MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A firefighter from Canada traveled to a unique location to honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001 this year: Manitou Springs, Colorado.

“Every year we do some tribute to that day, to the firefighters, and its always a weighted vest stair climb situation,” firefighter Paul Hollingshead explained before starting this year’s climb. “We just felt that the Incline would be a great challenge to try this year.”

The Manitou Incline sees its fair share of first responders and guests honor the lives lost on 9/11 by taking on the local challenge.

Hollingshead made the trip from Ontario.

Hollingshead said he was a firefighter in Toronto during the late 90s and early 200s and would often go down to New York City for events with other firefighters. He said those in New York would open their homes to them.

“We would say that we’re from Toronto, and they would be like, ‘no you’re staying at our house, you’re not staying at a hotel, you’re staying with us,’” Hollingshead recalled. “Their generosity and their thoughts on brotherhood and sisterhood was very touching to us. Every time we went down there, they had no problems opening up their doors to us. Knowing that those guys died that day… it’s pretty emotional.”

He also recalled the moments seeing the tragedy unfold on television, his first thoughts going to those firefighters:

“We’re all saying ‘yeah, the guys are going to be in there, they’re going to get this fire under control, they’re going to get people out.’ And then as soon as the one building collapsed, live on TV, my friend said to me ‘do you know how many firefighters just died?’ and I’m like no, no those guys would have made it out… but obviously they chose to stay in there until the very end.”

Hollingshead said his trip up and down the Manitou Incline and the other tributes he’s done are just small ways to honor those firefighters.

“I know I’m going to climb this today and be able to go home, not a problem… It’s just a small kind of sacrifice we do to try to think about how those guys felt that day.”

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We’re the ones paying for all this theft

Re: “Grocery stores ramp up theft deterrents,” Sept. 7 news story

Depending on the neighborhood, The Denver Post reported that stores are securing merchandise or going to extraordinary lengths to inconvenience legitimate shoppers from purchasing items. Items under lock and key now necessitate a store employee to provide the key to the locked storage. Good luck with getting a quick response.

Store and corporation policy dictates against any employee action against shoplifting because of liability and risk of violence. But in the meantime, legitimate shoppers have to foot the bill.

Police and the courts are too involved in more serious crimes to effectively prosecute shoplifters since it is only a misdemeanor. Good luck with having a police officer respond to the scene. Lastly, the media publicizes these incidents of no prosecution and thereby encourages more errant behavior.

The five-finger discount is alive and well in Denver.

Philip Arreola, Denver

Wolves suffer in human interventions

Re: “Death in pack as wolves captured,” Sept. 10 news story

I did not vote for wolf reintroduction. Why? Because efforts like the proposed reintroduction always mean suffering, trauma, and death for the subject animals. When will humans look beyond their own limited interests and really think of other species we share the planet with?

Think about the fear the four juveniles and their mother are now experiencing while in captivity. The male is dead. Then, think about the terrible suffering the ranch animals experienced.

Wolves had naturally found their way to Colorado. Let’s leave well enough alone.

Marianna Young, Monte Vista

Coach Payton right to remain a mystery

Re: “Time for Payton to prove he’s worth $18M by outcoaching Macdonald,” Sept. 8 sports commentary

Call this a novice’s opinion, but I don’t think anyone, the Denver sports writers included, has figured out what Broncos Coach Sean Payton is really all about. That’s what got former coach Nathaniel Hackett into trouble, being too honest. Personally, I am in the “let’s see where the team is at Thanksgiving” camp; any more thought about it will tax my few remaining brain cells.

Payton will, and should, hold his cards close to the vest. All coaches will, and he who has the last card will win it all. And as the famous Howard Cosell would say, nothing more to be said about that.

Gary Rauchenecker, Golden

Husker fan not pining for Prime

Re: “Why does Coach Prime drive Husker fans nuts? ‘They wish they had him’,” Sept. 8 sports story

Cornhuskers are jealous of Coach Prime? Nah, keep him. Long live Matt Rhule! We Husker fans just want some competent refs.

Pamela Bell, Thornton

Not a fan of Cornhuskers’ balloon release

Almost daily the news reports tell us that plastic is strangling our rivers and oceans, smothering the soil, and invading our bodies through our food supplies worldwide.

How, in the face of this terrible threat to our earth, can the University of Nebraska allow clouds of red balloons to be released to pollute their state and neighboring states? Why on earth were all those balloons allowed at a football game? There is nothing joyous about spreading litter across the countryside with complete disregard for the people, the plants, the animals, and the waterways, which will suffer from all that plastic fallout.

Nebraska, you can find better ways to celebrate.

Doris Cruze, Centennial