Axios Colorado Springs

March 16, 2026
TGI-Monday, all! Welcome back!
🌤️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny, with a high near 49.
Situational awareness: Hometown Paralympian Noah Elliott won the gold in snowboard slalom on Saturday!
Today's newsletter is 952 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Springs has safe-ish streets
Colorado Springs' roadways are among the nation's safest, according to StreetLight Data's new "U.S. Safe Streets Index."
The big picture: New York, Boston and Portland, Oregon, lead the rankings.
How it works: The index is based on five key factors among the 100 largest U.S. metros: vehicle miles traveled, different speeds between vehicles, speed-based pedestrian risk, speeding in residential zones and truck activity.
Zoom in: Colorado Springs' roadways ranked 11th safest overall out of the 100 metros studied.
- The city scored poorly on speed differential risk.
Yes, but: The Springs earned high marks for vehicle miles traveled, speed-based pedestrian risk, truck activity and residential speeding.


Between the lines: "Larger metros tend to perform better overall for roadway safety, despite popular misconceptions that big cities are more dangerous," the transportation analytics firm stated.
💭 Glenn's thought bubble: I'm pleasantly surprised at the ranking, perhaps because of those Old North End neighborhood signs.
- Still, the skeptic in me wonders if poor pedestrian and bicycle connectivity is keeping more travelers stuck in their admittedly safer cars.
What we're watching: The city just put out its transportation safety action plan.
- It is available for public comment through April 2.
🎈1 big milestone
For five years, Axios has delivered smart, trustworthy local news to communities — and Colorado Springs is just the latest.
Why it matters: Independent local journalism keeps communities informed and connected on the issues that matter most close to home.
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2. Colorado AG race pivots to experience
The four-way Democratic contest for state attorney general is focused on legal experience as the frontrunner battles claims that she exaggerated her resume.
Why it matters: The candidates' legal backgrounds offer a clear contrast for voters in the race to become the state's chief attorney.
State of play: The issue came to the forefront in a recent TV ad from Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty, who accused Secretary of State Jena Griswold of misleading voters about her legal experience when she said at a campaign forum that she had "argued at the [U.S.] Supreme Court."
Reality check: Griswold never argued at the U.S. Supreme Court.
- Rather, she was listed as a party in a case about whether President Trump could appear on the Colorado ballot after his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
What they're saying: Independent legal experts described Griswold's statement as inaccurate and a misrepresentation, 9News reports.
- Dougherty is calling on Griswold to retract her claim. "Jena is using clever words to exaggerate the truth," he says in the ad.
The other side: Griswold's campaign acknowledged in a statement to Axios that she did not personally argue the case but said she worked closely to shape the arguments in court filings.
- Griswold, who received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011, has argued one case before a judge in Washington, D.C., but her campaign did not provide details.
Between the lines: Courtroom experience is not required for attorney general candidates. But all three of Griswold's rivals have extensive legal experience — a major talking point for each campaign.
- Meanwhile, term-limited Attorney General Phil Weiser worked as the University of Colorado Boulder law school dean and argued a handful of cases before being elected.
3. ⚾️ Bye-bye Vibes
The end of professional baseball in Colorado Springs became all the more final in mid-February as the remnants of the Rocky Mountain Vibes were sold at auction.
Why it matters: The Vibes' departure leaves the city without a pro baseball team and closes a 37-year chapter of minor league baseball in the community.
The big picture: Colorado Springs, which has a larger population than Salt Lake City; Pittsburgh; Oakland, California; and Miami, now only boasts a minor league soccer team.
The latest: All that remained of the franchise was auctioned off at the Vibes' stadium Feb. 15.
- John Ross, a sales director with the auction company, told Axios the seating at the Stetson Hills-area stadium would remain "while the owners figure out what will happen with the property."
State of play: The Vibes' exit is part of a broader Pioneer League pullback from Colorado, which included the 2025 departures of the Northern Colorado Owlz (Windsor) and Grand Junction Humpback Chubs.
- The Vibes played in Colorado Springs from 2019 to 2025, following the Sky Sox's three-decade run beginning in 1988.
- The shift comes as the league consolidates out of state, making travel and altitude challenges for Colorado teams harder to sustain.
What they're saying: "I'll miss the family environment and being able to bring the kids out here to enjoy what I did as a kid," former season ticket holder and Springs resident Brandon Anderson told Axios, after winning the auction for the team's guest services booth for $391.
What we're watching: The city has long been planning a 70-acre park surrounding three sides of the Vibes' stadium.
- Currently, it lacks the necessary funds to proceed with construction, let alone buy the property.
- Tax records show the Elmore subsidiary, Sky Sox Stadium Inc., still owns the stadium, with an estimated market value of more than $6 million.
What we're watching: The Vibes won't compete anywhere in 2026, KRDO reports, and team owner D.G. Elmore said there are no plans to bring baseball back to Colorado Springs.
🌫️ Glenn is wanting a lot of snow, or warmer spring weather, not ... this.
Thanks to Gigi Sukin and John Frank for editing.
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