Author: Dave Philipps
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Leaders felt ‘pressured’ to give award to Maketa
Every year, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office nominates one of its own for the One Hundred Club, a prestigious recognition for first responders who go above and beyond the call of duty. This year, the chain of command recommended a few hard-working deputies who showed innovation and grit. Instead, Sheriff Terry Maketa picked himself.…
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‘Reporting saved lives,’ veteran says
After a combat tour in Iraq, Kris Goldsmith was discharged from the Army in 2007 for attempting suicide. His superiors wrote him up for malingering and not being on a plane to his second combat deployment – a flight he missed because he was locked in an Army hospital psychiatric ward. He was given a…
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How well did a test version of the $156 million Neumann Systems Group pollution scrubbers work on the downtown Colorado Springs power plant? Colorado Springs Utilities won’t say publicly. Though the performance of the scrubbers has serious implications for air quality in the region and the future of the power plant, Utilities says performance data…
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Armstrong: Coach knew about doping
Colorado Springs cycling coach Chris Carmichael knew Lance Armstrong was doping long before Armstrong went to the 1996 Olympics or won a record seven Tour de France titles, according to newly public documents. In the documents filed Wednesday by the U.S. District Court, and first reported by USA Today, Armstrong for the first time named…
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More than two decades ago, Colorado Springs Utilities knew tough new federal pollution mandates were coming for its coal power plants. So starting in 1996, it commissioned six studies during the next 13 years to look at the best pollution control technology for the downtown Drake Power Plant. All six reports said the same thing:…
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In 2002 when news hit that the Beltway Sniper was picking off people in suburbs of Washington, D.C., El Paso County Sheriff John Anderson called the FBI to alert them to a possible suspect: Bruce Nozolino. Nozolino, a Colorado Springs software engineer, was going through a nasty divorce in 2001 and 2002 when sniper’s bullets…
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Air Force report defends use of informants
An Air Force Inspector General report released Thursday defends the use of secret cadet informants at the Air Force Academy and sharply criticizes an expelled cadet named Eric Thomas who broke academy rules while working as one of those informants, saying Thomas “failed” his mission. The report says Thomas “did a tremendous amount of good…
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Popular Waldo Canyon Trail, victim of flood danger, to remain closed
Waiting for the Waldo Canyon Trail to reopen? It won’t any time soon. Almost two years after the Waldo Canyon fire closed the beloved trail in the mountains west of Colorado Springs, the U.S. Forest Service has no plans to reopen it, saying the potential of flash floods in the area is too great. “It’s…
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Everyone employed at the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is expected to follow a long list of policies and procedures. Everyone except the sheriff. In December, Sheriff Terry Maketa amended long-standing policies to exempt himself from the office rules, which cover everything from seat belt use to sexual harassment. He did it in a way…
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Probes nearly complete for informant program
Colorado State wide receiver Jordon Vaden, right, pulls in a pass for a touchdown in front of Air Force defensive back Gavin McHenry in the third quarter of Colorado State’s 58-13 victory in an NCAA college football game in Fort Collins, Colo., on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) David Zalubowski