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Chaos erupts in Md. House of Delegates as tension grips final moments of General Assembly session

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:16 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.The Maryland General Assembly ended the 2023 session with high drama in both houses Monday night as the final minutes in the House of Delegates devolved into a partisan shouting match, and the Senate president interrupted a motion for final adjournment with a last-seconds vote.Republicans led by Anne Arundel Del. Nicholaus R. Kipke (far left) derailed the final minutes of the last House of Delegates floor session of the 2023 General Assembly over concerns that House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) blocked attempts to amend and debate a controversial cannabis bill. (Maryland Matters/Bryan P. Sears)The House of Delegates descended into pandemonium in the final minutes amid a debate over House Bill 1071, which would prohibit police from stopping or searching a person based solely on the odor of cannabis.The bill came up a...

Broomfield High football coach resigns after 'inappropriate behavior' investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:16 GMT

BROOMFIELD, Colo. (KDVR) — Broomfield High School's head football coach resigned from his position following a lengthy investigation into accusations of inappropriate behavior.According to the Boulder Valley School District, Blair Hubbard submitted his resignation and it was accepted by the school on Monday. In December, the Broomfield Police Department conducted an investigation into Hubbard amid the accusations. Detectives found Hubbard did not engage in any criminal behavior and no charges were filed. However, BVSD announced it would conduct its own administrative investigation.In January, Hubbard was placed on paid administrative leave by the school pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation. At the time, the school did not release further information on what the investigation entailed. In a statement sent to FOX31 on Tuesday, the police investigation was in regard to "accusations of inappropriate behavior involving several Broomfield High School students." Former princi...

Colorado schools seeing hundreds of suicide threats each month

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:16 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Suicide threats are inching up in Colorado schools, according to the state's anonymous reporting system, Safe2Tell. There were 2,630 reports sent to Safe2Tell's system in March, 11% more than in February and the most reported in the last two years. Threats of planned school attacks common in Colorado, most recently in Loveland About one in every eight of these reports, 11.5%, were reports of suicide threats. Historically, suicide threats are the most common report to Safe2Tell, next to bullying or complaints about the school itself. Suicide threats have not been consistently this high since before the pandemic. There have been around 300 such threats per month reported to Safe2Tell this winter. Prior to school closures beginning in March 2020, there were closer to 400 per month.Most of these reports were judged valid, meaning they required some kind of real-life response and intended to protect, help or prevent harm.

Highest-rated dog parks in the Denver metro area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:16 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Record-breaking heat has arrived in the Mile High City with forecast highs in the 80s this week.If you are looking for a place to enjoy the warmer weather and get your dog some exercise or fun, we have you covered. Free outdoor activities to do near Denver on a spring day Highest rated dog parksHere are the highest rated dog parks in the Denver metro area with at least 4.2 stars and 100 or more reviews on Google:Barnum Dog Park- 360 Hooker St., Denver: 4.3 stars for 459 reviewsBelleview station dog park- 4825 S Newport St., Denver: 4.2 stars for 229 reviewsBerkeley Dog Park- 4601 W 46th Ave., Denver: 4.4 stars for 702 reviewsCarla Madison Dog Park- 2405 E Colfax Ave., Denver: 4.2 stars for 223 reviewsChatfield Dog Park- 11500 N Roxborough Park Rd., Littleton: 4.8 stars for 672 reviewsCherry Creek ​Dog Of​f Leash Area- S Entrance Rd., Aurora: 4.8 stars for 1,843 reviewsDailey Park- 1 S Cherokee St., Denver: 4.2 stars for 366 reviewsEnglewood Canine Corral- 4848 S W...

Denver: No city for old men

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:16 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Colorado's largest city is one of the nation's youngest - and not because Denverites have lots of kids. Analyses of United State Census and home purchasing data reveal a Denver not only shedding retirees but failing to lure any new ones. ConstructionCoverage.com lists the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro among the areas with the youngest home purchasers in the country. Retirees are fleeing Colorado, but one city still attracts them Among the people who purchased Denver area homes in 2021, about 13.9% were 55 years old or older, the sixth-lowest share of home purchasers among the nation's large metros. The low share of 55-year-old and older homebuyers is similar in other areas that share many of Denver's characteristics - affluent, highly educated and near the top of the nation for housing expense. The Austin, Seattle, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and San Jose metro areas are the only ones with a smaller share of 55-year-old and older homebuyers. In retiree hotspots ...

