Author: O’Dell Isaac odell.isaac@gazette.com
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El Paso County sheriff’s deputy receives Purple Heart for injuries sustained in Afghanistan
As commemorative events took place across Colorado Springs on Friday, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office hosted a Purple Heart ceremony to honor a deputy who was injured in combat 10 years to the day after the 9/11 attacks. On Sept. 11, 2011, then-Army Staff Sgt. Michael Ratai was seriously wounded during a combat operation…
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Firefighters from across U.S. climb Manitou Incline in remembrance of Sept. 11 attacks
Before sunrise on Friday, firefighters from across the U.S. gathered at the Manitou Incline to walk the more than 2,700 steps in honor of the 343 New York City firefighters who lost their lives trying to save others in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Some Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs…
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Years after 9/11, Gazette reporter reconsiders grief after losing brother in World Trade Center attack
Just before 9 p.m. on Sept. 9, 2001, my brother Todd called me, as was his custom about twice a month. He had just gotten off the phone with our mother. Mom was always first. About a month prior, I had driven up from Virginia, where I was stationed with the Navy, to visit Todd…
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‘It all starts with the kids’: Children’s Water Festival teaches conservation to Colorado Springs youngsters
Water is Colorado’s most precious resource, and the earlier residents learn to use it responsibly, the better. That was the overarching message of the 2026 Pikes Peak Children’s Water Festival, held Wednesday at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. More than 475 fourth-grade students from Colorado Springs School District 11 and Harrison School District 2 attended…
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Motorcyclist who died in single-vehicle crash on Academy Boulevard identified
The Colorado Springs Police Department on Tuesday released the name of a motorcyclist who died in a crash on Aug. 29. Clinton Eaton, 48, was heading south on South Academy Boulevard at about 5:20 p.m. that day when his motorcycle lost control on a curve and went off the road. Eaton died at the scene.…
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1 dead, 1 seriously injured in head-on crash near Gunnison
One person was killed and another seriously injured on Sunday following a head-on collision on U.S. 50 near Gunnison, according to a news release from the Colorado State Patrol. The crash took place at about 2:20 p.m. near milepost 155, a few miles west of Gunnison, when an eastbound Chevrolet Silverado veered into the westbound…
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Woman dies after allegedly firing shots into apartment complex: Colorado Springs police
A woman died of a gunshot wound Monday after she allegedly fired several shots into a Colorado Springs apartment complex, law enforcement officials said. Police received a 7 p.m. call about a domestic disturbance at Creekside at Palmer Park Apartments, east on Cedar Creek View near Space Center Drive on the city’s east side. The…
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Officers assaulted in separate incidents on Sunday: Colorado Springs police
Colorado Springs police officers were assaulted in separate incidents on Sunday, law enforcement officials said. At about 8 a.m., an officer saw a suspected shoplifter leaving a store in the 1500 block of Space Center Drive and tried to stop him, according to an online blotter entry. When the officer and the suspect went down…
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‘A Colorado legacy’: Commonwheel Art Festival celebrates 52 years in Manitou Springs
Hundreds of art lovers converged on Manitou Springs over Labor Day weekend to celebrate an institution that goes back more than half a century. The 52nd annual Commonwheel Art Festival, held in Memorial Park, hosted about 90 art vendors including painters, potters, jewelry makers, photographers and other creators from Colorado and across the country. In…
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Colorado Springs police searching for missing, at-risk adult
Colorado Springs police are asking for the public’s help in finding an at-risk adult who went missing early Sunday. Eva Kuecker, 26, was last seen leaving a medical facility in the 1700 block on Monterey Road at about 3 a.m. Sunday, officials said. Kuecker is about 4 feet, 10 inches, weighs 140 pounds, has shoulder-length brown…