Author: KRDO

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The city will spend $6 million to install stormwater infrastructure in an industrial area that often floods because of the lack of proper drainage.

Officials said that changes should begin this week on Stone Avenue between Fillmore Street and Nichols Boulevard, a stretch of approximately two-thirds of a mile.

Officials said that the project will close the northbound lane of Stone until early next year.

Parking on the street won’t be allowed, but access to businesses will remain open, and cones and signs will guide drivers through the work zone.

“The area was originally developed just with overland flow — which means the water runs down the road,” Erin Powers, the city’s stormwater enterprise manager, explained. “Previously, there was no storm sewer. We’re installing a storm sewer, just to get all that water underground so that it’s not in the way of the motorists.”

The south end of the project area near busy Fillmore has existing stormwater drains, but most of Stone north of the McDonald’s at the Fillmore intersection doesn’t.

Some of the 17 business owners along the affected segment of the avenue said that flooding has damaged the street and their parking lots, and water occasionally backs up into the businesses.

“Well, we’ve got some different access points that we’ve kinda mapped out,” said Chad McKee, a manager at Planet Granite. “Hopefully, we’ll establish a good relationship with the contractor when (they) get on board in the next couple of weeks. And that’s about all we can do. We’ve got to grin and bear it, and make it through.”

However, before the city’s project can start, Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) has to complete two projects in the same area, reportedly involving a natural gas line and a water main.

A CSU spokesperson said that the utility will provide more details next week when its work begins.

“We’re still finalizing details and working on getting permits,” the spokesperson told KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior on Monday.

Click here to follow the original article.

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Aspiring filmmakers from the Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning (AcademyACL) wrote, directed, filmed and acted in a movie that will soon debut in the Shockley-Zalabak Theater.

The AcademyACL film program is the only Kindergarten trough 8th grade film program in the country, according to the school. It’s the program’s 11th year of creating a movie by the end of the school year. This year’s film is called “Out of the Ordinary.”

58 students collaborated on the project. At least one student from each grade contributed.

The film debuts Wednesday, April 22 at the Shockley-Zalabak Theater inside the ENT Center for the Arts. The VIP limo entrance and red carpet walk start at 5 p.m. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. It’s free to attend with a required RSVP. Program director Jason Henry said around 600 people have already RSVP’d.

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — It’s tempting for some drivers: 3.3 miles of four-laned, brand-new pavement with no stop signs or traffic lights.

But the sheriff’s office is aware that the new Medal of Honor Boulevard, intended as a shortcut between the west side of Pueblo and Pueblo West, also presents an opportunity for people to exceed the 55 mph posted speed limit.

“We’ve already caught a few speeders,” said a deputy who stopped to chat with KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior early Monday morning.

Drivers can expect a regular presence by deputies patrolling the new road, especially with the new county jail on the east end nearing completion.

The easternmost mile is the Pueblo Police Department’s jurisdiction, and the remainder is in the county.

As of Monday morning, the sheriff’s office had cited three drivers for speeding — including one clocked at 78 mph in the posted 55 mph zone — and police had ticketed only one driver.

The county also cited three drivers for nor wearing seatbelts.

A police spokesperson said that the department has yet to establish an enforcement strategy for its part of the road, because it hasn’t been open long and it still doesn’t appear on maps.

Monday was the first weekday morning rush hour for traffic on the new boulevard; traffic was fairly steady in the first hour of the road’s opening on Friday.

The grand opening ceremony was meaningful to Drew Dix, a retired Army staff sergeant who received the Medal of Honor while serving in Vietnam.

Also providing remarks were County Commissioner Zach Swearingen and Public Works Director Greg George.

Officials said that the new road will provide more than better traffic flow; they also believe it’s a good start in providing what has been a landlocked area with infrastructure that should boost the local economy.

A new apartment complex and a new convenience store have recently opened northeast of the Medal of Honor/Pueblo Boulevard, and more development is likely to come — particularly with Pueblo city officials starting a plan this year to extend several streets and upgrade dozens of transit bus stops.

