Author: STEPHANIE EARLS
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Woodland Park man whose mom may be among Penrose bodies blames ‘monsters’ allowed by lack of government oversight
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His instincts tried to warn him that something wasn’t right about Return to Nature, but Jesse Elliott’s grief had been so loud. The Woodland Park man had just lost his 76-year-old mom, Yong Anderson, on June 2. He was in a fog and just trying to do the things one must after death leaves a…
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‘Green’ burials come in many formats, but flame cremation isn’t one of them
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The discovery of more than 115 decaying bodies at Return to Nature, a Penrose funeral home that provided flame cremations but primarily marketed itself as a “green” burial business, has inspired questions about a niche of the modern funeral industry whose practices date back to the dawn of grief and ritual. Colorado law requires bodies…
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Extended stay: After an eviction, motel limbo is the only option for this Colorado family. If they can afford it.
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Up the breezeway stairs, over the spilled, spewed remnants of someone else’s bad decisions and a skinny guy sitting cross-legged on the balcony who doesn’t open his eyes as you pass, is the motel room the Sheppard family is grateful to have on this bitterly cold mid-January day. The space inside is warm, chartreuse-walled and…
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Army vet who helped end Club Q mass shooting to be honored by Red Cross
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The gratitude and honors continue for Club Q hero Richard Fierro, one of two men who sprung into action to subdue a mass shooter at the LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs on Nov. 19. The decorated Army veteran, who served four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, will receive the “Lifesaving Military Hero of the Year…
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Club Q hero reflects on tragedy that fractured Colorado Springs community, brewery ‘family’
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Rich Fierro, the army vet who tackled the Club Q mass shooter, and his wife Jessica, give an update on life after the shooting and business at their Colorado Springs brewery, Atrevida Beer Co. In the two months since Richard Fierro helped subdue the Club Q gunman, bringing a shooting rampage that killed five and…
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Organizer of largest Club Q GoFundMe says 100% of donations will go to survivors, victims
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A GoFundMe account set up for Club Q victims by Denver business owner Faith Haug had topped $837,000 by mid-weekend, and on Sunday Haug announced a “significant update” about how the funds are being managed and distributed, thanks to a new partnership with a national nonprofit. The largest GoFundMe effort for victims of the Nov.…
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Partner, dreams of wedding chapel bliss, die in Club Q rampage
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Theirs was a whirlwind romance of laughter, lyrics and the unabashed sappiness of unexpected true love. Wyatt Kent and Daniel Aston’s friends at Club Q watched that love blossom over the months after the two met while working at the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ venue – Aston behind the bar, and Kent as a drag performer. Their…
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Club Q victim Kelly Loving: ‘Always trying to help the next person’
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Kelly Loving, a 40-year-old trans woman from Denver, was visiting Colorado Springs for the weekend, her friend Natalee Skye Bingham told the New York Times, calling Loving a close friend who had at times been like a “trans mother” to her. Bingham said she and Loving had just ended a FaceTime call when the shooting…
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Colorado Springs breweries join forces for day-long Club Q fundraiser
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Visit your favorite area craft brewery on Saturday, and odds are a portion of your tab will help support survivors and victims of the Nov. 19 mass shooting at Club Q. More than 20 local breweries have signed on to participate in the “Brews for Q” fundraiser, agreeing to pass on part of the day’s…
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‘Hero’ Army vet who tackled Club Q mass shooter says he acted on instinct
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A 45-year-old Colorado Springs Army veteran who was at Club Q in Colorado Springs when a mass shooter opened fire late Saturday night says he suddenly found himself in a situation for which he’d been uniquely, horribly, trained. Rich Fierro now is being hailed as a hero, after he says he reacted on instinct to…
