thedenverpost--2020-12-03--U.S. unemployment claims remain high at 712,000 as coronavirus escalates

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell as the nation celebrated Thanksgiving last week to a still-high 712,000 , the latest sign that the U.S. economy and job market remain under stress from the intensified viral outbreak .
Thursday ’ s report from the Labor Department said that initial claims for jobless aid dropped from 787,000 the week before .
Before the virus paralyzed the economy in March , the number of people applying for unemployment benefits each week had typically amounted to roughly 225,000 .
The chronically high pace of applications shows that nearly nine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employers are still slashing jobs .
“ Thanksgiving seasonals likely explain the drop ” in jobless claims last week , Ian Shepherdson , chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics , wrote in a research note .
“ Expect a rebound next week.
” The total number of people who are continuing to receive traditional state unemployment benefits declined to 5.5 million from 6.1 million .
That figure is down sharply from its peak of nearly 23 million in May .
It means that some jobless Americans are finding jobs and no longer receiving aid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the unemployed have used up their state benefits , which typically expire after six months .
With layoffs still elevated and new confirmed viral cases in the United States now exceeding 160,000 a day on average , the economy ’ s modest recovery is increasingly in danger .
States and cities are issuing mask mandates , limiting the size of gatherings , restricting restaurant dining , closing gyms or reducing the hours and capacity of bars , stores and other businesses .
Most experts say the economy won ’ t be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is brought under control with an effective and widely used vaccine .
Many jobless Americans are now collecting checks under two federal programs that were set up this year to ease the economic pain inflicted by the pandemic .
But those programs are set to expire the day after Christmas .
When they do , benefits will end completely for an estimated 9.1 million unemployed people .
The number of people collecting aid under one of those programs — the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program , which offers coverage to gig workers and others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits —fell by 339,000 to 8.9 million for the week ending Nov. 14 .
But the number of people receiving aid under the second program — the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program , which provides 13 weeks of federal benefits to people who have exhausted their state aid — rose by 60,000 to 4.6 million .
All told , roughly 20.2 million people are now receiving some type of unemployment aid .
( Figures for the two pandemic-related programs aren ’ t adjusted for seasonal variations . )
Congress has failed for months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for jobless individuals and struggling businesses after the expiration of a multi-trillion dollar rescue package enacted in March .
This week , though , efforts to forge some limited short-term rescue package have intensified .
Democrats have scaled back their demands for a $ 2 trillion-plus measure by more than half in hopes of breaking the logjam .
Democratic leaders have lent their support to a nearly $ 1 trillion package as a “ basis ” for discussions .
This plan would establish a $ 300-a-week jobless benefit , send $ 160 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boost schools and universities , revive “ paycheck protection ” subsidies for businesses and bail out transit systems and airlines .
So far , though , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been unwilling to abandon a $ 550 million Senate Republican plan that failed twice this fall .
President-elect Joe Biden lent his support to the bipartisan effort Wednesday , saying the developing aid package “ wouldn ’ t be the answer , but it would be the immediate help for a lot of things.
” Biden said he wants a relief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more aid to follow next year .
Regardless of what happens on Capitol Hill , the promise of a vaccine could help ease the health and economic crises in coming months .
In the meantime , with the virus still raging , the economic damage has become increasingly visible .
The data firm Homebase reports that its measures of job market health — employees working , hours worked and businesses open — have deteriorated from where they stood in the summer .
“ We expect conditions to worsen , placing increased pressure on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struggle to survive , ″ Homebase researchers wrote .
Likewise , the data firm Womply estimates that 21 % of small businesses were shuttered at the start of November , up from June ’ s 16 % rate .
Womply also said that consumer spending at local businesses declined 30 % last month from a year earlier , marking a deterioration from a 20 % year-over-year decline in October .
Americans are bracing for the picture to worsen : Thirty percent of adults surveyed by the Commerce Department from Nov. 11 to 23 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ household expected to lose income in the next four weeks , up from 23 % of those surveyed from Sept. 30 to Oct. 12 .

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell as the nation celebrated Thanksgiving last week to a still-high 712,000, the latest sign that the U.S. economy and job market remain under stress from the intensified viral outbreak.
Thursday’s report from the Labor Department said that initial claims for jobless aid dropped from 787,000 the week before. Before the virus paralyzed the economy in March, the number of people applying for unemployment benefits each week had typically amounted to roughly 225,000. The chronically high pace of applications shows that nearly nine months after the pandemic struck, many employers are still slashing jobs.
“Thanksgiving seasonals likely explain the drop” in jobless claims last week, Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, wrote in a research note. “Expect a rebound next week.”
The total number of people who are continuing to receive traditional state unemployment benefits declined to 5.5 million from 6.1 million. That figure is down sharply from its peak of nearly 23 million in May. It means that some jobless Americans are finding jobs and no longer receiving aid. But it also indicates that many of the unemployed have used up their state benefits, which typically expire after six months.
With layoffs still elevated and new confirmed viral cases in the United States now exceeding 160,000 a day on average, the economy’s modest recovery is increasingly in danger. States and cities are issuing mask mandates, limiting the size of gatherings, restricting restaurant dining, closing gyms or reducing the hours and capacity of bars, stores and other businesses.
Most experts say the economy won’t be able to sustain a recovery until the virus is brought under control with an effective and widely used vaccine.
Many jobless Americans are now collecting checks under two federal programs that were set up this year to ease the economic pain inflicted by the pandemic. But those programs are set to expire the day after Christmas. When they do, benefits will end completely for an estimated 9.1 million unemployed people.
The number of people collecting aid under one of those programs — the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which offers coverage to gig workers and others who don’t qualify for traditional benefits —fell by 339,000 to 8.9 million for the week ending Nov. 14.
But the number of people receiving aid under the second program — the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, which provides 13 weeks of federal benefits to people who have exhausted their state aid — rose by 60,000 to 4.6 million.
All told, roughly 20.2 million people are now receiving some type of unemployment aid. (Figures for the two pandemic-related programs aren’t adjusted for seasonal variations.)
Congress has failed for months to agree on any new stimulus aid for jobless individuals and struggling businesses after the expiration of a multi-trillion dollar rescue package enacted in March. This week, though, efforts to forge some limited short-term rescue package have intensified. Democrats have scaled back their demands for a $2 trillion-plus measure by more than half in hopes of breaking the logjam.
Democratic leaders have lent their support to a nearly $1 trillion package as a “basis” for discussions. This plan would establish a $300-a-week jobless benefit, send $160 billion to help state and local governments, boost schools and universities, revive “paycheck protection” subsidies for businesses and bail out transit systems and airlines. So far, though, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been unwilling to abandon a $550 million Senate Republican plan that failed twice this fall.
President-elect Joe Biden lent his support to the bipartisan effort Wednesday, saying the developing aid package “wouldn’t be the answer, but it would be the immediate help for a lot of things.” Biden said he wants a relief bill to pass Congress now, with more aid to follow next year.
Regardless of what happens on Capitol Hill, the promise of a vaccine could help ease the health and economic crises in coming months. In the meantime, with the virus still raging, the economic damage has become increasingly visible. The data firm Homebase reports that its measures of job market health — employees working, hours worked and businesses open — have deteriorated from where they stood in the summer.
“We expect conditions to worsen, placing increased pressure on Main Street as small businesses continue to struggle to survive,″ Homebase researchers wrote.
Likewise, the data firm Womply estimates that 21% of small businesses were shuttered at the start of November, up from June’s 16% rate. Womply also said that consumer spending at local businesses declined 30% last month from a year earlier, marking a deterioration from a 20% year-over-year decline in October.
Americans are bracing for the picture to worsen: Thirty percent of adults surveyed by the Commerce Department from Nov. 11 to 23 reported that they or someone in their household expected to lose income in the next four weeks, up from 23% of those surveyed from Sept. 30 to Oct. 12.


