Colorado State News

3 people taken to hospital after fire at Denver Women’s Correctional Facility

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 15:21:39 +0000

Three people were taken to the hospital after a small fire at the state-run Denver Women’s Correctional Facility on Saturday morning, according to the Denver Fire Department.

Firefighters responded to the Colorado Department of Corrections facility near 37th Avenue and Havana Street at 10:30 a.m.

The fire was quickly extinguished but ventilating smoke from the area took “some time,” agency officials said. Three inmates were taken to the hospital for observation, and additional information about their conditions was not immediately available.

Denver Fire officials could not say where in the facility the fire broke out, and the cause of the fire is unknown.

A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections could not immediately be reached for comment.

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1 killed, 1 injured in shooting in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 14:26:23 +0000

One person was killed and a second was injured in a shooting in the Capitol Hill neighborhood early Saturday morning, according to the Denver Police Department.

Officers were called to a shooting in the 1000 block of North Lincoln Street at 3:15 a.m. and found one person with serious injuries and another with a minor injury, officials said.

The person with serious injuries was later pronounced dead and the shooting is being investigated as a homicide, police said at 8:30 a.m. in a post on X.

No information about a suspect or the person who died was immediately available.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

Update 2:23 p.m. July 12, 2025: Because of a reporter’s error, a previous version of this story incorrectly reported the neighborhood where the shooting took place. The story has been updated.

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Amanda Anisimova thanks her mom through tears after 6-0, 6-0 loss to Iga Swiatek in Wimbledon final

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 14:17:25 +0000

By HOWARD FENDRICH

LONDON (AP) — Amanda Anisimova kept apologizing to the spectators at Centre Court — for her performance in a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final and for the emotions that made it hard to deliver a speech afterward.

Through it all, Anisimova, a 23-year-old American in her first major title match, made sure to thank her mother for making a rare trip to watch her daughter play in person.

“My mom is the most selfless person I know, and she’s done everything to get me to this point in my life,” said Anisimova, whose father died in 2019 when she was 17.

Then, turning to address her mother, Anisimova continued as her eyes welled with tears: “So thank you for being here and breaking the superstition of flying in.”

And then in a tongue-in-cheek reference to her 57-minute defeat, Anisimova said with a laugh, “It’s definitely not why I lost today.”

“I’m so happy that I get to share this moment and for you to be here and witness this in person. I know you don’t get to see me live, playing, that much anymore, because you do so much for my sister and I, and you always have,” Anisimova said. “I love you so much.”

Just participating in a Grand Slam final — after eliminating No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, to boot — represented quite a success for Anisimova, a 23-year-old who was born in New Jersey and grew up in Florida from age 3.

She was a top player in her teens, beating Coco Gauff in the 2017 U.S. Open junior final, and quickly made a mark as a professional by reaching the French Open quarterfinals two years later.

In May 2023, she announced she was taking a mental health break from the tour because of burnout.

Anisimova returned to action in 2024, but her ranking of 189th just 12 months ago was too low to get into the field automatically at an event like Wimbledon, so she unsuccessfully attempted to qualify for the tournament.

“No matter what happened today,” Swiatek told her, “you should be proud of the work you’re doing.”

On Saturday, she became just the second woman in the Open era, which began in 1968, to get to a Grand Slam final a year after losing in qualifying. And now she will break into the top 10 for the first time.

After the match, she told her team she appreciates them for “just taking care of me” during “the whole journey it’s been, this whole past year.”

“I know I didn’t have enough today, but I’m going to keep putting in the work,” Anisimova said. “And I always believe in myself, so I hope to be back here one day.”

___

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Trump announces 30% tariffs against EU, Mexico to begin Aug. 1, rattling major US trading partners

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 14:07:37 +0000

By AAMER MADHANI

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday announced he’s levying tariffs of 30% against the European Union and Mexico starting Aug. 1, a move that could cause massive upheaval between the United States and two of its biggest trade partners.

Trump detailed the planned tariffs in letters posted to his social media account. They are part of an announcement blitz by Trump of new tariffs aimed at allies and foes alike, a bedrock of his 2024 campaign that he said would set the foundation for reviving a U.S. economy that he claims has been ripped off by other nations for decades.

In his letter to Mexico’s leader, President Claudia Sheinbaum, Trump acknowledged that the country has been helpful in stemming the flow of undocumented migrants and fentanyl into the United States. But he said the country has not done enough to stop North America from turning into a “Narco-Trafficking Playground.”

“Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough,” Trump added.

Trump in his letter to the European Union said that the U.S. trade deficit was a national security threat.

“We have had years to discuss our Trading Relationship with The European Union, and we have concluded we must move away from these long-term, large, and persistent, Trade Deficits, engendered by your Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies, and Trade Barriers,” Trump wrote in the letter to the EU. “Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.”

The letters come in the midst of an on-and-off Trump threat to impose tariffs on countries and right an imbalance in trade. Trump in April imposed tariffs on dozens of countries, before pausing them for 90 days to negotiate individual deals. As the three-month grace period ended this week, Trump began sending his tariff letters to leaders but again has pushed back the implementation day for what he says will be just a few more weeks.

If he moves forward with the tariffs, it could have ramifications for nearly every aspect of the global economy.

EU members and Mexico respond

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responded by noting the bloc’s “commitment to dialogue, stability, and a constructive transatlantic partnership.”

“At the same time, we will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required,” von der Leyen said in a statement.

Von der Leyen added that the EU remains committed to continuing negotiations with the U.S. and coming to an agreement before Aug. 1. Trade ministers from EU countries are scheduled to meet Monday to discuss trade relations with the U.S., as well as with China.

European leaders joined von der Leyen in urging Trump to give negotiations more time and warnings of possible new tariffs on Washington.

“With European unity, it is more than ever up to the Commission to assert the Union’s determination to resolutely defend European interests,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement posted on X.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s office said “it would make no sense to trigger a trade war between the two sides of the Atlantic.”

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told broadcaster DR that Trump was taking a “pointless and a very short-sighted approach.” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson warned in an interview with SVT that “everyone loses out from an escalated trade conflict, and it will be U.S. consumers who pay the highest price.”

Trump, as he has in previous letters, warned that his administration would further raise tariffs if the EU attempts to hike its own tariffs on the United States.

The Mexican government said it was informed during high-level talks with U.S. State Department officials Friday that the Trump letter was coming. The delegation told Trump officials at the meeting it disagreed with the decision and considered it “unfair treatment,” according to a Mexican government statement.

Sheinbaum, who has sought to avoid directly criticizing Trump in the early going of her presidency, expressed a measure of confidence during a public appearance on Saturday that the U.S. and Mexico will reach “better terms.”

“I’ve always said that in these cases, you need a cool head to face any problem,” Sheinbaum said.

With the reciprocal tariffs, Trump is effectively blowing up the rules governing world trade. For decades, the United States and most other countries abided by tariff rates set through a series of complex negotiations known as the Uruguay round. Countries could set their own tariffs, but under the “most favored nation’’ approach, they couldn’t charge one country more than they charged another.

The Mexico tariff, if it goes into effect, could replace the 25% tariffs on Mexican goods that do not comply with the existing U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement.

Trump’s letter did not address if USMCA-compliant goods would still be exempt from the Mexico tariffs after Aug. 1, as the White House said would be the case with Canada. Trump sent a letter to Canada earlier this week threatening a 35% tariff hike.

Higher tariffs had been suspended

With Saturday’s letters, Trump has now issued tariff conditions on 24 countries and the 27-member European Union.

The European Union collectively sells more to the U.S. than any other country. U.S. goods imports from the EU topped $553 billion in 2022, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former Congressional Budget Office director and president of the center-right American Action Forum, said the letters were evidence that serious trade talks were not taking place over the past three months. He stressed that nations were instead talking amongst themselves about how to minimize their own exposure to the U.S. economy and Trump.

“They’re spending time talking to each other about what the future is going to look like, and we’re left out,” Holtz-Eakin said.

Potential impact is vast

If the tariffs do indeed take effect, the potential impact on Europe could be vast.

The value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services amounted to 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in 2024, or an average of 4.6 billion euros a day, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.

Europe’s biggest exports to the U.S. were pharmaceuticals, cars, aircraft, chemicals, medical instruments and wine and spirits.

Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of the Union of Italian Wines trade association, said Trump’s move could lead to “a virtual embargo” of his country’s wine.

“A single letter was enough to write the darkest chapter in relations between two historic Western allies,” Frescobaldi said.

Trump has complained about the EU’s 198 billion-euro trade surplus in goods, which shows Americans buy more goods from European businesses than the other way around.

However, American companies fill some of the gap by outselling the EU when it comes to services such as cloud computing, travel bookings, and legal and financial services.

The U.S. services surplus took the nation’s trade deficit with the EU down to 50 billion euros ($59 billion), which represents less than 3% of overall U.S.-EU trade.

—

AP writers Josh Boak in Washington, Angela Charlton in Paris, Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Dave McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany, and Giada Zampano in Rome contributed reporting.

Woman found dead in Lakewood house fire near Morse Park

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 13:13:50 +0000

Lakewood law enforcement are investigating a suspicious death after a woman’s body was found in a house fire Friday night in the city’s Morse Park neighborhood.

West Metro Fire Rescue crews and Lakewood police responded to the 1700 block of Cody Street at 7:15 p.m. after several people called 911 about a fire at a duplex, the agencies said Saturday.

Firefighters found heavy smoke coming out of the front room and a woman’s body when they entered the home.

No other injuries were reported and investigators do not believe there is a danger to the public, officials said. The woman’s name will be released after her family is notified.

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1 killed, 1 injured in shooting in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 11:46:25 +0000

One person was killed and a second was injured in a shooting in the Five Points neighborhood early Saturday morning, according to the Denver Police Department.

Officers were called to a shooting in the 1000 block of North Lincoln Street at 3:15 a.m. and found one person with serious injuries and another with a minor injury, officials said.

The person with serious injuries was later pronounced dead and the shooting is being investigated as a homicide, police said at 8:30 a.m. in a post on X.

No information about a suspect or the person who died was immediately available.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

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South Rim fire in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park grows to nearly 3,000 acres

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 10:39:28 +0000

A lightning-sparked wildfire burning in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park grew to nearly 3,000 acres and continued to force evacuations of nearby homes, fire officials said Saturday morning.

The South Rim fire is burning on 2,892 acres with no containment and caused evacuations for the Botswick Park area southwest of the national park late Friday night.

Botswick Park and homes up Colorado 347, including K37 Road, are still under mandatory evacuation.

Fire crews are focusing on securing the fire line and minimizing spread into the canyon, operations section chief Eric Zanotto said in a Saturday morning update.

Charred signage at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Montrose County, where the South Rim fire is burning on nearly 3,000 acres as of July 12, 2025. (Courtesy of the National Park Service)

The Sowbelly fire burning on 2,230 acres in Delta and Mesa counties is also at 0% containment, federal officials said Saturday morning.

While the fire did not grow significantly overnight, firefighters continue to have trouble accessing the fire because of the terrain and location in the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness area.

Hot, dry weather is also a concern for conditions on both fires, officials said.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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Colorado weather: Strong thunderstorms, hail forecast in south metro, I-25 corridor

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 10:15:11 +0000

Thunderstorms moving through Colorado’s mountains could bring heavy rain, large hail and wind gusts to parts of the south metro and Interstate 25 corridor on Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

Storms are expected to mainly impact the Palmer Divide and communities along and south of Interstate 70, with isolated severe hail and wind gusts possible, forecasters said in a hazardous weather outlook Saturday morning.

More severe thunderstorms are forecast for southern Colorado into the I-25 corridor, NWS officials said.

“The strongest storms will be capable of 1.5 inch diameter hail, damaging wind gusts near 60 mph and locally heavy rainfall,” forecasters wrote.

Whether the storms move farther east will depend on how the weather develops today.

“Stagnant” weather in the north metro could cause unhealthy air quality on Saturday for people who are sensitive to pollution, state officials said in an air quality alert for the Front Range urban corridor.

An ozone action day alert is in effect until 4 p.m., and people who are very active or have lung disease such as asthma should reduce prolonged or heavy exercise, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Grading The Week: Are Rockies’ Ryan McMahon, Jake Bird blowing their best chance to escape Coors Field 2025 nightmare?

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 08:29:15 +0000

A Bird on the mound is worth five to the Sox?

Not. Good.

Full disclosure: Grading The Week’s baseball wonks, like most of us, can’t wait for the Rockies to get their 17th almost R-E-B-U-I-L-D — the dirtiest seven letters at 20th & Blake — since 2019 underway.

But it’s never going to get rolling, or much as it might, if Jake Bird and Ryan McMahon don’t pick it up.

Is Jake Bird cooked? — D.

Bird’s a good dude, and relief pitching is notoriously volatile, especially at Coors Field. But brother, he’s picked a cruddy time (to put it kindly) for regression to kick in.

The MLB trade deadline is July 31. The Rockies are painfully short on — well, everything. But especially short on attractive veteran assets that might entice contenders to ship over a few prospects in return.

For almost three months, the 29-year-old righty reliever looked like one of the best-kept bullpen secrets in baseball. Through May 31, he’d sported a 1.67 ERA over 23 appearances with only one home run allowed — a sliver of light within the darkest season in Rockies history.

Since June 1, that carriage outta town has turned into some kind of pumpkin.

Bird posted a 4.91 ERA over 14 2/3 innings last month. Over his first four appearances in July, that ERA shot up to 23.62, thanks to seven earned runs allowed — four of them over a third of an inning of work in Boston this past Tuesday during a 10-2 beatdown at the hands of the Red Sox.

The Bird with the Beard went to bed Friday night with an season ERA of 3.62. Still sexy by Coors standards. But also not the kind of CV that’s going to catch the wandering eyes of opposing general managers. There’s time, dude. But with the All-Star break coming up, it’s running short.

McMahon perking up? — B.

Bird notched the win against the Reds on Friday night to improve to 3-1 on the year, but not before giving up a run on two hits along the way.

McMahon’s weekend, by contrast, got off to a better start: A two-run homer in the fourth — his 13th — as part of a 3-for-4 night at Great American Ball Park.

The catch? Until Friday, it had been a rough 10 days for the Rockies’ affable third baseman. Over his first nine games in July, the left-handed slugger had hit .097 with a .281 OPS while striking out 13 times against zero walks.

The series-opening blast against Cincinnati was his first since June 20. The multi-hit game was his first since June 24. If nothing else, maybe a strong showing on the banks of the Ohio will catch the attention of the Reds, who went into the weekend getting the lowest collective Wins Above Average (-1.9) out of the third base position in all of MLB.

Et tu, DJ LeMahieu? — C.

Or maybe the Yankees, who could use a glove with pop on the hot corner, will swoop in and cycle out one Rockies infielder for another. Team GTW is pouring one out for DJ LeMahieu, the ex-Coors great who was designated for assignment by the Bronx Bombers last week despite a playable, if unspectacular, .266 batting average and a .674 OPS. DJ’s limbo isn’t expected to last long, though. This past Thursday, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi floated Seattle as a potential landing spot for LeMahieu, who struggled with third base in New York but offers a bat that still plays at first, second or DH.

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Today in History: July 12, Disco Demolition Night

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 02:01:15 +0000

Today is Saturday, July 12, the 193rd day of 2024. There are 172 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On July 12, as an angry reaction to the popularity of disco music, the Chicago White Sox held the “Disco Demolition Night” promotion, in which a crate of disco records was blown up on the field between games of a double-header; the ensuing riot and damage to the field caused the White Sox to forfeit the second game.

Also on this date:

In 1543, England’s King Henry VIII married his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr.

In 1812, United States forces led by Gen. William Hull entered Canada during the War of 1812 against Britain. (However, Hull retreated shortly thereafter to Detroit.)

In 1862, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill authorizing the Army Medal of Honor.

In 1909, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, allowing for a federal income tax, and submitted it to the states. (It was declared ratified in February 1913.)

In 1962, the Rolling Stones played their first show, at the Marquee Club in London.

In 1967, rioting erupted in Newark, New Jersey, over the police beating of a Black taxi driver; 26 people were killed in the five days of violence that followed.

In 1984, Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale announced his choice of U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York to be his running mate; Ferraro was the first woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket.

In 1991, Japanese professor Hitoshi Igarashi, who had translated Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses,” was found stabbed to death, nine days after the novel’s Italian translator was attacked in Milan.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton, visiting Germany, went to the eastern sector of Berlin, the first U.S. president to do so since Harry Truman.

