Peak Town Square

Everything you need to know about spending a beautiful Memorial Day weekend listening to amazing music under the sun and stars. Now in its second decade, MeadowGrass is the perfect getaway for families and music lovers. The festival features more than 20 national, regional and local artists, music workshops, yoga, kids’ activities, and camping – all in the Black Forest between Colorado Springs and Denver.

MeadowGrass Music Director Steve Harris joins Festival Director Nicole Nicoletta and Whitney Luckett, president of the Rocky Mountain Highway Music Collaborative, to dish on this year’s festival with Town Square host Dave Gardner.

MeadowGrass has been named “Best Music Festival” by readers of the Colorado Springs Independent year after year. It runs May 24-26, 2019, at the La Foret Conference & Retreat Center. The festival kicks off Friday afternoon at 1:30 and cranks it up to eleven with the All Colorado Beer festival from 4:30 – 7:00 pm.

LINKS:

Purchase Tickets

Volunteer

MeadowGrass on Facebook

Road to MeadowGrass Events

MeadowGrass Jam Session IPA Release Party – May 3, 2019

Edelweiss Summerfest 2019

Rocky Mountain Highway Music Collaborative on Facebook

Learn more about Rocky Mountain Highway Music Collaborative

The post Town Square: #25 – MeadowGrass Music Festival 2019 appeared first on Studio 809 Podcasts.

Report a pothole, avoid cone zones, watch a particular agenda item in a city council meeting, see candidates’ campaign finance filings, see where your tax dollars are going. These are just a few of the powers in your hands with the City of Colorado Springs website and COSprings app. Jay Anderson, Open Data and Citizen Engagement Administrator for the City of Colorado Springs, explains how you can use these powers to be a “civic superhero.” This public presentation was hosted March 16, 2019 by the League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region.

Scroll down to audio player. Here is Jay’s slide show:

This episode of Town Square is courtesy of the League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region. The League of Women Voters has fought since 1920 to improve our systems of government and impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy. The League is a nonpartisan grassroots organization, working at the national, state and local levels. Learn more.

LINKS:

Civic Superhero Toolbox

More Civic Superhero resources

City of Colorado Springs website

To File an Open Records Request

Bus System Info (Mountain Metro Transit)

The post Town Square: #24 – Tools for Transparency – Civic Superhero Training appeared first on Studio 809 Podcasts.

City for Champions, building materials, neighborhood congruity and existing neighborhood parking challenges are among the topics brought up in the Q&A section of public meeting #3 about the proposed Robson ice arena at Colorado College. Public meeting schedule and additional information can be found here. (Episode 23, recorded 3/23/19)

The post Town Square: #23 CC Ice Arena Mtg 3 Q&A – March 23 2019 appeared first on Studio 809 Podcasts.

Major changes in the planned arena were explained in this third meeting about the Colorado College Robson Ice Arena: a parking garage and parking lot, plus a relocation of the arena and the tennis courts. The meeting also included more discussion of the architecture. Listen to the next episode of Town Square for the Q&A portion of this meeting. Public meeting schedule and additional information can be found here. (Episode 22, Recorded 3/23/19)

The post Town Square: #22 CC Ice Arena Public Mtg 3 – March 23 2019 appeared first on Studio 809 Podcasts.

Growth, marijuana, homelessness, public safety, public transportation and affordable housing are among the topics addressed by the 11 candidates for 3 at-large positions on Colorado Springs City Council. Douglas Sharp and a few friends organized this forum at Cheyenne Mountain Elementary School on March 21.

This is a “warts-and-all” recording without the help of microphones and an amplification system. (Episode 22, Recorded March 21, 2019)

The post Town Square: #21 Council Candidates Forum – March 21 2019 appeared first on Studio 809 Podcasts.

Learn more about Issue 1, Collective Bargaining for All Uniformed Fire Department Employees – the only question on the 2019 Colorado Springs ballot. Speaking for the proponents is John Roy, Deputy Campaign Manager for the Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters. Speaking for the opponents is Mayor John Suthers, representing Citizens Against Public Employee Unions. The forum was held at the Penrose Public Library the evening of March 18, 2019, and was hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region and Citizens Project.

