Indy - July 5, 2023 Vol 31. No. 26

BLIND Injustice

An opera commemorating the innocent lives lost to an imperfect system

BY NICk RAvEN | 6

An Academy School District 20 parent and Air Force veteran has proposed just that

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PUBLISHER

Fran Zankowski

FEATURED

6 BLIND INJUSTICE: An opera commemorating the innocent lives lost to an imperfect system

3 BAN THE BIBLE: D20 parent petitions to pull the “good book” from school libraries

COVER DESIGN BY Dustin Glatz with assets from stock.adobe.com

EDITORIAL

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Bryan Grossman

MANAGING EDITOR Helen Lewis

COPY EDITOR Mary Jo Meade

SENIOR REPORTER Pam Zubeck

CULTURE REPORTER Nick Raven

INTERN Marynn Krull

CONTRIBUTORS

Rob Brezsny, Jim Hightower, Mike Littwin, Matthew Schniper, Andrew “Shaggy” Warren

SALES

AD DIRECTOR Teri Homick

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Felicia Anzaldúa, Viktoria Costantino, Monty Hatch

ART AND PRODUCTION

EDITORIAL ART DIRECTOR Dustin Glatz

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Zk Bradley, Rowdy Tompkins

OPERATIONS

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Lanny Adams

DIGITAL/SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

Sean Cassady

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Don Bouchard

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Tracie Woods

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ARTS

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4 ‘GOBSMACKED’: Congressman pushes through a measure to allegedly “euthanize” a civil liberties group

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OPINIONS

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Nick Raven

Matthew Schniper

BAN THE BIBLE

D20 parent petitions to pull the ‘good book’ from school libraries

BY PAM ZUBECK | zubeck@csindy.com

ABOOK IN ACADEMY School District 20 libraries tells of a prostitute who “lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses,” who “longed for the lewdness of [her] youth, when . . . [her] bosom was caressed and [her] young breasts fondled.”

Yet, libraries throughout D20 allow children of all ages access to that book, while at the same time agreeing to remove books that deal with LGBTQ issues.

After a resident raised the issue, the Freedom From Religion Foundation asked D20 to remove the book containing the lewd descriptions. That book is the Bible.

D20 agreed to ban books at the request of 26 D20 residents, the Colorado Times Recorder reported in May. Some in that group are members of Moms for Liberty – El Paso County, which claims the books meet the legal definition of obscenity. They were: Push by Sapphire, which was the basis for the 2009 Academy Award-winning film Precious, Identical by Ellen Hopkins, and Lucky by Rachel Vail, which have been at the center of school board debates around censorship across the country. (Moms for Liberty is a national organization that’s been named an anti-government extremist group by the civil rights watchdog Southern Pov erty Law Center.)

THE D20 ACTION TO BAN THE books led Rob Rogers — an Air Force veteran, data scientist and business executive who backs strengthening separation of church and state — to write to District 20 Superintendent Tom Gregory on June 5.

In his letter, he states, “This action sets a precedent within the district for the removal of explicit content from our libraries. The removal was handled with swift and concise action within a specified timeline. Upon further review of our library inventories, I have noted the presence of a number of religious texts that contain explicit content of a similar nature.”

Rogers, who lost to Republican Rose Pugliese in last year’s State House District 14 race and serves as first vice chair of the El Paso County Democratic Party, then lists eight D20 schools that have the Bible on their shelves and quotes extensively from Bible passages that are either sexually explicit or contain violence.

“It is essential that we prioritize the safety and well-being of our students above all,” his letter says in part. “The explicit nature of certain passages in the Bible, as I have outlined in this document, can be disconcerting and inappropriate for young minds.”

Rogers, who spoke at an FFRF event in March, tells the Indy by phone, “I don’t want to see any books banned. But at the

have a concern because the standards they’re using are completely subjective and subject to the viewpoint of a handful of individuals, and that’s not sustainable long term. If every individual viewpoint has to be considered like that, would we have any books in the library?”

HIS LETTER AND THAT OF FFRF, Rogers says, shed light on the double standard at work in the district.

He says his records request for correspondence between the residents who successfully got books pulled from D20 library shelves revealed D20’s “quick and friendly” acquiescence to those requests whereas, “With mine, I’ve gotten no response at all.”

Rogers lives in the district, and his daughter attends a D20 high school.

“They need to come up with an objective way to evaluate books for removal or stop altogether,” he says, noting he hopes the issue doesn’t lead to a lawsuit.

However, he says, “This is very serious about the double standard. I’m experiencing viewpoint discrimination right now,” as well as religious discrimination.

To further bolster Rogers’ case, FFRF staff attorney Christopher Line’s

June 22 letter says, “The bible historically is doubtless the single-most weaponized piece of writing on the planet, responsible for unjust wars, genocide, anti-semitism, violent extremism, subjugation of women and pervasive racism. Throughout the Crusades, the Inquisition, the witch hunts, chattel slavery, the Holocaust, and the history of homophobia, the bible looms large. As Born Again Skeptic’s Guide to the Bible author Ruth Hurmence Green eloquently put it, ‘There was a time when religion ruled the world. It is known as the Dark Ages.’”

Line’s letter was full of examples of sex and violence contained in the Bible, but here’s just one: A future husband purchases a wife by killing 200 of her fathers’ enemies, then mutilates their corpses, and brings back their foreskins as a dowry.

— Rob Rogers

Line’s letter notes D20 has established a standard for inappropriate content that clearly encompasses the sexually explicit materials contained in the Bible, thus that policy should be equally applied and the Bible removed. If the Bible’s “vast amount of sexually explicit material” doesn’t qualify it for removal, then the same standard must be applied to all

I don’t want to see any books banned.

Congressman pushed through a measure to allegedly ‘euthanize’ a civil liberties group

BY PAM ZUBECK | zubeck@csindy.com

OHIO REP. MIKE TURNER has introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would bar military members from using funds from the bill to communicate with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation without authority of the defense secretary.

MRFF says it’s an attempt to throttle the organization, and that it’s illegal. The organization vows to file a lawsuit to block the measure, should it survive to final approval.

MRFF, formed about 20 years ago to combat an apparent bias toward fundamental Christianity promoted at the Air Force Academy, has succeeded in having Bibles removed from federally funded facilities, and triggered training regarding religious sensitivity and numerous other actions by specific military members and installations.

Now, Rep. Turner, a Republican, is trying to squelch MRFF by adding this provision to the NDAA: “LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS RELATED TO MILITARY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOUNDATION. None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2024 for the Department of Defense may be used— (1) to communicate with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, its leadership, or its founder; (2) to take any action or make any decision as a result of any claim, objection, or protest made by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation without the authority of the Secretary of Defense.”

A SENIOR POLICY STAFFER familiar with House Armed Services Committee matters (who spoke to the Indy on condition of anonymity) named two recent incidents:

• M RFF objected to a painting of Jesus walking on water at the Merchant Marine Academy, and it was removed.

• M RFF objected to a cross being displayed at a Veterans Affairs facility in San Antonio, Texas, and it was removed in less than two hours.

“There should be some sort of procedure dealing with requests coming from this organization,” the senior staffer told the Indy. “It is our belief MRFF should not have the ability to berate and bully their way through having crosses and paintings taken down without approval from the top.”

The staffer further said the amendment would require the Defense Department secretary to approve actions in response to MRFF’s complaints. “...Any requests made need to have some sort of bottom-up process for approval.”

MRFF’s founder and Executive Director Mikey Weinstein countered those arguments by noting that neither the Merchant Marine Academy nor the VA fall under the chain of command of the secretary of defense.

He also noted that Turner objected — in an April 2016 letter to the top general at WrightPatterson Air Force Base in Ohio — to the removal of a Bible in a POW display at the base medical center’s dining facility, after the MRFF complained in response to being contacted by 31 people, 10 of whom are Christians, the Dayton Daily News reported.

Weinstein called Turner’s NDAA provision an “unprecedented attack by the Republican fundamentalist Christian nationalists, pretending to be members of the United States Congress, in the House of Representatives, attempting to euthanize the very existence of MRFF by evil legislative fiat....”

He also called the measure unconstitutional and an “attempt to destroy a civil rights organization advocating for separation of church and state in the military.”

According to a June 22 report by The Jewish Insider about the provision, “The [House Armed Services] committee spent significant time on Wednesday debating amendments relating to counter-extremism, diversity, equity and inclusion, and critical race theory programs within the Defense Department. It ultimately approved amendments eliminating the department’s chief diversity officer, defunding the Pentagon’s extremism working group,

There should be some sort of procedure...

— Senior staffer for Rep. Mike Turner

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capping pay for individuals involved in DEI work, and cutting off funding for any training related to CRT.

“The committee rejected amendments that would have eliminated the department’s inspector general for DEI and extremism and cut off funding for DEI training. [Rep. Don] Bacon [R-Nebraska] and Turner voted with Democrats to block those two amendments. Turner also voted with Democrats against eliminating the Pentagon’s chief diversity officer.”

CrooksAndLiars.com reported that constitutional law professor and author Eric Segall predicted the NDAA provision against MRFF, if challenged, would be struck down on speech or religion grounds or both.

MRFF’s Chris Rodda, writing in a column for Daily Kos, said the measure “means that if a military commander even responds to an email from MRFF, or makes any decision as a result of being contacted by MRFF, that commander can be charged with violating the UCMJ and potentially face a court-martial!”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s co-founder and co-president Annie Laurie said in a statement the organization “deplores Rep. Mike Turner’s Kafkaesque amendment” and that it’s “shocking” that the committee approved it.

“Rep. Turner’s amendment violates the First Amendment free speech rights and right to petition the government by MRFF and the members of the armed services that they serve,” Laurie said.

Elizabeth Sholes, with the California Church IMPACT, which advocates in the public policy arena for justice, equity and fairness in the treatment of all people, said she was “gobsmacked” by the amendment, which she said “violates every First Amendment right.”

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, serves on the committee and apparently voted for the amendment, which passed on a voice vote, according to the House website, with some Democrats also voting for it.

Lamborn’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Mike Turner

Mikey Weinstein

Left: Brendan O’Hara, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; right: Courtesy MRFF

MUSIC FOR Lost SoulS

Blind Injustice sings about a justice system that takes innocent lives

‘THIS IS THE STORY OF SIX PEOPLE who had their lives taken from them,” says Lynne Hastings, director of the opera Blind Injustice, “and this is the fight to get their lives back.”

Originally written by librettist David Cote, composed by Scott Davenport Richards and commissioned by Cincinnati Opera, Blind Injustice is a courtroom drama that tells the story of six wrongfully convicted men in Ohio who were exonerated thanks to the legal work of the Ohio Innocence Project. The opera is adapted from the book of the same name by Mark Godsey, a former prosecutor who co-founded OIP, with over a third of the libretto based on interviews with the freed men themselves. In 20 years,

the organization has worked to overturn 42 wrongful convictions in Ohio with similar work being done across the country by other affiliates of the Innocence Network.

For one night only, the opera comes to the Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center as a co-production of Opera Theatre of the Rockies and the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs (COS). It’s their hope that this show challenges the audience to think about our justice system in new ways.

“The work is not going to be done at the performance,” says COS Executive Director Jacob Pope. “The work is going to be done by the audience when they get home and they talk about it and they ask, ‘What can we do?’”

“For the first time in my life,” says OTR Executive Director Eapen Leubner, “I had to put a content warning on the website because there is some bad language and there are storytelling depictions of crime. These are all things that are going to be challenging for an audience.”

If you go:

Richard F. Celeste Theatre, Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center, 825 N. Cascade Ave., July 14, 7 p.m., tickets available at tinyurl.com/BlindInjusticeCOS

Bringing this unique show to life brought its own challenges and ultimately years of delays surrounding the pandemic, making its one-off performance in the Richard F. Celeste Theatre that much more of a triumph in a postGeorge Floyd America.

