Author: KRDO

Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On Friday, Governors from across America gathered at The Broadmoor for the National Governors Association (NGA) summer meeting.

Friday’s agenda holds a session spearheaded by Colorado Governor Jared Polis. Polis created an initiative called “Let’s Get Ready! Educating All Americans for Success.” He says it’s a roadmap for governors to lead their states toward education systems that work better for all learners and for our economic competitiveness.

NGA Chair, Gov. Polis, is expected to present alongside U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, Mark Cuban and NGA Vice Chair, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.

The goals Governor Polis hopes to accomplish with the roadmap are to solidify academic foundations in students’ reading and writing. But beyond that, he focuses on workforce preparedness, civic engagement and students’ well-being.

Governor Polis’s Let’s Get Ready plan consists of five main points.

The first is to define a vision and assess how your state is measuring it. He writes that there are basic guidelines for what students should be achieving, but that governors can take it a step further. By this, he points to anytime a governor’s office funds something in education, they should also be creating tangible checkpoints to mark success.

The next step is to open the door for organizations across the state to work together. Governor Polis outlines how there are multiple organizations made to help support children’s well-being from birth, but he says many can be disconnected. Polis suggests other states can follow suit in working to consolidate early childhood programs.

The third step Polis recommends is investing in systems and infrastructure to measure outcomes. After governors have set their goals and checkpoints, this would be a way to track them. In Polis’s roadmap he suggests investing in a statewide longitudinal data system, which in essence is a streamlined way for states to track data of students’ performance.

The fourth step he suggests is turning that data into a public dashboard. The goal is to increase transparency and make it visible to the state to see progress.

Finally, the fifth step in Polis’s Let’s Get Ready plan is to consider a more effective federal partnership for education. With changes being made by the Trump administration, Polis says governors should consider what state-level accountability systems may be needed, either to complement existing federal requirements or to replace them if federal oversight is reduced.

You can read the governor’s full plan for other state leaders here.

In his presentation, he sat down with U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. The pair spoke about how states are expected to pick up the slack as the Department of Education pulls back. Governors also had the opportunity to speak up and tell McMahon what they may need for their constituents.

“When education is returned to the states in full, I mean, after all, you already provide about 90% budget for your education. But that last piece, I can think of no better place to be and no better place to start than talking and working with the governors in those states so that I can learn what is best for you,” shared U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “I want to work with you. I want to be as helpful as I possibly can. I want to help provide you with best practices and toolkits for your states.”

Governor Polis also sat down with Entrepreneur, business mogul Mark Cuban. Cuban spoke to the crowd of governors about the use of artificial intelligence and how it can be used in schools.

“Anybody with a smartphone, a laptop, access to the internet, can access everything, the ability to question everything, the ability to learn outside of the classroom in ways none of us ever envisioned,” explained Cuban.

The National Governors Association meeting continues Saturday with a presentation from the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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Michael Logerwell

PUEBLO WEST, Colo. (KRDO) – A new state fire mitigation law is going into effect at the start of August. The law allows unincorporated areas, like Pueblo West, to manage dead vegetation that often leads to quick wildfire growth.

In Colorado Springs and other municipalities, city leaders can pass ordinances regulating vegetation maintenance to mitigate wildfire danger.

That’s not the case in Pueblo West, but this new law will change that soon.

Colorado State Senator Nick Hinrichsen told me the idea for this bill started after the Marshall Fire.

“We identified that there is a real risk in certain areas of the state, [like] Pueblo West, having some factors that could lead to such a catastrophe.”

Some of those factors are dead vegetation, which can turn floating embers into a full-blown wildfire

Now, on August 6, the same time the new state law goes into effect, new vegetation rules will activate for Pueblo West home and property owners.

2024 048 Vegitative Fuels and Mitigation Abatement ProgramDownload

The resolution was passed in late June in anticipation of the new law. Going forward, individual property owners must remove all dead vegetation, keep low-hanging trees at least 3 feet above ground, and the 5-foot radius around your home must be clear from brush piles, or you could face fines.

“We’re hoping that the community will take advantage of the situation, work with us to reduce vegetative fuels around their property,” said Brian Caserta, chief of Pueblo West Fire.

“We’re just here to clean up the community as much as we are to help reduce the risk of wildfire. And at the same time, we’re also not here to go around and write citations everywhere.”

If property owners fail to comply, they may be subject to a fine of up to $200, depending on the property’s value.

Chief Caserta says the fire department will work with people to get the mitigation done, and the work can be covered in certain cases for the elderly or those who can’t afford it. Both the fire chief and the senator said grant funding would be made available.

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Julia Donovan

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The suspect in Thursday afternoon’s apparent road rage hit-and-run has been arrested.

