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Who knew turning the ballot upside down could be an effective voting strategy? We get to know Steph Vigil, candidate to return to the Colorado legislature representing District 16. She has a track record of standing up for the common man, woman and family. Our discussion includes how downballot races really impact our daily lives. We recorded with Steph Vigil on September 25, before ballots were mailed out. We also hear from Pikes Peak Bulletin Managing Editor Heila Ershadi about campaign ads for Jeff Crank that his opponent, Jessica Killin, has decried as a security risk and invasion of her family’s privacy. Both are candidates in a very competitive race to represent Colorado’s District 5 in Congress. Plus - some outstanding resources for voters trying to cast informed votes on a lengthy ballot. LINKS: Steph Vigil [email protected] or 719-297-3210 One Life Impacts Many - episode 31 of a Place for everyone Pikes Peak Bulletin Voters Guide Our Voice, Our Future 2026 - episodes recorded at the Studio 809 Podcasts Get Out the Vote Podcast Marathon Candidate Killin’s Address Exposed in Political Ads For the undecided: Crank vs. Killin for Congress My Family and the One Big Beautiful Bill To share your opinion at the Pikes Peak Bulletin: [email protected] Jessica Killin Wants to Represent You in Congress - Episode 41 of Loving the Springs, published in March MENTIONED: Front Range Passenger Rail Bustang RTD in Denver DIA Colorado Springs Airport Uber DoorDash Amazon Project Taurus Data centers Jeff Crank Jessica Killin Free Speech Coalition ACLU No Going Back PAC MAGA Inc. Wayne Laugesen The Gazette Aylo PornHub Nick Raven Badly Needed & Long Overdue (BNLO) Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

With the critical November election coming up, how can you be certain you’ll receive a ballot? How do you vote? How secure is our voting system? Get the answers from the ultimate election nerd, El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleiker. Steve wants registering and voting to be so easy for you, he practically offers to be your personal election concierge. If you have questions, call him! We recorded this conversation in front of a live audience at Studio 809 Podcasts’ Our Voice, Our Future 2026: Get Out the Vote Podcast Marathon. The marathon was held at CO.A.T.I. Uprise, the cool food hall, bar, dream hatchery and community event center in downtown Colorado Springs. RESOURCES: To check your registration and mailing address, or to register: govotecolorado.go El Paso County Clerk and Recorder - Elections section - including location of ballot boxes and in-person voting centers Steve Schleiker’s office: 719-575-VOTE (8683) email Steve: [email protected] MENTIONED: Hacking elections Ballot harvesting 2,000 Mules Tracie Woods Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

While the proposed Project Taurus data center awaits its city council hearing, we learn about another project being fast-tracked in southern Colorado Springs that will have data center equipment and needs, but we are told is not a data center. Project Primestone will begin with a facility requiring twice the electrical power of Project Taurus and may ultimately use four times Taurus’ 50 megawatt appetite. Seth Palmer Harris, the reporter who has filed a story about Primestone in the Pikes Peak Bulletin, fills us in. The discussion includes various ways developers fund projects in Colorado Springs, including metro districts, urban renewal tax incentives and Tax Increment Financing. There is much more to the story, so listen to this episode and read the report in the Pikes Peak Bulletin. NOTE: When Dave mention there will be many “NIMBYs” at the September 17 Colorado Springs City Council data center hearing, he does not mean it in a derogatory sense. LINKS: Project Primestone Isn’t A Data Center – It Will Just Look and Feel Like One Fight to Save OCC Downtown Development Authority Ramps Up The Rotten Roots of Project Taurus – Episode 154 of Peak Environment 52nd Annual Commonwheel Artists Co-Op Labor Day Weekend Art Festival SinkMS MiniGolf Tournament Creek Week 2026 10th annual COLORADO SHORT CIRCUIT Film Festival Starlight Spectacular MENTIONED: Project Taurus proposed data center Brandy Williams Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority Colorado Springs Gazette Phil Anschutz Commonwheel Artists Co-op Independent Film Society of Colorado Springs Gold Mine Mini Golf National MS Society Fountain Creek Watershed District Trails and Open Space Coalition Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

