DENVER (KDVR) — A dense fog advisory was in effect for much of the Denver metro area, starting along the Front Range and extending to the Eastern Plains Thursday morning.
The fog limited visibility on Interstate 25 and Interstate 76.
A time-lapse video included above shows the fog rolling in as seen from Lookout Mountain in Golden.
Pinpoint Weather meteorologist Travis Michels explained that the fog was essentially trapped near the ground due to warmer, drier air above it.
The view from Lookout Mountain sits at 7,377 feet, making for a perfect view above the rolling fog.
Data showed that there was 100% humidity at 6,600 feet, and at 6,700 feet, humidity was at 32%. That’s why, Michels explains, the sky was clear above the rolling fog.
“That is the whole reason why there is nothing above and everything below, because of how dry it is and how much saturation there is right there,” he said.
The clear birdseye view of the rolling fog is something he often sees in the Pacific Northwest, but this was the first time he had seen it happen in Denver.
FOX31’s Courtney Fromm reported from roads across the metro area, seeing dense fog that made it difficult to see the rental car buildings from Pena Boulevard near the Denver International Airport.
Fromm saw fog that was patchy and worse in some areas than others.
The fog is expected to clear Thursday afternoon, making for a brisk and sunny rest of the day.
ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) — A man hailed as a “homeless hero” for saving lives after a deadly 2019 crash on Interstate 70 now needs help.
Darin Barton, who was unhoused when he was credited with saving people from the fiery crash in Lakewood, is creating a new life for himself. But thieves took the car he’s worked so hard to finally afford.
Barton told FOX31 he will never forget the tragedy he viewed from the guardrail on the I-70 off-ramp at the Colorado Mills Parkway exit.
“It still haunts me every day. I still watch that video every day. I just — it’s going to be that way for the rest of my life,” he said.
Barton has come a long way, managing to find a job and earn enough money to move into his own apartment and pay for a new car.
“I’ve been waiting two years for this car,” he said.
Darin Barton, who was homeless at the time, was credited with saving lives after a fiery Interstate 70 crash in Lakewood in 2019.
Thieves steal car: How to help in the recovery
His dreams were put on hold after the cruel act of thieves, who stole the 1995 Honda Civic from a parking lot near 64th Avenue and Simms Street on Feb. 2.
“Even though I’m doing better than I was four years ago, it’s really a hard hit for me,” he said.
Police found the car sitting in the middle of a Wheat Ridge street, but because the final paperwork for the sale had not been completed, it remains in a costly impound lot.
“We were about to put a head gasket on it, so maybe they blew the engine. That’s why it broke down in the middle of the road,” he said.
Barton said he will continue to strive for a better life, but without a car, it will be difficult. A GoFundMe is set up to help him pay the cost of the impound lot to get the car back as soon as possible.
He provided a direct message to those involved in the car theft.
“I pray that you understand really what you did, and the consequences for what you did you may not understand, but I hope that one day you find whatever it is that you’re looking for, and I hope that it makes you happy,” he said.
DENVER (KDVR) — A Minnesota woman is accused of illegal sexual contact with three teenage Colorado hockey players at a hotel during a team trip in January.
Investigators say the 15- and 16-year-old victims met the woman in a hot tub one night and she eventually asked to go back to their hotel room where she allegedly assaulted two of the boys.
Police say Allison Schardin, 38, of Blaine, Minnesota, admitted she had sexual contact with three juvenile boys at a Minnesota hotel on Jan. 14-15. Schardin was arrested on Feb. 1 and is charged with two felony sexual conduct charges.
Schardin speaks to police about teens
According to a probable cause statement filed in Minnesota’s 2nd District Court, Schardin told police she was at the hotel for a “stay-cation” with her husband and two children.
She told police she made “casual conversation” with boys who were “around 15 or 16” while sitting in the hot tub on Jan. 13. The boys were members of a Colorado 16U hockey team.
She said on Jan. 14, she returned to the pool area to have some space from her husband as they were not getting along. While at the pool, Schardin alleged that the boys took a photo with her, asked for her social media contacts, and exchanged information.
Schardin told police the boys invited her to their room, and she agreed to get away from her husband. The boys contradicted this and told police Schardin asked if she could go to their room, and two of the three were against it.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Schardin told police that while she was in the hotel room with three juveniles she kissed a couple of the boys. She claimed they asked her to take her clothes off, and she initially said no.
She allegedly asked for “privacy” with one of the boys and after they were alone began pressuring him for more sexual contact and eventually sex.
The teen told police Schardin left after he told her had to go to bed because he had a game the next day and he did not want to have sex.
Schardin also allegedly admitted to police that she laid in bed with one of the boys and had sexual contact. She said, “I think I just, things were starting to progress and I think I thought about it for a moment and then I just was like, yeah, no, that’s not…and I think at that point it was pretty evident that (the boy) was kind of uncomfortable.”
Much of this information was echoed in statements provided by the teen hockey players to police.
The teens said during their conversation, Schardin asked each one of them how old they were and they told her their correct ages, the document states, and she told them she was 38 and allegedly said they were “young enough to be her kids.”
Schardin continues contact with team members
The following day, Schardin allegedly texted the teen victims asking where their game was taking place. The teens said they did not want her at the game, so they told her they had already lost. Shortly thereafter, Schardin allegedly walked in.
The teen who had been pressured for sex said at this point they started getting nervous and he began “shaking on the bench” because Schardin was following them, which “was really creepy.”
After the team returned to Colorado, Schardin allegedly texted the teen she had pressured for sex and said she would do anything to ensure he didn’t report the incident to the police.
The teen said he wouldn’t report the matter and then blocked her number.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Jan. 16 Schardin also messaged one of the other boys who was in the hotel room asking how the boy she had allegedly pressured for sex was doing.
DENVER (KDVR) — A local artist crafted papier-mâché hearts, each made out of 100 $1 bills, and hid them around Denver for Valentine’s Day.
It’s a citywide treasure hunt – what you get from it, well, that’s up to you.
Starting Wednesday, you might spot a red heart made out of $100 around the Denver metro area. If you find it, it’s all yours. What you decide to do with it is also up to you, according to Denver-based artist Xander Phoenix.
The red hearts are part of an experiential street art project called “The Heart of Money” as a way for Coloradans to explore the dynamics between art and money. These themes come into play once you find the heart, as you have a few options of what to do with it.
Hidden hearts around Denver (Courtesy of Xstatic Public Relations)Hidden hearts around Denver (Courtesy of Xstatic Public Relations)
The papier-mâché heart is made from water-soluble glue and red temporary paint so they can be easily deconstructed into currency after putting it under lukewarm water.
But the artist adds other ideas for the heart as well.
