Author: KRDO

Bradley Davis

WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (KRDO) – By 5 a.m. Wednesday morning, Highway 24 West of Manitou Springs was already snow-covered and slushy, with more expected to fall for hours in Woodland Park.

KRDO13’s Bradley Davis started observing road impacts not far past Manitou Springs, just before Cascade. As he traveled West, the snow coverage thickened as the temperature dropped.

It’s a wet, heavier snow, more common with Spring snowstorms. It’s the type that will stick and freeze to your shoes. That heavy snow puts Southern Colorado at risk for downed trees and power lines, and residents should be wary of potential power outages.

As of 5 a.m., snow was not sticking on Highway 24 East of Manitou and into downtown Colorado Springs, but the roads were still wet, and road conditions could deteriorate as snow continues to fall and temperatures drop.

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Scott Harrison

MONUMENT, Colo. (KRDO) — 1 P.M. UPDATE: The sun was trying to poke through the clouds as light snow continued to fall.

Paved surfaces remained damp to wet, with gradual drying occurring.

A Texas driver had a close call just before 11:30 a.m., when his pickup truck lost control and crossed four lanes of traffic before crashing into a ditch on southbound Interstate 25 at the bottom of Monument Hill.

The driver wasn’t hurt, but his truck was towed away for repair.

9 A.M. UPDATE: Snowfall has intensified but is melting on asphalt and concrete surfaces.

Traffic on I-25 at Monument Hill is flowing normally, and is just wet with no accumulations of ice, snow or slush.

Plows continue to patrol I-25, Highway 105, and Monument Hill Road in the area.

7:30 A.M. UPDATE: Authorities responded to a minor two-vehicle crash just before 7 a.m. near the crest of Monument Hill on northbound Interstate 25.

There were no apparent injuries, and the crash slowed traffic only temporarily.

Traffic also backed up behind a tandem of plows moving along the highway.

Most of the slush that accumulated on I-25 has melted, and the pavement is simply wet; snowfall briefly stopped, then resumed with less intensity than earlier.

There appeared to be no more than an inch or two of accumulation, and most of it had melted on roads and streets.

6 A.M. UPDATE

Drivers heading north on Interstate 25 will find mostly sloppy weather, but no serious issues during this mid-spring snowstorm.

The temperature is 28 degrees, and the winds are calm with little traffic at this hour.

Northbound traffic on I-25 will begin to encounter light snow accumulations past the Air Force Academy, with generally slushy conditions.

So far, roads don’t appear to be icy or snow-packed, but those conditions could exist on neighborhood streets or less-traveled roads.

Snowplows with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) are on patrol, although there doesn’t appear to be heavy accumulations yet.

Stay tuned to KRDO 13 for the impacts of this latest storm.

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Scott Harrison

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The Steel City’s recently released paving list for 2026 lists four streets targeted, with three either starting in or cutting across downtown.

The fourth street is already halfway finished; a half-mile stretch at the north end of Jerry Murphy Road.

KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior first reported on the project last Friday, and this year’s paving includes extending the new asphalt layer north to where the road becomes Overton Road.

Previous coverage by The Road Warrior showed the road’s poor condition, and emphasized how drivers had waited decades for repaving there.

Of the three streets with downtown connections, 6th Street covers a mile through the center of downtown, from the Interstate 25 exit ramp to Midtown Circle, mostly one-way westbound.

Crews will also repave long stretches of Court and Elizabeth streets, starting at City Center Drive and ending just south of US 50.

Court and Elizabeth will be repaved to 24th and 29th streets, respectively.

The city also has at least a dozen concrete projects scheduled to improve curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and ramps, increasing safety for pedestrians, people with disabilities, and the communities served by three schools.

It’s worth remembering that Pueblo has a limited paving budget and doesn’t have separate funding sources, such as the 2C expanded paving program in Colorado Springs or the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) in El Paso County.

