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Tag: tamaradunndp

  • Reeling Rockies suffer epic collapse, lose 7-6 to Marlins in 10 innings

    Reeling Rockies suffer epic collapse, lose 7-6 to Marlins in 10 innings

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    Leave it to the Rockies to ruin a couple of storybook endings.

    In one of the worst meltdowns in recent memory, the Rockies blew a 5-0 lead in the ninth inning and lost 7-6 to the woeful Marlins in 10 innings Tuesday night at loanDepot park.

    In losing again, the Rockies became the first team since 1900 to trail in each of its first 29 games. The Rockies lost to Houston on Sunday, joining the 1910 St. Louis Browns as the only teams to trail in each of their first 28 games.

    “That was a tough one … we shot ourselves in the foot,” manager Bud Black said.

    The Rockies nearly dodged ignominy. Ryan McMahon hit an RBI double to right to score Sean Bouchard to give the Rockies a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth, but the Marlins scored twice in the bottom of the frame off left-hander Jalen Beeks.

    Bryan De La Cruz hit an RBI double off Beeks to score pinch runner Tim Anderson, tying the game at 6-all. Then Dane Myers punched a single to right fielder Hunter Goodman, who made a perfect throw to the plate, but catcher Elias Diaz couldn’t handle the throw, and Anderson scrambled around Diaz and tagged the plate with his hand for the winning run.

    Black told reporters in Miami, ” ‘Goody’ made a good play, but ‘Ellie’ couldn’t handle it.”

    All of that carnage on a night when Jordan Beck was impressive in his major league debut, Ryan Feltner nearly pitched a shutout, and Elehuris Montero blasted a rare home run on the road.

    But the Rockies suffered an epic and ugly ninth-inning collapse in a game featuring the National League’s two worst teams. Colorado, swept by the Astros in Mexico City last weekend, tumbled to 7-22. The Marlins, losers of seven straight games entering Tuesday, improved to 7-24.

    Feltner, who had flashed potential numerous times in his career, gave up only three harmless singles over the first eight innings. But in the ninth, Vidal Brujan led off with a single, Feltner plunked Christian Bethancourt, and Luis Arraez ripped an RBI double to right, scoring Brujan.

    That was it for Feltner, who was clearly unhappy when Black lifted him from the game. In came closer Justin Lawrence, who immediately melted down.

    In quick succession, Miami’s Bryan De La Cruz drew a walk, Dane Myers hit a two-run single, Josh Bell singled to load the bases, and Lawrence, lacking any semblance of command, hit Jesus Sanches to drive in another run.

    The Marlins tied the game, 5-5, on Emmanuel Rivera’s sacrifice fly to right. That was it for Lawrence. Black summoned Beeks to try and stop the avalanche of trouble. He did, at least for two-thirds of an inning, striking out Nick Gordon and getting Christian Bethancourt to fly out.

    Beck, the highly touted outfield prospect, made his big league debut and hit 2 for 4. Starting in left field and hitting eighth, Beck singled in the first off right-hander Sixto Sanchez and added another single in the sixth off right-hander Declan Cronin.

    “Just take the moment in, take a deep breath, look around and be where my feet are,” Beck told reporters about his first day with the Rockies. “A lot of people say write it down, what it feels like, don’t forget it. There are a lot of things that you want to remember from this day and carry on into the future.”

    The first pitch Beck saw in his major league career was a ball, well outside the strike zone. The second pitch was a slider over the inside of the plate, and Beck lined the ball to center field for his first hit.

    The Rockies scored all but one of their runs in the first off Sanchez. Ezequiel Tovar led off with a double and advanced to third on Brenton Doyle’s sacrifice bunt. McMahon singled in Tovar and advanced to second on Diaz’s groundout.

    Charlie Blackmon, who entered the game in a deep funk, slashing .119/.159/.143 over his last 12 games, drove in McMahon with a single to right. Then Brendan Rodgers singled up the middle, setting the table for Montero’s 409-foot, three-run homer.

    Colorado had only three hits after the first inning, but with Feltner on the mound, it didn’t matter until the ninth and 10th innings.

    Still, Feltner said he let his team down.

    “It will take a while for me to think about my performance,” the right-hander told Rockies.TV. “I just think right now that I let the team down. I’ve got to finish off that ninth inning. I’ve never been in that position before, and now I’m hungry to get back there.”

