It’s Over party is Dec. 2. 832 Village Center Drive; see nanowrimo.org, and follow ppld.org/programs for Rockrimmon for info on Saturday sessions.

by his ‘Number One fan,’ Annie Wilkes, and wakes up captive in her secluded home.” Through Oct. 29; Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St.; fac.coloradocollege.edu/theatre/#currentseason.

THEATER & STAGE

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, presented

by Funky Little Theater Co., tells Washington Irving’s classic tale of superstitious schoolmaster Ichabod Crane and his encounter with the Headless Horseman.

Through Oct. 28 at Westside Community Center, 1628 W. Bijou St.; and Nov. 3-4 at Ute Pass Cultural Center, 210 E. Midland Ave., Woodland Park; tickets, tinyurl.com/ Funky-Ichabod.

The Belle of Amhurst, a one-woman performance based on the life of poet Emily Dickinson, set between 1830 and 1886 at her home in Massachusetts. Nov. 3-12; Millibo Art Theatre, 1626 S. Tejon St.; see themat.org for times and tickets.

Misery, based on the Stephen King novel, “follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash

FOR FULL EVENT LISTINGS, AND TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN EVENTS, GO TO CSINDY.COM!

Gilgamesh, presented by Counterweight Theatre Lab — “King Gilgamesh discovers joy and loss which send him on a journey outside of the world itself to find the answer to the ultimate question: Why do we die?” Through Oct. 29; True North Gallery, 31 E. Bijou St.; tinyurl.com/counterweight-g.

Balloonacy (see Kids & Families).

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY

27

FAIR AND UNBALANCED

By Mike Littwin Courtesy The Colorado Sun

Wikimedia Commons, Gage Skidmore

THE GOP ‘CLOWN SHOW’ IN THE HOUSE

Colorado’s Ken Buck helped cause the trainwreck but couldn’t make himself vote for Jim Jordan.

I

N HIS OVAL OFFICE SPEECH Thursday night calling for emergency U.S. aid to both Ukraine and Israel, Joe Biden said American democracy remained “a beacon to the world.”

It’s a nice thought, one often expressed by politicians of all varieties, but one that may not be quite as persuasive as it has in the past.

To see the problem, all you have to do is look at today’s U.S. House of Representatives, where, it’s fair to say, the lights went out some time ago. And where, it’s also fair to say, the ruling House Republicans have no idea how to turn them back on.

It’s no wonder that Biden didn’t mention the House’s latest journey into the heart of darkness. It’s hard to reconcile that image — particularly with electiondenying bully boy Jim Jordan, who has 28

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | OPINION

voted against funding for Ukraine, as its centerpiece — with the democratic ideal.

You’ll remember that Jordan was, at the very least, a cheerleader for the Jan. 6 attempted coup — that dark stain on American democracy — and very possibly more involved than that. And yet, one of America’s two major political parties was a few votes away from electing Jordan speaker of the House, a job that would have put him second in line for the presidency.

What were they thinking?

This is a question that still needs answering, even as Republicans finally voted to dump Jordan as their nominee for speaker. As much as any single House member, Jordan embodies the far-right-wing obstruction and nihilism that has made House Republicans ungovernable for years now. And still,

around 90 percent of the GOP conference voted for him.

Democratic beacon? I’m thinking that even Bibi Netanyahu would have blanched at the thought of having to deal with Jordan.

But I guess Biden must have figured Jordan was on his way out when he sent his $105 billion request for emergency aid to a Congress that is not only dysfunctional — I mean, that’s basically normal — but at this point not functioning at all.

Since, as of this writing, the House has had no speaker for nearly three weeks, it can conduct no business, pass no bills, provide no funding, do nothing more than exchange assorted F-bombs in the GOP’s closed-door conference meetings.

As I write this on Friday, Jordan, who still wouldn’t say that Donald Trump lost to Biden in the 2020 election, had gone

down for the third time. The joke was that Jordan, who lost support with each vote, is so deep into election denial that he naturally assumed the count against him was rigged.

Since Jordan wouldn’t quit, the embarrassed House Republican conference had no choice but to dump him. The vote, it should be noted, was conducted by secret ballot, presumably so as not to force any of the more timid members to openly oppose Trump’s endorsed candidate.

IF YOU WERE INCLINED TO LOOK at this optimistically, you could point to the 20 or so House Republicans who consistently rejected Jordan’s Trumpapproved bullying tactics. Some have even suggested that Jordan’s failure indicates at least some small cracks in MAGA world.

Colorado’s Ken Buck, who voted all three times against Jordan, isn’t ready to go that far. Nor should he be. I mean, if you haven’t noticed, Trump is cruising toward a third consecutive Republican presidential nomination.

Like all House members who opposed Jordan, Buck was on the dark side of bullying efforts by Jordan supporters. As of Thursday, Buck said he had received four death threats and many thousand angry calls to his office, which is, sadly, of a piece with everything we’ve seen since Jan. 6.

I don’t know if Buck heard directly from Sean Hannity, who was leading the Fox News charge for Jordan. Or from the National Rifle Association, which was sending out warnings that a vote against Jordan would count on the dreaded NRA report card as a vote against guns. Yeah, you explain that one. Even the wife of at least one GOP congressman received threatening texts.

But Buck may have faced a unique brand of bullying. He said his landlord sent him a notice of eviction from his Colorado office because the owner was “mad with my voting record on the speaker issue.”

The Colorado Sun’s Unaffiliated newsletter reached developer Martin Lind, who was apparently the Windsor landlord in question and a major Republican contributor. His answer: “I don’t talk to the press.”

Buck, who has been seen of late talking on virtually every TV news show, surprised some people when he said he

wouldn’t vote for Jordan so long as he continued to say the 2020 election was rigged. In fairness, though, Buck does have some issues with his voting record.

As you’ll recall, Buck, a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, was one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the job in the first place. This is not to defend McCarthy — no, not at all — but it was hard to say exactly why Buck voted with Matt Gaetz and his fellow zealots.

Surely Buck, who said it had something to do with McCarthy’s reluctance to cut spending, had to foresee the chaos that would follow.

We know that people like Lauren Boebert went all-Beetlejuice at the idea, which has been discussed, that Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry would serve as temporary speaker so that the House could pass a spending bill needed to keep the government open and could address the Ukraine-Israel aid bill.

