By Ashlyn Drury

Colorado State University Pueblo football went head to head against Western Colorado University at the Thunderbowl stadium.

 On Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, the CSU Pueblo Football team had their first Colorado team match-up against Western Colorado University. It was a challenging game, and the opponents kept the Thunderwolves on their toes. 

CSU Pueblo had a 10 to 7 lead into the last quarter of the game when Western suddenly tied the score by making a 40-yard field goal. Shortly after, Western took a 17-10 lead with a touchdown. 

The Thunderwolves fought till the end; however, they were unsuccessful.

Although the football team didn’t walk away with a win, the crowd in attendance showed their support and rowdiness throughout the entirety. 

There were over 7,000 fans in the stands, including hundreds of students from across Colorado for CSU Pueblo Band Day and the cheer and dance teams. 

Fourth-year cheerleader, Tanner Hall, plays a significant role in engaging the crowd. You can find him tumbling, being a back spot, and getting the crowd’s attention during the game. Doing backhand, after backhand, and flipping down the track, he’s hard to miss.

 Hall says his favorite part of game day is performing with the band, cheer and dance teams during the pregame tailgates. 

The Thunderwolves are now 1-3 as of Sept. 27. On Saturday, Oct. 1, the Homecoming game for CSU Pueblo vs. Fort Lewis will be at the Thunderbowl stadium. Anyone with further questions or to learn more about Pack athletics, contact the department at (719)-549-2711. 

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By Zoe Holman

Colorado Springs celebrates the closure of the Martin Drake Power Plant, officially closed on Sept. 1, 2022, after a years-long effort on behalf of clean air lobbyists. 

The dangerous nature of the power plant was brought to light most definitively by the Colorado Springs Gazette in 2019; the article highlighted the power plant as El Paso County’s single largest stationary source of the pollutant nitrogen oxide.

There has been an ongoing dialogue between those speaking on behalf of the Martin Drake Power Plant and environmentalists fighting for its closure.

Chris Welch, a Colorado Springs Utilities’ Interim Permitting Services Supervisor, said, “[Utilities has] done a lot over the years to reduce our nitrogen oxide emissions, and we only see that trend continuing in the future.”

There were efforts made on behalf of Utilities to reduce emissions – the pollution slashed by more than a third since 2014 as the plants adopted new low-nitrogen oxide burners and other emission control technologies.

However, the data didn’t stay in their favor. In 2018, Drake emitted roughly 1,290 tons of nitrogen oxide. It outperformed its closest competitors, the Ray Nixon Power Plant, emitting 910 tons and the natural-gas-fired Front Range Power Plant, emitting 330 tons – making it the worst pollutant.

According to the state health department, in 2018, Colorado Springs’ two area air monitors measured the air quality to discover that the levels were above the federal limit of 70 parts per billion on seven occasions – a weight-by-weight ratio used to describe concentrations.

Unfortunately, this environmental victory was inevitable – and rather shallow. As a coal-burning power plant, the Martin Drake plant was utilizing a non-renewable resource. The crews have moved to a natural gas operation expected to be fully commissioned in early 2023.

Natural gas is shown to be less environmentally damaging. New, more efficient power plants are rumored to emit around 50% less carbon dioxide during combustion. 

However, methane is still a very powerful greenhouse gas that still contributes to damage to the ozone layer. The advantage being it dissipates faster than carbon dioxide. The disadvantage being it is far more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, the region’s air quality planning agency, revived its air quality committee to keep Colorado Springs from being designated as a “nonattainment area.” The city does not meet the national primary or secondary ambient air quality standard for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

Francois Raab, an air quality committee member, acknowledges the half-measure. Raab says, “To reduce emission, you have to target the source of emission. Targeting a single source is easier than targeting hundreds of thousands of sources, from a practical standpoint.”

He’s not wrong. But larger, more expensive, yet more effective solutions should be considered.

Colorado Springs has already shown a willingness to improve its environmental impact; the Martin Drake Power Plant closure is part of the Colorado Springs Utilities Sustainable Energy Plan, which calls for eliminating all coal as an energy source by 2030. The city has plans to eventually replace its energy sources with the new 175-megawatt Pike Solar and Storage Project.

However, the United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates roughly 27% of total U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making it the largest contributor to U.S. GHG emissions. Colorado Springs should consider public transportation solutions to improve the city’s air quality.

Regardless, this is a step forward in promoting green energies and healthier alternatives to coal-burning energies and other fossil fuels. While we must be aware of what the future will need, we can also enjoy environmental victories. And with jobs promised to the Martin Drake Power Plant’s former crew, there is little reason not to celebrate.

