Category: krdo-local-news

Sadie Buggle

FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) – The Fountain Police Department (FPD) says a viral social media prank using AI-altered photos to fake home intrusions sparked a massive police response Tuesday, leading the department to warn residents about the serious risks behind the trend.

The recent trend, nicknamed the “AI Homeless Man Prank,” is gaining traction on platforms like TikTok, where users manipulate photos using artificial intelligence to create fake images of an intruder inside their home, intending to scare family members or roommates.

Officers with the Fountain Police Department say they responded to a reported burglary on Wednesday morning after a mother called 911, fearing for her daughter’s safety.

The mother told the dispatcher that she had received a text from her daughter saying, “Some strange guy just walked into the house asking to use the restroom.” Her daughter had also sent her a photo of the man in their house, whom the mother described as “homeless-looking.”

The mother said she was then unable to get in contact with her daughter, prompting her to call the police.

FPD said that due to the urgent nature of the call, every police officer and detective who was available was sent to the residence.

“Every available unit responded to this residence. When they got there, they knocked on the door. Originally, there was no response from anyone. So at that point, right now, the situation is now amping up even more because there’s no response. There’s a strange person in the home. Officers were preparing to do whatever they needed to do to get inside that home. That could have meant you know, busting down the front door, whatever that means. And eventually, thankfully, the daughter did come to the door and say that it was a prank,” explained Lisa Schneider, the Public Information Officer for the Fountain Police Department.  

She says luckily, there were no other calls for service in Fountain at the time, but if there were, it could have pulled away police resources. FPD also explained that no one would face charges in this instance since the mother believed her daughter was in danger. They say the daughter would have had to call 911, knowing she generated that image for potential false reporting charges.

“Yesterday, there was a lot of wasted resources on this call. Thankfully, there were no other calls for service at that point. But if there had been, there would have been a delayed response to someone who was having an actual emergency,” said Schneider.

“While it may seem like a joke, this prank isn’t funny,” the department said in a post to social media. “These pranks cause panic to family members, have the potential of dangerous or violent reactions, and waste time and resources of emergency responders.”

FPD is now urging parents to talk to their kids about the serious consequences of these trends and how they could have serious emotional and legal consequences.

“Please ask questions of roommates or family members before calling 911 to report such an image. Make sure it’s real,” the department said. “Make sure your family members know you’re going to call 911 and they need to tell you then if it’s a prank, before it’s too late.”

KRDO13 spoke with people in Southern Colorado about the trend. Some parents were shocked by the video and said that they would believe it if they were sent that by their child. One mom told KRDO13 she’s going to get her daughter a home phone when she’s older, saying the cellphone access to social media and artificial intelligence has gotten out of hand.

Another parent who works in AI said they would take a critical eye to the images. For example, we showed her a video of what looked like someone standing in our break room fridge.

“As the models get better and they improve, it’s going to get to a point where you can’t tell the difference between AI and reality. I can, because I can look at this with a critical eye and see that he’s not actually grabbing onto anything. But I would say the technology is rapidly improving, and pretty soon you won’t be able to tell,” explained Carly Mojica, a local parent.

Mojica noted that her son would not try to pull that prank since they both know better.

“If there was someone breaking into your house, why would you stand there and film them going through your refrigerator? I don’t know, I feel like, if there was someone in our house, I would know that he would probably be screaming and call 911. Not send me a video,” said Mojica.

Another parent explained how, while this can be scary, it’s important, it is to look out for what your kids are getting involved in.

“I like it for some uses, but I think that when it comes to imitating things that are, that are fake, that’s scary. And then, you know, because we live in a generation where everybody has access to the internet and to their phones and all the things, we have to be very conscious of what our kids are getting involved in,” explained Dr. Gloria Prince.

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Celeste Springer

HUERFANO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Las Animas-Huerfano Counties District Health Department sent a notification on Thursday that someone with measles had visited locations in Huerfano County.

According to CDPHE, the person was a visitor from out of state.

People who were at the following locations should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after the exposure date, CDPHE says. If you develop symptoms, you should contact your healthcare provider.

