Author: KRDO

Mackenzie Stafford

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) confirmed to KRDO13 a 53-year-old man was discovered deceased on Sailboard Beach at Lake Pueblo State Park on Wednesday, May 14, due to a suspected drowning. 

CPW said the man went out to help his kids and their friends swimming in rough waters. CPW said none of the children were wearing a life jacket.

Surrounding park visitors saw him go under the water and went to pull him out, according to CPW. The agency said rangers from Lake Pueblo State Park received the call for help just before 2:45 p.m. and were on the scene within minutes. The witnesses, park staff, and medical personnel all assisted with CPR for approximately 40 minutes, but were unsuccessful, according to CPW.

CPW said the man was not wearing a life jacket, and the water temperature was cold in the upper 50s with heavy winds.

KRDO13 spoke to one woman who was at the shore that day, who said the conditions were rough for swimming.

“We couldn’t believe they were swimming as cold as the water was,” said Ginny Bosley, a lake goer.

On top of the cold water temperatures, she recalled the wind gusts being memorably strong.

 “It was crazy. It was whitecaps, like everything it about blew us out of our chairs,” she said.

The agency said his body was turned over to the Pueblo County Coroner’s Office for identification and an official determination of the cause of death. Two of the kids were the victim’s children, and two were friends, according to CPW. The agency said all of the kids are safe and with their respective guardians.

“You hate to think of something like that. When I heard it on the news last night, I think, oh my gosh, we were there. And that poor guy, we probably even seen him,” said Bosley.

Ahead of the boating season and summer holidays, CPW encourages all park visitors participating in water recreational activities to do the following:

Wear a life jacket​. A life jacket will keep your airway clear of water and your head above water and support your body should you stop swimming or become unconscious.

Paddleboards and kayaks are considered vessels, and life jacket requirements apply. 

Be aware of the dangers of cold water shock. Water below 68 degrees Fahrenheit is dangerous. Sudden immersion in cold water can cause gasping, inhalation of water, and hypothermia, resulting in unconsciousness or swimming failure as muscles become numb.

Heavy rain or snow melting in nearby mountains can raise water levels quickly and without notice. Check river flows at https://dwr.state.co.us/Tools/Stations.

“CPW offers condolences to the family and friends of the victim and everyone involved in the incident,” said Becky Buist, Operations Manager at Lake Pueblo State Park.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Colorado Parks and Wildlife working suspected drowning at Lake Pueblo

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – 150 artists will set up shop at the Rock Ledge Ranch Saturday and Sunday for the second annual Garden of the Gods Art Festival with the park as a scenic backdrop to the show.

The festival is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. It costs $10 for adults and $8 for 65+ and Military. Kids 12 and under get in free. There will be live music, art activities for kids, live blacksmith demonstrations and drinks for sale at the wine and beer garden. Ticket sales benefit the Rock Ledge Ranch historic site.

Tune into Good Morning Colorado where KRDO13’s Bradley Davis interviews a couple local artists who talk about their work and the excitement to have a big show in their back yard!

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Rob Namnoum

The Colorado Springs Christian School took on Loveland Classical in the Class 2A quarterfinal on Wednesday. The Lions lost 5-4.

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Julia Donovan

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -The Pikes Peak Region is now using artificial intelligence to help with a new wildfire evacuation plan. We spoke with Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management officials who addressed some concerns about whether this was a responsible decision.

The Office of Emergency Management wants to be abundantly clear: they’re using AI as a tool. They say it’s not making the final call on how we evacuate during something as dangerous as wildfires.

“These fires are moving faster than traditional fires,” Andrew Notbohm, Director at the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management, said about recent wildfires Wednesday.

Notbohm says it’s the rapid spread of more recent fires like the Marshall Fire in Boulder that Ladris, the AI technology, takes into account – as well as traffic patterns, road maps and local population data – to simulate different evacuation scenarios.

But, Notbohm says the technology won’t necessarily create the new evacuation plan itself.

“We’re able to then analyze where we’re going to have traffic concerns or bottlenecks, and then we’ll optimize how we want to evacuate based on the results of that software,” he explained.

Members of Westside Watch – a neighborhood organization that has fought for wildfire safety – tell KRDO they’re glad officials in the Pikes Peak Region are working toward a new wildfire evacuation plan.

“We are cautiously optimistic,” said Kat Gayle. “We have been working to get the city to use what they call evacuation modeling for the last six years.”

Kat still worries Ladris could be inaccurate and misleading, despite having been approved by wildfire evacuation experts right here in Colorado.

She thinks it might downplay the number of cars and other vehicles evacuating, and misrepresent crowded event centers.

“Yay we’re here. Let’s roll it out. And, let’s not be afraid if people point out potential weaknesses,” Kat said. “Let’s solve them, because this is about our lives.”

Officials say they’ll still consider public input, in addition to the recommendations made by the new technology.

We also asked if the new AI software will be used when deciding where new housing developments should be built. Officials with El Paso County and the City of Colorado Springs said that hasn’t been discussed yet.

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Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – In the last year, Kimberly Miller has been building up her business as a realtor in Colorado Springs. Now she’s speaking out before she says a scammer could ruin it all.

She says multiple people in Colorado Springs have received messages from someone claiming to be Miller. Some even left reviews on her Google Business that she was calling them incessantly, asking to buy their home, however, she says that’s something she would never do.

She first heard about the scam in April when one of her friends received a message from someone claiming to be Miller.

“She got a text message from someone saying it was me asking about real estate and if they wanted to sell their home,” explained Kimberly Miller.

Her friend reached out asking if she got a new number, and Miller was shocked. She told them she did not, and at first, she didn’t think much of it, until they started to reach out to others directly related to her.

