Hundreds of Irish and the Irish at heart lined Tejon Street and spread throughout Downtown Colorado Springs for the return of the St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 12 after a two-year hiatus during the COVID pandemic. A sea of green gathered to catch a glimpse of the more than 40 entrants. The enthusiastic crowd was treated to vintage cars, marching bands, Irish dancers and many other groups celebrating the holiday. Nearby restaurants and bars were open and sporting full Irish regalia. Several were serving traditional fare and, of course, plenty of beer.
COSILoveYou (cosilove.com) will host Springs CityServe — citywide days of volunteerism — on April 30 and May 7. Volunteers can perform a variety of tasks, such as pulling weeds, painting, picking up trash or dropping off care packages. Sign up online.
Springs parks department and project partners will host public meetings April 8 and May 13 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Carmel Community School, 1740 Pepperwood Drive, to discuss stewardship and safety ahead of the grand reopening this summer of Panorama Park, at Jet Wing Drive and Chelton Road. See tinyurl.com/COS-pano for more.
Prospect Lake will host motorized watercraft after all this summer. The Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department announced last month that motorized craft would be banned starting May 1 to allow installation of an aeration system to discourage growth of green algae. But after public uproar, the city will delay installation until September.
Safe2Tell, a program that lets students report sensitive or potentially dangerous incidents anonymously, saw report volume in Colorado increase by 15 percent in February compared to the previous month, growing to 1,825 reports. Most were suicide threats, followed by bullying.
To support’s Ukrainians’ defense of their homeland, Colorado Springs Police Department is donating used body armor to the war effort in Ukraine. CSPD’s move is in response to the Polis administration’s call last week for state law enforcement agencies across Colorado to donate used ballistic helmets and body armor to the heavily outmatched Ukrainian military. For comparison, the annual military budget of Ukraine is around $6 billion, roughly half that of the New York Police Department.
Pikes Peak Community College is set to change its name to Pikes Peak State College, pending approval by the state Legislature. The name change, according to PPCC, reflects the college’s expansion into four-year degrees.
The price of a gallon of gas topped the $4 mark at the Conoco station at 19th and Uintah streets as Colorado Springs feels the pinch from rising worldwide gas prices. On March 8, President Joe Biden banned U.S. imports of Russian oil and gas, and experts say it’s likely gas prices will continue to rise through the summer months and as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
