March 25 - 31, 2020

ALWAYS FREE

COVID-19 UPDATE

SPRINGS UTILITIES’ RESPONSE /// 9

CORONAVIRUS

AND THE MUSIC SCENE /// 24

Gone fission How Colorado’s nuclear past is affecting its future. By Heidi Beedle || 11

CONTENTS COLORADO SPRINGS’ LARGEST LOCALLY OWNED MEDIA COMPANY CALL US: 719-577-4545 COLORADO PUBLISHING HOUSE

CHAIRMAN & FOUNDER John Weiss PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Amy Gillentine Sweet EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bryan Grossman EXECUTIVE EDITOR EMERITUS Ralph Routon

NEWS

THE WIRE: News in brief

UNSAFE: Utilities reproved for linemen deaths

TALKIN’ TRASH: Distributing unwanted handbills could be prosecuted

STILL RUNNING: Utilities will work during pandemic to keep the lights on

COVID-19: Helpful resources

GOING NUCLEAR: The long, dirty history of Rocky Flats

26 EVENT HORIZON: The Behind the Bastards podcast

PHOTO FROM Department of Energy, U.S. Library of Congress

OPINIONS

EDITORIAL

Matthew Schniper

SALES

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Jason Janc SENIOR ACCOUNT PLANNER Teri Homick ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Kristin DeCocq, Brandon Harn, Nohea March, Lucas Taylor ADVERTISING SERVICES MANAGER Lanny Adams ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE Jamie Romero-Agrusa

ART AND PRODUCTION

EDITORIAL ART DIRECTOR Dustin Glatz PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Melissa Edwards GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Zk Bradley, Rowdy Tompkins, Elena Trapp

OPERATIONS

BUSINESS MANAGER Kathy MacLeish ASSOCIATE ACCOUNTANT Jeannine Haines DIGITAL DIRECTOR Jessica Kuhn DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Tim Kranz FRONT DESK COORDINATOR Cathy Reilly Nov. 1-Dec. 31, 2020 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Barb Van Hoy COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Alicia Cover

EMAIL US: Submit a letter .............. letters@csindy.com News tips ............................news@csindy.com Editor ..................................bryan@csindy.com Business Office ............... kathy@csindy.com Publisher ...............................amy@csindy.com Advertising ........................ sales@csindy.com Distribution ......................... timk@csindy.com Events ...............................events@csindy.com Give! .......................................give@csindy.com The Colorado Springs Independent, published every Wednesday, is available free at more than 850 hightraffic locations throughout El Paso, Pueblo and Teller counties. Limit one copy per reader; additional copies or back issues available at the Independent for $1 per copy. ©Copyright 2020 The Colorado Springs Independent, all rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Home delivery available for $104/year by U.S. mail.

Pam Zubeck

FEATURE

COVER DESIGN BY Elena Trapp

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Alissa Smith COPY EDITOR Mary Jo Meade SENIOR REPORTER Pam Zubeck NEWS REPORTER Faith Miller MUSIC EDITOR Bill Forman FOOD & DRINK EDITOR Matthew Schniper FOOD CONTRIBUTOR Griffin Swartzell LISTINGS ASSISTANT Shannon Earl COLUMNISTS Collin Estes, Mike Littwin, Loring Wirbel, Brandon Soderberg CONTRIBUTORS Heidi Beedle, Rob Brezsny, Jack Elder, Bridgett Harris, Tom Tomorrow, Andrew “Shaggy” Warren ONLINE CONTRIBUTORS Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPeR), “Hiking Bob” Falcone

March 25 - 31, 2020 | Vol. 28, No. 13

March 25 - 31, 2020 | CSINDY.COM | NEWS

MUSIC 22

DON’T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME

VOICE OF REASON

FAIR & UNBALANCED

24 REVERB

QUEER & THERE

25 PLAYLIST

34 CANNA REVIEW

FOOD & DRINK 18

APPETITE

20 DINE & DASH/SIDE DISH

CANDY 28 FREE WILL ASTROLOGY 29 NEWS OF THE WEIRD 37

PUZZLE PAGE

EDITORIAL BOARD: REGAN FOSTER, BRYAN GROSSMAN, MARY JO MEADE, HELEN ROBINSON, AMY GILLENTINE SWEET, JOHN WEISS

VOICE OF

REASON

STAND FOR TRUTH &

LOCAL NEWS

RUTH MATTERS. partners struggle, we’ve helped by mobilizing our And local, timely and accurate journal- readers to visit local restaurants and bars for takeout. ism matters more than ever, especially We’re sharing the innovative ways businesses and since the lack of leadership at the federal individuals are responding to the coronavirus crisis. level during this pandemic means we must step up And we’re sharing your good news while keeping to fill that void here at home. you updated about the swiftly changing mandates Truth and good journalism matter as local busi- coming from state and local government. nesses struggle to survive and we all try to take care We know our readers rely on us. We’ve seen our of our families and remain optimistic. web readership skyrocket these past Truth matters because people need to few weeks and we’re devoting extra We believe know the latest effects of COVID-19 resources to asking questions no one on their schools, families and workelse is asking, to telling the stories no in Colorado places. Solid journalism is so imporone else is telling. Springs, and tant as the public looks for resources But we can’t do it alone. in these chaotic and frightening times. We’re asking that you support our we believe For our readers, we are that light in small business just as we ask you to the darkness, letting you know what support other local businesses and IT HAS A local officials are up to and providnonprofits during this difficult periBRIGHT ing a voice for those who often go od — and when sunnier times return. unheard. And right now, we’re also We’re asking for your donations to FUTURE. helping readers sustain their connechelp us keep covering the city, protions to our arts and entertainment viding not only pandemic coverage, community through coverage of local trends, the but much-needed distractions, and maybe even latest news and updates on rescheduled events. some laughter. These past few weeks, though, have been difficult Just like our advertising clients — the restaurants, for all of us at the Indy. As we see our advertising bars, music venues and events operators, theaters,

gyms, salons and so many more that make Colorado Springs such an awesome place to live — the Indy has lost revenue, lost advertising, lost opportunities to connect people through events. Every member of our team is working exceptionally hard through this crisis: our reporters, editors, our graphic designers, digital gurus, advertising team, business office, freelancers and distribution drivers. We’re absolutely committed to working to keep you informed. We believe in Colorado Springs, and we believe it has a bright future. We plan to be around to talk about that future, to celebrate its successes and to explore its hidden depths. It’s not going to be easy, and it’s going to require some serious steps to control expenses even as we continue to deliver on our mission. Remember, the Indy’s free to our readers. Always has been, always will be. And in these times of tight budgets and unknowable futures, we’re proud that we are able to provide great, local news and cultural reporting free of charge. Here’s where you come in. Keep journalism local, keep it free, keep it independent. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital. Support the Indy by giving as little as $1. Go to csindy.com/donate.

NEWS | CSINDY.COM | March 25 - 31, 2020

THE WIRE

For more news go to csindy.com COMPILED BY FAITH MILLER AND PAM ZUBECK

WHAT WE’RE DOING TO HELP FLATTEN THE COVID CURVE: Our hardworking staff has been taking steps to support our community during the coronavirus crisis. 1) A majority of our 100-person staff (50 full time, and 50 part time) now works from home. All delivery drivers wear gloves. And since the press is mechanical, human hands don’t touch the Indy until you pick it up. Our printing partners are taking the same precautions. Together, we have pledged to be here for our readers, in print and online. 2) We’re also working with community partners to shine light on resources available from local nonprofits, state offices and the federal government. In our pages you’ll see advertisements we’ve provided for free to nonprofits working to help those most affected by the coronavirus. 3) On Monday, March 23, we launched a daily email newsletter to bring you the latest in the fight against COVID-19 and resources to help you and your family get through the crisis. Sign up at tinyurl.com/IndyNewsletters. 4) We’ve launched a promotion to help our partners in the restaurant and bar industries. Show us your takeout dinner on Instagram and Facebook, using the hashtag #DineINdy. The reader with the most likes will receive a $25 gift certificate to a local restaurant, and the restaurant with the most hashtags will receive a free, monthlong advertising package in the Indy. We want to help, but we want to do more than advocate. We want to provide real value as we all fight to overcome the economic effects of this pandemic. Manitou Springs City Council voted March 17 to close the Manitou Incline immediately, calling it “an attractive nuisance and health hazard.” The action drew an angry response from the city of Colorado Springs, which called for a meeting to discuss the closure. The 2,744-step Incline ascends 2,000 feet and draws hundreds of thousands of tourists, as well as locals. Full story at csindy.com.

The Indy’s been covering local news and culture for 27 years. We’ll be here for the next 27 years. If you have story ideas, want to share assistance efforts or promote your restaurant, let us know. Send an email to amy@csindy.com.

CITY AND COUNTY PREPARE TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES

FAMILIES FIRST ACT REQUIRES PAID LEAVE

While the city and county of Denver are devising plans to prop up small businesses amid the COVID-19 crisis, including possible $7,500 cash grants, El Paso County and Colorado Springs are also working on the problem. City spokesperson Jamie Fabos says Colorado Springs can’t afford to shell out cash, and faces challenges in dealing with expected downturns in sales tax revenues, which account for a large portion of the city’s general fund budget for basic services like police, fire, parks and public works. But the city wants to prepare small businesses to qualify for state and federal subsidies. El Paso County and Colorado Springs are bringing together a coalition to address how to jumpstart the local economy when the virus is quelled. The county has convened a group that includes the Pikes Peak Workforce Center and Small Business Development Center to find ways to support small businesses and, in turn, their employees. County Commissioner Stan VanderWerf calls for residents who can afford it to buy local whenever possible. County Commission Chair Mark Waller says there’s no silver bullet to revive the economy but the solution likely lies in a variety of programs and projects. — PZ

New federal legislation grants financial support for individuals, families and businesses impacted by the spread of COVID-19. President Donald Trump signed it into law on March 19. Significantly, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires some employers to provide paid leave for employees impacted by COVID-19. Under the law’s requirements, people receiving paid leave due to the need to care for a child must have been employed at their company for at least 30 days. The first 10 days of such leave can be unpaid — after that, employees must be paid at least two-thirds of their salary (up to $200 per day) for eight weeks. Businesses with more than 500 employees or fewer than 50 employees can be exempted from this requirement. The Families First Act also requires paid sick leave for certain employees impacted by COVID19, who can qualify if they are sick or have been advised to self-quarantine. Full-time employees get 80 hours of paid sick time, and part-time employees get paid sick time equal to the number of hours they’d work over two weeks. Businesses with more than 500 employees are exempt from this requirement. — FM

— Amy Sweet, publisher

MATTER OF

REC RD O

Local utilities providers Colorado Springs Utilities, San Isabel Electric, Fountain Utilities and Black Hills Energy announced they’ll suspend disconnections until further notice, KOAA.com reported. Contact your provider for details. More from Springs Utilities on p. 6. The National Alliance on Mental Illness’ Colorado Springs chapter began offering online support groups for those living with mental illness and their family members, as in-person groups have been canceled due to COVID-19. Visit namicoloradosprings.org for more info and to register. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office announced on March 20 that authorities in Pensacola, Florida, had identified remains of a young boy that likely are those of Gannon Stauch, 11, who was reported missing Jan. 27. His stepmother, Letecia Stauch, has been arrested on charges of murder and tampering with a body.

Lightspring / Shutterstock.com

Stay up to date on COVID-19

In addition to weekly news roundups here, Indy reporters are producing daily updates on COVID19 and coronavirus in Colorado, Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region. Visit csindy.com and follow us on social media.

March 25 - 31, 2020 | CSINDY.COM | NEWS

Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division recently issued the state’s first marijuana delivery license to the Native Roots Dandelion dispensary in Boulder, Westword reports. The state Legislature legalized marijuana delivery last year.

NEWS

‘ CORRECTIVE ACTION’ Contractor fined, Springs Utilities reproved over safety in two deaths BY PAM ZUBECK | zubeck@csindy.com

HEN TWO YOUNG Both men were electrocuted when the men lost their lives at a boom hit an overhead electrical line, job site working for Colowhich sparked a fire that engulfed their rado Springs Utilities in truck. The power lines carried 12,500 2018, it seemed like an unfortunate misvolts and were live when help arrived take that their drilling rig came in confrom Fountain and Colorado Springs tact with a high-voltage power line. fire departments, according to OSHA’s But the federal Occupational Safety & report. A Kumar employee at the job site Health Administration (OSHA) saw it wasn’t injured. differently. The federal workplace watch“The drilling rig on site was located in dog agency slapped the contractor for a field almost directly under electrical which the small operation was working power lines,” the report said. with a monetary fine and, on the same OSHA’s subsequent investigation day, issued a two-page letter outlining showed that Kumar “did not ensure their how CSU might prevent such tragedies employee as well as the two employees of in the future. Joe’s Drilling LLC were protected from OSHA lacks authority to impose penelectrical hazards... .” Joe’s Drilling has alties on city, county and state governsince shut down. ments, but the letter outlined 10 steps OSHA levied a civil penalty of $11,641 CSU could take to keep their contractors for a “serious” violation against Kumar for safer. permitting employees to work near electric Those findings are contained in docupower circuits and failing to protect them ments recently released under a Freedom against electric shock by de-energizing and of Information Act (FOIA) request subgrounding the circuits or taking other promitted by a local electrical contractor and tective steps, the OSHA citation states. given to the Indy. Nor did Kumar advise their employee CSU didn’t proand Sampedro and vide a comment on Hey of the hazards the OSHA letter, involved with the saying all personhigh-voltage power nel who otherwise line located directly When I work with could respond had above the drilling been assigned to location. Colorado Springs concentrate on the Though the fine Utilities in the coronavirus panwas near the maxidemic mum allowed under field, THEY’RE A spokesperson OSHA rules, OSHA EXTRAORDINARILY for the contractor, noted the penalty is Kumar & AssociSAFETY-CONSCIOUS. “in no way a meaates, declined to surement of the mag— SAM MASIAS comment except to nitude of the death say the penalty is that has occurred.” the first in its 31-year history. IN A SEPT. 19, 2018, LETTER TO ON MAY 10, 2018, JOSEPH SAMPECSU, the federal agency noted it cannot dro, 24, owner of Joe’s Drilling LLC, and cite state or local governments but can his employee Benjamin Hey, 25, were recommend “prompt corrective action to drilling for soil samples as a subcontracreduce employee exposure or eliminate it tor for Kumar near the Ray Nixon Power completely.” Plant south of Colorado Springs. The men Among the recommendations: were drilling for soil samples to be used • Review policies for all contractors who in percolation testing for a possible new work at CSU sites to ensure hazards leach field at Clear Springs Ranch, which have been identified and abated. serves a number of purposes for CSU, • Ensure contractors hire subcontractors including as a disposal site for certain qualified to perform work safely. waste materials. • Ensure all contractors have appropriA CSU report on the incident said ate safety training for the work they’re Obering-Worth Associates was preparing performing. a proposal for the utility and had hired • Conduct pre-work safety meetings Kumar to conduct soil drilling. Kumar, in and include CSU employees associated turn, contracted with Joe’s Drilling. with the project.

