Category: krdo-local-news

Celeste Springer

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office says that ballots have officially been mailed ahead of the Nov. 4, 2025 election.

The clerk and recorder’s office says that more than 500,000 ballots were sent to eligible, active voters in the county. The ballots are expected to arrive in mailboxes by Oct. 17, the office says.

“As your Clerk & Recorder, my promise is simple: secure, transparent, and accessible elections,” said Clerk Steve Schleiker. “Every ballot is tracked end-to-end and processed with bipartisan oversight. With 41 drop boxes and helpful in-person services, please vote early and contact us if you need any assistance.”

The election will include select seats for county commissioner, some city council seats, and school board seats. To see a sample ballot, click here.

There are also several statewide ballot initiatives. For a voter guide on those, click here.

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Scott Harrison

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — For the first time since they were built in 1958, the cloverleaf ramps at the junction of I-25 and US 50 East will no longer be accessible by traffic as of 7 p.m. Friday.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is permanently closing the southbound I-25 ramp toward eastbound US 50, and the westbound US 50 ramp toward southbound I-25.

CDOT’s closure is the next phase of the ongoing $114 million project to replace five aging bridges over I-25, Fountain Creek, and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

Shortly after crews close and dismantle the ramps, crews will start demolishing the US 50 overpass at I-25, which has been damaged in recent years from semi-truck collisions and is rated in poor condition.

A primary factor in those collisions is that the overpass over southbound I-25 is a foot lower than on the northbound side.

The bridge project began in December and is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2027.

“We’re anticipating that before the end of October, we’ll have the ramps demolished and the bridge removed,” Scott Dalton, the project director, explained. “There will be more to come on the demo of the bridges. That plan isn’t quite in place yet, but that will be coming in the next few weeks.”

CDOT advises drivers to use Highway 47 — east of the I-25 exit to Pueblo West — as the detour around the closure.

While drivers may find shorter routes, CDOT said that its official detour is the only one that will accommodate commercial truck traffic and heavier overall traffic volumes.

A benefit of the project is building a sound wall on the east side of I-25 along the south end of Main Street, to protect homeowners there from traffic noise.

Charlotta Barton has lived there since 1973.

“It’s going to be kind of dirty when the wind blows, because you can see how high they’re stacking things up there,” she said. “But we just have to live with it. There used to be tall pine trees behind us that absorbed the highway noise, but they’re gone now.”

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — A post is making its rounds on Colorado Springs’ social media groups after a patron at a local shopping center claimed someone was going around putting big green stickers on cars that had expired tags.

KRDO13 went out to the Walmart off Powers Boulevard and Woodmen Road to see for ourselves. We located one car in the parking lot that appeared to have a sticker slapped on the back license plate.

The stickers sparked an online debate, with some applauding what they called a “vigilante.” Others were not amused, saying that people need to “mind their business.”

KRDO13 then spent some time downtown to ask people whose side they’re taking.

“I think that everyone should respect other people’s property. But also, in today’s day and age, we should take things a little bit more lightly. Sometimes you just have to laugh it off and appreciate the reminder,” says a local reacting to the social media post.

Then there are these people, who wrote to us saying they wish they had the time to help apply the stickers and claimed people think they’re above the law.

The Colorado Springs Police Department says residents should not put stickers on property that is not their own. In extreme cases, it could result in a misdemeanor charge, police say.

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Samantha Hildebrandt

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with the correct location and coinciding photo of the crash site.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — One person is dead after a car crashed into a home on the Westside of Colorado Springs.

The crash happened at a home near Uintah and 22nd Street around 11:45 Friday night.

After a night of no sleep, KRDO13 spoke with neighbors who say they ran to what was left of their neighbor’s home.

“There was so much smoke. So much smoke. It smelled so bad. We almost didn’t even know the house was hit until we heard screaming, hysterical screaming. She was looking for her son,” says a samaritan, Victoria Elizondo, who was next door when the crash happened.

Victoria says she was watching a movie with her family when they heard a loud screech.

Thankfully, everyone in the home is safe, but Victoria tells me the circumstances could have been very different. 

“The oldest son was not home. If you see that bed right there over there, that was his bed completely mangled. If he would have been home, he would have been on that bed,” says Elizondo.

Multiple neighbors say they’re devastated by the incident, but sadly not surprised.

They say car crashes happen all too often in this area, and they intend to speak up to get some safety measures implemented, hopefully to prevent future crashes from happening.

Investigators are still looking into what caused the crash.

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On Sunday, KRDO13 sat down with Representative Jeff Hurd (R), who represents the Western Slope and parts of Southern Colorado to Pueblo. The main topic of discussion was the ongoing government shutdown.

