Category: krdo-local-news

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – After one woman lost her father earlier this year, she was inspired to help his friends share in one of his favorite hobbies: bird watching.

Raye Chavez was a resident at Springs Ranch memory care until his death last February. His daughter, Cindy Branditch, wanted to honor his memory by installing a bird feeder for other residents to enjoy.

Springs Ranch loved the idea, and together they partnered with Wild Birds Unlimited. The local birding store helped expand Branditch’s dream. It donated and installed an entire bird sanctuary, with multiple feeding stations right outside the windows to the Springs Ranch common area.

Both Wild Birds Unlimited and Springs Ranch created laminated sheets with the different native birds for residents to mark off with dry-erase as they see them.

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Celeste Springer

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — A Pueblo woman has been found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of abuse of a corpse, according to the Office of District Attorney Kala Beauvais.

Corena Rose Minjarez and Jesus Dominguez were accused of working together to try and cover up the murder of two children. Dominguez was the children’s father, according to Pueblo police.

In January of 2024, police said they were called out to a storage unit facility for a suspicious activity call. When they arrived, they located a metal container in a storage unit that had been filled with concrete. Police said they later determined that the remains of a girl were encased inside.

Later in the investigation, detectives say they located Minjarez’s car at a scrap yard. Inside, they found a suitcase. Inside the suitcase were the remains of a boy.

“Child abuse often does not have many witnesses, and this case was no different. This made the collaborative effort of the law enforcement and prosecution team all the more important. We also recognize the community members who had to grapple with the traumatic facts and evidence in this case,” read a joint statement from Chief Trial Deputy Kyle McCarthy and Senior Deputy District Attorney David Dingess.

Minjarez was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, according to the district attorney’s office.

Dominguez is set to be sentenced for his charges on Sept. 12.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – KRDO13’s Bradley Davis walks us through the Percheron Community, one of the fastest-growing housing developments in Northeast Colorado Springs.

The Colorado Springs Parade of Homes starts September 5 with 32 new homes by a variety of different builders, like the three featured in the Percheron community.

The parade lasts from September 5 through September 21, and each ticket gets you in to view every house on display. You can get tickets here.

To see videos of other homes, you can check out our 2025 Parade of Homes page here.

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Celeste Springer

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — A Southern Colorado grandmother who tried to cure her grandson’s autism with nicotine patches pleaded guilty to child abuse and was sentenced to probation on Wednesday.

According to arrest records, Tammy Eddings-Dion’s 4-year-old became lethargic, started vomiting, and was taken to the hospital on April 3, 2025. It was then that hospital staff found a nicotine patch on his leg. The boy tested positive for nicotine poisoning, according to records.

Records say that just a day later, the boy’s mother found yet another patch on him.

The boy’s mother told detectives that Eddings-Dion sent her a text saying that she had received a 30-day supply of 24-hour release nicotine patches in the mail. Arrest records say the mother responded, asking the grandmother not to use the patches on the 4-year-old boy.

On Wednesday, Eddings-Dion was sentenced to three years of probation and 40 hours of community service.

In a previous interview with KRDO13, the boy’s mother said the entire situation has been incredibly difficult. She also expressed upset that her son’s autism isn’t something to “fix.”

“He’s perfect. He’s so sweet. He’s like this little ball of energy. He is so kind and so caring, and he’s just really happy all the time. He cares when other people get hurt. And so it breaks my heart that a child so empathetic and caring can have this happen to him, especially by someone he was supposed to trust, someone I could trust. And it turns out sometimes the people closest to you are the people you can’t trust the most,” said Kaylene Albuquerque.

The Autism Science Foundation (ASF) categorizes nicotine patch treatment as one of several “Biomedical Non-Evidence-Based Treatments.”

ASF says, “Proponents of nicotine patch use in individuals with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) believe that the nicotine released into the body from the patch activates and upregulates receptors, and thereby reduces ASD symptoms.” However, “use of this treatment is not supported by scientific evidence,” and no clinical trials have shown nicotine patches are a safe or effective treatment for autistic spectrum disorders.

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Sadie Buggle

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – A shelter-in-place for a one-block area in El Paso County was lifted Wednesday afternoon after an armed suspect who had barricaded himself inside a home with two young children surrendered to law enforcement.

The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) said that on Aug. 23, it began investigating an individual who was armed with a gun and representing himself as a federal agent. The department identified the suspect as 23-year-old Antonio Mellon and obtained a warrant for his arrest.

On Wednesday, Aug. 27, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) SWAT Team assisted CSPD in attempting to arrest Mellon at a home in the 1300 block of Burnham Street, in unincorporated El Paso County.

However, CSPD said that when officers attempted to speak to Mellon, he barricaded himself in the house with two young children inside and refused to come out. While Mellon was barricaded, police say he pointed a firearm at officers from inside the house several times.

The active scene led EPSO to issue a shelter-in-place order for the 1300 block of Burnham Street at 9:04 a.m.

