Author: KRDO

Josh Helmuth

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Military families move a lot. For children in those families, being the “new kid” can be really tough. But one local district is making sure no student walks in alone.

Widefield School District 3 is building something pretty special near Fort Carson. It’s called Student 2 Student — or S2S. It’s a program from the Military Child Education Coalition designed to help military kids transition into a new school.

D3 does S2S training every year for each school. And they just wrapped their training for 2026. The idea is simple — when a new student arrives, especially from a military family, they’re immediately connected with trained student leaders who help them find friends, clubs, and confidence.

Military kids can move several times before graduation. Programs like S2S make sure they’re not starting from scratch every time. Helping new students feel seen, supported and at home. Think of it like a built-in buddy system that’s trained to welcome new kids to their school. It’s a club ensuring no student is invisible. 

“We have so many kids in the military in this area, and a lot of times they can feel alone. It can be so difficult. And to have really strong groups to help new kids is so amazing,” said Molly Schuler, a junior at Widefield High School.

Greg Morris, a Widefield High School counselor, leads the training.

“It’s big on relationships. Acceptance. Supporting new kids. In my career, it’s been one of the best tools I’ve had as a counselor,” said Morris.

If there’s something buzzing at your school, you know the drill. Email us! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.

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Scott Harrison

FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) — The City Council unanimously followed the recommendation of a citizens’ advisory council and will spend $450,000 to repair and reopen a neighborhood road that has been closed due to erosion concerns since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Council members voted for the move during Tuesday night’s regular meeting, selecting one of three options to repair a segment of Southmoor Drive on a bluff above Fountain Creek, on the north end of town.

Todd Evans, deputy city manager for Fountain, stated that the money originates from a permit fee paid by the developer of a new apartment complex last fall.

He said that the city will use the money to repave the 1/3-mile road segment from The American Legion to the Walmart parking lot and install a guardrail along the creek side.

A less-expensive option would have installed a guardrail but not improved the road, while a more expensive option would have extended the paving nearly a mile north, to the city limits.

“The option we’re choosing leaves us $320,000 — which would go back into our resurfacing projects that we have scheduled, and allow us to do more,” Evans explained.

In a Council meeting a month ago, members decided to delay a decision on the road until they could determine what damage heavy creek flows from future storms may cause to creek stabilization work completed last summer.

That project, conducted by the Fountain Creek Watershed District, cost $7.1 million, with Fountain contributing $600,000.

The impact of previous storms led to the Council’s decision to close the road in the spring of 2020.

Last year, the Colorado Department of Transportation made intersection improvements at Carson Boulevard and Highway 85-87 — southeast of the road closure — installing a traffic signal and building medians to protect drivers making left turns into and out of the neighborhood to visit the Walmart and other businesses along the highway.

“We really appreciated that,” said Adam McDonald, a neighbor, to the Council. “But it’s still a dangerous highway. Southmoor Drive gave us safer access to the businesses.

Evans said that the repaving and guardrail work is currently out for bid, and construction will start when the city chooses a contractor.

The repaving will recycle asphalt on-site, officials said, and the good condition of the road base underneath the pavement eliminates the need to use fresh asphalt — thereby saving money.

“We hope to finish by the first week of August,” said Bob McDonald, the city’s public works director. “Weather permitting, of course.”

Mayor Sharon Thompson said that she’s excited about the project being finished before Veterans Day, which would be great news for the Legion post nearest the road closure.

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Mackenzie Stafford

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – Across southern Colorado, firefighters are keeping a close eye on elevated fire danger due to weather conditions, including here in El Paso County.

Fort Carson officials confirmed to KRDO13 that there is a fire within Fort Carson’s training area. If you are driving along I-25 or Highway 115, a Fort Carson spokesperson tells us you can expect to continue seeing smoke.

On post, officials say the Fort Carson Fire Department is actively responding and receiving assets and support from city and county partners.

A Fort Carson spokesperson said no injuries have been reported and no infrastructure has been impacted by the approximately 350-acre fire.

This is not the first time a fire has caused smoke to be visible from Fort Carson.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), a Red Flag Warning is in effect for portions of El Paso County, including Fort Carson. The warning is expected to expire at 5 p.m. Feb. 25. However, another Red Flag Warning has already been issued for Thursday.

The Stormtracker13 Team is also keeping a close eye on strong wind gusts through around 9 p.m.

Two other fires burned in Colorado on Wednesday. In Thornton, the police department said Pinnacle High School and nearby businesses have been evacuated. Police say that officers are performing door-to-door evacuations in neighborhoods to the northeast of the fire.

I-25 was shut down near Thornton due to smoke impacting visibility. The highway has since reopened, as fire crews say they have contained the blaze.

As of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, a fire has started burning in Logan County. Officials say evacuation orders have been issued for the town of Padroni and the surrounding area.

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Rob Namnoum

The Doherty boys basketball team advances in the Class 6A playoffs. The Spartans beat Legacy 55-42.

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Rob Namnoum

The Pueblo East boys basketball team fell to Dakota Ridge on Tuesday night 56-40.

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Rob Namnoum

The Palmer boys basketball team man handled Montbello on Tuesday night 93-59.

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Rob Namnoum

The Pueblo Central basketball team beats Grand Junction Central 50-47.

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Rob Namnoum

The Pine Creek hockey team advances to the Class 4A semifinals. The Eagles defeated Standley Lake on Tuesday night 1-0. John Thien made 39 saves in the win.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) has toys parents can check out for their child for no cost all year long.

It has toys for children 0-5 to help with their early development and two large toy rooms at the East Library for the older kids.

The playrooms have intricate toys inside the Educational Resource Center (ERC), many focused on creative building. Parents can reserve a time for their kid to play in the room for free. Some of the toys can also be checked out through PPLD’s Discovery Kits program. The district will send it to your nearest library.

The early development toys go hand-in-hand with the library’s partnership with the free Lena Start Program, focused on encouraging back-and-forth talk between parents and toddlers. PPLD said 14% of 16-year-olds in Colorado Springs are functionally illiterate. Lena Start said talking to your toddler regularly increases future class scores by 80%.

Registration for the next Lena Start session opens on March 16th. Each participant gets a “talk padometer” that tracks how much they talk to their toddler. Every parent who graduates from the no-cost course gets eight free books and a $20 gift card.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — On Wednesday morning, for the first time, traffic began moving across the new Airport Road bridge over Powers Boulevard.

Officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said on Monday that they weren’t sure if they’d open the overpass during the overnight hours or “first thing” Wednesday morning.

However, as of 4:30 a.m., new traffic alignments were in place, and one traffic lane in each direction was open on the bridge.

Work on the structure isn’t finished; crews are gradually building up to having two lanes open in each direction, and they’re continuing construction of two on/off ramps on the south side of the interchange.

Drivers should also expect to see some temporary traffic signals in operation until all installed signals are working, and the east side of the overpass will be somewhat darker at night until more street lights are on.

The bridge also features sidewalks and bike lanes for pedestrian and cycling safety.

The old Airport segment west of Powers to Troy Hill Road is now permanently closed; the segment north that curves into the east end of the interchange remains open because it provides access to several industrial businesses and a local Department of Motor Vehicles office.

Randy Johnson, a project engineer for CDOT, explains the remaining work that lies ahead.

“There are some water quality ponds,” he said. “There’s a lot more lighting, a lot of utilities, water lines, and electrical lines. And then, permanent stabilization. We’ve got final signing, final striping.”

The final step, he added, is to repair concrete pavement on Powers that was damaged by construction activity.

CDOT expects to finish the $46 million project by the end of summer.

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