thedenverpost--2020-12-03--Paying big bucks for Zoom college? Colorado universities explain why they’re not refunding tuition

Samuel Adamson , a University of Colorado Boulder sophomore from Grand Junction , is trading in his Buffs gear to become a Colorado Mesa University Maverick come spring .
The 19-year-old and his family , fed up paying a regular year ’ s tuition for what is anything but a regular university experience , decided to ditch his dreams of a Boulder college ride and transferred somewhere cheaper and closer to home .
With merit scholarships and in-state tuition , Adamson ’ s family was paying about $ 6,000 a semester for his engineering degree at CU .
He ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at CMU , where spring courses currently are expected to be a mix of in-person , online and hybrid .
“ I don ’ t want to be hard on the professors because I know they ’ re trying their best , but it ’ s so hard to get stuff out of the online classes that were clearly meant to be in-person classes , ” Adamson said .
“ So many you can tell are just forced into the online format and don ’ t translate well .
A lot of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Plus , I ’ m just sitting in my bedroom all day not having a college experience.
” Universities across Colorado largely have charged students the same tuition in 2020 compared to non-pandemic years — thousands to tens of thousands of dollars — for what is , arguably , the most disrupted , helter-skelter year in modern higher education history .
Colleges burdened by unrelenting COVID-19 costs in a state that poorly funds higher education are being harangued for not refunding some portion of students ’ tuition .
Meanwhile , members of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comprise a good chunk of tuition dollars are speaking out about working harder than ever while facing pay cuts and furloughs .
The nuanced situation — disappointed students and families , diligent faculty and staff , and a butchered budget — worries Colorado ’ s higher education chief , who believes colleges must figure out how to convey their value to students before they lose them .
“ I ’ m not sure that students are perceiving the value of higher education in this moment of crisis , ” said Angie Paccione , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Higher Education .
“ Why should I go with all the risks I might be taking ?
What is the value of it to me if I ’ m not getting the experience I thought I would have ?
” The value in higher education at any level , Paccione said , is earning a degree that lands its recipient a fulfilling job and maximizes their earning potential .
“ It ’ s critical that students get a credential , ” Paccione said .
“ Maybe not a bachelor ’ s , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to contribute to the economy , to the society and to your own livelihood and fulfillment , ” Paccione said .
“ When you do , you earn a whole lot more money .
One million dollars more in a lifetime , research shows.
” Paccione acknowledged most statewide institutions , hampered by restrictions on gatherings due to the novel coronavirus , haven ’ t been able to provide the traditional college experience of packed football stadiums , crowded lecture halls with boisterous conversations , and get-to-know-you events fostering community-building .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really didn ’ t change a whole lot , ” Paccione said .
“ When you move the content from face-to-face to online , it ’ s different in its delivery , but truly not different in substance and quality… it ’ s the experience that I don ’ t know if I would pay for — that lack of experience .
How do colleges , particularly four-year residential colleges , provide a different and even , perhaps , more meaningful experience virtually ?
That is a nut we have not been able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a second-year MBA student at CU Boulder ’ s Leeds School of Business , argues that she has neither received the quality education nor an experience worthy of the tens of thousands of dollars she ’ s shelled out over the spring , summer and fall semesters .
Volk has fought for a tuition refund for CU students since being rebuffed by university President Mark Kennedy , the majority of the Board of Regents and individual campus staff and faculty .
Over the summer , Volk paid more than $ 9,000 for two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous year ’ s summer classes , cut shorter due to the pandemic-prompted switch to remote learning .
“ After experiencing the remote instruction of spring , summer and now fall semester , I can confidently say that the program is of lesser quality and opportunity than what was offered when I enrolled in May 2019 , ” Volk said .
“ This is not what I signed up for .
This is not worth the price tag.
” Volk , who started the Too Much Tuition CU campaign , said she supports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that most instructors are doing their best .
But she said there are significant changes to the program she originally enrolled in that are not reflected in her tuition bills .
Volk presented her case to CU ’ s Board of Regents and leadership team , and partnered with Regent Heidi Ganahl , who proposed a failed motion for a $ 2,000 tuition rebate for full-time students .
A handful of American universities , largely private schools , are providing tuition refunds , including the Southern New Hampshire University , which is reducing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ covering 100 % of first-year tuition ; Johns Hopkins University , which is providing a 10 % undergraduate discount for the fall semester ; and Georgetown University , which is offering a 10 % tuition reduction for some undergraduate students .
Todd Saliman , CU ’ s chief financial officer , said a tuition rebate would cost the university about $ 130 million and cause upward of 850 staff and faculty to lose their jobs .
During a November meeting of the Board of Regents in which Volk shared her disappointment with tuition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tuition rebate , CU professors and staff shared their fears of lowering tuition at the expense of university jobs .
“ We are working so hard — harder than ever — to deliver on the educational mission , ” said Michael Zinser , a CU Denver psychology professor and faculty assembly chair .
“ We ’ ve been cut to the bone from a position of chronic state underfunding .
A refund like this would gut our mission.
” Volk and Ganahl said they don ’ t want the money to come out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would like to see some innovative thinking in which a multibillion-dollar enterprise identifies areas — building construction , administrative bloat , reserves — to make up the cost and give back to students .
“ We have to get back to basics in making sure the money students are spending is for great faculty and great experiences and not in hiring more and more administrators to shift the money away from the faculty and classroom , ” Ganahl said in an interview with The Denver Post .
Saliman said pandemic-related spending already had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boulder campus alone took a $ 92 million hit between refunding room and board last spring , enrollment drops and massive state budget cuts over the summer .
The university used about $ 30.5 million in federal CARES Act dollars , $ 24 million in reserves and $ 38 million in spending reductions to try to close the financial gaps , Saliman said in a presentation to the Board of Regents .
When Matt Griswold , Metropolitan State University of Denver ’ s associate vice president of online learning , explains how the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by clearing up a common misconception .
“ There ’ s been some belief that online learning should be a lower cost , ” Griswold said .
“ Others think it should be equivalent to in-person learning and others are aware that it actually costs more.
” In addition to paying faculty salaries , effective online learning requires an investment in strong information technology departments to handle scaled-up IT issues , purchase appropriate software , security , WiFi and connectivity and get the infrastructure up and running , Griswold said .
Before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s overall ratio of credit hours enrolled were online .
During the pandemic , that number has jumped to 94 % .
“ That took on a lot of additional costs , ” Griswold said , noting that the massive switch to online learning also required teams to train faculty used to in-person education how to properly deliver their lessons online .
The total unanticipated costs associated with moving MSU Denver ’ s classes online this year were approximately $ 2 million , university spokesman Tim Carroll said .
Griswold and Saliman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do their jobs well in tough circumstances ate up a majority of costs .
“ When a student pays for tuition , they ’ re paying for their educational experience , ” Saliman said .
He added that nearly every CU employee has been subject to pay cuts or furloughs due to COVID-19 budget impacts .
“ They ’ re working harder than ever , ” Saliman said .
“ I understand the frustration about student life not being the same .
My life isn ’ t the same as it was .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s really frustrating , but that ’ s not what tuition pays for .
Tuition pays for the educational experience , and we are providing that.
” Razor-thin budgets , unexpected COVID costs , the price of technology and fleets of exhausted employees who still need to be paid are a few of the reasons why colleges say they have no wiggle room to lower the cost of their product in the midst of the pandemic .
Deanne Adamson , Samuel Adamson ’ s mom , is sympathetic to CU ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t stop her from moving her son elsewhere .
“ I get they ’ re facing horrible financial times , ” she said .
“ Everybody is .
But we pay a lot for this education .
Every university is going to have to make some pretty hard choices .
Does it have to be four years ?
Do we have to take all these credit hours to fulfill a degree ?
I just think it ’ s going to change the whole face of four-year education .
”

