Category: krdo-local-news

Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Closing weekend festivities for Skate in the Park have been rescheduled in light of bitterly cold temperatures in the forecast.

This weekend was slated to be the last weekend of Skate in the Park, and was to have special themed days and activities.

The events have now been pushed back to Friday, Jan. 30, and Saturday, Jan. 31, with the rink closed this weekend due to safety concerns.

On Jan. 30, the Girl Scouts will take to Acacia Park and connect families with information on local troops and opportunities for girls. Additionally, skaters can get free beanies courtesy of Tallgrass (first-come, first-served).

On Jan. 31, U.S. Figure Skating will head to the park for free classes, demonstrations, trivia, and giveaways. Representatives will be there from 10 a.m. to noon, and later from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

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Celeste Springer

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The City of Colorado Springs is considering offering zero-fare Mountain Metro Transit rides between Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs. Officials hope the change will cut down on parking and traffic issues, which are a contentious problem for many Manitou Springs residents.

Manitou Springs is a popular destination for tourists visiting the Pikes Peak Region, though its quaint small-town streets have proven to have difficulties accommodating the volume of visitors and vehicles.

In an effort to alleviate the issue, Manitou Springs has added several parking lots with service to different areas across town, but some concerns from residents have persisted.

Under this latest proposal, Mountain Metro Transit would not charge fares for Route 3, which serves Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs. Additionally, service times would increase from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes.

There are also several other proposed changes for Mountain Metro routes, which you can view by clicking here.

Residents can submit their input on the plans, and the feedback is due Feb. 5.

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Officials in Colorado Springs held a press conference on cold weather preparations on Friday morning.

Southern Colorado is gearing up for dangerously cold weather Friday into the weekend. According to the City of Colorado Springs, wind chill temperatures will remain near or below zero for much of Friday and into Saturday and Sunday night.

City officials are urging families to be prepared by following the forecast closely, paying attention to alerts from news agencies or the local government. Families should have emergency supplies, like flashlights, water, and non-perishable food.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department says those with gas fireplaces should ensure they have working CO detectors. Additionally, house fires can be a risk for homes with wood-burning fireplaces where chimneys have not been properly cleaned throughout the years.

The city also asks that residents prepare their vehicles. Do not travel with less than a half-tank of gas, and keep cold-weather gear and blankets in your car.

Additionally, the city is urging those with livestock to have a covered area for them to retreat to.

If you need help, officials ask that you call the Pikes Peak United Way at 211. Officials say there is a real risk of injury or death to those who are left exposed in the upcoming cold conditions. Additionally, those who are unhoused can seek shelter at the following places during this emergency response time:

Springs Rescue Mission: 5 W. Las Vegas St.

Hope COS: 1930 W. Colorado Ave.

Families can go to the Salvation Army Hope Center: 709 S. Sierra Madre St.

If the Salvation Army Hope Center gets full, officials say Catholic Charities will step in to match families with places to stay.

Mountain Metro Transit is offering rides to shelters through Sunday. Anyone can board a city bus from any bus stop and let the driver know they are seeking shelter. There is no fee for the ride, and no pass is required.

For a compiled list of information and resources from the Pikes Peak Regional Emergency Management department, click here.

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Mayor Mobolade of Colorado Springs held his monthly press briefing Friday morning.

Mayor Mobolade’s first press briefing of the year outlined the city’s goals, which he says are “strategic doing,” for the year.

The mayor highlighted six high-priority items:

Emergency response times

“When you call 911, you deserve a fast response,” said Mayor Mobolade.

According to the mayor, the city has improved the response time for high-priority calls from 15 to 11 minutes in 2025. The city hopes to lower response times even more with new technology, staffing, call processing, and resource management.

Dependable street maintenance

Mayor Mobolade says there will be an extra focus on potholes, and is looking to update policies and procedures to ensure potholes are repaired quickly. The mayor says city crews filled 75,000 potholes last year.

To see more KRDO13 coverage on local road conditions and work, click here.

Safer roads through the integrated traffic safety program

The city says it is going to use data, technology, infrastructure improvements, and public education programs to reduce traffic-related injuries and deaths; plans include expanding speed enforcement cameras.

