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Fort Collins’ newest natural area doubles as a working farm

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:23 GMT

On a surprisingly brisk September morning, the just-risen sun cast its warmth over a line of young cottonwood trees and a fallow field. Steps away, greens burst from the ground in perfect alignment, a hint to the rows of carrots, lettuces and onions growing below. Homes bordered the scene on three sides.Attendees enjoyed a nature trail at the opening of Kestrel Fields Nature Area in September 2023. (Provided by the city of Fort Collins)Green spaces like this aren’t unusual in northern Colorado. The Fort Collins area is home to 52 natural areas, equaling about 55,000 conserved acres. People often think of these sites as places to hike or bike or spot wildlife (think: the bison herd at Soapstone Prairie Natural Area). But when Kestrel Fields Natural Area opened to the public last month, it marked a new approach to the city’s efforts: Open space that doubles as farmland. It’s the third piece of a pilot project that’s using agriculture as a way to achieve land conservation goals.Colorad...

Jazz, big band are right at home at Dazzle 3.0 in Denver Performing Arts Center | Opinion

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:23 GMT

Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s new series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we will offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).Jazz fans will be happy to hear that Dazzle is still the place to hear live jazz and big band music in Denver.Of course, since the new Dazzle moved to the Denver Performing Arts Center in August, many die-hard jazz lovers have already seen that for themselves.A packed house listens to The Shuffle-Tones on March 28, 2009, at Dazzle, at 930 Lincoln St. (Evan Semon, Special to The Denver Post)Sure, we miss downtown’s Jazz at Jack’s and the Crimson Room, and La Cour on South Broadway, and, of course, El Chapultepec, and others that haven’t survived. But we’ve been getting our live music fix at Nocturne, Soiled Dove Underground and Herb’s Hideout, as well as biking over to City Park in the summers for its...

Denver’s first cannabis spa will offer massages with infused topicals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:23 GMT

Few things sound more relaxing than a toke of marijuana and a massage. Lucky for Denverites, they’ll be able to find both in one place next year when Pure Elevations Spa & Garden opens in the Baker neighborhood.The idea for a cannabis-focused spa and salon came from owner and CEO Rebecca Marroquin’s own experience using infused topicals to treat pain. In 2011, Marroquin was preparing to finish school and become a massage therapist when she was involved in a car crash that broke her neck.Marroquin began using Mary Jane’s Medicinals‘ lotions and salves infused with cannabinoids like cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to help with her neck pain. Four months after the incident, she was back on track to graduate.Rebecca Marroquin shows marijuana-infused topicals she hopes to use in massages and to sell to customers at her forthcoming hospitality business, Pure Elevations Spa & Garden. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)“It didn’t stop me,” she said. ...

Emergency pizza, $5 movies, the Zoo and more free and cheap things to do in Denver in November

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:23 GMT

Denver Zoo’s final free day for the yearMonkey around with family and friends for free one last time this year at the Denver Zoo. The popular attraction’s final free day for 2023 is on Nov. 12. Tickets are no longer given away via a lottery. Instead, they are now released on a first-come, first-served basis 11 days in advance, That means you will want to be at your computer starting at noon on Nov. 1. Bookmark this link:  https://tickets.denverzoo.org/DateSelection.aspx?item=3486.  Explore Predator Ridge populated with lions and other carnivores, the indoor rainforest Tropical Discovery, the Toyota Elephant Passage, Harmony Hill Bear Habitat, Primate Panorama, Northern Shores and more. Free Days for 2024 should be announced shortly. denverzoo.org/free-daysDomino’s free emergency pizzaSound the alarm! Everyone needs a free pizza, and Domino’s has everyone covered with its new program offering a free medium two-topping pizza whenever you need it. Any Domino’s Rewards member who ...

Facing veto threat by Gov. Jared Polis, Colorado lawmakers kill supervised drug-use sites bill

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:23 GMT

A veto threat from Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ office helped sink a renewed effort to launch supervised drug-use sites as a legislative committee signed off Monday on a slew of other drug policy reforms for consideration in next year’s session.Once again, lawmakers stopped short of advancing a controversial measure sought by some advocates and public health officials. The sanctioned sites are seen as a tool to reduce overdose deaths by allowing drug users to legally consume illicit substances under the supervision of staff.Rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy, the chair of the Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Study Committee, said Polis’ office issued the veto threat on the bill last week, three days before the committee was set to meet for a final time. Polis’ office also called Sen. Kyle Mullica, a swing vote on the supervised use issue who had worked with deGruy Kennedy throughout the summer on a compromise.Mullica voted against the policy Monday. The draft ha...

