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CDOT using explosives to trigger avalanches ahead of Independence Pass reopening

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:49:11 GMT

TWIN LAKES, Colo. (KDVR) — Colorado Department of Transportation is using explosives to help clear snow from Independence Pass ahead of its scheduled reopening at the end of May.  On Tuesday, CDOT and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, CAIC, paired up for the annual avalanche mitigation effort on the stretch of Highway 83 that connects Twin Lakes and Aspen. The pass is closed each winter due to multiple factors, including the risk of large avalanches. “The road runs through the track of the path so it doesn’t take a whole lot of snow rolling down the hill to hit that road,” CAIC Director Ethan Greene said.  Cities with the worst commute in Colorado The team uses a helicopter loaded with explosive devices dubbed “turkey bombs” that are dropped on steep slopes above the pass. CDOT says the explosives are much more powerful than they typically use for avalanche mitigation.“We’re putting anywhere from 22 to 30 pounds of explosive payload per shot,” CDOT’s statewide Avalanche C...

Who will benefit from changes to FAFSA and the formula for college aid?

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:49:11 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- May 1 is National College Decision Day and right now families are likely nailing down the financing for their kids who will start college in the fall. But for 2024, there will be some changes in the form and the formula used to determine aid. Denver area homeownership highest since 2009 For the next round of college applications, families will use a simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid form."That has been a huge plus for students. It will be less cumbersome to fill out," Jennifer Helgeson, with the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said.Helgeson said the formula used to determine aid will also change. "Almost 2 million families will now qualify for grant aid that haven't in the past, so it's a huge benefit to the American family," she said.The Expected Family Contribution will be replaced by the Student Aid Index Number. "It's determined now more on household size and poverty level," Helgeson...

Why you need to slow down to 20 mph on some Denver roads

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:49:11 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- If you don't see a speed limit sign on a Denver street, you'll probably need to slow down from what you're used to: The default speed limit on Denver roads is now 20 mph, down from 25 mph.Denver will also begin updating speed limit signs on local streets to show this change.What streets are impacted by this change?For the most part, the streets being impacted by this are in residential areas.Primarily, roads with no stripes.Nearly 2,000 signs will be replaced and installed, with a focus on streets entering local neighborhoods. Is it legal to have a tinted license plate cover in Colorado? Signs will also be updated at major entry points in the city, such as highway off-ramps and arterial roads, to let people know about the change.Why the change?This is part of Denver's "Vision Zero" program, designed to address street safety and reduce deaths and injuries from crashes to zero by 2030.Specifically, the speed limit reduction is meant to "draw attention to the topic o...

2 arrested, police searching for suspect vehicle in kidnapping

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:49:11 GMT

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (KDVR) -- Two men were arrested after they allegedly kidnapped and assaulted a 25-year-old man early Friday.The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said that witnesses at the RTD Park-N-Ride at South University Boulevard and Dad Clark Drive saw the victim being forced out of his vehicle and into a light-colored minivan. Colorado is dropping in US News and World Report’s best states rankings Several hours later, DCSO said the victim escaped and suffered substantial injuries.The victim's vehicle was finally located in Rockford, Illinois, where police took one suspect, 22-year-old Brandon Graterol-Castro, into custody. A second suspect, 30-year-old Deivis Jose Chaves Pinto, was arrested in Douglas County.The suspects are being held on charges of kidnapping and assault. Detectives said they are still looking for the vehicle the suspects were using, which is described as a white or light blue minivan. Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Sgt. Aman...

Mayor, locals share update as FEMA continues to help Broward County with aid

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:49:11 GMT

After three weeks since historic flooding ravaged Broward County, help is finally on the horizon for residents of the area. On Tuesday, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that those who have already applied for assistance can expect to see money in their bank accounts by the end of the week.“We are told the approvals for the applications are already in process,” said Trantalis.Edgewood was one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in Fort Lauderdale, and homeowners are still picking up the pieces from the natural disaster. Steven Erb said he had to spend most of his money on an Airbnb as his family waited for the water to drain. Now, he has had to leave the temporary home because his funds have run short.“Honestly, I don’t know what I’m doing or where I’m going,” said Erb.Erb said there is mold in the home he rents with his wife, two kids and their dogs.“We pretty much lost eve...

