Category: krdo-local-news

Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – In the last year, Kimberly Miller has been building up her business as a realtor in Colorado Springs. Now she’s speaking out before she says a scammer could ruin it all.

She says multiple people in Colorado Springs have received messages from someone claiming to be Miller. Some even left reviews on her Google Business that she was calling them incessantly, asking to buy their home, however, she says that’s something she would never do.

She first heard about the scam in April when one of her friends received a message from someone claiming to be Miller.

“She got a text message from someone saying it was me asking about real estate and if they wanted to sell their home,” explained Kimberly Miller.

Her friend reached out asking if she got a new number, and Miller was shocked. She told them she did not, and at first, she didn’t think much of it, until they started to reach out to others directly related to her.

“And then a couple of weeks later, my daughter’s preschool director stopped me when I was picking her up, which really concerned me because I don’t have her number in my phone or anything. And she asked if I had gotten a new number because she knew my number was a Denver area code, and it was the same phone number that had texted my friend a couple of weeks earlier. Same thing. It wasn’t me. And then I started posting about it on Instagram just to alert people, and I was getting notified by random strangers that they were getting messaged by this phone number, and even different phone numbers,” said Miller.

The realtor tells KRDO13 she started to lose sleep over it. She says the messages were so out of character for her business practices that she wants to make sure everyone is aware.

“I’ve emailed everyone I know, and I sent out a letter with the information about what’s going on to everyone in my database, and that works for everyone I know. The problem is all these people who don’t know me, and if they don’t, you know, look into it a little further. They’re just going to assume I’m some very obnoxious person,” said Miller.

She explained the anxiety she’s experienced as a result of the messages. She says she’s had to work with the people at Google to get the negative reviews removed.

“I don’t want my reputation tarnished by something that I have no control over. And it’s also something that I have nothing to do with,” pleaded Miller.

She says she tracked the phone numbers back to Bandwidth.com, a telecommunications company, and reached out.

“They were the ones who did the phone number providers. And so they did respond, at least with the numbers that I’ve been given so far said they shut the phone numbers down. The problem is that it seems like they’re changing the phone numbers pretty frequently,” explained Miller.

After reporting the scam to the FBI, the FTC, and Colorado Springs police, she’s doing everything she can to get the message out. 

“I’m not sure what the big picture of the scammer is, but the fact that they’re targeting people is terrifying for everyone out there,” expressed Miller.

Miller even received messages from people living in Dallas, Texas, saying they got a message from someone claiming to be her.

The Colorado Springs Police Department says this is a legitimate case, and while it’s not clear if it’s been assigned yet, they say most cases like this are handled by the financial crimes team. 

To help educate the public on what they can do if they receive a text like this, to fall victim to a similar scam, the Colorado Springs Police Department shared these tips:

If you don’t recognize the sender, block the number

Go online and research the Realtor/Office that they’re claiming to be and call the office

If they’re claiming to be from a specific Realtor/Office notify that company that someone’s claiming to work for them

Some tips for those wanting to prevent this:

Make sure your legitimate contact information is posted clearly online or on business cards

Communicate clearly with customers the ways in which you will send information

Remind people on how they can verify information is from you. 

Report impersonators/scammers as quickly as possible. 

-A spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police Department

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Celeste Springer

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) says there has been a suspected drowning at Lake Pueblo.

CPW says they have staff on scene, and the coroner’s office is on the way.

When KRDO13 first spoke with CPW, it was unclear at this time whether the victim was wearing a lifejacket or the exact temperature of the water at the time of the incident. Late Wednesday afternoon, CPW confirmed the victim was not wearing a lifejacket and water temperatures were in the upper 50s.

Details are limited at this time, but this article may be updated.

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Celeste Springer

UPDATE 5:55 P.M.: The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says the shelter-in-place has been lifted.

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – According to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO), the Falcon Fire Department has issued a shelter-in-place due to a gas leak near Liberty Grove Drive.

According to EPSO, the shelter-in-place covers a half-mile radius at Liberty Grove Drive and Londonderry Drive.

Details are limited at this time, but this article may be updated.

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Celeste Springer

UPDATE 3:19 P.M.: Teller County Dispatch says the pre-evacuation order has been lifted.

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – The Teller County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) has issued a pre-evacuation warning for the B Lazy M Ranch subdivision, which is located off Teller County Road 1 near Dog Head Mountain.

Click here to view a “click and zoom” map of the impacted area.

According to Peak Alerts, the fire is near Dome Rock Trail. Teller County Dispatch says the fire started as a controlled burn.

Residents should be prepared to leave. If they need more time or help to evacuate, they should start now. If they feel they are in danger, they should evacuate immediately.

Details are limited at this time, but this article may be updated.

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Celeste Springer

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) has released the name of a motorcycle crash victim after identification from the coroner’s office.

According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, Ethan Hale, age 30, died after a serious accident on Bijou Street on May 1.

PREVIOUS REPORTING: Motorcyclist dead after crash on westbound Bijou Street

When first responders arrived, CSPD says three people were taken to the hospital with various injuries ranging from moderate to life-threatening.

According to CSPD, they believe a car was driving east on Bijou Street and was going to make a left turn to head onto I-25. The motorcycle, driven by Hale, was traveling west when the car started to make a left turn, and they collided. CSPD says both Hale and the passenger with him on the motorcycle were ejected. CSPD’s press release did not detail the current medical state of that passenger.

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KRDO News

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The City of Manitou Springs says they are getting closer to getting the city out of a water crisis.

