Slap Me Some Skin
Rob Namnoum
Top prep performances for the week of October 8th.
The School Buzz: KRDO13’s Josh Helmuth continues media literacy session at D20 middle school
Josh Helmuth
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — With disinformation spreading online and now aided by artificial intelligence, it’s as important as ever for people, especially students, to develop media literacy. KRDO13’s Josh Helmuth spoke to students at Chinook Trail Middle School about the topic for the fourth straight year.
Helmuth, a 15-year veteran of the TV news industry, spent an hour going over how to spot media bias, how to find reliable news sources, why freedom of the press is so important, and the threat of disinformation because of artificial intelligence.
Luke Anliker is an English teacher at Chinook Trail Middle who invites Helmuth to speak each Fall. Helmuth’s presentation kicks off his class called “My News Network.” Students work in groups to choose a United Nations Sustainable Development goal– like ending hunger or protecting the planet — then create news stories around that topic.
They build their own news websites, podcasts, and broadcasts, and get feedback from local journalism professionals. In the end, judges select winners who get featured on the D20 website and get to take a personal tour of the KRDO13 newsroom and studio.
Anlicker says that the project has been wildly successful.
Would you like Josh Helmuth to speak at your school? Email him directly at SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.
85° Bakery has soft opening in Palm Desert
Gavin Nguyen
PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Swaths of people rushed to Palm Desert today as a popular Taiwanese bakery, 85°C Bakery Cafe, opened in Palm Desert.
The cafe is located within the Desert Gateway shopping plaza at the corner of Monterey and Dinah Shore.
During its soft opening period, it will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. After its grand opening in November, it will be open 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily.
Management at the cafe said the soft opening was to help train new employees as they familiarize themselves with the menu and workflow.
They acknowledged that it’s a unique opportunity to provide new, Asian-inspired flavors to the Coachella Valley population.
Nhi Nguyen, one of the corporate trainers working with new hires at the store, said, “We have over 50 varieties of cake, bread, coffee, and teas. [It] brings a little bit of diversity of the Asian culture into the Coachella Valley since it is – I feel like it is a little bit limited on the Asian cuisines and whatnot.”
Customers agree – many of whom waited hours in line to get a taste.
Nguyen noticed some customers camping out as early as three hours before the bakery opened its doors Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m.
“It’s been a very exciting day, extremely busy as well.”
Those customers expressed their desire to try new and more diverse cuisine. Citlaly Zamora, a lifelong Coachella Valley resident, said excitement is growing valley-wide for new foods to try.
“Before, I had to go all the way to L.A. to find, like, good ramen places, good coffee, or just kind of that, you know, Asian type of food,” Zamora explained. “Hopefully [we’re] going to get some more places so we can, you know, just have that variety and culture differences here in the valley.”
Sabrina Eanes and Juan Agredano emerged from the store with two boxes full of pastries. Eanes, a local baker from Desert Hot Springs, said she wanted to support the new local bakery. And for Agredano, he said, “To have something like this come in [is exciting] because the desert is not that big and everybody’s probably been everywhere already.”
This 85°C location is the first in California to feature a drive-thru – although the drive-thru remains closed for now.
Management teased that the grand opening will include giveaways of T-shirts, bucket hats, and discount vouchers.
We’ll have updates on this new bakery already drawing significant attention right here on KESQ. Stay with us for the latest.
Free “Viking Fair” brings authentic Norwegian food and crafts to Colorado Springs
Bradley Davis
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Sons of Norway Colorado Springs hosts their 16th annual Viking Fair Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with Norwegian food, arts and crafts, a raffle and more.
“It is great to be able to connect with your ancestry. It’s hard to explain, but it is what this lodge is all about,” said Sons of Norway member Mike Johansen.
The fair is at their Fjellheim Lodge off Ford Street in Colorado Springs. Admission is free, and they’re offering a brunch for $12.
The Sons of Norway said they fund most of their operations by selling lefse, a traditional Norwegian potato flatbread, very similar to a crepe.