“We’ve been talking about that,” said Andrew Hayes, the city’s public works director, of local leaders in the ity and Pueblo County. “We realize there’s a need to better fund road projects.”

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – David Benavidez Jr. started his Mariachi band, “Mariachi Diamante,” in 2019. Rather than fear competition, he encourages it. He hopes his band’s music will inspire more to pick up the practice.

Benavidez Jr. said he feels the same about Cinco de Mayo. The holiday originated from Mexico’s victory at the Battle of Puebla over the French in 1862, but the historical significance is rarely associated with Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the United States.

Benavidez Jr. said Cinco de Mayo has taken on a new, proud meaning for himself and other Mexican Americans.

“For me, Cinco de Mayo means education,” Benavidez Jr. said. “It has evolved to keep our culture and educate our youth on why it’s important to continue to keep part of our culture as we assimilate. Because in the end, we all have to live together, and there’s no point in separating.”

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Michael Logerwell

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The Pueblo Zoo is going to the ballot box this November to ask voters to approve a more sustainable source of funding.

“We may be forced to close in two to three years, if we don’t find more sustainable funding,” Abbie Krause, Executive Director of the Pueblo Zoo, said.

The Pueblo Zoo is proposing a 0.167% retail sales tax initiative for the November ballot in an effort to address continued funding issues. The measure aims to counteract funding cuts that began in 2024 and to increase operational costs.

The proposed tax equates to around 17 cents on every $100 spent in Pueblo. This initiative includes a five-year sunset clause, after which voters would re-evaluate and decide whether to renew the tax. Zoo leadership estimates it would generate $3.5 million.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Despite receiving accreditation, Pueblo Zoo faces budget concerns (Dec. 2024)

This isn’t the first time KRDO13 has covered financial problems at the Pueblo Zoo. Dating back to 2024, the Pueblo Zoo has had a budget shortfall.

“The zoo is always run on a very, very lean budget,” Krause said. However, that is becoming unsustainable. Krause admits their employee wages are uncompetitive, the 100-year-old facility is in desperate need of repairs, and the zoo needs to keep pace with modern zoological standards.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Pueblo Zoo faces budget shortfall (March 2025)

One of the more pressing costs is the outdated life-support system for animals, such as the water pumps for otters and penguins, which can run up to $60,000 each, according to officials.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Pueblo Zoo receives funding boost after difficult year, but support still needed (Nov. 2025)

Going to the voters wasn’t the first option zoo leadership considered. Krause says they’ve raised ticket prices, gone to donors, applied for grants, and hosted events at the zoo, but it hasn’t been enough. Even the funding boost it received from the Pueblo City Council can only sustain operations for so long.

“Even flatlining the budget is [that] we’re not keeping up with inflation and everything that we need to do for maintenance at the zoo,” Krause said.

In the zoo’s pitch to voters, Krause says they contribute almost $20 million per year in direct and indirect economic impact through jobs, tourism, and purchasing. The zoo also provides educational programming to more than 10,000 students annually. There’s also the cultural impact of having a world-class zoo in a smaller city that typically doesn’t have a zoo.

“We are a cultural amenity. We help recruit people to come here, and it’s something that people look forward to when they move here,” Krause said. “It’s not that we’re not looking for people necessarily to bail us out. We want to be a partner. We’re hoping that we’ll be around to also free up some [city] funds for security, fire, police, etc.”

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Rob Namnoum

The Colorado Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild in game one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs 9-6. Nazem Kadri scored the game winning goal.

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Rob Namnoum

The Colorado Avalanche scored a franchise record nine goals in their game one victory against the Minnesota Wild.

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Josh Helmuth

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Students in Colorado Springs District 11 are taking a page straight out of Meow Wolf’s playbook.

North Middle School students are taking learning to a whole new level with an immersive art experience called “unconscious mind.” The installation is entirely student-created. It’s the result of a year-long collaboration between advanced drama and advanced design students who handled everything from the story concept to building the set.