You could keep the heart as is, for its artistic value and experience given. You could leave it for someone else to find and enjoy. You could gift it to a meaningful person, organization or a stranger on the street. Or you could do whatever you want with it, according to the artist.
Just remember that the destruction or permanent alteration of U.S. currency is illegal.
“The idea behind ‘The Heart of Money’ is really to inject playfulness, love, and joy in a world that needs it,” Phoenix said. “We’re taking art beyond the traditional confines of a gallery out into the world where anyone who comes across it can have the visual and emotional experience that art often evokes. Here, with each heart that is found, we hope to take people through an exploration of their connections with art and money and themes like value, generosity, agency, and temporality.”
There are 100 hidden hearts around Denver, each with a QR code that takes its finder to the website with more information about the art installation.
The hearts will be placed throughout the Denver metro area, with the boundaries being Park Hill to the north, the University of Denver to the south, Monaco Parkway to the east and Empower Field at Mile High to the west.
The hearts will be strategically placed to form a shape. There will be five additional hearts placed in Boulder and 10 placed at major points of interest around Denver.
Five hearts will be given away to bystanders around Union Station via a performance art exhibition around 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
“Ultimately, my goal is to spread love and joy around Denver on Valentine’s Day,” Phoenix said. “It’s a fun way to both create and connect community around some important themes. I hope everyone who goes out looking for the hearts and those who find them have as much fun as we’ve had creating and bringing this street art installation to life.”
Lawmakers backing the bill said the goal of the measure is to make sure people looking to use concealed carry permits have the proper training to use their guns. Gun rights groups said the bill is not necessary.
“It’s really about common sense, and safety is the bottom line,” said House Majority Leader Monica Duran, prime sponsor of the bill.
Supporters and opponents of the bill came out from across the state to weigh in on the proposal.
“I understood the written part, but then when it came to actually handling the gun itself, that’s when I started to think, well, what’s required in the state of Colorado? And I learned that nothing is required in that sense. You didn’t have to live-shoot, there wasn’t any education updating on current laws … there weren’t any safe gun storage laws at that time,” Duran said.
Colorado concealed carry courses would have new requirements
If the bill becomes law, concealed carry courses would have to be held in person and include instructions about safe storage, information about state and federal gun laws and information about using firearms for self-defense.
Two of the biggest things this bill would do are require the completion of a live-shooting task and a standardized test score of at least 80% for gun owners to be awarded a permit. Both are aspects that gun rights groups fear will deter gun owners who would otherwise carry their firearms.
“The Democrats out here are using this as an opportunity to disincentivize individuals from carrying,” said Ian Escalante, director of operations for Rocky Mountain Gun Owners.
“With increasing the regulation, increasing the difficulty for getting a concealed carry permit on top of some of the other bills that they are pushing — like the sensitive spaces bill, Senate Bill 131 — now it’s going to be harder to get a concealed carry permit, and then on top of that, even if you have a permit, you still won’t be able to carry it 80% of places,” Escalante said, referring to another proposed bill that would prohibit firearms in certain public places. “So this is overall a huge disincentivizing from the Democrats.”
The committee chair said about 100 people signed up to testify on this bill. The measure passed along party lines by a vote of 8-3.
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) tells FOX21 News that on Monday, Feb. 12 police were called to the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) about a body found on campus.
CSPD said on Monday, just before 6 p.m. officers responded to the UCCS Fieldhouse off of North Nevada Avenue, regarding the body that was found.
At this time CSPD is not releasing any additional identification about this case, and the person will be identified by the El Paso County Coroner’s Office.
A report from the city manager stated that Lakewood is not being solicited for housing for the new arrivals, instead urging citizens to volunteer or donate to help alleviate the crisis.
Before the city council meeting on Monday, a group of individuals wearing butterfly attire gathered out front as a sign of support for the migrant community. There was also an opposing group, holding signs and voicing displeasure with the possibility of migrants being housed in the city.
At some point, Lakewood City Council will vote on whether to continue talks with Denver.
DENVER (KDVR) — The Boulder metropolitan area has the highest percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher in the U.S., according to U.S. Census data.
The census gathered data on people who are over 25 years old and have obtained at least a bachelor’s degree. In the Boulder area, this is an estimated 63.2% of the population.
The area includes the city of Boulder itself, as well as surrounding communities including Lafayette, Louisville and Longmont. An estimated 327,000 people live in the area.
Unsurprisingly, the area is home to the University of Colorado Boulder, the largest university in the state by enrollment.
Fort Collins, home of Colorado State University, also appeared in the top 10, at No. 8, with 52.9% of the population having a bachelor’s degree or higher.
The following are the top 10 areas with the highest percentage of people 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher:
Boulder metropolitan area – 63.2%
Ithica, New York metropolitan area – 60.4%
Ann Arbor, Michigan metro area – 57.9%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California metro area – 55.8% (tie)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Andy Reid have made the Kansas City Chiefs a dynasty.
They’re already thinking three-peat.
First, they had to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions in 19 years.
Mahomes made sure of it, leading another super comeback on the NFL’s biggest stage in America’s showcase capital.
Mahomes threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman in overtime, and the Chiefs rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 on Sunday, becoming the NFL’s ninth repeat Super Bowl champs.
With pop star Taylor Swift watching boyfriend Kelce from a suite, the Chiefs captured their third title in five years, a run that puts them among the league’s greatest franchises.
“Well, you know the goal has always been to get three,” Kelce screamed on stage after sharing a kiss with Swift. “But we couldn’t get here without getting that two, and having that target on our back all year. … How about that. We get a chance to do it three times in a row.”
The NFL’s first Super Bowl in Las Vegas was a sloppy, mistake-filled affair that was mostly boring until the back-and-forth fourth quarter and OT. It was the second of 58 Super Bowls to be tied after regulation, and the first played under new overtime rules that ensured both teams got the ball.
The Chiefs (15-6) trailed 22-19 after Jake Moody kicked a 27-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime, but Mahomes rallied the Chiefs, completing another impressive comeback in a rematch of the Super Bowl four years ago.
Mahomes ran 8 yards on fourth-and-1 to keep the Chiefs’ chances alive and then scrambled 19 yards to set up the winning score, which came 14:57 into the extra period — just before what would have been the second OT.
“With all the adversity we’ve been through this season to come through tonight. … I’m proud of the guys,” said Mahomes, who earned his third Super Bowl MVP award. “This is awesome. Legendary.”
After he connected with a wide-open Hardman, the Chiefs ran on the field as red-and-yellow confetti fell onto the turf.
Mahomes and Reid are now halfway to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, who won six championships in 20 years together with the New England Patriots and were the most recent team to go back-to-back following the 2003-04 seasons.
The 28-year-old Mahomes becomes the fourth starting QB to win three Super Bowls — joining Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman — and second-youngest.
