Colorado Springs Gazette 2008 News Quiz

13 Responses | Created by dphilipps

For Colorado Springs, 2008 was a year of attention — both wanted and unwanted. The city was showered in national attention as an election year battleground, even as some elected officials were getting unwanted attention for drinking on the job and other breaches of trust.

See how well you were paying attention by taking our annual quiz.

1

Colorado Springs topped several national magazines "best" lists in 2008. Which of the following is NOT one of them?
- Men's Fitness: Fittest city in America
- Trail Runner: Best city to meet a single runner
- Dog Fancy: Best city for dogs.
- Government Fleet Magazine: Best use of bio diesel
2

What did a Wild Wings 'n Things employee in a chicken costume start waving at motorists on U.S. Highway 24 in January after local officials said the chicken violated the city's sign ordinance??
- An American flag, to emphasize freedom of speech.
- A sealed manila envelope, to remind local officials that sensitive information might be released if they didn't leave chicken man alone.
- A sign saying "Slow down" that was designed by city officials after an agreement was reached that the chicken could stay if it emphasized courteous driving.
3

When the U.S. Olympic Committee threatened to leave Colorado Springs in February, which of the following did other cities do to try to woo the prestigious non-profit?
- Chicago offered to rename the Sears Tower after the USOC.
- Des Moines offered to build a "green, sustainable" headquarters out of corn polymers.
- Las Vegas offered 500 free slot and video poker machines for the USOC's lobby.
4

What unruly bar did police call "the eye of the hurricane" in February because late-night weekend complaints had ballooned by nearly 50 percent to 1,800 calls.
- Cowboys
- Club Q
- Rum Bay
- Shuga's
5

How much did Colorado Springs Utilities, which raised rates this year in the face of flagging revenues, spend in two years on "leadership coaching," including a $400-per-hour consultant ?
- $30,000
- $130,000
- $230,000
- $300,000
6

What about-face did Focus on the Family founder James Dobson make during the election season?
- After saying in January that he would "not vote for John McCain under any circumstances" he told followers in September, "If I went into the polling booth today, I would pull the lever for John McCain."
- After warning in March that Barack Obama was "distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit . . . his own confused theology," he told followers in September, "Obama's message of stewardship for the earth and care for the poor are in line with my beliefs, so I will pull the lever for Barack Obama."
- After warning followers in January that they would be "throwing their vote away by giving it to some third party candidate," he told them in September, "We must send a message to Washington that we won't be satisfied by platitudes. So I urge you this year to pull the lever for Bob Barr."
7

Because Colorado was a key battleground state in 2008, both presidential candidates, their wives and both vice presidential running mates visited Colorado Springs. Who was the only one to visit twice
- John McCain
- Sarah Palin
- Barack Obama
- Joe Biden
8

What smashed through the doors of a Circuit City on Academy Boulevard in July?
- A black bear
- The severed head of a mule deer
- A police S.W.A.T. unit given improper directions to a raid
- A 61-pound raccoon, which wildlife officials said was a new state record
9

Match the gaff with the person who said it: "I don't think we need 5,000 more illiterate peasants in Colorado,"
- Bob Schaffer, in a quickly pulled campaign ad where he accidentally implied an image of an Alaskan Mountain was Pikes Peak.
- U.S. Sen. John McCain, on why Colorado should get less water from the Colorado River
- State Rep. Larry Liston, referring to unwed teenage mothers.
- State Rep. Douglas Bruce, on his opposition to a temporary worker bill.
10

Match the gaff with the person who said it: "In my parents' day and age, they were sent away, they were shunned, they were called what they are. .. they're sl*ts"
- Bob Schaffer, in a quickly pulled campaign ad where he accidentally implied an image of an Alaskan Mountain was Pikes Peak.
- U.S. Sen. John McCain, on why Colorado should get less water from the Colorado River
- State Rep. Larry Liston, referring to unwed teenage mothers.
- State Rep. Douglas Bruce, on his opposition to a temporary worker bill.
11

Match the gaff: "The water compact that Colorado and other upper basin states have with California and Arizona should be renegotiated."
- Bob Schaffer, in a quickly pulled campaign ad where he accidentally implied an image of an Alaskan Mountain was Pikes Peak.
- U.S. Sen. John McCain, on why Colorado should get less water from the Colorado River
- State Rep. Larry Liston, referring to unwed teenage mothers.
- State Rep. Douglas Bruce, on his opposition to a temporary worker bill.
12

