Category: krdo-local-news

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Next week begins three months of construction on a stretch of Woodmen Road, primarily between Academy Boulevard and Interstate 25.

During a Thursday morning briefing near the Woodmen/Academy interchange, officials detailed the two upcoming projects.

The first starts Monday with repairs to the Woodmen overpass across Academy Boulevard, and to the entrance/exit ramps at the interchange.

The bridge was built in 2011 and needs resurfacing work, as well as concrete upgrades and fresh pavement markings.

Officials stated that the project should be completed within three months.

In the second project, starting next month, crews will repave a 1.5-mile segment of Woodmen between Olga Wilson Way (near the Sam’s Club) and East Rockrimmon Boulevard.

All of the work will happen overnights with an estimated completion time of three to five weeks; paving will start a month or so after the bridge repair begins.

Construction hours are from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., and at least one lane of traffic in each direction will remain open during the projects.

And in a move that will likely please many drivers, the city revealed that it will try out an experimental paving material on Woodmen.

“It’s called stone matrix asphalt (SMA),” said Corey Farkas, operations and maintenance manager. “This is a specialized asphalt that is typically utilized on highways and interstates. It gives a lot more durability and is rut-resistant to a lot of vehicles. But it’s more expensive, too.”

Information provided by officials showed that SMA ranges from $24 to $53 per ton more than traditional asphalt, but the city could save money in the long run by using SMA more frequently if it proves to be more durable on major streets.

The city also plans to upgrade the materials used to repair the overpass.

“We’re going to be replacing the joints and updating the concrete that’s been damaged,” Gayle Sturdivant, deputy public works director, explained. “But one of the main things we’ll be doing is changing the wearing surface for the bridge. It has just degraded more quickly than expected. So, we’ll be working with products that have demonstrated, in other locations around the state, to be better-performing.”

She also urged drivers to continue to visit the many local businesses.

“It may take you a little longer, but you’ll still have access,” Sturdivant said.

The repaving is part of the city’s 2C expanded paving program, which voters first approved in 2015 with a sales tax increase that they renewed for the second time last fall.

KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior first reported late last summer that the Woodmen projects would happen this year.

The targeted road section has deteriorated significantly in recent years, as officials stated that a previous repaving project used asphalt mixed with rubber from old tires.

According to officials, the method was widely used in California and Texas, but has not held up well in Colorado Springs — likely because of the high altitude, temperature extremes, and freeze-thaw cycles.

The bridge repair will cost $2.7 million and is funded by sales tax revenue from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority; the paving is included in the annual 2C expanded paving program, funded by a voter-approved sales tax increase.

Earlier this season, crews prepared for the repaving by completing a two-block project on Woodmen between I-25 and Campus Drive.

The project rebuilt a center median and improved westbound traffic flow onto I-25.

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Mackenzie Stafford

Denver, COLO. (KRDO) — On Wednesday, Aug. 6, Governor Jared Polis issued an executive order for the 75th General Assembly to meet in special session, and to take other actions, including a hiring freeze, to address the fiscal crisis.

He says this way, lawmakers can come up with a plan for dealing with an estimated $1.2 billion shortfall. One that Gov. Polis says is the direct result of federal funding cuts.

KRDO13 spoke with a Democratic state senator who says this leaves our local legislators scrambling. Right now, they’re trying to draft up targeted bills to see what they can cut. 

But Republicans say this is a problem Democrats created by budgeting for needless spending. 

“This is a waste of taxpayer dollars and state resources,” said House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese. “The Governor is using a special session to stir fear about the Big Beautiful Bill when the truth is that the Big Beautiful Bill continues to cover the people it was designed to serve: seniors, single mothers, children, and people with disabilities.”

They say this special session is political theater. 

“If you don’t care about them, then maybe you would conclude we don’t need a special session, and this is just political theater. But if you do care, and I do,” State Sen. Judy Amabile continued, “This is what we are here to do, is to make sure that we make the right decisions for the people in Colorado.”

State Senator Judy Amabile, a democrat representing Boulder County, is on the joint budget committee. She says they have a lot of changes that need to happen before the end of 2025.

