Author: O’Dell Isaac
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Many evacuees await return from Aspen Acres blaze as Huerfano County issues new orders
As hundreds of firefighters made progress in slowing the eastward spread of the Aspen Acres fire, its expansion to the south and west prompted new pre-evacuation orders in Huerfano County. Officials asked residents for patience as many areas, including the towns of Rye and San Isabel, remain under evacuation orders. “Overall, progress has been made,…
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Pilot killed in plane crash while supporting Gold Mountain firefighting: Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office
A pilot supporting firefighting efforts with the Gold Mountain fire died in a plane crash on Sunday, according to the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office. At 5:17 p.m. Sunday, regional dispatch received a call about an aircraft down in the Silver Jack Reservoir, located in southwest Gunnison County. Sheriff Adam Murdie confirmed that the aircraft had…
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Wildfire roundup: More than 170,000 acres burned across Colorado
Several active wildfires across Colorado have burned more than 170,000 acres, destroyed hundreds of structures, and forced thousands of people from their homes as of Monday. The largest of these, the Aspen Acres fire, grew to 91,523 acres on Sunday, making it the 7th-largest wildfire in Colorado history. Fire crews increased containment to 13% on…
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Aspen Acres fire grows to 10th-largest in Colorado history; incident team from Alaska takes charge
The Aspen Acres fire plume towered over Custer and Pueblo counties on Thursday as the blaze continued to grow in size in extremely hot, dry and windy weather. “I’ve been a firefighter for 40 years and I’ve never seen conditions like we’re seeing,” Mike Morgan, director of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control,…
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Former Fort Carson soldier selected to Artemis III crew
When the Artemis II splashed down off the coast of San Diego on April 10, its crewmembers were hailed as the farthest-traveled humans from Earth in history, having bested by more than 4,000 miles Apollo 13’s record. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen traveled 252,756 miles from their home planet and returned…
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3 protesters face charges following demonstration in east Colorado Springs
Three people face charges after a protest outside a Colorado Springs fast food restaurant reportedly got out of hand Saturday evening, according to city police. Brandon Rincon, Jacob Lesterlund and Frances Archuleta are expected to be charged with trespassing and interfering with police. Officers responded to the parking area outside the McDonald’s at 1244 N.…
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A perfect storm: Pine beetles thriving following warm, dry winter in Colorado
The warmest winter in Colorado history could lead to record-breaking proliferation of a tiny insect, about the size of a grain of rice, that has killed millions of acres of trees across the Centennial State and contributed to the rapid spread of some of its largest wildfires, according to state officials. Mountain pine and spruce…
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Fort Carson-based soldier killed in Iranian attack
A Fort Carson-based soldier is among the U.S. service members killed in an attack by Iran during Operation Epic Fury, according to a Department of Defense news release. Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, died Sunday of injuries sustained during an enemy attack on March 1 at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, the release…
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‘A real-life Rosie the Riveter’: World War II veteran and longtime Monument resident dies at 102
Marie West, a World War II veteran and longtime Monument resident, died Jan. 25, less than three weeks shy of what would have been her 103rd birthday, according to her family. West passed away peacefully at home, with the quiet dignity that defined her life, said Patsy Janeba, the youngest of West’s three daughters. “We…
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‘An excruciating process’: U.S. government negotiating release of Pueblo man detained by Taliban
As a Pueblo-based man sits in isolated captivity at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan — a prisoner of the Taliban since last January — his family in the U.S. still does not know why he was detained, or when he will be able to come home. On or about Jan. 26, 2025, Dennis Coyle, an…