Author: KRDO

Michael Logerwell

FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office has lifted evacuations for homes near a brush fire. As of 6:40 p.m. Monday night, the fire had grown to 102 acres with 0% containment.

The sheriff’s office ordered evacuations around 7:30 p.m. Sunday night for the 1.25-mile radius around High Park Rd and County Rd 352A in a post on social media.

The shelter at Pathfinder Park is now closed. Officials say “Residents who were evacuated due to the Aspen Acres Fire should refer to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office,” for more information.

The Canon City Fire Protection District says the so-called “11 Fire” is visible from parts of Canon City and is asking people not to call 9-1-1 about the smoke, as there are already multiple fire engines fighting the fire.

The Cañon City Police Department said it did not have any further updates as of early Monday morning and does not know the level of containment.

KRDO13 will continue to update this report.

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Michael Logerwell

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Manitou Springs is lifting emergency water restrictions.

Just after 5:30 P.M. on Sunday, city officials announced that one of the two water main breaks had been mended, adding that the water supply is stable.

Repair crews are still working on the second water main break at Manitou Avenue and Tyler Street.

Despite the lifting of emergency water restrictions, the City of Manitou Springs is still asking people to conserve water until all the water main repairs are finalized.

Original Report: Manitou Springs City Officials are urging businesses and residents to use as little water as possible on Sunday.

The reason is not drought conditions, but two water main breaks.

The city says the breaks are near Manitou Ave. and El Monte Pl.

Several areas of the city, including the Ruxton corridor, have had their water shut off altogether while crews work to mend the break.

The breaks were first announced by the city at 11:48 A.M. and less than an hour later, the city reported that the City’s water storage system is showing early signs of stabilization.

At this time, the city says they estimate the breaks will be fixed in 24 hours. In that time frame, the city warns residents that they could experience temporary, intermittent water outages.

After water is restored, you might see some water discoloration. If that happens, city officials suggest residents run cold water from the bathtub or the lowest faucet in your home until the water runs clear.

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – UPDATE: The shelter-in-place is lifted.

Colorado Springs Police say the shelter-in-place was activated because they believed a possible suspect in a shooting was seen in the area.

Police say the shooting happened on Sunset Road just after 2:00 P.M. on Saturday. Two people were shot and taken to the hospital. The police department describes their injuries as serious but non-life-threatening. The spot where the shooting happened is less than half a mile from where the shelter-in-place went into effect.

Just about an hour later, police say they received information that a potential suspect in that shooting was in the area of 300 Iowa Ave. That’s what led to the large police presence and shelter-in-place.

No arrests have been announced. Police have not said if that information was accurate.

KRDO13 will continue to update this story.

ORIGINAL REPORT: The Colorado Springs Police Department has issued a shelter-in-place notice for people between N Union Blvd and Prairie Rd.

Map from Peak Alerts.

Peak Alerts says the shelter-in-place is for the area from E Willamette Ave to E Monument St between Swope Ave and Prairie Rd. The cause for the shelter-in-place is “law enforcement activity.” Residents in the area are being asked to stay away from doors and windows.

KRDO13 will update this story when more information becomes available.

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Scott Harrison

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — Officials said that traffic impacts at the intersection of Stockyard Road and La Crosse Avenue, because of an $8 million utility project, may end up less than expected.

That’s because crews won’t have to dig into the street to install a liner inside a half-mile of existing wastewater pipe.

It’s good news for the many drivers who use La Crosse to travel east and west to detour around the bridge construction at the Interstate 25/US 50 East interchange, and as a shortcut to the US 50 Business Loop.

Officials said that most of the traffic impacts will come later in the project, when crews upgrade several manholes on Stockyard between La Crosse and the Pueblo Wastewater treatment plant.

While the liner installation is underway, crews will use a temporary bypass line to convey the wastewater flow until they can clean and place the liner in the existing line.

The bypass will wind through the construction site on the south side of the entrance to Confluence Park, and continue under the La Crosse Bridge, and behind several industrial businesses before reaching the treatment plant.

