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“We literally get run over”: Golden Gate Canyon State Park braces for another busy leaf-peeping season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

Front Range leaf-peeping season will begin any day now, and at Golden Gate Canyon State Park, that means rangers are bracing for crazy crowds that annually overwhelm the scenic mountain area northwest of Golden when the aspen turn.“We literally get run over,” park manager Todd Farrow said recently on a tour of the 12,000-acre park, which is located 12 miles up Golden Gate Canyon and seems to have aspen stands every direction a visitor turns. Some of them frame gorgeous views of the Continental Divide.Golden Gate Canyon State Park will be a very popular destination when leaf-peeping season begins this year. The change is expected to start around Sept. 23.(Bridget O’Rourke, Colorado Parks and Wildlife)Golden Gate consistently ranks as fourth-busiest among the 42 parks operated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, behind Lake Pueblo, Cherry Creek and Chatfield, and it’s No. 1 among CPW’s mountain parks, attracting 1.3 million visitors last year. Of that, 291,00...

10 can’t-miss beer tappings and events during Great American Beer Festival week in Denver

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

There isn’t as much buzz this year around the Great American Beer Festival, which takes place at the Colorado Convention Center on Sept. 21-23, as usual. The annual event — considered to be the largest commercial beer fest in the United States — has had trouble generating momentum since taking two years off because of the COVID-19 pandemic.And while there are usually dozens, even hundreds, of events at metro Denver breweries, bars and restaurants during the week of the fest, 2023 isn’t seeing nearly as many. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of rare, special or fun beers to drink. Here are 10 of the best tappings or events, along with some other suggestions if you can’t make it to those.Cerebral Brewing hosts Bottle Logic for a blending session at its Aurora location. (Staff photo: Jonathan Shikes)Cerebral Brewing/Bottle Logic Live Blending SessionWednesday, Sept. 20. From hazy IPAs to wild ales and from lagers to barrel-aged stout...

Colorado weighs new plan to cut greenhouse gasses. Critics fear it’ll let major polluters pay to avoid reducing emissions.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

Colorado’s air-quality regulators this week will consider a plan for the state’s 18 largest manufacturers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, but it’s running into sharp criticism from legislators and environmentalists who are concerned about a loophole that could allow companies to buy their way out of making cuts.The 18 companies, which include Molson Coors, Cargill Meat Solutions, Microchip Technology, Leprino Foods, Natural Soda, Western Sugar Cooperative and Suncor Energy, also oppose the state’s plan, saying it will place a regulatory burden on them that could force the companies to eliminate jobs or relocate out of Colorado.Ahead of this week’s hearing to finalize the rule, 16 state legislators who created the law that mandates the reduction in emissions sent a letter to the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission to voice their concerns. Opposition also is coming from the advisory council created to guide the Colorado Department of Public ...

Victim shot in Jack in the Box drive-thru in Huntington Beach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

The search is on for a gunman in Huntington Beach who opened fire on a vehicle in a Jack in the Box drive-thru, striking one victim Sunday night.Officers responded shortly before 11 p.m. to the restaurant in the 16000 block of Beach Boulevard following reports of a shooting, a Huntington Beach Police Department spokesperson confirmed. Police investigate a shooting at a Huntington Beach Jack in the Box on Sept. 17, 2023. (OnScene.TV)One victim was found by officers with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and taken to a local hospital. The victim appeared to be going through the drive-thru when the shooting occurred. Video showed a red car with evidence markers around it stopped at the drive-thru ordering area. Witnesses said they heard gunshots and screaming before police arrived. Teen firefighter in training severely burned in tragic accident The gunman remains outstanding and there is currently no description being provided by police. The motive for the shooting is still being...

Humphrey’s Journey: From Vision to Success

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

Introduction:As an authoritative expert and industry pioneer in the field of the internet, Humphrey Smith has over 40 years of rich experience. He is a visionary leader who understands the art of team motivation. By fostering an empowering, collaborative, and continually innovative corporate culture, Humphrey has consistently stayed at the forefront of technological innovation and market expansion. This article delves into the pivotal moments that shaped his journey and the valuable experiences gained along the way.Embracing Innovation：During his tenure at McKinsey & Company, Humphrey instilled the course of his career with a commitment to innovation early in his professional journey. Innovative thinking enhanced his listening, communication, and problem-solving skills. Humphrey recognized the urgent need for innovation in a dynamic market and adjusted McKinsey’s organizational model. The streamlined organizational structure and its unique problem-solving approach made th...