Top photo courtesy Sam Masias, bottom photo courtesy Colorado Springs Utilities

Kumar & Associates received an OSHA fine related to the fatal 2018 accident.

• Train CSU employees involved in contract work to identify hazards, including overhead lines. • Ensure a job hazard analysis has been completed prior to work being conducted. • Participate in a site safety inspection to identify potential hazards before work begins. • Advise contractors working in areas of high voltage lines of the hazards involved. • Provide “some level” of safety oversight for all work at its facilities and on its property. • Consider placing signs near overhead lines to warn workers of hazards. CSU’s report noted that although a CSU project manager walked the site with a Kumar employee the week before the incident so Kumar could identify locations for the drilling to occur, “There was no conversation by either employee regarding the location of the stakes used to mark boring locations or the overhead power lines.” ALL OF THIS COMES TO LIGHT thanks to Sam Masias, a master electrician in Colorado Springs, who obtained paperwork related to the incident through FOIA and Colorado Open Records Act requests.

Asked why he did so, he says, “Because two people were killed, and I couldn’t understand how that could happen on a power plant [site]. “When I work with Colorado Springs Utilities in the field, they’re extraordinarily safety conscious,” he adds. “I just couldn’t understand. How can you take an iron drilling rig onto the property and stand it up without someone saying, ‘Where are you going?’ It was beyond my comprehension.” The Indy could find no lawsuits filed as a result of the deaths in either federal or state court. The El Paso County Coroner’s Office’s autopsy reports show that both men’s bodies tested positive for opioids and THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana. But it’s impossible to know if either man was impaired based on post-mortem tests at the levels shown during autopsy, Coroner Dr. Leon Kelly says via email. One of the men, Kelly says, had a very low level of oxycodone, which likely wouldn’t have caused impairment. The other was “relatively high,” but Kelly says his impairment would depend on his typical dosage and how long he’d used the drug. Without that information, “It’s hard to determine impairment,” he says.

NEWS | CSINDY.COM | March 25 - 31, 2020

WORSHIP SERVICES

NEWS

T RASHED City will prosecute those who distribute handbills against homeowner wishes BY PAM ZUBECK | zubeck@csindy.com

There’s no one like Him

CURRENT SERMON SERIES

JESUS Tim McConnell, Lead Pastor

SUNDAY WORSHIP Sanctuary 8:30 a.m. | 10 a.m. Worship Center 9 a.m. | 11 a.m. Nursery at All Sunday Services

firstprescos.org 719-884-6100

SUPPORT OUR LOCAL RESTAURANT SCENE WITH

DINE- N(DY) Check out the back of our paper for a full list of restaurants and rules!

VE RY SU N DAY, JOE L Schott, like thousands of other Colorado Springs residents, awakes to find a plastic bag of newsprint ads in his driveway. He simply picks it up and trashes it. But not everyone does that, and the bags of ads pile up in gutters and, worse, in the city’s creeks and drainage channels. Schott knows this because he hikes those channels and shakes his head at the idea that those materials are clogging waterways — waterways that are already the subject of a pending federal lawsuit that alleges the city violated the Clean Water Act. So Schott tried to file a complaint for littering against the business responsible for tossing the bags — The Gazette. He’s not the only one. The city has received about a dozen similar complaints over the last year but turned them away, because city officials saw it as a First Amendment issue — the right to free speech. No longer. On March 6, the city finalized a new approach to such complaints. While complicated, the procedure allows the city to prosecute the newspaper for distribution of handbills against the wishes of recipients. “Once whoever the producer is [of the ad packet] is found guilty,” says Mitch Hammes, Neighborhood Services manager who oversees code enforcement, “the judge would determine what the fine is.”

There’s a lot of steps the homeowner has to take BEFORE WE CAN PROSECUTE. — MITCH HAMMES

A Gazette employee shared some information before referring the Indy to someone else, but the Indy never heard back in response to several emails and phone calls. Schott moved here from Houston about four years ago after falling in love with the area while attending a relative’s Air Force Academy graduation. Captivated by the scenery, he spends lots of time on

March 25 - 31, 2020 | CSINDY.COM | NEWS

Pam Zubeck

Schott is not the only person to have complained about ad packets in waterways.

trails and along drainage channels where he encounters those bags and other trash. “For years, The Gazette has been throwing [the packets] on driveways all throughout this beautiful city,” he says in an email. The bags often sit in gutters for weeks and eventually wash into the storm sewer system, he says. It’s worth noting the Indy has heard from other readers in the last several years voicing similar complaints. So has the city. Hammes says when a resident complained recently and asked why the city couldn’t act, he met with the City Attorney’s Office. After studying the city’s codes, officials devised a procedure for handling such complaints under the provision regarding dissemination of handbills on city and private property. “There’s a lot of steps the homeowner has to take before we can prosecute,” he says. First, a homeowner must send written notice to the newspaper, by certified mail, asking for delivery to be discontinued. He or she also must post a sign on the property, visible from the street, stating hand bills or advertisements are forbidden, Hammes says.

The resident then must wait 10 days after receiving confirmation the certified letter was delivered, and then wait another 10 days after that. If another ad packet arrives on the driveway, “We have a violation we can prosecute,” Hammes says. After arriving at the new procedure on March 6, Hammes reports the city is now willing to take complaints from residents and prosecute, as long as the complaining resident is willing to testify. WHEN THE INDY INITIALLY MADE contact with The Gazette, we were told the ad packets are delivered to 120,000 households that don’t subscribe to the daily paper, that thousands of people had requested they be removed from the delivery list and that the newspaper had granted those requests. “We do have independent contractors who deliver and I’m not going to say that mistakes don’t happen,” The Gazette employee said. Schott, for one, says he’s willing to follow the city’s procedure but notes after he complained for the third time to the Gazette a month ago, he didn’t receive the packet on either March 15 or 22.

NEWS | CSINDY.COM | March 25 - 31, 2020

The P inery at the Hill ushers in wedding season

he Pinery at the Hill has been doing brisk business throughout winter and fall, providing local businesses an elegant venue for conferences, meetings and parties. With the arrival of spring, however, the venue is bracing itself for one of the busiest seasons of all — wedding season. With 22,000 square feet of space spread across stunning grounds, the Pinery has become a coveted destination for couples who seek an unforgettable wedding filled with elegance, beauty and exciting amenities. Couples can exchange their vows on the veranda overlooking the sweeping panoramic view of Pikes Peak and the city of Colorado Springs. Alternatively, the Sweetwater Chapel provides an intimate, but no less-breathtaking space. There are two ballrooms for receptions, and every room, staircase and hallway offers thoughtful design elements that are sure to awe guests. Marketing and sales director Michelle Benson says that there is far more to the Pinery than its aesthetics. The venue’s services and all-inclusive packages take the dreaded surprises out of a couple’s wedding budget and eliminate the need to search for vendor after vendor to achieve their dream day. “The best advice is to always vet and then trust your vendors. The most stressful part of wedding planning is when you are stressed. Relax and let the experts handle it,” says Benson. Of course, the team of experts curated by the Pinery come highly recommended and always provide an exceptional experience for a discerning couple. Benson notes

Allison Easterling Photography

the incredible talent of the venue’s floral team, as well as the custom bar packages and upgraded setups. “We always bring fresh ideas to planning meetings and we get excited to hear exactly what couples want for their day.” No matter how outrageous the wedding, there is always cost to consider. The Pinery is attentive to the needs of every couple, offering packages that fit within varying budgets. Benson says the most popular package at the Pinery is its Bronze package, which boasts culinary options, a hosted bar, floral arrangements and other amenities for weddings held Sunday through Thursday during their peak season and every day of the week in the quieter winter months. For those who want to go all-out on their wedding day, the Platinum package amplifies every amenity offered to the highest level — extravagant cake offerings, a full-plated dinner menu, expanded floral arrangements and a hosted house bar, not to mention any other add-ons a couple could desire. Couples who want to check out the venue for themselves can set up an appointment to tour the facility. Once they decide to book, a wedding specialist will begin helping them navigate their next steps. Of course, it’s not all champagne and roses at the Pinery. There is the pressing issue of selecting a date at this award-winning, high-demand venue. As with all things wedding-related, the earlier, the better. Call (719) 634-7772 or visit thepinery. com to find out more information about booking your wedding at The Pinery at the Hill. Branded Content

March 25 - 31, 2020 | CSINDY.COM | NEWS

NEWS

In Good Faith CONVERSATION AT THE CROSSROADS

Matthew Schniper

In this challenging time of isolation and reﬂection, what thoughts, advice or comforting words would you like to share with the community? ERIC SANDRAS ~ Christian

Because of COVID-19, it’s not business as usual at Colorado Springs Utilities.

K EEPING THE LIGHTS ON Colorado Springs Utilities bracing for virus’ impact BY FAITH MILLER | faith@csindy.com

N RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 pandemic, which has left many people without a reliable source of income as businesses closed to prevent the spread of the virus, Colorado Springs Utilities announced March 17 it would not disconnect services through at least March 30. Then, after Gov. Jared Polis asked Colorado utilities to suspend disconnections through April 30, CSU extended their timeline. “We have agreed to support this request to ease the financial burdens on our customers, especially knowing many may be temporarily out of work,” CSU spokesperson Amy Trinidad said in an email March 20. Trinidad says the new “skip your payment” program allows customers to create a plan for paying a missed bill in future months. The bill doesn’t just disappear — customers are asked to call CSU if they don’t expect to be able to pay right away, so they can work out how they will pay it later. The Utilities Board of Directors also gave preliminary approval March 18 to implement a planned rate decrease that will save the average residential customer around $2.50 a month on their electricity bill, starting April 1. City Council was expected to approve the decrease during its meeting March 24, after the Indy’s press time. The public utility adjusts rates quarterly based on the prices of energy resources such as coal and natural gas. The electricity rate reduction of around 2.9 percent for residential customers, 3.9 percent for commercial customers and 4.6 percent for industrial customers is based on economic conditions. “We’ve never seen natural gas prices this low, I don’t think,” Utilities Board

member and City Councilor Andy Pico remarked at the March 18 meeting. “Certainly not in winter, or early spring.” Trinidad later confirmed that the reductions are mostly based on lower natural gas prices. As a public utility, CSU passes fuel costs directly on to its customers. EVEN WITH MORE PEOPLE WORKing from home, CSU doesn’t expect a significant increase in residential energy use. “Use typically declines this time of year,” Trinidad explained. “Natural light is increasing and use of heating and cooling systems usually declines with more favorable outdoor temperatures.” And with businesses and restaurants closed, any increase in residential demand would likely be offset by lower commercial use. However, Trinidad says residential water use could increase up to 40 percent with people working remotely and increasing the amount of water they use to clean and sanitize their homes. Water bills are split into three tiers, with a big jump in cost from tier one to tier two. CSU doesn’t think the increased water use will make customers jump up a tier. “We expect most residential customers to remain in tier one, as at this time of year customers aren’t increasing water use for irrigation,” Trinidad says. COVID-19’s strain on CSU’s human and financial resources means the utility will have to decide which projects to prioritize over the next few weeks, she adds: “It’s definitely not business as usual, so we need to plan accordingly.” For now, Trinidad says, CSU is sticking to the planned timeline for creating a new Energy Integrated Resource Plan, the roadmap for the next five years — continued on p. 10 ➔

Every crisis has a beginning, a middle and an end. They all do. Whether it’s loss, illness, life transitions or a natural disasters. Often we don’t have much choice WHEN a crisis comes or when it will end, only HOW it will end. We choose whether we will finish well or not—finish deeper or weaker as a person. As well, it is the decisions we make during crisis that often determines if we create a new crisis for ourselves or others when the current one passes. Times like these call less for fear-filled panic and more for faithfueled resolve. There is no stronger antidote to the panic created by crisis than sharing Christ’s love with others mixed with a shot of wisdom for ourselves. Eric Sandras, PhD- Author of four books, “Dr. E” currently leads The Sanctuary Church in the heart of Old Colorado City and teaches graduate courses in Human Sexuality, counseling, and psychology.

