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Gardening: Things to consider as you design your xeriscaping project

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:49 GMT

Autumn is a great time to work on planning some xeriscaping into your outdoor design.A xeriscaped yard can be as full and lush as you want. Here’s one spotted during a city of Fort Collins xeriscape bicycle tour. (Tamara Yakaboski, Special to The Denver Post)The overall goal of a xeriscaped outdoor space is to reduce water use. Xeriscaping also mimics the more resilient, drought-tolerant ecosystem here along the Front Range that is naturally better prepared for our increasing climate emergency weather patterns.In 1981, Denver Water coined the term xeriscape from the Greek root “xeros” to refer to a dry landscape, to shift away from water-guzzling lawns. A newer trend you may be noticing, though, is a move away from the term “xeriscape.” Both Denver Water and Castle Rock Water now use the term ColoradoScape, while the city of Aurora refers to it as “water-wise landscapes.” Part of this language change is because there are many misunderstandings about xer...

Colorado author Stephanie Barron’s final Jane Austen installment of 15-part series is out

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:49 GMT

“Jane and the Final Mystery,” by Stephanie Barron (Soho Crime)In her last Jane Austen Mystery, “Jane and the Year Without a Summer,” Denver author Stephanie Barron revealed that Jane was suffering from an unknown illness (possibly Addison’s disease).  It seemed the end was near for the Regency-era writer.And so it was. The title of the just-published Jane Austen mystery, “Jane and the Final Mystery,” makes it clear that death will claim Austen — and end the popular series.In this 15th mystery, Jane is plagued with headaches, stomach problems and has so little energy that she is exhausted after a few steps and must ride in a sedan chair. Still, that doesn’t stop her from going to the aid of a close friend, Elizabeth Heathcote, when her son, William, is in trouble.William, 16, is suspected of murdering Arthur Prendergast, a fellow Winchester College student. The victim is found drowned, with a note from William in his pocket. William asserts that the note, asking for a mee...

Denver is getting a direct flight to this sunny island, full of rainforests and rum, beaches and bananas

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:49 GMT

When looking for beach vacations from Denver, the choices have historically been to head south or west — Mexico, Belize and California come to mind — in part thanks to direct flights available to these destinations.As of Oct. 29, United Airlines will be offering a new daily direct flight from Denver to San Juan, Puerto Rico, that makes this Caribbean island to the southeast a better option than it has been for people traveling from Colorado. Currently, it requires at least 7.5 hours of air travel with at least one stop to get to Puerto Rico, but it will be 5.5 hours on this direct flight.“The newly launched United route connecting Denver to San Juan is a tremendous addition for both destinations,” said Leah Chandler, chief marketing officer for Discover Puerto Rico. “Whether you’re eager to explore natural wonders like El Yunque rainforest or savor the local culinary delights from farm-fresh dishes to artisanal beers, we invite visitors to immerse themselves in the...

Colorado’s domestic violence fatalities hit record high for second year in a row

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:49 GMT

Domestic violence deaths in Colorado spiked to a record high in 2022 for the second year in a row, according to a report published Monday by the state’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board.Ninety-four people died in domestic violence incidents in Colorado in 2022, the highest number recorded since the state began tracking the deaths in 2016, according to the 75-page report.That count includes victims, perpetrators and bystanders, and shows a large increase in the number of bystanders killed in domestic violence incidents last year.Colorado saw 92 domestic violence deaths in 2021, compared to 63 in 2020, 70 in 2019, 43 in 2018, 40 in 2017 and 58 in 2016, according to the report.Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who chairs the fatality review board, said Friday that authorities aren’t sure whether fatalities are high because the state is doing a better job identifying and tracking domestic violence deaths, or because of an actual rise in domestic violence.But he said ei...

Colorado lawmakers consider plan that would provide state oversight of jails for first time

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:49 GMT

The Colorado Attorney General’s Office soon may have the ability to inspect and investigate complaints against county jails under pending legislation that would give a state agency oversight of local detention facilities here for the first time.In a bill set to be presented to legislators in coming weeks, the attorney general’s office would participate in regular jail audits alongside a separate group of inspectors working with the County Sheriffs of Colorado, a nonprofit organization. Officials from the office could also receive complaints, release their own reports about jails’ conditions and launch investigations into any concerning and consistent practices identified in the facilities.The plan strengthens a compromise considered by legislators as they prepare to approve statewide jail standards for the first time in the state’s history. As those standards have neared completion, the Jail Standards Commission found no state agency was willing to ensure the...

