Colorado Springs Independent: May 16, 2024

PUBLISHER

Fran Zankowski

EDITORIAL

EDITOR IN CHIEF Ben Trollinger

REPORTER Andrew Rogers

CONTRIBUTORS

Cannon Taylor, Adam Leech, Lauren Harvey and Jonathan Toman

AD DIRECTOR JT Slivka

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Parker Sullivan, Monty Hatch

AD COORDINATOR

Lanny Adams

SENIOR

Adam Biddle

AD DESIGNER Catherine Higley

DIGITAL & MARKETING MANAGER Sean Cassady

CIRCULATION MANAGER Kay Williams

ers

Editor’s Note

Welcome to the first issue of the new Colorado Springs Independent. I know what some of you might be thinking. Again with this? Yes, again. A newspaper is a bit like a tardigrade—primitive and hard to kill. Despite a slow, painful and somewhat self-inflicted decline over the last few decades, newspapers persist, despite all odds.

Newspapers have a physical presence in a community that digital just can’t match. Newspapers take up space. They announce themselves—on the edge of a driveway, stuffed into a mailbox or stacked on a wire rack in a coffee shop.

I grew up in Dallas Texas in the 1980s. In Dallas, you were either a Times Herald person or you were a Morning News person, but often you’d read both. When you have two newspapers competing intensely for loyalty, readers always win. More reporting, more information, a more informed electorate. Simple. But the Times Herald went away and that energetic sense of rivalry died. The Morning News stuck around, but over the years, for one reason or another, it got thinner and thinner, while their subscription rates went up. The Denver Post and the Rocky Moun-

THE NEWSPAPER OF ETERNAL RETURN

tain News might be a more familiar example of this. One closed, the other got smaller. Readers lost out. We’ve seen this play out across the country, in markets both big and small. Today it’s rare for a town to have two papers. Some don’t even have one. And to put this into greater context, local newspapers across the country are either closing or selling out to large corporations owned by people who do not live in the communities these publications serve. That last part is important. Having local ownership of a newspaper means you can hold them accountable. You can give them a piece of your mind, in a letter to the editor or in line at the grocery store. That matters.

And yet, newspapers don’t just deserve your loyalty. Loyalty is earned; and building trust takes time—lots of it. There’s no amount of self-justification or self-aggrandizement that can replace years of hard work and dedication to a community. I am fully aware there are mixed feelings on the legacy of this newspaper. Believe me, the archeology of grudges and grievances runs deep. But I have the benefit, or perhaps the

By BEN TROLLINGER • Ben.Trollinger@ppmc.live.

blessed ignorance, of having little more than a passing familiarity with the up-and-down drama of past iterations of the Independent. What I do know for certain is that the paper distinguished itself over decades with fearless, sometimes polarizing, reporting. I know that its arts and food coverage was unmatched. I know that it was devoted to providing an open forum for alternative voices. It’s a lot to live up to, but we’re ready for the challenge.

We’re also willing to take the paper in new directions. So, yes, after a brief hiatus, the Colorado Springs Independent is back. And Colorado Springs is once again a two-newspaper town. But how is this new version of the Independent different than the others?

There are two things that set the new Independent apart and to me they are connected. We are now mailing 40,000 copies to neighborhoods throughout the city—East, West, North, South, and Downtown. That’s in addition to 10,000 copies that will be delivered to racks in high-traffic areas throughout the city. Like in the past, The Independent is still free. But this time, nearly everyone gets it.

Obviously, this is an attractive proposition for advertisers. But it also represents a unique challenge for a newsroom. How do we bring together the distinct, and sometimes diametrically opposed, neighborhoods of Colorado Springs? We start with respect. We start with fairness. We listen closely. We stay curious. We hold power accountable. We help find solutions. We stick to facts.

By attempting to cover the entire city, instead of the downtown and westside areas, as in the past, we’re making a commitment to serve a larger, but more diverse readership, a readership that might not always agree with each other, but still holds much in common. We all have a shared vision of a community that works for everyone. A good newspaper is, after all, a community talking to itself. So let’s start the conversation.

Ben Trollinger is the Editor in Chief of the Colorado Springs Independent. He previously served as the editor of the Summit Daily News in Frisco, Colorado. Email him at Ben.Trollinger@ppmc.live.

News.

THE INDEPENDENT BOUNCES BACK

STAFF REPORT

For the past month, a crew of reporters, editors, designers, social media mavens, marketing whizzes and ad representatives have been working furiously to relaunch the Colorado Springs Independent, a 30-year-old institution that will now publish every other week starting today. Around 40,000 copies will be mailed to homes across the city. That’s in addition to the 10,000 copies that will be distributed to racks through out Colorado Springs.

The Independent is owned by Colorado Springs entrepreneurs Kevin O’Neil and JW Roth in a new joint venture called the Pikes Peak Media Company. The two business men purchased the Independent orado Springs Business Jour nal in February. After 30 years in business, the Independent, known previously as the Indy, closed down in December of 2023 amid continuing financial struggles.

civic driven, and relevant publication,” Roth said in a statement in February. “This opportunity offers the Independent and the Business Journal a chance to thrive under unprecedented stability.”

Helping O’Neil and Roth revive the newspaper is publisher Fran Zankowski, who also runs the

Bulletin and more — as general manager and advertising director in 2006, before being promoted to CEO in June 2012. He left in December 2015 to join the Boulder Weekly as publisher.

“The Colorado Springs Independent and the Colorado Springs Business Journal have a 30-year legacy of outstanding journalism,” said Zankowski in a statement in February. “Collaborating with JW and Kevin has been exciting as we propel the papers to new heights with expanded city-wide coverage.”

“As a 5th generation Coloradan, I take great pride in providing my hometown with another trusted,

Zankowski has a long history with the Independent. He joined Colorado Publishing House — the then-for-profit umbrella company of the Indy, Business Journal, Southeast Express, Pikes Peak

HEADLINES | JUSTCOS

GOVERNMENT

HISTORIC PIONEERS MUSEUM CLOSE TO REOPENING

Ben Trollinger was named Editor in Chief of the Independent and the Colorado Springs Business Journal in March. He previously served as the editor of the Summit Daily News in Frisco, Colorado for seven years. In addition to his 15 years of newspaper experience, he’s also worked in magazine and book publishing. He will lead the Independent’s newsroom, which is still in the process of hiring a full staff of reporters.

JT Slivka is handling the advertising side of the business. Before

The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum is nearing the completion of its ongoing renovations to the historic building on the corner of Vermijo and Nevada. The renovation work began in early April to create a new expanded exhibition and gallery space along with performing several HVAC upgrades to the old courthouse building. The next phase of the renovation will see the Annex building, located in the south tower of the Plaza or the Rockies at Colorado and Tejon, temporarily close allowing staff members to focus on the upcoming grand reopening of the main building.

CITY LISTENING TOUR COMES TO A CLOSE

The Colorado Springs City Council, along with the mayor’s office, wrapped up a yearlong process of various listening sessions across the city. District 5 city councilmember Nancy Henjum said the most prevalent issues brought up during the listening sessions were infrastructure, roads, potholes, parks, homelessness, public safety, housing, infrastructure, and economic vitality. Last year the city council held 17 town halls and community meetings, issued 1,670 constituent responses, adopted 188 resolutions, passed 68 ordinances, appointed 61 volunteers to various city boards, and listened to approximately 26 hours of public comments from various

Boulder Weekly.

DOWNTOWN POISED FOR AN OVERDUE GROWTH SPURT Downtown Rising

The cranes stretch into the sightline of purple mountains majesty. Construction dust blows like spindrift through countless cone zones. Workers in hard hats nearly outnumber the pedestrians. It’s hard to miss—downtown is growing.

Over the next eighteen months, 2,000 new housing units are scheduled to open in the one square mile area bordered by Cache La Poudre Street to the north, Fountain Boulevard to the South, Sierra Madre to the West, and Wahsatch to the East. It’s been a long time coming, said Ryan Tefertiller, the urban planning manager for the City of Colorado Springs. Developers are finally looking for more

By ANDREW ROGERS • andrew.rogers@ppmc.live

infill opportunities in established areas instead of building in undeveloped areas on the city’s edges.

Last year saw a total of 673 building permits issued for the 80903 zip code, the code most commonly associated with downtown. That represents roughly 7% of all building permits issued city.