Location
Date/time
When symptoms develop

Ranch House Inn1012 Cherry St.La Veta, CO 81055
Oct. 12 – 15
Wednesday, Nov. 5

La Veta Country Store (Valero)200 N Main St.La Veta, CO 81055
Monday, Oct. 138 – 11 a.m.
Monday, Nov. 3

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Celeste Springer

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) says they were called out to Breckenridge on Thursday after a moose calf got stuck in a skate park bowl.

CPW says they worked with local officials and police to safely remove him. The video, seen above, shows the sedated moose strung up as CPW worked to lift him out.

Once he was rescued, CPW says his sedation slowly wore off, and he was reunited with his mom.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Western Museum of Mining and Industry (WMMI) hosts its 14th-annual “Miners’ Pumpkin Patch” to raise money for its field trips, outreach programs, STEM camps and other educational programming.

It all comes back to the different equipment and the different tools that we can use for not just outreach, but everything that we’re doing with our schools and different groups,” educational coordinator Ryan Freeny said.

The pumpkin patch is every Saturday in October from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The museum said it will have a Children’s Straw Maze, a giant slide, giant family yard games, a vintage apple cider press, animals, a hay ride, gold panning, mining machine demonstrations, farm stands, food trucks, a pumpkin catapult and pumpkin smashing.

“People drive by and go, ‘Oh, I’ve never been in,’ but there’s a reason to come now, right? And they can find out about the museum, the blacksmith shop and the other things we have going on,” Executive Director Grant Dewey said.

Tickets are $13 online or $15 at the door.

KRDO 13’s Bradley Davis and the crew at WMMI took some hammers to a pumpkin on Good Morning Colorado to show how tough they can be. Watch the story to see how they did.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Few road projects are as large, expensive, and impactful as the major infrastructure project in the heart of the city that has entered its third year.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) expects to finish a $62 million improvement project by the end of next summer.

Crews are making various upgrades on a 1.5-mile stretch of I-25 between Fillmore Street and Garden of the Gods Road.

CDOT has replaced the twin bridges over Ellston Street, which required several traffic shifts; traffic is using the southbound bridge while the northbound bridge is expected to open to traffic next month.

Workers are currently focused on the east side of the freeway, along the northbound lanes, shifting traffic to the west, and creating open space that will become new lanes as well as acceleration/deceleration lanes.

The latter will be designed to make it easier for drivers to merge into and out of traffic, eliminating a traffic bottleneck that can cause backups for miles to the south.

That part of the project will eventually move to the west side of the freeway, along the southbound lanes.

Crews have also made significant drainage improvements.

Because traffic lanes have been narrow, winding, and bumpy during construction, CDOT is repaving I-25 through the work zone to smooth the pavement before winter.

The project’s next major phase happens in the spring with a major renovation of the bridge over Garden of the Gods Road.

“It’s going to be in the April/May time frame,” said Patti Henschen, a CDOT engineer overseeing the project. “We’ll give you more details when we get closer to that date, but it’s going to be some overnight closures over several weekends. New rehab work on it.”

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Celeste Springer

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The City of Pueblo says that residents will have the opportunity to offload large household items, trash, and yard debris later this week.

There will be two dumping locations at the Colorado State Fairgrounds and Colorado State University (CSU) Pueblo, on Saturday. Additionally, those with yard debris, which isn’t bagged, can also go to RecycleWorks.

City officials say this is an opportunity for residents to get rid of old furniture, carpet, or up to nine tires.

Residents should bring an I.D. or a recent utility bill. You will not be able to bring building materials, including concrete, soil, rocks, or any sort of industrial/commercial waste. Hazardous materials, including electronics, will be turned away.

Residents will be limited to one pick-up-sized truck load. Oversized truckloads or moving trucks will be turned away, the city says.

“The City of Pueblo is happy to offer this no-cost event to the public to make clean up and dumping trash more convenient,” said Director of Public Works Andrew Hayes. “This event is always successful, and we know residents look forward to this opportunity.”

Here is information on locations.

The Colorado State Fairgrounds: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18. Residents should come through Gate 3 on Mesa Avenue or Gate 9 on Beulah Avenue. Drivers will be directed to the drop-off location and will be asked to leave through Gate 5. Traffic patterns in the area may be adjusted, but the City of Pueblo says there will be signs set up to help drivers navigate.

CSU Pueblo: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18. Drop off will be at the Thunderbowl parking lot.

