• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • All
    • Donate
    • Jurisdiction Search
    • Letter Guidelines
    • OCN App
    • Privacy Policy
    • Request Event Listing
    • Sign Up for Newsletter
    • Subscribe to OCN
    • Volunteer
  • Advertise
    • All
    • Ad Layout Guidance
    • FAB Rewards Program
    • FAQs
    • Sign Up for Ad Info Emails
    • Purchase Ad Space
    • Testimonials
  • Archive
    • All
    • 2026
    • 2025
    • 2024
    • 2023
  • CALENDAR
    • All
    • Governmental Entities
    • Homeowners’ Associations
    • Special Events
    • Weekly & Monthly
  • Contact Us
  • E-Edition
  • Sitemap
  • Topics
  • SEARCH
OCN

OCN

Volunteers reporting on community issues in Monument, Palmer Lake, and the surrounding Tri-Lakes area

Breaking News!

OCN Newsletter #50 – Feb. 6, 2026 – Buc-ee’s withdraws their application, Feb. 7 issue and podcasts posted, Check which districts you’re in, Palmer Lake Outdoor Classic Hockey videos posted (2/6/2026)

View all newsletters…

Sign up for Our Community Newsletter to be notified by email about the latest news and important developments in the Tri-Lakes area

Our Latest Issue – Vol. 26 No. 2 – February 7, 2026

Don’t have time to read the whole paper? Download our highlights podcast transcript! Prefer to listen to the highlights? Click here.

Download an 65 Mbyte PDF of this issue

Download pdfs of individual pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
  • Vol. 26 No. 2 – February 7, 2026 – Photos
  • Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, Jan. 8, 22, and 30 – Attorney Krob forced out without replacement
  • State of the Tri-Lakes Region and Economic Update, Jan. 29 – From national to regional to local
  • Monument Town Council, Jan. 5 and 20 – Commercial development approved
  • Monument Planning Commission, Jan. 14 – Monument officials attend infrastructure workshop
  • Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education special meeting and work session, Jan. 6 – Board approves financing, receives audit report and draft of Annual Report to the Community
  • Parent and Community Advisory Committee, Jan. 13 – Continued discussion of board Priority 2, Academic Excellence, report from Monument Academy
  • Monument Academy School Board, Jan. 15 – Board passes mid-year budget, selects bond counsel
  • Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education, Jan. 26 – Reports on Home School Enrichment Academy structure, Transition program location
  • Monument Fire District, Jan. 19 and 28 – Fire Station 3 rebuild moves closer
  • Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, Jan. 12 – Board hires new attorney
  • Monument Sanitation District, Jan. 21 – Buc-ee’s advances sewer plan
  • Donala Water and Sanitation District, Jan. 15 – 2026 rates and fees amended
  • Triview Metropolitan District, Jan. 22 – 2026 snowpack “really bad”
  • El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Jan. 15 – Board hears updates from Merrick and SpencerFane
  • Northern El Paso County Coalition of Community Associations, Jan. 24 – NEPCO president urges more involvement
  • Woodmoor Improvement Association, Jan. 26 and 28 – Annual meeting and reorganization
  • Letters to Our Community – The reign of Botox Barbie
  • Between the Covers at Covered Treasures Bookstore – February is Heart Month
  • February Library Events – Winter Adult Reading continues, free tax preparation help begins, Monument Open House
  • Palmer Lake Historical Society, Jan. 15 – 2026 board installed at annual meeting
  • High Altitude Nature and Gardens – Rooting out crime: How our community’s flowers protect more than just plants
  • Art Matters – Is our education keeping up with visual literacy?
  • Snapshots of Our Community
  • Our Community Notices
  • Our Community Calendar

E-Editions

E-editions are on-line versions of our printed papers.

Read our latest e-editions

Upcoming Events

Readers should assume that event information is subject to change and information should be confirmed a day or two before the event by calling the information number or checking the organization’s website.

