Author: reporter

Across the globe, wildlife is in crisis. Insect populations are crashing, bird species are disappearing, and pollinators, the unsung heroes of food production, are vanishing at alarming rates. One of the primary culprits behind this ecological unraveling is habitat loss, driven by urban development, industrial agriculture, and the widespread use of non-native ornamental plants. But amid the decline, a powerful solution is taking root — quite literally — in backyards and gardens across the country: keystone native plants. What are keystone native plants? Banded hairstreaks (shown here) and Colorado hairstreaks lay their eggs on the rounded leaves of Gambel oaks,…

Two wildfires burning this weekend on hundreds of acres in southwestern Colorado have prompted evacuations across La Plata County, fire officials said. Both fires sparked Saturday, and their causes remain under investigation, according to fire officials. The Elkhorn fire, which started as a structure fire at about 5 p.m. Saturday and spread into the surrounding wildland, has consumed roughly 204 acres with no containment, fire officials said in a Sunday afternoon update. Crews on Sunday were working to protect homes and structures near the fire’s edge, Operations Chief Nick Collard said in a Sunday morning briefing. The fire is mostly burning…

Four people were injured in a Saturday evening crash on the north side of Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, police said. The crash near East 17th Avenue and North Pearl Street sent two motorists and two motorcyclists to the hospital, Denver police said in a 7:20 p.m. post on social media. Information about the cause of the crash, the number of vehicles involved and the extent of the victims’ injuries was not available Sunday morning. At least one person suffered serious injuries, police said. This is a developing story and may be updated.  Sign up to get crime news sent straight…

Within two years of joining the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office, Kurtis Luster took part in the fatal shooting of a 52-year-old man in downtown Craig and participated in another incident in which sheriff’s personnel intentionally rammed an SUV into a man walking down a country road with his hands in the air. But people who’ve had run-ins with Luster say he shouldn’t even have been hired by the northwest Colorado sheriff’s office in 2021. Police reports show the Routt County Sheriff’s Office — where Luster worked before getting hired by Moffat County — investigated him in 2019 for several allegations…

The regular grillmaster’s pager buzzed: Someone was in a metro Denver hospital with an injury caused by violence, and that meant handing off responsibility for the grilled cheese and quesadillas. Jerry Morgan stepped in to work the grill in front of the Denver Youth Program’s location on Welton Street on Thursday afternoon, while Felipe Perez headed to talk with the trauma patient. Next time, they’ll switch roles. Both do outreach with young people at risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of violence. Julie Ralston, right, and Jerry Morgan make quesadillas for youth at Denver Youth Program’s REACH Clinic in Denver…

Dear Eric: I have two friends who can’t hear very well. One of them had hearing aids but returned them. The other one has them but won’t wear them. They frequently talk over each other and interrupt people all the time because they can’t seem to tell if someone else is speaking. What’s really annoying is they keep telling me to speak up, then complain when I do so. They accuse me of mumbling, but everyone else understands me just fine. I have to repeat myself over and over again, increasing my volume each time until they say, “don’t yell…

By IAN NICHOLAS QUILLEN BALTIMORE (AP) — Cedric Mullins hit his 100th career home run and 14th this season off starter Antonio Senzatela before the Orioles plated nine seventh-inning runs off two Rockies relievers in Baltimore’s 18-0 victory over Colorado on Saturday night. Mullins joined Brady Anderson and Paul Blair among Orioles with 100 home runs and 100 steals in Baltimore’s largest win of the season. He may have done so just in time; the 30-year-old is one of several potential trade pieces for a Baltimore club likely to be sellers at Thursday’s deadline. Tyler O’Neill homered for the second…

Last summer, it was Bo Nix’s time. This summer, it is Bo Nix’s team. For a Broncos quarterback to navigate this responsibility, he must understand the magnitude of the position on and off the field. No job in the state of Colorado has a higher profile. Every Sunday is a referendum, a job performance review from 75,000 bosses — and those are just the ones crammed into Empower Field at Mile High. Nix demonstrates all the traits of a leader. He is one of the first in the building. He calls players when they get drafted. He organized an offseason…

The golden-haired prince, wearing Denver’s golden crown, didn’t deflect the shine. Bo Nix embraced it, just as he’s always done. His peers officially think more highly of him than Dak Prescott, Jordan Love or Tua Tagovailoa, and such recognition on the NFL’s Top 100 was a “cool honor,” Nix affirmed Saturday. But the 25-year-old also doesn’t want to be just the 64th-best player in the league, as he was ranked. All offseason long, veteran teammates from Mike McGlinchey to Pat Surtain II have lauded Nix’s sheer competitiveness behind the scenes. The world got a peek behind the curtain on Saturday. “It…

A 19-year-old driver was cited on suspicion of careless driving causing death after police say he struck and killed a 12-year-old boy riding a scooter in a crosswalk, Aurora officials said Friday. Christopher Ramirez-Rodriguez of Aurora was driving on East Iliff Avenue near the Cherry Creek Spillway Trail crossing the morning of July 19 when he ran a red pedestrian crossing light while a boy on an electric scooter was in the crosswalk, according to the Aurora Police Department. The boy was taken to the hospital and later died from his injuries. Ramirez-Rodriguez remained at the scene and cooperated with…