Author: reporter

LOS ANGELES — For nearly 40 years, customers flocked to Party City for Halloween costumes, favors for children’s birthday parties and decorations for New Year’s Eve celebrations. Now, the go-to shop for everything from cartoon-themed balloons to Super Bowl decor is closing stores.Party City announced Saturday that it would start a “wind down” of its retail and wholesale operations as it prepares to shutter nearly 700 stores nationwide. The company has also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than two years “to maximize value for the benefit of the company’s stakeholders.”“The decision was made…

A Lafayette Police Department officer was cited for careless driving after crashing into a Toyota Camry while responding to a separate crash Saturday night, according to the Colorado State Patrol.The officer was “driving emergent” with lights and sirens and heading to a nearby rollover crash when they hit the Camry near U.S. 287 and West South Boulder Road at 6:31 p.m.The officer, whose name was not immediately available, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The Camry driver reported minor injuries but declined an ambulance ride to the hospital, according to the state patrol.It’s not clear if the police…

By BILL BARROW and WILL WEISSERTPHOENIX (AP) — Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.Panama’s conservative president José Raúl Mulino, who was elected in May on a pro-business platform, roundly rejected that notion as an affront to his country’s sovereignty. The Republican president-elect’s comment came during his first major rally since winning the White House on Nov. 5. He…

Landfills in Colorado release millions of metric tons of greenhouse gasses each year as organic waste including food, paper and yard trimmings decomposes into the soil, contributing to global warming and harming human health.Colorado, as part of its multi-pronged approach to eliminate 90% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, is planning to address those landfill emissions next year with rules that could require operators to install new equipment to curb the amount of methane they release and to increase monitoring technology to better track just how much is being generated.The state’s Air Quality Control Commission is expected to…

I want to start by thanking God, because without Him, none of this would be possible. He has blessed me with the ability to play the sport I love and has placed the right people in my life to make this journey a reality.I am truly honored and grateful to receive this prestigious award. It means so much to me to be recognized alongside the incredible athletes and individuals who have won this before me.First, I’d like to express my deepest thanks to my parents and my family. Their unwavering support through the years has meant the world to me.…

Lori Jenkins is running as bare bones as she can at the Kindred Kids Child Advocacy Center in Cañon City.The center, which supports children who survive abuse and neglect, has three employees — the lowest number allowed under its professional certification. Jenkins, the center’s executive director, scrapped plans for a satellite office in Salida, and said no to providing educational presentations about abuse to elementary school students.There’s just no money for it.Child advocacy centers across Colorado are scrambling to stay afloat as a much-relied-on federal funding pool dries up at an alarming pace. The centers, many of which are nonprofits,…

Since he was 3 years old, Leon Joseph Littlebird has skied Arapahoe Basin every winter. That’s 71 years. He cherishes the unpretentious vibe of the area, founded in 1946 by two World War II veterans who trained with the 10th Mountain Division ski troops near Leadville. Some call A-Basin “The Legend.” Littlebird calls it his “fountain of youth.”“That’s still the feeling I get every year,” he said. “I walk up and go, ‘I’m a kid again, here we go.’ I have real emotional roots there. That place is just magic to me.”So when Denver-based Alterra Mountain Company announced in February…

A new insurance company is forming in Colorado, but it won’t be advertised on television by Patrick Mahomes, an emu or a guy named Mayhem.Instead, this insurer will be overseen by a board appointed by Gov. Jared Polis, run by a former lobbyist and funded through fees charged to State Farm, Allstate, Liberty Mutual and other mainstream insurance companies. It will only be available as a last resort to Colorado residents who can’t buy property insurance from any of those commercial carriers.The state legislature in 2023 approved the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan, which gave Polis the authority to…

Around the AFC Allen on top: As great as Josh Allen has been over seven seasons in Buffalo, he’s almost always been in the shadow of at least one other quarterback in the league. In his one All-Pro season, it was Aaron Rodgers with the Packers. Since then, it’s been Patrick Mahomes with the Chiefs or Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. Now, the Wyoming product is very clearly at the top of the heap — as he demonstrated once again in a 48-42 win at Detroit last Sunday that included two touchdowns passing and two rushing. Coming on the heels of…

Employees of Denver’s unionized Starbucks stores went on strike Saturday to protest what they say is the coffee company’s refusal to negotiate over pay and address unfair labor practice complaints.The strike organized by Starbucks Workers United started at Starbucks’ Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles locations Friday and expanded to include stores in Denver, Columbus and Pittsburgh on Saturday.Barista Shay Mannik joined his coworkers on the picket line outside of the chain’s University Hills store Saturday morning. He said the group was “in high spirits” and had set up lawn chairs after the store’s management took away the location’s patio furniture…