The CSU Pueblo softball team takes game one from Metro State
Rob Namnoum
The CSU Pueblo softball team won game of a doubleheader against Metro State on Saturday 4-3.
THE MILITARY FAMILY: Art expression, growing form of therapy for active duty and veterans
Heather Skold
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The term ‘unfinished basement’ is a misnomer in James Garofalo’s house.
Paint splatter adorns the floor and wall insulation. One window, also the subject of a strewn color or two.
This is no forgotten space, however; this is where healing, processing, and creativity collide. This is very much a space where emotional work is being done and expressed.
Garofalo is an Army veteran, having served from 2006 to 2010.
He joined “fresh out of high school” as an infantry member and served a chunk of time in Iraq.
Being deployed during that time gave him a sense of purpose, he recounted.
It also came at a price.
“Within a very short period of time, I had lost a number of buddies to either suicide or the justice system, substance use,” said Garofalo.
To process that cost, Garofalo returned to something that gave him escape and enjoyment in high school: art.
“Whether it’s things that I’ve carried from my time in service to things that are currently going on in my life, art has always been a great release to get some of those emotions out and find a creative outlet to do so,” said Garofalo. “The more I can let go, it tends to be more of my favorite work.”
He employs a “no rules” mentality, where the artist is free to express without restriction.
“You can kind of deviate from all the other things that exist in the world, play by your own rules, do your own stuff. I’m inspired by weird art, so my work is reflected in the same style,” said Garofalo.
His art, along with dozens of other submissions from military and veteran artists, was displayed at the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center in Pueblo, in partnership with the Mount Carmel Veterans Service Center.
It is funded in part by a generous grant from Arts in Society.
Art is increasingly embraced as a way to process traumatic events, according to Kirsten Belaire, the Director of Behavioral Health at Mount Carmel Veterans Service Center.
“Art is such a beautiful conduit to get externally what they’ve been experiencing internally, in a way that shares their message, their story, their recovery, and their hope for the future. A lot of times, what they’ll say is, ‘I’m not an artist.’ But being able to use both hemispheres in the brain can be helpful in processing trauma,” said Belaire.
A craft that many in the military support realm champion.
“Art has been a very therapeutic process for me. It’s been a space that’s very near and dear to my heart for a number of years,” said Garofalo.
Both Mount Carmel and Sangre de Cristo offer arts classes for military members, veterans, and their families. More information can be found here and here.
Mesa Drive-In celebrates 75th anniversary with opening night
Bradley Davis
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – For the 75th time, the Mesa Drive-in off of US Highway 50 in Pueblo will open for the season.
After over seven decades of tradition, it will be a first for the new owners, Kelly and Chris Lally.
Chris proposed to Kelly at their favorite drive-in spot in Indianapolis. 10 years later, they managed the same drive-in.
Their bosses, Jon and Marcella Parkin, also owned the Mesa Drive-In. That is, until earlier this week.
“We came out here last year, fell in love with it for ourselves in person, and we just had to make the 17-hour cross-country drive out here to live here,” Chris said.
The two moved to Colorado full-time to operate the Theater. They said they are planning a 75th birthday celebration in August by screening Walker Texas Ranger, featuring the late Chuck Norris. It’s the first film the Drive-In ever showcased in 1951.
There are fewer than 300 drive-in movie theaters nationwide. Kelly and Chris said most are independently owned and operated, like the Mesa Drive-In. There are only two in Southern Colorado. The Mesa, and the Cammanche Drive-In theater in Buena Vista.
Historic bridge over Monument Creek in Colorado Springs closes Monday, to reopen this fall
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The 90-year-old bridge over Monument Creek, between Monument Valley Park and the Colorado College campus, will undergo nearly $6 million in renovations.
Preparations began two weeks ago on the bridge; it will close on Monday and not reopen until sometime in the fall, according to a city release.
Work will include replacing the bridge deck, widening sidewalks, improving drainage, and adding lighting.
Officials also want to preserve and restore the bridge’s original Art Deco features.
On Thursday, a crew was working under the bridge with heavy equipment, and a detour around a nearby segment of the Pikes Peak Greenway trail along the creek is already established.
