thedenverpost--2020-04-26--Broncos rookie Jerry Jeudy could be better in the NFL than he was at Alabama, coaches say

Before he was Jeu , JJ4 , The Juker , The Man , Jerry Jeudy had another nickname in Broward County prep circles : The Meal Ticket .
“ When you covered him and you did good , ” Marquise Waters explained , “ you ’ d gain a lot of recognition from the scouts , the scouts who didn ’ t know you.
” About four springs ago , Jeudy , the Broncos ’ first-round draft pick and former Alabama wideout , and Waters , a safety at Duke , were peers — south Florida prospects who found themselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7-on-7 tournament .
Jeudy was to wideouts what Johnny Ringo was to gunslingers — the baddest hombre on the block .
He raised your game , scared the crud out of you , or juked you out of your shorts .
Usually the latter .
“ But he didn ’ t score or catch a pass on me , ” Waters recalled .
“ So that ’ s when a lot of offers came in .
After that , I started to get recognition.
” West Virginia extended an offer , Waters ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came flying in over the next 10 weeks .
If you could run with Jerry Jeudy , brother , you could ball .
“ You can ’ t have a false step , ” Waters said of Drew Lock ’ s new toy .
“ That minute you have a false step , believe it or not , he knows where you are , even if he ’ s not looking ( at you ) .
Crazy peripheral vision .
If you watch the game , you ’ ll see that he knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though he ’ s not looking at you , he feels you.
” Jeudy and Waters were teammates with the Florida Fire , a 7-on-7 football program in Broward County whose roster of alumni also includes Calvin Ridley ( Georgia ) , Trayvon Mullen ( Clemson ) , Stanford Samuels III ( Florida State ) , Josh Metellus ( Michigan ) and Derrick Tindal ( Wisconsin ) .
It ’ s one of the country ’ s unsung cradles of wide receiver and defensive back prospects .
“ Certainly top 10 all-time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jeudy .
“ Of receivers , ( he ’ s ) probably top 5 .
“ Hard worker , man .
I had a call ( Friday ) morning and an old pal said , ‘ One of the coaches was on the beach , the sun hadn ’ t come out yet , and Jerry was out there running on the sand on his own.
’ Those that are great , they ’ ve got to put in extra .
Some of these guys , they ’ re good , but they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the work to be great.
” Jeudy did , pushed by angels seen and unseen .
When his baby sister , Aaliyah , passed away in November 2016 at the age of 7 , the future Bronco tweeted out a picture of her and wrote : I swear I ’ m going to make it for you and mommy .
“ I ’ ve always said , he ’ s one of those kids that ’ s got a ‘ why , ’ ” offered Jevon Glenn , Jeudy ’ s football coach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ School .
“ And when you ’ ve got a young man that ’ s got a ‘ why , ’ and the death of his sister , Aaliyah , that just added to his ‘ why ’ — that ’ s all he sees when he ’ s grinding , that focus , and that ’ s the fuel that ignites the flame that everybody all over America has been able to see shine.
” It shines for his mother , Marie , who left her native Haiti for the States at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a single mom to keep the family fed .
It shines for Aaliyah , who was born with trisomy 18 , a rare chromosomal disease that required tubes to help her breathe and eat .
Jeudy keeps a picture of his late sister in the center of a star of David pendant that he wears around his neck .
“ It feels good , just knowing what we came for , knowing all the stuff we ’ ve been through ( as a family ) , ” said Jeudy , who named his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aaliyah Jeudy in his late sister ’ s honor .
“ I finally have the opportunity to take care of them , take care of all my loved ones .
So it ’ s a great feeling .
It ’ s a surreal moment .
I worked my whole life for this moment .
I ’ m just thankful all the hard work paid off.
” Jeudy wears that grind , like his heart , on his sleeve .
Glenn jokes that the kid ’ s No .
1 hobby is pretty much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That if he runs into a former classmate or teammate , even if they ’ re out working a 9-to-5 gig or making deliveries , he ’ ll try to rope them in , too .
Anything that gets him better .
“ He ’ s a guy , once he ’ s passionate about something , he ’ s passionate , ” Glenn said .
“ He doesn ’ t know how to give you a half-effort .
He ’ d rather give you zero than give 50 percent .
“ All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to me was to find a way for him to get passionate about the things he needed to be successful.
” Glenn turned him onto eating better , resting his body , and devoting more of that passion to his schoolwork .
Jeudy got so into his grades that one semester , when he figured he had clinched straight A ’ s for the first time , he was aghast when his classical literature grade came back with a B-plus .
“ Naw , man , this is my first time , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ ve got ta call her.
” Glenn did .
They checked the coursework , and it turned out the lit teacher ’ s math was off .
Jeudy got his A. Fixing the diet ?
Like with many teens , that one took a little more persistence .
“ Chicken fingers were better than hot chips , ” Glenn laughed .
“ So that was the first habit : We would probably have chicken fingers everywhere we went .
And subs were a little better ( than fast food ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ being a ‘ fruit ’ guy .
That was a little tougher.
” Glenn and Broncos wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni go way back .
The latter recruited Jeudy — unsuccessfully — to Tennessee .
Now he ’ s got his guy .
And to hear Mike Locksley tell it , he ’ s got a gold mine .
“ I ’ ll say this , because I know he won ’ t , ” Locksley , the former Alabama co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach , said of Jeudy .
“ In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different for a receiver than in the college game .
In college , being able to get jammed and bumped for the whole time the ball is in the air , they really have to work hard to create space and separation .
And I think in the NFL , given that after 5 yards they can ’ t get their hands on you , I think he ’ ll probably get to be a better pro than he was a college guy , because of the rules of the pro game.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a beast .
A Biletnikoff Award winner after his sophomore season in 2018 , the Florida native ’ s 26 career touchdown receptions at Bama rank second all-time in school history behind Amari Cooper ’ s 31 .
And his average of 17.2 yards per catch with the Crimson Tide ranks second in Alabama annals behind only Ozzie Newsome ’ s 20.3 per grab .
Early on , Tide coach Nick Saban and Locksley would notice him drifting , especially on run plays .
So the latter wrote up a contract for Jeudy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , demanding 100 % for all four quarters and in practice .
“ When you put your name on something , I tell all my players , when you put your name on something , that ’ s your bond , ” Locksley explained .
“ It wasn ’ t because he wasn ’ t capable of doing it .
( We ) just used that as an example of , ‘ When you write your name on something , that ’ s basically your bond .
You ’ re going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s one thing to run great .
It ’ s another to run with greatness .
The jukes were a gift from above , but refined by backyard games with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson , who grew up nearby .
He ’ s worked out with former NFL greats such as Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson .
Glenn loves telling the story of the time Jeudy , then a high school junior , tore it up at the Under Armour Future 50 Experience , where another legend , Deion Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While Jeudy was schooling dance partner after dance partner , Glenn got out his phone and started Googling the last names of the dudes his guy was turning into toast .
“ It was like , ‘ he ’ s the best cornerback in California , ’ ” Glenn laughed .
“ And ‘ he ’ s the best cornerback in Georgia.
’ And he really got under Deion ’ s skin the way he was ( crushing ) his DBs .
I called one of my coaches back in Deerfield Beach and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is good , for real .
I know we messed around a lot , but he is for real.
’ It ’ s like there was almost a white light that came over him , and I looked at him like , ‘ Oh , snap.
’ ” Fast forward to last August , when Waters and Duke were playing Alabama in Atlanta .
The Tide isolated Jeudy on a quick screen to the short side of the field , the right hashmark .
Waters , his old sparring partner and Fire pal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zip code for a few seconds .
“ Nobody can run as fast forward and just stop on a dime like that , ” Waters explained .
“ Down there , that ’ s how they teach you to run routes .
He ’ s really mastered it .
Nobody runs routes like that in a game .
Trust me.
” He ’ s got the skid marks to prove it .
Jeudy took the ball with his back turned , a few yards behind the line of scrimmage .
Then he sprung @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his left shoulder without breaking stride .
Waters got close enough to touch a shoulder before Jeudy zipped away , following blockers up the alley for a 21-yard touchdown .
“ At his size , you don ’ t see too many guys who can turn and shift like that , ” Waters said .
“ He can completely change direction in a hurry .
You ’ ve got to put a little trick in there and try to slow him down so that everybody else can grab him .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johnny Ringo feels you .
And he doesn ’ t take prisoners .