“I am going to celebrate tonight, celebrate at the parade and then work my way to get back in this game next year,” Mahomes said. “I am going to do whatever I can to be back in this game next year. Three-peat.”
The most excitement in the first half came when a frustrated Kelce bumped Reid on the sideline, knocking the Chiefs’ 65-year-old coach a few steps back after teammate Isiah Pacheco fumbled inside the red zone during the second quarter.
“You guys saw that?” Kelce said. “I’m going to keep it between us unless my ‘mic’d up’ tells the world. I was just telling him how much I loved him.”
The action picked up after a crucial blunder by San Francisco’s special teams set up Mahomes’ 16-yard TD pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 13-10 lead.
Brock Purdy and the 49ers (14-6) answered but they couldn’t make enough plays, denying Mr. Irrelevant an opportunity to go from last pick in the 2022 NFL draft to Super Bowl champion.
“We have the offense to score touchdowns and I failed to put the team in position to do that,” Purdy said.
Niners wide receiver Jauan Jennings threw a TD pass and caught one, joining Eagles quarterback Nick Foles six years ago as the only players to do both in the Super Bowl.
After Moody’s 53-yard field goal gave the Niners a 19-16 lead with 1:53 remaining, Mahomes and Kelce went to work. Mahomes connected with Kelce for a 22-yard gain to set up Harrison Butker’s tying kick, a 29-yarder with 3 seconds left.
A holding call on Kansas City’s Trent McDuffie extended San Francisco’s opening drive of overtime and Purdy made key throws to drive the 49ers to the Chiefs 9. But San Francisco settled for a field goal.
Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the Niners jumped ahead 10-0, but that’s no big deal for Mahomes and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. They’ve trailed by 10 points in all three of their victories, including last year’s 38-35 win over Philadelphia.
Mahomes wasn’t at his best early and threw an interception. But with the game on the line, he was a magician once again. He finished 34 of 46 for 333 yards and two TDs.
The Chiefs were hardly dominant during the regular season and entered the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 3 seed. They won at Buffalo and at Baltimore in the postseason — the first road playoff games of Mahomes’ career — and entered the Super Bowl as 2 1/2-point underdogs, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
“The Kansas City Chiefs are never underdogs. Just know that,” Mahomes said.
They became the first team to win consecutive Super Bowls as underdogs; the Philadelphia Eagles were slight favorites a year ago.
The game turned when San Francisco’s Ray-Ray McCloud couldn’t scoop a punt that hit teammate Darrell Luter Jr.’s leg and the Chiefs recovered at the 49ers 16, leading to Mahomes’ go-ahead TD pass to Valdes-Scantling.
The Niners answered on the next possession with Purdy tossing a 10-yard TD pass to Jennings for a 16-13 lead. Moody’s extra point was blocked.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan gambled on fourth-and-3 from the Chiefs 15, passing up a chance for a tying field goal. Purdy hit George Kittle for a 4-yard gain and then found Jennings for the score.
Shanahan resorted to trickery for the only touchdown of the first half.
Jennings, a wide receiver who had never thrown a pass in an NFL game, tossed a 21-yard TD to McCaffrey. He was hit as he threw a wobbly pass across the field, but McCaffrey snagged it and sprinted to the end zone.
Shanahan fell to 0-2 as a head coach in Super Bowls and 0-3 overall, including a loss when he was offensive coordinator for Atlanta. That was the game in which Brady and the Patriots rallied from a 28-3 deficit to win in OT.
“When you go against guys like Tom Brady and Pat Mahomes, you never feel comfortable with a lead. Those guys are two of the best to ever play the game,” Shanahan said.
There were plenty of stars in the building as the NFL brought its biggest game to this gambling mecca — once a taboo idea. Jay-Z, LeBron James and Paul McCartney were among the celebrities in the crowd.
Post Malone sang “America the Beautiful,” Reba McEntire performed the national anthem and Usher electrified the crowd at halftime. He brought out a number of guests, including Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon and Ludacris.
Attendance was announced at 61,629 at the relatively compact Allegiant Stadium, the smallest crowd in Super Bowl history except for the pandemic game in Tampa, Florida, three years ago.
It didn’t start out well, but thanks to Mahomes, those fans ended up seeing one of the best Super Bowl finishes.
Fans will get to celebrate the Chiefs on Wednesday, Valentine’s Day. The Kansas City Sports Commission released the official route and timing late Sunday night, KMBC-TV reported. The parade will begin at 11 a.m.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Live updates from the Super Bowl in Las Vegas:
Chiefs trail 49ers 10-3 at halftime, but comebacks are a specialty
This is why the Chiefs deferred after winning the coin toss.
KC trails 10-3 but will get the ball first to start the second half, giving them a chance to double up after finally getting on the scoreboard late in the second quarter with Harrison Butker’s 28-yarder.
The Chiefs are quite comfortable coming from behind. They have rallied from double-digit deficits to win two Super Bowls, including against San Francisco four years ago.
Patrick Mahomes has trailed in all four Super Bowls by double digits, yet he is 2-1.
The 49ers were the better team for most of the first half, but the combination of the Chiefs mounting a scoring drive and San Francisco blowing earlier opportunities to score has made this a game.
Andra Day all smiles after pregame performance
After Andra Day finished her Super Bowl pregame performance, the soul singer’s nerves are still getting the best of her.
The Grammy winner was all smiles after she performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers championship game Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
“I’m excited but still feeling some nervousness,” said Day, who was a pregame performer along with Reba McEntire and Post Malone. McEntire sung the national anthem and Malone performed “America the Beautiful.”
Day said she’s happy with her performance, and relieved it’s over. She said her experience on the field was a “blur.”
“The trick is not to look at people’s faces,” she said. “I just see this one big blur. If I was to see faces, I would flip out.”
KC lucky to be within a score
The Chiefs are fortunate to be trailing 10-3 at halftime of the Super Bowl after making the same silly mistakes that caused them to lose five of eight games midway through the season.
The AFC champions were penalized five times for 50 yards. They fumbled three times but were lucky to lose only one of them. Justin Watson dropped a long pass for the team that led the NFL in drops this season. And there have been so many blown assignments up front that Patrick Mahomes, who is rarely sacked, has been brought down twice already.
The Chiefs get the ball to start the second half after winning the coin toss and deferring, and Andy Reid is one of the best coaches in the NFL at making halftime adjustments. But unless his players start to execute, nothing that Reid says or does in the locker room will matter.
Chiefs get field goal, but frustration mounting
The Chiefs are on the board with a 28-yard field goal from Harrison Butker with 20 seconds left before halftime.
The 49ers have done a nice job on Travis Kelce so far — even in the red zone, where he and the Chiefs are often so effective.
Kelce only has one catch for 1 yard on the day. On that last third down from the San Francisco 9, he lined up in the slot and was covered by safety Ji’Ayir Brown. Kelce appeared to swing an arm in frustration when Patrick Mahomes was taken down before being able to throw.
