The District 11 hockey team advances in the Class 4A playoffs
Rob Namnoum
The District 11 hockey team advances in the Class 4A playoffs on Friday night. The Bookworms defeated Crested Butte in overtime 4-3.
State High School Wrestling Tournament – Semifinals
Rob Namnoum
The heart of a champion. Pueblo South’s Elijah Algien was locked in a tough match with Widefield’s Manny Mota but Algien dug deep and got it done and when it was over, “I’m feeling great, dude. I feel so relief. I finally made it. And that’s really all. Just a big sigh of relief,” says Algien.
Falcon’s Allison McDaniel, a freshman, separated her shoulder. Then she was down with only second to go, suddenly, she escapes for a point, then forces sudden victory, she’s too young, she’s got a bad shoulder. Yeah, well take that and just like that. she’s in the finals, “It’s really just to win. Really wanting to get up in the morning, go to those extra practices. Trying to be the best version of myself,” says McDaniel.
La Junta’s Yliani Garcia isn’t here to make friends. She’s here to win. She went full beast mode on her way to pinning Calhan’s outstanding wrestler Kayleigh Reese in the opening round, “I came in to start realizing that everybody’s coming here. For one thing, that’s a state title and I want it. And I wanted more than anything in the world. So when it comes to someone on the mat, we’re in a different color than me. It’s all about who wants it more. And I want it more,” says Reese.
Widefield’s Amaya Hinojosa was in the third round of a tight match. Then she decided she’d had enough of that nonsense and stapled her opponent to the mat like a stack of papers. She advances to the Class 5A, 120 pound weight class, “I mean, I’m in the finals for the third time in a row. I’m feeling hopeful for tomorrow to go with the state championship,” says Hinojosa.
Coronado’s Bella Arellano went full python on her opponent on her way to the 125 pound weight class final. Alamosa’s Uriah Martinez politely introduced his opponent’s face to the ground on his way to the 138 pound weight class final. Pine Creek’s Gavin Weichelt hog-tied his opponent and buried him underneath the mat to clinch a spot in the 157 pound final.
THE MILITARY FAMILY: National Museum of WWII Aviation aims to expand reach for future generations
Heather Skold
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo (KRDO) — There’s a big expansion afoot, and it promises to double the existing space of the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs.
In fact, when this phase of construction is finished this August, it will boast 80,000 square feet of space to allow visitors to touch history; even more aircraft will be added to the current 30 planes, all of which are able to take flight.
One might think that with such a lineup of airworthy examples, patrons would be kept at a distance to preserve the planes’ longevity.
“There’s not a rope in the place,” said Bill Klaers, President & CEO of the National Museum of WWII Aviation. “When you bring kids out here, and they walk around, and you can go over in the bomb bay of a B25 and put your head up inside it and look inside it, it’s a ‘wow’ factor. It’s all about inspiring kids into aviation careers.”
Outside the existing hangar, huge footings outline the new hangar, which will mirror the existing one. Aircraft will be able to taxi right from the runway shared with the Colorado Springs Airport into the larger space.
Leaders hope that partnerships with the Smithsonian and National Parks Foundation will allow for traveling exhibits to increase the museum’s footprint even more.
A final phase, for which funding has yet to begin, will boast a third building with a cafeteria, event space, and educational floor. Renderings show a west-facing glass wall with a full view of Pikes Peak.
President Obama’s comments spark renewed interest into the extraterrestrial in Colorado
Bradley Davis
SOUTHERN COLORADO, Colo. (KRDO) – Unknown, at the time, to former President Barack Obama, his two words on a podcast earlier this week sparked a viral interest that made it all the way to President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One. In an unexpected domino effect, Trump now says he is working to get the government files on UFO’s declassified.
On a podcast with host Brian Cohen, Cohen asked Obama if aliens are real. Casually, Obama replied, “They’re real.”
In the same breath, he qualified his statement by saying there were no aliens at Area 51, and he had never seen an alien. After the moment went viral, he clarified on Instagram that he personally believed aliens were probably real, but he did not see any proof while president.
The story really heated up when Fox News Reporter Peter Doocy asked Trump about Obama’s comments on board Air Force One.
“He gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that. He made a big mistake,” Trump said. “I may get him out of trouble by declassifying them.”
“So, aliens are real?” Doocy said.
“I don’t know if they’re real or not,” Trump said.
Trump said later in a Truth Social post that he would direct “relevant department agencies” to begin “identifying and releasing government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life.”
This isn’t the first time the federal government has hinted at the existence of aliens. In 2021, KRDO13 brought you an investigative report after the Air Force released footage of pilot encounters with UFOs.
Colorado has the 13th most UFO sightings in the country, despite only having the 20th greatest population, according to the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC). The site is operated by a private non-profit. Its sightings map unsurprisingly resembles the U.S. population density map. Colorado’s disparity between UFO sightings and population density suggests a higher sightings-per-capita than the average state.
