Category: krdo-local-news

Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – What teams should transgender athletes play on? That was the main topic of discussion Thursday night at the School District 49 Board meeting.

The discussion was expected to draw a large crowd.

The “Preserving Fairness and Safety in Sports” policy would require student athletes to play only on teams that align with their gender assigned at birth. The policy states, in part, that there are “inherent differences between boys and girls’ and classification of sports team participation by biological sex is needed to protect female athletes’ rights to safety and privacy.”

Former Olympian Eli Bremer told KRDO13 Investigates that he believes school districts need rules like this.

“I think it’s never appropriate for a girl or a woman to have to give up her position for a man. And, and I don’t think that regardless of how many people there are, that the policy should allow for that,” Bremer said.

LGBTQ advocates, however, told us that policies like these do more harm than good.

“This isn’t about sports. It is about making a statement that trans people are not welcome in D49, which not everyone in the community believes,” Ollie with Inside Out Youth Services said.

KRDO13 Investigates reached out to D49 School Board President Lori Thompson. Thompson prepared the ‘Preserving Fairness and Safety in Sports’ item for Thursday night’s agenda. She declined our interview request and responded with this statement:

“The proposed policy addresses critical issues surrounding athletic competition, placing focus on fairness, safety, and ensuring that women have opportunities in sports. JBA is the result of productive discussions with our legal counsel following the first reading of a draft resolution acknowledging the significance of recognizing biological sex in sports and private places. We anticipate and welcome a robust discussion on proposed policy JBA from members of our community, our student board of representatives and board directors. We will listen closely to all feedback prior to casting votes at an upcoming meeting, which follows our well established process as the committee tasked with overseeing the business of School District 49.” – Lori Thompson

When reached for comment, the Colorado High School Activities Association told KRDO13 Investigates they don’t make recommendations for school districts making policy around transgender athletes:

“CHSAA understands that this is a challenging and uncertain time for our member schools, given the complex interplay between state laws and federal directives. We recognize the difficult position this places districts and school leaders in as they work to balance evolving directives with local expectations and state statutes.

CHSAA strongly encourages each school and district to consult with their own leadership teams and legal counsel to interpret the potential impacts and anticipated outcomes of this federal directive within their unique context.

It is important to note that CHSAA’s bylaws have never mandated specific actions for our member schools. Rather, they reflect the rights afforded under both Federal and Colorado state law and are designed to align with existing legal protections for all students.

Until further clarification is provided by state leaders, legal experts, and the judiciary, CHSAA is not in a position to offer legal guidance. That said, CHSAA remains committed to closely monitoring ongoing developments and working with our partners at the state and national levels to determine the most appropriate and informed path forward for our schools and student-athletes.”

Sadie Buggle

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A portion of southbound South Academy Boulevard remained closed Friday morning as crews finished repairs to a water main break confirmed by Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU).

The break prompted a closure of southbound Academy between Hancock Expressway and Drennan Road; only one northbound lane is open from Drennan to Jet Wing Drive.

CSU spokesman Alex Trefry said that the lane closures will remain effective until Sunday morning.

The break has been repaired and the excavated area restored but crews will need until Sunday morning to prepare the affected segment for regular traffic.

According to Trefry, a private contractor doing underground work struck the 24-inch main just before 1:30 a.m. Thursday;, CSU is investigating the circumstances of that incident.

In a post on its Facebook page Thursday night, CSU said that the break was 16 feet below street level and under a stormwater drain.

The utility said that crews of 4 to 6 people are alternating 12-hour shifts until repairs are finished.

“We’re asking everyone to please drive safely through the area,” Trefry said. “Please follow the construction signage. Do not speed. There are people working out on the roadway, and for their safety and yours, please slow down as you’re driving through.”

KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior saw several instances of drivers running red lights and drivers knocking down cones to avoid long traffic jams on southbound Academy and eastbound Hancock.

A number of people even drove into the closure, only to eventually turn back around.

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – It’s like a garage sale – but for everything bikes. $5 gets you in the door on Saturday at SoccerHaus. All the money supports two non-profits in Colorado Springs.

“Kids on Bikes” Executive Director Daniel Byrd teaches KRDO13’s Bradley Davis how to change a flat bike tire.

