COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Anyone who thought the chain restaurants only get great scores on their health inspections-- while local restaurants don't-- may re-think that after reading this week’s Restaurant Roundup report.

Just two restaurants didn't pass their health inspections last week.

One of them is the Clearview Food Mart at the corner of Yucatan Drive and the Hancock Expressway in south Colorado Springs.

The food mart is more of a convenience store but houses a Champs Chicken inside.

Among the 10 violations found, an employee was seen handling raw fish and then utensils without changing gloves. Raw fish and raw chicken were stored on the floor of the cooler instead of above the floor, and there was also no thermometer anywhere.

KRDO13 reached an employee over the phone, but the employee declined to make a comment or pass along our request for comment to the owner.

The low score of the week is the Parry's Pizzeria and Taphouse on Interquest, with a total of 12 violations.

During their visit, the inspector witnessed a worker not using soap when washing their hands, and also not scrubbing for at least 10-15 seconds.

Another employee used their bare hands to put celery on a plate, and the inspector also spotted a worker handling raw meat and then touching ready-to-eat lettuce without changing gloves or washing hands.

The back door was also open, which is not allowed during non-delivery times, to ensure insects and rodents don’t get inside.

KRDO13 went to Parry's to ask about the failing grade.

The manager on duty admitted some of the staff members on the day of the inspection weren't following the proper procedures, but emphasized that food safety has always been a priority at the restaurant.

That was proven the day after KRDO13’s visit when the CEO of all 30+ Parry's locations in 4 states came to Colorado Springs and spent several hours at the Interquest location.

The company sent KRDO13 a statement saying they did a complete 100% retraining of the entire kitchen staff.

“We acknowledge the importance of these findings, and immediately took the necessary steps to address them, including making required changes and providing additional training to our staff,” it reads.

During the re-inspection on February 12, Parry’s passed with only four violations.

On the flip side, several restaurants earned a perfect or near-perfect score on their inspections.

They include the Chick-fil-A on Dublin near Powers.

Two Puerto Rican restaurants also made the high-score list. They are the Tripletas Yeyo Will on Lashelle Way and the Don Guillo at the intersection of Delta and Hancock.

KRDO13 visited Don Guillo to present the Top Score award.

The owner and chef, Francisco Beauchamp, moved to Colorado from Puerto Rico 9 years ago and says he made food safety a priority from the beginning.

“I love to eat in clean places,” he said. “So that's the same thing I'm going to give to my customers.”

The cleanliness is served in the form of carne fita, mofongo, skirt steak, and other classic island dishes that have blended together over hundreds of years.

“Puerto Rican food is culture. It's culture. When you eat Puerto Rican food, you get all the cultures, African, Spaniard, and Taino, which is our Indian tribe that we have in Puerto Rico. All of those flavors, all of those cultures come together, and they make up our food that is Puerto Rican.

Keep an eye out for the KRDO13 Restaurant Roundup awards at your favorite restaurant so you know the kitchen inside is clean.

Article Topic Follows: Colorado Springs

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Valentine's Day is all about showing appreciation for someone special, so why not make that person you this year?

If you're single or unattached this holiday, skip the ice cream and sappy romance movies. Valentine's Day is the perfect time to enjoy your own company and treat yourself to a day of everything you love.

Here's your guide to the perfect solo Valentine's Day weekend:

Practice self-care

Life can get stressful at times, so why not use the holiday to treat yourself to some much-needed rest and relaxation?

• Mateo's Salon and Day Spa: Massage treatments, facials, nail care, waxing, lash and brow care, makeup application and permanent makeup

• Beauty Bar Salon and Spa: MedSpa, hair services, nail services, skincare, waxing, eyelash extensions, makeup and spray tanning

• The Spa at Flying Horse: Body treatments, massages, facials, manicures, pedicures, brow and lash tints, waxing, and hair services.

• Valentine's Self-Love Sound Bath & Cacao Circle, Feb. 12: Connect with your body and spirit at this "heart-opening" meditative experience. Strengthen your self love through a blend of ancient traditions and modern wellness practices, while savoring ceremonial cacao. Tickets required.

Mingle with other singles

Even though being single can have its perks, it never hurts to mingle! Here are four events for your chance to make a connection on the day of love or even make some new friends:

Pitch a Friend: Mixer and Match, Feb. 13

We all have qualities worth celebrating, and who knows them better than your bestie? At this event held at COATI, your friends will give a PowerPoint presentation showcasing what makes you unique and worthy of love.

The presentation starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Uprise Tap House, tickets are required.

