Author: KRDO

Celeste Springer

The White House held a press conference on Tuesday, which you can watch below:

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Space Command, headquartered in Colorado Springs, will be moving to Alabama.

There has been ongoing speculation about the move for months. Alabama lawmakers have said in several interviews with local media outlets that they anticipated the move.

Space Command was expected to relocate to Huntsville, Alabama, during President Trump’s first administration, but a 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the US Air Force’s decision-making process had “significant shortfalls in its transparency and credibility.” A year later, President Joe Biden decided to keep it in Colorado.

Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade has warned that moving Space Command would come with an enormous cost, not only monetarily, but with time and safety.

In April, Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet released a joint statement on the matter. It read, in part, “It’s already been investigated, proven, and decided: Colorado Springs is the best place for U.S. Space Command because it’s already at work here. Space Command is at full operational capability and has been for nearly a year.”

However, Alabama lawmakers maintain that Huntsville is the best home for its operations.

“Huntsville finished first in both the Air Force’s Evaluation Phase and Selection Phase, leaving no doubt the Air Force’s decision to choose Redstone as the preferred basing location was correct purely on the merits,” said U.S. Senator Katie Britt in a release back in January.

Response from local, state officials

In response to President Trump’s announcement, Mayor Yemi Mobolade released this statement.

Today’s announcement about relocating U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs is deeply disappointing, not only for our city, but for our nation’s security and taxpayers.

This move threatens operational continuity at a time when space-related threats are only increasing. U.S. Space Command reached full operational capability in 2023 because of the unmatched talent here in Colorado Springs, much of which will not relocate. Losing that expertise in relocation risks mission success and wastes billions in taxpayer dollars.

While we are disappointed, we are not surprised. We have long understood this would be a priority of the Trump administration. From day one, we have worked with our congressional delegation and community partners to keep U.S. Space Command here because it is in the best interest of our national defense and America’s global standing.

Looking forward, we remain hopeful. The space enterprise is growing rapidly, and Colorado Springs, already a global leader in space, will continue to see new opportunities for expansion and growth of our military capacity. Our existing space assets position us well for the next chapter in America’s space story.

– Yemi Mobolade, Colorado Springs Mayor

Colorado Governor Jared Polis also released a statement expressing his disappointment.

“This is a deeply disappointing decision for our state and nation. This is the wrong decision, diminishing military readiness and national security and eroding the trust Americans have in our country and its leaders to do the right thing. Uprooting Space Command will weaken national security and readiness, waste taxpayer dollars, and inconvenience military families. Colorado Springs is home to a proud military community and a thriving aerospace ecosystem, and significant national security missions and units, all of which are critical to U.S. Space Command. Coloradans and Americans should all be provided full transparency and the full details of this poor decision. We hope other vital military units and missions are retained and expanded in Colorado Springs. Colorado remains an ideal location for future missions, including Golden Dome,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

The Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera also chimed in.

“Space is critical to every component of American life, from our economy to our national security. This ill-advised decision by the White House to move Space Command from its rightful home in Colorado Springs will significantly harm our military readiness and national security and uproot military families. Our unparalleled Aerospace & Defense ecosystem has been vital to Space Command achieving Full Operational Capability and executing the mission. This decision is deeply disappointing,” said Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera. 

Federal lawmakers representing Colorado from both sides of the aisle condemned the move. U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, and U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jeff Hurd, Lauren Boebert, Jeff Crank, Jason Crow, Brittany Pettersen, and Gabe Evans released the following statement on the announcement by the Trump administration to spend billions of dollars to move the fully operational U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama:

“Today’s decision to move U.S Space Command’s headquarters out of Colorado and to Alabama will directly harm our state and the nation. We are united in fighting to reverse this decision. Bottom line—moving Space Command headquarters weakens our national security at the worst possible time.

“Moving Space Command sets our space defense apparatus back years, wastes billions of taxpayer dollars, and hands the advantage to the converging threats of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The Department of Defense Inspector General’s office has reported multiple times that moving the Command will impede our military’s operational capability for years. 

“Space Command’s long-term presence in Colorado Springs has also created a large number of civilian businesses and workers on which the Command now relies. Those people will not simply move with the Command at the military’s whim. Many of them will leave the industry altogether, creating a disruption in the workforce that will take our national defense systems decades to recreate.

