Category: krdo-local-news

Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Up and down I-25 on the Front Range, you’ve probably seen this truck. On the back, a massive satellite-looking metal structure, kind of looking like a tipped-over Christmas tree or bugle snack. Then on the back, a banner with ‘ICE’ crossed out.

But is this vehicle even legal?

KRDO13 showed pictures of the custom build to the Colorado State Patrol. A sergeant told us over the phone that they would pull this vehicle over immediately because the license plate couldn’t be seen. That’s before even getting to talking about the rest of the structure.

Despite that, when we shared this picture (seen above) with CSP, showing a trooper right behind the vehicle in question, a spokesperson said that a citation was not issued, and the trooper never made contact with the vehicle.

KRDO13 security camera still.

Here at KRDO13, we got a good look at the truck up close when the driver came into our parking lot both Thursday night and Friday morning.

The driver wanted to speak with us about his issues with the trump administration’s immigration policies and raise concerns about aggressive drivers he said were trying to push him off the road.

However, KRDO13 spoke to drivers who say that the vehicle has been seen driving extremely slowly on the highway or even pulled over on the shoulder.

As for our local police department, we’ve seen some pictures that show Colorado Springs Police Officers pulling over the truck. KRDO13 reached out to the Colorado Springs Police Department to ask if they’ve issued any citations or pulled over the driver, but they haven’t answered our questions.

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Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Currently, the closest thing to a highway roundabout in southern Colorado was built several years ago, on an exit ramp at the junction of US 50 and Highway 115 in Fremont County.

But the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is preparing to construct a traffic circle on a major highway.

Work will start in the fall of 2027 at the intersection of US 24 and Judge Orr Road — a route experiencing heavier traffic due to continued growth in the Falcon community.

The project will last for two years and cost between $10 million and $15 million.

CDOT said that the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) asked CDOT to take action because of the frequency of speeding and crashes at the intersection.

The roundabout construction requires that CDOT close the US 24 intersection at Blue Gill Drive, a mile-long neighborhood road slightly west of the roundabout location.

Blue Gill also connects to the highway farther south, and CDOT said that the east intersection will be moved to an undetermined location.

CDOT said that initially, crews will stripe the roundabout for one lane of traffic in each direction, but it will eventually have two lanes.

The alighnment of Judge Orr Road skews the intersection, CDOT said, making the roundabout design more challenging.

The agency said that the overall goal is not necessarily to slow traffic down, but to keep drivers safe.

Keith McCafferty, a former mayor of Ramah, in the northeastern corner of El Paso County, said that he doesn’t like the roundabout plan and would rather see less-expensive measures, such as adding turn lanes and passing lanes.

“I can’t see how the school buses, the semi trucks, and the construction vehicles are going to navigate a roundabout there,” he said.

CDOT has yet to decide if it will schedule a public meeting on the roundabout project.

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Bradley Davis

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – The city of Pueblo rolled out its bingo card for the 2026 Pueblo Restaurant Month this February with 36 participating restaurants.

It’s essentially a scavenger hunt. You can pick up a bingo card at any of the 36 participating restaurants. Ask your waiter for a stamp at each restaurant you dine at and spend at least $25. Once you get six in a row, Bingo! Write your contact information on the back of the card, and drop it off at The Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce Building.

Once you’ve submitted your card, you will be in a drawing to win $500 cash and gift cards to all 36 participating restaurants.

You can pick your card up starting on February 2nd. Your card must be turned in by March 2nd to qualify for the drawing.

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Mackenzie Stafford

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – For the first time, KRDO13 is hearing from a mother who lost her fiancé, son and two soon-to-be stepchildren in a horrific crash. The family, who is from Colorado Springs, was driving in Douglas County on Highway 83 at the time.

It was a tragic incident in November after a man reportedly stole a car and hit the family head-on. Only two people survived, one of them is Jordan Green, Jennifer Watkins’s son, who is now back on his feet.

In the crash, Green broke both femurs and a hip.

“He’s got a rod through one femur, and he’s got a plate and screws in the other, with one right above his knee. And then he’s got some screws in his right hip,” detailed Watkins.

Green lost his soon-to-be stepdad, Alvin Corrado, and brother, Jase Green. Watkins says Corrado taught her so much, including what unconditional love looks like, and that she was lucky to have the time with him she did. Jase Green is remembered as the most beloved kid in all his classes and by his classmates, leaving a lasting impact. Watkins says he was funny, adorable, a great kid, quiet at first, but had the biggest heart and loved his mother.

It’s unimaginable grief, but the fact that Jordan is alive and recovering is the only thing his mom says keeps her going.

“We weren’t sure what was going to happen and if he was going to be able to walk or if he was going to be able to play basketball or anything,” explained Jennifer Watkins.

Green is now able to stand and is even working on playing basketball.

