Category: krdo-local-news

Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) says southbound Powers Boulevard, as well as both eastbound and westbound Constitution Avenue, are closed at the intersection for a rollover traffic collision. The department is urging drivers to avoid the area and use alternate routes.

Police say traffic is being diverted at S. Carefree Circle.

The Cimarron Hills Fire Department (CHFD) is also responding to the reported accident, which is blocking traffic.

For the latest traffic conditions in the area, click here.

KRDO13 has a crew on the way and may update this article.

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Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On Saturday, around 11:30 a.m., the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) was called to a possible burglary in progress. The department responded to E. Pikes Peak Avenue off of S. Academy Boulevard, where officers say a caller reported that weapons were involved in the incident.

When officers arrived, they said they found a security guard had approached people attempting to enter a condemned building. Police say the condemned building is an apartment complex with fire damage. They say the security guard was there to ensure that the building stayed unoccupied.

The security guard was assaulted by the suspects using bats and tools, according to CSPD. KRDO13 asked police what tools were involved, and they said they did not have an answer at this time.

Police say the security guard was hospitalized with serious injuries. Craig Mauro and Janel Glasgow were both taken into custody, according to CSPD.

Police are investigating this incident.

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Marina Garcia

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado is experiencing one of the weakest snowpack levels on record for this time of year, and that slow start is being felt here in Colorado Springs. On Friday, December 26, the snowpack statewide was 54% of the median.

USDA

Our meteorologists say you can see in the photo above that we are in the 50% range, which is low. We want to be at least in the 100% to 125% range for a decent amount of water where we won’t flood, and drought is avoidable. 

December is usually a busy time of the year for ski shops, but this season, sales are lagging. One local shop tells KRDO13 that Friday was the busiest day they’ve had all year.

At The Ski Shop, the doors are open, but the people just don’t have a need for snow gear, which is usually a hot commodity at this time of the year. Unfortunately, the only thing hot right now is the weather.

This time last year is drastically different, and locals are feeling it. Walking around in t-shirts and shorts, customers tell KRDO13 it’s strange to be getting ski and snowboard rentals in 60-degree weather.

Store owners say some years, snowboards and skis are flying off the shelves, but with some of the warmest temperatures on record this year, they say shops are feeling the brunt of it.

The Ski Shop in Colorado Springs says sales have been noticeably slower, and no snowfall is delaying gear purchases. 

“I am definitely concerned, yeah. I’ve got a lot of inventory. I’ve had a lot of ski season, but the inventory can drag me down if I don’t pay enough attention to that,” explained The Ski Shop owner, Rick Uhl.

Though one skier tells KRDO13 this won’t deter him and his family from their long-awaited trip.

“We planned this trip for a long time, and we expected a little bit more snow, but we think we’ll have fun in the mountains with what we have,” shared a shopper.

Many people tell KRDO13 the fake snow will have to do until we see those colder temperatures, which will hopefully be here this weekend.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) —     With many road projects taking a break for the holiday period, we’re updating you on the status of three projects that started this fall.

One ended earlier this week, and two are still in progress.

Among them is the 8th Street improvement project, just down the street from the KRDO 13 newsroom, affecting the Fountain Creek bridge and the US 24 Frontage Road.

The project’s contractor gave drivers an unexpected Christmas present.

As KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior reported last week, crews closed the left lane of the Frontage Road that remained open during the project.

It was supposed to remain closed for two months — but last weekend, it reopened to traffic.

According to a text alert sent Monday, the lane will stay open until Monday, January 5th; that’s likely because there won’t be much work happening until then.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, El Paso County opened motorcycle lanes at its two downtown parking garages on Sahwatch and Costilla streets.

Each garage has an entry and exit lane; the lanes will address longtime safety issues with the current gate detection system.

Riders will no longer have to activate the gate or scan a ticket.

Finally, we’re seeing the work happening on the Mel Harmon Bridge in Pueblo; we told you early last month that it would be closed until April for repairs.

But the bridge didn’t immediately close on the day of our report.

Indications were that crews were already off for the holidays.