Officials expect to finish the project by mid-July.

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – In 2024, just about 250,000 people moved into Colorado, according to the U.S. Census. Some of them came from Florida, others from California, but number one on the migration list is Texas.

27,574 came from Texas, that’s 12.4% of all the people that moved here. 

This wasn’t always the case. In the back half of the 2010s, most transplants came from California, New York, and Illinois, in that order, with Texas sitting just off the podium in fourth.

What is driving more Texans to come here?

Well, on Facebook, ex-Texans seem to love three main things about Colorado:

The weather

The lack of bugs

The views

Speak to any Lone Star State Transplants in Colorado Springs, and you’ll hear similar answers.

“Came out here for the scenery, the mountains, the hiking, and the water. [In] Texas, it’s just flat, you know, humid and a little muggy,” Cody Mcentyre told KRDO13.

“My wife is in the army, and she got stationed here,” Shawn Tucker said.

Many lifelong or long-term Coloradans told KRDO13 they didn’t have an issue with the Texan migration.

“I would say we were pretty anti-Texas as I was growing up in the 60s and 70s. But, I’m grateful to have different people from different places,” Susan Pattee said. Pattee says she was born and raised in Colorado.

“If we could all come together. I mean, hopefully they bring some of that car style over here,” Joseph Johnson said. Johnson has never moved out of the Centennial State.

The only place ex-Texans didn’t get rave reviews was on the roads.

“I mean, I haven’t been hit by a Texan yet, so that’s good,” Mike Harvey, another lifelong Colorado resident, said, “But apart from that, I mean just a little slower when it comes to the weather.”

This article is not complete. KRDO13 will update it later in the evening. Tune in at 10:00 P.M. for the full report live on KRDO13.

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Bradley Davis

WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (KRDO) – A self-taught sculptor in Woodland Park has developed a new carving technique that drew the eye of a Smithsonian affiliate museum just outside of Chicago.

Francisco Sotomayor is no stranger to museums and sponsors hitting up his phone. His signature piece, a 10,000-pound “American Woman” marble masterpiece, has toured to 49 states. This time, it’s his work with obsidian that attracted the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art in Illinois.

His piece, “The Golden Eagle,” is a part of the Lizzardo Museum’s “Enduring Symbols: Liberty Set in Stone” collection, featured for America’s 250th birthday.

The Golden Eagle is Sotomayor’s 15th piece in his “reverse obsidian” collection. He said that marble, it’s about how the outside light will highlight the details of the piece. He wanted to develop a technique where the light instead comes from the inside of the piece.

Each reverse obsidian piece is a smooth piece of rock on the outside. The carving is instead on the inside, and the viewer can only see it when the light is switched on. When he flips the switch, the light illuminates the carving on the smooth surface and looks 3-D to the viewer.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Two weeks have passed since officials closed four blocks of Uintah Street to repair damage under a bridge over Shooks Run Creek, and we’re now learning specifics about the response.

Officials said that the city was the lead entity in the repair response, with Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) providing a supporting role.

The closure began late in the afternoon of June 10 for what officials described as emergency bridge and utility repairs between Prospect and Institute streets, east of the Colorado College campus.

Officials said that on the previous day, a routine bridge inspection by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) discovered a large “void,” or sinkhole, under the bridge that compromised a utility line.

But officials didn’t explain how the void developed or how they repaired it until earlier this week, when Richard Mulledy, the city’s public works director, elaborated on the situation.

“It was about a six-foot by eight-foot void,” he explained. “That void was really caused by an abandoned storm sewer line and then a leaking manhole. It’s something that we see from time to time, but really doesn’t happen often.”

Crews approached the problem from under and above the bridge, with workers excavating into the street to access the utility lines.

“The utility line being compromised was an active storm sewer line,” Mulledy said. “It was sort of hanging out in the open and was unsecured. The old storm sewer line had been abandoned for decades and was starting to fail.”

Crews removed the old stormwater pipe, repaired the manhole, and backfilled the void with a material called “flow.”

