A Colorado dentist charged with poisoning his wife bought his mistress an airline ticket to fly from her home in Austin, Texas, to be with him in Denver while his wife was dying in a hospital, an arrest warrant says.
James Toliver Craig, 45, has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/colorado-dentist-who-allegedly-poisoned-wife-researched-poison-for-weeks-beforehand-police-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged with first-degree murder</a> for allegedly poisoning his wife multiple times before she died on March 15. An arrest warrant <a href="https://www.insideedition.com/dentist-bought-alleged-mistress-airline-ticket-to-meet-him-as-wife-he-poisoned-lay-dying-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obtained by Inside Edition</a> shows that while Craig’s wife was on life support, he purchased an airline ticket from Austin to Denver for his mistress, an orthodontist. Text messages and emails between the two were also included in the warrant.
&#8220;Hi, honey. I am so sorry for what has transpired this week in your world,&#8221; the alleged mistress, Dr. Karin Cain, wrote, according to the arrest warrant. &#8220;I am sorry I am not a part of your world to be of more help to you. I love you.&#8221;
The arrest warrant also showed that Craig allegedly tried to poison his wife at least once before she died. On March 6, police alleged, Craig put arsenic in his wife’s protein smoothie that he made for her after the couple worked out.
The warrant says the wife felt faint and dizzy after drinking the smoothie and that Craig took her to the hospital. She was treated and quickly released.
A staff member at Craig’s dental office in Aurora reportedly told police that her boss had been acting strange and had used the computer in the exam room instead of the one in his office or his laptop. He allegedly told her he had a package coming to the office and that she shouldn’t open it. Craig also told her he didn’t think his wife was going to “make it,” according to the warrant.
The staff member told police that she found the package on March 13 and that it contained potassium cyanide, Buzzfeed <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pocharaponneammanee/dentist-poisoned-wife-smoothie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Because the dentist’s office had never ordered this before, she researched the drug and found that it caused the same symptoms Craig’s wife had experienced. The staff member said that the day after she did the research, Craig told her his wife had accused him of poisoning her. One day after that, Craig’s wife returned to the hospital with the same symptoms – and this time she died.
The arrest warrant said Craig had asked his wife for a divorce and had cheated on her multiple times during their marriage, including while his wife was in the hospital. Police searched Craig’s home the day after his wife died and found that he had created a new Google account on February 27, which he used to research poison.
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Police said he searched for chemical suppliers in Aurora and even searched the phrase “how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human.” He also searched YouTube for “Top 5 Undetectable Poisons That Show No Signs of Foul Play,” “how to make poison,” and “The Top 10 Deadliest Plants (They Can Kill You),” Buzzfeed reported.
“When the suspicious details of this case came to light, our team of officers and homicide detectives tirelessly worked to uncover the truth behind the victim’s sudden illness and death,” Division Chief Mark Hildebrand said in <a href="https://www.auroragov.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=16242704&amp;pageId=19419386" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a statement</a>. “It was quickly discovered this was in fact a heinous, complex and calculated murder. I am very proud of our Major Crimes Homicide Unit’s hard work in solving this case and pursuing justice for the victim.”

James Craig

Colorado Dentist Accused Of Poisoning Wife Bought Mistress A Plane Ticket As Wife Lay Dying In Hospital, Arrest Warrant Says

Colorado

Crime

Murder

U.S.

A Denver suburb voted to ban new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gasoline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gas stations</a> from being built in the name of combatting climate change.
The city council of Louisville, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colorado" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colorado</a>, about 30 minutes north of Denver and 20 minutes East of Boulder, voted unanimously to approve a city ordinance that would cap the number of gas stations allowed in the city at 6, meaning just one more gas station would be allowed. But that new gas station, and any other that are built under the cap must meet strict requirements.
The <a href="https://www.louisvilleco.gov/home/showdocument?id=38007&amp;t=638146512206382035">ordinance</a> limits the number of gas or automobile service stations within the city limits to 6, including existing gas stations and other approved by the city council but not yet built. The cap may increased to 7, but only if a large retail center – like a Sam’s Club or a Costco – builds a store of 80,000 or more square feet that includes a gas station as an accessory.
The ordinance also imposes strict limits on planning approvals. Approvals expire if a building permit is not issued within 36 months. If a gas station closes for 12 months, then a new plan must be submitted that meets current city standards. The city will only review new plans for gas stations if there are less than 6 stations.
Furthermore, any new gas stations must be built further than 1000 feet away from an existing station, though that rule can be waived if the station belongs to a retail center. A newly-built station, or an expansion to an existing one, must include building electric vehicle charging stations; equal to about 20% the total number of gas pumps at the station, but no less than two.
A report accompanying the ordinance said that one of the reasons behind the move was to encourage more electric cars. “Gasoline station bans may also be seen as promoting the use of Electric Vehicles (EVs), thus, reducing vehicle emissions and encouraging low-carbon and cleaner energy options for transportation,” it read. 
But it also admitted that gas cars are still necessary right now. “The proposal for a cap but not a full ban on new gasoline and automobile service stations is in recognition that there will continue to be some demand for gasoline and automobile service stations as more EVs enter the market and gasoline vehicles are transitioned out of the market over time,” the report stated.
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“I don’t think that this is gonna change the world, [and] I don’t think any single action this council or community takes is going to fix climate change,” city council member Maxine Most said during the <a href="https://louisville.ompnetwork.org/embed/sessions/264794/03-21-23-city-council-meeting">comment period</a>.  Tomorrow, we’re not gonna find a solution that’s gonna be like, sweeping, and we’re gonna say, ‘ok, we’re gonna [decarbonize] the city buildings and that’s gonna solve climate change. The majority of climate impact is gonna come from residential and commercial. But I think it’s a really good idea for us to decarbonize because it sends a signal and it sends a message.”
“In 2023, we should not be increasing fossil fuel infrastructure. “It doesn’t make sense,” she continued. “Our state has a plan to be on 100% renewable energy by 2040 … For us to be endorsing investment in technology that we know is at the end of its life doesn’t really make sense … The reason we’re in the climate crisis we’re in is because we have allowed the free market to do what they want.”

