thedenverpost--2020-01-24--Serena Williams stunned by Wang Qiang at Australian Open

MELBOURNE , Australia ( AP ) — Down to what sure felt like her last chance , Serena Williams came through with a cross-court forehand winner to close a 24-stroke point , then raised her arms , held that celebratory pose and looked over toward her guest box .
Finally , on her sixth try , after 1½ hours of action , she had managed to convert a break point against 27th-seeded Wang Qiang in the Australian Open ’ s third round .
Right then , it appeared that the comeback was on , the bid for a 24th Grand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turned out that Williams only was delaying a surprising defeat .
So tough at the toughest moments for so many years , the 38-year-old American just could not quite do enough to put aside so much so-so serving and all manner of other miscues , instead making her earliest exit at Melbourne Park in 14 years , a 6-4 , 6-7 ( 2 ) , 7-5 loss to Wang on Friday .
Williams was broken in the final game after more than 2 1/2 hours , fittingly ending things with a backhand into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unforced error on the backhand side , part of a total of 56 miscues .
Wang made only 20 .
As Williams trudged through the long walkway that leads to the locker room , Wang was interviewed in Rod Laver Arena , telling the crowd : “ I think my team always believed I can do it.
” Since grabbing major championship No .
23 at the 2017 Australian Open , while she was pregnant , Williams hasn ’ t added to her total .
She appeared in four major finals over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And she bowed out much , much sooner this time .
Williams owns seven trophies from the Australian Open and hadn ’ t lost as early as the third round since all the way back in 2006 .
Here is just one measure of how unexpected this result was : The only other time these two women faced each other came at the U.S. Open last September — the only Slam quarterfinal appearance of Wang ’ s career — and Williams needed all of 44 minutes to dominate her way to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ points were 50 to 15 .
“ After last time , ” Wang said , “ I did really hard work on the court , off the court.
” Wang quickly surpassed those game and point totals Friday , thanks in large part to nearly flawless play in the first set .
She saved all four break points she faced in that set , accumulated 10 winners and made just five unforced errors .
Wang picked up the lone break she needed at love with an easy forehand putaway winner that made it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sailing a backhand return long to cede the set .
Wang quickly went up in the second , too , and already was ahead by a break at 4-2 when she was a point away from earning another .
But Williams steadied herself there to hold .
Then , when Wang served for the victory at 5-4 in the second , Williams seemed to shift the entire complexion of the match .
She was 0 for 5 on break points until then but the sixth time was the charm .
On the point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slugging away from the baseline , it was Williams who did what it took to take it .
She was superior in the tiebreaker , too , and on they went to a third set .
“ During the second set , ( I was ) a little bit confused .
… I have to be calm , you know ?
” Wang said .
“ A little bit confused inside , but my mind always told me I had to focus on the court , focus on the point and trust myself @ @

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Down to what sure felt like her last chance, Serena Williams came through with a cross-court forehand winner to close a 24-stroke point, then raised her arms, held that celebratory pose and looked over toward her guest box.
Finally, on her sixth try, after 1½ hours of action, she had managed to convert a break point against 27th-seeded Wang Qiang in the Australian Open’s third round.
Right then, it appeared that the comeback was on, the bid for a 24th Grand Slam singles title could continue. It turned out that Williams only was delaying a surprising defeat.
So tough at the toughest moments for so many years, the 38-year-old American just could not quite do enough to put aside so much so-so serving and all manner of other miscues, instead making her earliest exit at Melbourne Park in 14 years, a 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 loss to Wang on Friday.
Williams was broken in the final game after more than 2 1/2 hours, fittingly ending things with a backhand into the net. That was her 27th unforced error on the backhand side, part of a total of 56 miscues. Wang made only 20.
As Williams trudged through the long walkway that leads to the locker room, Wang was interviewed in Rod Laver Arena, telling the crowd: “I think my team always believed I can do it.”
Since grabbing major championship No. 23 at the 2017 Australian Open, while she was pregnant, Williams hasn’t added to her total.
She appeared in four major finals over the past two seasons, losing each one.
And she bowed out much, much sooner this time.
Williams owns seven trophies from the Australian Open and hadn’t lost as early as the third round since all the way back in 2006.
Here is just one measure of how unexpected this result was: The only other time these two women faced each other came at the U.S. Open last September — the only Slam quarterfinal appearance of Wang’s career — and Williams needed all of 44 minutes to dominate her way to a 6-1, 6-0 victory. The total points were 50 to 15.
“After last time,” Wang said, “I did really hard work on the court, off the court.”
Wang quickly surpassed those game and point totals Friday, thanks in large part to nearly flawless play in the first set.
She saved all four break points she faced in that set, accumulated 10 winners and made just five unforced errors. Wang picked up the lone break she needed at love with an easy forehand putaway winner that made it 5-4.
Soon enough, Williams was sailing a backhand return long to cede the set. Wang quickly went up in the second, too, and already was ahead by a break at 4-2 when she was a point away from earning another.
But Williams steadied herself there to hold. Then, when Wang served for the victory at 5-4 in the second, Williams seemed to shift the entire complexion of the match.
She was 0 for 5 on break points until then but the sixth time was the charm. On the point of the match, with both players slugging away from the baseline, it was Williams who did what it took to take it.
She was superior in the tiebreaker, too, and on they went to a third set.
“During the second set, (I was) a little bit confused. … I have to be calm, you know?” Wang said. “A little bit confused inside, but my mind always told me I had to focus on the court, focus on the point and trust myself.”


thedenverpost--2020-01-24--NFL player Antonio Brown turns himself in at Florida jail

FT. LAUDERDALE , Fla. — NFL free agent Antonio Brown turned himself in at a Florida jail on Thursday night following accusations that he and his trainer attacked another man .
Brown arrived at Broward County Jail around 10 p.m. , as first reported by TMZ .
The wide receiver , clad in turquoise pants and a matching blazer buttoned over a green jacket , initially walked out of the jail a few minutes after arriving , but then returned after conferring with his lawyer , WFOR-TV reported .
In a Wednesday news release , Hollywood police said Brown ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with battery , burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and criminal mischief .
Officials responded Tuesday afternoon to a disturbance call where the alleged victim said Brown and his trainer , Glenn Holt , hit him near Brown ’ s Hollywood home .
Holt was arrested and charged with one count of burglary with battery , but officials couldn ’ t make contact with Brown at the time .
Brown didn ’ t respond to WFOR-TV ’ s request for on-camera comment , but his lawyer , Eric Schwartzreich , indicated that Brown would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He ’ s innocent of these charges .
Hopefully we ’ ll get bond tomorrow and he ’ ll be acquitted of all charges , ” Schwartzreich said .
Brown , who is a free agent , played nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers .
He was traded to the Oakland Raiders last year but released before ever playing a regular season game following several off-the-field incidents .
He was then signed by the New England Patriots , who released Brown in September after a second woman in 10 days accused him of @ @ @

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — NFL free agent Antonio Brown turned himself in at a Florida jail on Thursday night following accusations that he and his trainer attacked another man.
Brown arrived at Broward County Jail around 10 p.m., as first reported by TMZ. The wide receiver, clad in turquoise pants and a matching blazer buttoned over a green jacket, initially walked out of the jail a few minutes after arriving, but then returned after conferring with his lawyer, WFOR-TV reported.
In a Wednesday news release, Hollywood police said Brown’s arrest warrant included charges of burglary with battery, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and criminal mischief. Officials responded Tuesday afternoon to a disturbance call where the alleged victim said Brown and his trainer, Glenn Holt, hit him near Brown’s Hollywood home.
Holt was arrested and charged with one count of burglary with battery, but officials couldn’t make contact with Brown at the time.
Brown didn’t respond to WFOR-TV’s request for on-camera comment, but his lawyer, Eric Schwartzreich, indicated that Brown would spend the night in jail.
“He’s innocent of these charges. Hopefully we’ll get bond tomorrow and he’ll be acquitted of all charges,” Schwartzreich said.
Brown, who is a free agent, played nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was traded to the Oakland Raiders last year but released before ever playing a regular season game following several off-the-field incidents. He was then signed by the New England Patriots, who released Brown in September after a second woman in 10 days accused him of sexual misconduct.


thedenverpost--2020-01-24--No. 23 CU Buffs pull away from Washington State

No Tyler Bey , no problem for the Colorado Buffaloes .
Playing without their most explosive player who doubles as the top rebounder in the Pac-12 Conference , the 23rd-ranked Buffs weathered a hot shooting start by visiting Washington State before pulling away in the second half for a 78-56 victory at the CU Events Center .
CU ( 15-4 , 4-2 ) shook off a poor effort defensively and on the glass in a loss in their last outing at Arizona , holding the Cougars to a .373 mark overall and a .286 shooting percentage after halftime .
CU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in both games of last week ’ s trip through Arizona .
Though he was in uniform , Bey remained on the bench with the middle fingers right hand bandaged .
His status remains uncertain for Saturday ’ s battle against Washington , which blew a 12-point second-half lead Thursday night in a loss at Utah .
Senior forward Lucas Siewert received his first start of the season and responded with his first double-double of the season and his first in a Pac-12 game , finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ overall in his career , as he posted two in consecutive games early last season against Portland and Colorado State .
It was a balanced effort for CU , which also received double-doubles from point guard McKinley Wright IV and Evan Battey .
Wright finished with 10 points and 10 assists .
He finished the night with 442 career assists and moved past Jose Winston for third-place on CU ’ s career list .
Evan Battey posted his fourth career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds .
CU committed 10 turnovers in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 14 .
The Buffs shot .456 overall and went 9-for-22 ( .409 ) on 3-pointers .