Before he was Jeu, JJ4, The Juker, The Man, Jerry Jeudy had another nickname in Broward County prep circles: The Meal Ticket.
“When you covered him and you did good,” Marquise Waters explained, “you’d gain a lot of recognition from the scouts, the scouts who didn’t know you.”
About four springs ago, Jeudy, the Broncos’ first-round draft pick and former Alabama wideout, and Waters, a safety at Duke, were peers — south Florida prospects who found themselves matched up, 1-on-1, at a 7-on-7 tournament.
Jeudy was to wideouts what Johnny Ringo was to gunslingers — the baddest hombre on the block. He raised your game, scared the crud out of you, or juked you out of your shorts. Usually the latter.
“But he didn’t score or catch a pass on me,” Waters recalled. “So that’s when a lot of offers came in. After that, I started to get recognition.”
West Virginia extended an offer, Waters’ first. At least 21 more schools came flying in over the next 10 weeks.
If you could run with Jerry Jeudy, brother, you could ball.
“You can’t have a false step,” Waters said of Drew Lock’s new toy. “That minute you have a false step, believe it or not, he knows where you are, even if he’s not looking (at you). Crazy peripheral vision. If you watch the game, you’ll see that he knows where you’re at. Even though he’s not looking at you, he feels you.”
Jeudy and Waters were teammates with the Florida Fire, a 7-on-7 football program in Broward County whose roster of alumni also includes Calvin Ridley (Alabama), Trayvon Mullen (Clemson), Stanford Samuels III (Florida State), Josh Metellus (Michigan) and Derrick Tindal (Wisconsin). It’s one of the country’s unsung cradles of wide receiver and defensive back prospects.
“Certainly top 10 all-time,” Fire founder Dennis Marroquin said of Jeudy. “Of receivers, (he’s) probably top 5.
“Hard worker, man. I had a call (Friday) morning and an old pal said, ‘One of the coaches was on the beach, the sun hadn’t come out yet, and Jerry was out there running on the sand on his own.’ Those that are great, they’ve got to put in extra. Some of these guys, they’re good, but they don’t want to put in the work to be great.”
Jeudy did, pushed by angels seen and unseen. When his baby sister, Aaliyah, passed away in November 2016 at the age of 7, the future Bronco tweeted out a picture of her and wrote:
I swear I’m going to make it for you and mommy.
“I’ve always said, he’s one of those kids that’s got a ‘why,’” offered Jevon Glenn, Jeudy’s football coach at Deerfield Beach (Fla.) High School. “And when you’ve got a young man that’s got a ‘why,’ and the death of his sister, Aaliyah, that just added to his ‘why’ — that’s all he sees when he’s grinding, that focus, and that’s the fuel that ignites the flame that everybody all over America has been able to see shine.”
Taking care of family
It shines for his mother, Marie, who left her native Haiti for the States at the age of 14 and worked as a single mom to keep the family fed. It shines for Aaliyah, who was born with trisomy 18, a rare chromosomal disease that required tubes to help her breathe and eat. Jeudy keeps a picture of his late sister in the center of a star of David pendant that he wears around his neck.
“It feels good, just knowing what we came for, knowing all the stuff we’ve been through (as a family),” said Jeudy, who named his daughter, born last month, Journee Aaliyah Jeudy in his late sister’s honor.
“I finally have the opportunity to take care of them, take care of all my loved ones. So it’s a great feeling. It’s a surreal moment. I worked my whole life for this moment. I’m just thankful all the hard work paid off.”
Jeudy wears that grind, like his heart, on his sleeve. Glenn jokes that the kid’s No. 1 hobby is pretty much laying down ladders and working out. That if he runs into a former classmate or teammate, even if they’re out working a 9-to-5 gig or making deliveries, he’ll try to rope them in, too. Anything that gets him better.
“He’s a guy, once he’s passionate about something, he’s passionate,” Glenn said. “He doesn’t know how to give you a half-effort. He’d rather give you zero than give 50 percent.
“All I had to do when he came to me was to find a way for him to get passionate about the things he needed to be successful.”
Glenn turned him onto eating better, resting his body, and devoting more of that passion to his schoolwork. Jeudy got so into his grades that one semester, when he figured he had clinched straight A’s for the first time, he was aghast when his classical literature grade came back with a B-plus.
“He called me, he’s going crazy,” Glenn recalled.
“She changed my grade,” Jeudy said.
“Don’t worry about it,” his coach replied.
“Naw, man, this is my first time, you’ve gotta call her, you’ve gotta call her.”
Glenn did. They checked the coursework, and it turned out the lit teacher’s math was off. Jeudy got his A.
Fixing the diet? Like with many teens, that one took a little more persistence.
“Chicken fingers were better than hot chips,” Glenn laughed. “So that was the first habit: We would probably have chicken fingers everywhere we went. And subs were a little better (than fast food). He didn’t go straight into being a ‘fruit’ guy. That was a little tougher.”
‘Probably a better pro’
Glenn and Broncos wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni go way back. The latter recruited Jeudy — unsuccessfully — to Tennessee.
Now he’s got his guy. And to hear Maryland coach Mike Locksley tell it, he’s got a gold mine.
“I’ll say this, because I know he won’t,” Locksley, the former Alabama co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, said of Jeudy.
“In the NFL game, it’s different for a receiver than in the college game. In college, being able to get jammed and bumped for the whole time the ball is in the air, they really have to work hard to create space and separation. And I think in the NFL, given that after 5 yards they can’t get their hands on you, I think he’ll probably get to be a better pro than he was a college guy, because of the rules of the pro game.”
As a college guy, Jeudy was a beast. A Biletnikoff Award winner after his sophomore season in 2018, the Florida native’s 26 career touchdown receptions at Bama rank second all-time in school history behind Amari Cooper’s 31. And his average of 17.2 yards per catch with the Crimson Tide ranks second in Alabama annals behind only Ozzie Newsome’s 20.3 per grab.
Early on, Tide coach Nick Saban and Locksley would notice him drifting, especially on run plays. So the latter wrote up a contract for Jeudy and the two of them signed it, demanding 100% for all four quarters and in practice.
“When you put your name on something, I tell all my players, when you put your name on something, that’s your bond,” Locksley explained. “It wasn’t because he wasn’t capable of doing it. (We) just used that as an example of, ‘When you write your name on something, that’s basically your bond. You’re going to be accountable for it in life.’”
It’s one thing to run great. It’s another to run with greatness. The jukes were a gift from above, but refined by backyard games with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who grew up nearby. He’s worked out with former NFL greats such as Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson.
Glenn loves telling the story of the time Jeudy, then a high school junior, tore it up at the Under Armour Future 50 Experience, where another legend, Deion Sanders, was coaching the defensive backs.
While Jeudy was schooling dance partner after dance partner, Glenn got out his phone and started Googling the last names of the dudes his guy was turning into toast.
“It was like, ‘he’s the best cornerback in California,’” Glenn laughed. “And ‘he’s the best cornerback in Georgia.’ And he really got under Deion’s skin the way he was (crushing) his DBs. I called one of my coaches back in Deerfield Beach and I’m like, ‘Jerry is good, for real. I know we messed around a lot, but he is for real.’ It’s like there was almost a white light that came over him, and I looked at him like, ‘Oh, snap.’”
Fast forward to last August, when Waters and Duke were playing Alabama in Atlanta. The Tide isolated Jeudy on a quick screen to the short side of the field, the right hashmark. Waters, his old sparring partner and Fire pal, was the only defender in the zip code for a few seconds.
“Nobody can run as fast forward and just stop on a dime like that,” Waters explained. “Down there, that’s how they teach you to run routes. He’s really mastered it. Nobody runs routes like that in a game. Trust me.”
He’s got the skid marks to prove it. Jeudy took the ball with his back turned, a few yards behind the line of scrimmage. Then he sprung, like a viper, wheeling over his left shoulder without breaking stride.
Waters got close enough to touch a shoulder before Jeudy zipped away, following blockers up the alley for a 21-yard touchdown.
“At his size, you don’t see too many guys who can turn and shift like that,” Waters said. “He can completely change direction in a hurry. You’ve got to put a little trick in there and try to slow him down so that everybody else can grab him. That’s the best way to get him.”
Johnny Ringo feels you. And he doesn’t take prisoners.


thedenverpost--2020-04-26--EPA officials defend their role amid rollbacks as agency hits 50: “Expect continued improvements” in

EPA officials defend their role amid rollbacks as agency hits 50: “Expect continued improvements” in Colorado