Gas pump

Denver Suburb Votes To Ban New Gas Stations From Being Built In The Name Of Combatting Climate Change

Denver Suburb Votes To Put A Cap On Gas Stations In The Name Of Combatting Climate Change

Cars

Climate Change

Denver

Electric cars

Gasoline

A Colorado dentist charged with poisoning his wife allegedly researched poisons weeks before his spouse’s death.
James Toliver Craig, 45, was arrested on Sunday and charged with first-degree murder. An arrest warrant <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pocharaponneammanee/dentist-poisoned-wife-smoothie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obtained by Buzzfeed News</a> shows that Craig allegedly tried to poison his wife at least once before she died on March 15. On March 6, police alleged, Craig put arsenic in his wife’s protein smoothie that he made for her after the couple worked out.
The warrant says the wife felt faint and dizzy after drinking the smoothie and that Craig took her to the hospital. She was treated and quickly released.
A staff member at Craig’s dental office in Aurora reportedly told police that her boss had been acting strange and had used the computer in the exam room instead of the one in his office or his laptop. He allegedly told her he had a package coming to the office and that she shouldn’t open it. Craig also told her he didn’t think his wife was going to “make it,” according to the warrant.
The staff member told police that she found the package on March 13 and that it contained potassium cyanide, Buzzfeed reported. Because the dentist’s office had never ordered this before, she researched the drug and found that it caused the same symptoms Craig’s wife had experienced. The staff member said that the day after she did the research, Craig told her his wife had accused him of poisoning her. One day after that, Craig’s wife returned to the hospital with the same symptoms – and this time she died.
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The arrest warrant said Craig had asked his wife for a divorce and had cheated on her multiple times during their marriage, including while his wife was in the hospital. Police searched Craig’s home the day after his wife died and found that he had created a new Google account on February 27, which he used to research poison.
Police said he searched for chemical suppliers in Aurora and even searched the phrase “how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human.” He also searched YouTube for “Top 5 Undetectable Poisons That Show No Signs of Foul Play,” “how to make poison,” and “The Top 10 Deadliest Plants (They Can Kill You),” Buzzfeed reported.
“When the suspicious details of this case came to light, our team of officers and homicide detectives tirelessly worked to uncover the truth behind the victim’s sudden illness and death,” Division Chief Mark Hildebrand said in <a href="https://www.auroragov.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=16242704&amp;pageId=19419386" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a statement</a>. “It was quickly discovered this was in fact a heinous, complex and calculated murder. I am very proud of our Major Crimes Homicide Unit’s hard work in solving this case and pursuing justice for the victim.”

Colorado Dentist Who Allegedly Poisoned Wife Researched Poison For Weeks Beforehand, Police Say

A dentist in Aurora, Colorado, has been arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, who police say was poisoned.
James Toliver Craig, 45, was arrested on Sunday by officers with the Aurora Police Department’s Major Crimes Homicide Unit, the department said in <a href="https://www.auroragov.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=16242704&amp;pageId=19419386" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a press release</a>. He has been booked into the county jail on first-degree murder charges.
Police say that on March 15 at around 8:45 p.m., Craig drove his 43-year-old wife to a local hospital after she complained of severe headaches and dizziness. Soon after they arrived, the wife began to deteriorate rapidly and was placed on a ventilator in the intensive care unit. Shortly after, she was declared medically brain dead.
Police suspected foul play and launched an investigation into the death. They soon discovered that she had been poisoned, allegedly by her husband. Law enforcement arrested Craig soon after doctors took his wife off life support.
“When the suspicious details of this case came to light, our team of officers and homicide detectives tirelessly worked to uncover the truth behind the victim’s sudden illness and death,” Division Chief Mark Hildebrand said in a statement.
“It was quickly discovered this was in fact a heinous, complex and calculated murder. I am very proud of our Major Crimes Homicide Unit’s hard work in solving this case and pursuing justice for the victim.”
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Authorities do not know why the woman was poisoned and stated that the investigation is ongoing.
Poison is typically seen as the weapon preferred by women killers, but statistics show that the majority of murderers convicted of poisoning their victims are men, Wired <a href="https://www.wired.com/2013/01/the-myth-of-the-female-poisoner/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in 2013. When women do murder, however, poison is their primary choice.

