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Colorado Convention Center unveils rooftop expansion that’s expected to deliver economic boost

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:54 GMT

Denver city officials and business leaders converged atop the Colorado Convention Center Thursday to celebrate the completion of an 80,000-square-foot rooftop ballroom — part of a project that’s a decade and $233 million in the making.The project hit several hurdles, including a bid-ridding scandal, but the focus at the ribbon-cutting ceremony was on the boost in downtown spending and tax revenue the expansion is expected to deliver.The new flexible space, dubbed the Bluebird Ballroom, comes with an outdoor terrace. It’s part of an estimated 250,000-square-foot expansion at the convention center that is all but completed, according to an online dashboard tracking its progress.The ballroom’s coming availability already has allowed Visit Denver and its partners to book an additional $200 million worth of events at the convention center in the coming years, Richard Scharf, the organization’s president and CEO, told attendees.Normally, they would have been ...

Colorado’s respiratory virus season is most normal since pandemic started — for now

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:54 GMT

Colorado is so far experiencing its most typical respiratory virus season since the start of the pandemic, but no one knows whether the bugs have any tricks to pull over the winter months.In the winters of 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 raged while influenza and respiratory syncytial virus — or RSV — essentially took some time off.Last year, with most precautions gone, the other viruses made their seasonal appearance earlier than they usually do, and RSV overflowed pediatric hospital beds as young children went through their first bout with it. While most people only develop a cold when they get RSV, it can be severe for babies, toddlers and older adults.As of mid-December, flu and RSV are causing relatively normal levels of illnesses and hospitalizations, though both virus’ spread is still increasing, state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said.COVID-19 hospitalizations have plateaued for the moment, but since the virus hasn’t settled into a typical seasonal patte...

LASD event offers gift cards for guns, 'no questions asked'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:54 GMT

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced it will be offering gift cards in exchange for unwanted guns "just in time for the holidays!" The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Pico Rivera City Hall located at 6615 Passons Boulevard, the Sheriff's Department posted on Instagram.Firearms must be unloaded and transported in the trunk of a vehicle. The Sheriff's Department will be giving $50 gift cards for non-working firearms or parts, $100 gift cards for working pistols, rifles and shotguns, $200 gift cards for ghost guns (guns with no serial numbers) and $300 gift cards for assault rifles (AR15, AK47, etc.)The Sheriff's Department says that 3D and homemade guns will be evaluated for value on the day of the event.

Reservations for Yosemite National Park are coming for 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:54 GMT

YOSEMITE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) -– Reservations to enter Yosemite National Park during anticipated busy times are going to return in 2024, park officials announced Wednesday.According to Yosemite National Park, the “Peak Hours Plus” 2024 vehicle reservation pilot system for park entry will be on weekends starting April 13 to June 30 - and then every day from July 1 to Aug. 15 - and on weekends again from Aug. 16 to Oct. 27.Park officials say reservations will be required for vehicle entry to the park between 5:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. during the reservation periods. Reservations are not required to enter the park after 4:00 p.m. Visitors will pick from two types of reservations: reservations valid for a full day or reservations valid for entry any time after noon.   Feds say Starbucks illegally closed 6 L.A. area stores "This summer's pilot system is built from extensive public feedback, data from three years of pilot reservation systems here in Yosemite, and lessons learned f...

Wish Book: Bay Area homelessness organization provides the necessities to ‘reduce stress and anxiety’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:54 GMT

These days, Fred Pena strains to remember the years he lived out of his car in the Bay Area.Feelings are easier to access.“There’s a sense of dread,” Pena said in a recent interview, sitting on his bed in a studio apartment on the fifth floor of an affordable housing complex in Santa Clara. “It’s cold, or it’s too hot. And the police hassle you.”Pena had been living in his gold Honda Accord in Mountain View, where he said he stayed in a church parking lot.Now, Pena, 63, has his own apartment at Calabazas Community Apartments, which features more than 140 rental studio units designated for unhoused and low-income people. He’s been living there since the fall of 2021.An exterior view of Calabazas Community Apartments on Oct. 19, 2023, in Santa Clara, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) His move there was facilitated by Abode, a Bay Area nonprofit that helps homeless and low-income people gain stable housing. The building was developed through the...

Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate these Bay Area universities’ code of conduct?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:54 GMT

At a congressional hearing last week on antisemitism at college campuses, the presidents of three leading universities were asked a question: Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate their institutions’ code of conduct?Their answers — which centered on the words “it depends on the context” — sparked outrage nationwide. One of those leaders, the University of Pennsylvania’s Liz Magill, stepped down. Another, Harvard University’s Claudine Gay, apologized. The third, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sally Kornbluth, was backed up by MIT’s board, which came to her defense. One thing is clear: Universities have been left to find their footing amid the Israel-Hamas war — and to balance free speech within the bounds of the First Amendment.The Bay Area News Group posed the same question to six of the region’s universities and two community colleges: San Francisco State, UC Berkeley, Stanford, Cal State East Bay, Santa Clara University, San Jose Stat...

‘I don’t want a ticket. When does northbound 85 carpool lane become an express lane?’ reader asks: Roadshow

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:54 GMT

Q: Diamond lane signs along northbound Highway 85 are extremely confusing. I enter at Interstate 280. The signs on 85 say the lane is for 2+ passengers. Then it goes to 3+ passengers and references a toll lane. Then there is a sign that says 2+ passengers and the next one is 3+.When does it really change to a 3+ toll lane? Toll signs don’t appear until after the overpass to the merge with Highway 101 north. Logically, it seems like it is 2+ until you go onto 101, but I don’t want to get a ticket.Can you help sort this out for me?— Peggy GrahamA: I checked with John-the-MTC-spokesman on your question. For those traveling northbound on 85, the express lane begins at the Moffett Boulevard exit in Mountainn View. Until a driver on northbound 85 gets to that exit, the occupancy requirement for use of the carpool lane is two or more people and no FasTrak tag is required.Once drivers cross that point, they must have a FasTrak tag to use the express lane. To qualify for fr...

Bay Area News Group boys athlete of the week: AJ Minyard, Los Gatos football

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:54 GMT

Editor’s note: Thank you for voting in this week’s poll. The Athlete of the Week poll will return after the Holiday season on Jan. 8.Los Gatos football player AJ Minyard is the Bay Area News Group’s boys athlete of the week for Dec. 4-9 after he received 43.70% of the vote by the deadline Wednesday.Serra soccer player Nate Coughlin finished second.Congratulations to all the candidates for this week’s recognition.Related ArticlesHigh School Sports | Bay Area News Group girls athlete of the week: Terren Davis, Berkeley soccer High School Sports | Poll closed: Bay Area News Group boys athlete of the week High School Sports | Poll closed: Bay Area News Group girls athlete of the week High School Sports | Bay Area News Group girls athlete of the week: Nat Javier, Christopher basketball High School Sports | Bay Area News Group boys athlete of the week: Matthew Tahir, Foothill soccer Minyard, a seni...

49ers’ Purdy for MVP: Since when is being a ‘system’ QB or ‘game manager’ a bad thing?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:54 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Of all the arguments against Brock Purdy being a viable candidate for this year’s Most Valuable Player award, one of them is ridiculous because it applies to every other quarterback and another is used as a slight even though it’s actually a compliment.Argument No. 1: Purdy is a system quarterback.Kind of hard to refute. The 49ers under Kyle Shanahan have devised a system that establishes plays, strategies, and philosophy on how they want their quarterback to play. The other 31 teams have done the same, whether it’s formulated by their head coach or offensive coordinator.The next team that sends its quarterback into the huddle without a general guideline and unique language that details the operation will be the first. This isn’t street football as a youth, using bottle caps to simulate position players on concrete, or sending a quarterback to simply run around and make something happen.Purdy is a system quarterback, all right, and it̵...

How to watch and what to know as Bay FC picks first in NWSL expansion draft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:54 GMT

A week ago, Bay FC had just two players on its roster: midfielder Alex Loera and outside back Caprice Dydasco.After making five trades on Tuesday, the newest expansion team in the National Women’s Soccer League now has seven players.Friday night, the club will get another chance to bolster its lineup when the league’s expansion draft kicks off at 4 p.m. PT. It will be aired live on CBS Sports Network.It will be the first draft for general manager Lucy Rushton, who was previously the general manager for D.C. United of Major League Soccer.Learning the rules of the NWSL after coming from MLS “wasn’t easy,” Rushton said.“The biggest thing was learning the quality and level of the women’s game,” she said. “That for me was the thing that took more time and I had to immerse myself in the game and watch and watch to make sure I understood the quality of a player, the value of a player, what does a transfer fee look like and what does a salary look like. Those are the things that...