Donovan Pimentel
The Air Academy girls basketball team advances to the Class 5A Great Eight. The Kadets defeated Thompson Valley on Wednesday night 58-53. They will play Montrose on Saturday.
Scott Harrison
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — One of the first Road Warrior reports when the beat started in February 2024 was on the county’s plan to spend nearly $11 million to make safety upgrades at two dozen crosswalks.
Joshua Palmer, the county’s head engineer, recently revealed that funding for the project is now available, that work should start soon in three phases, and that it should be completed by the end of the year.
“We’re adding or improving crosswalks,” Palmer said, detailing the nature of the upgrades. “Could be the crosswalks themselves. Could be signals at crosswalks, could be lighting at crosswalks. Could be speed mitigation going through those areas.”
The project’s cost will be split between the county and federal funds administered by the state.
Among the locations for crossing improvements are two fire stations, several schools, and a few mid-street crossings.
Palmer said that the crossings are not in what the county considers to be dangerous locations, and that no single location is a higher priority than another.
Meanwhile, the county has finished a separate project to improve safety at 63 intersections considered dangerous because of frequent crashes, injuries, deaths, and property damage.
Intersections were prioritized based on data from the Colorado Department of Transportation, and county commissioners allocated $1 million to the safety effort.
An interesting case is the intersection of Bradley Road and Bradley Lane; it wasn’t listed as a fatality location, but neighbors said that a motorcycle rider died in a crash there last fall.
David Wright, a neighbor, reflected on the tragedy while looking at the memorial on that corner from his home.
“There’s a lot of speeding on Bradley Road,” he said. “When I pull out of the driveway to get onto the street, it’s like pulling out of Pit Row at the Indy 500. You’d better punch it, or somebody’s going to be right on your tail. So, it needs some help.”
County officials said that safety upgrades ranged from new signs to fresh pavement markings to improved crosswalks and stop bars.
More complex safety changes addressed improved visibility, lighting, and pavement striping.
Falcon Highway led the list with four intersections receiving improvements.
However, Bradley Road topped the overall list with three intersection upgrades and three crosswalk upgrades.
Bradley Davis
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado College theater students will perform their original dance “Of Earth and Error” this weekend at the Celeste Theater. Admission is free.
The group is called Dance6. The performers are comprised entirely of Colorado College students who partake in courses, workshops and events that culminate in their annual capstone performance.
One of the dances, titled “Alone Together,” features the performers in deer masks designed by the students.
“I’m so proud,” said Colorado College dance lecturer Patrizia Herminjard. “Wearing masks is actually quite tricky because the facegives us so much information, and it’s covered. And so we have to rely on the body to communicate that hyper awareness that comes from being prey.”
All but two of the performers are student-dancers balancing classwork and job searches with their practice.
“I feel like it’s really easy to let go and just be ourselves and be comfortable in our bodies and in our movement with one another because we spend so much time dancing with each other,” said Colorado College student and Dance6 performer Eleanor Lautenbach.
Of Earth and Error opened last weekend. The final two performance dates are this Friday and Saturday, starting at 7:30 p.m. It’s free for the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
Rob Namnoum
The Lewis Palmer boys basketball team advances to the Class 5A Great Eight. The Rangers defeated Pueblo South on Tuesday night. 57-48. They will play the top seed in Class 5A, Palisade on Saturday.
Rob Namnoum
The Mesa Ridge boys basketball team advances to the Class 5A Great Eight. The Grizzlies held off Palmer Ridge to win on Tuesday night 48-45. They will play Silver Creek on Saturday.
Rob Namnoum
The Rampart boys basketball team lost in the Class 5A Sweet Sixteen on Tuesday 60-58 to Lutheran.
Samantha Hildebrandt
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)– With gas prices climbing as global tensions continue — including ongoing conflict in the Middle East — many Coloradans are feeling the impact at the pump. As the war with Iran continues to ripple through energy markets, drivers are paying closer attention to what each fill-up is costing.
But it isn’t just commuters feeling the effects; travelers are watching costs, too. We sat down with a local Colorado Springs travel agent who says the phone is ringing nonstop with questions from clients about whether it’s still a good time to book a trip, where people are choosing to go, and how much travelers should expect to budget this year.
In Colorado Springs, one longtime travel agent says, so far, demand is holding steady.