In 2003, the USS Ronald Reagan, the first carrier named for a living president, was commissioned in Norfolk, Virginia.

In 2012, a scathing report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh said the late Joe Paterno and other top Penn State officials had buried child sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky more than a decade earlier to avoid bad publicity.

In 2022, Twitter sued Elon Musk to force him to complete the $44 billion acquisition of the social media company after Musk said he was backing off his agreement to buy the company. (He would eventually become Twitter’s owner three months later.)

Today’s Birthdays:

Writer Delia Ephron is 81.
Singer Walter Egan is 77.
Writer-producer Brian Grazer is 74.
Actor Cheryl Ladd is 74.
Gospel singer Ricky McKinnie (The Blind Boys of Alabama) is 73.
Gospel singer Sandi Patty is 69.
Actor Mel Harris is 69.
Boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez is 63.
Rock singer Robin Wilson (Gin Blossoms) is 60.
Actor Lisa Nicole Carson is 56.
Olympic gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi is 54.
Actor Anna Friel is 49.
R&B singer Tracie Spencer is 49.
Actor Topher Grace is 47.
Actor Michelle Rodriguez is 47.
Country singer-musician Kimberly Perry (The Band Perry) is 42.
Actor Natalie Martinez is 41.
Actor Ta’Rhonda Jones is 37.
Actor Rachel Brosnahan is 35.
Olympic gold medal gymnast Jordyn Wieber is 30.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai is 28.
NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is 27.

Rockies’ draft-and-development philosophy has serious flaws. Here’s why

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 23:07:19 +0000

Over the last decade, no team in baseball has been worse at getting impact out of the draft than the Rockies.

That’s why on Sunday, the Rockies are under pressure to turn their fortunes around with the No. 4 overall pick at All-Star Week festivities in Atlanta.

The Rockies’ 12.1 total Wins Above Replacement from the draft since 2015 ranks last, according to Baseball Reference. Colorado has only had two picks in that period accumulate more than 3.0 career bWAR: second baseman Brendan Rodgers (No. 3 overall in 2015) and center fielder Brenton Doyle (2019 fourth-round pick).

“For an organization that’s prided itself on developing homegrown players, it’s been a while since they planted somebody in the big leagues who’s an impact player,” noted MLB Pipeline reporter Jonathan Mayo.

Those statistics illustrate how the Rockies, who have long been a draft-and-develop organization, are headed to a third straight 100-loss season — a campaign on pace to end with the most losses in modern MLB history.

Through poor free-agent signings and a lack of effective trades, the club has made itself entirely dependent on being exceptional at drafting.

“When the big-league team is struggling as much as it is, it’s going to be a multi-year process,” MLB Pipeline senior writer Jim Callis said. “They have to get back to step one: find talent in the draft and internationally. And you probably have to look at trading some of your better big-league players to refurbish the turnaround.

“You have to start planning for 3, 4, 5 years down the road.”

“A really long, dark tunnel”

The missteps to get to this point have been a decade in the making.

Just as the Rockies were assembling a roster that produced consecutive playoff berths for the first time in franchise history in 2017 and ’18, the club had three glaring misses in the draft.

Between 2015 and 2016, Colorado selected a trio of right-handed pitchers in the first round who failed to yield a single big league win. Mike Nikorak and Robert Tyler never made the majors, while hard-throwing prep right-hander Riley Pint, taken No. 4 overall in 2016, posted a 22.09 ERA over five MLB appearances.

Pitcher Mike Nikorak from Stroudsgurg High School in Stroudsburg, Pa., points to his name on the board after being selected by the Colorado Rockies with the 27th selection at the 2015 MLB baseball draft Monday, June 8, 2015, in Secaucus, N.J.

“It’s a really long, dark tunnel,” one MLB agent told The Denver Post on condition of anonymity because he needs to maintain a relationship with the club. “It’s an endless tunnel, really, especially with how they have gotten themselves into this situation by failing at their own blueprint that’s previously led to some success — drafting and developing a competitive homegrown club.”

The Rockies have picked in the top 10 of the first round in 10 of the last 13 drafts, including four top-four picks. And in seven of those 10 drafts, they had multiple first-round picks.

Southpaw Ryan Rolison never made it as a starter and fellow 2018 first-rounder Grant Lavigne is now in independent ball. The jury is still out on first baseman Michael Toglia (No. 23 in ’19), outfielder Zac Veen (No. 9 in ’20), catcher Drew Romo (No. 35 in ’20), outfielder Benny Montgomery (No. 8 in ’21) and right-hander Gabriel Hughes (No. 10 in ’22), but the clock is ticking.

“If you have three years in a row (from 2020 to ’22) where you have a top-10 pick, and if you said, ‘Would you do it again with a few years’ hindsight?’ and the answer is ‘No,’ that’s not great,” Baseball America editor-in-chief JJ Cooper said.

Mayo echoed Cooper, with a touch of optimism.

“We may have this conversation three years from now and (2024 first-rounder) Charlie Condon’s an All-Star, (2023 first-rounder) Chase Dollander’s established himself with Hughes in the rotation, (2022 first-round outfielders) Jordan Beck and Sterlin Thompson are regular big-leaguers and Zac Veen and Drew Romo have made it,” Mayo said.

“But I think at this point, you would’ve liked for some of these guys to not be TBDs and to be regulars.”

Slim margin for error

Hunter Goodman, a 2021 fourth-round pick, has been a glimmer of draft success this season with the catcher making the NL All-Star team as a reserve.

Hunter Goodman (15) of the Colorado Rockies talks to Chase Dollander (32) after he walked Jose Altuve (27) of the Houston Astros during the third inning at Coors Field in Denver on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

But before that, the last Rockies draft pick who made a high impact in the majors — for the purposes of this story, defined as a player who accumulated 10.0 career bWAR or made an All-Star team with Colorado — is southpaw Kyle Freeland, the club’s No. 8 overall selection in 2014. And in 2013, Colorado also hit on right-hander Jon Gray and third baseman Ryan McMahon.

But the draft is, ultimately, a crapshoot.

According to a 2023 Baseball America study, the chances a first-round pitcher logs 1,000 strikeouts is 14.3%. For first-round hitters, the chances of 1,000 hits is 22.5%. So even with a slew of misses, the Rockies’ draft impact since 2012 is about on par with most of the division.

The Dodgers have had significantly more draft success than the rest of the NL West. But Colorado is comparable to the Giants, ahead of both the D-backs and Padres (San Diego’s high-profile prospect trades are a major factor), and in-between successful small market franchises in Tampa and Milwaukee.

Rockies Draft Yield Comparison	bWAR produced for drafting club since 2012	High-Impact Players (10.0 Career WAR and/or All-Star with club)
Rockies	55.2	4
Dodgers	104.2	6
Giants	57.2	2
Diamondbacks	44.4	2
Padres	16.5	1
Brewers	67.2	3
Rays	44.9	2

That data suggests the bigger issue for the Rockies is an over-reliance on the draft. The Rockies are the fifth-worst team in baseball when it comes to identifying talent, according to a 2025 Baseball America survey of 24 scouts.

Colorado could supplement its roster by mining the international market and making impact signings through free agency, but neither avenue has been consistently successful. That’s made the margin for error in the draft very slim.

“Where other clubs might have the financial resources where if they miss on something (in the draft), they can go out and spend the money, ideally we’re going to have somebody from within fill (that need) for us,” Rockies GM Bill Schmidt acknowledged.

Issues in analytics, development

The Rockies are also hindered by their lack of investment in analytics.

The Dodgers’ research and development department numbers about 40 employees. That’s more than twice the R&D staffing of the Rockies, who, according to the team’s front office directory, have 18 employees involved in analytics. It remains one of the smallest R&D departments in baseball.

Interim manager Warren Schaeffer, who served as Triple-A Albuquerque’s manager prior to his arrival at the big-league level, acknowledged that analytics’ role in development needs to be a point of emphasis.

“We can always get more forward-thinking,” Schaeffer said. “That’s a conversation for the offseason, with a collaboration between a lot of different people higher up to think about. … If you’re not always looking to get better in certain areas — in every area — I don’t think you’re doing what you need to be doing.”

Colorado built a pitching lab in Scottsdale in 2023 and has had a video/analytics coordinator at every level of the organization in recent years. The Rockies also started using Trajekt Arc, a pitching machine that simulates specific pitchers and pitches.

But a lack of analytical manpower remains a significant hurdle, and turnover in top positions within the department hasn’t helped. In 2022, the Rockies hired Brian Jones — previously the team’s video coordinator — to be the research and development director, despite Jones not having any experience in such a role beforehand.

Those staffing issues are in conjunction with Colorado being behind in overall technology, according to bullpen coach Dustin Garneau.

“In the technology aspect of it, there are areas where we can invest more, as far as Trackman and Hawk-Eye, and stuff like that, to where we can have a better understanding of where our players are at and find ways to improve them,” Garneau said. “So we aren’t using the ‘eye test’ so much. So we (want) to have more technology to track data for defense, offense and pitching.”

The MLB agent who described the club’s future as a “long, dark tunnel” added that the Rockies’ insularity contributes to their inability to keep up with current analytical trends.

“You’re not going to see the Rockies hire people at the tip of the spear in analytics,” the agent said.

Colorado’s scouting department has been led by the same faces for decades. Schmidt has been with the club since 1999, senior director of scouting operations Marc Gustafson came aboard in 1993 and assistant GM of scouting Danny Montgomery was hired in 1991.

“That (continuity) is something to be proud of, but I don’t know if the flip side of that coin is a lack of fresh perspectives that’s hurting the decision-making process and the advancement (into deeper analytics),” Mayo said.

With a shortage of top prospects and a lag in analytics, the Rockies are having to rush some of their best prospects due to the team’s needs at the major league level. The Rockies have debuted nine players in 2025, a year after tying the franchise record with 12 big league debuts.

It’s a similar theme to what contributed to the White Sox’s modern-record 121 losses last season.

“Guys are being allowed to develop in the big leagues and that’s never been done,” ex-White Sox outfielder Tommy Pham told ESPN last year as Chicago closed in on the record.

Judging by performance and the number of demotions back to the minors, the bulk of those Rockies who debuted in ’24 and ’25 weren’t ready — even those like Toglia, who was given a starting job. This season, the first baseman has a minus-0.9 WAR and leads baseball with a 38.2 strikeout percentage.

“If you look at Michael Toglia’s minor-league performance, there was nothing there that said, ‘This is a guy who’s established that he’s ready to be a big-league regular,'” Cooper said. “… That’s the kind of thing where it feels like there’s been a lot of half-measures.”

Pressure on No. 4 pick in ’25

The Rockies’ last two first-round picks, Condon and Dollander, have shown early signs they could be part of the long-term solution. Colorado will get an opportunity to snag another such player when it picks No. 4 overall on Sunday.

Anti-taking measures ensure that Colorado cannot select higher than 10th in the 2026 draft, which makes hitting on that top-four selection all the more important.

This year, there’s a trio of pitchers atop the draft rankings in LSU southpaw Kade Anderson, Florida State southpaw Jamie Arnold and California prep right-hander Seth Hernandez. Oklahoma prep infielder Ethan Halliday, son of ex-Rockies star Matt Halliday, is the draft’s No. 1-ranked player by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America.

“If the Nationals don’t take Halliday at 1, then the Rockies will have the opportunity to take him,” Mayo said.

The two agents who spoke to The Post for this story think that stockpiling pitchers at the top of the draft, as the Rockies have done lately, is the best continued course of action for a team unable to sign prominent starters in free agency.

Schmidt remains steadfast in ignoring the outside noise and speculation about his job status at season’s end — “That’s for other people to decide,” he says — while the Rockies try to take a small step toward getting back on track on Sunday.

And after the draft, identifying and focusing on an organizational area of strength would be a good place to start.

“As an organization, you want to be able to say, ‘We feel like we’re as good as anybody at X (in development),'” Cooper said. “You want to have something your organization is, if not best-in-class, top-tier in. If you ask people in other organizations about the Rockies, it’s hard to say there’s something the Rockies are clearly top-tier in right now.”

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Kafer: From Teal’s communist conspiracy to Weinberg’s “weiner,” some topics to steer clear of this summer

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 21:45:05 +0000

Want to get ahead in politics? Don’t say stupid stuff. Someone tell Douglas County Commissioner George Teal and state Rep. Ron Weinberg, both Republicans.

Also watch what you post. Social media for the Democratic candidate for Congressional District 8, Manny Rutinel, featured a Canadian mountain range in place of the Colorado Rockies.

Fortunately for him, that gaffe will be a little easier to live down than Teal and Weinberg’s unfortunate comments.

Frustrated that his attempt to pass a home rule charter for Douglas County in a special election was going down in flames, Teal accused the opposition of being nefariously funded. “Here’s a nationwide [effort], funded by China, funded by a communist organization that is actually trying to work against the people of Douglas County having a say on local control issues,” Teal told a rightwing radio station audience without providing one lick of evidence.

He doubled down on the bogus conspiracy theory, telling 9NEWS that No Little Kings In Douglas County, a group that opposed Ballot Issue 1A, was the one to which he referred in the radio interview. Turns out the group was created and funded by Highlands Ranch doctor Eiko Browning, an American citizen of Japanese descent with no connection whatsoever to China or its communist party.

Teal had an opportunity to apologize this week at a county commissioners meeting. Multiple Douglas County residents asked him to retract the false information and apologize for impugning a local resident based on her perceived ethnicity. He did not. Fellow Commissioner Abe Laydon then defended Teal as having no ill will toward anyone of any background. He said they had heard there was an active federal investigation into foreign influences in the national No Kings Campaign. He didn’t know if it was true, but since the local campaign had a similar name, his colleague may have drawn a connection.

Just a little free advice guys: if you don’t know whether it’s true, don’t say it. Then weigh the odds of the claim you’re considering. Would a foreign government go to the trouble of financing opposition to a relatively minor change of ordinance in a county in the middle of the U.S.? Douglas County constitutes .02% of the country’s total landmass, but I’ll wager the odds are even less than that. Do your credibility a favor and apologize.

There are, however, worse ways to put your foot in your mouth, which brings me to another bit of free advice. The list of appropriate topics for discussion at a public event is nearly infinite. Nearly. You can discuss former Senator Dick Durbin’s just announced retirement, Senator Ron Johnson’s vote on the Big Beautiful Bill, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi’s European tour, or Anthony Weiner’s current run for New York City Council.

But bring up yours and the moment will come back to haunt you as state Rep. Ron Weinberg, a Loveland Republican, discovered this week, when he had to step down from his run for House minority whip for inappropriate comments made to women while apparently drunk at events. Weinberg says he doesn’t remember making the remarks and has hired an attorney.

Even if he sticks with mocktails from now on, the damage is done.

Krista L. Kafer is a Sunday Denver Post columnist. Follow her on Twitter: @kristakafer.

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German Marquez shines as Rockies pull off gritty 3-2 win vs. the Reds

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 20:49:06 +0000

Victor Vodnik beat his chest, mouthed some choice words, and received a celebratory hug from catcher Hunter Goodman.

Why not? Vodnik had just closed out the Rockies’ grittiest victory of the season.

After giving up a leadoff double, Vodnik struck out TJ Friedl, Matt McLain, intentionally walked the dangerous Elly De La Cruz, and then fanned cleanup hitter Austin Hayes to close out a 3-2 win over the Reds on Friday night at Great American Ball Park.

Colorado fanned 16 times, which is usually a death knell. But its pitchers struck out the Red 13 times, including whiffing Hays four times — each time to end an inning.

The Rockies had multiple heroes, most especially starter German Marquez, and they needed every one of them.

Colorado cobbled together the winning run in the eighth, combining a one-out walk by Hunter Goodman, a single to center by Jordan Beck, and a two-out infield single by Ryan McMahon to load the bases. Goodman scored on a wild pitch by reliever Tony Santillan, who overcooked a slider.

Cincinnati tied the game, 2-2, in the seventh inning off reliever Jake Bird. A leadoff single by Will Benson, a double by Noelvi Marte and an RBI groundout by Friedl knotted the game. Bird was in serious trouble, but he hung tough and struck out Hays for the third out.

Colorado took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on McMahon’s two-run homer off Reds starter Chase Burns. McMahon’s 13th homer came on a first-pitch curveball from the right-hander. McMahon drove the ball 414 feet.

Marquez, in the final months of his contract and considered a prime trade candidate as the July 31 deadline approaches, conjured up visions of his 2021 All-Star season. The right-hander’s fastball was on point early, and his knuckle curve tied the Reds up as the game went on. Marquez pitched six innings, allowing one run on five hits with three walks (one intentional) and eight strikeouts.