ARNIE BASS ~ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter

Day Saints Don’t PANIC! At least try not to. Not responding to everything you see on-line, hear on the news, or even hear from well-meaning friends will go a long way in reducing your anxiety and panic levels. Even though friends have your best interest at heart, their information may be unreliable. Pick a dependable source for your information, trust and act on it. Stay close to your family, both those that are near and far. Reach out to them, especially to those that have become distant (emotionally or physically). We need each other! The whole world is in the same boat. As many critical items are no longer available, seek alternatives. Now is the time to “think- and act-outside-the-box.” The sun will shine after the storm! Arnie Bass is a Bishop at Sunset Mesa Ward in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado Springs. He has served in positions of both spiritual and administrative responsibilities since 1991.

BRYAN GARNER ~ Ceremonial Magician

Times of uncertainty can allow space for much needed moments of reflection and reexamination. Rarely do drastic times of change occur at opportune times, but they allow us to break from the comfort zones of our routines and explore new ways of appreciating our lives. Energy that could be wasted on fear and worry might instead put toward creativity. Caution should inspire preparation and resourcefulness, not panic and overreacting. Keep you and your family safe by not poisoning each other’s thoughts and emotions. Instead, value your health, your home, and each other’s well-being as it exists in each moment. Do not waste time in begrudging a change that was uninvited, instead move through each moment if uncertainty with a renewed sense of determination. Rev. Bryan Garner is a published author, Ninjutsu instructor, lecturer, and western ceremonial magician. He is currently pursuing ordination into the Apostolic Gnostic Priesthood of the Apostolic Johannite Church

SARAH BENDER ~ Zen Buddhist

In 1758, Voltaire wrote Candide. Our hero, desperately searching for his love, finds NO evidence for his mentor’s “All is for the best in this best of all possible worlds”. Every possible disaster happens. Yet, Candide can’t help loving. In the end he says this: “We must tend our garden.” And this seems true. Underneath fear, I find love: for friends, family, and all beings who are suffering. For green sprouts, magpies nesting, sun, and moon. Love steadies me so I can act. I can literally plant seeds. I can tend relationships; strengthen my body and mind; make beauty---music, art, food. Meditate. Pray. Repair things. Volunteer in community. Speak up for kindness, justice. Listen. And truly rest. These things help. I’m grateful for them. Sarah Bender is a Roshi (Senior Teacher) in the Koan Zen Buddhist tradition. She is resident teacher for Springs Mountain Sangha, a Zen community in Colorado Springs (smszen.org).

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n March 19, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment extended the closure of dine-in restaurants, bars and other businesses to April 30 from April 16, adding salons, spas, and massage and tattoo parlors to the list of those impacted. If you, like many people (and more to come) have found yourself in need of assistance during this time, here are a few ways to get immediate help:

Colorado and southwest photo art for your home, office or as a gift, from local outdoorsman and photographer "Hiking Bob" Falcone.

View and order online, delivered to your door, ready for framing, in a variety of sizes and finishes.

• Pikes Peak United Way 2-1-1, powered by Ent Credit Union and GE Johnson, connects people with agencies that can help them with food, housing, utilities and more. Dial 2-1-1 or visit 211colorado.org for more information. • El Paso County school districts are offering free grab-and-go meals for children younger than 18. Visit bit.ly/COSSchoolMeals for a map of locations. • Visit colorado.gov/cdle to file an unemployment claim. Because the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s website has been experiencing a high volume of claims, the CDLE asks people whose last names begin with the letters A through M to file on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday or after noon on Saturday. Those whose last names begin with the letters N through Z are asked to file unemployment claims on Monday, Wednesday, Friday or before noon on Saturday.

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4:30-6 p.m. • Virtual Event • Donations Accepted BARBARA MYRICK

April 8

Barbara Myrick’s father dreamed of opening his own construction company with his six sons. However, it was his daughter who would become the construction entrepreneur. A New Jersey native, Myrick settled in Colorado Springs after spending 10 years as an Army air traﬃc controller. She opened her own company, B&M Construction, in 1993.

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If you’d like to volunteer your time or make a donation, visit HelpColoradoNow.org for opportunities. (Nonprofits and organizations can post opportunities there as well.) And finally, if you’re experiencing mild symptoms of COVID-19 (such as fever, cough or body aches), the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment asks that you isolate yourself from others until you’ve had no fever for at least 72 hours, and other symptoms have improved. If symptoms become more serious — including shortness of breath — CDPHE wants you to call a provider to see if you should be tested. Visit covid19.colorado.gov/telehealth-and-nurselines for a list of phone numbers. Those with severe shortness of breath or difficulty breathing can call 9-1-1. CDPHE says hospitals are building the capability to test for COVID-19 in-house, and will separate those who test positive, or those suspected to have COVID-19, from the general population.

ly started to make some headway in the city and started to level the playing field,” which could include shifting to more said Councilor Yolanda renewable energy, Avila, who represents a nd p ot e nt ia l ly Southeast Colorado decommissioning the Springs. She expressed Martin Drake Power the need for city counPlant sooner than cilors to serve as role scheduled. models for the larger CSU is still plancommunity, following ning on sending a social distancing recomsurvey to customers mendations to prevent in the first part of the spread of COVID-19. April to gather input For the March 24 City about the relationCouncil meeting, counship between cost cilors were expected to and environmendiscuss agenda items tal impacts, and to via teleconference to help establish carminimize opportunities bon reduction goals for the virus to spread. beyond state requireCity Hall is closed to the ments, Trinidad says. — COUNCILOR RICHARD public, but the meeting According to the SKORMAN was set to be broadcast current timeline, the online and on the @cosUtilities Board will be citycouncil Facebook page. presented with a recommended energy Skorman encouraged his fellow counportfolio in early summer. cilors to support restaurants and shops forced to downsize, mentioning that he AT THE MARCH 18 UTILITIES BOARD has had to lay off employees from his meeting, the strangeness of the times was own business and look for new ways to on stark display, as a table was sanitized stay viable. in between presenters, and two councilors “We’re trying to remake ourselves, — Bill Murray and Richard Skorman — and there’s a lot of other small businessphoned in remotely to the meeting. es out there that are in the same boat,” “I’m really concerned about my comSkorman said. munity, District 4, because we have final➔ continued from p. 9

2020 Leadership Lessons

Resources for those affected by COVID-19

WE’RE TRYING TO REMAKE OURSELVES, and there’s a lot of other small businesses out there that are in the same boat

Department of Energy, U.S. Library of Congress

Gone fission How Colorado’s nuclear past is affecting its future

T WAS FEB. 25 AND BROOMFIELD City Council was done. It unanimously voted last month to withdraw from the Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority (JPPHA), a proposed north-south toll road that would ostensibly help mitigate traffic congestion in the Northwest Metro Denver area. The route would have taken the road through the eastern edge of the Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge, just south of the Boulder County line, bordering Arvada and Broomfield. The council vote was influenced by preliminary soil samples taken by the JPPHA in July 2019, specifically one sample that showed plutonium levels more than five times higher than the acceptable standard (the rest of the samples taken at that time were within acceptable standards). Before its current existence as a wildlife refuge, Rocky Flats was the site of a nuclear weapons plant, which has caused concern about plutonium contamination in the area. Forty-eight subsequent samples taken by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the refuge, showed levels well below cleanup standards of 50 picocuries per gram. The city council vote is the latest installment in the ongoing conflict between concerned residents and public officials, and Rocky Flats and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). For decades, residents and at least two directors of Jefferson County Public Health, have claimed that plutonium released from the plant is responsible for the high rate of cancers in the area. These claims have been consistently disputed by CDPHE and the Department of Energy (DOE). During the public comment section of the hearing on Resolution 2020-82, “Giving Notice of Withdrawal from the Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority,” a host of concerned citizens shared their worries with the council. “It’s noted that most of the comments are from people outside of Broomfield,” said Broomfield Mayor Patrick Quinn at the time.

Photos provided by Jeff Gipe group that, according to its website, “mobiMany like former Rocky Flats Plant safety lizes physicians and health professionals to representative Ted Zeigler and Harvey Nichadvocate for climate solutions and a nuclear ols, University of Colorado at Boulder profesweapons-free world,” also spoke up during sor emeritus of biology, live outside Broomthe public comment period. She introduced field but have a long history of activism relatherself as “a biomedical research scientist who ing to Rocky Flats. recently retired from the University of Iowa “There are trenches 30 feet deep on the plant Medical School as a professor of physiology site, of layer upon layer of toxic and hazardous and a member of our medical center’s canmaterials,” claimed Zeigler during the Broomcer center,” and noted that “plutonium emits field City Council meeting, “I had access to alpha radiation, which is the most dangerthat info during my 13 years on the plant site. The Department of Energy [DOE] has been reluctant to provide soil sampling for all the years that the plant site operated and all these years hereafter.” “What I found,” noted Nichols, “under a DOE contract beginning in 1974, was that the entire site, not just the industrial zone, but the entire refuge, was dusted — deliberately as part of their operations — with microscopic particles of plutonium, very suitable for being inhaled. That material has moved off-site, particularly to the east along Indiana [Street, the eastern border of Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge] where I did sampling also. That remains in the dust, and of course construction means dust being raised.” While residents and community activists have long argued that contamination from the plant has led to a rise in cancer rates, the Crews excavate corroded barrels during the Rocky Flats cleanup effort in 1998. CDPHE sent a letter to residents following the discovery of the conous form of radioactivity. The deadly effects taminated soil sample. The letter assured them of alpha radiation are insidious and can take that “based on the information we have so far, years, even decades, to manifest. If inhaled, our state experts and toxicologists do not believe ingested or absorbed through a simple cut there is an immediate public health threat.” in the skin, even a single plutonium particle Dr. Deborah Segaloff, a member of Physiwould remain in the person for their lifetime, cians for Social Responsibility, an activist

Rocky Flats Photography Department

By Heidi Beedle

continued on p. 12 ➔

FEATURE | CSINDY.COM | March 25 - 31, 2020

➔ continued from p. 11

continuously generating alpha radiation that would bombard thousands of surrounding cells, damaging the cells’ DNA, and thereby significantly increasing the individual’s risk of cancer development.” City Councilor Stan Jezierski was the only councilor to express any kind of reservations about the decision, admitting that he was “maybe one of the few people here that’s really been conflicted about this issue for many

tive memory loss can be a major problem when we’re dealing with contaminants that have a half-life of 24,000 years. THE SOVIET UNION DETONATED ITS first atomic bomb on Aug. 29, 1949, setting off a nuclear arms race that became a defining feature of the Cold War. Three years later, Rocky Flats began production. The site northwest of Denver was chosen because it “satisfied a climatic criteria, was near a metropolitan city

This kind of collective memory loss can be a major problem when we’re dealing with contaminants that have a half-life of 24,000 years. months now. On the one hand I really love the idea of the Jefferson Parkway; I’ve been sold on it from the beginning. I think it would be a good economic boom. On the other hand, we have heard there have been a lot of serious concerns that have been raised about the Parkway. It’s prudent for us to withdraw.” City Councilor Guyleen Castriotta thanked commenters: “I wasn’t from Colorado, I didn’t know anything about this, and I’m grateful to all of you for your engagement and persistence.” More than half of Colorado’s population is, like Castriotta, an outof-state transplant, and even many native Coloradans don’t know the full story, due to the fact that much of the major news coverage about Rocky Flats occurred more than 30 years ago. This kind of collec-

Heidi Beedle

Erected in 2015, this Cold War memorial horse was created by artist Jeff Gipe.

March 25 - 31, 2020 | CSINDY.COM | FEATURE

with its labor market and an area attractive enough to aid the recruiting of employees from other cities,” according to “Rocky Flats Site History,” written for the Department of Energy by Pat Buffer. The plant’s purpose was kept secret from the general public, hidden behind the shield of national security. It was vital to keep Soviet spies and intelligence agents away from our nuclear production centers. The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) would not disclose that plutonium was handled at the plant until 1957, after the first of many accidents involving the radioactive element at Rocky Flats. Plutonium is a pyrophoric element, which means it has a tendency to ignite when exposed to air. Once it does, it is difficult to extinguish, especially since using water to put out a plutonium fire means risking a criticality, basically an uncontrolled nuclear fission reaction. The Sept. 11, 1957, fire at the Rocky Flats plant, operated at the time by Dow Chemical (p. 13), was one of the first offsite releases of plutonium. According to a 1992 document prepared by ChemRisk, a scientific consulting firm, for the Colorado Department of Health, the fire was caused “when metallic plutonium casting residues spontaneously ignited in a glove box.” Dow’s accident investigation report, included in the ChemRisk document, noted that “attempts to fight the fire with carbon dioxide from hand extinguishers and a hundred pound cart proved to be ineffective; however when a water spray nozzle was brought in and used, it was effective, although there was considerable uncertainty as to the criticality problems which it might produce.” The fire burned through the filters, into the ventilation system and the main exhaust duct. “At about 10:39 p.m.,” the report notes, two minutes after spraying the burning plutonium with water, there was “an explosion in the exhaust system, probably due to accumulated unburned gases.” If you find the use of vague adverbs like “probably” in a nuclear accident report unsettling, it should be reassuring to know that in 1989 an independent

