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New fleet of dragons to hit the water at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:35:56 GMT

Each year for the last two decades, dragons have thundered through the waters of Sloan’s Lake in a fulmination of flying color. This year, onlookers at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, coming July 22 and 23, will meet some new ones.Acquiring a new fleet of boats for each 20-person racing team to use has been the ultimate goal since the festival’s inaugural run in 2001, organizers said. This year, that goal was met by using about $120,000 in donations saved from festivals and fundraisers from the 23 years prior.“Year after year, we were able to save little by little,” said Sara Moore, executive director of Colorado Dragon Boat. “Finally, in our 23rd year of existence, we were able to do it through a lot of wonderful help from past and present.”Competitors try out one of six of the new fleet of Dragon Boats. (Provided by Sara Moore)Colorado Dragon Boat is the non-profit organization that puts on the weekend-long festivities, which last year attracted an estimated 170,000 visit...

Fatal fall exposes the risk rock-scramblers take by not using ropes

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:35:56 GMT

A well-known Boulder climbing club that specializes in quick and rope-free ascents of Boulder’s famous tilted Flatirons has been jolted by the death of a member who fell 500 feet to her death in Rocky Mountain National Park last week.Bailee Mulholland, 26, was on Blitzen Ridge on Ypsilon Mountain, a jagged, but relatively easy climb, according to experienced rock scramblers, but one that highlights the risks climbers take while scrambling — or “free soloing” — on routes with steep faces and extreme exposures.“This is hitting our group pretty hard,” said Bill Wright, the founder of Satan’s Minions, the club that Mulholland belonged to. “We don’t promote this stuff, we don’t recruit people. We’re a group that does this stuff, we love this stuff and we know it’s potentially super dangerous because you don’t have a rope. It’s a tough line to walk because we’re up there for fun. We’re not trying to be daredevils. She wasn’t trying to ...

Bright Nights is the biggest event in Four Mile Historic Park’s 160-year history

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:35:56 GMT

What took you so long, Four Mile?We kid. And yet, it’s true that Denver’s oldest park has seemingly (finally) come around to the immersive-outdoor trend with the opening of its biggest-ever art installation. Bright Nights at Four Mile, as it’s called, is a walkable outdoor “festival” that’s starting its 10-week run on Wednesday, July 26, with tickets available through Oct. 1.It looks like so much fun that we’re wondering why organizers didn’t do it sooner. Massive sculptures will dot the park, which comes to life at night with thousands of twinkling, colored lights. Selfies, yes, but also gaping mouths and wide eyes.“This is the most extensive program Four Mile has ever produced, and we’re incredibly honored to be the host venue for the region,” said CEO Jennifer LaGraff in a statement.Set on 12 acres, the 160-year-old park’s new attraction is a creation of Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc., “the largest Chi...

Casa Bonita taps Denver brewery to create an original “casa beer”

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:35:56 GMT

Visitors to Casa Bonita may be predisposed to purchase a margarita to pair with their Mexican food, but beer lovers also have plenty of local craft options, including a locally-made house beer available exclusively at the Lakewood landmark.The cleverly named Casa Beer, created by Denver’s own Ratio Beerworks, is a Mexican-style lager brewed with lime, balancing sweetness from corn in the mash bill with a pop of citrus. The 4.8% ABV brew is served on draft at bars throughout the restaurant, which reopened in a limited capacity at the end of June.Ratio spokesperson Marika Evanger Clark said the brewery previously worked with chef Dana “Loca” Rodriguez, who leads the Casa Bonita kitchen, so “this was a no-brainer for us to partner with [the restaurant] when the opportunity presented itself.”Though a Mexican lager seems like the obvious choice for a Mexican restaurant, Ratio hosted Casa Bonita’s food and beverage team — without owners and “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker...

2 men robbed while walking in Beverly Hills

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:35:56 GMT

Four suspects believed to be connected to the robbery of two men who were walking in Beverly Hills Monday night were arrested within hours of the crime, officials said.Police responded to the robbery call around 6:40 p.m., a Beverly Hills Police Department spokesperson confirmed. The victims, both Beverly Hills residents, were walking in the 600 block of North Doheny Drive when they were approached by two male suspects. Two men were robbed while walking in Beverly Hills on July 17, 2023. (KTLA)The suspects, both believed to be men in their 20s, were armed with handguns, police said. The victims told police the men had taken two Rolex watches and then fled in a newer model dark-colored sedan. Officers spotted the suspects' vehicle later that evening on South Santa Monica Boulevard and Charleville Boulevard shortly before 10 p.m. Man detained by deputies while returning items at mall Police stopped the vehicle and took four suspects into custody. Handguns and property were recovered...

