Category: krdo-local-news

Bradley Davis

WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (KRDO) – The girls on the Merit Academy rifle team are one of just two non-Junior ROTC programs competing in Utah for the Regional Championship next Friday.

The team is one of the only all-women-led programs in the country. The team competes in the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) with other schools and programs across the country. Boys and girls compete in the same division.

Only about a third of teams in their region make it to the Salt Lake City regional. It’s only Merit Academy’s second year competing, and five of their girls will make the drive next week.

Shooting sports program director Jenn Peters said the team does not get public funding. She said they fundraised all the money with the help of community donations and a donation match from the MidwayUSA foundation. She said it cost over $28,000 for their equipment.

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Scott Harrison

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The grand opening of the new Medal of Honor Boulevard happened as scheduled on Friday, and many drivers were eager to try it out.

The two-year, $40 million project officially ended after an 11:30 a.m. ceremony on the east end of the construction site — beside the new county jail still being built.

The four-lane road covers slightly more than three miles, from the intersection of 24th Street and Pueblo Boulevard (State Highway 45) at the city and county line, to the intersection of Joe Martinez and Purcell Boulevards, in Pueblo West.

It was in May 2024 that construction began on the area’s first direct connection between Pueblo West and the west side of Pueblo.

Officials planned the road project, and the $150 million jail project, at around the same time.

KRDO 13 was there when local leaders got their first look at the finalized plan, a few weeks before Christmas 2021.

A unique aspect of the new boulevard is that its asphalt contains 12.5 million recycled plastic grocery bags — making it the longest road of its kind in the country, officials said.

The county tested the new material in 2022 and 2023 by paving four miles of Siloam Road.

Officials said that mix is more expensive to use but should significantly reduce maintenance costs.

A 2016 ballot measure by county voters to retain $66 million in excess tax revenue, financed the Medal of Honor Boulevard project.

Among officials delivering remarks at the event were Vietnam veteran Drew Dix, one of the Steel City’s four Medal of Honor recipients.

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Julia Donovan

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Health inspectors reported a cockroach sighting at a taco shop on the east side of Colorado Springs in addition to 20 other violations. Meanwhile, a gastropub is serving up ambiance and award-winning food!

Low scores:

El Rey Del Taco on S Academy Boulevard recently failed its routine health inspection with a whopping 21 violations.

The inspector caught an employee touching raw steak, then cooked shrimp – AKA cross-contamination. Chicken and pork were at unsafe temperatures. The inspector also noticed old food in the kitchen, a dirty ice machine and grease dripping from storage shelves!

In addition to all this, the inspector found evidence of cockroach activity.

We stopped by, but the manager didn’t want to talk.

When we asked for the owner’s contact information, we were shooed away.

El Taco Del Rey passed its re-inspection.

We have two perfect scores this week:

In-N-Out on Interquest Parkway and MOD Pizza on North Gate Boulevard.

Our featured high score of the week is Atmosphere Gastropub on Interquest Parkway.

“I love how eclectic our menu is,” Sous Chef Calvin Mertens said in an interview with KRDO. “[we] love worldly foods.”

One fan-favorite at Atmosphere? The Taste of Pikes Peak award-winning tuna tartare!

The tuna tartare has been on the menu for years. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Atmosphere also strives to be the best when it comes to food safety and cleanliness.

As many of our previous high-scoring restaurants have noted, Chef Mertens urges struggling restaurant owners to do what they can to hire good people, and life will be much easier.

“I know in the restaurant industry a lot of times we focus on money, percentages, and making sure you’re meeting goals and quotas, etc.,” he acknowledged. “But sometimes it just takes a little more investment in your staff to ensure your business runs smoothly.”

Keep an eye out for the KRDO13 Restaurant Roundup awards at your favorite restaurant to know the kitchen inside is clean.

Reminder: all of our high and low-scoring restaurants are based on routine health inspections conducted by the El Paso County Health Department.

Click here for a look at all the most recent health inspection scores.

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Scott Harrison

FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Concrete pavement just north of Penrose on Highway 115 looks great and is smooth to drive on.