“Prior to 2015 the city hadn’t seen really any new residential development downtown in somewhere around 50 years,” he said.

According to the US. Census Bureau, El Paso County’s population grew by 3,619 residents in 2023, a 0.5% increase from the previous year—that’s the fourth highest rate statewide, only surpassed by Weld, Douglas, and Adams counties. The

Colorado State Demography Office projects that El Paso County is on pace to grow by nearly one hundred thousand residents by the year 2030 and could surpass one million residents by 2050.

Data from the demography office shows an occupancy rate of 2.25 residents per unit on average. That math equates to 5,000 people moving into the downtown area over the next year in a half—nearly double the more than 2,300 residents believed to live in the area currently. And these new residents could skew young, according to the Downtown Development Authority. In the group’s most recent State of Downtown report, they project a strong demand in the

22- to 35-year-old demographic for housing in more urban corridors that have proximity to amenities like shopping and dining.

While a doubling of downtown residents could seem daunting, city planners are confident that the area can handle it. Tefertiller did say that there have been conversations dating back to 2008 that the area’s infrastructure can accommodate the new high-density developments, noting the existing strong networks of north, south, and east/west arterial streets, existing utilities, and existing support from Colorado Springs Police and Fire Departments.

The need for additional housing units is not unique to downtown.

Construction workers at the construction site at Weber St. and Cimarron St.

City-wide, there are currently just 1,500 units available in the Colorado Springs real estate market, which is about half of what local real estate agents would consider to be a healthy level of availability. Colorado Springs continues to place highly on various lists of the best places to work and live, ranking as the 9th Best Place to Live, according to U.S. News and World Report, the 1st Best City for Recent College Grads, according to Zillow, and the 15th Best Place to Start a Business, according to WalletHub.

While the stage is set for a population boom in the city’s center, not everyone sees it as an unalloyed good.

Dana Duggan, who is part of the Westside Watch and Integrity Matters neighborhood groups, questions the amount of high-density growth in the downtown core.

“While the downtown area doesn’t directly impact evacuation, traffic on I-25 is bumper to bumper during peak commuting time,” she said.

Westside Watch conducted a study of evacuation times in the wake of the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire. Their data show that the current estimated wildfire evacuation time is 8.5 hours for the neighboring Broadmoor and Cheyenne Mountain neighborhoods in Colorado Springs. There are similar estimates for the corridor spanning from Highway 24 to the Air Force Academy. She said with more densification those evacuation times could get worse.

WORKING DOWNTOWN

The demand for more office locations is also an ongoing need, according to the Downtown Development Authority’s recent report. Many large-scale employers view Colorado Springs favorably for having a stronger-than-average return-to-office trend, the report says.

The area is seeing a nearly 87% return-to-office rate post-pandemic, which is significantly higher than most urban areas. For comparison, Denver is seeing a closer to 50% return-to-office rate, while Colorado

Downtown Matters

Springs is outpacing tech-sector-focused cities like San Francisco. The type of work being done downtown is helping to drive the trend in Colorado Springs. The diverse employment base includes lawyers, architects, engineers, financial services, and the defense sector. Erica Romero, business relations manager with the Pikes Peak Workforce Center, said that the center has started to see a shift in employee preference, with job seekers looking for

more traditional office-based work.

However, one challenge outlined by the recent downtown assessment is being able to compete with other areas of the city for large-scale employers. Austin Wilson-Bradley, economic and community development manager with the Downtown Development Authority, said that is due in part to a lack of premier office facilities in the city’s center.

Wilson-Bradley noted that Downtown Colorado Springs hasn’t had a new office building constructed downtown since the South Tower of Plaza of the Rockies opened in 2001. The current vacancy rate for office space in downtown Colorado Springs sat at 7.3% percent at the end of 2023, a one percent jump between 2022 and 2023. That compares to a nearly 30% office vacancy rate in downtown Denver.

Echoing the “if you build it, they will come” mindset, Norwood Development has plans for a one hundred ninety-four thousand square foot office space to be built on the

The construction site at Wahsatch Ave. and Rio Grande St.

Photos by Catherine Higley

Local Matters

News.

joining The Independent, Slivka, who moved to Colorado Springs in 1986, worked with worked in various roles in sales in Denver and Colorado Springs.

Additional staff members include news reporter Andrew Rogers, who previously worked for KRDO as the radio program director; editorial designer Adam Biddle, who worked as a news designer at the Colorado Springs Gazette; graphic designer Catherine Higley-Hopkinson; and digital and marketing manager Sean Cassady, who previously worked at the Indy. Monty Hatch, who previously worked at the Colorado Springs Business Journal, and Parker Sullivan, a Springs native, have also joined the advertising sales team. Kay Williams is the Independent’s distribution manager. She has more than 40 years in print media.

The next edition of the Independent will drop on May 30.

CONTRIBUTE

The Independent strives to cover the entire Colorado Springs community—East, West, North, South and Center. And we need your help to do it. We’re looking for community contributors with deep local knowledge to provide news tips, opinion pieces, stories, and photos. Send inquiries to Editor in Chief Ben Trollinger at Ben.Trollinger@ppmc.live.

south end of Downtown near Weidner Field. The O’Neil Group has proposed a 36-story mixed-use development on the southern end of downtown reaching over 375 feet tall, roughly 125 feet taller than the current highest building downtown, the Alpine Bank Tower at the corner of Cascade and Colorado. (The O’Neil Group’s Kevin O’Neil is the co-owner of Pikes Peak Media Company, the parent company of the Colorado Springs Independent.)

The amount of projected growth, however, is not exactly welcome news to some. Rebecca Marshall, a member of the group Springs Taxpayers United, has conducted

social media polling on the issue of growth in the downtown area.

“The majority of residents we’ve heard from are opposed to turning the downtown skyline into a copycat of Denver’s skyline,” said Marshall. She noted that most of the respondents they’ve heard from agree that Colorado Springs is a unique city with natural beauty and that we don’t need to imitate Denver.”

Her group is advocating that the citizens of Colorado Springs should be able to vote on zoning and height standards and not leave those decisions up to city planning staff.

concerned city members.

FRONT RANGE PASSENGER RAIL MOVING AHEAD

A proposal to create a passenger rail line along the front range is moving ahead in the state legislature. A bill to create the passenger between Pueblo to Fort Collins was approved by the State Senate. The house will now take up the legislation to create the new public transportation option that would have stops in Colorado Springs, Castle Rock, Littleton, Denver, Boulder, Longmont, and Loveland. The goal is to have the option running by 2027.

FIVE MILLION IN FEDERAL GRANTS COMING TO GAS LINE INFRASTRUCTURE

Colorado Springs Utilities is receiving over five million dollars in federal grants to improve aging gas line infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration made the announcement that a total of $5.2 million would be given to the municipal utility to replace just under four miles of high-risk, aging, natural gas pipelines across Colorado Springs.

Work is being done at the construction site at Wahsatch Ave and Vermijo St.

COLORADO ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN SHELVED

LOCAL REPUBLICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT CLAIMS VICTORY IN THE ONGOING GUN DEBATE

By ANDREW ROGERS • andrew.rogers@ppmc.live

For the second time in as many years, an assault weapons ban in Colorado has failed.

Senator Julie Gonzalez, co-sponsor of the bill, asked for the proposed legislation to be shelved on May 6. With the legislative session waning, Gonzalez said there wouldn’t be enough time or support to move forward with the ban before lawmakers leave the capitol on May 8. Similar legislation failed to gain traction by lawmakers in 2023.

The most recent attempt at an assault weapons ban (HB241292) passed the Democrat-controlled House on April 14, but seemed to have stalled in Colorado’s Democrat-controlled Senate.

The legislation would have defined an assault weapon as:

A semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine, or that may be readily modified to accept a detachable magazine, and has one or more of the following characteristics:

A. A pistol grip or thumbhole stock;

B. Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that can be held by the non-trigger hand;

C. A folding, telescoping, or detachable stock that is otherwise foldable or adjustable in a manner that operates to reduce the length, size, or any other dimension, or otherwise enhances the ability to conceal the weapon;

D. A muzzle brake;

E. A functional grenade launcher or flare launcher;

F.A shroud attached to the barrel, or that partially or completely encircles the barrel, allowing the bearer to hold the firearm with the non-trigger hand without being burned, but excluding a slide that encloses the barrel;

G. A threaded barrel.

That definition drew the ire of

many, if not all, Second Amendment advocates statewide, including El Paso County’s Republican Sheriff Joe Roybal.

