Category: krdo-local-news

Bradley Davis

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – Food and coffee trucks started setting up shop before dawn at both the Langoni Sports Complex for the Balloon launch and on Union Avenue ahead of the start of the Pueblo Chile and Frijoles Festival.

We just have fun times over here. Goofy stuff happens,” 15-year-old Nolan Traviza, who helps his family with the Hermanos tortillas and Lovely Treats food trucks.

The Chile Balloon Fest starts at 6:45 a.m. to kick off the weekend. The festival starts downtown on Friday at 3 p.m. Below are the hours for the three-day event on Union Avenue:

Friday: 3 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. – 12 a.m.

Sunday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Tickets are $8 per person, per day.

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Stella Girkins

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Hundreds of families are in Colorado Springs this weekend for the annual Fallen Firefighter Memorial ceremony, honoring those who gave their lives in the line of duty.

Families from across the United States and Canada travel to the city each September for the solemn event, hosted by the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF). The organization personally welcomes the families of each firefighter honored during the ceremony.

This year, 311 names will be added to the granite walls of the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Memorial Park, bringing the total number honored to more than 9,000 since the site was recommissioned and expanded in the late 1980s.

“One thing we want to make sure is that our families know that the sacrifice that’s made by our brothers and sisters is also endured by their families, and we want those families to know how special they are to the rest of us,” Edward Kelly, IAFF President, told KRDO13.

In addition to the families in attendance, thousands more are expected to gather in Colorado Springs to pay their respects.

One person in the crowd this weekend is making her 14th trip to Colorado Springs for the memorial. Kristen Pascall first came to Colorado Springs in 2011 when her husband, Richard Pascall, was added to the memorial.

Now she makes the trip back every year.

“This is where I feel the closest to my husband. So I get to come see him every year. I bring him a white rose and a sunflower. Those were our wedding flowers, and they’re over on the wall right now. And I kiss the wall, and my lips are on that wall for 365 days until they wipe it off before the next ceremony.”

The weekend of remembrance includes a bagpipe and drum band parade on Tejon Street in downtown Colorado Springs, beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The main memorial ceremony will take place Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in Memorial Park. The event is open to the public.

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Scott Harrison

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — Well before dawn on Friday, workers began closing off some downtown streets, intersections, and even alleys and parking lots, to establish a secure perimeter for the 31st annual Chile & Frijoles Festival.

However, fences, signs, and barricades aren’t enough to stop someone intent on causing harm by driving through an event perimeter and into crowds — something that has, tragically, resulted in injuries and deaths elsewhere.

Pueblo officials said that they have had no such threat of a so-called “vehicle ramming attack” at an outdoor event.

“But when you have 100,000 people at a festival like this, you have to be proactive with safety and security,” said Donielle Kitzman, vice president of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce.

So, this year, for the first time, organizers will use a system of bollards at four key street locations to prevent someone from driving into a crowd.

In the bollard system, metal bars are placed inside metal supports in a concrete base in a street; the bars are locked into place to prevent an unauthorized person from tampering with them.

Chuck Roy, Pueblo’s public works director, said he recently saw the devices in action during a demonstration in Kansas City.

“Denver has them, too,” he explained. “Ultimately, from the time frame when we started looking for this year, early August, we only had time to install four locations. We do have plans and hope to do more of the parade routes and more of the Chile Festival area. But we started with the most important areas.”

Roy said that the city paid $700 for each set of 24 bollards that will be used for festivals and other outdoor events; workers will erect the posts ahead of the festival’s 3 p.m. start.

A similar system already exists around City Hall.

Kyle Groves, who grew up in Pueblo, later moved to Texas and has performed as a magician at the festival since 2010.

“I actually didn’t know they were doing it until I got here this morning and saw that it had been set up for it,” he said. “This is awesome. This is great.”

Festival organizers have also taken steps to address parking lost to street closures.

Attendees can park for free at the three downtown parking garages and board free shuttles to and from the festival; shuttles will also pick up and drop off passengers at the Midtown Center.

For more festival information, visit: https://pueblochilefestival.com/.

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Abby Smith

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — A group of arborists from multiple local tree care companies took their time to clean up dead trees and branches around Evergreen Cemetery for the annual Saluting Branches tree care event on Sept. 17.

Saluting Branches is a national nonprofit that recognizes and honors U.S. Veterans by taking the time to make their resting places a beautiful environment, according to the City of Colorado Springs.