“We are also looking at some of the tax credits that Colorado offers to our most vulnerable families, being triggered off because our revenue is reduced by so much. Some of the triggers for these refundable tax credits are going to be triggered. And so people are not going to get their refundable tax credit. They’re not going to be able to get SNAP benefits, or they’re going to be it’s going to be harder for them to get SNAP benefits, and then they’re potentially going to lose their health care. So that’s that is part of the urgency of this moment,” explained State Sen Amable.

State Sen. Amable says part of the urgency is the deadline to make changes to tax policy before the next year. She also noted that some of the changes from the federal spending bill will go into effect in October, so she says the state needs to prepare now.

State Sen. Amable says a few things that could be on the chopping block to make up for these funds are SNAP, Medicaid and tax credits. One of the biggest tax credits that could be eliminated is the child tax credit for families with a child under 6. 

“We also have a child care tax credit, and that also will be triggered off because of these revenue reductions. So, you know, for our families who are struggling, through no fault of their own, and almost all of these families, people are working, working hard, a lot of them working multiple jobs. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, they are looking at a significant reduction in their ability to make ends meet,” explained State Sen. Amable.

She says rural hospitals in Colorado will also have less money to spend from Medicaid. State Sen. Amable said some are warning of potential closures. 

“Rural Colorado is really in the crosshairs of this legislation. And part of it is that any time you take that much money out of the system, it is going to impact everything. It’s going to impact rural hospitals. We heard from a rural legislator that the hospital that he is on the board of is looking at losing a significant amount of funding because of this bill, and will be challenged to even continue operations. And if we start losing hospitals in rural Colorado, that will have devastating impacts on Colorado families,” stated Amable.

In a press release, House Whip Carlos Barron said this was about the broader financial picture.

“This is not a revenue crisis. It is a spending and priorities crisis,” said Rep. Barron. “Instead of asking state agencies to find savings or eliminate waste, the Governor is demanding a blank check from taxpayers. House Republicans believe in protecting the integrity of Medicaid, not growing it into an unaccountable entitlement for noncitizens and those who choose not to work.”

All of these potential changes have to make their way through the legislature before being signed into law. 

State lawmakers will head back to the Capitol on August 21. 

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Celeste Springer

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — A Security couple is in the running for a nationwide competition dubbed “America’s Favorite Couple,” but they need your votes to make it to the finish line.

“We rescued each other,” wrote Jose Martinez.

Martinez says he met his wife, Casey, when he was experiencing homelessness. He says that even still, she opened her heart to him.

“We didn’t meet in perfect circumstances—we met when life had knocked us both down. But together, we rose,” said Jose.

The winning couple will receive $20,000. The Martinez family says they hope to use the money to pay off debt, free up monthly income, and live life with less stress.

You can vote for the couple by clicking here. Casey and Jose are currently 3rd in their group and have roughly 24 hours to get more votes to make it to the next round.

A first vote is free, but additional votes can be purchased with a monetary donation. Proceeds benefit the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Oceana, according to the contest website. KRDO13 reached out to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which confirmed they are a beneficiary and the contest is legitimate.

“These resources are especially critical as we continue responding to the increased need following the Greater Los Angeles Wildfires earlier this year,” said a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) has publicly released the identity of the victim of a suspected road rage homicide.

35-year-old Jacob Martinez was run over by a suspect on July 24, police said. CSPD says the suspect fled the scene.

A photo of the victim, 35-year-old Jacob Martinez, provided by family and distributed by CSPD.

On the day of the incident, security footage showed Martinez getting out of his car, standing in the road, only for the other car to run him over and drive off. Martinez died at the hospital three days later, police said.

Two weeks ago, CSPD identified and arrested the suspect, 39-year-old Daniel Nations. Investigators found him with the car used in the crash, police said.

The suspect, 39-year-old Daniel Nations, in his mug shot (Photo: CSPD).

Nations has an extensive criminal background, according to records. He was sentenced to three years of probation for threatening people with what appeared to be a weapon along Mount Herman Road in Monument in 2017. He was also arrested and charged with possession of a gun as a previous offender in Woodland Park that year.

