Category: krdo-local-news

Scott Harrison

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — Officials said that traffic impacts at the intersection of Stockyard Road and La Crosse Avenue, because of an $8 million utility project, may end up less than expected.

That’s because crews won’t have to dig into the street to install a liner inside a half-mile of existing wastewater pipe.

It’s good news for the many drivers who use La Crosse to travel east and west to detour around the bridge construction at the Interstate 25/US 50 East interchange, and as a shortcut to the US 50 Business Loop.

Officials said that most of the traffic impacts will come later in the project, when crews upgrade several manholes on Stockyard between La Crosse and the Pueblo Wastewater treatment plant.

While the liner installation is underway, crews will use a temporary bypass line to convey the wastewater flow until they can clean and place the liner in the existing line.

The bypass will wind through the construction site on the south side of the entrance to Confluence Park, and continue under the La Crosse Bridge, and behind several industrial businesses before reaching the treatment plant.

Officials expect to finish the project by mid-July.

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – In 2024, just about 250,000 people moved into Colorado, according to the U.S. Census. Some of them came from Florida, others from California, but number one on the migration list is Texas.

27,574 came from Texas, that’s 12.4% of all the people that moved here. 

This wasn’t always the case. In the back half of the 2010s, most transplants came from California, New York, and Illinois, in that order, with Texas sitting just off the podium in fourth.

What is driving more Texans to come here?

Well, on Facebook, ex-Texans seem to love three main things about Colorado:

The weather

The lack of bugs

The views

Speak to any Lone Star State Transplants in Colorado Springs, and you’ll hear similar answers.

“Came out here for the scenery, the mountains, the hiking, and the water. [In] Texas, it’s just flat, you know, humid and a little muggy,” Cody Mcentyre told KRDO13.

“My wife is in the army, and she got stationed here,” Shawn Tucker said.

Many lifelong or long-term Coloradans told KRDO13 they didn’t have an issue with the Texan migration.

“I would say we were pretty anti-Texas as I was growing up in the 60s and 70s. But, I’m grateful to have different people from different places,” Susan Pattee said. Pattee says she was born and raised in Colorado.

“If we could all come together. I mean, hopefully they bring some of that car style over here,” Joseph Johnson said. Johnson has never moved out of the Centennial State.

The only place ex-Texans didn’t get rave reviews was on the roads.

“I mean, I haven’t been hit by a Texan yet, so that’s good,” Mike Harvey, another lifelong Colorado resident, said, “But apart from that, I mean just a little slower when it comes to the weather.”

This article is not complete. KRDO13 will update it later in the evening. Tune in at 10:00 P.M. for the full report live on KRDO13.

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Bradley Davis

WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (KRDO) – A self-taught sculptor in Woodland Park has developed a new carving technique that drew the eye of a Smithsonian affiliate museum just outside of Chicago.

Francisco Sotomayor is no stranger to museums and sponsors hitting up his phone. His signature piece, a 10,000-pound “American Woman” marble masterpiece, has toured to 49 states. This time, it’s his work with obsidian that attracted the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art in Illinois.

His piece, “The Golden Eagle,” is a part of the Lizzardo Museum’s “Enduring Symbols: Liberty Set in Stone” collection, featured for America’s 250th birthday.

The Golden Eagle is Sotomayor’s 15th piece in his “reverse obsidian” collection. He said that marble, it’s about how the outside light will highlight the details of the piece. He wanted to develop a technique where the light instead comes from the inside of the piece.

Each reverse obsidian piece is a smooth piece of rock on the outside. The carving is instead on the inside, and the viewer can only see it when the light is switched on. When he flips the switch, the light illuminates the carving on the smooth surface and looks 3-D to the viewer.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Two weeks have passed since officials closed four blocks of Uintah Street to repair damage under a bridge over Shooks Run Creek, and we’re now learning specifics about the response.

Officials said that the city was the lead entity in the repair response, with Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) providing a supporting role.

The closure began late in the afternoon of June 10 for what officials described as emergency bridge and utility repairs between Prospect and Institute streets, east of the Colorado College campus.

Officials said that on the previous day, a routine bridge inspection by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) discovered a large “void,” or sinkhole, under the bridge that compromised a utility line.

But officials didn’t explain how the void developed or how they repaired it until earlier this week, when Richard Mulledy, the city’s public works director, elaborated on the situation.

“It was about a six-foot by eight-foot void,” he explained. “That void was really caused by an abandoned storm sewer line and then a leaking manhole. It’s something that we see from time to time, but really doesn’t happen often.”

Crews approached the problem from under and above the bridge, with workers excavating into the street to access the utility lines.

“The utility line being compromised was an active storm sewer line,” Mulledy said. “It was sort of hanging out in the open and was unsecured. The old storm sewer line had been abandoned for decades and was starting to fail.”

Crews removed the old stormwater pipe, repaired the manhole, and backfilled the void with a material called “flow.”

“Flow fills almost like a kind of liquid concrete,” Mulledy detailed. “And that’s a really great structural solution. So, we filled that entire thing up, made sure the void is closed, and made sure it’s structurally sound.”

He added that the bridge is around a century old, the same age as most bridges across the creek.

“This was identified and got fixed in 48 hours, rather than let something structural fail, and then we’d be in a big, giant construction project,” Mulledy said. “The structure itself, I don’t think, was ever really threatened.”