Marquez’s only mistake was a curveball low in the zone that Marte, the No. 9 hitter, put a barrel on and drove it to left field for a leadoff homer in the third to give Cincinnati a 1-0 lead.

Marquez escaped trouble in the first by inducing Hayes to ground into an inning-ending double play. But the strikeout was Marquez’s best weapon. He struck out Benson to end the second, struck out Hayes to end the third after De La Cruz hit a two-out triple on a sinking liner that left fielder Brenton Doyle dove for and missed. In the fifth, after issuing walks to Friedl and De La Cruz (again, intentionally), he fanned Hays.

Marquez has a 5.57 ERA, but has a 3.25 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 15 walks over his last 10 starts.

Saturday’s pitching matchup

Rockies RHP Bradley Blaylock (0-2, 12.94 ERA) at Reds RHP Brady Singer (7-7, 4.32)

2:10 p.m. Saturday, Great American Ball Park

TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

Trending: Although Tyler Freeman went hitless Friday night, he walked in the third inning, extending his career-best on-base streak to 24 games, the longest active on-base streak in the majors. Freeman’s streak is Colorado’s longest since Elehuris Montero’s 26-game on-base streak Aug. 14 to Sept. 18, 2023.

Pitching probables

Sunday: Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (0-2, 5.92) at Reds RHP Nick Martinez (6-9, 4.85) 11:40 a.m.

Monday-Thursday: All-Star break

— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post

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John Elway cleared in death investigation of sports agent and friend Jeff Sperbeck, report says

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 20:05:06 +0000

Sports agent Jeff Sperbeck’s death after falling from a golf cart driven by longtime friend and business partner John Elway in a private California golf community in April did not include any criminal activity, according to reporting from 9News.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s previously told The Denver Post that Sperbeck’s death “appears to be a horrific accident,” then he repeated those sentiments on Friday.

“We’ve talked to everyone involved and we found nothing new. There was nothing criminal, it was what we’ve been saying all along, that this was a tragic accident,” he told the station.

Sheriff’s officials plan to make a formal announcement about the investigation in the coming days, 9News reported.

Sperbeck was taken off of life support on April 30, four days after he fell from a golf cart driven by the former Denver Broncos quarterback at The Madison Club.

The sheriff’s office did not begin investigating the incident until days later, following a wave of media attention.

Bianco told 9News he reviewed video of the fall “100 times” and could not find an explanation for why Sperbeck fell. Elway was articulate and responsive in a recording of the initial 911 call and was not slurring his words, the sheriff told 9News.

The Riverside County Coroner’s Office ruled Sperbeck’s death an accident in May.

Bianco could not immediately be reached for comment Friday night.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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John Elway cleared in Jeff Sperbeck death investigation, report says

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 19:52:34 +0000

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s previously told The Denver Post that Sperbeck’s death “appears to be a horrific accident,” then he repeated those sentiments on Friday.

“We’ve talked to everyone involved and we found nothing new. There was nothing criminal, it was what we’ve been saying all along, that this was a tragic accident,” he told the station.

Sheriff’s officials plan to make a formal announcement about the investigation in the coming days, 9News reported.

Sperbeck was taken off of life support on April 30, four days after he fell from a golf cart driven by the former Denver Broncos quarterback at The Madison Club.

The sheriff’s office did not begin investigating the incident until days later, following a wave of media attention.

The Riverside County Coroner’s Office ruled Sperbeck’s death an accident in May.

Bianco could not immediately be reached for comment Friday night.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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Nuggets Journal: With Jonas Valanciunas likely destined for Denver, David Adelman envisions another point center

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 19:33:44 +0000

LAS VEGAS — As the Jonas Valanciunas saga nears its potentially anticlimactic end, Nuggets coach David Adelman is envisioning how he wants to use his new backup big man.

In an appearance on ESPN’s Summer League broadcast, Adelman shared his belief that Valanciunas can operate as a point center for Denver next season, replicating some of Nikola Jokic’s role as a hub for the offense.

The Nuggets expect Valanciunas to honor his NBA contract and play for them next season, league sources have told The Denver Post, despite his strong interest in an offer from the Greek EuroLeague club Panathinaikos that coincided with Denver trading for him. Valanciunas told reporters in his native Lithuania this week that he plans to travel to Denver this summer once the trade is made official.

When they agreed to that trade with Sacramento on July 1, the Nuggets were unaware of the situation brewing in Europe, which jeopardized their backup center arrangement several days after the NBA’s window to negotiate with free agents opened.

But with Dario Saric’s $5.4 million salary being sent out in the trade, Denver had incentive to go through with it even if the Valanciunas acquisition ended up falling apart. That scenario would’ve likely involved him forfeiting his entire $10.4 million salary for next season, an outcome that would have saved the Nuggets some cap space.

But at this stage, all signs point to Valanciunas being in Denver when the 2025-26 NBA season begins. Especially now that Adelman has outlined a role for him.

“Point center. You can play combo guards. You don’t need a lead point guard (in lineups with him),” Adelman said. “You can play five-out offense, play off the elbow, post him up. He’s such a skilled player. … He shoots the ball better than most people realize. So that’s how I envision him. I think you have multiple combination guards. You can get away with that with a guy like that.”

The Nuggets have indeed positioned themselves this offseason with more secondary ball-handlers who aren’t traditional point guards or who double in other roles. Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. both meet that description, in addition to incumbent shooting guards Julian Strawther and Christian Braun.

Valanciunas obviously is not known for having a tight handle at 6-foot-11, but if the Nuggets run dribble handoffs through him on the perimeter or various actions playing off of him at the elbow, they’ll automatically limit the amount of dribbling on those possessions.

As for the Lithuanian big man’s jump shot? It’s a weapon he’s happy to deploy, but Denver shouldn’t want to rely on it too much outside of the midrange. In the last two seasons, Valanciunas is 28.7% from the 3-point line.

Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos seemed to accept defeat Friday in a series of comments made on Instagram, according to a report by Eurohoops: “We want to sign him. He wants to come to us. But if his team doesn’t say yes, what can we do? There are some things that aren’t in our hand.”

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Sure, Kansas City’s Tamar Bates signed 2-way contract with Nuggets. That doesn’t mean he’s a Broncos fan.

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 18:17:04 +0000

LAS VEGAS — Tamar Bates isn’t afraid to stir the pot within Nuggets nation.

He’s not pretending to be someone he’s not. He’s new to Denver, not a lifer. Just because he agreed to a two-way contract with the Nuggets last month doesn’t mean he feels any allegiance to the city’s other sports franchises. Especially the Broncos.

“Yeah, that’s cool. But you’re never going to catch me with a Broncos jersey on,” Bates said when asked about his new surroundings. “I’m in Broncos country, but when the Chiefs come to town, you know what colors I’m gonna have on.”

Bates, 22, is the roster’s third player raised in Kansas City, joining Christian Braun (who is more agnostic toward the AFC West rivalry) and fellow two-wayer Spencer Jones. NBA teams can give out three two-way contracts per season, allowing those three minor-leaguers to appear in regular-season NBA games without counting against the salary cap or 15-man roster. Bates was the first to sign one for Denver this year.

A lefty guard out of Missouri, he went for eight points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals off the bench Thursday in his Summer League debut. As the next week plays out, his productivity will be one of the most important topics to monitor on Denver’s roster. The Nuggets face Minnesota on Saturday (8 p.m. MT) at Cox Pavilion.

“Any little jitters I had, I got them out in that game, and in the second half I settled in a little more, felt a lot more comfortable with the physicality and the pace,” Bates told The Denver Post. “I felt good with what I was able to do. I felt like I made a lot of winning plays. I made a few shots, but I think the thing I’m most proud of is that I didn’t let a missed shot or a turnover affect my communication (and) my intensity.”

Indeed, efficiency was the area he struggled. His 3-for-9 shooting performance notably included only two attempts outside the arc, where the Nuggets should want him to feel comfortable letting it fly more often. In his last season of college, Bates was 39.7% from 3-point range but on limited attempts (3.9 per game). Testing his own ability to find 3s at a higher volume, within the flow of the offense, will be a key developmental step as he strives to be a 3-and-D role player in the NBA.

In the meantime, his leadership has already been identified by Nuggets Summer League coach Andrew Munson. That skill might not apply to Bates next season in Denver, where he’ll be pretty low in the pecking order. But it will be relevant when he’s suiting up for the Nuggets’ G League affiliate team, the Grand Rapids Gold,

“Just in the huddles, he’s always talking,” Munson said. “He’s the loudest guy on the team, in all the right ways.”

Unless you’re a Broncos fan trying to talk football. Bates will gleefully rub it in that Kansas City has dominated the division for most of the last decade — “Everybody had the chance to get Patty, so that’s not my fault,” he said of quarterback Patrick Mahomes — and he has a chip on his shoulder about his hard-earned bragging rights.

“I’m not no fake Chiefs fan,” he said. “… Me, I’ve been with the Chiefs with Matt Cassel, you know what I’m saying? Dwayne Bowe, Jamal Charles, Tamba Hali. I could go on all day.”

Bates’ roots are helping him feel settled a little faster. He’s crossed paths with Braun in AAU basketball, at open pickup runs and at a University of Kansas team camp. His high school team nearly collided with Jones in the Missouri state tournament once. (“They lost when they were supposed to play us,” he said, “but that’s neither here nor there.”) And his alma mater is shared by Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke.

Bates averaged 13.3 points last season while leading Missouri to the NCAA Tournament.

“I rocked with Stan yesterday,” Bates said during Summer League training camp. “… Just glad to have people that have been watching me for some time and kind of know who I am as a basketball player, but also as a person.”

His beloved Chiefs, like the Nuggets, have experienced recent championship success led by an elite passer who wears No. 15 on his jersey. And like the Nuggets, Kansas City will be trying to return to the pinnacle of its sport next season after falling short in 2025. Denver fans would likely resent the comparison. Bates would relish it.

“I’ve been hearing so much chit-chat, especially after this last Super Bowl,” he said. “We couldn’t even get past the 50. We needed that, though. I liked it. Because we’ll be back.”

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Assisted suicide was a blessing for my terminally ill brother (Letters)

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 17:55:45 +0000

The humane choice: Assisted suicide was a blessing for brother

Re: “Disabled people in the state need support, not a prescription to die,” July 6 commentary

I’ve always been a proponent of assisted suicide, but after reading Krista Kafer’s opinion on it, I can’t help but wonder if she’s ever actually had any real-life experience with it.

My 75-year-old brother was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in September of 2024. After many weeks of appointments, MRIs, ultrasounds, scans, etc., his doctors determined that even after daily chemotherapy and radiation, he would only have a couple of months to live. He bravely decided to forego all treatment and take advantage of assisted suicide offered in California.

This decision was not easily made between him and his wife of 43 years. It was heartbreaking. But what was particularly devastating was watching the disease rob him, on a daily basis, of his faculties. In a matter of weeks he was completely paralyzed and bedridden, blind and not able even to feed himself. The assisted suicide law in California is strict. You are seen by more than one doctor, you must have an incurable disease, and you must be able to administer the cocktail of drugs to yourself.

I’m so grateful that this choice was available to him. Watching him robbed of his dignity was hard enough, but knowing that without this option, he could still be lingering in a nursing home in a vegetative state is cruel and inhumane.

If you don’t agree with assisted suicide, don’t do it, but don’t judge others and rob them of this option just because you disagree with it.

Ellen Haverl, Denver

Education opt-out: Rules for me, but not for thee?

Re: “U.S. Supreme Court got it right on parental rights and education,” July 6 commentary

“We want our daughter to grow up knowing that God made her wonderfully and perfectly in His image as a little girl.” Hmmm, sounds like gender dysphoria to me — a girl in His image, that would confuse me!

This family feels their religious liberty is being infringed upon because their daughter is being exposed to a reality that is different from the one presented in their bible. In that context, should my child get an exemption from Christian doctrine being foisted upon them, say, like the Ten Commandments being posted in their classroom? There’s a little hypocrisy here; you don’t want your child exposed to different ways of thinking, yet my child can be confronted with your way of thinking?

I’m sorry that those parents are subjected to harassment, which I don’t condone. However, education is all about learning about the world around you, and it doesn’t always conform to belief systems. Whether conservative Christians like it or not, in the real world there are people who aren’t comfortable fitting into conventional lifestyles. In science, which doesn’t care what you believe, there are few hard and fast definitions. Sexuality and gender, like most everything in life, lie along a spectrum which includes physical variation.

I’d like to see conservative Christians (including those on the Supreme Court) practice what Jesus preached, which is to love and accept your fellow humans for who they are, not what you think they should be. As well, I think he would have had you strive to understand rather than ignore the fact that people see and experience the world differently than you do.

Dan Eberhart, Denver

The very premise of this article is that the daughter is just how God made her. Therefore, her gender is the correct one for her, they maintain. However, they fail to recognize that the rest of her is “how God made her.” That would include her brain and her thoughts and feelings, and the way she decides important things in her life.

Transgender individuals are born the same way that their daughter is born. Given that some people are born “differently,” such as those with physical disabilities, blue eyes, or who are atheists, they are still how God made them.

Transgender people are made by God with thoughts and feelings that are real and tough, questioning their gender identity from within themselves. I understand it’s a tough battle because in the end, if you choose to be who you know you really are (another gender), you will be attacked for this just as the parents attack all transgender people by refusing to learn about them or let their children learn about them. Like others who are gay or shy or blue-eyed, etc., transgender people do not choose to be disliked for being who they really are.

The authors complain about hurtful pushbacks from others; they lack any insight into their own inability to empathize. Transgender people have built-in strong internal signals and struggles from birth about their gender, as God made them! Empathize and accept them, as Jesus would do.

Adoree Blair, Highlands Ranch

I think the Supreme Court got it wrong. The Court, it appears, like Trump and other Republicans, doesn’t like the nationwide injunctions issued against so many of Trump’s executive orders. Yet this ruling was heard and ruled on under the Supreme Court’s emergency “shadow docket,” which they use almost exclusively for Trump’s appeals from his lower court losses.

How fair is that? Trump is using the Supreme Court as his own court. And they’re letting him do it. The only duty of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts is to determine if the case before them meets constitutional muster. And, like the birthright citizenship portion of the Constitution, which is unambiguous, lower courts have a duty to protect people from an unconstitutional law that tries to abridge a right established in the Constitution. Making one protected plaintiff at a time challenge such a law is crazy and unreasonable. Putting the onus on the protected party is not right. Once the challenged law is shown to be in violation of the Constitution, the court has the obligation to rule as such and protect everyone who is affected by such an unconstitutional law.

Thus, a nationwide ban is necessary, especially when the portion of the Constitution protecting people can only be read one way! Making people in the protected class have to file multiple lawsuits is just supporting those who wrote the illegal law in the first place.

J. Linden Hagans, Lakewood

An executive order cannot supersede the Constitution

Re: “Birthright citizenship: A stunning and tragic Supreme Court decision,” July 6 commentary

I’m not a constitutional scholar, but I can read, and according to the Fourteenth Amendment, Section 1 of the Constitution, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

That’s all persons, with no mention of immigration status, ethnic origin, race, or gender. An executive order from the president cannot supersede the Constitution. A constitutional amendment can only be altered or revoked by another constitutional amendment. Amendments can be proposed by Congress or by a Constitutional Convention, adopted by a two-thirds majority of both Houses, and then ratified by the affirmative vote of three-fourths of the states.

The Supreme Court is tasked with the interpretation of these amendments. If the current court removes the right of birthright citizenship, the justices will be betraying the Constitution and creating an avenue for President Trump and any future presidents to interpret the laws however they want. This is not how a constitutional republic is supposed to function.

Cindy Clearman, Arvada

Side with the welfare of the children

First, columnist Krista Kafer got this spot on. Doctors should do no harm. Suicide assistants? Some of these countries are encouraging children to commit suicide?! What have we come to? Protect your children. Pray for them. Teach and encourage them.

And second, thanks be unto God that the Supreme Court got it right on parental rights. Parents are in charge of the education of their children. The government needs to mind the education of children and respect the parents’ rights to opt their children out of social education that they do not agree with.

Dee Walworth, Brighton

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Musk’s latest Grok chatbot searches for billionaire mogul’s views before answering questions

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 17:08:00 +0000

By MATT O’BRIEN

The latest version of Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok is echoing the views of its billionaire creator, so much so that it will sometimes search online for Musk’s stance on an issue before offering up an opinion.

