Category: krdo-local-news

Karla Sosa

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – El Paso County Search and Rescue tells KRDO13 they’re seeing a big increase in rescue calls and summer has barely started. With warmer temperatures sticking around, more people are getting outdoors, but the increased heat also brings more risk if you’re not prepared.

Last year, in June, El Paso County Search and Rescue received 15 calls. This year, for the same month, they’ve already had 21 calls, and the month isn’t over.

Chris Valentine, with El Paso County Search and Rescue, said most of their rescues this year have been at the Manitou Incline. One of their busiest weekends was just earlier this month.

“Seven of them were on June 14th and 15, which is a very busy weekend. So, you know, folks who were last up at Rampart Reservoir, folks who are sick on the incline and on our trails. So, we have a number of patients on those two days,” said Valentine.

Valentine said there could be a number of reasons why there’s an increase in search and rescue calls.

“Yeah, it’s impossible to put your finger on what is happening. We have people who are getting lost in the middle of the people getting sick and injured in the wilderness,” said Valentine.

There are about 70 volunteers who are part of the search and rescue team, and every rescue is a challenge. Although they’re all volunteers, saving lives is their number one priority.

“It takes about 20 of us just to go on a simple mission of our trail with someone who hurt an ankle or something like that, it takes a lot of people, resources in the back country,” said Valentine. “We all have normal jobs, our lives, and we just kind of stop what we’re doing if we’re able to and respond to that call.”

These volunteers train all year round so they can be prepared for whenever they get a call.        

“So we’re always preparing for everything from angler rescue to backcountry rescue to a blizzard mission. So, our team trains hundreds of hours every month,” said Valentine.

Valentine said the most common calls they get are for injuries, illness, or when people get lost. 

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Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A celebration of western heritage and a salute to our first responders and military heroes in the Pikes Peak region gets underway at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

It’s the 1st Annual Guns & Hoses City Slickers Ranch Rodeo.

The rodeo’s contestants will be made up of local law enforcement, first responders, and military teams. Event organizers say each team is made up of five city slickers and one real-deal cowboy. The cowboy rides horseback. The city slickers? They’re on foot. No experience necessary.

Teams are set to duke it out in four timed events. The fastest team overall will walk away with bragging rights, shiny belt buckles and the satisfaction of winning it all for their chosen charity.

The event kicks off at 4 p.m. at the Norris Penrose Event Center, located at 1045 Lower Gold Camp Rd.

Great for family fun, first up is touch-a-truck where you can come early and climb into patrol cars and fire engines.

The main rodeo show gets underway at 6 p.m. where event organizers say you can watch your heroes hustle, rope, race and probably rethink their life choices, all for a good cause.

After that wraps up the night finishes up with professional bull riding.

Tickets for the event are $20. If you’d like to attend tickets can be purchased here.

The rodeo is a joint effort between the Norris Penrose Rodeo Legacy Foundation, C&L Productions and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO).

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Mackenzie Stafford

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – UPDATE at 10:30 a.m.: A major water main break near Ruxton Avenue and Osage Avenue has led to a full closure of Ruxton Avenue to all vehicles and bicycles, according to Manitou Springs officials. They say the closure is necessary to protect public safety and allow city crews to perform emergency infrastructure repairs.

The city says parking at the Iron Springs Chateau lot is temporarily prohibited. Along with that, Ruxton Avenue is restricted to pedestrian access only. No vehicles or bicycles are permitted.

Manitou Springs officials ask visitors parked at the Pikes Peak Cog Railway to exit using Capitol Hill Avenue to Waltham Avenue and then to Manitou Avenue.

They say residents and emergency vehicles only may use the internal detour route via Capitol Hill Avenue, Illinois Avenue, Mesa Avenue, and Minnehaha Avenue.

PREVIOUS REPORTING: As of 9 a.m. on Sunday, June 28, Manitou Springs city crews are responding to an active water main break near the intersection of Ruxton Avenue and Osage Avenue.

The city says the situation is ongoing, and while a formal detour route is still being finalized, a full closure of Ruxton Avenue is likely.

The city urges motorists, residents, and visitors to avoid the area and seek alternate routes until further notice. There is currently no estimated time for completion of the repair, but additional updates will be provided as more information becomes available, the city says.