The closure ended on Saturday, June 13.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — As many residents participate in the 71st annual nationwide Bike to Work Day event on Wednesday morning, they can take comfort in the recent downward trend of cycling fatalities locally.

The decrease is likely because there are more bike lanes and better trail connectivity to create safer conditions for bike riders, as well as a greater overall focus on safety.

According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, one cyclist died last year, and there have been no deaths so far this year — although an elementary school student had a close call at the end of April.

Police said that a child steered a bicycle into the path of an oncoming vehicle outside of Turman School; fortunately, the child received only minor injuries because the driver was traveling at the lower school zone speed limit.

However, pedestrians continue to die at an alarming rate, despite an increased safety awareness.

Police said that seven pedestrians have died in crashes so far this year, compared to three at this time a year ago.

Of the seven victims, two died while riding scooters; one was jaywalking; one was in a wheelchair in a right-turn lane and was hit by a commercial bus; two were struck while crossing a street; and one died after his own vehicle rolled down a hill and ran over him.

Police said that speed or alcohol weren’t factors in most of the crashes; that most happened on busy streets or at intersections; and that most occurred at dawn, dusk, or night, when it may have been hard for drivers to see them.

It’s a reminder for everyone — driving, cycling, or walking — to be alert to what’s happening around them.

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Bradley Davis

CRIPPLE CREEK, Colo. (KRDO) – Donkey Derby Days returns to Cripple Creek this weekend, 95 years after the gold miners released the former pack animals from the tunnels.

“It’s our only true living connection to our history here in Cripple Creek, said Two Mile High Club president Annie Valades. “They’re our ambassadors. They’re our mascots. They are the direct connection to our past, and they’re living to tell about it.”

It’s one of the most unique festivals in Colorado, where the donkeys are the stars of the show. Celebrations start Friday with food trucks and live music. The Donkey Derby Races kick off on Saturday with more live music and activities, followed by more performances on Sunday.

The festival is free for everyone. You can find a full schedule here.

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Scott Harrison

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Precious few parking spaces are available here, especially during the busy summer tourist season.

But some street parking and sidewalk access near Memorial Park were closed last week and will be again this week for a project around the historic Hiawatha Gardens building.

Crews are currently improving sidewalks and repaving around the west and north sides of the building, at the intersection of El Paso Boulevard and Old Mans Trail.

Only one lane of eastbound traffic is allowed on the El Paso side.

Officials hope to finish the project by the end of the week.

It’s unclear whether the current project is related to, or separate from, scheduled paving projects reported on by KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior earlier this month.

However, the project appears connected to a broader effort that began in February to renovate the Hiawatha Gardens building to include restroom facilities and to improve the 150-space parking lot.

That $3.3 million project is scheduled for completion in late summer or early fall; a second phase, not yet funded, will create an outdoor pavilion and plaza on the property

Manitou officials acquired the former dance hall property — which dates back to the late 1800s — in 2016 but needed time to plan, design, and acquire funding for the project.

Meanwhile, officials have created 12 parking spaces as part of an assessment of parking across town.

“Yeah, so we’re just taking a comprehensive look at all our downtown parking spots, making sure the requirements are being met,” said Ben Schmitt, Manitou’s public services director. “But there’s going to be some reconfiguring of some spots, some adding of some spots, some removing of some spots.”

A year ago, the town opened the converted Dillon Motel as the Dillon Mobility Hub, with restroom facilities, more than 90 parking spaces, and shuttle bus access.

Officials say the lot has been a success so far, even though it is on the east end of town and isn’t conveniently located near downtown.

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Michael Logerwell

FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) – Monday was a wild day for severe weather in Southern Colorado. In several Fountain neighborhoods, a hailstorm hit residents hard.

It wasn’t as bad as some of the historic hailstorms Fountain suffered in the past decade, but just about every car around the Fountain Mesa Park is polka-dotted with small dents caused by rock-hard hail.

More than a dozen small dents cover the hood of this car parked outside in the hailstorm.

“I was on a speaker-phone with my friend, and it ended up getting so loud that the phone actually picked up the hail instead of me talking,” Jace Mueller said. He was in the basement playing video games and talking to a friend over the phone, and still heard the hail hitting the home.

The Mueller family is relatively new to the Fountain area and tells KRDO13 this is the worst hail they’ve seen in their time here.

“We’ve only lived here for a couple of years, so I don’t think I’ve seen it [hail] that big before,” Lura Mueller said.

Even those who’ve seen some bad Fountain hailstorms say Monday’s storm was pretty bad.

“We just had to watch from the door and be like, oh, everything’s wrecked,” Holly Gillespie said.

“[My car’s] got a lot of dings in it, and I haven’t looked up on the roof. I can see it starting up there. So I imagine everybody’s car that was out looks like this,” Christy Gillespie said.

Monday could prove to be just the start of severe weather impacts Southern Colorado sees this week. StormTracker13 is following daily storm chances.

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Rob Namnoum

On Monday, Rockies outfielder Troy Johnston celebrated his 28th birthday. He also played the role of reporter before the Rockies game against the Boston Red Sox. Johnston helped us interviewed Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak.

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Rob Namnoum

Rockies general manager Josh Byrnes spoke before the Rockies game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday. Byrnes says he likes the progress the team is making but feels they have a long way to go.

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