safety assessment team concluded that “no evidence could be found that would support allegations that an accidental criticality ever occurred at Rocky Flats.” Whatever the cause, the explosion resulted in the second-largest release of plutonium into the environment from Rocky Flats (the largest was the 903 Pad leak; more on that later). The element spread as far as 30 miles, with no coverage from local news or government warnings to nearby residents. News of the 1957 fire wasn’t brought to public attention until another fire in 1969 prompted testing of off-site soil. The 1957 and 1969 fires were the most prominent, and the two fires that released the most significant amounts of plutonium off-site, but a 2003 CDPHE report, titled “Report of Epidemiologic Analyses Performed for Rocky Flats Production Workers Employed Between 1952-1989,” notes that “hundreds of plutonium fires occurred,” and that “during one incident in 1965, 400 workers received radiation doses from plutonium as a result of a fire that started in a clogged drain.” When these incidents did finally receive media attention, they were dismissed by both the CDPHE and the AEC. On June 5, 1969, The Broomfield Star ran the headline “No Radiation From Rocky Flats Fire, CDH Decides,” after initial soil tests failed to show any contamination. However, subsequent studies and documents released after the plant stopped production in 1989 have contradicted those initial claims, showing that contamination did, in fact, occur, both on- and off-site. DUE IN NO SMALL PART TO WORKING conditions at the plant, union workers staged a 10-week walkout starting June 28, 1970. During the labor dispute, allegations emerged not just of unsafe conditions for workers, but of dangerous releases of plutonium that put the public at risk. On July 22, 1970, the Golden Transcript ran a front-page story about conditions at the plant. The union president of the Allied and Technical Workers, James Kelly, was quoted urging increased emissions testing at the plant. “Radioactive emissions have taken place, and a smear test will prove it,” said Kelly, who also “accused Dow of burying contaminated wastes on the plant site.” Kelly claimed that “unearthed burials of contaminated waste still remain at the plant, both within and without the security fence.” Lloyd Joshel, Dow’s general manager, replied that such claims were “simply not true” and that “the Colorado Department of Health confirms our findings.” However, according to the 1992 ChemRisk document, the plant was actively dumping solvent in multiple places throughout the Rocky Flats area during the late 1960s and early 1970s, including an area called “Ryan’s Pit,” noting that “after radiation screening identified the solvents as nonradioactive, the solvents were intentionally dumped in the trench as a method of disposal. The solvents were disposed of in small quantities. Solvents that may have been dumped included perchloroethylene, trichloroethane, and possibly carbon tetrachloride, though not as likely.” This means that Kelly was correct — waste, though not necessarily contaminated with plutonium, had indeed been dumped and left forgotten at the Rocky Flats site for decades, and it had undoubtedly contami-

Background

radiation A brief history of Rocky Flats Between 1952 and 1989, the nuclear weapons plant at Rocky Flats processed plutonium and created plutonium triggers, or “pits,” for nuclear weapons. The facility was owned in turn by three government agencies over the course of its operation and eventual cleanup: first the Atomic Energy Commission, then the Federal Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA), and finally the Department of Energy (DOE), which still controls the 600-acre former plant site at the center of a 5,237-acre wildlife refuge. The day-to-day operations of the plant were managed by four separate contractors, starting with Dow Chemical, the company that brought us Scrubbing Bubbles — but also napalm and Agent Orange — from 1952-1975. Rockwell International took over operations until 1990. Rockwell handed over plant operations after the plant was raided by the FBI in 1989 for environmental crimes (the company admitted wrongdoing and settled through a plea agreement in 1992). The historic raid was the first time one federal agency had ever targeted another. Afterward, EG&G began the massive cleanup, which was finished by Kaiser-Hill, which took over operations in 1995. Because of its status as a Superfund site, a national designation that marks the site for long-term hazardous waste cleanup, thousands of documents relating to Rocky Flats have been made available through the DOE’s Office of Legacy Management (tinyurl.com/RockyFlatsDOE). The documents provide insight into the operations of the plant, and verify many of the claims that have long been made by some of the loudest critics of the Rocky Flats plant and the 2016 decision to turn the site into a publicly accessible wildlife refuge. — Heidi Beedle

limits are being reassessed.” So 1969 wasn’t just a bad year for fires; Dow was also forced to deal with this ongoing waste issue.

Pyrex process waste lines under the building. Pyrex is not just the material of choice for baking at home — the boron-infused glass was seen as a solution to the plant’s persistent cor-

OILS AND CHEMICALS USED IN processing plutonium become contaminated with the radioactive element, and their subsequent storage and disposal becomes a problem. Between 1957 and 1969, Dow stored 3,573 barrels of oil contaminated with plutonium, and 1,254 barrels of oil contaminated with uranium, in a field on the southeast corner of the plant’s grounds. According to a 1971 Dow report, “subsequently, some of the drums developed oil leaks and some plutonium contaminated oil was deposited on the soil. The area was later covered by an asphalt pad.” This leak, at what was later referred to as the “903 Pad,” actually accounts for 99 percent of all the plutonium that was ever released off-site, according to a 1987 report by Christoph Hohenemser, a member of the Rocky Flats public oversight commission that described the plant as a “hazard management success.” The plutonium that leaked into the soil was later carried off-site by wind and Leaking barrels were stored at the 903 Pad from 1964 to 1967, at least. rain, according to multiple studies and documents released since the leak. rosion problem. However, it is still just glass, Although for a time Rocky Flats seemingly and predictably the inventory notes that “operheld onto its waste in the hope of extracting ations and natural settling of the building have and processing unused plutonium, some sub- resulted in several breaks in this glass line.” sequent waste was sent to a facility in Arco, Idaho, according to the 1969 internal report, DESPITE THE VEIL OF SECRECY, OPERstating, “The waste, in drums or boxes, is bull- ations (and accidents) at the plant inevitadozed into pits and covered.” bly drew public notice. The effects of off-site In the report, Dow noted there were still releases of plutonium from the 1957 and 1969 concerns about the waste in Idaho, saying, “it fires and the 903 Pad leak caught the attenis in volcanic soil several hundred feet above tion of local health officials. Despite repeated water level in an area with only 5 in./yr. rain- assurances from state health representatives, fall. However, we have seen pictures of our the local health department began to look into barrels floating in water in the pits. The water the higher-than-expected instances of cancer several hundred feet below the surface ulti- in Jefferson County. mately joins the Snake River, much of which is In 1973, Dr. Carl Johnson became the director used for irrigation. This does not seem an ideal of Jefferson County Public Health and began solution, but is presumably not our problem.” questioning claims made by officials at Rocky It is very much our problem today. Flats and the Colorado Department of PubTritium, another radioactive substance, lic Health. Johnson was concerned about the was also occasionally released from the plant, instances of cancers in Jefferson County and causing additional concerns. On Aug. 25, 1973, questioned the official measurements of plutothe Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph reported nium in the soils around Rocky Flats, finding that “radioactive hydrogen came from one of in his own testing that plutonium levels in the the buildings on the Rocky Flats grounds and soil were 44 times higher than reported by the from a landfill serving as a burial ground for Department of Public Health. radioactive materials.” The tritium from Rocky Johnson grew increasingly concerned about Flats found its way into Walnut Creek, which an increase in cancer deaths in Jefferson Counfeeds into the Great Western Reservoir, which ty, and in a paper published in 1981, noted that was Broomfield’s main source of drinking a rise in certain kinds of cancers Johnson was water prior to 1997. seeing in Jefferson County, such as leukemia, In 1974, Dow compiled a comprehensive “supports the hypothesis that exposure of environmental inventory, which attempted general populations to small concentrations of to assess and account for all of the releases plutonium and other radionuclides may have since the plant began operations in 1952. The an effect on cancer incidence.” Johnson noted inventory notes that many of the buildings’ that “plutonium concentrations in the air at “foundations, footings, pilings, and associ- the Rocky Flats plant are consistently the highated drainages must be considered both radio- est (1970-1977) in the US DOE monitoring netactively and chemically infiltrated by leaks, work,” based on his studies of the DOE’s own spills, weather actions, etc.” Many of the leaks data. He also asserted that the DOE’s measureoccurred during the course of normal opera- ments were likely an underestimation. tions, but some of the leaks are the result of Almost 40 years later, and the current head decisions made by Dow. of the Jefferson County Public Health DepartFor instance, the Service Laboratory Facility, ment, Dr. Mark Johnson (no relation) has come which began operation in 1968, was built with to the same conclusion. In 2018 he spoke out

Atomic Energy Commission

nated soil and groundwater. An Oct. 6, 1969, an internal report from Dow, titled “Possible ‘Areas of Concern’ Research at Rocky Flats” was circulated among Rocky Flats officials after, as the report claims, “neighboring ‘concerned scientists’ have questioned many Rocky Flats operating practices and limits related to our effect on our environment.” The document analyzed contamination in the air, water, soil and people. It considered that “plutonium particles below about one micron in size which disperse more widely than the usual should be investigated” and noted that “the measurement of these particles poses extra problems.” For reference: The plutonium particle within the contaminated soil sample taken in 2019 was about 8.8 microns in size. The report also noted that “continued efforts should be made to minimize the amount of plutonium being discarded in the waste. Waste

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FEATURE | CSINDY.COM | March 25 - 31, 2020

against opening the wildlife refuge to the public, and he thinks the recent discovery of plutonium near the proposed parkway site should give people reason to reconsider. “Yes, I believe there is a health concern,” he says, “but I would add the caveat I don’t know how bad that concern is or how big that concern is.” Fears about the health risks associated with exposure to the historic releases of plutonium from Rocky Flats have galvanized community organizers like Tiffany Hansen, who founded Rocky Flats Downwinders in 2017. A “downwinder” is a colloquialism for someone who lives near a nuclear facility. “I was born in Arvada, 3.75 miles downwind from Rocky Flats,” explains Hansen. “I lived there during the time the plant was live. My dad was a contractor out there. I could see the lights of the plant through my bedroom window.” In 2014, she, like a number of Arvada residents, began to develop health problems, and was ultimately diagnosed with a rare ovarian tumor. “I reached out to some people I went to school with,” she recalls, “an ex-boyfriend who was recovering from stage 4 thyroid cancer, and he felt that Rocky Flats was to blame. I reached out to another woman who had terminal ovarian cancer who also felt strongly that Rocky Flats caused her illness. Everybody that I’m talking to seems to know about Rocky Flats.” This anecdotal evidence convinced Hansen to partner with Metro State University of Denver, and together they launched the first Rocky Flats Health Survey. Preliminary findings of the 2016 study found that “within the 1,745 completed surveys for the 64-year period, there were 848 cases of cancer with 414 of those cases being cancers designated as ‘rare’ (fewer than 15/100,000 people). These rare cancers account for 48.8 percent of the total cancer cases for these survey results as compared to the U.S. rate for ‘rare’ cancers, which is 25 percent.” While the study did not find a direct connection to Rocky Flats, it did note that “the identified patterns warrant further investigation.” Unfortunately, the study was discontinued when the principal investigator retired from Metro State. Those study results should be taken with a grain of salt, according to Mark Johnson. “Just asking people ‘how many cancers?’ is not the best way to find out how many cancers there are and whether people have died from them,” notes the current Jefferson County Public Health director. “I think the data is very difficult to get and very difficult to interpret. I think someone who really has the expertise and the time to study all of the studies and all of the data that is out there is what is needed.”

10,000,000

microcuries

903 Pad Oil Leakage Including Incidents

1,000,000

Normal Operations

100,000

1957 Fire 10,000

1,000

1974 Control Valve Failure

100

LOG SCALE 10 1 1953

1957

1961

1965

1969

1973

1977

This graph, prepared by ChemRisk, outlines historical releases of plutonium from Rocky Flats.

On April 19, 1978, the Gazette-Telegraph reported that “the EPA had proposed that the builders of two Jefferson County subdivisions be required to tell their customers that the soil is contaminated with small amounts of plutonium and that a large radioactive release could occur at the plant.” But the article goes on to state that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) had decided not to issue warnings to potential homebuyers. Today, the land near Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge is surrounded by subdivisions offering homes “in the low $500s” less than a mile from the boundary of the plant’s buffer zone. “Where they’re putting the Candelas neighborhood and these other newer developments,” says Hansen, “there’s maps. If you do the overlay of those communities, they’re in known off-site contaminated areas from those fires and the 903 Pad.” “There are clear studies that have shown there is an increased risk or rate of plutonium in the dirt there,” agrees Mark Johnson. “I have concerns already about the digging around with the subdivisions and the commercial enterprises that have gone into that area that were basically kicking up a lot of stuff — and we don’t know what is there.” Carl Johnson was fired in 1981 for his persistent, outspoken criticism of the plant, but won a subsequent whistleblower lawsuit. Partly due to Johnson’s criticism, the FBI and the EPA began looking into operations at the Rocky Flats Plant starting in 1987. The investigation

— Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment report, 2003

March 25 - 31, 2020 | CSINDY.COM | FEATURE

1965 Glove-box Drain Fire 1969 Fire

During one incident in 1965, 400 workers receive d radiation doses from plutonium as a result of a fire that starte d in a clogge d drain. 14

ChemRisk

➔ continued from p. 13

was aided by Jim Stone, an employee at the plant who also became a whistleblower over what he saw as grave safety violations. In 1988, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to thenU.S. Congressman David Skaggs, “two plant employees were exposed to contamination in building 771 when they walked through a contaminated area without respirators. This incident occurred because the sign warning that respirators are required was apparently hidden from view by waste drums and a tool box.” The GAO report also cited dangers from aging buildings and equipment. As a result, the DOE ordered Building 771, which housed the plant’s plutonium incinerator, shut down. The FBI and the EPA began aerial, infrared surveillance that indicated that the plant was still burning waste in violation of the DOE order. The FBI secured a search warrant and executed it June 6, 1989. As a result of the raid, the company managing the plant, Rockwell International, and the Department of Energy were involved in a grand jury trial, but the findings remain sealed. What we do know is that Rockwell was fined $18.5 million dollars and operations at the plant were handed over to EG&G, one of the contractors who took over after Rockwell in 1990 (see sidebar), to begin the massive cleanup operation. Rocky Flats Downwinders is currently a party to a lawsuit to unseal the grand jury documents, and is being represented by attorney Pat Mellen. Hansen hopes the documents will reveal new information about the cleanup, which has long been a source of contention for concerned residents. “What I have been calling for is two things,” says Mark Johnson, “I’ve been calling for an independent organization to go back and review all of the studies we have on Rocky Flats — which would be a major undertaking — and the other I have been asking for is the unsealing of all the documents that were used for the grand jury study. Those documents were sealed. What do they know that we don’t know, and why has it been sealed so we can’t find it?”