Efforts in our community are helping individuals and their children achieve safety and wellbeing while challenging us to end sexual and family violence. TESSA CEO Anne Markley fills us in on all the local nonprofit agency is doing, including a confidential Safehouse, Victim Advocacy, Counseling and Children’s Programs, a 24/7 Safe Line, and Community Outreach and Education. We learn that teens and young adults are especially vulnerable, with more unsupervised time, social gatherings, and new relationships increasing the likelihood of dating violence. And TESSA is doing a lot to address this, including hosting a special community conversation: Digital Realities: Protecting Youth in the Digital Age A community conversation about online safety CSPD and TESSA August 23, 4 to 7 pm, Ent Center for the Arts Free, Register Here TESSA Safe Line: 719-633-3819 LINKS: TESSA City Launches New Parking Enterprise Brand Focused on Making Parking Easier MENTIONS: Ent Center for the Arts Wings Credit Union Jelly Roll Goat Patch Brewing Give Pikes Peak Empy Stocking Fund Parking Upgrades Downtown Paul Newman Cool Hand Luke The Charlie Block Urban Egg Poor Richard’s Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

Venetucci Farm is a community treasure celebrating its 90th anniversary. Get the scoop on annual pumpkin giveaways, a flower farm, and much more making community happen in the aftermath of the PFAS water contamination disaster. Sam Clark, Executive Director of the Pikes Peak Real Estate Foundation, and Nikki McComsey, owner of Gather Mountain Blooms share the history and legacy, current happenings, and an upgrade in the works for 2027. Also: Pikes Peak Bulletin Managing Editor Heila Ershadi updates us on PFAS groundwater contamination in the area (see link to her story below). LINKS: Venetucci Farm Gather Mountain Blooms Rocky Mountain Flower Fest Contaminants on the Way Out of Rural Residents' Tap Water, Says Water Provider and State Health Department (Pikes Peak Bulletin story) MENTIONED: United States Air Force PFAS contamination Widefield Aquifer Nick Venetucci Bambi Venetucci Pikes Peak Community Foundation Gordon Price Grass It Up Mike and Amanda Bristol Venetucci Pumpkin Ale Bristol Brewing “Give Back Mix Pack” Smokebrush Friends of Cheyenne Canyon School District 11 Colorado Parks and Wildlife Colorado Youth Outdoors El Pomar Foundation El Paso County Liz Rosenbaum Wigwam Mutual Water Company Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

Passenger rail service is coming to Colorado’s front range in 2029, Colorado Springs by 2032. Get details in this conversation with Sal Pace, General Manager of the Front Range Passenger Rail District. The district has secured funding to provide initial service between Fort Collins and Denver. Phase 2 will extend service to Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Pace shares the history of the district and answers all our tough questions about the plan, funding, and anticipated fares. We get quite a bit of detail about how this is happening so quickly, which is music to the ears of the Colorado Springs residents who spend an average of 61 hours in traffic jams each year. This was recorded on May 12, 2026. On July 20, the district released its Draft Delivery Plan for Colorado Connector. Public input on the draft plan is invited until July 27. Also, Pikes Peak Bulletin Managing Editor Heila Ershadi shares an interesting story. LINKS: Front Range Passenger Rail District Draft Delivery Plan for Colorado Connector Share Your Feedback United We Rock – August 1 Pikes Peak Bulletin Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

Bicycling improves our physical and mental health, and helps us be more connected. Conversations recorded live on Bike to Work Day during the final hour of our live stream from the Studio 809 Podcasts breakfast station at The Next Us on June 24, 2026. Included: an excellent conversation with PikeRide CEO Tara McCarthy about how bicycling is “human scale.” “ Today's world is so fast and so overwhelming that I think cycling allows you to hit the pause button and be in a different mindset.” She also shares news about expanding into southeast Colorado Springs, 2 new adaptive electric tricycles, and E-cargo bikes later this year. We also hear from local safer streets advocates Joan and Karl Stang. Karl has been riding to work since 1995. The couple can sometimes go a month without getting in a car. They tell us there are online lessons to help us make our streets safer – Bicycle Friendly Driver, Auto Friendly Bicyclist, Ride Leader training, Cycling Basics 101, Walkability training, and more (see links). 00:00:00 Open 00:02:17 Tara McCarthy of PikeRide 00:15:32 Joan and Karl Stang of Pedestrian and Cycle Manitou Springs (PaCMan) 00:23:42 Jax Armendariz Unzueta, host of the Justice with Jax podcast LINKS: PikeRide Pedestrian and Cycle Manitou Springs - new website with links to courses, etc. Bike Colorado Springs Bike Lane Uprising Justice with Jax podcast Video Replay of Studio 809 Podcasts Bike to Work Day Live Springs Bike Map Colorado Springs Bike to Work Day MENTIONED: Bike Colorado Springs The League of American Bicyclists Ciara Guerrero Kaizen Torri Front Range Passenger Rail District Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

