Category: krdo-local-news

Rob Namnoum

The CSU Pueblo softball team swept a doubleheader from UCCS on Monday afternoon. As the Thunderwolves won game one 9-8 and game two 8-4. As the Pack completed the weekend sweep of the Mountain Lions.

Josh Helmuth

Lewis-Palmer D-38 kicked off renovations for their new Career and Innovation Center with a wall-breaking ceremony last week.

The building is on the south side of Monument and will be a resource for high school students to learn practical skills in relevant industries like engineering, manufacturing, and other skill trades, along with classes in healthcare and information technology.

The center will open next school year.

“Whether students plan to head straight to college after graduation or directly enter the workforce, the new Career & Innovation Center will provide experience in popular career pathways by providing hands-on learning experiences, opportunities to earn industry certifications, and professional connections; we are ensuring D38 students graduate with a competitive edge,” said Tiffiney Upchurch, Board of Education President.

Is there something or someone remarkable at your school? Email Josh at SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Officials in our local governments and departments encourage us to report potholes that we see, as soon as possible — because the sooner we do, the sooner they can be prioritized and filled.

“They can’t repair them if they don’t know about them,” said Sam Sprott, of Colorado Springs, who contacted KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior this week.

However, he confessed to some uncertainty recently regarding a large pothole at the interchange of US 24 and Peterson Road; it’s at the entrance to the westbound on-ramp to 24, which presumably in the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) jurisdiction.

But some drivers may think it’s in El Paso County’s jurisdiction, or is the responsibility of Colorado Springs — the location is slightly east of the city limits — and that confusion may have kept people from reporting it.

“About three months ago, I hit that pothole,” Sprott said. “Fortunately, I was driving slow and didn’t damage my ca.r And since it was there, I was under the impression that someone may have (already) reported it. But last Sunday, I purposed in my heart that I would call and try to find out the proper way to get it reported.”

But some people aren’t good at searching online for public works departments or phone numbers.

“I was only able to reach the Pueblo Public Works Department,” he said. “But now that I have a better ideal of whom to contact, I’ll try again. I just hope someone comes out to fix it soon, before someone actually hits it at a high rate of speed. And that’s going to definitely cause some type of alignment problem and might throw the vehicle out of alignment.”

The Road Warrior also heard from Michele McCarty about potholes in the southbound lanes of Powers Boulevard, just north of the Fountain Boulevard intersection — which would be in CDOT’s jurisdiction.

“(It) made a horrible sound to my Toy(ota) truck as I was driving,” she wrote in an email. “I couldn’t see it until I was right up on it. It really needs to be addressed ASAP.”

The pothole is actually a series of potholes along a seam where asphalt and concrete pavement meet; such junctions are where bumps can form (a situation The Road Warrior reported on last July) and the potholes appear to be a result of bumps that have collapsed and deteriorated under the weight of constant traffic.

Those potholes may be only part of the problem, as the asphalt in that area has many cracks, and a lot of wear and tear; a CDOT spokesperson said that she would check to see if the agency is aware of the potholes at both locations.

The Road Warrior also heard from viewers about a fairly common issue — potholes on privately-owned roads — and it was on display north of the intersection of Chelton Road and Delta Drive, in east Colorado Springs.

Interestingly, maps show that Delta north of the intersection is still a city street; however, a city spokesman said that it is actually a private service road on which the city has no repair responsibility.

The potholes there are numerous and deep; drivers describe it as an obstacle course, or like driving through moon craters.

Making matters worse is the steady stream of traffic by people who use the road as a convenient shortcut to a Walmart, a coffee shop and other businesses in the area.

Some drivers said that the potholes have existed for years and continue to worsen.

Patti Smothers explained why she hasn’t reported the potholes to the property owner.

“I figured someone would probably have already contacted (The Road Warrior),” she said. “And I was happy to see you here, because this is bad. It needs to be totally done. Not even just filled. They need to do the whole road.”