39-year-old Daniel Nations is charged with first-degree assault after investigators found him with the car used in the crash, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Security footage shows – and CSPD confirms – say a man got out of his car and was standing in the middle of the road near Union Boulevard and Palmer Park Boulevard, before Nations ran him over and then drove off.

As of Thursday afternoon, officials said the victim was fighting for his life in the hospital. They were unable to give another update on his condition Friday.

Daniel Nations is no stranger to crime. He was sentenced to three years of probation for threatening people with what appeared to be a weapon along Mount Herman Road in Monument in 2017.

He was also arrested and charged with possession of a gun as a previous offender in Woodland Park that year.

Nations is a convicted sex offender, too, after local media outlets reported he exposed and pleasured himself in a Walmart parking lot in South Carolina back in 2006.

Nations is currently being held on $25,000 bond.

His first court appearance in the hit-and-run case will be on Friday, August 1.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — After a year of preparations, neighbors along two parallel southwest side streets are finally seeing repaving work happen.

As part of the city’s 2C expanded street paving program, crews are laying fresh asphalt this week on a 1.5-mile stretch of Cheyenne Boulevard, between Cresta Road and the roundabout at the intersection of Cascade Avenue, Ramona Avenue, and Tejon Street.

When that project is finished, workers will move a block south to a similar segment of Cheyenne Road between Cresta and Nevada Avenue.

Preparations began last year with the replacement of two aging natural gas lines on Cheyenne Boulevard, which had significant traffic impacts in the neighborhood.

“I don’t mind it,” said Bradley Martin, a neighbor. “I know it’s taken a lot out of people’s day, blocking the road and things like that. But I don’t mind it at all. They’ve got to get it done. Those guys work hard out there, so…”

Preliminary work on Cheyenne Road included drainage improvements and the installation of sidewalks that were requested by new residents of the older area near The Broadmoor.

Meanwhile, a longer concrete project to prepare for future repaving is underway on 2.5 miles of Circle Drive, in the heart of the city, between Fillmore Street and Galley Road.

That work requires the replacement of many sidewalks and driveway entrances in front of homes.

Around half of the revenue from the 2C’s voter-approved sales tax increase pays for repairing or replacing curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and ramps that are cracked, broken, or don’t meet federal standards for the disabled.

City officials have said that such concrete work protects the integrity of the new asphalt so that it lasts longer; it’s the kind of planning and foresight that the American Society of Civil Engineers recommends for cities and counties after the state earlier this week received a D+ grade for overall road quality.

“It does make sense,” said neighbor Jennifer Hoppe. “I guess it’s hard for me to understand whether the curb is bad or not, because sometimes it doesn’t appear to have any breaks, and they still have to replace it.”

The city has stepped up improvements to ramps after settling two federal lawsuits in 2018 and 2019, claiming that previous ramps didn’t comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Each ramp costs around $4,000.

The contractor for the Circle project recently finished 1.5 miles of concrete work on East Cheyenne Road, between Southgate Road and Lake Avenue.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The owner of Ranch Foods Direct said anti-competitive practices from the “big four” packing plants are playing a major part in the nationwide hike of beef prices as the companies, specifically JBS, pay hundreds of millions of dollars in antitrust lawsuits.

“The consumer is really paying the bill right now for what we would call market concentration,” said the owner of Ranch Foods Direct, a local ranch and meat-packing facility.

The settlements, like the recent $83.5 million one paid out by JBS to American ranchers, are for anti-competitive practices. Essentially, ranchers feel the big four companies (JBS, Tyson, Cargill and National Beef) were colluding to squeeze supply and keep prices high. JBS did not admit guilt in the recent lawsuit.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports U.S. cattle totals at an all-time low. At the same time, the USDA reports the largest beef trade deficit in the last 25 years. Now, Callicrate said that President Donald Trump’s tariffs on beef are having an even greater impact on prices.

“President Trump put the tariffs on, which makes imported meat more expensive. So, you have that dual impact of market concentration, unfair market practices, combined with now tariffs that are going to just drive these prices even higher.”

Callicrate said he wishes the tariffs had been implemented sooner to protect the ranchers now out of business.

The Federal Reserve reports that the price of beef has significantly outstripped the average increase in products and services from a year ago.

The average product or service has increased by about 2.6% from a year ago, based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. The price of a pound of beef has increased by almost 12% in that same time.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers measures a large number of different products and services to estimate how much the average person is spending, which some use as a strong inflation indicator.

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Bart Bedsole

Raw sewage in the bathroom contributed to a failing score for a popular fried chicken restaurant in Fountain last week.