EPA is funding more community air-pollution monitoring in Colorado, but nonprofits struggle to roll it out

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:49 GMT

The Black Parents United Foundation learned in late 2022 that it would receive nearly $475,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency to set up air monitors in Aurora to determine how much pollution residents in low-income neighborhoods were breathing.Nearly a year later, there are no air monitors set up in the community to take samples of ground-level ozone pollution, fine particulate matter or methane. And the organization is nowhere close to getting started, said Nikie “NikieDay” Wells, director of Black Parents United’s environmental justice program.“Equipment costs a lot. Scientists cost a lot. Research costs a lot,” Wells said. “It’s a lot and the support is not there.”Last November, the EPA announced seven local governments and nonprofit agencies across Colorado would receive $2.9 million to conduct air pollution monitoring, including in metro Denver and the northern Front Range — areas that are in severe violation of national...

Colorado is short over 100,000 housing units despite help from construction surge, slow population growth

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:49 GMT

A surge in apartment and home construction in metro Denver combined with slower population growth to chip away at the state’s housing deficit during the pandemic, according to a report from Up for Growth, an advocacy group seeking to improve housing affordability through more residential construction.Up for Growth, in its first annual report on the nation’s housing shortfall, estimated that Colorado faced a deficit of 127,000 housing units back in 2019, which was the second most severe shortfall in percentage terms of any state after California.By the end of 2021, that underproduction had fallen to 101,141 units, which ranked eighth worst in terms of its severity. Nearly half of the state’s housing shortfall, or about 49,581 homes, was concentrated in metro Denver.“Colorado is an interesting place in that you haven’t seen the mass exodus seen in places like New York, Washington, D.C., or certainly California. You have also seen an increase in homebuildi...

Authorities investigating flag burning in West Hills as hate crime 

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:49 GMT

A suspect was seen lighting a flag on fire in front of a West Hills home on Saturday night, and now police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. The flag was an American flag, but the home has visible Jewish symbols on it. The homeowner, who was on her way home at the time, said she got a notification from her Ring app and saw a fire in front of her home. A man was seen lighting an American flag on fire in front of a home in West Hills, Los Angeles, CA on Oct. 21. 2023.A man was seen lighting an American flag on fire in front of a home in West Hills, Los Angeles, CA on Oct. 21. 2023.A man was seen lighting an American flag on fire in front of a home in West Hills, Los Angeles, CA on Oct. 21. 2023.Upon reviewing the footage from her app, she noticed the individual had been pacing in front of her house for about half an hour before he walked up and set the flag ablaze.  8 suspects caught on camera stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise from shoe st...

Hundreds of healthcare workers set to strike in L.A. County  

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:49 GMT

A large group of employees at a Los Angeles County hospital are set to begin a five-day strike on Monday. Nearly 700 non-nursing staff at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank will walk off the job in protest of what they say are unfair labor practices. Hospital officials said that the strike will not impact patient care. The employees striking on Monday are laboratory technicians, EMTs and patient transporters.  Teens terrorizing Long Beach apartment complex, residents say Negotiators are in discussion with union leaders and say that they have offered “significant” wage increases. The local strike starts exactly two weeks after 1,500 nurses and healthcare workers at St. Francis Medical Center took to the picket lines to protest staffing shortages, and also follows a nationwide protest by 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers who claimed unfair labor practices and working conditions were affecting patient care.The Kaiser strike, thought to be the largest...

Marin Country median home price hits $1.65 million, down 7% over year

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:49 GMT

The median price of a detached home in Marin has declined nearly 7% over the past year, even as overall values rose in the Bay Area real estate market.The median figure for last month was $1.65 million, down from $1.77 million in September 2022, according to new data released by the county assessor’s office. However, the price ticked up from the $1.51 million median for August.The Marin median remains well below the $2 million threshold it broke in April and May of last year. The median price is the point at which half the homes sold for more and half for less.In sales volume, the county recorded 147 deals for detached homes last month, compared to 158 the prior September.In the Marin condominium and townhome market, the median price last month was $790,000, compared to $875,000 the previous September, according to the county data. Sales fell from 61 in September 2022 to 45 last month.In specific parts of Marin, median prices for detached homes last month included $3.55 million on s...