“The pistol that’s on my side here, according to the definition of that bill, this is an assault weapon,” Roybal said while discussing the overly broad wording of the legislation.

Roybal was one among a chorus of Republican voices in party-line opposition to the Democratic legislation intended to prohibit certain weapons used in mass shootings.

Colorado has a tragic past when it comes to mass shootings, including Columbine High School in 1999, the Aurora Movie Theater shooting in 2012, Halloween 2015 in downtown Colorado Springs, the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood Shooting in 2015, Boulder King Soopers 2021, and the 2022 Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs. Many of the firearms covered in the proposed legislation have been used in some of the most deadly shootings nationally such as the Sandy Hook and Uvalde, Texas school shootings.

Upon the news of the ban being mothballed until next session, Roybal celebrated the news, reiterating his stance that, “Taking firearms away from law-abiding citizens while lessening punishments for criminals is not the answer to making our communities safer.” The proposed ban did not include language on criminal sentencing.

Advocates for the legislation, such as Deb Griffin, a volunteer with the Colorado Springs chapter of Moms Demand Action, say that fighting for public safety measures like an assault weapons ban can protect people from gun violence. However, gun control advocates

State Matters

admitted that the proposed legislation faced a daunting series of hurdles, including public scrutiny as well as almost-certain legal challenges.

“We knew it would be an uphill battle,” Griffin said.

But despite its failure, she argued that this legislation shows that lawmakers are making small steps in the right direction.

“A few years ago this legislation wouldn’t have even been considered,” she said.

Griffin pointed further back in history to previous laws that had a positive impact on gun violence, including a federal ban on assault weapons signed into law in 1994 by President Bill Clinton that expired in 2004.

“We had much less gun violence than we do now,” she said, noting that ten other US states have passed assault weapon bans. Those states include California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Washington.

Griffin added that there is a need in Colorado to provide law enforcement with as many tools as possible to hold the perpetrators of mass tragedy accountable.

“I agree with the sheriff and other responsible gun owners that this law will not save every person, it will not stop every mass shooting,” she said.

According to statistics compiled by the gun safety advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, 930 people die and 466 are wounded by firearms in Colorado in an average year. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and

teens with an average of 79 deaths among the two groups every year, 51% of which are suicides and 45% of which are homicides.

Paul Paradis is the owner of Paradise Sales, a gun shop on West Colorado Avenue in Colorado Springs. The number of new gun laws passed by Colorado’s legislature, including a three-day waiting period and an expansion of background checks, is having a direct impact on his business.

“I’ve had probably a dozen customers in the last two months either move or are moving out of state over this,” Paradis added.

After 40 years of operations, he said he’s seriously considering what his future holds.

Democratic State Senator Tom Sullivan of Centennial, who lost his son at the hands of such weapons in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, told the Washington Post last year, “Banning? That doesn’t end well for us…and I’m speaking as the father of a son who was murdered by an assault weapon.”

Sullivan told the post, that talking about guns is not the same as other issues like transportation or education. Noting that despite the Centennial state being a fully blue state,

“We haven’t been comfortable talking about guns in the state of Colorado — ever.” Sullivan said there is still not a strategy to move forward without such drastic measures.

Roybal said that no matter what the future holds, he will continue to advocate for such issues on behalf of his community.

“I’ll continue to be that voice for El Paso County, that loud obnoxious voice,” he said.

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Crank & Williams drive in two lanes of Republicanism in race to fill Lamborn’s congressional seat FAST 5

For the first time in nearly two decades, voters in Colorado’s 5th congressional district will be sending a different representative to Washington, D.C. Current Republican U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn of Colorado Springs announced in January 2024 that he would not seek reelection this year. He has not spoken publicly about what led to that decision.

Seeking to replace Lamborn in Congress are Republicans Jeff Crank, 57, and Dave Williams, 37, along with a mix of Democratic and third-party candidates who face an uphill battle in a historically red district. The two Republican candidates present a clash between the Republican Party’s past and future—traditional Reaganism, in the case of Crank, and MAGA

By ANDREW ROGERS • andrew.rogers@ppmc.live

Trumpism, in the case of Williams.

Crank is the regional vice president for Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political advocacy group founded by the billionaire Koch Brothers. He also hosts a national podcast for the group and was a well-known radio talk show host on Colorado Springs’ 740

KVOR. As an act of protest, he ended his fourteen-year run on the air when KVOR owner Cumulus Media issued a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for its employees. Crank previously served as a staffer for former congressman Joel Hefley, Lamborn’s predecessor, and a onetime vice president of governmental affairs for the Colorado Springs Chamber.

Williams is a former State Representative, holding the 15th district

seat for six years. He’s also the first Latino to hold the seat representing primarily eastern Colorado Springs. He currently serves as the chairman of the Colorado Republican Party. Professionally, Williams served as vice president of logistics for MKW Global, a family-owned import company that was shuttered in 2020 due in part to the tariffs imposed on China by former President Trump.

Crank and Williams both previously sought the 5th congressional district seat. Crank campaigned in the six-way primary race in 2006, coming in second to Lamborn by just 892 votes. He also lost the 2008 primary to Lamborn as well.

In the 2022 primary for the district seat, Williams drew controversy by fighting in court—ultimately

unsuccessfully—to have his name appear on the ballot as Dave “Let’s Go Brandon” Williams, a reference to the viral anti-Joe Biden meme. Williams lost that primary to Lamborn by 13,509 votes, only garnering 33.5 percent of the vote compared to Lamborn’s 47.3 percent.

Crank said the decision to enter the political fray after a 16-year hiatus came down to a sense of civic duty.

“If good people don’t step up and run, then the freedom and everything I’ve fought for the last 30 years of my life … was all for nothing,” he said. Echoing a Reagan-esque view on limited government Crank said there are too many government-imposed barriers to people’s success. “Whether it’s

Dave Williams (at left) faces Jeff Crank (at right) in Republican primary for the District 5 congressional seat.

excessive taxation or the massive debt at the federal level that we’re passing on, those are barriers to Americans achieving their goals and dreams as individuals.”

Williams said he was motivated to jump into the primary again because of a desire to fight the establishment in Washington. Williams is quick to defend the current direction of the party saying that much of the current narrative is driven by the media before acknowledging there is a “battle for the heart and soul of our party,” alluding to a growing divide between what he called “traditional country club establishment type Republicans” and the MAGA movement championed by former President Trump. Although there seems to be no love lost between the two primary opponents, both candidates seem closely aligned when it comes to policy. Instead of pointing to differences on issues, the campaigns are attempting to differentiate the two candidates through an emphasis on political styles and personal attacks, with Williams calling Crank an establishment Republican and Crank suggesting that Williams is out to make a name for himself on a bigger political stage. Both candidates reject each other’s assertions out of hand, a common theme in this primary.

IN-FIGHTING

Williams is running for office while serving as the head of the state Republican Party. That has drawn criticism from observers throughout the state, including Crank, who say the dual roles represent a conflict of interest. Williams first drew the ire of many within the party when he entered the primary by using the state GOP’s official email account and

mailing list to send out a press release announcing his candidacy as well as a mailer questioning Crank’s candidacy.

Additionally, state Republicans have balked at Williams for making endorsements of certain party members over others in the primary races rather than waiting to throw support to the winner of the race in the general election. He’s also accused of wielding his power with a heavy hand in selecting delegates for the 5th District assembly that would be more favorable for him. Williams countered by saying that any criticism of him serving as the party head while campaigning is from the “never Trump Republicans,” who he says don’t want an American-first conservative representing the district.

In response, Crank expressed serious concerns about the public’s overall perception of the current Republican movement in Colorado. Williams is “in charge of the Colorado Republican Party, and I would say, right now, we’re not in a better place,” he said.

Meanwhile, Crank’s employment by a political advocacy group founded by the Koch Brothers, as well as financial support from political action committees and his previous work as a congressional staffer, has become a go-to target for the Williams campaign.

Williams described Americans for Prosperity as an “open border, anti-Trump organization,” a claim that is not in alignment with the group’s stated immigration policy. The group could be described as anti-Trump due to their endorsement of former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s presidential bid.