The unusual behavior of Grok 4, the AI model that Musk’s company xAI released late Wednesday, has surprised some experts.

Built using huge amounts of computing power at a Tennessee data center, Grok is Musk’s attempt to outdo rivals such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini in building an AI assistant that shows its reasoning before answering a question.

Musk’s deliberate efforts to mold Grok into a challenger of what he considers the tech industry’s “woke” orthodoxy on race, gender and politics has repeatedly got the chatbot into trouble, most recently when it spouted antisemitic tropes, praised Adolf Hitler and made other hateful commentary to users of Musk’s X social media platform just days before Grok 4’s launch.

But its tendency to consult with Musk’s opinions appears to be a different problem.

“It’s extraordinary,” said Simon Willison, an independent AI researcher who’s been testing the tool. “You can ask it a sort of pointed question that is around controversial topics. And then you can watch it literally do a search on X for what Elon Musk said about this, as part of its research into how it should reply.”

One example widely shared on social media — and which Willison duplicated — asked Grok to comment on the conflict in the Middle East. The prompted question made no mention of Musk, but the chatbot looked for his guidance anyway.

As a so-called reasoning model, much like those made by rivals OpenAI or Anthropic, Grok 4 shows its “thinking” as it goes through the steps of processing a question and coming up with an answer. Part of that thinking this week involved searching X, the former Twitter that’s now merged into xAI, for anything Musk said about Israel, Palestine, Gaza or Hamas.

“Elon Musk’s stance could provide context, given his influence,” the chatbot told Willison, according to a video of the interaction. “Currently looking at his views to see if they guide the answer.”

Musk and his xAI co-founders introduced the new chatbot in a livestreamed event Wednesday night but haven’t published a technical explanation of its workings — known as a system card — that companies in the AI industry typically provide when introducing a new model.

The company also didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment Friday.

“In the past, strange behavior like this was due to system prompt changes,” which is when engineers program specific instructions to guide a chatbot’s response, said Tim Kellogg, principal AI architect at software company Icertis.

“But this one seems baked into the core of Grok and it’s not clear to me how that happens,” Kellogg said. “It seems that Musk’s effort to create a maximally truthful AI has somehow led to it believing its own values must align with Musk’s own values.”

The lack of transparency is troubling for computer scientist Talia Ringer, a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who earlier in the week criticized the company’s handling of the technology’s antisemitic outbursts.

Ringer said the most plausible explanation for Grok’s search for Musk’s guidance is assuming the person is asking for the opinions of xAI or Musk.

“I think people are expecting opinions out of a reasoning model that cannot respond with opinions,” Ringer said. “So, for example, it interprets ‘Who do you support, Israel or Palestine?’ as ‘Who does xAI leadership support?”

Willison also said he finds Grok 4’s capabilities impressive but said people buying software “don’t want surprises like it turning into ‘mechaHitler’ or deciding to search for what Musk thinks about issues.”

“Grok 4 looks like it’s a very strong model. It’s doing great in all of the benchmarks,” Willison said. “But if I’m going to build software on top of it, I need transparency.”

Fallout over Epstein files cascades, roiling relations between AG Pam Bondi and FBI’s Dan Bongino

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 17:04:00 +0000

By ERIC TUCKER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department and FBI are struggling to contain the fallout and appease the demands of far-right conservative personalities and influential members of President Donald Trump’s base after the administration’s decision this week to withhold records from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation.

The move, which included the acknowledgment that one particular sought-after document never existed in the first place, sparked a contentious conversation between Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino at the White House earlier this week — threatening to shatter relations between the two law enforcement leaders. It centered in part on a news story by a conservative outlet that described divisions between the FBI and the Justice Department.

The cascade of disappointment and disbelief arising from the refusal to disclose additional, much-hyped records from the Epstein investigation lays bare the struggles of FBI and Justice Department leaders to resolve the conspiracy theories and amped-up expectations that they themselves had stoked with claims of a cover-up and hidden evidence. Infuriated by the failure of officials to unlock, as promised, the secrets of the so-called “deep state,” Trump supporters on the far right have grown restless and even demanded change at the top.

Tensions that simmered for months boiled over on Monday when the Justice Department and FBI issued a two-page statement saying that they had concluded that Epstein did not possess a “client list,” even though Bondi had intimated in February that such a document was sitting on her desk. The statement also said that they had decided against releasing any additional records from the investigation.

The department did disclose a video meant to prove that Epstein killed himself in jail, but even that raised eyebrows of conspiracy theorists because of a missing minute in the recording.

It was hardly the first time that Trump administration officials have failed to fulfill their pledge to deliver the evidence they expected.

In February, conservative influencers were invited to the White House and provided with binders marked “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” and “Declassified” that contained documents that had largely already been in the public domain.

After the first release fell flat, Bondi said officials were poring over a “truckload” of previously withheld evidence she said had been handed over by the FBI.

But after a months-long review of evidence in the government’s possession, the Justice Department determined in the memo Monday that no “further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted,” the memo says. The department noted that much of the material was placed under seal by a court to protect victims and “only a fraction” of it “would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial.”

The Trump administration had hoped that that statement would be the final word on the saga, with Trump chiding a reporter who asked Bondi about the Epstein case at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

But Bondi and Bongino had a contentious exchange the following day at the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, left, listens as President Donald Trump, right, speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Part of the clash centered on a story from NewsNation, a right-leaning news organization, that cited a “source close to the White House” as saying the FBI would have released the Epstein files months ago if it could have done so on its own. The story included statements from Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel refuting the premise, but not Bongino.

The news publication Axios was first to describe the conversation.

Blanche sought to stem the fallout Friday with a social media post in which he said he had worked closely with Patel and Bongino on the Epstein matter and the joint memo.

“All of us signed off on the contents of the memo and the conclusions stated in the memo. The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo’s composition and release is patently false,” he wrote on X.

Also, Friday, far-right activist Laura Loomer, who is close to Trump, posted on X that she was told that Bongino was “seriously thinking about resigning” and had taken the day off to contemplate his future. Bongino is normally an active presence on social media but has been silent since Wednesday.

The FBI did not respond to a request seeking comment and the White House sought in a statement to minimize any tensions.

“President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable, and delivering justice to victims,” said spokesman Harrison Fields. “This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity. Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all.”

Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.

Woman dies during 100-mile ultramarathon through Colorado mountains

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 16:21:49 +0000

A 60-year-old Michigan woman died Friday morning during a 100-mile ultramarathon through rugged Colorado mountain terrain, San Juan County officials said.

San Juan sheriff’s officials and Silverton Medical Rescue crews were called to the Little Giant Trail near Gold Lake at 9 a.m. when members of the Hardrock 100 safety team started CPR on a participant experiencing an unknown medical issue, Silverton officials said in a news release.

Rescue crews took over resuscitation efforts after hiking into the area, but the woman, identified as Elaine Stypula, was pronounced dead at 10:27 a.m.

Additional information about what happened before event crews started CPR was not immediately available, said San Juan County spokesperson Deanne Gallegos.

Event organizers confirmed a runner had died and offered condolences in a post on the Hardrock 100 website.

“Our hearts are with their family, friends and fellow runners as we grieve this tremendous loss,” event organizers wrote. “We are committed to caring for runners, crews, volunteers and all members of our community through the event’s duration and beyond.”

The Hardrock 100 is a 102.5-mile course through the San Juan mountains, starting in Silverton and looping through Telluride, Ouray and the ghost town of Sherman. Runners traverse 13 mountain passes, including the 14,098-foot summit of Handies Peak, and cover 66,394 feet of elevation change, according to the event’s website.

The average time to finish the course is nearly 40 hours, and runners must travel through steep scree climbs and descents, snow packs, river crossings, boulder fields and trails near sharp dropoffs during the day and at night.

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Woman, 60, dies during 100-mile ultramarathon through Colorado mountains

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 16:15:56 +0000

A 60-year-old Michigan woman died Friday morning during a 100-mile ultramarathon through rugged Colorado mountain terrain, San Juan County officials said.

Rescue crews took over resuscitation efforts after hiking into the area, but the woman, identified as Elaine Stypula, was pronounced dead at 10:27 a.m.

Additional information about what happened before event crews started CPR was not immediately available, said San Juan County spokesperson Deanne Gallegos.

Event organizers confirmed a runner had died and offered condolences in a post on the Hardrock 100 website.

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Wildfires force evacuations at Grand Canyon and Black Canyon of the Gunnison parks

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 15:52:00 +0000

JACOB LAKE, Ariz. (AP) — Visitors and staff at two national parks in the U.S. West have been evacuated because of wildfires.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, about 260 miles southwest of Denver, closed Thursday morning after lightning sparked blazes on both rims, the park said. The wildfire on the South Rim has burned 2.5 square miles , with no containment of the perimeter. The park is closed until further notice.

The conditions there have been ripe for wildfire with hot temperatures, low humidity, gusty winds and dry vegetation, the park said, adding that weather remained a concern Friday.

Firefighters saved the visitor center along the South Rim by removing dry vegetation and coating the building in a layer of protective material, fire officials said. Small aircrafts from Colorado’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control dropped retardant from the sky Friday while ground crews tried to contain the burn.

The Grand Canyon’s North Rim in Arizona also closed Thursday because of a wildfire on adjacent Bureau of Land Management land near Jacob Lake. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said it helped evacuate people from an area north of Jacob Lake and campers in the Kaibab National Forest nearby.

This photo provided by Melinda Rich shows smoke from a wildfire behind the Jacob Lake Inn in Jacob Lake, Ariz., on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Melinda Rich via AP)

The fire began Wednesday evening after a thunderstorm moved through the area, fire officials said. It has burned about 1.5 square miles with zero containment.

About 500 visitors who planned to stay in the park overnight were evacuated Thursday night, Grand Canyon spokesperson Joelle Baird said. Employees and residents on the North Rim were told to shelter in place.

Time to buy? Denver housing market hits highest inventory in 14 years

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 14:42:38 +0000

With inventory at its highest level since 2011, the Denver metro real estate market is experiencing a significant shift.

Despite the increased availability, prices remain stable, and closed sales dropped, according to the June report from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors.

“At the beginning of the year, two questions were on everyone’s mind: When would interest rates drop, and how high would inventory rise? Now at the mid-year mark, rates remain frustratingly high for borrowers and active inventory in the Denver Metro has surpassed the 14,000-mark—its highest level since 2011,” said DMAR market trends committee member Michelle Schwinghammer with West + Main.

Active listings last month totaled 14,007, up 3% from May’s 13,599 and 37% from the same month the previous year, when they stood at 10,214. Historically, active listings increase by an average of 12% from May to June.

The average number of active listings from June 1985 to 2024 is 15,125. The record high was 31,900 listings in June 2006, and the record low was 3,122 in 2021.

Despite the inventory increase, closed sales of 3,864 in June were down 10% from May’s 4,274 and 2% from June 2024’s 3,929.

June’s median home sale price of $610,200 is up 2% from last month and 2% from the same period last year when the median price was $600,000.

Days on market continue to increase, up 12% to 37 in June from 33 in May and up 32% from 28 days last year.

Market analysis

“We do not have a bad market; it’s a different market,” said Amanda Snitker, chair of the DMAR Market Trends Committee.

“In this new environment, those who stay grounded, informed, and responsive will be the ones who succeed. In 2025, we are all navigating the market we have, not the one we expected. Real-time awareness is the most valuable asset buyers and sellers have.”

Sellers can’t afford to price homes based on last year’s peak values or early 2025 expectations, Snitker said, because buyers are cost-conscious and quick to dismiss unprepared or overpriced listings.

However, buyers who wait for the “perfect” interest rate or timing can also lose money, as desirable homes still sell quickly, she said.

A mid-year review

Steve Danyliw, past chair of the DMAR market trends committee, analyzed the first six months of the year, examining migration trends, mortgage rates, sales expectations, prices, inventory, and market outlook.

Here’s what he determined:

Colorado migration trends: More people are leaving Colorado than moving in, with a net outbound migration of nearly 11 for every 10 arrivals, driven by affordability, job changes, and lifestyle shifts.

Mortgage rates: Initially forecasted rates between 6.25% and 7% were briefly exceeded, but recent trends suggest a softening, with a current forecast of 6.4-6.8% by year-end.

Sales expectations: Detached home sales are expected to decline by 2% or experience a modest 1% increase, while attached sales are projected to decrease between 7% and 10%. There’s potential for increased buyer activity if mortgage rates drop further.

Home prices: Denver’s median home prices increased by 1.5%, aligning with a forecasted growth range of 0-3%. Price appreciation is expected to remain steady and modest.

Inventory: The surprising 14.5% increase in new listings year-over-year can be attributed to lifestyle changes and job transitions, despite many homeowners having locked in lower mortgage rates.

Market outlook: The second half of 2025 may be more favorable, with expected rate declines and balanced price levels, though affordability will continue to pose challenges for buyers.

The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post’s preparation.

Former Aurora officer groomed, exploited high school student, lawsuit says

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 14:36:25 +0000

A former Aurora Police Department officer who pleaded guilty to misconduct for exchanging inappropriate messages with a high school student is now facing a civil lawsuit in the case.

Egide “DJ” Ndagije, 27, resigned from the department in lieu of termination in 2023 after an internal investigation found he took photos of and sent inappropriate texts to a then-16-year-old girl he met while working as a school resource officer at Aurora Central High School.

Ndagije was charged with three counts of official misconduct, all misdemeanors, in Arapahoe County District Court and pleaded guilty to one count in January as part of a plea agreement. He was sentenced to probation, court records show.

Ndagije was also stripped of his state police certification during the investigation and can no longer work as a police officer in Colorado.

The lawsuit, filed Monday, names Ndagije and the Aurora Police Department and accuses the former officer of grooming and sexually exploiting the girl.

Attorneys for the teen also say the Aurora Police Department violated Colorado peace officer standards by making Ndagije a school resource officer without the required three years of patrol experience and “failed to properly vet, train and supervise Officer Ndagije.”

Ndagije and his attorney could not be reached for comment. Aurora Police Department spokesperson Joe Moylan said the city has not been served with the lawsuit and does not typically comment on pending litigation.

The complaint details a series of text exchanges between Ndagije and the teen, who he gave his personal phone number after she moved to Fort Collins.

The girl texted Ndagije for advice because her ex-boyfriend was harassing her, and he told her legal steps she could take before he started asking her about her sex life, according to the lawsuit.

Ndagije later told her not to tell police or her friends about their communication and urged her to delete their messages so her mother wouldn’t find them.

The girl became increasingly uncomfortable with the messages and eventually showed them to her mom, who reported them to Aurora police.

An Aurora Police Department internal investigation later found Ndagije took photos of her “backside” without her knowledge or consent and shared it with others, according to the lawsuit.

Attorneys for the student say Ndagije deprived her of rights guaranteed under Colorado law and committed sexual misconduct and negligence. The Aurora Police Department is also named in the claim of sexual misconduct against minors.

“Former Officer Ndagije and the Aurora Police Department must be held accountable for their shameful conduct and the tremendous psychological harm they caused to the victim, a teenager and a high school student, who was supposed to be protected – not victimized and preyed upon by the very people sworn to protect her,” the teen’s attorney, Matthew A. Haltzman, said in a statement to The Denver Post.

The case is set for a review hearing in September.

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Nuggets’ DaRon Holmes II returns from torn Achilles at scene of the crime after resilient year: ‘This is Round 2’

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 14:27:13 +0000

LAS VEGAS — Red Velvet entered DaRon Holmes II’s life at the perfect time, or so he thought.

She was a goldendoodle puppy, her fur a shade of auburn that reminded Holmes of his mother’s baking. A culinary arts teacher by day, Tomika Holmes also sculpts and sells extravagant cakes as a side hustle. DaRon grew up on her red velvet.

He hasn’t exactly inherited her talent for gastronomy — “he’s a good DoorDasher,” his dad wisecracked — but Holmes figured if he couldn’t recreate the cake on his own, at least he could name his new therapy dog after it.

Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II stands on the court during an NCAA college basketball game against Davidson, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)

“Honestly, it didn’t help,” he said. “But you know, I love that dog. She’s a lot to deal with. I have to deal with her every day. She is a lot. It’s hard raising them. It’s like raising a kid. I think, ‘Why did I get a dog?’ But I’m very grateful for that dog, and I love her to death.”

Fortunately, Red Velvet is more fully grown now. She was a small pup when Holmes adopted her last year, seeking ways to navigate an unprecedented physical and mental obstacle. While Red Velvet grew, his basketball career was frustratingly on hold.