“When I think of the lefse, it kind of makes me think of being a kid,” said Sons of Norway charman Eunice Bluhm.
The group makes hundreds of lefse a week to sell at farmers’ markets and supply the other Sons of Norway lodges across the Front Range. They will have around 600 lefse flatbreads cooked for Saturday.
Court Docs: Silvercrest CEO spent weekend in Las Vegas after deadly hit-and-run crash
Jesus Reyes
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Court documents revealed new information about the deadly hit-and-run crash that led to the arrest of Silvercrest CEO William Rodriguez.
The crash happened on Oct. 11, 2024, in Cathedral City. Rodriguez is accused of hitting a woman riding a scooter late that night, dragging the vehicle for several blocks, before fleeing the scene. The woman, Christina Barrington, 60, was pronounced dead the next day in the hospital.
According to the bail increase request, Rodriguez was allegedly out drinking hours before, even seen on surveillance video stumbling out of a Palm Springs bar approximately 10 minutes before the deadly crash.
Police said Rodriguez was driving 65 MPH in a 45 MPH zone when he swerved out of his lane and hit a moped traveling at a significantly slower speed. The moped driver, identifed as Barrington, was ejected and killed. Rodriguez continued dragging the moped for about 1,400 feet before making a sudden turn and disloging the scooter.
He then reportedly drove home at a high rate of speed. The next day, Rodriguez left town.
“…Rodriguez left town and spent the weekend in Las Vegas, where he was seen on surveillance with what appear to be alcoholic drinks, including a glass of champagne he appears to be toasting with,” reads the court document.
Police said Rodriguez never reported the crash, he told co-workers that his car was stolen and wrecked.
Court documents also revealed that Rodriguez had a suspended license from a 2013 DUI conviction out of Los Angeles County.
Rodriguez was arrested Monday afternoon in Palm Springs. He has been charged with murder, hit-and-run leading to death, and driving with a suspended license. He is being held in lieu of bail at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates on this case.
Colorado Springs City Council approves Charlie Kirk Remembrance Day resolution
KRDO News
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Springs City Council opted to allow public comment about a Charlie Kirk Remembrance Day on Tuesday. However, those who want to speak have to do so at the end of the meeting, and not during a time slot designated for the resolution.
The move goes against the previous decision to restrict all public comment on the resolution, which would honor the U.S. Senate’s designation of Oct. 14 as Charlie Kirk Remembrance Day.
A spokesperson for the Colorado Springs City Council told KRDO13 this week that council leadership has the power to restrict public comment for agenda items, if they choose.
“I find it just profoundly ironic that a resolution that’s really about free speech and the First Amendment is one we’re not allowing public comment on,” said Councilor Nancy Henjum prior to Tuesday’s city council meeting.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Council President Lynette Crow-Iverson decided to allow people to speak on the topic following the meeting.
Councilmember Dave Donelson told KRDO13 that he was disappointed, as many residents might not know when the meeting would be over and public comment would open. He also said many were told yesterday that they wouldn’t get a chance to speak whatsoever.
Fire destroys trash truck, triggers fuel spill in Banning
City News Service
BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A fire that erupted today in a garbage truck on the south end of Banning consumed part of the vehicle and extended into vegetation before crews got it under control.
The non-injury blaze was reported at 11:28 a.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Longhorn Road and Roadrunner Trail, at the foot of the San Bernardino National Forest, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency said multiple engine crews were sent to the location and encountered flames raging in the front half of the refuse truck, with surrounding bushes and dry grass catching fire.
Windy conditions were reported due to intense rain cells to the west of Banning at the time.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the burning vegetation and concentrated on the truck, fully containing the blaze at 11:55 a.m., according to reports from the scene.
The cab and about half of the trash load was impacted by the fire, which also caused the vehicle’s fuel bladders to rupture, spilling an estimated 50 gallons of diesel onto the ground, officials said.
