- Our first story today says that Colorado Springs will not be voting on recreational pot shops this November. City council was considering whether to put allowing recreational marijuana to be sold in the Springs on the upcoming ballot, but reportedly the issue didn’t garner enough support from councilmembers during an informal work session Monday. Getting an issue on the ballot requires support from five councilmembers. The issue faced “sharp criticism” from Mayor John Suthers, among others. Councilwoman Jill Gaebler, who supported the measure, said allowing retail sales in Colorado Springs would help the local economy -- which took a hit amid the ongoing pandemic -- by creating jobs and generating millions of dollars in sales that would go back to the city. She also pointed out that citizens who want to buy pot just go outside the city limits to get it. Opponents have argued, among other things, relaxing the city’s drug laws could hurt its chances to become the permanent home of U.S. Space Command.

- [https://www.kktv.com/2020/07/28/colorado-springs-city-council-declines-to-put-recreational-pot-shops-on-november-ballot/](https://www.kktv.com/2020/07/28/colorado-springs-city-council-declines-to-put-recreational-pot-shops-on-november-ballot/)

- Our second segment today is about local hospitals here in Colorado Springs. Though COVID-19 cases have been increasing for about a month in El Paso County, the consensus is that hospitals still have enough resources to handle the demand. Dr. Bill Plauth and Dr. David Steinbruner serve as the chief medical officer for Penrose-St. Francis Health Services and interim chief medical officer for UCHealth, respectively. They have been asked whether or not Colorado Springs hospitals are taking in patients from hotspot states like Arizona and Texas. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has previously said in a press conference that the state would consider it. Dr. Steinbruner said, "We are seeing some of those demands. Obviously a state that has a high incidence and is starting to inundate its hospitals is going to reach out for help. We’re starting to see that on the edges. We want to help, but we want to protect our own ability in our community to take care of our community.” Cary Vogrin, the media relations specialist at UCHealth, said “To date, UCHealth Memorial has admitted one patient with COVID-19 from out of state. As of this afternoon, UCHealth’s hospitals in the Pikes Peak region were caring for about 30 patients who are hospitalized with COVID-19 or who are awaiting test results.” Vogrin says although that number is higher than prior months, it’s about half the number of coronavirus patients compared to what UCHealth cared for during the peak of coronavirus in Colorado in April.

- [https://krdo.com/health/2020/07/27/colorado-springs-hospitals-discuss-admitting-out-of-state-patients/](https://krdo.com/health/2020/07/27/colorado-springs-hospitals-discuss-admitting-out-of-state-patients/)

- Our last story today is about college students preparing for the upcoming school year by considering the uncertainty COVID-19 brings. The national average cost of tuition is about $42,738 per year and often is nonrefundable, so students are now considering all their options. GradGuard is a tuition insurance company offering aid to college students who completely withdraw for medical reasons. For the first time, they have added a provision to cover students who test positive for COVID-19, although it doesn't cover those who miss class because of quarantine or a sick family member. UCCS spokesperson Jared Verner says the last time the financial aid office had students inquire about tuition insurance was duri