Author: KRDO

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — It’s something that drivers have waited more than two years for, and now it’s only a few days from happening.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) says that it will open the new overpass on Airport Boulevard across Powers Boulevard on Wednesday.

It’s a development that local leaders have anticipated for nearly a decade.

A new traffic pattern begins on Wednesday at the four-way stop intersection of Airport and Troy Hill Road, on the west side of the new interchange.

Eastbound Airport traffic at Troy Hill Road will move slightly north and line up with the ramp leading to the new overpass; the structure also provides a more direct route to the main gate of Peterson Space Force Base.

However, only two of the ramps at the interchange — to northbound Powers and from southbound Powers — have been built, and some departing Peterson traffic is already using the northbound ramp.

Until the remaining ramps are built, drivers will have to cross the overpass and use the old segment of Airport east of Powers to reach southbound Powers from eastbound Airport, and northbound Powers from westbound Airport.

That old segment of Airport also provides access to several industrial businesses and to a branch of the El Paso County Department of Motor Vehicles.

CDOT said that the left turn lane onto that segment, from southbound Powers, will remain open for the near future.

Another major change is that the old segment of Airport west of Powers will close permanently, and turns will no longer be allowed there.

The new interchange has already attracted new businesses, such as a convenience store and a restaurant, with more likely to come.

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

On Monday afternoon, CDOT will conduct a media tour of the diverging diamond traffic configuration on the new overpass — similar to designs in place at the recently-built overpass on Research Parkway, under Powers, and on the Fillmore Street overpass at Interstate 25.

CDOT is currently planning the next Powers overpass, at Stetson Hills Boulevard, and is considering a similar structure near the main entrance to the Colorado Springs Airport, at the Milton E. Proby Parkway intersection.

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Marina Garcia

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A family’s backyard located on South Murray Boulevard and Airport Road, a major traffic corridor, is in ruins after a car smashed through their gate.

KRDO13 spoke to the homeowner, Meleena Pope, who expressed serious concern for her four-year-old and two dogs’ safety.

Pope recalls unwinding for the night when she received a call from her neighbor.

“She said, I don’t want to alarm you. There is a vehicle that drove through your fence and is now in your backyard, and I was confused. And I was like, what?” Says Pope.

That confusion quickly turned to panic as her neighbor’s words registered; Pope remembered that her dogs were playing outside.

“I was hollering for my dogs, trying to put my shoes on,” says Pope. Luckily, her husband had let the dogs in just moments before the crash. “So I closed the back door, and I turned around, and both of my dogs are standing there, and they’re like, staring at me. I almost had an emotional breakdown.”

While the dogs are safe this time, her concern isn’t going anywhere; in fact, it’s only growing.

“With us welcoming a new baby into our family and then also having a young four-year-old, it fills me with even more anxiety. As a parent, my number one job is to protect my kids,” says Pope.

There is a guardrail along Airport Road, but part of it has been damaged, and it doesn’t continue around the other side of Pope’s home. The concerned mother says she’s been in contact with the city, hoping to get that changed.

We reached out Colorado Springs Police Department about the crash to confirm if anyone was hurt and to learn the status of the driver, but as of 10:00 p.m. on Sunday night have not heard back.

This article may be updated.

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Rob Namnoum

The Colorado College hockey team played their final home of the season on Saturday night at Robson Arena against Western Michigan. The Tigers would lose 2-0 to the Broncos.

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Rob Namnoum

The Air Force men’s basketball team hosted UNLV on Saturday. The Falcon would fall 91-66. They are winless in Mountain West Conference play.

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Rob Namnoum

The Pueblo Central Wildcats are state champions! The Wildcats claim the girls Class 4A crown behind the dominance of Acelyn Duran. She was outstanding in her win against La Junta’s Yliani Garcia. It’s Duran second straight championship, “It’s just really exhilarating. It’s really exciting and just shows all the work I’ve been putting in all year and throughout my life. The hardest part is just having to go out there, train and not let the excitement and all the pressure against me just go out there to me,” says Duran.

Gionna Duran helped secure the team title for Central by taking home the 115 pound title with a in by major decision against La Junta’s Isabella Ortiz.

Air Academy’s David Burchett was down a point to Pueblo East’s Justus Freeman, Burchette escaped to tie the match and force sudden victory. As Burchette claims his first state championship and you can see how much it means to him, “I feel complete. I’ve been through hell and back. My whole thing is that I take people deep waters and I drown them. I knew I needed to get out or otherwise it was over. Everything I worked for was for nothing, and I couldn’t let that go to waste,” says Burchett.

It was quite a day for Canon City. Kate Doughty ended her high school career undefeated for the past two seasons. She and Pipe Montoya claimed state crowns, with Doughty grinding her opponent into dust on her way to the 135 pound title, “My gosh, I’m just so excited. I mean, I came out with a cup with a couple of injuries and I wanted to finish out this year strong and get another title. And I’m just so excited that I was able to do that,” says Doughty.

Elias Koonce set the tone for Canon City in the first match of the day. He takes home the Class 4A 190 pound title by winning a tough match against Pueblo East’s Elijah Contreras.

Not only does Canon City have hands down the best dressed coaches. They’ve got four state champs. Ben Reish won his heavy weight bout by flattening his opponent like a pancake, “It’s amazing. You know, I worked all my life for this stuff. I mean, it’s kind of hours in the gym and stuff like that, you know? And plus, a lot of this is one of the best fits of my life. So I’m so blessed to have this,” says Reish.

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Rachael Plath

High pressure will allow temperatures to really heat up over the next couple of days, but an approaching midweek wave is expected to kick up winds and fire danger while spreading snow across the high country.

TONIGHT: Clear skies and light overnight winds will allow temperatures to plummet once again, with overnight lows falling into the teens by early Sunday morning.

SUNDAY: High pressure will influence our weather conditions to round out the weekend, allowing for afternoon highs to warm into the 40s and 50s… which is pretty close to where we should be this time of year. Mostly clear skies and relatively light winds should make for a pleasant day for most.

NEXT WEEK: The warming pattern continues next week, with highs on Tuesday expected to get into the 70s for many! If we hit 71° in Colorado Springs on Tuesday, that will tie the record high set back in 1986. We are currently forecasting a high of 70° – so it will be close! Unfortunately, as an upper-level wave approaches the state on Tuesday, winds will also be increasing. The combination of dry conditions, gusty winds and above average temperatures will significantly raise fire danger concerns on both Tuesday and Wednesday. While lower elevations will be concerned about fire danger, the high country will begin to see snow spreading across the highest peaks beginning late on Tuesday, with snow chances continuing on Wednesday. This is great news for Colorado’s snowpack, as some of our mountain communities could end up with 6-12″ of snow from this system. As for areas along and east of I25, models are hinting at a small window of opportunity for a quick shower Wednesday night! However, IF these showers manage to hold together as they slide off the Front Range, they won’t produce much in the way of moisture – but it is something we’ll be tracking closely this week! Beyond Wednesday, Thursday will see slightly cooler (but still above average) temperatures with dry and warm weather expected into the following weekend.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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