The post A power plant closure, a step in the right direction first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

By Zoe Schimke and Maddie Lira

This November, Colorado voters will have the chance to decide whether or not certain psychedelic mushrooms will be legal to use as a form of natural medicine in their state. A new ballot measure, Proposition 122, would decriminalize the personal use and possession of several types of hallucinogenic plants. If passed, this initiative would make Colorado the second state in the nation, behind Oregon, to decriminalize psilocybin.

Psilocybin and other hallucinogens are currently classified as Schedule 1 controlled substances under federal law, meaning that officially, they have “no medical benefit” and a high potential for abuse. They have traditionally been viewed with skepticism, but recent research shows that there might be benefits to using some psychedelic drugs to treat [severe cases of] mental illness. This ballot initiative is designed to give those struggling with depression regulated access to these natural substances through licensed providers.

Proposition 122 is sponsored by Natural Medicine Colorado, a committee that promotes nontraditional drug treatments as breakthrough therapies for conditions like depression. 

Natural Medicine Colorado’s website says, “Natural psychedelic medicines are non-addictive and can have profound benefits for people struggling with challenging mental health conditions including depression and anxiety and those struggling to find peace at the end of their lives…The FDA has granted psilocybin’ breakthrough treatment’ status for its success with treatment-resistant depression, meaning psilocybin has succeeded where other methods have failed.” 

99.23% of Natural Medicine Colorado’s campaign contributions come from New Approach PAC, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, that supports progressive initiatives towards legalizing drugs like psychedelics and cannabis to reform drug laws and reduce mass incarceration rates. According to Ballotpedia, New Approach PAC contributed over $10 million to campaigns supporting the legalization of cannabis and medical cannabis initiatives between 2014 and 2020. 

Natural Medicine Colorado cites a 2020 study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers that showed “rapid and large reductions” in depressive symptoms following two doses of psilocybin. 

Dr. Roland Griffiths, one of the lead researchers, said, “Because there are several types of major depressive disorders that may result in variation in how people respond to treatment, I was surprised that most of our study participants found the psilocybin treatment effective.” 

Half of their study participants were no longer considered to be experiencing major depression one month after the psychedelic treatments. The psilocybin treatments in this study yielded success in treating patients with depression four times greater than in clinical trials for traditional antidepressants. 

Traditional FDA-approved medications can take weeks or months to work and have many undesirable side effects. If psilocybin ever undergoes traditional clinical trials, and the results of this study hold, it could be a game changer for available antidepressant treatments. An earlier study in 2016 revealed that psilocybin significantly relieved anxiety and depression in cancer patients, in whom emotional distress is common and significant. 

Though some results of using psilocybin in a clinical setting are optimistic, the bill’s critics are concerned that it might contribute to Colorado’s increasing drug problems and be difficult for law enforcement to parse. The Colorado Springs Gazette’s editorial board penned an article strongly opposing the initiative, concerned that it will benefit corporate profiteers and drug manufacturers at the expense of Coloradans’ public safety. Their article mentions a National Institutes of Health study that warns of the hallucinations, changes in emotions, extreme anxiety, paranoia, and psychotic episodes that may accompany a dose of psilocybin. “That’s what we don’t need in a state struggling with rising and disproportionate rates of suicide, overdoses, homelessness and routine exhibitions of ill people on street corners openly hallucinating and talking to the sky,” their article says. 

Coloradans like Sharon Anable are concerned that even though the initiative to provide psychedelics as a treatment for severe mental illness is genuine, that instances of self-administered magic mushrooms can have catastrophic effects. Anable’s daughter, Heather, was killed in 2017 by her boyfriend, who shot her multiple times. According to a witness, they had both ingested psychedelic mushrooms the night before Heather was killed – her mother believes that the mushrooms made Heather less aware of the danger she was in, ultimately leading to her death.

“I…had a lot of frustration over this”, Anable told CPR News in August after learning that the initiative to legalize psychedelic mushrooms was on the ballot. She also said that Colorado voters should consider the potentially dire consequences of making mushrooms legal for public use – self-medication can increase the risk to the user and those around them. 

The plants that would be decriminalized for legal personal use by people over the age of 21 are dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, ibogaine, mescaline (excluding peyote), psilocybin, and psilocyn. Proposition 122 will be on Colorado’s ballot for the upcoming midterm elections – mid-October will mail out ballots, and voting day is Nov. 8. 

The post Initiative to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms on the midterm ballot this November first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

By John Boren

Pueblo’s City Council met last Monday. On Monday, September 26, 2022, at 7 pm, the Pueblo City Council Meeting began. 

During the meeting Council Member Dennis Flores proclaimed that October 1, 2022, would be Pueblo Latino Veterans Profile in Courage Day. He stated, “We extend our appreciation and encourage all our citizens to recognize the important role these individuals play in our community.” 

The council awarded Vietnam veteran Nick Romero a Profile In Courage award.

The Pueblo City Council also wanted to recognize the Italian community and declared the month of October 2022 to be Italian Heritage Month.

