AltWeeklies Wire
The (Marijuana) Seeds of change in Coloradonew
The Victor City Council's 'yes' vote for medical marijuana doubles as a testament to trust in the tiny mountain town.
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
04-29-2010 |
Drugs
How Tilapia and Basil Can Heal the Planetnew

A look at one Colorado Springs aquaponics operation by "Alligator Joe" Cannon, who also wrestles alligators.
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
04-22-2010 |
Environment
Tags: Aquaponics
Under New Bill, Public Urination Will Cease To Be Deemed a Sex Offense in Coloradonew
Imagine this scenario: You're homeless, you can't find a bathroom, so you urinate in an alley. You get caught, and you're charged with indecent exposure. Suddenly, you're sex offender.
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
04-22-2010 |
Policy Issues
Doctor Sees No Rest for the Needed in Haitinew

An endless demand for medical care paired with slow-arriving supplies complicate health care efforts in post-earthquake Haiti.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Anthony Lane |
04-15-2010 |
Disasters
Outgoing NORAD Gen. Warns That Turbines Pose a National Security Threatnew
Last month, Gen. Gene Renuart told the House Armed Services Committee that wind farms pose problems for the radar that keeps America safe from air and space threats.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Pam Zubeck |
04-15-2010 |
Environment
A Christian Sex-Ed Group Finds a New Use for Duct Tapenew
Education for a Lifetime provides Colorado public school students with a duct tape demo that fails to stick.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Anthony Lane |
04-08-2010 |
Sex
Sex, Lies and Duct Tape: Science and Morality in Colo. Springs Schoolsnew

A Christian group called Education for a Lifetime regularly gives multi-day "abstinence-centered" programs in several El Paso County school districts. It make a case that no sex before marriage is safe: Even if you escape without a disease or a screaming baby, premarital sex makes you prone to infidelity while reducing your ability to bond with your future spouse.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Anthony Lane |
04-08-2010 |
Sex
Homeless Program in Colo. Springs Faces Funding Issuesnew
C-C Boarding Home Annex's homeless outreach program has given Colorado Springs' homeless population a place to stay, but the program's grant is running out.
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
04-01-2010 |
Housing & Development
Sheriff Crossed Paths With Former Detective on Multiple Occasionsnew
Colorado Sheriff Terry Maketa had two vehicles broken into within six months, losing his handgun in one incident. Both cases were investigated the same Jerald Day who later would rack up two felony charges and has managed to keep on the county payroll.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Pam Zubeck |
04-01-2010 |
Crime & Justice
A Sheriff's Personnel Decisions Deserve a Second Looknew
A detective brandished a gun at lawmen and landed in jail but is still working for the sheriff. A budget analyst received a 49 percent pay raise within five months of being hired. One dispatcher posed nude multiple times. All those things have happened on a Colorado sheriff's watch.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Pam Zubeck |
03-11-2010 |
Crime & Justice
A Colorado Town Wants Fewer Trash Trucks and More Recyclingnew

For two years, Teri Christman has been battling the garbage trucks that roar through her town. She's fighting to change city law so that only one trash company can operate in Manitou, and she wants that company to also provide single-stream recycling to every home.
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
03-11-2010 |
Environment
Wrangling Over a Long-Dormant Parcel May Alter the Future of South Nevadanew

A member of City Council wants to help clean up this lot and turn it into a campground and RV park, as it once was in its KOA days, but this time for the homeless and working poor. Considering the plot's location, it seems an ideal plan.
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
03-04-2010 |
Housing & Development
Journalist T.R. Reid Makes it Plain: Universal Coverage is the Answernew
The take-home lesson, repeated frequently during an hour-long conversation with the Independent, boils down basically to this: Provide universal health care, and the rest will follow.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Anthony Lane |
02-25-2010 |
Science
As the Good Doctor Leaves Focus, His Son Talks About a Second Comingnew
Last year, exiled New Life Church founder Ted Haggard returned to Colorado Springs and later began holding prayer meetings in his home. And last fall, Focus on the Family announced the end of its ties with James Dobson, who founded the conservative Christian group three decades ago.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
02-25-2010 |
Religion
After Layoffs, City Bus Drivers are Being Taxed on Money They Never Receivednew
"It's not right, what's being done. It's bad enough to shut down the careers of so many people that they've put decades into, but then not to pay the money that they have coming — that's really a slap."
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
02-18-2010 |
Economy