THOUGH EXHAUSTIVE DOCUMENTAtion of waste sites and deposits exists, questions remain as to the effectiveness of the now-completed cleanup. Jon Lipsky, a former FBI agent who led the raid on Rocky Flats in 1989, criticized the decision to open the refuge to the public in 2016, and has claimed there is still work to be done. Originally, the DOE estimated it would take 65 years and $37 billion to clean up the site. It was completed in 2005 for $7 billion. During the process, there were still surprises to be found. In 1993, when taking routine soil samples, EG&G found deposits of non-aqueous phase liquids, liquid solution contaminants that do not dissolve in or easily mix with water — like oil, gasoline and petroleum products. A memo from EG&G’s N.M. Hutchins, acting associate general manager, environmental restoration management, reported the discovery of this liquid, which turned out to be a solvent called tetrachloroethene. Long-term exposure has been associated with several types of cancer, specifically bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma. After the cleanup, the site was given to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and renamed the Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge. A number of former nuclear and chemical weapons sites across the country have been rehabilitated and opened to the public as wildlife refuges, including the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a site in northeast Denver where the Army manufactured chemical weapons. Studies were conducted to determine if there was a danger to wildlife from the contamination at the Rocky Flats plant. One, published in the Journal of Environmental Quality in 1980, concluded that “concern over short-term biological and ecological effects of Pu [plutonium] on the vegetation and small animals at Rocky Flats seems unwarranted at present. Vegetation, arthropods, and small mammals had Pu concentrations much lower than those which produced biological effects in laboratory dogs and rodents.” “The reason I started RFD [Rocky Flats Downwinders] is because there needs to be

two stories,” laments Mark Johnson. “You end more studies and more health data collected up with those that feel that everything was from the people who live near Rocky Flats,” done great and everything was done well, and says Hansen. “It’s insane that they haven’t you end up with those that tell you they know already done it before they’ve started to do so much development in the area. They’re buildthey buried things that were off the map and that nobody knows they’re there. ing neighborhoods in known contaminated areas. There are neighborhoods out there where children are playing, bordering the wildlife refuge.” “I would like to have somebody who can really dig into the data that we have and the expertise that we really need and give us a neutral picture,” says Mark Johnson. “The problem is it would be very difficult to find a neutral organization, at least in this country, because anyone who is doing any sort of nuclear teaching or research is funded by the DOE, so you’d have to go out of the country Poet Allen Ginsberg is arresed in 1978 while protesting the work being done at Rocky Flats. to find someone who is neutral.” “I don’t trust the DOE,” he says. “At the beginning I think they were truly trying to be WHILE BROOMFIELD’S DECISION TO patriotic, but at the end I think they were tryremove itself from the Jefferson Parkway Pubing to cover their own tail. I think CDPHE was lic Highway Authority has stalled the project, sort of bought into the DOE story by all of the it could still continue. funding they got. They truly haven’t taken the Bill Ray, the executive director of the JPPHA time to look at the data. I think this is another commented, “It is disappointing that Broomcase where living out in the West we have been field made this decision without the benefit of hoodwinked by powers in the East and that the Colorado Department of Public Health and we really need to figure out what’s going on Environment’s analysis of the extensive soils up there before we have too many more people testing that is expected in April [CDPHE has building houses.” acknowledged that follow-up tests of the soil

John Prieto/The Denver Post, Courtesy Jeff Gipe

The debate about the grand jury documents has been going on since the report was sealed in 1992. A federal judge released a redacted version in 1993, but calls for the unsealing of unredacted documents increased following the 2004 publication of the book Ambushed Grand Jury. This book was written and self-published by Wes McKinley, the grand jury foreman and a former member of the Colorado House of Representatives, and attorney Caron Balkany. In 2004, then-U.S. Attorney (and current Colorado Springs mayor) John Suthers, wrote to Congressman Mark Udall in response to inquiries about the grand jury documents, noting “no one in our office believes that there is any evidence of contamination at Rocky Flats contained in Justice Department files which is not otherwise known to the multiple agencies that have been responsible for the clean-up. Nevertheless, we would be willing to have agents of the Department of Energy, the EPA and the State of Colorado Department of Health and Environment review the 65 boxes of documents to determine if any information would be useful to them in the continuing clean-up process.”

“This does not seem an ideal solution, but is presumably not our problem.” — Dow Chemical internal report, 1969

may be necessary, though the Indy was unable to confirm by press time that the testing would go forward in April]. CDPHE has long been the lead agency monitoring public health and safety around Rocky Flats. Jefferson County and Arvada will separately consider the next steps for the Parkway.” The JPPHA isn’t the only project that has been proposed near the Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge. In 2018 the Highlands Natural Resources Corp. applied to drill fracking wells near the former nuclear site. The plans were abandoned after an outcry from residents of nearby Superior. “I’ve read as much as I could about Rocky Flats and I’ve spoken with people who have worked out at Rocky Flats and you end up with

The questions of the lasting effects from the operations at Rocky Flats may never be answered to the satisfaction of residents like Hansen, who are dealing with serious health issues. Jeff Gipe, the artist behind the Cold War Horse memorial that was erected in 2015, is currently working on a documentary about the plant, Half-Life of Memory, which may draw more attention to the issue. President Donald Trump, who has a good shot at re-election, has reduced the effectiveness of agencies like the EPA while also advocating for an increase in nuclear arms development. In 2019, the federal government proposed a new plutonium pit production facility near Aiken, South Carolina. But that is presumably not our problem. FEATURE | CSINDY.COM | March 25 - 31, 2020

FAIR & UNBALANCED BY MIKE LITTWIN | Courtesy The Colorado Independent

KEN BUCK DOESN’T GET IT

NE OF THE FIRST THINGS they teach you in columnwriting school — OK, there aren’t really any columnwriting schools, but, as the saying goes, if you buy the premise, you buy the bit — is that there’s no point in writing the obvious take, meaning something with which everyone agrees. But I’ve learned over time, and particularly in the last few years, that there is no longer any take — no matter how obvious — that passes this test. And to prove the point, I give you Rep. Ken Buck, who is not only the benighted congressperson from Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, but, simultaneously, the in-way-over-his-head chairperson of the fast-sinking Colorado GOP. It is Mr. Buck who has boldly taken up the cause that the best way to fight off the novel coronavirus pandemic is to do virtually nothing. Yes, it’s definitely outof-the-box thinking, if you want to call it thinking.

Buck’s knee-jerk response is meant to be a civil libertarian stance, as if Patrick Henry would be saying today, “GIVE ME LIBERTY TO STOP IN FOR A BURGER OR GIVE ME DEATH.” Buck goes all in, telling The Denver Post that “You don’t shut restaurants for 30 days… I have no problem with [stopping] sporting events or things that don’t impact our civil liberties and don’t impact everyday life. Those are things that I think we can suspend for a period of time. But it’s just craziness to shut down businesses or parts of the economy that are absolutely necessary.” He says it’s an overreaction. Sure, he says, we have to protect the sick and elderly, but let’s allow others to gather in large groups so that the ultra-contagious virus can spread among those gathered and then be transmitted to the old and the sick. Nine people have died from the virus so far in Colorado — one was a

man in his 70s from Weld County, a Buck constituent. And Buck may not have noticed, because, well, he’s Ken Buck, but the latest information from the CDC is that nearly 40 percent of Americans hospitalized for the virus are aged 20 to 54. It’s not just old people at risk. It’s not just sick people at risk. It’s everyone at risk, as we learn in the latest count from Italy, where 6,077 have died and they’re running out of space in the morgues. The number of coronavirus cases in America has doubled in the last two days, presumably due to more testing. In California, they’re projecting that 56 percent of the state’s population — meaning more than 25 million people — could eventually be infected with coronavirus. Here is how bad it’s gotten: Even in Texas they’ve shut down the restaurants (yes, including barbecue), the schools, the bars and are limiting gatherings to 10 people. Those who actually know these things say that unless we flatten the curve — someone, please Google this for Buck — thousands of Americans will die, maybe tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands. Buck’s knee-jerk response is meant to be a civil libertarian stance, as if Patrick Henry would be saying today, “Give me liberty to stop in for a burger or give me death.” If Buck were just a right-wing back bencher whose commentary — “What we have done is turn public policy over to the doctors,” he told The Post, as if doctors weren’t the right people to consult in a pandemic — would normally be of little note except to those who have repeatedly elected him to Congress. But there is the matter of the Colorado GOP. He is the person state Republicans have inexplicably chosen — out of all Colorado Republicans — to lead them back from the abyss. So, here’s leadership, Buck style. When last seen, Buck was making a fool of himself by posting a video daring Joe Biden and Beto O’Rourke to take the AR-15 he keeps in his office as a tribute, I guess, to the right of people to use weapons of war. “If you want to take everyone’s AR-15s in America, why don’t you swing by my office in Washington, D.C., and start with this one,” he says in the video while wielding the gun, which his office later said was actually inoperable. O’Rourke tweeted back that Buck is making his case far better than he could. That was at about the same time Buck was one of only two House members to vote against the first coronavirus relief package and then was one of 40 to vote

March 25 - 31, 2020 | CSINDY.COM | OPINIONS

Chair of the fast-sinking Colorado GOP.

against the next relief bill, which he called a “boondoggle.” Is this the official Republican Party line? It’s not Donald Trump’s party line. It’s not Mitch McConnell’s party line. Even Sean Hannity has backed away from this kind of thinking — even while saying he always took coronavirus seriously. (Yes, seriously.) I don’t think it’s Cory Gardner’s, either, but I’m not sure because, as I may have mentioned, he doesn’t take my calls and, anyway, he’s self-quarantined. You don’t need me to tell you what kind of shape the Colorado Republican Party is in these days. The 2018 midterm elections, in which Republicans were basically swept statewide, was the party’s worst showing in modern history. Gardner, who is generally considered the most vulnerable Republican senator in the 2020 elections, is the only Republican now to hold a major statewide office. And Buck’s response to the sweep in the Legislature, you’ll remember, was to say that he would teach Democrats how to spell r-e-c-a-l-l. We know how that turned out. Let’s just say don’t look for Buck in next year’s spelling bee competition. AND IT’S NOT JUST THE COLORAdo GOP, of course. It would be amusing, if it weren’t so frightening, to see Donald Trump telling us we should listen to the experts on how to treat the virus. It’s the same Trump who has called climate change a hoax, and who, until recently, was calling coronavirus a hoax and who has been joined over the years by Republican after Republican in disputing 9thgrade basic science.

If you missed last Thursday’s coronavirus press conference, it was a real show, which predictably turned into a Trump rant-a-thon. He was asked how he reconciled his statement that he knew from the start that the virus was a pandemic with his statement that the virus took everyone by surprise. His answer: “We were very prepared. The only thing we weren’t prepared for was the media. The media has not treated it fairly.” And then he went on to say how the media — some of which (like me) are saying Trump’s constant use of “China virus” is racist — is siding with the Chinese. So, Trump, as we know, doesn’t take any responsibility for the lack of hospital beds, for lack of respirators, for lack of masks, for the unforgivable delay in testing or for anything else. He always fingers China — Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said it was because some Chinese eat bats and dogs, not mentioning that some American eat snakes and squirrels — not because the virus started in China, which it did, but because it is suitably foreign. And he blames the fake news media because he always blames the media. But if Trump listened to Buck — and I doubt he does — he’d hear his right-wing fringe blaming him for a failure of leadership: “We are telling people they can’t go to church. We are telling people they can’t hold political rallies. We are telling people that, as the result of a disease that is not targeting younger populations, they can’t go to school. We are in the midst of a panic that is creating irrational responses.” And Buck goes on: “We don’t have a leader. It was FDR who said, ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’ We need leaders to stand up and say we’re going to have a measured response.” Yes, it was FDR who said that. Seems Buck did learn something at Princeton. FDR said those words in addressing the Great Depression. What he meant — and what Buck seems to have missed, among other things — is that Roosevelt meant we must face the danger without being paralyzed by fear. It was FDR who then launched the New Deal, something far more expansive than even the trillionplus-dollar programs now being considered in the face of the pandemic. Here’s a guess, which no one — not even these days — could possibly dispute. If Buck were a congressman in the 1930s, he would have fearlessly voted against every single one of FDR’s New Deal bills and called each one a boondoggle. So to Ken Buck, I say, FDR that.

