Author: KRDO

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Many local drivers will be pleased to know that several road-related projects that have slowed traffic and required detours on major routes for several years will officially end — though you may still see some finishing touches on a few for the next month or two.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and its partners gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. on Tuesday to celebrate the completion of several projects we’ve become familiar with.

The event was at CDOT’s maintenance facility at the east end of Bijou Street.

Among the projects:

*The new interchange at the former intersection of Airport Road and Powers Boulevard

*Improvements along 1.5 miles of Interstate 25 between Fillmore Street and Garden of the Gods Road

*The MAMSIP (Military Access, Mobility, and Safety Improvement Project) project that was actually four separate projects designed to improve traffic flow and safety around area military installations.

“We continue to take steps,” said Wayne Williams, chief of staff for Mayor Yemi Mobolade. “And it has been slow on Powers. But we continue making progress, as we have done an intersection every couple of years. We have to keep doing that, to make that work.”

Shane Ferguson, regional for CDOt’s Region 2, responded to some citizen concerns regarding why such projects can’t happen more quickly.

“It’s really part of the process,” he explained. “It’s not just staging materials and making sure that we’re doing it safely. It’s getting the materials ordered and the contractors in place.”

The projects below are among the most expensive in the city’s history:

*Airport & Powers — $46 million

*I-25/Fillmore/Garden of the Gods — $62 million

*MAMSIP — $161 million

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.

Click here to follow the original article.

Bradley Davis

CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) – Scout and Venture Crew 121 has its sights set on winning top Colorado Haunted House for the third year in a row inside the deconsecrated Abbey Monastery off Highway 50 in Cañon City.

The haunted house is called Dark Side of the Abbey. It won Colorado Haunted House of the Year two years in a row on the Hauntaholics Haunt List. All the construction, makeup, acting, etc. is done by crew members ages 14 to 21.

“I’ve actually had a couple of people come through my rooms in the last couple of years, and they go, ‘Oh my gosh! they’re so little!'” crew member Adysen Pakenham said. “Saturday, I actually had a group come through, and he said my height was one of the most terrifying parts of me.”

The main haunted house and four escape rooms are in the old monastery dormitories, while the sensory deprivation maze is in the actual monastery.

Crew 121 has been hosting and growing the haunted house for 15 years. The money helps fund the crew’s trips, with enough left over to donate tens of thousands to local non-profits in Fremont County, according to adult crew leader Jason Messer.

“By the end they’re just this super close, tight-knit family,” Messer said. They totally switch. They come in as one person, and they leave as another one, so they really get into their character.”

The haunted house is open every weekend from now until Halloween, from 6 to 11:10 p.m. each day. Tickets are $25 for each individual attraction. Fast passes and combo passes are also available.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — A south side resident contacted KRDO13’s The Road Warrior about a smelly situation that most of us haven’t experienced.

A buildup of sewer gas inside his home.

Richard Jenkins lives in the 300 block of East Las Vegas Street and said that he’s been dealing with the problem since Labor Day weekend.

That’s when two elderly relatives living with him, both with health issues, called him at work to alert him; when he came home, they said the stench forced them to sit outside on the front porch.

“We opened the windows and used fans to vent the gas,” Jenkins recalled.

When crews from Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) arrived, he continued, they told him that one of the roof vents wasn’t working properly because the base was rotted.

“I paid $250 of my own money to replace it,” Jenkins said. “The smell went away for a week, but came back stronger than ever.”

Crews conducted two smoke tests, he explained, to get a detailed look at how the gas was venting out; sensors also detected high levels of sewer gas outside.

In a response to The Road Warrior last week, CSU said that the problem was connected to an increase in the flow of a bypass pumping operation in an ongoing wastewater project several blocks east of the home.

The sewer gas decreased once crews reduced the bypass flow, CSU said.

According to CSU, crews excavated the sewer lines outside the home, installed a backflow valve, and replaced a valve under the kitchen sink that blocks sewer gas from flowing out.

Since then, Jenkins said that the situation is “90% better.”

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.

Click here to follow the original article.

Julia Donovan

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – One Chinese restaurant in the Security-Widefield area failed a recent routine health inspection after inspectors documented several handwashing and glove-use violations.

Meanwhile, three local restaurants earned perfect scores in this week’s Restaurant Roundup, including a coffee shop on South Eighth Street that says cleanliness and community are both part of its recipe for success.

East Dragon cited for handwashing violations

East Dragon on Security Boulevard failed its recent routine health inspection with six violations.

According to the El Paso County Health Department inspection report, an employee was observed washing their hands without soap. Another employee washed their hands in a food-preparation sink while wearing gloves.

The inspector also reported that an employee blew into a pair of gloves before putting them on, potentially contaminating the gloves.

KRDO13 stopped by the restaurant following the inspection. An employee called the manager, who said staff was being trained on the issues.

“We were just wondering if you’re doing anything about that,” KRDO13 reporter Julia Donovan asked.

East Dragon passed its re-inspection the following day.

Local restaurants earn high marks

Several restaurants received high scores in this week’s roundup.