The alien culture has also grown deep roots in Southern Colorado. One ranch in a tiny town outside of Alamosa has become a must-stop for alien enthusiasts on their Rocky Mountain road trips.
The “Alien Watchtower” in Hooper, Colorado, has welcomed guests for over 20 years to camp and watch the sky for UFOs. The tower is nestled within the San Luis Valley, which is famous for stargazing. Owner and Cattle Farmer Judy Messoline said it’s a safe space for believers where they can search for clues without being made fun of.
Starlinks have added a whole new challenge to UFO viewing. KRDO13’s staff have received multiple emails and text messages over the last two years with pictures of freaky-looking, blinking, segmented lines in the sky, asking us to investigate if it’s one of those Air Force UFOs. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what a starlink looks like. If you’ve never seen one before, it certainly looks extraterrestrial.
NUFORC lists 115 civilian-reported UFO sightings in Colorado over the last 12 months. Surprisingly, that number is slightly lower than reported during our report in 2021, despite the Starlink confusion.
First of two monthlong water line replacements begin on 19th Street in west Colorado Springs
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Drivers and neighbors are adjusting to detours and daytime construction noise as Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) starts the first of two phases of a water line replacement.
Work began on Wednesday on 19th Street, between King Street and Koshare Avenue, covering two blocks on the city’s west side.
CSU is replacing two water lines that were installed 60 years ago.
“We identified this water line as one that’s reaching the end of its life cycle,” said CSU spokeswoman Cassie Melvin. “We’re coming in before the city comes through because this is part of the city’s 2C paving projects this year. We want to make sure that we go ahead and proactively replace this water line before the city comes in and paves.”
A CSU crew started digging into the street, and Melvin said that the first phase will take a month to finish.
Immediately after completion, CSU will begin the second phase farther south on 19th Street, between Platte and Armstrong avenues.
Both street segments will be closed during construction.
Local neighbor Karl Waunder was out viewing the scene, saying that any inconveniences will be outweighed by the need to replace the aging water lines.
“It’s about time they fixed this water main, because this whole area has flooded,” he recalled. “We had a flood right here with a water main break, and up the street here.”
Melvin said that the project will interrupt water service for an entire day at both locations, and that CSU has notified customers in advance.
However, Waunder said that he didn’t receive the alert.
“I didn’t know anything was happening until I saw the Road Closed signs,” he said.
19th Street is largely residential, and we’re more accustomed to water line replacements happening on busier streets, like a project starting soon on 8th Street, and another winding down on the east end of Galley Road.
Night one of the State High School Wrestling Tournament
Rob Namnoum
The Sand Creek Scorpions came out stinging. Achilles Evans is giving up thirty pounds in the 215 pound weight class but that didn’t stop him from pinning Palmer Ridge’s Skyler Tolbert in the opening round. The Scorpion wins. Evans later advanced to the state semifinal, “I’m just my mindset and I’m just practicing hard with my coaches is the reason why I can go from one weight and 184 to wrestling to fit in and still winning. It gives me more confidence. I’m going to win the tournament this year,” says Evans.
Another Scorpion wins and this time it’s freshman Karris Carter who pinned her opponent in the first round to advance to the state semi’s and you wouldn’t know how ferocious she is by talking to her, “Oh, I’m so excited. I didn’t think I was going to make it this far my freshman year. It’s just part of the fun, you know, just having fun with the game and just wrestling the best you can,” says Carter.
Coronado Bella Arellano is off her rocker. After pinning her first opponent in the second round. She turned around and did it again by pinning Widefield’s Angelina Roller to clinch a spot in the semi’s. Once again. this is someone who can flip the rage switch at will because she has a pretty tempered mindset heading into Friday, “Take it one match at a time, period at a time, and stay confident and stay moving. I know I can work through anything if I’m down. I can always come back. So staying calm and composed,” says Arellano.
Then there’s Widefield’s Manny Mota, great name, in fact, it’s an exceptional name. Anyway, his name is exceptional as his skill. He won a tough match over Pueblo East’s Noah Sanchez despite getting bloodied up during the match. Luckily, winning is in his DNA, “I mean, it was a distraction, but I just had to keep pushing through it. And especially because I was down or we were tied up going in the third, just kind of keep wrestling,” says Mota.
Day one of the state high school wrestling tournament
Rob Namnoum
The Pueblo Central girls wrestling team came out strong, eight girls won their opening round matches. One of them, Maliyah Sandoval in the 170 pound weight class. She kneaded her opponent like dough on her way to win by major decision, “I just really want to, like, do my best and perform well, even though I did score a lot of points. It wasn’t like my best performance, so it makes me glad to fire under me to have the next one better, like ten times better,” says Sandoval.
Central’s dominance continued in the quarterfinals. Acelyn Duran apparently had places to be, so she stuffed her opponent into a box and shipped her off to Timbuktu, pinning her early in the second round. She’s one of four Wildcats to reach the semifinals.