Nations is a convicted sex offender, too, after local media outlets reported he exposed and pleasured himself in a Walmart parking lot in South Carolina back in 2006.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Colorado Springs Downtown Partnership has debuted a new way to enjoy the downtown culinary scene with 11 unique pairings of gourmet hot dogs and specialty martinis across 11 participating restaurants.

At Downtown Partnership, our job is to drive people to our small independent businesses, and what a more fun way than a Weenies and ‘Tinis passport!” said Downtown Partnership marketing director Kelsee Swenn. “The chefs got really creative and made gourmet hot dog and martini pairings at each restaurant, and it’s been a fun time!”

Each restaurant crafted its own combination. Participants can sign up for the Weenies and ‘Tinis food pass for free on the Downtown Partnership website.

Once you sign up, you’ll get an email or text with each restaurant and combination. Show the food pass to each restaurant you visit, and you will get points that qualify you for discounts and prizes.

“There wasn’t a single thing that we didn’t like,” local food critic Matthew Schniper said. “It was just fun to work our way through and check out the variety, see how each place interpreted it and spun it in their own direction.”

The participating restaurants will serve their Weenies & ‘Tinis combos through August 17. Below is a list of participating restaurants and their combinations:

Avenue 19 (The Joint): Vegan Dog/The Bean Martini

Chiba Bar: Terimayo Dog/Thom Kha-cktail

Coati Uprise (Toasted Bunz): Classic Mini Hot Dog/Dirty Martini (River Bar)

ICONS: Dirty Martini Weenie/Tini Weenie Martini

Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar: The Sea Dog/Mell Vodka with Caviar Bump

Odyssey Gastropub: Chipotle Chicken Sausage/Caprese Martini

Red Gravy: Italian Sausage Dog/Filthy Dirty Martini

Shame & Regret: Chicago Dog/Malort Martini

Streetcar 520: Mini Pretzel Dogs/Weenie Teenie

The Crooked Cue: Spicy Hawaiian Dog/Pit Boss Martini

The Wobbly Olive-Downtown: Venice Beach Dog/Watermelon Sugar Martini

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Mackenzie Stafford

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — A new law aims to step in for military veterans falling behind on their mortgage payments.

The original safety net for veterans facing foreclosure on their homes, the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase Program, was terminated on May 1st.

“Without those protections with VASP [the Veteran Affairs Servicing Purchase Program], the veterans didn’t really have any recourse to protect them,” explained Philip Chavez, a local mortgage expert.

Now, Chavez says H.R.1815, the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act, should help many veterans in our community. 

“According to the Veterans Affairs Committee, 20-25% of all foreclosures right now are VA loans. So it was clear that something needed to be done,” said Chavez.

Philip Chavez says this new law will help pick up the brunt of the mortgage payments, with the VA stepping in when the owner might default on their loan.

“It allows the VA to step in early on behalf of the veteran to make their mortgage payments if they’ve been delinquent, or even missed a mortgage payment, the VA will actually make that payment for the borrower to the servicer directly to not only make them current, but to avoid foreclosure. Because ultimately, that’s what we’re trying to do, is just avoid foreclosure,” said Chavez.

He says it will help to bring their payment up to date, avoid dings to their credit, and most of all, help them keep their home. 

“Any time somebody loses their home, right, instantly, you’re homeless, you know, and veterans have served this community for as long as I’ve been alive,” says Chavez.

Chavez tells KRDO13 that this is just another way to give back to those who put their lives on the line for us and our country.

“We have a saying in the mortgage industry: it’s a service earned, not a service given. You know, and it’s absolutely true because think about how many veterans served our community,” shared Chavez.

According to Chavez, veterans who need help can reach out to their servicer to learn about the VA Home Loan Protections Act.

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Celeste Springer

STATEWIDE, Colo. (KRDO) — Looking for something to do tonight? Residents can join local law enforcement in their area for free food and activities as part of a nationwide movement event called “National Night Out.”

Events are hosted by local law enforcement agencies for an annual community relations get-together.

