Author: KRDO

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Western Museum of Mining and Industry (WMMI) hosts its 14th-annual “Miners’ Pumpkin Patch” to raise money for its field trips, outreach programs, STEM camps and other educational programming.

It all comes back to the different equipment and the different tools that we can use for not just outreach, but everything that we’re doing with our schools and different groups,” educational coordinator Ryan Freeny said.

The pumpkin patch is every Saturday in October from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The museum said it will have a Children’s Straw Maze, a giant slide, giant family yard games, a vintage apple cider press, animals, a hay ride, gold panning, mining machine demonstrations, farm stands, food trucks, a pumpkin catapult and pumpkin smashing.

“People drive by and go, ‘Oh, I’ve never been in,’ but there’s a reason to come now, right? And they can find out about the museum, the blacksmith shop and the other things we have going on,” Executive Director Grant Dewey said.

Tickets are $13 online or $15 at the door.

KRDO 13’s Bradley Davis and the crew at WMMI took some hammers to a pumpkin on Good Morning Colorado to show how tough they can be. Watch the story to see how they did.

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Few road projects are as large, expensive, and impactful as the major infrastructure project in the heart of the city that has entered its third year.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) expects to finish a $62 million improvement project by the end of next summer.

Crews are making various upgrades on a 1.5-mile stretch of I-25 between Fillmore Street and Garden of the Gods Road.

CDOT has replaced the twin bridges over Ellston Street, which required several traffic shifts; traffic is using the southbound bridge while the northbound bridge is expected to open to traffic next month.

Workers are currently focused on the east side of the freeway, along the northbound lanes, shifting traffic to the west, and creating open space that will become new lanes as well as acceleration/deceleration lanes.

The latter will be designed to make it easier for drivers to merge into and out of traffic, eliminating a traffic bottleneck that can cause backups for miles to the south.

That part of the project will eventually move to the west side of the freeway, along the southbound lanes.

Crews have also made significant drainage improvements.

Because traffic lanes have been narrow, winding, and bumpy during construction, CDOT is repaving I-25 through the work zone to smooth the pavement before winter.

The project’s next major phase happens in the spring with a major renovation of the bridge over Garden of the Gods Road.

“It’s going to be in the April/May time frame,” said Patti Henschen, a CDOT engineer overseeing the project. “We’ll give you more details when we get closer to that date, but it’s going to be some overnight closures over several weekends. New rehab work on it.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Celeste Springer

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The City of Pueblo says that residents will have the opportunity to offload large household items, trash, and yard debris later this week.

There will be two dumping locations at the Colorado State Fairgrounds and Colorado State University (CSU) Pueblo, on Saturday. Additionally, those with yard debris, which isn’t bagged, can also go to RecycleWorks.

City officials say this is an opportunity for residents to get rid of old furniture, carpet, or up to nine tires.

Residents should bring an I.D. or a recent utility bill. You will not be able to bring building materials, including concrete, soil, rocks, or any sort of industrial/commercial waste. Hazardous materials, including electronics, will be turned away.

Residents will be limited to one pick-up-sized truck load. Oversized truckloads or moving trucks will be turned away, the city says.

“The City of Pueblo is happy to offer this no-cost event to the public to make clean up and dumping trash more convenient,” said Director of Public Works Andrew Hayes. “This event is always successful, and we know residents look forward to this opportunity.”

Here is information on locations.

The Colorado State Fairgrounds: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18. Residents should come through Gate 3 on Mesa Avenue or Gate 9 on Beulah Avenue. Drivers will be directed to the drop-off location and will be asked to leave through Gate 5. Traffic patterns in the area may be adjusted, but the City of Pueblo says there will be signs set up to help drivers navigate.

CSU Pueblo: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18. Drop off will be at the Thunderbowl parking lot.

RecycleWorks: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18. RecycleWorks is only collecting green waste, like unbagged yard debris. Do not bring furniture items to RecycleWorks.

Click here to follow the original article.