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in the state of Colorado. HAD BEEN OUT AS TRANSGEN“So-called ‘gay panic’ and ‘trans panic’ der, publicly, for about six months defenses,” reads House Bill 20-1307, “seek before a guy hit on me at a bar. Dealto partially or completely excuse a defening with unwanted advances from dant from full accountability for the commen is one of those things most cisgenmission of a violent crime on the grounds der women (who were assigned female at that the sexual orientation or gender birth) unfortunately learn before adolesidentity or expression of the victim is cence. As a trans woman, I had to figure sufficient in itself to arouse the heat of it out in my 30s. I was paying my tab and passion in the defendant... or cause the I felt a hand on the small of my back. defendant to be temporarily insane.” “Hey, let me buy you a drink?” “The number of hate crimes against Startled by such a sudden invasion trans women of color speof personal space cifically, but gay and trans — another thing cis people throughout Colowomen learn to deal rado is increasing,” says with much earlier in life There are a lot Herod. From 2017 to 2018, — I spun around awkmore cases Colorado saw a 16 percent wardly with my hands increase in crimes based up, not entirely sure THAN THOSE on a victim’s “race, sexual what was happening. THAT END UP orientation, gender iden“Oh, no thanks, I’m tity or disability,” accordjust leaving,” I said as IN THE PRESS. ing to annual reporting by politely as I could. — REP. LESLIE HEROD the FBI. Last year, Emmit He recoiled as if I Davis, a transgender man, had spit at him. It was was assaulted outside his probably my voice. home in Colorado Springs. That is one of the hardest things for trans Most cases that utilize the panic women to change, and even when I make defense don’t receive the same level of an effort I still sound like Michael Cera scrutiny as Zapata’s case. from Arrested Development. “After working with the DAs [District “You fucking faggot!” he sneered, and Attorneys] on this issue we found out that then stormed off. it’s a lot more common than we thought. I left the bar quickly, feeling embarIt’s a defense that needs to be banned outrassed and guilty but also completely right,” says Herod. “There are a lot more unsure of what, exactly, I did wrong. cases than those that end up in the press. I was actually pretty lucky I wasn’t They get offered a plea or their case is assaulted, or worse. Trans women have sealed. This is happening across the state.” the difficult job of having to manage both Herod’s co-sponsor on the bill is Matt male attraction and male revulsion, often Soper, a Republican representative from simultaneously. Delta — surprising given the anti-LGBTQ In 2008, Angie Zapata, an 18-year-old bills introduced by Colorado Republicans transgender woman from Greeley, was this legislative session. “Once folks realmurdered by Allen Andrade, a 31-yearized that this defense is actually being old man she met on social media. Zapata used, folks came on board,” explains didn’t disclose her gender history and Herod. “It’s a pretty egregious defense. when Andrade discovered she was transIt’s not one that I could use, for instance, gender — by grabbing her crotch — he as a lesbian, against a straight man who beat her unconscious with his fists and hit on me. Why should that be allowed the then bludgeoned her to death with a fire other way around?” extinguisher. Bipartisan support of the bill is a good Andrade claimed he “snapped” and sign, but unfortunately the emerging murdered Zapata in a rage. The jury health crisis has put a damper on things didn’t buy that defense and found him at the Capitol. guilty of first-degree murder and a biasColorado has some of the most robust motivated crime. He was sentenced to laws in the country protecting LGBTQ life in prison. citizens from discrimination and harassColorado State Rep. Leslie Herod ment, and HB20-1307 would be a welrecently introduced a bill to ban the use come extra layer of defense. of the “gay panic” defense in courtrooms

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OPINIONS | CSINDY.COM | March 25 - 31, 2020

APPETITE

R ISE OF THE GHOST KITCHEN Enjoying the #silverliningsoftheapocalypse

Matthew Schniper

IRST OF ALL, IT’S NOT really the apocalypse. So stay calm, but remain vigilant. And let’s take advantage of what remains available to us to support restaurants, bars, breweries, distilleries, roasteries and retail entities. Though cooped up, we’ve been encouraged to get outdoors (away from others), so we made active date nights out of walking and biking downtown to grab takeout and get a break from cooking nonstop.

Our ghost town still serves up good grub.

It feels like a ghost town, like we have the city to ourselves, like post-apocalyptic living minus the downside of being pursued by zombies, vampires or roaming leather-clad gangs. Like living our own best version of I Am Legend sans shitty cans of expired soup or scavenged or hunted grub, with eateries open just for us. And — best part — they’re now allowed to serve us to-go booze for consumption back at our makeshift survival shacks (homes). Mad Max or Rick Grimes never had it so good! From Bingo Burger, we escape with the loaded St. Patty’s Day Melt burger of the month, with Swiss over pastrami and Axe and the Oak whiskey-glazed onions, plus a thick boozy shake featuring that same distillery’s bourbon. At Chiba Bar, we briefly chat with owner Michael Carsten, who’s busy bagging to-go sushi orders between pouring cocktails into plastic cups, which get a lid but no ice, for final prep at home. From Cacao Chemistry, we walk with lavish cacao nib-covered dark chocolate bark. Plan your own progressive dinner of sorts near your abode if possible. And if you are doing delivery, be green by asking them not to include plastic cutlery or extra napkins. That suggestion came off the Culinary Distancing Facebook group we launched, where we took heart over the last week as we watched community members step up. Just five of the awesome actions of camaraderie we observed: 1) Neighbors order-

Matthew Schniper

BY MATTHEW SCHNIPER | matthew@csindy.com

Chiba Bar owner Michael Carsten stirs up drinks to go — just add the ice at home.

ing 18 meals together from one eatery to share a single delivery, requesting “chef’s choice” to help them use up inventory. 2) Bartering between businesses for ingredients they needed to maintain service. 3) A rural area requesting food trucks come feed their neighborhood. 4) A business giving away soon-to-expire pastries to staff at other eateries as a treat during this stressful time. 5) Red Gravy referring its brunch biz to neighbors who only serve breakfast: “No reason to compete right now. Let’s all collaborate and survive.” People have offered to shop for or deliver to one another. They’ve baked for each other. They’ve offered answers to questions, such as where to procure late-night food. Businesses have shared tips on suppliers and local purveyors. We’ll tell more

inspiring stories here in the weeks ahead, but for now I’ll close with one more. I’ve heard from Sean and Inez Fitzgerald of Wobbly Olive and Happy Belly Tacos. They’re working the shifts but giving “every dollar of profit from togo’s and delivery to my staff,” says Inez. Sean notes negotiating short-term on his rent and utilities and finding other “creative solutions” in order to keep paying employees. “I’m dumbfounded by the way this city has supported us,” he says. But still, he jokes, noting their newness at this to-go orders focus, “If I get a one-star review for delivery on Yelp right now, I’ll burn this whole city down.” And that, friends, probably would herald the real apocalypse. Then we can panic.

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Curbside pickup with call ahead ordering. Southern BBQ, scratch cooked meals, original live music venue, patio dining and one of the best tap and bottled beer selections in town! Voted Best BBQ last 17yrs by Indy readers. Weekday Happy Hour 4pm to 6pm. Open Everyday at 11am for Lunch & Dinner.

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DINE & DASH

Quick takes on food and drink COMPILED BY GRIFFIN SWARTZELL

SHAH’S KABOB AND GYRO

ATTENTION: BEFORE THE STATE-MANDATED CESSATION OF ON-SITE FOOD AND DRINK SERVICE (FOR AT LEAST 30 DAYS) TO COMBAT THE CORONAVIRUS, WE’D ALREADY MADE A RUN TO PUEBLO TO HIT SOME SPOTS. WE’VE SINCE CALLED TO VERIFY THEY’RE STILL SERVING, AND NOTED THAT SERVICE AT THE TOP OF EACH WRITEUP.

940 Eagleridge Blvd., Pueblo, 719-766-1088, shahskabob.com

CURRENTLY OFFERING TAKEOUT This food truck turned brick-and-mortar has its marketing down. While we wait for our steak kabob sandwich,, we watch a TV showing kitchen shots and ultra-corny ads for fusion offerings like a green chile gyro, gyro which we’ve also ordered. The former bears cubes of steak with saffron rice, while sumac, cumin and turmeric flavors sing through lettuce, tomato and tzatziki. There isn’t much grill-char flavor, but that disappoints less, as the flavors are so strong as is. The green chile gyro’s meat gets carved from a vertical spit and griddled with a measure of green chile stew, infusing the flavors for a good, if salty, flavor. The chile itself has a lovely acidity and slow, rising burn that lingers. Cheddar cheese shreds and tzatziki cool each bite.

LOVE MUG COFFEE SHOP 975 U.S. Hwy. 50, Pueblo, 719-696-1175, lovemugcoffeeshop.com

CURRENTLY OFFERING TAKEOUT Opened in 2017, this coffee shop is a sister location to a spot by the same name that was started in Rocky Ford in 2009. When we stop in on a Saturday, there’s a line to the door, a 20-minute wait for food and no respite in sight for the hustling staff. That’s because Saturday means crêpes here, all of which are named for Beatles songs. We order one sweet and one savory: the Revolution and the Sgt. Pepper. The Revolution arrives loaded with fresh whipped cream and caramelized apples with almond slivers added for texture. While the crêpe itself comes thicker than necessary, it’s a pleasant sweet thing overall. The Sgt. Pepper bears a thinner crêpe, topped with a herbaceous garlic sauce over diced bell peppers and tomatoes. Inside, there’s a pleasant mix of bright pesto, avocado, onion, spinach, and more peppers and tomatoes, fresh but messy and in need of egg, guacamole, hummus or something to bind it together. For coffee drinks, a Spicy Grandma Latte bears scant brown sugar and cinnamon flavors that support the coffee itself, rather than overwhelming.

WALTER’S BREWERY & TAPROOM 126 Oneida St., Pueblo, 719-542-0766, waltersbeer.com

SIDE DISH

CURRENTLY OFFERING CALL-IN AND TO-GO BEER ORDERS Established in the late 1800s, closed in 1975 and reopened in 2014, Walter’s has deep roots in Pueblo. The brewery boasts the original, pre-Prohibition pilsner recipe, which is neat. Naturally, we choose it as one of the 6-ounce pours in our tasting flight — a generous volume. The pilsner,, when we stop in, comes green in advance of St. Paddy’s Day. It sips clean and very neutral, easy to drink but lacking even mild malt or hop character. Our favorites are Walter’s chile beers. Pueblo chile lager bears green chile flavor on the front with mild heat on the back, filling the mouth with each sip. Red chile lime has a good citrus nose and bright lime on the sip, which does well with the warmth and finishing burn from the chile. Blood orange lager sips with a blunt citrus bitterness, good but simple.

Since the state-mandated cessation of on-site food and drink service (for at least 30 days) to combat the coronavirus, many businesses have responded rapidly and in creative ways to both save their livelihoods and support their communities. We’ll be sharing inspirational stories throughout the next month alongside other coverage of a very different food/drink marketplace. This week, we’re taking a snapshot of some of the early responses we’ve observed during the first few days of the partial shutdown. Bear in mind that these are some of the same businesses affected by the shutdown, giving while they’re in need themselves: • The Denver Post covered the story of Lyonsbased Spirit Hound Distillers and Boulder-

March 25 - 31, 2020 | CSINDY.COM | FOOD & DRINK

based J&L Distilling, both of whom used their equipment to make hand sanitizer that‘s now nearly impossible to find on market shelves (thank you hoarders and A-hole resellers). Other distilleries around the U.S. have done this too, with many donating it to first responders, health care agencies, etc. Locally, Lee Spirits and Axe and The Oak have indicated they’ll be making batches for donation soon, too. Again to address the shortage of supplies on area grocery store and other retailers’ shelves (still looking at you hoarders and A-hole resellers), area restaurants have stepped up to offer in-demand goods through their own distribution sources — and not at a big markup. Just one

example locally that caught our eye: Beasts and Brews (beastsandbrews.com) has listed everything from toilet paper to bread, milk and vegetables available alongside their newly created meal kits and takeout items from their menu. Black Forest-based YWAMemerge (ywamemerge.org) — an aquaponics grower that works with nonprofits as part of YWAM International and also sells to area restaurants and universities — lost contracts last week and was sitting on surplus. Their idea: Give it away, “2,400 heads of lettuce every week as long as we have to.” Friday, March 20, was the first giveaway; they asked folks to take a bag of lettuce for themselves and/ or a neighbor in need. — Matthew Schniper

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ITALIAN Serving The Colorado Springs Area Since 1985! Locally owned and operated. In the top 3 â€œBest Tasting Pizzasâ€? for the last 15 years. The best value for your dollar & The freshest ingredients possible. Five locations! Dine in, carry out, and delivery with specials that save your budget!

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Fala-Filo

Handmade Middle Eastern Cuisine

6050 N Carefree Cir, 80922 719-358-7865 Fala-Filo.com

20% OFF Catering this month. Critically acclaimed as â€œArabian Art,â€? Fala-Filo offers a hand-crafted menu of specialties from across the middle east. Explore delicately spiced lamb, homemade hummus and baba ghanoush, and sweetened Hibiscus tea. Enjoy the finest the Arabic world has to offer. Visit daily 11 am â€“ 8 pm.

SOUTHWESTERN/MEXICAN JosĂŠ Muldoonâ€™s

222 N. Tejon St. 636-2311 5710 S. Carefree Cr @ Powers 574-5673

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

ARE YOU

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HOUSE

MacKenzieâ€™s Chop House

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MUSIC

D ON’T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME A social-distancing soundtrack starring The Weeknd, X-Ray Spex and, of course, Michael Jackson BY BILL FORMAN | bill@csindy.com

OW THAT HOWARD Hughes has become our national role model, what better way to chase away those social-distancing blues than a carefully curated collection of thematically appropriate songs? Sure, you could just put Neil Young’s “Oh, Lonesome Me,” Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again (Naturally)” or Eric Carmen’s “All by Myself” on infinite repeat, but you can only spend so much time curled up on the floor in a fetal position before you weird out the cats. So instead, we offer for your consideration a more diverse collection of songs that, if you don’t fixate too much on the lyrics, are really kind of fun. We’ve also included one lesser-known track that we honestly believe will leave you feeling more inspired and optimistic, which, given the current state of the human condition, is no small task. But we’ll get to that later.