Below is a transcript of the interview. You can watch the video version of the interview at the top of the page.

Transcript:

Michael Logerwell, KRDO13 (M) – Well, the federal government shutdown is coming up on its third week, and since then, many federal employees have gone without pay. National outlets are reporting that some layoffs have begun in federal agencies, and the next session, congressional session, in D.C. is set for Tuesday.

Now we’re joined by Congressman Jeff Hurd, who represents the Western Slope of Colorado all the way to Pueblo. Congressman Hurd, thank you for joining us this evening.

Rep. Jeff Hurd (J) – Michael, happy to be with you.

(M) – Alright, congressman, we’ll get things started. Colorado is home to a lot of federal employees and military families. What is the latest update on negotiations to end the government shutdown?

(J) – Well, it’s not exactly clear what’s happening right now. The Democrats in the Senate need to do their job, Michael.

Several weeks ago, House Republicans got the budget passed. We got a continuing resolution through to keep the government open. The ball’s now in the Senate’s court. They need to do their job, pass legislation so that we can get the government back open, get our troops paid, get our federal workers paid, [and] make sure that we’re taking care of women, infants, and children. All that’s not happening right now.

We’re waiting for the Senate to simply pass a continuing resolution.

(M) – Congressman, Democratic leaders are saying that they want more permanent extensions to the Affordable Care Act subsidies, which help keep health care costs down for millions of Americans. I know you campaigned on lowering costs for Colorado. I’m sure many of your colleagues did as well for their portions of the country.

So, where exactly, from your point of view, is this disconnect that’s leading to the shutdown?

(J) – Well, I’m happy to talk about this. Michael, it is an important issue in my district and across the state, keeping US health insurance premiums low, but we need to have that conversation in the context of a government that’s open. Right now, the government is shut down.

It’s not right for Democrats in the Senate to hold federal pay hostage, to hold the pay for our troops hostage over this issue. I’m willing to discuss it. I’m a co-sponsor on legislation that would extend those tax credits, but we need to do it in the context of a government that’s open.

The Senate needs to do its job and pass a continuing resolution that opens up the government again. Once we do that, I’m happy to have those discussions.

(M) – Congressman, I’m sure many Americans are tired of what I would call mudslinging, right? Republicans blaming Democrats and vice versa. It seems like that’s going on a lot here.

I do know Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House. At what point does a deal get done?

It seems like there is some agreement. Like you said, you sponsor a lot of legislation that would lower health care costs, and Democrats say they want to keep these health care costs low. At what point does a deal get done?

(J) – Well, we need to get a deal done. Here’s the thing. Republicans do control the House and the Senate, but in the Senate, there’s a filibuster, which requires 60 votes in order to keep the government open. That means seven Democratic senators need to join the House of Representatives, and what we’ve already done, and pass a simple bill that will keep the government open.

We’ve already done that in the House. The legislation that we passed is a simple, clean, continuing resolution. It doesn’t have any partisan bells or whistles, no poison pills. It’s a budget that the Democrats have already agreed to in the past. We’re simply asking that they extend it once again so we can finish our job in the House of Representatives when it comes to the regular budgeting process.

Once we do that, the government’s back open. Then we can talk about all these other important issues like health care, like lowering the cost of prescription drugs, like doing everything that we had promised that we would do for the people of rural Colorado.

(M) – Congressman, is there a point when you think that anyone is going to cross the aisle here? Because it seems like this impasse has been going on for a while now, and it’s tough to say how much longer it’s going to go on.

Is there any signaling from Republicans that they are willing to cross the aisle? I don’t want to frame it like I’m saying this is Republicans at fault. I’m just asking you because you are a Republican.

(J) – I get it. Listen, there’s nothing to negotiate. Republicans didn’t include any special ask or policy requests in the continuing resolution that would keep the government open.

There’s nothing for us to give on.

We haven’t added anything special. We haven’t proposed any new policy additions. There’s nothing for us to negotiate. The Democrats in the Senate simply need to pass the bill that we passed. It’s no partisan riders, no. No tricks, no poison pills, nothing that they just simply need to reopen the government by passing legislation that they’ve already passed in the past multiple times.

They need to do that [and] get the government back open again. Then we need to talk about these important issues that matter to folks in Colorado. I’m committed to that. Like I said, I’m not just willing to talk about it, but I’m already on legislation that would extend those enhanced premium tax credits.

It’s not right to hold these things hostage, to hold pay for troops hostage, to hold federal worker pay hostage in order to extract these policy concessions.

That’s government by crisis. It’s not good public policy. Democrats simply need to do their job. Pass the bill that would reopen our government, and then we’ll get back to the important work on behalf of the people here in Colorado.

