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Denver’s population rebounds slightly, but it’s among metro counties facing growth headwinds

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:00 GMT

Denver and other metro area counties are losing residents to other parts of Colorado and out of state, new census estimates show, as pandemic disruptions, rising housing costs and an aging population continue to scramble Colorado’s formerly robust growth patterns.Like Denver, Jefferson and Arapahoe counties are seeing more people move out than move in, while Douglas County and sprawling Weld County have been big gainers in terms of net migration.Thanks to natural growth from births outpacing deaths, the city and county of Denver still managed to grow in population from mid-2021 to mid-2022, partially rebounding from a decline the prior year. It reached 713,252 residents as of July 1, according to annual population estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. That reflects an uptick of 1,929 residents compared to mid-2021, or 0.3% growth.But since the 2020 census, which pegged population counts to April 1 of that year — right as the coronavirus pandemic was taki...

Nearly a decade after recreational cannabis sales began in Colorado, Golden takes its first rip

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:00 GMT

GOLDEN — Seventeen months after voters in this city said yes to recreational cannabis sales — and nearly a decade after the first retail joint and edible were sold in Colorado — this tourist-friendly city on the western fringe of the metro area is finally joining the pot party.Verts Neighborhood Dispensary, formerly Golden Alternative Medicine and the city’s only medical marijuana shop, made its first recreational cannabis sale during a soft opening of the re-branded store this week.Verts formally opens its doors at 511 Orchard St. on April 5 with a ribbon-cutting at — wait for it — 4:20 p.m.For co-owner Ashley Close, the transition to recreational sales was nothing less than a matter of survival, as the medical side of the business in Colorado has slowed in recent years.“Medical in general is going consistently down,” said Close, as an employee polished the windows of display cases inside the store Wednesday. “If we couldn’...

DeSantis' board says Disney stripped them of power

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:00 GMT

Board members picked by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee the governance of Walt Disney World said Wednesday that their Disney-controlled predecessors pulled a fast one on them by passing restrictive covenants that strip the new board of many of its powers.The current supervisors of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said at a meeting that their predecessors last month signed a development agreement with the company that gave Disney maximum developmental power over the theme park resort's 27,000 acres in central Florida.The five supervisors were appointed by the Republican governor to the board after the Florida Legislature overhauled Disney's government in retaliation for the entertainment giant publicly opposing so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, as well as lessons deemed not age-appropriate.In taking on Disney, DeSantis furthered his reputation as a culture warri...

Oakland: I-580 shooting leaves one dead late Wednesday night

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:00 GMT

OAKLAND — A person was shot and killed while driving a vehicle on Interstate 580 late Wednesday in Oakland, according to the California Highway Patrol.The CHP responded to a reported crash on the highway around 10:30 p.m. when they found the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle with gun shot wounds. The person was declared deceased at the scene.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Eight additional East Bay police officers on leave for racist and homophobic texts Crime and Public Safety | Missing man’s body found in East Bay harbor Crime and Public Safety | Four suspects arrested in East Bay robbery spree Crime and Public Safety | Suspect in Oakland fatal crash, who was later injured in police shooting, takes 12-year prison term Crime and Public Safety | Pittsburg murder defendant who accidentally told on himself sentenced to 32 years to life The CHP later confirmed that the driver die...

Opinion: The teen mental health crisis is no place to cut corners

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:00 GMT

It’s no secret that kids in the U.S. are struggling with mental health issues in increasing numbers. Now, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association emphasizes the severity of the situation: Pediatric mental health hospitalizations are rising, and many more kids are being hospitalized for attempting suicide.The data couldn’t be clearer: We’re not identifying and supporting struggling kids before they hit a crisis.JoAnna Leyenaar, lead author of the study, is a pediatric hospitalist and vice chair of research for the department of pediatrics at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire. She noticed a growing proportion of the patients at her hospital were coming in because of mental health conditions. She decided to mine the country’s largest public database of pediatric inpatient care to try to understand if it was a nationwide trend.And clearly, it is. Between 2009 and 2019, pediatric mental health hospitalizations at acute care facilities rose by near...

