Author: KRDO

Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — An alumnus of the Fountain Valley School of Colorado (FVS) has donated $10 million to the school, according to a press release.

According to school officials, W. Jerome Frautschi graduated from the school in 1949 before carrying out his life in Wisconsin.

“Jerry Frautschi’s generosity has helped define Fountain Valley School across generations,” said Head of School Megan Harlan in a press release. “As a proud alumnus from the Class of 1949, Jerry understands the lifelong impact of an FVS education. This historic gift honors his decades of commitment while securing two of the most essential pillars of any school: our campus and our faculty.”

According to the school, the donation– which is the largest in its 95-year history– will go towards campus preservation as well as staff recruitment and retention.

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Scott Harrison

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Rockslides are not uncommon in this mountain town, but after two vehicles were crushed by falling rocks on Lovers Lane this summer, officials are taking action.

A safety project is in its second week along the west end of the lane, between Lafayette Road and Cañon Avenue.

Crews have temporarily installed concrete barriers along an area with cliffs above, to protect traffic and pedestrians from falling rocks.

The rockslide in late August came after heavy rain and crushed two vehicles parked near two private parking spaces; no one was injured.

Maniotou Springs is situated in a narrow valley surrounded by cliffs, making the town vulnerable to rockfalls and flash flooding.

Officials have also temporarily turned Lovers Lane into a one-way street, allowing only westbound traffic.

The lane is more like an alley behind businesses along Cañon Avenue and Manitou Avenue.

Mirage Wolf, an employee at a nearby coffee shop, said that a co-worker owned one of the two cars destroyed and that the co-worker received help in getting it replaced.

“I’d like to see that part of the road closed permanently,” Wolf said. “Maybe if they just close this part where the rocks are falling, and just have this part for parking for the residents who live right up here, and then we have shops up here.”

On Monday afternoon, Ben Schmitt, Manitou’s public works director, said that the town is working on an engineering solution to the Lovers Lane rockfall risk that will cost approximately $125,000.

“The most cost-effective option is to apply netting over the (cliffs) in that area, similar to what CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) does with rocks on US 24 in Ute Pass,” he explained.

Schmitt also said that the city will undertake a study to determine if there are other areas of town with a high rockfall risk.

“As of right now, I don’t know of anywhere else where the danger is as high as it is on Lovers Lane,” he said.

Rockfalls also closed Rainbow Falls, a popular nearby attraction, in 2021; it reopened last summer with new safety measures and parking relocated to another area with shuttle service.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – As part of the Pikes Peak Library District’s (PPLD) standard programming, instructors will teach teens how to create their own miniature bookshelf model at no cost.

The class is called “Build your own Miniature Library.” The final two are at the Ruth Holley Library Meeting Room on Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. and on December 30th at the Fountain Library Meeting Room from 2-3 p.m.

“Growing up, I was part of an art program that was free in the community, and it was really instrumental in who I became as an adult,” said PPLD Senior Library Associate in Programming, Bradley Butzin.

Butzin develops different crafting programs, like the miniature library. He puts together boxes with all the supplies and instructions and delivers them to the different libraries across the PPLD for their classes.

A miniature bookshelf is a replica storage space of your favorite page turners. The library provides all the crafting materials, including miniature-bound books to add to your shelf. It can be used like the National Parks passport books. Each time you complete a book, you add a miniature version to your bookshelf.

PPLD hosts different crafting classes for kids, teens and adults throughout the year, like the upcoming custom photo album class for adults across different libraries starting in 2026.

“I love crafting. I love being able to translate that to other people and to give others the opportunity to get what I got out of it,” Butzin said.

No-cost registration is required for both dates. Registration for the Fountain Library date opens December 20. You can register for Wednesday’s event here.

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Marina Garcia

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – As Jewish communities around the world mark the first day of Hanukkah, a celebration of faith and dedication, one local rabbi is leaning into joy, even in the wake of tragedy. 

On Sunday, Rabbi Jay Sherwood led a community candle lighting ceremony to welcome the festival of Hanukkah.

He says he refuses to let the meaning of the holiday be minimized, but instead is harnessing its power to get through the mass shooting that occurred on Sydney’s Bondi Beach in Australia.

“The miracle of Hanukkah really is the miracle of light that we live in dark times. And when we live in dark times, we have the opportunity to bring light into the world,” says Rabbi Sherwood.

The community gathered to eat traditional foods like jelly donuts and fill the room with music.

“That’s what the Hanukkah miracle is, that the Jewish people have survived over centuries and over millennia, to be able to take the light of the torah and bring it into the world,” says Rabbi Sherwood.

However, this year’s holiday celebration was a little different than those in years past.

