COS Town Tidings #26-308 | 11/4/26

Gmail will truncate so 📖 READ ONLINE

🤣 Today's Chuckle

✨ Business Spotlight: She Wasn't Supposed To Be The One 😳

📰 Your Say on City Housing Dollars 🏘️

📰 The Morning After: Election Results 🗳️

📰 What's Changing at Your Hospital 🏥

🛒 Bargain Box Deals + FunD Fair This Saturday 🎪

📅 Local Events + Holiday Markets & Activities

🌦️ COS Weather - Increasing clouds, a few late-day showers, near 53°

Every Wednesday, we shine a light on the local entrepreneurs who make Colorado Springs vibrant and unique. When you support these featured businesses, you're investing in our neighbors' dreams and helping build a stronger community by creating jobs and keeping our city thriving. 🤗

You know that feeling. Gas prices climb, grocery bills sting, and the car you've driven for a decade is starting to whisper that she's done. You used to have someone for this. A husband, a father, a brother who knew cars, knew people, knew how to keep you from getting taken. And now that chair at the kitchen table sits a little emptier, and the thought of walking onto a dealership lot alone makes your stomach turn.

Kristen Schlueter understands that feeling because she lived it. Life had already handed her more than her share of hard chapters, including raising a son whose needs won't age out with him. Then she lost her dad, the protector who had always been her car guy, her sounding board, the one she called first.

She walked into RH Auto Brokers on North Academy with her mother, there to help Mom find a car so Kristen could hold on to her father's truck. Life, true to form, had other ideas. Mom's plan hit a few hiccups, and by the time the broker finished working the numbers, both women had a smarter plan than either had walked in with. She expected pressure. She got a cup of coffee. She expected a sales pitch. She got honest conversation. Kristen walked out with a plug-in hybrid Mazda she never would have picked for herself, and before she reached the door, she had asked for a job.

Today, Kristen is the one pouring the coffee. No car lot. No losing your Saturday. One hour with her, and she goes to work tapping into a network of over 300,000 vehicles, pre-arranging financing through Air Academy Credit Union, and watching the auctions for your diamond in the rough. When it arrives, there's a red bow on the hood and about forty-five minutes of paperwork between you and the keys.

Through November, every car she sells comes with a free safety kit. The kits are for sale any time and all kit profits go to Sarah's Home, a residential program for young survivors of trafficking, in memory of Blake, the late son of RH's COO.

Before you go searching for your next vehicle, have coffee with Kristen first. (714) 385-7152. [email protected]. RHAutoBrokers.com.

📍 5145 N Academy Blvd, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80918

🎥 Want to hear the whole conversation? Watch Kristen's full interview

Have a story, service or business you'd love to introduce to my Town Tidings readers? I'd love to learn more about what you do. 🤗

Every year, the City of Colorado Springs receives federal grant money to help low- and moderate-income neighbors, and right now it's deciding how to spend it in 2027. Think affordable housing, homelessness prevention, help for local nonprofits and neighborhood improvements. And the City wants to hear from the people who live here.

If you've seen a need in your neighborhood, here's your chance to say so. A free public hearing is tonight, Wed, Nov 4, 6-7pm at the City Administration Building, 30 S. Nevada Ave., Room 102, and you can join online too. Details and the virtual option are on the City's 2027 Annual Action Plan page.

Some of you woke up thrilled this morning, and some did not... Either way, the sun still came up over Pikes Peak, and we'll get through whatever's ahead together, one neighbor at a time. 🤗 Here are the facts as of early this morning:

🇺🇸 Nationally: The Associated Press projects Democrats will control both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House, flipping both chambers from Republican control. Some races are still being counted.

🏔️ Colorado: The AP called the governor's race for Phil Weiser (D), re-elected U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D) and called Attorney General for Jena Griswold (D).

📍 Colorado Springs (5th District): Still too close to call. Early returns had Jessica Killin (D) ahead of incumbent Jeff Crank (R), about 52% to 45%.

📋 Statewide measures (unofficial): Proposition NN passed, according to The Colorado Sun. Propositions 132 (tougher fentanyl penalties) and 133 (life without parole for child sex trafficking) were leading. Amendments 81 through 86 were short of the 55% they need, including mail-ballot ID (84) and redistricting (86). The graduated income tax (Amendment 87) was leading by a hair, about 51% to 49%, and its competing 4.4% tax cap (Proposition 136) was trailing.

🏫 Close to home: D-11's $775 million school bond was passing with about 51%, which would be its first approved bond since 2004, and D-12's $80 million bond was passing with about 61%.

Ballots are still being counted, so some of these could change. You can follow official local results on the El Paso County Elections page. Full Story

Hand-painted pet portraits by a local Colorado Springs artist, order cutoff by Thanksgiving. Our readers get 10% off with code COSTOWN10.

If Penrose or St. Francis is your hospital, here's what you should know. CommonSpirit plans to invest $125 million in its Colorado Springs hospitals over the next five years. St. Francis on Woodmen will grow by 100 beds, and over the next 12 to 18 months, advanced heart, brain and vascular surgeries will move there from Penrose.

The good news: Penrose on North Nevada isn't closing. Its emergency room and cancer care are staying, and about 92% of today's services will remain, though it will have fewer inpatient beds. No layoffs are planned. Full Story

🎄 Christmas has arrived at the Bargain Box! Ornaments and holiday decor are hitting the floor at wonderful prices, so shop early for the best choices. Plus, all puzzles are on sale this week (perfect for a chilly Nov day), and ladies, stock up on warm winter pants for just $3 a pair, sizes 0 to 22. Watch now to see what's waiting for you!

👉 Heads up: these deals run through Fri, Nov 6. The store will be closed Sat, Nov 7 so everyone can head over to the FunD Fair!

👉 Remember, you can donate items here too!

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

@ Colorado Springs Shrine Club, 6 South 33rd St, from 9am-2pm.

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Trade the daily grind for the crisp, alpine peaks of Breckenridge or the sunset-soaked charm of Santa Fe. Check availability now!

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