No Tyler Bey, no problem for the Colorado Buffaloes.
Playing without their most explosive player who doubles as the top rebounder in the Pac-12 Conference, the 23rd-ranked Buffs weathered a hot shooting start by visiting Washington State before pulling away in the second half for a 78-56 victory at the CU Events Center.
Washington State fell to 0-9 all-time at CU.
CU (15-4, 4-2) shook off a poor effort defensively and on the glass in a loss in their last outing at Arizona, holding the Cougars to a .373 mark overall and a .286 shooting percentage after halftime. CU also outrebounded WSU 45-28 after getting outrebounded in both games of last week’s trip through Arizona.
Though he was in uniform, Bey remained on the bench with the middle fingers right hand bandaged. His status remains uncertain for Saturday’s battle against Washington, which blew a 12-point second-half lead Thursday night in a loss at Utah.
Senior forward Lucas Siewert received his first start of the season and responded with his first double-double of the season and his first in a Pac-12 game, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds. It was Siewert’s third double-double overall in his career, as he posted two in consecutive games early last season against Portland and Colorado State.
It was a balanced effort for CU, which also received double-doubles from point guard McKinley Wright IV and Evan Battey. Wright finished with 10 points and 10 assists. He finished the night with 442 career assists and moved past Jose Winston for third-place on CU’s career list. Evan Battey posted his fourth career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
CU committed 10 turnovers in the first half but finished with just 14. The Buffs shot .456 overall and went 9-for-22 (.409) on 3-pointers.


thedenverpost--2020-01-24--Find contemporary townhomes with city conveniences at Quitman Row

Sleek and modern townhomes are coming to South Sloan ’ s Lake .
Quitman Row in Denver promises to provide residents with all the fun of city living in a relaxed community setting .
Currently listed by LIV Sotheby ’ s International Realty broker Deviree Vallejo , the pricing for townhomes in this brand-new development will start at $ 475,000 .
Located at the corner of West 13th Avenue and Quitman Street , Quitman Row will feature eight townhomes , which are slated to be completed in the spring of this year .
The latest townhome project from Epiphany Developments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ design that allow more natural light into the homes , as opposed to the typical rectangular design most rowhomes employ .
Within each unit there are two bedrooms , four bathrooms , an attached garage as well as a kitchen and dining space on the main level .
The finishes used throughout the interiors of the townhomes give them a sophisticated , contemporary look and feel .
In the kitchen , luxury quartz countertops , a glass cooktop , cabinetry with clean lines and hardwood floors make the space feel bright and stylish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suit with a walk-in shower in the master bedroom and a frameless glass shower in the secondary bedroom .
Make a piece of Colorado ’ s sky your own by enjoying panoramic views of the mountains from the private rooftop deck that comes with each townhome .
This space is perfect for entertaining , grilling , soaking up the sun or sipping cocktails at sunset .
“ Quitman Row is the most recent townhome release from Epiphany Developments , a seasoned developer in northwest Denver that specializes in urban infill townhomes , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perfect option for the buyer looking for an urban setting close to fabulous restaurants and attractions while being only 1 block away from the 12th and Perry light-rail station that drops you into downtown.
” The townhomes in Quitman Row offer more than just the opportunity to live in gorgeous , new multi-level homes designed with flow and functionality in mind ; they deliver the dreamed-of lifestyle desired by so many .
Because of this development ’ s central location , residents can stroll up the street to a variety of shopping , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is full of close-by necessities such as Starbucks , Target , King Soopers , 24-Hour Fitness and one of the hottest spots in town , Edgewater Public Market .
And when it ’ s time to venture out into the rest of Denver , hop onto the RTD rail just 1 block south of the development for easy access to anywhere you need to go .
To learn more about how to claim one of these incredible townhomes for yourself , contact Vallejo at 303-931-0097 or visit QuitmanRow.com .
For all of your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s International Realty by calling 303-893-3200 or visiting LIVSothebysRealty.com .
LIV Sotheby ’ s International Realty , the exclusive Board of Regent for the Who ’ s Who in Luxury Real Estate , has 23 office locations in metro Denver and surrounding areas , including Boulder , Castle Rock , Cherry Creek , Denver Tech Center , downtown Denver , Evergreen and the resort communities of Breckenridge , Winter Park , Dillon , Crested Butte , Telluride and the Vail Valley .
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preparation .

Sleek and modern townhomes are coming to South Sloan’s Lake. Quitman Row in Denver promises to provide residents with all the fun of city living in a relaxed community setting.
Currently listed by LIV Sotheby’s International Realty broker Deviree Vallejo, the pricing for townhomes in this brand-new development will start at $475,000.
Located at the corner of West 13th Avenue and Quitman Street, Quitman Row will feature eight townhomes, which are slated to be completed in the spring of this year.
The latest townhome project from Epiphany Developments, these homes utilize a unique square design that allow more natural light into the homes, as opposed to the typical rectangular design most rowhomes employ. Within each unit there are two bedrooms, four bathrooms, an attached garage as well as a kitchen and dining space on the main level.
The finishes used throughout the interiors of the townhomes give them a sophisticated, contemporary look and feel. In the kitchen, luxury quartz countertops, a glass cooktop, cabinetry with clean lines and hardwood floors make the space feel bright and stylish. The two en suite bathrooms follow suit with a walk-in shower in the master bedroom and a frameless glass shower in the secondary bedroom.
Make a piece of Colorado’s sky your own by enjoying panoramic views of the mountains from the private rooftop deck that comes with each townhome. This space is perfect for entertaining, grilling, soaking up the sun or sipping cocktails at sunset.
“Quitman Row is the most recent townhome release from Epiphany Developments, a seasoned developer in northwest Denver that specializes in urban infill townhomes,” says Vallejo. “This is the perfect option for the buyer looking for an urban setting close to fabulous restaurants and attractions while being only 1 block away from the 12th and Perry light-rail station that drops you into downtown.”
The townhomes in Quitman Row offer more than just the opportunity to live in gorgeous, new multi-level homes designed with flow and functionality in mind; they deliver the dreamed-of lifestyle desired by so many.
Because of this development’s central location, residents can stroll up the street to a variety of shopping, dining and drinking selections. The neighborhood is full of close-by necessities such as Starbucks, Target, King Soopers, 24-Hour Fitness and one of the hottest spots in town, Edgewater Public Market.
And when it’s time to venture out into the rest of Denver, hop onto the RTD rail just 1 block south of the development for easy access to anywhere you need to go.
To learn more about how to claim one of these incredible townhomes for yourself, contact Vallejo at 303-931-0097 or visit QuitmanRow.com. For all of your real estate needs, contact LIV Sotheby’s International Realty by calling 303-893-3200 or visiting LIVSothebysRealty.com.
LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, the exclusive Board of Regent for the Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate, has 23 office locations in metro Denver and surrounding areas, including Boulder, Castle Rock, Cherry Creek, Denver Tech Center, downtown Denver, Evergreen and the resort communities of Breckenridge, Winter Park, Dillon, Crested Butte, Telluride and the Vail Valley.
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post’s preparation.


thedenverpost--2020-01-24--Mountain homebuilding without the headaches: Steamboat’s Alpine Mountain Ranch and Club launches des

Mountain homebuilding without the headaches: Steamboat’s Alpine Mountain Ranch and Club launches design build program

It ’ s no secret that luxury buyers from across the country and the world are flocking to Colorado to lay permanent stake in a state dotted with resort communities where unparalleled lifestyle opportunities abound .
What ’ s new is these buyers ’ increased desire to live this coveted lifestyle from a home base crafted on their own terms , one where homes are built new and reflective of individual taste .
Unfortunately , the phrase “ easier said than done ” comes to mind often in the Colorado homebuilding process .
Despite luxury and second-home buyers having the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to build their dream home in resort communities , the time and energy needed to oversee a custom home build proves a rather daunting task .
In an effort to alleviate these common concerns , one luxury community in Steamboat Springs is providing a solution to quell buyers ’ feelings of home-building trepidation — a new program offering custom construction management services at pricing 5 to 7 % lower than market pricing .
Alpine Mountain Ranch and Club , which borders the ski resort and sits just five minutes from downtown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an on-site construction team that oversees the entire design and building process from A to Z .
The team ’ s work is exceptional , and the proof is in the pudding .
Two spec homes priced above $ 4.45 million at AMRC have been built , one of which just sold this fall .
The ranch is currently offering two additional custom homes for sale : a move-in-ready luxury residence listed for $ 4.995 million and a new 4,500-square-foot market home currently under construction .
“ We ’ re well-versed in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Curcio , director of construction for AMRC , who grew up in Steamboat and played a significant role in the construction and planning of some of the most prominent buildings and developments in the Steamboat Springs area : One Steamboat Place , the Jan Bishop Cancer Center , and the Deer Park Road corporate building .
“ We know the local subcontractor force and the permitting processes .
If you want a beautiful house on this property but you don ’ t want to deal with the stress of building it , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” AMRC , a 1,216-acre land preservation community , is divided into 63 , 5-acre parcels , with 900 acres specifically designated as wildlife preserve .
It ’ s minutes from Steamboat Ski Resort , and amenities include slope-side services at the Alpine Mountain Summit Club , fishing along a private stretch of the Yampa River , equestrian facilities , a guest cabin and more .
“ It ’ s a special place , ” says Suzanne Schlicht , AMRC ’ s director of sales .
“ It ’ s important for us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so we wanted to make these design build services available to help.
” By having the local team in place , she says , homes at AMRC have gone up more quickly and closer to budget than other similar projects in Steamboat .
That ’ s due to Curcio and his team , who are accessible and available to answer questions subcontractors may have , monitor progress , make reminder calls if needed and ensure that the build remains on schedule .
AMRC ’ s program includes a number of tiers , each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owner desires in the design and building process .
“ One may say , ‘ I want a 5,000-square-foot house , ’ ” Curcio says .
“ ‘ I want it to be four bedrooms and have a theater .
You take it from there.
’ Or you may have another who says , ‘ I want to get into the interior design , but I want you to manage the subcontractors and everything else.
’ ” What you get , Curcio says , are customizable services at a discounted rate , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arise , allowing buyers to focus their attention elsewhere .
“ We do this so our homeowners can continue their day-to-day activities , ” Curcio says .
“ You can be as involved as you want , but at the same time , you can live your life.
” For more information , visit AlpineMountainRanch.com , or call 970-846-0817 .
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post ’ s preparation .

