Category: krdo-local-news

Bradley Davis

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – The foster animals with the “From Forgotten to Forever” (FFTF) non-profit look pretty adorable in their adoption pictures. The group said it’s thanks to a local photographer who photographs their animals for free, and their adoption rates are increasing.

Allison Hall takes pictures of animals for a living. She has a business called Golden Iris Portraits, but she takes photos for FFTF for free.

This month and next, Hall is scaling up her involvement.

FFTF hosts an annual pet photo contest for its calendar. This year, the top 12 amateur photographers will win a free professional photography session with Hall. FFTF and Hall hope the prize will incentivize more people to submit and donate to the foster home operations.

Voting ends May 31 at 9 p.m. It’s $5 to submit a photo. The overall winner will be featured on the cover of the calendar.

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Danny Mata

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Family and friends of a crane operator killed at a Colorado Springs job site are remembering the man they say left a lasting impact on everyone around him.

On April 28, the Colorado Springs Fire Department responded to the construction site of Forge at Peak Innovation Park after reports of a crane operator trapped inside his equipment. Alex Disher was pronounced dead at the scene.

KRDO13 has reached out to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for more details on the incident; however, OSHA says it cannot discuss ongoing investigations. OSHA has six months to complete the investigation, according to officials.

In a text message to KRDO13, Disher’s wife, Brandy, shared the following statement about her husband.

“Alex is the love of my life, my best friend, my whole world. This man did anything and everything he could to see us smile. He worked so hard so I could be a stay-at-home mom. I will forever be grateful to him and the love we shared. He was the most goofy, life-loving person I have ever met.

He always had us on an adventure always. Always had get-rich schemes. Loved our kids with everything he had.”

Tera Hill, a friend of the family, said, “Alex was probably one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. You could call Alex at any time, and he’d help with anything. Anything from [being] a handyman, to a simple task, to somebody to talk to. He would be there, available, no matter what.”

Alex, remembered for his humor, kindness and unwavering devotion to his family, left an indelible mark on those who knew him. “Alex was funny. He was so funny. He was kind, and he was endlessly generous,” Hill said.

His loved ones say they cherished his ability to brighten any room and his unique approach to parenting. As tributes pour in, his legacy as a devoted husband and incredible father continues to shine brightly.

“Brandy’s a spitfire, and Alex matched that energy,” Hill said. “They were so devoted to each other. It’s genuinely like once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. He loved those boys, and he loved his girl. He’s an incredible dad, he really is. He’s a silly guy, and he really incorporated that into his parenting style. He was the foundation of their family.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Alex’s family. There is also a Meal Train page to help provide for his wife, Brandy, and their three children.

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Josh Helmuth

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Springs may be the Olympic City. But Monument has the latest local athlete pushing to make Team USA.

Lilly Lundy recently won her weight class in the Under-17 division at nationals in Spokane last week. In doing so, she earned a spot to represent Team USA at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, this summer.

In fact, Lilly will be one of just 10 athletes competing for the United States. To top it off, Lilly has been wrestling at 100 pounds and qualified at 94 pounds. During the high school season, she only lost to state champions or nationally ranked wrestlers. Those few losses were actually a good omen.

Her coach says she’s everything you’d want in an athlete. 

“Lilly’s a great kid. Leader. .. She’s like a one-percenter. Does everything right. Never complains. Very coachable, “said Cole Jackson, Lewis-Palmer High School’s head wrestling coach.

Lilly has a week-long camp at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center this week. July through August, she’ll be in Azerbaijan. Her goal is to be an Olympic wrestler. 

Not bad for a girl who’s only been wrestling for 5 years. 

“It feels amazing. It feels so unreal because I never thought I was going to be in this position, and I’m just super grateful too,” said Lilly.

Have a champion at your school? Tell us all about ’em! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com!

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Sadie Buggle

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On Tuesday, Colorado Springs city councilmembers voted unanimously to dissolve the Law Enforcement Transparency and Advisory Commission (LETAC), marking the end of a body created nearly six years ago to strengthen trust between police and the community.

The decision follows an earlier unanimous vote on April 14, when councilmembers advanced an ordinance to eliminate the commission ahead of final approval this week.

LETAC was created in the summer of 2020, in the wake of nationwide protests for police reform following the highly publicized death of George Floyd, and locally, the 2019 police shooting of De’Von Bailey.

According to a now-removed city webpage, the commission’s mission was to “make recommendations to City Council which would promote improved understanding and relationships between the police department and the public.”

Its goals included collecting community concerns, providing feedback and policy recommendations to the City Council, and offering input on budgeting and resource allocation based on audits of law enforcement performance.

Earlier this year, LETAC members themselves recommended that the city disband the commission and replace it with a new citizen-led body that reflected “the evolved needs of our growing city.” That recommendation, passed by the city council in March, ultimately led to Tuesday’s vote.

