Category: krdo-local-news

Bradley Davis

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) – Leading by two scores in the fourth quarter, minutes away from clinching the AFC’s top seed and the team’s first 14-win season since 1998, Bo Nix and the offense trotted off the field after another stalled drive to boos.

In response, Bo Nix said it’s not the first time he’s been booed, and it certainly won’t be the last.

Without context, it’s a reaction that feels insane. While not every fan felt compelled to join in, the mid-game boos are not a huge surprise to people who have watched this team all year.

Denver’s offense has been a rollercoaster all season long. There’s been flashes, but the team has largely relied on its flashy defense.

The last three weeks have not been good on the offensive side of the ball. With their playoff destiny locked up, the Chargers benched many of their starters, and Denver still finished the day with under 250 total yards and less than 20 points.

Denver has been very good at winning football games this year. They have not been good at dominating. The Broncos have tied an NFL record 11 one-score regular-season victories. Those wins have come against teams like the Jets, Giants, Raiders and Commanders.

Ironically, Denver’s 2025 season is very reminiscent of the last half-decade from their division rival, the Kansas City Chiefs, the first team to have the word “dynasty” thrown around them since Tom Brady’s Patriots.

Denver shares their 11-win one-score record with Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes and company did it just last year, and they played in the Super Bowl.

That aside, some of the fan pessimism could also come from Denver’s inevitable Divisional Round matchup. The Broncos have to host the winner of the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville is the only playoff team this year that’s undefeated against Denver in the regular season. It was the Broncos’ worst loss of the season, just two weeks ago. On the other side, it’s fair to say no one is chomping at the bit to see Josh Allen in January.

The 2024 Chiefs came up one win short of the Lombardi Trophy last year. Other teams with similar trajectories, like the 2022 Vikings, who match the 2024 Chiefs and 2025 Broncos in one-score victories, have struggled in Postseason play.

Despite the close games, Broncos fans have far less to boo about now than in the team’s recent history. It’s the first time Denver has claimed the top seed since 2015. It’s now been back-to-back playoff births for Sean Peyton and Bo Nix after an eight-year playoff drought. And history is on Denver’s side.

One team in NFL history has won nine or more regular-season one-score games and gone on to win the Super Bowl. It was the 2015 Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos.

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – At 11:22 on Friday night, Colorado Springs Police were phoned by a local security guard patrolling the parking garage at Costilla and Tejon Street. The security guard reported a man sitting inside his parked car, slumped over the steering wheel.

When police officers arrived, they saw the same scene: the man slumped over the wheel of the car, unconscious. Officers proceeded to wake the man, Sully Lewis, age 31, up.

Upon waking up, the officers say that Lewis told them he had a gun tucked into his waistband and methamphetamine in the car. In the police blotter report about the arrest, the officers say that Lewis followed the officer’s instructions and was detained without incident.

The police officers say they searched the rest of Lewis’s vehicle and found a large quantity of illegal narcotics and additional firearms, plus the handgun in his waistband.

At the time of the arrest, Lewis was out on a $1,000 bond in connection with a November 25, 2025, criminal case involving possession of a controlled substance and a $3,000 bond in connection with an October 17, 2025, criminal case charging him with burglary.

Lewis is currently being held in the El Paso County jail on a $50,000 bond.

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Samantha Hildebrandt

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)– Early this morning, a little after 4 am, Sand Creek officers responded to a weapons call on South Academy Boulevard.

Investigators say a man got into an argument with another driver, then stepped out of his vehicle and fired several shots into the air.

Officers say he even knocked on a business window while holding the firearm, frightening employees inside.

Police later located the suspect vehicle a few blocks away and, during a traffic stop, recovered a firearm and a spent shell casing. No injuries have been reported.

22-year-old Davian Fray was arrested.

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Michael Logerwell

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – At the beginning of December, flu cases in El Paso County were high, but not too out of the ordinary when looking at the past five years. Since KRDO13 reported on that December 6 data set however, flu cases have risen exponentially.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Flu season in Southern Colorado: By the numbers, what is the risk?

El Paso County data comparing flu cases to RSV and COVID.

El Paso County data comparing respiratory illness cases in the current and previous years.

The latest influenza, or flu, data comes from Christmas week, which ended on December 27. In that week in El Paso County, 88 people were sent to the hospital because of the flu. That’s practically twice as many hospitalizations as each of the previous three flu seasons.

“The 791 new flu-related hospitalizations reported for the week ending Dec. 27 is a record for raw numbers of influenza hospitalizations reported in one week since we started tracking influenza hospitalizations in 2004,” said Hope Shuler, a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDHPE).

Colorado state respiratory illness data through the end of December.