It’s no secret that luxury buyers from across the country and the world are flocking to Colorado to lay permanent stake in a state dotted with resort communities where unparalleled lifestyle opportunities abound.
What’s new is these buyers’ increased desire to live this coveted lifestyle from a home base crafted on their own terms, one where homes are built new and reflective of individual taste. Unfortunately, the phrase “easier said than done” comes to mind often in the Colorado homebuilding process.
Despite luxury and second-home buyers having the interest, as well as the means, to build their dream home in resort communities, the time and energy needed to oversee a custom home build proves a rather daunting task.
In an effort to alleviate these common concerns, one luxury community in Steamboat Springs is providing a solution to quell buyers’ feelings of home-building trepidation — a new program offering custom construction management services at pricing 5 to 7% lower than market pricing.
Alpine Mountain Ranch and Club, which borders the ski resort and sits just five minutes from downtown, hopes to alleviate homebuilding headaches by offering an on-site construction team that oversees the entire design and building process from A to Z.
The team’s work is exceptional, and the proof is in the pudding. Two spec homes priced above $4.45 million at AMRC have been built, one of which just sold this fall. The ranch is currently offering two additional custom homes for sale: a move-in-ready luxury residence listed for $4.995 million and a new 4,500-square-foot market home currently under construction.
“We’re well-versed in the design review guidelines,” says Jamie Curcio, director of construction for AMRC, who grew up in Steamboat and played a significant role in the construction and planning of some of the most prominent buildings and developments in the Steamboat Springs area: One Steamboat Place, the Jan Bishop Cancer Center, and the Deer Park Road corporate building.
“We know the local subcontractor force and the permitting processes. If you want a beautiful house on this property but you don’t want to deal with the stress of building it, we’re here to take that on.”
AMRC, a 1,216-acre land preservation community, is divided into 63, 5-acre parcels, with 900 acres specifically designated as wildlife preserve. It’s minutes from Steamboat Ski Resort, and amenities include slope-side services at the Alpine Mountain Summit Club, fishing along a private stretch of the Yampa River, equestrian facilities, a guest cabin and more.
“It’s a special place,” says Suzanne Schlicht, AMRC’s director of sales. “It’s important for us to build a vibrant community here, so we wanted to make these design build services available to help.”
By having the local team in place, she says, homes at AMRC have gone up more quickly and closer to budget than other similar projects in Steamboat. That’s due to Curcio and his team, who are accessible and available to answer questions subcontractors may have, monitor progress, make reminder calls if needed and ensure that the build remains on schedule.
AMRC’s program includes a number of tiers, each depending upon the degree of involvement an owner desires in the design and building process.
“One may say, ‘I want a 5,000-square-foot house,’” Curcio says. “‘I want it to be four bedrooms and have a theater. You take it from there.’ Or you may have another who says, ‘I want to get into the interior design, but I want you to manage the subcontractors and everything else.’”
What you get, Curcio says, are customizable services at a discounted rate, which remove a lot of hurdles that can arise, allowing buyers to focus their attention elsewhere.
“We do this so our homeowners can continue their day-to-day activities,” Curcio says. “You can be as involved as you want, but at the same time, you can live your life.”
For more information, visit AlpineMountainRanch.com, or call 970-846-0817.
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post’s preparation.


thedenverpost--2020-01-24--Adams County sheriff’s commander guilty of careless driving resulting in death

An Adams County Sheriff ’ s Office commander was convicted Wednesday of careless driving resulting in the death of an 85-year-old woman in a crash near Bennett .
John Paul Bitterman , 44 , was on duty in an unmarked patrol vehicle driving west on East 88th Avenue at the intersection of Colorado 79 when he ran a stop sign and collided with a Nissan Murano , according to a district attorney ’ s office news release .
Eira Saenz Sandoval , a passenger in the Nissan , died in the crash .
Maria Del Refugio Corral Saenz , 58 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was injured .
Bitterman also was convicted of careless driving resulting in injury .
Evidence in the two-day trial showed that Bitterman had not been dispatched , nor had he dispatched himself , to a call before the crash , according to the release .
His vehicle ’ s overhead lights and siren were not on at the time of the crash .
Trial evidence showed that Bitterman was logging into his mobile computer while driving in the moments prior to the crash .
The State Patrol concluded that Bitterman likely was distracted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clearly posted stop sign at the intersection , the news release said .
The State Patrol investigation found that neither vehicle showed signs of braking prior to the crash .
Sun glare was not a factor for Bitterman but could have been for the vehicle driven by Saenz .
The two counts are traffic offenses .
Bitterman is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 28 .

An Adams County Sheriff’s Office commander was convicted Wednesday of careless driving resulting in the death of an 85-year-old woman in a crash near Bennett.
John Paul Bitterman, 44, was on duty in an unmarked patrol vehicle driving west on East 88th Avenue at the intersection of Colorado 79 when he ran a stop sign and collided with a Nissan Murano, according to a district attorney’s office news release.
Eira Saenz Sandoval, a passenger in the Nissan, died in the crash. Maria Del Refugio Corral Saenz, 58, the driver of the Nissan, was injured. Bitterman also was convicted of careless driving resulting in injury.
Evidence in the two-day trial showed that Bitterman had not been dispatched, nor had he dispatched himself, to a call before the crash, according to the release. His vehicle’s overhead lights and siren were not on at the time of the crash. Trial evidence showed that Bitterman was logging into his mobile computer while driving in the moments prior to the crash.
The State Patrol concluded that Bitterman likely was distracted when he failed to stop at a clearly posted stop sign at the intersection, the news release said. The State Patrol investigation found that neither vehicle showed signs of braking prior to the crash. Sun glare was not a factor for Bitterman but could have been for the vehicle driven by Saenz.
The two counts are traffic offenses. Bitterman is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 28.


thedenverpost--2020-01-24--Tiger Woods opens with 69 on the North Course at Torrey Pines to start new year

SAN DIEGO — Tiger Woods had his lowest opening round of the year since 2011 .
It wasn ’ t enough to be among the leaders Thursday at the Farmers Insurance Open , but it was fine with him .
Coming off his record-tying 82nd victory in his last PGA Tour start three months ago in Japan , Woods handled the par 5s on the easier North Course at Torrey Pines and limited mistakes for a 3-under 69 .
Sebastian Cappelen and Keegan Bradley had the low scores of the opening round , which was not the same as sharing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a 66 on the South Course , which played about three shots tougher than the North , where Bradley shot his 66 .
Rory McIlroy , who played in the group in front of Woods , was among those at 67 .
Jon Rahm , playing alongside Woods , was in the large group at 68 .
Woods hasn ’ t broken 70 in his first round of the year since a 69 on the North at Torrey in 2011 .
His health , his game and even his momentum are in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t all that far off .
“ It was nice to kind of keep the round going a little bit , ” Woods said .
“ Overall , pleased to shoot something in the 60s today.
” It took a little time to get going .
He left himself in a bad shot right of the green on the par-5 10th to start his round and failed to make birdie .
His flop shot from 50 yards short of the green on the next hole came up short and into a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He was even par at the turn on a course where lower scores are expected .
Even so , there was little drama .
The best views were of the still waters of the Pacific below on a magnificent day .
The biggest roars , as usual , belonged to the Navy jets above .
Woods kept it simple , with a nifty wedge to short range on his 10th hole , a two-putt birdie from 18 feet on the par-5 fifth and an easy up-and-down for birdie on the final hole .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have gotten one or two more out of my round today , ” Woods said .
“ But overall , I felt like it was a good start , especially going into the South Course .
I don ’ t know what the guys did on the South Course in relation to the North , but I felt like the golf course was certainly gettable today.
” Bubba Watson had a 67 on the South , while three other players broke 70 on the South , which hosted the U.S. Open in 2008 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Woods has won this event seven times , not including his 2008 U.S. Open title or the Junior World when he was a teenager .
At stake this week is a chance to set the PGA Tour career victories record with No .
83 on the first course where his father took him to watch a PGA Tour event .
Rahm , who got married in Spain before Christmas and has another wedding in San Diego next month for his bride ’ s American family and friends , was 4 under through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the ride was Collin Morikawa , who wasn ’ t even born when Woods made his pro debut .
The 22-year-old Morikawa shot 70 .
“ I had to tell to tell myself to just focus on golf after that first hole because I could just focus on Tiger and watch him the entire day and realize I forgot how to play golf , ” Morikawa said .
“ And that ’ s what I ’ m out here to do , I ’ m out here to win .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finally and to get a round in with him because crowds are different .
“ There ’ s just nothing like it .
You can ’ t describe it.
” McIlroy , who has never won in his first event of the year , can return to No .
1 in the world for the first time in more than four years by winning .
He also handled the par 5s by making birdie on all of them , along with adding three birdies .
McIlroy has a new driver in play , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him during the pro-am .
He spent Wednesday afternoon making some adjustments and seemed to be on track .
“ It ’ s funny , you go through that testing process at the start of the year with new equipment .
There ’ s things that seem really good on the range , but once you actually play some rounds with them competitively and try to hit certain shots , things sort of appear , ” McIlroy said .
“ We seemed to have fixed it.
” Cappelen , a rookie from Denmark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the crowd , narrowly dodging the fog that rolled in late in the afternoon , and he was doing it well .
“ I never really put me in a terrible spot where I couldn ’ t make par , ” he said .