The only traffic or road-related issues we heard about on Christmas Day were debris temporarily closing the left lane of northbound Interstate 25, near the Pueblo West exit, and a brief closure of US 50, east of Pueblo, because of a crash possibly involving livestock on the road.

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Heather Skold

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado State Patrol confirmed to KRDO13 that a 15-year-old boy died in a dirt biking incident south of Ellicott Christmas Eve shortly after 5:00 p.m.

Two people were riding separate dirt bikes through a field near Jayhawk Avenue and Ellicott Highway and at one point, they had a violent collision.

When first responders arrived, they immediately began doing CPR on both victims, according to CSP.

Their injuries, so severe that crews called two air ambulances to the scene. However, only one would leave with a passenger.

One of the riders, just 15-years-old, did not survive, and was declared dead at the scene.

The other victim, a 21-year-old man, was flown by helicopter to a hospital.

Things are still early on in this investigation and the exact cause of the crash is still unclear.

We are still awaiting an update on the medical status of that second victim.

This article may be updated.

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – It can’t fit under the tree, but that won’t stop an e-bike, e-moto, e-dirtbike, or any other variation from potentially being a popular gift this Christmas.

While it can be a thoughtful gift, some trauma surgeons, families, and local first responders say it can also be potentially deadly.

We’re talking about e-bikes and their illegal high-powered counterparts that you might unknowingly buy online.

In 2022, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said 24,400 emergency room visits were linked to e-bikes.

The Colorado Springs Police Department told KRDO13, “CSPD urges parents and guardians to carefully consider whether a child is physically, cognitively, and emotionally prepared to safely operate an e-bike.”

“These machines may look like toys, but they are powerful and can be extremely dangerous in inexperienced hands. We’ve already seen two tragic e-bike deaths in Douglas County involving adults, along with several incidents and injuries investigated by our School Resource Officers, ” said Douglas County Sheriff, Darren Weekly.

“E-bikes can be very dangerous, and we don’t want to see the tragedy of another youth dying unnecessarily,” said Dr. John Maa, a trauma surgeon in California. Dr. Maa has been tracking the rise in injuries that have followed the e-bike’s rise in popularity lockstep. He’s noticed that the injuries aren’t resembling those of an analog bike, but closer to a motorcycle.

It’s not a trend unique to the Golden State.

“That was like the worst day of my life,” Danielle Barrett still remembers what she was doing on that day in October. She’d just come inside the house and had a sip of coffee when middle school officials told her she needed to go to the hospital for her 11-year-old son, Zane.

“I saw him on this ventilator, and I freaked out,” Barrett says. The hospital staff told her Zane fell off the back of a friend’s e-bike, hitting the back of his head. He wasn’t wearing a helmet.

“He was a straight-A student. Now he’s not. He’s missed 30-plus days of school. He gets headaches, he gets highly agitated,” Barrett says his road to recovery is at least a year long.

These accidents aren’t limited to pre-teens, either.

Candi Hegenbert said her partner had purchased an ‘e-bike’ online for a little less than $1,000. It was advertised as having a top speed of 31 mph.

“I personally had no idea that he could even go 50 miles an hour on this bike. I thought it was just a little bike with a little go,” Hegenbert said. Her son soon learned its top speed was 50 mph. She tells me he took the bike for a spin on a clear day and ended up losing control of the bike, trying to hit top speed. He flipped the bike, breaking his wrist in multiple places.

“My reaction was, oh my gosh, you know, this could have been much worse than just a broken wrist.”

The Colorado Springs Police Department has some tips on how to stay safe on an e-bike:

Verify the bike’s class and top speed—ensure it complies with Colorado law.

Choose age-appropriate equipment

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is entering its third year of de-emphasizing humor on its highway message boards intended to reinforce driver safety.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) updated its guidelines for messaging in January 2024, as more states began transmitting basic messages such as Get Insured or Get Fined, and Christmas themes such as Ho-Ho-Hold Down Your Speed.

The messaging trend raised questions about whether messages were overly focusing on humor or making drivers uncomfortable by, for example, displaying fatality statistics.

According to the FHA’s updated 1,100-page manual, which outlines the regulations for signs and other traffic control devices, all messages should be “simple, direct, brief, legible, and clear.”

