Author: KRDO

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Road Warrior showed us how the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) repaired a pesky bump last week on southbound Interstate 25, under the pedestrian bridge near downtown.

But dips — areas of low pavement — are a concern, as well.

A series of dips had long existed in both directions of I-25 between Bijou Street and the Colorado Avenue bridge; those dips, combined with a bend in the highway, made drivers feel as if they were driving on waves.

CDOT recently explained its repair strategy during three overnight work sessions to correct the problem.

“It’s really unknown what caused those dips to develop,” said Eric Meyers, a CDOT maintenance supervisor. “But the result was sunken concrete panels.

He said that the dips in the lanes and shoulders created more than a maintenance issue and required an engineering solution — with a process known as foam jacking.

“We hired a contractor and provided traffic control for them,” Meyers said.

In foam jacking, small holes are drilled into the panels, and a polyurethane foam is injected; the foam cures in less than 30 minutes and can bear the weight of traffic almost immediately.

Foam jacking offers advantages over traditional mud jacking in that the drilling holes are smaller and the foam is waterproof and erosion-resistant.

Meyers said that another engineering solution will eventually be needed on the bump mentioned above, as a CDOT crew made temporary repairs there.

“They saw-cut that area,” he said. “They jackhammered all that concrete out, removed all the concrete, and then, through lifts, put hot mix asphalt back in it, to the current pavement level.”

Myers said that any kind of concrete work on a busy highway such as I-25 is a major challenge.

“When you talk about concrete pavement, it’s on an interstate corridor; it’s extremely thick,” he explained. “And it takes a long time when you have to remove that and then put a product back in there to get it back up to where traffic can flow on it within the constraints of the closure.”

Myers said that the best solution for potholes and bumps on concrete pavement is to remove the damaged panels and replace them.

Click here to follow the original article.

Michael Logerwell

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – Nearly 4,000 people had to beat the heat without A/C Saturday afternoon thanks to a power outage.

The Mountain View Electric Association told customers they were aware of the outage before 1:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. A spokesperson told KRDO13 News during a phone call that an electrical failure caused the outage and sparked a small grass fire.

The Cimarron Hills and Falcon fire departments responded to the grass fire near Hwy 24 and Garrett Road Saturday afternoon. The grass fire was quickly put out and didn’t spread very far.

Power was restored several hours later on Saturday.

Click here to follow the original article.

Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Typically, you can’t take home a vehicle from a car dealership until you’re at least 16 years old.

However, that wasn’t the case at the Porsche dealership along Motor City Drive in Colorado Springs this weekend.

Of course, we’re not talking about actually roadworthy cars, but instead adaptive vehicles for children with mobility challenges.

The group ‘Geeks for Kids‘ custom-built the mobility vehicles and gave them to families for free. The nonprofit says they’ve built and given away more than 400 vehicles through more than 170,000 hours of labor, all done by volunteers.

One father told us his family took a three-day road trip to get the vehicle for his son.

“We can’t ask for anything better, you know, for him to be able to play independently by himself, but also with his big brother. It’s got toys on it like the little frisbee to throw. I mean, it’s well worth the trip,” Roy Tighe said.

Click here to follow the original article.

Julia Donovan

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Both the lowest- and highest-scoring restaurants this week serve tacos.

Rudy’s Little Hideaway fails routine inspection, improves on re-inspection

Rudy’s Little Hideaway on South Eighth Street failed its recent routine health inspection after inspectors documented 11 violations.

According to the inspection report, inspectors found several food safety concerns, including:

Raw chicken stored above raw pork, creating a risk of cross-contamination

An employee reportedly handled dirty dishes before preparing food without changing gloves

Glue traps placed above a food preparation area

Several live and dead flies observed during the inspection

After reviewing the inspection findings, we visited the restaurant to ask about the violations and what had changed.

Employees said the issues identified during the inspection have been addressed. They pointed to the restaurant’s follow-up inspection, during which inspectors documented just two violations.

“We passed and everything is okay right now,” one employee said.

Staff also disputed the original finding that glue traps were positioned directly above the food preparation area. Regardless, they said the traps have since been relocated well away from food prep spaces.

This week’s top inspection scores

Several restaurants earned top marks during recent inspections, including:

Good Neighbors Meeting House on Columbia Street

Tortilleria Delicias on South Circle Drive

Por Favor Tacos and Tragos on Voyager Parkway

At Por Favor Tacos and Tragos, employees credited a team-focused approach for helping maintain a clean kitchen.