But as The Road Warrior has reported previously, finding private property owners can be difficult because they often have offices in other cities or states and rarely respond to media inquiries or citizen complaints.

A parcel search on the El Paso County Assessor’s website indicates that the property is owned by Nancy Express Wash – Chelton, but no contact information is available.

However, The Road Warrior has learned two things: Some private property owners have eventually filled their potholes after his report aired; and some local departments have patched potholes after similar reports.

Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado Springs Police are searching for a person who shot at a home multiple times. On Tuesday morning, just before 3 a.m., someone drove by a home on Willamette Avenue and fired shots. The house and windows were hit by the gunfire, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD).

CSPD said the suspect then drove back by the house and fired again. This time, a man came out of the house and shot back at the suspect car. There were kids in the home, but luckily, no one was injured, CSPD said.

RELATED: Colorado Springs drive-by shooter hits home with children inside

KRDO13 spoke with the man who fired back at the suspect. He asked to leave his name out of our reporting for fear of retribution.

“I heard the first 2 or 3 shots. I grabbed my firearm and ran out the side door. I didn’t see anybody the first time, so I went back inside to make sure everybody was okay,” shared the man.

The man told KRDO13 he had his young son and wife in the home. He said he was focused on protecting his family despite his disbelief that the shooting was happening. Then, the shooter returned.

“As soon as I came outside, there were more gunshots being shot off. So I fired off my shots to keep them away,” explained the man who returned gunfire.

He tells KRDO13 he does not know who could have done this, but he hopes they do not return.

“Whoever did do it, if you come back around again, there’s a surprise waiting for you,” shared the man.

Colorado Springs police say it’s too early in their investigation to tell if it was a targeted attack. However, the department said they are actively investigating and working to develop suspect information.

Another neighbor told KRDO13 that they saw a large law enforcement response in the middle of the night.

“I looked out and I saw a police van with lights, which I usually never see, a police van. And then two police cars,” explained neighbor Beth Pettit-Willis.

She says she loves the Knob Hill area and that there are a lot of lovely people in the neighborhood, but she’s sad that this is happening.

“It can happen to anyone and anywhere. So it doesn’t surprise me. You know, it’s just sad. It’s sad that somebody would do that as a means of entertainment or relief or frustration. I’m not sure why you would do such a thing, but anyway, I’m just sad that it happened,” shared Pettit-Willis.

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – High school students working out of the St. Vrain Innovation Center built, coded and coordinated a light show with 300 drones above the Broadmoor Lake for some of the brightest space minds across the world.

“To see high school students be able to take hundreds of drones and actually make it look professional, this was kind of like an olympic opening ceremony,” said the CEO of a Colorado Springs-based company, Auria Space, Damian DiPippa.

The St. Vrain Innovation Center is part of the St. Vrain Valley school district in Longmont, Colorado. A team of 10 or so students performed the drone show with the help of their teacher.

The show illuminated moving scenes like the first moon walk and a rocket launch.

The symposium kicks off around 9 a.m. Tuesday. It ends Thursday after three days of networking and sharing between scientists, engineers and business people representing over 60 countries in the most cutting edge technology in the commercial and government space industry.

On Thursday, the Space Foundation will welcome students from Colorado schools to experience the Space Symposium. It’s a unique opportunity for the students, as the typical entry fee is over $3000.

Scott Harrison

FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) — As many as five streets will be repaved or resurfaced in projects scheduled for this spring and summer, officials announced this week.

A target for much of the work is Fountain Mesa Road, where two half-mile segments will receive attention from crews: On the north end, between Cross Creek Drive and C & S Road; and on the south end, between Harvest Moon Drive and Ohio Avenue.

Fountain Mesa is a key street in town because it covers most of Fountain from north to south; it’s busy at the north end of the project segment because it’s near many restaurants, shopping areas and other businesses but the rest of the street passes through residential areas.

Many drivers are familiar with the north end of the project segment because of the constant ‘thumping” of traffic over cracks in the pavement; so, the asphalt repaving there will provide smoother — and quieter — driving.

