Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs

Halloween is still a few months away, but if you like your haunts authentic and year-round you’ll want to check out some of these places in Southern Colorado.

Get your ghost tour started off right with one of the most haunted places in America, Brairhurst Manor Estate, located in Manitou Springs.

This historic residence attracted national attention when it was featured on a show called “Ghost Hunters” on the ScyFy Network in 2009.  Earlier visitors have said that they have seen unexplained images, shadows at night and sounds from past generations that can’t be accounted for.

According to the estate’s directors of historic and paranormal research, Erik and Tammila Wright, guests experience things like “vases flying across the room, silverware spinning on plates and things grabbing you that you can’t see.”

The minute visitors arrive in the grand parlor, there is a winding staircase that stands out, but sometimes other things will catch their attention such as “children running across the staircase and bouncing a ball downstairs and then just disappearing,” Erik said.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ghostly activity at the estate. Reports of the unexplained from past guests and the paranormal atmosphere have made an impression on visitors for a number of decades.

The next place you may want to check out on your ghost tour is the Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs.

The castle was built in 1895 by a priest for himself and his mother. It was used as a tuberculosis sanitarium at the turn of

the century and has also been used as a retreat for retired clergy.

Many people in town believe there are dozens of spirits that haunt its halls. The people that know the castle well also believe that some of the spirits of those who actually lived in the castle over the years have stayed.

Numerous people have reported seeing a couple walk down the main staircase clothed in Victorian clothing. Footsteps are often heard on the stairs, when there is no one there.

A little girl and boy have been seen in the gift shop on several occasions. The girl was seen holding a doll in the doll display room, and when the gift shop employee asked her to put it down and find her mother, instead the girl disappeared.

Employees also report that the reflection of a woman has been seen in the mirror of the 16-sided bedroom, along with other strange happenings such as things being moved or flying off shelves, lights turning on and off and doors being opened and closed.  Each time, no one is ever found in the area.

One more stop you should add to your ghost tour is the old hospital in Colorado Springs at Institute and Pike Peak.  It’s about 100 years old and has been closed since 2010.  It now sits abandoned and up for sale.

There are rumors of activity on the second floor like the sounds creaking of bedsprings, wheelchairs rolling in the halls, muffled conversations and shadows lurking behind the glass windowed doors in the dark.  Yet there are no beds or wheelchairs left in the building.

An old patient recalls waiting alone in an examination room and seeing a little girl playing “peek-a-boo” with her at the door and looking like she wanted her to follow her.  After her doctor visit, the patient asked if she could go play with the little girl, but she was told that she was the only child patient that day.

Other visitors to the hospital have seen apparitions of doctors from the waist down in doorways and have heard conversations and even screams of sick people who never left the hospital.

So if you plan to take a Southern Colorado ghost tour, be sure to include these three places.  They will have you spooked, to say the least.

Check them out for yourself, if you dare.

by Feruz Tewolde

Seth Rogen and Zac Efron continue to hold the number two spot at the box office with their movie “Neighbors.”

If you’re looking for some laughs this weekend, then this comedic duo can get the job done. It had the audience laughing throughout the whole movie. I mean, how can you not laugh with Rogen in the movie?

Rogen and Rose Byrne play the roles of new parents, Mac and Kelly, enjoying their baby girl. At the same, they seem to have mixed emotions about losing their old lives where they were able to have fun. When they start to get insecure about their new lives, they attempt to go out but fall asleep instead.

The movie really gets going when Efron (Teddy) and Dave Franco (Pete) move into the house next door with their fraternity. Teddy and Pete initiate most of the frat’s obnoxious behavior with things such as late night parties which bother Mac and Kelly.

As the situation continues, it brings out Mac and Kelly’s insecurities even more, missing their old life.

With the frat living next door, the couple wants to look cool. They get on the frat’s good side by giving a joint as a peace offering and promising to be considerate as neighbors.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t work and it becomes Mac vs. Teddy in an all-out war.  This was the best part of the movie, with escalating, hilarious pranks and sabotage.  Some of these are executed by a handful of other frat members played by funny, lesser-known actors Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Ike Barinholtz, Craig Roberts and Jerrod Carmichael.

