Derrick Bernard was sentenced Wednesday to 46 months in prison after being found guilty of a hate crime hoax during the 2023 Colorado Springs Mayoral Election. Bernard supported candidate Yemi Mobolade.  Bernard burned a cross in front of a “Mobolade for Mayor” campaign sign that had a racial slur written on it. He sent a video of the sign to news outlets around the city and said it was done by one of Mobolade’s opponents in the mayors’ race. Bernard is already serving life in prison for murder in a different case.

Next week Colorado Springs City Council will select one of 6 candidates to fill the vacant District 2 seat, left empty following the resignation of Tom Bailey. Council has whittled a large pool of candidates down to 6. They will each be given 5 minutes to address council, which will be followed by questions from council members, and then comments from the public. City Council will then vote to determine the winner. That winning candidate must receive at least 5 votes. The meeting is set for Monday.

The Colorado Court of Appeals threw out the prison sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters in a decision announced Thursday morning.  She was found guilty of charges allowing unauthorized access to voting machines in Mesa County in 2020. The court said her sentence should be set aside because it was based in part on improper consideration of her right to free speech. The appeals court did uphold several of her felony convictions. Her case will be sent back to trial court and she will be re-sentenced. There is a chance, because of time already served that she could be set free. Colorado Governor Jared Polis has said he is giving consideration to granting clemency for Peters.

In KVOR’s wildfire watch good news on the 24 Fire burning southwest of Colorado Springs. That blaze is now at 96% containment. It’s burned more than 7400 acres. Firefighters have been aided by cooler weather and higher humidities. Authorities say no buildings have been damaged and no one has been hurt. The blaze started when a car pulled off the road into some high weeds along Highway 115.

Target shooting restrictions are now in place for El Paso county and other counties around the area due to the ongoing high fire danger because of our dry conditions. The order includes El Paso, Teller and Douglas counties, and national forest system lands in the South Park, South Platte and Pikes Peak Ranger District. There are currently stage 1 fire restrictions in these areas. The wildfire risk remains high for much of Colorado.

A motorcyclist who was killed in a 2 vehicle accident on Highway 24 has been identified. Officials say 30 year old Ashley Moore died after colliding with a truck on eastbound Highway 24 at 21^st street March 5th. Authorities say the cycle rear ended the truck as it was trying to make a turn. Moore died in an area hospital several days later. Police say they are still investigating. They believe speed was a factor in the crash. The truck driver was also hospitalized. No charges have been filed.

A 55 year old man was arrested Monday afternoon by Colorado Springs police after a person said they were assaulted. The victim was found in a park in 1100 block of south Nevada. They said they were attacked by a man who hit him with a rock. A quick check of the area resulted in finding a suspect, identified as 55 year old Michael Howard. He has been charged with second degree assault. The victim suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries.

A man suffered critical injuries Monday after falling while rock climbing in north Cheyenne Canyon. Firefighters got to the climber after 2pm. The victim fell between 25 and 30 feet and was not wearing helmet. It took about 3 hours to get the climber down and to an area hospital . That victim reportedly suffered critical injuries. A second hiker suffered minor injuries.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed a measure yesterday that forces social media platforms to turn over information and evidence requested by law enforcement within 72 hours. Social media platforms are often blamed for slow response times when a warrant has been filed by authorities looking for evidence and information. This new measure now forces social media outlets to acknowledge receipt of the request within 8 hours, and to turn over all relevant material within 72 hours. It also means social media companies must have a point of contact available for such requests on a 24-7 basis. One of the bills’ sponsors is representative Jarvis Caldwell from Colorado Springs.

We expect to get an update Monday on the 24 fire which continues to burn southwest of Colorado Springs. The fire started March 17^th and has consumed 7407 acres. The last report showed fire firefighters had the blaze 86% contained. The fire was human caused, says investigators, after a car pulled off the side of Highway 115 onto a dirt and grassy area. Much needed moisture is expected to move into the area Tuesday evening.