Westside Pioneer Online

Staff | Contacts | About | Frequently Asked Questions

Staff

KENYON JORDAN, editor/publisher/writer/main photographer.
THERESE JORDAN, assistant publisher/occasional photographer/director of
    finance, advertising, circulation and social media.
TRAVERS JORDAN, technical director/circulation assistant/
    occasional photographer.
DANIELLE JORDAN, circulation assistant.
RIOUX JORDAN, legal consultant.

   Our banner was initially crafted for our first edition, Jan. 5, 2004, using Ramona type face for the word "Pioneer" and a photo we took of the Prospector statue at Hwy 24 and 21st Street. For the edition of May 25, 2011, the banner was given a colorful enhancement by Old Colorado City artist Jason Baalman, including his rendition of the Prospector statue (from the same angle as our photo). Ever since, the Pioneer has kept Baalman's version for the Page 1 banner and put it at the top of our main website pages.
    (The statue itself was created by sculptor Cloyd Barnes in 1999, following a fundraising effort by several area citizens. Representing the pioneering spirit that led to this area's development in the mid-1800s, the statue was the vision of the late George Fisher, who had been a prospector himself.)

Contacts

The Westside Pioneer office is at 526 S. 26th St., Colorado Springs, CO 80904.
    - Phone: (719) 471-6776.
    - E-mail:
       o For news or general information, contact Kenyon at editor@westsidepioneer.com.
       o For advertising/billing information, contact Therese at ap@westsidepioneer.com .
       o For website information, contact Travers at travers@technoguycomputers.com.
    - Facebook address: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Westside-Pioneer/251273408261599.

       E-MAIL LIST: The Westside Pioneer sends out an e-mail "blast" to announce significant articles (usually once a week). There is no charge to be notified that way. The blast is delivered in a blind-copy format, so people's e-mail addresses are not displayed. To get on the list, e-mail us at editor@westsidepioneer.com.

About

   The Westside Pioneer began in January 2004 as a "mom-and-pop" weekly newspaper for the Colorado Springs Westside, attaining a circulation of over 5,000. The goal was to provide consistent, accurate news coverage for a significant and historic part of the city - in a way that larger publications could not or would not. The Pioneer is still run that way, even after retooling to become a primarily online publication in January 2014 (after the last weekly print issue Dec. 19, 2013). The website offers the same type of Westside coverage as in the weekly-print days, typically with one or more new articles/photos posted daily, along with calendar updates in the Westside Happenings.
    On its print side, the Pioneer now offers a 16-page newspaper every two months, available at more than 50 locations, including King Soopers, Albertson's, Safeway, the Old Colorado City Library, the Old Colorado City History Center and the Westside Community Center.
    Both print and online publications continue to be free of charge.
    Founders Kenyon and Therese Jordan, long-time Colorado Springs residents and Westsiders since 1986, continue as the Pioneer's owners. Their older son Travers, who owns a computer-repair business (Techno Guy Computers), built the Pioneer website and is its webmaster. Their younger son Rioux, who has assisted the paper at various times over the years, graduated from Denver University's Sturm College of Law in May 2018, passed the bar and is now employed as a lawyer.
   Kenyon majored in English and journalism, graduating from San Jose State University in California in 1978. Over the years, he has worked for numerous news publications (ranging from dailies to weeklies to monthly magazines) and also for Internet-related firms as a tech writer and editor. For the Pioneer, he oversees both the online and print publications and does the newswriting, editing, page layouts and most of the photography.
    Therese studied modern dance in college, mothered Travers and Rioux (including leading their homeschooling in their younger years), owned her own hairstyling business for about 15 years and is a self-taught graphics artist. She manages the Pioneer's advertising (including sales and layout design), handles the business' finances, oversees social media and shoots occasional news/feature photos.

Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the Pioneer's coverage area?
   The Colorado Springs Westside is our coverage area, which we define as west of I-25, north of Cheyenne/Broadmoor, east of Manitou Springs and south of Garden of the Gods Road.

    How do I view an article or ad on the Westside Pioneer website?
    The headlines for current articles (up to three weeks from their initial posting) can be found on the home page. An article can viewed by clicking on its headline. An ad can be viewed by clicking on it (don't worry, it's safe - these are all local advertisers). Clickable headlines for current articles can also be found on the applicable category pages (the small blue buttons at the top of each page - see that question/asnswer below).