Boebert was among those who called the idea — which would almost certainly need Democratic votes to pull off — a “complete betrayal.” Of course, Boebert, who strongly supported Jordan and who opposes more aid to Ukraine, knows that for Democrats to sign on, they’d have to be guaranteed that Ukraine assistance would come to a vote on the House floor.

And so, at this point, House Republicans have left Washington and gone home. They planned to resume talks this week.

Meanwhile, it’s a clown show. It’s an embarrassment. It’s found money for any writer, just back from the long strike, in need of material for late-night talk-show monologues.

Yes, your TV may be burning brightly. But what of American democracy’s beacon? Last I checked, it was barely flickering.

We know for certain that a significant number of the far right won’t support anyone they feel they can’t manipulate.

IT’S IMPOSSIBLE to say where Republicans will go from here. Several Republicans have said they’d enter the race, but that doesn’t mean any of them could get the necessary votes.

With their slim majority, Republicans can afford to lose only four votes in any speaker’s race since the Democrats, in each case, vote unanimously for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

We now know that a certain number of Republicans won’t vote for a House crazy in the mold of Jordan, who can now go back to his day job of pushing the evidence-free Biden impeachment inquiry. We know for certain that a significant number of the far right won’t support, well, anyone they feel they can’t manipulate.

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.

LOOKING TO QUIT SMOKING? Visit the Professionals at Chief Vapor.

719-434-1547 • CHIEFVAPOR.COM

Studio

Nadeau Pottery Classes Studio Space

Sign up for Fall Classes

www.nadeau.com | 415-272-9932

HAPPY HOUR 12-6

SLOPESIDE PRE-ROLLS 4/$20 AND ANOINTED CARTS 4/$80

30% OFF FLOWER COLLECTIVE PRODUCTS EVERY FRIDAY

M R E C D Check out our menu

719-488-9900

855 Highway 105, Palmer Lake, CO OPEN 9 - 9 DAILY!

WWW.DEADFLOWERSMJ.COM OPINION | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY

29

LOWDOWN

By Jim Hightower jimhightower.com

TRUCKER SHORTAGE? Quit refusing to hire women

S

EEMINGLY INTRACTABLE problems sometimes have an obvious solution standing right in front of them. Our nation’s dire shortage of long-haul truck drivers, for example.

Wrangling big rigs across the country is difficult and dangerous work, and the corporate giants that dominate the industry have long been wailing that they can’t find people willing to do the job. Their lobbyists have even pleaded with regulators to lower the age requirement so they can hire teenagers to drive these 18-wheel behemoths! What could go wrong with that?

Is there no better solution than child labor? How about us, asks the nonprofit group Real Women in Trucking?

Little known fact: Less than 5 percent of America’s long-haul drivers are women.

Lesser known fact: Thousands of women are eager to do the job, are fully qualified, and hold commercial licenses to drive the rigs — but are constantly rejected when they apply for openings at trucking companies.

This is because most of the industry imposes a discriminatory gotcha to reject qualified female applicants. The gimmick is an unwritten, unlawful corporate rule that female job candidates can only be trained by female driving instructors.

Obviously, since there are so few women drivers, very few female trainers are available, so — Gotcha! — women can’t get hired.

This is toothachingly stupid. Major corporations are loudly crying “labor shortage,” while the answer to the shortage is literally knocking on their doors. Also, these are good-paying jobs, one of the few available to people without college degrees — so trucking corporations are literally slamming the door to the middle class in the face of enterprising women.

dain for democracy — how about those Supremes?

The Supreme Court, intended to be an apolitical, neutral arbiter of legal cases brought before it, has been elevated to a supreme legislative body by today’s sixperson majority of extreme right-wing partisans controlling this Third Branch of our government.

I’m hardly a legal scholar (unless you count my week-and-a-half in law school!), but you don’t have to be in Who’s Who to know What’s What. From my lifetime in politics, I can attest that what these Republican judges are doing is pure politics, using their black robes as cover for flagrant political activism.

Coordinating surreptitiously with rightwing ideologues and corporate money powers that shower favors on them, they intentionally bring up case after case designed to rewrite America’s laws. These six aloof judges are effectively enacting a new political order of plutocratic, autocratic and theocratic power over the beliefs and democratic will of America’s pluralistic majority.

Posing as “conservative” jurists, they’ve steadily concentrated arbitrary lawmaking power in their own hands. Reaching way beyond the court’s constitutional role of deciding cases, today’s Supremes now effectively create law by choosing cases to bring up, favoring those fabricated by such right-wing political allies as the Kochs and the Federalist Society.

Moreover, the six partisans cherry-pick isolated parts of a case to advance their collective agenda, even ruling on legal questions the case doesn’t raise, simply making up their own questions.

With no legal, ethical or electoral checks on this secretive, anti-democratic government body, the court now routinely rules against workers, women, civil rights, the environment, personal liberties and… well, against America!

Shouldn’t we have at least one political party calling them out and reining in their arrogance?

Most of the industry imposes a discriminatory gotcha to reject qualified female applicants.

Wondering what to to this weekend?

Visit

csindy.com/events

Nonprofit publication of Citizen-Powered Media

csindy.com

30

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | OPINION

MEANWHILE... IF THE DEMOcratic Party wants a big, hot issue that would force the GOP to admit its dis-

Free Will ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Edited by David Steinberg | Themeless Sunday 57 by Karen Steinberg

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Only two items appear more often in the world’s landfills than disposable diapers. They seem to be among the least ecologically sound products.

Or maybe not. Japanese researchers at the University of Kitakyushu have made building materials out of them in combination with gravel, sand and cement. (Read more: tinyurl. com/BetterWaste). In the spirit of this potentially glorious alchemical transmutation, and in accordance with astrological omens, I encourage you to ruminate on how you might convert wasted stuff into usable valuables in your own sphere. Halloween costume suggestion: A janitor or maid wearing a gold crown and pearls.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Of all the ideas propounded by major religions, the saddest is the Christian assertion that all of us are born sinful — that we come into this world with a corruption that renders us fundamentally flawed: tainted, soiled, guilty, foul. I reject this stupid nonsense. In my spiritual philosophy, we are all born gorgeous, loving geniuses. Tough experiences may diminish our radiance and make it a challenge to be our best, but we never lose the gorgeous, loving genius at our core. In accordance with astrological mandates, your task in the coming weeks is to get into close touch with this pure source. Halloween costume suggestion: your gorgeous, loving genius.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): According to my meticulous analysis of the astrological omens, you now have a sacred right to expand your ego at least one full size. Even two sizes will probably be fine. Your guardian angel is lobbying for you to strut and swagger, and so are your muses, your ancestors and God Herself.