SAN DIEGO — Tiger Woods had his lowest opening round of the year since 2011. It wasn’t enough to be among the leaders Thursday at the Farmers Insurance Open, but it was fine with him.
Coming off his record-tying 82nd victory in his last PGA Tour start three months ago in Japan, Woods handled the par 5s on the easier North Course at Torrey Pines and limited mistakes for a 3-under 69.
Sebastian Cappelen and Keegan Bradley had the low scores of the opening round, which was not the same as sharing the lead. Cappelen had eight birdies for a 66 on the South Course, which played about three shots tougher than the North, where Bradley shot his 66.
Rory McIlroy, who played in the group in front of Woods, was among those at 67. Jon Rahm, playing alongside Woods, was in the large group at 68.
Woods hasn’t broken 70 in his first round of the year since a 69 on the North at Torrey in 2011. His health, his game and even his momentum are in much better shape now. His game wasn’t all that far off.
“It was nice to kind of keep the round going a little bit,” Woods said. “Overall, pleased to shoot something in the 60s today.”
It took a little time to get going. He left himself in a bad shot right of the green on the par-5 10th to start his round and failed to make birdie. His flop shot from 50 yards short of the green on the next hole came up short and into a bunker, leading to a bogey. He was even par at the turn on a course where lower scores are expected.
Even so, there was little drama. The best views were of the still waters of the Pacific below on a magnificent day. The biggest roars, as usual, belonged to the Navy jets above.
Woods kept it simple, with a nifty wedge to short range on his 10th hole, a two-putt birdie from 18 feet on the par-5 fifth and an easy up-and-down for birdie on the final hole.
“I could probably, maybe could have gotten one or two more out of my round today,” Woods said. “But overall, I felt like it was a good start, especially going into the South Course. I don’t know what the guys did on the South Course in relation to the North, but I felt like the golf course was certainly gettable today.”
Bubba Watson had a 67 on the South, while three other players broke 70 on the South, which hosted the U.S. Open in 2008 and gets another U.S. Open next year.
Woods has won this event seven times, not including his 2008 U.S. Open title or the Junior World when he was a teenager. At stake this week is a chance to set the PGA Tour career victories record with No. 83 on the first course where his father took him to watch a PGA Tour event.
Rahm, who got married in Spain before Christmas and has another wedding in San Diego next month for his bride’s American family and friends, was 4 under through eight holes until he stalled.
Along for the ride was Collin Morikawa, who wasn’t even born when Woods made his pro debut. The 22-year-old Morikawa shot 70.
“I had to tell to tell myself to just focus on golf after that first hole because I could just focus on Tiger and watch him the entire day and realize I forgot how to play golf,” Morikawa said. “And that’s what I’m out here to do, I’m out here to win. It’s really cool to play with him finally and to get a round in with him because crowds are different.
“There’s just nothing like it. You can’t describe it.”
McIlroy, who has never won in his first event of the year, can return to No. 1 in the world for the first time in more than four years by winning. He also handled the par 5s by making birdie on all of them, along with adding three birdies.
McIlroy has a new driver in play, which didn’t feel right to him during the pro-am. He spent Wednesday afternoon making some adjustments and seemed to be on track.
“It’s funny, you go through that testing process at the start of the year with new equipment. There’s things that seem really good on the range, but once you actually play some rounds with them competitively and try to hit certain shots, things sort of appear,” McIlroy said. “We seemed to have fixed it.”
Cappelen, a rookie from Denmark, was doing his own thing away from the crowd, narrowly dodging the fog that rolled in late in the afternoon, and he was doing it well.
“I never really put me in a terrible spot where I couldn’t make par,” he said.


thedenverpost--2020-01-25--One person isolated with possible coronavirus in Lakewood

St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood said Friday afternoon that a person who came in with a respiratory illness is being isolated in case the infection is a coronavirus , but it could just as easily be a seasonal flu .
Gianna Lisac , spokeswoman for St. Anthony , said the person is wearing a mask and staying in an isolation room out of an “ abundance of caution.
” The hospital is working with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on next steps , but won ’ t have immediate confirmation of what the infection is , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a virus that hasn ’ t yet been named have been identified , with the vast majority in China .
Two cases have been identified in the United States , and both were in people who had recently traveled to Wuhan , the Chinese city where the outbreak began , according to The New York Times .
Chinese authorities have confirmed 41 deaths , mostly in older people , who are more susceptible to most respiratory diseases .
The newly identified virus causes flu-like symptoms , which can be caused by several more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear how lethal the virus may be , because people with less severe cases may not have sought treatment , and Chinese authorities may not have correctly identified all cases in the early stages of the outbreak .

St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood said Friday afternoon that a person who had recently traveled to China and came down with a respiratory illness is being isolated in case the infection is a new coronavirus spreading in that country.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment confirmed the person had recently traveled to Wuhan, where the new virus was first identified and most cases have occurred. It will be several days before tests can confirm if the patient has the coronavirus, spokeswoman Deanna Herbert said.
The new virus causes similar symptoms to a seasonal flu.
The hospital took all precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Herbert said.
“The health risk to the general public is still considered low,” she said.
Gianna Lisac, spokeswoman for St. Anthony, said the person is wearing a mask and staying in an isolation room out of an “abundance of caution.” The hospital is working with the CDPHE on next steps, she said.
More than 1,000 cases of the new virus have been identified, with the vast majority in China. Two cases have been identified in the United States, and both were in people who had recently traveled to Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak began, according to The New York Times. Chinese authorities have confirmed 41 deaths, mostly in older people, who are more susceptible to most respiratory diseases.
It’s not clear how lethal the virus may be, because people with less severe cases may not have sought treatment, and Chinese authorities may not have correctly identified all cases in the early stages of the outbreak.
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thedenverpost--2020-01-25--Brother allegedly killed his teen sister, stuffed her body in a garbage can outside her Denver home

The body of a Montbello teenager , who was allegedly killed by her brother , was found in a trash can in front of her home by their mother .
Darsean Kelly , 25 , was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder as a suspect in the death of his 17-year-old sister , according to Denver police and an arrest affidavit .
Vicky Lewis , mother of the victim and suspect told CBS4 Denver that Darsean Kelly has schizophrenia and that he killed his sister , Marnee Kelley-Mills .
Lewis , a single-parent , on Thursday received a phone call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that she had missed classes .
Lewis went home looking for Marnee but couldn ’ t find her .
The mother noticed stains on the driveway and that the garbage cans were out of place .
She found her daughter ’ s body in a duffel bag , wrapped in a plastic bag , inside a trash can in front of their home in the 5000 block of Troy Street , the arrest affidavit said .
When police arrived at the home , Lewis was in the front yard being consoled by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kelly struggles with schizophrenia and that he and his sister would often argue and that he could be violent .
Lewis told police she suspected that her son was the person who killed Marnee , the affidavit said .
A doorbell video camera showed a man dragging a black bag to the trash can and putting the bag inside .
The man “ appeared to be Darsean , ” the affidavit said .
Darsean Kelly was arrested just before 3 p.m. Thursday in the area of South Idalia Street and West Mexico Avenue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Downtown Detention Center .
A candle light service is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday at East 51st Avenue and Troy Street .

The mother of a teenage girl who allegedly was killed by her 25-year-old brother in their Denver home made a strong, emotional plea Friday night for people to support and help individuals with mental health issues.
Vicky Lewis, 45, cried at times as she talked about the struggles of her son, 25-year-old Darsean Kelly, and his battles with schizophrenia. Kelly is in custody on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Marnee Kelley-Mills.
Lewis found Marnee’s body Thursday stuffed inside a garbage can in front of their Montbello home in the 5000 block of Troy Street.
“I’ve been dealing with a mentally ill son for five or six years,” Lewis said from the front stoop of her home, as part of a candlelight vigil, before about 100 community members and supporters.
Kelly was trapped in an ongoing cycle of the highs and lows of mental illness. He would take medications then miss his doses. Kelly could change from minute to minute, hour to hour, slipping in and out of lucidity.
Mental health care providers and the justice system let her and Kelly down, she said.
“I’m poor. I can’t afford to put him in a facility,” she said. “Poor people are sick too. You can’t lock them up and forget them.”
Lewis described herself as mother, a working single parent, a widow, a Navy veteran and homeowner.
On Thursday, Lewis, at work, received a phone call from her daughter’s school saying she had missed classes. Lewis went home looking for Marnee but couldn’t find her. The mother noticed stains on the driveway and that the garbage cans were out of place. She found her daughter’s body in a duffel, wrapped in a plastic bag, inside a trash can in front of their home, the arrest affidavit said.
When police arrived, Lewis was in the front yard being consoled by a neighbor.
Lewis told police that Darsean Kelly struggles with schizophrenia and that he and his sister often would argue and that he could be violent. Lewis told police she suspected her son was the person who killed Marnee, the affidavit said.
A doorbell video camera showed a man dragging a black bag to the trash can and putting the bag inside. The man “appeared to be Darsean,” the affidavit said. Darsean Kelly was arrested just before 3 p.m. Thursday in the area of South Idalia Street and West Mexico Avenue. He is being held at the Downtown Detention Center.
Marnee suffered what appeared to be “sharp force injuries to her neck,” the affidavit said. When Kelly was arrested a detective observed what appeared to be blood on the on the top of his left big toe.
In front of the tidy, two-story Montbello home Friday night people held candles, cried, hugged and prayed. A colorful assortment of ballons were cast into the night sky. Marnee attended Montbello Career and Technical High School; many of the people gathered were classmates and friends.
The school on Friday posted a letter to families saying that crisis teams will be available to help students deal with Marnee’s death.
On Friday night, Lewis also talked about the death of another son, Otis, who was killed outside their home about 18 months ago.
“I held him for his first and last breaths,” Lewis said.
No one has been arrested for his death, she said.
Now, with Thursday’s incident: “All three of my children are gone.”