That is, until you get closer to the US 50 interchange.

Dozens of pavement panels are cracked or broken; some are so bad, that previous crews tried to patch the damage with asphalt.

It has created a rough and bumpy ride for several years.

So, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) started a $3.6 million project on Monday to repair or replace the panels along a five-mile stretch north of the interchange.

CDOT expects to finish the project in September.

Because of the volume of work involved, crews will be on 12-hour weekday shifts, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; drivers should watch for occasional traffic shifts and lane closures.

Damaged concrete panels also are an issue in Colorado Springs, specifically at two locations — along Interstate 25 and at the new Powers Boulevard/Airport Road interchange.

Replacing those panels is challenging because of either constant heavy traffic (I-25) or being in an active construction zone (Powers/Airport).

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Bradley Davis

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Eight years ago, two hardcore boardgamers came together to create the Pikes Peak Gamers. This weekend, the pair and their volunteers are hosting their sixth-annual board game convention with over 1,500 games from their personal stock.

The convention starts Friday, April 10, and stretches until 2 a.m., for those night owl players who constantly find themselves saying “just one more game.”

The con is at the Manitou Springs City Hall from Friday to Sunday. Tickets for the whole weekend are $70. They’ll release single-day passes starting Friday for $40, but only if there are still available spots.

Full schedule

Friday: 5 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Saturday: 8 a.m. – 2 a.m.

Sunday: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

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Josh Helmuth

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — A whopping $80,860 was raised during the KRDO13 USAA Honor Flight of Southern Colorado Telethon.

Two veterans shared why honoring those who served is more than a mission — it’s personal.

Ken Wasoba and Tammy Baugh sat down surrounded by aviation history, talking about another kind of journey — one that takes southern Colorado veterans to Washington, D.C., to see the memorials built in their honor.

Both are leaders with Honor Flight of Southern Colorado. Both are veterans themselves. And both say the impact of these trips is something you have to see to understand.

“You see a change during those two days,” Wasoba said. “It’s just a total change.”

A mission that changes lives

Honor Flight of Southern Colorado, established in 2011, is part of a nationwide network of more than 130 hubs dedicated to flying veterans — at no cost — to Washington, D.C.

Every flight, meal and hotel stay is paid for entirely through community donations.

The organization has flown more than 350 World War II, Korean War and Vietnam veterans on 21 missions. But the need remains high, with more than 300 veterans currently on a waitlist that can stretch two to three years.

“We love the organization,” Wasoba said. “It just does such great things for the veterans, for the guardians, and for the people who support us. The sendoffs, the welcome homes — it’s very emotional.”

That emotion, he says, often turns into something deeper.

“The bonding starts immediately,” Wasoba said. “You talk about that experience — at dinners, at lunch, at the memorials.”

‘The single best day of my life’

For Baugh, an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the mission hits especially close to home.

Her uncle, a Vietnam veteran from Wisconsin, went on an Honor Flight and came back changed.

“The way he talked about his time in service, his time in Vietnam, it was different,” Baugh said. “He said that [Honor FLight] was the single best day of his life.”

She says that transformation is part of a larger responsibility, especially for her generation of service members.

“I think it’s very important to recognize that the country we live in is because of people who’ve gone out and done things,” Baugh said. “In Ken’s case, he was drafted. He didn’t volunteer.”

Wasoba, who served during Vietnam, was among those called to serve without a choice, and often without support when they returned home.

“I do believe that our veterans today — my generation and beyond — owe a great deal of credit to the Vietnam veterans,” Baugh said.

Many Vietnam veterans, she added, say the Honor Flight trip is the first time they’ve ever truly been thanked or welcomed home.

The need and the goal

Right now, Honor Flight of Southern Colorado is working toward a $130,000 fundraising goal as part of its annual telethon.

The money raised helps fund two trips each year, including a larger charter flight planned for the fall that could send about 30 additional veterans beyond the usual capacity.

The organization is also always looking for volunteers to help with everything from logistics to supporting veterans during the journey.

