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Opinion: Tips for all you new Westerners trying to fit in

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

Hurray, you’ve moved to the rural West from a crowded subdivision or city where the traffic has become an out-of-patience game, and now you want to fit in.You want to learn how irrigation ditches work, build a hen house, and grow fruit trees, wine grapes and a garden. You also want to take a hike at a moment’s notice, or at least look like you’re ready to do 10 miles.How do newcomers manage this transition? Western writer Zane Grey never wrote a Code of the West, but it was clear from his novels that subtle rules operated in the 19th century. Key tenets were fair play, respect for the land and hospitality.Today’s code, were one to be written, would include those values, but there are some modern quirks you might not anticipate.First, if you meet an old-timer and they’re willing to talk about “the way it used to be” in your town, try to restrain the urge to chime in with stories of your own, as that will shut off the flow. Good stories take time.As you settle in, agree to buy your yo...

Mycophiles expect “bumper year” for mushrooms thanks to rain on the Front Range

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

When Jon Sommer is selling real estate, his mantra is “location, location, location.” But when Sommer, who also serves as president of the Colorado Mycological Society, is looking for mushrooms, his mantra is “rain, rain, rain.”The Front Range received more than its fair share of precipitation this year, accumulating near-record amounts of rain in May and June. While that led some to expect a prodigious year for hunting mushrooms in the mountains, Sommer said the season, which usually runs June through August, is off to a slow start thanks to cooler temperatures at altitude.“Right now is the peak of the season typically, but we are about three to four weeks behind. We’re finding the diversity, but not the quantity of mushrooms,” Sommer said. “Typically we don’t get what we call ‘flush of summer mushrooms’ until the soil hits 60 degrees. That’s only happening now. We’re hoping that if moisture continues, particularly in the mountains, it will be a bumper year.”Colorado Springs reside...

Fired principal defends “seclusion room” at Denver school, saying students were monitored through window

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

McAuliffe International School Principal Kurt Dennis (Photo via Denver Public Schools)Former Principal Kurt Dennis is defending his decision to place students in a room alone to calm down at McAuliffe International School, saying that both the space and method were “district-sanctioned.”Dennis, in an interview with The Denver Post, denied Denver Public Schools’ allegations that he violated district policy while using what he says was a “de-escalation room” and alleged the district provided insufficient guidance on how school administrators should use such spaces.“There’s no formal training on how to do any of this. We did the best we could under the circumstances. At no time was a student ever alone,” said Dennis, who was fired by the district last month, before allegations about his use of what DPS calls a “seclusion room” surfaced.Dennis said the students weren’t alone because administrators, including himself, watched through a window in the cl...

Chocolate Lab closes less than five months after reopening

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

Chocolate Lab has expired. Denver’s only chocolate-centric restaurant closed its Hilltop location last month.Owner Phil Simonson declined to comment. But he responded to a customer’s Google review last month, stating, “Unfortunately due to the current employment issues and the increased costs of operating, I had to make the tough decision to close down,” he wrote. “I am sorry you were not able to enjoy the amazing creations we once had.”Chocolate Lab reopened in a new, larger space with a new look in the Hilltop neighborhood in February this year after closing its original location on East Colfax a year ago.The 32-seat restaurant, which incorporated chocolate in each of its dishes, tripled the size of its kitchen and doubled the size of the bar from its previous location. It also had a new dedicated retail space where customers can buy truffles, peanut brittle, toffee and other chocolate creations.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | ...

Blackjack player sues Ameristar Casino, city of Black Hawk and others over alleged detainment for card counting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

A blackjack player from Georgia allegedly found himself detained at Ameristar Casino in Black Hawk for the gambling practice of card counting, according to his lawsuit against the casino, the city and others.Faced with a long layover at Denver International Airport, plaintiff Joseph Shiraef decided to spend that time on Oct. 19, 2021, about an hour away in Black Hawk to try his luck at cards. But instead of walking out with a gambling win, the night resulted in a lawsuit against Ameristar Casino, its owner Gaming and Leisure Properties, the city of Black Hawk, one of its police officers and a Colorado Division of Gaming agent.Shiraef argues that he was physically blocked from leaving the casino for the alleged “criminal violation of the Colorado fraud statute by counting cards,” the complaint purports.Card counting is a blackjack technique defined as “keeping a mental tally of the cards dealt, so you know information about the cards that haven’t been dealt,” ...