See page < 22 > and page < 23 > and our on-line calendar for event locations and other details of these and many other local events.

  • Silver Key Tri-Lakes – Powerful Tools for Caregivers, Sat., Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28, Mar. 7 & 14, 10 am-11:30 am. See ad on page < 2 >.
  • District 38 Arts Education Advisory Committee, Mon., Feb. 9, 6 pm-8 pm
  • Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Board Special Meeting, Tue., Feb. 10, 9 am
  • Monument Planning Commission meeting, Thu., Feb. 12, 6 pm.
  • YMCA Spring Youth Sports Early Registration Deadline, Sun., Feb. 15. See ad on page < 6 >.
  • Monument Town Council meeting, Mon., Feb. 16, 6:30 pm
  • Monumental Impact – Networking Night, Thu., Feb. 19, 5:30 pm-7 pm. See ad on page < 3 >.
  • Monument Hill Kiwanis Club – Stars of Tomorrow Auditions, Sat., Feb. 21, 9 am-5 pm. See ad on page < 9 >.
  • WMMI, Super Saturday, Geology Day, Sat.,Feb. 21, 10 am-2 pm. See ad on page < 9 >.
  • Palmer Lake Arts Council “Off the Wall” Event, Sat., Feb. 21, 6 pm-9 pm
  • Palmer Lake Board of Trustees meeting, Thu., Feb. 26, 6 pm.
  • Monument Town Council meeting, Mon., Mar. 2, 6:30 pm
  • OCN mailing days, Thu., Mar. 5, approx. 7-8:30 am. If you can help, even for an hour or two,
    getting the papers ready to mail, contact AllenAlchian@ocn.me or (719) 488-3455.
  • OCN Publication, Sat., Mar. 7
  • District 38 19th Annual Chess Tournament, Sat., Mar. 7, 7:30 am-2 pm
  • Tri-Lakes Dynamic Rotary and Trinity Lutheran Church – Annual Bunco Night, Sat., Mar. 7, 5 pm
  • Charlotte’s Web, Fri., Mar. 13, 6:30 pm-8 pm, Sat., Mar. 14, 2 pm-4 pm and 6:30 pm-8 pm. See ad on page < 5 >.
  • Monument Hill Kiwanis Club – Stars of Tomorrow, Dress Rehearsal, Sat., Mar. 14, 11 am-4 pm. Performance, Sun., Mar. 15, 2 pm-5 pm. See ad on page < 9 >.
  • Monumental Impact – Networking Night, Thu., Mar. 19, 5:30 pm-7 pm. See ad on page < 3 >.
  • Monumental Impact – Orientation, Sat., Mar. 21, 2 pm-3 pm. See ad on page < 3 >.
  • WMMI Spring Break Camp, Tue.-Thu., Mar. 24-25, 9 am-12 pm or 1 pm – 4 pm. See ad on page < 9 >.

View the on-line calendar

Also check out…

Our Community Notices

OCN’s Mobile (and Desktop) App

Check out our app

RSS Feeds

What is this?

  • Events
  • Articles
  • Podcasts
  • Comments
  • Monument Articles
  • Palmer Lake Articles
  • D38 Articles
  • Fire District Articles
  • Water & Sanitation District Articles
  • Columns (e.g., Arts, Books, Gardening, History, Letters, Library, Snapshots, Weather etc.)
  • OCN Updates

**********

This is our mobile-friendly website containing our most recent issues. Our archive website containing all prior OCN issues back to 2001 is at www.ocn.me.