Samuel Adamson, a University of Colorado Boulder sophomore from Grand Junction, is trading in his Buffs gear to become a Colorado Mesa University Maverick come spring.
The 19-year-old and his family, fed up paying a regular year’s tuition for what is anything but a regular university experience, decided to ditch his dreams of a Boulder college ride and transferred somewhere cheaper and closer to home.
With merit scholarships and in-state tuition, Adamson’s family was paying about $6,000 a semester for his engineering degree at CU. He’s looking to pay about half that at CMU, where spring courses currently are expected to be a mix of in-person, online and hybrid.
“I don’t want to be hard on the professors because I know they’re trying their best, but it’s so hard to get stuff out of the online classes that were clearly meant to be in-person classes,” Adamson said. “So many you can tell are just forced into the online format and don’t translate well. A lot of the times there are technical difficulties.
“Plus, I’m just sitting in my bedroom all day not having a college experience.”
Universities across Colorado largely have charged students the same tuition in 2020 compared to non-pandemic years — thousands to tens of thousands of dollars — for what is, arguably, the most disrupted, helter-skelter year in modern higher education history.
Colleges burdened by unrelenting COVID-19 costs in a state that poorly funds higher education are being harangued for not refunding some portion of students’ tuition. Meanwhile, members of the staff, faculty and administration whose salaries comprise a good chunk of tuition dollars are speaking out about working harder than ever while facing pay cuts and furloughs.
The nuanced situation — disappointed students and families, diligent faculty and staff, and a butchered budget — worries Colorado’s higher education chief, who believes colleges must figure out how to convey their value to students before they lose them.
“I’m not sure that students are perceiving the value of higher education in this moment of crisis,” said Angie Paccione, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education. “Why should I go with all the risks I might be taking? What is the value of it to me if I’m not getting the experience I thought I would have?”
The value in higher education at any level, Paccione said, is earning a degree that lands its recipient a fulfilling job and maximizes their earning potential.
“It’s critical that students get a credential,” Paccione said. “Maybe not a bachelor’s, but you have to get something if you want to contribute to the economy, to the society and to your own livelihood and fulfillment,” Paccione said. “When you do, you earn a whole lot more money. One million dollars more in a lifetime, research shows.”
Paccione acknowledged most statewide institutions, hampered by restrictions on gatherings due to the novel coronavirus, haven’t been able to provide the traditional college experience of packed football stadiums, crowded lecture halls with boisterous conversations, and get-to-know-you events fostering community-building.
“But the substance and quality of instruction really didn’t change a whole lot,” Paccione said. “When you move the content from face-to-face to online, it’s different in its delivery, but truly not different in substance and quality… it’s the experience that I don’t know if I would pay for — that lack of experience. How do colleges, particularly four-year residential colleges, provide a different and even, perhaps, more meaningful experience virtually? That is a nut we have not been able to crack yet.”
“Not what I signed up for”
Sophia Volk, a second-year MBA student at CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business, argues that she has neither received the quality education nor an experience worthy of the tens of thousands of dollars she’s shelled out over the spring, summer and fall semesters.
Volk has fought for a tuition refund for CU students since being rebuffed by university President Mark Kennedy, the majority of the Board of Regents and individual campus staff and faculty.
Over the summer, Volk paid more than $9,000 for two Zoom courses half the length of her previous year’s summer classes, cut shorter due to the pandemic-prompted switch to remote learning.
“After experiencing the remote instruction of spring, summer and now fall semester, I can confidently say that the program is of lesser quality and opportunity than what was offered when I enrolled in May 2019,” Volk said. “This is not what I signed up for. This is not worth the price tag.”
Volk, who started the Too Much Tuition CU campaign, said she supports remote education during the pandemic and recognizes that most instructors are doing their best. But she said there are significant changes to the program she originally enrolled in that are not reflected in her tuition bills.
Volk presented her case to CU’s Board of Regents and leadership team, and partnered with Regent Heidi Ganahl, who proposed a failed motion for a $2,000 tuition rebate for full-time students.
A handful of American universities, largely private schools, are providing tuition refunds, including the Southern New Hampshire University, which is reducing tuition by 61% by 2021 and covering 100% of first-year tuition; Johns Hopkins University, which is providing a 10% undergraduate discount for the fall semester; and Georgetown University, which is offering a 10% tuition reduction for some undergraduate students.
“Cut to the bone”
Todd Saliman, CU’s chief financial officer, said a tuition rebate would cost the university about $130 million and cause upward of 850 staff and faculty to lose their jobs.
During a November meeting of the Board of Regents in which Volk shared her disappointment with tuition prices and Ganahl again pushed for a tuition rebate, CU professors and staff shared their fears of lowering tuition at the expense of university jobs.
“We are working so hard — harder than ever — to deliver on the educational mission,” said Michael Zinser, a CU Denver psychology professor and faculty assembly chair. “We’ve been cut to the bone from a position of chronic state underfunding. A refund like this would gut our mission.”
Volk and Ganahl said they don’t want the money to come out of staff and faculty jobs, but would like to see some innovative thinking in which a multibillion-dollar enterprise identifies areas — building construction, administrative bloat, reserves — to make up the cost and give back to students.
“We have to get back to basics in making sure the money students are spending is for great faculty and great experiences and not in hiring more and more administrators to shift the money away from the faculty and classroom,” Ganahl said in an interview with The Denver Post.
Saliman said pandemic-related spending already had diminished CU’s reserves.
The Boulder campus alone took a $92 million hit between refunding room and board last spring, enrollment drops and massive state budget cuts over the summer. The university used about $30.5 million in federal CARES Act dollars, $24 million in reserves and $38 million in spending reductions to try to close the financial gaps, Saliman said in a presentation to the Board of Regents.
“Working harder than ever”
When Matt Griswold, Metropolitan State University of Denver’s associate vice president of online learning, explains how the pandemic impacted university costs, he starts by clearing up a common misconception.
“There’s been some belief that online learning should be a lower cost,” Griswold said. “Others think it should be equivalent to in-person learning and others are aware that it actually costs more.”
In addition to paying faculty salaries, effective online learning requires an investment in strong information technology departments to handle scaled-up IT issues, purchase appropriate software, security, WiFi and connectivity and get the infrastructure up and running, Griswold said.
Before the pandemic, 26% of MSU Denver’s overall ratio of credit hours enrolled were online. During the pandemic, that number has jumped to 94%.
“That took on a lot of additional costs,” Griswold said, noting that the massive switch to online learning also required teams to train faculty used to in-person education how to properly deliver their lessons online.
The total unanticipated costs associated with moving MSU Denver’s classes online this year were approximately $2 million, university spokesman Tim Carroll said.
“Facing horrible financial times”
Griswold and Saliman both stressed that paying talented people to do their jobs well in tough circumstances ate up a majority of costs. “When a student pays for tuition, they’re paying for their educational experience,” Saliman said.
He added that nearly every CU employee has been subject to pay cuts or furloughs due to COVID-19 budget impacts.
“They’re working harder than ever,” Saliman said. “I understand the frustration about student life not being the same. My life isn’t the same as it was. No one’s is, and that’s really frustrating, but that’s not what tuition pays for. Tuition pays for the educational experience, and we are providing that.”
Razor-thin budgets, unexpected COVID costs, the price of technology and fleets of exhausted employees who still need to be paid are a few of the reasons why colleges say they have no wiggle room to lower the cost of their product in the midst of the pandemic.
Deanne Adamson, Samuel Adamson’s mom, is sympathetic to CU’s plight — but it didn’t stop her from moving her son elsewhere.
“I get they’re facing horrible financial times,” she said. “Everybody is. But we pay a lot for this education. Every university is going to have to make some pretty hard choices. Does it have to be four years? Do we have to take all these credit hours to fulfill a degree? I just think it’s going to change the whole face of four-year education.”


