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Car theft is still on the rise in Colorado — including at Denver-area hospitals

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

Zach Vine thought he would only be at the hospital for about an hour.His Jan. 30 visit to UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora involved routine care for his epilepsy, and he figured he’d be in and out and back home to Centennial with no issues.But when he and his wife left the hospital to return to their self-parked car, it was nowhere to be found.“We asked the valets; they kind of laughed at us like we should have known better,” Vine said. “We went to speak to someone at the front desk, and the lady was like, ‘Why did you park your car there,’ as if it was our fault. It felt like everyone was in on the joke but us, essentially.”He sought out information on car thefts at the hospital and discovered not only had thefts on campus at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center doubled in 2022 compared to 2021, but his car was also the 22nd stolen just this January.But that situation is not unique to UCHealth’s Aurora hospital. Several other metro area hospitals hav...

Denver Police Department to put armed officers in East High, 10 other schools beginning next week

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

Twelve police officers will be stationed in 11 Denver high schools beginning next week in response to the recent shooting of two East High administrators by a student.Two armed and uniformed officers from the Denver Police Department will be at East High School when classes resume Wednesday after spring break. Additionally, one officer will be at each of the following high schools: North, South, West, Montbello, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Lincoln, Kennedy, Manual and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Early College.The officers will remain on the campuses for at least the remainder of the school year. Denver Public Schools will convene a series of community meetings in the coming months to determine whether to implement school resource officers permanently.“This is not the ultimate solution in creating safety in schools,” Denver police Chief Ron Thomas said of reinstating school resource officers. “We still believe there needs to be a community conversation so th...

Colorado’s composting rules change this weekend. Here’s what you can and can’t put in those bins.

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

The changes in Colorado’s composting rules are kicking in this weekend after the state’s largest compost manufacturer has struggled to handle the large volume of contaminants that end up in its supply chain.Starting Saturday, people who participate in composting programs, including Denver’s, should only put food and yard waste in their bins. All packaging, paper, utensils and other products that claim to be compostable or biodegradable — with one exception — must go in the regular garbage.“When in doubt, throw it out,” said Clinton Sander, marketing manager for A1 Organics. “Don’t put it in the bin.”A1 Organics is the largest compost manufacturer in Colorado, and earlier this year the company announced it was altering the products it will accept for composting. The company takes material from Denver, Boulder and other large cities along the Front Range as well as from schools such as the University of Colorado Boulder and o...

There’s plenty of snow, but some Colorado ski areas are closing anyway

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

Despite deep snow cover at most Colorado ski areas, five are closing this weekend and two more will close next weekend.Those closing Sunday are Buttermilk, Crested Butte, Granby Ranch, Sunlight and Telluride. Wolf Creek and Powderhorn will close on April 9, and 10 more will close a week later.Nineteen Colorado ski areas are reporting base depths of five feet or more. Wolf Creek’s base depth is nearly 14 feet and Steamboat’s exceeds 10 feet. Crested Butte is closing despite a base depth of nearly eight feet.Despite having received more than 39 feet of snow since November, Wolf Creek officials have not considered extending the season. Wolf Creek closed April 17 last year.“We found there’s too little people that have an interest in (April) skiing,” said Wolf Creek spokeswoman Rosanne Pitcher. “That’s always been our meter — if we don’t have enough skiers to make it worthwhile for us. The other thing is that more areas will be open s...

CHP officer shoots person at homeless encampment along 405 Freeway

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

Northbound lanes of the 405 Freeway in Hawthorne were closed Thursday evening after a California Highway Patrol officer shot a man while responding to a fire at a homeless encampment, authorities said.The incident unfolded just before 8 p.m. when the officer received a call reporting a fire near the on-ramp to the 405 at Rosecrans Avenue. When the officer arrived, they encountered a person who became uncooperative and began throwing bricks at them, a CHP spokesperson said.That’s when the officer opened fire, striking the man, authorities said. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the shooting.Sky5 images show traffic was backed up for over a mile as officers shut down northbound lanes to investigate.The California Highway Patrol shut down 405 Freeway lanes in Hawthorne after a shooting involving CHP officers on March 30, 2023. (KTLA)The California Highway Patrol shut down 405 Freeway lanes in Hawthorne after a shooting involving CHP officers on March 30, 2023. (KTLA)The ...