Kelly wants the frat out as much as her husband does, but she doesn’t get involved in the war. Instead she becomes the voice of reason.  Later in the movie, she does try to drive a wedge between Pete and Teddy, and she helps devise plans to get the frat in trouble with the dean, played by Lisa Kudrow.

The physical comedy is well choreographed, even with the sight gags, which had the audience reacting with “oo’s” and “aww’s.” It will have you on your toes wondering what these pranksters will try and pull next.

The movie is a raunchy comedy which is no surprise; the director is Nicholas Stoller, known for his movies, “The Five-Year Engagement” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” He is no stranger at mixing raunch with tenderness, and he does it well with this movie.

The audience really enjoyed the movie. The pranks and raunchiness pulled them in and had them glued throughout the whole movie. Knowing who directed this movie beforehand, it was evident what it would have in store.

If you aren’t a Nicholas Stoller fan, I wouldn’t recommend “Neighbors” because you may take offense to it. But if raunchy comedy is up your alley, then you want to add this one to your list of must-sees.

Everyone at Colorado State University-Pueblo is excited for our Denver Broncos. Students are geared up and ready to cheer on their team. Whether they’re going for the Broncos or Seahawks, the trash talking has definitely picked up, as we get closer to Super Bowl Sunday. Photo courtesy of http://www.brewvies.com/

Super Bowl Sunday is just around the corner. The last time the Broncos made it to the Super Bowl was Jan. 31 1999. Now, 15 years later, they’re finally going back to try and bring it home for Denver.

Everyone at Colorado State University-Pueblo is excited for our Denver Broncos. Students are geared up and ready to cheer on their team. Whether they’re going for the Broncos or Seahawks, the trash talking has definitely picked up, as we get closer to Super Bowl Sunday.

“I’m proud of the Broncos, it’s been too long, they deserve it” said Patrick Hilaire, a senior majoring in sociology, “it should be a good game; hopefully the Broncos can bring it home for us.”

Hilaire isn’t the only one hoping the Broncos take it all on Sunday, Destynee Miles, a junior majoring in psychology, hopes for the best for the Broncos.

“I’m not really going for anyone, I’m just going to watch the game but I am proud of the Broncos for making it to the Super Bowl, I wish them nothing but the best,” Miles said.

For every Bronco fan there is Seahawks fan that doesn’t want the Broncos to win.

Ramon Smith, a freshman majoring in business said, “The Seahawks are going to take it, Broncos don’t have a chance, the only good thing that may help them is Peyton Manning and that’s why they made it in the first place.”

Many students argue that Broncos will win on Sunday, but that quarterback Peyton Manning isn’t the only reason why they’ve made it this year.

“It’s not just about Manning, he’s not the only one that’s in the game, his receivers are clearly doing their job at executing plays,” said a student majoring in biology, “I love my broncos, they’re a team and people need to remember that before saying Manning is why we’ve made it, every player is doing their part; it’s a team effort.”

Clearly it is a team effort, without receivers on the Broncos like Demaryius Thomas, leading the team 92 catches for 1430 yards and 14 touchdowns, Manning may have had a more of difficult time getting the team where they’re at now.

Both teams do have their work cut out for them as the Broncos are the highest-scoring offense since 1990 and the Seahawks have the defense that gave up the fewest points this season.

“It really is going to be a competitive game, both teams have great players that are ready to do what they need to get their team this ‘W’” said Hilaire, “Broncos have a good offense but Seahawks have a good defense too so they both better come ready to play.”

As both teams should be, it’s going to be a battle between the league’s top-ranked offense vs. the league’s No. 1 defense.

“At the end of the day someone has to take home the Lombardi Trophy and our Denver Broncos are definitely capable of doing that,” Miles said.

With nearly everyone owning a cell phone, texting while driving has become a huge problem in our nation. Studies shows that people that text and drive are 23 times more likely to get into an accident than other drivers. Even with this research done, many still choose to ignore it. 

According to distraction.gov, a federal government website on distracted driving, 3,331 people have died in traffic accidents involving a distracted driver in 2011, up from 3,267 the previous year. Another 387,000 people were injured in accidents involving distracted drivers in 2011.

