Category: krdo-local-news

Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — One of the first Road Warrior reports when the beat started in February 2024 was on the county’s plan to spend nearly $11 million to make safety upgrades at two dozen crosswalks.

Joshua Palmer, the county’s head engineer, recently revealed that funding for the project is now available, that work should start soon in three phases, and that it should be completed by the end of the year.

“We’re adding or improving crosswalks,” Palmer said, detailing the nature of the upgrades. “Could be the crosswalks themselves. Could be signals at crosswalks, could be lighting at crosswalks. Could be speed mitigation going through those areas.”

The project’s cost will be split between the county and federal funds administered by the state.

Among the locations for crossing improvements are two fire stations, several schools, and a few mid-street crossings.

Palmer said that the crossings are not in what the county considers to be dangerous locations, and that no single location is a higher priority than another.

Meanwhile, the county has finished a separate project to improve safety at 63 intersections considered dangerous because of frequent crashes, injuries, deaths, and property damage.

Intersections were prioritized based on data from the Colorado Department of Transportation, and county commissioners allocated $1 million to the safety effort.

An interesting case is the intersection of Bradley Road and Bradley Lane; it wasn’t listed as a fatality location, but neighbors said that a motorcycle rider died in a crash there last fall.

David Wright, a neighbor, reflected on the tragedy while looking at the memorial on that corner from his home.

“There’s a lot of speeding on Bradley Road,” he said. “When I pull out of the driveway to get onto the street, it’s like pulling out of Pit Row at the Indy 500. You’d better punch it, or somebody’s going to be right on your tail. So, it needs some help.”

County officials said that safety upgrades ranged from new signs to fresh pavement markings to improved crosswalks and stop bars.

More complex safety changes addressed improved visibility, lighting, and pavement striping.

Falcon Highway led the list with four intersections receiving improvements.

However, Bradley Road topped the overall list with three intersection upgrades and three crosswalk upgrades.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado College theater students will perform their original dance “Of Earth and Error” this weekend at the Celeste Theater. Admission is free.

The group is called Dance6. The performers are comprised entirely of Colorado College students who partake in courses, workshops and events that culminate in their annual capstone performance.

One of the dances, titled “Alone Together,” features the performers in deer masks designed by the students.

“I’m so proud,” said Colorado College dance lecturer Patrizia Herminjard. “Wearing masks is actually quite tricky because the facegives us so much information, and it’s covered. And so we have to rely on the body to communicate that hyper awareness that comes from being prey.”

All but two of the performers are student-dancers balancing classwork and job searches with their practice.

“I feel like it’s really easy to let go and just be ourselves and be comfortable in our bodies and in our movement with one another because we spend so much time dancing with each other,” said Colorado College student and Dance6 performer Eleanor Lautenbach.

Of Earth and Error opened last weekend. The final two performance dates are this Friday and Saturday, starting at 7:30 p.m. It’s free for the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Rob Namnoum

The Lewis Palmer boys basketball team advances to the Class 5A Great Eight. The Rangers defeated Pueblo South on Tuesday night. 57-48. They will play the top seed in Class 5A, Palisade on Saturday.

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Rob Namnoum

The Mesa Ridge boys basketball team advances to the Class 5A Great Eight. The Grizzlies held off Palmer Ridge to win on Tuesday night 48-45. They will play Silver Creek on Saturday.

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Rob Namnoum

The Rampart boys basketball team lost in the Class 5A Sweet Sixteen on Tuesday 60-58 to Lutheran.

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Samantha Hildebrandt

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)– With gas prices climbing as global tensions continue — including ongoing conflict in the Middle East — many Coloradans are feeling the impact at the pump. As the war with Iran continues to ripple through energy markets, drivers are paying closer attention to what each fill-up is costing.

But it isn’t just commuters feeling the effects; travelers are watching costs, too. We sat down with a local Colorado Springs travel agent who says the phone is ringing nonstop with questions from clients about whether it’s still a good time to book a trip, where people are choosing to go, and how much travelers should expect to budget this year.

In Colorado Springs, one longtime travel agent says, so far, demand is holding steady.