    Wednesday’s pitching matchup

    Rockies RHP Dakota Hudson (0-4, 6.57 ERA) at Marlins TBA

    4:40 p.m. Wednesday, loanDepot park

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    Patrick Saunders

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  • Colorado takes action to fight deadly spike of syphilis in newborns

    Colorado takes action to fight deadly spike of syphilis in newborns

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    Colorado is experiencing an alarming spike in syphilis among newborns, leading the state to issue a public health order Thursday aimed at curbing the disease’s spread through wider testing.

    In 2023, 50 infants in Colorado were born with syphilis, up from only seven in 2018. So far this year, the state is halfway to last year’s total, with five infected babies who were stillborn and two who died in their first months of life, state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said.

    “We’ve already had 25 cases so far this year, putting us on track to have maybe 100 cases,” she said at a news conference, addressing what Gov. Jared Polis’s office called a “growing epidemic.” 

    Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that sometimes causes no symptoms in adults, though the bacteria can eventually damage the heart and brain if a person doesn’t receive treatment. But roughly two out of five babies born to infected mothers will be stillborn or die in infancy, and those who survive are at risk of intellectual disability, bone deformities and other lifelong health problems, Herlihy said.

    The new public health order from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment requires all health care providers to offer syphilis testing at least three times to pregnant patients: in the first trimester, in the third trimester and at birth.

    Nearly all insurance plans cover the testing, and people without insurance can receive it for free at public health clinics or by ordering a home test kit.

    “We hope to save many babies from death and suffering,” Polis said at the news conference.

    On Thursday, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a recommendation that all pregnant patients receive testing three times. Previously, it only recommended more than one test if a patient had certain risk factors for getting infected while pregnant.

    “The cases of congenital syphilis are definitely climbing, and they’ve been climbing over the last 10 years. And it’s completely preventable… It’s unacceptable,” said Dr. Laura Riley, who chairs the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine and helped with the guidance. “We need to be able to do better diagnostics and treatment.”

    The Colorado order also requires offering tests to prisoners who are pregnant, and to people who have experienced a stillbirth after 20 weeks of pregnancy, when spontaneous miscarriages are rare. While it would be too late for that particular fetus after a stillbirth, antibiotic treatment would protect the mother, her sex partners and any future pregnancies.

    Patients and prisoners aren’t required to undergo testing if they don’t want to, but their providers have to give them the option, said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the state health department. State law already required that providers offer everyone syphilis testing in the first trimester.

    Last year, 3,266 people in Colorado received a syphilis diagnosis, which was a 5% increase over the previous year and more than three times the number diagnosed in 2018. Most of the diagnoses are still in men, because the bacteria became entrenched in the community of gay and bisexual men. About one-third are in women, though, and diagnoses have risen faster among women than among men.

    Nationwide, syphilis diagnoses reached their highest rate since at least 1950 in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases peaked in the 1940s, before antibiotics became widely available, and fell throughout the 20th century.

    People of color and those who lack access to reliable health care, such as the homeless population, have been hit disproportionately hard in the resurgence over the last few years.

    Earlier this year, the state health department asked for $8 million over four years to fund an opt-out syphilis screening program at two hospital emergency departments in Denver and Pueblo County, which both have a significant share of new infections.

    The department also proposed to distribute rapid tests to organizations that work with at-risk people; to fund delivering treatment to some people in their homes; and to build up a stockpile of the antibiotics used to treat syphilis. Most antibiotics are cheap, but the best option for syphilis, Bicillin, is relatively expensive and in short supply, so providers don’t always opt to stock it.

    The legislature appropriated about $1.9 million for the first year of the syphilis response, and will have to vote on additional money in subsequent years.

    The state and the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment already run a small pilot program to bring treatment to people in their homes. Jails in Pueblo, El Paso and Jefferson counties also have started screening female prisoners and offering treatment to anyone who tests positive.

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    Meg Wingerter

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  • U.S. 287 closed due to derailed train in Longmont

    U.S. 287 closed due to derailed train in Longmont

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    U.S. 287 is closed in Longmont due to a derailed train, according to a Thursday evening X post by the Colorado Department of Transportation. 

    All northbound and southbound lanes are closed at 1st Avenue and Emery Street at mile point 315.4 in Longmont.

    The Burlington Northern Santa Fe train is blocking multiple intersections, including 1st Avenue and Main Street, 1st Avenue and Coffman Street and 1st Avenue and Emery Street.

