Good morning, Colorado Springs.

On Monday morning, seven ducklings halted traffic in Rockrimmon until 11 News photographer Mike Petkash safely guided them off the road — Colorado Parks and Wildlife advises drivers to let wildlife cross without interference.

Team Rubicon volunteers, including Colorado Springs resident Dave Gendron, spent two weeks in July clearing hazardous debris from homes hit by the Aspen Acres fire in southern Colorado & sorting metal and concrete in Beulah.

Local authorities are offering cleanup aid and permit fee waivers to assist homeowners without insurance.

On Monday, a fire near the 6200 block of Passing Sky Drive forced the Sheriff’s Office to order an evacuation in Security-Widefield near Fountain Valley School; the order (with road closures at Bradley Road, Grinnell Boulevard, and Goldfield Drive) was lifted at 3:30 p.m. as Security District 3 students returned for pickup.

A Fortune 20 company (via Broadstone Net Lease) plans to build a 112,000-sqft GPU testing facility at the former vineyard and golf course south of El Pomar Youth Sports Park, with rent set to start by March 2027.

The Widefield School District is using $88 million in bond funds to upgrade its aging schools by adding air conditioning at Pinello Elementary and renovating North Preschool (after termite damage) as students prepare for the new school year.

District leaders said projects are underway at multiple campuses and expect about $37 million of the bond to be committed by summer.

Conservationists and Colorado Springs parks finalized a conservation easement to keep 1,018 acres of Wild Horse Ranch protected as open space, ensuring wildlife habitat and leaving room for future trail development on the east side.

Downtown Partnership gave City Council a one-year update on its Clean and Safe initiative Monday, reporting cleaner streets (with fewer police calls) while still facing challenges with outreach and low-level offense penalties.

Future plans will adapt the program to better serve downtown needs.

Lieutenant General Paul Moga (the academy's 23rd Superintendent and a 1995 graduate) was sworn in Friday at the Air Force Academy, replacing Lieutenant General Tony Bauernfeind.

He previously served as Commandant of Cadets and led the 3rd Air Force at Ramstein.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department declared a mass casualty event at the Tacos and Tequila Festival this weekend after 72 people experienced heat-related illness — eight faced critical symptoms and additional resources were deployed as officials urged hydration amid extreme heat.

A national Out of Reach Report shows that Colorado minimum wage workers would need to work 80 hours a week to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment — a gap that highlights steep rent challenges from Southern counties including El Paso to Las Animas.

Air Force tight end Simon Kibbee (6 ft 6) is excited to reunite on the field with high school teammate Liam Szarka as he steps into a starring role with the Falcons; their long-standing chemistry from Grandview aims to boost the team’s offense this season.