Calhan junior Kayleigh Reese treated her opponent like she was paper mache, folding her into oblivion on her way to a third round pin. The small town girl making big time noise at state, “It really gives me a lot of confidence coming from such a small school, coming out, performing at the highest level for girls wrestling. It’s really only good to be a part of that whole small town get up thing,” says Reese.
On the boys side, Alamosa’s Ryan Cordova put on a show in his opening round match, pinning Sierra’s Donnie Herrera late in the third round of his 3A 165 pound bout, “Feel great. I’m happy with where I’m going in the tournament now. It was a big step in going forward and it’s just setting the tone for the rest of the tournament,” says Cordova.
In the Class 2A 120 pound weight class, Fowler’s Stockton Sharon decided to clean the mat with his opponent’s face, winning by major decision and clinching a spot in the state semifinal.
Need more shade? Colorado Springs launches free tree program
Mina Ramirez
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Springs is taking steps toward a greener future with the launch of a new community tree program, funded by a federal urban forestry grant. This grant aims to provide more shade to neighborhoods in Southern Colorado Springs that have limited tree cover.
“Grow Shade Together” offers free trees to eligible residents living in designated areas. Residents who have recently had a tree removed from their property may also qualify.
The program doesn’t just help homeowners; crews will also plant trees in public spaces to fill gaps in the city’s tree canopy, cool city blocks in hot months and improve overall walkability.
City Forester Matthew Puckett said the effort is about more than just beautification.
“Not only does it improve the longevity of our hardscape, but statistics show it also improves the health and well-being of our citizens,” Puckett said.
Residents approved for the program can choose from a variety of large shade trees, including maples that bring fall color, fruit trees and other species selected to thrive in local conditions.
For residents worried about planting or maintenance, the city is taking that work off their hands and will be hiring contractors who will handle planting. Participants will also receive mulch, stakes, protective wrap and step-by-step care guides to help trees establish and thrive for years to come.
To find out if your neighborhood qualifies for a free tree and to apply, click here.
Repairs finally coming to troubled drainage ditch in Cimarron Hills, east of Colorado Springs
Scott Harrison
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — On Wednesday, a crew began removing old concrete panels in a block-long drainage ditch that was crumbling and had accumulated thick brush and piles of debris.
The ditch is between the intersection of Ford Street and Seneca Road, and Valley Street to the south, in the Cimarron Hills community just east of the Colorado Springs city limits.
Neighbors and nearby business owners have complained about the ditch’s condition for years, but a complication in repairing it was that local governments couldn’t agree on who had responsibility for maintaining it.
In 2024, El Paso County accepted responsibility for repairing the 500-foot channel.
“Our plan is to come in here and install a reinforced concrete-lined channel,” said Thomas Donahue, senior public works engineer for the county. “We’ll be increasing the capacity, which will accommodate larger flows than we would anticipate with larger storm events.”
Donahue said that the previous channel layer wasn’t reinforced, and that was a factor in its deterioration.
He added that the project should be finished by the end of March — weather permitting.
Orlando Jiron owns Precision Finish, an auto body repair shop along the channel, and was observing the first day of construction.
“It creates a lot of worries,” he revealed. “But at the same time, now that this is going, I have a lot more confidence and less stress — seeing that the actual progress is moving forward to get this rectified.”
The clogged ditch also caused occasional flooding and erosion of business property on both sides of the channel.
Another issue is stormwater drainage from the upper Seneca neighborhood, which flows so quickly in street gutters downhill that it bypasses a storm drain into the channel and floods the intersection.
Donahue said that the county is considering plans to improve drainage from the neighborhood, and to replace a failing underground metal drainage pipe emptying into the channel.
“We are considering upgrading that with reinforced concrete pipe,” he explained.
The channel drains into a similar ditch in better condition west of Valley Street, which eventually connects to a newer, extensive drainage channel along Paonia Street.
A raccoon, apparently displaced by the construction, was seen slowly crawling through the ditch and into the metal drainage pipe.
Last spring, the county repaired another crumbling drainage channel in Security-Widefield.
The county continues to assess its overall stormwater infrastructure needs.
Local historical society documents and preserves Colorado Springs Black history
Bradley Davis
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – As the country continues to celebrate Black History Month, the founder of the African American Historical and Genealogical Society of Colorado Springs (AAHGSCS) says it’s a topic they never stop documenting.
Candice McKnight, a third-generation Colorado Springs native, founded the museum in 2009. McKnight says after her great-great-grandmother heard the freedom bells, she left the McKinney plantation in Texas and moved to southern Colorado.
The AAHGSCS collects and preserves any and all artifacts that tell the story of Colorado Springs’ Black community throughout the centuries. It has books, newspapers, clothing items, replicas, paintings, pamphlets and more.
Anyone can tour the museum, but it is by appointment only. You can call 719-217-2647 to plan your visit.
The museum also hosts events and classes throughout the year. See their upcoming events below. You can also contact the museum if you are interested in genealogy lessons.
April 18: Black Women’s History Month
June 18: Juneteenth Celebration
Oct 17: AAHGSCS 45th Anniversary Open House