The CDPHE says on the last full week of December, 791 people were hospitalized with the flu, which is a single-week record since the state started tracking the numbers. The only week that comes close was in December 2014, when 582 people were hospitalized.

The state health department expects the trends to continue, writing over email, “Hospitalizations to continue to increase in the immediate future as a result of recent holiday gatherings and return to school, child care, and work.”

Map from CDC

Colorado isn’t the only state that’s come down with the flu. New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, and South Carolina are all under the CDC’s label of having very high flu activity.

There isn’t one specific reason behind the nationwide spike, but national health experts have identified some potential culprits who could be contributing.

“[There’s] a number of factors. One, we’ve seen that vaccinations-there’s been about three million fewer doses given this year so far,” said Dr. Debra Houry, a former Chief Medical Officer at CDC, on CNN.

Another factor is a specific flu variant called subclade K, which wasn’t included in this year’s flu shot but has popped up in a lot of spots where flu cases have taken off. Specifically in Colorado, the CDPHE said, “The high influenza activity we are seeing this season is likely due to the emergence of a new strain of influenza A subtype H3N2, called subclade K.”

Vaccination data from CDPHE

Back to vaccinations, in Colorado, the gap is thin. Last flu season, 28.8% of Coloradans got the flu shot, compared to 27.5% this year, which makes for a difference of about 1.5%.

“We hope to close this gap in vaccination rates before the peak of the season, because the flu vaccine is the best way to help reduce the risk of getting flu and its potentially serious complications,” said Shuler. A big way the health department works to close the gap is by sending reminder texts and email messages to families of more than 225,000 children between 6 months and 5 years of age who are due for their flu vaccines.

To help flatten the spike, the CDPHE is asking people to consider these tips:

Stay home when sick.

Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your shirt sleeve, not your hands.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact with others who are sick, such as kissing, shaking hands, and sharing cups and eating utensils.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as doorknobs and mobile devices.

And above all else, the CDPHE recommends getting your seasonal flu vaccine.

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Ivette Saucedo

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KTLO) – Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) says a fire in an apartment unit at the Creekside Apartments on W. Colorado Avenue has now been contained.

According to CSFD, all residents inside the building were evacuated safely, and no injuries were reported. It is unknown if any residents will be displaced.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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Ivette Saucedo

ELLICOTT, Colo. (KTLO) – The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has lifted the evacuation order at 1:36 pm.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuation orders at 1:14 pm for west of Curtis Rd., South of Davis Rd., East of Blaney Rd., and North of Highway 94 due to a fire near Dragonman Distributors. Everyone in the area has been ordered to evacuate now.

This is a developing story.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Experiencing one of the warmest Winters on record might not do well by the ski slopes, but it turned boon for El Paso County Search and Rescue’s (EPCSAR) largest fundraiser, the “Rescue Run.”

Touting the slogan “Rain, snow, or 20 below,” EPCSAR said organizers have never canceled the race in its 48 years of New Year’s Day weather. With highs reaching the 60s in Colorado Springs, the rescue run race director said this is the nicest race day she can remember.

“It’s not rain, snow, or 20 below! Where’s the pink flamingos, man? It’s a beautiful year. I don’t ever remember a year this nice,” said Rescue Run race director Teresa Taylor.

With conditions relatively warm, dry, and the sun in the sky, Taylor said they hit an all-time high with 1200 runners.

EPSCAR is a volunteer-based organization. It said no one gets paid, and volunteers have to buy their own equipment. The organization never charges and has someone on standby 24/7 for wilderness distress calls in Southeastern Colorado. A large part of their jurisdiction is performing mountain rescues on Pikes Peak.

While the race started at 10 a.m. from the Norris Penrose Center, people can donate to EPSCAR year-round.

The group hosts the race on New Year’s to minimize the chances they are needed on a call. Their busiest months are in the summer, particularly with rescues on the Manitou Incline.

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Michael Logerwell

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – Passion for the annual AdAmAn Club Fireworks show isn’t limited to those above 14,000 ft, but that’s where it starts on December 31.

The AdAmAn Club started the annual tradition of bringing in the new year with a fireworks show atop America’s Mountain in 1976.

Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum

Daniel Artusi, the current president of the club, hasn’t been making the ascent that long. This year will be his 14th year, and it’s still just as exciting as his first time.

He missed it once with COVID in 2021, but will likely never miss out again.

“I sat from my house passionately missing the experience, and that really resonated with me. It just struck me how much I enjoyed being part of the tradition and part of the climb, because there was that one year gap that I wasn’t able to do it,” said Astusi. Astusi added that this year was particularly memorable because of the favorable weather conditions, which made the hike to the top more enjoyable for the group.

The 9:00 p.m. fireworks were to honor the fallen members of the AdAmAn Club, but the real fireworks show kicks off at midnight.