Fifty years after America ’ s first Earth Day spurred cleanups that led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency , Colorado residents face less toxic muck , and pollution will decrease more in the future , federal enforcers say — rejecting claims that President Donald Trump has hobbled a once-robust agency .
People in Colorado and surrounding states who are bothered by the degradation of air , land and water should “ expect continued improvements , ” EPA regional administrator Greg Sopkin told The Denver Post .
But EPA regulatory rollbacks this week reached the point that Colorado @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battle to restore wetland and waterway protections .
And state leaders accused the EPA of leaving states on their own to deal with unprecedented climate and health threats .
Colorado ’ s public health department , for example , is struggling to carry out state lawmakers ’ order to cut heat-trapping greenhouse gas pollution from about 125 million tons a year to around 62 million tons by 2030 and 13 million tons by 2050 — even though the U.S. Supreme Court more than a decade ago ruled that the EPA has regulatory power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EPA still has a lot of very committed people with strong regulations in a number of areas where they are doing good work , and we have good coordination on enforcement , on things like Superfund , especially here at the Denver regional level , ” said John Putnam , the state health department ’ s director of environmental programs .
“ At the same time , at the headquarters level , their policy initiatives to roll back critical environment protections make our jobs much harder and are not going to be protecting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s true we are cleaner now than 50 years ago and the Cuyahoga River ( in Ohio ) is no longer on fire , we have ozone pollution standards that we ’ re not meeting in Colorado and a large part of that is related to vehicle emissions standards that haven ’ t been strengthened .
We ’ re not making progress on a number of fronts and we ’ ve seen rollbacks .
… It would be better if we had a fully invested EPA.
” Golden anniversaries of Earth Day last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as nature drives a deadly virus pandemic — put a focus on the agency ’ s mission of ensuring a cleaner and healthier environment .
The EPA began in December 1970 , five months after President Richard Nixon proposed it , and grew into an often-opaque bureaucratic juggernaut with a budget of $ 8.1 billion and more than 14,000 employees .
U.S. withdrawal from the international agreement to combat global warming , along with rule rollbacks , have slowed momentum that once inspired emulators abroad .
Climate activists now widely denounce U.S. extraction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to record-high global atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide ( 414 parts per million , up from 325 ppm in 1970 ) , and Denver neighborhood groups question the EPA ’ s effectiveness .
“ There are people in there with good hearts who want to help , but the leadership has been replaced with a who ’ s who from industry , ” said Green Latinos state organizer and Colorado Latino Forum co-chairman Ean Tafoya , who represents low-income community interests in climate action , cleaner water and better access to public open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public comment , they certainly are muzzling voices of the people , ” Tafoya said .
“ And rolling back enforcement during a crisis like this ?
It can only be seen as intentional disregard of frontlines communities.
” An American Lung Association air quality analysis last week ranked the Denver-Aurora metro area 10th worst in the nation , and Colorado Moms Know Best leader Jen Clanahan urged faster reduction of methane and ozone pollution .
EPA rollbacks in recent months include weakening clean car standards , reducing protection of waterways and wetlands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and easing control over mercury pollution from power plants .
Trump administration officials have declared the environment cleaner than in the past and , deriding what they decry as Obama-era regulatory overreach , are prioritizing de-regulation to boost commerce .
Yet core federal laws remain on the books requiring clean water , clean air , healthy habitat to save species , and look-before-you-leap reviews of proposed new development .
Inside the EPA , top officials disputed criticisms from environmentalists and public health leaders .
A Denver-based team of 50 staffers who conduct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those laws across Colorado and five other states — Montana , Wyoming , North Dakota , South Dakota and Utah — as well as 28 tribal nations .
They ’ ll conduct more than 500 scheduled on-site inspections by the end of the year , Sopkin and regional enforcement director Suzanne Bohan said in a Post interview .
EPA leaders also will launch new initiatives , such as a crackdown on installers of “ defeat devices ” that turn trucks into belchers of foul black exhaust , they said .
They ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Aug. 3 to end persistent violations of federal air quality health standards , in part by requiring permits that set limits for all facilities that emit more than 50 tons a year of the volatile organic chemicals that lead to the formation of ground-level ozone smog .
And the controversial Waters of the United States rule that the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued Tuesday will still require protection of some intermittent streams in Colorado and the West , they said .
The new rule relaxes Clean Water Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of rivers and streams , including the “ ephemeral ” water bodies typical in the southwestern United States that dry up part of the year .
Coloradans concerned about disappearing nature and environmental degradation reasonably can harbor “ a lot of hope for the future , even with an expanding population ” and know “ that the pollution levels will come down , ” Sopkin said .
“ I ’ m very optimistic .
Colorado is an incredibly beautiful state , just like all of the Region 8 states , and there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on environmental protection of Colorado air , land and water .
The EPA will continue to enforce , continue to do its due diligence , making sure the regulated community is following the laws , ” he said .
The Trump administration ’ s rollback of fuel-efficiency limits on tailpipe pollution will lower prices of cars and trucks , enabling more Americans to upgrade out of dirtier old vehicles , Sopkin said .
EPA career staffers conduct compliance work in addition to inspections , Bohan said .
“ Our work has definitely not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are as busy as ever , ” she said , and a fair assessment should look beyond numbers of inspections and new enforcement cases .
“ While our numbers might be lower , I can assure you we are 100 % committed to the compliance assurance work we do.
” An EPA temporary enforcement discretion policy during the coronavirus pandemic has been “ mischaracterized ” to imply companies can decide for themselves whether to report on emissions and obey laws , Sopkin said .
Agency chiefs said in a letter to Congress that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industry concerns to enable prioritizing responses to “ acute risks and imminent threats ” rather than routine monitoring and reporting .
In recent meetings with industry trade groups , Sopkin said , he emphasized that this policy “ is not a license to pollute ” and won ’ t excuse criminal conduct .
The policy “ just recognizes that we are going to have enforcement discretion with regard to routine matters , ” to be exercised after virus-related operational ramp-downs end .
Sopkin also defended the waterways rule , saying it will reduce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hire lawyers .
He said “ intermittent ” waterways where melting snow flows toward “ navigable interstate water ” still will be protected .
Colorado AG Weiser announced the state will file a lawsuit fighting the rule because it illegally removes protection of many wetlands and the “ ephemeral waters ” common across the semi-arid West — affecting up to 70 % of waterways in Colorado .
The new rule will allow “ unacceptable impacts , ” hurting Colorado ’ s economy and water quality , Weiser said .
The EPA rollbacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as climate warming .
Colorado officials are wrestling with how to reduce air pollution from burning fossil fuels enough to meet state requirements , mulling reductions from electricity-generating power plants , commuters in cars , oil and gas companies and other industrial sources .
The EPA for years , long before Trump was elected , has delegated protection work to states , offering mostly technical support .
That means state agencies must take the lead on dealing with leaky facilities such as the Suncor oil refinery north of Denver , where equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ levels set in permits , including emissions of toxic hydrogen sulfide , hydrogen cyanide , sulfur dioxide and other hazardous chemicals listed in government consent decree documents .
Suncor shut down a processing unit at the refinery in March following the latest in a flurry of failures , and EPA officials are engaged with state inspectors on that matter , Bohan said , declining to to specify “ proposed enforcement.
” Colorado inspectors “ are looking now at root causes , ” she said .
“ We have been talking .
… It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at all their processes .
We already know we ’ ve got some major issues .
We are working with Colorado and have reached out to them to offer our assistance .
”

Fifty years after America’s first Earth Day spurred cleanups that led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, Colorado residents face less toxic muck, and pollution will decrease more in the future, federal enforcers say — rejecting claims that President Donald Trump has hobbled a once-robust agency.
People in Colorado and surrounding states who are bothered by the degradation of air, land and water should “expect continued improvements,” EPA regional administrator Greg Sopkin told The Denver Post.
But EPA regulatory rollbacks this week reached the point that Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser launched a legal battle to restore wetland and waterway protections. And state leaders accused the EPA of leaving states on their own to deal with unprecedented climate and health threats.
Colorado’s public health department, for example, is struggling to carry out state lawmakers’ order to cut heat-trapping greenhouse gas pollution from about 125 million tons a year to around 62 million tons by 2030 and 13 million tons by 2050 — even though the U.S. Supreme Court more than a decade ago ruled that the EPA has regulatory power to tackle this problem.
“The EPA still has a lot of very committed people with strong regulations in a number of areas where they are doing good work, and we have good coordination on enforcement, on things like Superfund, especially here at the Denver regional level,” said John Putnam, the state health department’s director of environmental programs. “At the same time, at the headquarters level, their policy initiatives to roll back critical environment protections make our jobs much harder and are not going to be protecting the environment.
“While it’s true we are cleaner now than 50 years ago and the Cuyahoga River (in Ohio) is no longer on fire, we have ozone pollution standards that we’re not meeting in Colorado and a large part of that is related to vehicle emissions standards that haven’t been strengthened. We’re not making progress on a number of fronts and we’ve seen rollbacks. … It would be better if we had a fully invested EPA.”
Rollbacks and “intentional disregard”
Golden anniversaries of Earth Day last week and the EPA this year — as nature drives a deadly virus pandemic — put a focus on the agency’s mission of ensuring a cleaner and healthier environment.
The EPA began in December 1970, five months after President Richard Nixon proposed it, and grew into an often-opaque bureaucratic juggernaut with a budget of $8.1 billion and more than 14,000 employees.
U.S. withdrawal from the international agreement to combat global warming, along with rule rollbacks, have slowed momentum that once inspired emulators abroad. Climate activists now widely denounce U.S. extraction and burning of fossil fuels, pointing to record-high global atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (414 parts per million, up from 325 ppm in 1970), and Denver neighborhood groups question the EPA’s effectiveness.
“There are people in there with good hearts who want to help, but the leadership has been replaced with a who’s who from industry,” said Green Latinos state organizer and Colorado Latino Forum co-chairman Ean Tafoya, who represents low-income community interests in climate action, cleaner water and better access to public open space.
“By limiting windows for public comment, they certainly are muzzling voices of the people,” Tafoya said. “And rolling back enforcement during a crisis like this? It can only be seen as intentional disregard of frontlines communities.”
An American Lung Association air quality analysis last week ranked the Denver-Aurora metro area 10th worst in the nation, and Colorado Moms Know Best leader Jen Clanahan urged faster reduction of methane and ozone pollution.
EPA rollbacks in recent months include weakening clean car standards, reducing protection of waterways and wetlands, rejecting a tougher limit on soot, and easing control over mercury pollution from power plants. Trump administration officials have declared the environment cleaner than in the past and, deriding what they decry as Obama-era regulatory overreach, are prioritizing de-regulation to boost commerce.
Yet core federal laws remain on the books requiring clean water, clean air, healthy habitat to save species, and look-before-you-leap reviews of proposed new development.
“Emphasis on environmental protection”
Inside the EPA, top officials disputed criticisms from environmentalists and public health leaders.
A Denver-based team of 50 staffers who conduct field inspections will carry out work enforcing those laws across Colorado and five other states — Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah — as well as 28 tribal nations. They’ll conduct more than 500 scheduled on-site inspections by the end of the year, Sopkin and regional enforcement director Suzanne Bohan said in a Post interview.
EPA leaders also will launch new initiatives, such as a crackdown on installers of “defeat devices” that turn trucks into belchers of foul black exhaust, they said. They’ll require Colorado to submit an action plan by Aug. 3 to end persistent violations of federal air quality health standards, in part by requiring permits that set limits for all facilities that emit more than 50 tons a year of the volatile organic chemicals that lead to the formation of ground-level ozone smog.
And the controversial Waters of the United States rule that the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued Tuesday will still require protection of some intermittent streams in Colorado and the West, they said. The new rule relaxes Clean Water Act limits on destruction of wetlands and pollution of rivers and streams, including the “ephemeral” water bodies typical in the southwestern United States that dry up part of the year.
Coloradans concerned about disappearing nature and environmental degradation reasonably can harbor “a lot of hope for the future, even with an expanding population” and know “that the pollution levels will come down,” Sopkin said.
“I’m very optimistic. Colorado is an incredibly beautiful state, just like all of the Region 8 states, and there’s always going to be an emphasis on environmental protection of Colorado air, land and water. The EPA will continue to enforce, continue to do its due diligence, making sure the regulated community is following the laws,” he said.
The Trump administration’s rollback of fuel-efficiency limits on tailpipe pollution will lower prices of cars and trucks, enabling more Americans to upgrade out of dirtier old vehicles, Sopkin said.
EPA career staffers conduct compliance work in addition to inspections, Bohan said. “Our work has definitely not slowed down under this administration. We are as busy as ever,” she said, and a fair assessment should look beyond numbers of inspections and new enforcement cases.
“While our numbers might be lower, I can assure you we are 100% committed to the compliance assurance work we do.”
“Unacceptable impacts”
An EPA temporary enforcement discretion policy during the coronavirus pandemic has been “mischaracterized” to imply companies can decide for themselves whether to report on emissions and obey laws, Sopkin said. Agency chiefs said in a letter to Congress that they adopted the policy in response to industry concerns to enable prioritizing responses to “acute risks and imminent threats” rather than routine monitoring and reporting.
In recent meetings with industry trade groups, Sopkin said, he emphasized that this policy “is not a license to pollute” and won’t excuse criminal conduct. The policy “just recognizes that we are going to have enforcement discretion with regard to routine matters,” to be exercised after virus-related operational ramp-downs end.
Sopkin also defended the waterways rule, saying it will reduce uncertainty for farmers who otherwise might have to hire lawyers. He said “intermittent” waterways where melting snow flows toward “navigable interstate water” still will be protected.
Colorado AG Weiser announced the state will file a lawsuit fighting the rule because it illegally removes protection of many wetlands and the “ephemeral waters” common across the semi-arid West — affecting up to 70% of waterways in Colorado. The new rule will allow “unacceptable impacts,” hurting Colorado’s economy and water quality, Weiser said.
The EPA rollbacks shift burdens to states in tackling challenges such as climate warming. Colorado officials are wrestling with how to reduce air pollution from burning fossil fuels enough to meet state requirements, mulling reductions from electricity-generating power plants, commuters in cars, oil and gas companies and other industrial sources.
The EPA for years, long before Trump was elected, has delegated protection work to states, offering mostly technical support. That means state agencies must take the lead on dealing with leaky facilities such as the Suncor oil refinery north of Denver, where equipment failures have led to excess pollution above levels set in permits, including emissions of toxic hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen cyanide, sulfur dioxide and other hazardous chemicals listed in government consent decree documents.
Suncor shut down a processing unit at the refinery in March following the latest in a flurry of failures, and EPA officials are engaged with state inspectors on that matter, Bohan said, declining to to specify “proposed enforcement.”
Colorado inspectors “are looking now at root causes,” she said.
“We have been talking. … It involves very detailed on-site inspection work to look at all their processes. We already know we’ve got some major issues. We are working with Colorado and have reached out to them to offer our assistance.”