thedenverpost--2020-01-25--Dems say oust Trump or he’ll betray again; ‘He is who he is’

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — Closing out their case , House Democrats warned Friday in Donald Trump ’ s impeachment trial that the president will persist in abusing his power and endangering American democracy unless Congress intervenes to remove him before the 2020 election .
“ He is who he is , ” declared Rep. Adam Schiff , the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee .
He told the senators listening as jurors that Trump put the U.S-Ukraine relationship on the line in a way that benefited Russia just so he could take a political “ cheap shot ” at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not leave a man like that in office , ” Schiff said .
“ You know it ’ s not going to stop .
… It ’ s not going to stop unless the Congress does something about it.
” Trump is being tried in the Senate after the House impeached him last month , accusing him of abusing his office by asking Ukraine for politically motivated probes of Biden and other matters while withholding military aid from a U.S. ally that was at war with bordering Russia .
A second article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by refusing to turn over documents or allow officials to testify in the House ensuing probe .
As Democrats finished their third day before skeptical Republican senators , Trump ’ s legal team prepared to start his defense , expected on Saturday .
Trump , eyes on the audience beyond the Senate chamber , bemoaned the schedule in a tweet , saying “ looks like my lawyers will be forced to start on Saturday , which is called Death Valley in T.V.
” Said Trump attorney Jay Sekulow : “ We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re going to put on an affirmative case tomorrow.
” Republicans are defending Trump ’ s actions as appropriate and are casting the impeachment trial as a politically motivated effort to weaken him in his reelection campaign .
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate , and eventual acquittal is considered likely .
Before that , senators will make a critical decision next week on Democratic demands to hear testimony from top Trump aides , including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It would take four Republican senators to join the Democratic minority to seek witnesses , and so far the numbers appear lacking .
“ This needs to end , ” said Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , a Trump confidant .
With Chief Justice John Roberts presiding , Friday ’ s session opened with a sweeping and impassioned argument from Democrats that Trump ’ s actions with Ukraine were not unique but part of a pattern of “ destructive behavior ” now threatening the core foundations of American democracy .
Schiff told the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is willing to put his personal political interests above those of the country he is sworn to protect .
The evidence shows , he said , that Trump bucked the advice of his own national security apparatus to chase “ kooky ” theories about Ukraine pushed by lawyer Rudy Giuliani , resulting in “ one hell of a Russian intelligence coup ” that benefited Vladimir Putin at U.S. expense .
This was not simply a foreign policy dispute , Schiff argued , but a breech of long-held American values for Trump to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ukraine , a struggling democracy facing down Russian troops — for the investigations he wanted ahead of 2020 .
When the House started investigating his actions , Democrats said , Trump blatantly obstructed the probe .
Even then-President Richard Nixon , they argued , better understood the need to comply with Congress in some of its oversight requests .
Schiff said that left unchecked Trump , who insists he did nothing wrong , would seek foreign election interference again .
Drawing on historical figures , from the Founding Fathers to the late GOP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Finch , Schiff made his arguments emphatically personal .
“ The next time , it just may be you , ” he said , pointing at one senator after another .
“ Do you think for a moment that if he felt it was in his interest , he wouldn ’ t ask you to be investigated ?
” The senators though , appear as deeply divided as the nation , with Democrats ready to vote to convict the president and Republicans poised to acquit .
The impeachment trial is set against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters assess Trump ’ s presidency and his run for a second term .
Four senators who are Democratic presidential candidates are off the campaign trail , seated as jurors .
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed the public slightly more likely to say the Senate should convict and remove Trump from office than to say it should not , 45 % to 40 % .
But a sizable percentage , 14 % , said they didn ’ t know enough to have an opinion .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ should allow top aides to appear as witnesses at the trial .
About 7 in 10 respondents said so , including majorities of Republicans and Democrats , according to the poll .
Trump is the third president in American history to face an impeachment trial .
Neither Andrew Johnson in 1868 nor Bill Clinton in 1999 was removed by the Senate .
Nixon left office before a House vote that was likely to impeach him .
The House mounted its Trump case after a government whistleblower complained about his July 2019 call with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from current and former national security officials and diplomats , many who defied White House instructions not to appear .
Evidence presented in the House probe has shown that Trump , with Giuliani , pursued investigations of Biden and his son , Hunter , who served on a Ukrainian gas company ’ s board , and sought a probe of a debunked theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. election .
It ’ s a story line many in the president ’ s camp are still pushing .
Giuliani , in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” insisted he would present evidence on his new podcast of “ collusion going on in Ukraine to fix the 2016 election in favor of Hillary ” Clinton .
Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick , Alan Fram , Andrew Taylor , Laurie Kellman , Matthew Daly and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report .

WASHINGTON — Closing out their case, House Democrats warned Friday in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial that the president will persist in abusing his power and endangering American democracy unless Congress intervenes to remove him before the 2020 election.
“He is who he is,” declared Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He told the senators listening as jurors that Trump put the U.S-Ukraine relationship on the line in a way that benefited Russia just so he could take a political “cheap shot” at Democratic foe Joe Biden.
“You cannot leave a man like that in office,” Schiff said. “You know it’s not going to stop. … It’s not going to stop unless the Congress does something about it.”
Trump is being tried in the Senate after the House impeached him last month, accusing him of abusing his office by asking Ukraine for politically motivated probes of Biden and other matters while withholding military aid from a U.S. ally that was at war with bordering Russia. A second article of impeachment accuses him of obstructing Congress by refusing to turn over documents or allow officials to testify in the House ensuing probe.
As Democrats finished their third day before skeptical Republican senators, Trump’s legal team prepared to start his defense, expected on Saturday. Trump, eyes on the audience beyond the Senate chamber, bemoaned the schedule in a tweet, saying “looks like my lawyers will be forced to start on Saturday, which is called Death Valley in T.V.”
Said Trump attorney Jay Sekulow: “We’re going to rebut and refute, and we’re going to put on an affirmative case tomorrow.”
Republicans are defending Trump’s actions as appropriate and are casting the impeachment trial as a politically motivated effort to weaken him in his reelection campaign. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and eventual acquittal is considered likely.
Before that, senators will make a critical decision next week on Democratic demands to hear testimony from top Trump aides, including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton who refused to appear before the House. It would take four Republican senators to join the Democratic minority to seek witnesses, and so far the numbers appear lacking.
“This needs to end,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump confidant.
With Chief Justice John Roberts presiding, Friday’s session opened with a sweeping and impassioned argument from Democrats that Trump’s actions with Ukraine were not unique but part of a pattern of “destructive behavior” now threatening the core foundations of American democracy.
Schiff told the senators that Trump has shown repeatedly that he is willing to put his personal political interests above those of the country he is sworn to protect.
The evidence shows, he said, that Trump bucked the advice of his own national security apparatus to chase “kooky” theories about Ukraine pushed by lawyer Rudy Giuliani, resulting in “one hell of a Russian intelligence coup” that benefited Vladimir Putin at U.S. expense.
This was not simply a foreign policy dispute, Schiff argued, but a breech of long-held American values for Trump to leverage an ally — in this case Ukraine, a struggling democracy facing down Russian troops — for the investigations he wanted ahead of 2020.
When the House started investigating his actions, Democrats said, Trump blatantly obstructed the probe. Even then-President Richard Nixon, they argued, better understood the need to comply with Congress in some of its oversight requests.
Schiff said that left unchecked Trump, who insists he did nothing wrong, would seek foreign election interference again.
Drawing on historical figures, from the Founding Fathers to the late GOP Sen. John McCain and the fictional Atticus Finch, Schiff made his arguments emphatically personal.
“The next time, it just may be you,” he said, pointing at one senator after another. “Do you think for a moment that if he felt it was in his interest, he wouldn’t ask you to be investigated?”
The senators though, appear as deeply divided as the nation, with Democrats ready to vote to convict the president and Republicans poised to acquit.
The impeachment trial is set against the backdrop of the 2020 election, as voters assess Trump’s presidency and his run for a second term. Four senators who are Democratic presidential candidates are off the campaign trail, seated as jurors.
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed the public slightly more likely to say the Senate should convict and remove Trump from office than to say it should not, 45% to 40%. But a sizable percentage, 14%, said they didn’t know enough to have an opinion.
One issue with wide agreement: Trump should allow top aides to appear as witnesses at the trial. About 7 in 10 respondents said so, including majorities of Republicans and Democrats, according to the poll.
Trump is the third president in American history to face an impeachment trial. Neither Andrew Johnson in 1868 nor Bill Clinton in 1999 was removed by the Senate. Nixon left office before a House vote that was likely to impeach him.
The House mounted its Trump case after a government whistleblower complained about his July 2019 call with Ukraine. The House relied on testimony from current and former national security officials and diplomats, many who defied White House instructions not to appear.
Evidence presented in the House probe has shown that Trump, with Giuliani, pursued investigations of Biden and his son, Hunter, who served on a Ukrainian gas company’s board, and sought a probe of a debunked theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. election.
It’s a story line many in the president’s camp are still pushing. Giuliani, in an appearance Friday on “Fox & Friends,” insisted he would present evidence on his new podcast of “collusion going on in Ukraine to fix the 2016 election in favor of Hillary” Clinton.
Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Alan Fram, Andrew Taylor, Laurie Kellman, Matthew Daly and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report.