BLIND INJUSTICE CAME TO COLORADO Springs via Nasit Ari, who attended a performance in Chicago. At the time, Ari was serving on the board of directors for both COS and OTR, but now serves exclusively on the latter.

“He saw the production and thought, ‘This is right in line with the kind of stories that we want to tell,’” says Pope. continued on p. 8 ➔

The ARtS theimpoRtantARein evolution of citieS, [they] help initiate change.

Lynne Hastings, Director

The cast of “Blind Injustice” with Ndume Olatushani (white cap), a death row exoneree who served 28 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit

➔ continued from p. 6

“She thought it would be great to have a director of color work on the piece,” Hastings says. “I wouldn’t have done it if it weren’t six contemporary, relevant stories to be told.”

Hastings lived in New York City in the wake of the trial and sentencing of the Central Park Five. The five teenagers, all people of color, were wrongfully convicted of the brutal assault and rape of Trisha Meili in 1989 and ultimately served between seven and 13 years in prison before being exonerated in 2002.

Now adults, the Exonerated Five are still rehabilitating their image in the court of public opinion even after their legal exoneration. One of them, Korey Wise, donated a portion of his settlement from the city of New York to CU Boulder to create the Korey Wise Innocence Project, a professionally staffed legal team that had previously only been a group of volunteers coordinated by the university.

“The flaws in our justice system, and then our policing system, became even more prevalent with George Floyd,” says Hastings. “This is something that people are talking about, because we see the flaws in the system and we’re trying our best to get this fixed. We have to make sure that we protect people’s civil rights. If somebody is in prison for something they didn’t do, we need to get them out.”

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before Rowland’s offer, so she enlisted Google to help with research. She had also never directed an opera before and had never been delivered this opera’s libretto, so she relied on the provided piano score, plus her own theatrical and musical experience, to build this version of the show.

“My notes and my score are, like, ‘Clarence moves from his seat to his spot by bar 56,’” Hastings says. “So I start the movement and I just need [him] to be there by bar 56. Luckily, I’ve done musicals and I can

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read music so I can speak to them in their language.”

Opera may not be the first format you think of when it comes to telling the story of six men who were exonerated from their crimes in 21st century Ohio.

“I think when you say the words ‘classical music’ or ‘opera,’ most folks on the street think of something that’s older,” says Pope.

He and the orchestra have over 500 years of opera standards to pull from as they build their season — consisting of 23-25 performances — and make an

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Hastings, a local actor and director, stepped into the director role in April of 2022, having been invited by Opera Theatre of the Rockies founder and Artistic Director Martile Rowland.

impact on local audiences. Enlisting the classics is important, but so is curating newer composers and groundbreaking works.

“Everybody loves Beethoven’s [Symphony] No. 5 — and it’s great, it’s an amazing piece of art — but lots of other people are gonna do Beethoven’s No. 5,” says Pope. “We don’t necessarily need to be the ones who do that; we can push the boundaries a little more.”

“There’s different styles, there’s blues, there’s rap,” Hastings says. “When I found some of the music from it and started to listen to it, I thought, ‘Oh, this is not your typical opera.’”

The creatives even acknowledge the clash classical woodwinds and strings can create set against contemporary issues. Hastings referred to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton as a work that not only raceswapped America’s founding fathers but used music to tell a story that breached cultural boundaries.

“I really think orchestras know how to feel music, and I’m just going to ask them, ‘Just feel it. Let’s forget for a second that it’s an opera,” says Hastings. “This is just a key piece of music that is supposed to move people. Music is supposed to make people feel things. Let’s not forget that.”

Pope’s 16 Chamber Orchestra musicians are up to the task of providing something that sounds different for an opera.

“You could probably tell this story with a drum machine and a loop tape recorder,” he says, “but it’s [about] exploring these modern things through a medium that sometimes feels anachronistic. In this particular case, I think the vision is to play off of that tension. I have never felt like the Chamber Orchestra is restricted in the kind of approach that we can take because we’re always about realizing the vision of whoever made it whenever they made it.”

“This score is very jazz-infused,” says Leubner. “It doesn’t sound like [Mozart’s] The Magic Flute. It sounds like the music of today, in some sense. There are moments of real universalism where the singers get to belt something out, but then there’s also a song about the science of forensics. How crazy is it that we’re listening to an opera that has an ensemble piece about forensics?”

Though Leubner only became executive director of Opera Theatre of the Rockies in September, before that he focused on producing work that amplified unheard voices.

“I’ve done three previous collaborations with the Chamber Orchestra as Art Song Colorado and two of them were called Voices of the African Diaspora,” says Leubner. “It’s about music by Black composers from around the world, but also white musicians who were inspired by texts by Black composers, or by Black librettists. That’s a genre that I feel like is worthy of exploration, especially in today’s day and age. There’s just so much rich music out there that isn’t getting the airtime that it needs.”

Blind Injustice was set to be performed in Colorado Springs in the summer of 2022, but working out the logistics between the two companies proved to be too much, so it was pushed back a year. Despite the pool of talent here in Colorado, Leubner had to bring in opera talent from across the country to fill out the cast.

“One of the performers is a younger singer named Marcus King,” says Leubner. “He came out and sang in our Voices of the African Diaspora a couple of years ago, and he rapped. At the time, he was like, ‘This is probably the only time I’ll ever rap with an orchestra.’ [For Injustice] he’s going to be rapping with two other people as one of the [wrongfully con victed] East Cleveland Three.”

While Leubner says they would have loved to have put on two shows, their logistical and financial challenges prevented it.

“I would say this is a big first step for us and I think it is one in the right direction for opera as a whole,” says Leubner.

“The wonderful thing about it is we have three very strong folks in what we do,” says Hastings of Pope and Leubner. “I think the three of us have been extremely collaborative for the last nine months or so. And we trust each other... the three of us are bringing this to life.”

But the America that Injustice is set in has changed dramatically since the opera original ly premiered in the summer of 2019.

“NOT MANY OF US HAVE SPENT TIME IN A prison cell,” says Hastings. “Not many of us have been convicted for a crime that we didn’t commit.”

In a side room at Colorado College’s Cornerstone Arts Center, the show’s cast sits in a semicircle around Ndume Olatushani, an exoneree who affiliates with and speaks for the Korey Wise Innocence Project.

At the age of 26, Olatushani was taken into custody for a murder in Memphis, Tennessee — a state he had never visited in his life — where an all-white jury found him, a Black man, guilty and the court sentenced him to death.

Over the course of years and then decades, it was revealed to him that Memphis police had fabricated the evidence against him, pressured witnesses to deliver false testimony implicating him and suppressed evidence of his innocence. He ultimately served 28 years in prison, including nearly two decades on death row, for a crime he didn’t commit. The real murderer was never found, the state of Tennessee has never apologized.

The performers ask him emotionally tinged questions, becoming visibly distressed at times, as they settle into the reality of their roles.

“They knew I was innocent; that didn’t matter to them,” says Olatushani. “The only thing that they

was concerned about was actually closing the case. The death penalty is really a political instrument.”

Despite the oppression of being shackled and handcuffed, Olatushani maintained his innocence and worked toward freedom. His mother passed away shortly after his imprisonment, which motivated him to take action. Behind bars, he earned his GED and then became a paralegal, vowing to help others who had been wrongfully imprisoned, as he’d been. Out of prison now for eleven years and based in Denver, he focuses on his art and telling his story.

The creatives agree that the ideal outcome from the show is to sow meaningful change.

“If I hear people quietly chatting as they leave about what they saw and what they experienced, I actually think that’s better than that moment where everybody stands up and cheers,” says Leubner, “because I want it to be meat for a good conversation.”

In 1992 — after Colorado passed Amendment 2, which legalized discrimination against LGBTQ people — Hastings left the Springs for New York City to study acting at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. What convinced her to return and stay was the Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival put on by Upstart Performing Ensemble that operated from the mid-’90s through the turn of the century that showed the Springs was moving on and changing.

“It’s important that Injustice is being done now because I don’t know that we could have done this opera in 2000,” says Hastings. “I don’t know if the city was ready for it in 2000. The city’s ready for it because the arts community has prepared the city for it. I think the arts are also an important piece of why we have our first Black elected mayor. The arts are important in the evolution of cities. [They] help initiate change.”

The woRk is going to be done by the audience when they get home and they talk about it.

— Jacob Pope, Executive Producer

Ndume Olatushani tells his story — he didn’t lose faith in his own innocence.

BIKING FOR BREAKFAST

Flights of bikes hit the streets for Bike to Work Day

STORY AND PHOTOS BY NICK RAVEN | nick@csindy.com

WITH A COOL BREEZE AND A HOT SUN RISING, bicyclists took to the relatively quiet streets, trails and bike paths of Colorado Springs for Bike to Work Day.

Hosted by the city and independently celebrated statewide on the fourth Wednesday of June, the annual event encourages locals to break their routine and explore multimodal transportation by riding their bikes to work instead of using motor vehicles. (Those working from home were also encouraged to hop in and pedal on.)

“With nearly 40 breakfast stations located throughout the city, 150 Corporate Champions that signed on to support cycling by promoting the event and encouraging their employees to participate, and more than 400 registrations, Bike to Work Day 2023 proved to be a huge success in Colorado Springs,” says Tim Roberts, senior planner with the city of Colorado Springs. Final participation numbers weren’t available at press time, but the city says this was their most successful year so far.

To encourage even the fairest-weather pedalers, a smattering of corporate-sponsored breakfast stations greeted commuters along their routes with food, raffles and surprisingly awake and alert workers. Those visiting the city’s station at the Popcycle Bridge had a chance to see new Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade flipping pancakes or riding off on a PikeRide e-bike. While several stations were available on the outer fringes of the city — including the Interquest area, Banning-Lewis Ranch and the Southeast — many were concentrated along the older streets and more comprehensive sections of the bike network Downtown.

“I have said for the past 30 years of riding that one cannot be in a bad mood on a bike,” says Colorado Springs City Councilor Nancy Henjum. “And if I am right, then Bike to Work Day in Colorado Springs saw hundreds, if not thousands, of people in great moods! Like many things in this past month — and since our new City Council and mayor have been sworn in — it had a ‘next level’ of energy, enthusiasm and participation.”

Early birds got the worm as stations kicked off first-come, first-serve festivities at 7 a.m. with some sponsors posted and greeting riders as early as 6 a.m. Each destination had at least half a dozen parked bikes hanging loose nearby. Their helmeted riders relayed word of other stations they’d visited along the way as if they were playing some analog version of Pokémon GO

Around 9 a.m., the festivities wound down. Stickers, brochures and tchotchkes were tucked away and the tables were collapsed. By afternoon, the temperature peaked at 90 degrees, making the after-work commute a little more difficult than the one in.

“Bike to work day celebrates and elevates the many values of moving around our city on a bike,” says Henjum. “It promotes the physical and mental health of our bodies, benefits the quality of our air and lightens our foot print on the planet. What could be better than all of that?”

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MATTHEW SCHNIPER

Appetizers

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RISTORANTE DI SOPRA

just launched a house social hour from 4 to 6 p.m., Sundays through Thursdays (4 S. 28th St., ristorantedisopra.com). Catch special $8, $12 and $15 small plates plus wine, cocktail and mocktail specials. As well, the eatery has expanded its hours to seven days a week, with new weekly specials starting on Tuesdays. Also, Chef/Owner Franco Pisani launched Andiamo Catering in May. Partnering with him in that venture is nineyear company employee Lindsey Truitt, consigliere of Sopra and older sister outfit Paravicini’s Italian Bistro. If that Mafia term amuses you, just know that the ringtone on Pisani’s phone is the Godfather theme song. I know this because I was sitting next to him when it rang during a media preview at the social hour a couple weeks ago.