Students, parents had raised concerns about Castro Valley High School music teacher before sex abuse charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

Parents in Castro Valley are sharply criticizing school administrators for delaying an investigation amid early signs of improper behavior by a high school music teacher who was charged this week with sexually abusing a student.Visual and performing arts teacher Keita Hasegawa, 31, was booked Thursday at Santa Rita Jail and is scheduled for arraignment Monday, according to online jail records. He remained in custody Friday.Months earlier, at a public board meeting April 26 of the Castro Valley Unified School District, parent John O’Hara told board members that his family received an email informing them that Hasegawa — who had been put on leave in March immediately following allegations of possible inappropriate teacher-student behavior — was scheduled to return to the classroom.“My wife and I were gravely concerned,” O’Hara told the board. “When we went directly to law enforcement, we learned that there is still an active investigation underway. None o...

These South Bay teens are competing in a global science competition — and you can vote until Sept. 20

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

Arjun Gurjar and Sophia Tran have always been interested in science. For 17-year-old Arjun, that began when he got a DK Encyclopedia at age 5. For 16-year-old Sophia, it started with her high school psychology class, and a fascination with the inner-workings of the brain. For years, the two South Bay teens dove into different scientific topics — from trying to understand Alzheimer’s disease to attempting to unravel the immune system.But now, both South Bay high schoolers have put that knowledge to the test: they are among 30 finalists in the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, a global competition that challenges students to create original, digestible videos about a complex scientific topic. Arjan focused on how viruses can cure diseases; Sophia explained how neurotransmitters affect the nervous system.“Science has always been something where you go into a classroom, take out a textbook, read something and learn it,” said Sophia, who lives in San Jose and attends St. Francis High,...

Alameda County DA promised to hold police accountable. Why are reopened shooting cases languishing?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

OAKLAND — When Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price became the county’s top law enforcement official in January, she vowed to hold police accountable for misconduct.She quickly announced that her office would review six fatal police shootings and two in-custody deaths to determine whether any of the officers involved should face criminal charges.So far, however, the DA’s Office has not publicly announced any charging decisions in any of the police shooting cases, which had previously been reviewed and cleared by former longtime District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, who retired at the end of her term last year. Price said the goals she originally set for these cases were ambitious — and the process of re-examining them has taken longer than she would have liked.“Our goal is to be far more timely than the office — my predecessor’s administration — was,” Price said in a recent interview. “So we started off with our own internal goal of try...

49ers report card: Interceptions, field goals and, voila, a 2-0 record

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Here is how the 49ers (2-0) graded in Sunday’s 30-23 win over the host Los Angeles Rams (1-1):PASS OFFENSE: B+Brock Purdy has thrown 153 passes since being last intercepted, seven games ago on New Year’s Day in Las Vegas. So he may have overthrown a trio of deep shots Sunday but he left the turnovers to Rams counterpart Matthew Stafford (two interceptions). Deebo Samuel had a team-high 63 yards and six catches, and that did not include his 11-yard touchdown, which came on a backward pass and staked the 49ers to a 27-17 lead with 11 1/2 minutes to go. Brandon Aiyuk hurt his left shoulder a third-down conversion on the opening touchdown drive, and although he played through it by rotating with Ronnie Bell, that marked the biggest injury concern of the day. Aiyuk, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey each had three catches. Jauan Jennings’ 31-yard catch early in the fourth quarter marked Purdy’s longest completion and set the stage for...

How an illegal jailhouse snitch operation backfired, derailing an California murder conviction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

Days before suspected killer Paul Gentile Smith arrived at Orange County jail in June 2009, sheriff’s investigators were already plotting to put him with a group of informants.Cold-case investigators had used DNA evidence to link Smith to the 1988 killing of his childhood friend and sometimes marijuana supplier, Robert Haugen, in Sunset Beach. Orange County sheriff’s investigators arrested Smith in Nevada, where he was in custody on a domestic abuse charge.According to court papers, investigators Raymond Wert and Donald Voght drove Smith from Las Vegas with two goals in mind: get a confession and develop evidence that Smith was orchestrating an attempt to kill Wert.What was secret at the time was that prosecutors and deputies had previously created a clandestine network of jailhouse informants to coax confessions out of targeted inmates. Such an operation is illegal when used on charged defendants who have attorneys because it violates their right to counsel under the 1964 case Mass...