**********

Our Community News (OCN) is a unique all-volunteer monthly newspaper that is mailed free to all the residences and businesses in the Tri-Lakes area of northern El Paso County, Colorado from County Line Road south to Northgate Road and from Palmer Lake east to Highway 83 and now includes over 1,800 mailboxes east of Highway 83. Our mailed circulation each month is over 22,500. We also put more than 700 papers each month in stacks at shops and offices throughout the area. Our current print run is over 23,200 making OCN one of the largest circulation newspapers in El Paso County.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ellen Horstman says

    June 3, 2025 at 1:27 pm

    Can you tell me if there is a physical location where I can come pick up paper copies of this newspaper? Or perhaps a list of some businesses in Monument where I could stop by to check if they have any extra copies?
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • John Heiser says

      June 4, 2025 at 4:42 pm

      Hi Ellen,

      If you go to wp.ocn.me/about/#pick-up-a-copy, you can download a list of spots where we put stacks of papers. At many locations, the copies are picked up pretty quickly.

      The spot where you are most likely to find a copy at any time during the month is Covered Treasures Bookstore at the corner of Second and Washington Streets. We try to keep them replenished with a good supply.

      If you have trouble finding a copy, please call me at 719-488-3455. Thanks.

      Regards, John Heiser, Publisher

      Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Primary Sidebar

Due Dates for Our March Issue

OCN comes out the first Saturday of each month. Look for our next issue Saturday, Mar 7, 2026. If you live outside our free distribution area, read all the content on this website or subscribe.
Ad space reservations for the next issue are due by Fri., Feb 13th. Finished ads in electronic format are due by Fri., Feb. 20th. Get information on advertising.
Letters to the editor for the next issue are due Fri., Feb. 20th. Read our letter guidelines.
Items and updates for Our Community Calendar are due Fri., Feb. 27th.

Recent Photos

Alpenglow on Mount Herman two minutes before sunrise on January 18, 2026. Taken from the intersection of Red Rock Ranch Drive and Highway 105.
On Jan. 29, the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual “State of Tri-Lakes” event with updates on the national, regional, and local economy as well as presentations by county and town leaders on resources, direction, and strategy for the region. Photo by Jackie Burhans.

View all photo collections...

RECENT PODCASTS

  • Vol. 26 No. 2 – February 7, 2026 – Audio Highlights (02/06/26)
  • Vol. 26 No. 2 – February 7, 2026 – Audio Articles (02/06/26)
  • Vol. 26 No. 1 – January 3, 2026 – Audio Highlights (01/02/26)
  • Vol. 26 No. 1 – January 3, 2026 – Audio Articles (01/02/26)
  • Vol. 25 No. 12 – December 6, 2025 – Audio Highlights (12/05/25)

View all podcasts...

RECENT OCN UPDATES

  • OCN Newsletter #50 – Feb. 6, 2026 – Buc-ee’s withdraws their application, Feb. 7 issue and podcasts posted, Check which districts you’re in, Palmer Lake Outdoor Classic Hockey videos posted (2/6/2026)
  • OCN Newsletter #49 – Feb. 4, 2026 – Buc-ee’s withdraws their application, Feb. 7 E-Edition posted, AI-Generated PLBOT Highlights, Check which districts you’re in, Palmer Lake Outdoor Classic Hockey videos posted (2/4/2026)
  • OCN Newsletter #48 – Feb. 3, 2026 – Feb. 7 E-Edition posted, AI-Generated PLBOT Highlights, Check which districts you’re in, Palmer Lake Outdoor Classic Hockey videos posted (2/4/2026)
  • OCN Newsletter #47 – Jan. 29, 2026 – PLBOT special meeting tomorrow, AI-Generated PLBOT Highlights, Check which districts you’re in, Jan. 3 Edition and Podcasts posted, Palmer Lake Outdoor Classic Hockey videos posted (1/29/2026)
  • OCN Newsletter #46 – Jan. 23, 2026 – Palmer Lake fires Town Attorney, Broomball Cancelled, Check which districts you’re in, Jan. 3 Edition and Podcasts posted, Palmer Lake Outdoor Classic Hockey videos posted (1/23/2026)

View all OCN updates...

