Category: krdo-local-news

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A Former track star with The Classical Academy in Colorado Springs is the top woman pole vaulter in the world for athletes under 20 years old.

19-year-old South Dakota University pole vaulter Anna Willis currently holds the top spot on the global leaderboard with a jump of 14 feet, 10 inches. She placed 4th at the NCAA championships as a Freshman and first at the U.S. Track and Field U20 championships. She did all of that on a hurt knee and torn labrum.

She’s the fourth Willis sister to compete in pole vault at The Classical Academy. All four are state champions and current or former collegiate athletes.

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Bradley Davis

BRANDON, Miss. (KRDO) – Preston Ashley is a top 100 recruit on ESPN for the 2026 class.

He’s from a town called Brandon, Mississippi, just outside of Jackson. He watched his idol, NFL legend Deion Sanders, on the Jackson State sidelines. He plays cornerback and wide receiver.

He also happens to know KRDO13’s Bradley Davis from his time covering sports in Mississippi.

KRDO13’s Bradley Davis interviewing Ashley in Mississippi before Ashley’s sophomore season.

He took some time on Tuesday to catch up and talk about committing to play for Coach Prime in Colorado. Make sure to take a look at the final question.

“Y’all overlapped in Jackson. Did you talk about that at all?” Davis asked.

“The only thing that we talk about in Jackson was how good the food is down here. Yes, sir. But we really just talked a lot about Colorado. Ashley said. “But he made sure to implement some things from Jackson in Colorado for sure.”

“Me and my dad, we used to go to the games when Coach Prime was coaching in Jackson. I’ve always been such a big Coach Prime fan. I always wore the little bandanna that he wore.”

“I’m Preston Ashley. AKA, Deion Sanders,” Ashley said in a video from grade school while wearing a bandana like Sanders used to.

“Growing up, I wore 21. Then, I wore 2 because that’s the number he wore in college. Getting to play for my childhood hero is a tremendous blessing.”

“Obviously, you don’t have to talk me into how cool Colorado is, but how was that pitch to get you to come to somewhere like Boulder?” Davis asked.

Being from the South in Mississippi, you don’t think of Colorado being this crazy beautiful place. We were driving in Boulder when I was going on my official visit. I’ve never seen mountains in my life. I’ve always been around big cities and stuff like that. Then I was like, ‘What is that white stuff on the mountain?’ One of my coaches, who was driving us, was like, ‘Preston, that’s snow.’ It blew me and my family away. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”

“The pitch to Colorado was, ‘If you want to go to the NFL, if you call yourself a dog, if you call yourself the best, why not come to Colorado?’ and, all those things, I truly know about myself.”

“People in Colorado. Buffs fans. What do they need to know about Preston Ashley?” Davis asked.

 “You’re getting the next closest thing to Coach Prime, I promise.”

Ashley opens his final high school season with a state title rematch Aug. 29 against the Tupelo Golden Wave. He said he hopes to score a touchdown on offense and defense.

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Do you have a simply spectacular photo of some of the charming views of Colorado Springs? The city’s Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (PRCS) department wants to hear from you!

The City of Colorado Springs is hosting its annual calendar photo contest. Residents are encouraged to submit photos of some of the best views of Colorado Springs parks, trails, and open spaces.

PRCS says that photos can be taken by professionals or amateurs. So, whether you capture moments on an iPhone or a DSLR, the contest is open to everyone.

“PRCS invites the public to submit their images for the 13th edition of the Discover COS Calendar. This annual tradition celebrates and showcases the natural beauty of Colorado Springs parks, trails and open spaces,” read a release.

According to officials, this year’s theme is “Rooted in the Outdoors.” Residents are encouraged to submit photos that show off landscapes that “provide an escape from the hustle and bustle of life, opportunities for wildlife observation, and access to some of the city’s most scenic and ecologically significant areas.”

Submissions are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. You can send your photos to calendar@coloradosprings.gov, or drop them off/mail them to 1401 Recreation Way. Officials say the winning photos will be announced at a ceremony in October. The calendars will later be available for a donation made to support the reforestation of the former Snyder Quarry in Black Canyon Open Space.

More information on the contest can be found by clicking here.

Not sure what parks, trails, and open spaces are considered City of Colorado Springs property? Click here for information on all the locations.

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Celeste Springer

CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) — The Cañon City Police Department says they’ve arrested a man who set two different fires during an apparent arson spree around town.

According to police, they were called to the Cañon City Museum just after midnight for a brush fire. Police say they arrived before the fire department, and were able to hold it off with a fire extinguisher until firefighters arrived.