RELATED: Colorado Springs police begin issuing tickets from new mobile speed cameras

“We’re going to coordinate safety messages across departments to keep our public informed and engaged,” said Mayor Mobolade.

Expanding “Keep It Clean and Safe” to address the visible impacts of homelessness

“What I love about Colorado Springs is we are a compassionate city. And we’re also a city that believes in order, safety, and shared responsibility,” said Mayor Mobolade.

The mayor said the city plans to expand the “Keep It Clean and Safe” initiative into other key business districts.

Driving innovation at Peak Innovation Park

“Peak Innovation Park is one of our most exciting areas for new economic opportunities in our city,” said Mayor Mobolade.

The mayor says the city hopes to develop and prepare more land at the park to bring in even more companies and the jobs that come with them.

RELATED: Coca-Cola plant coming to Colorado Springs

Mobolade says a new 250,000 squarefoot office space was just unveiled at the park, representing a $63 million investment.

Balanced growth

“Our focus this year is going to be on growing wisely,” said the mayor.

The City of Colorado Springs hopes to grow, but under restraint and with rules in place to prevent harming existing residents and infrastructure, the mayor says.

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Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Crews with the county and with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) routinely use salt brine to pre-treat streets and roads before winter storms arrive.

However, in preparation for this late-week storm, the county applied the brine, but CDOT decided against it.

The difference in strategy, apparently, relates to when each agency expects snow to accumulate.

Crews apply salt brine — water with roughly a 25% salt mixture — to prevent ice and snow from bonding with pavement, making it easier for plows to remove.

“We didn’t feel it was the best approach for the storm,” said CDOT spokeswoman Amber Shipley. “It’s a timing issue with temperatures. The efficiency of salt brine drops (as temperatures drop). The traveling public can rest assured that our teams are ready to tackle the flakes as they fall.”

Temperatures began falling in the early afternoon on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the county sent six trucks — each equipped with an 800-gallon tank of salt brine — to apply the liquid.

“It’s just resources and timing,” said Tim Stickel, a county highway manager. “Being as efficient as we can, getting out there trying to get all those roads, our resources. You know how big our county is. Trying to make sure we can hit them all, so we can reduce that potential bond as best we can. So, everybody has their own little tweaks to the procedures.”

He said that crews normally apply salt brine a few days before a storm.

“And too late is usually when you’re already in the middle of the storm. It’s not effective like magnesium chloride or some of the other products that are out there. So, it’s not a good de-icer. It’s a good pretreatment.”

The county and CDOT said that salt brine is effective, inexpensive to make, and isn’t as harsh as chemicals such as magnesium chloride.

Still, CDOT uses magnesium chloride — primarily on highways during storms — because nothing works better at ice removal.

CDOT began using salt brine in 2018, and the county started the following year.

Both entities add a rust inhibitor to the brine to protect vehicles.

Colorado Springs doesn’t use brine, and officials planned to hold a news conference Friday morning to discuss their storm preparations.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Instead of packing it in, the Mt. Carmel volunteers are layering up and braving the elements to host the organization’s community food distribution.

“It puts food on our table,” recipient Judy Davis said. “Being out here in the cold at 12 degrees is very honorable.”

Mt. Carmel hosts the food distributions twice a month on the second and fourth Fridays. It’s open to everyone, not just veterans. The distributions go all-year long. It makes for some stubborn volunteers bearing some pretty severe temperatures in the Winter months.

While Mt. Carmel will rarely reschedule the distributions because of severe weather, it said low temperatures are not an excuse. On Friday at 10 a.m., the wind chill is expected to be single digits. If you need food, you can expect Mt. Carmel to greet you with puffy coats and free meals.

“First day back for this year, and to see all the volunteers that came out, knowing what we would be facing with the weather, this is fantastic,” volunteer Gordon Randall said.

The distribution is at 1125 W. Moreno St. from 10-11 a.m.

The future distribution dates for the next few months are February 13, February 27, March 13, and March 27.

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Paige Reynolds

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – A former City of Pueblo employee is suing the city, alleging he was fired after speaking with KRDO13 Investigates about being assaulted on the job.

William Ward filed the lawsuit after previously coming forward in December 2023, when KRDO13 Investigates reported on an on-the-job assault at the Pueblo Fleet Maintenance Garage and concerns over how the city handled the incident.