RecycleWorks: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18. RecycleWorks is only collecting green waste, like unbagged yard debris. Do not bring furniture items to RecycleWorks.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Arc Pikes Peak Region is hosting a free block party on Saturday to celebrate its 70th year providing guardianship and other services to people with disabilities in Colorado Springs.

The organization said it represents people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Its mission statement is “To promote and protect the human rights of people with IDD and actively support their full inclusion and participation in the communities of the Pikes Peak Region throughout their lifetimes.”

Employees at the Arc dug up some old history as they prepared for the 1950s-themed block party. It’s a nod to their 70-year tenure in Colorado Springs, but there is some history the organization is happy to leave in the past.

“It definitely was very shocking for me,” communications manager Morgan Weise said while reading old newspaper clippings. “I hear 70 years, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s a pretty long time.'” Then I’m looking at this stuff, and I’m like, ‘Wow.’”

The old articles have some jarring headlines. “Leave {explatives} at Home” in big bold letters on one page.

I am always amazed that it was only in the 90s that the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted,” Guardianship Coordinator Christina Butero said. “We’ve come a long way, but we have so far to go.”

The block party is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday outside of their office on N. Meade Avenue. Organizers said there will be carnival games, local vendors, prizes, food trucks and a live DJ.

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Michael Logerwell

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – Tonight, a new program to help small business owners in the face of vandalism is under consideration by the Pueblo City Council.

The Small Business Window Repair Mini-Grant Program would provide small businesses with funds to replace windows damaged by vandalism.

Below is the background paper for the proposed ordinance:

d306ebcf-62ca-42aa-8836-4c26a383b309Download

The owner of Karmic Konnection, Dawn Thompson, says she has been in business for over a decade and has had windows at her store smashed four times this year alone, most recently, about 48 hours ago.

“I think this is a great start to help the businesses, but it is just a bandage,” says Thompson.

On October 12th, security camera footage caught a man smashing the front door window at Karmic Konnections.

Still picture from security camera footage posted by Karmic Konnection on social media.

“It’s two types of loss with it. Of course, you’ve got the property damage, you’ve got the replacement cost, and they’re affecting your business. But it also takes a very emotional toll,” Thompson says. The repeated incidents make her worry about the safety of her customers, employees, and herself.

Four times in the past year, twice in October alone, Thompson has faced the unplanned cost of replacing store windows.

City officials say this potential solution could help those like Thompson with the cost of replacing the windows.

“They’re going to have to submit a police report. And then their costs incurred, and then they’ll get reimbursed up to $1,000 for their out-of-pocket expenses,” says Councilor Sarah Martinez, who is sponsoring the item.

If passed, officials say it will draw $50,000 from interest on already existing funds. Specifically, federal funds that were previously given to Pueblo to help repair damaged storefronts.

While Thompson said this was a good start, she also told KRDO13 that she would like to see more done.

“Overall, I think that it’s just a bandage for a bigger problem that we have with crime and vandalism and drugs here in Pueblo.”

Councilor Martinez did point to another grant program that’s helping businesses pay for and install accordion-style security gates, and part of the overall strategy includes beefing up police patrols. 

“We swore in three additional officers today. We’re taking a lot of steps to increase the amount of officers that we have ready and available to do that.” Martinez added that the real-time crime center in Pueblo is now fully up and running.

Tonight marked the first reading of the agenda item; it would need to pass tonight’s vote and a second vote for the program to go into effect.

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Rob Namnoum

Palmer Ridge High School was picked for the Qdoba Friday Night Spirit Award for week four of the high school football season. Ridge Rage received the Qdoba Friday Night Blitz Spirit Award plaque on Tuesday afternoon.

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Celeste Springer

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office says that ballots have officially been mailed ahead of the Nov. 4, 2025 election.

The clerk and recorder’s office says that more than 500,000 ballots were sent to eligible, active voters in the county. The ballots are expected to arrive in mailboxes by Oct. 17, the office says.

“As your Clerk & Recorder, my promise is simple: secure, transparent, and accessible elections,” said Clerk Steve Schleiker. “Every ballot is tracked end-to-end and processed with bipartisan oversight. With 41 drop boxes and helpful in-person services, please vote early and contact us if you need any assistance.”

The election will include select seats for county commissioner, some city council seats, and school board seats. To see a sample ballot, click here.

There are also several statewide ballot initiatives. For a voter guide on those, click here.

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