I hope you will overcome any shyness you feel about expressing your talents, your intelligence and your unique understanding of the world. Halloween costume suggestion: a charming braggart, charismatic egomaniac or beautiful narcissist.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “The secret for harvesting the greatest f ruitfulness and enjoyment is to live dangerously!” Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said that. “Build your cities on the slopes of Vesuvius!” he added. “Send your ships into uncharted seas!” As for you in the coming weeks, Pisces, I don’t recommend you live dangerously, but I do suggest you live adventurously. Surpass your limits, if you dare!

Transcend your expectations and explore the frontiers. Those activities will be a good use of your life energy and are likely to be rewarded.

Halloween costume suggestions: daredevil, swashbuckler, gambler, fortune-hunter or knight-errant.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Shadow work is a psychological practice that has been deeply healing for me. It involves exploring the dark places in my soul and being in intimate contact with my unripe and wounded aspects.

Engaging in this hard labor ensures that my less beautiful qualities never take control of me and never spill out into toxic interactions with people. I bring this up, Aries, because the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to do shadow work. Halloween costume suggestion: Be your shadow, demon or unripe self.

TAURUS (April 20 -May 20): The country where I live, the U.S., has banned over 2,500

books in recent years. I’m appalled by the ignorance that fuels this idiotic despotism. But there has been an amusing consequence, which I am pleased to report: Banning the books has sometimes hiked their sales. Gender Queer by Maia Kolbabe had a 130 percent increase. Art Spiegelman’s Maus I and Maus II jumped 50 percent. Let this scenario serve as an inspirational metaphor for you in the coming weeks. If any person or institution tries to repress, deny or resist you, do what you’re doing even bigger and better. Use their opposition as a power boost. Halloween costume suggestion: rebel, dissident or protester.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Do you ever feel you are treated unfairly at your job? Is your workplace sometimes detrimental to your health? Is it possible that a few small changes could add up to a big improvement in how you feel while you’re earning a living? There’s rarely a perfect moment to address these concerns, but the coming weeks will be a more favorable time than usual. If you decide to seek shifts, devise a strategy that’s as foolproof as possible.

Resolve to be calm, poised and unflusterable.

Halloween costume suggestion: a worker doing your ideal job CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian comedian Dave Barry says that as he grows older, he looks forward to “continued immaturity.”

That sentiment is probably based on the fact that his humor is often juvenile and silly. (I like it, though!) I’m guessing it’s also because he aspires to remain youthful and innocent and surprisable as he ages. I mention this, fellow Cancerian, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to celebrate and honor the parts of you that are still blooming but not yet in full blossom. Be grateful you have not become a jaded know-it-all. Would you consider revisiting joys you loved as a child and teenager? Halloween costume suggestion: your younger self.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Horseshoes have symbolized good luck in many cultures. A common usage is to hang them over f ront doors. But there’s disagreement about the best way to generate the good fortune. Some people say the open end of the horseshoe should point upward, since that collects the luck. Others insist it’s best for the horseshoe to point down, as that showers luck on those who enter and leave the house. If you experiment with this fun myth, I advise you to point the open end up.

It’s time for you to gather blessings, help and fortuity. Halloween costume accessories: good luck charms like a four-leaf clover, acorn, cat’s eye gemstone, ankh, dragon, laughing Buddha, Ganesh statue and horseshoe.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): There would be no life on earth if it weren’t for the sun. Our home star’s energy is the central force at work in the creation and sustenance of all humans, animals and plants. Yet we must be sure not to get extravagant amounts of our good thing.

An overabundance of solar heat and radiance can cause failed crops, dehydration, droughts, skin cancer and wildfires. Are other factors at work in your sphere that are also nourishing in moderate amounts but unhealthy in excess?

And do you know when just right becomes too much? Now is a favorable time to ruminate on these matters. Halloween costume suggestion: Goldilocks, Lady Justice with her scales, or a body suit adorned with a giant yin and yang symbol.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The earliest known human settlement is Göbekli Tepe, in what’s now the country of Turkey. When archaeologists first excavated it in 1994, they realized it was built over 11,000 years ago. This was shocking news, since it dramatically contradicted previous estimates of how long people have lived in villages. I’m predicting a comparable shift in your understanding of your own past, Libra. The full effect may not be apparent for months, but there will be interesting jolts soon.

Halloween costume suggestion: archaeologist, time traveler, or yourself in a past life.

From bbs.amuniversal.com

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio author Ófeigur Sigurðsson writes, “You should never do what’s expected of you; there’s always another path through life than the one before you.” I wouldn’t recommend his approach to any other zodiac sign but Scorpio. And I would only advocate it for maybe 40 percent of Scorpios 10 percent of the time. The coming weeks will be one of those 10 percent times. So if you are among the 40 percent who would thrive on this demanding but potentially exhilarating counsel, get ready to be as original and imaginative in living your life as you have ever been. Halloween costume suggestion: unicorn, dragon or phoenix.

Across 1

Strauss in San Francisco history

5

Medieval prose narratives

46 Word before "run" or "jump"

19 Kind of dress without a waistline

49 Hair holder

21 Islamic decree

50 Publicly identify as a wrongdoer

25 Any means necessary

10 Stick around

55 Is hopelessly ignorant

14 Latin love

58 All right

15 Country where 14 billion espressos are consumed each year 16 Trickster hopper in African folktales 17 Name seen in "Technicolor" 18 Sour pastries 20 Senior with many followers

59 Popular succulent 60 Severe and strict 61 It's widespread on the web 62 Series of independently organized talks

26 Electronic dance music 27 California wine region 28 Greek letter pronounced like "s" 30 "That used to be so" 32 "Joy to the World" songwriter Axton 33 Insulting remark

63 Thus far

34 Cuts across

64 Those, in Toledo

35 "Mary ___ a Little Lamb"

Down

22 Designer's undergraduate deg.

1

"Auld ___ Syne"

23 Dating opener?

2

Islamic commander

36 Made a parent happy from afar

24 Semiaquatic salamander

3

Something you hang on to every word of, informally?