Rico Colombo, who has worked at All-Inclusive Vacations and Cruises in Colorado Springs for 16 years, says he expected to see a slowdown as concerns grow over rising travel costs. Instead, he’s seeing consistent bookings, especially for spring break.

“People are still traveling,” Rico said. “They’re calling with questions, but they’re still booking.”

Just this week, Rico says he received three calls in one day for spring break trips to Mexico, including college groups looking to reserve up to 20 rooms. He’s also booking clients to popular Caribbean destinations like the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

While some travelers are expressing concerns about global instability and rising prices, Rico says no one has canceled their trips.

Instead, he’s noticing a shift in how people are planning.

“We’re seeing people budget more; they’re either budgeting or waiting for last-minute deals,” said Colombo. “Get on that bucket list, life is short, you can budget, and I encourage you to live your best life.”

Travelers are budgeting more carefully and asking more detailed questions about safety and potential price increases. Rico says his team closely monitors U.S. Department of State advisories and local reporting before recommending destinations and would never send clients somewhere they feel is unsafe.

While Colombo says summer and fall bookings are not as strong as he would typically like to see right now, spring break travel remains steady in Colorado Springs.

“Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic are the top three spots for spring break travel.”

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Scott Harrison

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is currently designing a plan to make numerous safety and traffic upgrades at the Exit 108 interchange on I-25, approximately five miles north of Pueblo.

The exit takes westbound drivers onto Purcell Boulevard and serves as a shortcut to Pueblo West, while the eastbound road connects to the former I-25 Speedway property.

Among the issues with the interchange: It’s no longer able to safely and efficiently handle the amount of traffic it receives.

CDOT said that most of the traffic there comes eastbound from Pueblo West and heads north to Colorado Springs.

The main concern is that traffic in both directions under I-25 must share a single-lane tunnel — technically called a box culvert — which can make it difficult for drivers exiting the freeway to see approaching traffic.

Carrie Fuller, a Pueblo-area resident who contacted KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior about the situation, said that the narrow tunnel floods occasionally, has large potholes on both ends, and has collision damage at the top from semi-trucks that have gotten stuck trying to pass through.

CDOT’s solution is to replace the tunnel with a three-span bridge, similar to the relatively new bridge farther south at the Dillon Drive interchange.

“Building the bridge will require us to raise the interstate,” said Jennifer Sparks, a CDOT engineer. “Which means we’ll have to kind of trace that profile back a ways and rebuild all four ramps, rebuild the bridge, and rebuild the roads connecting to the ramps.”

The project will start next year and take 18 months to complete, at a cost of between $40 million and $45 million.

CDOT said that most of the construction will be on the west side of the bridge and will include a roundabout.

“I’m glad to hear it’s on their radar and going to be addressed,” Fuller said.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Multimedia artist Sofia Hernandez Crade creates movable puppets, some over two stories tall.

She started creating the puppets after her brother died. She said she wanted to start doing art that would make him proud.

“I think he would definitely be smiling down,” Crade said about her brother, Demitri. “He would definitely want people to push themselves, and I think he would be excited and proud.”

Crade said her brother inspires her to never settle. Instead of focusing on commissions, she started pushing her limits, building massive puppets piece-by-piece inside her living room.

“Life is short. I don’t want anything to stand in my way,” Crade said.

Crade started with a 24-foot-tall puppet of one of her idols, the late Manitou Springs painter Charles Rockey.

“I made Rockey the same year Demitri had died as well, so for me, it was kind of coming back to life,” Crade said.

Crade helped Rockey return to the Manitou Springs Carnivale parade, where he was a regular during his life.

“I felt like half of Manitou was coming to me, giving me huge hugs. ‘Thanks for creating this piece. You brought back my friend. You brought back my dad,”‘ Crade said.

Crade is currently working on a giant Peregine Falcon puppet that will be featured in the 2026 Green Box Art Festival in Green Mountain Falls. She plans to build it with wings that can spread out and retract like the real bird.

Crade still works out of her living room while she tries to secure a studio. She still has Rockey, still fully functional, stored away in a storage unit. She is now on her sixth puppet build.

