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Denver poised to buy 200 pallet houses for the homeless — but where they’ll go is still unknown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

The city of Denver is poised to spend more than $5 million on 200 prefabricated Pallet shelter homes toward Mayor Mike Johnston’s goal of providing shelter for 1,000 people living homeless on the city’s streets by the end of the year.The administration is eyeing paved lots as the future landing places for the easy-to-assemble, temporary shelters, Cole Chandler, the mayor’s top homelessness advisor, told a City Council committee Tuesday.But just where those paved lots — and undeveloped “raw dirt” lots that Chandler said are being considered for villages of manufactured tiny homes — will be located remains unknown outside of executive sessions and private talks between city officials and property owners.The council’s finance and governance committee on Tuesday signed off on a $7 million master purchase order with Everett, Washington-based Pallet. The public benefit corporation has emerged as a leading provider of temporary shelters for p...

Olde Town Arvada takes step toward common consumption area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

Olde Town Arvada is the latest suburban neighborhood in the metro area to take a step toward allowing visitors to wander around with an alcoholic beverage, while Denver continues to see no takers on the concept.The Arvada City Council voted 6-0 earlier this month, with one member absent, to approve an entertainment district application for Olde Town Arvada.Becoming an entertainment district allows businesses that are in areas closed off to vehicle traffic to create an association and apply for a common consumption area, which then allows customers to drink and roam. The setup is the result of a state law passed in 2011.The district approved last week encompasses all 41.5 acres of Olde Town Arvada, which spans from Ralston Road to Grandview Avenue and Yukon Street to Upham Street.For Olde Town, that means just under 30 businesses with liquor licenses in the pedestrian mall area between Grandview Avenue, Webster Street and Olde Wadsworth Boulevard would be able to serve to-go alcoholi...

Douglas County library board to consider banning four LGBTQ+ books

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

The founder of a conservative men’s group wants the Douglas County Libraries Board of Trustees to ban four books with LGBTQ+ themes, including a children’s picture book titled, “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish,” because he believes they promote a hypersexualized lifestyle to children.Aaron Wood, a Douglas County father of two who leads the Freedom Fathers group, told The Denver Post that he doesn’t believe children should see drawings of drag queens or be exposed “to things that will damage them.”“We’re not banning books because these books are still available. They’re available on Amazon. They’re available at Barnes & Noble,” Wood said. “A library should set a higher standard. And with that the library should make sure children are not exposed to hypersexualized behavior.”But people within the county’s LGBTQ+ community say the request to ban the books targets homosexuals and people with di...

Suspect in Santa Monica assault to commit rape case may have more victims, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

Authorities are searching for more possible victims of a man arrested earlier this month on suspicion of assault to commit rape, the Santa Monica Police Department posted on its Facebook page Monday.Police say 27-year-old Fernando Chavez met with his victim while working at in downtown Los Angeles. Fernando Chavez is seen in an image provided by the Santa Monica Police Department. After Chavez finished his shift, the two went to a beach in Santa Monica. That's where police say the victim was violently assaulted for refusing to have sex with Chavez.Chavez was arrested on Aug. 4 on suspicion of assault to commit rape, the post stated. He remains in custody and is being held without bail. Investigators are searching for any additional victims or witnesses in the case. Chavez also has a pending case with the Orange County Police Department. Video captures mob of thieves ransacking Nordstrom Rack in Riverside He is suspected of assault to commit rape and forcible penetration with a f...

49ers’ end-of-preseason dilemma: Play starters, or sit them?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers have one more training camp practice Wednesday, then they’ll implement a rudimentary game plan designed to get out of the preseason against the Los Angeles Chargers as healthy as possible.As for who will take the field and who won’t at 7 p.m. Friday night at Levi’s Stadium, coach Kyle Shanahan wasn’t ready Tuesday to say.Shanahan and every other coach in the NFL face the same issue. Practice repetitions and preseason game reps (which are little more than elevated practice reps) are how players get incrementally better.And is it really worth having a player getting just a little bit better put at risk for being available when the 49ers open the regular season on the road on Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers?At the end of the 49ers’ 21-20 win over Denver last weekend, Shanahan said he expected the starters to get some playing time against the Chargers. When he spoke to the media on Tuesday, he said he was waiting in pr...