Pickleball players are taking over tennis courts and one Colorado city wants to put a stop to it

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

Glendale is tired of pickleball poaching and the city is preparing to put an end to it.As an increasing number of pickleball players claim the flat hard surface of tennis courts for their games — laying down tape to mark lines and rolling portable nets into place — tennis aficionados are having a harder time finding available courts to play their venerable pastime.It’s gotten so bad in Glendale that the city is pursuing an ordinance that makes it illegal to “mark the surface of the (tennis) court with any type of temporary or permanent marks or lines.” The City Council approved the measure last week on a first reading and will cast a final vote next month.High-definition cameras will be used to monitor courts and violators could receive a misdemeanor citation. It appears to be the first ordinance of its kind in Colorado — or perhaps the nation.“We have not heard of anything like this,” said Melissa Zhang, spokeswoman for USA Pickleball...

Woman with pet allegedly steals $400 worth of merch from Goodies LA store

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

Goodies LA shared footage of a woman who allegedly stole $400 worth of merchandise Tuesday.The store took to Instagram Stories to report the theft and share surveillance video of the incident. According to Goodies LA, the suspect and her pet entered the Atwater Village location on Aug. 8, 2023, and went to a register to check out around 12:30 p.m.A woman is seen on video allegedly stealing from a Goodies LA store on Aug. 8, 2023. (Goodies LA)The video shows the woman standing at a register with her dog in tow as she goes through her wallet to apparently grab a credit card. After the employee turns away to fill the order, the woman is seen turning the checkout tablet toward her and begins touching the screen."The woman knew her way around the register and deleted half of her cart while the sales associate was wrapping her goodies," the store's Instagram Stories post read. Security ambassadors filmed flirting, kissing in West Hollywood The store said the woman not only stole $400 ...

Scientists look beyond climate change, El Nino for other factors that heat up Earth

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

Scientists are wondering if global warming and El Nino have an accomplice in fueling this summer’s record-shattering heat.The European climate agency Copernicus reported that July was one-third of a degree Celsius (six-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit) hotter than the old record. That’s a bump in heat that is so recent and so big, especially in the oceans and even more so in the North Atlantic, that scientists are split on whether something else could be at work.Scientists agree that by far the biggest cause of the recent extreme warming is climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas that has triggered a long upward trend in temperatures. A natural El Nino, a temporary warming of parts of the Pacific that changes weather worldwide, adds a smaller boost. But some researchers say another factor must be present.“What we are seeing is more than just El Nino on top of climate change,” Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo said. LAPD officer arrested...

BT and His Binary Universe

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

BT and His Binary Universe: Grammy-nominated producer, composer, technologist, and songwriter BT has never considered himself a DJ, but he got started in music early on in life.“I studied piano Suzuki method starting at 4, went to the Washington Conservatory of music at 7 and Berklee School of music at 15,” he says. “As long as I can remember, music was the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do.”It’s hard to pin down a specific BT sound, as he works in everything from software design to film scoring.“My new album The Secret Language of Trees is a continuation of This Binary Universe series,” he says. “It contains everything from traditional orchestral writing to crazy coded digital signal process and sound design – to live field recordings.”BT feels that the current electronic music scene is a mixed bag.“I think a lot of electronic music is highly formulaic and will be replaced by large music AI models,” he says. &#...

Genetic sleuths capture the secret lives of Bay Area bears

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:48 GMT

In a landscape long empty of bears, the North Bay is now home to an increasing number of young and growing families, living lives full of drama and adventure.A remarkable new genetic study has found that Sonoma County-based matriarchs are raising healthy cubs, sometimes stashing them up in tall fir trees. Absentee fathers and restless sons are visiting and vanishing. Some siblings had a brief romance.Researchers also are collecting evidence left behind by bears exploring Marin County’s suburban yards, city playgrounds and the wilds of the western coast. The goal is to map their wanderings and teach residents how to live among bears safely, such as keeping garbage secure.The research — conducted by a large group of state agencies, nonprofit conservation groups, landowners and volunteers called the North Bay Bear Collaborative – boosts hopes that North Bay bear populations will continue their expansion into protected East Bay woodlands.“It’s giving us an idea of their rela...