The Pueblo Chieftain
Is it really Pueblo Chile?
Pueblo has its chile, Olathe has its sweet corn, Palisade has its peaches, Rocky Ford has its melons, and the San Luis Valley has its potatoes. With a rich agricultural output, Colorado House District 62 Rep. Matthew Martinez told the Chieftain that...
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SPORTS, 1B
TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2026 | CHIEFTAIN.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
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Candidates emerge for Colorado HD 62
Evans Gonzalez said his interest in running for the Colorado House of Representatives was kindled after a conversation with Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham about crime in Pueblo. Gonzalez, the owner of Super Market Gonzalez, is running as a Republican in...
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Pueblo PD: Shooting suspect was on parole
A 20-year-old suspect arrested in connection with a Feb. 19 shooting in Pueblo was already on parole for another shooting in 2021 when he was a juvenile, according to Pueblo police. Francisco Vigil was arrested on suspicion of attempted first-degree...
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Whistleblower: Patel botched probe
An FBI shooting reconstruction team was delayed in its response to the mass shooting at Brown University in December due to FBI Director Kash Patel’s “poor management” of FBI aircraft, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said on Feb. 24, citing what he regarded as...
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‘A symbol of unity, remembrance, and hope’
A Walsenburg father and son with a gift for raising show cattle, a Pueblo nursing assistant known for her compassion and care, and a pair of loving grandparents from Rye — these were the victims killed in a multi-vehicle pileup south of Pueblo on Feb....
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Another Pueblo D70 board meeting ends abruptly
Two weeks after her controversial early exit from a Feb. 10 meeting, Pueblo County School District 70 President Ann Bennett left another meeting abruptly on Feb. 24. Bennett’s departure from the standing-room-only meeting followed fellow Board...
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Council passes changes to criteria ordinance in 5-2 vote
Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham believes changes to the city’s half-cent sales tax criteria ordinance will be “monumental” for the city’s economic future and sales tax growth. Pueblo City Council approved the criteria ordinance changes in a 5-2 vote on...
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‘Flagrant disregard’
Colorado’s U.S. District Court has sanctioned the city of Pueblo after finding the city intentionally destroyed evidence in a 2022 lawsuit against the city. The lawsuit arose from a June 25, 2022, incident in which a city transit bus crashed into the...
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Pueblo senator sponsors bill to legalize sex work
A Pueblo state senator is one of four legislators sponsoring a bill to “Decriminalize Adult Commercial Sexual Activity” in the Colorado General Assembly. Sen. Nick Hinrichsen of Pueblo is joined by Sen. Lisa Cutter and Reps. Lorena Garcia and Rebekah...
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State faces lawsuit
This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters A southern Colorado elementary school that backers have called “Colorado’s first public Christian school” has sued state officials over the state’s...
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U.S. Supreme Court strikes down tariffs
WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court dealt a major blow to President Donald Trump’s economic agenda, ruling that he does not have the authority to impose sweeping tariffs at the stroke of a pen. The court on Feb. 20 tossed the tariffs that are the...
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‘What we’re doing matters to people’
The “Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act” may have been vetoed by President Donald Trump, but Colorado U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper continues to advocate for clean drinking water in Lower Arkansas River Valley communities. Hickenlooper visited the...
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Death total for Pueblo I-25 pileup grows to 5
Another person involved in a masscasualty wreck on Interstate 25 south of Pueblo on Feb. 17 died in a local hospital, bringing the death total to five. Four people — David L. Kirscht and his son, Scott L. Kirscht, both of Walsenburg, Mary Sue Thayer...
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4 dead, 29 hospitalized in mass-casualty wreck
Four people were killed, 29 were hospitalized, and Interstate 25 was closed in both directions on Feb. 17 following a mass-casualty wreck involving semitrucks and more than two-dozen passenger vehicles south of Pueblo. “The crash investigation shows...
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Colorado’s Most Endangered Places
Roughly eight years before Fort Pueblo was established in what is today Downtown Pueblo, traders gathered at what is now Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site, approximately 70 miles east along the Arkansas River. The original Bent’s Old Fort was...
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Former budget hotel owner sues Pueblo for ‘discriminatory conduct’
The former owner of a Pueblo hotel forced to close in 2024 is seeking over $5 million in damages from the city of Pueblo and Mayor Heather Graham over claims of “discriminatory” enforcement that they say forced the hotel to shut its doors. A lawsuit...
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Students protest ICE
Hundreds of Pueblo high schoolers walked out of school through the late morning and afternoon of Feb. 12 to protest the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Colorado and across the country. Syd Lowe, a sophomore at Central High...
