Gazette, The; Colorado Springs, Colo.

Letters

Homeless need proven program Concerning the Ayers plan called Dignity Village for the homeless, it sounds more like a commune style of a Hobo Hilton for stoners to summer on their trek to Oregon for the winter.

Our View: Enough, Already; Let Vehicles Roll

The federal government has prompted yet another delay in the implementation of a North American Free Trade Agreement provision that allows Mexican truckers to bring cargo from that country to U.S. markets. Under NAFTA, that provision should have gone into effect on Jan. 1, 1995 - more than 14? years ago.

D-8 Kids Share Their Side On Film

One by one, the students in Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 express the heartache of having a deployed military parent. "This may be the last time I see my parent. They are just gone," says one teen.

Friday Folder

Superintendent at D-12 is praised Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 Superintendent Walt Cooper was lauded for his leadership in an evaluation approved this week by the school board, which also laid out goals for the coming year. The evaluation doesn't trigger a bonus - Cooper has a set salary of $162,000. In fact, he didn't take a raise this year, voluntarily freezing his salary as the district faced tough budget decisions. To see the evaluation and goals for 2009-10, go The Notebook blog ...

Services

Mary R. Cremonesi Service, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 12, All Souls Unitarian Church, 730 N. Tejon St. Cappadona Funeral Home.

Deaths

Henry Baker Born Dec. 10, 1936.Died Aug. 28, 2009.

Leonardo Da Wacky

Greg Block put his first machine, from 2007, on his head. "I have more hair now than I used to," Block explained as he adjusted the wood mechanism on his long, blond dreadlocks.

Briefly

Motorcyclist dies after crash A motorcyclist from Colorado Springs died Thursday, one day after crashing into a car in north Colorado Springs.

Speech Plans Stir Outcry

President Barack Obama wants to talk to the nation's schoolchildren for about 15 minutes Tuesday to encourage them to work hard, set goals and take responsibility for their learning. But it appears that few - if any - public school students in the Pikes Peak region will hear the speech live.

Theres a History of Obama Misusing Schools to Push Agenda

"ABC" stands for All Barack's Children. On Sept. 8, young students across the country will be watching television. Yes, they'll be parked in front of boob tubes and computer screens watching President Barack Obama's address on education. Instead of practicing cursive, reviewing multiplication tables, diagramming sentences or learning something concrete, kids will be lectured about the importance of learning. And then the schoolchildren, from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, will be exhort...

Couple Attacked by Robbers

A young family's recent move into an apartment near The Citadel mall turned into a nightmare Tuesday night when robbers broke down their door and stormed inside. About 10:30 p.m., the family was relaxing at Citadel Village Apartments, 3358 W. Portal Drive. According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, the man and woman were watching television, with their 1-year-old baby asleep in the next room, when the robbers kicked in the door and began attacking the man with a baseball bat. His ar...

Dozens Kept Home From Canon City School with Flu

More than one in 10 students at one Pikes Peak region school stayed home Thursday with flu-like symptoms as local officials brace for the rising tide of H1N1 influenza outbreaks. Officials don't know whether the 75 students who stayed home from Canon City Middle School with fevers, runny noses and body aches have the H1N1 virus that has sparked worldwide fears of a pandemic. The Fremont County Health Department and state officials are running tests to figure out what made them sick, said Robi...

Man Accused of Rape Pleads Guilty to Related Offenses

An Air Force Academy major on trial this week on rape charges has pleaded guilty to several related crimes. Maj. Barry N. Nixon is disputing the rape claim brought by a girl during an assault she says occurred five years ago in Germany. A court-martial panel was hearing arguments in that case Thursday.

Lights Out, Crews In

PUEBLO - It's midnight, closing time at the Colorado State Fair. "Lights out; let's shut it down," graveyard shift patrol officer Jack Hobby says from ground zero of the sparkling midway.

Clerk Says Petitions Short On Signatures for Recall Vote

A community group's campaign to recall two Falcon School District 49 board members has failed because there were not enough valid signatures on petitions to initiate votes on the recalls, the El Paso County Clerk's Office said Thursday. The Clerk's Office spent several weeks rechecking the petitions after a hearing in which both sides debated the validity of hundreds of signatures.

Our Roads About As Congested As in '08

Colorado Springs ranks 91st out of America's 100 most congested metro areas, the same ranking it had in 2008, according to a mid- year survey released Thursday. During the first six months of 2009, the Los Angeles metro area had the worst congestion in the country, followed by the New York City area and Chicago. All three cities had the same ranking in 2008, according to statistics compiled by INRIX, a provider of traffic and navigation services.

Penry Strays From Topic to Talk Up His Candidacy

It was billed as one young professional talking to a bunch of people like him about what it's like to quickly climb the ladder of success. Josh Penry has lived that story. At age 33, he's the Republican leader in the state Senate.

Obama Is Speaking; Hide the Children!

Be afraid. Be very afraid. Because on Tuesday, President Barack Obama will address students on a national TV hookup and webcast (www.whitehouse.gov/live) exhorting them to make an effort to study hard, complete school and learn as much as they can.

Edited Pulitzer-Winning Story

Old movies portray newspapermen as hard drinkers and tough talkers, sporting battered fedoras as they pound their typewriters. Carl Skiff, a former editor at The Gazette, enjoyed a beer or two but favored a simple ascot cap. He was known as a gentle man who treated news subjects and co-workers with compassion and respect. He wasn't above getting upset, but it usually was when Notre Dame lost a football game.