Earlier this week, the city said the emergency stemmed from high turbidity levels – or cloudiness – in its primary water source, combined with an unexpected outage of its backup supply. Together, the issues resulted in a much faster depletion of the city’s water reserves than expected, city officials said.

According to the city, the water treatment plant was able to run consistently for 12 hours on Tuesday, which was 4 hours longer than the previous days. They says the plant treated 320,000 gallons of water on Tuesday, though that amount was used by residents that day.

They report that water usage from residents was significantly down compared to usage on the same day in 2024, showing that residents are taking the water restrictions seriously.

“Thanks to reduced runoff and improving turbidity levels, water quality has stabilized slightly. However, storage tanks remain at approximately 50% capacity, and every gallon of conservation still counts. Continued, full participation from residents and businesses is essential to sustaining this positive trend,” wrote the city in a press release.

For now, the city is still asking residents to stop using water unless it is for an essential sanitation or drinking purpose.

Dishwashing and brief, infrequent showers are allowed, though they should only be for essential sanitation. Residents should absolutely not use water for their lawns or car washes.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Road Warrior has occasionally reported on the frustration felt by drivers coping with persistent potholes in parking lots, on access roads and service drives, or on other privately owned and managed property.

But there’s recent progress to share on two private areas with notoriously bad potholes.

One location is what KRDO first began reporting on in 2014 — Sonic Drive, the access road between the Sonic restaurant and the Texas Roadhouse along 8th Street.

A parcel search on The El Paso County Assessor’s Office website indicates that Sonic owns the road, and The Road Warrior left a message with the company a month ago to ask when the potholes will be filled.

There was no immediate response, but since then, the only response that really matters came; ten large pothole areas are now patched — including one so deep that someone used nearby landscaping stones to fill it.

Sonic also repaired the same potholes previously after inquiries by KRDO 13, but they re-developed and had continued to worsen for several years as drivers became accustomed to swerving around them.

Drivers likely are now wondering whether the repairs will spread next door, to an access road beside a Shell gas station and the Texas Roadhouse

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Michael Logerwell

Editor’s note: In a previous version of this article, KRDO13 reported that there was a delay in repairs. The repairs necessary for the leak were never delayed. CSU said when the leak was discovered, there were other CSU sources to pull water from at the time. As soon as the water crisis in Manitou Springs emerged, CSU added crews to expedite repairs. 

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – City leaders in Manitou Springs told residents on Tuesday that the water restrictions will likely remain in effect through the end of the week.

The city’s water treatment system can’t keep up with the heavy sediment brought in by recent runoff, and the backup connection to Colorado Springs Utilities can’t be used because of a leaky pipe.

Crews continue working to repair the leaks on the Old North Slope Pipeline, but the project will likely take several more days.

RELATED: Manitou Springs alerts residents of critical water supply emergency, issues severe restrictions on use

A map of Colorado Springs Utilities’ pipelines showing the North Slope System.

CSU told KRDO13 Investigates that the North Slope line is around 100 years old, and difficult to service because of the mountainous terrain it runs through.

According to CSU, the leak was discovered last week when workers were repairing valves.

Due to a variety of other water sources, the pipeline isn’t needed to supply water to CSU’s customers, so there was no immediate impact to CSU customers.

KRDO13 Investigates received this statement from leaders with the City of Manitou Springs:

“At this time we cannot provide an interview as our staff is focused on trying to resolve the issue while maintaining all other City functions. In an effort to conserve water within city facilities, employees that are able to work from home were given the option to do so to help conserve water. All essential staff are hands on deck, trying to get this resolved, as well as maintaining all other essential functions.”

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Mackenzie Stafford

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Manitou Springs School District 14 (MSSD) sent KRDO13 a statement that schools will be open on Wednesday.

Here’s a statement sent to Manitou Springs School District 14 families and staff:

Dear Manitou Springs School District 14 Families and Staff,

I want to share a timely and positive update with you all.

I just had a conversation with Denise Howell, City Manager for Manitou Springs. She informed me that the city has made progress in treating the water supply. Today was a critical day in that process, and I’m pleased to report encouraging developments.

As a result, I am pleased to announce that schools will be in session as scheduled on Wednesday, May 14th.

Please be on the lookout for additional communication from your school regarding any scheduled activities, as well as updates on events that were originally planned for today.

Importantly, Senior Breakfast will take place at the high school as planned tomorrow morning. We’re looking forward to celebrating this special moment with our graduating seniors.

Thank you all for your continued patience, flexibility, and support.

Sean Dorsey, Manitou Springs School District 14 Superintendent

On Tuesday, neighbors are finding ways to keep cool and stay hydrated amid the water emergency; some businesses voluntarily shut their doors or cut their time short. Many kids took advantage of the time out of school, splashing in the water or stocking up on water with family. 

KRDO13 spoke to students who were saddened that school was out, since they have a big choir concert planned for Wednesday.

“I really hope we get to go to school tomorrow, because otherwise our concert is going to be canceled,” explained Sophia, a 6th grader.

While Sophia may not have been able to get her extra singing practice in, she did get to learn a new lesson about water conservation.

“I don’t like not being able to shower,” shared Sophia.

But her family stocked up on gallons of water, and she says they’ll be taking “speed showers.”

Water restrictions for the entire city are expected to stay in place through the rest of the week.

Editor’s Note: A previously published version of this article described that schools would be closed on Wednesday, however, it has been brought to our attention that this was incorrect. MSSD has since informed the public school will be in session on Wednesday.

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