The county Department of Environmental Health was requested to inspect the hazard and determine whether a cleanup operation was required.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Local healthcare workers join statewide Kaiser Permanente strike
Kendall Flynn
PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Over 30,000 health care workers are set to protest and strike against Kaiser Permanente Tuesday morning through Sunday morning. They’re asking for fair wages, better staffing and improved patient care. It’s a cause local health care workers are now joining.
Over 60 workers gathered outside the Kaiser Permanent clinic in Palm Desert, on the corner of Gerald Ford Drive and Cook Street. They shouted with signs and pom pom’s, and asked cars driving by to honk in support.
Stay with News Channel 3 for the latest updates as the health care workers plan to protest until 5 p.m. each day.
CDOT repaving project on South Nevada Avenue and Highway 115 in Colorado Springs almost finished
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The above headline may be cause for celebration among drivers who have complained for years about what was considered one of the worst roadway stretches in the Pikes Peak Region.
By the end of October, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) expects to complete the repaving of six miles of the south end of Nevada Avenue, where it becomes Highway 115.
The $10.4 million project placed a new layer of asphalt between Brookside Street, just south of downtown, and the main gate of Fort Carson.
KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior was the first to report in February 2024 that the repaving would happen.
Work began this spring when crews moved north from Fort Carson; they achieved a major milestone several weeks ago when they reached the four-way intersection of Highway 115/South Nevada/Cheyenne Road/Southgate Road.
Workers closed the intersection for 12 hours on a weekend night to complete paving at the intersection — officially symbolizing the beginning of the end for the overall project.
Patti Henschen, a CDOT engineer, said that paving is essentially finished.
“The final touch-up items that we’re going to need are final striping, some signage, and a little bit of guardrail and shouldering,” she said.
Henschen added that the most frustrating aspect of the project was drivers who failed to obey traffic control signs and lights.
The affected corridor was known for numerous potholes, and for cracking, crumbling pavement and concrete; crews also made concrete repairs of curbs, sidewalks, and medians before repaving.
Many drivers considered the worst stretch to be between Brookside and the Lake Avenue interchange.
A commemorative plaque placed on a median in the area indicates that the last major improvements were in 1987.
Record Attendance at 11th Annual Girls in Aviation Day at Lone Star Flight Museum
By Lisa Valadez
Click here for updates on this story
October 14, 2025 (Houston Style Magazine) — A record-breaking 675 aspiring aviators and STEM enthusiasts attended Girls in Aviation Day at the Lone Star Flight Museum on Saturday, September 20, in Houston. The event welcomed 391 young participants ages 8 to 17, accompanied by nearly 300 family members, scout leaders, and group chaperones for a day filled with hands-on activities, demonstrations, and tours of more than 15 personal, military, and historic aircraft.
Girls in Aviation Day, launched by Women in Aviation International in 2015, aims to inspire girls to pursue careers in aviation and STEM fields. The Lone Star Flight Museum has hosted the event for eight consecutive years. Attendees experienced drone training, STEM carts, flight simulators, and STEM-focused exhibits, while a career and college fair highlighted opportunities from 25 aerospace companies, schools, and organizations.
The day also featured a luncheon and panel discussion with female leaders in STEM and aerospace, including Captain Michelle Boeding of United Airlines, Maria “Majo” Perdomo Cuevas of Million Air, Sarah Duggleby of Venus Aerospace, and Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar, former NASA astronaut and aerospace engineering professor at Texas A&M University. The panel was moderated by Shelly Lesikar deZevallos, president of West Houston Airport and chair of the Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Advisory Committee.
The event was made possible by presenting sponsor ExxonMobil, along with supporting sponsors including ConocoPhillips, Houston Airports, Million Air, Universal Technical Institute, and others, underscoring the community’s commitment to inspiring the next generation of leaders in STEM and aviation.
The Lone Star Flight Museum is a 501(c)(3) aviation museum and STEM learning center located at Ellington Airport. Home to rare and historic aircraft, the museum offers interactive exhibits, flight experiences, and educational programs designed to engage youth in science, technology, engineering, and math. LSFM is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., with tickets starting at $12. More information is available at lonestarflight.org.
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