49ers get TD off trick play, lead 10-0
The San Francisco 49ers got tricky for the first touchdown of the Super Bowl.
Coach Kyle Shanahan dialed up a rare trick play that led to a TD pass from receiver Jauan Jennings to running back Christian McCaffrey.
Brock Purdy started the play with a lateral to the left side to Jennings, who immediately threw it back to the other side to McCaffrey, who had a convoy of blockers and ran in for a 21-yard TD to put San Francisco up 10-0.
McCaffrey has tied an NFL record with his seventh straight playoff game with at least 50 yards from scrimmage and a TD.
San Francisco has moved to a 7 1/2-point favorite on FanDuel’s live line after the spread was a good bit closer at the start of the game.
Taylor Swift chugs a drink, draws big applause
There has been plenty of Taylor Swift on the big screens of Allegiant Stadium, and during the last timeout, cameras caught her in a race to chug what appeared to be a beer in her suite.
Swift was the first to finish, and she triumphantly slammed the cup down as the video cut away to other fans. But not before an appreciative roar rippled through the stadium.
If only the Chiefs were able to move the ball as successfully as she downed her drink. Their offense has gone nowhere in the first half of their Super Bowl showdown with the 49ers.
‘Bennifer’ is back for Super Bowl ad
“Bennifer” has teamed up with Dunkin for a second Super Bowl in a row.
In an ad for the Massachusetts-based chain, Ben Affleck enlists Matt Damon, Tom Brady and more to visit Jennifer Lopez at work and give a “DunKings” performance full of Boston pride. Rappers Jack Harlow and Fat Joe also make an appearance in the celebrity-filled commercial.
49ers’ Dre Greenlaw injures Achilles tendon running onto field
49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw was carted to the locker room midway through the second quarter after injuring his left Achilles tendon in a bizarre moment.
He began to sprint onto the field for the start of a defensive possession when he stumbled, fell and needed medical attention.
Greenlaw already had made an impact in this game with three tackles when he went out.
Travis Kelce bumps into, yells at Andy Reid
Travis Kelce bumped into coach Andy Reid and yelled at him after teammate Isiah Pacheco’s red-zone fumble in the second quarter. Frustration is clearly building for KC, which still trails 3-0.
From SNL to Super Bowl Sunday
In an ad for Hellmann’s, Kate McKinnon makes an unusual discovery: her cat can talk. Well, sort of. Her furry friend can say one word, “may-ow” — which skyrockets her to celebrity status and causes a mayonnaise-buying frenzy. The “Mayo Cat” becomes so famous that she even dates (and soon dumps) Pete Davidson.
49ers-Chiefs a defensive struggle so far
For all the talk of stars Patrick Mahomes, Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and Travis Kelce, it’s defenses that have had the edge early in the Super Bowl. The teams have combined for one score on the first six drives.
Kansas City looked to be on the verge of a breakthrough when Mahomes connected on a 53-yard pass to Mecole Hardman to get the Chiefs to the 9. But Isiah Pacheco lost a fumble on the next play with Javon Hargrave recovering.
Kansas City had gained only 16 yards in the first quarter and now has gone nine straight possessions in the postseason without a point, dating to the AFC title game.
San Francisco has had its own issues with McCaffrey losing a fumble on the opening drive and Trent Williams committing two penalties to stall the second possession.
49ers’ Moody kicks record 55-yard f
ield goal, SF leads 3-0
Jake Moody made a Super Bowl-record 55-yard field goal just 12 seconds into the second quarter to put the San Francisco 49ers on top 3-0.
Buffalo’s Steve Christie held the record with a 54-yarder against Dallas in Super Bowl 28.
This could be a confidence booster for Moody, who missed field goals in the past two playoff games.
49ers getting in their own way
The 49ers are their own worst enemies midway through the first quarter. Christian McCaffrey fumbled on their first drive, and then San Francisco lost yardage on three consecutive plays — two penalties and a run by Deebo Samuel.
Then as the 49ers were about to punt, they were penalized another 5 yards because of a false start.
That kept the game scoreless even though the Niners have outgained the Kansas City Chiefs 84-6 in yardage.
49ers’ strong opening drive spoiled by McCaffrey fumble
San Francisco opened the game with an impressive drive but wasted the opportunity to score when Christian McCaffrey fumbled at Kansas City’s 27-yard line.
Leo Chenal knocked the ball out of McCaffrey’s hands, and fellow Chief George Karlaftis recovered.
The Chiefs had a turnover ratio of minus-11 in the regular season, among the NFL’s worst.
This is the fourth time since 2000 that the game’s opening drive ended in a turnover.
The Chiefs didn’t do anything with the turnover, going three-and-out. That ended a streak of eight straight playoff games in which Kansas City scored on its opening possession, an NFL record.
‘He Gets Us,’ Dove and M&M’s among early ads
“He Gets Us” returned to the Super Bowl again this year. The campaign, which is backed by a group of wealthy Christian donors, aired an ad with the message, “Jesus didn’t teach hate. He washed feet,” in the first quarter of the game.
Other early ads:
Dove’s ad begins seemingly whimsically showing young girls having mishaps playing sports to the tune of “It’s a Hard Knock Life.” But the ad cuts starkly to a girl looking self-consciously in the mirror. The message: low body-confidence leads to girls quitting sports, not the mishaps.
Hall of Famers Dan Marino, Bruce Smith and Terrell Owens never got a Super Bowl ring, but M&M’s and Scarlett Johansson present them with “Almost Champions” rings in a Super Bowl ad.
Gronk misses wide-right
In a pregame promotion for gambling site FanDuel, NFL legend Rob Gronkowski missed a 25-yard field goal for a second year in a row.
That means fans who bet against Gronkowski are set to win a share of $10 million in FanDuel Bonus Bets.
Chiefs win the toss
A huge roar went up when Kansas City won the toss. Either Chiefs fans felt that was unusually crucial in this game — or a lot of people had bet on heads.
KC deferred its choice to the second half, meaning the 49ers get the ball first.
Reba sails through national anthem
Reba McEntire made quick but majestic work of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The “Queen of Country” sang the national anthem moments before kickoff, backed by a recorded track of a country band with a horn section. Flag-bearing service members stood behind her, a huge U.S. flag covered most of the field, and military jets flew over Allegiant Stadium as she sang.
She got through the song in about 1 minute 40 seconds. That’s a good 10 seconds longer than the over-under from oddsmakers, but still the quickest version of the anthem at the Super Bowl since Kelly Clarkson sang it 12 years ago.
Post Malone offers twang-y take on “America the Beautiful”
Grammy-nominated musician Post Malone sang “America the Beautiful,” bringing his unique vocal tone — most frequently paired with his idiosyncratic approach to pop-rock-rap — to the Super Bowl.