A community effort

From the moment veterans depart to the moment they return, the experience is designed to honor their service. Flights begin with a celebratory sendoff and end with a hero’s welcome home — often with large crowds cheering them on.

Guardians, many of them family members, often describe powerful moments as they watch loved ones visit memorials for the first time. Veterans, in turn, describe something harder to put into words: closure, connection and camaraderie.

For the veterans waiting for their turn, the hope is simple: that more people will step up to help make that journey possible.

How to help:To donate or volunteer, click here.

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Scott Harrison

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Overnight Tuesday, The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) began the fist summer road project planned for the Pikes Peak region.

CDOT will make various upgrades to traffic safety along a six-mile stretch of I-25, from Exit 114 just south of the El Paso /Pueblo county line, to Exit 108 (Pueblo West/Pueblo Boulevard interchange).

The major objective of the $3.5 million project is to install cable guardrail along the V-shaped median, which currently has no barriers to prevent vehicles from rollover crashes into it, or from ending up in opposite traffic lanes.

It’s a continuation of work CDOT started in 2018 when several fatal rollover crashes in the median led the agency to install guardrail between Fountain and the county line.

Workers also will repair some traditional guardrails along the shoulders of the freeway.

Other goals include improving drainage by cleaning out culverts and inlets, and installing a weed barrier.

Theres even one area where concrete trim on the Pinion Bridge, on southbound I-25, is buckling.

Some drivers would rather see paving in that area — or at least pothole patching and crack filling — because the pavement is in rough shape there.

CDOT expects to finish the project in August.

If you happen to drive through that area overnight, from Sundays through Thursdays, be aware of occasional shoulder and lane closures.

Doing the work at night allows crews to avoid much heavier weekend, daytime and summer tourist travel.

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Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — We often see makeshift memorials created along local roads, streets and highways where loved ones died in vehicle crashes, and many friends and relatives take pride and find comfort in those creations.

However, El Paso County officials say that the collection of crosses, photos, flowers, stuffed animals, and other items poses a concern because there is no policy to manage them, maintain them and keep them consistent.

The county is in its second week of a new policy approved by commissioners to address that concern, a policy that many local governments already have.

Joshua Palmer, the county’s chief engineer, said that the policy helps the county remain accredited by the American Public Works Association.

“There’s hundreds of different items that (we) had to go through and determine, ” he explained. “Do you have a policy? If you do, does it need to be updated? How does it apply? You need to improve it.”

Currently, a citizen is not required to register to create a memorial, to seek permission to do so, or to pay for establishing and maintaining it.

The new policy requires a citizen to submit an application; if it’s approved by the county’s chief engineer, the applicant must pay a $100 fee and receive a blue, personal sign for the lost loved one that will remain at an approved location for five years.

County employees will make and install the sign, return it if it has to be moved for roadside work, and replace it if it becomes damaged.

The fee covers some but not all of the cost of providing signs to replace handmade memorials, the county says.

Officials say that a sign honoring the victim of a crash will include the victim’s name, or be sponsored by another person or entity authorized by a family member.

However, a sign remembering an impaired driver will not bear that person’s name, but will be allowed to include a safety message.

There are 15 memorials along county roads, and those memorials are grandfathered in and not required to follow the new policy.

Some of those memorials include different types of signs, but the county seeks more consistency in that regard.

The county also says that no photos or other personal items can be placed around memorials, under the new policy.

OTHER LOCAL ROADSIDE MEMORIAL PROGRAMS

Colorado Springs has no formal process regarding roadside memorials, but if officials receive a complaint about them and an inspector determines that they pose a safety hazard, they will be removed and stored by the Operations and Maintenance Division for at least three months.

People who installed the removed materials can reclaim them by contacting the city.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has a formal program that requires an application and a fee of $150 if approved; signs are installed for a maximum of two years and can only be placed on state highways.

Pueblo allows a free placement of a roadside memorial for a maximum of 45 days; for a $200 fee, the city will erect and maintain a sign for up to six years; citizens can pay more for a memorial bench or a tree plaque on city property.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – In a new report, Colorado ranked first in the country for Disc Golf availability as the sport continues to surge in popularity, according to UDisc.