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Arc Pikes Peak Region is hosting a free block party on Saturday to celebrate its 70th year providing guardianship and other services to people with disabilities in Colorado Springs.

The organization said it represents people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Its mission statement is “To promote and protect the human rights of people with IDD and actively support their full inclusion and participation in the communities of the Pikes Peak Region throughout their lifetimes.”

Employees at the Arc dug up some old history as they prepared for the 1950s-themed block party. It’s a nod to their 70-year tenure in Colorado Springs, but there is some history the organization is happy to leave in the past.

“It definitely was very shocking for me,” communications manager Morgan Weise said while reading old newspaper clippings. “I hear 70 years, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s a pretty long time.'” Then I’m looking at this stuff, and I’m like, ‘Wow.’”

The old articles have some jarring headlines. “Leave {explatives} at Home” in big bold letters on one page.

I am always amazed that it was only in the 90s that the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted,” Guardianship Coordinator Christina Butero said. “We’ve come a long way, but we have so far to go.”

The block party is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday outside of their office on N. Meade Avenue. Organizers said there will be carnival games, local vendors, prizes, food trucks and a live DJ.

Click here to follow the original article.

Michael Logerwell

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – Tonight, a new program to help small business owners in the face of vandalism is under consideration by the Pueblo City Council.

The Small Business Window Repair Mini-Grant Program would provide small businesses with funds to replace windows damaged by vandalism.

Below is the background paper for the proposed ordinance:

d306ebcf-62ca-42aa-8836-4c26a383b309Download

The owner of Karmic Konnection, Dawn Thompson, says she has been in business for over a decade and has had windows at her store smashed four times this year alone, most recently, about 48 hours ago.

“I think this is a great start to help the businesses, but it is just a bandage,” says Thompson.

On October 12th, security camera footage caught a man smashing the front door window at Karmic Konnections.

Still picture from security camera footage posted by Karmic Konnection on social media.

“It’s two types of loss with it. Of course, you’ve got the property damage, you’ve got the replacement cost, and they’re affecting your business. But it also takes a very emotional toll,” Thompson says. The repeated incidents make her worry about the safety of her customers, employees, and herself.

Four times in the past year, twice in October alone, Thompson has faced the unplanned cost of replacing store windows.

City officials say this potential solution could help those like Thompson with the cost of replacing the windows.

“They’re going to have to submit a police report. And then their costs incurred, and then they’ll get reimbursed up to $1,000 for their out-of-pocket expenses,” says Councilor Sarah Martinez, who is sponsoring the item.

If passed, officials say it will draw $50,000 from interest on already existing funds. Specifically, federal funds that were previously given to Pueblo to help repair damaged storefronts.

While Thompson said this was a good start, she also told KRDO13 that she would like to see more done.

“Overall, I think that it’s just a bandage for a bigger problem that we have with crime and vandalism and drugs here in Pueblo.”

Councilor Martinez did point to another grant program that’s helping businesses pay for and install accordion-style security gates, and part of the overall strategy includes beefing up police patrols. 

“We swore in three additional officers today. We’re taking a lot of steps to increase the amount of officers that we have ready and available to do that.” Martinez added that the real-time crime center in Pueblo is now fully up and running.

Tonight marked the first reading of the agenda item; it would need to pass tonight’s vote and a second vote for the program to go into effect.

Click here to follow the original article.

Rob Namnoum

Palmer Ridge High School was picked for the Qdoba Friday Night Spirit Award for week four of the high school football season. Ridge Rage received the Qdoba Friday Night Blitz Spirit Award plaque on Tuesday afternoon.

Click here to follow the original article.

Celeste Springer

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office says that ballots have officially been mailed ahead of the Nov. 4, 2025 election.

The clerk and recorder’s office says that more than 500,000 ballots were sent to eligible, active voters in the county. The ballots are expected to arrive in mailboxes by Oct. 17, the office says.

“As your Clerk & Recorder, my promise is simple: secure, transparent, and accessible elections,” said Clerk Steve Schleiker. “Every ballot is tracked end-to-end and processed with bipartisan oversight. With 41 drop boxes and helpful in-person services, please vote early and contact us if you need any assistance.”