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Groups question Trump’s governor snub
President Donald Trump has been warring with Democratic governors since returning to the White House, whether by targeting their states for strict immigration enforcement and funding cuts or mocking them with insults, such as calling Illinois Gov....
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Meeting ends abruptly
A Pueblo County School District 70 board meeting on Feb. 10 ended abruptly without adjournment after board directors spent over an hour debating who should fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former board director Anne Ochs. Board President...
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New Italian restaurant and speakeasy are now open
A new Italian restaurant and Prohibition-style speakeasy are now open to the Pueblo public after the recent grand openings of A Tavola Italian Cuisine and the Hidden Handle at 1110 U.S. Highway 50 West. A Tavola, an Italian expression which means “to...
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Council voices opposition to some state legislation
A Pueblo City Council majority was in agreement on Feb. 9 that three state bills could jeopardize public safety and local governance if passed by the Colorado Legislature. Council approved resolutions to oppose Colorado House Bill 26-1037, Colorado...
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Fired deputy faces more than a dozen felonies
Between 500,000 and 1 million files of children being sexually abused were allegedly found in the possession of a former Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office deputy, according to a heavily redacted arrest affidavit authored by PCSO detectives. Andrew Ward,...
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‘Her fight will help other children’
After making its way through Congress in an appropriations package, legislation named after a late Pueblo teen was signed into law by President Donald Trump on Feb. 3. The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act expands access to treatment for children...
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Commissioners approve hiring freeze
Pueblo County Commissioners imposed a formal hiring freeze Feb. 5 as they continue to grapple with a $10.2 million budget deficit. The resolution, approved unanimously by commissioners, cited personnel costs as a “significant portion of the overall...
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Residents worry about ICE at Super Bowl
SAN FRANCISCO – Despite repeated assurances from the NFL, as well as federal and local leaders, that there will be no ICE presence in and around the Super Bowl, Gabby Chavez-Lopez simply isn’t buying it. “Can you really blame us?” said...
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Mayor Graham celebrates wins
Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham looked back fondly on the city’s 2025 achievements while continuing to voice concerns about its 2026 budget shortfall in her second State of the City address on Feb. 3. The annual event differed from previous years as...
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Compassion, community and the Denver Broncos
Every piece of memorabilia has a story at Kevin and Sue Nunn’s Denver Broncos firehouse near their residence on the south side of Pueblo. There are countless orange-andblue jerseys worn in-game by players on one of the NFL’s most successful franchises...
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Data: Pueblo County population growth slow
Months away from its 150th birthday, the state of Colorado has reached over 6 million residents for the first time in its history. Vintage 2025 estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Jan. 27, 2026 showed that the Centennial State grew from a...
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Trump actions worry free-speech advocates
The FBI search of a Washington Post reporter’s home on Jan. 14 was a rare and intimidating move by an administration focused on repressing criticism and dissent. In its story about the search at Hannah Natanson’s home, at which FBI agents said they...
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Pueblo mayor shares revitalization plans
A revitalization project is underway to invite retail, beautify and add housing to one of Pueblo’s oldest neighborhoods. “Building Back Bessemer” is a collaborative effort between the City of Pueblo and the Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority (PURA)....
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Journalists at MN church protest arrested
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested by federal officials in Los Angeles days after a protest that disrupted a church service in Minnesota, his lawyer said, as mass demonstrations over federal immigration enforcement were planned nationwide and the...
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FBI searches GA election center over 2020 vote
The FBI executed a search warrant on Jan. 28 at the Fulton County Elections Hub & Operations Center near Atlanta as part of a probe related to the 2020 presidential election, according to multiple reports. The search at the elections center marks the...
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Allen Medina is running for sheriff in the primary
Democratic challenger Allen Medina gives Sheriff David Lucero an “F-” as a fellow democrat, Medina told the Chieftain in a recent interview. Medina, currently working in the Pueblo County Parole Office, is challenging Lucero in the Democratic primary...
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Death toll climbs amid frigid cold, power outages
The death toll from the weekend’s winter storm climbed to at least 43 people as extreme cold temperatures persisted across the central and eastern United States on Jan. 27. Tens of millions of Americans were under alerts for severe cold as a blast of...
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‘It was worth it’
Growing up on a Pueblo street named Starlite Drive and attending South High School on Hollywood Drive may have been “messages from the universe” for Elli Legerski. Legerski, a 2008 South graduate, worked as the producer for “Jane Austen’s Period...
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What’s happening at Jan. 26 Pueblo City Council?
