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Trail Talk: Open spaces in and around Colorado Springs thrive on volunteers

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Trail Talk: Open spaces in and around Colorado Springs thrive on volunteers


Colorado Springs is legendary for Pikes Peak and Backyard of the Gods. We name ourselves Olympic Metropolis USA. We’re a well-liked vacationer, retirement and relocation vacation spot.

Might I submit that we must also be recognized for our giant variety of volunteers. I’ve by no means lived wherever with so many “Associates Teams” supporting parks, trails and open areas or the place so many individuals decide up trash on their every day walks.

At this month’s Parks Advisory Board assembly, seven volunteers had been honored for investing tons of of hours main cleanups, path work, guiding lecture rooms on nature discoveries, adopting a canine park and managing volunteer bike ambassadors. Michele McMurray was declared “volunteer of the yr” for investing greater than 1,000 service hours in her 11 years at Backyard of the Gods.

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What is de facto astounding is that there are unsung heroes in our midst with comparable information. I do know of a retired colonel who as soon as managed multimillion-dollar budgets. For years, she has volunteered weekly in North Cheyenne Cañon offering path, water and restroom data. She additionally spends hours every week in a neighborhood elementary faculty serving to struggling kids enhance their math expertise.

The newest worth of a volunteer hour is estimated to be $29.95. That’s the brand new nationwide common calculated by the Do Good Institute, primarily based on hourly earnings from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These volunteers might get part-time jobs however select to reinvest of their neighborhood. They serve on nonprofit boards, enhance outcomes in colleges, and enhance our high quality of life.

It could possibly be argued that volunteers are searching for themselves. Psychological well being professionals say volunteerism is sweet for thoughts and physique. It will possibly reduce stress, anger and nervousness. Volunteerism combats melancholy and makes you cheerful. It gives a way of objective.

Mayor John Suthers is asking all of us to assist Hold COS clear. Some metropolis neighborhoods, medians and public rights of means are wanting just a little shabby and will use a spring cleansing. Many native cleanups are underway for Earth Month. If all of us pitch in, we are able to preserve what tons of of volunteers will accomplish between now and the top of April.

Colorado Springs, the place you’ll discover one of the well-known parks on the planet, America’s Mountain, and discover it swarming with volunteers who know what’s good for them and their neighborhood.

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Davies is the chief director of the Trails and Open House Coalition.

Davies is the chief director of the Trails and Open House Coalition.



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Highlands Ranch teens surprise and delight with Colorado business

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Highlands Ranch teens surprise and delight with Colorado business


A couple of Highlands Ranch teenagers are proving you’re never too young to build a thriving business from an idea.

The two sisters started selling their baked goods during the pandemic. “Little Sistas Treats” is now a brand with a strong following and ambitious plans for the future.

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Zyaire and Char’les Hawkins want young girls to know you can be your own CEO.  It’s about having confidence, follow through, and a willingness to work hard.

“Anybody can do anything, and even at a young age, people have ideas and things in their head that they don’t want to put out to the world. But if you really think about it, they can,” said Char’les.

Just don’t burn down the kitchen, adds their mom.

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The Hawkins sisters with their great grandmother Faye Vaughn.

Marietta Hawkins

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The Hawkins’ girls began baking as little kids.  A passion passed along by their great grandmother Faye Vaughn – a restaurateur in Hannibal, Missouri. 

“Something that I think I’ve learned doing the business,” said Zyaire, “Is connecting with customers, making sure everything’s good, the packaging, so then when we deliver it, they have they’re happy, and everything’s perfect.”

One of their originals is the cheesecake cone.  A branding company helped design a logo for Little Sistas Treats.

And the girls wrote their own jingle.  “Little Sistas, we got the cone. Whenever you eat ’em, you’ve got soul.”

“I always try to encourage my kids with business, you know, you don’t make a whole bunch of money but it’s a whole bunch of learning along the way,” said mom Marietta Hawkins, who says she is the business “momager.”

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Don’t follow the crowd say Zyaire and Char’les Hawkins

“I feel like this isn’t just a passion of me and my sister’s. I feel like it’s a dream come true,” added Char’les.

 There are hopes of owning a food truck, and maybe a concession at a major venue.

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Most important say the Little Sistas – is having fun.

“They understand now that they’re an inspiration. I think that’s the greatest thing. I think their business is giving to the community at this point,” said Marietta.  Visit their website at https://www.littlesistastreats.com/

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Colorado wants to force insurance companies to help homeowners understand, mitigate wildfire risk

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Colorado wants to force insurance companies to help homeowners understand, mitigate wildfire risk



Insurance companies operating in Colorado would be required to inform homeowners of ways they could reduce the risk of wildfire to their properties and subsequently pay less in premiums under a bill introduced this week in the state legislature. 

House Bill 1182 would also require insurers to give customers an opportunity to appeal assessments of a property’s wildfire risk, which can lead to increased costs and nonrenewals. 

The measure is the legislature’s latest effort to tackle the growing problem of rising homeowners insurance costs and nonrenewals in wildfire-prone areas of Colorado as climate change increases the frequency and severity of wildland fires across the state. The cost of property insurance in Colorado has become one of the fastest-growing household expenses, with premiums increasing an average of 57.9% from 2018 to 2023, according to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association.

Nevertheless, in eight of the past 11 years, property insurers have lost money in Colorado, said Ethan Aumann, senior director of environmental issues and resiliency at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

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In 2023, the legislature passed a bill creating a quasi-governmental insurer of last resort for homeowners who can’t get coverage on the private market. Lawmakers hope House Bill 1182 will serve as a way to prevent homeowners from needing that last-resort coverage.