    The derailment, caused by a detached wheel on a train car, is minor, but the train cannot be moved until it is repaired, according to the City of Longmont. The repair will likely occur after 8 a.m. on Friday.

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    Julianna O'Clair

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  • RTD A Line replaced by shuttle buses on Saturday due to maintenance

    RTD A Line replaced by shuttle buses on Saturday due to maintenance

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    Part of the Regional Transportation District’s A Line light rail train will be replaced by shuttle buses on Saturday due to maintenance, according to an RTD news release.

    Shuttle buses will run from 2:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. between Central Park and Denver International Airport stations while RTD performs necessary maintenance on the Interstate 70 bridge near Peña Boulevard and installs insulators for overhead lines that power the rail trains.

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    Julianna O'Clair

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  • Nathan MacKinnon eviscerates Wild defense in much-needed Avalanche victory

    Nathan MacKinnon eviscerates Wild defense in much-needed Avalanche victory

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    In a season full of spectacular performances, Nathan MacKinnon may have authored his masterpiece Tuesday night.

    It wasn’t just that MacKinnon had at least four points for the eighth time this season, including seven times at Ball Arena. Or his third hat trick of the year. Or that he reached 50 goals for the first time in his career, or pulled within two points of the franchise record set 42 years ago.

    It was how he dismantled the Minnesota Wild, a team that needed to avoid losing in regulation to keep its playoff chances. He didn’t just end the Wild’s season. MacKinnon systematically took apart a team that entered the night 10th in the NHL in goals allowed per game since John Hynes was named coach in late November.

    Behind MacKinnon’s four points and three from both Cale Makar and Jonathan Drouin, the Avalanche shook off some suspect early work on the penalty kill and blitzed the Wild in a 5-2 victory.

    “We’ve grown accustomed to seeing really special performances at different times during the year from him and some other guys, but that was pretty much as dominant of a performance as you can have in my books,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “He comes up with these rush opportunities and I’ve seen him be fast out of those holes before in the D-zone, but tonight it was like a whole new level.

    “I just thought it was a stellar performance, a special performance.”

    The much-needed victory keeps Colorado’s faint hopes of winning the Central Division alive, but maybe more critically two points ahead of Winnipeg for second place with three games to play. The Jets will be in Denver on Saturday for the biggest game of the season to date.

    Makar had a goal and two assists, giving him 87 points this season. That sets a new franchise record for defenseman, passing his previous mark from two seasons ago.

    MacKinnon now has 51 goals and 137 points. He is two back of Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov for the league lead, and two back of Peter Stastny’s franchise record, set during the 1981-82 season.

    “It feels good,” MacKinnon said. “You know, I’d never thought in my life I’d score 50, honestly. I never really thought about it. A lot of amazing plays from everybody all season, a lot of empty nets. A lot of hard work from the whole lineup. I think it’s a team achievement, honestly.”

    His third goal of the night, with 51.6 seconds left in the second period, set off a lengthy celebration. Not only did the ice crew have to collect hundreds of hats from the ice, some alterations were needed along the glass behind the Minnesota net.

    It was a chance for Avs faithful to voice their appreciation for MacKinnon’s brilliance. There were several M-V-P chants. The Beastie Boys blared from the sound speakers. It was a party, indeed. The good vibes were back after a couple of ugly losses.

    “We were laughing after his first goal. It felt like we were playing back in Halifax again,” said Drouin, who won the Memorial Cup with MacKinnon while playing for the Mooseheads in 2013. “I’ve seen those breakout goals where goes by the D and they just don’t stand a chance. He had his legs tonight, for sure.”

    MacKinnon’s first point came on a clever pass off the rebound of a Makar shot while the Avalanche was on a power play. He slipped the puck to Artturi Lehkonen in the slot for an easy one-timer and a 1-0 lead.

    Minnesota scored a pair of power-play goals in the second half of the first period, and the scene at the first intermission was considerably different. This wasn’t a perfect performance, but MacKinnon’s majesty made that seem like a distant memory less than 20 minutes of hockey later.

    All three of MacKinnon’s goals put his ferocious skating ability on display. Each time there was a Minnesota defenseman between him and the Wild net when he collected the puck.

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    Corey Masisak

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  • A source of free food, mental health support, and more for Denver students will soon close

    A source of free food, mental health support, and more for Denver students will soon close

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    A center that provides free food, clothing, mental health support, workforce training, and more to students and families at six public schools in Denver will close in less than three months.