“Being prepared for any threats should be the nation’s top priority; a crucial part of that is keeping in place what is already fully operational. Moving Space Command would not result in any additional operational capabilities than what we have up and running in Colorado Springs now. Colorado Springs is the appropriate home for U.S. Space Command, and we will take the necessary action to keep it there.”

In a press conference Tuesday, Mayor Mobolade shared that he had been advocating for Space Command to stay in Colorado Springs down to the wire of this decision.

“Every time I’m in the D.C. area, you better believe that one of my top priorities of what we’re trying to, I’m trying to advocate for has to do with Space Command,” expressed Mayor Mobolade.

The mayor also explained how this move could make way for more space operations in Colorado Springs, including the President’s Golden Dome.

“The President hasn’t made any promises to me or any commitments. But when you’re reading, when you reading between the lines, you can see, okay, Colorado Springs is going to be a major player in, in these decisions moving forward,” said Mayor Mobolade.

Mayor Mobolade also said in his talks with Representative Jeff Crank (R), he’s received hopeful news from Washington, D.C.

“Jeff Crank told me I can go on record and say General Saltzman, who is the head of U.S space, Space Force operations, has said…Colorado Springs will see some growth over the next five years,” shared Mayor Mobolade. “So, I again, there’s no guarantee what that will be. I mean, even as we talk about the Golden Dome, we’re all speculating because that is the biggest investment that has happened in the Trump administration and beyond. So we do expect we will get some of that. But I do not believe it’s limited to Golden Dome alone. But again, we’ve been told that we expect to see growth happening in our community.”

Colorado Springs Councilmember Roland Rainey of District 6 also spoke about the move. Councilman Rainey has an expensive background in space operations, during his military career he served as a three-time unit commander, operations and staff officer in U.S. Space Force (formerly known as Air Force Space Command), U.S. Space Command and the National Reconnaissance Office.

“When you talk about space in its totality, Colorado Springs is the true, bona fide Mecca of space operations. So space is continuing to expand, the defense industry has a love for the city. So I definitely see this as a great opportunity, as was already mentioned in reference to Golden Dome, for us to expand our forward-looking perspective on what Colorado could become moving into the future. I know there’s a lot of people that are nervous that was already mentioned about what does this mean for our military members, civilian members and their families. And I’m quite sure our senior military leaders are going to be working with the Pentagon to think through that process and make sure that those members and those families are taken care of, because that’s what our great leaders do. But when we talk about military capabilities, I can’t emphasize this enough. Colorado Springs and space operations, we are the center Mecca of space operations, and I definitely look forward to seeing us expand, moving into the future,” shared Councilman Rainey.

Colorado Republican Delegation Statement on Space Command HQ Meeting with the Administration:

“Over the past few days, there have been differing reports on what the impact of moving the U.S. Space Command Headquarters out of Colorado and to Alabama means for our State.

Today, we are pleased to report that our steadfast advocacy for Coloradans has made a meaningful difference. What was once expected to result in the loss of more than 1,700 jobs will now likely only impact approximately 1,000 positions in total. This marks a significant improvement from the original projection and a positive outcome for our state. Further, important operational elements of Space Command will remain in Colorado Springs, preserving much of the economic driver for our region. 

We have also confirmed the move will take significant time to complete, and in the intervening years, the Department of War’s presence in Colorado is expected to continue its rapid growth. This includes the Space Force, which has grown by 1,500 personnel in Colorado since 2019, and is expected to grow an additional 500 positions in the next few years. Therefore, the growth of our Space Force operations has outpaced any loss.

The Colorado Republican delegation remains committed to ensuring that we are working with the Administration to minimize the impacts of this move and to continue to increase the space economy in Colorado.”

How this could impact the local economy

KRDO13 sat down with local economist Dr. Tatiana Bailey of Data-Driven Economic Strategies to learn more about the change.

“I don’t think it’s going to be catastrophic, especially since we already have such a strong presence here. And so many of these companies are here. Schriever is not going away. Fort Carson is not going away. So I, I still, you know, maybe I’m too much of an optimist, but I don’t see it impacting our growth from in the totality of economic development here,” explained Dr. Bailey.

Bailey says she also thinks it will be difficult for those in Alabama to pull people away from the Centennial State.

“You’ve got a pretty robust Colorado economy where a lot of these workers with 3% mortgages are turning around and saying, thanks. I’m going to stay in Colorado. I can find another job, either military with the large military presence that we have here or, you know, a remote job in Denver. You look at that ecosystem that we already have. I think Alabama is going to have a hard time filling the jobs that they need. And that’s…a huge disadvantage from a national security perspective,” shared the economist.

