News

As more people move into small communities, some like Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, struggle to keep pace with infrastructure requirements, including the good old-fashioned toilet flush.

Parts of the decades-old reconstructed adobe trading post near La Junta are failing. This led to the decision to close the upper level until the risks can be resolved and the structure restored. Also, the living history presentations there could undergo some changes, including how livestock may be managed.

Meet the artist behind the giant puppet in this year's Manitou Springs Carnivale parade that honors the legacy of the late Charles Rockey.

Enforcing fire safety in homeless encampments is a challenging issue.

“What do you know about Boggsville?”

Bells mark the beginning of the Fiesta of the Lady of Guadalupe at the first parish established in Colorado.

For nearly three decades, Colorado Springs Teen Court has provided youth accused of misdemeanor crimes an alternative path aimed at preventing future criminal behavior.

The shooting happened at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs, killing five people and injured countless others.

The nearly 30-year tradition reflects the unique character of Manitou Springs and the people who live there while sharing some of the city’s history.

The mayor's most in-depth interview yet about his life and what led him to Colorado Springs and politics.

It's tarantula mating season in southeastern Colorado. Here's what to know about the love lives of tarantulas and other spiders, their role in the ecosystem and whether their bites are dangerous.

Whenever Michael Reynolds takes the Bustang bus up to Denver, he shows up to the downtown Metro terminal on Kiowa Street.  Only this time, there wasn’t any place for the […]

A community center focusing on the LGBTQ population is opening this fall in Colorado Springs. The Prism Community Collective will provide access to resources like mental and physical health providers. It's made possible through a three year federal grant totaling just over $5 million, secured following the shooting at Club Q.

Agricultural workers in Colorado have seen an extensive rise in protections in recent years. For some farmers, the changes are having dire financial impacts.

Colcha embroidery is traditionally used to decorate bedspreads, clothing and table linens with images like flowers and birds, but some women in the San Luis Valley use it in a different way — to capture stories of the region.

Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade appointed his former political rival, Sallie Clark, as senior advisor on government and military affairs.

Colorado College journalism student Michael Braithwaite wasn’t sure what to think when a fellow student and friend, Zeke Lloyd, pitched the idea: use the summer between their junior and senior […]

An effort that the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is participating in trying to help nudge the toads back to a healthier status.

Pies, pickles and other delicacies are now on display at the Colorado State Fair. The goodies are part of the pantry competition where home cooks from around the state vie to prove their kitchen prowess.

At Bear Creek Park, visitors with visual impairments are now able to enjoy a trail with new accessibility features.

The two hospitals in Pueblo, Parkview Medical Center and Centura St. Mary-Corwin, do not pay most federal or state taxes. Advocates want to see them use community benefit spending on things that actually create community benefits, such as charity care.

The troll that Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo is building in the town of Victor is the second of its kind in the state. The first was built in 2018 and resides in Breckenridge.

Anna Cordova knew since she was a college student that Indigenous voices needed to be heard within the field of archeology, seen as a “colonial kind of practice.”

The athletes, some as young as 11 years old, are taking part in the competition, which includes junior, national and international levels.

A new program at the Denver-area Butterfly Pavilion focuses on helping pollinator-friendly communities.

Ten years ago, a wildfire roared through the Black Forest community north of Colorado Springs. Two people died and nearly 500 homes were destroyed. Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire that began on June, 11, 2013.

Back in 1976 a handful of young journalists launched a Pueblo-based Chicano newspaper. They called it La Cucaracha. These volunteers covered issues critical to their southern Colorado community.

After two terms in office, John Suthers' tenure as mayor of Colorado Springs ends June 6, 2023. KRCC's Abigail Beckman spoke with him about his legacy, the pandemic and whether he plans to stay involved in city politics.

We answer listeners' questions about miller moths' influx in Colorado and why experts say we should appreciate them.

The EPA has tested soil at some 1,900 homes near the site of the former smelter during the last eight years. More than 40 percent needed to have tainted dirt removed and replaced with new clean material.

Yemi Mobolade, a Nigerian immigrant, is the first Black man elected to lead Colorado Springs. He discussed his new role, his faith and getting ready to hit the ground running.

“Wow,” said Mobolade as he took the stage with his family after initial results showed him with a huge lead in the race.