UDisc is a popular disc golf scorekeeping and course-finder app. It releases a report every year based on user data. In its 2026 report, it found Colorado has surpassed 320 disc golf courses statewide, with Denver becoming a nationwide powerhouse. The app found the Cottonwood Creek Park course to be the most popular spot to play in Colorado Springs.

UDisc said its users played over $20 million rounds of disc golf in 2025.

Local disc golf mobile store owner Alan “Disczilla” Corbin has played the sport for almost 50 years. He said he picked it up while in the Marines in the late 1970s, and he’s watched the sport blossom.

“I moved to Colorado from Florida, and the first thing I did was look up on the internet and found the Cottonwood course,” Corbin said. “I came out here and made about 10 friends on the first TeePad, and my wife said, ‘I’ve been in the military for 20 years and don’t know that many people!’ And I said, ‘Well, you’ve got to get out and play disc golf!'”

He said he’s seen the sport transform from localized pockets to a nationally televised event. He said some of his former mentees have gone on to travel the world and make money from the sport.

“I played in Denver with the deaf disc golf players,” Corbin said. “When they throw and hit a tree or something, they turn and start explaining, and I know what they’re saying because I’ve been there before.”

Corbin’s course is off East Blaney Road in Peyton, and his mobile RV store travels all across Southern Colorado.

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Josh Helmuth

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — For 96 years, Al Duran has lived a life most people would write books about, but has never talked much about.

How about the fact that he lied his way into the U.S. Marine Corps at 16? Let’s start there.

Duran, a Pueblo native who grew up with seven brothers, six of whom served, built a military career spanning three wars: WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

“I was born in a barn,” Duran said with a laugh. “For real.”

His story, much like his home, is filled with history if you know where to look.

Inside, there are glimpses of a life well-lived: old photos, prayer books, keepsakes.

“This is more of my wife’s decor,” Duran said, walking through his home. “I had prayer books like this.”

Outside, even his yard tells a story.

“You can’t imagine the leaves that this place gathers,” he said, impressive landscaping for a man 96 years young.

But it’s what Duran rarely shares that may define him most.

A war he wasn’t old enough to fight

During World War II, Duran was just a teenager when his brother was killed in Germany. Determined to serve, he found a way in, even if it meant bending the truth.

“Like any 15, 16-year-old, I wanted to be a part of it,” he said.

Duran used a backdated baptism certificate; his sister helped him edit, changing his birth year to appear older.

“I got in the Marine Corps by presenting my baptism certificate, which my older sister backdated,” he said. “The guy looked at me and said, ‘Your hard luck,’” he added with a laugh.

Duran joined at the tail end of World War II and went on to serve in both the Korean War and Vietnam — three wars in total. Yet, those closest to him say you wouldn’t know it.

“He’s a really humble guy,” said his son, Michael Duran. “He doesn’t talk a whole lot about what he did and how he did it.”

One more mission: Honor Flight

After decades of quiet service, Duran finally took a different kind of journey.

At 95 years old, he traveled to Washington, D.C., with Honor Flight of southern Colorado — an organization dedicated to flying veterans to see the memorials built in their honor.

He made the trip alongside his son.

“The one thing that I was more impressed with was the willingness of guardians to take us older people around,” Duran said. “And the kindness that the flight people showed us.”

For a man who spent much of his life out of the spotlight, the experience left a lasting impression.

“Seeing people of all nationalities going and coming and then being able to treat some of those guys — welcome them home or help them get by on their wheelchairs,” he said. “I don’t know what else to think about the Greatest Generation, but I think that was it for me.”

A life worth remembering

Although largely independent, Duran’s family helps care for Duran at home in Pueblo.

“We help look after him, make sure he has what he needs,” his son said.

And while Duran may never seek recognition, those who know his story say it deserves to be told — a reminder of sacrifice, humility and a generation that rarely asked for thanks.

Not bad for a man born in a barn.

If you’d like to donate to Honor Flight of Southern Colorado, please click here.

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