The barbs continued when Crank was asked about the business

Local Matters

relationship that William’s and MKW Global had importing a large amount of Chinese goods. Crank told KCNC-TV, the CBS affiliate in Denver, that Williams is a hypocrite. “He’s made his whole career off of selling cheap Chinese products then he runs off and tells everyone he’s Mister America First.”

The Williams camp dismissed Crank’s criticisms, issuing a brief statement: “This is clearly a desperate attempt to hide his support for globalist candidate Nikki Haley and his record of being an open border lobbyist for Americans for Chinese Prosperity, all in order to generate fake news against President Trump’s endorsed candidate, Dave Williams.”

ON THE ISSUES

Both Crank and Williams agree that immigration is the most pressing issue facing the nation. Crank points to the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border situation as a key example of bad policy. “We have a totally broken system,” he said. Williams, using more militaristic language, describes the current crisis as an “invasion” that merits closing the border.

On fiscal matters, both agree that the current spending level needs to be curtailed on both the foreign and domestic fronts.

“Government spending too much money causes inflation,” said Crank. “We’ve spent $200 on groceries, and we have three grocery bags full.”

Williams said the key to addressing the current economic climate is to “stop taking money out of the economy and funding government programs that don’t help the American people.” Williams

continued to question funding for the U.S. Department of Education, calling it an unnecessary expenditure. Additionally, Williams questions if the government should be funding bio-research projects that he claims played a role in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two were somewhat split when it comes to spending on foreign aid, in particular, the ongoing financial assistance for Ukraine. Crank said while he supports the eastern European nation, calling for an audit of the money that’s been spent so far, as well as the need for a clear exit strategy.

Williams also called for the spending to stop, it’s “absurd that politicians are asking us to secure the borders of Ukraine when they refuse to secure the borders of the United States.”

Crank did say that his support for military aid to Israel is non-negotiable, while Williams never mentioned Israel particularly, he said overall, the priority should be on “America first.”

SPACE COMMAND

One of the most looming issues facing the 5th District is the permanent location of U.S. Space Command. The joint force command is currently housed at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs and is tasked with planning, executing, and integrating military space power into multi-domain global to deter global aggression.

Donald Trump announced that Space Command would move from Peterson to Alabama in the waning days of his presidency, noting the stronger support he received from the full Republican delegation in Alabama compared to Colorado. President Biden later reversed the decision. Senator

News.

Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) is continuing to work with the rest of the Alabama delegation to have the basing decision once again reversed.

Crank views the ongoing debate as an open door for bipartisanship, saying that it’s the job of the Colorado delegation to advocate for local interests. He said working across the aisle with Colorado’s two senators, John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, both Democrats, will be a priority if elected. Crank said that he learned the importance of such cooperation as a staffer for former Representative Heffley when other areas were attempting to court military assets from the area, including Fort Carson and the now-closed Fizimmons Army Hospital, with Democrat Representative Pat Schroeder

When asked about the future of Space Command, Williams insists that his ties to Trump would be the difference maker.

“If Donald Trump’s going to take anyone’s phone call from the 5th District, it’s going to be mine,” he said.

UNAFFILIATED FACTOR

One question surrounding the race will be the shifting mindset of voters in Colorado Springs, the most populous area of the newly redrawn 5th District. The district is solely comprised of El Paso County and had parts of the eastern edge of the county moved to the 4th district during the most recent round of redistricting.

Currently, 26% of all Coloradans are registered Republicans. That number is closer to 30% in El Paso County. Dr. Sara

Hagedorn, professor of political science at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, said, “I don’t have a PhD in math, but last I checked, that was not enough to win an election.” However, district 5’s unaffiliated voters still skew heavily Republican in their candidate choices. Hagedorn explains that just because you’re unaffiliated doesn’t mean that you are more moderate.

According to the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s office, unaffiliated voters represent the county’s largest voting demographic with 273,992 registered unaffiliated voters, 51% percent of the county’s total voter base of 467,995 registered voters. Registered Republicans account for the next largest block with 30% of the total registered voters, while registered Democrats account for just 17% percent of the voting base, and just 2% of registered voters have dedicated their support to a variety of third parties.

Unaffiliated voter growth has outpaced overall registrants since the last congressional election. Between 2022 to 2024, the overall voter base grew by 1%, while unaffiliated voters rose by 9%. Registered Democrat and Republican registrants declined, 7% and 5% percent respectively, in the same period.

Each of the candidates had differing takes on the growing constituency of unaffiliated voters.

Crank said there are a few things in life that are non-negotiable, noting that if elected he sees several avenues and opportunities to reach across the aisle to get things done. He believes

there is common ground for all political viewpoints.

“Shouldn’t Democrats and Republicans agree that the First Amendment is important?” he said.

Williams agreed, noting that both parties have failed voters for decades. He said that it’s time to earn back that trust. Politicians in both state and federal office “say one thing and then do another, and it’s usually at the expense of the American people,” he said. “We (have) to be about serving the people.”

WHO’S BACKING WHOM?

Data from the Federal Election Commission shows that the Crank camp is leading in fundraising with $227,753 in donations so far, compared to the Williams campaign, which ended the first quarter of 2024 with $166,191.97 on hand.

Some of the notable contributions to the Crank campaign have come from several political action committees, including the Koch Industries PAC, the Electing Majority Making Effective Republicans (EMMER PAC,) the Building a National Knowledgeable Security PAC, Steer Pac, United Parcel Service Inc. PAC, TTM Technologies Inc. Political Action Committee, CGCN PAC, Land of Opportunity PAC. Donations have also come from the Congressional Campaign of House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Former 5th District Congressman Joel Hefley, former Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach, Pete Coors, Bob Beauprez, current Colorado Springs city council member Lynette Crow-Iverson, Crank’s former radio station boss Bobby Irwin, J.W. Roth

DAVE WILLIAMS

AGE: 37

WEBSITE: daveforcolorado.com

OCCUPATION: Chairman of the Colorado Republican Party

PAST OCCUPATION: Vice President of Logistics for MKW Global

DEGREES: Political Science and Government Degree University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

ORIGIN STORY: Born in Albuquerque, NM to a military family

PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICES: UCCS Student Body President (2008) Colorado State House District 15 (2017-2023) Vice-Chairman of the El Paso County Republican Party (2011 – 2013)

ENDORSEMENTS: Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, Gordon Klingenschmitt

PERSONAL LIFE: Wife Emily, three children

JEFF CRANK

AGE: 57

WEBSITE: jeffcrankforcongress.com

CURRENT OCCUPATION: Regional Vice President for Americans for Prosperity, Host of the American Potential Podcast

PAST OCCUPATION: Chief of Staff for Former Congressman Joel Hefley, Vice President of Governmental Affairs Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, Talk Show host for KVOR 740am, President of Aegis Strategic LLC

DEGREES: Political Science Degree from Colorado State University

ORIGIN STORY: Born from Pueblo, CO, moved to Colorado Springs after college

PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICES: None

ENDORSEMENTS: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) along with El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal, former 4th Judicial District Attorney Dan May.

PERSONAL LIFE: Wife Lisa, three children

and Kevin O’Neil. (Roth and O’Neil are the co-owners of Pikes Peak Media Company, the parent company of the Colorado Springs Independent.)

Williams is the largest donor to his campaign and also received contributions from controversial former State Representative and online pastor Gordon Klingenschmitt, the man Williams succeeded in the state house. Klingenschmitt is known for calling the 2015 attack on a pregnant Longmont woman whose unborn baby was cut out from her womb a “curse of God upon America for our sin of not protecting innocent children in the womb” during an online broadcast. Williams did not comment on Klingenschmitt’s track record and his donation.

Crank is carrying the endorsements of many mainstream Republican figures, nationally and locally, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), along with El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal and former 4th Judicial District Attorney Dan May.

Williams is endorsed in the race by Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Klingenschmitt.

Although a Trump endorsement led to a wave back in 2016, it isn’t clear if that stamp of approval will have a similar effect this goaround.

“I think both of these candidates could benefit from staying away from the appeal of a cult of personality,” Dr. Hagedom said. She believes both Crank and Williams could benefit from discussing actual issues like, the economy and other more “kitchen table” issues. She harkened back to the 2022

Local Matters

midterm election where several national Republicans who ran with campaigns focusing on various social issues, particularly abortion rights, issues didn’t win their races.