Holmes’ NBA Summer League debut encountered a cruel denouement on July 12, 2024, when he tore his right Achilles tendon late in the fourth quarter of a promising performance. His rookie season ended in an instant, two weeks after the Nuggets traded three second-round picks to draft him 22nd overall.

This weekend marked the reintroduction of Holmes, the first step toward a proper rookie year. He played his first game since the injury on Thursday at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Cox Pavilion — the same intimate, balmy auxiliary gym where concerned teammates and coaches once crowded around him. With 15 points, he made a triumphant return to the scene of the crime.

Holmes’ mindset while rehabbing from perhaps the most feared injury in professional basketball was always similar to that of his goldendoodle: upbeat and unshaken.

“I was met by a sense of determination and optimism on his part,” said Holmes’ business manager Mitch Brown, who’s been watching him play basketball since he was a child. “It really struck me that his mentality as a 22-year-old kid was so strong, dealing with something like this.”

The night it happened was all the more gut-wrenching for its unfamiliarity. Raised in Phoenix, refined over three years at Dayton University, Holmes had never sustained a major health setback. He fractured a bone once in high school, but it didn’t keep him away from basketball for long.

Family traveled to Las Vegas in droves for his 2024 Summer League opener. About 15 relatives were in attendance at Cox Pavilion, plus Holmes’ high school coaches, his agents and an assortment of family friends.

DaRon Holmes Sr. assumed his son had twisted an ankle when he went down. “We expected him to pop back up and kind of limp and get his feet under him,” he said. “But when we saw the way he was walking and not really able to flex that foot, we got more concerned.”

Team doctors tended to Holmes under the bleachers in a corner of the gym as Denver’s game resumed. It ended only a few minutes later. But in the meantime, relatives could only guess the severity of the injury by observing the facial expressions of Nuggets personnel. Holmes Sr. saw Calvin Booth, the teams’ general manager at the time, emerge from the medical area and walk straight out of the gym, visibly upset.

That’s when he knew, even before the text arrived from DaRon’s agent confirming the suspected diagnosis.

Tomika Holmes, center, mother of Denver Nuggets 2024 first-round draft pick DaRon Holmes II, looks on with her husband, DaRon, Sr., right, and son Quintyn, during an introductory NBA basketball news conference Monday, July 1, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

“It just felt like I swallowed my heart,” Holmes Sr. said. “Like my heart just fell into my stomach.”

Brown was ironically one of the few family members not in the building. In addition to working with Holmes on NIL deals at Dayton, Brown is Tomika Holmes’ cousin. He was still at his home in Charlotte that night, watching on television with plans to fly out to Vegas for the next few games.

“I was beating myself up,” he said.

Yet Holmes has testified throughout the last year that he wasn’t discouraged. He tried to take the news in stride. He returned to Denver and underwent surgery. When his mom visited a couple of weeks later, she encountered her son in an almost recklessly optimistic state.

“He had a (medical) scooter, and one time he was scooting so fast he fell off the thing, because he was just so ready to get back out there,” Tomika Holmes said. “He’s scooting around downtown Denver, and then trying to take (care of) the goldendoodle puppy. He was like, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine, I’ve got this.’ That’s kind of his whole spirit.”

Holmes admits partial defeat in hindsight, though: “I was thinking (Red Velvet) would help me with smiling throughout the day. But I was helping her a lot more than she was helping me.”

Still, as months passed, he continued to progress with a cheerful mindset that even he finds difficult to explain. Brown believes it could be that Achilles tears are becoming so common among NBA players that they’re increasingly recognizing it as a fact of life, rather than a devastating blow to their careers.

Tomika Holmes thinks it could be that Red Velvet did help, despite the inconveniences.

“When you’re going through rehab, and you see other people, your team out there playing and everything, it’s nice to come home to someone who loves you unconditionally,” she said.

Maybe it also helped to have family visiting Ball Arena throughout the year and supporting Holmes as if he were playing. Tomika Holmes would look for him at the end of the bench and send photos of him in a family group chat: “We spotted him! He’s there!”

Holmes’ dad thinks it could be that past disappointments trained him to persist through adversity. DaRon was a manager, not a player, on a team in middle school once. He got cut from multiple AAU rosters.

“I didn’t even really know if I was gonna play basketball,” Holmes said. “I was gonna play overseas. But now I’m here. It’s been a long process. So I just try to stay positive. You never know where you’ll end up.”

Then there was the stealthy silver lining that lingered around Holmes’ entire recovery process, lending a reason to feel oddly grateful.

“That same injury could have happened a month earlier. Two weeks earlier,” Holmes Sr. said. “What would have happened if it had happened before the draft?”

The rehab timeline went smoothly. It started with ankle mobility work, then mild calf exercises and a boot. Then Holmes was out of the boot. By December, he was running again and going through pregame shooting workouts. He tried to get up 200 or more 3-pointers daily, unless trainers told him he needed to rest.

Back in July 2024, his surgeon had told him that he could feasibly be back in playing shape the following March.

That was never the goal, though. Holmes understood that he would be out the entire season, including the playoffs.

“Everything was about being ready to come back and play at this time,” Holmes Sr. said.

Summer League, again.

Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II (15) dribbles the ball against St. Bonaventure center Noel Brown (20) during an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)

“This is round 2,” Brown said. “A restart at the place where this went left last year. I think it’s meaningful.”

Brown flew into Las Vegas the day before Denver’s first game this time, not wanting to leave anything up to chance — to the whims of airline schedules or summer storm patterns between North Carolina and Nevada. “DaRon’s probably not,” he said, “but I’m a little superstitious.”

Holmes’ parents and agents were back in the building as well, beaming at the sight of him simply running the floor, launching 3s, even making situational mistakes. He did all of it with the enthusiasm of a goldendoodle.

Red Velvet resides in Arizona with DaRon Sr. and Tomika at the moment. Holmes drove to Phoenix with the dog after the Nuggets’ 2024-25 season ended, and she has stayed there since. Whether she stays or returns to Denver could become a dispute. Holmes thinks he’s getting her back soon, but his mom has other ideas.

“I’ve grown quite attached to her,” Tomika Holmes said, “so I don’t know what’s going to happen with the dog.”

After all, Holmes has a rookie season to play.

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Boulder paramedic charged with manslaughter after sedating, restraining man

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 14:24:54 +0000

A paramedic has been charged with manslaughter in Boulder after he sedated and restrained a man who later died, the district attorney announced Friday.

Paramedic Edward McClure, 54, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and forgery in the 2024 death of 36-year-old Jesus Lopez Barcenas, according to the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office.

Barcenas was arrested by police officers from the Boulder and University of Colorado police departments on Dec. 27, 2024, after making nonsensical statements and allegedly attempting to destroy property at CU’s Center for Innovation and Creativity, 1777 Exposition Drive.

He was “uncooperative” during the arrest and “fought with officers,” according to a statement from CU Boulder’s police department.

When American Medical Response paramedics arrived, McClure injected Barcenas with a sedative “before doing a proper medical assessment” and then restrained Barcenas in a prone position, according to a news release from the district attorney’s office.

On the way to Boulder Community Health, Barcenas “experienced a medical emergency” and was admitted to the hospital when he arrived, CU Boulder said in the statement.

Barcenas died two days later. His death was caused by “complications of sudden cardiac arrest following a physical altercation which included prone positioning and the use of restraints and sedative, and that the toxic effects of methamphetamine contributed to his death,” the district attorney’s news release states.

Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in the news release that he found the police officers’ use of force to be within the law during Barcenas’ arrest, but that McClure’s “reckless acts” led to the man’s death.

Additional information was not immediately available.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Mountain View fire in Chaffee County that destroyed 2 homes fully contained

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 13:51:32 +0000

Two homes were lost, a national park is closed and evacuation notices remain in place as fire officials continued attacking several wildfires burning along Colorado’s Western Slope on Friday.

Sowbelly fire

A wildfire that sparked in Mesa County on Thursday amid soaring temperatures, tinder-dry conditions and gusty winds has burned into Delta and Montrose counties, prompting pre-evacuation notices for people living and camping in Escalante Canyon.

The Sowbelly fire is burning on an estimated 2,194 acres after “very active fire growth” on Thursday afternoon, according to Delta County officials and the Bureau of Land Management’s fire dashboard. The fire, which was initially called the Boyce fire, is burning along Tatum Ridge, southwest of the town of Delta and U.S. 50.

“Due to the narrow canyon and limited evacuation routes, the sheriff’s office is recommending any existing campers leave the canyon area for campsites closer to the highway and no new camping occur in the canyon due to the wildfire,” the Delta County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on Facebook.

People should avoid Escalante Canyon because of the rapidly growing fire.

Mountain View fire

After destroying two homes and burning at least 60 acres in Chaffee County northwest of Buena Vista, the Mountain View fire is 100% contained as of Friday afternoon, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office said that containment means the fire is likely to stay within boundaries, but there is still a probability of something like weather creating conditions where the fire could escape.

“We do not completely have the fire under control yet,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook. “Unfortunately, this means we will be unable to let residents back in their homes tonight. We are sorry but we need to be extra safe. We will try hard for tomorrow.”

The sheriff’s office said if residents live in the evacuation area and have not spoken to an investigator, their home is safe at this time.

There were no known injuries at this time, officials said. Fifty homes were in the evacuation zone surrounding the fire, according to the Chaffee County Facebook page.

All evacuees are asked to report to the Buena Vista Sheriff’s Office. Evacuees with small animals can take them to the Ark Valley Humane Society, while large animals can be taken to the Buena Vista Rodeo Grounds, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office declared Friday a no-burn day for all of unincorporated Chaffee County “due to limited firefighting resources as they will be busy still fighting the Mountain View Fire north of Buena Vista.” No burning outdoors is allowed, including smoking, the agency said.

Officials said they did not believe the fire had entered public lands as of Thursday evening.

South Rim fire

About 140 miles west, wildfires burning at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park grew to 1,640 acres overnight, according to the fire tracking website Inciweb. The fire was deemed the South Rim Fire. A nearby fire at the park’s North rim is still burning, National Parks Service spokesperson Lauren Huckle said, but it’s not requiring as many resources.

The South Rim Fire is at 0% containment, Huckle said.

“High temperatures, very low humidity, gusty winds, and very dry vegetation across the region have led to extreme fire danger at Black Canyon,” read information from the National Park Service.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park closed Thursday as fire officials fought the flames, which officials said were caused by lightning. Visitors and staff were evacuated from the park. The fire is burning in pinyon pine and juniper, mixed with sage and grass.

“Residents near the national park should remain vigilant and be prepared to evacuate should conditions change,” according to the Inciweb webpage. “If there is danger, do not wait for an official evacuation, leave the area immediately.”

Air quality concerns

Because of the fires, moderate to heavy smoke is expected to linger in southwest Colorado, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The department issued an air quality health advisory in effect until 9 a.m. Saturday.

Impacted counties for the air quality advisory include: Saguache, San Juan, Hinsdale, Mineral, Archuleta, southern Mesa, Delta, Gunnison, Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel, Dolores, Montezuma, La Plata, Rio Grande and Conejos Counties.

“If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your neighborhood, you may want to remain indoors,” the advisory said. “This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young, and older adults. Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present. Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is making you ill. If visibility is less than 5 miles in smoke in your neighborhood, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy.”

This is a developing story that will be updated.

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Man who stabbed Adams County Family Dollar Store manager to death convicted of first-degree murder

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 13:39:31 +0000

A man who stabbed the manager of an Adams County Family Dollar Store to death over an argument at the shop has been convicted of first-degree murder nearly a decade after the crime, according to a news release from the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Anthony Dennis Grayson, 51, was convicted of first-degree murder by an Adams County jury after a four-day trial. Grayson faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, the news release said.

The case faced delays because of issues around the defendant’s competency, the news release said, but Grayson was found competent and chose to represent himself at trial.

In September 2016, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office responded to a stabbing at the Family Dollar Store, 7067 Pecos St. Surveillance video and witnesses revealed that Grayson confronted manager Alejandro Alvear inside the store, the news release said. After an exchange, Grayson pulled a knife and stabbed Alvear several times. Alvear was taken to Denver Health Medical Center, but he did not survive.

Witnesses said Grayson demanded money back from Alvear and threatened to stab him if he refused, the news release said. The incident was caught on a security camera. Grayson was taken into custody at the scene and later charged.

“This was a senseless act of violence in a public setting that cost a man his life,” said District Attorney Brian Mason. “Thanks to the excellent work of law enforcement, eyewitnesses, and our prosecution team, we were able to secure justice for Mr. Alvear and his family.”

Grayson’s sentencing is scheduled for July 29.

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Mountain View in Chaffee County that destroyed 2 homes fully contained

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 13:29:33 +0000

Two homes were lost, a national park is closed and evacuation notices remain in place as fire officials continued attacking several wildfires burning along Colorado’s Western Slope on Friday.

Sowbelly fire

People should avoid Escalante Canyon because of the rapidly growing fire.

Mountain View fire

The sheriff’s office said if residents live in the evacuation area and have not spoken to an investigator, their home is safe at this time.

There were no known injuries at this time, officials said. Fifty homes were in the evacuation zone surrounding the fire, according to the Chaffee County Facebook page.

Officials said they did not believe the fire had entered public lands as of Thursday evening.

South Rim fire

The South Rim Fire is at 0% containment, Huckle said.

“High temperatures, very low humidity, gusty winds, and very dry vegetation across the region have led to extreme fire danger at Black Canyon,” read information from the National Park Service.

Air quality concerns

This is a developing story that will be updated.

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Former Camp Mystic participants, mother-daughter duo, making cookies for Texas flood relief

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 12:58:34 +0000

By Katie Parkins, Denver7

Coloradan Hillary Conway is a former camper and counselor at Camp Mystic, the epicenter of the deadly Texas flooding last week. The total death toll currently stands at 120, and 173 people remain missing. Among the missing are five children and one counselor from Camp Mystic.

Hillary described to Denver7 the moment she heard the news about what was happening.

“I got a phone call at 5:30 in the morning from my best friend in Amarillo whose daughters were at second term,” Hillary said.

Hillary’s daughter, Alice Rose, was in the first session of Camp Mystic and got back to Colorado just a week before the flooding hit. Hillary and Alice Rose even took a picture with one of the camp’s executive directors and owners Dick Eastland before he died in the natural disaster. Dick and his wife Tweety were the third generation to manage Camp Mystic, which has been in the family since 1939, according to the camp’s website.

Read more at Denver7.com.

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Denver fires public safety official who oversaw police discipline; she claims retaliation

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 12:34:03 +0000

A top official in Denver’s Department of Public Safety who oversaw police discipline was fired last month and claims the termination was retaliation after she lodged a gender-discrimination complaint against the city.

Mary Dulacki, the department’s chief compliance officer, was fired June 5 after city officials said she was dishonest during an investigation into workplace misconduct that allegedly ranged from gossiping to mismanaging subordinates to speaking with a TV news reporter.

Dulacki, who has been a city employee for 17 years, has claimed the firing was retaliation after she filed a gender-discrimination complaint with the Colorado Division of Civil Rights a year ago, according to a city letter of discipline.

Executive Director of Public Safety Armando Saldate denied in the nine-page letter that he fired Dulacki in retaliation.

“To the contrary, we received a complaint from one of the employees you directly supervised at the time alleging various perceived inappropriate actions on your part that we were obligated to investigate,” he wrote. “We hired a neutral outside investigator to investigate the allegations and make factual findings that we have relied upon in deciding to initiate the disciplinary process and to impose discipline.”

Dulacki and her attorney did not return requests for comment this week.

The misconduct investigation found that Dulacki spoke with CBS Colorado reporter Brian Maass after a Denver police officer was run over by a city fire truck during the Nuggets’ NBA championship celebration parade in June 2023. Maass obtained a copy of a draft Denver Fire Department after-action report about the incident and published a story about the document in March 2024.

Maass filed an open records request for the report in February 2024, but a city records custodian told him it didn’t exist, which Saldate said “was appropriate in that only a draft report existed that had never been approved.”

Dulacki then told the records custodian that the custodian should assume Maass already had a copy of the report, according to the letter.

“You disclosed that you were having conversations with Mr. Maass on the side and advised her to assume Mr. Maass already had a copy of the draft after-action report. You then asked not to tell anyone that you were speaking with Mr. Maass on the side,” the disciplinary letter states.