“Everybody helps each other. No one lets anyone get behind,” one employee said.

This spot also features unique, tasty tacos, colorful décor and a lively atmosphere!

Keep an eye out for the KRDO13 Restaurant Roundup awards at your favorite restaurant to know the kitchen inside is clean.

Reminder: all of our high and low-scoring restaurants are based on routine health inspections conducted by the El Paso County Health Department.

Click here for a look at all the most recent health inspection scores.

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — While work continues on the three-year, $55 million widening of Marksheffel Road on the city’s eastern border, another project has begun to extend three existing streets a mile east to the growing Banning Lewis Ranch subdivision.

Several developers are financing the extensions of Stetson Hills Boulevard, Barnes Road, and North Carefree Circle to connect between Marksheffel Road and the new Banning Lewis Parkway, which opened last year as the major north-south route through that community.

The city said that North Carefree will stop just short of the parkway but connect to side streets from the parkway.

Dublin Boulevard already connects to the parkway, and city officials said that it will eventually connect to US 24 between the Woodmen Road and Constitution Avenue interchanges.

All four streets form the length of the Marksheffel widening, which began in late summer of 2023 and is on schedule for completion by the end of the year.

Gayle Sturdivant, the city’s deputy public works director, said that the city will assume maintenance responsibility for the street extensions two years after completion.

But it will be a gradual process.

“We’re talking about a 15- to 30-year buildout,” Sturdivant explained. “As the rooftops or the traffic move to the east, the developers associated with that development are going to be building the roads. The responsible development should be paying for itself. And that’s what they do.” 

Construction geared up this summer on the Stetson Hills and Barnes extensions, with construction activity visible on the east side of Marksheffel at those intersections and moving east.

As of yet, no construction appears to be happening for the North Carefree extension, but work has geared up on Stetson Hills and Barnes.

Sturdivant said that the existing Huber Road, east of the Marksheffel/Stetson Hills intersection, will become part of the Stetson Hills extension.

Some segments of that extension have already been built at what is currently the southeast end of the ranch.

A common criticism from ranch residents is that the Marksheffel widening should have happened a decade before the housing boom began there.

City officials have learned from that, and hope to be better prepared for future growth and traffic with the street extensions.

It makes one wonder, though: With all of the growth so far and more to come, will four lanes on Marksheffel be enough?

Click here to follow the original article.

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum (CSPM) will debut it’s new exhibit, “Freedom to Thrive: The American Experiment in Colorado Springs” during its Colorado 150 celebration on Saturday, August 1.

August 1 is Colorado’s 150th birthday.

The exhibit is part of CSPM’s no-cost celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with live music, including the United States Air Force Academy “Wild Blue” band, food trucks, family activities, and birthday cake. The Pikes Peak Library District will have its photobooth that puts you in different historical scenes, and Wishing Star Farms will have a petting zoo.

The new exhibit highlights “people and stories to examine opportunities and obstacles to freedom in our community — while challenging us all to find common ground for the common good in 2026.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Bradley Davis

GREEN MOUNTAIN FALLS, Colo. (KRDO) – The 88th Annual Bronc Day returns Saturday from 7:30. a.m. to 3 p.m. with a pancake breakfast, parade, pie contest, games and more. All activities are free.

Similar to the Western Street Breakfast in Colorado Springs, Bronc Day celebrates Colorado’s Western Heritage. The first Bronc Day in 1939 celebrated the start of the tourist season in Green Mountain Falls with a taste of the region’s culture.

The pancake breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m. at the Church of the Wildwood. The parade, filled with floats, horseback riders and more, starts at 10 a.m. Throughout the day, participants can enjoy old-fashioned kids games, live performers, live music and more. You can find a full list of attractions here.

Organizers recommend getting into town early for parking. Bronc Day will close the streets around Green Mountain Falls Pond to vehicle traffic at 9:45 a.m.

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — A preexisting bump on southbound I-25 near the Bijou Street interchange recently worsened and caused many drivers to worry about damage to their vehicles.

“At least (provide) some warning that a bump is coming up,” one driver wrote in an email to KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior.

Another driver wrote: “It’s extremely hazardous, especially to motorcyclists, as it’s absolutely massive, comes with no warning, and is often hidden by shadows.”