thedenverpost--2020-12-03--Colorado has more COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes than during the worst point this spring

As of Wednesday , 93 Colorado nursing homes reported outbreaks of COVID-19 , surpassing a grim record set in mid-May .
Outbreaks in long-term care facilities drove much of Colorado ’ s death toll from the virus in the spring .
At the high-water mark on May 13 , a total of 90 nursing homes had active outbreaks , according to data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment .
The number of outbreaks in those settings fell in the summer as older ones burned out and the virus began popping up more in locations like shops and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks , the number of outbreaks in nursing homes has more than doubled .
It ’ s possible some outbreaks detected now would have gone unnoticed in the spring , because less-seriously ill people weren ’ t always tested .
The outbreaks that are currently active are larger , on average , than those in May , with 42.5 cases per facility .
The outbreaks have caused an average of 2.5 deaths per facility , which is lower than in May , but the death toll could increase before they ’ re deemed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CEO of the Colorado Health Care Association , said nursing homes have better access to tests and personal protective equipment than they did in the spring , but they can only do so much to keep the virus out .
Staff live in the community , and even with screening and regular testing , some bring the virus in before they know they ’ re sick , he said .
“ We really need everyone to be following these public health guidelines , ” like wearing masks and avoiding gatherings , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last three weeks in most settings tracked by the state , including assisted living facilities , child care centers , schools , correctional facilities , factories , offices , outpatient health facilities and retail stores .
Outbreaks in restaurants increased for two weeks , then leveled out , perhaps reflecting recent bans on indoor dining along most of the Front Range .
Even previously hard-hit places aren ’ t being spared in the fall wave .
JBS ’ s meatpacking plant in Greeley has 32 new cases this month , and 46 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corporate offices in Weld County since October .
The plant had 295 confirmed and probable cases and six deaths between April and October .
Five people in the corporate office were infected and one died in an outbreak in May .
Cargill ’ s meatpacking plant in Morgan County also reported a second outbreak in November .
Others hit for a second time last month including 33 nursing homes , 24 assisted living facilities , eight schools , two homeless shelters , Crowley County Correctional Facility , a grocery store and the Colorado @ @ @ @ @ @ @ newsletter to get health news sent straight to your inbox .

