CRIPPLE CREEK – Seven of the nine casinos in Cripple Creek have been approved to serve alcohol round-the-clock.

The Gazette of Colorado Springs reported that the Cripple Creek City Council approved the proposed sales Wednesday. The remaining two casinos have to wait until paperwork is cleared through Colorado Division of Revenue to get approval.

Last month, the town of Black Hawk allowed two casinos to serve liquor around the clock.

The alcohol vote comes as Cripple Creek casinos face competition from Black Hawk, while also enduring consecutive lackluster summer tourist seasons. Attendance waned amid the threat of flash flooding, which has routinely closed U.S. Highway 24 through Ute Pass

‘GPS Day’ honors 20 years of maps

DENVER – While most people take using GPS on their phone for granted, Gov. John Hickenlooper is saying thank you by declaring Friday “GPS Day” in honor of 20 years with the service.

The Denver Post reported that the Global Positioning System was declared fully operational by the U.S. Air Force July 17, 1995. Since then it has been operated by the 2nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs and provided to the world for free.

Data from the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. shows there are 4 billion GPS-enabled devices worldwide.

Hickenlooper will declare Friday a holiday to recognize the contributions of Colorado companies including ground-control systems and next-generation GPS technologies.

Woman seeks $500K from Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS – A Colorado Springs police officer threw a handcuffed woman face-first onto the floor after she kicked him, her attorney said, and the woman is seeking $500,000 from the city for her injuries.

The incident occurred in 2013 but was not widely reported until this week, when the Colorado Springs Independent posted surveillance video of the confrontation on its website.

Alexis Acker filed a claim with the city in May saying she suffered injuries to her face, head, teeth and jaw.

Police spokeswoman Lt. Catherine Buckley said she could not comment because of the civil litigation and an internal investigation. She said the officer, Tyler Walker, is still on the force.

Associated Press