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5 Texas law enforcement agencies explain missing persons reporting gap

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:25:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — New data on missing persons in Texas reveals some discrepancies in what law enforcement agencies and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, are reporting.A law that went into effect in September 2021 requires police across the state to enter missing persons cases into the system within 60 days of someone filing an official missing persons report. READ THE INVESTIGATION: Families behind Texas missing persons law push for more police participation In roughly the year after the law went into effect, NamUs data obtained by KXAN investigators shows 450 Texas cases were entered by professional users, which include police. By comparison, data obtained from the Department of Public Safety shows Texas police have received 6,466 missing persons cases that weren't cleared within 60 days in that same time frame.KXAN investigators reached out to the agencies with the most cases in the DPS data beyond the 60-day time frame and asked for a...

Readers and writers: A ‘trans-glam-punk-rock love story’

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:25:47 GMT

Two novels about women and babies and a memoir by a cisgender woman about her love for her trans spouse offer rich reading this week.“Wild Things: A Trans-Glam-Punk-Rock Love Story”: by Lynette Reini-Grandell, foreword by Venus de Mars (Minnesota Historical Society Press, $29.95)The person I married, who I am still married to and remain very much in love with, is now legally named Venus de Mars, and she uses she and her pronouns. But to get to that point was a journey of decades. At the time we didn’t know where it would lead — we had no real role models and made it up as we went. —  From “Wild Things”How would you feel if the man you married, the love of your life, came out as transgender?That’s the involving story Lynette Reini-Grandell tells in “Wild Things,” one of LambdaLiterary’s most anticipated books of the season, and it couldn’t be more timely, with increasing threats to the LGBTQ community in parts of...

If a Rockies springs training trip is in your future, here’s how to enjoy Scottsdale

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:25:47 GMT

“Take me out to the ballgame,” so the classic singalong goes. But throughout March, the ballgame — if you’re a Colorado fan, that is — calls for a trip to Scottsdale, where the Rockies’ spring training camp takes place.Even for the most casual Rockies fan (you don’t bleed a jewel-tone purple; maybe a shade of lavender, though?), spring training provides a nice excuse to slip away to the Sonoran Desert and root for the home team in a smaller stadium, snag some autographs, snack on a bacon-wrapped Sonoran Dog and enjoy pool time back at your hotel. Sunny and in the mid-70s, Scottsdale in March provides a nice preview of summer while snow remains in the forecast back home.Scottsdale’s 40 plus galleries showcase more than 1,000 artists all in a two-block area of downtown. Provided by the Scottsdale Gallery AssociationSpring training 2023 runs through March 28 with the Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks sharing a home field at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. (See the full sch...

Colorado advocates seek more funding for birth control, family planning in wake of Roe v. Wade reversal

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:25:47 GMT

The ongoing pandemic and the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year have increased demands on Colorado’s family planning clinics, prompting some advocates to call for more state funding — but it’s not clear if the legislature will respond.Hunter Nelson, a policy analyst at the Colorado Children’s Campaign, said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson — which found the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion — has increased pressure on family planning clinics.Colorado’s family planning program doesn’t pay for abortions, but some clinics like Planned Parenthood offer both abortions and state-funded services like birth control prescriptions and testing for sexually transmitted infections.Planned Parenthood reported a 95% increase in out-of-state patients seeking abortions after some states outlawed the procedure following the Dobbs decision, leaving fewer appointments available for other services.“Wait lis...

Endorsement: Mike Johnston for Denver mayor

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:25:47 GMT

Editor’s note: This represents the opinion of The Denver Post editorial board, which is separate from the paper’s news operation. Over the past month, The Denver Post editorial board spent 45 minutes each with 15 of the 17 candidates for Denver mayor.We agonized with them about the toll of escalating youth violence, the conditions our unhoused neighbors endure, the risk of a failing urban core, and the innumerable ways the city’s next mayor can make things better for a city of 715,000 people anxiously awaiting change.Every candidate brought passion, unique skills, specific expertise, and an ability to lead.Mike Johnston stood out even in this field of stars.RELATED: The Denver Post’s endorsements for Denver’s 2023 electionJohnston, a 48-year-old father of three who lives in Central Park, is ready to be the mayor of Denver.With urgency, he will fight for this city, the way he fought at the state Capitol as our representative, the way he fought as a teacher for his student...