As of Wednesday, 93 Colorado nursing homes reported outbreaks of COVID-19, surpassing a grim record set in mid-May.
Outbreaks in long-term care facilities drove much of Colorado’s death toll from the virus in the spring. At the high-water mark on May 13, a total of 90 nursing homes had active outbreaks, according to data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The number of outbreaks in those settings fell in the summer as older ones burned out and the virus began popping up more in locations like shops and restaurants. But in the last three weeks, the number of outbreaks in nursing homes has more than doubled.
It’s possible some outbreaks detected now would have gone unnoticed in the spring, because less-seriously ill people weren’t always tested.
The outbreaks that are currently active are larger, on average, than those in May, with 42.5 cases per facility. The outbreaks have caused an average of 2.5 deaths per facility, which is lower than in May, but the death toll could increase before they’re deemed over.
Doug Farmer, president and CEO of the Colorado Health Care Association, said nursing homes have better access to tests and personal protective equipment than they did in the spring, but they can only do so much to keep the virus out. Staff live in the community, and even with screening and regular testing, some bring the virus in before they know they’re sick, he said.
“We really need everyone to be following these public health guidelines,” like wearing masks and avoiding gatherings, he said.
Outbreaks also have increased in the last three weeks in most settings tracked by the state, including assisted living facilities, child care centers, schools, correctional facilities, factories, offices, outpatient health facilities and retail stores.
Outbreaks in restaurants increased for two weeks, then leveled out, perhaps reflecting recent bans on indoor dining along most of the Front Range.
Even previously hard-hit places aren’t being spared in the fall wave. JBS’s meatpacking plant in Greeley has 32 new cases this month, and 46 cases have been linked to JBS’s corporate offices in Weld County since October.
The plant had 295 confirmed and probable cases and six deaths between April and October. Five people in the corporate office were infected and one died in an outbreak in May.
Cargill’s meatpacking plant in Morgan County also reported a second outbreak in November. Others hit for a second time last month include 33 nursing homes, 24 assisted living facilities, eight schools, two homeless shelters, Crowley County Correctional Facility, a grocery store and the Colorado Springs Police Department.
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thedenverpost--2020-12-03--More than 150,000 Coloradans could lose unemployment benefits if Congress doesn’t act

In a year when roughly one in four Colorado workers has filed an unemployment claim , a small measure of relief should reach hundreds of thousands of people in the state this week : The money that is landing in accounts weeks before more than 150,000 Coloradans could lose the federal unemployment benefits they are relying on as the COVID-19 pandemic ’ s third wave continues to ravage the economy .
Gov .
Jared Polis announced in late October that the state had found enough money to push out one-time $ 375 stimulus payments to people who qualified for unemployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between March 15 and Oct. 24 .
Officials with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment expect roughly 408,000 Coloradans to receive those payments by close of business Friday .
State Sen. Chris Hansen described the stimulus payments and the raft of COVID relief-focused bills the Colorado legislature passed in a special session that closed Wednesday as “ hopefully a bridge ” to get people who are struggling through the next few months until bigger steps can be taken in the 2021 session .
The impact state lawmakers can have pales in comparison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was talk of a bipartisan bill stimulus package worth more than $ 900 billion in Washington this week , but Congressional leaders have been unable to reach a consensus on anything since the CARES Act passed in late March .
“ I think we did the best we could with the resources we had in this special session , ” said Hansen , D-Denver .
“ Of course , we ’ re all hopeful that we get rapid uptake of the vaccine but there is a huge amount of risk and uncertainty for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need Congress and the White House to act.
” The risks for many relying on unemployment benefits in Colorado now are real and immediate .
Two programs authorized under the CARES Act are set to expire on Dec. 26 , according to the department of labor .
They are the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance , or PUA , the program created by the CARES Act to support self-employed people and gig workers , and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation , a federally funded 13-week benefit extension program that supports people who have used their 26 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ estimate 153,000 people will be collecting benefits through those programs when they end .
Last week , Colorado ’ s unemployment office had to shut down the state ’ s extended benefits program , which also provided 13 weeks of extra support .
The number of people in the state covered by unemployment insurance who are now collecting it fell below 5 % , the threshold to draw down federal dollars for that program .
“ None of us anticipated that we would still be going through this health care crisis and this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Barela , the Colorado labor department ’ s executive director , said Wednesday .
“ So we ’ re are coming up to a cliff where without federal funding ( these programs ) are not available anymore.
” While joining the chorus of calls for leaders in Washington , D.C. , to do something to put money in people ’ s pockets soon , Barela is also recommending people look into the state ’ s workforce training centers .
The Connecting Colorado website is advertising nearly 80,000 jobs right now , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positions that can be done remotely .
“ If people can work , if it is safe for them to work , we would like to see them explore their opportunities if their benefits have run out or about to run out , ” Barela said .
Aurora resident David Farris didn ’ t wait for his job as a sales and marketing manager for a wood paneling manufacturing company to come back .
He got his mortgage broker license as has been working for his brother ’ s business as a loan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far and Farris is still collecting unemployment .
He recently got a letter saying he is coming to the end of his 26 weeks of state benefits .
He ’ s less concerned about that than he is about collecting more than $ 6,000 he says the state owes him for weeks he was eligible for unemployment this summer but his account was deactivated .
Like many people , he said his efforts to contact the CDLE — via phone , direct mail and even fax — have not fixed the problem .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by on her income and eating into their savings .
He knows many other people who don ’ t have those options .
“ It ’ s been almost six months that I have been trying to get them to do what they need to do and it ’ s a joke , ” Farris said .
“ It ’ s ridiculous and someone needs to be held accountable.
” While the unemployment office has struggled to keep up with the demand this year , Barela said his staff has performed admirably under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 6 billion in benefits during the pandemic .
Changes are coming .
A modernization of the unemployment claims system is slated for January , installing “ this-century technology , ” Barela said .
All 700 unemployment office employees will have to train on that system over the coming weeks as the labor department seeks to hire a new director for the department .
Pervious director Jeff Fitzgerald left in October for a job with the U.S. Department of Labor .
On top of that , Barela is expecting $ 25 million to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state bailout package in 2021 session that starts in January .
The money will be put to “ reskilling and upskilling ” workers in industries upended by the pandemic .
“ We are going to go into reemployment mode , making sure we are working with our partners at economic development to focus on growth industries , ” he said .