The bridge is at the north end of the park, between Mesa Road and Glen Avenue; it provides access to a parking lot and a popular pickleball court.
Cyclists and pedestrians frequently travel across the bridge to admire the downtown skyline, the creek, the occasional passing of trains, and to visit the gardens at the Horticultural Art Society.
Once the bridge closes, Glen Avenue, which connects to Uinah Street several blocks north, will be the only access to the parking lot.
A temporary complication this week, however, is that the avenue is closed during the day for repaving.
Drivers should expect limited street parking because some spaces are closed during construction.
The next-nearest creek crossing is at Uintah Street.
Tax revenue from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority is financing the repair work.
Workers built the bridge in 1936, a year after a flood destroyed the original bridge.
The School Buzz: Lewis-Palmer middle school soccer prodigy on early ‘pro track’
Josh Helmuth
MONUMENT, Colo. (KRDO) — A local middle school student is already turning heads on the soccer field, not just here at home, but across the country and even internationally.
Max Hawkins is just 13 years old and attends Lewis-Palmer Middle School. However, his schedule already matches that of a borderline pro athlete.
He currently plays for Real Colorado in the Elite Club National League, one of the highest youth levels in the country, and a league famous for developing pro soccer athletes. Max sometimes travels to several states in one week just to play in highly touted, scouted matches.
Max has also been invited to tryout camps for the US under-15 national team, a major step on what’s called a pro path. It’s a track that could lead to a professional career, possibly even in Europe, before he’s out of his teens, meaning he probably most likely won’t even play high school soccer because he’ll be too busy playing in the professional ranks by the time most teens go to college.
As for where his talent comes from, Max is always training, but it’s certainly in his blood as well.
“He fell in love with it and lives and breathes it,” Max’s dad, Toby Hawkins, said.
“Days are few and far between that he has off, but on his days off, he is begging me to take him to the gym or to the Air Force Academy to get on the field and practice shots. And he’ll be there the whole evening by himself, just training. I don’t ever have to push him,” his dad told the school district. “Maybe other than fishing, he doesn’t want to do anything but play soccer.”
Max’s dream is to also play for Team USA.
Is there someone remarkable at your school? Email Josh! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.
CDOT explains how it maintains rough conditions on Fountain Expressway/Boulevard in Colorado Springs until repaving in 2028
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Drivers along the three-mile stretch of Fountain Boulevard and Expressway, between The Circle Drive bridge and Powers Boulevard, may have noticed a glossy black material filling many potholes and cracks in the pavement.
The substance is a liquid used by maintenance crews with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to supplement the asphalt used to patch potholes and cracks.
“That’s an emulsified liquid asphalt that has aggregate in it,” said Eric Meyers, a CDOT maintenance supervisor. “We use that in the very shallow potholes. It seems to stick longer and stay in place longer than a hot mix, due to the shallowness of the pothole. We’ve had great success with that. We’ve used it quite a few times over the years.”
He added that the liquid cures quickly, reducing the time required to apply it and lessening the associated traffic impacts.
“It’s so durable that it can outlast the concrete around it,” Meyers said.
Still, the frequency of potholes and cracks makes drivers wonder how the pavement will hold up until its scheduled repaving in 2028; the road is also the US 24 loop through the city, which generates frequent heavy truck traffic.
Another strategy used by CDOT is maintenance paving, when crews pave over part of a lane that has numerous potholes in a concentrated area.
Such paving occurred last year on the east end of westbound Fountain, between Powers and Murray boulevards.
Meyers said that paving is done without the milling or removal of the existing pavement.
“It saves time, it’s a more efficient use of resources, and it’s a temporary treatment until we can come back later and do a full repaving,” he explained.
CDOT asks drivers to report any potholes they see.
“We don’t know where every pothole is, but once we get a report, we’ll respond as quickly as we can,” Meyers said.
He added that CDOT has nearly 50 full-time maintenance workers in El Paso County alone.
To report a pothole to CDOT within CDOT jurisdiction (state and federal highways), call 719-562-5568.