Mountain Metro Transit Route 33 to the Incline will stop on Manitou Ave and Ruxton Ave until resolved.

The city says that as service returns, residents may experience discolored water or low water pressure. This is normal. They ask you to run your bathtub, or the lowest tap in your home, on cold for five minutes or until the water runs clear.

KRDO13 has a crew on the way and will update this article as more information becomes available.

For further questions, the City asks residents to contact the City of Manitou Springs Public Services Department at 719-685-2573. For water outage details in Manitou Springs, click here.

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Sadie Buggle

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado Springs police have confirmed that one person is dead after a road rage incident overnight led to a fatal shooting just east of downtown Colorado Springs.

The CSPD said that they were called to the area of Platte Avenue and Cedar Street at around 11:45 p.m. on Thursday, June 26, to investigate what was initially reported to be a drive-by shooting.

An early investigation revealed that as three vehicles were driving in the area, there was a “minor disturbance” between two of the drivers, CSPD said.

The three drivers all pulled to the side of the road, where two of them began arguing – but the confrontation soon turned physical, police say.

The driver of one of the vehicles then grabbed a weapon and fired at the person he had fought with; police said that the victim died at the scene.

Officers spoke with the other two drivers on scene and transported them to the police department for further interviews.

The CSPD confirmed that the male shooting suspect has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder. His name, as well as the name of the victim, is not being released at this time, police said.

Eastbound Platte was closed off overnight as police investigated the scene; the street reopened shortly before 7 a.m. Friday.

Katie Gallegos lives across the street and said that she was in bed when she heard eight gunshots, followed by screaming.

“I ran outside, heard some screaming, and went down the street a little bit farther, right in front of the house, and saw a man lying on the ground,” she said. “I’ve dealt with some homicides in my family, and I know the feeling that they were going through.”

Gallegos’ door camera recorded some of the incident.

Millie Fick recently moved back to town after being away for a while, and was stunned by the fatal shooting down the street from her home.

“At first, I thought the gunshots were fireworks,” she said. “It doesn’t keep me from wanting to be here, by no means. But it’s sad. It’s so sad.”

Some longtime neighbors said that the shooting was reminiscent of the Halloween 2015 shooting in the same area; Noah Harpham shot and killed a man on a bicycle, then killed two women sitting on a front porch before he himself died during a shootout with police.

This is a developing story and may be updated as we learn more.

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Abby Smith

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – An El Paso County Judge dismissed the case of Joel Lang, 41, the man charged in a fatal hit-and-run that killed Kristy Kerst, declaring him incompetent to stand trial.

During court today, KRDO13 Investigates learned that two doctors had evaluated Lang due to a brain injury he had suffered as a child. Both doctors said it was unlikely that Lang could ever be restored to competence.

Last year, Monument Police responded to an accident in the parking lot of McDonald’s located at 765 W. Baptist Road on Nov. 4. The Office of the District Attorney has now confirmed that Kerst was killed in the parking lot after exiting her car to inspect it for damage after Lang’s van had bumped into it. While driving away, Lang hit Kerst. She was trapped and dragged hundreds of feet.

Lang later turned himself in on Nov. 6, confessing to El Paso County deputies that he had hit Kerst. His arrest affidavit said Lang told deputies that he knew that he drove over Kerst’s body, and knew it was dragging underneath his car for at least 300 feet.

KRDO13 Investigates spoke with the family of Kerst, who told us the ruling came as a shock.

Kerst’s daughter, Britany Visage, told us, “It’s heart-wrenching. Personally, my sense of safety has been shattered.”

“To know that we’ll never hear the words he’s guilty. In a society where we’re constantly told someone is proven innocent or someone is innocent until proven guilty, it’s very hard,” Visage said.

“Hearing that you can just kill somebody and have a technicality reasoning to defend it, it just doesn’t seem right,” Hanna Kerst said.

In a statement, the district attorney office of Michael J. Allen expressed sympathy for the family and displeasure with the ruling saying “That family will live with the unseen scars of that day, and they will know the government chose to protect their loved one’s killer over their safety and well-being –and that of our community as a whole.”

