Author: KRDO

Marina Garcia

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Scam calls are becoming more and more common, but a Colorado Springs mother almost lost her life when the scammer targeted her child.

On February 18, Rosa Henry was at work when she got a phone call from an unknown number.

It was her daughter’s voice, and she was crying, saying that she had been in a car accident and a man was with her.

“He said, your daughter got into a car accident. She hit the back of my truck, and I do not need any police around me at this time. And your daughter already made the mistake of calling the police when she hit me. He said, that’s why she’s in my truck now,” says Henry.

The man then began making demands of Henry, saying that if she didn’t listen, her daughter would suffer for it.

He asked Rosa to drive to Walmart and then the bank to pull out money, but she wasn’t moving fast enough for him.

“He got so mad, and he was saying that my daughter was going to be raped. And she’s screaming in the background, crying for her life,” says Rosa Henry.

Henry then told the man that if he wanted money, he would have to call her husband, which he did. While on the phone with him, her husband, Reggie Henry, decided to hang up on the man and call their daughter directly.

“When I called her number, she answered right away, and she was okay,” says Reggie Henry.

Still shaken up by the experience, Rosa left work after the call and made her way back home to her husband, and that’s when she collapsed.

“I met her out in the yard, gave her a hug, and brought her in. She kept on grabbing her chest, saying, I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe. Something’s wrong. Something in my chest. Something’s wrong,” says Reggie Henry.

She was rushed to the hospital, and in moments, Reggie was informed that Rosa needed open-heart surgery.

“Due to the stress of the phone call, her blood pressure spiked so high it tore her aorta in her heart,” says Reggie.

Now, the family is spreading awareness so other families don’t fall victim to these calls.

“When there’s emergency situations, come up with a safe word for your family. That could have prevented all of this,” warn their daughters, Sarah Hardy and Erica Donelson.

The family has reported the incident to the FBI’s scam tip line, and if you or a loved one find yourself in a similar situation, you too can file a complaint here.

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Mina Ramirez

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The Pueblo community gathered Saturday evening along the Pueblo Riverwalk to honor the five people killed in a deadly dust storm crash that injured 29 others.

Tuesday marks two weeks since the 35-vehicle crash that changed dozens of families forever.

Those killed were Karen Ann Marsh, a local hospice worker; David and Scott Kirscht, a father and son who spent years working the land as ranchers; and Thomas and Mary Sue Thayer, beloved grandparents.

Lanterns were placed along the water, each representing a name, a memory, and a life taken too soon. Coworkers, friends, family members, and first responders stood side by side, many holding back tears.

Roberta Gonzales with Sangre de Cristo Hospice, who helped organize the vigil in the last few days, said she was the kind of person who never hesitated. “She was ready to go,” Gonzales said. “She would ask, ‘What do you need? What do you want me to do?’ She was always ready to lend a hand with a smile.”

Beyond the stories shared, the evening reflected the strength of the Pueblo community. Volunteers handed out lanterns and water bottles, offering hugs to strangers as people showed up in whatever way they could.

Several family members told KRDO the vigil helped ease the weight of planning memorials. Some said they have not yet arranged funerals for their loved ones, and this community gathering allowed them to grieve together without added pressure.

As lanterns lit up the Riverwalk, the glow symbolized remembrance and a community standing together in the face of loss.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – We were two games away from an all-local matchup at Ed Robson Arena for the boys 4A hockey state finals. It wasn’t to be, but Pine Creek will get its shot to win it all at Colorado College.

After falling behind 1-0 to the Colorado Academy, Pine Creek tied it up in the second period. Goalie John Thien locked Colorado Academy down from there on out, and Pine Creek scored late to punch its ticket with a 2-1 victory.

The D11 Bookworms had the upset of the tournament in the quarterfinals over the top-seeded Battle Mountain. The team could not finish off its storybook ending, losing to Steamboat Springs Saturday 4-1, putting an end to an impressive season.

Pine Creek plays Steamboat Springs for the 4A title on Monday.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — While El Paso County is wrapping up its improvements on South Academy Boulevard between Interstate 25 and Milton E. Proby Parkway, a similar project is intensifying on the city’s side of the corridor between the parkway and Fountain Boulevard.

The city’s project resumed last month after a year-long break to focus on reducing impacts to drivers, neighbors, and business owners.

Crews are making upgrades to driver safety, traffic flow, pedestrian access, and drainage; much of the infrastructure here dates back to the 1960s.