Learn about some of the other Studio 809 podcasts, and discover what both Manitou and Colorado Springs are doing to aid mobility – in this continuation of a conversation recorded live on Bike to Work Day. This is from the second hour of our live stream from the Studio 809 Podcasts breakfast station at The Next Us on June 24, 2026. We hear from several guests (see chapters) LINKS: Video Replay of Studio 809 Podcasts Bike to Work Day Live Stream Colorado Springs Bike Map Colorado Springs Bike to Work Day Everybody Welcome Imagination Celebration What IF Festival The French Kitchen MENTIONED: U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum Mountain Metro Sheridan, Wyoming Trails and Open Space Working Committee Fan Fest KCMJ (our short-lived community radio station) Jill Gaebler Jan Martin Gary Casimir City xx podcast Reality Check podcast PASF 350 Colorado Springs Pikes Peak Permaculture Pikes Peak Women Elevating Pikes Peak Women podcast Pedal the Springs podcast League of Women Voters Making Democracy Work Outdoors with Hiking Bob Allen Beauchamp Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates Wild Westendorf El Paso County Parks Advisory Board North Cheyenne Cañon Boulder Blodgett Open Space Ute Valley Park Pikes Peak Bulletin French Kitchen City Hall Carlos Perez Dave Bryan Free bus service to and within Manitou Springs PikeRide Manitou Incline Iron Springs Chateau Manitou Penny Arcade Poor Richard’s Downtown Linda Weise Old Town Bike Shop John Crandall Ted’s Bicycles Water Works - the long-gone downtown carwash (had great greeting cards) Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

Bicycling fans share their reasons for riding, we explore “complete streets,” and we discuss safety and infrastructure issues for bicyclists and pedestrians – in this conversation recorded live on Bike to Work Day. This is from the first hour of our live stream from the Studio 809 Podcasts breakfast station at The Next Us on June 24, 2026. See the video live stream replay here We'll share hours 2 and 3 in future episodes. GUESTS: 3:18 - Judy Pearring Davila, The Next Us 7:06 - Beth Roalstad, CEO of Homeward Pikes Peak, Host of a Place for everyone podcast, Co-host of Elevating Pikes Peak Women podcast 20:37 - Allen Beauchamp, ride leader, Community Engagement Manager, Trails and Open Space Coalition 24:41 - Nancy Henjum, Colorado Springs City Councilor 31:24 - Kimberly Gold, Colorado Springs City Councilor 36:34 - Torie Giffin, Founder of Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort, Host of Pedal the Springs podcast 42:06 - Nate Nassif, Manitou Springs City Councilor 44:54 - Konrad Schlarbaum, Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future, Colorado Green Business Network, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment LINKS: Episode of Loving the Springs featuring Judy Pearring of The Next Us Studio 809 Podcasts T-shirts Colorado Springs Bike Map Colorado Springs Bike to Work Day Complete Streets Thanks to These Sponsors of Our Breakfast Station: Crumb & Kiln - 2140 Cooper Ave, Just west of I25 and North of Centennial Starbucks - in front of COS City Hub – on Austin Bluffs Parkway just east of Academy Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort The Next Us – 525 N. Cascade MENTIONED: The Next Us Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments Melissa Marts Aging with Altitude podcast Pat Rigdon Clean and Safe Program Downtown Colorado Springs Pikes Peak Women Brenda Morrison Mary Lou Makepeace KOAA Liv Wood Motorless Morning in Garden of the Gods UpaDowna Pedal Party Manitou Spokes Wednesday Women’s Ride Peak Environment podcast Legacy Plaza Monument Valley Park Mesa Springs Greenway U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum Support Community Podcasting in Colorado Springs Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at https://studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