On July 18 at the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen along Hwy 85/87 near Center Valley Drive, the health inspector found 10 violations, including: 

Raw chicken, cut lettuce, and cut cabbage were out of temperature, possibly due to the cooler door being left open 

There was a large number of flies

There was an excessive amount of fumes or smoke in the kitchen area

Raw sewage was coming up from the drain in the men’s bathroom 

A health department spokesperson confirmed that the restaurant was briefly shut down due to the sewage problem, but it reopened a short time later after a plumber showed up to fix it. 

KRDO13 visited the restaurant on Monday to ask about the violations. 

The manager on duty, Exavier Diaz, didn’t have specific knowledge of the issue, but told KRDO13 that the building was old, and the owner was in the process of removing and rebuilding the pipes. 

When we asked about the flies in the kitchen, Diaz said a seal on the back door is broken, and is also in the process of being repaired. 

Aside from the structural issues, however, Diaz said he believes the kitchen is extremely clean, and said customers should feel safe eating there. 

This location, however, was far from the only Popeyes to fail an inspection in recent months. 

KRDO13 sorted through months of inspection reports and found that five Popeyes in El Paso County have failed at least one health inspection since the beginning of the year, with at least two failing twice in 2025. 

Popeyes – 2839 E. Fountain 

Popeyes – 7480 Austin Bluffs 

Popeyes – 3450 Austin Bluffs 

Popeyes – 3815 E Pikes Peak 

Popeyes – 6666 Camden 

KRDO13 reached out to the Popeyes corporate office, but no one responded to comment on the frequent failures. 

The Popeyes in Fountain passed its re-inspection on July 28. 

OTHER FAILING SCORES:

Pikes Poke Bowl – 9290 Highland Rdg Hts – 13 violations 

Mama Poke – 3502 Hartsel Dr – 12 violations 

Cheba Hut – 5697 Barnes Road – 11 violations 

HIGH SCORES

Paris Crepe – 1027 S Tejon 

Jack in the Box –  6314 Hwy 85/87 

Firehouse Subs – 7543 N Academy Blvd 

Sushi O Sushi – 3643 Star Ranch Rd 

Rocha’s Mexican Fast Food – 1534 S Nevada Ave 

Wendy’s – 13481 Bass Pro 

El Preson Bar Grill and Billiards – 908 N Circle Dr 

Edible Arrangements – 7541 N Academy Blvd 

The Brass Tap – 13271 Bass Pro 

Swirly Cow Frozen Yogurt – 11605 Meridian Market View 

Noodles & Company – 5844 Barnes Rd 

The location on Barnes is the busiest Noodles & Company in the city of Colorado Springs. 

The chain that began in the Denver area is currently headquartered in Broomfield, with more than 60 locations throughout Colorado, more than any other state. 

While the classic mac and cheese option remains a top favorite, the restaurant also offers noodles with an Asian or Mediterranean flavor. 

Area Manager Kyla Pryse said the variety of options makes it appealing to nearly everyone. 

“Honestly, everybody loves to come here as a family or friends, and they get to pick.  There’s something for everybody,” she says. 

Pryse also explained that Colorado Springs is a test market for new dishes, giving local diners a chance to try them out before anyone else. 

“It’s really cool because the team gets to test all the new dishes.  Sometimes they’ll bring in fresh new ingredients and we get to play with that, and then we get to serve it to our guests every day,” she says.

Some of the dishes might be rolled out nationally afterward, while others may be discontinued. 

The recent high score wasn’t a fluke either. 

The Barnes location had a perfect score in November of 2023 and just two violations in October of 2022. 

Click here for all the most recent health inspection results in El Paso County. 

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Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed one person died after a crash on eastbound Interstate 70 in Columbia Thursday morning.

Boone County Sheriff’s spokesperson Brian Leer told ABC 17 News the driver was stopped near I-70 and St. Charles Road by a deputy for having stolen license plates. During the traffic stop the woman drove off resulting in a chase.

Leer said the car in the chase was tied to a homicide in Colorado Springs. While the car may have ties to a homicide, the Colorado Springs Police Department told KRDO13 that they don’t believe the woman driving was tied to the homicide. Leer stated over the phone that they do not believe the woman is a local to Missouri.

The chase continued until the driver got off at the Midway exit, but turned back towards Columbia using the ramp onto I-70. Leer said the driver turned while on the ramp and went into the grass and a ditch before she was hit by an oncoming semi-truck.

The car rolled and she was thrown from it, according to Leer. She was taken to a local hospital, where she died.

Troopers said the crash involved a passenger vehicle and a semi-truck.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw one car with visible damage to its front and driver’s side while it was being towed away.

A Boone County Sheriff’s SUV was also seen at the crash site with damage to the driver’s side of the vehicle. Leer confirmed to ABC 17 News that the damage was from the pursuit, but when the car hit another Sheriff’s vehicle, no deputies were hurt.