thedenverpost--2020-01-25--Colorado unemployment rate reaches historic low of 2.5%

Colorado ’ s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate reached a historic low of 2.5 % in December , according to a monthly update Friday from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment .
“ As it stands this is the lowest unemployment rate since the series began in 1976 , ” said Ryan Gedney , a senior economist with the labor department .
That unemployment rate reflected 80,200 people actively looking for work in December in Colorado out of a civilian labor force of 3.17 million people .
That is down by 33,300 people from the 113,500 unemployed workers in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 with an unemployment rate of 3.6 % and likely ended it at 2.5 % .
Driving that decline was an estimated 1.9 % increase in non-farm jobs , which rose by an estimated 56,600 .
Colorado ’ s job gains last year , while not the most robust of the decade , outstripped the increase in the civilian labor force , which rose by 47,900 people .
Adding more jobs than workers is what helped push down the unemployment rate from already tight levels .
Employers added a relatively anemic 1,400 workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicate the economy was losing steam at the end of the year .
But November ’ s gain over October was revised to 9,400 , versus an original estimate of 4,100 .
“ There is a good chance those figures get revised upward , ” Gedney said of the December payroll counts .
Broomfield economist Gary Horvath , after reading the report , expressed dismay about how tight the labor market has gotten in Colorado .
“ Good grief Charlie Brown , how low can we go ?
” he asked .
Horvath @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how companies cope with the lack of workers .
Some might try to make themselves more efficient , doing more work with fewer people , not unlike what the oil and gas industry did last decade when hit with lower commodity prices .
Others might invest more capital in robotics and artificial intelligence and other systems to fill the gap , effectively replacing workers .
Some may just bide their time until the economy slows and more workers become available .
Periods of very low unemployment are often followed by a recession that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2000 , Colorado ’ s unemployment rate doubled two years after hitting a new low of 2.7 % , largely because the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates to slow things down .
Colorado didn ’ t break through the dot-com era unemployment lows until early 2017 .
Initial estimates had the rate at 2.3 % , but those were revised to 2.6 % .
Rather than rolling over into a recession , nearly three years later Colorado revisited the low mark in October and November .
And then it busted through them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gedney said that revisions to the state employment numbers will come out in March and those calculations could provide a different rate .
And 2.5 % may not necessarily be the all-time low in Colorado .
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reconfigured how it calculated state unemployment rates back in 1976 , so it is difficult to make comparisons with prior years , Gedney said .
That U.S. unemployment rate series goes back to 1948 and its lowest measure was 2.5 % in May and June of 1953 .
Colorado is tied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post-war era .
The seasonally adjusted U.S. unemployment rate was 3.5 % in December , which matches a rate last set in December of 1969 .
So the country is precisely at a 50-year low .

Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate reached a historic low of 2.5% in December, according to a monthly update Friday from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
“As it stands this is the lowest unemployment rate since the series began in 1976,” said Ryan Gedney, a senior economist with the labor department.
That unemployment rate reflected 80,200 people actively looking for work in December in Colorado out of a civilian labor force of 3.17 million people. That is down by 33,300 people from the 113,500 unemployed workers in the state in December 2018.
Colorado entered 2019 with an unemployment rate of 3.6% and likely ended it at 2.5%. Driving that decline was an estimated 1.9% increase in non-farm jobs, which rose by an estimated 56,600.
Colorado’s job gains last year, while not the most robust of the decade, outstripped the increase in the civilian labor force, which rose by 47,900 people. Adding more jobs than workers is what helped push down the unemployment rate from already tight levels.
Employers added a relatively anemic 1,400 workers between November and December, which would indicate the economy was losing steam at the end of the year. But November’s gain over October was revised to 9,400, versus an original estimate of 4,100.
“There is a good chance those figures get revised upward,” Gedney said of the December payroll counts.
Broomfield economist Gary Horvath, after reading the report, expressed dismay about how tight the labor market has gotten in Colorado.
“Good grief Charlie Brown, how low can we go?” he asked.
Horvath said it will be interesting to see how companies cope with the lack of workers. Some might try to make themselves more efficient, doing more work with fewer people, not unlike what the oil and gas industry did last decade when hit with lower commodity prices.
Others might invest more capital in robotics and artificial intelligence and other systems to fill the gap, effectively replacing workers. Some may just bide their time until the economy slows and more workers become available.
Periods of very low unemployment are often followed by a recession that results from an overheated economy. In 2000, Colorado’s unemployment rate doubled two years after hitting a new low of 2.7%, largely because the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates to slow things down.
Colorado didn’t break through the dot-com era unemployment lows until early 2017. Initial estimates had the rate at 2.3%, but those were revised to 2.6%. Rather than rolling over into a recession, nearly three years later Colorado revisited the low mark in October and November.
And then it busted through them in December. Well, maybe.
Gedney said that revisions to the state employment numbers will come out in March and those calculations could provide a different rate. And 2.5% may not necessarily be the all-time low in Colorado.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reconfigured how it calculated state unemployment rates back in 1976, so it is difficult to make comparisons with prior years, Gedney said.
That U.S. unemployment rate series goes back to 1948 and its lowest measure was 2.5% in May and June of 1953. Colorado is tied with that record-low U.S. rate in the post-war era.
The seasonally adjusted U.S. unemployment rate was 3.5% in December, which matches a rate last set in December of 1969. So the country is precisely at a 50-year low.


thedenverpost--2020-01-25--Mike Rice to replace Jerry Schemmel on KOA radio’s Rockies broadcasts

Just over a week after Jerry Schemmel lost his spot in the Rockies broadcast booth for KOA radio , iHeartMedia Denver announced that sports director Mike Rice would become its new play-by-play voice this upcoming season .
Rice will join Jack Corrigan , entering his 18th season covering the Rockies , on all game broadcasts and host the “ Rockies All Access ” show on Saturdays .
Schemmel held the position alongside Corrigan the past 10 years before losing it last week as part of job cuts around the country by iHeartMedia — the largest radio conglomerate in the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 850 AM , 94.1 FM ) since 2002 and has previously been a fill-in for play-by-play on Rockies games .
He ’ s also served as a studio host for Broncos broadcasts and anchored morning sports programming while at KOA .
“ I am incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to join the Rockies broadcast team , ” Rice said in a release from iHeartMedia .
“ I have covered and followed the team since coming to KOA and to now be involved in this capacity is beyond anything I could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sports since 1991 , including play-by-play duties for CU and UNC .
In addition to his Rockies duties , he will retain his position as sports director for the station .
“ We are thrilled to welcome Mike Rice to the Colorado Rockies broadcast booth , ” Brenda Egger , Region President for iHeartMedia , said in the release .
“ Mike ’ s skills , passion and knowledge of the game are sure to resonate with Rockies fans .
”

Just over a week after Jerry Schemmel lost his spot in the Rockies broadcast booth for KOA radio, iHeartMedia Denver announced that sports director Mike Rice would become its new play-by-play voice this upcoming season.
Rice will join Jack Corrigan, entering his 18th season covering the Rockies, on all game broadcasts and host the “Rockies All Access” show on Saturdays. Schemmel held the position alongside Corrigan the past 10 years before losing it last week as part of job cuts around the country by iHeartMedia — the largest radio conglomerate in the United States.
Rice has been with KOA (850 AM, 94.1 FM) since 2002 and has previously been a fill-in for play-by-play on Rockies games. He’s also served as a studio host for Broncos broadcasts and anchored morning sports programming while at KOA.
“I am incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to join the Rockies broadcast team,” Rice said in a release from iHeartMedia. “I have covered and followed the team since coming to KOA and to now be involved in this capacity is beyond anything I could have imagined.”
Rice has covered Colorado sports since 1991, including play-by-play duties for CU and UNC. In addition to his Rockies duties, he will retain his position as sports director for the station.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mike Rice to the Colorado Rockies broadcast booth,” Brenda Egger, Region President for iHeartMedia, said in the release. “Mike’s skills, passion and knowledge of the game are sure to resonate with Rockies fans.”


thedenverpost--2020-01-24--Chicago woman is 2nd U.S. patient with new virus from China