Indeed, the bump stretched almost entirely across the southbound lanes and was practically impossible to avoid.

Those emails arrived on Monday, and The Road Warrior contacted the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) about the matter that afternoon.

“The city (Colorado Springs) notified me this morning, and I’ve contacted the area (CDOT) supervisor,” a spokesperson said.

When The Road Warrior inspected the bump late Wednesday morning, it had been flattened and covered with either asphalt or a black material.

It was in the summer of 2024 that The Road Warrior first reported on driver complaints about two kinds of road bumps: Those like the one mentioned above that form from a pothole or other pavement damage; and those that form where older asphalt pavement meets newer concrete pavement — often on highway interchange ramps.

Examples of the latter category are at the interchange of I-25 and Cimarron Street (US 24); examples of the former category are on Powers Boulevard (Highway 21) near the Airport Road interchange.

CDOT has patched some of the pothole bumps with asphalt or materials such as Fibercrete or Gap-B to bond better with the pavement, but many drivers believe that approach hasn’t worked well.

A CDOT engineer previously said that the best solution is to replace the concrete panels where the pavement is damaged, but doing so is difficult with so much heavy traffic on highways.

As for the bumps where asphalt and concrete pavement meet, CDOT said that the process is fairly involved and expensive; one such repair happened two years ago on the northbound I-25 exit ramp in Fountain.

On Wednesday, CDOT released the following statement:

“Colorado’s broad range of temperatures, heavy rainfall (when we get it), snow, etc., are the primary drivers of roadway deterioration, ground heave, potholes, etc. CDOT maintenance patrols must prioritize road maintenance; our first priority is the safety of the traveling public. High-priority, safety-related projects include: guardrail and cable rail replacement/repair, pothole repair, and crisis response (fire, mudslides, rockslides, floods).” 

Click here to follow the original article.

Rob Namnoum

The Colorado Springs Switchbacks defeated Miami FC 2-0 on Wednesday night.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mackenzie Stafford

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – On July 7, a father was shot and killed in El Paso County. The sheriff’s office was searching for four masked suspects and announced on July 22 that an arrest had been made.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) says that on July 16, 18-year-old Damonte Linwood was arrested in Aurora on charges of second-degree murder and robbery in connection with this case.

Linwood is currently being held at the Aurora Detention Center on a $500,000 bond, according to EPSO. KRDO13 requested additional information on Linwood’s arrest; however, the court told KRDO13 his arrest record is currently sealed.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Sheriff’s office seeks public help after man shot to death in Cimarron Hills area

Just after 1 a.m. on July 7, EPSO says 39-year-old Michael Fell was shot and killed by masked intruders in a friend’s home. Deputies say in the initial investigation, they determined at least four masked individuals entered the residence and stole items from the occupants in an apparent robbery before fleeing the area.

Fell was a son, a brother, and a father. The night he was killed, family said he was playing poker with friends. His mother, Kathy Seylaz, previously spoke with KRDO13 through tears about the unexpected loss of her son.

“You never expect to lose your children before yourself,” Seylaz said. “I think the first thing that went through my mind was: can’t be Mikey. You know, they have been mixed up with somebody else. It can’t be my Mike.”

Seylaz emphasized her son’s character, stating he was not involved in criminal activities.

“He wasn’t a drug dealer. He wasn’t a gangster. He was just there playing poker. I can’t see why anybody would want to hurt Michael. He was a happy, lighthearted, kind person,” shared Seylaz.

Seylaz is calling for justice on behalf of her son.

“I know what it feels like to be the mom who loses your child,” Seylaz said. “And if they can just break into somebody’s home and randomly shoot people, those people need to be brought to justice, so no other family goes through what we’re going through. I know that somebody somewhere has to know something.”

EPSO continues to investigate the killing and urges anyone with information or relevant security camera footage near the 2300 block of Reed Grass Way to contact them.

“This arrest marks an important step in the pursuit of justice for the victim and their loved ones. I want to commend the outstanding work and collaboration of our investigators and Fugitive Impact Team, the Aurora Police Department, the Arvada Police Department, and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. While an arrest has been made, this remains an active investigation, and we will continue to work diligently to ensure everyone responsible is held accountable through the judicial process,” wrote El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Fell’s family.

Click here to follow the original article.