Wearing a bolo tie and playing acoustic guitar, Malone’s take on the song was twang-y, his Texas roots taking a front seat. Mid-song, cameras cut to Taylor Swift and Blake Lively holding each other and enjoying the performance. Earlier this week, Malone’s breakout hit, “Sunflower,” with Swae Lee — released for the “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” soundtrack — was named the first-ever double-diamond single in Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) history.
Andra Day lifts voice with gospel choir
Andra Day gave a stirring, gospel-flavored rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song that has become known as the Black national Anthem, before kickoff.
Day, wearing a gray suit, was backed by a choreographed choir. Day told the AP during the week that she planned to calm her nerves with pregame prayers.
Hers was the first of three anthemic performances. After the teams take the field, Post Malone will perform “America the Beautiful” and Reba McEntire will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
What’s at stake for the Chiefs and 49ers?
The Chiefs are set for their fourth Super Bowl in five seasons. A win against the 49ers will make the Chiefs the first team to repeat since New England did it in 2003-04. That’s the longest stretch without a repeat champion in NFL history. With a win, Patrick Mahomes will become the fifth QB to win at least three Super Bowls and Andy Reid the fifth coach to win at least three Super Bowls.
The 49ers are back in the Super Bowl seeking their record-tying sixth championship. The Niners haven’t won it all since the 1994 season, losing in their past two trips in the 2012 season and 2019 against Kansas City. Brock Purdy has gone from the last pick of the 2022 draft to becoming the third youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl and is seeking to join Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young as QBs to lead San Francisco to a title.
Bottle service for the big game
This Super Bowl comes with bottle service, at least for those willing to pony up six figures to sit in some of the NFL’s most exclusive seating located on the field just beyond the north end zone.
There are 29 booths, each seating up to 15 people. Fans who occupy those booths receive wait service, access to private bars and a special entrance.
Biletnikoff, Plunkett, Allen light Memorial Torch
Former Raiders Super Bowl MVPs Fred Biletnikoff, Jim Plunkett and Marcus Allen “lit” the Al Davis Memorial Torch before the game.
It’s a Raiders tradition for someone of note to light the electronic torch during Las Vegas home games. Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and recording artist and actor Ice Cube were among those who turned on the torch this season.
The torch is 92 feet high, the world’s tallest three-dimensional printed structure.
Biletnikoff was the Super Bowl 11 MVP, leading the Oakland Raiders to a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Plunkett quarterbacked the Raiders to a 27-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles four years later.
Allen was the MVP of the Raiders’ lone championship when they were in Los Angeles. The Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins 38-9 in Super Bowl 18.
McKinnon, Moore active for Chiefs, but Toney sits
Running back Jerick McKinnon and wide receiver Skyy Moore were active for the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time in nearly two months for their Super Bowl showdown with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
McKinnon and Moore, who both played a crucial role in the Chiefs’ win over the Eagles in the Super Bowl last year, have not played since Dec. 17 in New England. McKinnon had surgery for a core injury in early January and was considered questionable to play against the 49ers, while Moore spent a stint on injured reserve with a lingering knee injury.
Wide receiver Kadarius Toney, who also had a TD against the Eagles, was not active on Sunday.
Mr. Irrelevant reaches NFL’s biggest stage
Brock Purdy’s meteoric rise from final pick of the 2022 draft to Super Bowl starting quarterback is complete.
Purdy is getting ready to start in the Super Bowl 11 months and one day after undergoing major elbow surgery. Purdy’s comeback from the injury to his throwing arm suffered in last season’s NFC championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles has been part of the storybook start to his career that started as Mr. Irrelevant as the 262nd pick in the 2022 draft.
The 24-year-old Purdy is the third youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl, behind only 23-year-olds Dan Marino and Ben Roethlisberger.
With a win Sunday, Purdy would join Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young as the only QBs to lead the Niners to a title.
Taylor Swift greeted at Super Bowl by Roger Goodell, Jason Kelce
Taylor Swift’s arrival at Allegiant Stadium even drew the interest of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who visited her in a luxury suite before the game.
Goodell spoke glowingly Monday about the pop star’s effect on the NFL.
“Taylor is obviously a dynamo,” he said. “Everything she touches, there are people following. We count ourselves fortunate, and we welcome it.”
Kelce’s brother, Jason, hugged Swift in the suite, and Swift introduced him to Ice Spice. Jason Kelce plays for the Philadelphia Eagles but has fully supported his brother during the playoffs. The two faced each other in last year’s Super Bowl.
Kristin Juszczyk arrives in self-made style
Kristin Juszczyk arrived at the Super Bowl in a snazzy jacket that includes her husband Kyle’s 49ers jersey and his Harvard shield. Kyle is a fullback out of Harvard who plays for San Francisco.
Kristin has become a star after designing a coat worn by Taylor Swift that looked like a jersey of her boyfriend, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce.
Taylor Swift has arrived
Taylor Swift finished her epic trek from the Tokyo Dome to Allegiant Stadium for the Super Bowl on Sunday. She arrived with Blake Lively and a few others wearing a black top with black pants and a red jacket slung over her shoulder.
Swift is on hand to watch Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, whom she has been dating since the first couple of weeks of the season. She performed in Japan on Saturday night before a flight across nine time zones and the international date line to reach the U.S.
No mixed loyalty this year for Donna Kelce
The mother of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce arrived for the game wearing a jacket with “SUPER BOWL LVIII” and “MAMA KELCE” on the back. In last season’s Super Bowl, Travis Kelce’s Chiefs defeated his brother Jason Kelce’s team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Instead of a matchup between two brothers, the Kelce family is in the spotlight this year because of Travis’ relationship with pop star Taylor Swift. Donna Kelce has appeared in a suite alongside Swift this season.
49ers enter the Super Bowl as 2 ½-point favorites
The San Francisco 49ers are 2 ½-point favorites against the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of their Super Bowl matchup, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
The 49ers are -134 favorites to win the game, while the over/under sat at 46.5 points.
Despite being the underdog, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the favorite to win Super Bowl MVP at +150, followed by 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy at +210.
Jason Kelce ready to root on brother Travis, Chiefs
Travis Kelce played against Jason Kelce last year, when the Chiefs beat his big brothers’ Eagles in the Super Bowl in Arizona. But Jason was fully behind the Chiefs on Sunday, wearing red and yellow plaid overalls over a T-shirt that read, “Big Yeti,” his nickname for Travis.
The brothers host “New Heights,” one of the hottest podcasts in the country. And once the Eagles were knocked from the playoffs, Jason began following the Chiefs. He famously took off his shirt during a celebration in Buffalo, and he watched the Chiefs win the AFC title in Baltimore.