Hail is a big part of the rising cost of homeowners insurance in Colorado. Wildfire is another.

Unlike hail, however, Colorado homeowners can take several steps to protect their properties against wildland blazes.

The bill’s lead sponsors in the House are Democratic Reps. Kyle Brown of Louisville and Brianna Titone of Arvada. In the Senate, the main sponsors are Sens. Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, and Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa. 

Titone said she knows of examples of homeowners losing their coverage because insurance companies have made incorrect assumptions about a property’s risk of being destroyed in a wildfire. One person’s insurer dropped them after determining based on satellite images that their property was in the woods, even though it really wasn’t, Titone said.

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“We want to make sure that these kinds of situations are rectified,” Titone said.

Colorado state Rep. Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, makes a point before Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs a bill on April 25, 2023, during a ceremony outside the Colorado Capitol in downtown Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

House Bill 1182 would require home insurers in Colorado that use a wildfire risk model or scoring method to share the details of those calculations with the state and how they affect underwriting decisions and rates.

The models and scoring methods would be required to take into account a homeowner’s work to mitigate risk on their property, such as removing vegetation to create defensible space for firefighters and using fire-resistant building materials, as well as community- and state-level mitigation activities. 

Finally, insurers would have to take into account the state-level purchases of equipment to combat wildfires. Colorado has purchased two wildfire-fighting helicopters in recent years — Colorado’s only state-owned firefighting aircraft.

Insurers would have to tell homeowners within 60 days of a renewal or 90 days of a nonrenewal how they assessed a property’s wildfire risk. Insurance companies would have 30 days to respond to an appeal, and any denials of an appeal would have to be forwarded to the Colorado insurance commissioner. 

The bill, if it passes the legislature and is signed into law, would go into effect in 2026. The changes are a key part of Gov. Jared Polis’ legislative agenda this year.

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“I hear from Coloradans across our state — I’m sure you have too — who either can’t find coverage or who are seeing very large increases and getting priced out of the market for the coverage that they have,” Polis told lawmakers during his State of the State address last month. “And the rising cost of insurance of course doesn’t just affect homeowners. It’s also passed along to renters, too.”

Insurance companies have concerns about how soon the bill would go into effect and their ability to adhere to its changes, citing technological limitations.

“We do believe in mitigation,” said Carole Walker, who leads the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association, an insurance industry trade group. “We have common ground on (wanting) mitigation to matter and we want to incentivize homeowners to do personal- and community-level mitigation.”

The hang-up is around protecting the proprietary technology of the third-party companies that provide modeling to insurers and verifying and measuring the meaningfulness of mitigation work of homeowners and communities.

“It has to be something that both the modeling companies can comply with and the insurance companies can, (too),” she said. “The stakes are really high.”

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A March 27,2012 file aerial photo shows a home completely burned during the Lower North Fork Wildfire near Denver. (AP Photo/The Denver Post, Joe Amon, file )

Titone said she is open to working with the companies to give them more time to prepare for the legislation before it would go into effect.

“Maybe there’s some things that you need to push off a little bit later, but we shouldn’t kick the whole thing down the road just because there’s a couple technological things that we need to address,” Titone said.

The measure was assigned to the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee. Its first hearing hasn’t been scheduled yet.

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

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3 Big Questions for Kansas Basketball Before Colorado Matchup

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3 Big Questions for Kansas Basketball Before Colorado Matchup


Kansas basketball is back at Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday night, looking to bounce back from a tough loss to Kansas State.

The Jayhawks (16-7, 7-5 Big 12) need a strong showing against a struggling Colorado team that has yet to win a conference game this season. While KU is a heavy favorite, Bill Self’s squad still has some lingering questions that could impact their postseason trajectory.

From lineup adjustments to key player performances, here are three major storylines to watch before the Jayhawks take on the Buffaloes.

Freshman big man Flory Bidunga has been a key piece for Kansas this season, but recently he has come off the bench in limited minutes. With his athleticism, rebounding, and rim protection, Bidunga gives the Jayhawks an edge inside.

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KU has struggled with consistency in the paint, especially in defensive rotations, and getting him back into the starting five could help stabilize things. Whether Bill Self makes that move against Colorado remains to be seen, but a confident Bidunga will be crucial down the stretch in Big 12 play.

Tuesday’s game isn’t just another conference matchup—it’s a homecoming for two Colorado coaches with deep ties to Kansas basketball.

Tad Boyle, a former Jayhawk, has been leading the Buffaloes for over a decade, while his assistant, Danny Manning, is one of the greatest players in KU history.

Manning helped guide the Jayhawks to a national title in 1988 and later served as a Kansas assistant under Self. While nostalgia will be in the air, the duo faces a massive challenge—finding a way to end Colorado’s 12-game losing streak against a Kansas team eager to bounce back at home.

Zeke Mayo has shown flashes of brilliance this season, but his offensive production has dipped in recent games.

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Kansas needs him to be a consistent scoring threat, especially from deep, to complement their inside attack. Against a Colorado team that struggles defensively, Mayo has an opportunity to get back on track.

If he can find his rhythm early, it could open up the floor for the Jayhawks and take pressure off Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickinson. A strong performance from Mayo would be a great sign for Kansas as it looks to build momentum heading into the final stretch of Big 12 play.

Kansas is heavily favored, but with key lineup decisions, a historic homecoming for opposing coaches, and the need to get key players rolling, there’s plenty to keep an eye on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.



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