Author: reporter

CHEYENNE, Wyo.– Federal jurors found a Colorado man guilty of kidnapping a woman on a ranch owned by Michael Bloomberg during what prosecutors described as his attempt to kill the media mogul.Joseph Beecher, 51, faces seven years to life in prison after he was convicted Wednesday in Cheyenne on kidnapping, carjacking and firearm charges. The trial lasted two days and the jury deliberated for an hour and a half.The kidnapped woman, a housekeeper at the western Colorado ranch, was rescued unharmed on the morning after the kidnapping. Authorities found her and Beecher in a motel room in Cheyenne, about 200…

One person died and another was injured in a Thursday morning, single-vehicle crash in Denver’s Windsor neighborhood.Officers responded to reports of a crash near South Clinton Street and East Alameda Avenue early Thursday morning, according to a 12:36 a.m. statement from the Denver Police Department.The intersection is just north of the Windsor Gardens Community Center and northeast of Windsor Lake.One car was involved in the crash, but paramedics took two people to the hospital with serious injuries, police said. Police did not specify if the second person involved in the crash was a passenger or a pedestrian.The crash remains under…

It took about two years for “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker to revive the beloved Casa Bonita restaurant, and soon local fans can see behind the scenes of what it took to get the project to the finish line.On Thursday, the duo announced public screenings of a documentary about the Pink Palace’s reopening. The film – titled “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” – will play at the Alamo Drafthouse Sloan’s Lake (4255 W. Colfax Ave., Denver) on Sept. 6, 7, 8 and 12. It will then show at select theaters around the country starting Sept. 13.“¡Casa Bonita Mi…

The Colorado Senate gaveled in Thursday morning and quickly gave final approval to a much-heralded property tax deal, ending a special session aimed at stopping a pair of ballot initiatives that would enact deeper cuts.The legislation now goes to Gov. Jared Polis for his signature — and is expected to prompt the conservative and business backers of the ballot measures to withdraw them.The Senate approved the compromise bill, House Bill 1001, handily on a 30-4 vote on the special session’s fourth day. Polis celebrated the bill’s passage late Thursday morning, saying it would provide predictability, stability and relief to property…

Students at Polaris Elementary in Denver continue to earn the highest scores on the annual Colorado Measures of Academic Success test, according to data released by the Colorado Department of Education on Thursday. As it did last year, the school, part of Denver Public Schools, recorded the highest overall scores in both the math and English language arts categories.The education department released statewide CMAS results last week, which showed that test scores are rebounding to pre-pandemic levels. At the district level, Liberty School District J-4 in eastern Colorado had the highest percentage of students (75.8%) who “met or exceeded expectation”…

In what could be a national trend, racist, anti-Kamala Harris signs popped up Thursday near multiple bus stops along Colfax Avenue in Denver and in at least one other state.“I wish I could say I were surprised, but in a year when a Black woman could become POTUS those with hate in their heart are going to coordinate these kinds of atrocious, expensive campaigns to stir division,” Denver City Councilwoman Shontel Lewis said in a statement on X.The first Denver sign was reported around 5 a.m. by a bus driver at a stop near the intersection of Colfax Avenue and…

An unattended candle left burning on a covered patio set fire to and destroyed a Jefferson County home Wednesday morning.Two people and their pets were evacuated from the burning home — 8043 West Polk Place in unincorporated Jefferson County near Littleton — around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to South Metro Fire Rescue.The fire was initially reported around 1:20 a.m., according to PulsePoint records.By the time fire crews arrived, the back of the home was completely engulfed in flames, fire officials said.The fire was under control by 2 a.m., but videos posted by South Metro Fire Rescue show the charred roof,…

Three baby bald eagles at Standley Lake survived to become juveniles and are learning to hunt and live on their own after years of tragedy and mishaps, Westminster officials said this week.A nesting bald eagle pair first made a home at the reservoir in 1993, hatching their successful offspring in 1996.While the pair has likely changed to different males and females over the years, the Standley Lake bald eagles have consistently hatched two or three eaglets for the past 28 years, said city spokesperson Andy Le.But since 2020, the pair’s offspring have not made it to adulthood because of weather,…

CLASS 5A No. 5 Regis Jesuit (0-0) vs. No. 6 Valor Christian (1-0) When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Valor Stadium Last meeting: Regis 24, vs. Valor 21, Aug. 26, 2023 Regis and Valor meet in Week 1 for the fourth year in a row, except this time the Eagles already have a game under their belts after taking down Pine Creek, 31-14, in Week 0. The assumption Valor would open things up with Bob Stitt calling plays was proven correct for one week, with junior Dawson Olk throwing for 287 yards and a pair of scores in his first varsity…

Douglas County officials will rename a Highlands Ranch roadway after the STEM School student killed in 2019 after charging an armed classmate during a school shooting.The Board of Douglas County Commissioners on Tuesday approved renaming Lucent Boulevard, which stretches from County Line Road to South Broadway, to Kendrick Castillo Way.The road is a mile west of the school where Castillo, 18, was fatally shot on May 7, 2019, after he ran at one of two armed students who walked into his classroom.Castillo’s classmates and friends Brendan Bialy and Josh Jones, who also rushed the gunman, survived the shooting. Jones was…