Reba arrives, set to perform national anthem
Reba McEntire walked into Allegiant Stadium for the Super Bowl about 3 1/2 hours before kickoff Sunday wearing a puffy, gray faux fur coat and holding hands with her partner, Rex Linn.
McEntire is due to perform the national anthem before the Kansas City Chiefs play the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of the Super Bowl four years ago in Miami. She will have a lot to live up to after Chris Stapleton’s performance last year in Arizona received high praise.
Some NFL fans pass on expensive tickets and just have ‘a good time’ in Vegas
Super Bowl ticket prices remain out of reach for many fans who made travel reservations months ago to come to Las Vegas this week, so they’ll likely be watching on TV like millions of others.
To buy tickets days before the game can be costly. This year they’re going for roughly $7,700 — though that is about $2,000 less than they were two weeks ago.
Carl Bray, a Cincinnati fan, booked his trip to the Super Bowl two months ago and came even though the Bengals didn’t make it.
“I don’t have tickets yet, but I got the hotel, flight, and I thought ‘Welp, if I lock into something, I’ll go,’” Bray said. “If not, I’ll just go to MGM or someplace and watch it.”
Patrick Mahomes looks ready for b
usiness in Super Bowl arrival
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes paid homage to the team that calls Allegiant Stadium home when he showed up for the Super Bowl on Sunday wearing a jet-black suit and silver tie that made him look like a fan of the AFC West-rival Las Vegas Raiders.
Mahomes appeared to be all business behind his black shades as he wheeled along his matching black Louis Vuitton luggage through the corridors of the stadium. He is trying to move into a tie for fourth behind Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw by picking up his third Super Bowl ring.
Super Bowl gates open, fans arriving in Las Vegas
Gates to Allegiant Stadium opened just after 11 a.m. local time, unleashing a flood of fans in red. Five San Francisco 49ers fans were the first let through the gates.
“Woo!” They yelled. “First ones in! We’re the first ones!”
Tony and Susan Chiosso traveled to Las Vegas from the Bay Area to watch their first-ever Super Bowl and, they hope, witness their team defeat the Kansas City Chiefs.
They think their luck so far this morning is a good indicator of which team will come out on top.
“I’m only seeing good signs today,” Tony Chiosso said.
Taylor Swift reached LAX in her journey from Tokyo to the Super Bowl, online sleuths say
Will she make it in time? Intrepid flight trackers online seem to think so.
On social media, fans of Taylor Swift and aviation journalists believe they’ve identified Swift’s private jet, labeled “The Football Era.” It arrived from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to Los Angeles’ LAX airport just after 3:30 p.m. local time Saturday.
Her transportation plans onward to Las Vegas, where her boyfriend, NFL star tight end Travis Kelce, will play in Sunday’s Super Bowl, have yet to be revealed.
Why will the Chiefs win the Super
Bowl? Their vast experience
If the Chiefs beat the 49ers for their third Super Bowl title in four trips over the past five years, it will be for one simple reason: experience.
The Chiefs can lean on what they learned and endured over a dominant six-year run with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. In fact, when the Chiefs beat the 49ers in Miami for their first title during this run, San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and many others were still in college.
Throw in the fact that Chiefs coach Andy Reid will be in his fifth Super Bowl, the third most in NFL history, and has a chance to win a third ring, and the knowledge on the Kansas City sideline will be an advantage too big for the 49ers to overcome.
Why else will KC win? Read more
Why will the 49ers win the Super Bowl? Improved QB play
The 49ers had Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on the ropes four years ago in the Super Bowl before everything fell apart, leading to a 31-20 loss that still stings today.
The difference when the teams meet in the rematch on Sunday? This time, the 49ers will have a quarterback in Brock Purdy who is capable of making a big play down the stretch.
Purdy has gone from “Mr. Irrelevant” as the final pick in the 2022 draft to the franchise quarterback who has elevated coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense in less than two years. He led the NFL in passer rating (113) and yards per attempt (9.6), with his ability to throw deep and scramble adding new wrinkles to the offense.
Purdy also has a far better group of playmakers than the one that surrounded Jimmy Garoppolo four years ago.
Why else with SF win? Read more
Three longtime friends have attended every Super Bowl — and don’t intend to stop
As long as they still have each other, they’re still going to go to every Super Bowl.
That’s the sentiment shared by three friends who say they are the final fans who can claim membership in the exclusive “never missed a Super Bowl” club. And they’re back again for number 58 — Super Bowl 58 — this year.
The three fans, all in their 80s, are Don Crisman of Maine, Gregory Eaton of Michigan and Tom Henschel, who splits time between Florida and Pennsylvania. The three are gathering this weekend in Las Vegas for the big game, and they’re hoping they can all make it to the sixtieth edition of the game two years from now.
Read the full story
Taylor Swift’s connections to sports go back to her early days performing the national anthem
Before Taylor Swift grew into a global superstar and the talk of this Super Bowl, she got her singing career started by performing the national anthem at sporting events as a young child and teenager.
She sang the anthem before 45,900 fans at Game 3 of the 2008 World Series. The U.S. Open. NASCAR. The World Series. Yes, even the Double-A Reading Phillies.
Swift was an unsigned artist who looked for any kind of break by belting out the song about the land of the free and the home of the brave in front of as many packed crowds as she could find.
Read more
For Native American activists, the Kansas City Chiefs have it all wrong
Dozens of Indigenous activists have traveled to Las Vegas to gather outside the Super Bowl and demand the Kansas City Chiefs change their name and ditch their logo and gametime rituals.
Rhonda LeValdo founded and leads a group called Not In Our Honor that is calling for the changes. The Acoma Pueblo journalist and faculty member at Haskell Indian Nations University has been in the Kansas City area for more than two decades.
Read the full story
Everyone hopes the Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl won’t come down to an officiating call
One of the biggest fears when it comes to football’s biggest games is that a high-profile officiating mistake will play a role in the result.
So the seven on-field officials will get plenty of screen time when the Kansas City Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
The referee in charge of the crew in black-and-white unforms will be Bill Vinovich. He was also the referee when the Chiefs beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl four years ago — and when the Rams beat the Saints in the 2019 NFC championship game after an infamous missed call.
For more:
-Read about some of the Super Bowl’s most memorable calls
-How do officials prepare? Here’s what you need to know
Here’s what you can expect from Super Bowl commercials this Sunday
Advertisers will be pulling out all the stops on Super Bowl Sunday — enlisting the biggest actors, investing in the most dazzling special effects and, they hope, going for laughs as they seek to win over viewers.
Most companies appear to be doubling down on flights of fantasy or light humor, often with a dose of nostalgia and a lot of mini-reunions of TV characters.
Big names like Jennifer Anniston, Christopher Walken, Arnold Schwarzenneger, Ice Spice, Jenna Ortega, Lionel Messi, Tom Brady, “Judge Judy” Judy Sheindlin, Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner Usher and more will appear during game breaks. And as always, there will still be some gameday surprises.