Post Premium: Top stories for the week of March 6-12

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:25:47 GMT

A man at Denver International Airport told his father he’d ram his truck through a gate, hijack a plane and shoot up the airport.A husband promised carnage at his former place of worship.A woman in east Denver vowed to open fire in a grocery store to make people listen to her.An author published a book detailing gruesome killings.A young person with bomb-making supplies pledged to be the next mass killer.A Colorado Springs man threatened a mass shooting at a street fair.In the last 15 months, three of those people acted on their threats. And 12 Coloradans died.After those attacks, the three suspects’ prior threats loomed large — missed warning signs of impending tragedy. A year before authorities say a 22-year-old killed five in a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub, a judge said the suspect was clearly planning an attack and it would be “so bad” if the person did not get mental health treatment.Before a man shot and killed five in a targeted spree across Denver and Lakewood, a r...

Nuggets Journal: Denver’s bench needs serious auditing before postseason

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:25:47 GMT

Bruce Brown’s primal scream would’ve rang throughout downtown Denver were it not drowned out by the sounds of raucous Bulls fans Wednesday night.Denver’s previous four home losses came via a total of eight points. The final margin vs. Chicago, in just the Nuggets’ fifth home loss of the season, was by 21 points. The Bulls smacked the Nuggets in a way the No. 1 team in the West wasn’t accustomed to getting bullied.“We can’t come out soft,” Brown said.But back to that scream, which came after Brown knifed through the lane and jackhammered a dunk late in the third quarter of the rout. If there was pent-up frustration, from his team’s execution, their lack of toughness, or, most pressing, the ongoing puzzle that is Denver’s second unit, no one could blame him.After Friday night’s tilt at San Antonio, there were only 15 regular-season games left on the schedule. Already with a six-game lead in the West, that represented precious few opportunities for Brown, Reggie Jackson, Jeff Green, Th...

Improving Investor Behavior: Are the markets singing a familiar tune?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:25:47 GMT

Just over 50 years ago on Jan. 11, 1973, while Carly Simon was on the radio singing her new No. 1 hit “You’re So Vain,” the S&P 500 closed at a then all-time high of $120.20. Unbeknownst to the U.S., many things were about to change.The following 21 months saw a decline in the S&P of almost 48%, the biggest drop since the 1930s. Within a short time, the Vietnam War ended. The Watergate trial started. Roe v. Wade was decided in the Supreme Court. Lyndon Johnson died. A whole generation of investors who had experienced one of the most powerful expansions in the American economy, multiplying the value of the markets some eight-fold, experienced the “unimaginable.”Steve BoorenYet the market didn’t stay at its low. It did what it has a history of doing: temporarily cutting in half, only to eventually continue its advance.For those experiencing the drop, it felt like the wheels were falling off the wagon. Dark clouds hovered over the economy, global stability, and domestic politic...

“One of the great challenges of our time”: How mass killers slip through Colorado’s fragmented safety net

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:25:47 GMT

A man at Denver International Airport told his father he’d ram his truck through a gate, hijack a plane and shoot up the airport.A husband promised carnage at his former place of worship.A woman in east Denver vowed to open fire in a grocery store to make people listen to her.An author published a book detailing gruesome killings.A young person with bomb-making supplies pledged to be the next mass killer.A Colorado Springs man threatened a mass shooting at a street fair.In the last 15 months, three of those people acted on their threats. And 12 Coloradans died.After those attacks, the three suspects’ prior threats loomed large — missed warning signs of impending tragedy. A year before authorities say a 22-year-old killed five in a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub, a judge said the suspect was clearly planning an attack and it would be “so bad” if the person did not get mental health treatment.Before a man shot and killed five in a targeted spree across Denver and Lakewood, a r...

Espinoza unveils rare scoring touch in Earthquakes’ 1-0 win over Colorado

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:25:47 GMT

SAN JOSE – Cristian Espinoza is well on his way to becoming the most productive passer in San Jose Earthquakes history. But on Saturday the Argentinian winger showcased his long-range shooting, propelling the Quakes to their first two-game winning streak in a year and a half.Espinoza’s goal from 20 yards out in the 78th minute was the only score in the Quakes’ 1-0 win over Colorado at PayPal Park. Another attempt even further out was tipped onto the crossbar by Rapids keeper William Yarbrough in the first half.Espinoza’s dangerous shots from outside the box gave the Quakes (2-1-0, 6 points) another scoring option besides striker Jeremy Ebobisse, who has scored 19 of the team’s 56 goals over the past two seasons.It also showed off another side of a player whose 47 assists are three away from the club record set by Shea Salinas – despite playing just 123 games to Salinas’s 375.Espinoza, who had an assist in each of the team’s first two matches, has the second-most assists in MLS since...