The city says the cemetery was established in 1871 and was deeded to city founder General William Jackson Palmer in 1875.

“Our mission today, and every day, is to honor General Palmer’s legacy that he established 150 years ago, because if there’s anybody that probably loved trees more than me, it might have been him,” said Mathew Puckett with Saluting Branches.

Courtesy: City of Colorado Springs

The event brings together arborists as they volunteer to prune, plant, and remove trees in what the City of Colorado Springs says is the “largest volunteer event in the tree care industry.”

The cemetery is home to many veterans, including some dating back as far as the Civil War, according to a spokesperson with the city.

“We’re not just focused on removals and pruning, we’re actually planting 30 trees that have been donated,” said Puckett. “That’s gonna equate to about $100,000 worth of donated services in one day. Everyone’s mission here is just to honor the veterans through tree work.”

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Celeste Springer

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Officials with the City of Manitou Springs sent out a notification on Thursday that Phase 4 of the Creek Walk Trail Project is being extended. A city spokesperson says that all trails, sidewalks, and walking paths in the construction zone will remain closed until the end of October.

City officials say that the closure impacts paved and unpaved pedestrian routes along Fountain Creek between Mayfair Avenue and Old Mans Trail, including the dirt trail west of Memorial Park.

Pedestrians should continue to take the detour route around the south sidewalk of Manitou Avenue. Pedestrians should not use the north side, as it is an active construction zone. Violators can be cited, city officials say.

“To ease congestion during school drop-off and pickup hours, the city is requesting that drivers traveling to Manitou Springs Middle School and High School use Crystal Park Road or Oak Place to avoid backups near the construction zone,” read a release from the City of Manitou Springs.

Manitou Springs officials say that the construction will bring upgrades like widening the sidewalk, pedestrian crossing improvements, curb reconstruction, and new lighting and landscaping.

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Celeste Springer

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — A new Colorado law is going into effect, offering more support to kinship care foster families. Kinship care fostering is when a child is cared for by a family member, like a grandparent, or a close family friend.

SB24-008, a bipartisan effort, was signed into law last year. It extends foster care certification to kinship placements, making families eligible for resources like tutoring and mental health treatment.

On Thursday, Sept. 18, Kids Crossing is holding an informational seminar for families from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Pueblo Library located at 100 E. Abriendo Ave.

Information will be available to families who want to get certified as a kinship care foster family. It will also include information on the resources available to current foster families.

“This is a major step forward in ensuring kids in foster care can stay with relatives or close family friends whenever possible, instead of a stranger,” said Ben Schoch, Director of Foster Care, Kids Crossing. “Research shows the entry into foster care is less traumatic when children are able to remain with family or someone they know.”

According to the Administration for Children and Families, about 38% of foster children in 2023 were living with a relative. With such a large number of foster children living in that type of placement, officials say it’s important that they receive the same resources as other children in the system.

“We’ve crafted this legislation to remove barriers to kinship care by making it easier for relatives or others who have a significant relationship to the child to access certain resources such as housing, clothing and training,” said Representative Mary Young last year.

According to Kids Crossing, their mission is to provide resources like management services, emergency support, respite, and support services to foster families. A spokesperson for the nonprofit says they have offices in Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and La Junta. 

“Kids Crossing has over 30 years of supporting Colorado children in the child welfare system. We have 2 full mental health clinics and numerous support services in place to help children of all ages,” said Schoch.

Anyone interested in learning more is encouraged to attend the informational meeting on Thursday evening. Schoch also encourages families to visit their website by clicking here.

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is investigating after they say someone fired shots at a tow truck driver who was trying to repossess a vehicle.

According to police, the tow truck driver began to repossess the vehicle from East Moreno Avenue the evening of Sept. 16.

Police say he was approached by a male suspect, who told him to stop. Police then say the suspect allegedly ripped cameras off the tow truck.

The tow truck driver began to leave with the vehicle, at which point the suspect allegedly fired multiple shots at the tow truck driver, police say.

Officers say that while the tow truck driver was not injured, someone living in the home where the car was being repossessed was struck by a bullet.

CSPD says its investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information related to this incident should call CSPD at (719)444-7000.

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Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Rainy weather that had been a problem on the mile-long Glider Loop, just south of Black Forest, ended up being somewhat of a blessing in the past two weeks.

It influenced crews to change their initial plan to place a double chip-seal pavement and instead pave the road with asphalt.