Read more
The game. The ads. The music. The puppies. Here’s why millions are excited for Super Bowl Sunday
Millions of Americans will find something to be excited about when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday. That’s before even factoring in the influence of Taylor Swift.
Four in 10 U.S. adults are extremely or very excited for at least one part of the Super Bowl day’s festivities. That could be the game, commercials, halftime show or the Puppy Bowl, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Read the full story
49ers All-Pro offensive tackle Trent Williams savors his first Super Bowl trip in his 14th season
Trent Williams’ accomplishments are already worthy of a Hall of Fame career with 11 Pro Bowl bids, three first-team All-Pro selections and near universal recognition as the best left tackle of his generation.
All that was missing for the San Francisco 49ers star was something he never envisioned would be possible as he spent the first decade of his career mired in the dysfunction and ineptitude in Washington.
Williams has gotten that missing piece with his first chance to play in the Super Bowl this week against Kansas City.
Read more
High school football gave hope after deadly Maui wildfire. Team captains will be at the Super Bowl
Captains of a Hawaii high school football team whose town was destroyed by a deadly wildfire are at the Super Bowl as guests of the NFL.
The four students and three of their coaches are serving as honorary coin toss captains before the game.
A little more than two months after the Aug. 8 fire, tickets for the Lahainaluna High School homecoming game sold out in minutes. That was an indication of how badly Lahaina residents needed a glimmer of hope amid a tragedy that claimed at least 100 lives.
Full story
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AP Super Bowl coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/super-bowl
DENVER (KDVR) — A snowstorm rolled into the Front Range and the Denver metro over the weekend, dumping several inches to over a foot of snow in some areas.
The storm began Friday and lasted late into the evening on Saturday.
The state did not see nearly as much snow as it did between Feb. 2-3, but there were still a few big snow totals in some areas.
Weld County, namely Greeley, saw the biggest totals in the Front Range, with over a foot of snowfall in some areas.
Jefferson County also saw slightly more snow than the rest of the metro area, with Golden reporting 8.8 inches.
The following areas received at least 8 inches of snow during the storm:
DENVER (KDVR) — Firefighters old and new in the Five Points neighborhood of Denver gathered together Saturday to recreate a historic photo on display in the fire station.
Denver Firefighters Local 858 and the Denver Fire Department recreated the photo at Five Points Fire Station 3, where firefighters say the history there holds a lot of significance.
“With the history of Station No. 3 I just really wanted to bring us all together and show the growth that we’ve had throughout the years,” firefighter Marcus Gibson Sr. said.
Fire Station No. 3 opened in 1931, and it’s the oldest and smallest active Denver fire station. According to the City of Denver, it was also the only fire station where Black firefighters could work until 1957.
“This is where, back in the 40s and 50s, we were only allowed to work here as Black firefighters, so now the opportunity that we can work and expand throughout the city, its the significance, like a homage to this is where we started,” Gibson said.
Gibson told FOX31 he wanted to gather firefighters old and new to recreate some historical photos that are on display inside the station to show just how far the department has come.
“Then and now, just to show the growth in the department, men and women on the job, where we came from, where we used to be, how important it is,” Gibson said. “I want to be a voice to the young people out there, the young minorities in the city, that you can become anything you want to be, and we are a testament to that.”
He grew up in the area and said he spent lots of time running up and down those streets, so the moment was too special to put into words.
“This station holds so much in my heart,” he said.
The fire department plans to print the photos out and put them on display alongside the historical photos inside Station No. 3.
DENVER (KDVR) — Denver International Airport saw hundreds of flights impacted by the winter weather that blew through Colorado and the Front Range on Saturday.
DENVER (KDVR) — A driver was unaccounted for Friday night after crashing a vehicle into an Aurora home, causing a gas leak.
It happened in the area of East Iliff Avenue and South Blackhawk Street, just east of Interstate 225. The vehicle hit a gas line, according to the Aurora Police Department.
Aurora Fire Rescue first posted about the gas leak just before 9:30 p.m. It had been secured by about 10 p.m.
FOX31’s Greg Nieto was at the scene and said the home appeared to be a townhome or condo building. The residents were reported to be OK.
No further information was immediately available on Friday night.
AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Some 40-plus tenants at The Meadows at Dunkirk apartment complex in Aurora say they’re being asked to pay back rent for months they know they already paid.
“Dec. 13, actually, I got a demand letter stating that I’d owe $4,500 on back rent,” said one tenant, who asked FOX31 not to reveal her identity. She said the demand letter posted on her door said she had unpaid rent going back to June 2023.
“Next morning, I called and I called and I called, and I like to say that I called like a toxic girlfriend, because they weren’t answering,” the woman said of the Dunkirk leasing office. She would soon learn she was among at least 40 residents who received a similar notice.
Pedcor Management hasn’t responded to calls or emails from the Problem Solvers, but tenants told FOX31 they were told by the lead leasing agent that another leasing agent in the office, who no longer works for Pedcor, had been embezzling rent checks and money orders for months.
A Facebook group called Dunkirk Chronicles names the accused leasing agent and includes comments from multiple tenants, who are furious they are being asked to make up for the missing funds.
“Pedcor is trying to get over on everyone! are they going to evict 40+ people at the same time? They can’t do this!” one woman posted.
The Meadows at Dunkirk apartments in Aurora (KDVR)
Fraud reported to Aurora police — the same day as tenant rent demands
An Aurora Police Department spokeswoman told the Problem Solvers that Dec. 13 — the day tenants received rent demand letters — is the same day the department received a fraud and theft report from Pedcor Management, which operates The Meadows at Dunkirk.
Tenants told FOX31 no one in management told them Pedcor had filed a police report alleging fraud and theft while, on the same day, it was asking residents to prove they had paid rent from months prior.
“How do you go a month in a regular apartment complex without paying rent and not getting a demand or an eviction notice? How? Let alone six months with 40-plus people not paying seems absurd,” said the anonymous tenant, who said Pedcor should have realized months earlier that rent checks were disappearing.
That tenant said asking tenants to pay for rent again because management failed to notice rent payments hadn’t been deposited for months was unfathomable.
“They’re psychotic. No one’s going to pay that back. And I mean, who has $5,000 sitting in their bank account?” the tenant said.
Employee fired after Problem Solvers interview
“As long as they cleared mine (rental account), I guess I’m supposed to just, like, shut up about it,” said Xavier Collins, who is both a tenant and former maintenance man at The Meadows at Dunkirk. “But I know a lot of these people personally, so I feel for them.”
Collins learned he was also accused of being months behind on rent but said a leasing agent told him what was really going on.