She also explained how important the high-paying jobs are to the area.

Jessie Kimber, the Director of Economic Development and military affairs liaison for the City of Colorado Springs, says that many of the contractors are already commuting back and forth between states.

“We have many defense contractors who split their time between Huntsville and Colorado Springs simply because they have many contracts,” stated Kimber.

“These are highly technical, professional-type jobs, usually six figures, and those are the types of jobs that you want to attract and you want to keep. So I am a bit concerned about that. But then my brain, you know, also goes back to listening to some of these CEOs who were saying, you know, we’re not moving our key people. They’re going to stay here, and they’re just going to fly down to Huntsville when they need to, or to L.A., or to D.C., or wherever they need to go. So hopefully a lot of those high-paying jobs are going to stay here anyway,” Dr. Bailey continued, “What I also heard from these companies is that the C-suite, if you will, will stay here. It’s been here for a long time, even with the ping pong that’s been going back and forth with, you know, where is headquarters? And that a lot of the middle and lower management positions have been in Huntsville, and that that’s not necessarily going to change.”

KRDO13 previously provided an explainer on the difference between the Space Force and Space Command.

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Drivers on a half-mile stretch of South Academy Boulevard between Chelton Road and Astrozon Boulevard can expect slower travel and increased traffic congestion this week.

An emergency water main repair will close half of the lanes along that busy street on the city’s southeast side.

That work started at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning and continues until 3 p.m., through next Monday.

The southbound left lane, as well as the northbound left and middle lanes, will remain closed until next Monday afternoon.

The reason for the repair is a leaking 20-inch water line installed under the bridge across Sand Creek.

Colorado Springs Utilities noticed the leak a month ago and shut off water to that line.

Crews isolated the line without disrupting service to customers.

“We’re going to be digging into that area to expose that main,” said Alex Trefry, a CSU spokesman. “And then, of course, afterwards, we’ll be doing restoration — which is also complex because it’s on a bridge. It’s going to take us a little more time than our average repair, but we’re doing it as quickly as we can.”

Springs Utilities didn’t fix the leak sooner, as providing advance notice to customers and drivers would have been beneficial, and because the repair job requires a large amount of coordination and planning.

The utility issued a release about the closure last Friday.

Crews will start checking out that water main on Tuesday and get a better idea of what they need to do.

It’s unclear if the main is not part of the South Academy improvement project that paused for the summer, but should resume this fall.

Businesses along the project area will remain open, and drivers should drive carefully and watch for crews working in the street.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Adam Rich is being treated in the hospital after being hit by a biker on Sunday, Aug. 31, amid the Labor Day Orangetheory 5K, according to his family.

“I went down to Memorial Park to do the Orangetheory 5K and kind of ran the course as a warm-up, and I had some concerns about the number of people that were there. I ended up going out on the perimeter roads of Memorial Park because I was concerned enough about just the sheer number of people that were there. And kind of wondering, you know, how is this going to work with a road race going on?” questioned Adam Rich.

He says he felt uneasy from the start. Rich tells KRDO13 that past races he’s participated in are typically coned off or have a separate course for runners away from any major events.

“About 30 seconds in the lead, the biker clipped a lady. She was walking almost on the sidewalk, and he clipped her and went down with his bike and almost took, you know, five or 6 or 7 of us out, just not even 30 seconds into the race,” recounted Rich.

He says he continued running when, later on, he saw what he describes as the large e-bike, heading back to the front of the runners.

“It was pandemonium. Chaos, really. You know, he would…try to get people to move out of the way. They wouldn’t, then he’d slam on the brakes to the point where I’d almost run into him,” Rich continued, “He came down the road and I don’t know if somebody veered over or what, but he came over into me, clipped me, which caused me with how much momentum I had. It’s kind of like I had my steps and I didn’t have my steps and my, my body, just like my feet came out from under me, which sent me straight down.”

Rich says he fell, and the side of his body landed square on a curb. He says the impact was so significant that it tore his brand-new shoes open.

Adam Rich

After lying there for a few moments, he was sent to the hospital, where they held him overnight to monitor for potential internal bleeding. He says that out of the hundreds of races he has participated in, this was likely the least safe.