I spoke with Pisani and Truitt as well as Chef de Cuisine Matthew Maher to learn more

about the “why now?” aspect of the new services. And our group of invitees was graciously treated to a beautiful spread of sample plates that legitimately wowed us. I last had nice things to say about Sopra’s fine spreads back during its July 2020 relaunch, and I’d praised Paravicini’s progress at its 10-year mark. The outfit’s celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Congratulazioni!

Before we get into the food descriptors and pretty food presentations, I want to share more info from my interviews and what Pisani told our group. He said he’s calling this a social hour instead of a happy hour because “it’s more about spending time together than just getting a deal.” He said he’s never discounted anything before because “I feel that it cheapens who you are.”

(He clarifies that he did attempt a happy hour that only lasted a week, because it was just before the COVID shutdown, so he’s not really counting that.) That’s why the social hour menu is broken into a few modest price tiers instead of featuring percentages off existing items.

Pisani says he had also tried cater-

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SAIGON CAFÉ 20 E. COLORADO AVE. | 719-633-2888 | COLORADOSAIGONCAFE.COM

Open for Lunch and Dinner Mon-Sat. Welcome to the Saigon Café the award winning Vietnamese restaurant in Colorado Springs. Our cuisine is cooked with fresh vegetables, herbs and meats in authentic Vietnamese style. Try our renowned noodle bowl, a lunchtime favorite. M-Th 11AM–3PM; 4PM–8:30PM F-Sat 11AM–3PM; 4PM-9:30PM

PAID ADVERTISEMENT • 719.577.4545

ing when he first opened Paravicini’s, “but we got too busy and the operation got too big.” So he scaled back to selling larger sheet pans of products for pickup. The eateries’ kitchens still aren’t designed for catering, so

Andiamo acquired prep space nearby off Bott Avenue. Truitt, who was a catering director for six years prior to her time with Pisani, says they’ve been getting so many requests for catering that launching Andiamo was a nobrainer business-sense-wise. She tells me she also does the company’s accounting, so she knows the numbers they’re capable of. Since its May 15 launch, Andiamo has already completed 15 contracts with as many more in the queue for the coming months. Andiamo’s fleet includes a mobile kitchen and beverage cart built for full espresso service, plus a gelato cart that Pisani describes as “like an El Camino with gelato coolers.”

OK, now back to the new social hour menu. With the new dishes, “we’ve kept traditional to our style of

food,” Pisani says. “We’re sticking with the classics. ... I’ve never been a trendy guy. I’ve always done whatever I wanted to.”

The simplest of the social hour snacks is chips and dip, with thick and crisp house chips and a roasted garlic Alfredo sauce. Easy, what’s not to like? Next we have stuffed mushrooms that Pisani jokes were on every menu back in the ’80s and ’90s — a throwback, made with a blend of ricotta, Parmesan, Romano and mozzarella, which is handmade in-house daily. Then comes a Napolitano dish: Clams Posillipo, made with pancetta, onions, tomatoes and garlic in a lemon-white wine broth. Yeah, you’re gonna wanna mop that broth up with the house focaccia. Following the clams, we’ve got “our spin on poutine,” says Pisani, meaning the french fries and cheese curds are out, replaced by fried polenta with house mozzarella and burrata, and Venetian duck ragu as the kicker. This is one of the $12 items; you should definitely get it. It’s super hearty and satisfying, with a little cinnamon lacing as the sexy, not-so-secret ingredient.

What’s next? Bangin’ braised beef sliders and a lavish lobster roll (each $15). The former start with beef that braises in Chianti for six to eight hours, receiving a caramelized onion and roasted garlic “smear” topping. Pisani’s preferred lobster roll isn’t New England style, but Connecticut style, meaning just warmed lobster meat and melted butter on a soft, Texas toast-thick New England bun. It’s excellent, served with a mini side salad for fresh, acidic offset.

I ask Chef Maher more about the menu’s overall composition. He’s been with Sopra a year, having worked over the past 15 years at many fine places in town, including the Swiss Chalet and Peppertree, Springs Orleans, Tapateria and Chiba Bar. He calls Sopra’s menu

Connecticut-style lobster roll

Maher presents the cantaloupe panna cotta.

➔ continued from p. 11

(including this social hour section) “Franco’s food through my lens.” He says it’s Pisani’s “ethos and guidance, but with my touches and my vision at the end of the day.” He notes being a true scratch kitchen — Sopra makes fresh pastas and their own breads plus soft cheeses and desserts.

Sopra’s sweets selections are pretty stunning overall, with a wide variety of flavor profiles. Yes, you can order vanilla ice cream with the vegan tart if you don’t eat plant-based and want to accentuate its berries and chocolate. And the limoncello mascarpone cheesecake holds a beautiful rich texture with tart limoncello curd and toasted meringue. The java-lover’s cappuccino chiffon cake with coffee buttercream is tall enough to cast its own shadow in the late-day sun pouring into Sopra’s inviting rooftop patio. And the most interesting of the batch, the cantaloupe panna cotta with cantaloupe jelly and granita with salty prosciutto (a play on the familiar prosciutto and melon mingle plate appetizer).

Lastly, Sopra’s house bartenders are also having fun making special cocktails ($10) and mocktails ($5) daily. I try a rather sweet and beach-y Tropical Heat mocktail with pineapple and lime juices, peach syrup and coconut milk, served with a salt-and-chile rim. Sopra’s White Negroni rendition kills the Campari and sweet vermouth in favor of softer Lillet Blanc and Cocchi Americano Bianco Italian aperitif with a rosemary garnish; it sips fresh and aromatic. The Limoncello Spritz blends prosecco and limoncello and floats mini scoops of lemon sorbet on top for somewhat of a liquid dessert and hot day refresher.

MICHELIN MATTERS

THE PRESTIGIOUS MICHELIN GUIDE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED that “The Centennial State is getting way more tasty,” hence in 2023 it will begin covering Colorado’s culinary scene (guide.michelin.com/us/en). Can I get an “about damn time”? About damn time!

However, don’t get too excited, Colorado Springs. We aren’t on the list of cities to be featured. Instead, “it will cover Aspen and Snowmass Village, Boulder, Denver, the town of Vail, and Beaver Creek Resort,” according to this posting.

All of which gets back to the premise behind my State of Plate podcast (catch it at csindy.com), asking the central question of what’s needed for C. Springs to become a real (respected) food city? I mean, if we’re honest, at least The Broadmoor, holding Five Stars and Five Diamonds, would be a strong contender. Who else would y’all suggest championing that’s worthy right now?

SPIEDIE OVERHAUL

MY FREE SIDE DISH SUBscribers may now read in full my mid-May review of Kelley’s Spiedies (323 N. Tejon St., kelleysspiedies.com). In the review, I talk with owner and Chef Mark Henry about his rapid rebranding of Rooster’s Ramen to create Kelley’s — and the uphill battle he’s since faced in educating consumers about the spiedie, his hometown of Binghamton, NY’s beloved sandwich. Check it out at sidedishschnip.substack. com/p/spiedie-overhaul.

Matthew Schniper is the former Food & Drink editor and critic at the Indy. You can find expanded food and drink news and reviews at sidedishschnip.substack.com.

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BBQ

3 LOCATIONS + CATERING | BIRDDOGBBQ.COM | 719-573-7671

Bird Dog now offers online ordering from the location of your choice! Order and pay online, then skip the line when you pick it up! Visit our website at www.BirdDogBBQ.com and click ORDER ONLINE to place your order. We also offer our award-winning catering services in individuallyboxed meals! Call 719-573-7671 for details.

CRAFT PUB

ODYSSEY GASTROPUB

311 N. TEJON ST. | 719-999-5127 | ODYSS EYGASTROPUB.COM

Voted Best New Restaurant 2015 by Indy readers. Specializing in an eclectic mix of craft food, craft beer, and craft cocktails. Odyssey Gastropub is a downtown gem with a warm, intimate atmosphere and awesome staff. Start your adventure with us! Mon.- Fri. 11am - 10pm, Sat. & Sun. 10am - 10pm

GERMAN

EDELWEISS RESTAURANT

34 E. RAMONA AVE. | (SOUTH NEVADA & TEJON) | 719-633-2220

For 50 Years Edelweiss has brought Bavaria to Colorado Springs. Using fresh ingredients, the menu invites you to visit Germany. Support local business! We’re open and doing drive-thru and takeout with a limited menu that can be found on our website! www. edelweissrest.com.

SOUTHWESTERN/MEXICAN

JOSÉ MULDOON’S

222 N. TEJON ST. | 719-636-2311 | 5710 S. CAREFREE CR @ POWERS | 719-574-5673

Since 1974. Features authentic Tex-Mex & Mexican fare in contemporary Sante Fe-styled establishment. Across from Acacia Park, and west of Powers & 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 daily, as they are subject to change.

STEAKHOUSE

THE FAMOUS

31 N. TEJON ST. | DOWNTOWN | 719-227-7333

Colorado Springs’ finest upscale steak house and lounge located in the center of downtown. Dine in an elegant and classic steak house environment. Award winning prime steaks, fresh seafood, premium wines, craft brews and piano bar provide a provocative mix of atmosphere and entertainment. Reservations suggested.

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. 11:30am-3pm for lunch, and 5pm- close every day for dinner!

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Limoncello mascarpone cheesecake

Buffalo-sauced pork spiedie

Java-lover’s cappuccino chiffon cake

BIRD DOG BBQ

Your guide to events in the Pikes Peak region CALENDAR

ART EVENT

Green Box Arts Festival, “[a] multi-week, multi-disciplinary cornucopia of arts performances, exhibitions, classes, camps, conversations and parties.” Runs through July 15 at venues all over Green Mountain Falls. On offer will be everything from watercolor painting to performances by the Paul Taylor Dance Company, from informational hikes to live music to astronomy and s’mores. Head to greenboxarts. org for more information.

FIRST FRIDAY/ART

45º Gallery, 2528 W. Colorado Ave., Suite B, 719-434-1214, 45degreegallery.com. Works by wood artisan Thomas Conter and painter Lorraine Danzo. Opens Friday, July 7, 5-8 p.m.

Art 1eleven Gallery, 111 E. Bijou St., 719493-5084, facebook.com/Art1elevenGallery. Large abstract acrylic paintings by Jesse Stockwell. Opens Friday, July 7, 4-9 p.m.; music by Your Dad’s Old 45s, 6-8 p.m.

Bella Art & Frame, 251 Front St., #11, Monument, 719-487-7691, bellaartandframe. com. An Ode to Colorado, work by fine art photographer Andrew Bailey. Reception Thursday, July 20, 5-8 p.m.; through July 28.

The Bridge Gallery, 218 W. Colorado Ave., #104, 719-629-7055, thebridgeartgallery. com. Earth Works, featuring Deena Bennett’s porcelain clay works and her daughter, Logan’s, photos of the landscape around Crested Butte. Opening reception Friday, July 7, 5-8 p.m.; through July 29.

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, 30 W. Dale St., fac. coloradocollege.edu. First Friday Art Party, July 7, 5-8 p.m. (free admission).

Performance from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. by movement-based artist Eiko Otake and violinist David Harrington, followed by an artist talk with Philip Bither, senior curator for the performing arts, Walker Arts Center, Minneapolis. Art in Deco Lounge by Alan Baccarella/Wild Art of the Rockies; Roma Ransom will be playing in the lounge from, 5:30 to 7:30.

Commonwheel Artists Co-op, 719-6851008, 102 Cañon Ave., Manitou Springs, commonwheel.com. Cheers! Drink Up! — clay drinking vessels in four categories: beer, coffee, tea and spirits. “More than 20 potters from all over the state of Colorado contributing to this celebration of the drinking vessel.” Opening reception Friday, July 7, 5-8 p.m.; through July.

Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 E. Colorado Ave., 719-520-1899, cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com. Forgive My Pop Heart, for it hides such vacuous sorrow, by poet and artist Jacqueline Viola Moulton. A solo “pop art show exploring that deep and still place underneath the shiny and palpable veneer of the exterior face that we present to the world.” Opening reception plus Midsummer Art & Gift Market (pottery, jewelry, textiles, paintings and accessories), Friday, July 7, 5-8 p.m.; through July 29.

G44 Gallery, 121 E. Boulder St., 720-951-

ART EXHIBIT

Murmurations, new work by April Dawes, “acknowledges the human need for connection and confronts the haunting loneliness, loss and longing for community in my life, over the last several years.” Opening reception Friday, June 7, 5-9 p.m.; Kreuser Gallery, 125 E. Boulder St.; artist talk July 27, 5:30 p.m.

0573, g44gallery.com. Windows by Shannon Mello: “Negative space is so often overlooked. The spaces between people in this room, ... spaces between trees and their branches. There are perfect little frames all around us creating these small viewfinders of a whole new world of composition.” Bird Brain by Robert Lococo: “The phrase came to being because it was assumed birds lacked intelligence. But there is beauty to being a cuckoo or a boob.” Opening reception Friday, July 7, 5-9 p.m.; artist talks Thursday, July 20; 5:30 p.m.; through July.

Gallery 113, 125½ N. Tejon St., gallery113cos.com, 719-634-5299. July’s show features Irv Middlemist’s mixed-media paintings and Mary Gorman’s paintings on silk Opening Friday, July 7, 5-8 p.m.

The Garfield Gallery, 332 E. Willamette Ave., 719-227-8836, garfieldgallery.com.

July’s show features works by Pikes Peak Arts Council members in multiple mediums. Opening reception Friday, July 7, 5-9 p.m.

Free-For-All: Pericles, final night of PPLD and Theatreworks’ traveling pro -

duction of the Shakespeare play. Kinship Landing, Friday, July 7, 6:30 p.m., 415 S. Nevada Ave. See tinyurl.com/TW-Pericles23 for more info.

Kreuser Gallery, 125 E. Boulder St., 719464-5880, kreusergallery.com. Playful Resistance: Play and Beauty as Acts of Creative Resistance — the batik work of Beth and Jonathan Evans and sculpture by Maria Battista. Murmurations, new work by April Dawes , “acknowledges the human need for connection and confronts the haunting loneliness, loss and longing for community in my life, over the last several years.” La Soma, works by Foster and Daniel Romano. Artist talks: July 19, 5:30 p.m., Maria Battista, Beth and Jonathan Evans; July 27, 5:30 p.m., April Dawes and Daniel and Foster Romano. Opening reception Friday, June 7, 5-9 p.m.; through July 28.

The Look Up Gallery, 11 E. Bijou St. (inside Yobel), thelookupgallery.com. New works by Rachel Dinda, “a multidisciplinary artist who draws inspiration from graffiti, art nouveau and marine biodiversity.” Opening reception Friday, July 7, 5-9 p.m. Manitou Art Center, 513/515 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, 719-685-1861, manitouartcenter.org. Monument, a new show by Manitou artist Larry Kledzik in the Hagnauer Gallery, plus Moonlight Market, and music by A Carpenter’s Daughter. Opening Friday, July 7, 5-8 p.m.; through July 29.

Portraits of Manitou by C.H. Rockey, features original town views and significant historical buildings. Manitou Springs Heritage Center, 517 Manitou Ave.; manitouspringsheritagecenter.org; through November.

Surface Gallery, 2752 W. Colorado Ave., surfacegallerycos.com. 4D Vision: A capsule exhibit by Claire Swinford: “Her current bodies of work explore, respectively, feminist world-building and liminality through the trope of textiles; and deconstructing the concept of a shared past through the nostalgic visual cues of Kodachrome slide decks.” Fear & Fortitude: A Journey in Geometric Abstraction by Rachel Espenlaub (artist talk July 18): “a collection of paintings about determination and overcoming fear.” Opening reception Friday, July 7, 5-9 p.m.; through July 28.

Through Our Eyes, art from the frontlines of the foster care system, featuring artwork from Kids Crossing foster youths, foster families/parents, caseworkers, therapists and home coordinators. Runs through July 31; PPLD’s Penrose Library, 20 N. Cascade Ave., 719-531-6333, kidscrossing.com.

True North Art Gallery, 31 E. Bijou St., 210842-2476, truenorthartgallery.com. True North After Dark, “all new work by 16 member artists.” Friday, July 7, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

UCCS Downtown, 102 S. Tejon St., downtown.uccs.edu/our-space. Pikes Peak Arts

Council member show with tattoo artist/ painter Sole Junkie. Opening reception Friday, July 7, 5-9 p.m.

ZoneFIVE, 1902 E. Boulder St., zonefivecs.com. Idiom: Works by Warren Ar-

“Reverie,” April Dawes

CALENDAR

OUTDOOR REC

Dreama Team, a documentary about Dreama Walton — “a mom, employee and ultrarunner, as she reflects on the value of ‘Struggle’ while competing in America’s biggest 100-mile race.” Premieres Wednesday, July 5 at 7 p.m., followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers; Chapman Recital Hall, Ent Center for the Arts, 5225 N. Nevada Ave.; see tinyurl.com/Dreamatickets for tickets and more info.

SOUNDS WEIRD, I’M IN

Six Feet Under Horror Fest, the birth of Horror Shorts, “this celebration of emerging cinematic visionaries features over 3 hours of the absolute best in independent horror cinema curated by the founders of Six Feet Under — interactive entertainment, scary movie trivia, creepy prizes and Q&As with filmmakers.” Hosted by Dr. Leon Kelly and Dr. Dan. Sunday, July 9, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Roadhouse Cinemas, 3030 N. Nevada Ave.; see sixfeetunderhorrorfest.com/ for tickets and more info.

ART EXHIBIT

Forgive

cila, “a collection of paintings, drawings, and sculptures created throughout the years.” Opening reception Friday, July 7, 5-8 p.m.; through August.

FILM

Indie Spirit Film Festival, 60 films across three days, Friday-Sunday, July 7-9, spread over two venues — Ivywild School Gym, 1604 S. Cascade Ave., and Millibo Art Theatre, 1626 S. Tejon St. “ISFF is about filmmakers, audiences and film professionals establishing a relationship and supporting independent film.” See tinyurl.com/ Indie-Spirit-23 for the schedule, tickets and more info.

KIDS & FAMILIES

Rocky Mountain PBS Kids Fest: Create art projects, learn about gardening, take home free books, play games and meet Daniel Tiger. Saturday, July 8, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; free, but reserve spots at tinyurl. com/rmpbs-kidfest; Panorama Park, 4540 Fenton Road.

SUN-Day in the Park, Colorado Springs Astronomical Society will set up solar telescopes at the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center so you can look at the sun and learn about the stars during the daytime. Sunday, July 9, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; free; 1805 N. 30 St.; contact programs@gardenofgods.com with questions and see gardenofgods.com/events/calendar for more kid-friendly events.

Bug Bonanza! For grades 1-5: “We’ll go on a bug hunt to see what we can find on the zoo’s nature trail and meet some resident bugs up close.” Sunday, July 9, 10 a.m. to noon; Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, 4250

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road; see cmzoo. org/events for tickets and more info.

El Paso County Fair, that family-friendly mix of funnel cakes, rodeo, demolition derby, and carnival rides kicks off Saturday, July 15, and runs through the following Saturday, July 22 at the fairgrounds in Calhan, 366 10th St. See elpasocountyfair. com for this year’s lineup.

PPLD Summer Adventure, Pikes Peak Library District offers a truly massive list of activities for young people ages 0 to 18. Runs through July 31; register an individual, family, class or group for free at ppld.org/ summerkids or download the app.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo Days, contestants from the U.S., Canada and Mexico will test their skills at bareback riding, breakaway roping, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding. July 11-15; Norris Penrose Event Center, 1045 Lower Gold Camp Road; see pikespeakorbust.org for tickets, schedule and more info. Downtown parade Saturday, July 8, 11 a.m. to noon; Tejon Street.

2023 World Jump Rope Championships, with “3,000 athletes, coaches and officials participating from more than 30 countries,” the event combines the World Championships, the International Open Tournament and the Junior World Championships. July 16-23; Ed Robson Arena, 849 N. Tejon St.; see ijru.sport/ events for more information.

STAGE & THEATER

C.S. Lewis On Stage: Further Up & Further In, “When Lewis came to faith in 1931, it wasn’t obvious how that journey would unfold. Why did the BBC give him a national audience for popular radio talks that became Mere Christianity ? How did Hitler influence the writing of The Screwtape Letters? Why was Lewis such an effective apologist/evangelist to skeptics? Prayer? His expectation of the Second Coming? His longing for Heaven?

Using Lewis’ own words, award-winning actor Max McLean takes you Further Up & Further In the life of one of history’s most gifted writers.” Saturday-Sunday, July 8 (4 p.m.) and 9 (3 p.m.); Shockley-Zalabak Theater, Ent Center for the Arts, 5225 N. Nevada Ave.; tickets.entcenterforthearts. org/4320/4322.

Taming of the Shrew, “Will’s original battle of wills, staged in an Elizabethan England every bit as stylized and strict as we always imagine it, with one key difference: This society is a matriarchy.” Brought to you by Theatreworks, July 6-30; outdoors on the Ent Center lawn, 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays; indoors on Fridays, 7 p.m.; $10; Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater, 5225 N. Nevada Ave.; see entarts.org/tamingoftheshrew for tickets and more info.

Circus of the Night: Angels of Elvis, cabaret, circus, comedy. Fridays-Saturdays, July 14-29, 9 p.m.; Millibo Art Theatre, 1626 S. Tejon St., see themat.org for tickets and more info.

All Trains Lead to Home, or Training Spaces, “the age-old story of a railroad town, Pleasant Creek, that is threatened by the shuttering of the railroad.” Iron Springs Chateau’s summer melodrama, which includes sing-alongs and a vaudeville-style musical revue. You can boo the villain and cheer the hero Friday and Saturday evenings through Sept. 23; 444 Ruxton Ave., Manitou Springs; ironspringschateau.com.

ART EXHIBIT

My Pop Heart, for it hides such vacuous sorrow, Jacqueline Viola Moulton’s invitation to “follow the poetic threads of all the remnants that remain and persist in the aftermath of our most tremendous losses.” Opening reception Friday, July 7, 5-8 p.m.; Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 E. Colorado Ave.

Jacqueline Viola Moulton

Bird Brain, works by Robert Lococo: “What began as enjoying birds for their own sake has become about chasing delight. Their expressions, their colors, and their dynamic existence suggest a literal and figurative lightness that inspires me.” Opening reception Friday, July 7, 5-9 p.m.; artist talk Thursday, July 20; 5:30 p.m.; through July; G44 Gallery, 121 E. Boulder St.

“Meal Time,” Robert Lococo

PLAYING AROUND

WEDNESDAY, 7/5

Acoustic Hour, local musicians; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

Manitou Library Lawn Concert: The Mitguards, folk; 6 p.m., Manitou Carnegie Library, ppld.org/library-lawnconcerts.

The Mississippi Mudders, “traditional New Orleans-style Dixieland band”; 6 p.m., Broadmoor Community Church, broadmoorchurch.org/music-ministry.

The Red Mountain Boys, traditional bluegrass; 6:30 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/events

THURSDAY, 7/6

Dalonious Funk, “a tasty variety of instrumental jazz, funk and fusion”; 7:30 p.m., Summa, dizzycharlies.com.

Grass It Up, bluegrass; 6:30 p.m., Soda Springs Park, manitousprings.org.

Grimmly, “harmonizing attributes of New Wave, Lo-fi Indie Rock and Goth Pop,” with Glitter Porn, Aughter; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Ozomatli, salsa/ jazz/funk/reggae/hiphop/rock , with Ryan Flores; 7 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Sunset Patio Session: School of Rock, acoustic; 6 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhallco.com.

