Category: krdo-local-news

Josh Helmuth

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — A special education teacher in D11 now has a special book that’s gone to number one on Amazon’s best sellers’ list.

Shannon Pinar is a para-educator at Martinez Elementary School. She’s also the proud author of “Treasured Tales From Under The Rainbow,” which is a collection of short stories inspired by real students Pinar has taught.

“As I look back over the years, I am reminded life is made up of small moments – simple, fleeting and yet powerful enough to shape who we are,” said Pinar. “Treasured Tales from Under the Rainbow is a collection of small moments forever etched in my mind. Stories for and about real children I have known. Each story offers something – each holds a truth, about faith, love, and the power of the little things.”

Martinez Elementary School Principal Katie Cincoski praised Pinar’s accomplishment, noting the dedication and passion behind her storytelling.

“I couldn’t be prouder of Ms. Shannon for publishing this beautiful book. She poured her heart into every sweet story, and it truly shows,” she said.

The district applauds Pinar for her creative achievement and her continued commitment to students. Her success reflects the meaningful relationships built within our schools and the powerful stories that grow from everyday interactions in education.

Is there someone remarkable at your school? Email Josh! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — To the concrete and asphalt used in widening and upgrading sidewalks along two blocks in the heart of downtown, you can include a natural resource.

Trees.

This week, workers began planting 38 trees along Tejon Street between Colorado Avenue and Kiowa Street.

As of early Wednesday morning, six of 18 hackberry trees had been placed on the west side of Tejon between Colorado and Pikes Peak avenues; that block recently reopened after being closed for improvement work since early spring, and has temporarily closed again for the tree work.

The block between Pikes Peak and Kiowa Street has recently closed for the next phase of sidewalk widening and other upgrades, and will eventually feature 20 white oak trees planted there.

The trees are planted in structural soil cells, which provide a foundation for the sidewalk and adequate space underground for tree roots to spread.

Officials said that the trees are up to 20 feet tall when planted and should eventually reach a height of 50 feet — which is as tall as some of the downtown buildings.

The city’s project manager will be available later on Wednesday morning to provide more details.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Quilters from the local chapter of Quilts for Kids and the Colorado Springs Quilt Guild sewed over 300 colorful and unique quilts for the Special Kids Special Families (SKSF) community.

“Just an overwhelming, wow!” Quilts for Kids volunteer Kristin Alexander said after stacking all the quilts.

It is quite the display. Quilts for Kids said the average quilt takes about 15 to 20 hours to make. Each one is a unique pattern and design. Wednesday morning, the local chapter packed them up and delivered all 313 to SKSF.

“It’s not just warmth, but they also bring a lot of happiness and joy,” said Kristin’s mom and fellow volunteer quilter, Bonnie Alexander. “Quilts just make people happy. They can last with that kid all their lives.”

SKSF is a non-profit that provides services to people with disabilities and their families. They specialize in daycare and foster home services for children with disabilities, but it also provides resources for adults with disabilities.

“These kids don’t have a lot, right? So, one of these quilts is going to make a big difference on Christmas Day,” said SKSF events and donor relations manager Bailee Barwick.

SKSF said it will use the quilt donation for its annual Christmas gift giveaway. Kristin and Bonnie said the Colorado Springs Quilt Guild sponsored their giveaway, and the guild’s quilters made about 60% of the stock.

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Celeste Springer

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office has announced sentencing for a man who forged signatures in a 2024 El Paso County Commissioner race.

According to the D.A.’s office, 29-year-old Juan Pichardo was working for a petition signature gathering company subcontracted to support David Leinweber’s campaign for El Paso County Commissioner.

In El Paso County, candidates’ names can be placed on the ballot through a petition. It’s one of three ways that a candidate can get on the primary ballot.

According to the D.A.’s office, the El Paso Clerk and Recorder’s Office noticed something seemed off about his campaign’s petition signatures. Prosecutors say Pichardo forged signatures before submitting the petition.