Match the gaff with the person who said it: "Colorado is my life."
- Bob Schaffer, in a quickly pulled campaign ad where he accidentally implied an image of an Alaskan Mountain was Pikes Peak.
- U.S. Sen. John McCain, on why Colorado should get less water from the Colorado River
- State Rep. Larry Liston, referring to unwed teenage mothers.
- State Rep. Douglas Bruce, on his opposition to a temporary worker bill.
13

Why did 21-year-old Fountain resident Nikita Weis hire two bumbling hit men to kill his mother?
- He planned to use her estate to pay of his mortgage.
- He planned to use her estate to start a drive-thru church.
- He planned to use her estate buy his girlfriend breast implants.
- All of the above.
14

Which woefully unapologetic apology did El Paso County District Attorney John Newsome use in May after being caught on camera guzzling 70 ounces of beer, then driving a county-owned SUV?
- "I'm sorry the public perceives that my ability might have been impaired. For that, I apologize."
- "I sincerely apologize for ever allowing myself to be placed in that situation where there's even a perception of wrongdoing."
- "I am very sorry that, as a public official, I was targeted by the media for scrutiny which I believe only offers the appearance of me being a drunk, without offering proof. That was irresponsible."
15

Match the quote: "You're dealing with an extremely bright 7-year-old boy in a 54-year-old's body,"
- Shirley Coleman, on why she waited 5 hours to be first in line to see Michelle Obama.
- Ted Haggard, on how abuse as a child later caused him to use meth and had a secret affair with a male prostitute.
- State Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, describing Douglas Bruce.
- Brooke Squires, a local Democrat attending the record turnout of the El Paso County Democratic county assembly.
- USOC board Chairman Peter Ueberroth, shortly after receiving a $53 million incentive package to keep his organization in Colorado Springs.
16

Match the quote: "It's almost like coming out of the closet."
- Shirley Coleman, on why she waited 5 hours to be first in line to see Michelle Obama.
- Ted Haggard, on how abuse as a child later caused him to use meth and had a secret affair with a male prostitute.
- State Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, describing Douglas Bruce.
- Brooke Squires, a local Democrat attending the record turnout of the El Paso County Democratic county assembly.
- USOC board Chairman Peter Ueberroth, shortly after receiving a $53 million incentive package to keep his organization in Colorado Springs.
17

Match the quote: "Some of the things that were buried in the depths of the sea from when I was in the second grade started to rage in my heart and mind."
- Shirley Coleman, on why she waited 5 hours to be first in line to see Michelle Obama.
- Ted Haggard, on how abuse as a child later caused him to use meth and had a secret affair with a male prostitute.
- State Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, describing Douglas Bruce.
- Brooke Squires, a local Democrat attending the record turnout of the El Paso County Democratic county assembly.
- USOC board Chairman Peter Ueberroth, shortly after receiving a $53 million incentive package to keep his organization in Colorado Springs.
18

Match the quote: "Politically speaking, I've been waiting for this event for 40 years."
- Shirley Coleman, on why she waited 5 hours to be first in line to see Michelle Obama.
- Ted Haggard, on how abuse as a child later caused him to use meth and had a secret affair with a male prostitute.
- State Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, describing Douglas Bruce.
- Brooke Squires, a local Democrat attending the record turnout of the El Paso County Democratic county assembly.
- USOC board Chairman Peter Ueberroth, shortly after receiving a $53 million incentive package to keep his organization in Colorado Springs.
19

Match the quote: "It's not about numbers... This is magic here."
- Shirley Coleman, on why she waited 5 hours to be first in line to see Michelle Obama.
- Ted Haggard, on how abuse as a child later caused him to use meth and had a secret affair with a male prostitute.
- Brooke Squires, a local Democrat attending the record turnout of the El Paso County Democratic county assembly.
- State Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, describing Douglas Bruce.
- USOC board Chairman Peter Ueberroth, shortly after receiving a $53 million incentive package to keep his organization in Colorado Springs.
20

How much of a chance did a scathing Government Accounting Office report released in June say high security Peterson Air Force Base had of repelling a medium or high level threat?
- 0 percent
- 14 percent
- 35 percent
21

Helicopters, news crews and sheriff's deputies scoured the plains east of Colorado Springs in July searching for what?
- An African lion.
- A group of "Turban-wearing terrorists."
- A polygamist group reportedly hiding in a compound on the plains.
22