“Ghost Town” by The Specials “Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town,” sings Terry Hall in one of the more wistful parts of The Specials’ hauntingly tuneful take on rampant unemployment and closed-up

clubs in Thatcher-era England. Written and recorded shortly before the seminal ska band called it a day, the song’s dubinfluenced arrangement also showcases the deeply resonant vocals of Neville Staple, whose West Indian patois rivals that of Linton Kwesi Johnson. The result is one of the few political protest songs that’s actually fun to sing along to. “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd “I can’t feel my face when I’m with you, but I love it,” declares The Weeknd on his runaway hit from 2015. Given the Canadian R&B crooner’s youthful indiscretions, it’s widely assumed that he’s singing about the numbing effects of a controlled substance. Or maybe the song is just about getting high on life. Either way, you’ve got to give him credit for putting an upbeat spin on an uncomfortable predicament.

The Weeknd deserves credit for PUTTING AN UPBEAT SPIN on an uncomfortable predicament.

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MUSIC “Germfree Adolescents” by X-Ray Spex While their politely titled “Oh Bondage Up Yours!” single fell on largely deaf ears, X-Ray Spex’s follow-up single went on to become the British agitprop band’s bestknown song. “Germfree Adolescents” also turned frontwoman Poly Styrene into a feminist-punk icon, as she deftly skewered an antiseptic society where you could almost imagine people hoarding toilet paper and soap: “Her phobia is infection, she needs one to survive / It’s her built-in protection, without fear she’d give up and die.” Not recommended for the faint-hearted or those who don’t trust anyone under 30. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by The Police It’s amazing that the CDC hasn’t used a single song by The Police for its socialdistancing PSAs. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” is of course the obvious one, but there’s also the multi-platinum “Every Breath You Take” as well as the clearly plaintive “So Lonely,” in which Sting sings the song’s title no less than three dozen times, which is more than enough to fill a 30-second spot. “Behind the Mask” by Michael Jackson Which came first: the silver-sequined glove or the black surgical mask? No one can really say for sure. But we do know that the reclusive King of Pop wore his mask at a rehearsal on the eve of his death, because Jackson’s personal bodyguard said so right before putting it up for auction. In any case, the posthumously released “Behind the Mask” is an unjustly overlooked electro-funk single, with lyrics like “You sit around behind your mask, and you control your world” that are just about as unsettling now as they were back then. “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer The first MC Hammer single to reach the Top 10, “U Can’t Touch This” has absolutely nothing to do with maintaining personal space and everything to do

THE PERSONAL JOURNEY BEHIND THE CREATIVE SUCCESS

Wednesday, April 22 from 4:30-6p.m. Virtual · Donations accepted at csindy.com/donate *not tax deductible

Jim Jackson and Birgitta DePree Millibo Art Theatre with pumping beats and billowing parachute pants. Granted, the ’90s rapper let the opening riff from Rick James’ “Super Freak” do the musical heavy lifting, and the accompanying video’s hyperkinetic choreography makes Psy’s gangnam style seem subtle by comparison. And yes, rap rivals 3rd Bass did refer to MC Hammer as “MC Household Tool.” But when it came to unadulterated fun, “U Can’t Touch This” was tough to beat. Or as Hammer put it back in his hip-hop heyday, “Why would I ever stop doin’ this / With others makin’ records that just don’t hit?” “You Can’t Go Outside” by Kool Keith “Now you’re famous, but guess what? You can’t go outside.” In Kool Keith’s song about a self-quarantined rapper who’s taken to canceling gigs for fear of becoming the next Biggie or Tupac, the former Ultramagnetic MC approaches his subject matter with a curious mix of sympathy and derision: “Request to have the chicken and fried rice / Chinese cat at your door on the bike / You doin’ the same thing you did last night.” The song’s chorus, which samples The Dramatics singing “You can’t walk outside... With your girl in the rain” drives the point home. “Song to Humanity” by The Lovetones An ode to hope and redemption, The Lovetones’ 2008 “Song to Humanity” is as close to a sacred hymn as any secular psychedelic-rock band is likely to come. Led by Matthew J. Tow, a singer, songwriter and guitarist whom Rolling Stone has compared to The Kinks’ Ray Davies and The Beatles’ Lennon and McCartney, the Melbourne band employs ringing guitars, sweeping synthesizer and subtle vocal harmonies in service of lyrics that are both timely and heartfelt: “Take care of them all, the old and the small, the sick and the poor, take care of them all.” It’s a gorgeous track and a thoughtful reminder of our need to show kindness and compassion as we get through all this together.

At Milibo Art Theater, it’s all about having a GREAT time! Jim Jackson and Birgitta DuPress roll out the laughs with experimental theater, one-man shows, clowns, puppets and comedies. You never know what the Milibo will do — consider aerialists, acrobats, singers and dancers. It’s all part of the show — and the show must go on! Join the husband and wife team as they talk about their love of theater, and they put on a performance of their own. Don’t miss this — there might be stilts!

We all need to laugh right now — what better way than to join the folks at Millibo for a free event! Stay tuned on streaming information for the next in the COS Creatives series. Sponsored by:

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MUSIC | CSINDY.COM | March 25 - 31, 2020

MUSIC Astrid Lyre

Indie-rock outfit Wolf Parade was among the first touring bands to pack up and head home amid coronavirus fears; they canceled their European tour on March 2.

REVERB

BY COLLIN ESTES

HE FIRST INKLING THAT something unusual was about to happen came to me as a fan. Canadian indie-rock trio Wolf Parade, fresh off the release of their excellent LP Thin Mind and a North American tour (which included a thunderous live performance at Denver’s Gothic Theatre on Feb. 8.), announced on March 2 that they were canceling their imminent European tour dates. Maybe the band was ahead of the curve and extra cautious because of the postapocalyptic themes evident on their new record, but theirs was the first musical cancellation/postponement I noticed over concern for the rapid international spread of COVID-19. Then, sure enough, more announcements came in. The 2020 edition of SXSW was canceled, as was Coachella, Treefort and a slew of international tours from the likes of Pearl Jam, the Rolling Stones, Madonna and Billie Eilish. Broadway has shut down for a month. AEG and Live Nation both recommended concerts be postponed. Experimental metal band Today Is the Day, who were in the midst of a U.S. tour and set to play the Zodiac on March 28, canceled their remaining dates and headed home. Robyn Hitchcock managed to get in a stellar set at Lulu’s Downstairs, but just in the nick of time.

It all looks alarming when presented sequentially on paper, but it’s probably fairly easy to ignore these sorts of things until they arrive in your backyard. And, indeed, so they did on Monday, March 16, when Gov. Jared Polis announced a public health order closing restaurants and bars, movie theaters and performance venues, casinos, gyms, breweries and coffeehouses for 30 days. Better safe than sorry, as the saying goes. But where does that leave local musicians and venues in the meantime? Well, in a music industry where revenue from record sales is more or less nonexistent, and touring and accompanying merchandise sales are the only dependable sources of revenue for artists at all levels, most musicians and the places where they play are going to be in a tough spot for an uncertain amount of time. Of course most local musicians work multiple other jobs, but jobs that allow for the time necessary to be a working musician also tend to be vulnerable during a public health crisis. So I’d urge music fans to keep local artists in mind. So, then, what is the best way to support artists at a time when they’re desperately going to need it? The most obvious answer is buying their music and merch, but be sure to do it as directly as possible. Bandcamp is a fairly direct platform, with around 70 to 80 percent of revenue going to the artists, and the subscription-based platform Patreon has thus far proved to be an invaluable tool for many working musicians. As one example, Wisconsin-based experimental singer-songwriter Zola

Jesus, who headlined the 2017 Denver Underground Music Showcase, explained on music podcast Fortune Kit that Patreon subscriptions helped replace the deficit in record sales, lessening the pressure most working musicians feel (even on a national level) to stretch the revenue from one good touring cycle over several years. Incidentally, driving home the point, Jesus was forced to cancel her planned recording sessions at a Los Angeles studio. The “good” news accompanying this period of “social distancing” is that musicians will hopefully have a bit of time to record, which means music fans should have plenty of listening material to see them through. For starters, Briffaut f ront ma n Da n iel James Eaton just dropped a timely new LP, Quarantine, under the mantle of Oscar Shorts, and singersongwriter Curtis Boucher recently released a beautifully understated self-titled LP. Both releases are available at the artists’ respective Bandcamp pages.

What is the best way to support artists at a time WHEN THEY’RE DESPERATELY GOING TO NEED IT?

ONE WAY THAT’S NOT PARTICUlarly helpful? While the sentiment is nice, don’t bother playing your favorite artists 24/7 on a streaming service; streaming

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March 25 - 31, 2020 | CSINDY.COM | MUSIC

revenue is essentially nonexistent, and artists are often paid out of a pool of all artists streamed on the platform, not per stream of their own material. While certainly convenient, it’s deeply problematic, and an area of the industry that needs an overhaul. Of course, while musicians are the ones visible onstage, there are countless people behind the scenes who are also hurt by the concert freeze. On a national level, these are the workers handling sound and lighting, transportation, hospitality and so on. Locally, the people who keep our favorite venues running are in for a rough stretch of overhead, and I’d suggest that benefit shows for the venues themselves would be a perfect way to kick off local artists’ eventual return to the stage. Finally, as the COVID19 pandemic has harshly exposed some severe flaws in the music industry, I’d like to offer that this period of uncertainty should be viewed as an opportunity to build something new and better for artists and their fans, rather than just passively waiting for a return to normalcy. To quote the great Bruce Cockburn, “The trouble with normal is it always gets worse... .” Stay safe and healthy out there, and stay tuned for music updates.

PLAYLIST MUSIC REVIEWS BY LORING WIRBEL

he recent memorials following the death of Throbbing Gristle founder Genesis P-Orridge might lead one to think that all experimental music occupies a harsh landscape. Recent releases by hackedepicciotto and Six Organs of Admittance, however, show that experimentalism can be thoughtful, reserved, and even melodic. Berlin artist Danielle de Picciotto has, in the past, worked with Alexander Hacke, founder of ’80s German proto-noise band Einstürzende Neubauten, but hackedepicciotto’s new The Current (Indigo) offers 11 tracks that might almost be called mellow. Oddness rules the day, and if it drifts into melodrama, let’s be honest and admit that many masterpieces of progressive rock have had their melodramatic moments. Multi-instrumentalist Ben Chasny is known for his rock projects Rangda and Comets on Fire, but he saves his speculative work for Six Organs of Admittance, a band that ranges from Indian ragas to dissonant guitar. The new Companion Rises (Drag City) is a work of soothing balms served with slight tweaks in sound, as though a guitarist like Leo Kottke or Ralph Towner was experimenting with psychedelics. Don’t be deterred by any claims that Chasny is selling out — these nine tracks are a delight.

ALSO NEW & NOTEWORTHY CocoRosie, Put the Shine On (Marathon Artists) – The Paris-based Casady sisters have been serving up weird 1930s-style vocal works backed with off-tune handmade instruments for some 17 years now. While CocoRosie tried more commercial approaches in recent years, the new album returns to strange landscapes that are in turn comical and sad, particularly in regard to chronicling the death of the sisters’ mother last year. But just when the atmosphere appears too desolate, a song like “Lamb and the Wolf” shows the Casady sisters have not lost a sense of fun. Best Coast, Always Tomorrow (Concord) – It’s odd that advance publicity suggests this is the Best Coast album where vocalist Bethany Cosentino truly finds her voice — the last two albums felt like solo Cosentino works, while the new one feels like the most rocking, riff-filled, and full band style of Best Coast to date. Maybe the accolades are based on lyrics where Cosentino comes to terms with defining her own identity proudly. Still, it’s the glorious melodies in songs like “Different Light” that make this Best Coast album a winner.

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The Black Sheep has announced its rescheduled date for rapper Devin the Dude, who is now set to appear at the club on June 27.

The Business, Oriental Theater, Denver, June 6 RJD2 with Melody Line and Fred Fancy, Boulder Theater, Boulder, June 19 Pink Talking Fish with Dire Wolves

Boulder Theater, Boulder, July 8 Nobide with Birocratic, Telemetry and Sunfeather, Fox Theatre, Boulder, Sept. 12 The High Kings, Boulder Theater, Boulder, March 31, 2021

MUSIC | CSINDY.COM | March 25 - 31, 2020

EVENT HORIZON Compiled by Bridgett Harris

SOCIAL DISTANCE EDITION

DAPHNIS AND CHLOE IN MY STUDIO

G44 Gallery, 1785 S. Eighth St., Suite A, g44gallery.com

March 25 - 31, 2020 | CSINDY.COM | CALENDAR

Betty Ross

HINGS HAVE CHANGED RAPIDLY IN THE LAST TWO weeks, and the entire city is trying to adapt to new developments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes the Colorado Springs art community, whose many artists have watched as their shows have been postponed or canceled to comply with new mandates that discourage groups of people larger than 10 from socializing, not to mention the broader encouragement for social distancing in general. However, uncertain times call for ingenuity and G44 Gallery has risen to the occasion. The exhibit of work by local legend Betty Ross, Daphnis and Chloe in My Studio,, opened March 13 but did not get much opportunity to shine before local and national events took a turn for the isolated. However, gallery owner Gundega Stevens quickly shifted to promoting the show online and through the gallery’s Facebook page. It’s not uncommon for an artist’s work to be available online. It is, however, uncommon for that to be the sole method used to share an exhibit. “I have always put the current exhibit online, but now more than ever I think it’s important for people to be able to see the artwork from the safety of their homes,” says Stevens. It’s fortunate Stevens made the choice, because Ross’ work is not to be missed. She utilizes beautiful colors and textures in her paintings, which she says are based on a gouache of a backdrop created by a Russian painter in the 1930s. Gouache is a type of opaque watercolor that is created by adding chalk or pigment. Unlike regular watercolor, the white of the background does not show through the paint. Daphnis and Chloe, the inspiration for this exhibit, is a work of ancient Greek literature by Longus; it’s a love story of two innocent orphan shepherds and the trials they face. Ross’ interpretation has both local and international inspiration. She depicts images of Palmer Park, which she refers to as her personal pastoral place, and Messenia, Greece. Ross, in addition to being known for her artwork, is a beloved patron of the arts in Colorado Springs, having founded TheatreWorks at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs with her late husband Murray Ross. You can check out the Ross exhibit at g44gallery.com. As the situation evolves, keep an eye out for more ways to engage with — and support — the arts as we all navigate this situation together. As Stevens so eloquently says, “We all want to find a sense of normalcy and we still want to find the beauty in the world, and I believe looking at artwork can do that.”