CS Winds is a South Korea-based wind turbine manufacturing company with a factory in Pueblo, Colorado. They have an expansion plan that would increase their production of wind turbines and their employees from 420 to 1300 by the end of 2023. It would be an estimated $300 investment; however, an air quality permit is needed to get this done in the time frame that they want. 

Nicholas Gradisar, the Mayor of Pueblo, stated that he wanted to expedite an air quality permit for CS Winds through the Colorado Department of Health. According to Gradisar, “when you file one of those, it takes sixteen months for people to review.” Gradisar met Governor Polis during Pueblo’s Chili Fest this weekend, who “assured them that they would expedite the review.”

During the Public Forum session, Elvis Martinez talked about the homeless issue behind the North Side King Soopers, which was recently shot at by a homeless man. “The homeless camp by King Soopers is out of control,” said Martinez. “People have guns, and I bet they are stolen. Pueblo PD needs to investigate this unlawful discharge of a firearm in city limits. I believe the health department needs to get trained professionals with the proper PPE to clean up down there.”

City Council President Heather Graham also commented on the people experiencing homelessness issue. She and Mayor Gradisar attended a meeting with the Community Commission on Housing and Homelessness, where she learned that the people that provide facilities and help the homeless don’t go down into the encampments. This means that they haven’t been provided a housing application. 

Graham observed, “We track the homeless population based on housing applications, so we have no idea how many need help down there.”

Councilman Larry Atencio also gave a fiery speech urging people to stop coming up with reasons why Pueblo doesn’t deserve to have new things for its citizens to go and do. He believes that if Pueblo’s citizens had more things to do, there would be less crime.

The post Building up the community at the Pueblo City Council meeting first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

By: Hailee Langowski 

According to a new plan presented by President Joe Biden in late August, student loan borrowers who meet certain requirements may soon have their debt forgiven. 

Not all student loan debtors are eligible for debt reduction. Only federally owned student loans that qualify. Private student debts are not covered under the plan. 

High-income borrowers are “generally excluded from receiving debt forgiveness,” according to CNN’s Katie Lobosco, in her article “Everything you need to know about Biden’s student loan forgiveness program”. 

 If a borrower earns less than $125,000 per year as an individual; or $250,000 per year as the head of a household or married couple, up to $10,000 of their federal student loan debt may be forgiven

A borrower is qualified for up to $20,000 in debt forgiveness if they also obtained a federal Pell Grant while attending college. 

The borrower’s adjusted gross income for the 2020 or 2021 tax year determines eligibility.

Through the Department of Education’s subscription website, you may sign up to get an email notification when the application becomes available https://www.ed.gov/subscriptions.

Note the following four future dates for the cancellation of student loans: 

• The release of the Student Forgiveness Application is scheduled for “early October.” Subscribing to the Department of Education’s website can allow you to receive information as it is available. 

• Whether or not you qualify for automatic forgiveness, the Department of Education encourages you to submit an application before November 15, 2022. It can ensure that your debt is discharged before regular payments restart and interest starts to collect once again.

• Forgiveness should take between four and six weeks to take effect. By taking this action, you’ll ensure that your debt is paid off before regular payments resume and interest begins to accrue again on January 1, 2023. If you don’t pay off the whole sum, interest will again start to accrue on the remaining balance.

• The deadline for applying for student debt cancellation is December 31, 2023.

The post What to know about the student loan forgiveness program first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

By Camerron Martin

Colorado State University Pueblo offers a lot to its students to make their college experience more manageable, whether it be through scholarships or necessities. Among the essentials available to students are an on-campus food court and a meal plan added to the tuition price tag. 

However, for some, it can be an expensive price to pay that goes unused due to a lack of dietary options. The CSUP food court offers little to no gluten-free or vegan options to those who come looking for them, which can be an upsetting situation. 

CSUP student, Sandrah Burrier, stated, “I am vegan for ethics and gluten-free because I have a wheat allergy. For this reason, I’m limited to just a few choices when on campus. Starbucks and Einstein’s bagels have fruit cups, both of which are about $5 or $6 each. I usually need two to feel full on their own.” 

College tuition in the modern age is not easily accessible, and every cent counts, which makes a few extra thousand dollars for an almost unusable service in some cases a significant problem. 

There is an amount of outrage towards this issue from students, which is a justifiable action to take. 

Being a part of an institution meant to be a place for everyone should include benefits following guidelines that let any individual with any preference be able to use it, especially if it adds to the cost of tuition. 

Integrating these missing options wouldn’t be difficult for any involved party. The university can gather responses from students looking for change to better use the services they are paying for. 

Burrier said, “I was told by an employee on a public post I made where I discussed this issue that there isn’t a high demand for food like this, but I think there’s a bigger one than people realize. We learn to get by, but we shouldn’t have to. If we meet our most basic needs like food with diversity in mind, we will draw in more diverse students.” 

