Author: Seth Boster, The Gazette

TRINIDAD ? The dignitaries posed for pictures while Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order Thursday creating Colorado’s next state park. Meanwhile, the man who knew the land better than anyone stood off the side of the dirt road, cowboy hat blocking the sun, thumbs in the pockets of his blue jeans. Troy Velarde thought…

FLORISSANT ? It was in the middle of the night, a time that seemed like the sun would never rise on Independence Day, when Vickie Robbins came home to this outpost of Teller County, as good a place as any to start the American dream. The coffee shop was still here at the crossroads –…

COLORADO SPRINGS – Gazette Editor in Chief Vince Bzdek will sit down with a leading campaign strategist and media consultant Wednesday evening to discuss the evolving relationship between politics and journalism. Stuart Stevens has been at the forefront of high-profile campaigns going back to Bob Dole’s presidential run in 1996. One of his five books, “The…

In continuing his promotional tour around the country, Ron Stallworth on Tuesday landed in Iowa, where the snow and gray skies could do nothing to dampen his mood. “If you saw the smile on my face, it would blind you,” he said. Stallworth, Colorado Springs’ first black police detective, is the real-life subject of “BlacKkKlansman,”…

COLORADO SPRINGS – Government data released Thursday confirmed what the outdoor recreation industry has known all along: that it is indeed a force. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that the likes of hikers, cyclists, anglers and off-road enthusiasts pump $412 billion into the nation’s gross domestic product, accounting for 2.2 percent of the economy.…

It was all smiles Tuesday at the Manitou Incline, where cameras captured advocates presenting a $10,000 check for maintenance of the Pikes Peak region’s most iconic trail. But behind the smiles was worry, as the 100-year-old Barr Trail is being battered by more people using it to descend from the Incline. Funds have lagged behind…

DENVER – In some ways, it was business as usual at Outdoor Retailer, the country’s premier trade show that on Thursday began its four-day stay at the Colorado Convention Center. But in more ways, the show bringing together thousands of brands and retailers was different this time. The obvious change was the venue: OR arrives…

Colorado Springs’ Trails, Open Space and Parks program is eyeing land to add to Corral Bluffs Open Space, which was acquired eight years ago and remains closed to the public. Earlier this week, committee members of the preservation group under the Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department toured some of a privately-owned 223-acre…