In a year when roughly one in four Colorado workers has filed an unemployment claim, a small measure of relief should reach hundreds of thousands of people in the state this week: The money that is landing in accounts weeks before more than 150,000 Coloradans could lose the federal unemployment benefits they are relying on as the COVID-19 pandemic’s third wave continues to ravage the economy.
Gov. Jared Polis announced in late October that the state had found enough money to push out one-time $375 stimulus payments to people who qualified for unemployment benefits of $25 to $500 between March 15 and Oct. 24. Officials with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment expect roughly 408,000 Coloradans to receive those payments by close of business Friday.
State Sen. Chris Hansen described the stimulus payments and the raft of COVID relief-focused bills the Colorado legislature passed in a special session that closed Wednesday as “hopefully a bridge” to get people who are struggling through the next few months until bigger steps can be taken in the 2021 session.
The impact state lawmakers can have pales in comparison to what Congress could do. There was talk of a bipartisan bill stimulus package worth more than $900 billion in Washington this week, but Congressional leaders have been unable to reach a consensus on anything since the CARES Act passed in late March.
“I think we did the best we could with the resources we had in this special session,” said Hansen, D-Denver. “Of course, we’re all hopeful that we get rapid uptake of the vaccine but there is a huge amount of risk and uncertainty for the economy right now. We basically need Congress and the White House to act.”
The risks for many relying on unemployment benefits in Colorado now are real and immediate. Two programs authorized under the CARES Act are set to expire on Dec. 26, according to the department of labor.
They are the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, the program created by the CARES Act to support self-employed people and gig workers, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, a federally funded 13-week benefit extension program that supports people who have used their 26 weeks of state benefits.
State officials estimate 153,000 people will be collecting benefits through those programs when they end. Last week, Colorado’s unemployment office had to shut down the state’s extended benefits program, which also provided 13 weeks of extra support. The number of people in the state covered by unemployment insurance who are now collecting it fell below 5%, the threshold to draw down federal dollars for that program.
“None of us anticipated that we would still be going through this health care crisis and this economic crisis back in March,” Joe Barela, the Colorado labor department’s executive director, said Wednesday. “So we’re are coming up to a cliff where without federal funding (these programs) are not available anymore.”
While joining the chorus of calls for leaders in Washington, D.C., to do something to put money in people’s pockets soon, Barela is also recommending people look into the state’s workforce training centers. The Connecting Colorado website is advertising nearly 80,000 jobs right now, he said, including “location neutral” positions that can be done remotely.
“If people can work, if it is safe for them to work, we would like to see them explore their opportunities if their benefits have run out or about to run out,” Barela said.
Aurora resident David Farris didn’t wait for his job as a sales and marketing manager for a wood paneling manufacturing company to come back. He got his mortgage broker license as has been working for his brother’s business as a loan originator.
Things have been slow so far and Farris is still collecting unemployment. He recently got a letter saying he is coming to the end of his 26 weeks of state benefits. He’s less concerned about that than he is about collecting more than $6,000 he says the state owes him for weeks he was eligible for unemployment this summer but his account was deactivated. Like many people, he said his efforts to contact the CDLE — via phone, direct mail and even fax — have not fixed the problem. He and his wife have been getting by on her income and eating into their savings. He knows many other people who don’t have those options.
“It’s been almost six months that I have been trying to get them to do what they need to do and it’s a joke,” Farris said. “It’s ridiculous and someone needs to be held accountable.”
While the unemployment office has struggled to keep up with the demand this year, Barela said his staff has performed admirably under the circumstances, pushing out more than $6 billion in benefits during the pandemic.
Changes are coming. A modernization of the unemployment claims system is slated for January, installing “this-century technology,” Barela said. All 700 unemployment office employees will have to train on that system over the coming weeks as the labor department seeks to hire a new director for the department. Pervious director Jeff Fitzgerald left in October for a job with the U.S. Department of Labor.
On top of that, Barela is expecting $25 million to flow into the department via a broader state bailout package in 2021 session that starts in January. The money will be put to “reskilling and upskilling” workers in industries upended by the pandemic.
“We are going to go into reemployment mode, making sure we are working with our partners at economic development to focus on growth industries,” he said.


thedenverpost--2020-12-03--Tim Tebow becomes part-owner of Jacksonville Icemen hockey team

Along with Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack and former Jacksonville star Reggie Hayward , the former Broncos quarterback and now-Mets outfield @ @ @ @ @ of the Jacksonville Icemen , an ECHL affiliate for the Winnipeg Jets .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ Tebow said in a statement .
“ I am excited to be a part of @ @ @ @ @ Icemen .
It is important to me to invest back into the community that has @ @ @ @ @ .
I look forward to including and expanding the Icemen ’ s involvement in our @ @ @ @ @ community initiatives.
” Among the other owners include Rockies first baseman Daniel Murphy , who @ @ @ @ @ attended Jacksonville University .

Add ice hockey to Tim Tebow’s repertoire.
Along with Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack and former Jacksonville star Reggie Hayward, the former Broncos quarterback and now-Mets outfield prospect on Tuesday became part-owner of the Jacksonville Icemen, an ECHL affiliate for the Winnipeg Jets.
“I simply love Jacksonville,” Tebow said in a statement. “I am excited to be a part of this new endeavor with the Icemen. It is important to me to invest back into the community that has meant so much to me. I look forward to including and expanding the Icemen’s involvement in our Tim Tebow Foundation and other community initiatives.”
Among the other owners include Rockies first baseman Daniel Murphy, who grew up in Jacksonville and attended Jacksonville University.