Colorado Dentist Arrested For Allegedly Poisoning Wife, Police Say

The &#8220;non-binary&#8221; gunman in the deadly gay nightclub <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shooting</a> in Colorado Springs, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colorado" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colorado</a>, ran a website with neo-Nazi content, according to a police detective involved in the case.
Detective Rebecca Joines testified on Wednesday in a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is evidence of a motive to support hate crime charges against the alleged 22-year-old shooter, whom The Daily Wire is not naming in keeping with a policy of depriving mass shooters of undeserved notoriety.
The suspect, a biological male, identifies as &#8220;non-binary&#8221; and uses the pronouns &#8220;they/them,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.koaa.com/news/covering-colorado/suspect-in-club-q-shooting-arrested-on-10-charges-including-first-degree-murder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a court filing by</a> public defender Joseph Archambault.
The prosecution argued evidence shows he had an “aversion to the LGBTQ community,&#8221; inspired by what Joines described as a “neo-Nazi white supremacist” shooting training video, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/02/22/colorado-springs-shooter-nazi-club-q/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to The Washington Post</a>.
Joines said the alleged shooter served as an administrator of a site featuring clips of mass shootings and stated her belief that he was trying to copy other mass shootings, including those in mosques and synagogues, and noted evidence suggests the suspect considered live-streaming the attack, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-springs-crime-hate-crimes-d2379dce03c66ea3bc0faa2c5ffb7c21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per the Associated Press</a>.
In addition, Joines talked about other online activities while presenting evidence. On Discord, the suspect shared an image of a rifle scope trained on a gay pride parade, Joines testified. Joines also said the alleged gunman used gay and racial slurs when playing video games.
He is accused of killing five people at Club Q last November while armed with an AR-style rifle and a handgun, and wearing a tan ballistic vest. The attack also resulted in more than a dozen other people being injured. Patrons managed to subdue the suspect until police arrived.
In addition to hate crime charges, the alleged killer faces murder and attempted murder charges. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
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Joines said friends claim the alleged shooter&#8217;s mother is &#8220;nonbinary&#8221; and forced her child to go to LGBTQ clubs.
Defense attorneys have argued their client, who has not yet entered a plea, is not anti-LGBTQ. They said he was taking a variety of mental health medications, suffered from sleep deprivation, and was abused at home.
A judge ruled on Thursday in favor of a jury trial and ordered the alleged shooter be held without bond. Arraignment is scheduled for May 30, and the judge ordered the man to undergo a mental health evaluation, <a href="https://kdvr.com/news/local/club-q-suspect-gets-jury-trial-being-held-without-bond/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to FOX31 Denver</a>.
Unsealed documents show the alleged shooter was previously arrested and faced charges in a 2021 bomb threat case in which he threatened family members and allegedly shared plans to become <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/suspected-colorado-shooter-vowed-to-become-next-mass-killer-year-before-club-q-shooting-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the “next mass killer.&#8221;</a>
The charges were dropped when family members refused to cooperate with authorities, but the guns seized from the suspect at the time were not returned, according to El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen.

