The Air Academy girls lacrosse team scores 22 goals in their playoff win
Rob Namnoum
The Air Academy girls lacrosse team defeated Durango 22-9 on Friday night to advance in the Class 4A playoffs. The Kadets will play Golden on Monday.
The Air Academy boys lacrosse team advances in the Class 4A playoffs
Rob Namnoum
The Air Academy boys lacrosse team beats Middle Park 16-4 on Friday night.
The Pine Creek girls soccer team took on Valor Christian in the Class 5A playoffs
Rob Namnoum
The Pine Creek girls soccer team would fall to Valor Christian 3-2 on Friday night.
Colorado State Rep. calls for more education after racist picture shared from Harrison High School
Michael Logerwell
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – The controversy around a racist photo taken by students at Harrison High School is reaching the statehouse.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Harrison High students disciplined for photo that classmates claim showed racial slur
“I just sat back in my chair, and my mouth just dropped open. Like, what in the actual heck is going on here?” Colorado Springs Representative Regina English told KRDO13.
Representative English was shocked when a parent sent her the image of Harrison High School students holding up balloons arranged to spell the n-word, with one letter missing. She said she then went to her colleagues in the house, and they all shared the same response: shock.
Then on Thursday, the representative went to social media.
However, on Wednesday, School District 2 Leaders responded to the incident publicly.
In an email sent to Harrison Families, Superintendent Dr. Wendy Birhanzel wrote to families in an email, “Hate speech, racial slurs, and any form of discrimination have no place at Harrison High School,” and added, “In addition to discipline, the school is taking steps to ensure this becomes a learning opportunity. We are committed to reinforcing expectations around respect and inclusion, and will engage students in restorative practices to help build understanding, empathy, and accountability.”
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Chris Page agreed to an on-camera interview with KRDO13 earlier in the week.
“Whether they intended it one way or another, it was taken a different way. And so, it’s our responsibility to make sure we not only educate those students, but we find a way and a plan to move forward effectively,” Dr. Paige said on Wednesday.
KRDO13 asked Rep. English if she thought the district’s announcement that the students are being held accountable went far enough.
“Well, like I said, there’s always going to be room for growth. There’s always space, an opportunity to do more,” Rep. English responded.
She said it starts with the bullet points she posted on her social media:
A full public acknowledgment of the racial harm caused
Transparent accountability measures
A public community meeting with district leadership
Meaningful restorative participation from the students involved
Concrete action to address racial climate and student safety within the district
“I just think we need to create, like I said, ways and opportunities to come together as a collective and have conversations about what harm looks like to each other and how we can really treat each other with dignity and respect,” Rep. English said.
On Friday, School District 2 pushed back on the social media stir, in response to accusations they leadership didn’t do enough.
“Earlier this week, we did provide an interview with KRDO to address the situation and share the information we were able to under FERPA laws. Right now, our focus is on supporting the school community and continuing to work through the matter internally, so we are not scheduling additional interviews today.
We understand there has been ongoing discussion on social media, including commentary from Representative English and other individuals who may not have seen the full reporting or complete context of the situation. Our priority remains addressing the matter thoughtfully, factually, and in a way that supports students and staff. To be clear, the school and the district have never suggested that the country of Niger played a role in the situation, and the students are being held accountable for their behavior.
If there are any significant updates we can share, we will provide additional information at the appropriate time. We appreciate your understanding.”
The Discovery Canyon boys volleyball team took on Eaglecrest in the state tournament
Rob Namnoum
The Discovery Canyon boys volleyball team lost to Eaglecrest on Friday three games to none.
Local non-profit adding 10 new murals to Shooks Run Trail
Bradley Davis
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Concrete Couch non-profit is celebrating a year-long community project Saturday by unveiling 10 community art pieces on the South end of the Shooks Run Trail.
The art pieces will line the tunnel that connects Shooks Run with their Concrete Coyote park. Concrete Couch has a team of artists who work directly with different community groups to help them create their own mural, like the children from John Adams Elementary school in Colorado Springs.
