COS Town Tidings #26-069

Gmail will clip so click to 📖 READ ONLINE

🤣 Today’s Chuckle

📰 Do These Wage Numbers Feel Right? 💸

📰 Last Call: Rental Help Deadline Tomorrow ⏰

📰 CMZoo Loses Beloved Giraffe 🦒

✒️ Trivia Time: She Changed Our City… Have You Heard of Her?

🛍 New: Bargain Box Weekly Sales, Mar 10-14!

📆 Local Events + Concerts & Special Events

🌤 COS Weather - Mostly sunny, very warm temps with PM clouds

A new report shows the average wage in El Paso County rose to about $68,000 in 2025, up roughly $3,000 from the previous year. Economic leaders say the increase reflects steady job opportunities and a relatively strong labor market in the region.

However, many residents say rising costs for housing, food, and everyday expenses continue to offset those gains. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, a single adult in Colorado Springs needs just over $50,000 annually to cover basic expenses, but families and single parents often require significantly more income. While wage growth may offer some relief for certain households, many residents still feel the financial pressure of inflation and rising living costs. Full Story

Where do you land? Are you struggling or do these numbers reflect your current situation?

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

Colorado residents struggling to pay rent and facing possible eviction can apply for emergency rental assistance through the state’s Department of Local Affairs, but the pre-application window closes tomorrow, Wed March 11 at 5 pm. Applicants who complete the initial form will be entered into a random selection process, and those chosen will receive an email inviting them to submit a full application through the state’s online portal.

The program aims to help stabilize housing for eligible renters experiencing financial hardship. Anyone needing assistance with the form can contact the CARE Center at (303) 838-1200, for help before the deadline.

A new week means new treasures! We're giving you a first look at the incredible finds and amazing sales hitting the floor for Mar 10-14 (New Deals). Watch now to see what's waiting for you!

👉 Remember, you can donate items here too!

Location: 405 S Nevada Ave, Open Tues - Sat 10am-2pm. (719) 475-1029

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is mourning the loss of Mashama, a gentle giraffe who passed away unexpectedly early Sunday morning just weeks before his 16th birthday. Born at the zoo, Mashama became a favorite among visitors and staff thanks to his calm personality and distinctive appearance.

Over the years he played a significant role in advancing giraffe care by participating in cooperative training that allowed veterinarians to perform medical procedures safely while he remained awake. His participation helped train giraffe caretakers from around the country and even contributed lifesaving blood and plasma for other giraffes. Staff say his quiet, steady presence also made him a natural protector among the herd, especially for young calves, leaving behind a legacy that will continue benefiting giraffes for years to come.

Did you know Colorado Springs once chose a poet to help us see our region more clearly, not just more loudly?

Dr. Janice Gould, a Koyoonk’auwi (Concow) Maidu poet and scholar, made Colorado Springs one of her homes and quietly built something lasting at UCCS: a Native American and Indigenous Studies program inside the Women’s and Ethnic Studies department, where students could learn this region’s stories through Indigenous voices, not just textbooks. Her poems carried the weather of the West, the weight of history, and the tenderness of everyday life, earning awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Astraea Foundation while she taught, wrote, and mentored right here in our city.

One of Janice Gould’s poetry collections was a finalist for both the Colorado Book Award and the Milt Kessler Poetry Book Award. What is its title?

From 2014 to 2016, she served as the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate, leading readings and workshops that invited people to look at Pikes Peak, our creeks, and our neighborhoods as living companions rather than scenery. She received a Spirit of the Springs Award and, when she died at age 70 on June 28, 2019, after a battle with pancreatic cancer, colleagues remembered not just her accolades but her gentleness, humor, and the way she made people feel truly seen.

Answer: Doubters and Dreamers *Source

Would 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!

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 and if we do a special issue.

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

🎉 Have an event to share?
Email details with a link to the event to [email protected]

*Weather permitted

🎟 Colorado Springs Town Tidings VIP PASS, a FREE digital wallet pass you can easily add to your Apple or Google Wallet.

Be the FIRST to receive EXCLUSIVE offers, special savings, and the latest announcements from businesses and events in our area, delivered straight to your phone. (Click image below to find out WHY I created this for you!)

🙋‍♀️ Yes, I want my VIP Pass

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

✅ Own a local Business? Apply

👋 Colorado Springs Town Tidings is for you, our readers. We encourage you to share your news, local hero stories, events, and more with us! Email us at [email protected]