Sending or reading a text takes the driver’s eyes off the road on average of 4.6 seconds. This means that driver is driving blind for the length of a football field if traveling at 55 mph.

Teenage drivers involved in fatal accidents, 21 percent of the distracted drivers were distracted by cell phones.

25 percent of teens nationwide respond to a text at least once every time they drive. Twenty percent of teens and 10 percent of parents admit they have engaged in lengthy text conversations while driving.

In Colorado, it is illegal for anyone to text while driving and if you’re under the age of 18 you can’t use a cell phone while driving. On average 11 teens are killed a day due to texting while driving.

This summer authorities have made it a priority to watch for drivers that are texting while driving. Authorities do not need another reason to pull you over if they see you texting and driving. If you are caught texting and driving the fine is $125 and $250 if you are caught for the second time.

So next time you get into your car, think twice about replying to a text. It can wait, don’t become a statistic; save your own life and someone else’s.

There are changes coming for Colorado State University-Pueblo due to the recent retirements of our beloved faculty. The retirements of Bruce Gifford, dean of Student Services and Enrollment Management, and Dr. Lin Chang, director of Institutional Research, have caused the need to reorganize the senior administrative level that will help save with costs, also while making sure that these units continue to run efficiently. 

Dr. Rick Kreminski will be appointed as acting director of Institutional Research beginning July 1. Dr. Kreminski has been a great help in assisting with data collection and analysis. His expertise is important to the continuation of the PREP process, assessment, program reviews and university wide retention and enrollment management initiatives. Dr. Kreminski will also be asked to conduct a holistic review of the IR office and its functions during this transition period so they can find ways to maximize the effectiveness of the unit going forward.

In addition to Dr. Kreminski taking over as acting director of Institutional Research, he will also resume his role as dean of the College of Science and Mathematics on July 15, holding both responsibilities.

Currently there is a search going on for a new vice president of Student Services and Enrollement Management to replace Bruce Gifford. The two student services and enrollment management positions of dean and associate dean are being reorganized and being replaced with a vice president of Student Services and Enrollment Management and a dean of Student Life.

Marjorie Villani will become acting dean of Student Life with these reorganizations. She is also planning to retire within the next few months as she takes over while the search is being conducted. The new vice president of Student Services and Enrollment Management will take over for the search for a dean of Student Life.

Due to the resignation of LaNeeca Williams, a search will begin for a fulltime director of Diversity and Inclusiveness to continue the commitment to diversity at CSU-Pueblo. The person who is chosen will continue to work with the University Board for Diversity and Equality, and oversee the Diversity Resource Center and its programming. The needs for AA/EEO and Title X have yet to be addressed. AA/EEO will temporarily reside with Human Resources.

Many factors came into play while making these changes, cost saving being one of them. PREP conclusions have also been taken into consideration, individuals already here who are capable of performing these duties, and the ongoing commitment to creating the most efficient and effective administrative structure for Colorado State University-Pueblo.

We thank all faculties who have stepped in to take over certain duties. With all of these changes taking place, it can only create an opportunity for a better future for students here at CSU-Pueblo.

As the new academic year starts this year, so will new parking rates. Parking rates are expected to increase starting Sept. 1, 2013. The increase will bring in additional revenue from these new adjustments, which will allow Colorado State University-Pueblo to meet transportation and current parking needs, and will also allow for the safe and efficient flow of traffic.

The new parking rates will affect not only students but also faculty and staff. Faculty and staff regular parking will increase from $10 a month to $12 a month. Reserved parking will also increase from $25 a month to $30 a month.

Part-time Faculty (adjunct) & Staff parking will increase from $4.90 up to $5 by the year 2014. Full-time Faculty & Staff Green Vehicle Discount will increase up to $9.60 by 2014. Green Vehicle Decal Discount will also go up from $60 to $80 by 2014.

As for students, Student Permanent Decal will continue at $75 for the 2013 fall semester but will be discontinued afterwards. Students may purchase a Student Hanging Decal for $100, which will remain the same through next year. High School Student parking will increase by $2 reaching up to $8.33 by spring semester.