In that report, Ward said he was punched in the jaw while attempting to break up a fight between two other city employees. Video obtained by KRDO13 Investigates showed the moment Ward was struck.

Police charged Marshall Pinz with assault the same month the incident occurred. However, internal city documents obtained by KRDO13 Investigates showed Pinz was allowed to continue working and was not placed on leave until roughly two months after his arrest.

Ward also previously told KRDO13 Investigates that city leadership had been informed of a physical threat Pinz allegedly made toward another employee the day before the assault, but no action was taken at that time.

“If the city had handled this appropriately from the beginning, we wouldn’t be here,” Ward’s attorney Richard Orona said. “This became about accountability.”

Ward spoke with KRDO13 Investigates in December 2023 about the assault and the city’s response. According to the newly filed lawsuit, about six months later, Ward received a notice of disciplinary consideration for insubordination. The notice cited speaking with KRDO13 after being “specifically directed not to.”

Court records show Ward filed a complaint against the city and was terminated in July 2024. The lawsuit claims the termination amounted to retaliation for speaking publicly about workplace safety concerns.

A spokesperson for the City of Pueblo said the city could not comment on the lawsuit or its claims. However, the spokesperson provided a statement regarding media policy, saying:

“In 2021, the City created and hired (January 2022) the position of the Director of Public Affairs to serve as the City’s primary liaison to the news media. It is expected that all media requests regarding City matters are directed to, and responses coordinated by, that department.”

Court records obtained by KRDO13 Investigates indicate the city plans to ask for dismissal of the lawsuit.

KRDO13 Investigates also attempted to reach Pinz for comment but has not been able to make contact. Court records show Pinz was later sentenced to probation and community service.

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Springs Utilities and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) are considering bringing new activities to Rosemont Reservoir, including reserved camping.

Currently, Colorado Springs Utilities says seasonal fishing is allowed at the reservoir, though they are considering adding other outdoor options, including non-motorized boating and restroom facilities.

“CPW management would provide more active oversight of public recreation and safety in balance with watershed protection and our operational needs in this remote area,” said Springs Utilities CEO Travas Deal in a press release.

Springs Utilities says Colorado Springs City Council will discuss the plans at its Feb. 10 meeting.

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Josh Helmuth

A Harrison D2 assistant principal is being honored with a national award for her leadership in turning around the academic program.

Renee Dahl just won the 2026 National Outstanding Assistant Principal Award for her work at Monterey Elementary School. According to the Colorado Association of School Executives, Dahl has done a tremendous job improving the school’s status since she started in 2020, when the school was in turnaround status.

Dahl is credited with implementing a math instructional shift that has led to a 50 percent increase in the average number of students meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations in the classroom. 

“We were giving students the opportunity to not just do a problem, but to explain their thinking. And it slowly just grew into this momentum and it’s just really exciting to hear,” said Dahl.

“Because I love math. It’s just really exciting to hear students talk about math and how they’re learning,” she said.

Under her leadership, Monterey Elementary is now one of the top performing schools in D2.

Is there someone remarkable at your school? Email us! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com. 

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A swim school in Colorado Springs is having its students swim in their pajamas all month long to learn how to stay afloat when you least expect to meet the water.

According to the National Library of Medicine, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury and death for children four and under. That’s why the Little Fins Swim School is training its young children to swim to safety with a little extra weight.

There’s a reason we take off our clothes and shoes when taking a dip. Clothing is heavy and awkward in the water, and a study suggests it substantially hinders swimming ability.

“It’s really heavy, it’s hard to swim in clothes, and oftentimes, kids will drown just on the side of the pool because they just don’t know what to do,” said Little Fins Swim School owner Lauri Armstrong.

Little Fins said it wants its students to become comfortable with the extra weight and drag, so it doesn’t come as a shock when accidents happen.

Accidental falls are unpredictable, a point “Jammie January” tries to hammer home. You would never purposely go for a dip right out of bed in your pajamas!

If you want to give it a try, do it under safe, controlled conditions. Don’t do it outside in the Winter, and have someone with you! You will likely notice quite a difference in your efficiency in the water

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