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INTENDO’S HIT VIDEO GAME SERIES HAS THRIVED for 19 years, and fans have eagerly awaited the latest release after the game was delayed until March 20. Now it’s here, and its hours of open-ended play couldn’t come at a better time, considering so many people are stuck at home looking for ways to kill time. Your customizable character lives on a desert island with tons of resources and plenty of anthropomorphic animal friends. Build up the community and complete tasks in a world that reflects the time of day and season of your real-life environment. You can also play with others on the same system or online. Digital download available for those self-isolating. Playable on Nintendo Switch.

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THE INVISIBLE MAN (2020) A

MC THEATERS IS WORKING TO MAKE SOME NEW releases available to be streamed online from your own home. It may not be the big, big screen but the food is cheaper, you can pause the flick to go to the bathroom, and no one has to wear pants. The newest take on the classic The Invisible Man story stars Elizabeth Moss of The Handmaid’s Tale as Cecelia Kass, a woman who escapes her abusive relationship with a scientist only to become relentlessly tormented by an unseen force. As her life devolves into chaos, she and others around her begin to question her sanity and her claims. $19.99 on amctheaters.com.

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THE BOY FROM THE WOODS (2020) O

NCE A FERAL CHILD FOUND IN THE WOODS WITH NO family or memory of his earliest years, the man now known as Wilde still lives a life of solitude, spending most of his time outdoors and away from people. When a woman from the nearby town goes missing, however, lawyer Hester Crimstein prevails upon Wilde to use his knowledge of the woods to help find the young woman. He soon finds himself back in a society that never truly accepted him, and now struggles to find his way. As new layers are added to the mystery of the missing woman and yet another girl disappears, Wilde becomes embroiled in scandals and secrets that hinder his search — and time is running out. By Harlan Coben; price varies; available at most book retailers and in digital format.

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CALENDAR | CSINDY.COM | March 25 - 31, 2020

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES

THE MAT NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT

109

(March 21-April 19): Your oracle comes from Aries poet Octavio Paz: “The path the ancestors cleared is overgrown, unused. The other path, smooth and broad, is crowded with travelers. It goes nowhere. There’s a third path: mine. Before me, no one. Behind me, no one. Alone, I find my

for

109

Our theatre seats 109 people and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. We are seeking 109 supporters who will each donate $109 to keep the theatre up and running through these chaotic times! Donate Online: www.themat.org T H A N K Y O U A N D BE SAFE!

COMING SOON!

NEW MILLIBO COMEDY “The Sad Cafe” “Advice from Babette” On our website & facebook pages.

In a safe and fun space, students explore the basics of acting, stor ytelling and movement as well as music, stage craft, v o i c e , c i r c u s a n d p u p p e t r y. W i t h s m a l l cl a s s s i z e s , a t a l e n t e d f a c u l t y a n d years of experience working with young creatives, Millibo theatre camps provide a spectacular summer experience!

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No Deposit or Payment Required until May 15th

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A century ago, fiery writer Maxim Gorky and hardass Taurus politician Vladimir Lenin were listening to a Beethoven sonata together. “I can’t listen to music too often,” Lenin supposedly told his companion. “It affects your nerves, makes you want to say stupid, nice things.” This is crucial advice for you to heed in the coming weeks, Taurus. You need to be as smart and tough as possible, so don’t you dare listen to music. APRIL FOOL! Lenin was half-mistaken, and I halflied. The fact is, music makes you smarter and nicer, and those will be key assets for you to cultivate in the coming weeks. So yes, do listen to a lot of music. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): By the time he was 55 years old, Gemini author Thomas Hardy had written 18 novels and many poems. His stuff was good enough to win him multiple nominations for a Nobel Prize in Literature. But during the last 32+ years of his life, he never wrote another novel. According to one theory, it was because he was discouraged by the negative reviews he got for his last novel. I suspect you may be at a similar juncture in your life, Gemini. Maybe it’s time to give up on a beloved activity that hasn’t garnered the level of success you’d hoped for. APRIL FOOL! The truth is, it is most definitely NOT time to lose hope and faith. Don’t be like Hardy. Rededicate yourself to your passionate quests.

way.” APRIL FOOL! Although the passage by Octavio Paz is mostly accurate for your destiny during the rest of 2020, it’s off-kilter in one way: It’s too ponderously serious and melodramatic. You should find a way to carry out its advice with meditative grace and effervescent calm.

for some major creative breakthroughs. APRIL FOOL! I was kidding. The fact is, you can generate creative breakthroughs in the coming weeks by being poised and composed — not extra neurotic. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo author Leon Edel wrote a five-volume biography of renowned author Henry James. In the course of his research, he read 15,000 letters that were written by James. He came to have a profound familiarity with the great man. In accordance with current astrological omens, I recommend that you choose a worthy character about whom you will become equally knowledgeable. APRIL FOOL! I half-lied. It’s true that now is an excellent time to deepen your understanding of people you care about. But don’t get as obsessed as Edel! LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): About 2,000 years ago, a Roman woman named Sulpicia wrote six short love poems — a total of 40 lines — that are still being analyzed and discussed by literary scholars today. I bring her to your attention because I think that in the next four weeks you, too, could generate a small burst of beauty that will still be appreciated 2,000 years from now. APRIL FOOL! I lied about the “small” part. The burst of beauty you create in the immediate future could actually be quite large, as well as enduring.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian theologian John Wesley (1703–1791) was a Christian who embodied the liberal values that Christ actually taught. He advocated for the abolition of slavery, prison reform, the ordination of women priests, and a vegetarian diet. He gave away a lot of his money and administered many charities. To accomplish his life’s work, he traveled 250,000 miles on horseback and preached 40,000 sermons. Let’s make him your role model for the coming weeks. Be inspired by his life as you vividly express your care and compassion. APRIL FOOL! I lied a little bit. Although most of what I just recommended is a good idea, the part about traveling long distances, either on horseback or by other means, is not.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): French poet Louis Aragon (1897–1982) was an influential novelist and a pioneer of surrealistic poetry. Much of his writing had a lyrical quality, and many of his poems were set to music. He also had a belligerent streak. Before the publication of one of his books, he announced that he would thrash any writer who dared to review it in print. Success! There were no critical reviews at all. I recommend his approach to you in the coming weeks. Make it impossible for anyone to criticize you. APRIL FOOL! I lied. I would never suggest that you use violence to accomplish your aims. And besides that, the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to solicit feedback of all varieties, even the critical kind.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The neurotic but talented French novelist Marcel Proust observed, “Everything vital in the world comes from neurotics. They alone have founded religions and composed our masterpieces.” With that in mind, and in accordance with current astrological omens, I urge you to cultivate your own neurotic qualities in their extreme forms of expression during the coming weeks. You’re due

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I hesitate to be so blunt, but it’s my duty to report the facts. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you should have as many orgasms as possible in the next 15 days. You need to tap into the transformative psychological power that’s available through monumental eruptions of pleasure and releases of tension. (P.S. Spiritual orgasms will be just as effective as physical

orgasms.) APRIL FOOL! What I just said is true, but I left out an important component of your assignment: Be loving and responsible as you pursue your joyous climaxes, never manipulative or exploitative or insensitive. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Ancient Greek orator Demosthenes was renowned for his skill at delivering powerful, charismatic speeches. While he was still learning his craft, he resorted to extreme measures to improve. For example, there was a time when he shaved just half of his head. It made him ashamed to go out in public, forcing him to spend all his time indoors practicing his speeches. Would you consider a similar strategy right now? APRIL FOOL! I was just messing with you. It’s true that the coming weeks will be a good time to minimize your socializing and devote yourself to hard work in behalf of a beloved dream. But shaving half your head isn’t the best way to accomplish that. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to tell as many lies as possible if doing so helps you get what you want. I hereby authorize you to engage in massive deceptions, misrepresentations and manipulative messages as you seek to impose your will on every flow of events. APRIL FOOL! I lied. In fact, everything I just said was the exact opposite of your actual horoscope, which is as follows: You have a sacred duty to tell more of the truth than you have ever been able to tell before. As you dig deeper to discover more and more of what’s essential for you to understand and express, dedicate your efforts to the goal of gliding along with the most beautiful and interesting flow you can find. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Fifteen minutes before the Big Bang occurred, where was the matter that now constitutes your body and my body? And if, as seems to be true, the Big Bang was the beginning of time, what time was it fifteen minutes earlier? Questions like these are crucial for you to ponder in the next two weeks. APRIL FOOL! I lied. The questions I articulated should in fact be very low priority for you. In the immediate future, you’ll be wise to be as concrete and specific and pragmatic as you can possibly be. Focus on up-close, personal questions that you can actually solve, not abstract, unsolvable riddles. HOMEWORK: Tell jokes to humorists. Be extra kind to kind people. Sing songs to the birds. Change the way you change. FreeWillAstrology.com.

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES and DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPES. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

March 25 - 31, 2020 | CSINDY.COM | CALENDAR

NEWS OF THE WEIRD BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL

ANIMAL ANTICS

IREFIGHTERS WERE called to a farm near Bramham, Leeds, in England on March 7 to put out a fire in a large pigpen. At this particular farm, the pigs wear pedometers to prove that they’re free-range, Fox News reported, but one of those gadgets was the probable cause of the blaze, firefighters said. They theorize that one of the pigs ate one of the pedometers, then passed it in its excrement, sparking a fire in the pen’s hay. The culprit was the copper in the battery reacting with the pig poo. No pigs were hurt in the fire; let’s hope they’re getting all their steps in as usual.

And so it begins

• Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely is on trial in Athens, Alabama, facing 11 counts of theft and ethics charges related to his job. On March 6, Blakely went to the hospital, where his lawyers told the court he was being tested for COVID-19. But in a special hearing on March 7, Dr. Maria Onoya told Judge Pride Tompkins that while Blakely was indeed admitted to the hospital, and received multiple tests, none of them was for COVID-19, The News Courier reported. Judge Tompkins ended the hearing with harsh words for Blakely’s defense team, noting he was “very disturbed” by the defense’s mention of COVID-19 in the motion to continue, calling it irresponsible, reckless and unfair to the community. • Meanwhile, in Queensland, Australia, people are panicking about running out of toilet paper during the coronavirus pandemic. Which makes Haidee Janetzki of Toowoomba extra popular, after she made an error in her regular online TP order with Who Gives a Crap. “When it asked for quantity, I put 48,” she told 7News, “thinking that would be a box of 48 (rolls). Turned out it was 48 boxes.” Janetzki is selling the hot commodity to friends at a slight markup, hoping to raise money to send her kids on a school trip to Canberra. She’s now known Down Under as the Queen of the Toilet Paper. • Two state attorneys general and the Food and Drug Administration are cracking down on disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker, who is now the host of The Jim Bakker Show on cable TV. The New York attorney general’s office on March 3 sent a cease-and-desist order to Bakker, and on March 10, the Missouri attorney general filed suit against him. At issue is Bakker’s hawking of “Silver Solution,” a “medication” made from silver that supposedly

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cures all sorts of ailments, for use in treating COVID-19. On Feb. 12, The Washington Post reported, Bakker asked a guest on his show whether the gel could cure the coronavirus. “It hasn’t been tested on this strain of the coronavirus, but it’s been tested on other strains of the coronavirus, and has been able to eliminate it within 12 hours,” said “naturopathic doctor” Sherrill Sellman. In the letter, the “extremely concerned” Lisa Landau, chief of the attorney general’s health care bureau, called the segment false advertising and said it violates New York law. She gave Bakker 10 days to comply. • A man in Vilnius, Lithuania, with help from his sons, reportedly locked his wife in their bathroom after she expressed worry to him that she had contracted COVID-19 from traveling to Italy, where she came in contact with some Chinese people. The husband called a doctor, who suggested she isolate herself; she contacted police because her husband wouldn’t let her out. It’s unclear how long she was locked in the bathroom, but Delfi.lt reported that she was tested for the virus and did not have it.

Crime report

On Feb. 28, fourth-grade teacher Nancy Sweeney, 45, was arrested in Niles, Illinois, for assaulting a neighbor and calling her “a [expletive] Nazi.” According to the Chicago Tribune, Sweeney attacked the 87-yearold woman, who is of German descent, in the parking garage of their condominium building. The victim was struck in the face with a purse and fell, suffering cuts and bruises. The Cook County state’s attorney’s office approved an aggravated battery charge, but also a hate crime charge, based on the Nazi reference. The Park Ridge-Niles school district placed Sweeney on paid leave on March 4.

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