The election will include select seats for county commissioner, some city council seats, and school board seats. To see a sample ballot, click here.

There are also several statewide ballot initiatives. For a voter guide on those, click here.

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — For the first time since they were built in 1958, the cloverleaf ramps at the junction of I-25 and US 50 East will no longer be accessible by traffic as of 7 p.m. Friday.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is permanently closing the southbound I-25 ramp toward eastbound US 50, and the westbound US 50 ramp toward southbound I-25.

CDOT’s closure is the next phase of the ongoing $114 million project to replace five aging bridges over I-25, Fountain Creek, and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

Shortly after crews close and dismantle the ramps, crews will start demolishing the US 50 overpass at I-25, which has been damaged in recent years from semi-truck collisions and is rated in poor condition.

A primary factor in those collisions is that the overpass over southbound I-25 is a foot lower than on the northbound side.

The bridge project began in December and is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2027.

“We’re anticipating that before the end of October, we’ll have the ramps demolished and the bridge removed,” Scott Dalton, the project director, explained. “There will be more to come on the demo of the bridges. That plan isn’t quite in place yet, but that will be coming in the next few weeks.”

CDOT advises drivers to use Highway 47 — east of the I-25 exit to Pueblo West — as the detour around the closure.

While drivers may find shorter routes, CDOT said that its official detour is the only one that will accommodate commercial truck traffic and heavier overall traffic volumes.

A benefit of the project is building a sound wall on the east side of I-25 along the south end of Main Street, to protect homeowners there from traffic noise.

Charlotta Barton has lived there since 1973.

“It’s going to be kind of dirty when the wind blows, because you can see how high they’re stacking things up there,” she said. “But we just have to live with it. There used to be tall pine trees behind us that absorbed the highway noise, but they’re gone now.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — A post is making its rounds on Colorado Springs’ social media groups after a patron at a local shopping center claimed someone was going around putting big green stickers on cars that had expired tags.

KRDO13 went out to the Walmart off Powers Boulevard and Woodmen Road to see for ourselves. We located one car in the parking lot that appeared to have a sticker slapped on the back license plate.

The stickers sparked an online debate, with some applauding what they called a “vigilante.” Others were not amused, saying that people need to “mind their business.”

KRDO13 then spent some time downtown to ask people whose side they’re taking.

“I think that everyone should respect other people’s property. But also, in today’s day and age, we should take things a little bit more lightly. Sometimes you just have to laugh it off and appreciate the reminder,” says a local reacting to the social media post.

Then there are these people, who wrote to us saying they wish they had the time to help apply the stickers and claimed people think they’re above the law.

The Colorado Springs Police Department says residents should not put stickers on property that is not their own. In extreme cases, it could result in a misdemeanor charge, police say.

Click here to follow the original article.

Samantha Hildebrandt

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with the correct location and coinciding photo of the crash site.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — One person is dead after a car crashed into a home on the Westside of Colorado Springs.

The crash happened at a home near Uintah and 22nd Street around 11:45 Friday night.

After a night of no sleep, KRDO13 spoke with neighbors who say they ran to what was left of their neighbor’s home.

“There was so much smoke. So much smoke. It smelled so bad. We almost didn’t even know the house was hit until we heard screaming, hysterical screaming. She was looking for her son,” says a samaritan, Victoria Elizondo, who was next door when the crash happened.

Victoria says she was watching a movie with her family when they heard a loud screech.

Thankfully, everyone in the home is safe, but Victoria tells me the circumstances could have been very different. 

“The oldest son was not home. If you see that bed right there over there, that was his bed completely mangled. If he would have been home, he would have been on that bed,” says Elizondo.

Multiple neighbors say they’re devastated by the incident, but sadly not surprised.

They say car crashes happen all too often in this area, and they intend to speak up to get some safety measures implemented, hopefully to prevent future crashes from happening.

Investigators are still looking into what caused the crash.

Click here to follow the original article.