Click here to follow the original article.

Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – One person is dead after Colorado Springs Police say a truck rolled over on Dublin Boulevard near the Dublin Neighborhood Park.

According to the police blotter, when officers arrived at the scene, they attempted life-saving measures on the one injured party. However, those measures wouldn’t be successful, and they would be pronounced dead at a local hospital.

A sergeant at the scene told KRDO13 that speed is a suspected factor in the crash.

The Colorado Springs Major Crash Team has taken over the investigation. Dublin Blvd has since reopened.

Click here to follow the original article.

Michael Logerwell

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) –

UPDATE AT 6:30 P.M.: The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has lifted the evacuation order.

ORIGINAL REPORT: The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is issuing an evacuation order for all homes in a 0.5-mile radius near the intersection of N Curtis Road and Garrett Road in El Paso County.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says everyone in this area is ordered to evacuate now.

KRDO13 is working to learn more about the fire.

Click here to follow the original article.

Rob Namnoum

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Rockies Chairman & CEO Dick Monfort and Owner/General Partner Charlie Monfort on Friday, April 10, announced Greg and Carrie Penner have joined the team’s ownership group through a minority investment from Penner Sports Group.  The transaction has been formally approved by Major League Baseball.

Penner Sports Group—the family entity of Greg and Carrie Penner that holds their stake in the Denver Broncos—will become the largest minority partner of the Rockies through this investment. The Monfort family remains the Rockies’ majority owners with Dick Monfort continuing his role as chairman & CEO, Charlie Monfort remaining as owner/general partner, and Walker Monfort leading day-to-day operations as the Club’s president.

This investment from Penner Sports Group will support both short and long-term strategic planning for the Rockies. It will allow the Club to retire all outstanding debt while providing additional investment in the team as well as a world-class, family-friendly experience at Coors Field.

Please see below for statements from Dick Monfort as well as from Greg and Carrie Penner.

ROCKIES CHAIRMAN & CEO DICK MONFORT

“Speaking personally, on behalf of Charlie and our family, our other partners and the organization, we’re excited to welcome Greg and Carrie Penner into the Colorado Rockies ownership group.

“I’ve had the pleasure to build a strong relationship with Greg and Carrie over the past few years. For many reasons, including their recent success with the Broncos, we know we are gaining much more than just financial support in this partnership with Penner Sports Group.

“Greg and Carrie have proven that they share the same passion for our region and a strong commitment to compete at the highest level. We are thrilled to add them to the Colorado Rockies’ ownership group as we best position this franchise for long-term sustained success.”

GREG AND CARRIE PENNER

“We are excited to expand our commitment to the Denver sports community through a minority partnership with the Colorado Rockies. This investment from Penner Sports Group reflects our deep appreciation for what the Rockies mean to this region, the passion of their fans and our confidence in the future of the franchise.

“Our family’s had such a positive experience with the Broncos, reinforcing our interest in partnering with another team in this dynamic sports market. We’ve enjoyed getting to know the Monforts and are grateful to join Dick and Charlie in the Rockies’ ownership group along with the other partners.

“While our focus remains firmly on the Broncos, we look forward to being supportive, long-term partners of the Rockies and Major League Baseball.

Click here to follow the original article.

Bradley Davis

WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (KRDO) – The girls on the Merit Academy rifle team are one of just two non-Junior ROTC programs competing in Utah for the Regional Championship next Friday.

The team is one of the only all-women-led programs in the country. The team competes in the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) with other schools and programs across the country. Boys and girls compete in the same division.

Only about a third of teams in their region make it to the Salt Lake City regional. It’s only Merit Academy’s second year competing, and five of their girls will make the drive next week.

Shooting sports program director Jenn Peters said the team does not get public funding. She said they fundraised all the money with the help of community donations and a donation match from the MidwayUSA foundation. She said it cost over $28,000 for their equipment.