Crews are putting the final touches on the project, which Public Works Engineer Dan Gerhard said costs around $200,000 more than chip sealing, but will stabilize the road and eliminate the mud issue.

The chip-seal work was scheduled to begin several weekends ago, but was delayed by rain.

Gerhard said that when the project’s contractor returned, he decided he couldn’t guarantee an effective chip-seal application because of the wet gravel.

“Our fear was if we did chip it, and over time the chip seal kind of broke apart a little bit and moisture got down into that gravel, that maybe we would kind of end up in the same spot, like we were on Myers Road this summer,” he explained.

In that project, the county chip-dealed three miles of the weather-damaged road.

It was a year ago this month that neighbors began contacting KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior about slick and muddy conditions on Glider Loop that created a mess and caused drivers to get stuck or slide off the road.

Those neighbors blamed the conditions on what they described as a clay-based gravel applied by the county that drained less effectively than sand-based gravel.

“I actually got injured walking down the road,” said neighbor Gil Szaraz. “I slipped, fell into the ditch, and broke a piece of bone off my heel. In fact, I just finished physical therapy for that.”

Gerhard recently disputed neighbors’ criticisms and said that crews applied material approved by the state.

However, he added that it remains unclear why Glider Loop was so muddy in wet weather, although gravel roads in different parts of the county can respond to moisture differently.

Around a dozen residents live along the road, which connects to Vollmer Road at both ends.

The Road Warrior spoke with three homeowners who said that they don’t like the new asphalt and prefer the road as it was.

However, most are happy with the new pavement.

“I really am glad that they did this,” neighbor Evelyn Billek said. “I don’t know why anybody would want to complain about it. We’re in the county, and we’ve got a paved road! What more can we ask for?”

Gerhard said that the county has extra funds in its annual road maintenance budget for unexpected situations and emergencies.

But it’ll be interesting to see if the floodgates open, so to speak, over time, with asphalt paving requests from other residents of muddy gravel roads.

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Celeste Springer

STATEWIDE, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado is entering into arguably one of its most photogenic times of the year, as leaves turn from green to vibrant shades of yellow, orange, and red.

Visitors are expected to flow into popular “leaf-peeping” destinations, hoping to get the perfect photo among seas of Aspen treetops.

But while a photo is forever, so is damage to the local environment.

“While shortcuts for the perfect selfie can be tempting, staying on the trail will decrease your risk of injury and protect trailside plants and local wildlife,” read a release from CPW.

CPW also asks that you “leaf” it as you found it; only park in designated areas, as driving over some areas can damage vegetation. Officials ask that you not carve names into trees, pull down branches, or move rocks.

Park rangers want to remind visitors that they will issue tickets or tow cars parked illegally. Planning ahead can help prevent issues. You can check out their Colorado State Parks Guide by clicking here. Additionally, extensive park information can be found here.

Meanwhile, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) asks that you keep the following things in mind while adventuring:

Be aware of vehicles traveling at lower speeds

Watch for vehicles pulling off the roadway or parked along the road

Find safe, designated areas to park

Be aware of pedestrians outside of their cars to take photos

For pedestrians, watch out for passing vehicles

While you explore the fall colors, if you catch a great photo, it could land you a prize.

Click here to submit your photo in KRDO13’s Fall Colors competition to win up to $1,500 in prizes.

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Celeste Springer

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) has released new details in a bizarre case last month where a man was found shot to death following a traffic accident.

On Aug. 26, deputies say they received a report of a three-vehicle accident near the intersection of Highway 24 and Blue Gill Drive, near Judge Orr Road.

One of the vehicles involved was a white pickup truck, and a caller said a passenger inside the truck was either seriously injured or deceased. EPSO says the driver of the truck had fled the scene.

EPSO says the passenger of the pickup had been shot and was pronounced deceased. He was identified as 29-year-old Noel Gutierrez-Cano.

Deputies began their search for the driver of the pickup who fled. Ultimately, EPSO identified 26-year-old Jose Cruz Diaz Vazquez. EPSO says that Diaz Vazquez is an undocumented immigrant who was arrested in Las Vegas, New Mexico, on an unrelated outstanding warrant on Sept. 3, 2025.

While in custody for his unrelated warrant, EPSO says deputies were able to interrogate him. He has now been charged with 2nd degree murder in the death of Noel Gutierrez-Cano.

Details are still limited on when or where Gutierrez-Cano was allegedly shot by Diaz Vazquez.

EPSO says Diaz Vazquez is being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond for the murder charge.

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