Club Q

Detective Testifies ‘Non-Binary’ Colorado Springs Shooter Ran Neo-Nazi Site

Detective Testifies 'Non-Binary' Colorado Springs Shooter Ran Neo-Nazi Site

Hate Crime

LGBTQ

nonbinary

Shooting

A decades-long drought and population growth has left the Colorado River over-leveraged and in dire need of a new management plan before the water runs out for millions of Americans.
 Negotiations between seven states to reapportion the river’s water have been deadlocked for months, and the federal government is threatening to break the deadlock with its own management plan — whether the states like it or not.
The Department of the Interior has given Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming a deadline to reach an agreement twice, and each time the states blew past it without reaching consensus.
The federal government’s request is unprecedented in U.S. history. The Colorado River supplies water for roughly 40 million Americans. The Bureau of Reclamation has asked the Basin states to cut water usage by about one-third.
The latest deadline passed on Wednesday with six of the seven states agreeing on a plan to cut water usage, with only California dissenting. The Golden State put forward its own plan emphasizing its priority rights over the Colorado River that have been a part of the legal framework governing the basin for a century.
The lack of consensus increases the chance that the Bureau of Reclamation will devise its own plan and force the basin states to follow it whether they like it or not. The bureau needs a plan soon in order to model the water level of the river and its reservoirs and complete an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the basin. The EIS will inform the Department of the Interior’s long-term water management strategy.
The Colorado River has been governed under the same rough legal framework of water apportionment for the past 100 years, though it has been updated as new infrastructure has been added and court cases have been settled. The body of law that governs the basin is collectively known as “<a href="https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g1000/lawofrvr.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Law of the River</a>.”
The cornerstone of that legal framework was set in 1922 in an agreement called the Colorado River Compact. The agreement divided the basin into upper and lower halves and guaranteed each 7.5 million acre-feet of water from the river. The Mexican Water Treaty of 1944 allotted 1.5 million acre-feet of the Colorado River to Mexico. One acre-foot is about the amount of water two or three households use in a year.
The upper basin, where the Colorado River originates, consists of parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming and is above the river’s two reservoirs: Lake Powell, behind Glen Canyon Dam, and Lake Mead, behind Hoover Dam. The lower basin states – Arizona, California, and Nevada – are located roughly below the reservoirs and can pull from them, whereas the upper basin must rely on the river’s natural flow.
<div id="attachment_497819" style="width: 569px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-497819" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-497819" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Colo-River-Basin-states-3-559x576.webp" alt="" width="559" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Colo-River-Basin-states-3-559x576.webp 559w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Colo-River-Basin-states-3-291x300.webp 291w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Colo-River-Basin-states-3-768x791.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Colo-River-Basin-states-3.webp 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 559px) 100vw, 559px" />Colorado Foundation for Water Education</div>
The 1922 agreement that set out the apportionment for the upper and lower basins may always have been too optimistic. The compact <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2022/07/11/running-dry-in-the-american-west/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimated</a> the Colorado River’s annual flows at 17 million acre-feet. In the century since, the river has averaged about 12 million acre-feet annually. The compact, we now know, was drawn up during the river’s wettest season in the past 500 years, according to Shawn Regan, vice president of research at the Property and Environment Research Center.
In addition to poor planning and population growth, the river is under stress from an extended drought that has beat down on the American West for over two decades. A study <a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-science-west-megadrought-f02449c2db4f0ebeb1557bb39504c62d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> last year suggests that the West is the driest it’s been in 1,200 years.
“In the Colorado River Basin, the period from 2000 through 2021 has been the driest 22-year period recorded in more than 100 years of record-keeping,” Tanya Trujillo, an experienced water lawyer and Interior’s assistant secretary for Water and Science, <a href="https://www.doi.gov/ocl/colorado-river-drought-conditions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Congress in 2021. “The reservoir system was 95 percent full in 2000, but as of September 28th, Colorado River system reservoirs sit at just 39 percent, the lowest levels since they began to fill.”
The water level has continued to drop since Trujillo’s testimony. The strain is evident in the Colorado River basin’s two major reservoirs. Lakes Powell and Mead are both at all-time lows. Lake Mead, in particular, has made a number of ghastly headlines over the past year as its water level has dropped, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sixth-set-of-skeletal-remains-found-in-lake-mead" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealing</a> sunken ships and bodies weighted and sunk to its lake bed.
Officials across the seven states fear what could happen as each reservoir approaches two low-water <a href="https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2022/05/16/what-is-dead-pool-a-water-expert-explains/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">benchmarks</a>, each of which would have severe consequences.
The first and highest benchmark is known as the minimum power pool elevation: the level at which the lakes need to sit in order for their dams to produce hydropower.
The Glen Canyon and Hoover dams produce power for millions of Americans. Should that power be cut off, the worst effects could be mitigated by siphoning power from other parts of the U.S. electrical grid.
The scenario officials are seeking to avoid at all costs, which would likely have catastrophic effects, takes place at the lower benchmark, a condition known as “dead pool.” If the reservoirs reach dead pool status, no more water can flow downriver from the lakes. The effects would be disastrous for cities such as Los Angeles, which <a href="https://viterbi.usc.edu/water/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gets</a> half its water from the Colorado River, and Las Vegas, which <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/31/us/california-water-proposal-colorado-river-climate/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gets</a> 90% of its water from the Colorado.
Despite the urgency, officials across the seven states have not been able to agree on a way to collectively cut down water usage from the Colorado by two to four million acre-feet as the Interior Department has requested. The brunt of the responsibility to cut has fallen on the lower basin states. The upper basin states are only <a href="https://www.coloradoriverdistrict.org/imbalances-in-the-colorado-river-basin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pulling</a> about half their legal allotment of water because the drought has crippled the river upstream.
The lower basin states cannot agree on how to implement the cuts. The two sides on Wednesday clashed to a large extent on California’s insistence that priority water rights, a feature of the current legal framework that give priority to claims to the Colorado River’s water made earlier, still apply.
“[D]espite big disagreements about how to approach this, we have unanimity among all seven states that very deep cuts in Lower Basin water use are needed,” University of New Mexico professor and Colorado River expert John Fleck <a href="https://www.inkstain.net/2023/02/deadpool-diaries-the-numbers-in-the-states-two-proposals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> Wednesday. The two sides both presented plans based on cuts that scale up as the water level in Lake Mead falls.
“The difference is in timing,” Fleck wrote. “California’s cuts don’t kick in until later – essentially a gamble on good hydrology once again helping us avoid conflict by letting us use more water in the short term.”
Officials in Arizona, which has the second-largest water usage in the lower basin behind California, recognized California’s legal claim, but said the approach simply is not realistic.
“If you want to model cutting off most or all of the water supply of 27 million Americans, you can go through the exercise but implementing that on the ground would have the direst consequence for almost 10% of the country,” Southern Nevada Water Authority general manager John Enstminger told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/31/us/california-water-proposal-colorado-river-climate/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>.