    What is the purpose of those small, square blue buttons in two rows at the top of each web page?
    These are called category buttons. Each can be clicked to open its own page. The 13 at the top left - other than the Contact button (this page) - relate to news. The six at the right -- other than the Join Pioneer E-Mail List button - relate to advertising. (The E-mail List button opens a page that tells how to sign up for the Pioneer e-mail "blasts," as described above under Contacts.)
    Capsules about the news and advertising buttons follow.
    - NEWS:
       o The Archives button opens a page allowing access to older stories (at least a month past the dates they were posted). For more details, see the Archives question/answer below.
       o The Westside Happenings button opens a page with listings of upcoming events that are open to the public. (Note: These are often non-commercial; those that are commercially oriented must have reasonably broad entertainment value to be listed, e.g., Territory Days.)
       o The buttons for Community, Projects, Opinion, Transportation, Schools, Outdoors, Land, Politics and Business open pages displaying clickable headlines for recently posted articles (roughly within the past six months) in those respective categories. All Pioneer articles appear initially on the main page. The idea with category pages is to help people find recent articles based on what they're about. At the top of each category page are clickable subcategories. For example, on the Community category page, if you click on the Westside Community Center subcategory you will be moved down the page to clickable articles about the center.
    Note: If you browse the category pages, you can spot the newer articles because they will be in bold-face type. If an article was posted over a month prior, it can also be found in the Archives.
    - ADVERTISING:
       o The Ad Info button opens a page with information about how to place an ad in the Westside Pioneer.
       o The Got a Card? button opens a page that presents merchant business cards. These are local businesses whose advertising supports the Westside Pioneer. Clicking on the cards opens their websites.
       o The Restaurants button opens a page with display ads for restaurants. These are local restaurants whose advertising supports the Westside Pioneer. Clicking on the ads opens their websites.
       o The Classifieds button opens a page that presents classified ads. These text or small display ads, placed by local residents and business owners, support the Westside Pioneer. The listings themselves are not clickable.
       o The Business Directory button opens a page with a one-line listing that states the addresses and phone numbers for local entities/businesses. This is also advertising that supports the Westside Pioneer. Clicking on the names opens their websites.
    NOTE: We understand that many online readers use ad blockers - largely from being assaulted by pop-up ads on many websites and from a valid concern about safety. In contrast, our ads come from local, trusted businesses, nonprofits and individuals. You'll also often find coupons you can use, just by clicking on their ads. So we request that you turn off your ad blocker when you come to our site - it helps us, and it could help you!

    Where can I find archives of the print newspaper?
   The Westside Pioneer retains full archives of all its articles since the newspaper started in January 2004. Also archived are articles that have been posted online since the Pioneer started that service in January 2014. Articles are archived about a month after they first appear and are categorized by date and category. Keyword searches are also possible, using the Find box. To access the Pioneer archives, click the Archives button at the top of this page or here: http://westsidepioneer.com/Archives.html.

    How can I take out an ad in the Westside Pioneer?
   Call 471-6776 and ask for Therese, or e-mail her at ap@westsidepioneer.com . We accept camera-ready display ads, or she can create your ad, working with you to represent your business the way you like. For Classified ads, Therese is in the office Mondays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 526 S. 26th St. For other days of the week, please call to make an appointment. Basic ad information is also available on the website, at westsidepioneer.com/Advertising.html.

    How can readers know about new articles on the Westside Pioneer website?
    One or more new articles are posted most days, but roughly once a week, we send out an e-mail "blast" as a reminder to a list of subscribers. New articles are posted on the home page as well as on the category pages that fit their respective topics. (See the next question that explains the category buttons.) To be added to the e-mail list (it's free), e-mail us at editor@westsidepioneer.com. (Note that we will not "market" our e-mail list, and e-mails are sent in a blind-copy format so that recipients' e-mail addresses do not appear.) Also, we put notifications on our Facebook page.

    Why can't readers comment at the ends of stories, as is allowed on many online news sites?
    While we welcome reader feedback, we lack the staffing necessary to monitor individual-story commenting. But at the end of every article is a link that lets the reader send an e-mail to the editor. This could be published as a letter, if it meets the necessary criteria.

    What is the letter-writing criteria?
   We request that letters be e-mailed to us at editor@westsidepioneer.com. For the best chance of publication, the length should not exceed 300 words and the subject should be about the Westside. We reserve the right to edit letters for such reasons as length, spelling, grammar and punctuation. We will not run letters that contain obscenity, personal attacks or information known to be incorrect. Unsigned letters also will not be run.

    Why did the Westside Pioneer end its weekly print publication?
    The reasons mainly involved finances, time and health, along with the exciting possibilities of going online. We provided fuller explanations in our announcement of the change in our Nov. 14, 2013, edition. These can be read in our online archives at: http://westsidepioneer.com/Articles/111413/Pioneer.html and http://westsidepioneer.com/Articles/111413/EditorsDesk.html . However, after hearing from numerous people who missed the Pioneer weekly, we started printing again in May 2014. This evolved into our current pattern of publishing every two months - in January, March, May, August and November.

    How do I let you know if I encounter any problems with the website?
    E-mail our webmaster, Travers Jordan, at travers@technoguycomputers.com. For particularly serious issues, such as the site not being accessible at all, we'd also appreciate a call to the Pioneer office at 471-6776.

(Posted 1/6/14; updated 1/3/19)