“I think this potentially sheds light that some of these e-bikes are probably not, you know, designed for these particular events where you just have a massive amount of people…when you’re jamming on the brakes on those things, it locks them up and then…you’re hitting people or you’re taking out people behind you, or your bike itself is just so big that when you even graze somebody at all, it sends them straight down,” expressed Rich.

He hopes his injury will be a sticking point for people behind organized races to reconsider the course, use of electronic bikes, and perhaps put more protections in place.

“We all understand…we want to promote Labor Day and really build the balloon festival. But I think you just can’t put an event on where you’ve got six figures of attendees. You just can’t unless you’re going to do the event on closed roads, like where you were using Hancock and I think Vermont areas…[where]…you don’t have…people that are walking back to their cars that are on a racecourse that…they don’t understand what’s going on there…if they’re going to continue doing it from this point on, I think they have to reevaluate. You know, should we be using Memorial Park at the same time as the Balloon Festival?” pondered Adam Rich.

Organizers for the race, Colorado Springs Sports Corp, say they are aware of the incident.

For the privacy of the participants and all involved, we will not be providing further comment at this time. Thank you for your understanding and respect on this.

– Megan Leatham, CEO and President of Colorado Springs Sports Corp

Colorado Springs Police tell us they are aware of the incident and that a police report has been filed. Police say they will not be investigating further as it appears to be an accident with no criminal intent. They did confirm the person riding the e-bike lost control and hit two people during the event.

Click here to follow the original article.

Bradley Davis

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – Watch KRDO13’s Bradley Davis follow up a superb professional diver with a less-than-perfect one of his own in the chill morning hours before the final day of the state fair.

Professional diver JaRon Williams is part of the All American High Dive show performing at the state fair. It’s his first time performing in about three years, but the time off didn’t stop him from spending a couple of hours with KRDO 13 showing off his moves ahead of the fair’s final day.

“My favorite part is probably when the high diver pops out of the water, and he gets the relief from the crowd that he’s okay, and they’re super excited that he successfully made it through the dive,” Williams said.

The fair opens at 11 a.m. with “Sensory Friendly Day,” with sensory-friendly hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with smaller crowds, quieter sounds, and dimmer lights.

The All-American High Dive Show has performances during both sensory and standard hours. You can catch shows at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m.

Click here to follow the original article.

Marina Garcia

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) –    During the last weekend of the state fair, our station received multiple complaints about a specific act. Spectators felt that it was inappropriate and did not belong on the stage.

Now the performing group behind it is standing by the dance, saying it was all above board and designed for audiences of all ages.

Lori Trejo, the woman who booked the dancer, says this was the fourth time they were invited back by the fair, and it’s frustrating how the criticism is being handled by management.

“I’m a little upset…to be honest with you. They’re going to do what they need to do to make it family-friendly. However, I wish they would have addressed the bullying that happened because that’s a little more inappropriate than what this beautiful dancer did on the stage,” says Lori Trejo, the previous owner of Wildfire Belly Dance Company.

In prior years, the performers have done the same dance and worn similar outfits.

Jacqueline Santos, who works with the dancer in the video, says the backlash they are receiving is shocking.

“As pole artists, we always take care to tailor our routines to be family-friendly, entertaining, and most of all, appropriate for the audience,” says Jacqueline Santos, owner of Peacock Pole Art & Body Weight Fitness.

The Colorado State Fair says they have worked with Wildfire Belly Dance Company for years; however, they are trying to do right by the customers.

“For them, it may be family-friendly. For some of our other customers, this was not for us. It’s all about time and place,” says Andrea Wiesenmeyer, the Colorado State Fair general manager.

The dancers say that, regardless of their long work history with the fair, they will not be attending in the future.

Click here to follow the original article.

Michael Logerwell

CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) – Friday evening, during a stand-off with a barricaded suspect, a Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputy fired a shot, hitting the barricaded man and triggering an investigation into the deputy’s use of force.

According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the incident began as a welfare check, but escalated. CBI says the 27-year-old who was barricaded inside a home on Chestnut St in Cañon City was armed.

During the encounter, a deputy fired a shot, hitting the 27-year-old, causing him non-life-threatening injuries. He was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The deputy who fired the shot was also transported to a local hospital, but not because he was struck by gunfire. Rather, CBI said he went to the hospital after “experiencing a medical event.”

Immediately following the stand-off, CBI agents say they located what appeared to be several explosive devices in the residence. The Pueblo Metro Bomb Squad responded to the scene and determined that the devices, consisting of four plastic and one metal item, were inert. Which means that the devices resembled explosives, but did not contain any explosive material.