thedenverpost--2020-04-26--Colorado COVID-19 diaries: A day in the coronavirus pandemic

A teacher greets her students .
An imam counsels his congregants .
A firefighter reports for duty .
New parents take their baby home from the hospital .
These are routine moments in the lives of Coloradans .
But the coronavirus has transformed the routine into the remarkable , upending how we live and interact with each other .
As a heavy spring snow blanketed the state on Thursday , April 16 , journalists from news organizations across Colorado set out to chronicle a day in the life of the state ’ s residents during this extraordinary time .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to date in the U.S. for the COVID-19 pandemic .
More than 4,500 people died .
Colorado ’ s state health department reported 17 more deaths , and that the death toll had hit 374 — a figure that would later balloon to more than 500 as more reports of COVID-19 victims surfaced .
The statewide order to shut down non-essential businesses — issued a month before to the day — had taken a toll .
In that month-long period , more than 231,000 people filed for unemployment , just short of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2009 during the height of the great recession .
The Colorado stories of April 16 show how much has changed in such a short amount of time .
Teachers now instruct students over screens .
Doctors speak to patients through masks and face shields .
Newborn babies are quarantined from sick parents .
But the journalists also chronicled how , even as Colorado stares down uncertainty , death and illness , life goes on .
Birthdays are celebrated .
Prayers are said .
And in what feels like a dark hour , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purple scrub pants and a print top , Catherine Scott started her work day with a spray bottle of bleach solution , wiping down door handles , tables and a laptop keyboard .
Scott is not a health care worker , but a preschool teacher — often tasked with opening the child care center where she works in Denver ’ s Montbello neighborhood .
When children began arriving with their parents , Scott met them at the front door , thermometer in hand .
After temperature checks , parents logged their child ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everybody washed their hands in the sink up front .
Scott had just three children in her classroom — a 2- , 3- , and 4-year-old .
It was a far cry from the usual 15 she would have on a day without coronavirus .
After many child care providers closed last month , state officials recommended they stay open , with precautions , to care for the children of working parents .
One of the biggest challenges of preschool in the coronavirus era is social distancing .
Instead of the usual snuggles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distance hugs , air high fives , and pats on the back .
One student spontaneously jumped into her lap , then quickly realized her mistake .
By the time Tabatha Knop walked into her Larimer Street restaurant , her chefs had been there an hour , making carnitas to fill breakfast burritos for whoever would venture out that day in the snow .
Knop ’ s schedule hadn ’ t changed much from five weeks ago , but her team had .
In early March , business was thrumming six nights a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & Class ’ motto has always been “ square meal , stiff drink , fair price.
” It sits across the street from sister restaurant Super Mega Bien , which Knop and her business partners shuttered for the duration of the coronavirus shutdown after laying off 57 employees in a single day .
“ We ’ ve stopped counting the days , really ; we ’ re mostly just counting the weeks , ” Knop said .
“ Every day feels the same , sort of , at this point.
” The team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families in Curtis Park through that neighborhood association ’ s Meal Train .
Saturday ’ s orders included 200 meals for Swedish Medical Center .
Knop said a few more of her cooks volunteered to help with evening prep .
Even with Super Mega Bien closed , Knop was dealing with unexpected costs there .
Two nights prior , a window at the entrance was broken around 1 a.m. , “ but thank God ( whoever did it ) was not able to get in , ” Knop said .
Dr. Peter Stubenrauch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team during morning rounds .
Nearly every patient in the unit was on a ventilator , that precious piece of equipment that can be the difference between life and death during the coronavirus crisis .
The medical guidance on COVID-19 is evolving fast .
Stubenrauch , a critical care pulmonologist with National Jewish Health , which staffs and manages the ICU , said doctors use the “ tried and true ” approaches to respiratory illness and are eyeing experimental treatments being developed .
He recommended that one of his patients be added to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s accepted , she could get the drug or a placebo the research requires .
He can ’ t know .
Consultations with families are done by phone .
Discussing life and death matters but not doing it face to face , with family members who can ’ t even be together with their loved one , is heartbreaking .
And the uncertainty about COVID-19 means preparing families for the worst .
“ You by no means have any interest in giving up on a patient , particularly someone who came into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Stubenrauch said .
But he must “ also set the expectation that we ’ re observing a lot of patients who remain on mechanical ventilation for prolonged periods of time and can quite suddenly take turns for the worse and pass away.
” By his shift ’ s end , the news in the unit was brighter .
There were no new admissions for the day .
Speaking in a basement room of a mostly quiet City and County building , Denver Mayor Michael Hancock told a dozen Emergency Operations Center staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that citizens need the safety and security only they can provide .
Hancock ’ s days are filled with meetings .
Questions and concerns pile up with each one .
More residents are ignoring the stay-at-home order he put in place through the end of April to control the spread of the virus .
How can Denver ease restrictions equitably ?
Will businesses hurt more if they open at half capacity ?
Should there be a curfew ?
The city government , like public agencies across Colorado , faces a dire loss of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ furloughs of employees and other steps .
“ In every challenge , the people are looking for that group of people who are going to stand up and fight on their behalf , ” Hancock said .
“ We ’ re the people .
We ’ re the ones.
” The vehicles pulled into the parking lot on the west side of the school .
Michelle Cunningham was there in a surgical mask and gloves , greeting parents and students by name and giving them thumbs-up signs and smiles in lieu of high-fives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been struck by the volume of families showing up for free meals .
Though nearly one-third of the school district ’ s roughly 1,100 students are eligible for government-subsidized lunches , a measure of poverty , only about 40 children a day typically take advantage , she said .
Now the district is handing out 400 meals a day , she said .
“ As counselors , we know brains work best when physiological needs are met , ” Cunningham said .
“ Its benefits go beyond food .
I ’ m out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities across the country , school buildings closed for learning remain open for meal distribution , extending a social safety net during the crisis .
That holds true in Buena Vista , a tourism-dependent community set amid the majestic Collegiate Peaks .
With retailers , restaurants , and other small businesses closed , hundreds of families are out of work .
Even so , Cunningham said she is proud of how the community has rallied .
“ The school board , the business owners , the community leaders , the churches , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is stepping up in so many ways to support each other.
” Fabiola Grajales waited for the nose swab that would tell her whether she was finally free of the coronavirus and able to be near her family again .
In one of Colorado ’ s COVID-19 hotspots , a coalition of Eagle County Public Health , MidValley Family Practice and the Mobile Intercultural Resource Alliance has set up this free mobile testing site .
Grajales , 27 , a medical assistant at a Glenwood Springs clinic , said she started feeling sick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus March 6 .
Over the next week , her cough worsened and she experienced shortness of breath .
“ You know when you step on dry leaves ?
I could hear that sound coming from my lungs.
” “ You get really bad headaches , ” Grajales continued .
“ You feel like your eyes , they ’ re going to pop out .
I couldn ’ t smell or taste anything.
” Doctors at Grand View Hospital in Rifle confirmed she had pneumonia and treated her there but didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-isolated for 10 days before symptoms disappeared .
But a follow-up test showed she still had coronavirus .
After more rest , Grajales feels “ 90 % better , maybe 95 , ” she said .
Waiting her turn for yet another test , Grajales said the knowledge and contacts she ’ s gained working in health care helped her acquire tests and treatment , with some effort .
“ It was hard for me , ” she said .
“ I can ’ t imagine how hard it would be for other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Dawna Numbers arrived .
The rain had paused , so the 48-year-old moved quickly to load her clothes in plastic bags into the back of her red Kia for the long journey on a mostly empty interstate .
With no money for rent , Numbers was headed for her mother ’ s house on the Front Range .
Numbers has been out of work since March 25 , when the coronavirus outbreak eliminated her night shift job at a fishing-line factory in Grand Junction .
Like many Americans , she had tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The state unemployment office had been slammed with more than 230,000 new claims in the last month , slowing services to a crawl .
“ I ’ ve never just felt so alone , ” she said .
Maybe this crisis would bring out something better in people , she hoped .
Maybe she ’ d have better luck in Denver .
“ We just need to do the best we can and hopefully this ends soon and somehow we can go back to some kind of normal life , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was before.
” 2 p.m. : On the road from Steamboat Springs to Oak Creek Nolan Christopher Dreher ’ s parents tucked him into his car seat in the back of their Toyota Highlander and drove snowy roads from Steamboat Springs to their home in Oak Creek .
Nolan , cozy in a white onesie with bears on it , was two days old and on his way to meet his brothers .
Lauren Dreher was hoping she had been careful enough , that the nurses and doctors and the woman who came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the trash were not infected with the virus .
“ At the end of the day you have to know that you did everything you could do , ” she said .
“ I ’ m just hoping that that ’ s enough .
I was trying so hard not to touch my face .
You ’ re in labor and you brush your hair out of your face and wipe your brow.
” Dreher , who had a complicated second pregnancy , planned to give birth to Nolan in Denver with an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mind as she watched COVID-19 cases climb in the city .
Plus , UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center isn ’ t nearly as busy .
“ It was just kind of eerie how quiet it was , ” Dreher said .
Adding to that surreal feeling was the fact that “ everyone you came into contact with was wearing a mask , from the security guard to the nurses and doctors.
” Dreher ’ s delivery team wore N95 masks and face shields .
The Drehers are both furloughed .
Lauren works for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a French restaurant in Steamboat .
They are trying to look at the bright side — more time with their new baby and sons Calvin , 6 , and Landon , 4 .
By late afternoon all were back in their warm home with a fresh blanket of snow outside , the first time together as a family of five .
In a building that can hold up to 200 praying together , Imam Muhammad Kolila was alone as he prayed the Salat al- ‘ asr , one of Islam ’ s five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things I really miss about community , before coronavirus , is that sense of belonging and that sense of human , physical interactions , ” he said afterward .
Kolila has highlighted such teachings online .
Like religious leaders of all faith traditions , Kolila has been streaming services — in his case , since March 16 — to provide spiritual direction at a trying time and keep his congregation connected as best he can .
“ One of the main objectives and one of the main missions of this mosque is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come and pray , and connect with God , but right now we can not create that safe space–physically , ” he said .
“ This is why our biggest challenge is to create the space virtually.
” Capt .
Colin Brunt climbed into Brighton Fire Rescue Tower 51 , a 46-foot long fire truck with a ladder .
Trailed by his colleagues in Engine 52 , Brunt traveled to Bason Kramer ’ s house to wish the 5-year-old a happy birthday .
When they arrived , the crews switched on their lights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stepped out to hand the boy a certificate .
This was not a typical day for the Brighton Fire Department , but it was a welcome one .
Since COVID-19 began to spread , Brunt has worked six 48-hour rotations .
Before the birthday party , Brunt ’ s unit extinguished a car fire , helped out on a call of a tractor-trailer hanging off the side of a highway and responded to a fire alarm .
Brunt takes a mask and worries about exposure to the coronavirus .
“ That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our heads , bringing something back to our family , ” said Brunt , who is married and has two daughters in kindergarten .
Birthday drive-bys — which more fire departments are doing to lift the spirits of children stuck at home — and other non-coronavirus calls are a nice change .
“ It ’ s a morale booster , ” Brunt said .
Cat Garcia had been waiting for the call from the nurses at the neonatal intensive care unit , hoping to hear good news about her baby twin boys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks earlier , she lay in St. Joseph Hospital about to undergo an emergency cesarean section .
Garcia wasn ’ t due for another six weeks but her doctors felt like they had little choice : She had tested positive for COVID-19 , had pneumonia , and was having difficulty breathing .
Bright lights filled the room .
Doctors and nurses were covered from head to toe in PPE .
The drugs began to take hold , and everything went dark .
When Garcia woke up , she had a breathing tube in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her phone to show pictures of her newborn sons , Kal and Bruce .
It was the closest she was going to get to them .
Garcia ’ s husband , Zach , who works for the Transportation Security Administration at Denver International Airport , had begun to show symptoms of COVID-19 on March 19 .
Cat Garcia developed a violent cough not long after .
Released from the hospital while Kal and Bruce gained strength in the NICU , Garcia returned home .
She pumped milk and unpacked baby clothes while hoping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came , the news wasn ’ t good .
The twins — both of whom have tested negative for the coronavirus — still weren ’ t feeding well enough .
Watching them on the NICU webcam would have to do for a while longer .
“ We haven ’ t been able to hold them or see them , ” Garcia said .
Three days later , the twins were sleeping in car seats on their way home , dressed in matching powder-blue pajamas and hooked up to oxygen to help them breathe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mercedes Rincon has studied a molecule so obscure and unremarkable that even her colleagues tease her about it .
The Spanish-born professor in the University of Colorado ’ s Department of Immunology and Microbiology was doing postdoctoral work at Yale when she stumbled upon an article about interleukin-6 , or IL-6 .
She became fascinated with the molecule commonly produced in inflammation , which is familiar to arthritis and cancer researchers searching for treatments .
When the coronavirus began wreaking havoc on human lungs , Rincon saw a familiar microscopic face in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lungs of the most severely affected patients .
Whether IL-6 is a cause or a consequence of the coronavirus , Rincon isn ’ t sure .
But she hypothesizes that drugs like tocilizumab , traditionally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis , could possibly target IL-6 and prevent it from producing more damaging inflammatory molecules .
Early results from studies in China , as well as research in Europe and at the University of Vermont , show some promise .
“ We can ’ t conclude anything yet , ” she cautioned .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ We need more data.
” As the clock approached midnight , a long day coming to a close , Rincon got to work crafting a grant proposal .
She wants the University of Colorado to be at the forefront of this research .
With a little funding and a little luck , Rincon and her obscure molecule might just provide Coloradans — and the rest of the world — with a reason to hope .
This story is powered by COLab , the Colorado News Collaborative .
The Denver Post joined this collaboration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colorado to better serve the public .
Join our Facebook group for the latest updates on coronavirus in Colorado .