    The middle and high schools served by the resource center are known as “pathways schools” and work with students who have struggled at traditional schools or are at risk of not graduating. Three years ago, the resource center — called The Village — opened at Contemporary Learning Academy, one of the pathways schools.

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    Melanie Asmar

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  • 13-year-old Southern Ute girl missing, may be in Durango

    13-year-old Southern Ute girl missing, may be in Durango

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    A 13-year-old Southern Ute girl is missing from Albuquerque, New Mexico and may be traveling to Durango, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. 

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    Katie Langford

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  • Empower accuses rival of spying and poaching its financial advisors

    Empower accuses rival of spying and poaching its financial advisors

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    On the last day of January, an all-hands meeting was called at Empower Advisory Group, the financial planning division of the massive Greenwood Village-based company.

    Nine financial advisors for Empower’s wealthy clients had unexpectedly resigned en masse five days before and the company was scrambling to understand what it all meant.

    What it didn’t know then but believes now is that there were corporate spies at the meeting.

    On March 1, four more financial advisors resigned abruptly — what Empower called “a second wave” of resignations carefully designed by a competitor to cause it “maximum harm.”

    These allegations of corporate espionage and client poaching are spelled out in a lengthy lawsuit that Empower filed in Denver federal court March 13 against a baker’s dozen of former advisors and the New York company they left Empower for: Compound Planning.

    “Instead of competing for clients fairly and honestly in the marketplace, Compound chooses to poach employees and clients from its competitors, like Empower,” it alleged.

    Compound CEO Christian Haigh declined to comment on those allegations Friday.

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    Justin Wingerter

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  • Disbarred Denver attorney Steven Bachar dies after “medical event” at Rifle prison

    Disbarred Denver attorney Steven Bachar dies after “medical event” at Rifle prison

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    Disbarred Denver attorney Steven Bachar died Friday at the Rifle Correctional Center, where he was serving a three-year sentence for defrauding an investor of $125,000.

    Bachar, 58, apparently had a medical event and became unresponsive, according to the Garfield County Coroner’s Office.

    First aid and CPR were given and emergency medical responders arrived at the scene, but Bachar died at the prison. The coroner’s office was called to the prison Friday morning.

    Bachar’s cause and manner of death are still pending, but it appears to be “most consistent with a natural death,” Garfield County Coroner Robert Glassmire said in a statement.

    The Department of Corrections confirmed Bachar’s death on Friday but declined to release further information, stating his death was under investigation, “as is the normal course of action,” spokesperson Alondra Gonzalez said in an email.

    Bachar had ongoing health problems, he told a Denver District Court judge during his sentencing hearing in November.

    “As your honor knows, I have some significant health issues that focus me on the need to live a good honest life going forward,” Bachar said during the November hearing.

    Before moving to Colorado in 2015, Bachar was an Army reservist, graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and worked in the U.S. Treasury Department and the White House under President Bill Clinton, according to his LinkedIn and previous reporting.

    He also worked with Sen. John Hickenlooper, serving as counsel for Hickenlooper’s campaign for Denver mayor and on his transition team before moving to Denver to join the law firm Moye White’s business section.

    He left the firm in August 2017, according to previous reporting.

    Bachar was sued by two companies in 2020 for mishandling nearly $2 million earmarked for personal protective equipment purchases during the pandemic. He was later ordered to pay $4.5 million in the civil cases.

    Bachar was then charged with three counts of theft and one count of fraud in June 2022 for defrauding an investor of $125,000 in December 2017, according to court records. He was also disbarred in June 2022.

    According to the Denver District Attorney’s Office, Bachar misrepresented and omitted information in order to secure $125,000 in funding from an investor for his firm, Empowerment Capital. Bachar never invested or repaid the money, instead spending most of it for personal use.

    Bachar pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft in a plea agreement with the district attorney’s office in September, six months after Denver District Court Judge Eric Johnson rejected a previous plea deal for being too lenient.

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    Katie Langford, Shelly Bradbury

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  • “Dune: Part Two” gives sci-fi-obsessed Silicon Valley a reason to party

    “Dune: Part Two” gives sci-fi-obsessed Silicon Valley a reason to party

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    SAN FRANCISCO — In a top-floor atrium in downtown San Francisco last Thursday evening, tech workers from Google, Slack, X (formerly Twitter) and Mozilla mingled next to a pair of cardboard cutouts of Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya.