thedenverpost--2020-12-03--Ask Amy: Worker wonders how to respond to slur

Dear Amy : I am a Black man who works in a warehouse setting .
In the last three jobs I ’ ve had , a White co-worker has used the “ N ” word to me , while not specifically calling me the name .
I find even the mention of the word hurtful and I do not use it myself , even in description or when greeting a fellow Black person .
At my previous job , a co-worker used the word three times , and when I complained to HR , they really didn ’ t do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At my current job , two co-workers have used the word , one to describe a movie he loves from the ’ 70s .
The other guy just thought it was OK to say it casually about nobody in particular .
This made me feel hurt and angry inside , but I didn ’ t say anything because honestly , I felt ( and feel ) powerless .
I ’ ve dealt with this kind of behavior since elementary school .
I realize I can ’ t control others ’ thoughts or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to HR is useless ; that office being in another part of the country , and they will do nothing .
I can ’ t believe how painful this is , and for how long in my life I have had to deal with it .
What can I do ?
Dear Disgusted : I shared your question with Maurice Ruffin , a New Orleans attorney , professor of writing , and author of one of my favorite novels , the powerful “ We Cast a Shadow ” ( 2020 , One World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ m sorry for your pain .
I know how it feels to have random acquaintances use the ‘ N ’ word .
I ’ ve been called the ‘ N ’ word myself ; most recently by a white woman who thought I was out of earshot .
I let her know what I thought of that .
She was ashamed to have been caught and called out .
“ Toni Morrison said that racism is designed to distract you .
And I believe it .
I also think the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ m sure all the people you mentioned are aware that the word is a slur .
No doubt , that ’ s why they used it in the first place .
Maybe they think it ’ s cool or dangerous to use it .
That ’ s not your problem .
“ If you feel offended , you should speak up for yourself because if you hold it inside , you ’ ll feel even worse .
You should tell your co-workers you don ’ t appreciate their comments .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ telling them , go to your supervisor , because that ’ s the job of management : to resolve issues that affect your ability to do your job well .
And if your supervisor is not helpful , report the issue to their superior , and so on up the chain .
“ The work of racism is to distract and silence you .
Don ’ t let these co-workers distract or silence you .
My mama said , ‘ Don ’ t ever let them run you off , because you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ YOU know who you are , but , clearly , they don ’ t. ” After only a few sessions I feel comfortable with her and hope to establish a good relationship in order to work through some old traumas .
During our last session , she suggested I read a recent self-help book and follow the exercises .
The author of the book relates her beneficial experience with feeling energy fields , aura balancing , past lives , premonitions , and literally talking to your soul and hearing it answer you .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ plain nonsense .
I think the modern term is “ woo-woo.
” I don ’ t think I should try to fake “ talking to my soul ” in order to complete an exercise .
Do you think I should tell my therapist that I reject such hokum , or find another person to tell my troubles to ?
— No Crystals for Me Dear No Crystals : Be honest !
Tell her that you are resistant to this particular approach and ask if she has a different recommendation .
She will likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and this conversation might lead to insight .
In my experience , there are occasionally nuggets of truth hidden in the “ woo-woo , ” but if that doesn ’ t work for you , you have no need to apologize .
Dear Amy : I have a suggestion for “ About to Blow , ” whose neighbor persists in asking personal financial questions .
I stop people with , “ That ’ s a very personal question , ” and then I stop .
I can ’ t guarantee they won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they usually remember my response .

Dear Amy: I am a Black man who works in a warehouse setting.
In the last three jobs I’ve had, a White co-worker has used the “N” word to me, while not specifically calling me the name.
I find even the mention of the word hurtful and I do not use it myself, even in description or when greeting a fellow Black person.
At my previous job, a co-worker used the word three times, and when I complained to HR, they really didn’t do anything, so I found another job.
At my current job, two co-workers have used the word, one to describe a movie he loves from the ’70s. The other guy just thought it was OK to say it casually about nobody in particular.
This made me feel hurt and angry inside, but I didn’t say anything because honestly, I felt (and feel) powerless.
I’ve dealt with this kind of behavior since elementary school.
I realize I can’t control others’ thoughts or actions. I also believe that going to HR is useless; that office being in another part of the country, and they will do nothing.
I can’t believe how painful this is, and for how long in my life I have had to deal with it.
What can I do?
— Disgusted
Dear Disgusted: I shared your question with Maurice Ruffin, a New Orleans attorney, professor of writing, and author of one of my favorite novels, the powerful “We Cast a Shadow” (2020, One World).
Here is his response: “I’m sorry for your pain. I know how it feels to have random acquaintances use the ‘N’ word. I’ve been called the ‘N’ word myself; most recently by a white woman who thought I was out of earshot. I let her know what I thought of that. She was ashamed to have been caught and called out.
“Toni Morrison said that racism is designed to distract you. And I believe it. I also think the work of racism is to silence you. I’m sure all the people you mentioned are aware that the word is a slur. No doubt, that’s why they used it in the first place. Maybe they think it’s cool or dangerous to use it. That’s not your problem.
“If you feel offended, you should speak up for yourself because if you hold it inside, you’ll feel even worse. You should tell your co-workers you don’t appreciate their comments. If you don’t feel safe telling them, go to your supervisor, because that’s the job of management: to resolve issues that affect your ability to do your job well. And if your supervisor is not helpful, report the issue to their superior, and so on up the chain.
“The work of racism is to distract and silence you. Don’t let these co-workers distract or silence you. My mama said, ‘Don’t ever let them run you off, because you’ll never stop running.’”
“YOU know who you are, but, clearly, they don’t.”
Show them.
Dear Amy: I have recently started (online) therapy.
After only a few sessions I feel comfortable with her and hope to establish a good relationship in order to work through some old traumas.
During our last session, she suggested I read a recent self-help book and follow the exercises.
The author of the book relates her beneficial experience with feeling energy fields, aura balancing, past lives, premonitions, and literally talking to your soul and hearing it answer you.
I consider this pseudoscience, or just plain nonsense. I think the modern term is “woo-woo.”
I don’t think I should try to fake “talking to my soul” in order to complete an exercise.
Do you think I should tell my therapist that I reject such hokum, or find another person to tell my troubles to?
— No Crystals for Me
Dear No Crystals: Be honest! Tell her that you are resistant to this particular approach and ask if she has a different recommendation. She will likely ask you to talk about your reaction, and this conversation might lead to insight.
In my experience, there are occasionally nuggets of truth hidden in the “woo-woo,” but if that doesn’t work for you, you have no need to apologize.
Dear Amy: I have a suggestion for “About to Blow,” whose neighbor persists in asking personal financial questions.
I stop people with, “That’s a very personal question,” and then I stop. I can’t guarantee they won’t do it again, but they usually remember my response.
— Calm and Cool
Dear Calm: I like it.
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)


thedenverpost--2020-12-03--Unveiling economic team, Biden pledges, “Help is on the way”