“The detection of fraudulent petition signatures by my office demonstrates the effectiveness of the safeguards and verification processes we have in place,” a statement from El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Steve Schleiker read in part.

Schleiker said his office noticed several anomalies in the petitions. The ink colors and font styles were similar. Most damming of all, the signatures made it appear the petitioner went criss-crossing around town to get his signatures. There was one signature from Manitou Springs, then one from Monument, then another one from Cascade, unlike what a legitimate canvassing effort would look like.

“In addition to that, the majority of these signatures were taken was during the snowstorm, where we received over 35in of snow in 2024,” Schleiker said the petition papers themselves didn’t look as if they had been carried through a snowstorm.

At that point, the clerk and recorder’s office contacted the DA’s Office and the candidate, David Leinweber.

“The candidate, Mr. Leinweber, and his campaign at that time, for commissioner of District three, as the clerk recorder, they did everything correctly,” Schleiker said in a sit-down interview with KRDO13. Schleiker said the campaign expressed some of their own concerns about the signatures, too.

The district attorney’s office says there was no evidence uncovered that Leinweber was involved in any of the fraudulent activity. In a statement, David Leinweber added that his campaign notified elections officials that they thought something was off about the signatures as well.

“When my campaign submitted our petitions, we proactively notified election officials about several packets we believed had been improperly completed by a petition circulator. Protecting the integrity of our elections is paramount, and we took immediate action to ensure full transparency,” the statement read. “I’m glad to see this matter resolved and that the individual responsible has been held accountable by the courts. Voters deserve confidence in the process, and I will always act to uphold that trust.”

“They were in full transparency. The candidate was absolutely in the right. He paid for a service that was not provided,” Schleiker said.

Even after the investigation, Leinweber still garnered enough verified petition signatures to get his name on the Republican primary ballot, records show. However, he ultimately lost that primary for El Paso County Commissioner District 3. Leinweber is currently serving out a term on the Colorado Springs City Council.

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Rob Namnoum

Discovery Canyon high school was our week, seven winner of the Qdoba Friday Night Blitz Spirit Award. On Tuesday the DCC cheer squad received the Qdoba Friday Night Blitz Spirit Award plaque.

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Rob Namnoum

The Pueblo South football team will play the top seed in Class 3A Windsor on Saturday afternoon. The Colts talk about their dirty approach to their upcoming playoff game.

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Mackenzie Stafford

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – An Aviation Preliminary Report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) obtained by KRDO13 details engine issues that may have caused a plane flying out of Colorado Springs to come crashing down in Castle Rock. The flight ended in a crash landing after about 45 minutes in the air on November 10.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘Lucky’: Plane from Colorado Springs crashes on roadway, hits car, but none seriously injured

Investigators say the pilot reported that, while in cruise flight, he observed a slight decrease in engine speed. They say the El Paso County man immediately applied carburetor heat. However, investigators note that about two minutes later, the engine lost all power. The pilot’s efforts to restore engine power were unsuccessful, according to the report.

The report details that in the forced landing, the left wing struck a car, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. No one in the car was injured, according to the NTSB. Investigators did say that one person on the plane did report minor injuries.

Now investigators will complete an engine examination following the recovery of the airplane.

KRDO13 spoke with the pilot of the plane, who said it was a scary experience. He plans to speak with us about it further in the future; however, he is waiting on the complete engine examination before sharing more.

It comes after a plane crashed in Colorado Springs on Powers just over a month before. However, the preliminary report regarding the Powers crash did not point to the engine losing power.

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Bradley Davis

PUEBLO WEST, Colo. (KRDO) – Pueblo West show dog, Jax (Superjax), is proving old dogs can learn new tricks.

“He’s not going to stop,” Jax’s owner, Drea Incitti, said about her 10-year-old dog. “He’s like a missile.”

For nine years, Drea and Jax have been a duo to be reckoned with in Dock Diving.

Dock Diving is a canine sport where competitors jump as far as they can off a “dock” into a pool. The handler throws a stick-like toy over the water, and the dog runs after to catch it before landing in the pool. Incitti’s role is like a pitching coach trying to deliver a perfect pitch to their hitter during the home run derby.