Los Angeles County COVID-19 emergency ending Friday

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

The end of March is bringing with it a milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles: the end of the county's emergency declaration.The March 31 expiration brings with it the end of COVID-related renter protections, a measure the Board of Supervisors declined to extend in a meeting last week. Another change is masking in health care facilities. Employees will still be required to wear masks around patients, but patients and visitors will not.The emergency order that allowed restaurants to create outdoor seating on public walkways and parking lots is ending as well, though restaurants with an existing outdoor dining permit can continue to operate.

Bay Area drivers spend 97 hours a year in traffic. Why didn’t remote work end commute nightmares?

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

There’s a new mystery that thousands of Bay Area commuters are trying to solve. Downtown offices that once buzzed with techies and lawyers are deserted. BART’s ridership is down 60% after many passengers fled the system three years ago and never came back.So why are freeways once again full?Radio stations ping with morning traffic-jam updates: The MacArthur Maze is a mess, I-880 a slog, and 101 a zoo — even though remote work ushered in a colossal shift in travel patterns, and taxpayers have spent billions of dollars to provide buses, trains and other alternatives to driving. Ultimately, the long-term fix for resurgent congestion may be the least popular idea yet: Make it even more costly to commute by car.“It’s a paradox, right?” said Alexandre Bayen, an engineering professor at UC Berkeley who studies traffic patterns. “We’re at capacity. It might not be the exact same times, in the same circumstances. But we’re at capacity....

More than 4,000 pounds of drugs seized from California home, FBI says

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

More than 4,000 pounds of illegal drugs, including counterfeit Xanax, bath salts, and methamphetamine, were seized this week from a Garden Grove home, a FBI spokeswoman said.As part of an ongoing investigation into drug distribution, federal authorities served a search warrant for the home on Tuesday, March 28, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.The seized drugs included ingredients that later would have been prepared as well as pills that were ready to be delivered, she said.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | San Jose police union office manager charged with importing, distributing fentanyl Crime and Public Safety | Fentanyl crisis: FDA expands access to Narcan, but barriers remain as California debates solutions Crime and Public Safety | Congress moves to make xylazine a controlled substance Crime and Public Safety | Alleged leader of Bay Area drug ring, caught after DEA went through his garbage, sentenced to six y...

Skelton: Oil bill taught Newson the value of working with lawmakers

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

Gov. Gavin Newsom did something new — for him. He got aggressively engaged behind the scenes, negotiating with legislators. And it paid off.Personal, hands on, face-to-face engagement — the kind that’s uncharacteristic of this governor.As a result, Newsom won a huge political and policy victory over Big Oil, as he’ll undoubtedly be reminding Californians and telling all of America for years to come.The governor didn’t get all he originally asked for. The Legislature spurned his initial idea. But he wisely backed off and settled for less.Actually, what Newsom got was more practical and much superior to what he first wanted.“This is 10 times better,” he acknowledged at a bill-signing ceremony in the state Capitol rotunda Tuesday.“We proved we can actually beat Big Oil.”“There’s a new sheriff in town. … We brought Big Oil to their knees.”Among liberal Democrats who rule California state government, the oil industry has replaced Big Tobacco as the No. 1 bogeyman. Tobacco has becom...

Big Milpitas apartment complex is bought by investors from Colorado

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

MILPITAS — A big apartment complex in Milpitas has been bought for more than $150 million by a veteran owner of residential properties in a deal that suggests investors still thirst for Bay Area real estate in prime locations.Cerano Apartments, located at 501 Murphy Ranch Road in Milpitas, was bought for $153.5 million by Colorado-based Griffis Residential, which acted through an affiliate, documents filed on March 30 with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office show.Fairfield Residential sold the complex to Griffis Residential, according to the county’s public records.Cerano Apartments contains 373 residential units and was built in 2012, the apartments.com website states.Pool and gathering areas at Cerano Apartments, a 373-room residential complex at 501 Murphy Ranch Road in Milpitas. (Griffis Residential)A swimming pool, bocce court, concierge, 24-hour gym, barbecue and grill, fire pit, courtyard, game room and clubhouse are among the on-site amenities.Gri...