A teacher greets her students. An imam counsels his congregants. A firefighter reports for duty. New parents take their baby home from the hospital.
These are routine moments in the lives of Coloradans. But the coronavirus has transformed the routine into the remarkable, upending how we live and interact with each other.
As a heavy spring snow blanketed the state on Thursday, April 16, journalists from news organizations across Colorado set out to chronicle a day in the life of the state’s residents during this extraordinary time.
It happened that this day was the deadliest to date in the U.S. for the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 4,500 people died. Colorado’s state health department reported 17 more deaths, and that the death toll had hit 374 — a figure that would later balloon to more than 500 as more reports of COVID-19 victims surfaced.
The statewide order to shut down non-essential businesses — issued a month before to the day — had taken a toll. In that month-long period, more than 231,000 people filed for unemployment, just short of the 285,000 unemployment claims filed in all of 2009 during the height of the great recession.
The Colorado stories of April 16 show how much has changed in such a short amount of time. Teachers now instruct students over screens. Doctors speak to patients through masks and face shields. Newborn babies are quarantined from sick parents.
But the journalists also chronicled how, even as Colorado stares down uncertainty, death and illness, life goes on. Birthdays are celebrated. Prayers are said.
And in what feels like a dark hour, there are moments of hope.
Stories from across Colorado
Read “Colorado COVID-19 diaries: A day in the coronavirus pandemic” stories from different media organizations across the state.
7 a.m.: Venture For Success Preparatory Learning Center, Denver
Dressed in purple scrub pants and a print top, Catherine Scott started her work day with a spray bottle of bleach solution, wiping down door handles, tables and a laptop keyboard.
Scott is not a health care worker, but a preschool teacher — often tasked with opening the child care center where she works in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood.
When children began arriving with their parents, Scott met them at the front door, thermometer in hand. After temperature checks, parents logged their child’s arrival on the laptop, and everybody washed their hands in the sink up front.
Scott had just three children in her classroom — a 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old. It was a far cry from the usual 15 she would have on a day without coronavirus.
After many child care providers closed last month, state officials recommended they stay open, with precautions, to care for the children of working parents.
One of the biggest challenges of preschool in the coronavirus era is social distancing. Instead of the usual snuggles and hugs, Scott has switched to distance hugs, air high fives, and pats on the back. One student spontaneously jumped into her lap, then quickly realized her mistake.
“I sorry,” the girl said. “Air high five.”
Ann Schimke, Chalkbeat
7 a.m.: Work & Class restaurant in Denver
By the time Tabatha Knop walked into her Larimer Street restaurant, her chefs had been there an hour, making carnitas to fill breakfast burritos for whoever would venture out that day in the snow.
Knop’s schedule hadn’t changed much from five weeks ago, but her team had. In early March, business was thrumming six nights a week for the destination-dinner spot.
Work & Class’ motto has always been “square meal, stiff drink, fair price.” It sits across the street from sister restaurant Super Mega Bien, which Knop and her business partners shuttered for the duration of the coronavirus shutdown after laying off 57 employees in a single day.
“We’ve stopped counting the days, really; we’re mostly just counting the weeks,” Knop said. “Every day feels the same, sort of, at this point.”
The team on Friday would deliver 91 burritos to families in Curtis Park through that neighborhood association’s Meal Train. Saturday’s orders included 200 meals for Swedish Medical Center. Knop said a few more of her cooks volunteered to help with evening prep.
Even with Super Mega Bien closed, Knop was dealing with unexpected costs there. Two nights prior, a window at the entrance was broken around 1 a.m., “but thank God (whoever did it) was not able to get in,” Knop said.
Josie Sexton, The Denver Post
8 a.m.: COVID-19 unit, St. Joseph Hospital, Denver
Dr. Peter Stubenrauch reviewed patients’ charts with his medical team during morning rounds.
Nearly every patient in the unit was on a ventilator, that precious piece of equipment that can be the difference between life and death during the coronavirus crisis.
The medical guidance on COVID-19 is evolving fast. Stubenrauch, a critical care pulmonologist with National Jewish Health, which staffs and manages the ICU, said doctors use the “tried and true” approaches to respiratory illness and are eyeing experimental treatments being developed. He recommended that one of his patients be added to a promising drug study. If she’s accepted, she could get the drug or a placebo the research requires. He can’t know.
Consultations with families are done by phone. Discussing life and death matters but not doing it face to face, with family members who can’t even be together with their loved one, is heartbreaking. And the uncertainty about COVID-19 means preparing families for the worst.
“You by no means have any interest in giving up on a patient, particularly someone who came into the intensive care unit relatively recently,” Stubenrauch said. But he must “also set the expectation that we’re observing a lot of patients who remain on mechanical ventilation for prolonged periods of time and can quite suddenly take turns for the worse and pass away.”
By his shift’s end, the news in the unit was brighter. There were no new admissions for the day.
Kelley Griffin, CPR News
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post Denver Mayor Michael Hancock listens during the morning briefing at the Emergency Operations Center at the Denver City and County building on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post Public Information Officer Loa Esquilin, right, asks a question to Logistics section chief Todd Richardson, left, at the Emergency Operations Center in the Denver City and County building on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post Denver mayor Michael Hancock cleans his hands with sanitizer before the morning briefing at the Emergency Operations Center at the Denver City and County building on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post Community Planner David Gaspers discusses recovery planning scenarios during a meeting at the Emergency Operations Center at the Denver City and County building on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post Denver mayor Michael Hancock, front right, listens to questions during a meeting in the Emergency Operations Center at the Denver City and County building on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post Seth Foldy of the Denver Health and Hospital Authority adjusts his mask at the Emergency Operations Center in the Denver City and County building on Thursday. April 16, 2020.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, left, talks with Bob McDonald, Department of Public Health & Environment executive director, after the morning briefing at the Emergency Operations Center in the Denver City and County building on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post Safety Administrator Sharon Davis updates a report during the morning briefing at the Emergency Operations Center in the Denver City and County building on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post Denver mayor Michael Hancock heads to his office from the Emergency Operations Center during a lunch break at the Denver City and County building on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post Denver mayor Michael Hancock checks messages at his office in the Denver City and County building on Thursday. April 16, 2020.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post Denver mayor Michael Hancock heads to Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center for a blood donation on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post Denver mayor Michael Hancock, right, donates blood with help from Trevor Hall at Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
9:10 a.m.: Denver City and County Building
Speaking in a basement room of a mostly quiet City and County building, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock told a dozen Emergency Operations Center staff gathered before him and others watching online that citizens need the safety and security only they can provide.
Hancock’s days are filled with meetings. Questions and concerns pile up with each one.
More residents are ignoring the stay-at-home order he put in place through the end of April to control the spread of the virus. How can Denver ease restrictions equitably? Will businesses hurt more if they open at half capacity? Should there be a curfew?
The city government, like public agencies across Colorado, faces a dire loss of tax revenue from virus-prompted shutdowns and potential furloughs of employees and other steps.
“In every challenge, the people are looking for that group of people who are going to stand up and fight on their behalf,” Hancock said. “We’re the people. We’re the ones.”
Conrad Swanson, The Denver Post
11:15 a.m.: Avery Parsons Elementary School, Buena Vista
The vehicles pulled into the parking lot on the west side of the school.
Michelle Cunningham was there in a surgical mask and gloves, greeting parents and students by name and giving them thumbs-up signs and smiles in lieu of high-fives and hugs.
The school counselor has been struck by the volume of families showing up for free meals. Though nearly one-third of the school district’s roughly 1,100 students are eligible for government-subsidized lunches, a measure of poverty, only about 40 children a day typically take advantage, she said. Now the district is handing out 400 meals a day, she said.
“As counselors, we know brains work best when physiological needs are met,” Cunningham said. “Its benefits go beyond food. I’m out where I connect with families.”