However, that directive pertains to how messaging is normally used — to relay weather conditions, crash information, or even Amber Alerts — but allows leeway for traffic safety messaging.

A CDOT communications staffer, Sam Cole, creates messages and sends them monthly to the Joint Traffic Operations Center in Pueblo.

The messages are entered into a data system by technicians and appear on message boards in real time.

“Our goal is to engage the public, and you need to engage the public cleverly,” said Cole. “And sometimes humor is a good way to do that. But we don’t want people spending the rest of their days trying to figure out what that message meant.”

To that end, CDOT has eliminated the use of pop culture references and localisms in messages that would confuse drivers instead of helping them remember the importance of safe driving.

“One of my favorites is Camp in the Mountains, Not the Left Lane,” Cole revealed. “It’s because driving in the left lane without passing is a pet peeve for many drivers.”

Drivers who spoke with KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior expressed mixed opinions about the messaging trend.

“For speeding, I don’t know how many people are going to slow down because of a sign saying something cute,” said Valerie Ray, a visitor from Texas.

Pueblo resident Chris Riggs said, “It’s getting your attention, and it’s not getting your attention in a preachy way, and they’re not beating up on you. So, I think it’s a good thing.”

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — After two years, Kimberlee Singler will face a court for the alleged murder of her two children.

Singler is a Colorado Springs mother accused of drugging and killing her children in December 2023. Police say two of her children, 9-year-old Ellie Wentz and 7-year-old Aden Wentz, were found dead, and her 11-year-old daughter was injured.

On Tuesday, the district attorney’s office said Singler is back in the United States after close to two years abroad following fleeing the country. The district attorney’s office says she will be scheduled for her first court appearance in the coming days.

“Singler is accused of committing an unthinkable act,” said Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez. “I know that these acts have deeply impacted our community, and our hearts remain with the now 13-year-old daughter.”

The district attorney’s office says Singler faces the following charges:

Two counts of first-degree murder (after deliberation with intent)

Two counts of first-degree murder (child victim under 12 years old)

Criminal attempt to commit murder in the first degree

First-degree assault

Courtesy: Colorado Springs Police Department

An El Paso County Coroner’s Office report shows that both Ellie and Aden died from gunshot wounds to the head, and one of them also had an incised neck wound that contributed to their death. The reports also show that both kids had toxic or potentially toxic levels of doxylamine, commonly used as a sleep aid, in their systems.

After the alleged murder, officials say Singler left town for the United Kingdom, and prosecutors have hoped to extradite her ever since. Earlier this year, a judge in the U.K. ruled in favor of her extradition.

“You can run… but we will find you, and we will bring you back, and that’s what we did in this case,” said Chief Vasquez.

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Heather Skold

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Homeless shelter guests of all ages received a warm Christmas meal Tuesday afternoon.

Hundreds were treated to a savory dinner and music, and given everyday essentials, including socks, gloves and hats.

“We’re so blessed, and too often we lose focus on what’s important, and this is a good reminder that no matter how tough we think we have it, there’s always somebody who’s got it a little harder than we do. So, so for that reason, it’s extra special to come out and give a part of ourselves,” said Gary Rafferty, a Springs Rescue Mission volunteer.

Volunteers not only served guests, but took time to write them messages of encouragement and peace.

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Bradley Davis

MONUMENT, Colo. (KRDO) – Rather than Rudolph, glowing police cruisers and firetrucks will lead Santa with their lights so bright through Monument Tuesday night for the annual “Santa on Patrol.”

It’s like a parade, but instead of throwing out beads or candy, the officers are helping Santa deliver toys to children who need them in the Tri-Lakes area.

The local police and fire departments partnered with Toys for Tots to collect toys for Santa starting in October. The decorated caravan ships off at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Santa will join the parade to personally hand out each toy before his long night on Christmas Eve.

Santa on Patrol uses Pikes Peak United Way to find families who need help. If you would like to apply for next year, call 2-1-1 next Fall and ask for help, or fill out an application from a local organization in your area. You can find a non-exhaustive list here.

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