“For him to be walking, the way he’s walking and doing the steps he’s doing is just a miracle,” shared Watkins.

But it’s a long road to recovery that Watkins says her son never should have been on.

“I’m angry, and my son is angry,” said Watkins.

Walter Huling III, the suspect who CSP crashed into the family, was out on parole at the time, according to inmate records. 

“He took his best friend from him,” stated Watkins.

Autopsy results show he was under the influence of alcohol and meth.  Records from our partners at 9News in Denver show that Huling violated his parole multiple times ahead of the crash. They include missing drug tests, missing parole officer meetings, violating court orders, and admitting to consuming mushrooms and alcohol. 

All of these could have been reasons for his parole officer to ask for a revocation order to send him back to prison, but that didn’t happen. 

“I wonder what he did that made him such an upstanding citizen at that point, that he was still considered high risk, that y’all just let him waltz on out the door and kill my family,” questioned Watkins.

KRDO13 reached out to the Department of Corrections about Huling’s release and has not received a response. 

“Colorado dropped the ball. If it wasn’t for them, my family would still be alive,” said Watkins.

Watkins wants the state to take a closer look at parole requirements to keep dangerous offenders in custody and unable to hurt other families. She says the system needs to be changed to help either rehabilitate offenders or keep them behind bars, not just release them on parole.

“Something better has to get done. When my son said, we have to make something good come out of this, I have no control. I can’t bring my son back for him. I can’t do anything. Everything else is out of control for me. It’s I can at least do this to bring awareness to this. That’s all I can do for my son. That’s all he’s asking me to do,” explained Watkins.

No matter what, she’ll continue to advocate for her sons. She says she plans to join Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and continue raising awareness.

If you would like to support Watkins and her son during this time, there is a verified GoFundMe here.

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Celeste Springer

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — A driver is dead and eight passengers were transported for medical treatment following a multi-vehicle crash on eastbound I-70 on Thursday morning, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) says. Troopers say the crash involved a Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) snowplow, two passenger vehicles, and a sprinter van carrying a hockey team from California.

The Colorado State Patrol responded to the scene at milepost 218 in Clear Creek County around 8:53 a.m. 10 people were inside the sprinter van at the time of the collision, and CSP says the area of Loveland Pass is facing extreme weather conditions.

According to the CSP crash investigation, the CDOT plow truck was traveling westbound on I-70 when the driver lost control, traveling through the median and breaking the cable rail into the eastbound lanes. The plow then collided with a Toyota Tacoma that was traveling eastbound. The Toyota then went through the median and struck a BMW traveling westbound.

CDOT says the plow continued eastbound and struck the sprinter van that was traveling eastbound, which caused the van to go down an embankment and the plow to come to rest on the shoulder.

According to the CSP, of the eight people requiring medical attention, seven were transported by ground ambulance to a local hospital. An additional juvenile was flown by medical helicopter to an area trauma center with critical injuries. The remaining occupants of the sprinter van included one adult male passenger who refused medical transportation, as well as the driver who was declared dead at the scene.

None of the drivers or passengers of the other vehicles involved were transported to the hospital.

The crash resulted in a significant closure of eastbound Interstate 70. Officials initially closed the highway at milepost 216 at 9:10 a.m. before extending the closure back to milepost 205.

As of the last update from the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office at 12:15 p.m., westbound I-70 is fully open, but traffic is backed up approximately six miles to Silver Plume. I-70 East remains closed.

CSP says as of 3:40 p.m., the status of the seven passengers from the van is unknown; however, the CSP victims advocate team has been deployed to support all passengers.

The Colorado State Patrol Vehicular Crimes Unit is investigating the circumstances of the crash. The identity of the deceased driver will be released by the Clear Creek County Coroner.

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Josh Helmuth

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Coltin Bridgmon is a senior at The Colorado Springs School with a million reasons he knows he’s going to a top university.

Bridgmon has so many scholarship offers (from 13 different schools and counting) that the cumulative amount exceeds $1 million. And the reason schools want him is more than just about his grades.

Teachers and counselors at The Colorado Springs School say Coltin has been named the Kodiak Male Athlete of the Year; he’s won the National Honor Society Character Award; and he has more than 200 hours of community service club recognition. Mr. Takacs, his math teacher, also said Coltin is the top math student in the school simply because of his hard work.

He’s the whole package.

Coltin hasn’t yet chosen which school he will attend in the fall. But he did say he’s considering studying to become an aerospace engineer or a teacher.

Is there someone remarkable at your school? Email us! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.

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Scott Harrison

FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) — On Tuesday night, the City Council decided to take no action, for the present, on whether to reopen a neighborhood street segment that has been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Council updated the status of Southmoor Drive, where authorities closed several blocks along the middle of the two-mile street in April of 2020.

