Category: krdo-local-news

Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Several people contacted KRDO13 up in arms after they weren’t allowed to sign up for public comment at Tuesday’s Colorado Springs City Council meeting. The topic they wanted to speak about? The resolution to honor the U.S. Senate’s designation of October 14, 2025, as Charlie Kirk Remembrance Day.

RELATED: Local Southern Colorado governments weigh their own honoring of Charlie Kirk on Oct. 14

A spokesperson for the Colorado Springs City Council told KRDO13 that council leadership has the power to not allow public comment for agenda items, if they choose.

That same spokesperson said that at least three people who wanted to comment had been turned away.

KRDO13 reached out to request an interview with Council Leadership or the sponsor of the Kirk Day resolution. Council President Lynette Crow-Iverson, President Pro-Tem Brian Risley, and Councilor Brandy Williams were all unavailable for interviews.

However, other councilors said the irony of this decision was not lost on them.

“I find it just profoundly ironic that a resolution that’s really about free speech and the First Amendment is one we’re not allowing public comment on,” said Councilor Nancy Henjum.

“I agree that’s rather ironic that on this we won’t have a back and forth or just allow citizens who disagree with it to speak,” said Councilor Dave Donelson.

The resolution calls to “preserve open dialogue” and says the principles of open debate are “fundamental to America’s constitutional republic,” but no one from the public will be able to engage in open debate about the resolution on Tuesday.

Councilor Donelson says the reason he was given as to why comments won’t be allowed is that the council will be too busy tomorrow.

The big ticket item on tomorrow’s docket for the city council is Colorado Springs Utilities asking for net metering for solar users, for which many have signed up to speak.

RELATED: Colorado Springs Utilities could increase rates for solar users

“My feeling, though, is that if we don’t have time for citizen comment on this at all. Then we should postpone it. We just shouldn’t do it tomorrow,” Donelson said.

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Rob Namnoum

Top prep performances for the week of October 8th.

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Josh Helmuth

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — With disinformation spreading online and now aided by artificial intelligence, it’s as important as ever for people, especially students, to develop media literacy. KRDO13’s Josh Helmuth spoke to students at Chinook Trail Middle School about the topic for the fourth straight year.

Helmuth, a 15-year veteran of the TV news industry, spent an hour going over how to spot media bias, how to find reliable news sources, why freedom of the press is so important, and the threat of disinformation because of artificial intelligence.

Luke Anliker is an English teacher at Chinook Trail Middle who invites Helmuth to speak each Fall. Helmuth’s presentation kicks off his class called “My News Network.” Students work in groups to choose a United Nations Sustainable Development goal– like ending hunger or protecting the planet — then create news stories around that topic.

They build their own news websites, podcasts, and broadcasts, and get feedback from local journalism professionals. In the end, judges select winners who get featured on the D20 website and get to take a personal tour of the KRDO13 newsroom and studio.

Anlicker says that the project has been wildly successful.

Would you like Josh Helmuth to speak at your school? Email him directly at SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Sons of Norway Colorado Springs hosts their 16th annual Viking Fair Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with Norwegian food, arts and crafts, a raffle and more.

“It is great to be able to connect with your ancestry. It’s hard to explain, but it is what this lodge is all about,” said Sons of Norway member Mike Johansen.

The fair is at their Fjellheim Lodge off Ford Street in Colorado Springs. Admission is free, and they’re offering a brunch for $12.

The Sons of Norway said they fund most of their operations by selling lefse, a traditional Norwegian potato flatbread, very similar to a crepe.

“When I think of the lefse, it kind of makes me think of being a kid,” said Sons of Norway charman Eunice Bluhm.

The group makes hundreds of lefse a week to sell at farmers’ markets and supply the other Sons of Norway lodges across the Front Range. They will have around 600 lefse flatbreads cooked for Saturday.

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KRDO News

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Springs City Council opted to allow public comment about a Charlie Kirk Remembrance Day on Tuesday. However, those who want to speak have to do so at the end of the meeting, and not during a time slot designated for the resolution.

The move goes against the previous decision to restrict all public comment on the resolution, which would honor the U.S. Senate’s designation of Oct. 14 as Charlie Kirk Remembrance Day.

A spokesperson for the Colorado Springs City Council told KRDO13 this week that council leadership has the power to restrict public comment for agenda items, if they choose.

“I find it just profoundly ironic that a resolution that’s really about free speech and the First Amendment is one we’re not allowing public comment on,” said Councilor Nancy Henjum prior to Tuesday’s city council meeting.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Council President Lynette Crow-Iverson decided to allow people to speak on the topic following the meeting.

Councilmember Dave Donelson told KRDO13 that he was disappointed, as many residents might not know when the meeting would be over and public comment would open. He also said many were told yesterday that they wouldn’t get a chance to speak whatsoever.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The above headline may be cause for celebration among drivers who have complained for years about what was considered one of the worst roadway stretches in the Pikes Peak Region.