Lake Mead near Hoover Dam

Over 40 Million People Rely On Water From The Colorado River. It’s Dangerously Close To Drying Up.

Arizona

California

Department of the Interior

Drinking Water

drought

Lake Mead

New Mexico

Readers Pass

A bear in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colorado" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colorado</a> took hundreds of pictures on a wildlife camera a few months ago, surprising officials.
Local authorities have <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/3832928-colorado-bear-takes-400-selfies-on-trail-camera/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that a black bear in Boulder, Colorado, was the subject of about 400 of photos on one of its wildlife cameras in November.
&#8220;These pictures made us laugh, and we thought others would, too,&#8221; Phillip Yates, a spokesperson for Open Space and Mountain Parks, reportedly <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/colorado-bear-takes-hundreds-selfies-wildlife-camera-trap-rcna67625" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement this week.
The camera had around 580 photographs on it, but around 400 of them were “bear selfies,” the department <a href="https://twitter.com/boulderosmp/status/1617647248971792384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1617647248971792384%7Ctwgr%5E0c6a8840ab002daaff9b629031cd8297600d529d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https://www.npr.org/2023/01/27/1151994331/colorado-black-bear-selfies-wildlife-camera-boulder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a tweet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Recently, a bear discovered a wildlife camera that we use to monitor wildlife across <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Boulder?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Boulder</a> open space. Of the 580 photos captured, about 400 were bear selfies.🤣 Read more about we use wildlife cameras to observe sensitive wildlife habitats. <a href="https://t.co/1hmLB3MHlU">https://t.co/1hmLB3MHlU</a> <a href="https://t.co/714BELWK6c">pic.twitter.com/714BELWK6c</a>
&mdash; Boulder OSMP (@boulderosmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/boulderosmp/status/1617647248971792384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Open Space and Mountain Parks for Boulder <a href="https://bouldercolorado.gov/news/city-wildlife-cameras-track-bears-deer-and-other-animals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">put</a> nine wildlife cameras up in order to help them learn additional details about animals that live in the area, while keeping employees out of the habitats. The devices are placed in the Open Space and Mountain Parks system, which is an area of 46,000 acres.
The photos were also <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2023/01/27/bear-colorado-400-selfies-photos-trail-camera/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">put</a> up on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/boulderosmp/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=31cba636-2443-491b-b168-14aa0ce83ab6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> a few months ago.
“In this instance, a bear took a special interest in one of our wildlife cameras and took the opportunity to capture hundreds of ‘selfies,’” Yates noted.
The photographs “provide us with a unique opportunity to learn more about how local species use the landscape around us while minimizing our presence in sensitive habitats,” Yates said.
“The motion-detecting cameras provide us a unique opportunity to learn more about how local species use the landscape around us while minimizing our presence in sensitive habitats,” Will Keeley, senior wildlife ecologist for Open Space and Mountain Parks, said.
“These cameras play an important role in helping OSMP staff identify important wildlife areas. The information we collect from them is used to recommend habitat-protective measures to help protect sensitive natural areas,” Keeley added.
The group also puts the cameras in places where animals will likely pass through, and they also put them in locations where there is evidence that animals have been.
When a creature gets in front of the camera, the device takes a photo and the camera can then record footage for ten to thirty seconds.
“Sometimes we put cameras in locations where we think we’ll encounter enigmatic fauna like American beavers or black bears,” Christian Nunes, a wildlife ecologist with OSMP, added. “We are fortunate to live in an area with a rich diversity of wildlife species, and these cameras help us to learn what animals are really out there, and what they are up to over the course of a day, a week, or even years.”

“Bear crossing sign”