Heat’s Jimmy Butler sidelined for Game 2 against Knicks

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:49:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy Butler won’t play for the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night because of a sprained right ankle.Butler was hurt after being fouled with 5:05 to play Sunday in the Heat’s 108-101 victory in Game 1. He was able to stay in the game, finishing with 25 points and 11 rebounds.Butler is the leading scorer in the playoffs thus far, averaging 35.5 points per game.Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson will warm up before the game to see if they can play for the Knicks. Randle missed Game 1 after spraining his left ankle again in New York’s clinching victory over Cleveland in the first round.Brunson was added to the injury report Monday with right ankle soreness. Coach Tom Thibodeau said there wasn’t any specific play where the point guard was hurt.

Ocean Rescue shares safety tips for National Water Safety Month

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:49:11 GMT

May is National Water Safety Month and Ocean Rescue shared some tips in order to avoid a fun day at the beach from turning fatal. It’s a situation Miami-Dade Fire Ocean Rescue sees too often: A person not wearing a life vest, struggling in the ocean and a good Samaritan deciding to help.“A lot of times in these cases when somebody goes in to help somebody, they’re the ones who end up in trouble. Now we have two victims,” said MDFR Capt. Matthew Sparling. Lifeguards are well-equipped to rescue. They use buoys, personal watercraft and other gear to get people out of the water and get them the help they need.“If you see somebody in trouble, just try to get the attention of a lifeguard, police officer, call 911. Try not to respond. If there’s a bouy, a rope line, something, reach, throw, try not to go,” said Sparling. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue created a demonstration to give people a couple of reminders:Use a life vest – pool noodles and ring...

Yankees Notebook: Carlos Rodon’s back remains an issue, Lou Trivino needs Tommy John

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:49:11 GMT

With his back still barking, Carlos Rodon’s rehab has reached uncertain territory once again.Aaron Boone said Tuesday that the Yankees are having more doctors look at the southpaw, who originally hit the shelf with a left forearm strain early in spring training. Boone said that Rodon’s shoulder and elbow haven’t caused issues, but the team is determining whether Rodon’s back is something he can work through, or something that requires more time off.The manager said Rodon has put his arm to use recently, including a bullpen a few days ago and a throwing session Monday. Boone added that the back issue is not hurting Rodon, but it’s impacting his mechanics.“We need to get our arms around why he can’t get over that final hump. He’s not in any pain,” Boone said. “It’s just getting to positions the way he needs to move. We gotta get there.“We’re getting as many eyes on it as we can to see what exactly the best c...

Tom Thibodeau: ‘I don’t go by’ new-age defensive analytics

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:49:11 GMT

To the naked eye, the Knicks had a down season defensively. Tom Thibodeau’s eye, of course, says otherwise.The Knicks ranked 19th in all of basketball in defensive rating — averaging 114 points allowed per 100 possessions — during the regular season. The rank marked the worst defensive rating the team has put forth in any of the three seasons Thibodeau has coached in New York. For reference, his Knicks finished 11th in defensive rating in each of his first two seasons as coach.Yet Thibodeau’s Knicks also secured the best first-round defense in the playoffs, holding the Cavaliers to just 101 points per 100 possessions in each of their first quarterfinal games.Entering his second-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Thibodeau shrugged off new-age analytics as a reliable barometer for his team’s defensive success.“The ratings systems that some people use, I don’t go by,” he said. “My markers are: defensive field goal percent...

Boston teen on home confinement after alleged MBTA Red Line grocery assault

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:49:11 GMT

Two teens face charges of attacking a woman on a Red Line train with the victim’s own groceries, including busting her nose with a pear.“This is inexcusable conduct that can undermine the public’s confidence in its ability to use public transportation safely and efficiently,” Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden said in a statement Tuesday.“Public transportation is crucial to the economic viability of our region, and when something like this happens — a passenger being set upon, unprovoked, and wounded in the process — it’s an assault not just on them, but on the entire system.”Saul Diaz, 18, was charged in municipal court in South Boston with unarmed robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. An unnamed juvenile offender, a 16-year-old girl, faces similar charges. The pair were arrested on Friday based on evidence prosecutors say police obtained from surveillance camera footage.Judge Michael Bolden released Diaz to home confinement. Diaz is allowed out on weekdays during school ho...