38 Unlocks 42 Like Stanley, in a children's book series

4

Oppressed countries are ruled with them

45 Add on

33 Accepts something

5

Window base

36 City that anagrams to "a cow"

6

Gobbled down

7

One may play Fortnite

37 Attractive enough to post on social media

8

Besieged parent's need

39 Workplace authority

9

In ___ (harmonized)

40 Acted deliberately 41 Moody music genre

10 What selfish people don't want to do

42 Enthusiast

11

43 Brief fight

12 Crossword construction, some say

27 Narrow cuts 29 Tat trade?

31 Palindromic chuckle

44 Like a very meticulous organizing system

47 Actress Cuoco 48 Toughen

Black goo

13 Hoped-for response

51 Dough in tamales 52 Fender flaw 53 Who "told me you better shop around," in a Miracles hit 54 They're on the sides of a 24-Across's head 55 You might eat yours 56 Bitter beer 57 Lawn roll

Find the answers on p. 33 CANDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY

31

Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer

President and CEO of the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC

Hear Johnna share the future she sees for Colorado Springs’ business and economic development and how her passion for community influences her leadership.

Nov. 8

4:30 - 6 p.m.

ALMAGRE

2460 Montebello Square Drive

Scan QR code to purchase tickets or visit CSBJ.com/events

Presented by:

32

INDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | CANDY

Photo illustration, shutterstock.com and stock.adobe.com

News of the

WEIRD

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL

OH, POOH...

F

OURTH GRADERS AT THE ACADEMY OF INNOVATIVE EDUCAtion charter school in Miami Springs, Florida, got to choose a movie to watch during lunch on Oct. 2, CBS News Miami reported. They unknowingly chose Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, a 2023 horror film about two murderers who prey on university students while wearing Pooh and Piglet costumes. The teacher “didn’t stop the movie, even though the kids were saying, ‘Hey, stop the movie, we don’t want this,’” said parent Michelle Diaz. She said her twins were traumatized. The school later issued a statement saying they “have already met with those students who have expressed concerns.” Oh, brother.

s McMeel. www.kenken.com

cages with the number in the top-left corner.

Find the familiar phrase, saying or name in this arrangement of letters.

outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to

Crossword

● The numbers within the heavily

PUZZLE ANSWERS

10-29-23

Lincoln County, Oklahoma, District Judge Traci Soderstrom, who was sworn

Townsfolk in Skelmorlie, Scotland, are getting their Halloween on as a Pennywise-type clown lurks around the streets, Sky News reported, leaving red balloons in his wake. Early on Oct. 12, the clown, who may or may not be someone named Cole Deimos, posted a “message to the media” in rhyme: “They called me ‘killer clown.’ Why don’t you leave the jokes to me? The only thing that’s dying is your credibility. This clown doesn’t want fame, glory or gold. He just wants to play in this so-called ‘sleepy town.’ So, come and join in and learn to fear the Skelmorlie clown.” Police haven’t received any reports of crimes, and Facebook followers are gleeful: “Out of all the clowns in the village, he’s the best.”

produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.

Swipe left

It’s happening

● Freebies: Fill in single-box

In 1995, The Seattle Times reported, filmmaker Gerry Fialka of Los Angeles started a book club with an unconventional schedule: Members read the notoriously difficult Finnegans Wake by James Joyce — one page at a time. They just finished on Oct. 3. “We do one page at a time and then discuss it for two hours,” Fialka said.

“That’s why it’s taken us 28 years.” When people ask what his book club is going to read next, he tells them, “We’re never going to read another book.” He explained that the book ends with a run-on sentence on page 628, which then continues on the first page of text. “So it’s a cyclical book. It never ends. We’ll read page 3 again next.”

Since the pandemic, the club has been meeting via Zoom, which Fialka says he likes better than in person. “I don’t have to set up chairs,” he said.

must contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating.

A slow read

in on Jan. 9, may already be out of a job, the Associated Press reported. In July, Soderstrom was captured on a court camera scrolling through social media and texting on her phone for minutes at a time during a trial. Soderstrom’s texts to her bailiff included comments on jurors’ and prosecutors’ appearances and calling a police officer who was testifying “pretty” and saying, “I could look at him all day.” She was suspended with pay pending a hearing by the Court on the Judiciary. The chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court recommended her removal: “The pattern of conduct demonstrates [Soderstrom’s] gross neglect of duty, gross partiality and oppression,” he said.

● Each row and each column

Daniel Powell, 76, got a rude response on Oct. 8 when talking with his mobile home park neighbor, Kali Robertson, 28, in Pinellas Park, Florida, The Smoking Gun reported. According to police, Robertson took an “unsecured bag of dog feces and pushed it” into Powell’s face, “leaving feces smeared on his face.” Robertson admitted to the assault but pleaded not guilty to the third-degree felony.

She posted $2,500 bond.

KenKen® is a registered trademark of KenKen Puzzle LLC. ©2023 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Andrews McMeel. www.kenken.com

Something on your face

KenKen® is a registered trademark of KenKen Puzzle LLC. ©2023 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Andrews McMeel. www.kenken.com

1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 10-29-23 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) repeating. ● Each row and each columnwithout produce the target numbers contain the numbers 1 inboxes, the top-left corners.

2 The numbersmust within the heavily outlined called cages, must through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 ●order) Freebies: Fill in single-box without repeating. combine using (challenging) the given operation (in any to the produce cages with number the in target ● The numbers within the heavily the top-left corner. numbers in theoutlined top-left corners. boxes, called cages, combine using the given 3 Freebies: Fill must in single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. operation (in any order) to

KenKen® is a registered trademark of KenKen Puzzle LLC. ©2023 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Andrews McMeel. www.kenken.com KenKen® is a registered trademark of KenKen Puzzle LLC. ©2023 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Andrews McMeel. www.kenken.com 10-29-23 10-29-23

● Each row ● and each column produce the target numbers Each row and each column ●

●

CANDY | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY

must contain the numbers 1 in 1the top-leftproduce corners.the target numbers mustorcontain the 6numbers in the top-left corners. through 4 (easy) 1 through Freebies: Fill in single-box (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) through without 4 repeating.