“Flow fills almost like a kind of liquid concrete,” Mulledy detailed. “And that’s a really great structural solution. So, we filled that entire thing up, made sure the void is closed, and made sure it’s structurally sound.”

He added that the bridge is around a century old, the same age as most bridges across the creek.

“This was identified and got fixed in 48 hours, rather than let something structural fail, and then we’d be in a big, giant construction project,” Mulledy said. “The structure itself, I don’t think, was ever really threatened.”

The closure ended on Saturday, June 13.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — As many residents participate in the 71st annual nationwide Bike to Work Day event on Wednesday morning, they can take comfort in the recent downward trend of cycling fatalities locally.

The decrease is likely because there are more bike lanes and better trail connectivity to create safer conditions for bike riders, as well as a greater overall focus on safety.

According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, one cyclist died last year, and there have been no deaths so far this year — although an elementary school student had a close call at the end of April.

Police said that a child steered a bicycle into the path of an oncoming vehicle outside of Turman School; fortunately, the child received only minor injuries because the driver was traveling at the lower school zone speed limit.

However, pedestrians continue to die at an alarming rate, despite an increased safety awareness.

Police said that seven pedestrians have died in crashes so far this year, compared to three at this time a year ago.

Of the seven victims, two died while riding scooters; one was jaywalking; one was in a wheelchair in a right-turn lane and was hit by a commercial bus; two were struck while crossing a street; and one died after his own vehicle rolled down a hill and ran over him.

Police said that speed or alcohol weren’t factors in most of the crashes; that most happened on busy streets or at intersections; and that most occurred at dawn, dusk, or night, when it may have been hard for drivers to see them.

It’s a reminder for everyone — driving, cycling, or walking — to be alert to what’s happening around them.

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Bradley Davis

CRIPPLE CREEK, Colo. (KRDO) – Donkey Derby Days returns to Cripple Creek this weekend, 95 years after the gold miners released the former pack animals from the tunnels.

“It’s our only true living connection to our history here in Cripple Creek, said Two Mile High Club president Annie Valades. “They’re our ambassadors. They’re our mascots. They are the direct connection to our past, and they’re living to tell about it.”

It’s one of the most unique festivals in Colorado, where the donkeys are the stars of the show. Celebrations start Friday with food trucks and live music. The Donkey Derby Races kick off on Saturday with more live music and activities, followed by more performances on Sunday.

The festival is free for everyone. You can find a full schedule here.

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Scott Harrison

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Precious few parking spaces are available here, especially during the busy summer tourist season.

But some street parking and sidewalk access near Memorial Park were closed last week and will be again this week for a project around the historic Hiawatha Gardens building.

Crews are currently improving sidewalks and repaving around the west and north sides of the building, at the intersection of El Paso Boulevard and Old Mans Trail.

Only one lane of eastbound traffic is allowed on the El Paso side.

Officials hope to finish the project by the end of the week.

It’s unclear whether the current project is related to, or separate from, scheduled paving projects reported on by KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior earlier this month.

However, the project appears connected to a broader effort that began in February to renovate the Hiawatha Gardens building to include restroom facilities and to improve the 150-space parking lot.

That $3.3 million project is scheduled for completion in late summer or early fall; a second phase, not yet funded, will create an outdoor pavilion and plaza on the property

Manitou officials acquired the former dance hall property — which dates back to the late 1800s — in 2016 but needed time to plan, design, and acquire funding for the project.

Meanwhile, officials have created 12 parking spaces as part of an assessment of parking across town.

“Yeah, so we’re just taking a comprehensive look at all our downtown parking spots, making sure the requirements are being met,” said Ben Schmitt, Manitou’s public services director. “But there’s going to be some reconfiguring of some spots, some adding of some spots, some removing of some spots.”

A year ago, the town opened the converted Dillon Motel as the Dillon Mobility Hub, with restroom facilities, more than 90 parking spaces, and shuttle bus access.

Officials say the lot has been a success so far, even though it is on the east end of town and isn’t conveniently located near downtown.

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