The Colorado Springs Gazette

Great Fruitcake Toss returns to Manitou Springs

Noon-3 p.m. Saturday, Memorial Park, 502 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs; free, with suggested nonperishable food item donation; fruitcake toss@gmail.com or Manitou Springs Great Fruitcake Toss on Facebook Fruitcakes the world over shed candied tears of joy this month when it was announced that The Great Fruitcake Toss would return to Manitou...
For the love of reading: Two unique libraries open for elementary students

Widefield School District 3 has opened two unique libraries at two elementary schools. The Kingdom of Reading room opened Jan. 22 at Talbott Elementary, 401 Dean Drive. The kid-friendly space is designed to provide a welcoming and magical environment where children can read books when they have time available. Book clubs and an exchange...
Girls' STEM initiative launches program for local middle school students

The Southern Colorado Girls’ STEM Initiative has launched a STEM program at Panorama Middle School in Harrison School District 2. The goal: to teach female students about careers and opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math fields and help meet the growing demand for women in professions in those fields. Teachers and other...
Colorado considers background checks for youth sports leagues

DENVER — Colorado is considering becoming the first state to require background checks for people who work for youth sports organizations. Bill supporters argue that hairdressers and child care workers need criminal background checks, but not people going on overnight trips with young athletes. "Youth sports are growing so fast in Colorado,...
Looking for a winter hobby? Learning to knit can be easy

When you're stuck inside during a long, cold winter, working on a knitting project can be fun and rewarding. And although sweaters and lacy shawls can seem daunting, knitting is a fairly easy hobby to adopt. Brand-new knitters have plenty of resources. Yarn stores and crafts retailers such as Michaels and Jo-Ann have classes; prices can range...
School Choice: Winners and losers in the battle for students in Pikes Peak region

It's all about the fit. J.D. Elvrum needed to do school work at his own pace and be able to travel with his family, so he moved from a traditional school to an online school. Devon Klingman wanted to be around lots of students and more clubs, activities and academic choices, so she switched from a smaller, west side school to a larger one in...
New program dishes up Colorado Springs students' meals

One of the Pikes Peak region's most impoverished school districts leads the state in the number of students eating free meals through a federal program that started last fall. Harrison School District 2, in which nearly three-quarters of its 11,441 students come from low-income households, offers free breakfast and lunch to all students in 19...
Program will help area families prepare tax returns for free

Starting Saturday, low- to moderate-income families can get free tax return preparation assistance through the Tax Help Colorado program. Pikes Peak Community College is working with the Denver-based Piton Foundation to provide the service. IRS-certified PPCC students will prepare and e-file tax returns free of charge for taxpayers with...
Olympians help spread fencing exposure to area elementary teachers, students

Youth interest in fencing has grown in recent years. Fencer Tim Morehouse is helping make sure it never slows. The two-time Olympian, who took home a 2012 silver medal in team fencing, and fellow national team member Jeff Spear launched the first fencing program for Colorado Springs elementary school students last week. They led school...
Girl, 4, dies after falling through ice on northern Colorado pond

LOVELAND — Authorities say a 4-year-old girl is dead after she fell into an icy pond at a Loveland park. Police say the girl, whose name has not been released, was at the Loveland Sports Park with her family for soccer practice Wednesday evening. She was supposed to stay at a nearby playground but walked out onto the frozen pond and fell...
Sky High Ranch again to offer summer resident camps for girls

Girl Scouts of Colorado is re-opening resident camp this summer at Sky High Ranch near Woodland Park, and registration has begun. Sessions are open to all girls over age 6 and include such activities as a zipline, archery, backpacking, photography and rock climbing. Resident camps run six days or two weeks. There also are mini, three-day...
Fountain man constructs doghouses to match owner's RVs

Let's get this out of the way: My Buddy RVs are not for dolls. The miniature campers, modeled after their life-sized counterparts, are strictly for the dogs - and their owners. "This almost became a Barbie RV ... almost," said Bob Ruston, of Fountain, a former heavy line mechanic and street rod airbrush artist who's hoping to spin a love of...
Refusing measles vaccine could put others at risk

One in five toddlers across El Paso County went without the measles vaccine in the first half of 2014. Statewide immunization rates haven't been much better. That, public health officials say, is a problem. After tracking down hundreds of El Paso County residents recently exposed to the highly contagious virus, county health officials say...
More students puts strain on some Pikes Peak region schools

Skyview Middle School near Dublin and Powers boulevards started the 2014-2015 school year with 100 more students than in the fall of 2013. The spike in enrollment pushed the school to more than 200 students over the building's capacity. That has meant changes. There are five lunch periods; the first one starts at 10:30 a.m. and the last one...
Several in El Paso County quarantined due to measles exposure

Several people across El Paso County have agreed to be quarantined in light of a multistate measles outbreak that began at two California theme parks. In all, more than 300 people may have been exposed to a patient treated for measles at a Colorado Springs hospital, some of whom may not be immune to the virus, El Paso County Public Health...
Selfie sticks: Tourist convenience or purely narcissi-stick?

Selfies at tourist attractions are nothing new. But until recently, if you wanted a perfectly composed picture of yourself with Times Square or the Colosseum in the background, you might have asked a passer-by to take the photo. Now, though, relatively new gadgets called selfie sticks make it easy to take your own wide-angled self-portraits or...