When asked about the conversations during the subsequent misconduct investigation, Dulacki said she didn’t recall talking with the reporter or asking the custodian not to tell anyone about the conversations, the disciplinary letter states. Saldate found her statements were not credible.

Dulacki was also investigated over concerns that she mismanaged her subordinates, including by unfairly distributing work, failing to advocate for an employee’s advancement and failing to communicate with that employee clearly. Additionally, the letter states that Dulacki gossiped about a subordinate having an affair.

She denied gossiping during the misconduct investigation, which Saldate again considered to be dishonest.

He noted that Dulacki was in charge of making final disciplinary decisions for Denver police officers and firefighters, and that those first responders can be fired for dishonesty.

“It would be irresponsible for me to retain you in your role when it is your responsibility to decide whether to dismiss officers who are deceptive in their internal affairs interviews, and when your credibility is critical to your ability to testify effectively in all disciplinary appeal hearings,” Saldate wrote. “In addition, I can no longer employ someone at your level whose honesty and judgment I no longer to (sic) trust.”

It was not immediately clear Friday whether or how Dulacki’s gender-discrimination complaint was resolved. Katie O’Donnell, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Civil Rights Division, said she could not comment on the status, outcome or existence of complaints filed with the division.

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Recipe: This is the best way to make a Wedge Salad

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 10:42:39 +0000

In my opinion, a wedge salad should have a boatload of tasty garnishes. The cold, crisp, knife-cut Iceberg lettuce needs plenty of delicious blue cheese dressing, and the toppings should include some kind of onion, thick-cut crunchy bacon, and tomatoes. I’ve been known to throw in some sliced pickled beets and a few thin slivers of salami on the side of the plate.

The wedge salad recipe in Cook’s Illustrated magazine offers a dandy take on the onion element. Instead of sliced red onion, it suggests thinly sliced pickled shallots, a sweet-sour element that is quick to prepare and scrumptious. Their formula also includes a last-minute scattering of snipped fresh chives.

I’ve noticed that guests appreciate a place setting that includes steak knives. The sharp blades make cutting Iceberg lettuce much easier.

Wedge Salad

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

Pickled Shallots:

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 shallots, thinly sliced

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Dressing:

2 ounces blue cheese (1/2 cup), crumbled

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

Salad:

6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide pieces

1 head Iceberg lettuce (1 1/4 pounds), stem trimmed, chilled, see cook’s notes

1 plum tomato, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces, or 12 cherry tomatoes cut in half

4 ounces (1 cup) blue cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons fresh chives, cut into 1/2-inch lengths

Cook’s notes: The lettuce’s core should stay intact to hold the leaves together in a tight stack.

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare pickled shallots: Combine vinegar and sugar in a small microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup with a handle. Microwave until sugar is dissolved and vinegar is steaming, 30 to 60 seconds. Add shallots and stir to combine. Cover and cool completely for about 30 minutes. They can be refrigerated airtight for up to one week. Drain before using the shallots on the salad.

2. Prepare the dressing: While the shallots are pickling, mash the blue cheese in a medium bowl with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, juice, vinegar, and hot sauce; stir to combine. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

3. Prepare the bacon: Cook bacon in a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is a deep, golden brown, adjusting heat to keep bacon from browning too quickly. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

4. Halve lettuce through core and cut each half into 2 wedges, leaving core intact. Arrange lettuce wedges, rounded side down, on rimmed plates or shallow bowls. Drizzle about 3 tablespoons dressing across the top of each wedge, using a spoon to help it cascade down the sides. Divide tomato(es), 1 cup crumbled blue cheese, and bacon among wedges. Garnish with drained pickled shallots and chives. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Pass remaining dressing separately.

Source: Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated magazine

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.

Aurora man told police he shot, killed his wife to spare her from homelessness

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 10:02:13 +0000

A 60-year-old Aurora man told police he shot and killed his wife to spare her from homelessness after losing his job and running out of money, according to arrest documents.

Phil Atchue dialed 911 on Sunday evening to inform police he shot his wife the previous morning, the arrest affidavit read. He told police he would wait for them on a bus bench near his apartment at 927 S. Ivory Circle and that he was not armed.

When Aurora police arrived at the apartment, they found his wife, 61-year-old Kay Page, lying in bed, bleeding from her head. Police saw a handgun on the kitchen table. Page was pronounced dead that evening, police said.

When police found Atchue, he agreed to talk to officers without an attorney present, police said.

The 60-year-old man told Aurora police he had been fired from his job at American Sign & Barricade Company in May. He said he didn’t tell his wife about his firing, continuing to get up and leave the house at the same time.

Atchue said Page worked at Lowe’s but that the couple — who had been together for 20 years — could not survive on one income.

Atchue could not bear the thought of Page living on the streets, he said, so he planned a murder-suicide, the arrest affidavit said.

Atchue told police he stopped paying the bills and waited until they ran out of money. The morning of July 5, Atchue said he shot his wife in the head twice after writing a bad check the day prior, the arrest affidavit said.

He had planned on killing himself afterward but could not bring himself to do it, the affidavit said.

Atchue told police he rarely fought with Page and that the couple got along well.

The man told police his motive was solely financial to spare Page from homelessness.

When an Aurora detective asked Atchue if there was a reason his first and only idea to solve his financial problems was to kill his wife, Atchue said “Nope,” and then laughed, the affidavit said.

“They had no money to stay, and they had no money to move, so Phil saw no other way out of the situation,” the arrest document read.

Atchue told police he suffered from depression and was suicidal. When he bought his gun five years ago, Page told him she thought he was going to kill himself, the affidavit read.

Atchue told police Page told him not to kill himself, but that if he did, don’t take her with him, the affidavit read.

The arrest affidavit said the crime scene was consistent with Atchue’s testimony of what happened.

Atchue was arrested on charges of first-degree murder. Atchue remains in jail with no bond. His next court appearance is on Monday.

In a similar case, Englewood octogenarian Reginald Maclaren was convicted of murder in 2024 for the slaying of his wife and daughter.

Investigators accused Maclaren of killing Bethany and Ruth Jennifer with an ax, dismembering one of their bodies and putting them both in large trash cans in the living room of their home before calling police to report someone he knew had murdered them with a hammer.

Maclaren later told investigators he lost his job working with homeless people and was worried his wife and daughter would become homeless if he could not afford rent.

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Trump plans to hike tariffs on Canadian goods to 35%

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 08:36:00 +0000

By JOSH BOAK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said in a letter that he will raise taxes on many imported goods from Canada to 35%, deepening a rift between two North American countries that have suffered a debilitating blow to their decades-old alliance.

The Thursday letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is an aggressive increase to the top 25% tariff rates that Trump first imposed in March after months of threats. Trump’s tariffs were allegedly in an effort to get Canada to crack down on fentanyl smuggling despite the relatively modest trafficking in the drug from that country. Trump has also expressed frustration with a trade deficit with Canada that largely reflects oil purchases by America.

“I must mention that the flow of Fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada, which has many Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers,” Trump wrote in the letter.

The higher rates would go into effect Aug. 1, creating a tense series of weeks ahead for the global economy as recent gains in the S&P 500 stock index suggest many investors think Trump will ultimately back down on the increases. But stock market futures were down early Friday in a sign that Trump’s wave of tariff letters may be starting to generate concern among investors.

In a social media post, Carney said Canada would continue to work toward a new trade framework with the U.S. and has made “vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl.”

“Through the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and business,” Carney said.

While multiple countries have received tariff letters this week, Canada — America’s second largest trading partner after Mexico — has become something of a foil to Trump. It has imposed retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods and pushed back on the president’s taunts of making Canada the 51st state. Mexico has also faced 25% tariffs because of fentanyl, yet it has not faced the same public pressure from the Republican U.S. president.

Carney was elected prime minister in April on the argument that Canadians should keep their “elbows up.” He has responded by distancing Canada from its intertwined relationship with the U.S., seeking to strengthen its links with the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Hours before Trump’s letter, Carney posted on X a picture of himself with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying, “In the face of global trade challenges, the world is turning to reliable economic partners like Canada.” Implied in his statement was that the U.S. has become unreliable because of Trump’s haphazard tariff regime, which has gone through aggressive threats and reversals.

When Carney went to the White House in May, the public portion of their meeting was cordial. But Trump said there was nothing the Canadian leader could tell him to remove the tariffs, saying, “Just the way it is.”

Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said Trump’s latest move will make it more difficult for Canada and the U.S. to reach a trade deal, Beland said.

“It doesn’t mean a new trade deal between Canada and the United States is impossible, but it shows how hard it is for the Canadian government to negotiate with a U.S. president who regularly utters threats and doesn’t appear to be a reliable and truthful interlocutor,” he said.

Trump has sent a series of tariff letters to 23 countries. Those form letters became increasingly personal with Canada as well as a Wednesday note that put a 50% tariff on Brazil for the ongoing trial of its former President Jair Bolsonaro for trying to stay in office after his 2022 election loss. Trump was similarly indicted for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump administration officials have said that Trump was seeking to isolate its geopolitical rival China with the tariffs, but the latest tariffs have undermined that message. Brazil’s largest trading partner is China, not the U.S., and Chinese government officials have framed his import taxes as a form of bullying.

“Sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs are important principles of the U.N. Charter and basic norms governing international relations,” said Mao Ning, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman. “Tariffs should not be used as a tool for coercion, bullying and interference in the internal affairs of other countries.”

The letters reflect the inability of Trump to finalize the dozens of trade frameworks that he claimed would be easy to negotiate. Shortly after unveiling his April 2 “Liberation Day” tariffs, a financial market selloff caused Trump to announce a 90-day negotiating period during which a 10% baseline tariff would be charged on most imported goods.

But Trump has indicated that the 10% tariff rates are largely disappearing as he resets the rates with his letters.

“We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%,” Trump said in a phone interview with NBC News.

Trump has announced trade frameworks with the U.K. and Vietnam, as well as a separate deal with China to enable continued trade talks. Trump jacked up import taxes on Chinese goods to as much as 145%, but after talks he has said China faces total tariffs of 55%.

In June, Trump said he was suspending trade talks with Canada over its plans to continue its digital services tax, which would hit U.S. technology companies. A few days later, talks resumed when Carney rescinded the tax.

Under the current tariff structure, the 2020 United States Mexico Canada Agreement has protected eligible goods from Trump’s tariffs. But a review of the pact is scheduled for 2026.

Jim Morris contributed to this report from Vancouver, British Columbia.

Wheat Ridge police officer shoots, kills suspect

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 08:33:50 +0000

A Wheat Ridge Police officer shot and killed a suspect wanted on a felony warrant on Thursday afternoon, the law enforcement agency said.

The agency did not name the officer or the suspect.

Shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday, a Wheat Ridge Police officer patrolling Youngfield Street and West 32nd Avenue recognized a suspect with a felony warrant, the agency said. Police did not say what the warrant was for.

When the officer pulled up behind the suspect, the suspect ran west beneath the Interstate 70 underpass along West 32nd Avenue, Wheat Ridge Police said.

The officer chased the suspect on foot and “a struggle ensued,” police said. The agency did not provide further information about the altercation.

The police officer shot the suspect, who was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, police said.

The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office is investigating the shooting.

“To preserve the integrity of the investigation, no further public comment is available at this time,” police wrote.

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Brewery near Red Rocks Amphitheatre announces closure

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 08:03:20 +0000

Over Yonder Brewing, which was founded in 2019, said this week that it will be closing on July 20. The Golden brewery, at 18455 W. Colfax Ave., was focused on bluegrass music, dog lovers and a variety of styles of beer. It is the closest brewery to Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

The owners, Jason and Jessica Bilodeaux, and Jason’s sister Ashleigh, shared an emotional message with customers and fans:

“It is with broken hearts that we announce the upcoming closure of Over Yonder,” they wrote on social media. “Despite our deep desire to remain open and continue creating unique and delectable craft beer for this incredible community, we’ve reached a point where continuing operations is no longer sustainable. We explored every possible path to stay open, but unfortunately, with the challenges including doing business in an area that’s been especially tough on small, independent operators, those efforts didn’t lead to a viable solution.

“This outcome is not what we want, and it’s deeply painful. Over Yonder has always been more than a brewery. It’s a place for community, music, creativity, dogs, joy, and connection. We are incredibly grateful for our staff – for their synergy, guest connections, exceptional taproom service, ideas, talents, and their passion for Over Yonder beer and the craft beer industry as a whole.

“It’s difficult to imagine not being in our beloved brewhouse on a brew day, taking in the sweet smells of the grains or the fresh hop aromas while we dry-hop. We poured everything we had into making Over Yonder the extraordinary small independent artisan brewery that it is, and we are devastated. We’re still processing the weight of this moment, and we ask for your understanding and grace as we navigate our last days.

“This past Saturday night, during Phish N3 Folsom, the lyric, ‘everything’s right, so just hold tight,’ hit us in a whole new way. And we’re holding on to that, grateful for what we’ve shared with all of you. To everyone who visited, supported, collaborated, or simply cheered us on: thank you. Your presence made Over Yonder what it was. It’s been an honor and a joy to build something with you.

The brewery released a final, Phish-inspired beer, This Has All Been Wonderful, But Now We’re On Our Way Amber, to honor the closure.

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‘Expect to be arrested’: Police warn teen ‘takeover’ troublemakers to stay away from Town Center at Aurora

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 07:58:42 +0000

Police are increasing patrol officers and special units at the Town Center at Aurora mall this weekend amid rumors of a teen “takeover” event.

“Aurora Police is taking this seriously,” read a social media post from the law enforcement agency. “If you’re coming to shop or spend time with family — welcome. If you’re coming to cause disruption — expect to be arrested. We are operating under a zero-tolerance approach.”

About two weeks ago, hundreds of teens descended on Northfield Mall in a coordinated event that resulted in physical fights and disruption to businesses, according to police.

The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance closed early two weekends ago in anticipation of another planned teen “takeover.”

The Aurora Police Department said it will also be monitoring other retail locations across the city.

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State Department is firing over 1,300 employees under Trump administration plan

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 07:37:00 +0000

By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Diplomatic Writer

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The State Department is firing more than 1,300 employees on Friday in line with a dramatic reorganization plan unveiled by the Trump administration earlier this year, a move that critics say will damage America’s global leadership and efforts to counter threats abroad.

The department is sending layoff notices to 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers with domestic assignments in the United States, said a senior State Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters ahead of individual notices being emailed to affected employees.

Foreign service officers affected will be placed immediately on administrative leave for 120 days, after which they will formally lose their jobs, according to an internal notice obtained by The Associated Press. For most affected civil servants, the separation period is 60 days, it said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives a media briefing during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur Friday, July 11, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo via AP)

“In connection with the departmental reorganization … the department is streamlining domestic operations to focus on diplomatic priorities,” the notice says. “Headcount reductions have been carefully tailored to affect non-core functions, duplicative or redundant offices, and offices where considerable efficiencies may be found from centralization or consolidation of functions and responsibilities.”

While lauded by President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their Republican allies as overdue and necessary to make the department leaner, more nimble and more efficient, the cuts have been roundly criticized by current and former diplomats who say they will weaken U.S. influence and its ability to counter existing and emerging threats abroad.

The layoffs are part of big changes to State Department work

The Trump administration has pushed to reshape American diplomacy and worked aggressively to shrink the size of the federal government, including mass dismissals as part of moves to dismantle whole departments like the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Education Department.

USAID, the six-decade-old foreign assistance agency, was absorbed into the State Department last week after the administration dramatically slashed foreign aid funding.

A recent ruling by the Supreme Court cleared the way for the layoffs to start, while lawsuits challenging the legality of the cuts continue to play out. The department had formally advised staffers on Thursday that it would be sending layoff notices to some of them soon. The job cuts are large but considerably less than many had feared.

Rubio said officials took “a very deliberate step to reorganize the State Department to be more efficient and more focused.”

“It’s not a consequence of trying to get rid of people. But if you close the bureau, you don’t need those positions,” he told reporters Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he’s attending the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum. “Understand that some of these are positions that are being eliminated, not people.”

He said some of the cuts will be unfilled positions or those that are about to be vacant because an employee took an early retirement.

Critics say the changes will hurt US standing abroad

The American Academy of Diplomacy, an association that includes hundreds of former senior diplomats, said the State Department layoffs “will seriously undermine the ability of our government to understand, explain, and respond to a complex and increasingly contested world.”

“At a time when the United States faces unprecedented challenges from strategic competitors and adversaries, ongoing conflicts in Central Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and emerging security threats, the decision to gut the Department of State’s institutional knowledge and operational capacity is an act of vandalism,” the organization said in a statement last week before the cuts were announced.