Freebies: Fill in single-box cages with the number in (challenging) without repeating. cages with the number in The numbers within the heavily the top-left corner.

The numbers within the heavily the top-left corner. outlined boxes, called cages, outlined boxes, called cages,

●

●

33

Samsung

Manufacturing Courtesy Microchip

Focus

Microchip, like several local manufacturing companies, plans to grow and add high-paying jobs to the local economy.

Build back better

Colorado Springs attracts manufacturing facilities, jobs

BY AMANDA MILLER LUCIANO

N

ationally, the manufacturing economy has two divergent headlines these days. There are striking autoworkers and a 10-month streak of manufacturing output declines. On the other hand, there is record foreign investment in new semiconductor and clean-tech manufacturing facilities.

Colorado Springs, which has historically not counted manufacturing as one of its major industries, is benefiting from the latter trend.

While only five of the 19 major companies to announce new or expanding facilities in Colorado Springs over the last two years are manufacturing businesses, they 34

account for 40 percent of the promised new direct jobs, according to data from the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC. The five companies that have made announcements have promised nearly 1,700 new high-paying manufacturing positions with average salaries ranging from the high $60,000s to the mid-$70,000 range.

These manufacturing jobs are especially valuable because they are primary jobs, meaning they produce goods and/or services for customers who are predominantly outside the Pikes Peak region. Also, by their nature, manufacturing jobs cannot typically be done remotely, so the workforce would be in and around Colorado Springs.

COLORADO SPRINGS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | CSBJ.com

“Think of your health care providers, your favorite barista at the local coffee shop — they’re here because the local economy has a demand,” says Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, president and chief executive officer of the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC. “Without primary jobs, you really become more of a bedroom community, a suburb to a larger economy.”

Entegris, which manufactures electronics and materials supporting semiconductor production, is one of the employers that announced 597 new local manufacturing jobs this year. The Chamber & EDC calculates that will result in an additional 1,700 jobs in the community.

“We are very opportunistic with manufacturing,” Reeder Kleymeyer says. “President [Joe] Biden is reshoring semiconductor and clean-tech manufacturing, and Colorado Springs is in a great position to take advantage of that growth.”

The growth in high-tech manufacturing is a major advantage for the overall local economy, which is heavily skewed toward the aerospace and defense industries, Reeder Kleymeyer says.

“A balanced economy is so important,” she says. “You never want to be dependent on just one area of the economy, one cluster of the economy.”

All of the businesses that have announced new manufacturing jobs already had a strong presence in Colorado Springs, with the exception of Meyer Burger. The publicly traded Swiss company is the city’s first solar panel manufacturer.

“With Colorado’s commitment to clean energy, we are an attractive state for clean energy business,” Reeder Kleymeyer says.

Colorado Springs boasts a density of clean tech manufacturing that makes it an appealing market for any such manufacturer, Reeder Kleymeyer says, adding that Colorado Springs Utilities, a city-owned provider, is also able to work with manufacturers on rebates and rates in a way that makes the city more competitive than in markets with state-regulated utilities.

“Why not Colorado Springs?” she says.

“I think they discovered us first. They are the first solar panel manufacturer, but they probably won’t be the last.”

Because of changing tariff structures and tax incentives for domestic production, solar panel manufacturers that want to sell their product in the United States are finding it especially advantageous to move production to the country.

“Meyer Burger strongly believes that domestically manufactured solar cells will bring additional value to our customers,” Gunter Erfurt, Meyer Burger CEO, said in a company press release about the project.

“Both in relation to using best-in-class high performance solar products ‘Made in USA’ and in terms of qualifying for additional tax credits.”

When Meyer Burger announced its new plant in July, the company said in a press release that it would take advantage of $1.4 billion dollars of federal investment

approximately $9.2 million in tax-increbetween 2024 and 2032 from the Advanced mental financing from the city and county Manufacturing Tax Credit and the Inflathanks, in part, to the project being deemed tion Reduction Act. The company also an Urban Renewal Authority project. announced it was receiving more than $90 While Entegris is building a new facility, million in incentives from the state and city. the company is not new to the community.

“Incentives will never win a project,” “It’s so important we are taking care Reeder Kleymeyer says. “If you’re a bad of our existing businesses,” Reeder Kleylocation for the company, no amount of meyer says. “Our first goal is to help those incentives will change that. Incentives can companies that are here in town expand in help us win the last leg, but they can’t get place.” us in the race.”

Microchip has a long history in the city, She added that all incentives in Colorado with its cur rent facility Springs are performance operating for more than based and paid out over a 45 years. The semiconperiod of time only if the ductor manufacturer has companies meet the job announced two expansions creation goals they promover the last two years, ised when the incentives which will make space were offered. for t he more t h a n 4 0 0 “Salaries are another additional manufacturing thing,” Reeder Kleymeyer jobs the company expects says. “Salaries have to be to create over the next above the average median decade, according to Rodrange before any incentives ney Schroeder, Microchip’s would be considered.”

— Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer Colorado Springs senior The median salar y in director of fab operations.

2022 was approximately The company already has almost 900 $58,000, according to ZipRecruiter. employees locally.

Reede r K ley meye r says Color a do While not planning to build any new Springs offers an enticing outdoor lifestyle facilities from the ground up, Microand a desirable setting that help attract and ch ip w ill be expa nd i ng it s ex ist i ng retain talent, a highly educated popula580,000-square-foot plant on the southwest tion, a solid pool of available labor thanks side of town, Schroeder wrote in an email. to exiting military personnel who want to The $880 million expansion will increase stay in the area, and available properties the company’s semiconductor production in and land. automotive, grid infrastructure, green energy, and aerospace and defense applications, Meyer Burger announced in July that its according to a company press release. production facility would be up and runWhile the company has a long history in ning by 2024 — it took over a former Intel Colorado, it’s headquartered in Chandler, semiconductor production plant on the Arizona, and has locations all over the northwest side of town and redirected to world.

