Author: KRDO

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Rain apparently didn’t put a damper on the start of a repaving project that will affect traffic going to and from the Colorado Springs Airport.

Paving was scheduled to start Sunday evening and wrap up at 5 a.m. Monday morning at the intersection of Powers Boulevard and Milton E. Proby Parkway.

The latter is the main route to the airport.

Most paving or other road-related projects come with the disclaimer “weather permitting,” but it appears that Sunday’s rain ended soon enough for crews to proceed.

“We were only an hour late getting started,” said Scott Schnake, a Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) project engineer. “A little bit of moisture is OK, but too much starts to cause problems. We don’t want the new pavement to delaminate on top of the old pavement. We want it to bond nicely to the existing asphalt, and not separate from the existing asphalt.”

Schnake said that crews didn’t mill (remove) all old pavement — just 2.5 inches.

A separate project by airport officials is repaving Milton E. Proby Parkway east of the Powers intersection.

The CDOT project is scheduled to continue overnights this week through Thursday.

The above map provided by CDOT shows the closures and detours in place.

Drivers must use Grinnell Boulevard and Integration Loop as detours east of Powers; west of Powers, the detours are Hancock, Milton E. Proby, Chelton Road, and Bradley Road.

With a wet week of weather expected, paving could take longer to finish.

Meanwhile, the weekend rain did delay a project we told you about last week.

Crews were to pave a very muddy mile-long road — Glider Loop — just south of Black Forest, along Vollmer Road.

We know only that the new date is sometime this week.

KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior will keep you updated.

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Bradley Davis

FALCON, Colo. (KRDO) – The Falcon post of the American Legion Riders (ALR) motorcycle group will host its 9th annual “Stock the Pantry Dice Run” on Monday, September 1, benefiting the Fresh Start Center food pantry.

It humbles me to be able to be of service to somebody else,” Falcon ALR member James Kendig said.

“That’s what the American Legion Riders do. If we can have a chance to help the community and ride our motorcycles at the same time, we’re going to be there,” said Falcon ALR Vice President Joe Marzullo.

The Fresh Start Center grows food out of its own garden and partners with the Mountain Springs Church across the street, which provides fresh lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers out of its greenhouse.

“If you want to give them a bag of beans, sure. But as soon as you want to feed that family with nutritious food, it’s more than just a bag of beans,” said Fresh Start Center Executive Director Grant Winger.

Riders (and drivers, all vehicles welcome) will meet at Red’s American Grill in Falcon at 9 a.m. From there, the group will go to Kiowa Bar, American Legion Post 82 (Elizabeth, Colorado), Black Forest Brewing, and finish up back at Red’s.

ALR is simplifying the dice run to make it fun and easy for all participants. At each stop, every person will roll the dice. After all five stops, the person with the highest score, the second-highest score and the lowest score will win a prize.

The dice run costs $20 a rider and $10 a passenger. The group is offering $5 off in exchange for a non-perishable food donation. ALR said it will donate all the money to the Fresh Start Center.

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – KRDO13’s Bradley Davis walks us through one of the parade’s heavy hitters: the “Pineview Retreat” in the Flying Horse North community, recently sold for $3,895,969.

The Colorado Springs Parade of Homes starts September 5 with 32 new homes by a variety of different builders, like the Retreat by Alliance Homes.

The parade lasts from September 5 through September 21, and each ticket gets you in to view every house on display. You can get tickets here.

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Celeste Springer

Editor’s note: To see all of our coverage on this case, click here.

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — In a bizarre turn of events, 13 Investigates has uncovered that the Pueblo County Coroner is accused of hiding bodies in a secret room of his privately-owned funeral home, Davis Mortuary.

According to records by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), Brian Cotter’s funeral home was due for an inspection on Wednesday. When inspectors arrived, they noted “a strong odor of decomposition.”

Later, inspectors said they noticed a door was hidden by a cardboard display. When they went to remove the display, inspectors say Cotter asked them not to go inside, according to DORA’s records.

Inspectors did not follow Cotter’s request; when they entered, they said they found bodies in various stages of decomposition.

“Mr. Cotter stated that the bodies were awaiting cremation and admitted that some bodies had been in the room for approximately fifteen years,” suspension records say.

Additionally, Cotter allegedly told inspectors that he “may” have given family members of the deceased fake cremated remains.

Inspectors allege that Cotter failed to take action to embalm, refrigerate, cremate, bury, or entomb human remains within 24 hours.

According to the lead agency, the Colorado Bureau of Investigations (CBI), officials have set up a victim assistance line/tip line, which families can reach at (719)257-3359. Families also email the CBI at CBITIPS@state.co.us.

According to suspension records, Davis Mortuary is ordered to cease operations, pending proceedings.

Who is Brian Cotter?

According to Pueblo County, Brian Cotter has over 20 years of experience working with the Pueblo County Coroner’s Office. He was first elected in 2014, with his current term slated to sunset in 2027.

Davis Mortuary is a privately owned funeral home with Cotter listed as the appointed designee, according to DORA records.