“This particular leasing agent did pull me and my work agent to the side and say that they had witnessed seeing these money orders being taken, cashed out” by another leasing agent, he said.
Collins said he thinks his account was cleared only because he works for Pedcor, although FOX31 learned he was fired after granting the Problem Solvers an interview.
“As of right now, they’re just giving everybody the runaround, and then you’re still telling the residents, ‘Show me something, prove it, prove it.’ Some people don’t keep up with those money orders. After six months to a year, you toss it away because they’re just keeping space in your drawer. But that’s not fair,” Collins said.
The tenant who spoke anonymously with the Problem Solvers said she provided past screenshots of money orders she had submitted — and had even taken cellphone videos of herself dropping off past rent payments — but said: “Two weeks ago, I got a notice on my door saying that whatever evidence residents have provided was not sufficient evidence.”
HUD responds after fraud claims at low-income apartments
When FOX31 visited the leasing office, the doors were locked and a sign said the office was now open by appointment only and that the complex was “no longer showing units at this time” for rent.
Tenants complain management hasn’t returned most phone calls or emails since Dec. 13.
Aurora police said it was still waiting on Pedcor Management to provide documents before it could begin an investigation, but it encouraged residents who think they’ve been caught up in possible fraud to contact Detective Gennifer Wolf at 303-739-6133.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development insures the mortgage on the low-income property but does not own The Meadows at Dunkirk or manage the property.
In a statement, a HUD spokesman told FOX31 it learned “that Pedcor was made aware on December 12th, 2023, that an employee had been taking residents money orders. Pedcor immediately terminated the employee and filed a police report with the Aurora police department. According to Pedcor, demands for non-payment of rent for the month December had already been posted, so many tenants that were affected did receive demand notices. Pedcor reports that affected tenants have been contacting management to notify Pedcor that rent had already been paid. When Pedcor receives this notification, they are working with the tenant to correct the accounts.”
What remains unexplained is why Pedcor Management ever scared residents into thinking they might be forced to pay rent twice. Again, Pedcor told HUD it fired an employee for stealing residents’ money orders on Dec. 12 but still posted demand letters to residents on Dec. 13, the same day it reported the theft to Aurora police.
Some residents said they were told they owed months of back rent, not just December, which appears to contradict what Pedcor told HUD.
A HUD spokesman added that Pedcor confirmed: “They are aware they cannot double charge tenants for rent and will not evict any tenants that did pay their rent. While Pedcor representatives believe they have an accurate listing of those residents who were affected by this situation, they urge all affected tenants to reach out to Pedcor about any demand notice they received to ensure their ledgers are reviewed and corrected.”
Residents told FOX31 they’ve been trying to contact Pedcor for nearly two months to have their ledgers corrected but haven’t been able to reach a representative.
DENVER (KDVR) — Season Tickets for the Denver Broncos are on the rise.
A team spokesperson confirmed for FOX31 that a letter was sent to season ticket holders informing them that prices for the 2024 season will go up, on average, 7.9%.
“(I) kind of expected it would because it seems to be a re-occurring pattern,” Broncos fan Merry Brannon said. “But honestly, one of those where I’m gonna go, no matter what.”
The Broncos have had only one winning season since winning Super Bowl 50. They have not been to the playoffs, since.
The team finished last season at 8-9.
At this time the team has not made meaningful changes for the upcoming season, although this season is still underway.
Head coach Sean Payton is expected to remain with the team. There has been speculation that the team will try to trade or release quarterback Russell Wilson, although the team has not commented on this.
BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — As the big game approaches, experts are studying Taylor Swift’s impact and what reaction to her involvement shows about gender roles.
It’s no secret there has been a backlash to the relationship between Swift and Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, with her appearances at games sparking debates.
Jamie Skerski, a communication expert and professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, said the backlash and debates show a lot about gender roles and cultural values in the U.S. She has a course focusing on just that called Communication, Culture and Sport.
“Students sign up for it thinking we’re going to talk about sports, which we do, but we kind of use that as a Trojan horse to talk about issues of gender, race, capitalism, globalization, and it allows them to understand sport is reflective of other problems and successes in society,” Skerski said.
Those gender roles are tested by some NFL fans about her appearances on air.
“I think that is signaling an unease or frustration, this femininity interfering with what has been defined as a masculine context,” Skerski said.
Taylor Swift’s impact on the NFL
But it’s been proven that those frustrations aren’t necessarily warranted.
“The logic of, well, she’s a distraction or that she’s not good for the broadcast just doesn’t pan out. The analysts suggest that Taylor Swift has brought at least $300 million in value to the NFL or the Chiefs,” Skerski said.
FILE – Taylor Swift waves from a suite alongside Brittany Mahomes, right, during the first half of an NFL football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers, Oct. 22, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. Sean Kammer, a South Dakota law professor who typically teaches torts and natural resources, is turning his attention to Taylor Swift next semester. The self-described “Swiftie” wants to draw on music and art to help his students reconsider legal language and craft persuasive arguments. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga, File)
Kelce is redefining that masculine role, too.
“You have him being shown as vulnerable, as supportive, as tender, and I think that there is some reaction as to why isn’t he harnessing his power to sort of emphasize his dominance. Instead, he seems very content to not only let his girlfriend shine, but support her,” Skerski said.
Skerski believes the two fandoms have more in common thank they think, like when comparing sports fanatics into betting and fantasy with the so-called “Swifties.”
“The Taylor Swift fans that pore over her lyrics and look for meaning and connection and post on social media with other people that enjoy that. That is no different than spending hours on your fantasy football team and looking for insider tips, and yet we value one and consider the other frivolous, not important. I think those are the questions that tell us a little about American culture and ways we can explore these things and ultimately bring us together,” Skerski said.
DENVER (KDVR) — Even with Colorado’s declining marijuana sales, the Mile High City has no problem getting stoned. Medical and adult use marijuana reached $500 million in tax revenue and counting since legalization.
The City of Denver recorded medicinal marijuana sales dating back to 2010 along with adult sales in 2014 in Denver.
While the sales in 2022 dropped from their peak in 2020, Denver still hit half a billion in marijuana tax revenue in 13 years.
Denver marijuana revenue total (Courtesy of the City of Denver)
For the first 10 years, every single year broke a sales record. In 2022, the sales began to drop. So what changed?
One dispensary worker attributes some of this sales drop to inflation.
“Having marijuana, as much as it is a need for health and well-being, that’s one of the parts where people will spend less money because they’re having to spend more on gas, they’re having to spend more because of inflation,” PJ Rinker, vice president of The Joint dispensary in Denver told FOX31 last April.
Others attribute it to changing laws.
“A new law that went into effect at the beginning of the year (2022) is impacting the medical market making it much harder for patients to access life-saving medicine,” the Marijuana Industry Group said in a press release in response to the drop in…