By the end of October, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) expects to complete the repaving of six miles of the south end of Nevada Avenue, where it becomes Highway 115.

The $10.4 million project placed a new layer of asphalt between Brookside Street, just south of downtown, and the main gate of Fort Carson.

KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior was the first to report in February 2024 that the repaving would happen.

Work began this spring when crews moved north from Fort Carson; they achieved a major milestone several weeks ago when they reached the four-way intersection of Highway 115/South Nevada/Cheyenne Road/Southgate Road.

Workers closed the intersection for 12 hours on a weekend night to complete paving at the intersection — officially symbolizing the beginning of the end for the overall project.

Patti Henschen, a CDOT engineer, said that paving is essentially finished.

“The final touch-up items that we’re going to need are final striping, some signage, and a little bit of guardrail and shouldering,” she said.

Henschen added that the most frustrating aspect of the project was drivers who failed to obey traffic control signs and lights.

The affected corridor was known for numerous potholes, and for cracking, crumbling pavement and concrete; crews also made concrete repairs of curbs, sidewalks, and medians before repaving.

Many drivers considered the worst stretch to be between Brookside and the Lake Avenue interchange.

A commemorative plaque placed on a median in the area indicates that the last major improvements were in 1987.

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Bradley Davis

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – It’s more than just a packed attic. He’s a horror collector from Pueblo, and for the second time, he’s packed his own stock into a 4500 square foot space in the Pueblo Mall to open “The Funhouse Haunted House.”

“Everyone here loves Halloween. They love haunted houses, and I think, most of all, we love to scare people,” said The Funhouse Haunted House founder Jared Perea.

Perea has been collecting all things horror for about 15 years. A couple of years ago, he decided to start buying up more props and costumes to fulfill his dream of opening his own haunted house.

Perea said he’s put thousands of dollars into building out the haunted house. In 2024, it was free and kid-friendly. Perea said he had to start charging this year to cover mall fees and other costs, like insurance. He said any money left over will go to his volunteer actors.

“We want to keep it cheap so you don’t have to spend a lot of money to come into the haunted house,” Perea said. “We don’t cut corners on anything. We go from there, and we try to make it the best experience for the cheapest cost.”

Perea said this year’s haunted house is intended to give guests a good scare, but they will temper the jump scares if guests with children ask.

The haunted house is $8 a ticket online and $25 for a family of four. It’s $12 at the door, but Perea said they will let guests buy online tickets while in line.

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Josh Helmuth

A driver’s license is a rite of passage for most teenagers. Thankfully, there’s a middle school student well ahead of the curve in prepping other students for safe driving.

Holmes Middle School was the only middle school among many high schools to attend a local SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) meeting last month. Among those Holmes Middle School students was Ethan, who took things a step further.

Ethan is passionate about student safety, so he also participated in a CDOT conference on speeding while bringing Colorado’s Drive Smart Program to Holmes.

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

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The latest phase of a $15 million improvements project on the east end of Dublin Boulevard is finished, after a half-mile segment that was closed all summer reopened a week ago.

City officials announced Friday that crews have finished work requiring a full closure of Dublin between Fieler Drive to the west and Issaquah Drive to the east.

The closure included the key intersection of Dublin at Peterson Road, near a fire station and a school.

Officials had hoped to complete the phase before classes resumed, but were delayed by persistent groundwater issues that caused underground springs to develop on Dublin.

Crews significantly improved drainage, diverting groundwater flow into nearby Sand Creek.

Workers also widened Dublin to four lanes between Fieler and just east of Mustang Rim Drive; improved the Dublin/Peterson intersection; and relocated water lines.

The project’s overall goal is to widen Dublin to Fieler and match the width west of that intersection, and widen Dublin east to Marksheffel Road and match the ongoing widening project there.

Sidewalk installation continues in the reopened area, so pedestrians should be alert to occasional closures and detours.

Drivers should expect continued construction on Dublin between Mustang Rim and Marksheffel, as well as a several-week closure of Issaquah north of Dublin, as crews conduct road and trench improvements there.

Officials said that the Dublin closure shortened the length of the overall project by four months and is now scheduled for completion this spring.

The reopening is a relief to drivers, neighbors, and business owners who endured the closing.

“It’s just something we need out here,” said Cammi Fish, manager of Urbane Collective. “We need a little more street space, so we’ll roll with it.”

Gayle Sturdivant, the city’s deputy director of public works, also remarked on the situation.

“We’re trying to be supportive of our businesses in the area because we do know they feel some strain when we have construction going on near them,” she said.

The improvements are funded by sales tax revenue from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority.

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Rob Namnoum

Pueblo East High School was our week three winner of the Qdoba Friday Night Blitz Spirit Award. This the Eagles cheer and dance squads received the Qdoba Friday Night Blitz Spirit Award plaque.

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