In a joint statement, Mayor Yemi Mobolade and Police Chief Adrian Vasquez thanked commission members for their service and said the Colorado Springs Police Department has already implemented several recommendations since completing an independent audit in 2021. Those changes include updated use-of-force policies, expanded de-escalation training, and increased transparency through data sharing.

Mobolade also emphasized that he remains responsible for overseeing the police department, adding that “ensuring that all voices are heard; clearly, respectfully, and consistently” remains a priority.

Read the full joint statement below:

“We extend our sincere gratitude to the members of the Law Enforcement Transparency and Advisory Commission for their service, their time, and their willingness to step into complex and often difficult conversations. Their work came at a pivotal moment in our city’s history, and their input helped move Colorado Springs forward in meaningful ways. We respect their decision to dissolve the commission and thank them for their commitment to strengthening our community.

In 2021, the Colorado Springs Police Department undertook an independent, third-party audit to enhance transparency and accountability. Since then, the department has implemented key recommendations, including strengthening policies around the use-of-force, expanding de-escalation training, and increasing transparency through improved data sharing. These actions reflect a continued commitment to progress and to building public trust.

As Mayor, I am accountable to the people of Colorado Springs for the performance and oversight of our Police Department. Chief Vasquez and I are fully aligned in that responsibility and in our shared commitment to leading with integrity, transparency, and results.

Looking ahead, we are committed to continuing this work by engaging former LETAC members and the broader community to identify new and effective ways for residents to share input directly with the Mayor’s Office. Ensuring that all voices are heard; clearly, respectfully, and consistently; remains a priority.

Together, we will continue to focus on what matters most: keeping our community safe, strengthening trust, and ensuring accountability remains clear, direct, and responsive to the people we serve.”

– Mayor Yemi Mobolade

Community calls for stronger police oversight

At the April 28 city council meeting, several residents voiced their support of the dissolution, but also urged city leaders to replace LETAC with a more powerful oversight body.

Brandon Rincon, with the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, criticized what he described as a lack of independent accountability.

“Currently, there is no mechanism for holding officers accountable outside of police investigating themselves, and we know that time and time again, police fail to actually act in a sense of justice when it comes to investigating other police officers,” Rincon said.

Memphis Curry, also with the group, read a statement on behalf of a family member of a man killed by Colorado Springs police last year, who echoed those concerns.

“For too long, this city has offered the illusion of oversight while families bury loved ones and officers remain protected by the same system that failed us,” Curry said. “We do not need another advisory board designed to absorb outrage and produce no real change. We need real power in the hands of the people.”

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — As the longest stretch of street being repaved this year, Circle Drive’s six miles have received considerable attention.

But segments of three other streets, each covering approximately 2.5 miles, are in equally rough condition, and they will be resurfaced, too.

Union Boulevard, from Academy Boulevard to Austin Bluffs Parkway, is one many drivers have complained about to KRDO13’s The Road Warrior, particularly the northern block between Academy and Ranch Lane.

Also being repaved is Chelton Road, between Platte Avenue and Airport Road; a sign along the street indicates that it was used as a test strip in 2006 for asphalt mixed with rubber from old tires.

The same mixture was applied a year earlier on Woodmen Road between I-25 and Academy Boulevard, but it performed so poorly that crews removed it last year and repaved the street with a more durable—and expensive—type of asphalt.

The third major street to be repaved is Palmer Park Boulevard, between Academy and Circle; the eastbound approach to the Palmer Park/Circle intersection has badly deteriorated.

It seems hard to believe that any street would be so badly deteriorated, and the 2C expanded paving program still has to address two-thirds of city streets over the next ten years.

Corey Farkas, the city’s operations and maintenance manager, understands the public’s frustration with waiting, in many instances, for years for certain streets to be repaved.

But he explains why the process can’t move faster.

“Because it is a moving target,” he said. “Because we do have so many stakeholders we coordinate with. We don’t want to promise a roadway in a specific year, and then maybe one of our stakeholders comes to us and says, Hey, we now have a project. We now have a project on that particular roadway. Can you defer that two years?”

Farkas asks drivers for their continued patience and understanding, and to drive carefully through work zones and around construction crews.

“We’re committed to 2C,” he insisted.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Four Broadway plays will tour to the Pikes Peak Center between now and April 2027. Three are Colorado Springs debuts, and two are currently running on Broadway.

KRDO13’s Bradley Davis announced the following lineup live on Good Morning Colorado.

Nov. 30-Dec 2, 2026: Hadestown

Jan. 25-27 2027: Bodyguard

Feb. 23-24, 2027: Legally Blonde

April 6-8, 2027: Book of Mormon

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Many drivers have been curious about the acceleration/deceleration (A/D) lanes that are a highlight of the improvements project on Interstate 25 between Fillmore Street and Garden of the Gods Road.

The lanes — one northbound and southbound, on the right side of the freeway — will be designed to improve the ease and safety of entering and exiting I-25 in that area, and eliminate a northbound bottleneck that can back up traffic several miles to downtown.

