Category: krdo-local-news

Sadie Buggle

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On the morning of Sept. 11, hundreds of first responders and supporters from across the state and nation climbed over 2700 steps, or about 190 flights of stairs, on the Manitou incline – a symbolic hike of the final climb hundreds of firefighters made inside the Twin Towers.

Retired New York firefighter Lori Ann Santini led a moment of silence at the top of the steps at 6:46 a.m. MST, the same time terrorists flew a plane into the first tower. She did so carrying a flag with the names of all 343 firefighters who died in the attack.

“We are souls tied together by this event, ” Santini said. “It will be with us forever.”

Santini said she was sworn in as a firefighter just 10 minutes before the first tower fell. It was her first day on the job. She responded to the call, deploying to Ground Zero in the following days.

“What do you think about when you see these pictures?” KRDO 13’s Bradley Davis asked Santini while she showed him her photos from Ground Zero.

“It’s actually what I taste. Concrete.” Santini said.

Santini has had two different types of cancers and still has lung issues she said were caused by the air breathing in the toxic air while responding to the 9/11 attacks.

“It’s a humble reminder I served,” Santini said.

Before meeting Santini, Davis started his hike with 50 for the Fallen founder Chad Conely. His nonprofit supports veterans and first responders in crisis. He went up and down with a 50-pound railroad tie in his pack.

“Our job is to come out today and just let them know that they still matter, let their family know that we love them and let them know from today until forever, they’re always going to be a part of us,” Conley said.

In what has become an annual tradition, Manitou Springs firefighters also led hundreds from across the country up the stairs in their full firefighting gear.

Since 9/11, more Ground Zero first responders have died from cancer and other health complications stemming from their service than died in the attack itself.

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Scott Harrison

WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (KRDO) — The drive to work at Charis Bible College was louder than usual on Thursday morning, but it brightened an otherwise sad day for Scott Little.

Little was looking forward to meeting conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was scheduled to speak on Thursday night at a college event, until his assassination during an event in Utah on Wednesday.

As the college community arrived on campus, Little displayed a handwritten sign displaying the message Honk 4 Charlie.

And many of the drivers did.

“Some honk and some don’t,” Little explained at the time. “Some wave. The one guy flipped me off but came back and apologized.”

Little considers Kirk a hero.

“I would have said thank you,” he said. “Thank you for who you are, for doing what you do. He speaks on 330 campuses a year. He does two podcasts a day. And again, he’s got his convictions, his beliefs, and what he feels strongly about. And he communicates it and does so, eloquently and respectfully.”

Little was hiking on one of the campus trails when he learned of Kirk’s death.

“I went to our backyard and found this very heavy piece of metal and a black sharpie,” he recalled. “An opportunity to honor this gentleman who accomplished so much and gave so much, and I hope his legacy lives on.”

Little held the sign to his mobile audience for around 30 minutes, and intended to do it again around lunchtime and at the end of the campus day.

An increase in security for the campus event in the aftermath of Kirk’s death reminds us of how intense political debate and discussion have become.

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Celeste Springer

EVERGREEN, Colo. (KRDO) – The gunman in a shooting at Evergreen High School has died, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the sheriff’s office, the gunman, who is believed to have been a student, injured two other people in the shooting. Those two students, as of last update, are still in the hospital, our partners at 9News reported.

The sheriff’s office said the shooter died because of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His name has not yet been released as of this update.

As of 3 p.m., the sheriff’s office said the school is all clear.

KRDO13 spoke to one Evergreen High School student during the fallout on Wednesday afternoon. He said he was at lunch when the lockdown alarm went off. He and roughly 30 other students ran to the band room, he said.

“There was a door in the bandroom that opens to the outside. There was a guy in that window, and he yelled something and shot at us at least twice,” recalled student Silas Jewell.

Jewell’s father tells KRDO13 he’s thankful Silas had his phone to text him immediately when shots rang.

“Students should be able to attend school safely and without fear across our state and nation. We are all praying for the victims and the entire community,” a statement from Gov. Polis read in part.

This is a developing story. This article may be updated.

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KRDO News

STATEWIDE, Colo. (KRDO) — Conservative speaker Charlie Kirk was shot at an event in Utah on Wednesday, law enforcement officials confirm. President Donald Trump has confirmed that Kirk has died.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” wrote President Trump on Truth Social.

According to the Truth and Liberty Conference, Kirk was slated to speak on Thursday night at Charis Bible College in Woodland Park.

Scott Little, who lives across the street from the college, held up a sign outside the entrance that read Honk 4 Charlie,” and received plenty of supportive horns from college staff heading in to start the day.

“I had one driver flip me off, then come back and apologize,” he recalled. “I was looking forward to meeting Charlie. I would have thanked him for what he did.”

Two Republican Colorado Congress members — Rep. Lauren Boebert and Rep. Jeff Crank — are scheduled to speak at the event.

It’s also expected that Charis founder and Truth and Liberty president Andrew Wommack will replace Kirk as Thursday’s keynote speaker.

The bible college shared a video on social media reacting to the shooting, adding that they will continue on with the Woodland Park event in his honor.

“We pray that there would be more that would come to salvation through Charlie Kirk’s death than even in his life,” said Pastor Lorenzo Sewell during a moment of prayer.

The Woodland Park Police Department says that residents should expect to see an increased law enforcement presence, and they are closely monitoring the situation.

“While we are sensitive to all of the issues involved, we want to remind everyone that violence, of any kind, here or elsewhere, will not be tolerated and we ask the members of the community to report suspicious activity to the police department or your local authorities at any time you see it,” wrote the department on Facebook.

