Latest news with #Puebloans
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Yahoo
First the shivering, then the sun at Chaco Canyon's spring equinox event
Mar. 31—With all things being equal, including the amount of daylight and nighttime, this 2025 trip to New Mexico's Chaco Culture National Historical Park ushered in spring and taught what to do to make sure that sloth or poor planning don't ruin an adventurer's experience at special events. For those who arrived the day before, it was unclear how to grab a spot at the early morning event celebrating the vernal equinox at Chaco's Casa Rinconada. But park employees showed the way, lining up vehicles. Here's how it worked on March 20. We arose before 6 a.m. at Gallo Campground inside the park to the sounds of other campers starting up, rustling about with the fear that others would get in line before them on the main road. Since the morning temperature was a brisk 9 degrees outside the van, we started the vehicle to defrost windows, which had iced from the inside. Windows defrost from bottom up, so have a shorter person drive. Around 6:15 a.m. park staff directed vehicles into the visitor center lot to line up for entry. A few minutes later, groups of 10 vehicles at a time were allowed onto the paved park road, where the darkness gave way to outlines of the ruins. After the drive to the ruins, a short hike led to the kiva where park personnel and visitors shivered and awaited the main event: the sun rise and the illumination through the windows of Chaco's ruins. The ranger-led program commenced at Casa Rinconada just before sunrise. To protect and preserve historical parks, these programs are limited to 100 people. In a time-specific event such as this, early-risers have the best chance at taking part. And at a remote location like Chaco, camping gives you the best chance to be in line when the park gates open. It was possible to view the light through the window in the kiva for less than 15 minutes as the sun crept over the golden horizon. "We may not be observing the alignment the way that the Puebloans may have, you know, but when they built this building, when they built any of their structures here in the canyon, they had some great intent behind that, even if they would not have all stood here in a line waiting to get their perfect selfie, or whatever it is, to actually witness that alignment," said ranger Kelli Housley. "Actually recognizing the changing of the season was really critical for the Puebloans, so we are continuing that tradition here today." Chaco presents programs like this and night sky adventures year-round. To learn more about Chaco Culture National Historical Park, visit
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Family-owned business brings rolled ice cream and Colombian coffee to Pueblo Walmart
Puebloans may not have heard of Cream N Bean yet, but the owner of the new ice cream and coffee shop inside Pueblo's Dillon Drive Walmart hopes to expand to many other Walmart Supercenters, starting with the one in Pueblo West. Located at 4200 Dillon Drive on the grocery side of Walmart right next to the Academy Bank branch, Cream N Bean opened in February. The shop offers homemade rolled ice cream and Columbian coffee plus a variety of other beverages. Cream N Bean Owner Joe Giovinazzo, his wife Stephanie, and their daughter and son-in-law Bailey and Roger Hines offer a different kind of ice cream and coffee shop where homemade ice cream is spread in a thin layer and then rolled on a cold plate 20 degrees below zero. The shop also offers its own blend of medium-roast coffee that is shipped directly from a farm in Colombia. "We make the ice cream base in-house using our own recipe. It is made fresh every day and there are no preservatives so it is the healthiest way to eat ice cream," Joe Giovinazzo told the Chieftain. The base ice cream is added to a cold plate and extra ingredients are "rolled" in like fresh strawberries, cherries, or bananas, while the customer watches the transformation. The result features curled-up spiral rolls of ice cream that are as artistic as they are tasty. Pueblo's favorite treat so far is the strawberry cheesecake featuring fresh strawberries, cheesecake, vanilla ice cream and a graham cracker topping. Other varieties include cookies and cream, Rootie Tootie, Rocky Road, S'mores and more. Each week the shop offers four new specials, or customers can create their own ice cream delight by choosing from ingredients on hand. "We hope customers will check back to see the specials and continue to try different flavors. Business has been really good so far and we have several regulars," Joe Giovinzanno explained. The biggest hurdle for the new business has been brand recognition, he said, plus those who spot the shop after waiting in line to check out their groceries may not have time to explore what's inside. "Once they stop to try it, they keep coming back," he said. The house blend coffee is offered in lattes, espresso, iced and other varieties, plus there are teas, slushes and lemonades available for those who aren't coffee drinkers. The family plans to open its Cream N Bean inside the Pueblo West Walmart, 78 N. McCulloch, in May. The dream for the family is to one day see the Cream N Bean brand as plentiful inside Walmart stores as Starbucks is in Target stores, Giovinzanno said. The Giovinzannos moved to Pueblo 1 1/2 years ago. They operated a similar rolled ice cream shop in Oklahoma but the location wasn't ideal. "When I saw that Walmart had an opening I thought that would be a great location that has a lot of traffic. It took about eight months to get everything ironed out with Walmart," Giovinzanno said. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Find out more by visiting the Cream N Bean Facebook page. More: Cactus Flower named back-to-back Slopper Tour champion in Pueblo Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@ or via X at Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo's new Cream N Bean shop offers rolled ice cream, coffee
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Petition to recall Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham submitted
(PUEBLO, Colo.) — A petition has been submitted to recall Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham, claiming fiscal irresponsibility and failure to address critical issues, among other grounds. According to the petition, which was submitted to the City on Tuesday, March 4, some electors in the City of Pueblo are unhappy with Mayor Graham's performance in the Office of the Mayor, and are calling for a recall election and a mayoral replacement election to be held. The petition alleges numerous failures and omissions on the Mayor's part, including stripping funding from nonprofits, retaliation against opposition using police and fire department staff, and allowing illegal ordinances to be proposed, causing costly legal consequences for the city. The petition also claims Graham spends 'extensive time on social media… during council meetings.' Failure to show fiscal responsibility with the City's budget, $2M acquisition/remodel of a 650 Dittmer Ave, proposing $1,000/sq. ft + facility projects, giving extravagant raises to and/or hiring unnecessary staff. Stripping funding away from nonprofits while simultaneously squandering taxpayer money. Failure to reduce crime down to comparable statewide levels. Using police and fire department staff to retaliate against small business owners and others who oppose her. Disregard for historic preservation. Allowing illegal ordinances and practices to be proposed, leading to costly legal expenses. Failure to address Pueblo's critically unhoused population crisis, dispersing people from encampments into downtown and residential areas without a plan or adequate shelter in place. Ordering demolition in a contaminated EPA Superfund site without regard to public health or applicable laws. Spending extensive time on social media (Facebook, etc.) during City Council meetings. Failure to address fuel pricing and the monopoly that's causing Puebloans to pay approximately 40-50 cents/gallon more than surrounding cities. Refusal to listen to her constituents' complaints and suggestions. Proposing a grocery tax on Pueblo residents who are already struggling with record level food costs. The City confirmed to FOX21 News that the City Clerk and Law Office have until Monday, March 10 to review and approve the petition before it can be circulated for signatures. Mayor Graham issued a statement on the petition, which can be read below: The electors are the sole and exclusive judges of the legality, reasonableness and sufficiency of the 'removal on the grounds assigned for recall.' Last time I checked, cleaning up the City, addressing homelessness, reducing crime and bringing transparency and accountability to government is what I was overwhelmingly elected by 65% of the vote to do, and it is what I will continue to do for the next 2.5 years. I take exception to the false information being presented to the electors and I encourage the community to do your research. Mayor Heather Graham Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