Vince Converse & Big Brother, blues; 5:30 p.m., Bancroft Park, facebook. com/ColoradoSpringsBlues.

FRIDAY, 7/7

Big Head Todd and the Monsters, rock, with Blues Traveler; 7:30 p.m., Pikes Peak Center, pikespeakcenter.com. Countywyde, bluegrass; 6 p.m., Mash Mechanix, mashmechanix.com/ events.

Dancefestopia: Yellow Brick Road Tour, EDM, with CVNTETIS, FONZIE, FVJIWARA, i<3Mateo, NICE & EVZY, Releif, RVGGZ, Substance D, MVRTIVL LVW, Oreoku; 7 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Dotsero, pop/contemporary instrumental; 7 p.m., University Village Colorado, uvcshopping.com/concert-series. html.

DR NO, with Dear Rabbit; 8 p.m., Lulu’s Downstairs, lulusdownstairs.com.

Fox Royale, alternative/indie, with Kendall James Wingert; 7 p.m., Brues Alehouse, Pueblo, bruesalehouse.com.

Gregory Goodloe and The Light Years Ahead Band, jazz; 7 p.m., Grace and St. Stephens Episcopal Church, gssepiscopal.org/jazz-in-the-garden.

Jason Wulf Band, country; 5 p.m., First and Main Town Center, firstandmaintowncenter.com.

Jimmy’s Buffet, Jimmy Buffet tribute; 7 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhallco. com.

Leon Patillo, R&B/soul/gospel; 7 p.m., Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts, trilakesarts.org.

The Shrikes, punk rock, with Euphoria, Bad Anatomy; 9 p.m., Fritzy’s, tinyurl. com/shrikes-fritz.

SofaKillers, rock variety/dance; 5 p.m., The Promenade Shops at Briargate, tinyurl.com/musicunderthemountains.

Grady Spencer & The Work, country, with Red Moon Rounder, Our Violet Room; 7 p.m., Oskar Blues, coloradosprings.oskarbluesfooderies.com.

Spinphony, instrumental crossover; 7 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazerstheatre.com.

Tenderfoot Bluegrass Band, bluegrass; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort. com.

SATURDAY, 7/8

A Carpenter’s Daughter, mountain folk rock/Americana; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

Isaac Hopkins, country/Front Line benefit concert , with Brendan O’Hara, Last Patrol Band, The Glass Mountain Orchestra; 6:30 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhallco.com.

Gravehuffer, punk metal, with Cleanse the Destroyers, The Fool; 8 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Ali McQuirk, singer-songrwriter, with Nikki Giron; 7 p.m., Oskar Blues, coloradosprings.oskarbluesfooderies.com.

Red Mountain Boys, traditional bluegrass; 7 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazerstheatre.com.

Tovenaar, metal, with Ob Nixilis, Sonic Vomit, Get the Axe; 7 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

SUNDAY, 7/9

A Scenic View: Vocal Arts Festival, Opera Theatre of the Rockies, opera; 3 p.m., Packard Hall/CC, operatheatreoftherockies.org.

Front Range Big Band, jazz; 6:30 p.m., Soda Springs Park, facebook.com/ FrontRangeBigBand.

Charlie Milo Band, blues; 1 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch. com/events

Rafiel and the Roomshakers, R&B/Motown/funk; 5 p.m., Goat Patch Brewing Company, goatpatchbrewing.com/ events.

MONDAY, 7/10

Heather and Sam, pop/rock/country acoustic duo; 6:30 p.m., Monument Valley Park, fmvp.net/musical-mondays.

Little London Winds: Pikes Peak or Bust, wind ensemble; 7 p.m., Soda Springs Park, Manitou, littlelondonwinds.org/ concerts/2023/summer.html.

TUESDAY, 7/11

Dalonious Funk, “a tasty variety of instrumental jazz, funk and fusion”; 6 p.m., Bancroft Park, shopoldcoloradocity.com/events.

Grip, hip-hop, with Space Cowboys; 7 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks. com.

Miles Hewitt, folk, with Evan Courtland, EJRM; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks. com.

WEDNESDAY, 7/12

Acoustic Hour, local musicians; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com. Delbert Anderson Quartet, fusion of Indigenous musical traditions; 6 p.m., Lakeview Terrace, 10580 Foster Ave., Green Mountain Falls, greenboxarts. org.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters comes to the Pikes Peak Center on July 7.

Courtesy Big Head Todd and the Monsters

Balanced Rock, rock; 6 p.m., Broadmoor Community Church, broadmoorchurch.org/music-ministry.

Hot Boots Band, pop/country/jazz/ rock; 6:30 p.m., Limbach Park, townofmonument.org.

Joe Johnson, folk/bluegrass/country ; 6:30 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/events

Manitou Library Lawn Concert: Crystal and the Curious, “whimsically sophisticated lounge music”; 6 p.m., Manitou Carnegie Library, ppld.org/ library-lawn-concerts.

New Horizons Kick’s Band, jazz; Bear Creek Regional Park, tinyurl.com/elpasoparkconcerts.

Springs Contemporary Jazz Big Band, jazz; 6 p.m., Bancroft Park, facebook. com/SCJBB/events.

Sunset Patio Session: Dave Mensch, rock-country fusion; 6 p.m., Boot Barn

Hall, bootbarnhallco.com.

Wednesday Concert Series: FOR THE SWIFTIES, Taylor Swift covers; 8 p.m., ICONS, icons-co.com.

THURSDAY, 7/13

PLAYING AROUND BIG GIGS

Big Back Yard, blues; 5:30 p.m., Thorndale Park, facebook.com/ColoradoSpringsBlues.

Grayson Capps, Americana/blues-rock, with Corky Hughes; 6:30 p.m., Brues Alehouse, Pueblo, bruesalehouse.com.

Social Cinema, alternative, with The Cavves, Jesus Christ Taxi Driver, Charioteer; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks. com.

An Evening with Trey Taylor, country/ pop/Children’s Literacy Center benefit; 7 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhallco.com.

Todd Williams Quartet, jazz/pop; 7:30 p.m., Summa, dizzycharlies.com

ONE-STOP SHOP FOR ART ! Y

Upcoming music events

Muscadine Bloodline — “proudly independent and unapologetically Southern” — plays Sunshine Studios Live on Nov. 16.

Bryan Adams with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Ball Arena, Denver, July 6

Ozomatli, Black Sheep, July 6

Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Pikes Peak Center, July 7

The Avett Brothers, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, July 7-9

Ricardo Arjona, 1STBANK Center, Broomfield, July 9

Cloud Nothings, Marquis Theater, July 9

Sparks, Boulder Theater, Boulder, July 9

An Evening with Esperanza Spalding, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, July 11

Disturbed, Ball Arena, Denver, July 11

Grip, Black Sheep, July 11

Al Green and the Colorado Sympony, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, July 12

Paramore, Ball Arena, Denver, July 13

The Linda Lindas, Ball Arena, Denver, July 13

Trampled by Turtles, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, July 13

The String Cheese Incident, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, July 14-16

Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Lulu’s, Manitou Springs, July 14

Gogol Bordello, Ogden Theatre, Denver, July 14

Taylor Swift, Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, July 15

Tori Amos, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, July 17

Paul Cauthen, Pikes Peak Center, July 18

Tears for Fears, Ball Arena, Denver, July 20

Alastair Greene, Stargazers, July 21

Arlo McKinley, Fox Theatre, Boulder, July 21

Continued at csindy.com

Thursday, July 6, 6–8 p.m. | Talk, Dance performance, and reception at the Historic Evergreen Cemetery

Friday, July 7, 5:30 p.m. | Eiko Otake and David Harrington performance followed by an artist talk

Details & more events: fac.coloradocollege.edu

Courtesy Muscadine Bloodline

FAIR AND UNBALANCED

EVIDENCE USED TO MATTER TO THE GOP

IF YOU’RE OF A CERTAIN AGE

— and I confess I’ve been at that age for a good while now — you can’t listen to the damning Donald Trump/ classified document tape without thinking back to its obvious precursor.

Yes, Richard Nixon’s Watergate tapes. I miss Nixon. In my youth, he served as a moral compass, the man who could always be counted on to inform my thinking on the difference between right and wrong. If I wanted to be right, and often I did, I just stood 180 degrees from wherever Nixon stood — unless he was signing, say, a clean air bill — and could be confident that I’d made the good, decent and honest choice.

Trump’s place in America is a little more complicated. He’s not just a formerfor-now president. He’s a cult figure, with a raised-on-Fox-News following of tens of millions, some of whom would even assault the Capitol in order to try to keep him in office.

The scariest thing about Trump is not that he was elected president, which was obviously scary enough, but that even after Trump’s four disastrous years in the White House, 73 million people — most of them not cultists — still voted to reelect him.

And now, of course, Trump is running again. And not just running. As you

know, according to the still-too-early and hardly infallible national polling, Trump is running away with the GOP primary race. That’s despite the two indictments he’s facing, with more indictments probably on the way. Or maybe it’s because of the two indictments he’s facing with more almost certainly yet to come.

I told you. It’s complicated. Trump may be a narcissist and a sociopath and a demagogue and a congenital liar, just for starters, but still it’s complicated. It will take years and many biographers to figure out how Trump came about and the hold that Trumpism would have on so many Americans.

NIXON WAS EASIER. YES, HE was elected twice. Yes, in 1972, he won 49 states when beating George McGovern. But still, no one actually liked Nixon. The joke at the time was that Nixon’s mother — whom he called a saint — might have been the lone exception.

Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic presidential candidate who lost twice to Dwight Eisenhower and running mate Nixon, once spoke of a place called Nixonland — “a land of slander and scare; the land of sly innuendo, the poison pen, the anonymous phone call and hustling, pushing, shoving; the land of smash and

By Mike Littwin Courtesy The Colorado Sun

The 1886 statue of Liberty Enlightening the World on Liberty Island in New York City serves as an enduring symbol of the freedoms and liberty guaranteed by the United States Constitution, which founds the United States of America. America is a brilliant experiment in which freedom (personal autonomy) and liberty (freedom for all) sprouted, evolved, and flourished based upon the statement, “all men are created equal” published in the 1776 Declaration of Independence.

America’s costly, painful, and difficult Revolutionary War began in 1775, but America’s founders emerged victorious in 1783, breaking the bonds of monarchy and government sponsored Christianity. They ratified the original United States Constitution in 1788, and updated it in 1791 with the ratification of ten Amendments (the Bill of Rights). Yet despite the high ideals and lofty goals of the Declaration, the Constitution,

and the Bill of Rights, many Americans were still denied the right to vote, and slavery endured. America’s slow progress toward the freedoms and liberty allegedly guaranteed by the Bill of Rights started after the 1861-65 Civil War, with the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Yet still, half of the American people – women –were denied the vote until the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

Despite the 19th Amendment’s tremendous advancement of American freedom and liberty, 1920 also saw religious fundamentalists ratify the 18th Amendment prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcohol, an ultimately disastrous attempt to legislate morality by quashing our personal freedoms and shared liberty. In 1933, the 21st Amendment would rescind the 18th Amendment, terminating the horrific political and public safety catastrophe that killed countless Americans with unsafe

consumables and gun violence, corrupted America’s criminal justice system, and created a new type of crime - the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization. And sadly, virtual slavery lived on as state law enforced segregation until 1964. But ironically, although widespread criminal gun violence and government corruption were negative but unintended consequences of the 18th Amendment’s attempt to regulate morality, today, deadly religious terrorism and the unscrupulous stacking of federal courts are not unintended side effects, but intentional tactics to rescind our civil rights, human freedoms, personal privacy, individual morality, and access to evidence based medical procedures.