    Dustin Moskovitz, a Facebook founder, chatted as others sipped from cannily named cocktails such as the Fremen Mirage (gin, coconut Campari, sweet vermouth) and the Arrakis Palms (vanilla pear purée, gin, Fever-Tree tonic). Tim O’Reilly, a tech industry veteran, dropped by. Alex Stamos, the former head of security at Facebook, was also spotted.

    “Do you think they’ll let me take home one of the freaky sandworm popcorn buckets?” someone in the crowd tittered. The suggestively designed buckets had become a sensation across social media.

    The techies were all there to celebrate Silicon Valley’s newest obsession: “Dune: Part Two,” the latest movie adapted from the Frank Herbert-authored science-fiction saga, which helped inspire many of them to become interested in technology. The film, which follows the 2021 installment “Dune,” sold an estimated $81.5 million in tickets in the United States and Canada over the weekend, the biggest opening for a Hollywood film since “Barbie.”

    The invitation-only private screening at the IMAX theater in downtown San Francisco was hosted by two tech executives turned podcasters of “Escape Hatch,” a weekly show focused on sci-fi and fantasy films. And it was not the only game in town.

    Across Silicon Valley — from venture capital firms to tech executive circles — people had booked their own private screenings of the movie, directed by Denis Villeneuve. On Thursday, the venture firm 50 Years invited founders, friends and investors to “come fuel your imagination with stellar science fiction” in a theater takeover.

    Founders Fund, a venture capital firm co-created by Peter Thiel, rented out the Alamo Drafthouse theater in San Francisco’s Mission District for the film’s opening night on Friday, with an open bar and free food. Some people flew in from across the country to attend.

    “If you’re a VC firm and you’re not hosting a private Dune II screening, are you even a VC firm?” Ashlee Vance, a longtime technology journalist, wrote in a post on X last month.

    Even as tech companies have cut jobs and perks in recent months, the tradition of the sci-fi movie premiere remains alive and well. Films such as “Star Wars,” “Dune” and “Ready Player One” were the very things that helped stir techies’ interest in the field of computer science. No longer content with only watching the future unfold onscreen, employees at companies such as Meta, Google and Palantir have started plucking directly from their favorite movies to build the products of tomorrow.

    In Google’s early days, the company routinely bought out entire theaters to see the latest superhero flick. When “Blade Runner 2049” debuted in 2017, the boutique tech investment banking firm Code Advisors rented out the Alamo Drafthouse for a private screening and had a Q&A with the film’s antagonist, Jared Leto. Venture capital firms have repeated the practice for other futuristic films and series, including “The Martian,” “Arrival” and HBO’s “Westworld.”

    But “Dune” and “Dune: Part Two” hold a special place in Silicon Valley hearts and minds because of the series’ expansiveness. It doesn’t hurt that “Dune” was born in San Francisco, where Herbert lived in the late 1950s as he researched what became the series of sci-fi novels.

    “It is one of the original world-building exercises in genre fiction, and we’re all about world-building here,” said Jason Goldman, a former Twitter executive who joined Matt Herrero, a techie friend, to create the “Escape Hatch” podcast during the pandemic lockdowns.

    The “Dune: Part Two” viewing events also acted as a kind of safe space for techies to step away — however briefly — from the tech culture wars that rage on- and offline.

    “Twenty years ago, most people coming into tech were idealists with utopian dreams,” said Tom Coates, a tech veteran, at the “Escape Hatch” cocktail party. “That’s clearly not true anymore — now for many it’s much more just a job, and one that has attracted a certain type of ‘tech bro.’ But I think it’s interesting that we’re not all here tonight to watch the Ayn Rand filmography.”

    Goldman said part of Silicon Valley’s enchantment with “Dune” could be due to characters such as Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, a messianic figure who leads a downtrodden tribal group into rising up and defeating its evil overlords.

    “What people want, what they’re always trying to recreate, is that charismatic leader with the ability to see into the future,” Goldman said. “The hero worship of Steve Jobs is right up there with the fanatical praise of Paul Atreides.”

    What was not clear was how many of Silicon Valley’s tech elite had absorbed the finer points of the source material. Herbert was deeply skeptical of man’s technological progress, a perspective that framed his series.