However, most drivers probably don’t realize they’re already using the northbound A/D lane.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said the lane will remain a normal traffic lane until work in the center median, where a concrete dividing wall is being built, is finished.

Once that work is completed, the current traffic configuration will change, shifting toward the median; part of the median will become left lanes, creating space for the A/D lanes.

This week, CDOT crews began creating that space in the median, which requires overnight closures of two northbound lanes.

In fact, the only lane open during that time is the right lane that will be the future A/D lane.

Crews will perform similar work on the southbound side in May.

Meanwhile, repair work continues on the I-25 bridge over Garden of the Gods Road, which will require full overnight closures, alternating from northbound to southbound, through the middle of May.

The final step is repaving the 1.5-mile corridor, which CDOT hopes to finish by the end of summer.

The $62 million project also replaced twin bridges over Ellston Street and made significant drainage upgrades.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Four years ago, Lou Salas lay down next to his newest puzzle box to put the size into scale. Over 800 hours and 60,000 pieces later, Salas fit all seven continents and hundreds of the world’s wonders into his garage in a puzzle depiction that somehow still feels larger than life.

“The World’s Largest Jigsaw Puzzle by Dowdle” comes in 60 boxes, each with 1000 pieces. Each quadrant fits together to make the entire 60,000-piece puzzle.

The logistical challenges of 60,000 pieces are a bigger puzzle than the puzzle itself. Salas said it took a couple of years to decide how he was going to tackle the massive scale before he could open up the boxes.

He put together each quadrant in his puzzle room. He stacked and stored each quadrant on thick plastic sheets. He put together almost every single piece, with some help from his eight-year-old granddaughter (who Salas said is a puzzle prodigy).

After half a standard work year of labor, last weekend was the moment of truth. With all 60 quadrants complete, Salas recruited help to put the whole thing together.

His team of friends and family built a custom, eight-foot by 29.5-foot table in his garage. Using some improvised engineering and precariously balanced beams, Salas suspended himself above the table to carefully place each quadrant. The assembly took about nine hours, and the finished puzzle takes up the entire three-car garage.

The puzzle costs hundreds of dollars retail, if you can find it in stock. Salas said he wants to give away the puzzle for free. He said he wants someone to enjoy the build as much as he did.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — We’re now three months into the second major construction project along South Academy Boulevard, and the next phase begins on Monday.

For the next two weeks, the east side of the South Academy Boulevard/Hancock Expressway will be closed through May 8; from that weekend until noon on Monday, May 11, the entire intersection will be closed.

The closure will allow crews to install a new water line in the area.

Detour signs will guide traffic around the closures, and we can also expect occasional daytime lane closures, temporary changes to bus stops and sidewalks, and construction near some parking lot driveways.

The goal of the $100 million project is to upgrade the infrastructure installed in the 1960s by improving drainage, providing smoother driving, increasing safety and accessibility for pedestrians, and relocating utility lines.

Bumpy driving, flash flooding, and water pooling have been issues along South Academy for decades.

The current construction stretches from Hancock, south to Jet Wing Drive, but will eventually progress as far north as Fountain Boulevard.

Officials originally planned for work to end this year, but paused construction last year to spend more time talking with neighbors, merchants, and drivers about how to lessen the impacts experienced during the first phase of construction.

That phase, between Bijou Street and Airport Road, started in 2024 and ended in 2024.

Crews completed Monday’s closure at around 11 a.m.

For more information, visit: https://coloradosprings.gov/AcademyBlvdImprovements?mc_cid=766a9578e8&mc_eid=4bcfa511cf.

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – It’s been months in the making. Earlier this year, victims of the Return to Nature Funeral home told KRDO13 they were struggling to find a public space for a small memorial. Potential sites kept turning them down.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Ex-site of Return to Nature sits barren, racking up tax bills, while victims search for memorial site

This weekend was different. At an accepting site, the wind phone was installed and unveiled to the public.

It comes 24 hours after Carie Hallford was sentenced to 30 years behind bars on state criminal charges. Hopefully, the last time victims will have to relive their trauma in court.

A wind phone is an analog phone, not connected to any wires, stored in a small wooden container that gives those speaking into it a chance to talk to loved ones lost in the wind.

KRDO13 spoke to Derrick Johnson, who’s been leading the charge to get the windphone installed for his mother, who was recovered from the Return to Nature Funeral home. Johnson spoke about what it was like to make the first call on the wind phone.

“It really did feel like she heard me. And I, I know that maybe that’s something you can do in your own car or your own residence, but there was something about the phone, having it there and feeling the wind blow by as you’re talking into it and saying things that are really from the heart with no judgment. I felt like it. It was so relieving. It was so peaceful,” Johnson said.

Johnson added that this phone isn’t just for the victims of return to nature, it’s for anyone who’s lost a loved one in the wind.

The phone is located at the Concrete Couch at 1100 S Royer St in Colorado Springs.

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