Colorado new high-performance solar cell “We have good partnerships with the production machinery originally planned City,” Schroeder wrote in an email, “and for a German facility. [the] semiconductor ecosystem to support Enteg r is, broke g round on its new our manufacturing needs. Colorado Springs 140,000-square-foot facility, also on the is a desirable place to live and work to help northwest side of town, in June. The comrecruit and retain the talent we need for the pany is building on the site of a former expansion.” CSBJ Hewlett Packard facility with help from

Incentives will never win a project.

n

Bring Accountability to the D11 School Board. Vote by November 7!

Shay Dabney

Darleen Daniels

Kathryn Singh

Rachel Paul

Paid for by: Re-Elect Darleen Daniels, Kate Singh for School Board, Shay for D11, Rachel Paul for District 11.

Registered agents: Janet Tanner, Kate Singh, Brittany Nash, Jennifer Williamson.

With the RideMMT App and the new Metro Card, riding the bus has never been easier!

Find out more www.MMTransit.com

Fast, Convenient, Flexible

LATINO

COMMUNITY

LUNCHEON Powered by the Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber

Date: November 8, 2023 Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm

YEAR

COMPANY

2022

Entegris

WHAT THEY MAKE

NO. OF JOBS

Electronic materials supporting semiconductor manufacturing

597

Location: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center 1750 E. Boulder Avenue Colorado Springs, Colorado Cost: $25.00 Pre-register at: cshispanicchamber.com

2022

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions Inc.

Electronic and mechanical assemblies as well as software for aerospace and defense

225

2022

Parker Hannifin

Aviation fuel filtration systems and filters

52

2022

Microchip

Semiconductors

40

Guest Speaker

Linda Urrutia-Varhall Maj. Gen. (USAF Ret.)

1st Latina Major General in the U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force Academy Graduate

Building Community, Uniting Cultures The Colorado Springs Latino Community Luncheon powered by the Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber

Sponsored by:

2023

Microchip

Semiconductors

397 Sponsorships are available. Call (719) 231-5353

2023

Meyer Burger

Solar Panels

brings together our diverse community to share information and ideas, promote cultural awareness, and educate the community on the events and issues impacting Hispanics/Latinos

385 CSBJ.com | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | COLORADO SPRINGS BUSINESS JOURNAL

35

BY KATHERINE ATHERTON Katherine Atherton

5 Questions:

Jesse Clark

HellScream Haunted House/The Fear Complex

C

reeping through the bloodsplattered halls of HellScream Haunted House and The Fear Complex has long been an October staple in Colorado Springs, especially for those who love a good fright. And many local thrillseekers have co-owner Jesse Clark to thank.

“I hope to be able to retire doing this. I think I finally found the thing in my life that I’m most passionate about,” he says. “I worked for big box retail and telecommunications and the hospitality industry and they were all fine, but there’s something about haunted houses and the theater world that I’m really drawn to — and I hope that everyone in the world can find what I found for themselves.”

Mention the Indy and Bluebird will give you a $750 appraisal credit.* *Applies to complete applications before 10/31/23

36

Call today to be pre-qualified for a home loan.

719-308-1620 www.bluebirdmortgage.com NMLS# 1649074

COLORADO SPRINGS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | CSBJ.com

How did you get involved in HellScream?

It’s a fun story. A buddy of mine had an extra ticket to go to a murder mystery [production], and that murder mystery was being held at HellScream Haunted House. ... As part of the show, they select the murderer from the audience. That night I was selected as the murderer. I had a lot of fun with it, and at the end of the show they said, ‘Hey, you seem like you had a lot of fun.

Would you like to maybe come back or be an actor with us?’ And I said, ‘Hey, sure.

Why not? ...’ So I came back and was part

of their show.

After a couple of weeks of doing that, they said, ‘Hey, you seem to kind of know what you’re doing. Would you like to head up the show for us and organize it?’ And I said, ‘Hey, sure. Why not?’

Then when the Halloween season came around they said, ‘Well we’ve got to turn the show off now because we have to open up the haunted houses. Do you want to be a part of the haunted houses?’

And I said, ‘Hey, sure. Why not? I’ll do that.’

So I became an actor for one day, and at the end of that day, they said, ‘Hey, you seem to really know what you’re doing. Do you want to control this floor of actors and be what they called a runner?’

And I said, ‘Hey, sure. Why not? That sounds like a good idea.’

I did that for the first season — that was in 2015 — and at the end of that season, they had a need for some building and design work, things like that. They asked me, ‘Do you know anything about decor and design and building? Would you like to try to help us out with these things?’ And I said, ‘Hey, sure. Why not? I’ve got some spare time.’

By the time that that season was over, they were looking for a new general manager and they said, ‘Hey, you seem to know

what you’re doing. Do you have any interest in coming on as a general manager?’ And I said, ‘Hey, sure. Why not?’

So I did that for a couple of years, and then one of the owners, Jack, decided to retire. Jack came to me and said, ‘Hey, I have this ownership that’s going to be up for grabs for anybody who wants to purchase it, but I really don’t want to sell it to anybody else. Would you be interested in it?’ And I said, ‘Hey, why not? That sounds like a great idea.’ So I purchased this ownership portion from him and I’ve been coowner now for about four years.

My background in general is in theater and psychology and business, and so it seemed like a natural fit for me. I thoroughly enjoy most of it, I’d say 99.9 percent of the time.

Talk about the creative process involved in building the haunt every year.

One of the things that that we really try to do is give a lot of creative freedom to our actors and actresses. In a lot of other haunted houses, they kind of pigeonhole you and they put you in a set place. ‘This is your spot. This is what you’re going to look like. This is how you’re going to act when a customer goes by. I want you to do this.’

It makes for a very consistent show, but not a very fun show. So what we try to do is break down those barriers.

We want you to develop your character

that’s going to fit into this world. We want you to develop the look of that character, the background of that character. We want you to realize that most of the customers are never going to truly understand your character — but if you do, the more you put into it, the more [real it will feel]. And that’s really what we shoot for, is realism in our haunted houses, so that when you go through it, it feels organic. It doesn’t feel staged. And I think it’s great for not only the customers who get to experience something like that, but also for the actors who need to explore their creativity and to truly be a part of it — because they helped create it.

