Category: krdo-local-news

KRDO News

TRINIDAD, Colo. (KRDO) – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced that they’ve reached a deal with COBigRed, Inc., which operates Hometown Pharmacy & Medical in Trinidad, Colorado.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges that Hometown Pharmacy ignored blaring red flags and dispensed controlled substances, including opioids, to patients at times when they shouldn’t have. Officials allege those situations include when:

Prescriptions were for high daily doses of opioids

Prescriptions were for dangerous drug combinations

Patients had insurance but paid in cash for their prescriptions

Patients had traveled long distances for their prescriptions

Patients repeatedly sought early prescription refills

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that despite these red flags, the pharmacy allegedly failed to appropriately check the State of Colorado’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program database.

The agency says the pharmacy has agreed to pay $250,000 in civil penalties and has also entered into an agreement with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which officials hope will ensure the pharmacy is in compliance with laws and regulations.

Officials say the pharmacy did not admit any liability, and by settling with civil penalties, the aforementioned details of this case are all allegations.

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — A mile-long stretch of Furrow Road, just east of the Monument town limits and south of Highway 105, has two distinct segments: the older, northern section of around three-fourths of a mile, and a new extension to Higbee Road that opened in the past year.

County officials plan to repave the older section this summer, at a cost of $600,000; that section is crumbling and has many potholes and cracks.

“We’re going to mill and overlay the entire stretch from Highway 105 down to the Lamplight Drive/Minglewood Trail intersection,” said Joshua Palmer, the county’s head engineer. “We’re going to put in the permanent striping, which is going to be 11-foot lanes with a six foot, non-motorized shoulder on the west side of Furrow Road. So, (for) pedestrian traffic bikes, things like that. Keep all the signs that we currently have.”

Neighbors agree that the paving is badly needed, but they disagree with the county’s decision to hold off on building roundabouts on Furrow.

“As far as the road being paved, it’s a good idea because the road’s a mess,” said Lark Haines, who lives along Furrow Road. “But it’s a bad idea because the road being a mess slows people down a little. Paving it will only encourage people to drive faster.”

In 2021, the county paid a consultant to study safety improvements on Furrow — which is a narrow, winding, hilly road — in response to neighbors’ concerns about speeding traffic.

Among the consultant’s recommendations was to construct three roundabouts on Furrow at the following intersections: Lamplight Drive/Minglewood Trail, Lamplight at the north end of its circular configuration, and Metcalf Lane.

The consultant also recommended building a center median between the proposed roundabouts.

However, for a variety of reasons — including cost — the county decided against the roundabouts and chose other measures that they say are working well, such as narrowing the lanes on Furrow to a width of 11 feet, and posting more signs to alert drivers to the speed limit, steep grades or other road matters.

That doesn’t please safety-minded neighbors like Betty Stout, who fears that a serious or deadly crash is inevitable.

“It’s kinda like a race track up and down,” she said. “Since we don’t have sidewalks, we have a lot of people walking, walking their dogs, their kids, kids on bicycles. It’s really dangerous.”

County officials said that they will continue to monitor traffic speeds and volumes and will consider roundabouts as a possible future option.

Meanwhile, Haines said that she’ll continue to go on her daily walks carrying a paper 30 mph sign.

“Does it slow people down?” she said. “A few. Some people speed up when they get to me. One driver screeched to a stop and shouted profanity at me. (The sign) helps a little. Hopefully, it’s a reminder to some.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo (KRDO) – The Pikes Peak Soap Box Derby came by KRDO13 to do a little demonstration down the station’s hill and talk about the 21st annual event on June 1 in Monument.

43 racers ages 7 to 14 will take the start line on Higby road between the stock and super stock divisions. Each local winner qualifies for world championships in Akron, Ohio.

This year, the derby also sponsored a car for a local military family from San Luis, Colorado.

Higby Road is between Bowstring and Clover Leaf. The derby said it costs about $1500 to build a car. The derby has 28 of its own it will rent out each year for under $100.

You can contact Jim Taylor if you are interested in getting on the waitlist for this year or getting a rental spot for next year. People as old as 18 can participate.

Tune into Good Morning Colorado to see a couple of the young racers reach some speed down our hill behind KRDO13!

Click here to follow the original article.

Rob Namnoum

Top prep playoff performances for the week of May 1st.

Click here to follow the original article.