Each puppet has full mobility of its joints. The heads, mouths, arms and more move like the actual animals and people they replicate.

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Rob Namnoum

The Pine Creek hockey team won the Class 4A state championship on Monday night. The Eagles beat Steamboat Springs 6-3.

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Michael Logerwell

PENROSE, Colo. (KRDO) – A month ago, Jon Hallford was finally sentenced on his state criminal charges. An El Paso County judge handed down a sentence of 40 years to be served at the same time as his 20-year federal sentence, a sentence that Hallford is appealing.

RELATED COVERAGE: Jon Hallford sentenced to 40 years for abuse of a corpse charges at Return to Nature Funeral Home

“I don’t think this is the end of it for us, the living victims. We are going to have to live with this forever. I will take it as a step towards healing, knowing that you know he won’t see the light of day, or know what a hamburger tastes like, or a Slurpee for quite a long time,” said Derrick Johnson, after Jon Hallford’s sentencing hearing in February.

Now, a month later, Johnson is searching for a spot to memorialize his mother, whose body was improperly stored and left to rot at the Return to Nature Funeral Home.

The only issue is that potential locations keep denying him.

“It’s so heartbreaking that we’re not getting the yeses,” Johnson said over a video call.

Johnson wants to build a wind phone in Southern Colorado. A wind phone looks a lot like those neighborhood libraries, but instead of books inside, there is a landline telephone that’s only connected to the wind and a call log.

It would be one more chance to speak to his mother over the phone, something Johnson says they did often after his life took him to Hawaii while his mother stayed in landlocked Colorado.

“We talked on the phone constantly. We were always around each other. So having a place where I can speak to her and know that my voice is being carried off by the wind, in particular, it means the world,” Johnson said.

The hang-up is that Johnson doesn’t have a place to put it. He’s been denied by multiple parks and trails in Colorado Springs. He was even denied by Bear Creek Park, where a bench dedicated to the Return to Nature victims was unveiled in 2024.

KRDO13 Investigates asked if he had considered the former site of Return to Nature itself.

“There were talks about this wind phone going out there,” Johnson said. “Who even owns that piece of land right there?”

What’s going on with the former funeral home site?

In late April 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finished the demolition and clean-up of the funeral home formerly located at 31 Werner Road in Penrose.

During the six-day process, the EPA said, “the building materials and foundation were disinfected, demolished, and transferred off-site for disposal. The foundation was replaced with clean soil.”

Driving by the site today, it’s just an empty field running up a hefty tab of property taxes.

The Fremont County Treasurer, Kathy Elliott, says the owners of the property owe $18,774.96 in unpaid property taxes. It’s a hefty tab that would typically lead to the property going up to a tax sale.

A tax sale, according to the El Paso County Treasurer, is the last step the county takes to collect unpaid taxes on properties.

But that hasn’t happened, mainly because Fremont County officials aren’t convinced there is any interest. Elliott told KRDO13 Investigates over the phone that she didn’t think anyone would buy the property.

Stacey Seifert, the Fremont County Assessor, further confirmed that the Hallfords, under their LLC, still own the property. Seifert also expressed similar concerns about the commercial interest of the property.

“Even if it was for sale, it would never bring more than a fraction of those [potential lien] costs, and who would want it anyway?” she wrote in an email.

According to the Secretary of State’s Office, there are two liens currently against the property. The most recent was filed in late November last year.

Could the site become a memorial?

KRDO13 Investigates asked Fremont County Commissioner Kevin Grantham if the county would consider buying the property for cheap at a tax sale auction and turning the site into a memorial for victims of the Return to Nature Funeral Home.

Grantham said there were no plans for that to be done by the county and presented a different vision for the now vacant land. “Our preference is for it to remain on the rolls and be available for future commercial/business use,” Grantham said via email.

Johnson said he would love to see the land donated to the victims or a victims’ group such as Colorado Remembers.

“[To] take a spot that you know was once what you would call one of the worst places in the state and turn it into something where people can heal from it,” Johnson said.

While Johnson is on board, others are torn, unsure if they ever want to go back to 31 Werner Road in Penrose ever again.

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