It added that Rubio’s explanations for the cuts are “disingenuous, pernicious, and false.”

Michael Rigas, the department’s deputy secretary for management and resources, said in a notice Thursday that staffers would be informed “soon” if they were being laid off.

“First and foremost, we want to thank them for their dedication and service to the United States,” he said.

“Once notifications have taken place, the Department will enter the final stage of its reorganization and focus its attention on delivering results-driven diplomacy,” Rigas added.

The State Department is undergoing a big reorganization

In late May, the State Department notified Congress of an updated reorganization plan, proposing cuts to programs beyond what had been revealed earlier by Rubio and an 18% reduction of staff in the U.S., even higher than the 15% initially floated in April.

The restructuring has been driven in part by the need to find a new home for the remaining functions of USAID, which was an early target of the Trump administration and then-aide Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

The State Department is planning to eliminate some divisions tasked with oversight of America’s two-decade involvement in Afghanistan, including an office focused on resettling Afghan nationals who worked alongside the U.S. military.

A letter that the department had sent to Congress noted that the reorganization will affect more than 300 bureaus and offices, saying it is eliminating divisions it describes as doing unclear or overlapping work. It says Rubio believes “effective modern diplomacy requires streamlining this bloated bureaucracy.”

That letter was clear that the reorganization also is intended to eliminate programs — particularly those related to refugees and immigration, as well as human rights and democracy promotion — that the Trump administration believes have become ideologically driven in a way that is incompatible with its priorities and policies.

The American Foreign Service Association, the union that represents diplomats, urged the State Department last month to hold off on job cuts.

Notices for a reduction in force, which would not only lay off employees but eliminate positions altogether, “should be a last resort,” association President Tom Yazdgerdi said. “Disrupting the Foreign Service like this puts national interests at risk — and Americans everywhere will bear the consequences.”

‘Expect to be arrested’: Aurora Police warn teen ‘takeover’ troublemakers to stay away from Town Center at Aurora

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 07:21:56 +0000

Aurora Police are increasing patrol officers and special units at the Town Center at Aurora mall this weekend amid rumors of a teen “takeover” event.

About two weeks ago, hundreds of teens descended on Northfield Mall in a coordinated event that resulted in physical fights and disruption to businesses, according to police. The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance closed early two weekends ago in anticipation of another planned teen “takeover.”

The Aurora Police Department said they will also be monitoring other retail locations across the city.

Wildfires along Colorado’s Western Slope destroy 2 homes, prompt evacuations

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 07:09:22 +0000

Two homes are lost and evacuation notices remain as fire officials continue attacking multiple wildfires burning along Colorado’s Western Slope Friday morning.

One blaze, the Mountain View Fire, has destroyed at least two homes and burned at least 60 acres in Chaffee County northwest of Buena Vista, according to Thursday evening updates from the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office said there were no known injuries at this time. Fifty homes remain in an evacuation zone surrounding the fire, according to the Chaffee County Facebook page.

All evacuees are asked to report to the Buena Vista Sheriff’s Office. Evacuees with small animal can take them to the Ark Valley Humane Society while large animals can be taken to the Buena Vista Rodeo Grounds, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office declared Friday a no-burn day for all of unincorporated Chaffee County “due to limited fire fighting resources as they will be busy still fighting the Mountain View Fire north of Buena Vista.” No burning outdoors is allowed, including smoking, the agency said.

Officials said they did not believe the fire had entered public lands as of Thursday evening.

About 140 miles east, wildfires burning at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park had grown to 1,640 acres overnight, according to fire tracking website inciweb. The fire was deemed the South Rim Fire.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park closed Thursday as fire officials fought the flames, which officials said were caused by lightning.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

Wildfires along Colorado’s Western Slope have destroyed 2 homes, prompted evacuations

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 06:56:51 +0000

Two homes are lost and evacuation notices remain as fire officials continue attacking multiple wildfires burning along Colorado’s Western Slope Friday morning.

The sheriff’s office said there were no known injuries at this time. Fifty homes remain in an evacuation zone surrounding the fire, according to the Chaffee County Facebook page.

The sheriff’s office declared Friday a no-burn day for all of unincorporated Chaffee County “due to limited fire fighting resources as they will be busy still fighting the Mountain View Fire north of Buena Vista.” No burning outdoors is allowed, including smoking, the agency said.

Officials said they did not believe the fire had entered public lands as of Thursday evening.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park closed Thursday as fire officials fought the flames, which officials said were caused by lightning.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

Trump plans to tour Texas flood damage as the scope of the disaster tests his pledge to shutter FEMA

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 06:02:00 +0000

By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump heads to Texas on Friday for a firsthand look at the devastation caused by catastrophic flooding, he has remained conspicuously quiet about his previous promises to do away with the federal agency in charge of disaster relief.

The Trump administration isn’t backing away from its pledges to shutter the Federal Emergency Management Agency and return disaster response to the states. But since the July 4 disaster, which has killed at least 120 people, the president and his top aides have focused on the once-in-a-lifetime nature of what occurred and the human tragedy involved rather than the government-slashing crusade that’s been popular with Trump’s core supporters.

Nancy Epperson, right, and Brooklyn Pucek, 6, visit a memorial for flood victims along the Guadalupe River on Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

“Nobody ever saw a thing like this coming,” Trump told NBC News on Thursday, adding, ”This is a once-in-every-200-year deal.” He’s also suggested he’d have been ready to visit Texas within hours but didn’t want to burden authorities still searching for the more than 170 people who are still missing.

Trump’s shift in focus underscores how tragedy can complicate political calculations, even though Trump has made slashing the federal workforce and charging ally-turned-antagonist Elon Musk with dramatically shrinking the size of government centerpieces of his administration’s opening months.

The president is expected to do an aerial tour of some of the hard-hit areas.

The White House also says he’ll visit the state emergency operations center to meet with first responders and relatives of flood victims. Trump will also get a briefing from officials. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Ted Cruz are joining the visit, with the GOP senators expected to fly to their state with Trump aboard Air Force One.

It’s relatively common for presidents visiting disaster sites to tour the damage by air, a move that can ease the logistical burdens on authorities on the ground.

Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, observed the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina and Hurricane Milton in Florida last fall by air before meeting with disaster response officials and victims on the ground.

Trump, though, has also used past disaster response efforts to launch political attacks. While still a candidate trying to win back the presidency, Trump made his own visit to North Carolina after Helene last year and accused the Biden administration of blocking disaster aid to victims in Republican-heavy areas.

Kerrville residents Edgar Rojas, second from left, and his wife Perla, alongside daughters Emily, left, and Olivia, visit a memorial for flood victims along the Guadalupe River on Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

First lady Melania Trump will accompany the president Friday, marking the second time this term that she has joined her husband to tour a natural disaster site.

During his first weekend back in the White House, Trump again visited North Carolina to scope out Helene damage and toured the aftermath of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. But he also used those trips to sharply criticize the Biden administration and California officials.

Trump has promised repeatedly — and as recently as last month — to begin “phasing out” FEMA and bring disaster response management “down to the state level.”

During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Trump didn’t mention those plans and instead praised the federal flooding response. Turning to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees FEMA, he said, “You had people there as fast as anybody’s ever seen.”

Pressed this week on whether the White House will continue to work to shutter FEMA, press secretary Karoline Leavitt wouldn’t say.

“The president wants to ensure American citizens always have what they need during times of need,” Leavitt said. “Whether that assistance comes from states or the federal government, that is a policy discussion that will continue.”

While the focus is on FEMA at the federal level, local officials have come under mounting scrutiny over how much they were prepared and how quickly they acted. But not everyone affected has been quick to point fingers.

Darrin Potter, a Kerr County, Texas, resident for 25 years who saw ankle-high flooding in his home and said he knew people killed, said, “As far as early warnings, I’m sure they can improve on that.”

But he said all the talk about evacuating was missing something important. The area where a wall of water ripped through was a two-lane road, he said.

“If you would have evacuated at 5 in the morning, all of those people would have been washed away on this road,” he said.

During the Cabinet meeting, Noem described traveling to Texas and seeing heartbreaking scenes, including around Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp where at least 27 people were killed.

“The parents that were looking for their children and picking up their daughter’s stuffed animals out of the mud and finding their daughter’s shoe that might be laying in the cabin,” she said.

Noem said that “just hugging and comforting people matters a lot” and “this is a time for all of us in this country to remember that we were created to serve each other.”

But the secretary is also co-chairing a FEMA review council charged with submitting suggestions for how to overhaul the agency in coming months.

“We as a federal government don’t manage these disasters. The state does,” Noem told Trump on Tuesday.

She also referenced the administration’s government-reducing efforts, saying: ”We’re cutting through the paperwork of the old FEMA. Streamlining it, much like your vision of how FEMA should operate.”

Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim in Washington and Nadia Lathan in Ingram, Texas, contributed to this report.

Top ergonomic keyboards for all-day typing comfort

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 05:47:00 +0000

Which ergonomic keyboard is best?

Ergonomic keyboards are designed to improve efficiency and comfort in the hands and wrists. How keyboards do this varies. And be careful when shopping — some keyboards deign to call themselves “ergonomic” as a marketing ploy without really improving anything.

The best ergonomic keyboard is the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard. It increases comfort in a multitude of ways — including plenty of soft cushioning.

What to know before you buy an ergonomic keyboard

Who shouldn’t use an ergonomic keyboard

Ergonomic keyboards are best used by those who work in front of a computer for most of the day. Those who occasionally pen an email or only surf the web won’t wring enough use from them to be worth the investment. Their orientations can also be frustrating to adapt to for strictly occasional users.

The other group of users who shouldn’t use an ergonomic keyboard are gamers. Gamers have their own keyboards with special features just for them. If you both work and game on your computer, consider buying a keyboard for each activity.

Ergonomic keyboard types

There are two types of ergonomic keyboards: traditional and split.

Traditional keyboards have the same layout as any standard keyboard. Their ergonomic elements are the most varied. For example, some use soft-touch keys while others have specially placed padding.
Split keyboards allow for the most natural placement of your hands — but can be deeply frustrating to adapt to. The keys are split in half, angled inward and frequently sloped. Some take “split” a step further and use two individual boards, each with half the keys, that can be positioned independently. Most also have wrist or palm rests and sometimes both.

What to look for in a quality ergonomic keyboard

Wireless

Wireless ergonomic keyboards have two aspects to consider: method of connection and power source.

Connection: Wireless keyboards connect in one of two ways — a receiver or Bluetooth. Some come with both so you can connect with your preference. Receiver connections take up a USB port — the keys you press are sent to the inserted USB dongle and are read by your computer. Older computers may not have Bluetooth connectivity at all or could have Bluetooth too old to be compatible with some keyboards.
Power source: Wireless keyboards are battery-powered. Most use AA or AAA but others may be rechargeable or require less common batteries. Double-check what kind of battery your prospective keyboard needs as well as whether it includes a set to get you started.

Bundles

Some ergonomic keyboards include other pieces of tech. The most common is a mouse. The mouse is sometimes ergonomically designed as well. Many included mice connect with the keyboard to save input space for other devices.

How much you can expect to spend on an ergonomic keyboard

Most ergonomic keyboards cost roughly $50. Some models are available for as low as $25, while the top-of-the-line models usually run $75-$100.

Ergonomic keyboard FAQ

How long does it take to adjust to an ergonomic keyboard?

A. That depends on you and the keyboard. Drastically different keyboard layouts, such as split key keyboards, can take some users as long as two months to fully adapt. Other factors such as extra or differently placed keys and the amount and orientation of padding can also complicate your adjustment period. Give your new keyboard at least a month of honest effort. if you still don’t like it by then, feel free to return it — it should still be within most stores’ return window.

Is an ergonomic keyboard the only way to improve hand and wrist comfort?

A. No, but it is the best. A common alternative to ergonomic keyboards is wrist-rest cushions placed in front of your standard keyboard. These rarely have the durability of a full ergonomic keyboard, nor do they resist grime as easily. Cushions are more beneficial for traveling with a laptop.

Are ergonomic keyboards ‘plug-and-play’?

A. Most are, but some aren’t. Some keyboards require specific software to be installed over an internet connection — those that do often bury this requirement in the product description so you need to read carefully. Others may need to have their key bindings changed — especially if you want to use a Windows-focused keyboard on an Apple computer.

What’s the best ergonomic keyboard to buy?

Top ergonomic keyboard

Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard for Business – Wired (LXM-00001)

What you need to know: This top keyboard uses a wired USB connection and is designed with Windows in mind.

What you’ll love: It has cushioning and palm rests. Built-in shortcuts — including search, media controls and emojis — make work easier. The keys are split and slope upward for maximum comfort.

What you should consider: It isn’t compatible with Apple products. Some extra keys can throw off your muscle memory.

Top ergonomic keyboard for the money

Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard for Business

What you need to know: This wireless option is surprisingly affordable. Its domed and split key design allows the hands to rest at a natural angle.

What you’ll love: Batteries are included. It’s compatible with Apple products but requires some minor key remapping. It uses a USB receiver rather than Bluetooth — this means you can use other wireless gadgets simultaneously.

What you should consider: There are some durability concerns. Some consumers had issues with the keyboard disconnecting.

Worth checking out

Perixx Periboard Ergonomic Split Keyboard

What you need to know: Available in black or white in both wired and wireless connectivity, this is another ergonomic keyboard worth trying.

What you’ll love: The wireless model’s Bluetooth connection is strong and stable. It also offers a wireless connection via a USB receiver. The split-key design lets your hands rest in a natural position. It works with Apple and Windows products.

What you should consider: The wireless model requires batteries but doesn’t include them. Your computer must support Bluetooth 4.0 to connect to the wireless model.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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Best multicookers for fast and easy home meals

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 05:10:31 +0000

Which multicooker is best?

Multicookers are the Swiss Army knife of the kitchen. They can cook countless foods and recipes, from something as simple as plain white rice to something as complex as an all-day slow-cooked pot roast. Some are even advanced enough to include air frying to the list of gizmo-powered cooking.

The best multicooker is the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Multicooker. The Instant Pot name is used interchangeably with multicooker by many people, thanks to its consistently high-caliber offerings. This model is among their best.

What to know before you buy a multicooker

Capacity

Multicookers generally come in capacities between 2 and 8 quarts, with roughly 1 quart needed for each person you intend to feed. Keep in mind you can always cook small batches in large multicookers. If your budget allows it’s best to purchase one with an extra quart or two of capacity to be safe and for weekly meal prepping.

Pressure

Multicookers can be divided into two categories: those with pressure cooking and those without.

Pressure multicookers can cook a wider variety of foods. They use either high or low pressure depending on the recipe, with better slow cookers letting you choose specific pressures rather than just “high” or “low.”
Nonpressure multicookers focus on slow-cooking various types of foods. They’re perfect for making a pot roast one night and rice the next, but their overall options are more limited.

What to look for in a quality multicooker

Programs and presets

The best multicookers offer the most programs and presets. These are one-touch functions that automatically set the cooker’s temperature, pressure and time to perfectly cook the chosen food. The most common presets are various types of rice — including white, brown and multigrain — as well as soup, oatmeal or porridge and meats.

Countdown timer

Your multicooker should include a display that counts down the time left until your food is ready. They should also allow you to set a timer manually if your food doesn’t have a preset. Most multicookers only have timer settings in increments of five minutes, but better models let you set it to the minute.

Delayed start

Advanced multicookers have a delayed start setting. It lets you put everything inside the cooker before you leave for the day and choose a specific time for cooking to begin so you can come home to a fresh, hot and perfectly cooked meal.

This setting should be used with some caution, however. If you’re unsure that anyone will be home when the food is finished cooking, you may want to reconsider the option. Additionally, some foods such as any kind of meat shouldn’t be left out longer than an hour.

How much you can expect to spend on a multicooker

Multicookers typically cost $50-$300. Small models or those with limited features cost roughly $50-$100. Midsized models and those with average features cost roughly $100-$150. Large models and those with every feature cost roughly $150-$300.

Multicooker FAQ

What can a multicooker do?

A. Multicookers live up to the name with most having at least five functions while others can have 10 or more. Some of the most common functions include:

Slow cooking
Pressure cooking
Rice cooking
Steaming
Sauteing
Warming
Air frying

Are multicookers dangerous to use?

A. Like any kitchen appliance that uses high levels of heat, multicookers can be dangerous if used incorrectly. However, most include safety features that mitigate this risk. If your multicooker includes pressure cooking, the most important feature to have is a locking lid to prevent the accidental, unsafe release of pressure. Cheap multicookers with pressure cooking tend not to include this safety measure.

