Author: KRDO

Scott Harrison

COORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Similar to last summer’s pothole “blitz” in Pueblo, officials in Colorado Springs plan to start a pothole “surge,” or saturation patrol, for a more aggressive response to patching potholes.

It’s a very, very big deal,” said Corey Farkas, the city’s manager for public works operations and maintenance.

The surge starts Tuesday and will continue for five weeks.

“Expect to see advancement, action, and improvement,” promised Mayor Yemi Mobolade, who’s following through with a campaign promise to devote more manpower and resources to pothole repairs.

Officials said that the surge will come in two operations; one is what Farkas describes as a “district pave strike team.”

“Our in-house crews are going to be out identifying (streets) that will not be targeted by 2C (the city’s annual expanded paving program), but are still riddled with potholes,” he explained. Crews are going to be doing maintenance paving on those roadways.”

In maintenance paving, crews apply an asphalt layer over a street segment that has dozens of potholes — thus saving the time and resources of filling each pothole.

The affected street segment may or may not be milled — having old pavement scraped off — before receiving temporary repaving, and such paving is meant to last until funds are available for a full repave.

Recent examples of maintenance paving were in 2024 on the south end of Circle Drive, which is currently being repaved, and on the south end of Venetucci Boulevard, which recently became part of the city’s jurisdiction.

The second surge operation will place two pothole repair trucks in each of the city’s four public works districts to conduct “search and destroy” missions on any potholes they see.

However, city officials continue to urge residents to report potholes when and where they see them, because only 10% of pothole repairs come from public reporting.

Officials also revealed that they recently received funding approval for two new pothole trucks to replace the two oldest trucks in the fleet of 13.

In explaining why it may take crews longer than citizens expect to respond to pothole requests, Farkas emphasized that trucks occasionally break down because they’re constantly in use.

“Only six were operating last year,” he recalled. “10 of 13 are currently working, but that can change — especially with weather conditions.”

Farkas said that during the surge, some crews will be pulled from other public works tasks.

“Our crews have (more than 20) duties they’re responsible for,” he said.

Limited resources, the sheer size of the city’s infrastructure, and weather can affect the time required for a crew to respond to a pothole report, officials said.

“We prioritize on several things,” said Richard Mulledy, the city’s public works director. “Certainly, safety is one of those. The condition of the road itself that we’re working on, traffic volume, and also coordination with other work.” 

The city plans to gather data from the surge and use it to learn more specifics about the average response time for pothole reports, as well as to develop a “heat map” to show areas that are “hot spots” for potholes.

Mayor Mobolade also announced that he will patch some potholes during the surge.

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Every high school class across the country has a valedictorian and a salutatorian, but how often are those positions earned by identical twins?

This weekend, Eva and Ella Paddock added their names to that exclusive list. Ella, the valedictorian, and Eva, the salutatorian.

“We’re always like striving to be the best, but it’s hard when there’s someone who’s exactly like you doing the exact same stuff, so she always keeps me on my toes, and she always makes sure we’re like achieving as much as possible,” Ella said.

Both are attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins this Fall. Eva will be studying to become a biomedical engineer, and Ella a sports nutritionist. Staying in the same state, let alone country, to continue their studies has been a rarity for the twins so far.

The pair was born on a United States Air Force base in the United Kingdom. That was where they first started their education. Then they ping-pongged around the globe, going to Texas, then New Jersey, then Germany, before finally coming to Colorado Springs.

The whole time, pushing each other to achieve and supporting each other.

“I get asked a lot how I feel about being like the second because she’s the 1st and, you know, comparison and all that,” Eva said. “But honestly, I see all the work that she’s put in, and I don’t think, even including myself, I don’t think there’s a more deserving individual out there to be valedictorian.”

Congratulations to Eva, Ella, and the rest of the Vista Ridge graduating class of 2026!

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Yellow police tape and a swarm of police cars took over the 7/11 gas station along 21st Street on Sunday afternoon.

Colorado Springs Police confirm one person is dead after a shooting. One person is in custody in connection with the shooting. They have not been publicly identified and we’re still waiting to learn what specific criminal charges they stand to face.

No police officers or bystanders were injured in the shooting. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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Rob Namnoum

The Pueblo County baseball team defeated Falcon 11-6 on Saturday afternoon. As the Hornets advance to the 4A title game which will be played next Saturday.

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Rob Namnoum

The Colorado Avalanche lose game two to the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1.

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Michael Logerwell

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says a person has died after reporting breathing problems while on the Manitou Incline.

At 9:30 Saturday morning, the City of Manitou Springs announced the incline would be closed for several hours while first responders attended to a medical emergency.

Just before noon, the sheriff’s office shared more details about the type of emergency. The agency said in a post on social media,

“The Manitou Springs Incline has reopened following a medical response and rescue for an individual experiencing breathing problems.

Sadly, the individual succumbed to their illness and has been pronounced deceased.”

The incline has since reopened. The victim has not been identified.

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Michael Logerwell

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – What were you doing on your 7th birthday? Eating sheet cake at the bowling alley? Yeah, me too.

Joey Danger Evermore can’t relate because he turned 7 years old while summiting El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

“So amazing,” Joey said, describing reaching the summit. “We got to the top [and] we ate military food.”

