Author: Debbie Kelley
-
Gazette editor Bzdek, known for ‘fairness not favoritism,’ to retire
Vince Bzdek started learning the industry that runs through his ancestral veins at an early age. Each of the six Bzdek children pitched in to help with the multigeneration family business of owning and operating the Brush News-Tribune in northeastern Colorado. The ink on newsprint rolling off the presses smelled like a promising future to…
-
7 years in, Colorado Springs Democratic socialists say they’re making inroads
If further proof is needed that the political arena in Colorado Springs isn’t like matchups in Denver, the Democratic Socialists of America is a case in point, say some people involved with the local chapter of the nationwide organization. It’s admittedly been difficult for the Colorado Springs branch of the DSA to organize in the…
-
Say it fast or slow, made-up tongue twister defining nation’s 250th and Colorado’s 150th adds fun
You won’t find the word “sesquisemiquincentennial” in the dictionary, but you’re likely to hear a lot of Coloradans trying to work the nine-syllable tongue twister into everyday speech this year. The fabricated noun refers to 2026 being simultaneously recognized as the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America in 1776 and…
-
Colorado Cost of Living: Housing density not just for apartments, as new home styles offer lower prices, creative single-family living
What seem to be scary numbers in the housing industry have prompted action. The median age of a first-time homebuyer hit a record 40 years old nationwide last year, the National Association of Realtors recently reported. That’s two years older than in 2024 and up substantially from 33 years old in 2019. Market analysts cite…
-
Homelessness drops slightly in Denver metro area
There were 35,601 people homeless last year in metro Denver, compared with 36,065 in 2024, a drop of 1.3%, according to a statewide report by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative released Monday. Meanwhile, homelessness in El Paso County grew between 2024 and 2025 at a rate faster than any other part of Colorado, according to…
-
Colorado Cost of Living: Financial freedom in Pueblo County after being priced out elsewhere
Of 10 major Front Range counties in Colorado, Pueblo County has the cheapest cost of living in nearly all key categories — with the exception of health care costs being the most expensive and transportation running slightly higher than El Paso and Denver counties. The county’s standing makes sense because Puebloans earn less than Coloradans in…
-
Renovation of Colorado Springs medical building on old Penrose estate to become events center for nonprofits
Julie Penrose, wife of the wildly successful gold- and copper-miner, Spencer, wanted the couple’s 27-acre residential estate on an old apple orchard to purposefully serve the community after their earthly work was done. Construction at the El Pomar property in the shadow of The Broadmoor hotel — which the Penroses built in 1918 — signals…
-
Schwachheim fire containment decreases to 50% as charred area increases
As of Sunday morning, containment of the Schwachheim fire 14 miles southeast of Trinidad shrank to 50%, down from 63% on Saturday, and the burn area climbed to 1,582 acres, as firefighters steered flames toward consuming existing fuels on the north side. An update from the Colorado Incident Management Team said despite a frost overnight…
-
Colorado Catholic leader, UCCS professor respond to Trump-Pope Leo tiff
“Stay in your own lane” seems to be the key message that’s emerging from the tiff between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, overseer of more than 1.4 billion Roman Catholics and the first American-born head of the Holy See. Whether the spat over differences regarding the U.S.-Israel war in Iran that’s played out…
-
Fueled and led by the Holy Spirit: Bishop of Colorado Springs Catholics prepares to head Denver archdiocese
More than a year before the Archdiocese of Denver knew who the next leader of 600,000 Catholics in northern Colorado would be, preparations began for his arrival, which is finally here. A team has been working on the transition at a miraculous speed since the Holy See’s Feb. 7 appointment of the Rev. James R.…