Sadly, in 2022, the Supreme Court’s “Constitutional originalist” members granted local politicians powers to unilaterally overrule the Bill of Rights and destroy equal justice under law. Aggressive, fundamentalist antiabortion laws followed, policing American’s medical decisions, sex lives, sex organs, and reproductive processes in violation of the

1st, 4th,, 5th, 8th, 13th and 14th Amendments. As did laws that ban books, and eliminate, censor, and criminalize even the discussion in public schools of routine sexual biology or America’s history of systematic, governmentenforced prejudice.

But just as the American experiment eventually ended the enormous but temporary disasters of fear, anger, and religion motivated drug and alcohol prohibition, recent attempts to force nakedly unconstitutional compliance with ancient religious beliefs, legislate morality, and deny us freedom and liberty through once unthinkable prohibitions of books, clothing, honest speech in education, and often life-saving medical care will fail. No matter what tactics opponents of freedom and liberty exploit, the Constitution evolves, liberty enlightens the world, and we the people relentlessly strive to finally establish justice and achieve the more perfect union envisaged by America’s Founders in the United States Constitution some 234 years ago.

Enlightening the

Groff Schroeder

Nixon and Trump both lied, but with Nixon, Republicans didn’t close their eyes and ears to the evidence.

White House Photo Office Collection (Nixon Administration), 1/20/1969 - 8/9/1974, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

grab and anything to win.”

The expletive-deleted Nixon tapes proved Stevenson right, of course. Even if you weren’t alive at the time, you know the story. It was probably in your high school history books, at least if you were in high school when such books were allowed to have actual history in them.

To recap, when Watergate had exploded and Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were riding high, most Republicans still stood with Nixon and against any move to impeach him. That is, until that dramatic day when White House aide Alex Butterfield told the Senate Watergate Committee that Nixon had taped everything in the Oval Office and elsewhere.

with which Trump handles the documents — is that Trump was showing the classified papers in order, he believed, to disprove Gen. Mark Milley’s concern that Trump could begin a war with Iran as a way to remain in office.

Trump said what he called a “secret” and “highly confidential” document proved that it was Milley and the Defense Department — and not Trump — who were contemplating war. All you can guess from listening is that Trump, the former president, doesn’t seem to understand what a contingency plan is.

When you listen to the tape, you know, too, that Trump was lying when he told Bret Baier on Fox News that the papers he was holding were just newspaper clippings and the like. Of course he was lying. But there’s no denying it now, not after Trump is heard to say the papers were classified and that he couldn’t declassify them as a former president. That also put the lie to the idea that, as president, he had declassified all the purloined documents simply by thinking about declassifying them.

You know the rest. The tapes revealed that Nixon knew all about the Watergate burglary and the plumbers and the coverup and all the rest. The facts became so hard to deny that most of Nixon’s GOP allies abandoned him, leading to Nixon’s resignation and to Gerald Ford’s unfortunate pardon.

From that time, every Washington scandal would have a “gate” affixed to it. And every “gate” required a smoking gun.

AND NOW?

Now, we can listen to the 2021 tape, first published by CNN, which is a recording of Trump sharing classified documents about a contingency plan to attack Iran. It’s hard to think of a document that would be more sensitive. In any case, it’s definitely smoking.

The most serious indictment Trump faces at the moment is about his mishandling — that’s the nice way to describe it — of the classified documents he took with him from the White House and then hid in various rooms at Mar-a-Lago. Much of what’s on the tape is transcribed in the indictment against Trump, but listening to the tape is, let’s just say, a different experience.

What might be most striking about the tape — beyond the grating laughter from the toadies listening and cheering him on, even beyond the jokey carelessness

I wonder what Trump thinks now. He might be thinking that he wishes Rose Mary Woods were still around. If you read his ravings on Truth Social, he’ll tell you that the tape is somehow a total “exoneration” and that, of course, prosecutor Jack Smith is “deranged” and a “thug.”

You’ve heard it. I’ve heard it. Everyone who wants to hear it can hear it.

And yet, where’s the wholesale abandonment this time from Republicans? Does evidence — even evidence recorded for your listening pleasure — not matter any more?

Well, House Speaker-for-now Kevin McCarthy is saying it’s time to look into impeaching Attorney General Merrick Garland. Reps. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene are battling about which one should be first in line to force an impeachment vote on Joe Biden. The primary polls show Trump getting a bump with each charge against him. Most of Trump’s primary rivals are afraid to even mention the indictment, much less the tape.

So, yeah, I miss Nixon. He was a crook. And, in the end, hardly any sentient being could deny it.

Mike Littwin’s column was produced for The Colorado Sun , a reader-supported news organization committed to covering the people, places and policies of Colorado. Learn more at coloradosun.com.

For more information or to apply email teri@csindy.com

The facts became so hard to deny that MOST OF NIXON’S GOP ALLIES ABANDONED HIM.

LOWDOWN

By Jim Hightower jimhightower.com

Unsung music hero, ROGER PAYNE

WHEN YOU THINK OF Americans whose music has made a lasting difference, you might think of Scott Joplin, Woody Guthrie, Maybelle Carter, Harry Belafonte… or Roger Payne.

Who? I came across Payne in a June obituary, reporting that he’d died at age 88 (yes, I occasionally scan the obits, not out of morbid curiosity, but because these little death notices encompass our people’s history, reconnecting us to common lives that had some small or surprisingly large impact).

Payne’s impact is still reverberating around the globe, even though few know his name. A biologist who studied moths, in the 1960s, he chanced upon a technical military recording of undersea sounds that incidentally included a cacophony of baying, shrieking, mooing, squealing and caterwauling. They were the voices of humpback whales. What others had considered noise “blew my mind,” Payne said, describing them as a musical chorus of “exuberant, uninterrupted rivers of sound.” His life’s work shifted from moths to whales… to the interdependence of all species.

So without writing or performing a single musical note, this scientist produced a truly powerful serenade from nature that continues to make a difference.

To connect with Roger Payne’s work and help extend his deep understanding that all of us beings are related, contact the global advocacy group he founded, Ocean Alliance, at whale.org.

MEANWHILE... “WOKE” HAS BEcome the pet political aspersion that today’s kooky right-wing hucksters hurl at liberals, but the hurlers would be whopperjawed to learn that it was actually coined by and for progressives! Indeed, it admonishes people to be awake to the dangers posed by hate-filled bigots and reactionaries like… well, like today’s right-wing extremists.

The first person reported to have used the word was Huddie Ledbetter, the legendary Black blues artist known as Lead Belly. Among his many classic songs was “Scottsboro Boys,” about nine Black teenagers falsely accused in 1931 of raping two Alabama white women. As a Black musician who traveled the backroads of the Jim Crow South, Lead Belly warned others to pay attention when in a viciously racist state: “Best stay woke,” he cautioned.

At the time, whales were treated by industry and governments as dull, lumbering nuisances. But Payne’s musical instincts came into play, sensing that the “singing” of these magnificent mammals might reach the primordial soul of humans. So he collected their rhythmic, haunting melodies into a momentous 1970 recording titled Songs of the Humpback Whale. It became a huge bestseller, altered public perception, and spawned a global “Save the Whales” campaign — one of the most successful conservation movements ever.

But — out of blind ignorance, blind arrogance, or both — today’s adaptors of the Jim Crow mentality have perverted common-sense wokeness into a verbal whip to lash African Americans, immigrants, Democrats, women, LGBTQ+ people and all others they don’t like (pretty much everyone who looks, thinks, prays and acts different from them). How kooky? They’ve declared librarians, science, Mickey Mouse and Bud Light to be their evil enemies. “Don’t be woke,” they bark, demanding autocratic, plutocratic and theocratic laws to coerce compliance with their own retrogressive bigotries.

Bear in mind that this is no longer a fringe cult, but the mainstream of the Republican Party, including its top congressional leaders, presidential wannabes and state officials. Actually, you can easily comprehend what they really mean by their “Don’t Be Woke” war cry. Just substitute the word “sane” for “woke.”

PUZZLES

All words to be constructed pertain to the topic to the right. To your advantage one word has already been traced. You must trace the three remaining words, using only the letters designated by the darkened circles. Words may begin and end from either column but each letter can only be used once.

Each puzzle has a difficulty rating (right). Four stars signify the highest degree of difficulty.

MINI SUDOKU X

SUDOKU X

Given to the right are the point values for each word. Your words must correctly match these point values. Find

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL

Awesome!

Visitors to the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam can now bring home a new, and permanent, souvenir of their visit. The Associated Press reported that tattoo artist Henk Schiffmaker and others are doing a residency in the museum called “A Poor Man’s Rembrandt,” where tourists can get inked with sketches by the famous artist. Schiffmaker calls it “highbrow to lowbrow. And it’s great that these two worlds can visit one another.” The tattoos cost between $54 and $270.

Wait, what?

Employees of Taqueria Garibaldi restaurants in northern California got an unusual — and unorthodox — perk during work hours, USA Today reported. Employees testified in court that a person who identified as a priest was called in to hear workers’ “confessions.” “The priest urged workers to ‘get their sins out’ and asked employees if they had stolen from the employer, been late for work, had done anything to harm their employer or if they had bad intentions toward their employer,” according to a release from the U.S. Department of Labor. But the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento said it could find no connection between the alleged priest and the diocese. An investigation found that the restaurants had denied overtime pay and threatened employees with retaliation, among other “sins,” and the owners were

ordered to pay $140,000 in damages and back wages.

Tech revolution

In an office building in Durham, North Carolina, nine scientists are hard at work in Duke University’s Smart Toilet Lab, The News & Observer reported. Sonia Grego told the paper that she and her colleagues “are addressing a very serious health problem” — gut health. The toilets in the lab move poop into a specialized chamber before flushing it away. There, cameras are placed for image processing, and the resulting data can give doctors insights into a patient’s gut health. Startup Coprata is testing pilot versions of the smart toilets in a few dozen households; after the data is gathered, users can access it themselves on a smartphone app. “The knowledge of people’s bowel habits empowers individuals to make lifestyle choices that improve their gut health,” Grego said.

Insult to injury

Mark Dicara of Lake Barrington, Illinois, allegedly shot himself in the leg on June 12 while dreaming of a home invasion, Insider reported. Dicara grabbed his .357 Magnum and fired — which instantly brought him to consciousness. There was no intruder in the home. Police found him in bed with a “significant amount of blood.” He was charged with possession of a firearm without a valid Firearm Owners Identification card and reckless discharge of a firearm.

CEDRIC LODGE, 55, AND HIS WIFE, DENISE, 63, OF GOFFStown, New Hampshire, were indicted in federal court on June 14 after it was revealed that they allegedly were stealing and selling human body parts, the Associated Press reported. Lodge was the manager of the Harvard Medical School morgue until May 6, when he was fired. He and his wife offered a shopping opportunity at the morgue, where buyers could pick which donated remains they wanted. The Lodges would then take the items home and ship them through the mail. The parts included heads, brains, skin and bones. Three others were indicted: Katrina Maclean, 44, of Salem, Massachusetts; Joshua Taylor, 46, of West Lawn, Pennsylvania; and Mathew Lampi, 52, of East Bethel, Minnesota. Prosecutors say they were part of a nationwide network of people who buy and sell human remains. Harvard called the actions “morally reprehensible.”

