Author: reporter

Commerce City police helped return a surly rattlesnake to the wild this month after a resident found the venomous reptile coiled in their home’s driveway. In body-worn-camera video included in a Commerce City Police Department social media post, the officer uses a catch pole to pick up the snake, which rattles and tries to lash out as he carries it to a nearby field. Police spokesperson Joanna Small said no one was hurt during the encounter on the night of May 22, although a person was bitten recently while using a local trail. “We’ve now had two instances recently where…

AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Luca Casali and some of his Golden teammates have been waiting two years for their second chance, so a few extra hours weren’t a problem. It took a second game to end Cheyenne Mountain’s magical run, but the Golden Demons (26-4) claimed their first Class 4A state baseball championship in 22 years on Saturday with a 5-1 victory at the Air Force Academy’s Erdle Field. “Ever since that loss (two years ago), it’s just ate at me,” Casali said. “This has just been a huge goal for all of us that were on that team. This…

The search for consistency means Rockies first baseman Michael Toglia is headed down to Triple-A Albuquerque for a major tuneup. The Rockies optioned Toglia on Saturday. Big things were expected of Toglia this season, but he’s been one of the Rockies’ biggest disappointments as the club spiraled to the worst start in big-league history. Toglia, 26, the Rockies’ first-round pick in 2019, has slashed just .194/.266/.349 with six home runs over 207 plate appearances. He’s struck out 81 times at an alarming rate of 39.1%. On the road, he’s slashed .124/.198/.206 with two homers and a 48% strikeout rate. Manager…

For one shining moment, the Rockies looked like they could compete with the mighty Mets. Then reality set in, and the Rockies’ season of ill repute continued. The Mets rolled, 8-2, on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field, sending the Rockies to their seventh straight loss and clinching the three-game series for New York (36-22). The Rockies now own a 9-49 record, putting them on pace to finish the season 25-137, which would obliterate the White Sox’s 121-loss 2024 season, the worst in baseball’s modern era. One more historical tidbit: The Rockies have lost all 19 of their series this season…

Joy comes in many forms. It was impossible to miss as royal blue caps and baseball gloves soared into the air on a cloudless Saturday, celebrating Cherry Creek’s 10th state baseball title. On the All-Star Park field after an 8-1 victory over Regis Jesuit, teammates screamed and hugged as parents, overcome with emotion, wiped away tears. There is nothing like finishing a season as a champion. For Wyatt and Walker Rudden, it represented their last time on a high school diamond together. Wyatt, the senior ace on his way to Michigan, and Walker, the gritty junior second baseman who refused…

A bat found near Arvada’s Westlake neighborhood has tested positive for rabies, becoming Jefferson County’s first confirmed case of the virus this year, according to a county news release. The rabies virus can infect any mammal, including humans but is most often seen in wild animals such as bats and skunks. Once symptoms appear, infections are almost always fatal. Anyone who has had contact with a wild or stray animal should contact their health care provider and local animal control agency immediately to access post-exposure care and prevent the spread of the virus. “Rabies remains a risk in our community,…

LAKEWOOD — In shades of the late ’90s, Cherry Creek baseball remains unstoppable. The Bruins dominated Regis Jesuit on Saturday at All-Star Park with an 8-1 victory in the Class 5A title game. Senior right-hander Wyatt Rudden was masterful, while the Raiders’ pitching staff — which had ace Hudson Alpert injured and used its two other top arms on Friday to advance — couldn’t hold down the Bruins’ potent lineup. With the win, Cherry Creek became the first 5A program to repeat since Rocky Mountain won four in a row from 2007-10. It’s the second time the Bruins have won…

The notorious Denver serial killer known as PDQ hasn’t claimed a victim in some 15 years. With sheer willpower, he’s controlled his urges and only wants to live under the radar as a mild-mannered state employee. But when a journalist is killed by someone using his method, PDQ is furious. He wants to protect his “brand.” So Harry Kugel — PDQ’s real name — contacts Flynn Martin, a disgraced television reporter, and reveals the dead woman was murdered by a copycat. At first, Flynn dismisses Harry as a nutjob. PDQ must have died or been incarcerated for another crime, she…

Today is Saturday, May 31, the 151st day of 2025. There are 214 days left in the year. Today in history: On May 31, 1921, a two-day massacre erupted in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as white mobs began looting and burning the affluent Black district of Greenwood over reports a Black man had assaulted a white woman in an elevator; though the exact number remains unknown, as many as 300 Black Tulsans were killed during the riot. Also on this date: In 1790, President George Washington signed into law the first U.S. copyright act. In 1889, over 2,200 people in Johnstown, Pennsylvania,…

Metro Denver has moved solidly into the buyer’s camp, with home sellers outnumbering buyers by a widening margin, according to a report Thursday from Redfin, a Seattle-based residential real estate brokerage firm. Nationally, there were an estimated 1.9 million home sellers in the U.S. housing market and an estimated 1.5 million homebuyers in April, according to Redfin, which works out to a 33.7% advantage to buyers. Metro Denver had 16,357 sellers active in April, compared to 11,526 buyers, giving Denver a 42% ratio in favor of buyers. Nationally, 32 markets of the 50 examined were in the buyer’s camp. Denver…