Pueblo City Council’s second regular meeting of the year will be held at Pueblo City Hall, 1 City Hall Pl., on Monday, Jan. 26. The meeting will begin 7 p.m. following a 5:30 p.m. work session. During the regular meeting, council members will vote on...
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‘We have a strong community’
While Pueblo saw a drop in violent crime and a notable drop in homicides, Police Chief Chris Noeller says the department still has progress to make. Part one crime, which includes aggravated assault, arson, auto theft, burglary, homicide, robbery,...
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Court pauses ruling on ICE tactics in Minnesota
A federal appeals court on Jan. 21 paused a lower court’s order that had required immigration agents in Minnesota to stop using aggressive tactics such as tear gas and arrest against peaceful protesters. The move by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of...
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‘High level of service and care’
Four exceptional employees were honored as Pueblo Community College’s 2025 employees of the year during the college’s Jan. 15, 2026 employee recognition breakfast. PCC bestows its annual honor on one employee in each of the four categories — faculty,...
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‘Building a foundation’
A comprehensive parks and recreation master plan will be developed through 2027, Pueblo County Parks and Recreation leadership told the Chieftain in a recent interview. The STAR (Stewardship, Trails, Access, and Recreation) master plan is paid for by...
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Machado gains little in White House visit
WASHINGTON – Venezuelan opposition leader Marina Corina Machado got her courtesy luncheon with President Donald Trump on Jan. 15 but gained little else politically after the White House secured a $500 million deal for Venezuelan oil through ongoing...
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Pueblo woman celebrates her 105th birthday
A Pueblo woman celebrated her 105th birthday party Jan. 12 at Sharmar Village Senior Living Facility. Dorothy Garman was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in 1921, said her son Jeff Garman. Throughout World War II and the next few years, Garman worked as a...
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Iran set to retaliate if President Trump strikes
DUBAI – The United States is withdrawing some personnel from bases in the Middle East, a U.S. official said Jan. 14, after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbors it would hit American bases if Washington strikes. With Iran’s...
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Midterms to test formerly ‘fringe’ ideas
With Americans increasingly dissatisfied with their government and the direction of the country, policy prescriptions once considered on the fringe are becoming part of the mainstream debate. Take over Greenland, anyone? Open government-run grocery...
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‘Steel City Proud’ added to growing Pueblo levee mural
In a quest to reclaim the title of the world’s “Largest Outdoor Mural,” recently another 60 feet was added to the roughly three-mile stretch of the Pueblo Levee Mural. Pueblo artist Shannon Palmer, known publicly as “DEADHAND,” crafted “Steel City...
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Senate measure passes to halt Trump in Venezuela
WASHINGTON – In a rebuke of President Donald Trump from lawmakers within his own party, the Senate on Jan. 8 advanced a bipartisan measure to halt further American military action in Venezuela without congressional approval. The war powers resolution,...
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Maduro opponent vows to return
WASHINGTON – Venezuela’s main opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has vowed to return home quickly, praising President Donald Trump for toppling President Nicolás Maduro and declaring her movement ready to win a free election. Trump appears,...
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Congress members pledge action after Trump veto
The Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act passed through the House and Senate, but was vetoed by President Donald Trump on Dec. 29, 2025 for being “expensive and unreliable” policy. The Act intended to secure funds for a project supplying clean...
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Democrats face scrutiny over Israel-Gaza war
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker recently visited New Hampshire, where he met with activists and spoke at a town hall meeting, sparking speculation about a potential 2028 presidential run. The trip also underscored a political reality confronting Booker...
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Mamdani promises new era for NYC
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Jan. 1 inauguration and block party reflected a diverse city looking to make good on the 34-year-old democratic socialist’s promises to address affordability. On a freezing New Year’s Day, the Democratic mayor took...
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President Trump’s tariffs impacting Americans
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump had been in office less than three months when he slapped retaliatory tariffs on imports from dozens of countries, arguing the duties would benefit American companies that have been treated unfairly by foreign...
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Feds freeze child care payments to MN
The Department of Health and Human Services froze child care payments to Minnesota in the wake of what the agency said is fraud at day cares in the state, and it has tightened restrictions for other payments across the country. The department took...
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Trump ties Gaza peace to Hamas disarmament
WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Hamas must lay down its weapons for his Gaza peace plan to progress, though reconstruction of the Palestinian enclave could begin sooner. Netanyahu,...
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Art gallery marks 1-year in historic building
Steel City Art Works Gallery in Pueblo is celebrating its one-year anniversary at its new location with the opening of “Artful Echoes,” the gallery announced. The show will feature a variety of art forms that have been displayed at the gallery over...
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When do students go back to school?