●

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Colorado

Free Will ASTROLOGY

CANCER

(June 21-July 22): I wrote my horoscope column for over 10 years before it began to get widely syndicated. What changed? I became a better writer and oracle, for one thing. My tenacity was inexhaustible. I was always striving to improve my craft, even when the rewards were meager. Another important factor in my eventual success was my persistence in marketing. I did a lot

of hard work to ensure the right publications knew about me. I suspect, fellow Cancerian, that 2024 is likely to bring you a comparable breakthrough in a labor of love you have been cultivating for a long time. And the coming months of 2023 will be key in setting the stage for that breakthrough.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Maybe you wished you cared more deeply about a certain situation. Your lack of empathy and passion may feel like a hole in your soul. If so, I have good news. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to find the missing power; to tap into the warm, wet feelings that could motivate your quest for greater connection. Here’s a good way to begin the process: Forget everything you think you know about the situation with which you want more engagement. Arrive at an empty, still point that enables you to observe the situation as if you were seeing it for the first time.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You are in an astrological phase when you’ll be wise to wrangle with puzzles and enigmas. Whether or not you come up with crisp solutions isn’t as crucial as your earnest efforts to limber up your mind. For best results, don’t worry and sweat about it; have fun! Now I’ll provide a sample riddle to get you in the mood. It’s adapted from a text by David Wallechinsky and Irving Wallace. You are standing before two identical closed doors, one leading to grime and confusion, the other to revelation and joy. Before the doors stand two figures: an angel who always tells the truth and a demon who always lies. But they look alike, and you may ask only one question to help you choose what door to take. What do you do? (Possible answer: Ask either character what the other would say if you asked which door to take, then open the opposite door.)

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I found a study that concluded just 6.1 percent of online horoscopes provide legitimate predictions about the future. Furthermore, the research indicated, 62.3 percent of them consist of bland, generic pabulum of no value to the recipient. I disagree with these assessments. Chani Nicholas, Michael Lutin, Susan Miller and Jessica Shepherd are a few of many regular horoscope writers whose work I find interesting. My own astrological oracles are useful, too. And by the way, how can anyone have the hubris to decide which horoscopes are helpful and which are not? This thing we do is a highly subjective art, not an objective science. In the spirit of my comments here, Libra, and in accordance with astrological omens, I urge you to declare your independence from so-called experts and authorities who tell you they know what’s valid and worthwhile for you. Here’s your motto: “I’m the authoritative boss of my own truth.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Is it a fact that our bodies are made of stardust? Absolutely true, says planetary scientist Dr. Ashley King. Nearly all the elements comprising our flesh, nerves, bones and blood were originally forged in at least one star, maybe more. Some of the stuff we are made of lived a very long time in a star that eventually exploded: a supernova. Here’s another amazing revelation about you: You are composed of atoms that have existed for almost 14 billion years. I bring these startling realities to your attention, Scorpio, in honor of the most expansive phase of your astrological cycle. You have a mandate to deepen and broaden and enlarge your understanding of who you are and where you came from.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I foresee that August will be a time of experiments and explorations. Life will be in a generous mood toward you, tempting and teasing you with opportunities from beyond your circle of expectations. But let’s not get carried away until it makes cosmic sense to get carried away. I don’t want to urge you to embrace wild hope prematurely. Between now and the end of July, I advise you to enjoy sensible gambles and measured adventures. It’s OK to go deep and be rigorous, but save the full intensity for later.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Is there a crucial half-conscious question lurking in the underside of your mind? A smoldering doubt or muffled perplexity that’s important for you to address? I suspect there is. Now it’s time to coax it up to the surface of your awareness so you may deal with it forthrightly. You must not let it smolder there in its hiding place. Here’s the good news, Capricorn: If you bring the dilemma or confusion or worry into the full light of your consciousness, it will ultimately lead you to unexpected treasure. Be brave!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In Larry McMurtry’s novel Duane’s Depressed, the life of the main character has come to a standstill. He no longer enjoys his job. The fates of his kids are too complicated for him to know how to respond. He has a lot of feelings but has little skill in expressing them. At a loss about how to change his circumstances, he takes a small and basic step: He stops driving his pickup truck and instead walks everywhere he needs to go. Your current stasis is nowhere near as dire as Duane’s, Aquarius. But I do recommend you consider his approach to initiating transformation: Start small and basic.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Author K.V. Patel writes, “As children, we laugh fully with the whole body. We laugh with everything we have.” In the coming weeks, Pisces, I would love for you to regularly indulge in just that: total delight and release. Furthermore, I predict you will be more able than usual to summon uproarious lifeaffirming amusement from the depths of your enchanted soul. Further furthermore, I believe you will have more reasons than ever before to throw your head back and unleash your entire self in rippling bursts of healing hysterical hilarity. To get started, practice chuckling, giggling and chortling for one minute right now.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Genius physicist Albert Einstein said, “The formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old questions from new angles, requires creative imagination and makes real advances.” What he said here applies to our personal dilemmas, too. When we figure out the right questions to ask, we are more than halfway toward a clear resolution. This is always true, of course, but it will be an especially crucial principle for you in the coming weeks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority.” So said Taurus biologist and anthropologist Thomas Huxley (1825-1895). I don’t think you will have to be quite so forceful as that in the coming weeks. But I hope you’re willing to further your education by rebelling against what you already know. And I hope you will be boisterously skeptical about conventional wisdom and trendy ideas. Have fun cultivating a feisty approach to learning! The more time you spend exploring beyond the borders of your familiar world, the better.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Hooray and hallelujah! You’ve been experimenting with the perks of being pragmatic and well-grounded. You have been extra intent on translating your ideals into effective actions. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you so dedicated to enjoying the simple pleasures. I love that you’re investigating the wonders of being as down-to-earth as you dare. Congratulations! Keep doing this honorable work.

HOMEWORK: What’s the smartest, safest gamble you could take? Newsletter.Free WillAstrology.com.

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

Focus Eastside

the master plan, Stover said the developer’s connections brought Amazon to the table.

Before Amazon’s investments were announced, Stover says Peak Innovation hosted an event for local commercial brokers, where the vision for the project was met with a lot of skepticism. A second broker event this spring was greeted with much more enthusiasm, he says. Amazon was the biggest driver in the change of sentiment about the park.

“I was talking with Amazon for three years,” Stover says. “The first two, no one knew. The third year, it was the worst-kept secret in town.”

In 2017, Amazon used a 19,000-square-foot tent as its temporary distribution center.

Now, Amazon occupies three facilities at Peak Innovation Park, including a 65,000-square-foot distribution facility, a 278,000-square-foot sorting facility, and a 4 millionsquare-foot fulfillment center.

Following Amazon’s investment in the area, Aerospace Corporation has nearly doubled its footprint at the Park with an additional 90,000 square feet of office space.

This June, another Fortune 500 company purchased 12 acres for a distribution facility. The company hasn’t formally announced the project yet, but plans are underway for a 100,000-square-foot facility, Stover says.

Since the Amazon announcement, there has been a lot of momentum and interest from big national businesses, says Alec Rhodes, broker and executive director with Cushman & Wakefield. His team has been marketing the property for three years.

“Amazon really put Peak Innovation Park on the map,” Rhodes says. “That made other users look and realize that Colorado Springs is easy to get around with good access to I-25 and there’s flexibility in the size available.”

He says activity has been steady with interest from myriad different industries, including distribution, manufacturing and Department of Defense.

Taking off Near airport, Peak Innovation Park hits its stride

BY AMANDA MILLER LUCIANO

Out near the Colorado Springs Airport, plans for one of the biggest business parks in Colorado are finally gathering speed, with millions of square feet already built and meaningful negotiations underway for hundreds of thousands more.

Peak Innovation Park encompasses 1,600 acres south of the airport. It’s master-planned for a dynamic and robust development of industrial, office and retail buildings that will ultimately house an estimated 30,000 employees, many in high-paying aerospace jobs, and some new to the community.

“Peak Innovation is bigger than the Denver Tech Center,” says Troy Stover, director of business park development for the Colorado Springs Airport. “The Tech Center is 1,100 acres. This project is an order of magnitude bigger than anything else in this city that a lot of people don’t really understand.”

The vision for the project was born in 2014 when Stover and airport administration aimed to revive plans for a business park development that petered out after a false start in 2006. The airport contracted Urban Frontier, based in Denver, as the developer. Shortly after Urban Frontier created

Stover says he is in active negotiations with nine different potential users that could be announced as soon as a few months to now up to three years from now.

Perhaps the biggest indicator that the Park has serious momentum may be a single-story 50,000-square-foot office building completed this year by Flywheel Capital, a private investment company. The group built the speculative property as the first of a planned complex of four that will total more than 200,000 square feet. The group also has secured property at the Park where it plans an additional 130,000-square-foot multi-story office building.

Building 50,000 square feet of office space without a tenant in hand is an unusual move in Colorado Springs — or anywhere at a time when national office occupancy is still 50 percent of what it was in 2019. Stover and others said they believe it’s the first speculative office construction in town in more than 15 years.

“They built it purely on spec,” says Brian Wagner, a commercial broker with Newmark, who is marketing the building and pre-leasing Flywheel’s planned buildings. “When

Tenants of Peak Innovation Park include Amazon, which occupies three buildings.

Courtesy Colorado Springs Airport

you look at the Southeast part of town, it’s a pretty tight market with no large blocks of space available.”

At the same time, the development and growth of Peterson Space Force Base has made the area a magnet for big DoD contractors.

“We were seeing tenants come in and spend huge sums to renovate existing space,” Wagner says.

Even when tenants will spend money to renovate, the space isn’t available in that part of town. The biggest blocks of space are about 30,000 square feet, Wagner says. To get bigger, tenants would have to go the north part of town, the only area where there has been meaningful new office construction in the last two decades. But these users are looking to be close to Peterson.

There is a vision of Southeast Colorado Springs being a nexus for aerospace and defense businesses, Wagner says. There just haven’t been options for those tenants.

“There’s an element of ‘if you build it, they will come,’” he says. “But it’s more that you have to build it to prove you’re going to.”

He says developers have put signs and plans out dozens of times over the years, but the buildings never come out of the ground. Building 50,000 square feet proves that Flywheel will deliver. And the bet, so far, seems like it will pay off.

Wagner says he’s negotiating with prospective tenants for all four buildings and is close to being able to announce a tenant for the first building. And there’s interest for proposed multi-story building.

“I just got a call today to schedule a meeting for a user looking at 100,000 to 140,000 square feet,” Wagner says. “This would be a new tenant to the market. They’re not here now.”

Wagner says most of the interest in the space has come from the aerospace industry and defense contractors.

Colorado Springs is the temporary headquarters for U.S. Space Command. However, in the dying days of his presidency, Donald Trump decided Space Command would move to Huntsville, Alabama. Congress and the DoD are still investigating that decision and are expected to settle the location of the permanent headquarters this year.

Wagner says he is not hearing from prospective tenants that the final location of Space Command is a factor in their decision.

Stover agrees that the interest in the Park doesn’t seem dependent on the Space Command headquarters; there’s already so much space work happening at Peterson that contractors expect will continue regardless of where the headquarters is ultimately located.

In addition to distribution and defense, Stover says he’s hoping to attract more retail to Peak Innovation Park. There are two Marriott hotels that have been slow to come out of the ground, but Stover says they’re beginning construction and expected to open in 2024.

He is also focused on getting more retail, starting with a gas station and some quickservice food, in the business park.

“Our vision is much greater than building some buildings and jobs,” Stover says. “We’re focused on creating an environment and a place that is something special.”

The project is funded via two metro districts. The first funds infrastructure. The airport sold bonds for the next phase of the project in late 2022 and is currently using that money to build out roads and utilities. The second metro district is for maintenance, which will soon be funded by existing build-out to support planning for public amenities like a disc golf course and walking paths.

The land in the park was purchased with Federal Aviation Administration dollars for the long-term support of the airport. Because of that, the FAA has to release any property the airport sells. To work around that, Stover says the airport is prioritizing long-term land leases over sales.

The land for the 4 million-square-foot Amazon distribution center was leased instead of sold to the private developer and investor who built it. While a different structure, the leases have not been a deterrent to most would-be investors, such as Flywheel Capital. The city still owns the land under the planned four-building campus, according to public record.

Rhodes says that the private investment group that built the Amazon center successfully sold the property to another investor without the land lease being a concern.

The goal of the land leases is to create long-term financial support for the airport that will keep its operating costs down and generate diverse sources of revenue that can help fund capital projects. That allows the airport to be a more competitively-priced place for airlines to operate.

