West
Colorado gold mine tour guide identified as victim killed in elevator mishap: 'A good man,' sheriff says
A tour guide was the lone death after an elevator malfunction inside a former Colorado gold mine turned popular tourist attraction trapped 23 people as far as 1,000 feet underground, authorities said Friday.
Patrick Weier, 46, was killed during the incident at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, the Teller County Sheriff’s Office said.
Weier, a mine tour guide, left behind a seven-year-old child.
“He was a good man,” Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell told reporters during a news conference Friday. “My feelings are that he was attempting to make everybody safe. I don’t know what occurred though. . . . But I do know that, for us and what it looks like, he may have been a hero from the beginning.
“Anytime you’re dealing with heavy machinery and 1,000-foot level, up to [the] 500[-foot] level in a mine, there could be accidents. And this was a tragic accident.”
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Several people were rescued after becoming trapped in a former Colorado gold mine on Thursday. (KMGH)
According to officials, the elevator inside the mine experienced a mechanical failure at about 500 feet around noon Thursday.
Details about the deadly incident remain under investigation by several agencies, including OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
“We are immensely grateful for the quick response of all the agencies involved and are holding everyone in our prayers,” said Cripple Creek Mayor Annie Durham.
Eleven people, including two children, who had been riding in the elevator were initially rescued. Four people sustained minor injuries including back pain, neck pain and arm pain, the sheriff said.
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The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour in Cripple Creek, Colo., is located in a historic mining town just south of Colorado Springs. Guided tours inside the former gold mine are a popular tourist destination in the area. (Getty Images)
Twelve other adults were trapped 1,000 feet below and were rescued roughly six hours later. They had access to water, blankets and used radios to communicate with authorities, who told them there was an elevator issue, Mikesell said. They were also fed pizza, which they requested, Mikesell said.
The family-owned mine will remain closed.
“We would like to send our prayers and condolences to everyone involved. We would also like to thank all of the first responders and emergency personnel who helped us through such a difficult time. The Mollie Kathleen will be closed until further notice,” its website states.
On Thursday, Colorado Gov., Jared Polis said he was “saddened to learn of the loss of a life in this tragic accident and my heart goes out to the family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Tarps cover the entrance to a mine, where several people were rescued Thursday after getting trapped inside the former Colorado gold mine. (KMGH)
The mine opened in the 1800s and closed in 1961, before re-opening to conduct educational tours for the last several decades.
Its website describes a one-hour tour in which visitors descend 1,000 feet underground into a “safe, clean and dry” environment.
The mine was scheduled to host its last day of the season on Sunday.
Mollie Kathleen Gortner discovered the site of the mine in 1891, when she saw quartz laced with gold, according to the company’s website.
Thursday’s mishap wasn’t the first for the mine. Officials on Friday referred to an unspecified incident in 1986.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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DENVER, Colo. (May 16, 2026) – The Orlando Pride (3-5-2, 11 points) were defeated by Denver Summit FC (3-3-3, 12 points) via a 3-1 scoreline in the Club’s first-ever visit to DICK’S Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night.
Denver opened the scoring early when Eva Gaetino crashed in at the far post to finish off a corner kick in the 10th minute of play. The home side doubled its advantage in the 54th minute via a Janine Sonis penalty kick.
Orlando was reduced to 10 players in the 63rd minute after Angelina received a direct red card. Despite their numerical advantage, the visitors pulled a goal back in the 76th minute when Barbra Banda broke through on goal from Haley McCutcheon’s pass and slotted home her league-leading ninth goal of the season.
The Summit responded just a minute later as Sonis tallied her second of the night after capitalizing on a rebound inside the Pride’s box, effectively putting the game out of reach.
The Pride will complete their three-game road trip with a visit to San Diego Wave FC at Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday, May 24 (7 p.m. ET; Victory+).
Head Coach Seb Hines:
“Frustrating. I sound like a broken record right now. Disappointed with the goal that we conceded, a set piece. We struggled with the way Denver were playing out from the back, playing through the lines. We made some good adjustments at halftime. I thought we started the second half really well. The sending off changes the whole game, but I won’t talk about that. And yeah, we were just battling until the end. There were obviously some gaps that started opening. We put ourselves in a really good position at 2-1 with a lot of time left and then let ourselves down with the third goal. We’ll analyze it and move on. We’ve been on the road now for about a week. It’s not gone our way—we’ve got to bounce back, show some resilience and come out stronger against San Diego.”