Watch the video above to see how people are ringing in the new year in Southern Colorado!

Happy New Year!!

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — As we ring in the New Year, it’s always interesting to see what articles garnered the most attention in Southern Colorado.

Sometimes high-interest articles can be rather obvious, but other times our analytic data can surprise us. (Fun fact: Every few months, this article from 2021 garners a lot of views, seemingly out of nowhere. We believe the video of the incident occasionally goes viral on social media, leading people to Google our report. This year alone, it received more than 17,000 views– even though it’s four years old.)

The standouts for viewers and readers in 2025 fit into just two categories: politics or our recurring segment, Restaurant Roundup.

Here’s a look at the most clicked articles of this year, based on our digital metrics:

#5: Popular donut shop fails health inspection with 17 violations, including dead flies & wasps

Click here to read this full report.

Restaurant Roundup continues to be our highest-performing recurring segment both on air and online. The segment pulls health inspection reports, detailing restaurants with the highest number of violations, and highlighting the restaurants that have the best scores.

In this report, Julia Donovan details the violations of a local donut shop, but stops by The Exchange on Tejon Street, where owners boast a clean and safe kitchen.

#4: ‘Colorado needs to be burned to the ground’: Legislator stands by fiery comments on podcast

Click here to read this full report.

In March, a state representative from El Paso County stirred quite a reaction in the political sphere this week after she made comments about Colorado burning to the ground so the GOP can rise from the ashes.

#3: Semiautomatic firearm bill headed to Governor Polis’s desk

Click here to read this full report.

This year, Colorado legislators passed SB25-003, a bill creating further restrictions for some semi-automatic weapons. The bill went to Governor Polis in April and was ultimately signed into law.

#2: Gov. Polis signs pair of gun safety bills into law, creating restrictions on ammo purchases, gun shows

Click here to read this full report.

In addition to signing SB-003 into law, Governor Polis also enacted House Bill 1133 and House Bill 1238. Respectively, the two put restrictions on ammunition sales and instituted new security requirements for gun shows. The latter, HB-1238, goes into effect on the first day of the New Year.

#1: Another Texas Roadhouse fails health inspection

Click here to read this full report.

Yet another Restaurant Roundup piece made the top five this year. This article focused on one steakhouse mega giant that had appeared on the segment previously. But we also got to meet Tony Pera, the owner of The Local Table, who had one of the highest health scores of the week.

RELATED: Love it, or hate it, KRDO13’s Restaurant Roundup has people talking

What will be the biggest story of 2026?

Did any on this list surprise you? What do you think your personal top story of the year was? Any guesses on what the most talked-about topics of 2026 will be?

Here at KRDO13, we are wishing you a happy New Year, and can’t wait to see what’s in the future.

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Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Road Warrior has learned that for the past ten years, residents of the historic Old North End neighborhood have installed their own signs asking drivers to slow down because of speeding.

It follows a growing trend across the state, where residents in Boulder and other communities are taking similar action.

The Road Warrior often hears from many citizens who say that they’re frustrated police and the city aren’t doing more to install speed bumps or conduct speed enforcement.

A website map, http://myneighborhoodupdate.net, shows a fairly high concentration of traffic violations this month in the middle of the Old North End, along a 1.6-mile stretch of Nevada Avenue, between Fillmore and Uintah streets.

However, the map doesn’t indicate how many of the violations were for speeding.

Peter Frantz, a neighborhood organizer, said that speed bumps aren’t a practical solution because there’s simply too much traffic on Nevada.

“We have a group that has been involved with the city for 13 years, trying to implement conventional traffic safety measures,” he explained. “And it’s just been very difficult to do that.”

There’s often negative feedback from drivers, Frantz said, that may slow down traffic too much and increase congestion.

“Studies have shown that’s not the case,” he said.

The neighborhood’s collaboration with police resulted in the city installing speed monitoring signs several years ago; the signs inform drivers how fast they’re going relative to the posted limit.

“But I haven’t seen a significant decrease in speeding,” said Jennifer Lewis, who was walking her infant in a stroller across Nevada. “People fly down this road all the time. My husband and I are runners. We cross every street in this neighborhood, but Nevada is the hardest street to get past, and the one I’m most cautious on.”

One strategy that has worked, however, is when the city reduced the number of lanes from four to two on two streets parallel to Nevada — Cascade Avenue and Weber Street.

As part of a sign campaign this fall, organizers provided ten signs labeled Someone Died Here, Slow Down and placed each sign at a location where a victim died.

Frantz said that there have been ten deaths over the past 20 years, and police reports confirmed that speeding was a factor.

Because of the holiday, police and city traffic engineers were unavailable for comment on the matter.

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