How or if this community institution might change largely depends on what makes Joe and Sarah tick. REALLY get to know them in this no-holds-barred conversation. Poor Richard’s changed hands in April, 2026 after 50+ years in the hands of Richard Skorman and Patricia Seator. Sarah Gibeau Cole says they don’t feel like Poor Richard’s belongs to them; they feel like they are stewards. Do NOT miss the very end of this episode, when Joe and Sarah share a scary and very surprising story. Also, Colorado Springs’ SafeStreetsCOS program and Action Plan, and an announcement about our upcoming Bike to Work Day breakfast station and live stream. LINKS: Poor Richard’s 50th Anniversary - episode 21 of Loving the Springs: https://studio809podcasts.com/poor-richards-50th/ Safe Streets COS: https://coloradosprings.gov/SafeStreetsCOS The Colorado Springs Safety Action Plan: https://coloradosprings.gov/document/colorado-springs-safety-action-planfinal05.07.26.pdf Bike to Work Day June 24, 2026: https://coloradosprings.gov/biketowork Loving the Springs/Studio 809 Podcasts/The Next Us Bike to Work Day live stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/muAKUy1w4qw?si=K_Qn8GmsJyB5bRET MENTIONED: Fox 21 KKTV Torie Giffin Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Pedal the Springs podcast Mountain biking TSA The empty Indy stands around town SoCo Insider Dirk Hobbs Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at https://studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

Get the scoop on a variety of area news and summer happenings, plus a report on the recent block party celebrating Richard Skorman and Patricia Seator passing the torch for Poor Richard’s to Joe Cole and Sarah Gibeau. Also, how many bikes do you think Carrie and Al each own? The role John Crandall and Old Town Bike Shop have played in the community. Are we ignoring Briargate? And what is the Meanwhile Block, anyway? 1:30 – Kids riding bikes to school 3:30 – Ditching the car and bicycling around town 4:26 – Bike to Work Day June 24 10:08 – Block Party for Poor Richards 15:47 – Farmers markets downtown 19:30 – Ride of Silence and safety for bicyclists 23:16 – Tacos & Tequila Passport 27:22 – Air Force Academy Visitors Center 28:49 – United We Rock festival 30:21 – City accepts Pikeview Quarry land 32:00 – News Update with Pikes Peak Bulletin 46:00 – What WE love about the Springs 50:39 – What is happening at Studio 809 Podcasts LINKS: Bike to Work Day: https://coloradosprings.gov/biketowork Gazette photos of block party: https://gazette.com/2026/05/03/photos-poor-richards-retirement-torch-passing/ Ride of Silence May 20: https://www.bikesprings.org/ https://www.meetup.com/colorado-springs-cycling-club/events/313247489/?eventOrigin=group_events_list Meanwhile Block: https://www.meanwhileblock.com/ Tacos & Tequila Passport May 15 – 31 (with May 14 kickoff at Golden Hour in the Mining Exchange Hotel): https://www.downtowncs.com/tacos Feb 25 2025 – Planning to Make the World a Better Place – episode of LTS featuring Maréa Janae of Dream Catcher Weddings: https://studio809podcasts.com/dreamcatcher/ Support Studio 809 Podcasts: https://www.patreon.com/join/studio809 MENTIONED: Generation Wild PikeRide La Casita Lionel Rivera Yemi Mobolade Steve Bach John Suthers Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort Trails & Open Space Coalition The N+1 Theory Pikes Peak Center Joe Cole Sarah Gibeau John Weiss The Catalyst Fund John Crandall and Old Town Bike Shop Tubby’s Turnaround Stephanie Vigil Julie Ott Lauren Ripko Colorado Springs Cycling Colorado Farm and Art Market Acacia Park Meanwhile Block Norwood Development Group Side Dish with Schniper Kelsey Swen SoCo Insider Colorado Craft Social The Golden Hour Icons Jax Fish House Latin Social Red Gravy T-Birds Tacos and Tequila The Brit Pub Wobbly Olive Zocalo Pikeview Quarry Carlos Perez Briargate Banning Lewis Ranch Manitou Springs WestFax Brewing Company Cerberus Brewing Company ICE Mel Flores Smokebrush Foundation Colorado Springs Utilities Ciara Guerrero Pikes Peak Diversity Council UCCS Black Student Union Dream Catcher Weddings League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region Homeward Pikes Peak Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging El Paso County Progressive Veterans Pikes Peak Women Colorado Spring Chamber & EDC Corvus Technologies Digital Beachhead Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at https://studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

Joe Reagan shares his reasons for running, and how and why he thinks he can unseat GOP incumbent Jeff Crank to represent Colorado’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House. Get to know Joe as we explore his military service, history working in the nonprofit sector, and his time in Colorado Springs. We also get a few updates from Pikes Peak Bulletin Managing Editor Heila Ershadi: 43:38 - Appointment of Wayne Williams to serve as Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade’s chief of staff 50:47 - Development plans for the Union Printers Home, including Urban Renewal funding and adjoining neighborhoods’ effort to get a community benefits agreement. LEARN MORE: Joe Reagan’s Campaign Website: https://www.reaganforcolorado.com/ Bulletin Sits Down with Mobolade, Williams to Discuss Coalition Building and Faith: https://pikespeakbulletin.org/news/bulletin-sits-down-with-mobolade-williams-to-discuss-coalition-building-and-faith/ Union Printers Home May Become Hotel Using Urban Renewal Funds. Neighborhood Group Says that Should Come with a Benefits Agreement: https://pikespeakbulletin.org/news/union-printers-home-may-become-hotel-using-urban-renewal-funds-neighborhood-group-says-that-should-come-with-a-benefits-agreement/ Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at https://studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