Draymond Green unleashes his fire — something the Warriors desperately need

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — There’s nothing more unrelenting than a Warriors’ 3-point shooting avalanche, and often an amped-up Draymond Green’s voice triggers the cascade. So when Green starts talking — loud — teammates who know him best know it’s time to lock in.Teammates also know Green typically saves that voice for the playoffs. But in a crucial game against the New Orleans Pelicans with just a handful of games to pull themselves into a first-round series guarantee and out of the play-in tournament bracket, Green let loose.Once longtime foe CJ McCollum ticked him off, Green was in everyone’s ear and in their face. He drew a technical foul, a Flagrant 1 and was a team-high plus-26 as the Warriors overcame a 20-point deficit in the second half to win 120-109.“Draymond willed us to victory,” Steve Kerr said after the game. “His intensity, his frustration with the way we were playing. Mad at the world, yelling at everybody. Our bench,...

Opinion: Bay Area counties push for comprehensive homelessness plan

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:00 GMT

Counties have worked hard for years to partner with cities, the state and community organizations to fight homelessness. We’ve developed resources and innovations to expand housing and services for unsheltered residents suffering on our streets.And yet, making real progress has been difficult to achieve because California doesn’t define clear state, county or city roles and responsibilities in addressing homelessness — which leaves us with the existing patchwork of solutions that aren’t yielding the results we need when we need them most.Until we answer some basic questions — Which entity is responsible for what? Are these responsibilities properly aligned with authority, flexibility and sustainable funding? How can we design and apply accountability to ensure the best outcomes? — California will continue to live with the shame of leading the nation with nearly 200,000 unsheltered children and adults across our state.We must change course. We can’t continue to do t...

A’s Opening Night starter Kyle Muller was the Shohei Ohtani of Texas high school baseball

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:00 GMT

OAKLAND — Kyle Muller is cheerfully standing in front of his locker, doing his best to recount one of the most special moments of his young life and failing miserably to come up with the details.The Athletics’ rookie left-hander remembers getting an e-mail from pitching coach Scott Emerson late last week requesting his presence along with manager Mark Kotsay and bullpen coach Mike McCarthy.“I’ll be honest. I forgot the whole first half of it right up until the point where Kots said, `Do you think you can do that on Opening Day?,’ ” Muller said. “At that point I was locked in. I got up, hugged everybody. I was freaking out.”If all goes according to plan, Muller, 25, will be an anchor on the A’s pitching staff. The choice of Kotsay to be the Opening Night starter Thursday (7 p.m.), Muller will face Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels.Ohtani is coming off a dominant performance on the mound and at the plate, leading Japan to the...

Holes-in-one: Aces carded from around Bay Area golf courses recently

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:00 GMT

Congratulations to the following golfers who made the most perfect shot in the game recently:Allan Cantando: Lone Tree GC, No. 14, 109 yards, pitching wedgeRick Dudley: Deep Cliff GC, No. 6, 226 yards, driverAaron Ellis: Metropolitan GL, No. 12, 120 yards, 7-ironAlex Gutierrez: Pleasanton GC, No. 8, 134 yards, 7-ironMaggie Lindquist: Metropolitan GL, No. 15, 99 yards, 9-wood*Jameson McBride: Lone Tree GC, No. 8, 100 yards, driverIsaac Neal: Metropolitan GL, No. 12, 127 yards, 9-iron*McBride, 10, was competing in First Tee Contra Costa Tournament 

Shooting on eastbound 580 in Oakland kills 1, closes lanes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:00 GMT

(KRON) -- One person is dead after a freeway shooting in Oakland, according to the California Highway Patrol. The shooting happened on eastbound 580 at Park Boulevard, officers said.I-580 is closed in that area for the investigation. There is no estimated time of reopening.Officers said they responded to a crash around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. When they got there, officers determined it was a freeway shooting. Officers said they found one person in the car suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.This story is developing and will be updated.