Bear Takes Around 400 Selfies On Outdoor Camera

Animals

General

Photos

On Thursday, a three-judge panel of the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled against Masterpiece Cakeshop baker Jack Phillips, arguing he violated the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act by refusing to bake a cake for a gender transition celebration.
Critics of the ruling point to Phillips’ earlier “win” at the Supreme Court, which narrowly ruled in his favor, as the reason the baker continues to be targeted by activists. In 2017, former Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion that some have argued essentially said Phillips could have lost his Supreme Court case if it hadn’t been for Colorado officials openly disparaging Phillips and his Christian views.
That narrow decision has allowed Phillips to continue to be persecuted, critics say. At the Washington Examiner, Quin Hillyer <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/christian-cake-artist-gets-persecuted-again">argued</a> that the Supreme Court’s “search for the narrowest possible result merely invited further, seemingly endless rounds of new litigation.”
The latest lawsuit against Phillips comes from an activist attorney, Autumn Scardina, in Colorado who called Masterpiece Cakeshop on the same day the Supreme Court announced it would take his prior case – in which he was accused of discrimination for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. The attorney requested Phillips create a custom cake that was pink on the inside and blue on the outside to celebrate a gender transition. According to the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which represents Phillips, the attorney also called back to request a cake depicting Satan smoking marijuana in order to “correct the errors of [Phillips’] thinking.” Phillips declined to make either cake because of the messages they depicted. The activist has now sued.
“Naturally, Colorado’s courts ignored the patently offensive request for a Satan cake and instead again held Phillips responsible for illegal discrimination based on gender, his religious objections notwithstanding,” Hillyer wrote. “Today’s affirmation by the appeals court of the lower court’s ruling takes ample advantage of the loophole left open by the Supreme Court while cherry-picking from other Supreme Court religious liberty decisions to reach its desired, anti-Phillips conclusion.”
On Twitter, prominent conservative PoliMath also blamed the Supreme Court for the ongoing legal struggles of Masterpiece Cakeshop.
“The result of John Roberts pushing for the narrowest possible ruling in the earlier Masterpiece case is that they continued persecuting Jack Phillips for years,” PoliMath tweeted. “They will continue to do this to him until he dies.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The result of John Roberts pushing for the narrowest possible ruling in the earlier Masterpiece case is that they continued persecuting Jack Phillips for years
They will continue to do this to him until he dies <a href="https://t.co/W8z3JF4iTv">https://t.co/W8z3JF4iTv</a>
— PoliMath (@politicalmath) <a href="https://twitter.com/politicalmath/status/1618729683423731719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The appeals court on Thursday argued that Phillips only refused to bake the cake after learning the client was transgender and wanted to use the cake to celebrate his birthday and gender transition.
“Thus, it was Scardina’s transgender status, and her desire to use the cake in celebration of that status, that caused Masterpiece and Phillips to refuse to provide the cake,” the court wrote, arguing the cake “expressed no message.”
But ADL <a href="https://adflegal.org/press-release/co-cake-artist-appeal-decision-violates-his-right-create-freely">argues</a> that “Phillips works with all people and always decides whether to take a project based on what message a cake will express, not who is requesting it.”
“Over a decade ago, Colorado officials began targeting Jack, misusing state law to force him to say things he does not believe. Then an activist attorney continued that crusade,” the ADF said in a statement. “This cruelty must stop. One need not agree with Jack’s views to agree that all Americans should be free to say what they believe, even if the government disagrees with those beliefs.”

Masterpiece Cakeshop

Critics Say Latest Lawsuit Against Beleaguered Masterpiece Cakeshop Baker Inevitable After Weak SCOTUS Ruling

Colorado Appeals Court Rules Against Masterpiece Cakeshop Baker Jack Phillips Over Transgender Cake

Jack Phillips

Lawsuit

Religious Liberty

Transgender

Football legend Deion Sanders laid down some firm behavior standards for his team going into his first season as head coach at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Sanders, who <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/deion-sanders-officially-named-head-coach-colorado" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made the move</a> from Jackson State in December, told his players that they would be asked to leave the team if he learned that they were not treating women with respect — or worse, if they were involved in any kind of domestic disturbance.
Sanders brought in a group of women to drive home his point, explaining to the team exactly what he meant.
WATCH:
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&quot;We are going to respect our women wholeheartedly&quot; &#8211; Coach Prime
Deion Sanders has an important conversation with his players about respecting women! ✊🏾 || 🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/DeionSanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeionSanders</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DeionSandersJr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeionSandersJr</a> <a href="https://t.co/IHCv7wLlBS">pic.twitter.com/IHCv7wLlBS</a>
&mdash; BET (@BET) <a href="https://twitter.com/BET/status/1616485448712331264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;One thing I don’t condone is disrespect for a woman,&#8221; Sanders told the team. &#8220;And calling a woman out of her name. So when you pass by these beautiful young women, I don’t know if they&#8217;ve graced you to call them by their name or their title. You find out. To not be mistaken, I would say &#8216;Ma&#8217;am.'&#8221;
Sanders then joked that some of the women might &#8220;check&#8221; the players who called them &#8220;ma&#8217;am,&#8221; objecting that they were &#8220;not that old&#8221; — and several of the women standing with him just smiled.
&#8220;Be courteous, be gracious, and be polite,&#8221; Sanders continued, going on to make it clear that his rules extended to behavior outside of the football program and even in their personal lives and relationships.
&#8220;If there’s any dysfunction or obstruction with your girlfriend, fiancée, or whoever, with any abuse, that’s it, it’s over,&#8221; Sanders said. &#8220;Don’t call me, don’t have your momma call me, don’t call Rick. It’s a wrap. You understand that? We gon’ respect our women wholeheartedly.&#8221;
When Sanders told the players not to call Rick, it&#8217;s likely that he was referring to University of Colorado Athletic Director Rick George.
Sanders <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/deion-sanders-flips-five-star-recruit-top-ranked-cornerback-chooses-colorado-over-miami" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scored another win</a> on Thursday, announcing that five-star cornerback Cormani McClain had flipped his commitment from the Miami Hurricanes to play for Sanders at Colorado instead.
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Deion Sanders flips five-star recruit, top-ranked cornerback chooses Colorado over Miami <a href="https://t.co/xXfc3050pI">https://t.co/xXfc3050pI</a>
&mdash; Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1616473204821839881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
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McClain, who committed to Miami in October, <a href="https://247sports.com/Article/Cormani-McClain-commits-to-Colorado-Buffaloes-Deion-Sanders-commits-Colorado-5-star-Travis-Hunter-202903007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained the reason</a> for the flip to 247sports: &#8220;I play DB (defensive back) and Coach Prime is the best DB. I wanna be in the same shoes, same predicament, gold jacket, everything. Get coached by the best DB. Why not?&#8221;

