Author: By Mary Shinn [email protected]

The Manitou Springs City Council approved a local law this week to recognize heritage trees and protect the leafy green canopy that keeps the community cooler in the summer. The council passed the ordinance 7-0 marking a major milestone in several years of work by community advocates, said Skyler Beck, head of the newly formed…

As unprecedented drought conditions trigger emergency actions along the Colorado River, Colorado Springs Utilities does not expect to tighten watering restrictions this summer. Colorado Springs Utilities limits outdoor irrigation to three days a week from May 1 through Oct. 15 each year and does not plan to enact any additional steps to cut outdoor water…

Colorado Springs City Council members critiqued plans for a passenger rail station in town on Monday over economic feasibility and the likelihood residents will use the service. The city is responsible for identifying a site for the rail station that would serve Amtrak and intercity commuter trains, and the staff has narrowed the options down…

Skaters, bikers, ballplayers and sunbathers will all find their place in Panorama Park, a southeast community space nearing the end of a $9 million makeover. The 13-acre park that was once mostly a flat, vacant lawn is set to reopen in July with features intended to serve everyone. At the heart of the park is…

The city of Colorado Springs started tearing down the playground in Acacia Park Monday, ahead of the construction of a new play area that will feature an artistic climbing wall. The $900,000 construction project will replace the playground equipment from the 1980s with an area for toddlers that will feature a slide and a spinner,…

Colorado will pour nearly $20 million of federal funding into fire prevention this year ahead of what could be the worst fire season in the state’s history, officials announced Friday. The additional federal funding will pay additional contracts for air tankers and two Type 1 helicopters, expanded dispatch services and new technology for on-the-ground coordination,…

Colorado Springs City Councilmembers strongly encouraged the parks department Monday to work on opening hundreds of acres of parkland on the eastern edge of town. Set apart by a striking ridge of thriving evergreens, Jimmy Camp Creek Park, east of U.S. 24 and Marksheffel Road, is rich in archaeology and wildlife including antelope, porcupines and raptors. The…

As wintry weather moves in Monday, forecasters are rooting for many more wet and snowy spring days to help the state recover from drought conditions. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows, as of Thursday, much of the state is in moderate or severe drought, despite strong snowpack across Colorado. The snowpack is tracking close to average…

Colorado Springs city officials pitched a plan Tuesday to make the current wildfire evacuation planning steps local law, a measure residents say doesn’t address the core of their concerns around getting out of their homes safely in a major blaze. Councilman Bill Murray was among those during the back-to-back Colorado Springs City Council meetings who…

A citizens group has resubmitted two petitions to place a question on the November ballot to legalize recreational marijuana sales in Colorado Springs. Your Choice Colorado Springs, the committee backing the question, initially filed a petition in January that the city clerk’s office warned could trigger a special election because it came in two weeks…