“And then a couple of weeks later, my daughter’s preschool director stopped me when I was picking her up, which really concerned me because I don’t have her number in my phone or anything. And she asked if I had gotten a new number because she knew my number was a Denver area code, and it was the same phone number that had texted my friend a couple of weeks earlier. Same thing. It wasn’t me. And then I started posting about it on Instagram just to alert people, and I was getting notified by random strangers that they were getting messaged by this phone number, and even different phone numbers,” said Miller.

The realtor tells KRDO13 she started to lose sleep over it. She says the messages were so out of character for her business practices that she wants to make sure everyone is aware.

“I’ve emailed everyone I know, and I sent out a letter with the information about what’s going on to everyone in my database, and that works for everyone I know. The problem is all these people who don’t know me, and if they don’t, you know, look into it a little further. They’re just going to assume I’m some very obnoxious person,” said Miller.

She explained the anxiety she’s experienced as a result of the messages. She says she’s had to work with the people at Google to get the negative reviews removed.

“I don’t want my reputation tarnished by something that I have no control over. And it’s also something that I have nothing to do with,” pleaded Miller.

She says she tracked the phone numbers back to Bandwidth.com, a telecommunications company, and reached out.

“They were the ones who did the phone number providers. And so they did respond, at least with the numbers that I’ve been given so far said they shut the phone numbers down. The problem is that it seems like they’re changing the phone numbers pretty frequently,” explained Miller.

After reporting the scam to the FBI, the FTC, and Colorado Springs police, she’s doing everything she can to get the message out. 

“I’m not sure what the big picture of the scammer is, but the fact that they’re targeting people is terrifying for everyone out there,” expressed Miller.

Miller even received messages from people living in Dallas, Texas, saying they got a message from someone claiming to be her.

The Colorado Springs Police Department says this is a legitimate case, and while it’s not clear if it’s been assigned yet, they say most cases like this are handled by the financial crimes team. 

To help educate the public on what they can do if they receive a text like this, to fall victim to a similar scam, the Colorado Springs Police Department shared these tips:

If you don’t recognize the sender, block the number

Go online and research the Realtor/Office that they’re claiming to be and call the office

If they’re claiming to be from a specific Realtor/Office notify that company that someone’s claiming to work for them

Some tips for those wanting to prevent this:

Make sure your legitimate contact information is posted clearly online or on business cards

Communicate clearly with customers the ways in which you will send information

Remind people on how they can verify information is from you. 

Report impersonators/scammers as quickly as possible. 

-A spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police Department

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Celeste Springer

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) says there has been a suspected drowning at Lake Pueblo.

CPW says they have staff on scene, and the coroner’s office is on the way.

When KRDO13 first spoke with CPW, it was unclear at this time whether the victim was wearing a lifejacket or the exact temperature of the water at the time of the incident. Late Wednesday afternoon, CPW confirmed the victim was not wearing a lifejacket and water temperatures were in the upper 50s.

Details are limited at this time, but this article may be updated.

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Celeste Springer

UPDATE 5:55 P.M.: The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says the shelter-in-place has been lifted.

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – According to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO), the Falcon Fire Department has issued a shelter-in-place due to a gas leak near Liberty Grove Drive.

According to EPSO, the shelter-in-place covers a half-mile radius at Liberty Grove Drive and Londonderry Drive.

Details are limited at this time, but this article may be updated.

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Celeste Springer

UPDATE 3:19 P.M.: Teller County Dispatch says the pre-evacuation order has been lifted.

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – The Teller County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) has issued a pre-evacuation warning for the B Lazy M Ranch subdivision, which is located off Teller County Road 1 near Dog Head Mountain.

Click here to view a “click and zoom” map of the impacted area.

According to Peak Alerts, the fire is near Dome Rock Trail. Teller County Dispatch says the fire started as a controlled burn.

Residents should be prepared to leave. If they need more time or help to evacuate, they should start now. If they feel they are in danger, they should evacuate immediately.

Details are limited at this time, but this article may be updated.

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Celeste Springer

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) has released the name of a motorcycle crash victim after identification from the coroner’s office.

According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, Ethan Hale, age 30, died after a serious accident on Bijou Street on May 1.

PREVIOUS REPORTING: Motorcyclist dead after crash on westbound Bijou Street

When first responders arrived, CSPD says three people were taken to the hospital with various injuries ranging from moderate to life-threatening.

According to CSPD, they believe a car was driving east on Bijou Street and was going to make a left turn to head onto I-25. The motorcycle, driven by Hale, was traveling west when the car started to make a left turn, and they collided. CSPD says both Hale and the passenger with him on the motorcycle were ejected. CSPD’s press release did not detail the current medical state of that passenger.

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KRDO News

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The City of Manitou Springs says they are getting closer to getting the city out of a water crisis.

Earlier this week, the city said the emergency stemmed from high turbidity levels – or cloudiness – in its primary water source, combined with an unexpected outage of its backup supply. Together, the issues resulted in a much faster depletion of the city’s water reserves than expected, city officials said.

According to the city, the water treatment plant was able to run consistently for 12 hours on Tuesday, which was 4 hours longer than the previous days. They says the plant treated 320,000 gallons of water on Tuesday, though that amount was used by residents that day.

They report that water usage from residents was significantly down compared to usage on the same day in 2024, showing that residents are taking the water restrictions seriously.

“Thanks to reduced runoff and improving turbidity levels, water quality has stabilized slightly. However, storage tanks remain at approximately 50% capacity, and every gallon of conservation still counts. Continued, full participation from residents and businesses is essential to sustaining this positive trend,” wrote the city in a press release.

For now, the city is still asking residents to stop using water unless it is for an essential sanitation or drinking purpose.

Dishwashing and brief, infrequent showers are allowed, though they should only be for essential sanitation. Residents should absolutely not use water for their lawns or car washes.

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