Cricket Celebration Bowl – Jackson State v NC Central

‘That’s It, It’s Over’: Deion Sanders Warns His New Team To Respect Women Or Get The Boot

Deion Sanders Warns His New Team To Respect Women Or Get The Boot

College Football

Football

Sports

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colorado">Colorado</a> Gov. Jared Polis has agreed to stop busing migrants to New York City or Chicago following a letter from New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot demanding an end to the practice.
Polis agreed on Saturday to stop transporting them to those two locations.
&#8220;[T]he Governor had a very productive conversation with Mayor Adams and Mayor Lightfoot today where he shared that there are no more buses scheduled for migrants from Denver to Chicago at this time, and the final chartered transportation to New York City will be successfully completed tomorrow,&#8221; a statement from the Colorado governor&#8217;s office <a href="https://www.colorado.gov/governor/news/9376-update-colorados-efforts-help-migrants-reach-their-final-destination" target="_blank" rel="noopener">read</a>.
&#8220;The state is partnering with the city of Denver and non-profits to continue assisting the city of Denver to continue to ensure this process is being conducted in a humane manner,&#8221; it added.
The change occurred after a letter from Adams and Lightfoot demanded that Polis end the state&#8217;s busing of migrants to their cities.
“It is apparent that the influx of asylum seekers has provoked consternation amongst states. Although we share the concerns of accommodating the flood of asylum seekers, overburdening other cities is not the solution. We respectfully demand that you cease and desist sending migrants to New York City and Chicago,&#8221; the <a href="https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/article/file-attachments/Chicago%20and%20NYC_Joint%20Letter.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to Polis read.
The letter also addressed media statements by Polis that downplayed his state&#8217;s role in transporting migrants.
&#8220;We have seen your statements in the media that you are simply accommodating the wishes of migrants to come to cities like New York City and Chicago,&#8221; the letter added.
&#8220;Both our cities are working tirelessly to ensure that migrants are able to reach their desired destinations where they are reunited with loved ones.  However, you are sending migrants and families to New York City and Chicago that do not have any ties, family members or community networks to welcome them, and at a time where both cities are at maximum capacity in shelter space and available services,&#8221; the mayors wrote.
Polis previously addressed a report by Adams to explain why Colorado was busing some migrants to New York City. His office claimed that about 70% of the migrants arriving in Denver did not have Colorado as their final destination.
“No one should play politics with the lives of migrants who came here to escape oppression, and in Colorado, we are honoring our values of treating people with dignity and respect. We are simply carrying out our values of treating every human being with dignity and respect,&#8221; the Democratic governor <a href="https://www.colorado.gov/governor/news/9356-colorado-takes-action-assist-migrants-completing-their-journeys" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement on Tuesday.
Chicago has received 3,854 migrants from other states while New York City has received approximately 36,400 over the last nine months, according to the letter from the two governors.
Both Texas and Arizona have bused migrants to sanctuary cities over the past year to respond to the border crisis. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott&#8217;s latest <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/operation-lone-star-takes-historic-action-throughout-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">update</a> stated that more than 16,000 migrants have been bused from his state, including over 4,900 migrants to New York City since August 5 and over 1,500 migrants to Chicago since August 31.