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — A Chicago woman has become the second U.S. patient diagnosed with the dangerous new virus from China , health officials announced Friday .
The woman in her 60s returned from China on Jan. 13 without showing any signs of illness , but three or four days later she called her doctor to report feeling sick .
The patient is doing well and remains hospitalized “ primarily for infection control , ” said Dr. Allison Arwady , Chicago ’ s public health commissioner .
Earlier this week , a man in his 30s in Washington state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diagnosed after returning from a trip to the outbreak ’ s epicenter in central China .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expecting more Americans to be diagnosed with the newly discovered virus in coming days , as worldwide the number of confirmed cases has passed 850 .
The virus can cause fever , coughing , wheezing and pneumonia .
It is a member of the coronavirus family that ’ s a close cousin to the deadly SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past .
Still , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the American public continues to be low at this time , but the situation continues to evolve rapidly , ” said CDC ’ s Dr. Nancy Messonnier .
And those first two patients did the right thing , recognizing their travel risk and alerting doctors to it , so that health authorities could get them isolated to prevent spread , tested promptly , and start monitoring people who ’ ve had close contact with them .
It took about 36 hours for the first U.S. patient to be tested , get the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be hospitalized after he went to a clinic Sunday morning , according to a timeline released Friday by health officials in Washington state .
The incubation period is thought to be two weeks .
But it ’ s also a heavy flu season , and some of the symptoms are similar , Messonnier said .
“ We want everyone to err on the side of caution if they have those symptoms and have a travel history , ” she stressed .
Illinois health officials did not identify the hospital where the woman is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was in satisfactory condition Friday in an isolation unit at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett , 30 miles north of Seattle .
Nurses who ’ ve trained for Ebola patients are providing his care , wearing hoods with plastic face shields and using respirators to breathe filtered air .
They are bagging and storing disposable gloves , linens and gowns until the CDC tells them what to do with the patient ’ s medical waste .
“ We have been preparing for this since 2015 , ” said Robin Addison , one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital ’ s biocontainment team .
The hospital is one of about 150 nationwide ready to assess patients with Ebola or other highly contagious diseases , with training money provided by Congress .
Nationally , over 2,000 returning travelers had been screened at U.S. airports and 63 people in 22 states were being tested , although 11 of them so far have been found free of the virus , the CDC said .
China has issued massive travel bans in hard-hit sections of that country to try to stem spread of the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will keep up its screening process at five U.S. airports but will reevaluate its necessity .
“ Right now , our response is very much a work in progress , ” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal , D-Conn. , as lawmakers emerged from a briefing with federal health authorities .
“ There ’ s a lot we ’ re still learning.
” In Chicago , the health commissioner said the newest patient hadn ’ t had close contact with many people since becoming ill or taken public transportation or attended large gatherings .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as infection risk to the general public , ” Arwady said .
“ There is no need for the general public to change their behavior in any way.
” AP writers Carla K. Johnson in Seattle , Alan Fram in Washington and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report .
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .

WASHINGTON — A Chicago woman has become the second U.S. patient diagnosed with the dangerous new virus from China, health officials announced Friday.
The woman in her 60s returned from China on Jan. 13 without showing any signs of illness, but three or four days later she called her doctor to report feeling sick.
The patient is doing well and remains hospitalized “primarily for infection control,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago’s public health commissioner.
Earlier this week, a man in his 30s in Washington state became the first U.S. patient, also diagnosed after returning from a trip to the outbreak’s epicenter in central China.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expecting more Americans to be diagnosed with the newly discovered virus in coming days, as worldwide the number of confirmed cases has passed 850.
The virus can cause fever, coughing, wheezing and pneumonia. It is a member of the coronavirus family that’s a close cousin to the deadly SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past.
Still, “CDC believes that the immediate risk to the American public continues to be low at this time, but the situation continues to evolve rapidly,” said CDC’s Dr. Nancy Messonnier.
And those first two patients did the right thing, recognizing their travel risk and alerting doctors to it, so that health authorities could get them isolated to prevent spread, tested promptly, and start monitoring people who’ve had close contact with them.
It took about 36 hours for the first U.S. patient to be tested, get the results from the CDC in Atlanta and be hospitalized after he went to a clinic Sunday morning, according to a timeline released Friday by health officials in Washington state.
The incubation period is thought to be two weeks. But it’s also a heavy flu season, and some of the symptoms are similar, Messonnier said.
“We want everyone to err on the side of caution if they have those symptoms and have a travel history,” she stressed.
Illinois health officials did not identify the hospital where the woman is in isolation.
The Washington state patient was in satisfactory condition Friday in an isolation unit at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, 30 miles north of Seattle. Nurses who’ve trained for Ebola patients are providing his care, wearing hoods with plastic face shields and using respirators to breathe filtered air. They are bagging and storing disposable gloves, linens and gowns until the CDC tells them what to do with the patient’s medical waste.
“We have been preparing for this since 2015,” said Robin Addison, one of the nurses and co-leader of the hospital’s biocontainment team. The hospital is one of about 150 nationwide ready to assess patients with Ebola or other highly contagious diseases, with training money provided by Congress.
Nationally, over 2,000 returning travelers had been screened at U.S. airports and 63 people in 22 states were being tested, although 11 of them so far have been found free of the virus, the CDC said.
China has issued massive travel bans in hard-hit sections of that country to try to stem spread of the virus. For now, CDC said it will keep up its screening process at five U.S. airports but will reevaluate its necessity.
“Right now, our response is very much a work in progress,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., as lawmakers emerged from a briefing with federal health authorities. “There’s a lot we’re still learning.”
In Chicago, the health commissioner said the newest patient hadn’t had close contact with many people since becoming ill or taken public transportation or attended large gatherings.
“This is all very reassuring as far as infection risk to the general public,” Arwady said.
“There is no need for the general public to change their behavior in any way.”
AP writers Carla K. Johnson in Seattle, Alan Fram in Washington and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.


thedenverpost--2020-01-24--China expands lockdown against virus, fast-tracks hospital

BEIJING ( AP ) — China expanded its lockdown against the deadly new virus to an unprecedented 36 million people and rushed to build a prefabricated , 1,000-bed hospital for victims Friday as the outbreak cast a pall over Lunar New Year , the country ’ s biggest , most festive holiday .
The number of confirmed cases around the world climbed sharply to more than 850 , with at least 26 deaths , all of them in China .
Meanwhile , France announced that three people had fallen ill with the virus — the disease ’ s first appearance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported its second case , involving a Chicago woman in her 60s who was hospitalized in isolation after returning from China .
On Wall Street , stocks slumped amid fears over the widening crisis , with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 170 points and the S & P 500 posting its worst day in three months .
Health care companies suffered losses , along with financial institutions , airlines and other tourism and travel industry businesses .
Transportation was shut down in Wuhan , the city of 11 million at the epicenter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least 12 other cities in central China ’ s Hubei province , encompassing a population bigger than that of New York , London , Paris and Moscow combined .
And authorities in Beijing and other cities canceled many public celebrations and other events marking Lunar New Year , which falls on Saturday .
Hospitals in Wuhan grappled with a flood of patients and a lack of supplies .
Videos circulating online showed throngs of frantic people in masks lined up for examinations , and some complained that family members had been turned away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Authorities in Wuhan and elsewhere put out calls for medicine , disinfection equipment , masks , goggles , gowns and other protective gear .
Wuhan officials said they are rapidly constructing a new hospital to deal with the crisis , to be completed Feb. 3 .
It will be modeled on a SARS hospital that was built in Beijing in just six days during the SARS outbreak .
The seriousness of the crisis was still an open question .
The new virus comes from a large family of what are known as coronaviruses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cold .
But it is not clear just how lethal this coronavirus is , or even whether it is as dangerous as ordinary flu , which kills tens of thousands of people every year in the U.S. alone .
Scientists say it is also not clear if it spreads as easily as SARS , its genetic cousin , which also originated in China and killed about 800 people in 2002-03 .
The rapid increase in reported deaths and illnesses does not necessarily mean the crisis is getting worse .
It could instead reflect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discovered virus , which can cause cold- and flu-like symptoms , including cough , fever and shortness of breath , but can worsen to pneumonia .
“ It ’ s still too early to draw conclusions about how severe the virus is because at the beginning of any outbreak you would focus more on the severe cases , ” said Tarik Jasarevic , a spokesman for the World Health Organization in Geneva .
“ And then maybe we are missing some mild cases because people will just be a little bit sick and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they will recover.
” In France , Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said that two infected patients had traveled in China and that France should brace for more such cases .
A third case was announced in a statement from her ministry about three hours later .
“ We see how difficult it is in today ’ s world to close the frontiers .
In reality , it ’ s not possible , ” she said .
Buzyn said authorities are seeking to reach anyone who might have come in contact with the patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control the fire as quickly as possible.
” In the U.S. , the latest person confirmed to have the disease was reported to be doing well .
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention likewise said it is expecting more Americans to be diagnosed with the virus .
Still , “ CDC believes that the immediate risk to the American public continues to be low at this time , but the situation continues to evolve rapidly , ” said the agency ’ s Dr. Nancy Messonnier .
With Chinese authorities afraid that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus , the outbreak put a damper on Lunar New Year .
Temples locked their doors , Beijing ’ s Forbidden City , Shanghai Disneyland and other major tourist destinations closed , and people canceled restaurant reservations ahead of the holiday , normally a time of family reunions , sightseeing trips , fireworks displays and other festivities in the country of 1.4 billion people .
Wuhan ’ s usually bustling streets , malls and other public spaces were unnervingly quiet on Day Two of its lockdown , and masks were mandatory in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stocking up for what could be an extended period of isolation .
Karaoke bars , movie theaters and internet cafes around the region were shut down .
While most of the deaths have been older patients , a 36-year-old man in Hubei died on Thursday .
The vast majority of cases have been in and around Wuhan or involved people who visited the city or had personal connections to those infected .
About two dozen cases in all have been confirmed outside mainland China , nearly all of them in Asia : Hong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Japan , Singapore , Thailand , Taiwan , Vietnam and Nepal .
Many countries are screening travelers from China and isolating anyone with symptoms .
Chinese officials have not said how long the shutdowns of the cities will last .
Recalling the government ’ s initial cover-up of SARS , many Chinese are suspicious of the case numbers reported by officials .
Authorities have promised transparency .
China ’ s cabinet , the State Council , announced it will be collecting information on government departments that have failed in their response to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and under-reporting of the epidemic.
” The state broadcaster CCTV ’ s annual Spring Festival Gala program , which attracted more than 1 billion viewers last year , paid tribute to the medical workers fighting the outbreak .
“ Please believe in China , ” the hosts said .
“ With the most transparent public information … on the battlefront of the epidemic , we will definitely win.
” Associated Press researcher Henry Hou and video journalist Dake Kang in Beijing and writer Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report .