Student Motorcycle Decal will have a $3 increase from $37 to $40.

With all of these new adjustments, residents seem to have the biggest jump in parking rates. A Resident Decal will increase by $55 from $45 to $100 starting 2014 and it just gets higher from there. Walking Stick Resident Decal will continue to be free for fall 2013 but will jump up to $100 for spring 2014 and residents aren’t too happy with this jump.

“This is crap, I’ve lived here for three years and soon I have to pay for parking, a hundred dollars, which could go towards rent,” said a senior at CSU-Pueblo currently living in the Walking Stick Apartments.

So as you’re getting ready for the 2013-14 academic year, make sure you’re getting your wallets ready as well, as some will get hit harder than others when the new parking rates take effect.

Visit the Parking Operations Office in the Administration Bldg, Room 118 to purchase or return your permits.

The fourth is just around the corner, have you figured out what you’ll be doing? No matter if you have the day off or not, there are plenty of festivities to partake in even after you get off of work. 

Start your day off with an “All-American” breakfast at The Sliding Door Diner. The diner will be hosting its second annual All-American Pancake Breakfast to get you going for the rest of your eventful day. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 4 and under. Stuff your stomach with pancakes or waffles, bacon or sausage, scrambled eggs, orange juice, and coffee. There will also be caboose rides available for $4 and $10 to ride in the locomotive.

Keep the celebration going with the Pueblo West 4th of July Community Parade. At 7:30 a.m. the Liberty Point 5k Run will take place. Following that will be the Wet and Dry Community Parade, either if you decide to get wet or stay dry; it’ll be fun for the whole family. Then stick around for the Street Festival and Carshow at the Civic Center.

Tired yet? How about we head over to the Riverwalk for some more fun! In the mood for some FREE fresh healthy food? Well the Farmers’ Market will be bringing several local farmers to the Riverwalk for a great variety of fresh produce. Stroll around the market listening to live music while the vendors cater to your appetite. Then relax with a Happy Hour Cruise on one of the Riverwalk Excursion Boats or just enjoy a ride with your family through the channel.

If that’s not enough, stick around for more. Last year the HARP Foundation, in conjunction with the Pueblo Symphony Orchestra presented Rollin’ on the Riverwalk and they’re back to do it again. Listen and watch as they put on another astounding show. You don’t want to miss this; they are anticipating a record-breaking crowd. Admission for an adult is $3 and kids ages 4-12 are $1. Bring the family down and complete your celebration with vibrant music and electrifying fireworks that will light up the sky.

No matter what you decide to do, there’s plenty going on to keep you busy. The fourth will be full of events, so come on down and partake in the celebration.

After 13 years of serving as director of Institutional Research and Analysis at CSU-Pueblo, Dr. Lin Chang has decided to retire at the end of June. File photo.

After 13 years of serving as director of Institutional Research and Analysis at CSU-Pueblo, Dr. Lin Chang has decided to retire at the end of June. She has accomplished many things throughout her career since she joined CSU-Pueblo in 2000. 

Dr. Lin Chang’s duties as director of Institutional Research and Analysis includes providing information for policy and management decisions to the campus through collecting, analyzing, reporting, and assisting in the use of information about CSU-Pueblo students, courses, graduates and employees. She also works collaboratively with the university’s leadership group, academic departments, administrative units and campus committees.

Dr. Chang has served on the President’s Leadership Team, Enrollment Management Team, Academic Excellence Committee, Academic Computing Advisory Committee, and the Kane Scholarship Committee. Even with all of these responsibilities, her work didn’t stop there.

One can see and hear the passion in her voice through her words as she discusses her career. She is driven and her personality shines through her work. She truly takes joy in what she does, “to make sense out of data and come to wise decisions, I enjoy it,” said Dr. Chang.

In addition to the responsibilities listed above, she compiled the annual “Fact Book” and data for the “Institutional Snapshots” as part of the NCA 10 year accreditation. Dr. Chang also created the Entering Student Questionnaire, Graduating Student Survey, and Alumni Survey, which are all still being used to this day. With all the data she collects, she provides and reports to important stakeholders at the federal, state, and the system level.