In communities across the country, school buildings closed for learning remain open for meal distribution, extending a social safety net during the crisis. That holds true in Buena Vista, a tourism-dependent community set amid the majestic Collegiate Peaks.
With retailers, restaurants, and other small businesses closed, hundreds of families are out of work.
Even so, Cunningham said she is proud of how the community has rallied.
“The school board, the business owners, the community leaders, the churches, the school’s lunch ladies … Everyone is stepping up in so many ways to support each other.”
Jan Wondra, Ark Valley Voice
Noon: Parking lot of the El Jebel Laundromat, Eagle County
Fabiola Grajales waited for the nose swab that would tell her whether she was finally free of the coronavirus and able to be near her family again.
In one of Colorado’s COVID-19 hotspots, a coalition of Eagle County Public Health, MidValley Family Practice and the Mobile Intercultural Resource Alliance has set up this free mobile testing site.
Grajales, 27, a medical assistant at a Glenwood Springs clinic, said she started feeling sick March 2 and tested positive for the virus March 6. Over the next week, her cough worsened and she experienced shortness of breath.
“You know when you step on dry leaves? I could hear that sound coming from my lungs.”
“You get really bad headaches,” Grajales continued. “You feel like your eyes, they’re going to pop out. I couldn’t smell or taste anything.”
Doctors at Grand River Hospital in Rifle confirmed she had pneumonia, which is common among COVID-19 patients, and treated her there but didn’t admit her, she said.
She self-isolated for 10 days before symptoms disappeared. But a follow-up test showed she still had coronavirus. After more rest, Grajales feels “90% better, maybe 95,” she said.
Waiting her turn for yet another test, Grajales said the knowledge and contacts she’s gained working in health care helped her acquire tests and treatment, with some effort.
“It was hard for me,” she said. “I can’t imagine how hard it would be for other people.”
Scott Condon, The Aspen Times
1:30 p.m.: Self-storage locker, Grand Junction
The self-storage yard was empty when Dawna Numbers arrived.
The rain had paused, so the 48-year-old moved quickly to load her clothes in plastic bags into the back of her red Kia for the long journey on a mostly empty interstate.
With no money for rent, Numbers was headed for her mother’s house on the Front Range.
Numbers has been out of work since March 25, when the coronavirus outbreak eliminated her night shift job at a fishing-line factory in Grand Junction. Like many Americans, she had tried fruitlessly to file for unemployment benefits. The state unemployment office had been slammed with more than 230,000 new claims in the last month, slowing services to a crawl.
“I’ve never just felt so alone,” she said. Maybe this crisis would bring out something better in people, she hoped. Maybe she’d have better luck in Denver.
“We just need to do the best we can and hopefully this ends soon and somehow we can go back to some kind of normal life,” she said. “Or hopefully better than it was before.”
Andrew Kenney, CPR News
2 p.m.: On the road from Steamboat Springs to Oak Creek
Nolan Christopher Dreher’s parents tucked him into his car seat in the back of their Toyota Highlander and drove snowy roads from Steamboat Springs to their home in Oak Creek. Nolan, cozy in a white onesie with bears on it, was two days old and on his way to meet his brothers.
Lauren Dreher was hoping she had been careful enough, that the nurses and doctors and the woman who came in her hospital room to take out the trash were not infected with the virus.
“At the end of the day you have to know that you did everything you could do,” she said. “I’m just hoping that that’s enough. I was trying so hard not to touch my face. You’re in labor and you brush your hair out of your face and wipe your brow.”
Dreher, who had a complicated second pregnancy, planned to give birth to Nolan in Denver with an at-risk pregnancy specialist. She changed her mind as she watched COVID-19 cases climb in the city. Plus, UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center isn’t nearly as busy.
“It was just kind of eerie how quiet it was,” Dreher said. Adding to that surreal feeling was the fact that “everyone you came into contact with was wearing a mask, from the security guard to the nurses and doctors.” Dreher’s delivery team wore N95 masks and face shields.
The Drehers are both furloughed. Lauren works for an orthodontist, and Christopher works at a French restaurant in Steamboat. They are trying to look at the bright side — more time with their new baby and sons Calvin, 6, and Landon, 4.
By late afternoon all were back in their warm home with a fresh blanket of snow outside, the first time together as a family of five.
Jennifer Brown, Colorado Sun
4:44 p.m.: Masjid Al-Shuhada, downtown Denver
In a building that can hold up to 200 praying together, Imam Muhammad Kolila was alone as he prayed the Salat al-‘asr, one of Islam’s five daily prayers.
“One of the things I really miss about community, before coronavirus, is that sense of belonging and that sense of human, physical interactions,” he said afterward.
Kolila has highlighted such teachings online. Like religious leaders of all faith traditions, Kolila has been streaming services — in his case, since March 16 — to provide spiritual direction at a trying time and keep his congregation connected as best he can.
“One of the main objectives and one of the main missions of this mosque is to provide a safe space for people to come and pray, and connect with God, but right now we cannot create that safe space–physically,” he said. “This is why our biggest challenge is to create the space virtually.”
Victoria Carodine, 5280
5 p.m.: Fire Station 52, Brighton
Capt. Colin Brunt climbed into Brighton Fire Rescue Tower 51, a 46-foot long fire truck with a ladder. Trailed by his colleagues in Engine 52, Brunt traveled to Bason Kramer’s house to wish the 5-year-old a happy birthday. When they arrived, the crews switched on their lights and honked their horns while a firefighter stepped out to hand the boy a certificate.
This was not a typical day for the Brighton Fire Department, but it was a welcome one.
Since COVID-19 began to spread, Brunt has worked six 48-hour rotations.
Before the birthday party, Brunt’s unit extinguished a car fire, helped out on a call of a tractor-trailer hanging off the side of a highway and responded to a fire alarm. Brunt takes a mask and worries about exposure to the coronavirus.
“That’s our worst-case scenario that goes through all of our heads, bringing something back to our family,” said Brunt, who is married and has two daughters in kindergarten.
Birthday drive-bys — which more fire departments are doing to lift the spirits of children stuck at home — and other non-coronavirus calls are a nice change. “It’s a morale booster,” Brunt said.
Liam Adams, MetroWest newspapers
6:30 p.m.: home of Cat and Zach Garcia, Aurora
Cat Garcia had been waiting for the call from the nurses at the neonatal intensive care unit, hoping to hear good news about her baby twin boys she had yet to meet.
Three weeks earlier, she lay in St. Joseph Hospital about to undergo an emergency cesarean section. Garcia wasn’t due for another six weeks but her doctors felt like they had little choice: She had tested positive for COVID-19, had pneumonia, and was having difficulty breathing.
Bright lights filled the room. Doctors and nurses were covered from head to toe in PPE. The drugs began to take hold, and everything went dark.
When Garcia woke up, she had a breathing tube in her mouth. A nurse held up her phone to show pictures of her newborn sons, Kal and Bruce. It was the closest she was going to get to them.
Garcia’s husband, Zach, who works for the Transportation Security Administration at Denver International Airport, had begun to show symptoms of COVID-19 on March 19. Cat Garcia developed a violent cough not long after.
Released from the hospital while Kal and Bruce gained strength in the NICU, Garcia returned home. She pumped milk and unpacked baby clothes while hoping for good news.
When the call came, the news wasn’t good. The twins — both of whom have tested negative for the coronavirus — still weren’t feeding well enough. Watching them on the NICU webcam would have to do for a while longer.
“We haven’t been able to hold them or see them,” Garcia said.
Three days later, the twins were sleeping in car seats on their way home, dressed in matching powder-blue pajamas and hooked up to oxygen to help them breathe.
Adilene Guajardo, Denver 7
11:30 p.m.: Dr. Mercedes Rincon’s home office, Aurora
For nearly three decades, Dr. Mercedes Rincon has studied a molecule so obscure and unremarkable that even her colleagues tease her about it.
The Spanish-born professor in the University of Colorado’s Department of Immunology and Microbiology was doing postdoctoral work at Yale when she stumbled upon an article about interleukin-6, or IL-6.
She became fascinated with the molecule commonly produced in inflammation, which is familiar to arthritis and cancer researchers searching for treatments.
When the coronavirus began wreaking havoc on human lungs, Rincon saw a familiar microscopic face in the mix: IL-6 is consistently present in the lungs of the most severely affected patients.
Whether IL-6 is a cause or a consequence of the coronavirus, Rincon isn’t sure. But she hypothesizes that drugs like tocilizumab, traditionally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, could possibly target IL-6 and prevent it from producing more damaging inflammatory molecules.
Early results from studies in China, as well as research in Europe and at the University of Vermont, show some promise.
“We can’t conclude anything yet,” she cautioned. “We have to be careful. We need more data.”
As the clock approached midnight, a long day coming to a close, Rincon got to work crafting a grant proposal. She wants the University of Colorado to be at the forefront of this research.
With a little funding and a little luck, Rincon and her obscure molecule might just provide Coloradans — and the rest of the world — with a reason to hope.
Jay Bouchard, 5280
This story is powered by COLab, the Colorado News Collaborative. The Denver Post joined this collaboration with more than 20 other newsrooms across Colorado to better serve the public.
Join our Facebook group for the latest updates on coronavirus in Colorado.


