Colorado gets $826M to expand broadband access

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:36:08 GMT

Colorado gets $826M to expand broadband access LOVELAND, Colo. (KDVR) -- Access to broadband continues to be an issue in some communities across Colorado and the nation. Some leaders are trying to bridge the divide among communities through federal funding.Colorado got a big investment to get everyone in the state connected to broadband. State leaders are celebrating a move that will bring more internet to more people across the state: a broadband access allocation of $826 million."We are going to have over 99% of Colorado homes connected with broadband in about three and a half years thanks to these resources," Gov. Jared Polis said at a press conference Thursday, where he discussed plans to use the funding to help meet his goal of connecting most homes by the end of 2027. Study: Colorado one of the top states for tech workers The resources were made possible with funding from the Broadband, Equity, Access and Development, or BEAD, program that passed inside the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law."The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law...

Impacts of Supreme Court barring student loan forgiveness

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:36:08 GMT

Impacts of Supreme Court barring student loan forgiveness DENVER (KDVR) -- President Joe Biden unveiled his new plan for student loan relief, days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his plan which would have canceled what would have cost roughly $400 billion. Now the White House is working with the Department of Education to offer borrowers a year before repayment is necessary. The Biden administration used the Higher Education Act of 1965 to ease borrowers’ threat of default if they fell behind on payment once they resume on Oct. 1.Democratic strategist Andy Boian said on this week's episode of "Colorado Point of View" the ruling could impact voters’ perceptions. “There are political implications to everything, and particularly something as high stakes as this,” Boian said. How many Coloradans are back on the hook for student loans? The senior presidential and gubernatorial advisor added that the president’s efforts are not to win votes, but “it's actually to allow middle-class and low-class Americans economically to be as viable...

No drought in Colorado for the first time in years

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:36:08 GMT

No drought in Colorado for the first time in years DENVER (KDVR) -- The entire state of Colorado is officially out of drought for the first time since July 2019, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.The state's southeastern corner was the last part of the state with dry conditions of any kind, and it officially lost its "abnormally dry" status in the last week. Why you may be seeing more black widow spiders in Colorado this season To put things into perspective, as of three months ago, 47.5% of the state was suffering from drought, with parts of the state in "exceptional drought," the highest intensity level, according to the data.How does drought compare to last year?The change has been even more dramatic since the start of the year. At the tail end of 2022, 86% of the state was in varying levels of drought.Conditions were much worse this time last year, with all but 1.52% of the state in drought.The entire Denver metro was characterized as being in "moderate drought," the second level of intensity. At times during the spring of...

At least 80 hurt after double-decker bus, city bus collide in Manhattan

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:36:08 GMT

At least 80 hurt after double-decker bus, city bus collide in Manhattan NEW YORK (WSVN) — Officials said dozens of people have been injured after two buses collided in Manhattan.According to New York City Police, a double-decker tour bus slammed into a city bus, Thursday night.Witnesses told local reporters that the city bus had the right of way as it entered an intersection when the sightseeing bus ran a red light.The city bus was said to be standing room only, packed with riders, and some on board had to be removed through windows.The New York City Fire Department said 80 people were checked out by first responders, many of them suffering minor injuries like cuts, scrapes and bruises.At least 18 patients were taken to the hospitals, some with head and neck injuries.

Camp Pendleton Marine suspected of DUI in crash that killed 12-year-old boy

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:36:08 GMT

Camp Pendleton Marine suspected of DUI in crash that killed 12-year-old boy OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- A man suspected of driving under the influence in a crash that killed a 12-year-old boy has been identified as a Marine based at Camp Pendleton, military officials said.Twenty-year-old Edward Minot Jr. is with the 1st Maintenance Battalion, the 1st Marine Logistics Group confirmed to FOX 5 on Thursday. The Mill Spring, North Carolina native was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and gross vehicular manslaughter, police said Wednesday. Two arrested after crime spree in four parts of San Diego County The deadly crash occurred Tuesday around 11 p.m. near Mission Avenue and Myers Street in Oceanside after authorities attempted to pull over a white Volkswagen GTI, police said. The driver sped away, prompting a high-speed pursuit before the suspect's vehicle hit a Blue Nissan Altima traveling east on Surfrider Way, according to police.The collision killed a 12-year-old boy in the Altima while other passengers, a 27-year-old and 6-year-old, suffered...