    “It’s all based on a world in which artificial intelligence has been wiped out entirely,” said Cal Henderson, a co-founder and chief technical officer of Slack, who attended the Thursday party.

    (That morning, Elon Musk had sued OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, over claims that the company had put commercial interests before the future of humanity. “Meta doesn’t even begin to describe it,” another person at the party said.)

    Still, attendees were determined to have fun. One presented Herrero and Goldman with a glossy, custom-printed “Dune: Part Two” poster, with the hosts’ faces photoshopped over those of the film’s celebrities. Tables were stacked with trays of Nebula Nebulae parfaits (spiced chocolate and vanilla mousse) and platters of Atreides Delicacies (rice noodles, harissa, sesame oil).

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    The New York Times News Service Syndicate

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  • Suspect shot by Denver police after stabbing at 7-Eleven

    Suspect shot by Denver police after stabbing at 7-Eleven

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    A person was shot by Denver police after allegedly stabbing a clerk at a 7-Eleven near West Fifth Avenue and North Federal Boulevard on Friday night.

    Officers responded to reports of a 7-Eleven store clerk who had been stabbed and found a suspect near West Fifth Avenue and North Federal Boulevard at approximately 6:49 p.m., police spokesperson Kurt Barnes said Friday.

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    Katie Langford

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  • Missing 14-year-old girl with autism last seen in Lakewood

    Missing 14-year-old girl with autism last seen in Lakewood

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    A 14-year-old girl with high-functioning autism was reported missing Wednesday, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

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    Tamara Dunn

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  • One arrest in fatal hit-and-run that killed accomplished Lakewood parafencer

    One arrest in fatal hit-and-run that killed accomplished Lakewood parafencer

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    A 40-year-old Commerce City man was arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed an accomplished wheelchair fencer on Friday, according to the Lakewood Police Department.

    Lakewood police arrested Jimmy Lee Chavez at a home in Commerce City on Tuesday, the department said in a news release.

    Chavez was out on bail after being arrested on suspicion of vehicular eluding in Adams County, according to court records. He posted a $2,500 bail in the case in October.

    Chavez previously pleaded guilty in separate cases to charges of driving under restraint, driving without a license, obstructing a peace officer, weapons possession and possession of contraband in a detention facility, according to court records.

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    Katie Langford

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  • Letters: Denver, get to the bottom of these long lines at DIA

    Letters: Denver, get to the bottom of these long lines at DIA

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    Get to the bottom of these long lines at DIA

    On Feb. 17 at 9 a.m., we encountered significantly long security lines at Denver International Airport’s west side, leading to delays and frustrations for hundreds if not thousands of passengers. Lines snaked through common areas, adding to the inconvenience. Certainly not an upgraded experience.

    While millions of dollars were supposedly invested in security upgrades, the recent experience suggests further improvements are needed. Are there staffing limitations contributing to the issue?

    I urge the airport authorities and Denver City Council to investigate the root cause of these long lines. The city spent millions of dollars and obviously didn’t improve the security process. This makes our airport look like a third-rate facility. If the City of Denver can’t run the airport, hire professionals to do the job.

    Gregg S. Hayutin, Denver

    Welcome back, Troy Renck

    Re: “Troy Renck returns to The Denver Post as sports columnist,” Feb. 15 news story

    I am filled with gladness at the hiring of Troy Renck as a sports columnist and especially happy with the departure of Mark Kiszla, who was, in my opinion, a journalistic hack, a peddler of negativity, and a troll who unnecessarily attacked and demeaned the character and personality of Denver sports personalities. Most recently, his remarks about Broncos coach Sean Payton were odious, and he was unkind to quarterback Russell Wilson before he ever stepped on the field. This represents a move toward more balanced and positive reporting by The Post and I hope it continues.

    Digby Kirby, Denver

    Hey GOP: What would Reagan do?

    Re: “Aid to Ukraine hinges on House speaker,” Feb. 18 news story

    Republicans in the U.S. House have abandoned the freedom fighters in Ukraine. When Ronald Reagan built the strongest military force in the world and stoutly supported freedom, Ukraine and other states were able to throw off Russian domination. Vladimir Putin is determined to rebuild that “evil empire,” and today’s Republican appeasers are happy to open the door for him.

    Ukraine will not be the last country Putin enslaves. We can stop him now by supplying ammunition, or we can retreat and imperil our future.