The Economist found that Republicans endorsed by Trump in their primary in 2023, performed 5 percentage points worse than they would have had they not received his endorsement.

ALSO IN THE RACE

There are also two candidates seeking the Democrat nomination, River Gassen and Joe Reagan.

Gassen says she is running for office to “put the American dream within reach again.” After graduating with a master’s degree from UCCS in physics, she now teaches astronomy and solar energy science at the University of Colorado system. Gassen’s campaign website champions a progressive agenda focused on healthcare accessibility, economic prosperity, environmental stewardship, education reform, and safeguarding civil rights and equality for all Americans.

Reagan, an Army veteran, said his focus, if elected, will be to ensure VA hospitals and clinics receive adequate funding, protect a woman’s right to an abortion, fight MAGA extremists, keep our community safe by fighting for common sense gun safety measures and lowering the cost of living for working families.

There are two unaffiliated candidates, Joseph Gaye and Katrina Nguyen, Gaye claims to have moved to Colorado Springs in 1995, despite his FEC filing paperwork listing an out-of-district address in Highlands Ranch.

Nguyen is a self-proclaimed

peacemaker who according to her campaign website has not owned a car in over twelve years and has not driven in nearly eight years, opting to travel by bike as much as possible. Christopher Mitchell will also appear on the ballot representing the Constitution Party. Mitchell is a constant participant in local elections, last seeking the office of Mayor in Colorado Springs in 2023.

Even with the growing unaffiliated ranks, Dr. Hagedorn said that the Republican primary is the race to watch, “I think in general, whoever wins the Republican primary, I think, is going to win the general [election,]” she said despite the party labels being dropped, “it’s still a Republican district.”

The primary election will take place on June 25th, 2024.

HILLSIDE GARDENS RETURNS TO ITS ROOTS AS HORTICULTURE HUB

By ANDREW ROGERS andrew.rogers@ppmc.live

BACK TO THE GARDEN

Back in 2021, when siblings Donavan and Ashlee Kennedy bought Hillside Gardens, they had visions of continuing the legacy of hosting weddings, food trucks, corporate events, and concerts.

While the Kennedys wanted to continue to do what Hillside had always done well, they also had intentions to add complementary business ventures to the property and grow it into more of a community gathering spot.

Previously, the nearly four-acre property had been a beloved garden and nursery located at Fountain Boulevard and South Institute in Colorado Springs’ Hillside neighborhood. Residents there liked the conviviality of the Kennedys’ new venue, but one question kept cropping up.

“We still had people coming in every year asking if we had plants,” Donavan said.

On April 12, the Kennedys unveiled their response, hosting a grand opening of their newly expanded garden center. Now Hillside includes a greenhouse, a stock of annual, and perennial plants, soil, pots, and garden décor. The stock of annual and perennial plants will be updated and restocked every week to also account for the changing

growing season. Additionally, the sprawling property now features a coffee and pastry bar as well as a gift shop with gardening accessories, seeds, and more.

The grand opening featured a speech by Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade, who praised the Kennedys for their “passion and dedication to preserving the charm of the venue while adding their own unique touch to the space” before cutting the ceremonial ribbon with garden sheers, of course.

“We just decided to go for it this year, making sure that we did it well, that it was executed properly, and that we got all the details right,” Donavan said.

Although the move was a direct response to customer feedback, it was also a smart business decision, he explained. Donavan said that with them being a mostly seasonal business, providing these options early in the spring was key to seeing a return on their six-figure investment for the new improvements.

However, the Kennedys said that their expansion isn’t just about the business—it’s also about continuing to invest in the historic Hillside neighborhood. The neighborhood to the east of Colorado Springs’ downtown core has seen its ups and downs over the past decades. Once recognized on the national level for its community organization,

Decorative fountain with garden center and greenhouse at Hillside Gardens

the enclave saw declining populations as the city continued to grow to the north and east.

“We just believe Hillside is such a gem in this city, and it’s got so much history and culture to it, that we just want to keep making it better every year,” Donavan said.

Part of that vision means selling more locally sourced plants than you would find at a national chain. That’s largely thanks to newly hired garden manager

Donna Amman, who has a long history of serving the city’s gardening community. She and other employees of the recently closed Good Earth Garden Center will bring their expert knowledge and client base to the new center.

“The variety will be great,” Amman said while noting that the garden shop will feature plenty of well-known and loved items, including drought-tolerant items and plants that can stand up to browsing deer. The garden center will also have a large variety of plants that are native to the Rocky Mountain region as well.

The siblings plan to keep making periodic updates to the business in the hope that they will help to inspire the rest of the neighborhood. The new center will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a few exceptions for previously booked events, which will be updated online at hillsidecolorado.com.

Owner Donavan Kenney and Garden Manager Donna Ammann inside Hillside’s new gift shop.

Photos by Catherine Higley

AMERICAN

Mackenzie’s Chop House

128 S. Tejon St. Historic Alamo Building / Downtown / 719-635-3536

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

https://www.mackenzieschophouse.com

Tony’s Downtown Bar

326 N Tejon St. / (719) 228-6566

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

https://tonysdowntownbar.com

GERMAN

Edelweiss

34 E. Ramona Ave. / (South Nevada & Tejon) / 719-633-2220

For 55 years Edelweiss has brought Bavaria to Colorado Springs! Using fresh ingredients, the menu invites you to visit Germany. Voted Gold Best German, Silver Dessert Menu and Bronze Best Patio by Indy readers! Reservations and the menu can be found online at https://Edelweissrest.com.

JAMAICAN

Rasta Pasta

405 N Tejon St. / (719) 481-6888

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Happy Hour daily 3-5 PM. Italian-Jamaican Fusion Cuisine, unlike anything else! Caribbean inspired pasta dishes, fresh and fun Salads, full bar with local drafts and rum specials, ridiculously good desserts. Lively atmosphere and friendly service. http://realrastapasta.com

MEXICAN

José Muldoons

222 N. Tejon St. / 719-636-2311 / 5710 S. Carefree CR @ Powers / 719-574-5673

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

BIZLINES | COS&EFFECT

AIRPORT EXPANDS SEASONAL FLIGHT OPTIONS

More seasonal flight options are coming back to the Colorado Springs Airport. The growth of the airport has been steady in recent years, bolstered by the additional service by Southwest Airlines starting in 2021. The airport has also seen more airlines calling Colorado Springs home, including Avelo Airlines and Sun Country Airlines. The Colorado Springs Airport will offer nonstop service this summer to 15 airport destinations, with Delta adding two daily non-stop flights to Atlanta starting July 7. Southwest is adding daily non-stop flights to Baltimore/Washington on June 4, and two flights each to Chicago Midday, and Dallas Love Field later this summer. United is adding two daily nonstops to Chicago O’Hare, and American will be adding six-stop daily flights to Dallis/Fort Worth. Avelo relaunches nonstop Los Angeles/Hollywood-Burbank service May 23 through Labor Day weekend and Sun Country re-launches Minneapolis/St Paul (MSP) nonstop flight starting June 6 through Labor Day weekend. Summer 2024 airline seats are currently up 8% compared to Summer 2023 and are up 52% compared to the Summer of

2019

PARTY BUS BUSINESS RETURNS TO SPRINGS STREETS

The Local Motive Party Bus is back on the road. After a brief hiatus, the local party bus company is back under new ownership. Former radio personality Johnny Joy and his wife Amanda have purchased the bus which will take customers on various routes around the city including brewery crawls, margarita and taco tours, brunch options, and much more. The Joys said that they wanted to follow the lead of the original owners while adding highend sound, lights, and more destinations. They plan to expand the services with a second bus in near the future.

SKIRTED HEIFER REOPENS TWO MONTHS AFTER CRASH

The Skirted Heifer location at Tejon and Bijou reopened to customers on April 26. The downtown storefront had been closed to the public since February after a car crashed into the front of the building as they were eluding police. The building needed structural repair and other interior repairs. Kevin Megyeri, owner of the Skirted Heifer, said that the repairs also afforded the location to perform other cosmetic upgrades as well.

Business.

ILLEGAL SMILES

Long-awaited burrito chain opens downtown location after two-year wait

By ANDREW ROGERS • andrew.rogers@ppmc.live

Illegal Pete’s held their long-awaited grand opening on April 25. The Boulder-based, fast-casual Mexican food favorite opened its first Colorado Springs location at the corner of Colorado Avenue and Tejon Street. The company first announced plans to open in the summer of 2022. Pete Turner, the restaurant’s founder and namesake, said that the target date was pushed back by almost two years due to a combination of COVID-19 aftershocks, internal restructuring, and other locations that had been delayed in opening.