Singles Awareness Day Meetup, Feb. 14

This annual meetup for singles is set to take place at the Dublin House on V-Day. Join in on a night of dancing, karaoking and socializing. It's the perfect time to mingle and make connections — romantic or platonic.

Free to attend from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., RSVP requested by Feb. 11.

Annual Valentine's Solo Seniors Brunch, Feb. 14

Make your golden years truly golden this Valentine's Day! This 70s themed bingo bash is all for the single seniors and boasts a fun afternoon, with a themed costume contest at the Great Wolf Lodge.

Free to attend from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; reserve a spot here.

Singles Happy Hour presented by Jigsaw Dating, Feb. 15

Get ready for a mixer-style dating experience this Valentine's Day weekend at Sunshine Studios! This singles event will have Jigsaw's signature bingo activity, a complimentary welcome drink, and conversation cards to break the ice.

Ticketed event from 7 to 9 p.m.; purchase tickets here.

Fall in love with nature

This Valentine's Day, why not connect with Mother Earth? Colorado Springs is filled with picturesque hiking spots that are sure to make you fall in love with nature. Pack a lunch and enjoy a moment of solace as you reconnect with the outdoors. Here are three easy-to-moderate hiking spots to check out:

Note: Friday's forecast calls for highs near 50 degrees, with partly cloudy skies. Trails may be icy, so plan accordingly.

Mesa/Greenlee Trail Loop at Red Rock Canyon: < 2 miles

This trail loop, located on the city's west side, is less than 2 miles long and will make for a quick and easy hike on V-Day. Explore all the beauty that Red Rock Canyon Open Space offers and enjoy a moment of tranquility.

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Templeton Trail at Palmer Park: > 4.2 miles

Explore this rugged park and its range of trails, including Templeton Trail. This moderate trail begins and ends at the Yucca trailheads and offers a scenic sight of the Garden of the Gods and Cheyenne Mountain.

Palmer, Upper Loop, and Central Garden Trail Loop at Garden of the Gods: < 2 miles

Located at the iconic Garden of the Gods park, this trail loop offers scenic views and a chance to fall in love with the city's well-known landmark. Marvel in the park's beauty and nature in this easy-to-moderate hike.

Make a hot brew your boo

The city is filled with cozy coffee shops and cafés that are sure to bring you joy with a good cup o' Joe. Bring your favorite book, or finally, tackle that project you've been putting off and settle in with a delicious beverage. Here are four spots to check out:

• Wayfinder Coffee Co.: This cozy café aims to transport you to a fond memory through coffee sourced from all over the world. Wayfinder also offers wine, tapas, provisions, and more.

• Jives Coffee Lounge: The motto of this coffee shop in the heart of Old Colorado City is "coffee, music, life." Jives frequently has live music, so you can enjoy some tunes with your favorite brew.

• Loyal Coffee, two locations: These comfy cafés boast a beautiful space to work, relax, and celebrate the community. Enjoy espresso, coffee, teas, and food, including avocado toast, quinoa bowls and more.

• Switchbacks Coffee Roasters, two locations: These bustling neighborhood cafés were built on "quality, consistency, and accessibility." Both locations offer filter coffee, espresso, loose-leaf teas, and food options, including breakfast sandwiches, avocado toast, French toast, and more.

You deserve flowers and a sweet treat

If Miley Cyrus can buy herself flowers, so can you! Treat yourself to the classic Valentine's Day gifts of sweet treats and a bouquet of your favorite flowers.

Here are some places to check out and the standout items they offer:

• Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, two locations: Premium dark and milk chocolate, toffee, caramels, truffles, caramel apples

• Cacao Chemistry: French chocolate, house-made truffles, toffee, chocolate bark, handmade lollipops, hot beverages, fresh pastries (macarons, tarts, eclairs)

• Patsy's Candies: Gourmet chocolate, truffles, salt water taffy, gourmet popcorn, peanut brittle

• Streetwater, A Flower Market: Fresh flower bouquets, floral arrangements, make-your-own bouquet bar, workshops

• Skyway Creation: Fresh floral arrangements, blooming and foliage plants, imaginative bouquets

• Springs in Bloom: Quality flower arrangements, plants, dish gardens

• Boonzaaijer's Dutch Bakery: House-made caramel apple torte, decorated sugar cookies, Danish snails, double Belgian mousse, eclairs, cheesecake

• Marigold Cafe & Bakery: Fresh red velvet cake, lemon tarts, crème brûlée, brownie cheesecake, German chocolate mousse cake slices

• The French Kitchen: Scratch croissants, pain au chocolat, eclairs, carrot cake, chocolate tarte, tiramisu, cookie dough brownie parfait

Bonus: Looking to spend time with the gals?