Local teacher finalist for ‘America’s Favorite Teacher’
Bradley Davis
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – It seems like a lot of people like Colorado Springs Charter Academy Athletic Director Isaiah Seaborn. He’s just a few spots away from becoming America’s Favorite Teacher.
“It’s incredible because all of these kids are incredible, and that’s what means the most to me, when I can go home at the end of the day, and say, ‘Hey, I impacted a kid’s life.’ Man, that means the world to me,” Seaborn said.
Seaborn is in sixth place in the competition. He needs to crack the top five by 8 p.m. tonight to move on to the next round. People can vote once a day for free. You can find his voting page here.
The competition, sponsored by Bill Nye, is operated by the same company that hosts America’s Favorite Pet. If Seaborn wins, he’ll get $25,000, a trip to Hawaii, an appearance in Reader’s Digest, and a school assembly visit by Bill Nye.
Local outdoorsman kayaks for solar power as outcry renews for Puerto Rico solar funding
Bradley Davis
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Nearly 200 organizations penned a letter to President Trump on Wednesday, urging him to restore $350 million in funding to ease Puerto Rico’s power grid problems. While they wait for a response, a local outdoorsman is taking matters into his own hands.
“I will be very happy that my paddling was useful in a different way, other than making me personally happy,” Kayaker Chris Duval said.
Next Wednesday, on Earth Day, Duval will ship off from the Puerto Rico coast in his kayak. He will paddle 100 miles, raising money along the way.
He saw the destruction of Hurricane Maria in 2017 firsthand as his in-laws and millions more struggled to rebuild. The island’s energy grid has never fully recovered.
“They have to import all of their energy, and it’s expensive, especially in times like now when energy prices have gone up,” Duval said.
That’s why he will take on the Atlantic Ocean for his “Paddle for Power”. He’s raising money to support Solar United Neighbors and the Sierra Club of Puerto Rico. The two groups work together to help Puerto Rican residents afford solar power and personal generators to power their homes independently from the territory’s grid.
“The money that they were counting on to use to help low-income people install solar systems is gone, so hopefully the money we raise will help fill that gap,” Duval said.
Solar United Neighbors said it has lost over $10 million in funding intended to help vulnerable Puerto Ricans build solar and generator power systems so they’re protected when the unreliable main grid goes down.
Solar United Neighbors said it was one of the organizations that signed the letter addressed to the president. The letter urges the Trump Administration to restore $350 million in federal funding intended to finance solar and generator power systems for 12,000 low-income Puerto Rican families.
Duval hits the water on April 22. You can find his Paddle for Power donation page here.
The School Buzz: Air Academy HS students hold Q&A with Colorado congressman
Josh Helmuth
Students at one local high school got a chance to hear directly from someone helping shape decisions in Washington.
The students at Air Academy High School got a firsthand look at government in action when Representative Jeff Crank visited the school on March 30.
Crank spoke with students about public service, leadership and current events. Better yet, students got the chance to ask him questions during a Q&A.
School leaders say it was a powerful way to connect with what students are learning in the classroom with the real world. It really gives them a better understanding of leadership and how government works firsthand.
Is there something or someone remarkable at your school? Email Josh! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.
Exit ramp at Circle & Hancock in Colorado Springs to close for rest of April; expect traffic shifts
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — For many drivers, the much-needed and long-awaited repaving of Circle Drive can’t happen soon enough.
And it will begin next week at the south end, near the recently completed project to replace four bridges, according to message signs in the area.
But one more project remains before the paving work starts.
City officials announced on Tuesday that the exit ramp to Hancock Expressway from southbound Circle has closed and will remain closed through the end of the month.
A city spokesman said that the closure is because of a water line installation across Circle.
Traffic on southbound Circle is reduced to one lane around the construction site; the city urges drivers to slow down and adhere to the 35 mph speed limit.
While KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior awaits a response to a request for more details from Colorado Springs Utilities, it appears that the water line may serve a future housing development between the ramp and Hancock, under the hill where the Spring Creek neighborhood is.
The city spokesman also said that the closure is one of the final phases of the bridge project; some of that work requires continued lane closures on Hancock, under the bridges.