The funeral home has been in operation for over 100 years and was purchased by Brian and Chris Cotter back in 1989, according to their website.

“The Cotter brothers brought with them to the Davis Mortuary the ‘old school’ ways of caring for families in need, which they learned from their father, who owned and operated several funeral homes in Kansas, Nebraska, and Southern Colorado,” reads the website.

Striking similarities

Those living in Southern Colorado are likely to notice similarities between these allegations and those in a separate case out of Penrose, Colorado.

There, funeral home owners Carie and Jon Hallford were accused of allowing close to 200 bodies to stack up at their funeral home, Return to Nature.

KRDO 13 Investigates was first to break the story. Our coverage helped contribute to the drafting of new legislation providing oversight in the funeral home industry.

To read all our reports on that case, click here.

For all of our latest reports on the Davis Mortuary case, click here.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Fundraising at the second-annual Olympic City Field Day at Acacia Park will help WHealthy Unlimited launch its free after-school program for families in Colorado Springs.

There will be outdoor games, competitions, vendors and a Children’s Entrepreneur Market on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s free for all children. No signup necessary. Just show up!

The kids who sign up through the Children’s Entrepreneur Market of Colorado Springs will host booths from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHealthy Unlimited is the brick-and-mortar operation for the Community Anchor Academy. The organization said it was inspired to start a free after-school program in part because Harrison School District 2 (D2) announced it had to cut its free after-school program for the current school year.

D2 sent a message to parents blaming funding cuts for the cancellation of the free program. It said the temporary COVID-19 relief funds helped keep the program going. Those expired at the start of this year. It said, despite efforts, D2 has not been able to secure enough funding on the state or federal levels to keep the program running. D2 still offers paid before and after-school programs on a sliding scale with scholarship opportunities.

WHealthy said the field day will be its enrollment kick-off. It said the goal is to make the after-school program free for all children who qualify for free or reduced lunch while providing scholarships for other children who don’t qualify.

The Program is called Sweat and Steam. It’s formatted to teach literacy and STEM through fun activities like workouts and rooms, while also emphasizing money management.

WHealthy said it will give away $5,000 to local non-profits and as prize money for some of the competitions. It will host local business vendors and sell their own food and juice. It said a percentage of their own sales will go toward the after-school program.

WHealthy will also be collecting donations for the program. The founder/CEO has committed to equal the total donation dollars with his own workout reps (pushups, pullups, squats, etc.).

At the field day, WHealthy said there will be bounce houses, giant Jenga, Connect 4 and Tetris. It will host classic competitions like potato sack races and fake egg transport, along with other agility and memory races, boxing and exercise rep competitions. It will also have hula-hoops, jump ropes and sidewalk chalk throughout the park.

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Scott Harrison

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The Steel City’s warmer climate allows it to start and end its street repaving sooner and later than most southern Colorado cities.

However, while paving typically begins in mid-spring, it has not yet occurred due to various factors beyond the control of the Public Works Department.

Those factors include two scheduled water main replacements by the Pueblo Board of Water Works, an emergency wastewater line repair, an emergency stormwater line repair, and the removal of 41 trees that have damaged concrete along Saratoga and Lexington roads.

“I haven’t had it where everything pushed,” said Chuck Roy, acting public works director. “I’ve been here just over four and a half years now, and we haven’t had it where everything pushed. We’ve had one or two (in the past) that have had to move because of this.”

Due to the paving delay, crews are more at the mercy of the schedules of the two local asphalt suppliers, who are already busy with other projects.

The city also had to wait for permits from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to perform paving that intersects Interstate 25, and state highways 47 and 50.

Roy said that most of the utility projects should be finished by the end of the month.

The first street on the repaving list is Monument Avenue between 5th and 10th streets, in front of the Risley School of Exploration and Park View Elementary School.

That’s where one of the water mains was replaced, but the final block in front of Park View wasn’t finished in time for school to resume, so it will have to be completed later — which means paving will be delayed on that block.

One benefit of the delay is that the city and the Board of Water Works will split the cost of paving on Monument and on Lehigh Avenue between Northern Avenue and Pueblo Boulevard.

A neighbor, Jo Ann Gutierrez, is unhappy that the Monument project detoured neighborhood traffic through a bumpy alley full of potholes.

“It was closed down for 2-1/2 months,” she explained. “So, you had to come down this side, and this is what you have to deal with. It’s just embarrassing. It’s hurtful to your cars. It cost me $1,500 to fix my muffler.”

Meanwhile, at the other water main project on Lehigh, neighbor Marc Anzlocar, is more sympathetic.

“Yes, traffic is stopped, roads are closed, and it takes time for the road to get repaired,” he said. “But you know, in the long run, it has to be done.”

Roy said that crews still should be able to finish all of the paving before the end of the season — which will depend on when winter weather arrives.

“Last year, the asphalt plants were open until the first week of December,” Roy said.

Other streets on the city’s paving list this year include Bonforte Boulevard and 6th Street; Elizabeth Street, where the emergency utility repairs were made, will be repaved next year.