The 27-year-old is expected to be taken into custody once he is released from the hospital on charges that include 1st Degree Assault, Menacing, and Prohibited Use of a Weapon. His identity has not been released.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing.

Click here to follow the original article.

Michael Logerwell

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – While the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and local partners continue their criminal investigation into the Davis Mortuary, another state agency is just beginning.

The Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI) is seeking to determine the total potential impacts on pre-need funeral contracts that individuals had with the Davis Mortuary.

The DOI is asking consumers who believe they had a pre-need funeral contract impacted by the investigation to contact them.

If you believe you are impacted or have questions, you can file a form online on the DOI website.

Click here to follow the original article.

Michael Logerwell

LA JUNTA, Colo. (KRDO) – Agents with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and officers with the La Junta Police Department say they’ve arrested 5 individuals connected to drug trafficking.

The following people were arrested and are facing charges:

Jaycob Butts (30): Obstruction, Resisting Arrest

Adrianna Smith (33): Obstruction

Jordan Del Rio (33): Unlawful Distribution, Special Offender, Dangerous Weapon, Obstruction

Jeremy Del Rio (28): Unlawful Distribution, Special Offender, Dangerous Weapon, Obstruction, Resisting Arrest

Ezekiel Aguilar (30): Outstanding Arrest Warrants 

Zachary James (41): Outstanding Arrest Warrants

CBI says the operation commenced on August 29. Law enforcement officials went to execute a search warrant at 1314 San Juan Avenue in La Junta. CBI explained that the reason for the search warrant was that they had gathered intelligence that linked the residence to the possession and trafficking of stolen firearms. The home had also received repeated complaints involving suspected drug distribution and other criminal activity, the agency said.

Some attempted to flee the residence, others barricaded themselves inside before eventually surrendering, and one person attempted to hide in a closet. The final arrest was made when Zachary James arrived at the home during the law enforcement search. He was arrested on outstanding warrants.

CBI says they were able to recover:

Six firearms, including an SKS battle rifle.

A homemade semi-automatic short-barreled rifle with a homemade suppressor. CBI says these weapons were unmarked and lacked serial numbers.

Approximately 143 grams of fentanyl (an estimated 1,430 pills).

Approximately 17 grams of methamphetamine.

“This operation highlights the commitment of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the La Junta Police Department to address drug and firearms trafficking in our communities,” said Todd Quick, La Junta Police Chief. “The recovery of illegal weapons and dangerous narcotics reinforces the importance of collaborative law enforcement efforts to safeguard the citizens of La Junta and the State of Colorado.”

The law enforcement agencies say the investigation remains active and additional charges may be coming.

Click here to follow the original article.

Samantha Hildebrandt

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)– On Aug 31, around 2:20 a.m., the Colorado Springs Police Department arrived at a traffic crash near the intersections of W. Colorado Ave. and 32nd St.

Officers found that a motorcycle had struck a curb before leaving the roadway. The rider of the motorcycle was found dead at the scene.

CSPD has released the identification of the motorcyclist as 28-year-old Dylan Hart.

No other injuries were reported. According to CSPD, speed does appear to be a contributing factor in the crash.

Click here to follow the original article.

Marina Garcia

BLACK FOREST, Colo. (KRDO) – It’s been exactly one year since 12-year-old Chase Culp was tragically killed in a car crash at the intersection of Shoup and Herring Road.

Chase and his father were on their way home from basketball practice when a 75-year-old man did not stop at a stop sign and collided with the father and son’s car. 

To commemorate his anniversary, his parents say they thought hard about how to make the best of the gathering.

They invited Chase’s old teammates from the Eagles basketball team, friends, and family to spend the day playing kickball at his home before heading to the site of the incident for a candlelight vigil.

Though it has been a year, his parents tell me it feels like it was yesterday. 

“I think throughout the week…I was reflecting on how young he was and how I will probably miss him more than the years I had to spend with him,” says Chase’s Mother, Leisa Garcia-Culp.

His parents say they are grateful for the community and the Eagles basketball team that have continued to support them and show love for their cherished Chase.

If there is a silver lining to this tragedy, it’s that the crash brought attention to the dangers of the Shoup and Herring Road intersection.

El Paso County has since outfitted the stop sign with solar-powered flashing lights and a warning that cross traffic does not stop, to hopefully prevent a crash, like the one last year, from happening again.

Click here to follow the original article.