Rob Namnoum

 The Denver Broncos will play the Kansas City Chiefs in a Christmas matchup at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday, Dec. 25, the league announced on Monday.

The game, which will be streamed on Prime Video, will kick off at 6:15 p.m. MT.

The Thursday Night Football matchup will mark the fifth time the Broncos have played on Christmas Day, with all five games occurring on the road. Denver is 2-2 all-time in Christmas Day contests.

The team’s complete 2025 schedule will be announced on Wednesday, May 14, at 6 p.m. MT.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mackenzie Stafford

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The city of Manitou Springs says it’s experiencing a “critical water supply emergency” and is urging all residents and business owners to stop all water use immediately, except for essential drinking water needs.

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

Beginning May 12 and until further notice, all non-drinking water use in Manitou Springs is prohibited, including indoor and outdoor uses like:

Dishwashing (except when necessary for sanitation)

Laundry

Showering and bathing

Outdoor sprinklers and irrigation

Car washing

Any water uses not directly necessary for hydration

Businesses are also being asked to restrict their water distribution and minimize all water use. KRDO13 is working to speak with local business owners to learn how these emergency restrictions will affect their operations.

They say nothing comes for free, and for the people of Manitou Springs, the cost of a weekend of beautiful weather is an influx of snowmelt seeping into the water supply, picking up all sorts of debris on the way. The city says that runoff is usually not a big deal, but when they found literal cracks in their backup plan, it became clear they had a serious problem.

Typically, the city could wait for the water to be filtered through their water treatment plant as they tap into water from Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU). 

“We simply turn a valve, and the water comes into the Manitou Springs system. Well, that’s plan B, and plan B turned out it failed yesterday,” explained Manitou Springs Mayor John Graham.

But at the moment, the CSU line that supplies that backup water is cracked and crews are working to repair it – and for now, the city only has 1,750,000 gallons left.

Now, the mayor is calling for residents to get creative in helping the city preserve its water. Graham says he remembers years ago when Manitou Springs residents would go to the Colorado Springs YMCA to shower or to a friend’s house.

“Once upon a time, I got water from my brother who lives in Colorado Springs and trucked it over here. That was for cooking supplies,” recounted Mayor Graham, “Manitou people are fairly creative and pretty resilient, so I think we’ll be seeing some of that. But really, the primary task is to be as conservative as possible.”

Graham said that people found not conserving water could be fined, but he stressed the city doesn’t really want to do that, and is hoping people will abide by the restrictions. 

“We’re asking for cooperation. I think most people will cooperate. If there are cases of extravagant use of water, especially once people know that we have restrictions in the need to conserve, then yes, if we have to, we’ll take more stringent action. But really, come on, let’s all be good neighbors. Let’s try to get through this and smile,” shared Mayor Graham.

The mayor tells KRDO13 that, to his understanding, the issue should be fixed by Saturday.

In the meantime, the city’s treated water remains safe to drink and continues to meet all Colorado drinking water standards, but the volume of that treated water is critically low, the city said.

“The City is working to maintain a safe, minimal supply of drinking water and to prevent system failure during this emergency period,” a spokesperson for the city said in a release.

To further support the city’s emergency conservation efforts, the Manitou Springs Pool and Fitness Center will be closed until further notice, and all scheduled fitness classes, swimming lessons and team practices are cancelled for the time being, the city said.

Current issues in the city’s water supply

Manitou Springs’ primary water supply comes directly from French Creek in Pikes Peak, which received several feet of snow in last week’s storm. As temperatures rise, snowmelt is causing an increase of runoff into the watershed, the city said.

That runoff carries high levels of sediment and other organic material, which is significantly clouding up the water entering Manitou Springs’ Water Treatment Plant.

Typically, the city would turn to its backup through Colorado Springs Utilities’ (CSU) Old Northslope Pipeline; however, the pipeline is temporarily out of service while it undergoes emergency repairs for leaks. CSU says it expects those repairs to be finished by the end of the week.

Once the repairs are complete, Manitou Springs will switch to using the Old Northslope Pipeline until turbidity levels in French Creek subside, city officials said.

Residents with urgent water-related concerns are encouraged to contact the appropriate numbers below:

Public Works Emergency Line: 719-685-2557

Urgent Public Works Issues: 719-492-0058

Water/Sewer Emergencies: 719-492-1970

General Inquiries: 719-685-2573

Click here to follow the original article.