Just minutes before news broke of his death, Colorado House Republicans sent the following statement:

“We are deeply saddened by the shooting of Charlie Kirk. Political violence has no place in our nation. Regardless of party or ideology, every American has the right to speak freely and participate in public life without fear of violence.

Charlie was scheduled to be in Colorado in just two days to meet with legislators at the Truth and Liberty Conference. This senseless act of violence has shaken many of us who were preparing to welcome him to our state.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Kirk, his family, and all who were impacted. We stand united in condemning this attack and reaffirm our commitment to protecting the rights and safety of all who engage in the democratic process.”

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Celeste Springer

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) says that they made an arrest and cited one other person in its latest effort to curb crime in an area of Security-Widefield.

The sheriff’s office says they were working a targeted enforcement operation on Sunday in the 5400 block of Almont Avenue; EPSO says the area is known for drug crime.

Deputies say they saw a car leaving a home. They pulled the car over, and deputies say there was drug paraphernalia in plain sight.

EPSO says 54-year-old Brian Martinez had existing warrants for vehicular eluding and stalking. He now faces an additional obstruction charge, as deputies allege he initially gave them a fake name.

Another person, 31-year-old Matthias Black, was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia. Deputies say there was a woman in the car, but she was not charged with any crime.

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Alexander Brunet

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado Springs police say the northbound on-ramp to I-25 at the MLK Bypass shut down as officers investigated a traffic incident on Wednesday morning.

CSPD says it appeared to be a vehicle vs. pedestrian crash. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene, CSPD said.

As of 10:08 a.m., the crash had been cleared, according to the City of Colorado Springs.

This is a developing story. We will continue to update this article as more information becomes available.

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Bradley Davis

PALMER LAKE, Colo. (KRDO) – The Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) is giving us one final taste of summer. It hosts its final free concert right outside the Palmer Lake library on Friday at 6 p.m.

Denver-based Americana band “Some Sweet Day” will play for anyone who wants to come listen. A band member described the band as everything from Neil Young to Blue Grass to Beetles.

The PPLD has hosted multiple summer concert series at different libraries across the region. Friday is the final showing in the Palmer Lake Library Concert Series.

If rain threatens the concert, the PPLD will move it inside the Palmer Lake Town Hall.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — In the recent past, a rainy spring and summer like we’ve had this year would have occasionally closed the Siferd Boulevard/Date Street intersection because of flash flooding, and even required the emergency rescues of people trapped in their vehicles.

The problem was that the intersection was in the middle of the Templeton Gap Floodway, a narrow drainage channel that starts east of the Academy Boulevard/Austin Bluffs Parkway intersection and eventually flows under Academy and into the north end of Shooks Run Creek.

Another issue was that the area is located in the Park Vista neighborhood, which fell within an enclave — a small section of El Paso County surrounded by city jurisdiction — making it unclear who was responsible for flood control.

However, the city and county reached an agreement under which they’ll split the $11 million cost, and the city annexed the enclave.

Earlier this year, crews permanently closed the three-way Siferd/Date intersection, and have now built cul-de-sacs at each end.

The Date cul-de-sac connects to an access road leading to several businesses along Austin Bluffs.

Workers are widening the drainage channel to increase capacity and are adding drop structures to slow the velocity of stormwater flow.

Crews will eventually plant vegetation on the banks of the channel to create a park-like atmosphere.

The project’s next major step comes this fall, when a bridge over the north end of the channel on Hopeful Drive will close for nine months as workers replace it with a new structure.

Officials hope to finish the project late next year.

“The previous drainage had capacity for about a 50-year event, which has a 2% chance every year of occurring,” said Erin Powers, the city’s Stormwater Enterprise Manager. “Moving forward, it’s going to be able to convey the full 100-year event, which is our largest flood design event. So, that allows us to take houses out of the floodplain in that neighborhood.”

Todd Frisbie, the city’s traffic engineer, said that traffic safety upgrades have been made on at least one neighborhood street used as a detour around the project.

“On Hopeful Drive, we put in some speed humps, and we’ll be putting in some other traffic control measures — some striping — to address the existing speeding issue on that roadway,” he explained. “That’s a road that potentially could get more traffic with the closure.”

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Rob Namnoum

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — Pueblo West High School received the Qdoba Friday Night Blitz Spirit Award plaque on Tuesday afternoon.

The Cyclones were recognized for having the most school spirit in the first week of the high school football season.

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KRDO News

STATEWIDE, Colo. (KRDO) — COVID vaccines have once again been making headlines, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issuing new guidance. The guidance requires most of the population to consult with a doctor before getting a vaccine.

But Colorado officials have recently acted against that guidance, allowing pharmacists to let Coloradans get the vaccine without a prescription.

Still, some viewers have reached out with confusion and questions on the new policies.

“You do not need a prescription to get a COVID vaccine,” said hospitalist and medical director, Dr. Neha Sharma. “In the state of Colorado, if you are 6 months and older, you can get the COVID vaccine or a booster without a prescription.”

The regulatory shift at the federal level was the result of a change of thinking, shifting towards the thought that annual vaccinations should only focus on high-risk groups. It also questioned the vaccine’s benefit to people who are low-risk of medical complications following a COVID diagnosis.

“Most medical authorities disagree. They’re warning that this will hinder public health and also strain vaccine equity and accessibility,” said Dr. Sharma.

Medical experts still advise you to talk to your doctor if you have questions or concerns.

“It’s data-driven. It’s science-based. So you can make your own independent decisions if you want to, yes. Based on data and science, we can, but you know we rely on the CDC and medical bodies to make our decisions,” said Dr. Sharma.

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