Author: KRDO

Heather Skold

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — After five years of being at the ‘bottom,’ Lance Gillenwater knew he needed help. 

His years as a medic in the Air Force brought on debilitating post-traumatic stress disorder, a 100% diagnosis he received ten years ago. He isn’t alone: just shy of a quarter of military service members struggle with PTSD at some point, according to the Armed Forces Benefit Association (AFBA). 

But then, a commander recommended yoga and breathing as a way to cope. 

“I had only taken one yoga class before,” said Gillenwater. “I was actually a runner and a swimmer.  But slowing down is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your nervous system. Yoga is a subtractive process. You take things out. You slough off the things that are getting in the way of getting in tune with yourself.”

The slowing down helped Gillenwater be able to function and succeed.  

He eventually became a trauma-informed yoga instructor, now teaching with Comeback Yoga, where classes are offered twice weekly at the Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center.

Here, those struggling can put their bodies through stressors, but teach the nervous system how to respond calmly. 

“Breathing is the actual point of the class. The nervous system doesn’t know the difference between the stressors in here and the stressors out there. We’re teaching ourselves that we can do hard things,” said Gillenwater.

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Scott Harrison

FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — A rough stretch of Highway 115 between a recent and a current project by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is now smoother after crews completed some maintenance paving this summer.

Crews repaved four miles — in several segments — a few miles south of the El Paso County line.

The work was maintenance paving, a temporary operation in which crews laid asphalt over the existing pavement instead of a full repaving that removes old asphalt first.

CDOT said there is no funding available for a full repaving in that area for the next several years, and the maintenance paving should last between two and five years.

The main issue on the highway, CDOT explained, is “alligator cracking” caused by age, freeze/thaw cycles, and heavy truck traffic.

The affected highway segments are south of a project to improve safety on Highway 115 in El Paso County (completed in 2024), and north of a project nearing completion to repair hundreds of cracked concrete pavement panels in Penrose.

Last fall, CDOT also performed maintenance paving on part of westbound US 50 between the Pueblo/Fremont County line and Penrose.

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Bradley Davis

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – 25 balloons towered over Pueblo Friday morning to kick off the 32nd annual Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival. One of the bunch, sporting a cute pink fairy, made one young fan’s day.

“I’ve never seen a hot air balloon this close and in my own yard, and it’s just like. Wow, I’m so excited. This is the best thing that’s ever happened!” said Kinley, a young girl who gleefully watched the balloon land in her backyard from her trampoline.

Kinley and her friends started waving at the Pixie Spirit Balloon as soon as it came into sight, and they didn’t stop until it touched down on their land. It was a chance Kinley and her family barely missed out on a year ago.

“This is her favorite hot air balloon, and last year, we were actually at Langoni [Sports Complex] watching everyone take off, and the neighbors called and said they were in our yard. So we’re really excited to actually get to interact this year,” said Brittany Hawkins, Kinley’s mom.

The Balloon Fest is a relatively new tradition added in 2021. It quickly became a beloved staple to kick off the festival before downtown floods with people on Friday afternoon.

The main festival is in Historic Downtown Pueblo off of Union Avenue. The three-day event starts Friday and wraps up Sunday.

Schedule

Friday: 3 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. – 12 a.m.

Sunday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

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Tanner Buck

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Volunteers helped clean the historic Evergreen Cemetery for veterans on Wednesday as part of an effort through a non-profit organization.

Evergreen Cemetery is one of the most historic cemeteries in the Pikes Peak region and is the final resting place of more than 4,000 veterans, with some sites dating back to the Civil War.

About 203 volunteers showed up to restore the cemetery through a non-profit organization called “Saluting Branches.”

According to City Forester Matt Puckett the organization “is dedicated to enhancing the landscape around veteran cemeteries and veteran sites.”

The volunteers who showed up were local companies who care for trees, people in the military and members of the community. This event has been happening annually for the last five years.

“It’s fantastic for our community. It’s fantastic for our veterans, and it’s amazing to see that level of support,” Puckett said.

Restoring the cemetery meant much more to the community than just giving back, it meant paying homage to loved ones who served.

“Green Berets coming by saying thank you for what you are doing. From the volunteers that have their uncle, their father buried here that served in our country. I mean the impact is near and dear,” Puckett said.

The event on Wednesday brought in more than $100,000 dollars in professional care for the 2,800 trees, according to officials.

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Julia Donovan

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – A new downtown bar failed its first health inspection with seven violations, while several Colorado Springs-area restaurants earned high marks, including one Thai restaurant that received a perfect score.

Stoney’s cited for seven violations

Stoney’s Bar and Grill, located on North Tejon Street, failed its first health inspection after opening earlier this month.

The inspection report documented seven violations, including improper glove use and food-storage concerns.

According to the report, the kitchen manager touched clean dishes while wearing dirty gloves. Multiple cooks were also observed handling soiled towels and touching their clothing while wearing gloves.

The inspector also found queso sauce that was beyond its seven-day shelf life.

KRDO13 stopped by Stoney’s to see whether the issues had been addressed. A chef said employees are now washing their hands and changing gloves frequently.

The chef also said the restaurant’s food is being kept at proper temperatures and everything is fresh.

Stoney’s is still awaiting its re-inspection.

Three restaurants earn high scores

This week’s roundup also includes three restaurants that received high inspection scores:

The Old Spaghetti Factory Wingstop Sahara Cafe Two restaurants receive perfect scores

Two restaurants highlighted in this week’s roundup received perfect health inspection scores.

In-N-Out Burger and Eim Thai both earned perfect scores.