Broncos Mailbag: Can Sean Payton and Denver turn two-game winning streak into second-half playoff run?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:23 GMT

Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.The TV often focuses on the coaches calling plays and displays it on the screen. The Denver coaches let their play-calling be shown and I think the opposing team can partially know what they are talking about. I think the Denver coaches should try harder to hide their lips from the TV when calling plays.— Nathan Berger, DenverHey Nathan, thanks for writing in and getting us started this week. I hear you on that, but I think this type of thing gets a little bit overblown. The detail with which you’d have to lipread and then put into practice in real time makes it seem unlikely to be successful.For this to work, someone must be watching the moment a sideline shot captures something revelatory being said, then decode that message and use against a team seconds later. Isn’t it more likely that an opposing player would be along the sideline and hear...

Frontex: MEPs want an effective border agency compliant with fundamental rights 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:23 GMT

The Civil Liberties Committee insists that a well-functioning European Border and Coast Guard Agency can help member states manage the EU’s external borders, LIBE.The committee adopted on Thursday a draft resolution, with 45 in favour, seven against and 0 abstentions, wrapping up the fact-finding investigation by the Working Group on Frontex Scrutiny.Search and rescueMEPs underline that Frontex could do more to increase the EU and member states’ capacity to carry out search and rescue operations by investing in appropriate assets for such operations. Regarding the shipwreck off the coast of Greece on 14 June 2023, MEPs expect Frontex’s full cooperation during the inquiry.Ongoing concerns in Greece, Lithuania and HungaryMEPs express “severe concerns regarding the serious and persistent allegations made against Greek authorities in relation to pushbacks and violence against migrants”. Frontex should scale down its operations to mere monitoring and presence on the ground in cases where...

Wildfires torch structures in Riverside County; thousands evacuated

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:23 GMT

Fire crews are battling fast-moving wildfires fueled by Santa Ana winds in Riverside County that have burned three structures, damaged another six and prompted the evacuation of some 4,000 residents in the area, officials said.  The Highlands Fire, which began at Highlands and Aguanga Ranchos roads in the small town of Aguanga, was first reported at around 12:30 p.m. Monday and was estimated to be around 30 acres.By Tuesday morning at 4:30 a.m., the blaze had quickly grown to over 1,600 acres with no containment, Cal Fire said.Cal Fire officials said that an estimated 1,300 homes have been evacuated in the following areas:South of Sage Road and Golden Creek East of Becker Lane West of Boulder Vista North of Cottonwood Creek South of Highway 371West of Soreson and north of County Line RoadFirefighter seen working to extinguish several mobile home ablaze during the Highlands Fire in Riverside County on Oct. 30, 2023. (Firewatch Photography)Crews battle the win...

Bicyclist killed after violent hit-and-run; LAPD searching for driver 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:23 GMT

A bicyclist died after being struck by a car and dragged down the street in the San Fernando Valley late Monday night, and now the search is on for the driver. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the collision took place around 11:40 p.m. as both the driver and the bike rider were traveling southbound on Van Nuys Boulevard near Burbank Boulevard. The driver struck the bicyclist somewhere in the vicinity of the intersection of Van Nuys and Burbank, police said, and the victim became lodged underneath the vehicle.  Armed and dangerous suspect wanted for violent Claremont stabbing arrested While being dragged down the roadway, the cyclist eventually becomes dislodged from the bottom of the car. They were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver then fled the area in a red Toyota sedan, believed to be a Camry or Corolla, authorities said. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the LAPD.

2 men dead after an armed robbery in San Bernardino

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:23 GMT

Two men are dead after an alleged armed robbery in San Bernardino on Saturday. At approximately 11 p.m., San Bernardino police officers responded to reports of an armed robbery in a back parking lot at the National Orange Show, according to a San Bernardino Police Department news release. The suspect was described as a male wearing an orange vest and a beanie hat who was armed with a handgun.When officers arrived, they located the suspect, identified as 53-year-old David Rojas Sr. of San Bernardino, who matched the description and was armed with a gun. Rojas shot at the officers, causing them to return fire. Rojas, who has an extensive violent criminal history, was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. While canvassing the area in search for witnesses and additional evidence, authorities found a man nearby who was suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. It does not appear that Rojas...