thedenverpost--2020-04-26--Broncos Insider: Jerry Jeudy proves his dance moves are far better than commissioner Roger Goodell’s

While the Broncos were widely praised for their first-round selection of Jerry Jeudy on Thursday , the Alabama wideout also drew attention for his dance with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell .
Jeudy and Goodell performed a TicTok video to the tune of Drake ’ s “ Tootsie Slide , ” with Jeudy looking much more adept on the floor than the commissioner ’ s mechanical dance moves .
“ I guess ( the NFL ) just told me he wanted to do a TikTok with me , so I did it , ” Jeudy said .
“ I ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretty good .
I feel like I did a little bit better than him though .
Don ’ t tell him I told you that , but we did pretty good ( laughs ) .
” Jeudy scored 24 touchdowns over his last 28 games with the Crimson Tide .
He also had 29 catches of at least 16 yards last year .
The 21-year-old is expected to be the team ’ s No .
2 wideout opposite Courtland Sutton .
NEW 💥 If you enjoy The Denver Post ’ s sports coverage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for you !
Try the first month for just 99¢ + Broncos Mailbag : Have a question about the team ?
Tap here to ask Ryan O ’ Halloran .
Broncos rookie Jerry Jeudy could be better in the NFL than he was at Alabama , coaches say Jerry Jeudy ’ s light shines for his mother , Marie , who left her native Haiti for the States at the age of 14 and worked as a single mom to keep the family fed .
It shines for Aaliyah , who was born @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease that required tubes to help her breathe and eat .
Read more… Offseason approach for Broncos ’ John Elway , Vic Fangio ?
All about Kansas City Broncos general manager John Elway ’ s 2020 Offseason Mission Statement should be called , “ How We Will Catch Kansas City.
” Read more… Keeler : Garett Bolles was the biggest winner of Broncos ’ 2020 draft John Elway promised an open competition at left tackle this fall .
And has yet to add anyone to the roster who would make that competition , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more… + Kickin ’ It with Kiz : What good are Broncos ’ shiny new toys if Garett Bolles gets quarterback Drew Lock hurt ?
+ Broncos Analysis : Drew Lock ’ s good week continues with drafting of receiver and center + Grading Broncos ’ 2020 NFL draft : The Post ’ s sports staff weigh in on John Elway ’ s weekend + Jerry Jeudy is the fifth wide receiver selected by Broncos in first round of NFL draft .
Here ’ s how the other four fared .
+ Albert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Broncos in last six NFL drafts .
Here ’ s how the others fared .
+ Broncos ’ Lloyd Cushenberry pick closes books on 2019 trade with Pittsburgh Steelers .
Who won the deal ?
+ Grading Broncos ’ 2020 NFL draft : The Post ’ s sports staff weigh in on John Elway ’ s weekend + Grading Broncos ’ Day 1 of the NFL draft : The Post ’ s sports staff weigh in on the first round + Grading Broncos ’ Day 2 of the NFL draft : The Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second , third rounds + Three winners and three losers from first round of the 2020 NFL Draft + Want to chat about the Broncos ?
Ask to join our closed discussion group on Facebook .
Broncos Briefs : 10 draft picks , but no offensive tackles for John Elway and Co .
Seven rounds came and went and the Broncos did not use one of their 10 draft picks on an offensive tackle .
Read more… WATCH : Peyton Manning opens 2020 NFL draft on ESPN with video about hope The 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video featuring a narration from former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning on the message of hope amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Read more… If you see something that ’ s cause for question or have a comment , thought or suggestion , email me at dboniface @ denverpost.com or tweet me @ danielboniface .