“It provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances,” the National Night Out website explains.

Almost all events include free food of some sort, and many have activities for kids or live law enforcement demonstrations.

Here’s a list of some of them happening in our area:

Teller County

Where: Memorial Park — 200 N. Park Street, Woodland Park, CO

When: Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

What: Free food, snowcones, activities, games, and a giveaway of several bikes

Pueblo County

Where: Civic Center Park — 61 E Civic Center Dr, Pueblo, CO

When: Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

What: Free food, giveaways, emergency vehicle displays, community safety booths, deputy and first responder meet-and-greets

Fremont County

Where: Pathfinder Park — 6655 CO-115, Florence, CO

When: Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

What: Free food and water activities. Bring your own water gun for a showdown!

Custer County

Where: Hermit Park, Westcliffe, CO

When: Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

What: Free meal, dunk tank, bounce house, bean bag toss, fire truck, ambulance

Park County

Where: Park County Fairgrounds —  880 Bogue St, Fairplay, CO

When: Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

What: Free food, fun, games, and prizes

Douglas County (multiple dates, locations)

Tuesday, August 5th, 2025

Ponderosa High School — 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Palomino Park — 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, August 6th, 2025

Sterling Ranch — 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Civic Green Park — 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

What: Food, first responder demonstrations, K9 and horse meet-and-greets

El Paso County

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says their National Night Out is hosted at several private homes, so they do not publish the locations publicly. According to the sheriff’s office, local neighborhood watch groups host them.

On Tuesday, the board of commissioners made a proclamation honoring National Night Out.

“These events represent an opportunity to build on what members of my Office focus on year-round: establishing positive relationships with the citizens we serve and working together to eliminate crime and reduce victimization,” said Sheriff Roybal in a release.

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Celeste Springer

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The National Weather Service (NWS) says that after surveying the area, they can confirm that a tornado hit Woodland Park last week.

The tornado was ranked an EF-1, indicating that it caused only moderate damage with winds of about 110 miles per hour.

This is yet another tornado to hit Teller County this year. The NWS confirmed an EF-1 tornado was in Teller County, 2 miles north-northeast of Divide, in June.

The NWS says reports of damage for this latest tornado were delayed, so they only went out to assess on Monday.

According to the latitude and longitude coordinates provided by the NWS, the tornado started near the intersection of County Road 5 and Forest Service Road 357.

The NWS believes the tornado took off around 1:55 p.m. on July 30. During their assessment, crews found widespread damage to nearby woodland, with trees uprooted and some snapped. The NWS believes the tornado traveled about an eighth of a mile.

The NWS did not indicate there was any damage to man-made structures.

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Celeste Springer

MONUMENT, Colo. (KRDO) — A water main break has shut down the intersection of Jefferson and 3rd Streets in Monument, according to town officials.

Town officials say water service in the nearby area (pictured below) has been shut off as repairs are underway.

Courtesy: Town of Monument

“We appreciate your cooperation & understanding as we work to resolve the issue promptly,” read a post from the Town of Monument.

The initial release did not include a timeline for project repairs.

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS Colo. (KRDO) — The City of Colorado Springs says they’ve welcomed 13 students from Japan as part of a larger “sister city” program.

The City of Colorado Springs has had a decades-long partnership with Fujiyoshida, Japan. Since its establishment in 1962, Colorado Springs and Fujiyoshida have participated in community festivals, pen-pal programs, and exchanges, city officials said.

This latest arrival marks the 34th time students have left their homes to participate in cultural exchanges overseas.

“It is an extraordinary privilege to host this delegation of bright and thoughtful students,” said Mayor Yemi Mobolade in a press release. “Colorado Springs and Fujiyoshida share more than scenic beauty at the base of iconic mountains, we share a deep commitment to cultural exchange and mutual respect. As a city that values cultural richness and global connection, we are proud to foster these relationships that enrich our community. These young ambassadors inspire us with their curiosity and remind us that the bridges we build today lead to a more peaceful and connected world of tomorrow.”

In total, about 500 students have flowed through the program, city leaders said.

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