During the peak of the Aspen Acres Fire, News5 viewers generously donated to the Scripps Howard Fund to help people and organizations impacted by the wildfire across Southern Colorado.

One of the organizations receiving support is the Colorado Horse Rescue Network, a nonprofit based in Yoder that says it is the only open-admission horse shelter in Colorado.

For more than a decade, the organization has taken in horses regardless of the circumstances that brought them there.

News5 reporter Meghan Glova has more on the rescue in the video below:

News5 viewer donations help Colorado Horse Rescue Network care for horses impacted by Aspen Acres Fire

The Colorado Horse Rescue Network is an organization that started about 12 years ago with a group of friends that my mom had, Addison Barrett with the Colorado Horse Rescue Network said. They decided that horses needed some better place to be.

The rescue takes in horses through owner surrenders and auctions. It also operates a buyout program intended to keep horses from going to auction.

This year were going to have our 3,000th horse cross our database, Barrett said. Almost every day we are taking in a horse.

When the Aspen Acres Fire forced evacuations, the Colorado Horse Rescue Network stepped in.

We personally took in 21 horses from the Aspen Acres Fire between going to evacuation centers and getting horses that people...they realized they didnt have a place to go back to, Barrett said.

Barrett says the organization also delivered 250 bales of hay and more than 1,000 pounds of hay pellets to help during the fire.

Some horses displaced by the Aspen Acres Fire remain in the organization's care.

For Barrett and her family, helping animals during disasters is not new.

My mom helped with the Waldo Canyon Fire, she helped with the Black Forest Fire, Barrett said. She knows what happens when they dont have somewhere to go.

Now, Barrett says donations made by News5 viewers through the Scripps Howard Fund will help the Colorado Horse Rescue Network with the rehabilitation and care of horses impacted by the Aspen Acres Fire.

It makes my heart happy, Barrett said.

Email Senior Reporter Meghan Glova at

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A Colorado mother is raising awareness about the dangers of kratom, a legal product that can have opioid-like effects, after losing her 19-year-old son to kratom toxicity.

Masen Campbell played football for Severance High School in northern Colorado and was preparing to continue his athletic career at Feather River College in California. His mother, Ashley Campbell, remembers him as a loving son and a great big brother.

News5 reporter Meghan Glova has this mother's warning in the video below:

Colorado mother warns of kratom dangers after 19-year-old son's death

Masen died on May 31st. Before his death, Campbell says her son was given kratom by a friend.

He was snoring really really weird," Campbell said. "I hate myself for not trying to wake him up or anything, but I thought, hes just sleeping.

Hours later, Masen's family tried to wake him. Campbell says Masen's sister performed CPR on him and that he did not respond to Narcan.

I went down there and he had bubbles coming out of nose and his lips were a little purple," Campbell said. "His body was cold and he wasnt breathing.

Campbell says an autopsy later revealed kratom-toxicity as Masen's cause of death and that the combination of kratom and alcohol killed her son.

According to El Paso County Coroner and Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Emily Russell-Kinsley, kratom is a product that is derived from the leaves of a plant from Southeast Asia.

"It's got a lot of alkaloids or compounds in it," Dr. Russell-Kinsley said. "The most prevalent one is called mitragynine.

Dr. Russell-Kinsley says 41 deaths were associated with kratom or mitragynine products in Colorado in 2025. She explains, at a higher dose, the chemical mitragynine has an opioid-like effect. The risk of overdose with pure kratom or mitragynine is low. However, products with additional alkaloids, like 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), can be more dangerous.

Thats actually much stronger than morphine," Dr. Russell-Kinsley said. "That 7-hydroxy, its being manufactured and its present in higher amounts than you would see naturally.

Masen's autopsy revealed that he had 7-OH in his system.

When you read about the populations that this drug is impacting, its predominantly younger white males," Dr. Russell-Kinsley said. "It's folks who are struggling with opioid dependence or issues with pain, issues with anxiety."

Last month, two University of Mississippi students, including one from Colorado, were found dead in separate locations. Police found kratom at both scenes, but it is still unclear if kratom played a part in their deaths.

In Oxford, the possession, distribution, and sale of kratom is prohibited. In Colorado, it is legal, but heavily regulated.

A 2025 Colorado law has increased kratom regulation in Colorado. It prohibits the story or display of kratom products that would allow it to be accessed by individuals under 21-years-old. It also prohibits selling a kratom product that mimics candy or appeals to children.

They produce a product that is difficult to divide into, what they say, is the appropriate dose in a package," Dr. Russell-Kinsley said.

Campbell says, according to Masen's friend, the kratom given to her son was in a pink pill.

"It came in 40 milligrams and you were only supposed to take 10," Campbell said. "He gave him half of it.

Campbell is now warning others about kratom and its risks on social media, including a TikTok video that reached more than a million viewers.

I was legitimately just to save anybody I possibly could," Campbell said. "I would give anything to have known this and couldve saved my son. Anything.

Campbell also shared her family's story with Representative Lauren Boebert's team, hoping even further kratom regulations could be possible in Colorado. News5 is waiting for a response on whether this is something Rep. Boebert will pursue.

No parent thinks that this is going to be something that they face, but its happening everywhere," Campbell said. "All over, not just Colorado.

For individuals struggling with an emotional, mental health, or substance use concern, Dr. Russell-Kinsley recommends the 988 Colorado Mental Health Line. Call or text 988 for free, immediate, and confidental support 24/7.

Email Senior Reporter Meghan Glova at

meghan.glova@koaa.com

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A proposed Buc-ee's has caused high tensions in the Tri-Lakes region, but last week, a civility meeting aimed to bring a divided community together.

Alexandra Hudson served as the event's civility expert.

The Soul of Civility

author guided about two dozen people inside the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce through conversations on civil discourse and small group sessions, something she does all around the country.

We are going to disagree," Hudson said. "But we can disagree in a way that brings out the best in us and doesnt need to destroy us.

News5 reporter Meghan Glova has more on what this civility meeting accomplished in the video below:

Tri-Lakes civility meeting aims to heal community divisions fueled by contentious Buc-ees debate

During small group sessions, attendees were given prompts to talk through with fellow neighbors including what they love about their community. For Palmer Lake resident Wesley Trimble, the hope was to learn how to best engage with people in times of controversy.

My wife and I are really interested in building better relationships and better community in Palmer Lake," Trimble said. "We've been around for more than a decade and have seen lots of change in that period."

Buc-ee's has been a contentious topic in the Tri-Lakes region for almost two years now. Shana Ball served on the Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, but a vote she made in Buc-ee's favor prompted voters to recall her last year. While attending Tuesday's civility meeting, Ball told News5 "there's got to be a better way."

I still love my community and that division was so hard," Ball said. "Im here to figure out how to heal my community, even though I was recalled.

Monument resident Marilyn Holder says she has friends on both sides of the Buc-ee's issue and acknowledges it has been a divisive year.

"A lot of it really changes relationships and friendships and I don't know if they'll recover," Holder said. "That's the hope with this kind of work, that that doesn't have to be the story."

Holder says "we have more in common than we do not," something many at the event were able to agree on.

Email Senior Reporter Meghan Glova at

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