Is it safe to slow-cook foods all day while I’m at work?

A. That depends on what you’re wanting to cook and how you use your multicooker to slow-cook it. Foods that are unsafe to leave out at room temperature include dairy and meat, but if you start the multicooker when you leave and set it to “keep warm” mode after it’s done, it should be safe. However, using a delayed-start mode will not be safe.

What’s the best multicooker to buy?

Top multicooker

Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Multicooker

What you need to know: Instant Pot is nearly synonymous with multicookers for a reason.

What you’ll love: The seven functions are rice cooking, yogurt making, pressure cooking, slow cooking, steaming, sautéing and warming. The stainless steel exterior is fingerprint-resistant and the inner pot, rack and lid are all dishwasher-safe. It’s available in 3-, 6- and 8-quart sizes.

What you should consider: Many customers spoke of a steep learning curve to getting everything out of the Instant Pot, but they were pleased with their results.

Top multicooker for the money

Aroma Housewares Rice and Grain Cooker

What you need to know: It’s a good choice if you’re on a strict budget.

What you’ll love: It’s available in 2- and 5-quart sizes. The two-quart size has automatic modes for white and brown rice, risotto, steaming, slow cooking and a timer. The five-quart size adds oatmeal, soup, cake, multigrain rice, egg and reheating functions. It includes a rice measuring cup and spatula.

What you should consider: It has limited functionality compared to most multicookers. Some purchasers reported it having less capacity than advertised. Others had issues with the timer.

Worth checking out

Ninja Combi All-in-One Multicooker

What you need to know: It’s a high-quality, versatile multicooker, though it’s expensive.

What you’ll love: It has 14 different functions, including air frying, baking, steaming, defrosting and more. It’s easy to clean, and the outside of the cooker doesn’t get too hot to touch. It has a 6-cup capacity and features both a cooking bowl and a basket, so you can prepare two dishes simultaneously.

What you should consider: Some people have reported issues with the exterior damaging easily and the controls becoming buggy after extensive use.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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Today in History: July 11, the fall of Srebrenica

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 02:01:01 +0000

Today is Friday, July 11, the 192nd day of 2024. There are 173 days left in the year.

Today in History:

On July 11, 1995, the U.N.-designated “safe haven” of Srebrenica (sreh-breh-NEET’-sah) in Bosnia-Herzegovina fell to Bosnian Serb forces, who subsequently carried out the killings of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys.

Also on this date:

In 1798, the U.S. Marine Corps was formally re-established by a congressional act that also created the U.S. Marine Band.

In 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton during a pistol duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. (Hamilton died the next day.)

In 1859, Big Ben, the great bell inside the famous London clock tower, chimed for the first time.

In 1864, Confederate forces led by Gen. Jubal Early began an abortive invasion of Washington, D.C., and his raid was turned back the next day.

In 1914, Babe Ruth made his Major League baseball debut, pitching the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over Cleveland.

In 1921, fighting in the Irish War of Independence ended with a truce.

In 1960, Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” was published.

In 1972, the World Chess Championship opened as grandmasters Bobby Fischer of the United States and defending champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union began play in Reykjavik, Iceland. (Fischer won after 21 games.)

In 1979, the abandoned U.S. space station Skylab made a spectacular return to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere and showering debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia.

In 1991, a Nigeria Airways DC-8 carrying Muslim pilgrims crashed at the Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, international airport, killing all 261 people on board.

In 2006, eight bombs hit a commuter rail network during evening rush hour in Mumbai, India, killing more than 200 people.

In 2022, President Joe Biden revealed the first image from NASA’s new space telescope, the farthest humanity had ever seen in both time and distance, closer to the dawn of the universe and the edge of the cosmos.

Today’s Birthdays:

Fashion designer Giorgio Armani is 91.
Actor Susan Seaforth Hayes is 82.
Actor Bruce McGill is 75.
Actor Stephen Lang is 73.
Actor Mindy Sterling is 72.
Actor Sela Ward is 69.
Reggae singer Michael Rose (Black Uhuru) is 68.
Singer Peter Murphy (Bauhaus) is 68.
Actor Mark Lester is 67.
Saxophonist Kirk Whalum is 67.
Singer Suzanne Vega is 66.
Rock guitarist Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) is 66.
Actor Lisa Rinna is 62.
Author Jhumpa Lahiri is 58.
Wildlife expert Jeff Corwin is 58.
Actor Justin Chambers (TV: “Grey’s Anatomy”) is 55.
Actor Michael Rosenbaum (TV: “Smallville”) is 53.
Rapper Lil’ Kim is 51.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Andre Johnson is 44.
Pop-jazz singer-musician Peter Cincotti is 42.
Actor Serinda Swan is 41.
Actor David Henrie is 36.
Actor Connor Paolo is 35.
R&B/pop singer Alessia Cara is 29.

PHOTOS: Mighty Argo Cable Car gondola towers installed above Idaho Springs

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 22:15:35 +0000

Construction of the $71-million Mighty Argo Cable Car gondola in Idaho Springs took a major step forward Thursday with the installation of 10 support towers hoisted into place by a Blackhawk helicopter.

When completed, the gondola will extend 1.2 miles from the Argo Mill to an observation point 1,300 feet above Idaho Springs. It will have 22 10-person cabins with glass-bottomed floors plus five specialized mountain bike cabins able to transport eight mountain bikes each.

The project includes building 28 miles of mountain biking trails in conjunction with the Colorado Mountain Bike Association.

Along with a panoramic view, the upper terminal at Miner’s Point will include food and beverage, observation decks and a wedding venue. Project founder and co-investor Mary Jane Loevlie said the gondola and upper terminal are expected to open next spring, if not sooner.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” Loevlie said of the tower installation on Thursday. “I’m going to cry.”

Jamaree Bouyea spoils Nuggets’ Summer League opener with buzzer-beater 3-pointer

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 21:44:27 +0000

LAS VEGAS — While Cooper Flagg and Bronny James faced off in a packed arena on the campus of UNLV, the Nuggets and Bucks played a Summer League thriller in the sleepy gymnasium adjacent to the main event.

Former Ohio State star EJ Liddell gave Denver the lead with 5.1 seconds left on a put-back slam after Hunter Tyson and DaRon Holmes II missed jump shots, but Milwaukee’s Jamaree Bouyea answered with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to hand the Nuggets a 90-89 loss on Thursday night.

The dramatic loss tipped off Summer League play for Denver, which faces the Timberwolves on Saturday at Cox Pavilion.

Holmes’ return

As expected, the Nuggets used lineups with Holmes operating as both a four and five. He mostly floated around the floor early in the game, regaining his footing and not getting too involved in the action offensively. But his first touch was a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the left wing against a close-out, setting a confident tone.

Holmes steadily grew more comfortable throughout the night. He tested his physicality by picking up a flagrant foul (and almost a second one). He tried to put the ball on the floor more in the second half. After he drained another above-the-break 3 by trailing the play in transition, he had established some respect from the wings. The next time he picked and popped, he attacked the close-out for a driving layup, looking smooth after leaving his feet.

Holmes wasn’t challenged too much at the defensive end when he switched, but the Nuggets clearly have interest in evaluating his ability to guard smaller players in space. He tacked on an impressive block during the second half of a team-leading 15-point night.

Tyson’s rebounding

Nuggets Summer League coach Andrew Munson said early this week that rebounding would be an emphasis for Hunter Tyson in Las Vegas. The third-year wing delivered on that expectation Thursday with 11 boards en route to a double-double.

Tyson’s 3-point stroke still seems out of sync. He clanked a few spot-up attempts in rhythm. On the other hand, he also buried a step-back triple in the corner at one point.

The Nuggets need him to showcase his off-the-catch ability more than anything else, but if he can score in other ways to gain confidence, they’ll take that as well. On one of the first possessions of the night, he scored out of a post-up, demonstrating his talent for playing bigger than his size. He also turned a driving euro-step into an and-one. That’s the type of stuff that he won’t have opportunities to do at the NBA level, but it never hurts to show off he can do it.

Spencer Jones’ athleticism

Spencer Jones is the Nuggets’ only two-way player from last season who’s back on the roster this year. From an up-close vantage point, his athleticism and length stood out next to the other Summer League dreamers on Thursday.

His defensive mobility on the wing could make a difference for Denver in regular-season games in 2024-25.

The Trump administration wants to eradicate DEI in higher education. These Black scholars still plan to thrive.

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 21:40:57 +0000

The Trump administration has already disrupted Darius McGregor’s academic journey.

The 18-year-old graduate of Denver’s East High School interned earlier this year at a laboratory on the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus, where he and his peers evaluated whether bio-fortified maize could help hungry Guatemalan children.

The potentially life-saving research was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the federal agency that humanitarian aid programs relied on to finance their work. The Trump administration dismantled USAID this spring, putting millions of lives at risk worldwide, according to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet.

McGregor’s project lost funding. He nearly lost his internship position, too, but the university found an alternative source to pay for it.

As McGregor prepares to attend Brown University this fall with aspirations of becoming a doctor, he said he’s bracing for more federal interference with his education.

“I’m concerned with what my college experience may look like, especially with funding cuts like I’ve already seen firsthand,” he said. “It’s discouraging for people of color, but we will not stop.”

Three Black students who received scholarships from the Sachs Foundation — a Colorado-based nonprofit supporting Black communities — told The Denver Post about their experiences entering college as the Trump administration works to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs intended to give them equal footing to thrive in college.

Leaders of the foundation, unlike companies scaling back DEI initiatives amid federal pressure, say they’re not deterred from continuing their mission.

McGregor said he was alarmed to see the president of the United States threatening to slash funding or investigate colleges and schools in an effort to eradicate the sorts of DEI programs that helped him and other students of color find parity with their white peers so that they had the same opportunities to succeed.

“It has motivated me to prove myself and serve as an example,” McGregor said. “Even when you take DEI away, we will still figure out a way to excel.”

Not backing down

The Trump administration took aim at DEI in schools and colleges shortly after the inauguration in January, threatening to withhold federal funding from institutions unless they eliminated initiatives supporting diversity, equity and inclusion.

Directives from the U.S. Department of Education in February said any programs that treat students differently on the basis of race to achieve “nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice or equity” were illegal under Supreme Court precedent.

In April, a federal judge blocked the government from enforcing these directives after a lawsuit brought by the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union accused the Trump administration of providing “unconstitutionally vague” guidance and violating teachers’ First Amendment rights.

Regardless, Colorado universities acknowledged changing their diversity initiatives to avoid losing federal funding. The University of Colorado’s Colorado Springs campus was among more than 50 universities under federal investigation for alleged racial discrimination under Trump’s directives.

Meanwhile, researchers have found that the disparities in the number of Black and Latino students admitted to elite colleges and universities have widened over the last 40 years, according to a University of California, Berkeley study released in 2024.

The study found that, despite more students from all races going to college, Black and Latino students were increasingly less likely to attend top-tier, four-year colleges. The disparity remained significant, even when factoring in family income and parents’ education, the study found.

Between 2012 and 2022, college enrollment for Black students in the United States declined 22%, from 2.96 million students to 2.32 million, according to the Postsecondary National Policy Institute.

“This suggests that the underlying issue of racial inequality in college attendance goes beyond socioeconomic measures, such as family income and parents’ education, and is intrinsically linked to race itself,” the study concluded. “It points to a systemic issue within the fabric of American education and society.”

It’s these systemic barriers that fuel Ben Ralston, CEO of the Sachs Foundation, to continue his work.

The 94-year-old organization that provides support to Black Coloradoans was founded at a time when the Ku Klux Klan ruled Denver, Ralston said, and its leaders do not plan on backing down.

“There’s a lot of trepidation right now,” Sachs said. “We wanted to make sure that everyone in our community of scholars recognized that none of the work we do is going to change any time soon. When we look at what’s happening at the federal level in reference to DEI, there is no political moment that changes our mission. There has been a historic structure put in place to exclude Black Americans and Black Coloradans from opportunities that have never been rectified. We’re not going to change that mission.”

Sarah Mohamed Ali poses for a portrait near her home in Denver on Thursday, July 3, 2025. She will attend Bowdoin College in Maine this fall. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

Sarah Mohamed Ali’s academic journey in Denver has been dotted with scholarly achievements alongside adversity.

Mohamed Ali, a 2025 graduate of DSST: Cedar High School, served as an intern at Denver Health and worked as a dietary aid at an assisted living facility. The daughter of Sudanese immigrants said she was also bullied out of wearing her hijab to school in middle school.

She was selected to attend New York University’s Simons Science Exploration Program and the Yale Young Global Scholars summer program. After enduring pandemic learning and the COVID-19 lockdown, Mohamed Ali desired to reconnect with her authentic self and started wearing her hijab to school again.

The 18-year-old was accepted to Bowdoin College in Maine to study health care, but her higher education pursuits have been executed under the cloud of a federal administration targeting DEI.

“I worked really hard throughout school, and hearing about everything that was going on months into applying for college was very scary and shocking,” she said. “But I think in spite of everything that might be going on politically, there are still organizations you know you can rely on. You can still pursue your dreams.”

‘Earned my spot’

The Sachs Foundation chose 53 Black scholars in Colorado this year to receive more than $1.9 million in scholarships.

The foundation’s undergraduate and graduate scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, financial need and character, Ralston said. The organization also provides student mentorship, youth college and career development, and educator-focused initiatives.

“In a moment where many institutions are retreating from their commitments to equity, we’re proud to stay firm in ours,” Ralston said. “The work we do is not just about scholarships — it’s about ensuring access, opportunity and belonging for Black students who are too often excluded.”

For 17-year-old Naima Criss, the Sachs Foundation offered community.

This spring, the 2025 scholars met up at Colorado College to be celebrated. Renowned author and activist Ta-Nehisi Coates shared his story with students.

Criss, a graduate of Denver’s Regis Jesuit High School, basked in the Black joy of it all.

“There’s this thing where if you’re really smart and Black, people are surprised,” Criss said. “I can just be a very chill person, and what I like is we’re all amazing and we’re all also just people hanging out and living their best lives. It’s great to be in a space where you’re celebrated but not the exception.”

Criss’ resume is lengthy already. In addition to being a Sachs scholar, she was named a Gates Scholarship winner — a prestigious award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Through Girls Inc. of Metro Denver’s Leadership Out Loud program, Criss flew to the nation’s capital and lobbied Congress for more comprehensive sex education in schools. She’s also served on the Mayor’s Youth Commission

The first-generation college student worried whether federal funding cuts might impact her time at Johns Hopkins University, where she plans to study chemical engineering.

“I am still concerned about it, but what I’ve learned is you just have to take it one day at a time,” Criss said. “Just because something is scary, you can’t stop fighting for it or counting yourself out before you’ve given yourself the opportunity to try. I came here to do what I’m going to do, and I earned my spot to be there.”

Darius McGregor poses for a portrait in front of East High School in Denver on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

Like his peers Criss and Mohamed Ali, McGregor knows what it is like to be one of the few. He was among a handful of Black students in his Fort Collins schools growing up and was pleasantly surprised to move to Denver and find more diversity in his classrooms.

McGregor wants to bring that diversity to hospitals that need physicians with varied backgrounds to better serve their patients.

Directives harming programs that help students of color only do a disservice to the industries left lacking employees who can serve the diverse populations around them, McGregor said.

“I’ve never had a physician of color, myself,” he said. “I want to break that barrier. We’ll take it one day at a time.”

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Woman arrested in fatal I-25 pedestrian hit-and-run in Denver

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 20:40:57 +0000

A 29-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident involving death in a Denver hit-and-run crash that killed a man changing a tire on the shoulder of Interstate 25.

Marisol Infante was arrested and booked into the Downtown Detention Center on Thursday morning, court records show.

Denver police say Infante was driving a black Toyota 4Runner on southbound I-25 on Saturday morning when she hit 52-year-old Carlos Mercado Arzola, who was changing a tire on the right shoulder between West Sixth Avenue and West Alameda Avenue.

Arzola died from multiple blunt force injuries at the scene, according to the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.

Infante was charged with driving under the influence in a separate case after she was arrested by University of Colorado Boulder police on May 8, court records show. The case is pending in Boulder County District Court.

She was previously charged with a DUI in Boulder County in 2021 and pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired as part of a plea deal.

She was also cited for careless driving in Boulder County in February, but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of operating an unsafe or defective vehicle.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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