Beyond the price tag issue, most college students’ schedules can be very loaded and often don’t allow for a lot of room between classes for basic needs. Having an on-campus cafeteria can help with that problem but doesn’t cover all the possibilities for students. 

It can cause some not to have any way to get a meal in and strain a person’s functionality throughout the day, which is unfair to those it affects. 

The school administration should begin looking into this issue and pulling in student feedback to work towards a solution to this problem. 

The post Lack of dietary options upsets students first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

By Ashlyn Drury 

Pueblo West and Pueblo County go head to head in the 20th Pigskin Classic game hosted at the CSU Pueblo Thunderbowl Stadium. 

On Friday, September 2nd, 2022, fans filled the stadium for the game of the year. This game wasn’t just a standard game under Friday night lights; this was the Pigskin Classic. 

Three football games in Pueblo draw fans in from all sides of town; the Cannon Game, the Bell Game, and the Pigskin Classic. It is an honor, a goal and a dream for Pueblo athletes to participate in these traditions. 

Jacob Trader, 17, is one of those athletes. Trader is a starting senior from Pueblo West High School who plays running back and linebacker. 

Trader has been playing the sport of football since he was six years old. Playing four years at Pueblo West, it took him two years before he stepped foot on the field during a Pigskin Classic. This is Trader’s second year taking part in the Pueblo tradition. 

In an interview before the game, Trader said, with Gage Martinez, “Our pass game should be good, and it will be a great game overall.” 

His words were correct. With an ending score of 41-7, Trader had 120 all-purpose yards, two rushing touchdowns, one receiving touchdown and seven tackles. 

“To me, playing in the Pigskin is a fun game between two rivals that have been going on for years.” Trader states. “Having the chance to lead the cyclones to a victory against such a rivalry feels great.” 

Helping Pueblo West win their 7th consecutive Pigskin Classic, Trader states, “Playing in my last Pigskin will definitely be something I won’t forget.” 

Trader is one of Pueblo’s strongest players, and he showed that in both weeks and last week’s matchups. Trader is excited to see what else he accomplishes in his last season as a Cyclone.

The post Pigskin classic: a Pueblo kid’s dream first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

By Camerron Martin

Pueblo, Colo. has a lot to offer in the name of fun and interesting activities for both residents and travelers to take part in. Among the various options presented to people are several locations in and around town that offer outdoor activities for those who wish to participate.

Downtown Pueblo offers the Pueblo Riverwalk. It is an excellent place to go for a walk, jog or have a good meal at many quality restaurants along the water, including Angelo’s Pizza Parlor, Brues Alehouse Brewing Co, Twenty One Steak and many more. The Riverwalk also offers different boat rides along the water, including guided history tours and pedal boats. 

Pueblo offers many standalone fields in the local community for those interested in athletics, whether competition or leisure. The Runyon Field Sports Complex on 400 Stanton Ave., where you can go to catch a game of baseball. 

Pueblo also offers two golf courses for those interested in a slower-paced game. Elmwood Golf Course, located on 3900 Thatcher Ave., and Walking Stick Golf Course on 4301 Walking Stick Blvd. offer quality golf experiences. 

Another set of more prominent outdoor locations is Mineral Palace Park and City Park. Mineral Palace Park on 1600 N Santa Fe Ave. offers a playground, swimming pool, picnic areas, walking trails, memorial sites and fifty-seven acres of space for families to host an event or throw a ball around. 

City Park, located at 600-2458 Carlile Ave., offers a disc golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts, playground, walking trails, skatepark and other amenities. Pueblo City Park also contains the Pueblo Zoo at 3455 Nuckolls Ave., which allows families to enjoy viewing its resident animals.

The Nature and Wildlife Discovery Center at 5200 Nature Center Rd is a little further from town. This location offers multiple picnic areas and fishing spots alongside a boat ramp which those interested can take a kayak from there down the Arkansas River towards town. From here, there is access to miles of trails that can be walked or cycled along the river. Along the road to the Nature Center is the Raptor Center. It is home to many birds of prey who are in the process of being cared for and rehabilitated. 

Outside of Pueblo sits its largest outdoor attraction, the Lake Pueblo State Park. It is located at 640 Pueblo Reservoir Rd. The park offers activities such as year-round camping at on-site campgrounds—a marina with boating options for both motorized and non-motorized vessels. 

Miles of walking, cycling, hiking, horseback and off-road trails. Options and areas for hunting and fishing alongside an archery shooting range. Public view of the Pueblo State Fish Hatchery at 500 Pueblo Reservoir Rd. and a visitors center with helpful staff willing to explain everything and answer any questions Pueblo might have.

You only need to go out and look for the fantastic sights and attractions Pueblo offers since the city is home to many of them.

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