Rico Colombo, who has worked at All-Inclusive Vacations and Cruises in Colorado Springs for 16 years, says he expected to see a slowdown as concerns grow over rising travel costs. Instead, he’s seeing consistent bookings, especially for spring break.
“People are still traveling,” Rico said. “They’re calling with questions, but they’re still booking.”
Just this week, Rico says he received three calls in one day for spring break trips to Mexico, including college groups looking to reserve up to 20 rooms. He’s also booking clients to popular Caribbean destinations like the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
While some travelers are expressing concerns about global instability and rising prices, Rico says no one has canceled their trips.
Instead, he’s noticing a shift in how people are planning.
“We’re seeing people budget more; they’re either budgeting or waiting for last-minute deals,” said Colombo. “Get on that bucket list, life is short, you can budget, and I encourage you to live your best life.”
Travelers are budgeting more carefully and asking more detailed questions about safety and potential price increases. Rico says his team closely monitors U.S. Department of State advisories and local reporting before recommending destinations and would never send clients somewhere they feel is unsafe.
While Colombo says summer and fall bookings are not as strong as he would typically like to see right now, spring break travel remains steady in Colorado Springs.
“Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic are the top three spots for spring break travel.”
Scott Harrison
PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is currently designing a plan to make numerous safety and traffic upgrades at the Exit 108 interchange on I-25, approximately five miles north of Pueblo.
The exit takes westbound drivers onto Purcell Boulevard and serves as a shortcut to Pueblo West, while the eastbound road connects to the former I-25 Speedway property.
Among the issues with the interchange: It’s no longer able to safely and efficiently handle the amount of traffic it receives.
CDOT said that most of the traffic there comes eastbound from Pueblo West and heads north to Colorado Springs.
The main concern is that traffic in both directions under I-25 must share a single-lane tunnel — technically called a box culvert — which can make it difficult for drivers exiting the freeway to see approaching traffic.
Carrie Fuller, a Pueblo-area resident who contacted KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior about the situation, said that the narrow tunnel floods occasionally, has large potholes on both ends, and has collision damage at the top from semi-trucks that have gotten stuck trying to pass through.
CDOT’s solution is to replace the tunnel with a three-span bridge, similar to the relatively new bridge farther south at the Dillon Drive interchange.
“Building the bridge will require us to raise the interstate,” said Jennifer Sparks, a CDOT engineer. “Which means we’ll have to kind of trace that profile back a ways and rebuild all four ramps, rebuild the bridge, and rebuild the roads connecting to the ramps.”
The project will start next year and take 18 months to complete, at a cost of between $40 million and $45 million.
CDOT said that most of the construction will be on the west side of the bridge and will include a roundabout.
“I’m glad to hear it’s on their radar and going to be addressed,” Fuller said.
Bradley Davis
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Multimedia artist Sofia Hernandez Crade creates movable puppets, some over two stories tall.
She started creating the puppets after her brother died. She said she wanted to start doing art that would make him proud.
“I think he would definitely be smiling down,” Crade said about her brother, Demitri. “He would definitely want people to push themselves, and I think he would be excited and proud.”
Crade said her brother inspires her to never settle. Instead of focusing on commissions, she started pushing her limits, building massive puppets piece-by-piece inside her living room.
“Life is short. I don’t want anything to stand in my way,” Crade said.
Crade started with a 24-foot-tall puppet of one of her idols, the late Manitou Springs painter Charles Rockey.
“I made Rockey the same year Demitri had died as well, so for me, it was kind of coming back to life,” Crade said.
Crade helped Rockey return to the Manitou Springs Carnivale parade, where he was a regular during his life.
“I felt like half of Manitou was coming to me, giving me huge hugs. ‘Thanks for creating this piece. You brought back my friend. You brought back my dad,”‘ Crade said.
Crade is currently working on a giant Peregine Falcon puppet that will be featured in the 2026 Green Box Art Festival in Green Mountain Falls. She plans to build it with wings that can spread out and retract like the real bird.
Crade still works out of her living room while she tries to secure a studio. She still has Rockey, still fully functional, stored away in a storage unit. She is now on her sixth puppet build.
Each puppet has full mobility of its joints. The heads, mouths, arms and more move like the actual animals and people they replicate.
Rob Namnoum
The Pine Creek hockey team won the Class 4A state championship on Monday night. The Eagles beat Steamboat Springs 6-3.