While the Broncos were widely praised for their first-round selection of Jerry Jeudy on Thursday, the Alabama wideout also drew attention for his dance with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Jeudy and Goodell performed a TicTok video to the tune of Drake’s “Tootsie Slide,” with Jeudy looking much more adept on the floor than the commissioner’s mechanical dance moves.
“I guess (the NFL) just told me he wanted to do a TikTok with me, so I did it,” Jeudy said. “I’ve seen it. I feel like we pretty good. I feel like I did a little bit better than him though. Don’t tell him I told you that, but we did pretty good (laughs).”
Jeudy scored 24 touchdowns over his last 28 games with the Crimson Tide. He also had 29 catches of at least 16 yards last year. The 21-year-old is expected to be the team’s No. 2 wideout opposite Courtland Sutton.
— Kyle Newman, The Denver Post
NEW 💥 If you enjoy The Denver Post’s sports coverage, we have a new subscription offer for you! Try the first month for just 99¢
What’s on tap?
TV/RADIO: Here’s what sports are airing today
Ask the Expert
+ Broncos Mailbag: Have a question about the team? Tap here to ask Ryan O’Halloran.
Must-Read
Jerry Jeudy’s light shines for his mother, Marie, who left her native Haiti for the States at the age of 14 and worked as a single mom to keep the family fed. It shines for Aaliyah, who was born with trisomy 18, a rare chromosomal disease that required tubes to help her breathe and eat. Read more…
Broncos general manager John Elway’s 2020 Offseason Mission Statement should be called, “How We Will Catch Kansas City.” Read more…
John Elway promised an open competition at left tackle this fall. And has yet to add anyone to the roster who would make that competition, you know, truly open. Read more…
Quick Hits
+ Kickin’ It with Kiz: What good are Broncos’ shiny new toys if Garett Bolles gets quarterback Drew Lock hurt?
+ Broncos Analysis: Drew Lock’s good week continues with drafting of receiver and center
+ Grading Broncos’ 2020 NFL draft: The Post’s sports staff weigh in on John Elway’s weekend
+ Jerry Jeudy is the fifth wide receiver selected by Broncos in first round of NFL draft. Here’s how the other four fared.
+ Albert Okwegbunam is fifth tight end picked by Broncos in last six NFL drafts. Here’s how the others fared.
+ Broncos’ Lloyd Cushenberry pick closes books on 2019 trade with Pittsburgh Steelers. Who won the deal?
+ Grading Broncos’ 2020 NFL draft: The Post’s sports staff weigh in on John Elway’s weekend
+ Grading Broncos’ Day 1 of the NFL draft: The Post’s sports staff weigh in on the first round
+ Grading Broncos’ Day 2 of the NFL draft: The Post’s sports staff weigh in on second, third rounds
+ Three winners and three losers from first round of the 2020 NFL Draft
+ Want to chat about the Broncos? Ask to join our closed discussion group on Facebook.
2020 draft picks
Jerry Jeudy | KJ Hamler | Michael Ojemudia | Lloyd Cushenberry | McTelvin Agim | Albert Okwuegbunam | Justin Strnad | Netane Muti | Tyrie Cleveland | Derrek Tuszka
By The Numbers
10
Seven rounds came and went and the Broncos did not use one of their 10 draft picks on an offensive tackle. Read more…
Parting Shot
The 2020 NFL draft on Thursday opened with a video featuring a narration from former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning on the message of hope amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read more…
Get in Touch
If you see something that’s cause for question or have a comment, thought or suggestion, email me at dboniface@denverpost.com or tweet me @danielboniface.


thedenverpost--2020-04-27--White House aiming for Trump pivot from coronavirus to economy

WASHINGTON — After two months of frantic response to the coronavirus , the White House is planning to shift President Donald Trump ’ s public focus to the burgeoning efforts aimed at easing the economic devastation caused by the pandemic .
Days after he publicly mused that scientists should explore the injection of toxic disinfectants as a potential virus cure , Trump has now rejected the utility of his daily task force briefings , where he has time and again clashed with scientific experts .
Trump ’ s aides are aiming to move the president onto more familiar — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talking up the economy , in tighter controlled settings .
It ’ s a political imperative as allies have seen an erosion in support for the president .
What had been his greatest asset in the reelection campaign , his ability to blanket news headlines with freewheeling performances , has become a daily liability .
At the same time , new Republican Party polling shows Trump ’ s path to a second term depends on the public ’ s perception of how quickly the economic rebounds from the state-by-state shutdowns meant to slow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states have started to ease closure orders , and Trump is expected to begin to highlight his administration ’ s work in helping businesses and employees .
Aides said the president would hold more frequent roundtables with CEOs , business owners and beneficiaries of the trillions of dollars in federal aid already approved by Congress , and begin to outline what he hopes to see in a future recovery package .
Trump last left the White House grounds a month ago , and plans are being drawn up for a limited schedule of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aide said .
It would be a symbolic show that the nation is beginning to reopen .
The shift comes in conjunction with what the White House sees as encouraging signs across the country , with the pace of new infections stabilizing and deaths declining .
Still , medical experts warn that the virus will remain until at least a vaccine is developed and that the risk of a severe second wave is high if social distancing is relaxed too quickly or if testing and contact tracing schemes aren ’ t developed before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House is deliberating whether to continue to hold news briefings in a modified form without Trump , potentially at a different location .
Before Trump said in a tweet Saturday that they were “ Not worth the time & effort , ” aides had been eager to use the briefings to highlight positive trends and to overwhelm Americans with statistics .
It was an effort to restore confidence in the response so that the public would be comfortable resuming more normal activities .
“ We know that ’ s important , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus task force coordinator , told Fox News Channel ’ s “ Sunday Morning Futures.
” “ We understand those messages of science and policy need to be brought forward to the American people in a nonpolitical way.
” Few Americans regularly look to or trust Trump as a source of information on the pandemic , according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released last week .
On Monday , the White House was expected to release a recap of what the federal government has done so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing , personal protective equipment and ventilators .
Still , governors in both parties say much more is needed , particularly in testing , in the coming months , as they deliberate how and when to reopen their states .
“ I want to get our economy back opened just as soon as we can , but I want to do so in a safe way so we don ’ t have a spike , we don ’ t cause more deaths , or an overloading of our health care system , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told ABC ’ s “ This Week.
” Birx expressed frustration that Trump ’ s injection comments were still in the headlines , illustrating the tensions that have emerged between the president and his medical advisers .
“ As a scientist and a public health official and a researcher , sometimes , I worry that we don ’ t get the information to the American people that they need , when we continue to bring up something that was from Thursday night , ” she said on CNN ’ s “ State of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hopes it has turned a corner , it is also beginning to assess responsibility for critical missteps .
Two senior administration officials said Trump has begun discussions about replacing Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar , who led the coronavirus task force during its initial weeks and has been blamed for a culture of bureaucratic infighting during that period .
Azar has been largely sidelined since Vice President Mike Pence took charge of the task force in late February .
Trump on Sunday denied that he was going to fire Azar in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing an excellent job !
”

WASHINGTON — After two months of frantic response to the coronavirus, the White House is planning to shift President Donald Trump’s public focus to the burgeoning efforts aimed at easing the economic devastation caused by the pandemic.
Days after he publicly mused that scientists should explore the injection of toxic disinfectants as a potential virus cure, Trump has now rejected the utility of his daily task force briefings, where he has time and again clashed with scientific experts. Trump’s aides are aiming to move the president onto more familiar — and safer, they hope — ground: talking up the economy, in tighter controlled settings.
It’s a political imperative as allies have seen an erosion in support for the president. What had been his greatest asset in the reelection campaign, his ability to blanket news headlines with freewheeling performances, has become a daily liability. At the same time, new Republican Party polling shows Trump’s path to a second term depends on the public’s perception of how quickly the economic rebounds from the state-by-state shutdowns meant to slow the spread of the virus.
Some states have started to ease closure orders, and Trump is expected to begin to highlight his administration’s work in helping businesses and employees. Aides said the president would hold more frequent roundtables with CEOs, business owners and beneficiaries of the trillions of dollars in federal aid already approved by Congress, and begin to outline what he hopes to see in a future recovery package.
Trump last left the White House grounds a month ago, and plans are being drawn up for a limited schedule of travel within the next few weeks, aide said. It would be a symbolic show that the nation is beginning to reopen.
The shift comes in conjunction with what the White House sees as encouraging signs across the country, with the pace of new infections stabilizing and deaths declining.
Still, medical experts warn that the virus will remain until at least a vaccine is developed and that the risk of a severe second wave is high if social distancing is relaxed too quickly or if testing and contact tracing schemes aren’t developed before people return to normal behaviors.
The White House is deliberating whether to continue to hold news briefings in a modified form without Trump, potentially at a different location. Before Trump said in a tweet Saturday that they were “Not worth the time & effort,” aides had been eager to use the briefings to highlight positive trends and to overwhelm Americans with statistics. It was an effort to restore confidence in the response so that the public would be comfortable resuming more normal activities.
“We know that’s important,” Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” “We understand those messages of science and policy need to be brought forward to the American people in a nonpolitical way.”
Few Americans regularly look to or trust Trump as a source of information on the pandemic, according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released last week.
On Monday, the White House was expected to release a recap of what the federal government has done so far to improve the availability of COVID-19 testing, personal protective equipment and ventilators.
Still, governors in both parties say much more is needed, particularly in testing, in the coming months, as they deliberate how and when to reopen their states.
“I want to get our economy back opened just as soon as we can, but I want to do so in a safe way so we don’t have a spike, we don’t cause more deaths, or an overloading of our health care system,” Gov. Larry Hogan, R-Md., told ABC’s “This Week.”
Birx expressed frustration that Trump’s injection comments were still in the headlines, illustrating the tensions that have emerged between the president and his medical advisers.
“As a scientist and a public health official and a researcher, sometimes, I worry that we don’t get the information to the American people that they need, when we continue to bring up something that was from Thursday night,” she said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
As the White House hopes it has turned a corner, it is also beginning to assess responsibility for critical missteps. Two senior administration officials said Trump has begun discussions about replacing Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who led the coronavirus task force during its initial weeks and has been blamed for a culture of bureaucratic infighting during that period. Azar has been largely sidelined since Vice President Mike Pence took charge of the task force in late February.
Trump on Sunday denied that he was going to fire Azar in a tweet, saying “Alex is doing an excellent job!”