If you're wanting to go out and have some fun with your girl gang, these six Galentine's Day event are worth checking out:

An India-based space surveillance and intelligence company, which specializes in creating sophisticated systems to track space activity and debris, will expand to Colorado Springs and hire 61 people who will become among the latest additions to the thriving aerospace and defense industries in the state and the Pikes Peak region.

Digantara, a 7-year-old startup that employs more than 100 people in India and has an office in Singapore, plans to establish a satellite assembly, integration and testing facility in the Springs.

That plant will produce so-called nanosatellites and their payloads, which will be deployed into a low Earth orbit for tracking what the company says are more than 1 million objects in space — though the website for NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office pegs the number of particles larger than 1 millimeter at more than 100 million.

Colorado Springs eyes $4M rebate incentive to attract renewable energy company

The combination of satellites and payloads, which will include infrared cameras and light detection and ranging sensors, along with ground stations that employ equipment such as telescopes, are being used to create the equivalent of a Google map that will track “every single object” in orbit, Anirudh Sharma, Digantara’s co-founder and CEO, said after a news conference Monday where the company’s expansion to Colorado Springs was announced.

The event, held in the offices of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC, was attended by about 50 local and state elected officials, business people and civic leaders, including Gov. Jared Polis and Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade.

“We are a space tech company working towards building an infrastructure layer for all the satellite operations,” Sharma said. “What we essentially do is track everything that happens in the orbit, similar to an air traffic management system. Today, you have aircraft flying. The reason it’s flying without having a collision in orbit is because you have a sophisticated infrastructure, which is air traffic management. A similar infrastructure is absent in space. And that’s what we are building, by tracking every single space activity that happens in the orbit.

“What we do is maps, but for space,” he added. “Anything that (involves) navigation in the orbit, that’s our zone.”

Digantara will be the first space company from India to expand to the U.S. and will be part of a collaboration between the two countries to support strategic space defense efforts, Sharma said.

The company considered California, North Carolina and Texas for its expansion, but chose Colorado Springs, in part, to be near a pool of potential employees and to locate near existing customers in what it called a “leading aerospace market.”

Much of the company’s work is for defense and space markets in the U.S., Sharma said; the company also has started to work with Colorado Springs-based Space Command and the separate Space Force, he said.

Colorado Springs has more than 150 companies in the private sector aerospace and defense industries, according to the Chamber & EDC.

Colorado, meanwhile, has 55,000 employees in the aerospace industry, Polis said.

“We are one mile closer to space here, with elevation, and we’re very excited by the work that you will be doing in our state,” Polis told Digantara officials during the news conference.

The company also received a series of financial incentives as part of its expansion to Colorado Springs.

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International company eyeing Colorado Springs for U.S. base

The Colorado Economic Development Commission last year approved up to $759,034 in performance-based Job Growth Incentive Tax Credits for the company over eight years. Those credits are contingent upon Digantara following through on job creation and salary requirements that were spelled out as part of the incentives approved by the commission.

The Colorado Springs City Council, meanwhile, approved $198,225 over four years in performance-based incentives, which include sales-and-use tax rebates applying to the purchases of construction materials, equipment, machinery, furniture and fixtures. The city’s Economic Development Department also offered to support the company through its Rapid Response Program, as well as talent and workforce development support.

El Paso County also approved $812,030 in incentives.

“As a proud military and defense hub, and the home of U.S. Space Command, our city flourishes when it attracts and supports companies that push the boundaries of what’s possible,” Mobolade said at the news conference.

“Digantara joins a thriving network of cutting-edge companies in our city working at the forefront of space surveillance and intelligence, particularly in the critical area of space domain awareness, reinforcing our city’s leadership in U.S. space safety, innovation and industry growth,” he said.

The idea of knowing what’s in space has become a crucial safety concern, said Camille Lavon, the Chamber & EDC’s director of business development for semiconductors and advanced manufacturing.

“They’re (Digantara) tackling the challenges of space operations and situational awareness, focusing on the growing issue of dangerous debris that can damage space craft,” she said.

Digantara says it will invest $35 million in Colorado Springs as part of its expansion, which would include its assembly facility, equipment and its workforce.

Sharma said the company currently has two people working in an office at the Catalyst Campus for Technology & Innovation, a business park on downtown’s east edge.

Digantara plans to move into a 15,000- to 20,000-square foot assembly facility, which it will either build or purchase at a still-to-be-determined location in town, Sharma said. The company hopes to have the facility up and running in 10 to 12 months, he said.