The latest changes came this week, as crews made lane closures to prepare for a traffic configuration change.

That work included removing old lane markings and applying temporary striping.

But what’s really eye-catching are the long trenches the crews are digging in the street, mostly on the east side of Academy.

That’s where new drainage pipes are going in.

This phase of the project also has the eastbound ramp to Milton E. Proby Parkway closed until the end of May.

The final step will be repaving this stretch, known by drivers to be one of the bumpiest in town.

Officials originally planned to finish the project this summer, but the new completion date is the summer of 2028.

“I have mixed feelings about it,” said David Aquino, who lives nearby. “It should be OK, but in the mornings it’s kinda hard driving down south or up north, because you have one lane, two lanes open only.”

Shawn Visiko is another neighbor.

“I don’t like it, per se,” he said of the project. “But it does need to be done because of how bad the roads are. And now, hopefully, in the near future, it’ll be done, and it’ll be smooth.”

This project, and the previous work done on South Academy between Bijou Street and Airport Road, cost $100 million.

It’s financed by sales tax revenue from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) and some federal funds.

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Rob Namnoum

The Colorado Springs District Eleven hockey team will play Steamboat Springs in the Class 4A semifinals on Saturday at Robson Arena. A win would put the Bookworms in the state championship game.

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Rob Namnoum

“Make sure we’re locked in and focused. Understand the job. Have some fun today”

Pueblo County always has fun because, “We’re a bunch of idiots, so we’re going to go and mess around,” says Lowry Kirkland.

The Hornets have messed around and now they will play the top seed in the class five playoffs in Palisade.  “I mean, we look at it as  were equal to him, you know, I mean seedings whatever seeding is just a seed. It’s a number,” says Kirkland. County head coach Blake Cesar adds, “We’re supposed to be there, we belong at the top of the states.”

“You seniors. And there’s a lot of you this is your your last opportunity. This is your last guaranteed game. Right? Let’s go make the best of the experience.”

An experience they won’t forget, “You know, we’ve we’ve all grown up together  and  we use we all used to play together and it’s just like  we want to keep going. You know what I mean,?” says Luca Tucci.

One of the nine seniors Kirkland adds, “I mean, it means a lot because we’ve been one put it together for the last four years. You’ve got nine of us that are playing hard, playing together.”

“And you know it’s going to be a team bonding experience. You go six hours across the mountain, let’s go play the one seed.  It’s going to be something you remember the rest of life, whether you know how it goes, but we’re going to win,” says Cesar.

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Julia Donovan

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A Roundup repeat offender failed its annual health inspection again. Meanwhile, a Mexican spot is on the chopping block for the first time, but the owner has some words of reassurance.

Neveria Monarca on E Pikes Peak Avenue failed its routine health inspection with 11 violations.

The inspector said the food handler didn’t wash their hands after taking payment, there was no thermometer in the entire restaurant to make sure food is at a safe temperature, and there was a gap under the back door that could allow insects and other pests inside.

The owner told KRDO he made changes immediately and took us out back to see the improvements.

“We put a gasket here, so when you close, there’s no gap anymore,” he said as he showed us how they fixed the back door.

They got new thermometers and plan to ace their re-inspection.

“This is the first time it’s happened to us but yeah we’re ready for sure,” the owner said confidently.

Neveria Monarca is still awaiting its re-inspection.

In other news, the ViewHouse off E Woodman Road failed its annual routine health inspection for the second year in a row with 11 violations.

The inspector said the dishwasher didn’t wash their hands before unloading clean dishware. Meanwhile, there was no soap in the employee restroom, and the prep sink was dirty!

ViewHouse later passed its re-inspection.

Now let’s take a peek at those high scores:

The Rabbit Hole on N Tejon Street, Bean Bandit on N Circle Drive, and Deluxe Wingz on Astrozon Boulevard!

“Changing the oil, washing the fryers daily – we keep it fresh here,” the owner told us how their kitchen stays clean, and their food stays tasty.

The spot features 36 different flavors with up to 100-piece orders on the menu – talk about deluxe!

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.

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Josh Helmuth

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Military families move a lot. For children in those families, being the “new kid” can be really tough. But one local district is making sure no student walks in alone.

Widefield School District 3 is building something pretty special near Fort Carson. It’s called Student 2 Student — or S2S. It’s a program from the Military Child Education Coalition designed to help military kids transition into a new school.