“We’re extremely pleased with the way it’s turned out,” Turner said.

Turner said that there were a lot of lessons learned in the restaurant industry during the

COVID-19 pandemic. He views the Colorado Springs location as a benefactor of that experience.

“We’ve done a ton of innovation and it all is culminating with basically this store right here, which is basically Illegal Pete’s 2.0, and we feel very confident that we’re ready to grow,” he said.

Turner describes the restaurant as mission-style Mexican, a nod to both northern and southern California styles. The restaurant features burritos, bowls, tacos, and taquitos. The location sets itself apart from other fast-casual offerings with a full bar.

According to Turner, it is very likely that the city could see a second Illegal Pete’s location within the next year or two.

Mark Your Calendars

JUNE 7TH

Dinner & Dancing with Collective Groove • 5PM & 7PM Seatings JUNE 8TH

Teddy Roosevelt Dinner Show with Kurt Skinner • 6:30PM *with Special Musical Guests, The Moldy Figs* JUNE 9TH

TWO Teddy Roosevelt Shows • 1PM Buffet & 6:30PM 3-Course Dinner *with Special Musical Guests, The Moldy Figs*

Illegal Pete’s founder and namesake Pete Turner (far left) and the Colorado Springs management team

Photos by Catherine Higley

Arts & Culture

LET’S GET PHYSICAL

Record stores, book shops and video game emporiums stand up to the digital noise

By CANNON TAYLOR • cannondtaylor@gmail.com

In August 2023, Independent Records closed after 45 years of service to Colorado Springs. In its lifetime, Independent Records hosted signings and performances by artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Kendrick Lamar, and Green Day; opened multiple locations across the state of Colorado; and was even a part of the coalition of record stores that invented Record Store Day. The demise of a behemoth in Colorado Springs’ music scene raised an alarming question—how long can remaining record shops, video game stores and book retailers keep hanging on?

Bryan Ostrow, co-owner of What’s Left Records on East Platte Ave., believes creating community is more important than selling records

Photos by Ben Trollinger

Arts & Culture

RISE AND FALL

Independent Records was founded in 1978 by brothers Orville and Lewis Lambert.

“It was a particularly welcoming era, to be in the music business in the ’70s and ’80s,” said Judy Negley, former co-owner of Independent Records. But as the digital age came about, Independent Records began to struggle.

“I was naive enough to never see the internet so much as a threat,” Negley said. “I thought we could use that, and it would benefit everybody.”

Negley shared that the ways in which hip-hop, R&B and rap were brought into the digital age were especially efficient compared to other genres. These genres had historically been pushed outside of the mainstream, which led artists to focus on regional and grassroots approaches to gathering fans. With the advent of the internet, artists in these genres were given direct access to fans across the nation and even the world. According to Negley, the internet was a godsend for some musicians, but led to a decline in business for Independent, a store which focused more on those genres than “anybody else west of the Mississippi.”

“People don’t feel like they should pay for music,” Negley said. “We have [almost] two generations… who feel like it should be free.”

Consequently, she said the main reason for Independent

Everybody likes to say… ‘Vinyl’s coming back!’, but it’s never really went away for me. But it has been crazy. In just the three years since we opened it, vinyl has had this huge, huge boom.

–Bryan Ostrow What’s

cords’ closure was lack of capital. “If you do something you love, you also have to turn that into a means of making money, and those things are always at odds,” she said.

Negley joked that “you couldn’t pay [her] enough to start a record store” today. And yet, much like the brothers Orville

and Lewis Lambert did in 1978, Bryan and Sean Ostrow are still doing just that.

FIGHTING FOR WHAT’S LEFT

The Ostrow brothers opened What’s Left Records in August 2020 using their stimulus funds after a friend told them about the perfect building for a store.

“We’d probably end up buying

records with it anyway, so we just bought records for a store and… opened up a store,” Bryan Ostrow said. “[We] wanted people to still have… music and some kind of artistic connection while not being able to go to shows.”

You might think that opening a record store in the middle of a global pandemic would be a recipe for disaster, but Ostrow told a different story.

“Everybody likes to say… ‘Vinyl’s coming back!’, but it’s never really went away for me,” Ostrow said. “But it has been crazy. In just the three years since we opened it, vinyl has had this huge, huge boom.” Ostrow described the vinyl boom as “a double-edged sword” because major labels are cornering the market,

A group of gamers, (L to R) Joe Lockard, Jay Cessna, anonymous gamer, Lucian Spurlin, and Jeremy Mallec playing Magic the Gathering at Midnight Games

Left Records

racking up the price of records and “hogging up the pressing plants,” making it harder for small artists to release vinyl records.

“But, also, on the other end of that spectrum, it’s bringing in kids and people that, growing up, never went to a record store. So it’s actually also opening up a whole new world to people,” Ostrow said.

What’s Left Records’ plan for longevity is to be customerand community-oriented. The back half of the store is wholly dedicated to a stage area, with a raised platform for musicians and plenty of room for an audience to gather round. Ostrow shared that What’s Left hosts shows regularly, with voluntary donations by audience members going directly to the musicians.

Despite being across the street from another venue, The Black Sheep, Ostrow shared that the folks at What’s Left Records strive to work together with other local businesses instead of competing with them.

“You just want to have a place where people can feel comfortable and… ask questions,” Ostrow said. “My plan is to just kind of keep doing it how we’re

Physical, to me, is the way to go. They can’t take it from you, –Josh White Midnight Games

doing it… make sure that we don’t sacrifice our community and our overall vibe for money.”

OWN THE GAME

Only a few minutes’ drive from What’s Left Records is Midnight Games, a retro video game store. While local record stores have Record Store Day, an annual event where record labels flood local stores with exclusive vinyl editions to create buzz and sales, video game stores receive no such recognition. Major video game publishers have instead realized that they can maximize profits by releasing video games on their own digital storefronts.

Josh White, co-owner of Midnight Games, had plenty to say about the downsides of digital games. “You don’t own the game. You’re paying a [licensing] fee to rent the game for x amount of time.”

Copyright holders have the ability to remove their games from digital storefronts at any time. Digital storefronts aren’t permanent, either. This can lead to situations where consumers can lose a digital game forever unless they’ve saved it physically on their console.

“Physical, to me, is the way to go,” White said. “They can’t take it from you.”

Part of the appeal of retro gaming is experiencing hidden gems that have been lost to time. However, the cost of retro gaming is a barrier to entry for many. White cited the 90s cult classic “EarthBound” as an example. A game cartridge goes for several hundred dollars, with in-box copies entering the thousands. Price doesn’t have to be a barrier to entry, though. “We can get great games for people for five, ten bucks,” White said. For Midnight Games, it’s all about connecting their customers with the perfect game that fits their interests and budget. But what ultimately sets Midnight Games apart from e-commerce sites is the sense of security that comes with shopping in a physical store.

“You’re able to inspect the thing that you get,” White said. Online, consumers may end up getting a fake or faulty copy; meanwhile, Midnight Games authenticates their used products and ensures that they work.

Video games aren’t the only products Midnight Games buys and sells. While half of the store is dedicated to shelves,

Jennifer Goodman in the store’s book section

Photos by Catherine Higley

Arts & Culture

bins and glass cases housing a treasure trove of video games, the other half is dedicated to retro toys and merchandise and tabletop games like “Magic: The Gathering.” The centerpiece of this area is a seating area where multiple parties of friends can play tabletop games all at the same time.

White mentioned that the store buys plenty of rare, odd products simply for the novelty of having them in the store. Among these included a sewing machine add-on to the Game Boy system, an infamously offensive pornographic game for the Atari and a Fairchild Channel F console, the first video game console to accept ROM cartridges instead of having the games engineered into the console itself. They even showed

off their in-box copy of “EarthBound.”

Although Judy Negley told a cautionary tale about buying most used products that come through the door, it was hard for me to deny that experiencing gaming history through Midnight Games’ shelves of oddities was part of the store’s appeal.

POOR STORE, RICH STORE

A local business that is much more selective about the used products they buy is Poor Richard’s Bookstore, which houses a bookstore, restaurant, toy store, gift shop, cafe and wine bar all under one roof.