Editorial: CPUC incompetence lets autotaxis dangerously run amok

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

The California Public Utilities Commission, the regulator that for years let PG&E play fast and loose with our safety, is at it again.Only this time the commissioners, now all appointees of Gov. Gavin Newsom, are letting the companies that run autonomous vehicles endanger Californians’ lives.A day will come when robotaxis are ready to freely navigate our streets and roads. But that day remains in the distant future.The CPUC’s mission is serving the public interest by protecting consumers. But on Aug. 10, the commission ignored significant safety concerns and voted 3-1 in favor of allowing GM subsidiary Cruise and Alphabet’s Waymo to expand their robotaxis to any hour of the day throughout San Francisco.Previously, Cruise was limited to offering only paid rides at night and only in parts of San Francisco. Waymo could only offer free rides.One day later, 10 robotaxis abruptly stopped and jammed traffic for 15 minutes in the city’s popular North Beach neighborhood...

Northern California fires: Smith River Complex grows to over 40,000 acres at 0% containment 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

Wildfires continue to rage following lightning strikes across Northern California. The largest of the fires, the Smith River complex, has reached over 40,000 acres and is at 0% containment. Much of northeast Del Norte County is under evacuation orders due to the blaze. Dozens of other fires burn.Smith River ComplexFire personnel noted firefighters are facing complex weather conditions and challenging terrain in a morning briefing Tuesday.“This fire would be complex if it was just one fire, the Kelly fire. When we came here there were 12,” said Nic Elmquist, fire behavior analyst during the briefing. He noted that from aerial views, it looks like the fires want to grow together — two of the larger fires of the complex, the Kelly and Holiday fires, recently merged.The Kelly fire, which forced the closure of state Route 199 last week, reportedly moved southwest, growing 2.5 miles in the early morning Tuesday according to a U.S. Forest Service news release. More than 1,150 personnel are...

Monterey County track star runs down a bike-riding thief

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

SALINAS – Before her dad or any adult could react, 14-year-old track and field star Clara Adams took off in a dead sprint toward an apparent thief who was riding a BMX bike.Nikki Gillott, a family friend, was attending a recent birthday party for Adams’ father when she screamed realizing her purse had been stolen. That was enough for Adams to go after the man who she had seen lurking earlier.Gillott “was freaking out, I was scared for her,” Adams said. “I saw this guy with a bunch of stuff. When I looked, I saw (Gillott’s) purse.”That sent her running toward the man.Clara Adams “I got into my 200-meter mood and ran toward him,” said Adams, who ran the fourth fastest time in Monterey County history in the 200 meters last month at the Junior Olympics. “I just grabbed the purse from him and left.”No one was more grateful than Gillott, who was at El Dorado Park in Salinas that afternoon.“She was so brave,” Gillott said. “She is a champion with her heart. It was a huge act of braver...

Scary landing at California airport as jet’s landing gear collapses during Tropical Storm Hilary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

Passengers on an Alaska Airlines flight to Orange County were shaken but unhurt when the plane’s landing gear collapsed shortly after touching down during Tropical Storm Hilary.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Pilots made errors before crash near Lake Tahoe that killed all 6 on board, investigators say Crashes and Disasters | ‘The absolute best’ – firefighters who died in California helicopter collision remembered Crashes and Disasters | Fatal Marin County plane crash report cites preliminary findings Crashes and Disasters | 2 men killed in fiery plane crash at California airport Crashes and Disasters | 3 dead after plane crashes into hangar at Southern California airport The Boeing 737 experienced “an issue with its landing gear” after landing at John Wayne Airport at 11:15 p.m. Sunday, the airline said in a statement.A passenger returning home on the flight from Seattle recorded a video of brigh...

SpaceX successfully launches 100th Starlink mission

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:57 GMT

SpaceX lit up the West Coast sky early Tuesday morning, Aug. 22, as it launched another batch of Starlink satellites to orbit.A Falcon 9 carrying 21 Starlink satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 2:37 a.m.The rocket launch marks the Hawthorne company’s 100th dedicated Starlink mission and brought the total number of Starlink satellites it boosted to low-earth orbit to nearly 5,000. Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by the space exploration company that provides internet coverage on a global scale.SpaceX launches a Starlink mission early Tuesday morning 2:37am across the west coast from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Simi Valley CA, Aug 22, 2023. Space-X launch was delayed a few days from Hurricane Hilary passing through. Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)SpaceX launches a Starlink mission early Tuesday morning 2:37am across the west coast from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Simi Valley CA, Aug 22, 2023. Space-X launch...