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  • Middle school students planting trees in Black Forest burn scar

    Middle school students planting trees in Black Forest burn scar

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    11 years after the historic wildfire in Black Forest, Colorado Springs middle school students want to help it regrow one tree at a time.

    “Every little bit makes a difference,” Colorado forester Eric Gehkre said.

    Students in Academy District 20 started a project at the beginning of the school year to plant more trees in the Black Forest burn scar.

    With the help of Colorado forestry, students recently planted 20 trees at Academy District 20’s School In The Woods — a task many students said means a lot to them.

    ”Seeing all of the dead trees and thinking like how that fire like devastated this forest, it’s really cool to help rebuild it,” eighth-grade student Emma Turnbow said

    With as much devastation as Black Forest saw, Gehrke said it can be hard for nature to regrow on its own.

    “These areas are tough to get going again, there’s no seed source close by so those trees are providing that source for the future trees,” Gehrke said.

    Through this project, about 15 students grew passionate about the environment. Some dug deeper into a career in forestry.

    “I would love to be able to do something like this,” Turnbow said.

    “We’re just really pleased to see that when we give kids some voice and some freedom and a little bit of space, they can do amazing things,” an academic support teacher, Jody Cameron, said.

    Black Forest middle school students work to regrow burn scar

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    Lindsey Jensen

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  • USA Basketball has unveiled the 3×3 Men’s Team that will be headed to the Paris Olympics

    USA Basketball has unveiled the 3×3 Men’s Team that will be headed to the Paris Olympics

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    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Basketball announced its roster for the 3×3 Men’s Team that will be competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

    The four-man team consists of Cheyenne Mountain Alum Canyon Barry, Jimmer Fredette, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis.

    USA Basketball

    This team was chosen from a group of 16 athletes who competed against each other in training camps located in Colorado Springs.

    Canyon Barry a Colorado Springs native and Cheyenne Mountain alum returned to Colorado Springs in 2023 to secure a spot in the 3×3 National Team competing in the Paris Games. After a successful Division I college career and a stint in the NBA G-League, Barry began playing 3×3 and fell in love with it.

    Barry is no stranger to the 3×3 scene, representing Team USA in FIBA 3×3 World Cups. Barry won silver in 2023, and gold in 2019, two FIBA 3×3 Men’s AmeriCups and the most valuable player award and gold in 2021 and 2022. Barry also participated one Pan American Games winning gold with his team in 2023.

    “We are very excited and proud to announce the first USA Basketball 3×3 Men’s National Team that will compete at the Olympics,” Jay Demings, USA Basketball 3×3 national team director and member of the USA Basketball 3×3 men’s selection committee, said. “These four athletes have impressive USA Basketball competitive results and have been tremendous representatives of our country. We appreciate all the athletes that attended training camp to compete for a spot on the roster.”

    While new to the Olympics scene, the quartet has a history together, competing in several tournaments together dating back to 2022 where they won the gold medal at the FIBA 3×3 Men’s AmeriCup. Following their success at that tournament, they won the gold medal at the 2023 Pan American Games and a silver medal at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup.

    During the 2023 FIBA 3×3 Men’s World Tour, the four found similar success finishing in the top three four times, and that included becoming the first American team to win a world tour event since 2019.

    While the team’s announcement is extremely exciting, the team will require a sturdy foundation to tether them down in those hectic moments. That foundation will consist of Joe Lewandowski and James Fraschilla. Lewandowski will assume the role of head coach, a position he has been in since 2014. He will be joined by assistant coach Fraschilla.

    20231023 Men’s Basketball 3v3-Kusumoto0003.jpg

    USA Basketball

    The team will have one more opportunity to get their legs underneath them at a training camp held in Phoenix where the team will go to battle against the 3×3 team of Puerto Rico. The game will be played during the halftime of the second semifinal game of the NCAA’s Men’s March Madness Tournament.

    The day after on Sunday, they will host an open practice and autograph session at the Men’s Final Four Fan Fest.

    Due to the success of the team in FIBA’s world rankings system, the team has was awarded an automatic qualification for the tournament, and will not have to particpate in the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.

    USA Basketball unveils 3×3 Men’s Team that will be headed to the Olympics

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    Spencer Kristensen

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  • Crash shuts down both directions of I-25 near Fountain

    Crash shuts down both directions of I-25 near Fountain

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    EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. — Multiple agencies are responding to a crash that’s shut down both directions of Interstate 25 near Fountain.

    The crash happened just after 7 p.m. between the Mesa Ridge Parkway and South Academy Boulevard exits.

    At least one person was taken to the hospital, according to the Colorado State Patrol. Their condition is unknown at this time.

    Officials are urging drivers to avoid the area at this time. Northbound drivers are being detoured to the Mesa Ridge Parkway exit, while southbound drivers are being detoured to Circle Drive.

    Details on what led up to the crash are limited at this time.

    This is a developing story.

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    Aidan Hulting

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  • Sparking interest: 3 high school welding students to compete at state competition

    Sparking interest: 3 high school welding students to compete at state competition

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    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Three students in the Widefield School District 3 are practicing their craft every day at the district’s Manufacturing Industry Learning Lab (MiLL). They hope their hard work will lead to a state championship.

    The team won regionals for welding an adjustable stool. The experience awakened enthusiasm for careers in the industry, according to some students.

    “I just feel like a kid in a candy store,” Mesa Ridge High School senior Niko Pucci said. “I have the opportunity to do all this different stuff, all these different skills that I could use the rest of my life.”

    Another senior at Mesa Ridge, Bryson Cleveland, said he wants to make welding his career after graduation.

    “You’re hands-on, you’re cutting metal, you’re welding it together, I mean it’s more entertaining than doing office work,” Cleveland said.

    As a growing industry, the need for more experienced workers never stops, Rob Morlan, and employee at Integrity Welding & Fabrication in Colorado Springs, said.

    He’s been in the field for about 35 years.

    “We do seem to not respond to a lot of jobs that we could if we had trained employees to go into that area,” Morlan said.

    Jeremy Reichl thanks the district for his success in the trade.

    “If I needed to pick up the phone right now, I could probably have a job in 15 minutes and it all started with having really good instructors,”aReichl said. “[Looking back] at all the students in our classes, I can’t think of any that aren’t successful.”

    Reichl graduated from Widefield High School in 1990. He said he’s glad the welding program is still in full force.

    Through the MiLL, welding students earn an OSHA safety certification upon graduation.

    But first, eyes are on the prize – winning the state title.

    “It would mean a lot, like it’d probably be one of the best accomplishments I’ve had in my life,” Pucci said.

    The state competition is in Pueblo on April 9 and 10.

    High school students prepare for state welding competition

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    Lindsey Jensen

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