Following Christmas Day, most students in Pueblo County have a little over a week before its time to return to school for the spring 2026 semester. Pueblo School District 60 and Pueblo County School District 70 students are scheduled to return to...
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‘DEEP CONNECTION’
The places Indigenous peoples call home have intertwined with their ways of life for millennia. Their stories, foodways and cultures relate directly to their homelands. Lands, waters, plants and animals, the creatures that inhabit the waters below and...
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Old coins? Sports cards?
A passion that began with searches through his father’s pocket change has turned into a rewarding endeavor for J&J Coins owner Jared Burbank. J&J Coins, 123 E. Abriendo Ave., is a Pueblo business specializing in the buying and selling of coinage and...
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Spotify hits marketing sweet spot
Even before the 2025 Spotify Wrapped dropped, I had a hunch what mine would reveal. Lo and behold, one of my most-listened-to songs was an obscure 2004 track titled “Rusty Chevrolet” by the Irish band Shanneyganock. I heard it first thanks to my son,...
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Pueblo health department gives tips on food safety during the holidays
An estimated 48 million cases, 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths are the annual results of foodborne illnesses in the United States. About 80% foodborne illness cases go unreported, according to Lee LaJeunesse of the Pueblo Department of...
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Survivors call redactions in Epstein files ‘abnormal’
WASHINGTON – More than a dozen victims of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein criticized the Justice Department’s release of documents about the investigation as “riddled with abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation.” One example was a...
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Colorado State Fair wins 23 international and regional awards
The Colorado State Fair received several awards at recent industry conventions, collecting a total of 15 honors from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) and eight from the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs (RMAF), according...
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THE INVISIBLE KILLER
Lung cancer? ● “But I never smoked,” Melissa Derrig said after doctors finally figured out what was causing her headaches, vertigo and the strange noise she heard deep inside her throat last year. ● Melissa, a retired small-business owner, had always...
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Pueblo D70 board accepts Ochs resignation, discusses road ahead
The Pueblo County School District 70 Board of Education voted Dec. 16 to accepted the resignation of former board director Anne Ochs. In accepting the resignation, the board declared Ochs’ former Director District 2 seat vacant. The seat includes...
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Nick Reiner charged in parents’ stabbing
After the slayings of acclaimed Hollywood actor-director Rob Reiner and his producer wife, Michele Singer Reiner, and their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, being charged with murder, the couple’s friends are speaking out about their deaths. In a...
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FBI seeks leads in Brown shooting
A search in Rhode Island rolled into its fourth day Dec. 16 as federal and state officers pursued a suspect who opened fire during a final exam at Brown University, killing two, injuring nine and leaving no obvious indication of a motive. The widening...
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Colleges join forces on nursing shortage
The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that there were over 1,900 registered nurses in the Pueblo Metropolitan Statistical Area in May 2024. A recent agreement between Colorado State University Pueblo and UCHealth seeks to address “financial...
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Momento recovered
Almost 50 years after going missing, a Pueblo Vietnam veteran’s ring has been returned to his widow. John Palumbo, a veteran of the 3rd Marine Division, graduated from Pueblo East High School in 1968 before joining the U.S. Marine Corps. He was...
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DOJ prosecution failures ‘unprecedented’
Dismissed indictments; two grand juries refusing to issue new charges; a judge blocking key evidence from being used for a fresh case: In trying to prosecute key targets of President Donald Trump, the Justice Department has faced failures on a scale...
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Pueblo D70 board director leaves meeting early
Pueblo County School District 70 board director Anne Ochs announced plans to resign before leaving a Dec. 9 school board meeting early. Ochs’ announcement followed open forum comments by Hannah McDowell. McDowell called for Ochs’ resgination after...
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Councilors approve funds to repair old PBR building
A $191,903.17 emergency construction contract was approved in a 6 to1 by Pueblo City Council on Dec. 8 for sanitary sewer point repairs to the former Professional Bull Riders (PBR) headquarters, 101 W. Riverwalk Place. In May, councilors approved $9...
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Pueblo hot sauce company gets visit from Gov. Polis
Temperatures stayed below freezing for most of Dec. 4 in Pueblo, but the hot sauces inside PexPeppers’ Lake Avenue shop were scorching. The local hot sauce company, 2705 Lake Ave., had a special visitor that day. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis met with...
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‘Rehabilitative in nature’
Pueblo’s C.A.R.E. Inc., located at 215 W. 2nd St, cut the ribbon Thursday on a new “sensory room” for intellectually and developmentally disabled adults. “Just like you and I, people with disabilities aren’t all alike, so some of them don’t benefit...
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