COS Town Tidings #26-001

📖 READ ONLINE

🤣 Today’s Chuckle

🎊 New Year Message

📰 New Year’s Day Closures 🎉

📰 Big Year at the Zoo! 🦒

📰 New Colorado Laws You Should Know 📜

Recipe: 🥣 Detox Soup

📆 Local Events + Concerts & Fairs/Festivals/Activities

🌤 COS Weather - Partly cloudy with above average temps

🙋‍♀️ We want to Feature Your Business

🎊 Happy New Year, Colorado Springs Family!

As we welcome 2026, my heart is full thinking about this community we’ve grown together. 🥰 Every conversation, every shared moment, every little glimpse into your lives makes us feel like family. ❤️

As we step into a brand‑new year, what are you calling in for 2026? 💫

What do you want more of in your life…joy, clarity, connection, courage, rest, growth? Whatever it is, your COS TT family and I are right here cheering you on. 🌟

Click here and share with us what you want in your life, in 2026. 

Let’s lift each other up, dream boldly, and make this year one that truly matters…and let’s do it together. 🤗

Sandy Zuniga, founder of Colorado Springs Town Tidings

I always visit my local tire shop on New Years

👉Then I will know it will be a Goodyear 🤣

🎉 New Year’s Day Closures

If you have county-related errands planned, here’s a quick heads-up for today’s holiday. El Paso County administrative offices will be closed today, Jan 1st in observance of New Year’s Day. Most offices will reopen on tomorrow, Jan 2.

Emergency services, (including 911, law enforcement patrols, and detention operations) will remain fully operational.

Closed today:

• El Paso County Assessor’s Office

• Clerk & Recorder’s Office

• 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office

• El Paso County Combined Courts

• CSU Extension Office

• Coroner’s Office

• Department of Human Services

• El Paso County Public Health

• Public Trustee & Treasurer’s Office

• Pikes Peak Workforce Center

Good to know:

• Human Services clients can still manage benefits online at Colorado.gov/PEAK

• Board of County Commissioners meeting on Jan 6 are canceled

• The next Land Use meeting is Jan 8

• The next BoCC meeting is Jan 13

• FREE downtown parking today

🍕 Poor Richard’s Downtown
(Closed today, New Year’s Day)

🦒 Big Year at the Zoo!

I've been following Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's progress all year, and honestly, what they pulled off in 2025 is incredible. The fact that they hit $6M in conservation funding since 2008 through the Quarters for Conservation program shows how powerful it is when you give visitors a real way to make a difference.

But what really got me was hearing about Sully, the gorilla born in July. Thirteen years between births at the Zoo, and suddenly you've got this new life that matters for the entire species. That's not just a cute animal announcement, that's genetic diversity and breeding program success that ripples across zoos nationwide. And the naming campaign raising nearly $40K for animal care? That's the community showing up.

The construction projects are equally impressive. Watching the Giraffe Center come together through Bob's Blueprints videos has been genuinely exciting. When that opens next summer, visitors will get to hand-feed giraffes while the Zoo provides world-class care in a facility specifically designed for it. Meanwhile, the playhill upgrades mean families won't be dealing with puddles and ice patches anymore.

What strikes me most is how the Zoo connects three things that usually feel separate: animal welfare, visitor experience, and community conservation impact. They're not choosing between them. They're building all three simultaneously. That's what a world-class zoo actually looks like.

🎯 The Secret to Financial Confidence You Deserve

📜 New Colorado Laws You Should Know

As we stepped into 2026, Colorado has rolled out a slate of new laws aimed at improving everyday life. These updates strengthen mental health coverage, curb hidden fees, protect renters and families, support accessibility, and preserve wildlife, all while modernizing how services are delivered. Here’s a quick look at what’s new:

Health & Insurance

• Mental health coverage must now match physical health coverage standards

• Insurers must replace car seats involved in accidents

• Pregnancy-related care coverage updated under new constitutional guidelines

• Health insurers can send notices electronically (paper still available upon request)

Housing & Renters

• Housing subsidy applicants no longer required to submit credit history

• Child care centers must refund certain fees if enrollment doesn’t happen

• Accessibility standards strengthened in new building codes

Consumer Protections

• Sellers must disclose the full price upfront, no more hidden “junk fees”

• Clearer rules around deceptive pricing practices

Families & Safety

• New gun show requirements for security, insurance, and age limits

• Streamlined wireless infrastructure permitting for better connectivity

Business & Workforce

• New rules for food truck licensing across local jurisdictions

• Updated standards for a new veterinary professional role

Environment & Wildlife

• Wild bison officially protected as big game

• Stronger penalties for unlawful harm or capture

Together, these changes reflect Colorado’s ongoing effort to balance growth, fairness, and protection, with many updates designed to reduce confusion and increase accountability across systems we all rely on.

