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Study finds 100% of tested Colorado water contains microplastics

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A new report by the Environment Colorado Research and Policy Center and Colorado Public Interest Research Group found tiny pieces of plastic in 100% of tested water across the Front Range.Students from the University of Denver and area high schools collected and analyzed water samples from 16 different sites between February and April of this year. Those sites include the South Platte River at Confluence Park, Cherry Creek, Chatfield Reservoir, City Park, Boulder Creek and more. Students found microplastics in each sample taken."It was stunning to me that someone like me without any sort of background could plainly see the issue in front of my eyes," said DU graduate student intern and lead author, Lexi Kilbane, who helped collect the samples. Main road through Cherry Creek State Park closed ‘indefinitely’ The microplastics come from items like plastic bags, bottles and clothing. The items break down over time and leave tiny particles called microplastics in the wa...

Outdoor Colorado: Double amputee bicyclist finds a new way to ride

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) - A bicycle is a perfect metaphor for life. Sometimes it is smooth, and sometimes it can be very rough. But it is a ride that we all must take.Nicholas Young was on a ride one day that changed his life forever. That was 2015 in Chicago. What are Colorado’s signs of summer? "I couldn’t see that the road had a big pothole because it wasn’t clear from my point of view. There was just a glassy clear surface on the road but what I didn’t know is underneath that water there was a pothole that was probably nearly a foot deep," he said.Young crashed hard. His legs never properly healed and in October 2018 he made one of the toughest decisions in his life. He decided to have his right leg amputated."I literally woke up from surgery crying from relief, but I knew this was the right decision," Young said.Two years later, Young became a double amputee. But he was not ready to give up riding his bicycle, or life and he paid attention when someone suggested he look into ...

Colorado veteran suicide total at record high in 2021

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Behind all the barbecues is a grim reality. Memorial Day was established in 1966 to honor the nation's military personnel who died while serving. Sadly, veterans are more likely to die by their own hand than in combat, and in Colorado, that number rose in the last year of available data. Census: Colorado among the states with lowest share of kids under 5 years old Veteran suicides happen at higher rates than the general public, about 150% of the national average. It is the second leading cause of death among soldiers under the age of 45, with over 125,000 veteran suicides occurring since 2001. The number of veteran suicides fell in 2020 in the U.S. In Colorado, however, deaths rose to their highest levels on record afterward. There were 248 veteran suicides in 2021, up from 205 the year before. The average annual number has risen 59% since 2010. In 2010, there were 156 veteran suicides in Colorado.As a percentage, veteran suicides are an average 17% of Colorado's ...

New license plate raises money to mitigate wolf-human conflict

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Gov. Jared Polis signed a new wolf specialty license plate into law, and the money will create new methods of preventing human conflict with gray wolves.House Bill 1265 was signed on Monday and creates the "Born to Be Wild" specialty Colorado license plate. The plate features the classic mountain outline with a black starry night sky and a gray wolf in the middle. Starting soon, you can buy this dino-themed license plate for your car According to the Colorado legislature, the purpose of the plate is to raise funds for nonlethal means of mitigating and preventing human conflict following the law that will reintroduce wolves into the state by the end of 2023. The bill states that Colorado Parks and Wildlife will use the money raised to create programs and training, deploy equipment and technology and support relevant research on cohabiting with the wolves.You can purchase the specialty plate beginning Jan. 1, 2024, by paying an annual fee of $50 that will go to the W...

Jaguars sign ex-Broncos kicker Brandon McManus, waive Riley Patterson

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars signed Brandon McManus in hopes of upgrading their special teams Thursday, two days after Denver dropped the veteran kicker and former team captain.The Jaguars waived kicker Riley Patterson to make room on the 90-man roster for McManus, who had been scheduled to count nearly $5 million against Denver's salary cap in 2023.The 31-year-old McManus was the last holdover from the Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50. He finished his nine-year career with Denver as the second-leading scorer in team history (946 points). He connected on a franchise-most 42 field goals of 50 yards or longer in the regular season and the playoffs. Brandon McManus is no longer with the Denver Broncos McManus made 223 of 274 field goals in the regular season while hitting 96.9% of his extra points. His combined field-goal percentage (82%) in the regular season and postseason is the second-best mark in team history behind Matt Prater (82.9%).McManus was perfec...