I think haunting is helpful to a lot of people for a lot of reasons. People that act for us — some of them do it for the purpose of facing their own fears; some of them do it as a release; some of them want to make friends and meet people; but everyone has their own different reason for it. They all seem to gel together under that one umbrella. That’s pretty awesome.

What are some of the unique challenges of operating a seasonal interactive establishment?

I would say the most difficult challenge is that you have seven weeks to make your annual revenue. Seven weeks. That is not only challenging, but terrifying.

When I think of the haunted houses that

I go through — these places that I’ve intentionally built to be just shocking and horrible and terrifying — getting to those last few days of the season and not knowing for sure if you’re going to make your annual revenue, that’s what terrifies me. That’s far more terrifying.

What would you like visitors to know?

We do our best to educate the customers on what the expectations are. Most people don’t see haunted houses for what they are. Haunted houses are theater, and the haunted house itself is a theater. The only difference is that instead of sitting there and watching a show for two hours, you’re walking through the show. Instead of watching a prepared show that doesn’t interact with you, you’re interacted with.

If people thought of it as a theater, it’d be much less difficult.

For instance, put your phones away. You do that in every theater, right? You don’t have your phones on or out. That interrupts the show for other people, and in our case, you probably will drop it and it’ll probably get broken and I’m not going to stop the show to find your phone. In a theatrical show, you don’t jump on stage and touch the actors, and they don’t touch you — which of course we don’t either. You don’t harass and heckle people in a theatrical show.

If people saw it as it is — a theatrical show ... that you walk through rather than

THE BOBBI PRICE TEAM

Bobbi Price 719-499-9451 Jade Baker 719-201-6749

stay stationary and seated — I think that everybody could enjoy it more. ...

I would say the last 45 minutes of every show night are always the weirdest. That’s when either the strangest of the strange people come out or drugs come out. And for anybody reading this — please don’t come to a haunted house drunk. It’s not a good time for anyone. It’s just not a good time.

How intense is Hellscream Haunted House?

For the average everyday person, these are intense environments — you’re not watching a movie. When you watch a movie from the safety of your own home, your brain can separate that a lot easier than when you are immersed. They are absolutely safe, I will tell you that. However, you will not feel safe. That’s the intention of a haunted house.

We don’t recommend it for anyone under the age of 10, and that is just because a lot of younger children just don’t have the ability to deal with that. We don’t recommend [younger children attend] because (a) we don’t want to traumatize a child and (b) we don’t want the parents to have to pay a lot in therapy bills. But for the average teenager and adult, they are a lot of fun as long as you look at it for what it is. Allow yourself to get immersed — but once you leave, remember that it’s all for entertainment. CSBJ n

Member of Elite 25 and Peak Producers

www.BobbiPrice.com • bobbipriceteam@gmail.com

213 Coffee Pot Drive Crystal Park - $64,900

156 Ellers Grove Sand Creek Commons - $290,000

1295 Winterhall Point The Enclaves at Bayfield - $549,900

1404 Ledge Rock Terrace Pinon Bluffs Town Homes - $550,000

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

Stucco & stone end unit 3068 sq ft 4 bed, 3 bath rancher townhome with amazing mountain & city views. Master suite with 2 walk-in closets & 5-piece master bath. Open kitchen with wrap around bar. 2 gas log fireplace. Builtins. 12x12 covered Trex deck & 12x12 patio.

Walkout basement with large family & wet bar.

2-car finished garage. A/C. HOA takes care of everything outside for you. Move-in ready!

MLS# 7912985

Upper level 1357 sq. ft. 3 bed, 2 bath condo backing to large common lawn area. Central air. Gas log fireplace. Brand new flooring and fresh paint throughout. Open & bright. Move-in ready. Low monthly HOA. MLS# 5866091

Westside 3436 sq ft 4 bed, 3 ½ bath 1 ½-story townhome with total 1-level living. Beautiful mountain & Pikes Peak views. Huge trees. Across the street from Ute Valley Park. A/C. Security system. Gas log fireplace. Former model with vaulted ceilings. Tons of glass & sunshine. MLS# 1911501

WHEN YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT REAL ESTATE CSBJ.com | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | COLORADO SPRINGS BUSINESS JOURNAL

37

Front The

S

mall businesses that selfc e r t i f ie d a s se r v ic e - d is abled veteran-owned with the Department of Veteran Affairs are facing an agency change that may call for recertification with the U.S. Small Business Administration — an impending requirement for eligibility to compete for sole-source and set-aside federal contracts.

At least 3 percent of all federal Kia Palmer contracts are set aside, each year, for certified service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.

The VA expands this to 7 percent for both certified veteran-owned small businesses and certified service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. As of Jan. 1, the certification process was transferred from the VA to the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBA has created a streamlined process that, in some cases, requires less paperwork.

Businesses are eligible for the VOSB designation if they are 51 percent owned by a veteran, have registered as a small business in the System for Award Management (sam. gov) and are a small business (fewer than 500 employees), according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. It is important to state that although there are circumstances that may offer a grace period or even certification transfers, there is no grace period for sole-source or set-aside contracts with the VA. These specific contracts require certification through the SBA by Jan. 1, 2024.

VOSBs and SDVOSBs that fail to comply with the requirements of the new Veteran Small Business Certification Program risk losing their VOSB or SDVOSB certification and the ability to compete for federal contracts. There are addi38

tional factors to consider with the new VetCert process. The Colorado Veterans Business Outreach Center at Mt. Carmel has had questions arise regarding VA Center for Verification and Evaluation transfer, goaling credits, verification of certification dates, and more. To answer questions, Colorado VBOC at Mt. Carmel and the APEX Accelerator (formerly the Colorado Procurement Technical Assistance Center) are coming together to help local veteran-owned small businesses understand the new VetCert program.

On Nov. 2, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center, the two organizations will host an educational workshop about veteran-owned small business certifications and the benefits. Participants can learn about eligibility, timelines for submitting their application, and the new MySBA portal.