RECENT COMMENTS

  • Braedyn surritte
    November 4, 2025 at 10:24 am
    on Letters to Our Community – Ginger Schaaf for D38 school board
    Hello I do not agree with you l am a part of a tpusa chapter...
  • John Heiser
    November 3, 2025 at 7:07 pm
    on About
    Hi Rose, We added an accessibility toolbar on the upper right of the screen. It...
  • John Heiser
    November 1, 2025 at 6:21 pm
    on About
    Hi Rose, Thank you for your suggestions. We will research what can be done to...
  • Rose Johnston
    November 1, 2025 at 5:08 pm
    on About
    Thank you for the new website and especially for the topic-specific archives. I have a...
  • Richard Bachmann
    October 28, 2025 at 10:27 am
    on Letters to Our Community – Ginger Schaaf for D38 school board
    So are you disclaiming responsibility for the card I just got in the mail quoting...

View all comments...

CLICK HERE FOR PODCASTS or OCN UPDATES --- SIGN UP FOR: NEWSLETTERS or ADINFO --- RSS FEEDS: ARTICLES or PODCASTS or COMMENTS
Privacy Policy --- Copyright © 2001–2026. Our Community News, Inc., All rights reserved.

Accessibility Adjustments

Powered by OneTap

Accessibility Commitment for Our Community News, Inc.

At Our Community News, Inc., we are committed to making our digital presence as accessible and inclusive as reasonably possible for all users, including individuals with disabilities. Our goal is to improve the usability of wp.ocn.me and to support a more accessible experience for everyone, regardless of their abilities or the technologies they use.

Our Approach to Accessibility

We aim to align with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which define internationally recognized standards for digital accessibility. While full compliance cannot always be guaranteed, we strive to implement improvements where feasible and regularly review accessibility-related aspects of our website. Accessibility is an ongoing process, and we are committed to improving the experience over time as technologies, standards, and user needs evolve.

Accessibility Features

To support accessibility, wp.ocn.me may utilize tools such as the OneTap accessibility toolbar. This interface provides users with a range of helpful features, including:
  • Adjustable text size and contrast settings
  • Dark mode for those who prefer that presentation
  • Highlighting of links and text for better visibility
  • Quick launch via keyboard shortcut: Alt + . (Windows) or ⌘ + . (Mac)
Please note the following:
  • The availability and effectiveness of these features depend on the website's configuration and ongoing maintenance.
  • While we strive to ensure accessibility, we cannot guarantee that every part of wp.ocn.me will be fully accessible at all times. Some content may be provided by third parties or affected by technical constraints beyond our immediate control.

Accessibility Tools

We implemented an accessibility icon on the upper right of the screen. It is a figure with arms and legs outstretched in a dark gray circle. Clicking on the accessibility icon will open a toolbar with many options to adjust the text and the screen. We also implemented a dark mode tool, which appears to the left of the accessibility icon as a smaller circle that initially is half-gray and half yellow indicating the screen will adjust to the system’s dark mode setting. Clicking on the dark mode tool will switch it to a sun icon meaning light mode. Clicking again will switch it to a moon icon meaning dark mode. Clicking again brings it back to half-and-half. If the accessibility tools are obstructing something you want to view, you can open the accessibility toolbar and select "Hide toolbar." Leave the setting at the default of “Only for this session” and click Hide Toolbar. That will reveal a small dark circle containing a minus sign. If you click on the minus sign, the dark mode tool will be removed and the minus will change to a plus. Click on the plus sign to bring back the accessibility icon and the dark mode tool.

Feedback and Contact

We welcome your feedback. If you experience any accessibility barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us: Email: johnheiser@ocn.me We are committed to reviewing all inquiries and aim to respond within 3–5 business days. If you require assistance accessing any part of this website, we are happy to provide support through alternative channels upon request. Last updated: November 3, 2025
How long do you want to hide the accessibility toolbar?
Hide Toolbar Duration
Colors
Orientation
Version 2.5.1

Keep up-to-date on Tri-Lakes area news and upcoming events with our free OCN App!

Check It OutAlready InstalledNo, Thanks

Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest Tri-Lakes news and website updates!

Sign Up NowAlready SubscribedNo, Thanks