The Pride will complete their three-game road trip with a visit to San Diego Wave FC at Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday, May 24 (7 p.m. ET; Victory+).
Seattle, WA
Where to watch San Diego Padres vs Seattle Mariners: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 17
What to know about MLB’s ABS robot umpire strike zone system
MLB launches ABS challenge system as players test robot umpire calls in a groundbreaking season.
Baseball is back and finding what channel your favorite team is playing on has become a little bit more confusing since MLB announced plans to produce and distribute broadcasts for nearly a third of the league.
We’re here to help. Here’s everything you need to know Sunday as the San Diego Padres visit the Seattle Mariners.
See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.
What time is San Diego Padres vs Seattle Mariners?
First pitch between the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, May 17.
How to watch San Diego Padres vs Seattle Mariners on Sunday
All times Eastern and accurate as of Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 6:32 a.m.
- Matchup: SD at SEA
- Date: Sunday, May 17
- Time: 7:20 p.m. (ET)
- Venue: T-Mobile Park
- Location: Seattle, Washington
- TV: Peacock
- Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo
Watch MLB all season long with Fubo
MLB regional blackout restrictions apply
MLB scores, results
MLB scores for May 17 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:
See scores, results for all of today’s games.
Why this matters
Located in neighborhoods across the county, community gardens seek to provide resources and educational opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds.
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Tucked into neighborhoods, schoolyards and park edges, community gardens have woven themselves into the fabric of San Diego.
Many are established in food deserts – areas that lack access to affordable and nutritious food. For predominantly low-income and racially diverse communities, a local garden plot can be the difference between having fresh produce or none at all.
Beyond the food, community gardens have become gathering places where social bonds across generations and languages form and environmental education can flourish. From elementary school students to senior citizens, people of all ages are able to tend to plants or participate in community activities hosted onsite.
San Diego County has more than 80 community gardens, according to the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. Most of them are managed by churches, nonprofits or local volunteers.
However, funding may be running short. The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act led the county to cancel contracts related to CalFresh Healthy Living in October 2025, as previously reported by inewsource. Community gardens were one of the lifestyle programs impacted by these cuts.
Nonprofit leaders have also sounded the alarm about federal cuts causing funding instability that could impact their community programs.
But there are still ways for the community to get involved. Here’s a map maintained by the Master Gardener Association that shows dozens of gardens around the county.
inewsource asked Heather Holland, president of the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County, and Julia Rauner Guerrero, the organization’s community garden chair, to talk about the basics of community gardens.
Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Community gardens vary based on who owns the land but most gardens are spaces where renters of the garden beds have access during set hours. Most gardens have events or times where they open their doors to the public.
Community gardens are spaces where the public can garden or learn about gardening together. There are a few categories of community gardens that could be grouped this way:
- Gardens that include beds or spaces that can be rented for growing.
- Gardens that grow food that is donated to others.
- Gardens that act as learning spaces so the public can learn how to garden together.
- Semi-public spaces where someone from an area (as in a resident of an HOA) can garden in a space.
Most of San Diego’s community gardens fall into one of those categories and often include several of these characteristics. On our community garden map we’ve focused on gardens with individual or shared/cooperative plots, some of which also incorporate education and/or food sharing with the community.
No, generally there isn’t any registration with the county and the cities operate under different rules. Community gardens located on public land have different approaches dictated by their city. For example, in the city of San Diego nonprofit groups can apply to the city to use parks and recreation land for a community garden.
Community gardens are operated by a mix of persons depending on who is running the site. In most cases it is a church, a nonprofit or a group of volunteers who manage the space. A few San Diego cities such as Imperial Beach, Carlsbad and La Mesa oversee their gardens and in other cases the County of San Diego directly operates the community gardens on their property.
Volunteer at your nearby community garden to get a feel for the garden, the people and the management.
Type of Content
Explainer: Provides context or background, definition and detail on a specific topic.
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