Police say the suspect was caught on surveillance video setting fire to brush along a fence. They say they identified him as 34-year-old Charles Fenstermacher because they had gotten an earlier call about him.

While at the scene of the museum, police say they got another call about a different fire at the Happy Endings Caboose Café.

Once again, officers arrived and used another fire extinguisher to keep the fire from spreading.

The police department says a patrol sergeant passed along the suspect’s description to a local department of corrections search team that happened to have been conducting training in the area.

“[The patrol sergeant] was able to leverage the DOC team as a force multiplier,” read a release by the department.

At 2:35 a.m., the search team spotted him, and the police department says he was taken into custody by their officers.

Fenstermacher was charged with one felony and one petty offense, which are detailed below:

2nd Degree Arson $2,000-$5,000(CRS 18-4-103(1)(2)(d)) — Class  6 Felony

2nd Degree Arson under $300(CRS 18-4-103(1)(2)(a) — Petty Offense

He is being held on a no-bond hold, pending court advisements, the police said.

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Celeste Springer

MESA COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Springs Fire Department says 12 crew members have been dispatched to assist in two different crises.

Four CSFD crew members have been sent to Mesa County, Colorado, where the Turner Gulch Fire continues to burn south of Highway 141.

As of 9:50 a.m. on Tuesday, the fire stood at more than 8,000 acres, according to a joint Facebook page set up by local emergency response agencies.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department says its team is assigned to protect one side of the fire encroaching on structures.

A photo shared by the Colorado Springs Fire Department shows their team stationed on one side of the Turner Gulch Fire, which sits close to a nearby home (Photo: Engine Boss/Task Force Leader Lt. Trevor Leland).

“We want to remind our community that these deployments DO NOT impact our normal emergency services in Colorado Springs,” wrote the department on Facebook. “We are grateful we have the ability to respond to help. Every deployment strengthens our firefighters’ skills, broadens their perspectives, and ultimately helps us serve our own community even better.”

CSFD says they also have eight members deployed to Kerr County, Texas. They are on the ground with Colorado Task Force 1 (CO-TF1), assisting with search and rescue operations after devastating floods hit the state.

The Pueblo Fire Department also confirms they have a crew member assisting in Texas.

CO-TF1 said the team completed a primary search of both sides of an eight-mile-long stretch of the Guadalupe River on Monday.

A crew member on their knees bends down to look underneath a pile of broken tree limbs in Kerr County, Texas (Photo: Colorado Urban Search and Rescue Task Force One).

“This is extremely detailed work, as there are thousands of piles of debris littered all along the river,” wrote a spokesperson for CO-TF1.

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Celeste Springer

WESTERN COLORADO (KRDO) — Nearly 100 cats were found in “deplorable conditions” before their rescue, according to Humane Colorado.

The agency says they worked with several other organizations, including two local to Southern Colorado: the National Mill Dog Rescue and the Teller County Regional Animal Shelter.

Humane Colorado says they arrived in an area of Western Colorado in blistering hot temperatures.

“These animals were confined to filthy, chicken-coop-style cages, with black widow spiders crawling across their makeshift enclosures,” said a spokesperson for Humane Colorado. “This wasn’t mere neglect—it was a disturbing scene marked by fear, filth, and prolonged suffering.”

Photo: Humane Colorado

Humane Colorado says the cats were taken to their Leslie A. Malone Center in Denver. They say the cats require urgent medical and behavioral support.

The organization says many of the cats have severe eye infections, ringworm, and upper respiratory infections.

Photo: Humane Colorado

“These cats were found in unimaginable conditions many terrified, in poor health, unsocialized, or caring for their kittens in dangerous heat. Now they’re safe, but the costs are overwhelming, and the journey to recovery will be long. We can only do work like this with the public’s help,” said Mary Sarah Fairweather, Vice President of Sheltering at Humane Colorado.

Humane Colorado says that more than 100 dogs were also rescued from the location and taken in by the National Mill Dog Rescue.

The rescue recently posted photos of 165 matted schnauzers in dire physical conditions.

If you’d like to contribute, click here.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Just three months after finishing an eight-month project to relocate a natural gas line, Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) has started more utility work along the same stretch of Austin Bluffs Parkway.

A project began last week to relocate existing utility lines under the street, marking the first phase of a larger project to construct the Central Bluffs power substation at the intersection of Austin Bluffs and Goldenrod Drive.

The latest utility line relocation will affect around a mile of the busy parkway, between Meadowland Boulevard and Union Boulevard, and is scheduled for completion in mid-November.

Alex Trefry, a CSU spokesman, said that traffic impacts from the project will be similar to those from the previous project, which often slowed traffic along a hilly, twisting segment of the parkway.