Downtown population doubled, retail sales broke a half-billion dollars, and more than 800 arts/culture/sports events took place downtown in 2025. These are just a few highlights of the highlights Downtown Partnership CEO Chelsea Gondeck shares from the State of Downtown Colorado Springs 2026 Report. Note: we discussed the “rumored” sale of Poor Richard’s in this episode, apparently just minutes before the sale was announced. LINKS: 2026 State of Downtown Report: https://downtowncs.com/sod Front Range Passenger Rail Community Q&A: Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs: https://www.mobilize.us/ridethefrontrange/event/927199/?followup_modal_context=email_shift_followup_other_events April 17, 5:30 to 7 pm at Kinship Landing Become a patron of Studio 809 Podcasts: https://www.patreon.com/join/studio809 MENTIONED: Condo defect legislation OneVeLa 27-story high-rise apartment project Cottonwood Center for the Arts Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Fan Fest Parade of Lights Pride Fest Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off CSPD Elevate Downtown Plan Revel: The Urban Arts Party AdAmAn Alley Mom’s Day Out Acacia Park Dizzy Charlie’s Music & Events Downtown Rotary Club Front Rail Passenger Rail District Kinship Landing Windsor Loveland Castle Rock Peregrine Briargate Ski Broadmoor Sharktooth Ski Area U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum Switchbacks FC Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Poor Richard’s Richard Skorman Kimball’s Peak Three Chuck Murphy Thunderball Bingo Burger Borriello Brothers Pizza Eric Brenner Red Gravy Perry Bolts Eclectic CO Yobel Emily and Clay Ross Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at https://studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

Learn how the City of Colorado Springs has been studying our garbage and laying out a plan to divert a lot of that trash away from the landfill and into recycling and composting. Kurian, the City’s project manager for its new Waste Diversion Action Plan shares study and survey results, and explains next steps in the project. We also get a festival preview from Music Director Steve Harris about the upcoming MeadowGrass Music Festival, which happens every Memorial Day weekend in Black Forest. Name the train: the Front Range Passenger Rail District invited the public to vote for their favorite of four finalists to name the passenger rail line planned to run up and down Colorado’s front range. That survey closes the day this episode drops, March 23. We briefly discuss the project. Look for one more public meeting in Colorado Springs very soon. Independent reporter Pam Zubeck shares background and highlights of her reporting in the Pikes Peak Bulletin on Colorado Springs Utilities. Also on the table – ways we can trim our gas bills now that a gallon of gas is fetching close to $4.00. LINKS: WastelessCOS: https://coloradosprings.gov/WastelessCOS Sustainability In-Box: [email protected] Circular Action Alliance: https://circularactionalliance.org/circular-action-alliance-colorado Producer Responsibility program: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/hm/epr-program Waste and Recycling in Colorado – Episode 96 of Peak Environment: https://studio809podcasts.com/waste-and-recycling/ The Garbologists: https://www.lindsayjoelle.com/the-garbologists.html Name the Train: https://ridethefrontrange.com/namethetrain MeadowGrass Music Festival: https://meadowgrass.org/ Pikes Peak Bulletin utilities reports: Data Centers Come Knocking. Are Local Power and Water Supplies Available?: https://pikespeakbulletin.org/news/data-centers-come-knocking-are-local-power-and-water-supplies-available/ Springs Utilities Out $5.35 Million in Settlement With Fiber Project Contractor: https://pikespeakbulletin.org/news/springs-utilities-out-5-35-million-in-settlement-with-fiber-project-contractor/ Utilities CEO Says ‘Gloves Will Come Off’ if Senate Bill Doesn’t Delay Closing Nixon Coal Plant: https://pikespeakbulletin.org/news/utilities-ceo-says-gloves-will-come-off-if-senate-bill-doesnt-delay-closing-nixon-coal-plant/ CSU’s Non-Compliant Gas Lines To Cost Consumers: https://pikespeakbulletin.org/news/csus-non-compliant-gas-lines-to-cost-consumers/ Utilities Reporting Elsewhere: Exhaust Concerns Threaten $650M Utilities Power Project – by Wayne Heilman: https://socodigest.com/2026/03/04/breaking-exhaust-concerns-threaten-650m-utilities-power-project/ Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort 10 Year Anniversary Special – episode 38 of Pedal the Springs: https://studio809podcasts.com/buffalo-lodge-10-year-anniversary/ Colorado Springs State of Downtown Report: https://downtowncs.com/sod MENTIONED: PikeRide Tejon Street Corner Thieves Vultures Thrashers Antivirus Trepanned La Foret Conference & Retreat Center Goat Patch Brewing Company ALO Jack Johnson String Cheese Incident Kyle Hollingsworth Band Nershi Hann Trio Shook Twins Daniel Rodriguez Elephant Revival Sturtz Banshee Tree Folk Alliance International Grant Sabin Broken Compass Emily Hicks Goodnight Moonshine Rocky Mountain Highway Music Collaborative Root Center for Yoga and Sacred Studies Distillery 291 Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at https://studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