Investors bought $10B worth of Denver-area homes since 2021

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:16 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Investors snapped up a big slice of Denver real estate in the last two years. Online brokerage Redfin kept quarterly reports of how many homes in each major U.S. metro were purchased by investors in the last two years, as opposed to being purchased by people who planned to live in the homes themselves. Nationally, as many as one in five homes in the U.S. were bought by investors, depending on the quarter.In Colorado, investors have been very active in the housing market. Between the first quarter of 2021 and the fourth quarter of 2022, about 15% of the number of homes sold in the Denver metro were to investors - about one in every seven homes. Yes, it is remote workers who spiked housing, rent costs Through 2021 and 2022, investors bought a total of $9.5 billion in Denver area housing. This does not include the total sold in the first quarter of 2021, for which Redfin had no record. In reality, investors likely purchased over $10 billion in those two years if that...

Dogs attend training session for Dog Therapy Appreciation Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:16 GMT

Therapy dogs are known for unleashing smiles when comforting people during times of tragedy. Now, South Florida is showing its appreciation to these four-legged friends. On Dog Therapy Appreciation Day, it’s acknowledged that these furry friends play an important part in our community. Several dogs who are usually former pets or shelter dogs, go through a tough testing program before they’re certified to visit hospitals and nursing homes. The dogs receive stringent training and than live a life of service. “It’s a testament to these loyal companions who spend their days comforting our residents and our officers, and this mayor too, I must say,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.The elite group are K-9 officers who serve as goodwill ambassadors for the police. “We have Sparky, Dottie and Amanda from MDPD Community Oriented Support Dog Program,” said Levine Cava.“You have victim advocates, and now we have these furry fri...

South Florida kayaker recounts encounter with shark

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:16 GMT

A South Florida ocean kayaker is sharing his story following an encounter with a shark and it was all caught on video.When you fish in the ocean off the coast in South Florida, you’re bound to reel in some big stories, but Alex Duberti’s best story yet never made it onto the boat. In fact, it flipped him right out of it.“Man, I thought the moment I was in the water, I thought this is it. It’s coming for me,” he said.It was Easter Sunday, Duberti and his friends launched at sunrise from Boca Raton. In just a couple of hours, he’d already reeled in a wahoo and a kingfish.He was paddling back to his sweet spot at 140 feet to try for another.From his home in Coral Springs, he shared with 7News what happened next.“And when I started moving,” said Duberti, “letting my other bait go away from the kayak, I felt a big hit on my right side and made a huge splash.”Duberti said the shark hit twice, first on the side. That one wasn̵...

UK’s Truss warns of Western ‘weakness’ over China in wake of Macron visit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:16 GMT

LONDON — Former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss will take a not-so-subtle swipe at Emmanuel Macron over his attempt to build bridges with Beijing.In a Wednesday morning speech to the Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington, D.C. Truss will argue that too many in the West have “appeased and accommodated” authoritarian regimes in China and Russia. And she will say it is a “sign of weakness” for Western leaders to visit China and ask premier Xi Jinping for his support in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — just days after Macron’s own high-profile trip there.While Truss — who left office after just six weeks as crisis-hit U.K. prime minister — will not mention Macron by name, her comments follow an interview with POLITICO in which the French president said Europe should resist pressure to become “America’s followers.”Macron said: “The question Europeans need to answer … is it in our interest to accelerate [a crisis] ...

Greek parliament votes to ban extreme-right party from elections

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:16 GMT

ATHENS — Greek MPs voted Tuesday to ban the extreme-right Greeks-National Party from running in elections, aiming to block its members linked to the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn criminal organization from entering parliament.The Greeks-National Party was founded two years ago by former lawmaker Ilias Kasidiaris, who is currently serving a more than 13-year prison sentence over his leading role in Golden Dawn, which was declared a criminal organization in 2020 for charges including murder, racist violence and money laundering. Kasidiaris still managed to gain significant support from messages posted on YouTube while in jail. The Greek government had originally passed legislation in February banning the Greeks-National Party on the grounds that its leader was convicted of serious offenses and that the party wouldn’t “serve the free functioning of a democratic constitution.” But the party last week appointed a new leader, a retired prosecutor, in an effort to bypass the ban...