The entire park is Concrete Couch’s largest “installation.” The space was an old abandoned concrete plant. True to its name, Concrete Couch revitalized the space into a community park with trails, multiple playgrounds, a stage, public art, native plant life, and hundreds of community events.
Concrete Couch is responsible for dozens of public art pieces across Colorado Springs, like the giant mosaic pumpkin off Nevada and Vermijo, the mosaic duck sculpture in Acacia Park, and the giant hanging fish sculpture in Library 21c.
Saturday’s celebration is called “Focus on the Creek.” Volunteers and community members are invited to help with preparations starting at 1 p.m. The celebration and unveiling start at 6 p.m. Poor Richard’s will provide pizza. The event and pizza are free. There is street parking, or guests can park at Leon Young Park and walk through the tunnel on the Shooks Run Trail.
New plan revealed to repair crumbling Lime Road south of Pueblo
Scott Harrison
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The potential for future economic development in the St. Charles Industrial Park has changed the strategy for rebuilding a deteriorating concrete road through the area.
In late 2024, KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior reported on the plan for 1.5 miles of Lime Road, east of the Stem Beach interchange on Interstate 25.
The road is primarily a two-lane concrete route to several industries, including a concrete plant, a power plant, and a wind turbine manufacturer.
Constant heavy truck traffic, however, has seriously cracked much of the road’s concrete pavement — creating a rough ride for traffic.
Pueblo annexed the main stretch of Lime Road from Pueblo County in 2012, but the opposite ends of it remain in the county’s jurisdiction.
The county is currently paving its part of the road, approximately a quarter mile east of the interchange.
Pueblo’s original plan was to remove the old concrete and use it as a base to rebuild the road as an entirely asphalt surface.
However, Andrew Hayes, the city’s public works director, said that rebuilding the road as a concrete surface remains a possibility.
“We’re working with companies in (the industrial park) right now, to time that project and to figure out how best to get there without interrupting their operations as well,” he explained.
The city also wants to rebuild a quarter-mile segment of the interchange — which is owned by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) — to remove a sharp curve and align it with the rest of Lime Road.
Such a project would likely cost between $10 million and $20 million, Hayes said, but it would also be an enticement for other industries to come to the park.
No details are available about the nature of the economic development possibility or the funding source for road reconstruction.
However, the situation has led Pueblo-area leaders to begin discussing how to increase funding for street, road, and bridge needs.
Hayes said that the Pueblo Area Council of Governments (PACOG) could establish a regional transportation authority similar to the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) in El Paso County.
The PPRTA was formed in 2005 and proposed a 1% sales tax increase specifically to fund local transportation projects; it was approved and renewed by voters in the municipalities of Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Manitou Springs, Green Mountain Falls, Ramah, and Calhan.
Hayes said that such an entity would include not only Pueblo and Pueblo County, but potentially other communities such as Pueblo West and Colorado City.
Before an entity could be formed, it would have to be approved by PACOG members, which include several Pueblo City Council members, the three Pueblo County commissioners, representatives of the city and county school districts, and the Pueblo Water Board.
Additionally, voters would have to approve any proposed tax increases.
Semi truck drivers and industrial park workers hope to see a better Lime Road soon.
The Classical Academy wins their opening round Class 3A playoff game
Rob Namnoum
The Classical Academy girls soccer team defeated St. Mary’s Academy 5-1 on Thursday night. They will play Pueblo Centennial on Saturday.
The Pine Creek girls lacrosse team in Class 5A playoff action
Rob Namnoum
The Pine Creek girls lacrosse team fell to Kent Denver 16 to 4 in the Class 5A playoffs on Thursday night.
The Palmer Ridge girls soccer team wins their opening round playoff game
Rob Namnoum
The Palmer Ridge girls soccer team defeated Thomas Jefferson 2-0 on Thursday night. They will play Mead on Saturday.