D3 does S2S training every year for each school. And they just wrapped their training for 2026. The idea is simple — when a new student arrives, especially from a military family, they’re immediately connected with trained student leaders who help them find friends, clubs, and confidence.

Military kids can move several times before graduation. Programs like S2S make sure they’re not starting from scratch every time. Helping new students feel seen, supported and at home. Think of it like a built-in buddy system that’s trained to welcome new kids to their school. It’s a club ensuring no student is invisible. 

“We have so many kids in the military in this area, and a lot of times they can feel alone. It can be so difficult. And to have really strong groups to help new kids is so amazing,” said Molly Schuler, a junior at Widefield High School.

Greg Morris, a Widefield High School counselor, leads the training.

“It’s big on relationships. Acceptance. Supporting new kids. In my career, it’s been one of the best tools I’ve had as a counselor,” said Morris.

If there’s something buzzing at your school, you know the drill. Email us! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.

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Scott Harrison

FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) — The City Council unanimously followed the recommendation of a citizens’ advisory council and will spend $450,000 to repair and reopen a neighborhood road that has been closed due to erosion concerns since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Council members voted for the move during Tuesday night’s regular meeting, selecting one of three options to repair a segment of Southmoor Drive on a bluff above Fountain Creek, on the north end of town.

Todd Evans, deputy city manager for Fountain, stated that the money originates from a permit fee paid by the developer of a new apartment complex last fall.

He said that the city will use the money to repave the 1/3-mile road segment from The American Legion to the Walmart parking lot and install a guardrail along the creek side.

A less-expensive option would have installed a guardrail but not improved the road, while a more expensive option would have extended the paving nearly a mile north, to the city limits.

“The option we’re choosing leaves us $320,000 — which would go back into our resurfacing projects that we have scheduled, and allow us to do more,” Evans explained.

In a Council meeting a month ago, members decided to delay a decision on the road until they could determine what damage heavy creek flows from future storms may cause to creek stabilization work completed last summer.

That project, conducted by the Fountain Creek Watershed District, cost $7.1 million, with Fountain contributing $600,000.

The impact of previous storms led to the Council’s decision to close the road in the spring of 2020.

Last year, the Colorado Department of Transportation made intersection improvements at Carson Boulevard and Highway 85-87 — southeast of the road closure — installing a traffic signal and building medians to protect drivers making left turns into and out of the neighborhood to visit the Walmart and other businesses along the highway.

“We really appreciated that,” said Adam McDonald, a neighbor, to the Council. “But it’s still a dangerous highway. Southmoor Drive gave us safer access to the businesses.

Evans said that the repaving and guardrail work is currently out for bid, and construction will start when the city chooses a contractor.

The repaving will recycle asphalt on-site, officials said, and the good condition of the road base underneath the pavement eliminates the need to use fresh asphalt — thereby saving money.

“We hope to finish by the first week of August,” said Bob McDonald, the city’s public works director. “Weather permitting, of course.”

Mayor Sharon Thompson said that she’s excited about the project being finished before Veterans Day, which would be great news for the Legion post nearest the road closure.

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Mackenzie Stafford

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – Across southern Colorado, firefighters are keeping a close eye on elevated fire danger due to weather conditions, including here in El Paso County.

Fort Carson officials confirmed to KRDO13 that there is a fire within Fort Carson’s training area. If you are driving along I-25 or Highway 115, a Fort Carson spokesperson tells us you can expect to continue seeing smoke.

On post, officials say the Fort Carson Fire Department is actively responding and receiving assets and support from city and county partners.

A Fort Carson spokesperson said no injuries have been reported and no infrastructure has been impacted by the approximately 350-acre fire.

This is not the first time a fire has caused smoke to be visible from Fort Carson.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), a Red Flag Warning is in effect for portions of El Paso County, including Fort Carson. The warning is expected to expire at 5 p.m. Feb. 25. However, another Red Flag Warning has already been issued for Thursday.

The Stormtracker13 Team is also keeping a close eye on strong wind gusts through around 9 p.m.

Two other fires burned in Colorado on Wednesday. In Thornton, the police department said Pinnacle High School and nearby businesses have been evacuated. Police say that officers are performing door-to-door evacuations in neighborhoods to the northeast of the fire.

I-25 was shut down near Thornton due to smoke impacting visibility. The highway has since reopened, as fire crews say they have contained the blaze.

As of 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, a fire has started burning in Logan County. Officials say evacuation orders have been issued for the town of Padroni and the surrounding area.

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