Dr. Chang joined the handful pioneers in introducing data-mining technology to higher education since 2003. She published and presented case studies through the National Association of Institutional Research, applying “cluster analysis” and “predictive modeling” to examine how admissions status, financial aid, and first semester performance impacted freshmen first year retention.

One of her works that has been published in her field is her article called, “Applying Data Mining to Predict College Admissions Yield: A Case Study,” published in “Data Mining in Action: Case studies of Enrollment Management,” Wiley Periodicals, 2006, part of a collection of articles from New Directions for Institutional Research. Clearly, Dr. Chang has achieved a lot throughout her years as the director of Institutional Research and Analysis.

After her retirement Dr. Chang will continue her volunteer work with the Pueblo community and the campus community in the symphony alongside her husband. She is retiring to spend more time with her family and mother, “if you don’t do it now, you will regret it,” said Dr. Chang.

She leaves big shoes to fill as she leaves CSU-Pueblo. Dr. Rick Kreminski will be overseeing the day-to-day operations of the IR office until a replacement is hired. A national search is said to begin shortly to replace Dr. Chang.

The university and colleagues will be saying their goodbyes and congratulating Dr. Chang on her well-deserved retirement. The university will be hosting a reception for Dr. Chang on July 1 in the Heartwell Lounge of the OUC.

Don’t get your hopes up with “The Hangover Part III.” Photo courtesy of http://www.nerdlocker.com

Don’t get your hopes up with “The Hangover Part III.” It’s kind of hard to recommend it. Its comedy is dimmer than its predecessors. It seems as if the Wolfpack just isn’t as funny anymore; all the good humor has been sucked out of it. In the audience I was in, there were fewer laughs, aside from a couple that I’m pretty sure were stoned, being that they laughed at everything. 

It isn’t as bizarre as “The Hangover,” and it certainly isn’t as bizarre as “The Hangover Part II,” so I think a lot of fans may have been letdown. Part three feels like it was made because director Todd Phillips, his actors and filmmakers had one last thing to say about these characters before they ended it all.

There really isn’t a hangover to be found anywhere in the plot. (Actually, almost anywhere, but we’ll get back to that.) Alan (Zach Galifianakis) remains as morally obtuse, socially maladjusted and spectacularly bearded as ever. When his father (Jeffrey Tambor) passes away suddenly in a dark and brutally funny scene, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) all agree it’s time for an intervention. The three of them locate a mental health facility that seems like a good fit, have a sit-down with Alan to convince him to go and promise to drive him out there in honor of the Wolfpack tradition.

It isn’t long into the road trip when a van runs them off the highway, filled with guys dressed in weird pig masks, and led by the cruel Marshall (John Goodman). It turns out Chow (Ken Jeong), the cause of much of the havoc in the first two films, stole a fortune in gold from Marshall before he was locked up in a Thai prison at the end of part two. He’s just broken out, and Marshall wants Phil, Stu and Alan to track Chow down and return his gold, while he holds Doug as collateral.

Notice I didn’t say much about the plot. It’s fun enough, taking us from Tijuana to a full circle climax at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. We even get to reunite with Jade (Heather Graham) and Black Doug (Mike Epps) from the first movie, as well as Jade’s newborn, who is now a little kid. But the plot isn’t what sucked me in. It was the fact that Phillips and the crew returned to this material one more time to bring these characters to completion.

Overall “The Hangover III” is Alan’s movie. He’s essential to most of the action, he even gets himself a romantic interest (Melissa McCarthy) who’s a perfect fit to him sharing into his own quirks, and the movie’s misadventures ultimately become a kind of mental reclamation in place of the institutional one. The pursuit of Chow, the destructively psychotic yin to Alan’s yang, becomes a way for the latter to finally deal with his own worst impulses.

I do wish “The Hangover III” had been as ambitious as part two but, “The Hangover” will always be my favorite of the trilogy; it turned out dealing with the consequences of Vegas-style affair into an almost joyful adventure of its own.

Oh, and as for the missing actual hangover in the plot? Be sure to stick around for the post-credits.