The odds have never been better that a Democrat will represent Colorado’s 5th District in U.S. Congress next year. Meet the woman who may just send Jeff Crank packing, Jessica Killin. Jessica is one of a field of 5 vying for the Democratic Party nomination to represent Colorado Springs and environs. Get to know Jessica as we ask her about her history in Colorado Springs, her military experience, her experience at our nation’s capitol, and what she thinks Congress can do during the last two years of the Trump administration. Also vying for the CD5 nomination are Joe Reagan, Zuri Horowitz, and Justin Lord. We also get an update from Pikes Peak Bulletin’s Heila Ershadi on the archives of the defunct Colorado Springs Independent. Dirk Hobbs of Colorado Media Group has possession of the data, but is finding it very challenging to restore online access to this treasure trove of over twenty years of community history. Heila also updates the saga of the Moreno and Cascade Urban Renewal Plan, recently approved despite efforts of the Mill Street Community Benefits All Coalition to hold out for a community benefit plan with Norwood Development Group. Other Studio 809 podcasts featuring CD5 congressional candidates: Two Women, One Primary, Big Ideas – Jessica Killin and Zuri Horowitz on episode 65 of Elevating Pikes Peak Women: https://studio809podcasts.com/two-women-one-primary/ Running for Congress with Joe Reagan - episode 24 of Badly Needed & Long Overdue: https://studio809podcasts.com/24-joe-reagan-for-congress/ People Centered Springs with Zuri Horowitz – episode 36 of Loving the Springs: https://studio809podcasts.com/people-centered-zuri/ LINKS: Jessica Killin campaign: https://www.killinforcolorado.com/ Indy archives (very limited, 2023 so far): https://socoinsider.com/archives/ ‘A Complete Mess’: Indy Archive Restoration Proves Difficult: https://pikespeakbulletin.org/news/a-complete-mess-indy-archive-restoration-proves-difficult/ Over Objections from Neighborhood Group, City Council Approves Public Money for Hotel Project: https://pikespeakbulletin.org/news/over-objections-from-neighborhood-group-city-council-approves-public-money-for-hotel-project/ Pikes Peak Bulletin: https://pikespeakbulletin.org/ MENTIONED: Colorado Congressional District 5 El Paso County Democratic Party Jeff Crank UNC Lahara, Colorado Carver Elementary Sabin Junior High Pikes Peak Elementary Falcon Middle School Stetson Hills Horizon Middle School Falcon High School United States Air Force Academy Fort Carson Peterson Field CU Boulder Army ROTC University of Tampa SMU Operation Joint Endeavor / Operation Joint Guard NATO Poland Ukraine Xi Jinping Colorado Springs Airport Costco Pikes Peak Pikes Peak Housing Network Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC Dirk Hobbs Colorado Media Group SoCo Insider FBI Trump Epstein Files Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Pikes Peak Library District The Poynter Institute Knight Foundation Pam Zubeck Corey Hutchins Inside the News in Colorado Colorado College The Washington Post The New York Times Colorado Springs Gazette Moreno and Cascade Urban Renewal Plan Norwood Development Group Mill Street Community Benefits All Coalition Nancy Henjum Kimberly Gold Dave Donelson Max Kronstadt Union Printers HomeLoving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest. Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Longtime Springs booster Carrie Simison co-hosts with local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner. All three love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they’ll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at https://studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com