The street view of the store cannot convey just how huge the business is. Walking through the many shops within Poor Richard’s walls feels like taking

a tour of a dazzlingly well-put-together, yet charmingly quaint house. Each “room” commits fully to its theme, be it a child’s wonderland of toys or a long, labyrinthine hallway of bookshelves. Somehow, walking from one unique area to the next never feels jarring, almost as if each section of the store is a puzzle piece creating a bigger picture.

Although Poor Richard’s has innovated and adapted in many ways over the years, books have been the center of the experience since its beginnings as a humble bookstore in 1975.

“The diversity is really important. It gives us extra muscle as a business. But books are strong,” said Patricia Seator, co-owner and retail manager of Poor Richard’s and wife of founder

Richard Skorman. She shared that Poor Richard’s has grown over 200% in new books since 2019.

It’s not all about the books, though. Poor Richard’s markets itself as an experience.

“People can stay here for days,” Seator said.

She explained that lots of customers will come in for one reason—say, to buy a gift—and end up spending all afternoon flipping through books, eating or grabbing coffee, working on their computers or people-watching in the patio area.

Poor Richard’s also involves itself in the community by selling and displaying local art, hosting local musicians in Rico’s Cafe & Wine Bar and serving organic and local food.

Although Seator credited Poor Richard’s hybrid approach as helping the bookstore stay strong over the past twenty years, she disagreed with the sentiment that bookstores and other physical media retailers must adapt a hybrid model to survive.

“I do think that bookstores can stand alone these days,” Seator said. “COVID brought people back to being interested in actual physical books.”

Despite the struggles these business owners might face by doubling down on physical media in digital age, record stores, video game stores and bookstores will never die out as long as we show up for what’s left.

What’s Left Records is full of highly curated music memorabilia.

Book and Music by Jonathan Larson | Lyrics by Jonathan Larson and Billy Aronson | Directed by Marisa D. Hébert

Arts & Culture

THURSDAY, 5/16

Summer Music Festival

Class | Students will create illustrations for the presentation of The Carnival of the Animals at the Colorado College Summer Music Festival. Ages 8-12. 818 Pelham Pl. 5 p.m.

EJRM | Live music at Ohana Kava Bar. 112 E Boulder St. 7 p.m.

Iba MaHr, Phil Watkis, Charlie Milo Trio | Live music at Vultures. 2100 E Platte Ave. 7 p.m.

Late Night Drive Home, Pleasure Pill, Lady Denim | Live music at the Black Sheep. 2106 E Platte Ave. 8 p.m.

FRIDAY, 5/17

31st Annual Shivers Spring Concert | Fine Arts Center concert featuring Stephanie Brink (mezzo soprano), Shyheim Hinnant (baritone), Solomon Leonard (violin), and John Thomas (reenactor). $50. 30 W Dale St. 6 p.m.

Cari Dell | Singer songwriter performs at Rico’s Cafe & Wine Bar. 322 1/2 N Tejon St. 6 p.m.

Evan Courtland | Indie acoustic set at Ohana Kava Bar. 112 E Boulder St. 7 p.m.

SofaKillers | Live music at Boot Barn Hall. 13071 Bass Pro Dr. 7 p.m.

Vale of Pnath, Abigail

Williams, Summoning the Lich, Nightwraith, Spac | Live music at the Black Sheep. 2106 E Platte Ave. 6:30 p.m.

90s Country Night featuring Sandy Wells | Live music at Boot Barn Hall. 13071 Bass Pro Dr. 7:15 p.m.

SATURDAY, 5/18

Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander

Celebration Festival | Features live music, dance, and traditional crafts. 1819 West Cheyenne Road. 1 p.m.

Ballyhoo!, Cloud9 Vibes

| Live music at the Black Sheep. 2106 E Platte Ave. 8 p.m.

Die Spitz, Teen Mortgage | Live music at Vultures. 2100 E Platte Ave. 7 p.m.

Dueling Pianos | Live music at Salad or Bust Downtown. 8 E Bijou St. 7 p.m.

Synth Night | Live music at Okana Kava Bar. 112 E Boulder St. 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, 5/19

Blue Frog Sunday Summer Series | Live music at Front Range BBQ. 2330 W Colorado Ave. 6 p.m.

Masterworks SeasonMay Concert | The Pikes Peak Philharmonic performs Sibelius, Williams, Bernstein, and Beethoven. 5225 N Nevada Ave. 3 p.m.

MONDAY, 5/20

MUSIC LISTINGS

SATURDAY, 5/25

New World Symphony | Colorado Springs Philharmonic performance of Dvorak’s American-inspired New World Symphony. 7:30 p.m.

Oxymorrons, Post Profit | Live music at the Black Sheep. 2106 E Platte Ave. 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, 5/22

Countywyde | Live music at Front Range BBQ. 2330 W Colorado Ave. 6:30 p.m.

Dying Fetus, 200 Stab Wounds, Kruelty, PsychoFrame | Live music at the Black Sheep. 2106 E Platte Ave. 8 p.m.

Hillside Gardens Summer Concert Series | Live music. 1006 South Institute Street. 5 p.m.

FRIDAY, 5/24

Hot Boots Band | Live music at Buzzed Crow Bistro. 5853 Palmer Park Blvd. 7 p.m.

The Professa Doc B | Electronic/DJ style music at Ohana Kava Bar. 112 E Boulder St. 8 p.m.

Soul of the Sirens | Live music at Wackadoo Brewing. 5158 Centennial Blvd. 6 p.m.

Celtic Woman | Global musical sensation performs live at Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts. 190 South Cascade Avenue. 7:30 p.m.

Colorado Floyd | Coloradobased Pink Floyd jam band performing at Boot Barn Hall. 13071 Bass Pro Dr. 7 p.m.

Fighting the Phoenix, Ovira, Atlas//Below, Lavagato, Buried In Lies | Live music at the Black Sheep. 2106 E Platte Ave. 7 p.m.

Like Roses, Relate., Between the Heart | Live music at Vultures. 2100 E Platte Ave. 7 p.m.

Pete James | Live music at Ohana Kava Bar. 112 E Boulder St. 7 p.m.

Songs in the Key of J. | Live music from J. Chang-Tablada at the Deco Lounge. 30 West Dale St. 7 p.m.

TUESDAY, 5/28

TESLA | Classic rock band performs at Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts. 190 South Cascade Avenue. 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, 5/29

Extra Extra | Live music at Front Range BBQ. 2330 W Colorado Ave. 6:30 p.m.

Hillside Gardens Summer Concert Series | Live music. 1006 South Institute Street. 5 p.m.

Joseph Arthur, Grady Hoss | Live music at Vultures. 2100 E Platte Ave. 7 p.m.

THE COLUMNIZER RETURNS

By ADAM LEECH

Greetings Springsteens! It is I, none other than Adam Leech! You may remember me from such esoteric retail operations as Leechpit Records & Vintage, or perhaps you may recall my previous attempts at pulchritudinous prose in the previously prosopopoeial Colorado Springs Independent, where I was the original “Columnizer” of the weekly Reverb music column. Well, whether you’ve missed my preposterous pomposity or not, get out your dictionaries, because I am back!

For those of you who don’t know of me, and to everyone who has made the questionable decision to relocate to what was once called, with little irony, “Little London,” allow me the pleasure of introducing myself. As mentioned, my name is Adam Leech, but you can call me Atom, or Leech, but please don’t call me “Mr. Leech,” that is my sons’ name(s)!

Like most of you, I am not originally from here, but moved here in March of 1979 from the luxuriously warm and temperate climate of my mother’s womb! Ha! Kidding... I really was born here! Since then (being born, that it is), I have experienced and benefited from nearly all that our fine public schools, colleges, and universities have to offer, from Ruth Washburn Nursery School, Steele Elementary, North Middle School, Palmer High School, what is now called the (Nikola) Tesla Educational Opportunity School, Pikes Peak Community (now State) College, and finally, The University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. And ‘twas a fine education, indeed,

WHAT’S GOING ON

that sculpted me into the “stable genius” you see (in print) before you today. Much like Socrates, I have often been accused, by my own hometown, of both corrupting the youth and impiety! Can you believe it, IMPIETY?!Hopefully, none of you will try to make me drink poison, but if it came down to it, I would. This is my town, and despite all her shortcomings, I really do love her, and owe her more than I’d like to admit.