An erosion threat led to the closure.

The closed segment is on a bluff high above a bend in Fountain Creek, and severe erosion from heavy creek flows caused by unusually wet weather brought the steep drop-off only a few feet from the west edge of the street.

Last summer, the Fountain Creek Watershed District (FCWD) spent $7 million on a mitigation project to widen the creek banks, dissipate the force of heavy flows, and prevent the street from literally collapsing into the creek.

Now, there are mixed opinions among city leaders on whether the street is safe to reopen.

Todd Evans, deputy city manager for Fountain, advised caution.

“Those 100-year storms we had a few years ago — we had two, back-to-back — and even (with) those, (mitigation) may last through those, and then one gets (hit again) five years from now,” he said. “So, there’s really no engineering specs they can put to it, that say that this is absolutely, 100% guaranteed to work.”

Yet several neighbors who attended the Council meeting want the street reopened as soon as possible.

“I would like to see the road opened, due to the fact (of) easy access to all the businesses on the back side of Southmoor — because right now, we don’t have access,” said Gerald Whitten. “If I want to go to Walmart, I have to get on Highway 85/87 and fight the traffic.”

The American Legion Post 36 is located near the street closure.

“People come looking for The American Legion, they get on Waze, and it says to go down the north side of that way coming there,” said John Langley, a post commander. “And then they get there, and then it’s blocked off.”

The Council decided to revisit the issue at its late February meeting after first consulting with a citizens’ roadway group.

Evans said that the biggest obstacle to reopening the street is the high cost emphasizing that some repair options, such as repaving the street and installing guardrails along its western edge, would equal or exceed the city’s entire annual street maintenance budget.

“We also have to consider liability issues and other street priorities that we have,” he said.

To improve safety and traffic flow for drivers detouring at the south end of the closure, officials made changes to the intersection of Carson Boulevard and Highway 85/87 in 2004.

The changes included installing traffic signals and creating protected left turns to reduce crashes.

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Celeste Springer

Writing by KRDO13 producer Jaunell Vallejo contributed to this report.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — A fire station responsible for responding to emergencies has also found itself in the middle of them.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) says a truck wiped out a sign, among other things, just outside Station 7 over the weekend. It’s the second time in recent history that a vehicle has crashed near the building, CSFD says.

Station 7 sits at the busy intersection of Academy Boulevard and Palmer Park Boulevard. CSFD says it was built in the late 1960s when traffic in the area was far lighter than it is today.

Firefighters say that as traffic has increased, so have crashes, including one involving vehicles striking buildings near the station.

“It seems like we’ve had a pretty big uptick of that, of people running into houses, running into commercial buildings, running into fire stations,” said Chief Randy Royal. “I just implore our public to be thinking out there when they’re driving.”

Chief Royal says crashes at Station 7 have happened often enough that the department built a protective wall in front of the building.

He says there are plans to remodel Station 7 in the future, with possible plans to relocate the station to a different site.

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Celeste Springer

DIVIDE, Colo. (KRDO) — Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and forgetting it could land you in the doghouse. But one organization suggests a wild alternative: ditch the chocolates for wolves.

The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is hosting a “Bring your Sweetheart” event on Sunday, Feb. 8, from 9 to 11 a.m. Attendees will get a mini tour to see the animals and get a special look at Chinook’s Nature Trail. Additionally, participants will learn about the story of two star-crossed lovers, a pair of wolves named Chinook and Nikita.

Guests will receive a flower, snacks, and seasonal drinks. It isn’t restricted to couples; families and children are welcome.

A spokesperson with the center says that the holiday event is an opportunity to expand awareness of its mission and “directly contributes to our efforts in conservation, education, and providing a lifelong sanctuary for our animals.”

Tickets for those aged 12 and older are $40, and tickets for those aged 8 to 11 are $20. Reservations are required. To book, call (719)687-9742.

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Alexander Brunet

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) says that two people have died in a crash, which has shut down southbound Marksheffel Road at North Carefree Circle.

The CSP says that the crash happened around 7:47 a.m. between a pickup truck and an SUV. The pickup truck caught on fire, and two people were later pronounced dead, troopers say. The CSP has not yet publicly released their identities, but says that they were a 19-year-old man and a 42-year-old man.

“The initial investigation suggests that the Ford F150 may have run a red light, according to witness statements,” read a release by CSP.

There were no injuries reported from those in the SUV, troopers say.

As the investigation continued into Wednesday afternoon, North Carefree in both directions and southbound Marksheffel remained closed at the intersection, and traffic on northbound Marksheffel was reduced to one lane.

The truck fire also burned one of the traffic signal poles; it was being stabilized by machinery while crews repaired it.

All traffic signals at the intersection were inoperative.

This is a developing story, and we will update this article as more information becomes available.

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