A Boone County Joint Communication alert was sent out at 9:38 a.m. about a crash on I-70 that shut down both eastbound lanes. A second alert was sent out before 10:30 a.m., reporting all lanes are back open.

An ambulance, along with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Boone County Sheriff and Boone County Fire Protection District, was at the scene.

The Missouri Department of Transportation Travelers map showed traffic backed up for several miles around 10 a.m.

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) says that someone has been run over by a car after a suspected road rage incident, according to a sergeant at the scene. The suspect is still on the loose as of 12:07 p.m., according to police.

According to the sergeant, it appears a person got out of their car and, at that point, was run over.

The incident happened near Union Boulevard and Palmer Park Boulevard.

A sergeant on scene says that the person who was hit was taken to the hospital. A spokesperson with CSPD says the person has life-threatening injuries.

While the on-scene sergeant says preliminary information points to the incident being road rage, they say they are still investigating.

KRDO13 obtained security camera footage from a neighbor that shows the incident happening just before 11:30 a.m.

An esthetician in training, who asked to stay anonymous, at the nearby Beautiful You Skincare Academy, tells KRDO13 she was in the middle of giving a facial to someone when she saw the aftermath.

“I was doing a facial, and then since we have those open windows, I saw a lady running. So I was kind of concerned, so I looked out the window, and I saw them running to the man who was lying on the ground, and it obviously looked like he was really injured,” she explained.

After seeing him in the middle of the road, she’s just hoping he can make a full recovery.

“I just really hope the man is okay. You know, that’s not a way to handle anything like, you know, hitting anyone,” said the student.

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Celeste Springer

Hulk Hogan has passed away at the age of 71, according to the WWE.

Hogan was a professional world wrestling champion and TV personality. He also dipped into politics, speaking at Republican National Convention events.

The wrestling superstar was recognizable to many, with his iconic mustache and his propensity to call everyone “brother.”

His career was not without some controversy, however. In 2015, Hogan apologized for racist remarks, which he said were recorded in an “unauthorized sex tape,” CNN reported.

The WWE posted the following statement on his passing:

“WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.”

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The U.S. as a whole received a “C” grade for overall infrastructure for the first time, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

However, in a state-by-state analysis, Colorado received a “C-,” covering 14 aspects of infrastructure, including dams, bridges, water quality, schools, and energy.

And that may not be the worst of it.

In a revelation that likely won’t surprise many Coloradans, the state received a”D+” for road conditions — a drop from the “C-” it received in the previous ASCE report in 2020.

The ASCE released the grades in March, but members of the Colorado chapter gathered at Denver International Airport (DIA) on Wednesday to discuss the implications of the state’s low grades.

“Colorado has its own unique characteristics, trends, and challenges,” said Sarah Klarich, who’s in charge of government affairs for the state ASCE. “So, it is important to have a localized report that speaks to our state’s needs and future outlook.”

The ASCE listed several reasons for Colorado’s low grades, including challenges such as increasingly extreme weather events, 39% population growth since 2000, and aging assets that stress those critical networks.

Still, the low grades — especially for roads — will frustrate and disappoint many residents at a time when they’re paying more in taxes, and their local governments are investing more in road maintenance.

Yet the numbers aren’t improving enough to satisfy drivers.

According to the ASCE report, 48% of roads are in good condition nationwide, but this percentage drops to 34% in Colorado.

“As we rebuild infrastructure in this country, we have to do it well,” said Phil Washington, the CEO of DIA. “We have to do it sustainably. We have to do it quickly. We have to do it ahead of schedule and under budget.”

In offering solutions to the dilemma, the ASCE said that Colorado needs more public-private partnerships, better planning of road projects, and increased citizen involvement.

El Paso County and Colorado Springs have become somewhat of a leader in implementing those ideas and sharing the cost of projects.

For example, the city and county are teaming up on the widening of Marksheffel Road, a three-year project scheduled for completion next year.

In a similar partnership, the Copper Ridge Metro District is fronting part of the cost of connecting the north end of busy Powers Boulevard (State Highway 21) to Interstate 25; that effort began in 2019 and won’t be finished until 2030 at the earliest.

Also expected to be finished next year is a joint county/Colorado Department of Transportation project to widen the south end of South Academy Boulevard.

Colorado Springs also follows the ASCE’s planning requirement by performing concrete work — sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and ramps — to protect the integrity of paving projects.

Yet perhaps the best example of citizen involvement is the city’s 2C expanded street paving program, funded by a voter-approved sales tax increase in 2015 and since extended twice by voters.

And in recent years, six local municipalities have joined the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority, which levies a one-cent sales tax to finance infrastructure and transit projects.

Still, the question is whether these efforts will ever be enough to catch up or stay ahead on road projects.

.To see the full report, visit: https://infrastructurereportcard.org/

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