So, now that you’ve been tainted and acquainted, let’s get down to TCB—“taking care of business!”

What am I doing here, what are you doing here, and why should you bother sticking around (for both this column, and this town)? Well, I intend to not only dazzle you with my iambic brilliance, to baffle you with my poetic BS, but also to entertain, inform, and enlighten you to the plethora of cultural comings and goings that grace all who dwell in the shadow of Tavá Kaa-vi, the Sun Mountain, also know as Pikes Peak (for those that prefer to idolize ol’ Zebulon Pike, the man who “discovered” it and once climbed almost 2/3 of the way to the top and declared it forever unconquerable—true story!).

I will report current events, recount the legends and lore of bygone eras, and foreshadow future engagements and various other “what to dos and what have yous.” I will regale you with my experiences spanning over 40 years (yikes!) of enjoying live music, working in records stores, playing in bands, and DJing at countless parties, rallies, and festivals (have you heard the one about the Flogging Molly Salty Dog Cruise on a boat in the Bahamas? You will!).

I will deliver both hard hitting

and softball reports on the state of popular music and un-popular music that should be more popular, and all that falls betwixt and between. I may even finally, once and for all, end the decades long debate over who was better, The Beatles or The Rolling Stones (spoiler alert: it’s The Kinks!). And most importantly, I will do my best to convince you all that not only does this town have a spectacular music scene that deserves your attention and is growing more and more virile, viral, venerable and venereal by the minute, but that this town is deserving of an actual physical newspaper to permanently make record for all of posterity. Like our forefathers who carved their names in the rocks of Garden of the Gods, we were here! (But seriously though, don’t do that. It’s an rookie move)

And after all, I am just a simple analog boy in a digital world, and if we could all slow down long enough to pick up some actual paper and focus our collective attention to something honest, something real, something tangible, tactical, and enriching, maybe we could find some relief from the petty tyrannies of the intellectual apocalypse we call the modern age.

And due to my own reservations as to my potential efficacy, I will leave you with a short list of @’s to point your pixels to some things I think of particular interest and importance. Manitou’s beloved subterranean oasis Lulu’s Downstairs (@lulusdowntown) recently relocated to the former 32Blue building downtown, and I expect nothing but good times. The riotous ladies (and gentlemen) of Cheap Perfume (@cheappurfumeband) are on their maiden voyage to cities along the west coast. The

Dead Pioneers (@deadpioneers) released their debut album to much acclaim, both critical and proletarian, and have been ushered into the “annals” of punk rock history with an early afternoon slot at the forthcoming NOFX “Punk in Drublic” festival up in the “Big D” this summer. And lastly, but not leastly, as I am sure you have heard, The Sunset Amphitheater (@sunsetamitheater), despite a name that conjures images of a suburban nursing home, has been announcing some truly prestigious acts, including One Republic, Primus, John Fogerty, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and a truly convincing Beach Boys cover band called The (Brian Wilson-less) Beach Boys!

Until next time, kids, be scene, not herd!

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A NEW ARTS COLUMN FROM A COLORADO SPRINGS NATIVE

By LAUREN CIBOROWSKI

My family moved to Colorado Springs in the summer of 1996, and my parents had the good sense to immediately sign up my awkward, naive, 14-year-old self for a program at Theatreworks. I was assigned to the costume department, sewing and crafting to my heart’s delight under the humorously deprecating eye of the late Betty Ross for that summer’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” This proved to be life-changing. Not only did it get me out of my shell and teach me the many glorious uses of the F-word (thanks, grown-up stage actors!), but it was also a thorough and proper introduction to the local arts scene and its major players— and the beginning of what has been

a lifelong fascination with it all.

From that first summer of Shakespeare under the tent, I was eventually to discover the many amazing local theatre companies we’re lucky enough to have in this town.

Out of that long ago summer, I ultimately matriculated at Colorado College to study nothing particularly arts-related, but I did begin a late and lusty love affair with ballet. I eventually danced in a few modern companies, and I still creak through the occasional ballet class and delight in seeing what our local dance scene is up to.

Because of that summer of my youth, I grew interested in the local visual arts scene as well, eventually co-owning The Modbo, a scrappy little alley art gallery I ran for twelve intermittently thrilling years.

And all of that led eventually to here—a life where I work as a professional pianist, gigging, teaching, and playing for ballet classes back at my alma mater—but spending as much free time as I can soaking up the arts around town. Although I no longer own a gallery, I do a smidge of public curation and a fair amount of in-home curation through my company, Well Hung. Yes, the name is supposed to be funny.

So with that, welcome to “W.I.P. It!” a column about arts-related Works in Progress in Colorado Springs. Because as much as I love our burgeoning arts scene, I think it’s no slight to call it a work in progress. After all, aren’t we all works in progress ourselves? I know I am, anyway.

And here’s what I have to offer

you, arts-interested-reader. I love all aspects of the arts, and I want to share that joy with you. I don’t have much of a plan beyond that, I’ll confess. What I do have are lots of opinions, plenty of history, and a pronounced classical music bias, sorry-not-sorry.

I’ll close with a toast, so raise your coffee or cabernet: To you, Colorado Springs arts scene! You may not be perfect, but we don’t need you to be. We need you to keep on striving, keep on creating, keep on innovating. Here’s to the actors, the musicians, the gallerists, the photographers, the singers, the burlesquers, the designers, the clowns, the stage managers, the dancers, the visual artists. But most of all –here’s to you in the audience. Art cannot live in a vacuum. You need art. Art needs you.

ON THE INDEPENDENT’S RETURN

Today, we celebrate the return of the Colorado Springs Independent and a new chapter in our collective story of community service and dedication to excellence.

In 1928, visionary citizens created the Colorado Springs Community Trust, a permanent charitable endowment dedicated to improving the quality of life in our community. Today, that commitment to our region lives on here at Pikes Peak Community Foundation.

Our vision of a thriving, resilient, and sustainable Pikes Peak Region with a vibrant quality of life for all is mirrored in the pages of The Independent, where stories of progress, resilience, and innovation unfold.

Publications like The Independent are also part of the bedrock of our democracy. A free press is not merely ink on paper or pixels on a screen; it is the heartbeat of an informed citizenry and the catalyst for positive change.

With its diverse viewpoints, cultures, and experiences, we are lucky to call the Pikes Peak Region home. A free press amplifies these voices, ensuring that every segment of our population is heard. We welcome The Independent back to the community as another forum to amplify the unique perspectives that shape our region.

In short, we see The Independent not just as a newspaper but as a partner as we work to fulfill our mission of inspiring this passionate community to forge an enduring legacy now and for future generations.

Congratulations to the Colorado

Springs Independent on its revival and for joining us as we embrace innovative and diverse ideas and celebrate the generous people, families, and companies that share our optimism for the future.

Margaret Dolan CEO of

the Pikes Peak Community Foundation

•

As the President & CEO of Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, I’m thrilled to extend a warm welcome to the revitalized Colorado Springs Independent.

The Independent has long been a cherished part of our community, providing a platform for diverse voices and perspectives. Its return signals not only a revival in independent journalism but also a renewed commitment to fostering dialogue and engagement within our city.

In the vibrant community of Olympic City USA, sports play a significant role, serving as a unifying force that brings people together from all walks of life. Whether it’s cheering on our Olympians, participating in a local 5k, or celebrating the youth of tomorrow, sports embody the values of teamwork, perseverance and community.

As the new team at The Independent embark on this new chapter, I encourage everyone to embrace the opportunities it presents. Let’s use this platform to share our stories and celebrate our successes. Welcome back, Colorado Springs Independent.

Megan Leatham

President

& CEO , Colorado Springs Sports Corporation

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ONEREPUBLIC | AUG 9, 10, 11

THE BEACH BOYS | AUG 16

WALKER HAYES | AUG 17

IRATION AND PEPPER | AUG 18

LAUREN DAIGLE | AUG 23

PRIMUS | AUG 24

JOHN FOGERTY | AUG 27

DIERKS BENTLEY | AUG 30

ROBERT PLANT & ALISON

KRAUSS | AUG 31

JIM GAFFIGAN | SEP 13

PENTATONIX | SEP 15

BARENAKED LADIES | SEP 21

STEVE MILLER BAND | SEP 27

ZZ TOP & LYNYRD

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