Which of the following odd election season side shows did NOT occur on the same day?
- An anti-Bush traveling "museum" was set up in Monument Park.
- A Democratic Party volunteer called police when a severed deer head, initially mistaken for a donkey head, was left in front of a local campaign office.
- A hot air balloon emblazoned with the message "Tell Udall: Energy Taxes Hurt Families and Kill Jobs." floated over Memorial Park.
- A German film crew swarmed a local diner to make a fake documentary about a European running for president.
23

Who is Rozita Swinton?
- The Peyton Elementary principal who apologized to students and parents after making children don a glove and look inside a soggy bag of human feces to teach kids about proper bathroom practices.
- The owner of Woodland Park's McAfee estate who tried to auction the 10,600-square-foot mansion, valued at $20 million, for $3.8 million in October, but failed to receive the minimum bid.
- The local woman who posed in a phone call this spring as an abused polygamist 16-year-old girl, causing Texas police to raid a polygamist compound, taking 416 children into custody.
- The Coronado High School graduate who won a gold medal in wrestling at the Beijing Olympics.
24

After a house in the Pine Creek area was vandalized in March, causing $17,000 in damage, which of the following did NOT happen?
- The police initially refused to investigate, citing a new policy to not waste officers on non-emergency crimes.
- Neighbor Mary Silva, sent a mass e-mail to the neighborhood, making baseless accusations that the one black kid in the neighborhood was "BAD NEWS" and responsible for the crime.
- The deathbed confession of another child, Eugene Winton, hospitalized for meningitis, named the true culprits.
- Police arrested four white middle schoolers for the vandalism, as well as 49-year-old local Realtor Sandra Haddad, for inciting them to commit the crime.
25

After Focus on the Family posted a video asking viewers to pray for "umbrellas-ain't-gonna-help-you rain" during Barak Obama's outdoor acceptance speech in Denver, which of the following happened?
- Obama addressed a crowd of 90,000 on a cloudless, 72 degree evening.
- Republicans scaled back their convention schedule because of Hurricane Gustav.
- Members of the organization complained, saying prayer should not be used to wish harm on another.
- All of the above.
26

What is Shilo Mesa?
- An 863-acre open space purchased by the city this year after El Paso County tried to turn the area into a motorcycle park.
- The city's first Christian covenant community, which would offer Christian-themed housing, retail and community buildings centered around a 140,000-square-foot evangelical church.
- A proposed, $1 billion municipal project that would pump water from Pueblo to yet unbuilt eastern suburbs.
27

What was Florence town council member Robert Pasty caught doing at a local Ruby Tuesday's in January?
- Paying for 11 friends' meals, including dessert and appetizers, with a city Discover card.
- Slipping a tranquilizer in his date's drink.
- Stealing silverware, which he later confessed "is an exact match to the stuff at my house."
28

Which local was NOT inducted into a Hall of Fame this year
- Dragon Man, inducted into the Second Amendment Hall of Fame
- James Dobson, inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame
- Goose Gossage, inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
29

Who is Kristi Burton?
- The home-schooled 21-year-old local Christian whose anti-abortion constitutional amendment to define personhood as beginning at conception failed by 46 points.
- The peace activist and Democrat who shockingly was elected in November to represent State House District 17, which includes Fort Carson.
- The suicidal teenager who emerged without serious injury in June after diving off the top of Pikes Peak and tumbling 1,000 feet into a couloir.
- The Boulder atheist who heads a coalition putting up billboards in Colorado Springs that read "Imagine no religion" and "Don't believe in God? You are not alone."
30

What surprising statistic did Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama achieve in El Paso County, where Republicans outnumber Democrats two to one?
- He encouraged so many new voters to register that the number of registered Democrats now nearly equals the number of Republicans.
- He raised more money than Republican John McCain, even in conservative strongholds such as the Broadmoor.
- By attracting independents, he won the county by a razor-thin 988 votes.
31

Who is Hal Bidlack?
- The conservative president of the UCCS Student Government Association who refused, in September, to sign request by a gay student group to fund an event for "National Coming Out Day."
- The Democrat who carried around a life-size cardboard cut-out Doug Lamborn while running against him for the 5th Congressional seat, because Lamborn repeatedly refused to debate in person.
- The Downtown Partnership official who, when told in May that making Tejon Street two-way would increase traffic and decrease parking, said people "love the urban feel. They love the congestion, the urban excitement."
32