Its 61 employees — who will include software engineers, systems engineers, business developers and employees in human resources and finance, among other jobs — would be hired over three to five years, with 10 to 15 hired to start with, Sharma said. Annual wages will average $82,645, which is 130% of the average annual wage in El Paso County, state and Chamber of Commerce officials said.

“It’s a foreign direct investment from the country of India to the United States,” said Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, the Chamber & EDC’s president and CEO. “This is their first entrée into the space technology market in the United States, and they chose Colorado Springs out of a competitive process with Texas, North Carolina and California. So, we’re competing as a state and a region and it’s exciting to add one more aerospace and defense company to our cluster.”

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO [OCA]

On the weekend of February 8-9, 2025, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon traveled to Colorado Springs, CO, to preside at the consecration of the newly built St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church. Accompanying His Beatitude were Archpriest Alessandro Margheritino, Acting Chancellor and Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America, and Protodeacon Peter Ilchuk.

Upon arrival at the Colorado Springs airport, His Beatitude was greeted by His Eminence Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West; Archpriest Kirill Sokolov, Chancellor of the Diocese of the West; Archpriest Andreas Blom, local Dean and Rector of Holy Theophany Orthodox Church; and Priest Anthony Machnee, Rector of St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church.

On Saturday evening, February 8, Great Vespers was served by Fr. Andreas at Holy Theophany Orthodox Church, where over 200 faithful gathered. The responses were sung by the choir of more than 40 singers. At the conclusion of the service, His Beatitude addressed the assembled faithful, reflecting on the spiritual growth of the community and honoring the memory of the founding pastor, Archpriest Anthony Karbo of blessed memory.

Following Great Vespers, the community gathered in the parish hall for a presentation by Hieromonk Vasily (Permiakov), Assistant Professor of Liturgical Theology at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Fr. Vasily spoke on the rite of consecration of churches, the subject of his doctoral dissertation, offering insight into the liturgical significance of the event that would take place the next morning.

On Sunday morning, February 9, His Beatitude presided at the rite of consecration at St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church. The service began at 8:30 AM with the preparation of the Holy Table. Concelebrating with His Beatitude were His Eminence, Fr. Alessandro, Fr. Kirill, Fr. Andreas, Fr. Anthony, and numerous visiting clergy from across the Diocese of the West. The consecration was followed by the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Over 400 faithful from throughout Colorado and neighboring states filled the newly consecrated temple. At the conclusion of the service, His Beatitude congratulated the community on this blessed milestone in the life of Orthodox Christianity in Colorado Springs.

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A new international space company has its eyes on Colorado Springs for expansion. A look at the jobs and economic impact it might be bringing to the area.

COLORADO SPRINGS — An India-based space surveillance and intelligence company has chosen Colorado Springs for expansion.

The company, Digantara, is the first India-based space technology company to expand to U.S. soil. Digantara develops space surveillance systems to track orbital traffic through telescopes on the ground and satellites in space.

The space company is expected to invest $35 million to establish a facility in El Paso County to manufacture its systems. Digantara will bring 61 jobs to the area with an average salary of $82,645, including positions for software engineers, systems engineers, business developers, human resources, and finance roles. Anirudh Sharma, CEO of Digantara, said the company decided to expand to Colorado Springs because of the area's large defense community and military installations.

"Given the history of Colorado having a legacy of nurturing a lot of aerospace companies, we chose Colorado for our base in the U.S.," said Sharma. "The U.S. is the biggest market for anything defense. We had to serve the U.S. defense community, hence having an office here allows us and helps us to acquire more customers on the defense side."

The expansion was announced during a news conference hosted by the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC on Monday afternoon, which included remarks from Governor Jared Polis and local elected officials.

Colorado is home to 2,000 aerospace companies, which is a 26% increase over the last five years, according to Colorado's Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT). Data from the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC shows there have been more than 3,000 job openings for positions in the aerospace and defense industry in Colorado Springs. In 2024, there were 18,331 employees within the industry in the Colorado Springs metropolitan statistical area (MSA).

"Anytime a company invests in your region, in what we call bricks and mortar, they're there to stay. They stay longer. They're putting, they're putting roots down in our community. So that's a great thing for the community because it increases our tax base," said Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, CEO of the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC. "None of us want to pay higher taxes, but we want to ensure that we have a strong economy. This is how we get our roads paved and we have good schools, is by adding companies, because they pay taxes and they hire employees."

The Colorado Springs City Council approved $198,225 over four years in performance-based incentives that will apply to the company's purchase of construction materials, equipment, machinery, furniture, and fixtures.___

An El Paso County Sheriff's Deputy is taking home the Ken Jordan Award for DUI enforcement, Deputy Joshua Offutt is the winner of the 19th annual award.

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