Colorado Springs mayoral candidate Wayne Williams sat down with KRCC ahead of the May 16 runoff. He spoke about why he wants to run for mayor, his proudest achievement as an elected official and addressed key constituent concerns.

Colorado Springs mayoral candidate Yemi Mobolade sat down with KRCC’s Andrea Chalfin ahead of the May 16 runoff. He spoke about his leadership experience, why he got into politics and addressed key constituent concerns.

The sound of sword strikes echoes through the towering pine trees in Black Forest where the Colorado Wardens practice their sport. What they do is not a choreographed re-enactment or costumed performance. It’s a sport based on tournaments that took place in the Middle Ages.

Thousands of cars pass by daily just a couple of blocks away, but this monument is off the beaten path enough that drivers likely wouldn't notice it.

The mayor's race in Colorado Springs is generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations.

The Italian-American and Mediterranean fare at the San Luis Valley restaurant is non-pretentious and approachable.

Considered a Pueblo specialty, a slopper is a burger with a bun, often open face, drowned in green chile. Cheese, onions and French fries are often in the mix.

It's been more than two years since Colorado Springs created a commission to improve the relationship between citizens and the police.

The city of Colorado Springs is starting the new year with a number of major proposals aimed at keeping up with rapid growth, like zoning codes and land annexations.

The zoning code hasn’t been comprehensively revised in three decades. The new 400 page draft update is known as ReToolCOS. It's part of the city's overall master plan.

Following backlash from victim advocacy groups, the Colorado Healing Fund says those affected by the Club Q shooting will receive every dollar donated to the nonprofit in their honor.

The non-profit Colorado Healing Fund, which collects money for victims of mass casualty crimes in Colorado, is responding to criticism from victim advocacy groups about how it retains and disperses funds.

Housing and public safety are among the issues on many voters' minds and both have turned up on ballots in Southern Colorado for the 2022 general election.

Former social workers in El Paso County say kids are slipping through the cracks. A major part of the problem, they say, is turnover within the Department of Human Services. And those who remain suffer through massive workloads.

Sweeping berms and rocky jumps make up just part of the new mountain bike park in Cresta Open Space in southwestern Colorado Springs.

Cattle, carnivals and corndogs, that's what state fairs are made of. And this year, there's more to celebrate as the event celebrates its 150th year.

Care & Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado recently combined the positions of President and CEO and hired Nathan Springer, former Garrison Commander at Fort Carson, to fill that role.

First-year cadets at the United States Air Force Academy were formally accepted by the Academy’s upperclassmen on August 5 before the beginning of the academic year.

There hasn’t been a History Colorado board member from the plains of rural southeastern Colorado in a very long time – or possibly not ever.  But now this region has a new voice.

Two years ago, a group of Puebloans attempted to compromise over a monument topped by a bronze bust of Christopher Columbus, a figure with a controversial legacy. Mediation talks didn't work. Here's why.

Ballooning home prices in recent years have led to higher property taxes for a lot of people. And they're likely to be even higher next year. Unravel a complicated tax notice.

Tony Cheng leads the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute and the Southern Rockies Fire Science Exchange Network at Colorado State University-Fort Collins. He reflected on Colorado's wildfire history and the costs of forest loss.

Skyspace installations from American artist James Turrell are world renowned for blending color, light and nature into experiential art.

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich owns more than a quarter of the mill's parent company EVRAZ plc. Sanctions against him have created some challenges.

Pueblo’s levee once held the Guinness World Record for the largest outdoor mural. But repairs to the levee destroyed that artwork. Now construction is done and artists are back at work.

The new District 3 representative for the city talks her predecessor, the appointment process, wildfires and more.

Repairs to bring the 2.8-mile long levee up to current FEMA standards began in 2014 and cost some $25 million.

Water is declining in some Denver Basin wells in El Paso County. Meanwhile the population is growing, so some water utilities are considering a collaborative project.

There aren’t significant surface water supplies in El Paso County. But is tapping into the Denver Basin the right answer?

More than half of renters in the city of Pueblo are considered cost-burdened, which means they pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing.

Recent work at the Ludlow Massacre memorial about an hour south of Pueblo revealed something unexpected.