CSPD said officers and deputies worked to peacefully resolve and de-escalate the situation. KRDO13 crews on scene saw not only CSPD and EPSO at the scene, but also agents in Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) vests.

Mellon eventually surrendered over three hours later at 12:47 p.m. and was taken into custody without incident, CSPD confirmed.

EPSO lifted the shelter-in-place for the one-block area at 1:19 p.m., once the scene was fully cleared.

Police confirmed the children in the home were not injured during the standoff.

Mellon was arrested and taken to the El Paso County Jail. CSPD said he is charged with impersonating a police officer, possessing a firearm as a previous offender, four counts of first-degree assault, and two counts of child abuse.

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Celeste Springer

PALMER LAKE, Colo. (KRDO) — Palmer Lake Trustee Atis Jurka is calling for an investigation into an upcoming recall election, making serious accusations about violations of Colorado election laws.

On Sept. 9, residents will head to the polls to vote on two items: whether to remove Trustees Shana Ball and Kevin Dreher, and also whether voters should decide future annexation decisions.

Trustee Jurka is calling on District Attorney Michael Allen and Attorney General Phil Weiser to investigate the election. Jurka alleges that election signs were stored under a desk less than five feet from a ballot box.

“We want to have a fair, level playing field,” said Jurka.

Courtesy: Trustee Atis Jurka

In Colorado, campaign signs are prohibited within 100 feet of a polling place or drop box.

Courtesy: Trustee Atis Jurka

“If I’m a voter and I’m kind of shy and I’m not outspoken, I go to the town office and I see the town office having this sign saying vote no….There might be some retribution against me,” says Jurka.

When asked about this, Interm Town Manager Glen Smith said the red sign in the picture is from a paddleboard company that was left around the lake.

Smith says the purple sign was a campaign sign, but that it was only there because a police officer found it in the middle of the road and dropped it off at town hall.

Additionally, Jurka alleges that there are large campaign banners, which are identified as “Paid for by Friends and Neighbors.” Jurka says the group is not registered as a committee.

“One doesn’t even have a designation of who paid for it. And the other one has is paid by ‘neighbors and friends’, but they’re not registered with the campaign office,” mentioned Jurka, saying that multiple signs aren’t following campaign rules.

In Colorado, committees for recall elections must register themselves if contributions or expenditures for the group cost more than $200, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

KRDO13 also did not find a committee of that name registered with the Secretary of State or listed under the town’s page with committee registrations.

Jurka mentioned other concerns, too. He said citizens had told him that supporters of the recall were being weeded out as election judges when they were found to be supporters of the effort. KRDO13 was not able to confirm this claim. KRDO13 did learn that El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleiker sent Palmer Lake a list of election judges they had previously used. It’s not clear if Palmer Lake selected judges from that list.

Schleiker said that to be an election judge, you don’t have to live in a specific area; you just have to be a registered voter in the state

The final concern Jurka outlined was a failure by the Town of Palmer Lake to coordinate its election with El Paso County. However, Schleiker said that due to the Palmer Lake Charter, they were unable to coordinate their election. Schleiker added that their charter is very specific about only being able to coordinate for general elections in an even-numbered year.

Now, for the actual town trustees vote on approving the Palmer Lake Buc-ees. That vote has been pushed back. The town planning commission has not made its final ruling.

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Rob Namnoum

The Air Force football team will open up the season on Saturday at home against Bucknell. It is Parents weekend at the Academy.

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Rob Namnoum

The CSU Pueblo football team will open the season at home on Thursday night. The Thunderwolves will host South Dakota Mines, their nickname, the Hardrockers.

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Celeste Springer

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — A spokesperson with Pueblo County says things are moving forward with a recall effort to remove Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter from office.

An investigation into Cotter began when 24 decaying bodies were allegedly found in a hidden room at his privately-owned mortuary, according to DORA documents.

You can read all of our reporting on the case by clicking here.

As of publication, no criminal charges have been filed against Cotter. The district attorney’s office previously said that it would need to complete the investigation before evaluating charges.

Last week, state and local officials gathered for a press conference calling for his resignation. They said that, based on Colorado statutes, no single public official could remove Cotter from office.

From there, a recall petition among residents was launched. If everything clears, the petition will allow voters to oust Cotter from office.

According to a spokesperson for the county, an official Notice of Intent to Circulate a Recall Petition has been filed with the clerk and recorder’s office.

What’s next?

The clerk’s office has three business days to establish a cost estimate for the recall. The recall petition will also need to go through a vetting process to ensure it adheres to the law.

If everything checks out, the county says petitioners will have 60 days to collect valid signatures from registered Pueblo County voters. The number of signatures required varies, but in this case, the county says they will need 16,431 verified signatures.

Once those signatures are submitted, the clerk’s office will have 28 days to verify them, ensuring that the signatures are from registered voters.

If at least 16,431 signatures are verified, a recall election can be held. An election would be held, and voters would decide whether to remove Cotter from office.

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