“We’re all told to diversify our retirement plans,” Stover says. “Peak Innovation Park is a diversified economic engine for the airport. It’s a diversification of industry revenue to make sure the airport is fiscally stable way into the future.” n CSBJ

This project is an order of magnitude bigger than anything else in this city.

— Troy Stover

CHAMBERSof EL PASO COUNTY BUSINESS AFTER HOURS

Don’t miss our Co-Chamber JULY event at Production Point.

Cost: Members - $10.00 Non-Members - $25.00

Register early at your respective Business Chambers

No walk-ins accepted.

Presented by:

PRODUCTION POINT

July 20, 2023

5:30pm - 7:30pm 11674 Ridgeline Drive Colorado Springs REGISTER NOW!

5 Questions: Tyler Black

BY AMELIA ALLEN | news@csindy.com

Tyler Black has always loved coffee — but it was a long road from interest to entrepreneurship. The Colorado Springs native endured a lot of trial and error to learn how to successfully use a fluid bed air roaster to bring out the sweetness and more delicate flavors in coffee beans. Now the owner of Green & Orange Air Roasted Coffee & Cacao, Black loves to share his passion for coffee, grounded in his belief that “there is so much more to coffee than caffeine.”

Bob McLaughlin, Executive Director of Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center and a 28-year military veteran, will share the challenges of overseeing a nonprofit tasked with serving those who’ve served.

July 12 4:30 - 6 p.m.

ALMAGRE

2460 Montebello Square Drive

Scan QR code to purchase tickets or visit CSBJ.com/events

Presented by:

Helen Lewis

Tell us about your background in coffee, and how you started your business.

I started off drinking Starbucks coffee, but I never really enjoyed sugar in coffee — for me, that has always held true. I actually studied music and business [at Fort Lewis College in Durango]. I was working at a really good coffee shop down there called Durango Coffee Company. I worked my way up in the company — and school wasn’t going well, and then COVID hit, and I ended up dropping out of school and pursuing the coffee thing. I eventually became their roaster. I was also working for another company called Desert Sun Coffee Roasters, and then Taste Coffee — so I was doing a bunch of coffee things. Eventually I was like ‘Well, I have all this knowledge. Why don’t I just do it myself?’

Why did you switch from studying music at Fort Lewis College to making coffee?

I got a full ride for music to Fort Lewis College — our whole family is very music oriented. And I didn’t really want to do music, but the catch was that I had to major in music to get the scholarship. So I majored in it but [then I did mostly] engineering, chemistry — basically anything mathy — and I dabbled in business, which is actually my favorite thing, as well as the accounting side. That’s when they found out about me taking too many non-music classes. So they took my scholarship away and that was three years into it. So I just dropped out, because it was like: I enjoy the coffee, and I have a really good job, and I can make it work and see what the future holds.

Tell us about the process of starting to roast your own coffee beans.

I bought a roaster, and then I Frankensteined it into a whole different roaster. I like the creative side of things, and I wanted to do roasting myself. I thought it would be really good — but honestly the first 100 roasts were all terrible. The progress was very slow at first. It was an air roaster, and I thought ‘Oh, this is interesting, cause no one else is really doing this.’ Traditionally, coffee is roasted in a big barrel drum. Eventually, people got into smaller roasters and infrared roasters. Just recently, air roasting became a thing because you can do it with electricity. What I’m doing is fully convection — there’s no conductive energy, there’s basically no radiating heat. And convection is more efficient, so I can use less energy while roasting coffee faster. It also tends to evaporate moisture a little bit faster, which cuts a lot of the acidity in the coffee.

Do you still play music?

I don’t anymore, and I enjoy it so much more. We go out to see live music, and I actually work ... as a teacher for music in Colorado Springs. My brother is the all-state tenor saxophone for high school. He’s really talented, so I kind of live vicariously through him a little bit. I was the classical geek of the family; French horn was my main instrument, as well as trumpet. I also played basically everything — you have to play everything for the music major anyway — so I dabbled in just about every instrument that I could get my hands on.

What do you love about coffee?

There’s just something about having a really good coffee. It’s really hard to do, and coffee professionals realize that. I also enjoy the whole process — it’s kind of entertaining, and tweaking tiny things can make a huge difference, which is the creative backing of it basically. The thing with coffee that I’m really passionate about is how it’s sourced. I mostly source from single estate farms and really high end co-ops — which I wasn’t able to do when I started because I didn’t have the connections or quite enough knowledge. That’s a big thing that I can say 90 percent of our coffee is from single estate farms [which yields a higher quality coffee because the beans are identical and create a distinctive flavour profile]. Hopefully one day it’s 100 percent, or 99 percent. n CSBJ

3179 County Road 61

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Beauitful 5.25 acre lot in a small gated community called Rainbow Ridge with only 9 parcels. Pikes Peak & mountain views. Community stocked fishing pont on lot. Towering pines & aspen. Lots of sunshine. Located approximately 10 miles south of Divide off Highway 67. Easy commute & privace on several possible building sites. This subdivision is off grid. MLS# 8657980

1954 E Frying Pan Drive

Pueblo West - $284,900

Investor special with a lot of potential! 1620 sq. ft. stucco 2-story new build on 1.17 acres with no back neighbors. 3 beds, 2 baths, 2-car garage. Granite counters. White cabinets. Wood laminate floors. Stainless steel appliances. UL is master suite with custom bath & walkout to 36x8 deck. A/C. Priced to reflect what still needs to be done: lights, trim, baseboards, & hardware installed; master bath finishes; concrete driveway poured; & septic installed. MLS# 5769245

113 Steep Road Crystal Park - $100,000

Build your dream home on this totally private 0.7 acre lot in Crystal Park. Hard to find flat building site surrounded by towering trees & 360 degree views of the city, mountains, & rock formations. Electricity is by the lot & driveway is cut in. Less than 1 mile from the stocked fishing lake, club house, heated pool, & tennis & basketball courts. MLS# 9785523

2336 Conservatory Point Springs Canyon

- $549,900

Open concept 2673 sq. ft. 3 bed, 3 bath rancher townhome with total 1-level living. No neighbors behind or in front – only deer, pines, & scrub oak. Finished walkout basement. Spacious master suite. A/C. Gas log fireplace. Vaulted & 9’ ceilings. Attached 2-car garage. Stucco & stone exterior. Trex deck & covered patio. $300/mo HOA covers everything outside for you. Move-in ready. Seller will contribute $5000 towards buyers closing costs. MLS# 8308112

WHEN YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT REAL ESTATE

I like the creative side of things, and I wanted to do roasting myself.

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Front The

Welcome to The Front

Partnership between Business Journal, Mt. Carmel aims to bridge military, business communities

BY TED ROBERTSON

The Pikes Peak region is home to five military bases. With more than 750,000 residents in El Paso County alone, roughly 100,000 of those have direct connections to the military whether active duty, transitioning or retired. For the community as a whole, the many businesses and nonprofits here who serve and support the military connected community, and those who need and seek those services, an open line of communication is vital. Welcome to The Front.

The Front is the result of a new partnership formed between the Colorado Springs Business Journal, Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center and Mt. Carmel’s Veterans Voice Project. Veterans Voice is a radio broadcast and podcast-based arm of communications and community outreach for Mt. Carmel. An offshoot of the Veterans Voice Project is the newly created Veterans Voice News Service which provides content for The Front.

The section itself will reside within the Colorado Springs Business Journal and is intended to connect the military and business communities. Readers can expect current, relevant and impactful news of and from the military whether local, regional, national or global.

The team behind The Front is composed of highly seasoned members of the journalism or broadcast media professions or both — some specializing in community-based journalism, others in the military and foreign affairs space.

Some come with television, radio and podcasting backgrounds. All have long backgrounds in communications and each brings a deep appreciation for, and understanding of, the Pikes Peak region, its military friendly culture and the military itself.

Internal to the partnership, contributors come to The Front as members of the CitizenPowered Media group, Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center and The Veterans Voice Project teams. They hold prominent leadership positions as publishers, editors, and radio and podcast hosts.

On the Mt. Carmel and Veterans Voice Project side, contributors and columnists will include heads of directorates overseeing behavior health, transition and employment, family services, business and financial counseling functions, and more.

Contributors from outside of the partnership will include authors, speakers and subject-matter authorities giving input to topics impacting the military community. Other contributors will include legislators, policymakers, business, community and nonprofit leaders and more either as guest columnists or interviewees. As a reader, you will “meet” them all over time and in many cases see or hear them speak in more depth and detail in companion videos and podcasts.

The Front will cover the military community, its culture, challenges and triumphs; military-specific arts, entertainment, policy, politics, workforce and talent retention, and include editorial commentary from time to time. It will delve into topics to include veteran suicide, the challenges

military spouses face in employment, life after service, and serving and supporting military families. It will do so with the inclusion of answers to questions about where to obtain support services for members of military connected community in need. And we hope to add companion videos and podcasts as we go. These will be accessible in multiple on-line locations which we will announce as we roll them out.

The Front will be pushed to local military bases, active duty service members, veterans and their families via digital and social channels and there will be space for those who wish to reach that audience to support the project through paid advertising.

From all of us at the Colorado Springs Business Journal, Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center, The Veterans Voice Project and Veterans Voice News Service to all of you in the military connected community and those of you who support them, The Front is for you!

We look forward with eager anticipation to your feedback and support as we enter the launch phase.

Ted Robertson serves Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center as media outreach coordinator and leads the Veterans Voice Project, broadcast and podcast-based communications and community outreach, and the Veterans Voice News Service.

Helen Lewis

Readers can expect current, relevant and impactful news.

Courtesy Ted Robertson

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113 Steep Road Crystal Park - $100,000

Build your dream home on this totally private 0.7 acre lot in Crystal Park. Hard to find flat building site surrounded by towering trees & 360 degree views of the city, mountains, & rock formations. Electricity is by the lot & driveway is cut in. Less than 1 mile from the stocked fishing lake, club house, heated pool, & tennis & basketball courts. MLS# 9785523 (LAND)

1954 E Frying Pan Drive Pueblo West - $284,900

Investor special with a lot of potential! 1620 sq. ft. stucco 2-story new build on 1.17 acres with no back neighbors. 3 beds, 2 baths, 2-car garage. Granite counters. White cabinets. Wood laminate floors. Stainless steel appliances. UL is master suite with custom bath & walkout to 36x8 deck. A/C. Priced to reflect what still needs to be done: lights, trim, baseboards, & hardware installed; master bath finishes; concrete driveway poured; & septic installed. MLS# 5769245 (OTHER)

contribute $5000 towards buyers closing costs. MLS# 8308112 (CENTRAL)

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3179 County Road

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1408 Tierra Berienda

– Pueblo - $25,000

4310 sq. ft. lot in upscale subdivision of 37 homes. Close to I-25, shopping, and dining. Complex has clubhouse with pool table, kitchen, meeting area, & indoor pool. Small park. Must conform to blend in (stucco, tile roofing, & privacy walls). May purchase 1 to 5 lots. Call Bobbi at 719499-9451 for more information. MLS# 5093736 (LAND)

Lane – Pueblo West$28,500

1.47 acre lot at end of quiet cul de sac with sweeping unobstructed mountain & Pikes Peak views. Flat at front of lot & moving back the lot gently slopes to allow for a walkout. Backs and sides to open space. Easy commute to both Colorado Springs or Pueblo.

MLS# 5628454 (LAND)

Call Bobbi Price. The Platinum Group. 719499-9451.

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61 – Cripple Creek$80,000

Beautiful 5.25 acre lot in a small gated community called Rainbow Ridge with only 9 parcels. Pikes Peak & mountain views.

Community stocked fishing pond on lot. Towering pines & aspen. Lots of sunshine. Located approximately 10 miles south of Divide off Highway 67. Easy commute & private on several possible building sites. This subdivision is off grid.

MLS# 8657980 (LAND) Call Bobbi Price. The Platinum Group. 719499-9451.

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