Each week, we talk with our colleagues at The Colorado Sun about the stories they're following. This time, Editor Larry Ryckman joins us to talk about the battle over Hughes Memorial Stadium and some long-delayed recognition for a Colorado WWII soldier.
Conservationists and mountain bikers in Fort Collins are debating what to do with the former site of Hughes Memorial Stadium, which was also the former home of the Colorado State University Rams football team. CSU officials decided to abandon the old concrete stadium for a new, $220 million football complex on campus.
The prairie where Hughes and its parking lots once sat could be restored as open space. Members of the Overland Mountain Bike Association, however, have been pushing for a cycling park.
The Fort Collins City Council proposed a ballot measure in 2021 to restore the land as open space. The proposal originally listed “recreation” as a possible use for open land. The measure was approved by 69% of voters.
“Everyone agrees that there should be a place for the bicycle community to be able to recreate,” Ryckman told KUNC. “But they also acknowledge the importance of dark-sky and habitat for deer and butterflies and other wildlife that could use the area.”
In another story, hundreds of people attended the dedication of a statue for one of Colorado's biggest heroes. Major General Maurice Rose died fighting against Germany in WWII. He died during the final weeks of the war at age 45.
“He was both the highest ranking Jewish American officer at the time and the highest ranking officer to be killed in combat,” Ryckman said. “Rose Medical Center in Denver is named after him.”
Rose’s granddaughter and Gov. Jared Polis were present a the display of vintage World War II equipment and a flyover to honor General Rose on Sunday. A statue of Rose has also been dedicated just outside the Capitol in downtown Denver.