The other segment of Fountain Mesa — from Harvest Moon Drive to Ohio Avenue — will be chip-sealed.

“I mean, it’s Colorado,” said homeowner Walter Callaway. “The roads crack. They fill them with tar. They’re going to pave the new roads, and then they’re going to fill them with tar in two years because they’ll crack again.”

James Anderson, another homeowner, is more excited.

“It’s nice to have them repaved, if they’re going to do it,” he said. “Some other areas, I think, could use it a little bit more, though.”

Crews also will place new asphalt on Camden Boulevard, around a third of a mile north of the Walmart to where the street ends on the north side of town.

Finally, chip-sealing work will come to Jimmy Camp Road, covering three-quarters of a mile around Fountain-Fort Carson High School at the south end of Fountain.

“Every time winter is done, you have these big, large potholes,” said Lionel Bascombe. “So, if you can get those taken care of, it will be really nice for our neighborhood.”

Officials have yet to release the construction schedule for those projects.

In November 2023, Fountain voters rejected a proposal to join the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority — an organization of six municipalities that levies a 1% sales tax for transportation projects — and town leaders said that they would increase their budget allocation to street improvements through 2027.

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Theatreworks will announce its productions for its 50th anniversary season on Monday after half a century putting on plays in Southern Colorado.

It’s really unusual for a regional theatre to have a 50 year run,” Theatreworks Interim Director David Dahlin said.

Theatreworks is a professional production company that works out of the ENT Center for the Arts at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. While bringing timeless classics and modern renditions to the residents of Colorado Springs, Theatreworks has also become a consistent employer of local professionals, as well as college acting students training to break into the industry.

“Part of the mission of theatreworks is to provide opportunities for local artists, whether it be an actor, or a director or a designer of some sort, to use their craft here,” Dahlin said. “Otherwise, they’ll go off to New York, or Los Angeles or Chicago, and we actually want to keep talent, and grow talent here.”

“Being able to take those educational leaps through Theatreworks productions and Theatreworks classes with directors who would offer insight, it gives their openness. They give their hand to the next generation of artists. Not to be cheesy, but here we are, “Theatreworks actor Sean Ahmed Sharif said, who has acted in the production’s plays since as a student in 2016.

Theatreworks will announce the productions at its 50th season anniversary party Monday at 7 p.m. Anyone can attend with a free RSVP.

Tune in to Good Morning Colorado to watch KRDO13’s Bradley Davis speak with a longtime Theatreworks actor about the impressive milestone.

Julia Donovan

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – It’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is hoping to make headway on some concerning statistics involving the matter locally.

CSPD has started a phone drive as a way to help sexual assault victims who so often are in domestic violence situations.

The process is as simple as taking your old, banged-up phone and dropping it off in the lobby of the Police Operations Center or any of the police substations across Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs Police Operations Center – 705 S. Nevada Ave.Gold Hill Substation – 955 W. Morena Ave.Falcon Substation – 7850 Goddard St.Stetson Hills Substation – 4100 Tutt Blvd.Sand Creek Substation – 950 Academy Park Lp.

Organizers say that simple act could help save lives.

According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, the number of sexual assault and domestic violence cases hasn’t gone down over the last several years. 

Officers told KRDO these numbers are part of the reason why they decided to do the phone drive.

Advocates for victims at the organization TESSA say, since technology is such a big part of our lives nowadays, it’s no surprise that offenders are using it to their advantage. 

“Their phones are being tracked and so one of the biggest pieces we have to definitely safety plan around is making sure they have a safe and secure device that they can still use for that access of resources and support that the offender is not aware of,” TESSA safe house manager, Bri Bebow, explained in an interview with KRDO Wednesday.

CSPD will reset the phone and make sure to delete all your personal information, or you can do that part yourself if that makes you feel more comfortable.

CSPD said the “Phone it Forward” campaign accepts all types of cell phones.

The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office is spearheading a similar drive.