Nicole Nicoletta is Manitou Springs’ newest mayor after the completion of the official election canvass. After El Paso County election officials considered military and overseas votes, which were due by November 12, a 10-vote margin still separated Nicole Nicoletta from Coreen Toll.

El Paso County Commissioners have approved $120,000 to settle claims against former Sheriff Terry Maketa and other department employees. The county approved $85,000 in a case alleging unfair retaliation after claims of sexual harassment. The other settlement pays $35,000 for allegations of civil rights abuses and a hostile work environment.

The Palmer Land Trust has received funding from Great Outdoors Colorado, or GOCO, to conserve a large working ranch just east of Pueblo.   KRCC’s Rachel Gonchar has more.  The conservation group says the 25,000-acre BX Ranch south of Boone is one of the largest working ranches in Pueblo County.

Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach has announced he will not run for a second term in April’s Municipal Election.  KRCC’s Rachel Gonchar has more. Bach was elected to a four-year term in May 2011, as the city’s first “Strong Mayor” under a new charter adopted the year before.

The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, or AHRA, is celebrating its 25th Anniversary today. The region spans 152 miles of the Arkansas River and saw over 711,000 visitors last year.

The Colorado Springs Office of Emergency Management, Fire, and Police Departments are conducting an evacuation drill for residents of the Pulpit Rock neighborhood Saturday.  KRCC’s Rachel Gonchar reports.  The Pulpit Rock neighborhood is located in the city’s wildland urban interface and includes University Park and Sunset Mesa.

A hailstorm last month has become one of the most expensive in the state. KRCC’s Rachel Gonchar has more. Damages to houses, roofs and vehicles from the September 29th hailstorm have caused over $200 million in estimated insured losses.

Heavy precipitation is causing hazardous conditions throughout much of Southern Colorado.  KRCC’s Rachel Gonchar has more.  The most rain is expected in El Paso County and should last until midday tomorrow. Paul Wolyn is a Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pueblo.

Crew members from the USS Pueblo are holding a reunion in Southern Colorado after the ship was captured by North Korea nearly half a century ago.  KRCC’s Rachel Gonchar has more.  Originally an Army freight vessel, the USS Pueblo was transferred to the United States Navy and became an American spy ship.

Manitou Springs officials are inviting residents to a community forum Saturday to talk about disaster preparation.  KRCC’s Rachel Gonchar has more.  Mayor Marc Snyder, Police Chief Joe Ribeiro and City Administrator Jack Benson will deliver progress updates on fire and flood mitigation projects.

Recent budgetary shortfalls have forced Colorado Parks and Wildlife to end the Big Game Access Program. KRCC’s Rachel Gonchar reports.  The Big Game Access Program, or BGAP, was intended to evaluate the potential of landowners leasing properties in southeastern Colorado to allow for big game hunting.

Construction on U.S. 24 through Ute Pass started today resulting in lane closures until April. KRCC’s Rachel Gonchar reports: Flood mitigation construction along the eastbound route has all traffic shifted to westbound lanes. The Colorado Department of Transportation says it will stay that way for around two weeks until it’s completed.

The top pot regulators in Colorado are meeting today to discuss the status of the recently legal recreational marijuana business. KRCC’s Rachel Gonchar reports.

Revised, 04/24/14:  New out-of-state visitor numbers supplied to study co-author Kevin Duncan after this report aired lowers the estimated annual impact to around $3.4 million annually.  Duncan writes that it’s “about $34 million over ten years.

Governor John Hickenlooper is asking the Environmental Protection Agency to put an area near the old Pueblo smelter site on the national Superfund list.