Husband suspected of killing woman whose body was found in SUV

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:36:08 GMT

Husband suspected of killing woman whose body was found in SUV SAN DIEGO -- The husband of a woman found dead inside a vehicle earlier this week in San Ysidro is being sought by police, authorities said.German Armando Luna Salazar, 44, is suspected in the death of his wife 32-year-old Levya Elizabeth Oregel Garcia, Lt. Adam Sharki with the San Diego Police Department said in a news release Thursday. On Tuesday around 12:24 a.m., police received a call about a body in the 4400 block of Camino De La Plaza, according to authorities. When officers arrived on scene, they found a woman dead in the parked SUV.Luna Salazar was last seen leaving the area on foot and possibly entered Mexico, SDPD says. Two arrested after crime spree in four parts of San Diego County Police are investigating Oregel Garcia's death as a homicide after detectives found she had suffered blunt force trauma to her upper body.Oregel Garcia was initially reported as a missing person from Guadalupe, California on Sunday, Sharki said. San Diego police, as well as the Guadalupe Po...

Alzheimer Society of Ontario warns province ill-prepared for arrival of disease-modifying therapies

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:36:08 GMT

Alzheimer Society of Ontario warns province ill-prepared for arrival of disease-modifying therapies The Alzheimer Society of Ontario says it welcomes Thursday’s announcement by U.S. officials to grant full approval of the IV drug Leqembi, a disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer’s but it’s also sounding the alarm that the province is ill-prepared for the arrival of these therapies.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration endorsed Leqembi for patients with mild dementia and other symptoms caused by early Alzheimer’s disease. Japanese drugmaker Eisai received conditional approval in January based on early results suggesting Leqembi worked by clearing a sticky brain plaque linked to the disease.The FDA confirmed those results by reviewing data from a larger, 1,800-patient study in which the drug slowed memory and thinking decline by about five months in those who got the treatment, compared to those who got a dummy drug.“Helplessness is steadily giving way to hope,” Cathy Barrick, CEO of the Alzheimer Society of Ontario, said in a statement on Thursday. &#...

Arizona governor makes contraceptive medications available over the counter at pharmacies

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:36:08 GMT

Arizona governor makes contraceptive medications available over the counter at pharmacies PHOENIX (AP) — Adults in Arizona can now obtain contraceptive medications over the counter at a pharmacy without a doctor’s prescription under a governor’s order announced Thursday. Gov. Katie Hobbs said the rule will go into effect immediately. It applies to self-administered birth control such as hormonal and oral contraceptives, and patients 18 or older need only complete a screening and a blood pressure test. “We are building an Arizona for everyone, which means ensuring people across the state have what they need to live a free and healthy life,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. Over 20 states have statutes that let pharmacists dispense FDA-approved hormonal contraceptives without a prescription, according to a statement from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Hobbs has used her executive powers in recent weeks to promote reproductive freedom. In June she issued a sweeping executive order effectively stripping prosecutors of their ability t...

Drum-beating ‘monkeys’ and dancing ‘parrots’ celebrate 100th anniversary of Mexico City zoo

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:36:08 GMT

Drum-beating ‘monkeys’ and dancing ‘parrots’ celebrate 100th anniversary of Mexico City zoo MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hundreds of people celebrated the 100th anniversary of Mexico City’s Chapultepec Zoo Thursday with a costume parade that featured a marching band of lions and children dressed as birds or butterflies. Other revelers dressed up as dancing parrots, acrobatic zebras and there were even drum-beating monkeys at the Chapultepec zoo, which was founded in 1923 in a city park of the same name. The well-loved zoo draws about 5 million visitors per year. But it is not without its challenges.Dentist Diana Godínez held up a sign reading: “The animals at the zoo need better habitats, and better treatment.”Reflecting changes in zoo philosophy over the years, the zoo has changed from a simple repository of animals. Fernando Gual Sill said the zoo is now “a center for wildlife conservation” that protects endangered species.Mexico has a long and troubled history related to its fascination with exotic animals. Many lions and elephants were effectively abandoned after Mexico ba...

Former national chief calls for investigation into potential federal interference

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:36:08 GMT

Former national chief calls for investigation into potential federal interference RoseAnne Archibald is calling for an independent investigation into potential government interference into the Assembly of First Nations a week after she was ousted as national chief.Archibald was voted out last week during a special chiefs assembly that also dealt with a human resources investigation related to complaints AFN staff filed against her. In a Facebook video, Archibald alleges the investigation is a coverup for what is really happening within the First Nations advocacy organization.She says the AFN has become a tool for the federal Liberal government and called for supporters to write to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to ask for an investigation into interference.Hundreds of First Nations chiefs will be gathering in Halifax next week for the AFN’s annual general assembly. Archibald has called to be reinstated and says she will come back if chiefs push for that move during the meeting next week.This report by The Canadian Press wa...