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Marina Garcia

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The government shutdown continues to impact the Southern Colorado community, and now the Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center is asking for donations from the public as demand sharply increases.

The service center says it remains dedicated to being a hub for veterans in need, but with a “surge in need, there’s also a surge for support.”

One service they offer is a biweekly food drive, and they anticipate the turnout to double.

At this rate, they say, if anyone is inclined to support the cause, now is the time to do it.

“Unfortunately, for the last couple of years, all the nonprofits come together and do the what-if drill, if people are furloughed or laid off, you know, this year it’s longer than normal,” says Bob McLaughlin, the Mt. Carmel executive director.

Through different programs such as rent assistance and behavioral health and wellness, they say these services and food distributions work as an opportunity to offset somebody’s bills, and they see it as their duty to provide.

“Whatever we can do to offset some of the anxiety that people are feeling, we want to do that,” says McLaughlin.

If you are interested in donating, you can do so here.

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Michael Logerwell

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – Electricity was in the air this weekend at Pueblo Community College for the Black Hills Energy annual Pueblo EV Expo.

Attendees got the chance to test drive electric vehicles and learn how to enter the electric car industry through a unique class offered at the community college.

The electric vehicle program started two years ago, making Pueblo Community College one of the first in the state to offer training on hybrid and battery-powered cars.

Through the program, students earn training certificates to get jobs in the industry, or more training if they’re already certified.

It’s all part of Colorado’s push towards more electric vehicles on the road.

“We’re all agents of change, and that’s something that we’re wanting to create not only with sustainable energy but also change for the future that our kids and our family members live in this community as well, and it’s all about opportunity,” James Cordova, chair of the Pueblo Community College Automotive Technology Program, told KRDO13.

Scholarships for classes are available through black hills energy, and any current students or post-grad students are welcome to apply.

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Josh Helmuth

MONUMENT, Colo. (KRDO) — Elementary students in Monument had quite the thrill last week launching rockets.

“Rocket Day” was celebrated at Bear Creek Elementary School. Students put their learning into action by building and decorating their own rockets before launching them from launch pads at the school.

The hands-on lesson taught students the forces of flight and gravity. You can learn more about the school’s Rocket Day here.

Do you know something or someone remarkable at your school? Email us at SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com

 

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Celeste Springer

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — El Paso County officials say renovations are headed got Fox Run Regional Park.

According to the county, two of the ponds on site will get a facelift. Those projects include grading and drainage improvements to the ponds and trails, the installation of new pond liners, and the replacement of the existing gazebo with a new structure near the park’s amphitheater.

County officials say there will also be improvements to ADA access.

“This project is an important investment in one of our most popular parks,” said El Paso County Parks Executive Director Todd Marts in a release. “These renovations will ensure that Fox Run Regional Park continues to be a safe, accessible, and beautiful space for residents and visitors for years to come.”

The county says construction begins this month and is anticipated to run through the spring of next year.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Crews have begun modifying the center median on one of the city’s busiest roads in an effort to reduce crashes caused by drivers turning left across all six lanes of traffic.

Crews started work Monday on Garden of the Gods Road between I-25 and Chestnut Street, just west of the freeway.

That stretch of the road features a concentration of restaurants and other businesses, along with several dedicated left-turn lanes that lead to the access roads serving those establishments.

However, city officials stated that too many crashes have occurred when drivers exit the access roads and make left turns between heavy, speeding vehicles across the eastbound and westbound lanes.

“There will be some inside lane closures,” said Todd Frisbie, the city’s head traffic engineer. “Most of the time, it’ll be a single lane in each direction. And then, maybe sometimes, we’ll need two lanes. But again, we ask drivers to be patient. That construction will go as quickly as possible.”

According to a release issued by the city last week, the affected segment of Garden of the Gods Road had 47 crashes and 16 injuries between 2015 and 2020.

The project’s second phase starts next month, east of I-25, where Garden of the Gods Road intersects Northpark Drive and Mark Dabling Boulevard.

Crews will upgrade traffic signals at those locations.

Frisbie said that the signals are outdated and hang from wires; the upgrade will install mast arms to support new signals and provide more flexibility in how they’re operated.

“Also, some pedestrian enhancements are going on at those two intersections,” he explained. “We have new ramps, which will be more ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible at those locations. And it also allows us to operate our pedestrian activations a little bit differently.”

Both projects will cost $2 million and are funded by a federal grant and by an allocation from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority.

The city expects to complete both projects by the end of the year.

For the median project, drivers should also be aware of possible backups on the I-25 northbound exit ramp to Garden of the Gods Road; crews will have only one lane open at the bottom of the ramp to avoid traffic congestion that could slow construction.

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