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The grand opening of the new Medal of Honor Boulevard happened as scheduled on Friday, and many drivers were eager to try it out.

The two-year, $40 million project officially ended after an 11:30 a.m. ceremony on the east end of the construction site — beside the new county jail still being built.

The four-lane road covers slightly more than three miles, from the intersection of 24th Street and Pueblo Boulevard (State Highway 45) at the city and county line, to the intersection of Joe Martinez and Purcell Boulevards, in Pueblo West.

It was in May 2024 that construction began on the area’s first direct connection between Pueblo West and the west side of Pueblo.

Officials planned the road project, and the $150 million jail project, at around the same time.

KRDO 13 was there when local leaders got their first look at the finalized plan, a few weeks before Christmas 2021.

A unique aspect of the new boulevard is that its asphalt contains 12.5 million recycled plastic grocery bags — making it the longest road of its kind in the country, officials said.

The county tested the new material in 2022 and 2023 by paving four miles of Siloam Road.

Officials said that mix is more expensive to use but should significantly reduce maintenance costs.

A 2016 ballot measure by county voters to retain $66 million in excess tax revenue, financed the Medal of Honor Boulevard project.

Among officials delivering remarks at the event were Vietnam veteran Drew Dix, one of the Steel City’s four Medal of Honor recipients.

Click here to follow the original article.

Julia Donovan

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Health inspectors reported a cockroach sighting at a taco shop on the east side of Colorado Springs in addition to 20 other violations. Meanwhile, a gastropub is serving up ambiance and award-winning food!

Low scores:

El Rey Del Taco on S Academy Boulevard recently failed its routine health inspection with a whopping 21 violations.

The inspector caught an employee touching raw steak, then cooked shrimp – AKA cross-contamination. Chicken and pork were at unsafe temperatures. The inspector also noticed old food in the kitchen, a dirty ice machine and grease dripping from storage shelves!

In addition to all this, the inspector found evidence of cockroach activity.

We stopped by, but the manager didn’t want to talk.

When we asked for the owner’s contact information, we were shooed away.

El Taco Del Rey passed its re-inspection.

We have two perfect scores this week:

In-N-Out on Interquest Parkway and MOD Pizza on North Gate Boulevard.

Our featured high score of the week is Atmosphere Gastropub on Interquest Parkway.

“I love how eclectic our menu is,” Sous Chef Calvin Mertens said in an interview with KRDO. “[we] love worldly foods.”

One fan-favorite at Atmosphere? The Taste of Pikes Peak award-winning tuna tartare!

The tuna tartare has been on the menu for years. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Atmosphere also strives to be the best when it comes to food safety and cleanliness.

As many of our previous high-scoring restaurants have noted, Chef Mertens urges struggling restaurant owners to do what they can to hire good people, and life will be much easier.

“I know in the restaurant industry a lot of times we focus on money, percentages, and making sure you’re meeting goals and quotas, etc.,” he acknowledged. “But sometimes it just takes a little more investment in your staff to ensure your business runs smoothly.”

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.

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

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Concrete pavement just north of Penrose on Highway 115 looks great and is smooth to drive on.

That is, until you get closer to the US 50 interchange.

Dozens of pavement panels are cracked or broken; some are so bad, that previous crews tried to patch the damage with asphalt.

It has created a rough and bumpy ride for several years.

So, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) started a $3.6 million project on Monday to repair or replace the panels along a five-mile stretch north of the interchange.

CDOT expects to finish the project in September.

Because of the volume of work involved, crews will be on 12-hour weekday shifts, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; drivers should watch for occasional traffic shifts and lane closures.

Damaged concrete panels also are an issue in Colorado Springs, specifically at two locations — along Interstate 25 and at the new Powers Boulevard/Airport Road interchange.

Replacing those panels is challenging because of either constant heavy traffic (I-25) or being in an active construction zone (Powers/Airport).

Click here to follow the original article.