    Ray Harlan, Denver

    Ronald Reagan would turn in his grave if he knew Donald Trump’s puppet, House Speaker Mike Johnson, is sitting on Ukraine aid. If Trump’s buddy, Putin, succeeds in ensnaring the Ukrainian people, who is next? We need to help Ukraine for their sake and for our own sake.

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    DP Opinion

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  • 13-year-old boy charged with murder in Denver RTD bus shooting

    13-year-old boy charged with murder in Denver RTD bus shooting

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    A 13-year-old boy suspected of fatally shooting a 60-year-old man on a Denver RTD bus in January has been charged with first-degree murder, though prosecutors are still determining if they will seek to move the case to adult court.

    Denver police allege the boy shot and killed Richard Sanchez on a bus near South Federal Boulevard and West Mississippi Avenue on the evening of Jan. 27 because Sanchez’s leg was blocking the aisle.

    Sanchez was pronounced dead at a local hospital due to multiple gunshot wounds. A second person on the bus was also injured but was not taken to the hospital.

    The boy was arrested on Feb. 1 and is facing 14 charges including first-degree murder, Denver District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Maro Casparian said Wednesday.

    Prosecutors consider many factors when deciding whether to pursue trying a juvenile as an adult, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office.

    Those include the circumstances of the crime, the suspect’s age, what contact they’ve had with the juvenile system, their upbringing and background, provisions of the law and the perspective of the victim or victim’s family.

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    Katie Langford

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  • Tattered Cover CEO will be paid $120K despite predecessor’s protests

    Tattered Cover CEO will be paid $120K despite predecessor’s protests

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    Tattered Cover’s current CEO can be paid a salary of $120,000 this year, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge ruled Monday, despite the objections of its former CEO.

    Kwame Spearman, who owns a minority stake in the company, led Tattered Cover between early 2021 and early 2023, when he stepped down following an aborted mayoral bid to focus on running for Denver school board, ultimately unsuccessfully.

    His successor is Brad Dempsey, a bankruptcy attorney who took over soon before the company filed for Chapter 11 in October and has led it through the bankruptcy process. Tattered Cover’s board of directors wants him to stay on through 2024 in exchange for $120,000.

    That salary had to be approved by a bankruptcy judge. Spearman objected to it.

    “We have not seen any official plan for the reorganization of the business and there is concern that a compensation for Mr. Dempsey at $10,000 per month might be extraordinarily excessive,” Spearman told Bankruptcy Judge Michael Romero at a hearing Monday afternoon.

    Tattered Cover was scheduled to submit its plan by Jan. 16 but asked for and received a one-month extension instead. Gabrielle Palmer, an attorney for the bookstore chain, said Monday that Tattered Cover will likely need another extension this week.

    “If the plan shows merit that Mr. Dempsey should be making $120,000 annually, we’re all fine with this,” Spearman said, before again criticizing Dempsey for not crafting a plan.

    “Moreover, I have not heard (about) the net income situation. I have heard that, allegedly, sales were slightly up from 2022, but as we’re all aware, sales are not the determinant, net income is the determinant. As a creditor, I think there is strong suspicion to believe that the business is actually in a worse financial situation under Mr. Dempsey’s leadership,” he added.

    Palmer defended Dempsey’s tenure as CEO, noted that the company’s six-person board of directors wants him to stay on, and called his proposed salary “fair and reasonable.”

    Tattered Cover is being propped up financially by a $1.3 million loan from Read Colorado LLC, a company formed by local philanthropists. That loan requires Dempsey to remain as CEO and states that Tattered Cover will be in default of the loan if he leaves the company.

    “It doesn’t make sense to change from Brad Dempsey now or to not allow Brad Dempsey to be paid. We are at a critical time,” said Tim Swanson, a lawyer for Read Colorado.

    “It can’t be lost that the lone objector to Mr. Dempsey’s continued employment is someone who is seeking to try to purchase the company,” Swanson said of Spearman.

    Spearman countered that he hasn’t made a bid for the company but acknowledged he has requested Tattered Cover’s financial reports in order “to evaluate the terms of a potential offer” to buy it. At one point, he repeatedly used the word “we” to describe people who doubt “the viability of the (company’s) board of directors and Mr. Dempsey’s leadership.”

    “Who’s ‘we?’” Romero asked. “You’re the only one who filed an objection, Mr. Spearman.”

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    Justin Wingerter

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