“We had a horrible terrorist attack in Australia on a celebration of the light of Hanukkah. Last I heard, there were 15 or 16 who had died. There are several more who are still in critical condition. We don’t know what’s going to happen with them over the next few days. We pray for their recovery,” says Rabbi Sherwood.

The Rabbi says, nevertheless, joy will not be taken away from the holiday.

“In fact, we are going to try to bring more joy into the holiday so that we can bring more light,” says Rabbi Sherwood.

For the next eight nights, a candle will be lit, which the Rabbi tells us is symbolic of more miracles.

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Michael Logerwell

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – A tradition to honor our fallen soldiers is underway across the nation.

This weekend, volunteers for Wreaths Across America spent the morning laying down wreaths at the headstones of our nation’s veterans at Pikes Peak National Cemetery.

The act is about much more than holiday decorations. It’s an opportunity to recognize each headstone as a person, a soldier, and a hero to our nation.

“When you have a wreath, you walk up to the headstone, and you say the person’s name because that’s one of the things about when someone passes, or someone dies, right? Their names are never spoken again, and so that’s one way to honor who that person is, whether you know that person or not,” said a volunteer

Wreaths Across America started in 1992. The organization depends on volunteers and donations to make sure every headstone gets a wreath.

On Saturday, organizers say around 2,000 people came out in support of our fallen heroes.

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – No child left the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Holiday on the Hill event on Sunday empty-handed.

KRDO13 saw a whole lot of kids and families waiting in line to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, but the event was more than a chance to meet the big man in the red hat.

The police department says they could also enjoy snacks, like hot chocolate and s’mores, and meet their local CSPD officers. Plus, every single child who attended left with a toy.

The Colorado Springs Police Department puts on the annual event with help from Toys for Tots.

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – For the second day in a row, Colorado Springs residents looked to the sky and saw black smoke. Thankfully, this fire was smaller and quickly put out by firefighters.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department says they sped out to reports of a tow truck that was engulfed in flames and threatening nearby homes. The tow truck was near Platte Place and Pitkin Street, which is two miles from the Citadel Mall.

Picture shared by CSFD.

This picture to the left shows the aftermath. Firefighters were able to quickly before the fire spread to any other structures. From the picture, it appears none of the nearby cars were affected by the blaze either.

No one was injured in the fire.

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Samantha Hildebrandt

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Two people are recovering in the hospital as Colorado Springs Police Officers CSPD investigate a shooting connected to a late-night car meet in eastern Colorado Springs.

Police say officers were called to a local hospital around 2:30 Sunday morning after two people were dropped off with gunshot wounds.

Investigators say one victim is a juvenile male and the other an adult male. Both were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Police believe the shooting is tied to a shots-fired call that came in just after 2 a.m. near Integration Loop and Peak Innovation Parkway, where a car meet was taking place at the time.

No arrests have been announced, and the investigation remains ongoing.

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A bank robber is on the loose in Colorado Springs.

Just after 10:00 A.M., the Colorado Springs Police Department from a bank in the 1800 address block of South Nevada Avenue. Detectives with the department’s robbery unit arrived on the scene and learned that a man had entered the bank and demanded money from a teller.

The online police blotter report was not clear whether the suspect had a weapon or not, or how much money was taken from the bank.

Police say the suspect fled in an unknown direction. No one has been arrested.

KRDO13 went out to the area of the bank robbery and found a Wells Fargo bank as the only financial institution on that block of S Nevada Ave. There is a Chase bank down the road, but it is on the 1800 block of Southgate Road.

The investigation is active.

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Springs Fire Department is asking people to avoid an area near Nevada and Fillmore St as firefighters battle a 2-alarm structure fire.

The fire department says the blaze is located at 3117 Century Street, at Beacon Building Products.

CSFD says the fire sparked on a pile of styrofoam and construction materials, creating a huge cloud of black smoke in the lot of a warehouse, which became visible across the city. 

“We were hanging out at our buddy’s house, probably 2 or 3 blocks that way, and his kid was just sitting in the window, and he looks out, and he’s like, there’s a huge cloud of black smoke in the sky,” says local, Syreena Hamby. “Making our way in, there was a lot of traffic going on. People running across the road. We were like, what is happening? The smoke was really intense. You couldn’t see like behind you at all. Walking through it was kind of crazy.

As an extra safety measure, CSFD says hazmat crews were on scene monitoring the air quality.

“Just to make sure that none of those chemicals from the styrofoam got into those buildings,” says the spokesperson for the fire department, Ashley Franco.

While firefighters were able to stop the flames from spreading to the building itself, they remained on scene for hours to snuff out stubborn hotspots under all the material.

Century Road has since been reopened to drivers.

The fire was successfully contained, and there are no reported injuries; however, the cause of the fire is still under investigation. 

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