Jax and Drea competed for the final time just a few weeks ago. Looking like a dog five years his Junior, Jax delivered his best performance yet, winning second place in North America for his age group.

“Tears just started to come out of my eyes, and I had to reflect on the whole journey we’d taken together. It meant something in that moment, like, we did it!” Incitti said.

Even though his competition days are past him, Jax still begs for throws into the pool. It’s a request Drea is happy to oblige. She said she relishes every moment the two get together.

“Wherever I go, he goes,” Incitti said. “He’s like my child. I didn’t have any, so this is my kid. He’s pretty special. He’s my heart dog.”

Jax really is man’s (and woman’s) best friend. Drea said he’s also trained to throw trash away for you, grab you a tissue, or even a beer from the fridge.

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Celeste Springer

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KRDO) — Trump officially signed the bill to release Epstein files on Nov.19. This comes after both the House and the Senate voted yes on the bill ordering the release of the Justice Department’s files on sex offender Epstein on Tuesday, Nov. 18, according to ABC News.

Epstein reportedly had ties across the political spectrum to both Democrats and Republicans, fueling calls across the nation for the release of the files.

The House vote passed with an overwhelming majority, 427-1, according to ABC News. Louisiana GOP Representative Clay Higgins was the only House lawmaker to vote against the measure.

Just hours later, it similarly passed in the Senate, with no one objecting.

Colorado Representative Jeff Crank released the following statement to KRDO13:

“I have consistently supported transparency and accountability regarding the business dealings, investigation, and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein,” said Rep. Crank. “The American people deserve transparency into Epstein’s crimes, and I support the release of all documents that shed light on what occurred while protecting the identity of the victims. I am also continuing to support the House Oversight Committee’s thorough investigation into this matter which has so far released over 60,000 pages of additional documents.”

The bill then headed to President Donald Trump for his signature.

However, reporting from ABC News indicates that Trump did not need to wait for Congress to act. He could order the release immediately.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Crews are three months into a $12.7 million project to eventually close a railroad crossing at the intersection of Las Vegas and Royer streets and replace it with an access road and a new crossing.

KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior first reported on the plan in late August.

Crews are building a new road — to be called Twin Bridges Road — under the MLK Bypass that will connect Las Vegas to the existing traffic signals on Hancock Expressway at their nearest point, believed to be less than 1,000 feet.

The new train crossing will be installed on that road and will accommodate vehicles and pedestrians.

Signals at the Hancock intersection, which is near the Leon Young Service Center for Colorado Springs Utilities, will be upgraded to fit the new traffic configuration.

The Las Vegas/Royer crossing will close after construction of the new road and crossing is finished, and Royer above the crossing will become a cul-de-sac.

Officials are closing the crossing for safety reasons; it’s on a hill that occasionally causes trucks, trailers, and other vehicles to become “low-centered” and stuck.

There have been 25 non-fatal train/vehicle crashes at the crossing since 1975, officials said.

Eric Wyatt owns several businesses along Las Vegas near the existing crossing.

“Yeah, I like it,” he said. “I mean, it’s needed. They were gonna have to do two different types of ways if they wanted to keep going through here. Raise the whole road — which then would mess up everybody else around on that side.”

Wyatt said that the city considered acquiring his property when he first learned of the plan ten years ago.

“They were moving that direction because they didn’t want to spend the money it was going to cost to go down the road and do what they’re doing now,” he explained. But for me, being here so long and owning this around here, that’s the right move.”

Drivers will likely consider the new crossing a long detour from the existing crossing, but the new Hancock intersection will provide close access to major streets such as Union Boulevard and Circle Drive.

The project is scheduled for completion next fall and is funded by sales tax revenue from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority.

According to officials, the tracks in that area are owned by the Union Pacific Railroad, but are operated by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.

El Paso County, the Colorado Department of Transportation, and the Fountain Valley Mutual Irrigation Company are stakeholders in the project.

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