👵 From "Too Fragile" To Daily Adventures... with Kristen Nielsen

Will you do us a favor and spread the word? We need YOUR HELP! Please share Colorado Springs Town Tidings

👉Are you on Nextdoor? Share our newsletter there too!  

🎟 Colorado Springs Town Tidings VIP PASS, FREE digital wallet pass you can easily add to your mobile Apple or Google Wallet. Be the FIRST to receive EXCLUSIVE offers, special savings, and the latest announcements from businesses and events in our area. (Click image below to find out WHY I created this for you!) 

🙋‍♀️ Yes, I want my VIP Pass

🥣 Detox Soup

Give your body a reset with this chicken and veggie filled detox soup. It’s healthy, filling and packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients like turmeric, ginger, lemon and cayenne pepper. It comes together quickly in just one pot and is perfect for meal prep!

Access the complete recipe with tailored modifications to suit your dietary requirements, along with convenient print options.

Don’t want to be up to date on the latest Colorado Springs news, events, and more with our daily newsletters? Reply to this email with “2-3 Times/Week” and we’ll only send you Wed, Sun or special event issue.

PLEASE DON’T MARK US AS SPAM! This negatively impacts those who DO want to receive this newsletter. Remember, YOU signed up and can unsubscribe at the bottom of this email or reply with “please unsubscribe”.

🎉 Have an event to share? Click on calendar and add it

📆 Sample Local Events

*Weather permitted

• Jan 1-4, 1-4 PM: 3-Hour Original Colorado Springs Food Tour @1 Tejon St $69-$87

• Jan 2, 2-4pm: Movie Matinee - Ocean's 8 @ Cheyenne Mountain Library FREE

• Jan 2, 5-9pm: First Friday Art Walk @ Downtown COS

  • Stop by Gallery 113 🖼️ Where Art Speaks to Your Soul

• Jan 2, 6–7:30pm: Owls of the Night @ Fountain Creek Nature Center $5–$6

• Jan 3, 7:30pm: The RiP Improv: Artificial Intelligence @The MAT, 1626 S Tejon $17.50

• Jan 4, 6pm: Swing 'n Jam Gatsby Gala @ 2103 N Weber $8-$10

• Jan 6, 2-3pm: Listening To The Quiet Voice Within: A Talk On Intuition @ Treehouse Cafe $20

  • —> With Laurel: 👁️‍🗨️ The Strength To Endure Comes From This.

• Jan 9 & 28, 9am-5pm: Dog Days at the Zoo @ Cheyenne Mtn Zoo

• Jan 9, 6pm: Soap Making Class @ Meraki Springs, 2703 W Colorado Ave $65

• Jan 10, 11am-3pm: Winter Wellness: New Beginnings @ 11720 Woodmen Hills Dr, Peyton FREE entry

• Jan 10, 4-8pm: 2nd Annual Hope Blooms Benefit @ Phantom Canyon Brewing, 2 E Pikes Peak Ave $80+

• Jan 10, 6-9pm: Murder Mystery, The Hollywood Hit @Great Wolf Lodge, 9494 Federal Dr $79.95

• Jan 10, 7pm: Droppin' the Ball: After New Years Comedy Show! @ Peak Improv Theater, 440 N Carefree $15

  • —> 🎬 What If Your Second Act Is The Main Event?

• Feb 12-Mar 1: The Roommate @ Fine Arts Center, 30 West Dale St $30-$60

🎶 Fall Concerts - Weather permitting

• Jan 10-11: The Human Equation @ Ent Center for the Arts $18-$41

• Feb 6, 7pm: Three Dog Night @ Pikes Peak Center $63-$260

• Jan 24 (7:30pm) & 25 (2:30pm), 7:30pm: Brahms / Tchaikovsky @ Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts, 190 S Cascade $57-$120

• Feb 22, 3pm: Pikes Peak Philharmonic: Pops @ENT Center for the Arts, 5225 N Nevada $14-$20

🎉 Holiday Festivals, Fairs & Activities

• ⛸ Through - Jan 18: Skate In The Park @Acacia Park $15

• 🕯 Through Jan 3, Fri & Sat (5:30-10pm): Magic of Lights at Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR) $28-$72/vehicle

• Jan 1, 5-8:30pm: Electric Safari @ Cheyenne Mtn Zoo $21-$24 (Last Day)

• Christmas Lights Guide - COS, Manitou & Woodland Park

• Jan 10-Feb 21: Ice Castles @ Cripple Creek $16-$29 (tickets on sale now)

   

• Jan 1, 10am: First Day Hikes @ Cheyenne Mtn St Park, 410 JL Ranch Hts

OWN a local business and would like to be featured?  👇Click below:

✅Own a local Business? Apply