At Eim Thai, owner Pong said much of the kitchen staff has been with the restaurant since it opened, helping create a strong workplace culture.

“Like 90% of the people in the kitchen—they’re with me since day one,” Pong said.

Pong also said the restaurant strives to serve food that is both affordable and healthy enough for customers to eat regularly.

She described the restaurant as a second home, saying she spends more time there than she does at home.

Keep an eye out for KRDO13’s Restaurant Roundup awards at your favorite restaurant — and remember, a high score means the kitchen has passed its routine health inspection.

Reminder: All high and low scores in this roundup are based on routine health inspections conducted by the El Paso County Health Department.

Click here for a look at all the most recent health inspection scores.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — In late May, KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior brought you a fascinating look at a segment of a 24-inch water main being installed under Bear Creek as part of the ongoing improvements project on 8th Street.

Definitely something you don’t see every day, but you’ll get to see it again in the coming weeks.

Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) designed the 8th Street main and began preliminary work this week to install a new 16-inch water line on Hancock Expressway, in front of CSU’s Leon Young Service Center.

CSU will use the same contractor as with the previous project.

The Hancock project will bore 60 feet under Spring Creek — twice as deep as in the 8th Street project — because Spring Creek is deeper and wider.

Another difference is that the Hancock line will be considerably longer, around 2,000 feet, and connect to new and existing apartment complexes east of the service center near the Union Boulevard intersection.

“It just creates a more reliable, resilient water system,” Cassie Melvin, a CSU spokesperson, explained. “Just completing the section through here for growth in the area, for the road that’s going to be developed by the city.”

That new road is Twin Bridges Road, currently under construction below the MLK Bypass, between Las Vegas Street and the Hancock service center; it cuts through what is currently CSU property and will replace an existing train crossing when it opens this fall.

The new line will also be under two bridges — on Hancock and on the Bypass above Hancock.

CSU said that the project should be finished in December.

Traffic will be reduced to one lane in front of the service center during construction.

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Alexander Brunet

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A driver was unharmed after his car rolled over on Powers Boulevard, just north of the Milton E. Proby Parkway intersection, just before 5 a.m. on Thursday.

The crash scene was outside the main entrance to the Colorado Springs Airport.

Police said that the driver was traveling west on the parkway and attempted to merge onto northbound Powers when he lost control on the ramp, which has a fairly sharp curve.

“He was going too fast,” an officer at the scene told KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior, and the pavement was damp from rain overnight.

The car rolled, possibly twice, before stopping upside down on the center median and the left lane — leaving a trail of shattered glass and other debris behind.

When the Road Warrior arrived, the driver stood in the median beside the car, leaning on a lightpost and grinning: “I’m OK, just embarrassed.”

Police said that the driver wasn’t hurt.

Officers briefly closed both lanes of northbound Powers around the crash, leaving a narrow path for traffic to move through and clogging traffic from the double left-turn lanes on the eastbound parkway.

By just after 6 a.m., a tow truck driver had removed the wreckage and traffic returned to normal.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The annual Pikes Peak Regional Air Show returns this weekend to the Colorado Springs Airport with live flyovers and close-up aircraft encounters.

The air show has partnered with the National Museum of WWII Aviation to bring refurbished wartime planes to the airstrip for crowds to see up close.

The F-18 Rhino Demo Team will headline the show. The group flies at 1:55 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

“They will be loud. They will be ones that you could feel in your bones, and they will be putting on an incredible show for us,” said Colorado Springs Sports Corp Director of Marketing Rands Keasler.

The hot ramp landing strip opens in the morning for guests to check out before the shows start at 10:50 a.m. The pilots will be around talking to guests and showing off their planes.

Tickets are still available. General admission is $55 per person. You can find a full schedule of events here.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.

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Rob Namnoum

KRDO-13 Sports Director gets a taste of what tailgating is like at Arrowhead Stadium before the Broncos/Chiefs game.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Lane changes and even intersection closures have been frequent in the ongoing project to improve two miles of South Academy Boulevard, between Fountain Boulevard and Jet Wing Drive.

Earlier this week, some traffic impacts began, and more will start this weekend.

Traffic on southbound Academy has been reduced to one lane since Monday morning near Hancock Expressway while crews excavate part of the street to install storm sewer structures.

That change continues until Friday evening.

A longer change begins on Friday night and will continue for two weeks, as Hancock, immediately west of Academy, closes until noon on Oct.3.

Crews will install new storm sewer pipes, pave the street, and rebuild the median and sidewalks.

The right lane of southbound Academy Boulevard will also close near Hancock to provide space for construction equipment and protect workers and drivers.

The project won’t be finished until 2028, partly because of a year-long delay as the city worked to avoid the negative business impacts associated with the similar project on the north end of South Academy.

“We’re coordinating more closely with those businesses,” said Ryan Phipps, the city’s capital improvements manager. “Again, we’re implementing the newsletters, the website content, the text alerts, trying to get our message out as best as possible with that project and our contractors. Doing really well. They’re staying on schedule.”

KRDO13’s The Road Warrior spoke with four merchants at the nearby Mission Trace shopping center who told him that construction has had little or no impact on their sales.

However, it’s a different story at the Smoke Academy, owned by Mike Ezzat since 2011.

“If you want to talk only about the last two years, I have lost 70% of my business,” he said. “And this is documented already for what I report to the IRS on how much income I’ve made since, because people find it very hard to go around and come to the business here.”

Ezzat said that although there have been at least six other businesses in the center to close during the past year, he will try to hold on because he believes sales will improve after the project is finished.

“What else can I do?” he chuckled. “I’m between a rock and a hard place.”

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.

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