D-11 says the installation aims to blend theater, visual art, and design into an interactive journey through the human mind. The project was inspired by a field trip to Meow Wolf in Denver. And now the annual installation has become a signature project for North Middle School, which has been doing this art project for the past four years.

Teachers say the experience helped students build real-world skills like collaboration and creative problem solving, all while giving them a chance to express ideas through art.

Know something or someone remarkable at your school? Email us! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Among the most common pothole-related questions to KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior are: Why do crews fill some, but not all of numerous potholes at an intersection, and why are pothole reports listed as “closed” when they actually still need repair.

Two examples of intersection potholes are at Academy and Dublin boulevards, and at Union Boulevard and Mirage Drive, both on the northeast side of town.

Crews recently patched the worst potholes at those locations, but officials said that filling all of the potholes on such crumbling pavement would waste time and resources.

“We’re going to put that on a list that says in a month or two, or whenever we can build up the resources to tackle it, we’re going to go out, we’re going to close that area, we’ll do a full dig-out, we’re going to repave the whole thing.”

The city would use its own crews for that work, rather than hiring contractors already hired for the annual 2C expanded paving program.

As for the second complaint regarding the status of pothole reports, the city says it will list a report as “closed” after more than one person has reported it, because repairs are already scheduled at that point.

In mid-March, The Road Warrior filed reports on three locations — including the two mentioned above — and received an initial email response that repairs were scheduled for April 1, but a follow-up notification indicated that the repairs were completed on April 8.

While many citizens likely expect more of an immediate repair response, the city says it may take more time for a crew to respond, depending on other locations that may have a higher priority, on other duties the repair crew may have, and weather conditions.

Officials also said that some pothole reports don’t have the correct location, which can also lengthen the time for a response.

The city said that its crews filled more than 78,000 potholes last year, and that pothole reports have decreased by 30% since the 2C program began in 2016.

Officials also say that only around 10% of pothole repairs are to those reported by citizens, and Mayor Yemi Mobolade urges more citizens to report potholes promptly.

“Fixing potholes is important,” he said. “But it’s only a Band-Aid solution. 2-C repaving is the long-term solution. Residents, please hear me. You hear me clearly. We will take care of what we already have. We will stay focused on our fundamentals, and we will continue to invest in maintaining and rebuilding our roads.”

Citizens can report potholes to the city in three ways: On the Go COS smartphone app, on the city’s online public works page (https://coloradosprings.gov/reportpothole), and by calling 719-385-ROAD (7623).

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Bradley Davis

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – Chico Basin Ranch welcomes birders to spot over 330 bird species across its 87,000 acres during Spring migration until June 6.

According to the Aiken Audubon conservationist group, Chico Basin Ranch is the largest birding hotspot in Colorado. Birders can access the Banding Station, Headquarters Pond and Rose Pond. You can find a map here.

Aiken Audubon president Jessica Miller was hooked 13 years ago after a woodpecker landed in her window.

“I got a camera, got a picture, ID’d it, and from then on out, I caught the bug. I was trying to identify everything,” Miller said, before interrupting herself. “Oooh! I just heard a Northern Parula! That’s another good bird! It goes BRRUUUU-RUP-BUP!”

Miller said the trees and water at Chico Basin Ranch act like an oasis for the migrating birds.

“You go five minutes in either direction, and you’re just in the middle of cholla cactuses,” Miller said. “This is like the pit stop. This is the Crackle Barrel. The Buckeys.

Birding starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m. each day. Pre-registration is required and opens seven days in advance of each day. It’s $15 a person, or $10 a person for group rates. Aiken Audubon said all admission fees benefit the maintenance of Chico Basin’s birding operations.

After June 6, birding at Chico Basin Ranch will open again for five weeks for fall migration from Aug. 22 to Oct. 2. You can register for a spot during the spring migration here.

Chico Basin Ranch is owned by the State Land Board and leases the three birding sites out to Aiken Audubon. The ranch is not open to the public, and birders must register through Aiken Audubon to step on the property.

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