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Marina Garcia

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – The Bessemer Association for Neighborhood Development is teaming with business owners to call for the cleanup of a growing illegal dump at 1310 E. Routt Ave.

According to organizers, a house on the property has caught fire several times now, and the resulting pile of junk is leading to outrage for many in the Bessemer community. Neighbors say they’re tired of waiting for the city to clean it up, and say the home even has asbestos.

On Wednesday, community members gathered for a protest, including Al Martinez, who owns The Klamm Shell.

“We all need to get together, be one voice, and maybe get a change around here and maybe start doing something about it,” said Martinez.

However, emails sent to Councilman Roger Gomez show that the city attorney told the councilman that they are in the process of obtaining proper permits to get the building demo’d. They say that due to environmental contaminants, the property is dangerous and it’s best to stay away.

“I understand you and your constituents are frustrated by the time it is taking to clean this property, but the City must follow the law,” read the email. “Cleaning this property without the proper permits and licensed contractors knowledgeable of the risks and process is dangerous. Failure to follow the regulations and proper methods is likely to result in cross-contamination of neighboring properties and public right-of-ways.”

Despite the danger, residents say they’ve been pulling weeds and maintaining the area for months, but warning signs over the asbestos were only put up a week ago.

The Bessemer Association for Neighborhood Development will meet again in two weeks, saying they hope to see more support from the city.

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Starting September 5th, over 30 homes will open their doors to the public in Colorado Springs’ highly anticipated Parade of Homes.

KRDO13 will be giving a sneak peek of some of the most coveted locations. This week takes us to the Flying Horse North community, where featured homes range in price from $500,000 to nearly $4 million.

One of those homes, The Cornerstone, will soon be on the market for a cool $3.85 million. The home features a gourmet kitchen that is right off the main level. Builders were going for a resort-style look, with plenty of opportunities to entertain.

Planning on having guests? One of the amenities is a 700-square-foot apartment– what many would call a pool house.

Downstairs, you’ll find a wine room and a wet bar, with generous seating nearby.

Want to see this for yourself? The Parade of Homes runs from Sept. 5 to Sept. 21. You can buy tickets by clicking here.

Want to see more of this content by KRDO13? Click here to view our Parade of Homes page, which will be updated each week as new homes are featured.

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) says that hazmat teams are in the area of the 2400 block of North Chelton Road.

According to CSFD, they were called out around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Initial reports said a sanitation worker was dumping trash into a trash truck when CSFD says he was exposed to an “unknown substance.” The substance was later determined to be sulfuric acid, a corrosive liquid that can be found in items like car batteries, the department said.

He was taken to the hospital with serious burns, CSFD said. He has been airlifted to Denver in critical condition, the fire department said. The department adds that he received chemical burns over 60% of his body.

The fire department says the chemical is contained to the area of the trash truck, so there is no threat to the neighborhood.

The department wants to remind residents of the importance of properly disposing of hazardous material, which should not go in regular garbage bins.

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Celeste Springer

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) confirms their search alongside the FBI of rural grounds in Florrisant is related to the murder case of a Southern Colorado woman.

On Monday, KRDO13 was the first to tell you about an investigation underway near Chapparral Trail and Chateau West Drive. CSPD says that they are searching for human remains. Neighbors nearby said that crews were using an excavator and were there for days.

At this time, CSPD says they haven’t found any remains yet, but their search is tied to the Jepsy Amaga murder case. CSPD says while they haven’t found anything, they also say they haven’t exhausted leads from what they say was a credible tip.

Jepsy went missing in 2019 at the age of 26 years old. Friends and family reported her missing after she had not been heard from.

According to our previous reports, she moved to Colorado Springs from the Philippines after falling in love with her husband and getting married.

Her husband, Dane Kallungi, was arrested in the summer of 2021 for her murder. According to arrest records, he reportedly confessed to his ex-wife that he strangled Jepsy and buried her near Florissant. His defense claimed he was pressured into “falsely confessing.“

A jury found him guilty of murder in 2023, and he was sentenced to life without parole.

Jepsy’s mother, Margie, was unable to be in town for the trial because she lives in Hong Kong, and friends say her visa was denied four times.

“I feel better knowing that they’re out there looking for her because, since he was arrested and convicted, it’s honestly felt like I’m the only one in Colorado looking for her,” said Britney Hartman, who has been searching for Jepsy since Jepsy’s mom reached out to her after her disappearance.

Hartman says she is cautiously optimistic, adding that being able to bring Jepsy’s remains back to her mother would be the ultimate dream.

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted is to get her home. I let her mom know during the trial and after he was convicted that when and if she’s ever found, I will personally get on that plane with her to get her home,” shared Hartman.

She says as soon as she heard police were searching again, she immediately called Jepsy’s mom.

“Now that it could potentially be any minute, any day now, it’s definitely got her [mom] emotional. It’s bringing up a lot of that past emotion of not being able to be here, feeling like she didn’t do enough for her daughter,” said Hartman, “but also that she might be able to finally bring her home.”

It’s unclear what new tip or information has led police to a specific location in Florissant this week to search for Jepsy’s remains.

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