Facing budget cuts, which of the following is a cost-saving measure local officials proposed, then retracted?
- Leaving police substations un-manned at night.
- Grounding police helicopters.
- Selling county open space land.
- Charging for entry to Garden of the Gods.
- All of the above
33

Douglas Bruce bonus round: Which of the following is NOT a symbolic gesture Bruce refused, on principle, to vote for this spring?
- A resolution honoring the state's veterans.
- A resolution designating the Western painted turtle as the state reptile.
- A resolution urging school children to do their homework.
34

Douglas Bruce bonus round: Which of the following things Bruce did in the state legislature earned him an official censure?
- Refusing to be sworn in with the other legislators and instead insisting on a solo ceremony.
- Kicking a photographer during morning prayer.
- Overbilling the state by $750 for his per-diem reimbursement
- All of the above.
35

Douglas Bruce bonus round: What did Bruce list as his vocation in a questionnaire The Gazette sent to candidates in July?
- Affordable housing facilitator and man about town
- Freelance nemesis of dishonest socialists everywhere
- The anti-tax, anti-nonsense pro-American

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Colorado Springs Gazette 2008 News Quiz

Colorado Springs topped several national magazines "best" lists in 2008. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

What did a Wild Wings 'n Things employee in a chicken costume start waving at motorists on U.S. Highway 24 in January after local officials said the chicken violated the city's sign ordinance??

When the U.S. Olympic Committee threatened to leave Colorado Springs in February, which of the following did other cities do to try to woo the prestigious non-profit?

What unruly bar did police call "the eye of the hurricane" in February because late-night weekend complaints had ballooned by nearly 50 percent to 1,800 calls.

How much did Colorado Springs Utilities, which raised rates this year in the face of flagging revenues, spend in two years on "leadership coaching," including a $400-per-hour consultant ?

What about-face did Focus on the Family founder James Dobson make during the election season?

Because Colorado was a key battleground state in 2008, both presidential candidates, their wives and both vice presidential running mates visited Colorado Springs. Who was the only one to visit twice

What smashed through the doors of a Circuit City on Academy Boulevard in July?

Match the gaff with the person who said it: "I don't think we need 5,000 more illiterate peasants in Colorado,"

Match the gaff with the person who said it: "In my parents' day and age, they were sent away, they were shunned, they were called what they are. .. they're sl*ts"

Match the gaff: "The water compact that Colorado and other upper basin states have with California and Arizona should be renegotiated."

Match the gaff with the person who said it: "Colorado is my life."

Why did 21-year-old Fountain resident Nikita Weis hire two bumbling hit men to kill his mother?

Which woefully unapologetic apology did El Paso County District Attorney John Newsome use in May after being caught on camera guzzling 70 ounces of beer, then driving a county-owned SUV?

Match the quote: "You're dealing with an extremely bright 7-year-old boy in a 54-year-old's body,"

Match the quote: "It's almost like coming out of the closet."

Match the quote: "Some of the things that were buried in the depths of the sea from when I was in the second grade started to rage in my heart and mind."

Match the quote: "Politically speaking, I've been waiting for this event for 40 years."

Match the quote: "It's not about numbers... This is magic here."

How much of a chance did a scathing Government Accounting Office report released in June say high security Peterson Air Force Base had of repelling a medium or high level threat?

Helicopters, news crews and sheriff's deputies scoured the plains east of Colorado Springs in July searching for what?

Which of the following odd election season side shows did NOT occur on the same day?

Who is Rozita Swinton?

After a house in the Pine Creek area was vandalized in March, causing $17,000 in damage, which of the following did NOT happen?

After Focus on the Family posted a video asking viewers to pray for "umbrellas-ain't-gonna-help-you rain" during Barak Obama's outdoor acceptance speech in Denver, which of the following happened?

What is Shilo Mesa?

What was Florence town council member Robert Pasty caught doing at a local Ruby Tuesday's in January?

Which local was NOT inducted into a Hall of Fame this year

Who is Kristi Burton?

What surprising statistic did Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama achieve in El Paso County, where Republicans outnumber Democrats two to one?

Who is Hal Bidlack?

Facing budget cuts, which of the following is a cost-saving measure local officials proposed, then retracted?

Douglas Bruce bonus round: Which of the following is NOT a symbolic gesture Bruce refused, on principle, to vote for this spring?

Douglas Bruce bonus round: Which of the following things Bruce did in the state legislature earned him an official censure?

Douglas Bruce bonus round: What did Bruce list as his vocation in a questionnaire The Gazette sent to candidates in July?

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