Author: KRDO

Josh Helmuth

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO0 – Usually, the only time you hear the name Emma Crawford is during Halloween. Not this year. Not in Manitou Springs.

The Manitou Springs Middle School orchestra and choir banded together to perform the Emma Crawford Suite last week. It was a memorable symphony written by their band instructor, Taylor Weimer, and his friend, Danny Tramel, several years ago.

The composition takes the audience through the story of Crawford’s arrival to Manitou over 100 years ago, her death from Tuberculosis, and then her ride down Red Mountain inside her coffin during torrential rains.

It was 80 students playing and singing together in a memorable performance that families will talk about for a long time. Despite limited rehearsal time, Weimer says they nailed it.

“After a lot of hard work in class, and only two full orchestra rehearsals, the students delivered a stellar performance,” he said.

Is there something remarkable happening at your school? Email Josh at SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Pikes Peak chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) is celebrating 16 years of helping children in Southern Colorado. The group is a strong advocate of Child Abuse Prevention Month, recognized in the United States every April.

After a strict training process, BACA members ride as a group to the home of a child who has suffered abuse. They give the child a matching leather jacket and bring them on a ride along, welcoming the child into the BACA family. The group will also stay by the home if they feel the abuser could still be a threat and will show up to the court date to help the child feel confident while testifying against their abuser.

BACA is an international organization going on 30 years. The Pikes Peak riders are celebrating their chapter anniversary Saturday, April 12 at Murray Street Darts in Colorado Springs at 6 p.m. Anyone is welcome.

BACA’s Helpline to request support is 1-800-230-4852. It has to be requested by a legal guardian.

Celeste Springer

MOSCA, Colo. (KRDO) – A Colorado Springs family says their dog has become a mini celebrity after a months-long search and joyful reunification.

Christine Ault wrote to KRDO13, stating that her dog, Star, ran off their property in the San Luis Valley area about 190 days ago.

Ault says her family spent weekends traveling from the springs back to the Mosca area in search of Star. Flyers were made, and hours were spent going through pet lost and found Facebook groups, she said.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Ault said the only plus side in their heartbroken search was they met many locals along the way who were just as passionate as they were about finding Star.

Over the weekend, news came which finally drew their search to a close. Ault said a post on a local Facebook page prompted another trip to the San Luis Valley. They were able to find Star all the way in Alamosa.

While Star has shown she has chops as an escape artist and survival expert, her family is excited to have her back home where she will resume time as a therapy dog in a mental health office.

Welcome home, Star!

Mackenzie Stafford

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – According to the El Paso County Coroner’s Office, 97-year-old Corrye Brewer died as a result of hypothermia. They say Brewer was left outside of an unoccupied home on Judge Orr Road in Calhan. The coroner’s office says she was dropped off there by a family member on January 24, 2025, without her walker. In the time she was missing, the coroner’s office says temperatures were as low as 16 degrees with wind and snow. Brewer was found deceased on January 26, 2025, lying where she had been left, according to the coroner’s autopsy report.

The coroner said they believe the 97-year-old was intentionally left in the cold without any way to return home, get to adequate shelter, or call for help. Due to that reasoning, the coroner’s autopsy report ruled Brewer’s death a homicide.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) asked the District Attorney’s Office to review the case to determine if criminal charges should be filed. EPSO tells KRDO13 the District Attorney’s office will make a recommendation.

We asked EPSO about the claims in the coroner’s autopsy report. They have not answered those requests as of Monday night.

On Wednesday morning, the District Attorney’s office told KRDO13 they have not received a file for review in connection with Corrye Brewer. We reached back out to EPSO for clarification and will update this article when we get a response.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Body found in Falcon believed to be missing 97-year-old woman

KRDO13 spoke with two of Brewer’s grandchildren who live in Atlanta. They say Corrye Brewer was a sharp woman who loved crossword puzzles and her family. They tell KRDO13 she had 11 kids who now live all across the country. 

Weeks ago, the two grandchildren got a call that their grandmother had gone missing, only to receive another call days later that she had been found dead in the cold. 

“For somebody to be, that’s 97, with the body fat of less than nutrition out in 16 degree weather, the pain of death, by freezing to death by hypothermia for somebody that’s 97 is devastating,” said Brewer’s Grandson, Paul Brewer Jr.

Brewer’s grandchildren we spoke with, do not speak with the family members the 97-year-old was living with at the time.

Her grandchildren tell KRDO13 they want answers and accountability.

“We just want it brought out to the light. She is gone, and we would hope that someone would take the time to provide answers for the family,” explained Brewer’s granddaughter, Shari Robinson.

KRDO13 called and left messages for the family member in question and even went out to their home to get their side of the story. As of Monday night, we have not heard from them. 

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management (PPROEM) is starting the process of updating its hazardous mitigation plan to prepare for, and recover from, disasters such as floods and wildfires.

The PPROEM formed in 2019 to consolidate emergency management functions by the El Paso County and eight municipalities under one umbrella.

The five-year plan will be the second for the PPROEM; the first was completed in 2020 and the updated plan becomes effective next year if approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Meredith Nichols, a deputy PPROEM deputy director, said that the plan accomplishes two objectives: To agree on projects that will prevent or minimize damage from disasters; and to qualify for funding to pay for mitigation efforts and damage repair after disasters.

