2013 in review: Fires, floods top stories in the Colorado Springs area
By Sue Mcmillin; by Sue McMillin [email protected] - | |
Proquest LLC |
The warnings were everywhere.
Drought-stricken
The worst fears were realized, beginning in June with a rash of wildfires that included the
Two fires erupted
Houses ignited soon after the
As those fires raged, three others in southern
After the fires slowed, the rains began to fall.
Flash floods hit the
On
Water, mud, rocks, trees and other debris poured out of the foothills the week of
Ten people died that week, including two in
Warnings that the flash flood danger from the Waldo burn scar would loom for years led to mitigation work by local and state officials, including the addition of a new, much larger culvert under
While the disasters dominated the news for months, statewide issues also repeatedly took the spotlight: The state legislature passed gun control laws, which led to the recall of two state senators; the possession of recreational marijuana was legalized and municipalities debated whether to allow pot sales; and voters denied a huge tax increase for public school funding.
See the top videos of 2013 here.
See the top photos of 2013 here.
- Recreational marijuana might have been legalized by voters in 2012, but in 2013 all the laws, rules and regulations surrounding the new industry were hammered out by lawmakers. The federal government announced it would turn a blind eye to states with legalized pot as long as it wasn't trafficked across state lines or wasn't involved in other crimes. Retail recreational pot sales will begin
No licenses have been issued for sales in
In July, the <org>Colorado Springs City Council split 5-4 to ban retail sales of recreational marijuana. It was a surprise and blow to proponents of Amendment 64, who said the council's ruling did not represent the will of the people.
Most of the 136 licenses for marijuana shops issued by the state in December were for businesses in the
- In December, the
The projects are an Olympic museum in southwest downtown and an adjacent sports arena, a sports medicine clinic at the
-
-
- The Business of Art Center in
- In October, City Attorney
-
- As part of a large-scale leadership and educational restructuring that began in
- Five school districts canceled November school board elections because there were no contested seats. A total of 51 open school board seats were filled. Voters in Monument overwhelmingly turned down a
- Common Core Standards were adopted by most states in an attempt to improve education. The standards are designed to provide a clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be relevant to the real world, reflecting critical thinking and collaboration.
The state also requires that teachers and principals be evaluated to more stringent standards.
- Former
- Former Colorado Springs police officer
-
- The
The transportation commission also approved money for an
The funding is available under Responsible Acceleration of Maintenance and Partnerships, or RAMP, which allows CDOT to advance
- The 4-mile segment of an expanded
The work is part of the
The project is set for completion by
- More than 30 black-footed ferrets were released into the wild
-
- By virtue of their win at
- Despite winning 57 games during the Nuggets' regular season, a franchise record,
- The
-
-
-
- Wrestling wins
- CC hockey plays its first
- CC women's soccer hosts its first
-
-
-
- The
- A fully paved Pikes Peak International Hill Climb yielded an astonishing 8 minutes, 13.878 seconds record by
- In May, Gov.
The laws led to the recall of state Sens.
Republicans have vowed to attempt to overturn the laws.
- More than 1,400 same-sex couples in
- A surge of shoppers temporarily caused glitches to the state's new health care marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado, during the website's first few hours of operation
Overall,
Insurance enrollments surged in December - reaching 42,771 by
- In October,
During the first year of University's 40-year lease, the hospital system began work on a three-year,
Officials announced plans to seek a Level I Trauma Center designation, and the hospital also added dozens of doctors to its payroll, in large part by acquiring two
But challenges remain: Revenue and hospital visits largely remained flat, hospital officials said. Observers said the biggest change came in offering the hospital system a sense of stability.
"For the first time in a long time, we have a firm foundation on who we are and what we stand for," said
- Two former
- Nine troops assigned to
In 2013, more than 13,000
- In July the first elements of
While most deployments last nine months, the length of the division's deployment has been left up in the air, pending events on the ground. All American troops are expected home by the end of 2014.
- The
The
Congressional enaction of sequestration and other planned cuts totaling
- A woman took command of the
Lt. Gen.
"It's a very American experience," she said.
Johnson replaced Lt. Gen.
- The single-family housing market continued to rebound in 2013. The pace of home construction was at its highest level since 2006; home sales and prices increased throughout most of the year; and foreclosure filings late in the year were on pace to be at their lowest level in about a decade.
-
- The five-star Broadmoor hotel and resort in
- Apartments were in demand in 2013, and rents soared as a result. The
- This year saw some notable restaurant closures. Here's a look at shuttered eateries:
- La Creperie,
- Merlinos' Belvedere,
-
- Little Market and Deli,
- The Olive Branch,
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Copyright: | (c) 2013 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |
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