The master planning process for one of Colorado's newest state parks is ongoing.

More than 7,000 children in Pueblo County earned $100 each for reading this summer. There was a rocky start for some kids, but a stellar finish for many of them.

Fluffy cows, carnival rides and, of course, indulgently greasy fair food are all back.

The district has about 350 students in kindergarten through 12th grade with a four-year graduation rate of just under 85 percent. That's higher than the state average, but the real issue is finding work after graduation — only a handful of students go on to four-year colleges.

The Manitou Incline and Pikes Peak Cog Railway help draw hundreds of thousands of people to Manitou Springs.

Teen suicides, drug overdoses and domestic violence homicides paint a picture of how 2020 affected people, El Paso County coroner says.

The 1921 flood in Pueblo took the lives of hundreds and changed the course of the city's history. One hundred years later, the political and economic effects can still be felt.

On June 3, 1921, raging waters unleashed by torrential rains and snowmelt broke through Pueblo’s Arkansas River levees, causing one of the deadliest and most destructive floods in Colorado’s history.

A community-centered approach that listens to unvaccinated people's fear is the next step for Pueblo's COVID vaccine rollout.

The federal mass COVID vaccination site at the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo wraps up June 14 after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began operation in mid-April.

The long-term effects of COVID-19 stress have taken a serious toll on children and young people, with behavioral health visits on the rise this year.

The Cog Railway that takes riders to the top of Pikes Peak reopens this week. The city of Manitou Springs is bracing for a lot of added potential tourists this summer with the relaunch.

Drew Houston is the new head of Citizens Project in Colorado Springs.

A new center for mental health and addiction recovery is coming to Salida. The site will help fill behavioral health gaps in south central Colorado.

And the clock is ticking.

Before COVID, teachers at Mitchell High School in Colorado Springs wanted to form deeper connections with their students — many of whom are in low income households. So, while sticking with traditional parent teacher conferences, they also began meeting with kids and parents in the students' homes.

It's been a few weeks since the Colorado State Fairgrounds opened as a mass vaccination site run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. KRCC caught up with FEMA's Julie Brooks, who's stationed at an incident command post in a barn. She shared the site's goals and plans for the future.

A Colorado College student

"I think this is probably one of the worst situations I've had to deal with, life threatening that is, since Vietnam," said Konrad Spurling, about COVID.

Community partners in El Paso County like Serivicios de la Raza are helping to address issues of equity in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Los Promotores del Valle de San Luis and Sacred Heart Catholic Church will host a COVID vaccine clinic in Alamosa on March 20.

Those appointments filled up in a matter of hours, but more pop-up vaccine clinics are on the way.

Peak Past is a weekly segment written and voiced by Matt Cavanaugh, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and a resident of Manitou Springs where he lives with his wife and two young children.

A 150-year-old cabin near Pueblo is undergoing restoration with a plan to eventually open it up to the public as an educational facility.

Peak Past is a weekly segment written and voiced by Matt Cavanaugh, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and a resident of Manitou Springs where he lives with his wife and two young children.

The RISE Education Fund, which launched in September 2020, provides CARES Act funding to support schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Upcoming listening sessions will focus on four key topics: communication with the Colorado Springs police department, racial bias, crisis response and use of force.

Businesses have to follow stricter COVID-19 safety guidelines to participate in the program, like daily exposure and symptom checks for employees.

Colorado farmers and ranchers have weathered drought, fire and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic during 2020.

Peak Perspectives is a weekly segment written and voiced by Matt Cavanaugh, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and a resident of Manitou Springs where he lives with his wife and two young children.

The newly-formed commission on police accountability in Colorado Springs is ready to get to work.

TESSA CEO Anne Markley says isolation is worsening domestic violence situations.

UCHealth will also expand the inpatient behavioral health unit at University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora around 2023.

Peak Perspectives is a weekly segment written and voiced by Matt Cavanaugh, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and a resident of Manitou Springs where he lives with his wife and two young children.

A CDC report found 40 percent of American adults are struggling with their mental health due to coronavirus pandemic stressors.

Amtrak has cut most of its daily long-distance train services to three days a week., including the Southwest Chief and the California Zephyr, which both have multiple stops in Colorado.