The PPROEM monitors disaster impacts to buildings, infrastructure and critical facilities. 

“So, we are looking to see if there’s any risks that we’ve seen from 2020 to 2025 that have increased,” she explained. “You know, wildfire risk is increasing everywhere. So, we look at that flooding risk, but also looking at some cyber-security risk, as well. And so, all of those natural- and human-caused hazards and threats are identified. And we rank them as priorities, or most likely to happen in our region.”

Just last week, KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior reported on three projects in the eastern part of the county to repair extensive damage from flooding in June 2023.

Those projects qualified for for $6.5 million in funding from the National Resource Conservation Services Grant; the county was required to provide $1.9 million from its emergency reserve fund.

The anticipation of such an allocation is why county commissioners in 2017 began putting more money into the fund during better economic times.

Finally, the PPROEM is seeking public feedback in formulating the updated plan; citizens can fill out an online survey and attend a series of virtual and in-person meetings starting this month.

For more information, visit: https://pproem.com/HMPUpdate.

Rob Namnoum

The CSU Pueblo softball team swept a doubleheader from UCCS on Monday afternoon. As the Thunderwolves won game one 9-8 and game two 8-4. As the Pack completed the weekend sweep of the Mountain Lions.

Josh Helmuth

Lewis-Palmer D-38 kicked off renovations for their new Career and Innovation Center with a wall-breaking ceremony last week.

The building is on the south side of Monument and will be a resource for high school students to learn practical skills in relevant industries like engineering, manufacturing, and other skill trades, along with classes in healthcare and information technology.

The center will open next school year.

“Whether students plan to head straight to college after graduation or directly enter the workforce, the new Career & Innovation Center will provide experience in popular career pathways by providing hands-on learning experiences, opportunities to earn industry certifications, and professional connections; we are ensuring D38 students graduate with a competitive edge,” said Tiffiney Upchurch, Board of Education President.

Is there something or someone remarkable at your school? Email Josh at SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Officials in our local governments and departments encourage us to report potholes that we see, as soon as possible — because the sooner we do, the sooner they can be prioritized and filled.

“They can’t repair them if they don’t know about them,” said Sam Sprott, of Colorado Springs, who contacted KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior this week.

However, he confessed to some uncertainty recently regarding a large pothole at the interchange of US 24 and Peterson Road; it’s at the entrance to the westbound on-ramp to 24, which presumably in the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) jurisdiction.

But some drivers may think it’s in El Paso County’s jurisdiction, or is the responsibility of Colorado Springs — the location is slightly east of the city limits — and that confusion may have kept people from reporting it.

“About three months ago, I hit that pothole,” Sprott said. “Fortunately, I was driving slow and didn’t damage my ca.r And since it was there, I was under the impression that someone may have (already) reported it. But last Sunday, I purposed in my heart that I would call and try to find out the proper way to get it reported.”

But some people aren’t good at searching online for public works departments or phone numbers.

“I was only able to reach the Pueblo Public Works Department,” he said. “But now that I have a better ideal of whom to contact, I’ll try again. I just hope someone comes out to fix it soon, before someone actually hits it at a high rate of speed. And that’s going to definitely cause some type of alignment problem and might throw the vehicle out of alignment.”

The Road Warrior also heard from Michele McCarty about potholes in the southbound lanes of Powers Boulevard, just north of the Fountain Boulevard intersection — which would be in CDOT’s jurisdiction.

“(It) made a horrible sound to my Toy(ota) truck as I was driving,” she wrote in an email. “I couldn’t see it until I was right up on it. It really needs to be addressed ASAP.”

The pothole is actually a series of potholes along a seam where asphalt and concrete pavement meet; such junctions are where bumps can form (a situation The Road Warrior reported on last July) and the potholes appear to be a result of bumps that have collapsed and deteriorated under the weight of constant traffic.

Those potholes may be only part of the problem, as the asphalt in that area has many cracks, and a lot of wear and tear; a CDOT spokesperson said that she would check to see if the agency is aware of the potholes at both locations.

The Road Warrior also heard from viewers about a fairly common issue — potholes on privately-owned roads — and it was on display north of the intersection of Chelton Road and Delta Drive, in east Colorado Springs.

Interestingly, maps show that Delta north of the intersection is still a city street; however, a city spokesman said that it is actually a private service road on which the city has no repair responsibility.

The potholes there are numerous and deep; drivers describe it as an obstacle course, or like driving through moon craters.

Making matters worse is the steady stream of traffic by people who use the road as a convenient shortcut to a Walmart, a coffee shop and other businesses in the area.

Some drivers said that the potholes have existed for years and continue to worsen.

Patti Smothers explained why she hasn’t reported the potholes to the property owner.

“I figured someone would probably have already contacted (The Road Warrior),” she said. “And I was happy to see you here, because this is bad. It needs to be totally done. Not even just filled. They need to do the whole road.”

But as The Road Warrior has reported previously, finding private property owners can be difficult because they often have offices in other cities or states and rarely respond to media inquiries or citizen complaints.

A parcel search on the El Paso County Assessor’s website indicates that the property is owned by Nancy Express Wash – Chelton, but no contact information is available.

However, The Road Warrior has learned two things: Some private property owners have eventually filled their potholes after his report aired; and some local departments have patched potholes after similar reports.