Those receiving high marks included:

The Coffee Exchange on South Tejon Street Five Guys at North Powers Boulevard and North Carefree Circle

Three restaurants received perfect scores:

Culver’s in Fountain Sushi Spot on S 8th Street Caffeinated Cow on S 8th Street Caffeinated Cow focuses on cleanliness and community

At Caffeinated Cow, co-owner Jake Norment said employees regularly train and work through cleaning checklists to keep the kitchen ready for inspection and for customers.

“It’s not a secret the health department’s coming. You know they’re coming. You should be ready for the health department every day, all day,” Norment said.

The shop serves up delicious coffee, ice cream, breakfast sandwiches and more — but Norment said the atmosphere and sense of community are a major part of what keeps customers returning.

“It’s our cow-munity. It’s our neighbors. It’s our people,” he said.

Keep an eye out for KRDO13’s Restaurant Roundup awards at your favorite restaurant — and remember, a high score means the kitchen has passed its routine health inspection.

Reminder: All high and low scores in this roundup are based on routine health inspections conducted by the El Paso County Health Department.

Click here for a look at all the most recent health inspection scores.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.

Click here to follow the original article.

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Pinners Conference makes its Colorado debut Friday at the Norris Penrose Center with dozens of vendors and classes to inspire guests’ creativity.

The conference has toured the country for 14 years, helping bring people’s Pinterest boards to life.

“Everyone’s scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, and this is an opportunity for you to come and actually have an experience. Get off your phone, bring your kids, bring your friends,” Pinners Conference founder Roxanne Bennett said.

Friday and Saturday, 160 vendors will sell their crafts and services while also hosting nearly 100 classes to help inspire new hobby projects.

“Maybe you suck at it. I think that is the best part!” Bennett said. “I will try something and I’m like, ‘I’m just gonna buy that from you because you’re better at that than me.'”

The conference brings together a wide variety of projects and activities you have to see to believe. Trendy DIY projects, outfit color analysis, meal prep tips and so much more. If your creation doesn’t come out how you like, the professionals have their own work for sale.

“It’s fun to watch somebody try something and maybe not be happy with it and then go, ‘Oh, I got an idea! Let me try another one.’ To get to see somebody else learn something new, quite frankly, that’s why I come to Pinners,” sculpted art teacher Kristy Baumgartner said.

The Pinners Conference is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

You can find them in the Penrose Event Center indoor space behind the main outdoor venue. General admission is $12, while admission with class passes ranges from $22 to $39. You can buy tickets here or when you get to the venue.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

MONUMENT, Colo. (KRDO) — A six-month project to make upgrades along two miles of Higby Road on the southeast side of town is finishing several weeks early.

On Friday, crews expect to complete the second phase of construction on Higby between Bowstring Road and Harness Drive.

The improvements include relocating overhead power lines, repaving, drainage improvements, concrete work (sidewalks, curbs, and gutters), and a roundabout at the Higby/Bowstring intersection.

Crews made similar upgrades west of that intersection, past the main entrance to Lewis-Palmer High School, ending with intersection improvements at Jackson Creek Parkway.

The project was originally scheduled for completion next month, but crews got ahead of schedule after contractors called in extra workers to meet a deadline of finishing the first half before the fall semester began.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. marked the project’s official end.

The Triview Metro District planned and financed the construction; general manager James McGrady said that the district is already looking ahead to possible future projects.

“We’re doing an area-wide transportation plan that will identify any deficiencies,” he explained. “The trick, of course, is: how do you pay for all of it? So, that’s the next step.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Abby Smith

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) alerts drivers to upcoming traffic impacts along a mile of Austin Bluffs Parkway as work continues on the Central Bluffs Substation project.

CSU says starting at 6 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, through Monday, Sept. 28, at 6 p.m., all westbound lanes of Austin Bluffs Parkway between Meadowland Boulevard and Union Boulevard will be closed.

Courtesy of Colorado Springs Utilities

Lee Pelton, CSU’s project manager, says the four-day closure is necessary because of challenges crews face while installing underground infrastructure for the new substation.

“Power lines and fiber optic cables,” he explained. “Because of sandy soil and vibrations from constant heavy traffic, some of the trenches for that infrastructure are collapsing before we can install the lines and cables. The contractor has to dig them over and over again.”

Pelton says the easiest and safest solution is to temporarily close the entire affected parkway segment, rather than lane by lane, as has happened with most closures during construction.

Officials say that eastbound traffic will remain open throughout the closure, and all lanes are expected to reopen Monday evening.

However, Pelton also says that similar work is also happening on the east side of the parkway in that area, with the right lane closed there.

The only business that stands to be directly affected is a storage rental business; the property manager said that she wasn’t aware of the closure, and worries about the impact on customers.

CSU advises the following detour route:

Turn right onto Meadowland Boulevard, left onto North Academy Boulevard, left onto North Union Boulevard, then right onto Austin Bluffs Parkway.

The substation project will combine two existing substations and a switch station into one modern facility, improving the electric grid. For more information, click here.

CSU expects to finish most of the substation construction by the end of the year, but some traffic impacts will continue into next year.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.

Click here to follow the original article.

Rob Namnoum

The Classical Academy girls flag football team remains undefeated as they beat Palmer Ridge on Tuesday night 34-12.

Click here to follow the original article.

Rob Namnoum

KRDO-13 Sports Director Rob Namnoum goes one on one with Air Force quarterback Liam Szarka.

Click here to follow the original article.