With that ascent, Joey became the youngest ever to summit El Capitan, beating out his two older brothers, Sam and Sylvan, who both did it at 8 years old.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Colorado Champions: Brother looks to match El Capitan summit record

“In a way he’s the least afraid that we’ve ever seen,” Joe Evermore, the father, said. “Joey’s just trusting the lines, and it’s amazing to see that he’s really just having fun up there when we’re climbing.”

Like any major climb, this one had some ups and downs, even at what was supposed to be the pinnacle

“This one kind of sucked,” said Sylvan, chiming in.

“So there’s a big rescue. we got within one pitch of the summit, and like, the sun was setting, and YOSAR had this giant rescue. It was 2000ft below us, but they shut down the entire route,” Joe explained.

YOSAR is Yosemite Search and Rescue.

However, even without the rescue hold-up, the summit still probably would’ve been overshadowed by even bigger news

During the climb, along with Joey’s birthday, the family had a gender reveal, and Joey, Sylvan, and Sam all learned they were going to have a new baby sister.

“When it said girl, I thought the portal edge was going to tip over and dump us all because the boys went so wild on the ledge and jumping up and down,” Joe recalled, smiling.

Joe said he hopes this story inspires other fathers to take their kids into the great outdoors, but maybe start a little easier than El Capitan.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Drivers on the city’s southwest side have been without a popular shortcut under I-25 between the Broadmoor World Arena and the south end of Janitell Road since February 2024.

Officials closed the one-way, single-lane Willwood Tunnel for safety reasons — explaining that there was too much traffic congestion from drivers using the tunnel to detour around the recent replacement of four bridges on South Circle Drive.

However, much to the pleasant surprise of many drivers, the tunnel reopened on Thursday.

“I wasn’t sure,” said Reilly Schiefelbein. “I feel like they had signage up for a while, and I just realized there was no signage. So, I said, Let me go see if they opened that back up. Because it was such a great way to take, you know?”

Traffic flows eastbound only through the tunnel because Willwood Road near the arena has more traffic than Janitell, which dead-ends a short distance to the south.

“You have I-25,” said Gregory Maasen, a cyclist. “How do you otherwise get to the other side? The only recommendation I would have is, for cyclists, that you make it a two-way (tunnel).”

City officials issued a press release on Thursday morning to announce that the tunnel would officially reopen on Friday, but a spokesman said that crews had finished removing concrete barriers and cleaning up accumulated trash and debris sooner than expected.

KRDO13’s The Road Warrior often heard from viewers who asked when the tunnel would reopen and when the area would be cleaned up; the city promised that the tunnel would reopen when the bridge project neared full completion.

Earl Harris disagreed with the city’s decision to close the tunnel for two years.

“I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but I think that made it more congested by having to go around, everybody going around, than having a little shortcut,” he explained.

According to records, the tunnel was built in 1963 — three years after I-25 through town opened — as part of the original project to build the South Circle bridges.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The “World Olympic Collectors’ Fair” opens Friday morning at The Antlers Hotel. It’s only the fourth time a U.S. city has hosted the event, and the first time in Colorado Springs.

The fair is sanctioned and supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee as they work to promote the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. Prague was the host city last year.

Collectors from 11 countries and all across the United States will have booths at the fair. It’s free to come see their collections. Guests are welcome to buy, sell and trade.

The fair is in the Heritage room on the ground floor of The Antlers hotel. It’s from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — As organizers prepare for the annual Territory Days festival on Memorial Day weekend, city officials are planning to make safety upgrades that could improve the atmosphere for that event, and for other future gatherings along bustling West Colorado Avenue.

On Wednesday, officials gathered to announce the plan for safety improvements stemming from a city corridor study conducted five years ago.

The temporary changes will cover a mile of the avenue, from Limit Street (a block west of 8th Street) to 31st Street, with a focus on the heart of Old Colorado City between 24th and 27th streets.

For years, city officials have tried to balance the shopping, dining, tourism, and festive atmosphere of the entertainment district with their concerns about speeding drivers, limited parking, pedestrian safety, and loud traffic noises that disturb people who are dining or sightseeing along the avenue.

So, beginning June 1, officials will gradually institute a series of changes — lasting a year — to address those concerns.

“The voters voted on this a few years ago and authorized the city to proceed with this project,” said Ryan Phipps, the city’s capital improvements manager. “We’re really excited that we’ll be proceeding with the project. The intent of the project is overall traffic safety improvements and to make all of Colorado City a more welcoming environment for everybody.”

The most visible change will be a reduction in traffic from two lanes to one, in each direction.

Officials will collect traffic and safety data from the changes to determine which works best and should become permanent.

A possible result of the changes is the widening of sidewalks, similar to the recently completed revitalization project on two blocks of Tejon Street downtown.

“A recent study showed that a third of visitors to our region have some sort of mobility issue,” said Adam Stapan, president of the Old Colorado City and Downtown Development Authority. “I think it’s imperative that we don’t lose out on 33% of this business due to the beautiful history of Old Colorado City, but also create some physical barriers for people.”

The city also asks residents to respond to an online survey regarding safety along the avenue; to see the survey, visit: http://ColoradoSprings.gov/ColoradoAve

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