Panthers fan watches team advance to Stanley Cup Final, 27 years later

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

A Florida Panthers fan who witnessed the team advance to the Stanley Cup Final 27 years apart hopes to see them clinch the conference in person.The Panthers reached milestone for a second time after they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime, Wednesday night.“Last night was amazing, that night 27 years ago was amazing, and to share with my family again and my son, it doesn’t get any better,” said Michael Alterman, who attended both Eastern Conference Finals.He was just 15 the first time when his brothers joined him in watching the team board the bus after the win back in 1996. “I got to go to both Eastern Conference Championships,” said Alterman. “I was a 15-year-old, a 16-year-old. That was one of the best nights of my life.”His own son got to accompany him on Wednesday night’s game. “To do that 27 years apart — and this time I have my 6-year-old son with me — to do that and come full circle, it doe...

20-foot sinkhole opens up at parking lot in Ocala

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

OCALA, Fla. (WSVN) — A pipe problem was exposed during a rainy day. Now, engineers are trying to determine what to do next. Part of a parking lot was swallowed by a huge hole, and an expert said it could be the first of many.“That is big, It’s a big hole,” Virginia Hargarten said.Hargarten is a regular customer of a Vitamin Shoppe in Ocala, but on Wednesday, a 20-foot-deep sinkhole stopped her from being able to pick up what she needed.“I feel sorry for the shop owners too,” Hargarten said. They have to be closed.”So what caused this deep problem?“What it looks like is a drainage pipe had failed over time, washed the underlying soil away,” said Darren Park, Ocala Public Works. “Heavy rains from Friday night put a lot of weight in the pipe, which caused the pipe to collapse.”A sink hole, roughly the same size, opened up nearby just a few years ago.Ocala’s Public Works department said the problem is old pipes.“Ov...

2 displaced after fire sparks in Sunrise apartment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

A family in Sunrise was forced out of their home by fast-moving flames.Sunrise Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the apartment blaze in a second-story unit along the 10000 block of Winding Lake Road, Thursday morning.It’s unclear how the fire started.Volunteers with the American Red Cross are helping two people who lived there, including a child.

Police say shot fired during response to hoax call at St. John’s Prep happened while officer was holstering gun

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

A shot that was fired inside St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers during an emergency response to a hoax call earlier this week was an accident that happened while a police officer was holstering his gun, town officials said.Officials shared an update on their investigation Thursday a matter of days after the incident at St. John’s Prep on Monday. In their update, officials said police responded within two minutes of an initial report claiming there was a person in a bathroom with a gun on the St. John’s campus. After clearing the bathroom inside the school’s Benjamin Hall, officials said an officer began holstering his gun. “The officer reported that as he did, his index finger was extended along the side of the barrel, which is consistent with his training, and that a secondary piece of equipment interfered with the holstering process, resulting in a single shot being discharged and striking the bathroom tile floor next to the officer’s foot,” officials sa...

Memorial Day weekend travel set to be third-busiest since 2000

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

Memorial Day weekend is right around the corner, and people are ready to hit the road and the skies.AAA reported that 42.3 million Americans plan to travel more than 50 miles from home, which is 2.7 million more than 2022. This is projected to be the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since AAA began tracking holiday travel in 2000.Logan Airport officials want to make sure you’re prepared if you’re traveling by plane. They said passengers can help keep things moving quickly and save time getting through security by arriving two hours early.Officials remind air travelers to have their valid ID ready and to remember that liquids can only be in containers of 3.4 ounces or less.“The further we’ve gotten away from the start of the pandemic, the more and more people are flying,” said TSA New England Spokesperson Dan Velez. “This year, with pretty much all of the COVID pandemic restrictions gone, we’re going to see an influx of people flying who haven’t traveled in quite a bit.”Passengers ...