LINKS:

Vote YES on #1 (Firefighters for a Safer Colorado Springs)

Say NO on #1 (Citizens Against Public Employee Unions)

This episode of Town Square is courtesy of the League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region. The League of Women Voters has fought since 1920 to improve our systems of government and impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy. The League is a nonpartisan grassroots organization, working at the national, state and local levels. Learn more.

This episode of Town Square is also courtesy of Citizens Project, a local grassroots nonprofit, 501(c)3, organization dedicated to defending and promoting equality, the separation of church and state, and respect for diversity. We educate the community through our online newsletter and nonpartisan voter guides, we monitor local government and public schools to ensure that rights and freedoms are upheld, and we mobilize residents to make their voices heard. Learn more.

Special thanks to the staff of Pikes Peak Library District for their efforts to make this forum a success!

The post Town Square: Collective Bargaining Ballot Issue Forum – March 18 2019 appeared first on Studio 809 Podcasts.

Taxes, growth, traffic and collective bargaining for firefighters are among the topics debated by 11 candidates vying for 3 at-large Colorado Springs City Council seats. This forum was held at the Penrose House on March 9, hosted The Gazette, KOAA News 5 and the El Pomar Foundation’s Forum for Civic Advancement. (Episode 19, recorded 3/9/19)

The post Town Square: Candidate Forum March 9 2019 appeared first on Studio 809 Podcasts.

Candidates for Colorado Springs City Council debated environmental issues March 7 at Colorado College. Hosted by the Colorado College Collaborative for Community Engagement, the Trails and Open Space Coalition, the Colorado Springs Independent and The Colorado Springs Business Journal. (Episode 18, Recorded 3/7/19)

The post Town Square: Candidates Debate Environment, Energy, Open Spaces appeared first on Studio 809 Podcasts.

Shaun King provides insights and ideas on how to combat the effects of “fake news,” reporting bias and declining media independence. King made this presentation to a sold-out audience in the Shove Chapel at Colorado College on February 20, 2019.

Shaun King is a Brooklyn-based writer and activist who focuses on civil and human rights, racial justice, and law enforcement misconduct. TIME Magazine declared him one of the 25 most influential people on the Internet. Before joining The Intercept where he now works as a columnist, he was the senior justice writer at the New York Daily Newsand writer-in-residence at Harvard Law School’s Fair Punishment Project. With the blessing of original publisher Frederick Douglass’ family, Mr. King is also rebuilding The North Star as a contemporary, online, hard news outlet.

The presentation was sponsored by the Journalism Institute at Colorado College and the Office for Equity and Inclusion at Pikes Peak Community College, and presented by Citizens Project, Jody Alyn Consulting, Pikes Peak Women, and the Pikes Peak Library District. Some funding was provided by the Griffis Journalist-in-Residence Program.

This episode of Town Square is courtesy of Citizens Project, a local grassroots nonprofit, 501(c)3, organization dedicated to defending and promoting equality, the separation of church and state, and respect for diversity. We educate the community through our online newsletter and nonpartisan voter guides, we monitor local government and public schools to ensure that rights and freedoms are upheld, and we mobilize residents to make their voices heard. Learn more at http://www.citizensproject.org/.

LINKS:

Citizens Project

Shaun King’s website

The Intercept

Journalism Institute at Colorado College

Pikes Peak Community College

Jody Alyn Consulting

Pikes Peak Women

Pikes Peak Library District

Griffis Journalist-in-Residence Program

Town Square partner organizations include:

Citizens Project

League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region

The post Town Square: Beyond Dialogue – Tools for Reclaiming Truth appeared first on Studio 809 Podcasts.

The Q&A session on architectural plans for the Colorado College Robson Ice Hockey Arena. This is part two of the second public meeting on the arena. Public meeting schedule and additional information can be found here.  (Episode 15, recorded 2/16/19)

The post Town Square: CC Ice Arena Architectural Q&A – Feb 16 2019 appeared first on Studio 809 Podcasts.