“It’s very much like a garage sale,” said Kids on Bikes Executive Director Daniel Byrd. “You can find anything and everything pretty much”

The swap is organized by the Colorado Springs Mountain Bike Association (COSMBA) and Kids on Bikes. Both organizations are non-profits in Southern Colorado. COSMBA builds mountain biking trails in El Paso County, while Kids on Bikes works to improve bike access to kids in Colorado Springs.

I’ve seen kids we remember in the program when they were younger, and suddenly, they come back, and they’re an entire foot taller,” Byrd said.

“Cycling and mountain biking, for me, that is my community,” COSMBA Executive Director Keith Thompson said. “To reconnect with them, and talk about riding and seeing what they’re doing. Man, it gets me excited.”

The bike swap is Saturday, April 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at SoccerHaus in Colorado Springs. Kids 12 and under get in free. You can buy your ticket online or at the door.

Bradley Davis

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Manitou Springs welcomed KRDO13 for a special preview ahead of the 30th annual Great Fruitcake Toss on Saturday.

“I love this event for being 30 years strong in this community,” said Manitou Springs events manager Jenna Gallas. “As everyone knows, we like to do things a little weird in Manitou Springs, and we’re keeping that tradition with the great fruitcake toss.”

Manitou Springs is credited as the inspiration for National Fruitcake Toss Day and as the originator of the event.

“Oh, we are definitely first. Yes, there are copycats out there, but you can rest assured that the original fruitcake toss was right here in Manitou Springs,” Gallas said.

The event runs from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Memorial Park in Manitou Springs on Saturday. You do not need a reservation. You can bring your own one-pound fruitcake or pay $1 to rent a fruitcake. It’s another $1 to participate in each event. People can also trade canned goods for tickets, up to 10 tickets, which Manitou Springs will donate to the St. Andrews Food Pantry.

The Great Fruitcake Toss hosts throwing competitions for distance and accuracy, an obstacle course carrying a cake with a spatula, the “too good to toss bake off” and more.

Breaking from normal expectations, all of the fruitcakes will get eaten, except those people save to throw for next year. Judges will dig into the tasty-baked variety, while the city will give its rented cakes to farmers to feed their pigs.

Julia Donovan

MONUMENT, Colo. (KRDO) – With a warm stretch of days ahead, it’s especially important not to trust the ice on frozen ponds and lakes. That’s the message Monument firefighters are sending after finishing up a week of ice rescue training Friday.

“This is probably one of the guys’ funnest exercises that they get to do,” Battalion Chief Shannon Balvanz of the Monument Fire Protection District confessed.

You heard that right –  ice rescue training is fun! You get to wear insulated, waterproof suits and hangout on the lake.

“They’re in freezing water right now and they’re actually sweating,” Balvanz explained. 

But falling through the ice and needing a rescue? Obviously not a good time. Balvanz estimates it happens up here in Monument once every couple years.

“It’s not very often that we have to do an ice rescue, which is why we train on it so that when it does happen we’re ready to be able to do so,” Balvanz told KRDO.

Firefighters practice their skills quickly rigging the rope, tossing the boogie board, and pulling people in. There’s a serious need or speed when someone is stuck in near-freezing water.

“We want to do what we can to try and get to them before their body gives out on them and they’re not able to hold onto the ice shelf anymore,” Balvanz told us.

He says you can lose muscle function in less than ten minutes and die in around 25 minutes submerged in extremely cold water.

“We started doing our ice rescue training on Monday and the ice was twelve inches thick. By Tuesday, it had already melted four inches,” Balvanz said. “The ice down here on the Front Range fluctuates so often – that’s why we tell people you should stay off the ice because it’s just really not that safe.”

Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) says areas above the treeline in the Pikes Peak region have considerable avalanche risk for Saturday.

Experts with the CAIC say recent snow will start to move around in plumes as westerly wind picks up.

Example photo of snow coming off the peaks close to Red Mountain Pass (Source: CAIC)

The CAIC says those nearby should pay close attention to wind-drifted areas, which will be the most dangerous this weekend.

“You can trigger an avalanche where new snow and strong winds create a dense surface slab in steep terrain. The most dangerous slopes will face northeast to east to southeast, where slabs formed over a foot deep on hardened old snow surfaces,” read a blurb on the CAIC website.

Wind slabs (Source: CAIC)