Allen went on to say in the statement that “The competency statutes that created the result in Lang’s case have been amended 11 times since 2019. That is excessive meddling by a legislature intent on weakening our public safety statutes. It means this defendant, and any others who fall into the same category, will walk free with no accountability. Free to hurt, maim, or kill again.”

Lang will remain in custody pending a review setting on Aug. 1 to allow for the arrangement of mental health services that will assist with Lang’s transition.

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Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Four months after moisture and temperature extremes caused extensive damage in the Hanover area, crews are nearly finished resurfacing a two-mile stretch of Myers Road between Peyton Highway and Finch Road.

The weather, which changed from snowy and below zero to sunny and warm in a few days, crumbled the chip-sealed pavement on the rural road that was applied in 2007.

In March, crews started a $300,000 strategy to pulverize the existing pavement and apply several inches of new material to form the base for new pavement.

Over the past few weeks, crews have applied a double chip-seal layer; the process spreads finely-crushed rock and covers it with a tar-like material that dries and seals the new surface.

A crew on the scene Thursday said that the process is almost finished.

“They’re actually putting a slope into the road,” Dan Gerhard, a county public works engineer, explained. “That way, when the chip is applied, there is proper drainage. And the chip seal is nice because it’s a very flexible pavement, and it won’t just straight crack nearly as easily as asphalt or a slurry seal. The chip seal can kind of move, which will prevent future cracking.”

KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior spoke with several Hanover residents about the project.

“Right now, I love it because I’ve been driving it for three years now,” said Dave Eastin. “To be honest, it was really dangerous prior to about two weeks ago.”

Lauryn Hutto agrees.

“Honestly, because I’ve lived out here so long, this has a lot of the main traffic, so this is definitely a priority right here on Myers,” she said.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A local veterinarian returned stateside after a 10-day trip vaccinating pets in Tanzania against rabies.

Doctor Anastasia McIntosh said she and nine other doctors vaccinated over 1,300 animals against the disease on behalf of “Rabies Free Africa.”

We first introduced you to McIntosh and the mission of Rabies Free Africa before her trip earlier this month.

READ MORE: Local veterinarian traveling to Africa to help save lives from rabies

McIntosh is a veterinarian at the Polo Springs Veterinary Hospital in Colorado Springs. She said the clinic donates $1 of every rabies vaccine it gives to Rabies Free Africa. You can also donate here.

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Rob Namnoum

It was a opening round Erie native Matt Schalk will remember forever. Two weeks after qualifying at the Country Club of Colorado, he took to the course at the Broadmoor with his daughter, Hailey by his side, as his caddie, “Well, I mean, it’s pretty special to be here, obviously, with your daughter. Sorry. I can never do this. Oh, it’s really special. You know, you’re playing a game that’s so male, dominant, and you. You come out here with your daughter, and here she is. So now, to make me happier,” says Matt Schalk.

Matt was Hailey’s coach at Holy Family High School. She later went on to play golf at CU. Now she gets to share this even with her dad, “Even on the first tee, I felt like I was going to crap my pants a little bit. Like a little nervous for socially with, like, friends and family. And there’s so many people out here. But it was great. It was so fun,” says Hailey Schalk.

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Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On Thursday, June 26, 2025, a judge handed down a sentence for Trey Dove, four years after he committed arson that led to the death of one man.

In November 2021, Dove set fire to the Greccio Enfield Apartments, leading to 66-year-old Ronald Turner jumping from the third story to escape the flames, dying in the process.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Suspect charged with murder, arson after apartment fire in Colorado Springs

The fire left one room burnt to a crisp, and the Turner family’s lives changed forever.

The three sons Turner left behind all spoke out at Dove’s sentencing on Thursday. One broke down crying, pleading to the judge to give Dove the longest sentence possible. He said that in all these years, they’ve seen no remorse from Dove; he’s never said sorry, nor has he tried to reach out to the family.

Another son said he was not satisfied with the plea deal Dove was receiving. He said Dove has no regard for human life.

Turner’s other son took to the stand, saying that Dove was getting off easy for his actions and that he was using mental health as an excuse.

The judge, however, said there’s no question that there was some mental health struggle at play here. The judge confirmed he was supportive of the plea deal, even suggesting that, if Dove had gone to trial, he might have been let off of the murder charges completely.