Celeste Springer

MOSCA, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Gator Farm announced one of their gators, known for movie and TV fame, has passed away.

According to the organization, Morris was with them for over 20 years. It’s difficult to say how old he was, though they estimate he was anywhere from 80 to 90 years old.

Colorado Gator Farm says Morris appeared in movies and TV shows from 1975 to 2006. One of his best-known works was his part in the movie “Happy Gilmore.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Josh Helmuth

FOUNATIN, Colo. (KRDO) – Students at Fountain-Fort Carson High School have a “Green Team” that’s feeling empowered like never before thanks to a statewide summit.

The D-8 school recently sent its “green team” to Carbondale for the Colorado Youth Climate Summit. It’s where 50 students from across the state came together to inspire action to combat climate change. 

It’s a two-day summit where there are student-led presentations, of which they call a ‘crash course’ on how high schoolers can use their resources to spark change in a world that’s “all messed up,” according to one high schooler who presented.

Rhyianna Banks was there too. She’s a senior at Fountain-Fort Carson High School and president of the school’s green sustainability club. She discovered her passion for climate justice after watching natural disasters tear through her old neighborhood in Louisiana. She says a hurricane wrecked her neighborhood and that’s why she became interested in climate justice. 

Is there something remarkable happening at your school? Email Josh at SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.

Click here to follow the original article.

Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) says they received a call about a train and vehicle collision on Monday morning.

The location of the crash was near East Fillmore Street and North Stone Avenue. CSPD says a conductor called the accident in.

According to CSPD, the driver was heading eastbound on Fillmore while approaching the train tracks. CSPD says the train lights and bells were activated. The driver said he couldn’t see the train crossing lights because he was blinded by the sun. He also said he could not hear the crossing bells. The particular crossing does not have gates that come down.

Police say the driver was issued a careless driving citation. They said no injuries were reported, and the driver was the only person in the car.

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Crews are several months into a two-year, $10 million project to rebuild streets and improve drainage in Colorado Centre, a community of around 1,100 homes southeast of the Colorado Springs Airport.

The community has existed since 1984 and has had constant street and flooding issues — although county officials and neighbors disagree on when those issues began.

Federal pandemic recovery money is financing the project to repave streets and install new, better drainage infrastructure; some neighbors and even some construction workers told KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior that the project replaces poor infrastructure by the community’s original developer.

“We’re going to touch pretty much every road and repave almost every road,” said Joshua Palmer, the county’s lead engineer. “We have a lot of options as we progress in the construction contract. So, if we’re seeing savings, we can keep adding on to some of the roads that we’re doing.”

It means that the project could repave more than the dozen streets listed in the plan.

The work has been quite an adjustment for many neighbors who have torn-up pavement and heavy equipment just outside their front doors, and even a mound of dirt in a cul-de-sac that looks like a small mountain.

Nikki Maestas, who lives behind that mound, said that kids regularly climb the mound to play, against the wishes of construction workers, and that she won’t allow her kids to play there out of safety concerns.

“Everyone in our cul-de-sac doesn’t like it,” she said. “We’ve asked them how much longer, and they said another couple of weeks. We’re hoping it’s gone soon because it’s hard to get in and out.”

Streets are remaining open in most instances to minimize disruption to neighborhood traffic, but some intersections and other segments where new drainage pipes are being installed will be temporarily closed.

Megan Sauerwein inspected the work in front of her house as she walked her daughter, Kinzie, home from school.

“We knew that the streets were bad when we moved here less than a year ago,” she said. “But we didn’t expect this much construction. As much of an inconvenience it is, it’s something that we are glad they are taking time to take on.”

Kinzie said that she’s glad she lives in a large house because it gives her a place to hide from the construction noise.

One construction worker told The Road Warrior that on some streets, crews are removing several feet of the old, unstable base and installing a mesh material in the new base before repaving occurs.

Another new resident, Michael Washington, said he had heard about the poor condition of streets in Colorado Centre.

“They’ve done a lot of improvement,” he observed. “Do I like it? Yeah, by all means.”

County officials expect the work to be finished sometime next year — and not a moment too soon, as more homes are about to be built in the area.

A neighbor who identified himself as a strong critic of the infrastructure issues and of what he described as the county’s slow response, approached The Road Warrior during live reports Monday morning.

“I’m not upset any more,” he revealed. “This contractor is doing what he said he would do. He knows what he’s doing.”

Click here to follow the original article.