‘I have a lot of questions’: A friend is in disbelief over the safe return of San Mateo woman after being held captive in Mexico for 8 months

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:35:56 GMT

By Jillian Sykes | CNNMonica De Leon Barba, a San Mateo County woman who the FBI said was kidnapped in Mexico in November, has been reunited with her family.De Leon Barba was released by her captors last week, roughly eight months since she was kidnapped while walking home from work with her dog, the FBI said over the weekend.Her friend Anissa Livas said she was in shock when she first heard the good news of De Leon Barba’s return. The two first met in college and have stayed friends since.“I got a message from her brother and was in disbelief,” Livas told CNN. “I’m super happy and joyous but I have a lot of questions.”In its statement regarding De Leon Barba’s return, the FBI said an investigation remains ongoing into the identities of her captors and no arrests have been made. The agency did not share further details about De Leon Barba’s release.Livas said she has only briefly talked with De Leon Barba since her release. In that short exchange, she reminded her friend she loved h...

Three downtown San Jose housing towers hit pause due to uncertainties

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:35:56 GMT

SAN JOSE — Three downtown San Jose housing tower projects have encountered delays due to a murky economy, sky-high interest rates and the withdrawal of a key tech partner from the highrises.The housing towers are located in downtown San Jose’s South First Area, or more familiarly, the SoFA district, and together would produce a combined 474 residential units, once they are all constructed.One unique feature of the three towers was the involvement of Nabr, a tech startup that uses software to automate and customize how people choose and design their homes and craft financing packages for potential ownership.Nabr collected deposits from people who wished to rent the apartments in a program that would enable people to eventually own their apartments. At one point, Nabr reported the waiting list was in the thousands.Now, however, Nabr has pulled out of the project of three towers and has returned all of the deposits. The tech startup, which in August 2022 had raised $48 mill...

49ers camp preview: Who will fill out WR corps behind Samuel, Aiyuk?

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:35:56 GMT

SANTA CLARA – Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are entrenched as the 49ers’ starters for a fourth consecutive season since Aiyuk was drafted in 2020. Behind them, however, there are plenty of questions entering training camp about how the wide receivers room will shape up.Aiyuk is building off the first 1,000-yard season of his career, which was followed by the 49ers’ decision this spring to exercise the $14.1 million fifth-year option on his rookie contract. He started all 17 games and was the 49ers’ leading receiver with 78 catches, though his production dipped in the playoffs.Samuel is rebounding from his self-described “awful” regular season that began with a three-year contract extension in July after tense offseason negotiations. His dual-threat role diminished some with the addition of Christian McCaffrey, but injury still struck as he was carted off with a high ankle sprain during a Dec. 1 win over Tampa Bay. Still, he returned and made an impact in the playo...

Glazer: My fellow California Democrats keep repeating the same mistakes

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:35:56 GMT

The California Legislature is beginning its summer recess having passed the latest state budget. The $310 billion plan reflects our values, dedicating spending to getting homeless people off the street, supporting schools, keeping public transit afloat and treating mental illness. As a member of the state Senate’s Democratic majority, I voted for all of those things.But as many Californians know, we’ve already spent billions of dollars on the same problems — with very little to show for it.Our failures are evidence that good intentions and lots of money are not enough to fix what ails the Golden State. To make our progressive beliefs mean anything, the Legislature must ensure that the money we spend is actually improving the lives of the people we say we are committed to helping.We can do that with two major changes in the way we work. First, we need to stop hamstringing programs and services with special interest demands that doom them to fail. Second, we need to gather and e...

Powerball Jackpot soars to $1 billion after no winner in Monday’s drawing

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:35:56 GMT

By Tina Burnside | CNNThe Powerball jackpot soared to $1 billion for the third time in the game’s history after no ticket matched all six numbers in Monday night’s drawing.The mammoth grand prize ranks as the seventh largest US lottery jackpot and third largest Powerball jackpot, behind the world record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot won last year in California, and the $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot won in 2016, according to the lottery.If a lucky winner nabs the jackpot in the next drawing Wednesday night, they will have the choice between an annuitized prize worth an estimated $1 billion or a lump sum payment estimated at $516.8 million, both before taxes, according to Powerball.The Powerball jackpot rolled Monday night after no ticket matched all numbers drawn for the estimated $900 million grand prize – white balls 5, 8, 9, 17, 41 and red Powerball 21.There have been 38 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner since its April 19 drawing, when a ticket in Ohio matched al...