In addition to learning about VetCert, VOSBs not yet competing for federal contracts will hear about the three-day, in-residence veteran entrepreneurship training programs offered by the National Center for the Veteran Institute for Procurement. Since 2010, more than $17 billion in federal prime contracts were awarded to the 2,307 businesses trained by VIP. At its inception, the federal government was not meeting its goal of providing 3 percent of its contracts to service disabled, veteran owned businesses. Today, VIP not only meets that goal, but exceeds it each year. The Colorado VBOC at Mt. Carmel is excited to collaborate with Colorado APEX Accelerators and welcome VIP to participate in this educational workshop.

The local event introduces veteran business owners to the VetCert program and VIP. It’s all part of National Vet-

COLORADO SPRINGS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | CSBJ.com

stock.adobe.com

Veteran-owned businesses must recertify by year’s end

eran Small Business Week, which starts Oct. 30 in Pueblo with the Southern Colorado Rural Resource Forum. This forum, in partnership with the Southern Colorado Small Business Development Center, seeks to bring together community leaders and small business owners to support the start, growth or rebuilding of veteran-owned small businesses in southern Colorado. Other events include a Boots to Business Reboot to be held at Mt. Car mel Veterans Service Center. For more information or to register for a specific event, visit veteranscenter.org/vboc.

Businesses are eligible for the VOSB designation if they are 51 percent owned by a veteran.

Kia Palmer is the director of the Colorado Veterans Business Outreach Center at Mt. Carmel. The Colorado VBOC opened in May 2023, and is hosted by Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center and funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

The Front is a collaboration between the Colorado Springs Business Journal, Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center and its partners.

CLASSIFIEDS For more information or to advertise call 719-577-4545 for rates

BUSINESS SERVICES

IRS TAX DEBT PROBLEMS?

Owe back taxes? Unfiled returns? IRS is garnishing wages, levying bank accounts or threatening

collection? I’ve helped hundreds of delinquent taxpayers settle their tax debt problems with the IRS. FREE CONSULTATION. David Kelly, Attorney, 719-577-4466.

MARKETPLACE

Hello,

I’m Marmalade, a beautiful, long hair orange tabby lady with green soft green eyes. I’m looking for a purrson to cuddle up with and call my own! HappyCatsHaven. org or 719-362-4600.

1295 Winterhall Point – The Enclaves at Bayfield $549,900

Stucco & stone end unit 3068 sq ft 4 bed, 3 bath rancher townhome with amazing mountain & city views. Master suite with 2 walk-in closets & 5-piece master bath.

Open kitchen with wrap around bar. 2 gas log fireplace.

Built-ins.

12x12 covered Trex deck & 12x12 patio. Walkout basement with large family & wet bar. 2-car finished garage. A/C. HOA takes care of everything outside for you.

Move-in ready! MLS# 7912985.

213 Coffee Pot Drive – Crystal Park $64,900 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 a 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 Call Bobbi Price.

The Platinum Group. 719-499-9451.

WHAT TO DO?

Hungry for more?

Vist CSINDY.COM

1601 N Billy the Kid Lane – Pueblo West - $28,500

1.47 acre lot at end of quiet cul-de-sac with sweeping unobstructed mountain & Pikes Peak views. Flat at front of lot & moving back the lot gently slopes to allow for a walkout. Backs and sides to open space. Easy commute to both Colorado Springs or Pueblo.

MLS# 5628454 Call Bobbi Price. The Platinum Group. 719-499-9451.

Bobbi Price 719-499-9451 Jade Baker 719-201-6749

FREE CAMERA CHECKUP!

REAL ESTATE

Bring in your equipment for a FREE complete check and external cleaning.

Get ready for Summer pictures now.

Cameraworks 5030 N. Academy 594-6966

OFFER A HOME SERVICE?

Get it in this week’s Independent for less than $20 per week! Call today 719-577-4545.

RENTALS Rentals Central DOWNTOWN SENIOR LIVING

THE ALBANY HOTEL APARTMENTS. FURNISHED EFFICIENCY STUDIOS WITH UTILITIES INCLUDED, SECURED BUILDING. TWO BLOCKS FROM CITY BUS DEPOT. CALL 634-4841

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

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE WANTED Earning potential $40k - $50k first year 401K, Health, Dental & Vision Ins. 3 Weeks Vacation & More!

FREE UTILITIES!

The Independent has the best calendar of events in town. Check them out or submit your own at csindy.com.

NEWLY REMODELED 1, 2 & 3 BR Apts starting @ $925. Some w/FP &/or balcony. Sm Pet. 6351251 or 209-8925

The Indy can publish your

Name Changes Notices to Creditors 719-634-5905

Seeking an account executive who is looking for opportunities and creative challenges who can handle all aspects of print/digital advertising sales; prospecting, selling, servicing, collecting while maintaining the credit and sales policies of the company.

For more information or to apply email teri@csindy.com A Nonprofit Publication of Citizen-Powered Media

213 Coffee Pot Drive Crystal Park - $64,900

113 Steep Road Crystal Park - $100,000

156 Ellers Grove Sand Creek Commons - $290,000

1404 Ledge Rock Terrace Pinon Bluffs Town Homes $550,000

Upper level 1357 sq. ft. 3 bed, 2 bath condo backing to Build your dream home on this totally private 0.7 acre lot in Crystal Park. Hard to find flat building site surrounded by towering trees & 360 degree views of the city, mountains, & rock formations. Electricity is by the lot & driveway is cut in. Less than 1 mile from the stocked fishing lake, club house, heated pool, & tennis & basketball courts.

MLS# 9785523

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

Upper level 1357 sq. ft. 3 bed, 2 bath condo backing to large common lawn area. Central air. Gas log fireplace.

Brand new flooring and fresh paint throughout. Open & bright. Move-in ready. Low monthly HOA. MLS# 5866091

Westside 3436 sq ft 4 bed, 3 ½ bath 1 ½-story townhome with total 1-level living. Beautiful mountain & Pikes Peak views. Huge trees. Across the street from Ute Valley Park.

A/C. Security system. Gas log fireplace. Former model with vaulted ceilings. Tons of glass & sunshine. MLS# 1911501

www.BobbiPrice.com bobbipriceteam@gmail.com

CLASSIFIEDS | Oct. 25 - 31, 2023 | INDY

39

40

INDY | Oct. 25- 31, 2023 | CLASSIFIEDS