After taking the plea deal, Dove pleaded guilty to first-degree arson and violent crime causing death, but not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. Dove was sentenced to 18 years in prison and 3 years of mandatory parole. 

The attorney representing Dove declined to comment when asked about the outcome of the sentencing.

OTHER: Man identified in fatal Greccio Enfield Apartments fire on Sunday

When KRDO13 spoke with some of Turner’s sons following the sentencing, one said he hopes Dove dies in prison.

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Bart Bedsole

LOW SCORES

KRDO13 didn’t have to travel far in order to confront one of only two restaurants that failed their inspections last week. 

The Texas Roadhouse on 8th Street racked up 10 violations, requiring a re-inspection by the health department to verify the issues were addressed.

It’s the second Texas Roadhouse location to fail an inspection in less than two months.  

The problems found on June 18 include: 

An employee not properly washing their hands after handling raw chicken 

The buttons and door handle on the meat cooler were dirty 

Ribs were being stored at a temperature slightly too warm 

The restaurant was using an *improper method* to cool down ribs after they were cooked 

The manager on duty was very transparent about the violations, and says they are taking a pro-active approach by using the findings as a learning tool for the staff. 

“We’ve taken it as an opportunity to retrain all our employees and to make sure we’re up to certifications, up to standards for sure,” explained Dylan Schreiner, “Everything we have done is to make sure we are ready to pass our re-inspection and we are ready for that whenever that is to come.” 

As of Thursday afternoon, however, that re-inspection had not happened. 

The other failing score last week went to the Q Rico Taco inside the Citadel Mall. 

Only five violations were found at the Q Rico, but a health department spokesperson told KRDO13 that they were serious enough to warrant a failing grade and re-inspection. 

There was no certified food protection manager as required 

A food handler was observed chopping onions used for garnish on tacos without gloves 

There were no paper towels at the handwashing sink 

Beans and birria were not being kept at the required 135 degrees 

With the help of a translator at a neighboring business, the manager told KRDO13 on Tuesday that everyone is now wearing gloves, and all the food is at the proper temperature.

Q Rico passed its re-inspection on July 2. 

HIGH SCORES

Chipotle Mexican Grill – 1370 Garden of the Gods Rd 

Papa Johns Pizza – 621 N Union 

Tacos El Amigo 2 – 3005 N Hancock Ave 

Raising Canes – 4530 Hilton Pkwy 

Wendys – 6464 S Hwy 85 87 

Qdoba Mexican Eats – 536 Garden of the Gods 

Carls Jr. – 7945 Fountain Mesa Rd 

Applebees Neighborhood Grill and Bar – 6428 S Highway 85/87 

Einstein Bros Bagels – 4325 Centennial Blvd 

Jimmy John’s – 1035 Garden of the Gods Rd. 

The Local Table – 215 Fontaine Blvd 

The Local Table in Security-Widefield is less than three years old, but owner Tony Pera is a longtime chef with experience at dozens of restaurants.

He grew up in that area and was excited about the opportunity to return home. 

“When I first came down here, I was looking downtown, and I am beyond happy that I landed this spot, to be able to connect with people right here in my neighborhood,” he says.” 

“It has a really special feeling to it,” he added. 

His best sellers are the smashburgers, but whether it’s a Hangover Wrap, a reuben, an apple crisp, or a cut of steak or salmon, Pera says they are made the right way. 

He also believes his staff is largely responsible for the high inspection score. 

“The biggest thing for me is the team, and I know that sounds cliche, but it’s real,” he says, “Having a crew that really cares, has a culinary passion, someone who wants to learn, and once you minimize turnover, it eliminated a lot of those headaches.” 

The Local Table also has a food challenge on the menu.  It’s called The Gambler.  It’s a triple smashburger with pulled pork, two fried eggs, and more. 

If you can eat all of that plus french fries in 9 minutes or less, it’s free, and you get a trophy with it. 

To make the dining experience a little more special for each guest, Pera recently began putting fresh flowers on the tables. 

He says it began as part of an offer of flowers to mothers on Mothers Day, but it turned out the cost of keeping flowers on the tables was not that extreme, so he made it a daily decoration. 

Look for the KRDO13 Restaurant Roundup awards at your favorite restaurants to know the kitchen inside is clean. 

Click here to find out what other restaurants made the grade on their health inspections last week. 

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