“One major difference is that during July, there are traffic impacts on both sides of Austin Bluffs Parkway,” he explained. “Both westbound and eastbound, which wasn’t the case with the other one.”

The previous project covered only the westbound right lane between Goldenrod and Union and was delayed four months by the discovery of an underground fiber optic cable.

“Water, wastewater, fiber, gas infrastructure, and the electric infrastructure are what’s being relocated underground,” Trefry said. “Some of the overhead power lines will be placed underground, as well.”

It’s unclear whether this project will include an aspect of the earlier project — a line of metal barriers that closed the right lane to traffic during construction.

“We have a contractor doing this, so it’s their traffic control,” Trefry said. “Before the gas line relocation, we did that in-house. That was our traffic control, which was why I was able to sort of talk more in-depth about it. I’m not 100% sure on whether the contractor is putting up Jersey barriers or not.”

He added that the project is very unique.

“It’s unique to build an electric substation in an already developed area like this. That comes with some challenges, like the underground utilities that we need to move, for that substation to be built.”

Most of the work will occur on weekdays; drivers should be prepared for occasional lane closures, added congestion, and slower speeds through the construction zone.

CSU is spending $6 million to relocate the utility lines, and up to $45 million on the substation; the latter won’t be finished until late next year.

The substation will replace the generating capacity of three older substations.

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — After a legal battle, a Colorado Non-Emergent Medical Transportation (NEMT) group will be able to continue giving rides to patients for the foreseeable future.

MedRide, which provides Medicaid patients with non-emergency rides to doctors’ appointments and other medical services, got into a legal battle with state officials earlier this year.

The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) accused the medical transport company of engaging in a “pattern of abuse.” According to documents, directors with the Colorado Medicaid program said claims had been missing member signatures, missing dates and times, or claims that were missing columns.

“For the last nine months we’ve been trying to remedy [this]. We were first accused of fraud, that’s been debunked by the State. We have not committed fraud. We have open books and [the State has] looked at our books, and we understand there’s some bad actors in our industry, but we’re not one of them,” a spokesperson for MedRide previously told KRDO13.

The spokesperson said that MedRide had been working to adjust to and satisfy several changes in policy and procedure by the HCPF over the last year. However, they said the state kept “moving its goalposts.”

In February, following efforts to suspend their contract, the HCPF opted to terminate its contract with MedRide entirely.

On Monday, spokespersons with both the HCPF and MedRide said they have reached an agreement, allowing MedRide to continue to provide non-emergent transportation to patients well into the future as long as the company meets several requirements.

According to a spokesperson with HCPF, the requirements for MedRide include:

Maintaining all required documentation to achieve successful credentialing that verifies driver and vehicle safety and fitness prior to transporting Health First Colorado members

Creating and administering a driver training program to ensure compliance with the Medicaid NEMT program

Reinforcing processes to ensure that the customer is eligible for Medicaid coverage and that the trip is eligible for Medicaid NEMT reimbursement 

Employing a compliance officer to ensure MedRide operates in compliance with regulations and guidance intended to protect members

Contracting with a third-party auditor to screen MedRide’s claims to ensure completion and compliance prior to submission for reimbursement

Limiting the number of rides MedRide can provide to Medicaid members until program compliance is established and maintained 

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement so both MedRide and HCPF can focus our time and resources on providing safe, affordable transportation services to eligible Colorado Medicaid members,” said Medicaid Director Adela Flores-Brennan. 

“We look forward to putting this behind us and continuing to operate as a fully compliant and good-standing provider of NEMT services for the Coloradans we are proud to serve,” said Greg Harriman, president and owner of MedRide.

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KRDO News

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — A suspicious incident briefly shut down Fort Carson Gate 20 on Monday afternoon, a Fort Carson official confirmed.

According to officials with Fort Carson, the incident was reported around 2 p.m., but the gate was back open to traffic as of 2:40 p.m.

A Fort Carson official confirmed that they are investigating the incident.

Details about this incident are limited at this time. KRDO13 is working to learn more, and this article may be updated.

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Celeste Springer

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The Pueblo Police Department (PPD) says they are investigating a suspicious death after getting called in on a report of a body on Sunday afternoon.

According to police, they were called to the 400 block of West 10th Street around 2:16 p.m. Police say there was a deceased female inside the residence.

Police say they believe the death is suspicious, but it has not yet been declared a homicide until they can investigate further.

The Pueblo Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons and Crime Scene Investigations unit was also called in.

The coroner’s office has not publicly released the person’s name yet.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Romero at 719-553-3375. Information can also be reported via Pueblo Crime Stoppers at 719-542-7867 (STOP) or online at www.pueblocrimestoppers.com. 

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