Colorado Agrees To Stop Busing Migrants To Chicago, New York City

Border Crisis

Chicago

Eric Adams

Illegal Immigration

Lori Lightfoot

New York City

A funeral director and her mother have been <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/01/04/megan-hess-body-parts-colorado-funeral-sentencing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sentenced</a> to prison after illegally selling body parts or whole bodies of hundreds of people without the approval of their families.
“The defendants’ conduct was horrific and morbid and driven by greed. They took advantage of numerous victims who were at their lowest point given the recent loss of a loved one. We hope these prison sentences will bring the victim’s family members some amount of peace as they move forward in the grieving process,” U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-co/pr/sunset-mesa-funeral-home-operators-sentenced-federal-prison-illegal-body-part-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “We sincerely hope this punishment deters like-minded fraudsters in the future.”
Megan Hess was in charge of the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, Colorado, and was sentenced to twenty years in jail on Tuesday. Hess had earlier pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting, as well as mail fraud. Hess’ mother, Shirley Koch, is 69 years of age and was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty at an earlier point to aiding and abetting, and mail fraud.
The Department of Justice released a statement on Tuesday, explaining that Hess and other people “stole the bodies or body parts of hundreds of victims, and then sold those remains to victims purchasing the remains for body broker services” for almost a decade, over the years of 2010 to 2018.
Hess would meet with people who had lost their loved ones “[u]nder the auspices of Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors,” where she and others would portray to the families that her group would cremate the bodies and return the remains to family members.
“Instead,” the DOJ noted, “the defendant and others would harvest body parts from, or prepare the entire bodies of, the decedents for sale in body broker services.”
The DOJ pointed out that many times, Koch and Hess didn’t talk about donating or selling body parts. They also didn’t get approval to do so. At other times, if donation was brought up by Hess or Koch, the families “specifically rejected” it.
Without getting any approval, “Koch and Hess recovered body parts from, or otherwise prepared entire bodies of hundreds of decedents for body broker services,” the department added. When families did allow donation, Koch and Hess “sold the remains of those decedents beyond what was authorized by the family,” which was typically only small amounts.
Hess and Koch also acted as if they were giving cremated remains back to family members, “when, frequently, that was not the case.”
They also sent bodies and body parts through the mail that had infectious diseases after telling purchasers that the bodies did not have diseases. Such shipments were against Department of Transportation regulations.
There are no federal laws <a href="http://news.law.wfu.edu/2012/08/professor-tanya-marsh-writes-about-laws-permitting-the-sale-of-human-remains-in-the-huffington-post/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">limiting</a> the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/09/why-you-cant-display-your-relatives-skull/597307/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">selling</a> of human remains unless they are Native American. Hess and Koch did not have permission, however, to sell the bodies and body parts.
Colorado took action to adopt a new law in 2018 regarding body broker companies after it was <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-bodies-colorado/colorado-creates-body-donation-law-following-reuters-report-idUSKCN1IX637" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the address for Hess’ funeral home was also used to run a body donation company.

funeral urn, with tape and flower decorated, for sympathy, card

Funeral Director Sentenced To 20 Years In Jail After Selling Body Parts Without Family Members’ Approval

Colorado Funeral Director Sentenced To Prison After Selling Body Parts Without Family Members' Approval

Death

Prison

The creators of the hit comedy show &#8220;South Park&#8221; announced this week that the iconic <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colorado">Colorado</a> restaurant &#8220;Casa Bonita,&#8221; which the two men purchased in September of last year, will be reopening this spring.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone purchased the restaurant, which is featured in one of South Park&#8217;s most popular episodes after the previous owners&#8217; filed for Chapter 11 protection in Arizona last April.
&#8220;We want to wish everyone in Colorado a Happy Holidays from all of us at Casa Bonita,&#8221; Parker and Stone said in a video released this week. &#8220;You know, guys, I saw a thing in the news about what Coloradans want for Christmas, and besides a new football team and fresh snow, they said they wanted an opening date for Casa Bonita.&#8221;
Parker and Stone said that the restaurant will reopen in May 2023.
The restaurant was known as a tourist attraction because of its fun atmosphere, which included cliff divers and a lagoon. Under its previous owners, the restaurant got mixed reviews about food quality, to put it nicely.
Executive Chef Dana Rodriguez appeared in the announcement video alongside Parker and Stone.
“Casa Bonita has brought so much joy to so many people over the years — we wanted to share the news of our May reopening as our holiday gift to the people of Colorado,” Rodriguez said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
In a special holiday message from Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Dana &quot;Loca&quot; Rodriguez, the grand reopening date for Casa Bonita is revealed. Happy holidays! 🎁 <a href="https://t.co/Jhhx27apsV">pic.twitter.com/Jhhx27apsV</a>
&mdash; Casa Bonita (@CasaBonita) <a href="https://twitter.com/CasaBonita/status/1606055826132647937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Colorado News <a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/investigations/casa-bonita-renovation-photos-documents-costly-plan/73-a3d032f5-af02-447b-8b15-22f01ccbd6af">obtained</a> plans showing that Parker and Stone poured millions of dollars into renovating the restaurant after purchasing it for $3.1 million.
“The total cost of alterations for the primary space as applicable to this provision are approximately $12,125,000,” according to to build records obtained by the local station.
“General improvements to the existing Casa Bonita restaurant, including improvements to the: life safety systems, accessibility, HVAC systems, air quality, electrical system, plumbing system, and finishes,” a general plan description says. “Accessibility routes will be improved throughout, including a new platform lift and numerous ADA ramps.”
The renovations also include a complete makeover of the restaurant’s &#8220;indoor pools and water features and outdoor water feature.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/south-park-trolls-china-after-country-bans-the-show-f-the-chinese-government" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘South Park’ Trolls China After Country Bans The Show: ‘F*** The Chinese Government’</a>

The Paley Center For Media Presents Special Retrospective Event Honoring 20 Seasons Of “South Park” – Arrivals

‘South Park’ Creators Announce Reopening Date For Iconic ‘Casa Bonita’ Restaurant

'South Park' Creators Announce Reopening Date For Iconic 'Casa Bonita' Restaurant

Food

Restaurant

Menu