BEIJING — China expanded its lockdown against the deadly new virus to an unprecedented 36 million people and rushed to build a prefabricated, 1,000-bed hospital for victims Friday as the outbreak cast a pall over Lunar New Year, the country’s biggest, most festive holiday.
The number of confirmed cases around the world climbed sharply to more than 850, with at least 26 deaths, all of them in China.
Meanwhile, France announced that three people had fallen ill with the virus — the disease’s first appearance in Europe. And the United States reported its second case, involving a Chicago woman in her 60s who was hospitalized in isolation after returning from China.
On Wall Street, stocks slumped amid fears over the widening crisis, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 170 points and the S&P 500 posting its worst day in three months. Health care companies suffered losses, along with financial institutions, airlines and other tourism and travel industry businesses.
Transportation was shut down in Wuhan, the city of 11 million at the epicenter of the outbreak, and in at least 12 other cities in central China’s Hubei province, encompassing a population bigger than that of New York, London, Paris and Moscow combined.
And authorities in Beijing and other cities canceled many public celebrations and other events marking Lunar New Year, which falls on Saturday.
Hospitals in Wuhan grappled with a flood of patients and a lack of supplies. Videos circulating online showed throngs of frantic people in masks lined up for examinations, and some complained that family members had been turned away at hospitals that were at capacity.
Authorities in Wuhan and elsewhere put out calls for medicine, disinfection equipment, masks, goggles, gowns and other protective gear.
Wuhan officials said they are rapidly constructing a new hospital to deal with the crisis, to be completed Feb. 3. It will be modeled on a SARS hospital that was built in Beijing in just six days during the SARS outbreak.
The seriousness of the crisis was still an open question.
The new virus comes from a large family of what are known as coronaviruses, some causing nothing worse than a cold.
But it is not clear just how lethal this coronavirus is, or even whether it is as dangerous as ordinary flu, which kills tens of thousands of people every year in the U.S. alone. Scientists say it is also not clear if it spreads as easily as SARS, its genetic cousin, which also originated in China and killed about 800 people in 2002-03.
The rapid increase in reported deaths and illnesses does not necessarily mean the crisis is getting worse. It could instead reflect better monitoring and reporting of the newly discovered virus, which can cause cold- and flu-like symptoms, including cough, fever and shortness of breath, but can worsen to pneumonia.
“It’s still too early to draw conclusions about how severe the virus is because at the beginning of any outbreak you would focus more on the severe cases,” said Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesman for the World Health Organization in Geneva. “And then maybe we are missing some mild cases because people will just be a little bit sick and will not have it tested. And they will recover.”
In France, Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said that two infected patients had traveled in China and that France should brace for more such cases. A third case was announced in a statement from her ministry about three hours later.
“We see how difficult it is in today’s world to close the frontiers. In reality, it’s not possible,” she said. Buzyn said authorities are seeking to reach anyone who might have come in contact with the patients: “It’s important to control the fire as quickly as possible.”
In the U.S., the latest person confirmed to have the disease was reported to be doing well. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention likewise said it is expecting more Americans to be diagnosed with the virus.
Still, “CDC believes that the immediate risk to the American public continues to be low at this time, but the situation continues to evolve rapidly,” said the agency’s Dr. Nancy Messonnier.
With Chinese authorities afraid that public gatherings will hasten the spread of the virus, the outbreak put a damper on Lunar New Year. Temples locked their doors, Beijing’s Forbidden City, Shanghai Disneyland and other major tourist destinations closed, and people canceled restaurant reservations ahead of the holiday, normally a time of family reunions, sightseeing trips, fireworks displays and other festivities in the country of 1.4 billion people.
Wuhan’s usually bustling streets, malls and other public spaces were unnervingly quiet on Day Two of its lockdown, and masks were mandatory in public. Shoppers emptied store shelves, stocking up for what could be an extended period of isolation. Karaoke bars, movie theaters and internet cafes around the region were shut down.
While most of the deaths have been older patients, a 36-year-old man in Hubei died on Thursday.
The vast majority of cases have been in and around Wuhan or involved people who visited the city or had personal connections to those infected. About two dozen cases in all have been confirmed outside mainland China, nearly all of them in Asia: Hong Kong, Macao, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and Nepal.
Many countries are screening travelers from China and isolating anyone with symptoms.
Chinese officials have not said how long the shutdowns of the cities will last.
Recalling the government’s initial cover-up of SARS, many Chinese are suspicious of the case numbers reported by officials. Authorities have promised transparency.
China’s cabinet, the State Council, announced it will be collecting information on government departments that have failed in their response to the outbreak, including “delays, concealment and under-reporting of the epidemic.”
The state broadcaster CCTV’s annual Spring Festival Gala program, which attracted more than 1 billion viewers last year, paid tribute to the medical workers fighting the outbreak.
“Please believe in China,” the hosts said. “With the most transparent public information … on the battlefront of the epidemic, we will definitely win.”
Associated Press researcher Henry Hou and video journalist Dake Kang in Beijing and writer Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.


thedenverpost--2020-01-24--Handyman found guilty of setting off 2018 Denver apartment explosion

A Denver jury on Friday found a 57-year-old handyman guilty of blowing up a Denver apartment building in August 2018 after a week-long trial .
Todd Perkins was found guilty on 16 counts , including arson , attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault , for setting off an explosion at a Baker apartment building that seriously injured himself and a 28-year-old artist .
Perkins will be sentenced March 27 .
In a statement , Denver District Attorney Beth McCann thanked first responders for their efforts after the explosion , adding “ I hope that Mr. Perkins ’ victims feel that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the best as they move forward with their lives.
” During opening statements , prosecutors painted a picture of a man with revenge on his mind after the building owner fired him the previous month after years working as a maintenance man on the property .
Austin Leighty , a Denver deputy district attorney , told the jury that Perkins threatened the building owner the day before the explosion and his DNA was found on a wrench used to open a gas line and thermostat in the apartment where the blast originated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may have been rude and antisocial with the building residents , but that he was being used as a scapegoat for the crime .
Meghan Meehan was getting ready to leave her apartment that day when the blast threw against the kitchen sink , causing her to suffer spinal fractures .
“ I thought I was going to die , ” she told The Denver Post after the incident .

A Denver jury on Friday found a 57-year-old handyman guilty of blowing up a Denver apartment building in August 2018 after a week-long trial.
Todd Perkins was found guilty on 16 counts, including arson, attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault, for setting off an explosion at a Baker apartment building that seriously injured himself and a 28-year-old artist. Perkins will be sentenced March 27.
In a statement, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann thanked first responders for their efforts after the explosion, adding “I hope that Mr. Perkins’ victims feel that justice was served and I wish them all the best as they move forward with their lives.”
During opening statements, prosecutors painted a picture of a man with revenge on his mind after the building owner fired him the previous month after years working as a maintenance man on the property. Austin Leighty, a Denver deputy district attorney, told the jury that Perkins threatened the building owner the day before the explosion and his DNA was found on a wrench used to open a gas line and thermostat in the apartment where the blast originated.
Perkins’ attorney said the handyman may have been rude and antisocial with the building residents, but that he was being used as a scapegoat for the crime.
Meghan Meehan was getting ready to leave her apartment that day when the blast threw against the kitchen sink, causing her to suffer spinal fractures.
“I thought I was going to die,” she told The Denver Post after the incident.


thedenverpost--2020-01-24--Colorado Springs man served arrest warrant in connection with 2010 murder

A 43-year-old Colorado Springs man already facing a murder charge in a 2014 cold case has now been arrested for investigation of a 2010 murder , a Colorado Springs police news release said .
Rodric Lee Donleywas served a first-degree murder warrant Thursday in the death of 37-year-old Martique Webster of Colorado Springs , who was shot to death in 2010 , according to the Friday news release .
Donley was being held without bond in the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center in connection to the 2014 murder of Jamanion Keys .
Donley was arrested in that case in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A security guard found Webster ’ s body in a car in an apartment complex parking lot on Oct. 12 , 2010 , the news release said .
He had been shot in the head .
Multiple Colorado Springs detectives from the department ’ s police homicide and cold case units have investigated Webster ’ s homicide for nearly a decade , the news release said .
“ Good police work to come to this outcome , ” Lt. James Sokolik , Colorado Springs police spokesman , said .
Detectives served Donley a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s death on Jan. 23 , which would have been Webster ’ s 47th birthday , the news release said .

A 43-year-old Colorado Springs man already facing a murder charge in a 2014 cold case has now been arrested for investigation of a 2010 murder, a Colorado Springs police news release said.
Rodric Lee Donley was served a first-degree murder warrant Thursday in the death of 37-year-old Martique Webster of Colorado Springs, who was shot to death in 2010, according to the Friday news release.
CSPD detectives have made an arrest in the 2010 Cold Case of Martique Webster. On 1/23/20, Rodric Donley, 43, was served an arrest warrant for the homicide of Webster. Donley was already being held in custody for a 2014 cold case. Full press release: https://t.co/tN5JyQ8RVw pic.twitter.com/xgy1WWnxaN — Colorado Springs Police (@CSPDPIO) January 24, 2020
Donley was being held without bond in the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center in connection to the 2014 murder of Jamanion Keys. Donley was arrested in that case in December, the news release said.
A security guard found Webster’s body in a car in an apartment complex parking lot on Oct. 12, 2010, the news release said. He had been shot in the head.
Multiple Colorado Springs detectives from the department’s police homicide and cold case units have investigated Webster’s homicide for nearly a decade, the news release said.
“Good police work to come to this outcome,” Lt. James Sokolik, Colorado Springs police spokesman, said.
Detectives served Donley a murder arrest warrant in connection to Webster’s death on Jan. 23, which would have been Webster’s 47th birthday, the news release said.