WILMINGTON , Del .
— President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday introduced top advisers he says will help his administration rebuild an economy hammered by the coronavirus pandemic , declaring , “ I know times are tough , but I want you to know that help is on the way.
” Biden said he ’ d chosen a “ first-rate team ” that is “ tested and experienced ” to tackle the country ’ s economic crisis .
He picked liberal advisers who have long prioritized the nation ’ s workers and government efforts to address economic inequality .
Unemployment remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gulf between average people and the wealthiest Americans .
The virus , which has claimed more than 269,000 lives nationwide , is resurgent across the country amid holiday travel and colder weather sending people indoors .
As he did frequently while campaigning , Biden promised that the U.S. would eventually emerge with an economy that is dramatically reshaped to better stamp out economic inequality .
“ From the most unequal economic and job crisis in modern history , we can build a new American economy that works for all Americans , not just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ introduced his choices for some of the government ’ s top economic posts during a speech at a theater in Wilmington , Delaware , where he has led his transition to the presidency .
Tuesday also marked the president-elect ’ s first appearance since breaking two small bones in his right foot while playing with one of his dogs over the weekend .
He wore a black walking boot and moved gingerly but tried to keep things light .
As he emerged from his motorcade , Biden pointed to his boot and lifted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Asked about his foot by reporters , Biden responded only , “ Good , thanks for asking.
” The injury , while not serious , again intensifies scrutiny on Biden ’ s age , given that he just turned 78 and is the oldest president ever to be in his first term .
Still , his team has tried to keep the focus on building out its government and upcoming policy challenges , chief among them the pandemic and the economy .
Biden repeatedly evoked his work as vice president when the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2008 financial crisis , noting that many of those on his newly formed economic team worked closely with him then .
Most of his choices will require confirmation from the deeply divided Senate , where some top Republicans have already begun voicing opposition .
Biden said he hopes “ that we will be able to work across the aisle in good faith , move forward as one country.
” Janet Yellen , Biden ’ s nominee for treasury secretary , served as chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous Fed chairs on maximizing employment and less focus on price inflation .
Biden also named Cecilia Rouse as chair of his Council of Economic Advisers , and Heather Boushey and Jared Bernstein as members of the council .
Yellen called the economic havoc the pandemic has wrought “ an American tragedy.
” “ To the American people : We will be an institution that wakes up every morning thinking about you , ” Yellen said of the Treasury Department , “ Your jobs , your paychecks , your struggles , your hopes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” If confirmed by the Senate , Yellen would be the first woman to serve as treasury secretary , after breaking ground as the first woman to chair the Fed .
“ We might have to ask Lin-Manuel Miranda , who wrote a musical about the first secretary of the treasury , Hamilton , to write another musical about the female secretary of the treasury , ” Biden joked .
Rouse would be the first Black woman to lead the CEA in its 74 years of existence .
The president-elect also selected Wally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which would make him the first Black deputy treasury secretary .
Neera Tanden , Biden ’ s pick for director of the Office of Management and Budget , would be the first South Asian American in that job .
Rouse , Tanden and Adeyemo will all require Senate confirmation , and Tanden , in particular , is already drawing heavy Republican criticism .
“ Budgets are not abstractions .
They are a reflection of our values , ” Tanden said during Tuesday ’ s event .
All of Biden ’ s picks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spending to boost growth — which Biden embraced on the campaign trail — though their proposals could face a difficult reception in Congress , which has stalemated on a new round of economic relief for months .
The prospects for a large-scale deal could hang on the outcome of runoff elections for both Georgia Senate seats .
Victories in both would give Democrats control of the chamber — and its agenda —- by the slimmest of margins , but Republican victories will quickly test Biden and his team ’ s ability to negotiate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promised relief for Americans .
As he has in recent weeks , Biden repeated calls for Congress to pass immediate pandemic relief funding even before he takes office .
“ Right now , the full Congress should come together and pass a robust package for relief , ” he said .
But Biden added that any package passed during the lame-duck session before the end of the year is “ likely to be at best just a start ” and said his transition team is “ already working on what I ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ address the multiple crises we ’ re facing.
” In the meantime , grim economic news is piling up .
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Monday that the pace of improvement in the economy has moderated in recent months with future prospects remaining “ extraordinarily uncertain.
” And Steven Mnuchin , President Donald Trump ’ s treasury secretary , announced last month that , over the objections of the Fed , he would not grant extensions for five lending programs being operated jointly by the Fed and the Treasury Department that are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including backstops for corporate and municipal debt and the purchase of loans for small businesses and nonprofits .
Weissert reported from Washington .
Associated Press writers Christopher Rugaber , Aamer Madhani and Martin Crutsinger contributed to this report .

WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday introduced top advisers he says will help his administration rebuild an economy hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, declaring, “I know times are tough, but I want you to know that help is on the way.”
Biden said he’d chosen a “first-rate team” that is “tested and experienced” to tackle the country’s economic crisis. He picked liberal advisers who have long prioritized the nation’s workers and government efforts to address economic inequality.
Unemployment remains high as the COVID-19 outbreak widens the gulf between average people and the wealthiest Americans. The virus, which has claimed more than 269,000 lives nationwide, is resurgent across the country amid holiday travel and colder weather sending people indoors.
As he did frequently while campaigning, Biden promised that the U.S. would eventually emerge with an economy that is dramatically reshaped to better stamp out economic inequality.
“From the most unequal economic and job crisis in modern history, we can build a new American economy that works for all Americans, not just some,” Biden said as he introduced his choices for some of the government’s top economic posts during a speech at a theater in Wilmington, Delaware, where he has led his transition to the presidency.
Tuesday also marked the president-elect’s first appearance since breaking two small bones in his right foot while playing with one of his dogs over the weekend. He wore a black walking boot and moved gingerly but tried to keep things light. As he emerged from his motorcade, Biden pointed to his boot and lifted his leg briefly to show it off.
Asked about his foot by reporters, Biden responded only, “Good, thanks for asking.”
The injury, while not serious, again intensifies scrutiny on Biden’s age, given that he just turned 78 and is the oldest president ever to be in his first term. Still, his team has tried to keep the focus on building out its government and upcoming policy challenges, chief among them the pandemic and the economy.
Biden repeatedly evoked his work as vice president when the Obama administration oversaw the economic recovery following the 2008 financial crisis, noting that many of those on his newly formed economic team worked closely with him then.
Most of his choices will require confirmation from the deeply divided Senate, where some top Republicans have already begun voicing opposition. Biden said he hopes “that we will be able to work across the aisle in good faith, move forward as one country.”
Janet Yellen, Biden’s nominee for treasury secretary, served as chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018, when she placed a greater emphasis than previous Fed chairs on maximizing employment and less focus on price inflation. Biden also named Cecilia Rouse as chair of his Council of Economic Advisers, and Heather Boushey and Jared Bernstein as members of the council.
Yellen called the economic havoc the pandemic has wrought “an American tragedy.”
“To the American people: We will be an institution that wakes up every morning thinking about you,” Yellen said of the Treasury Department, “Your jobs, your paychecks, your struggles, your hopes, your dignity and your limitless potential.”
If confirmed by the Senate, Yellen would be the first woman to serve as treasury secretary, after breaking ground as the first woman to chair the Fed.
“We might have to ask Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote a musical about the first secretary of the treasury, Hamilton, to write another musical about the female secretary of the treasury,” Biden joked.
Rouse would be the first Black woman to lead the CEA in its 74 years of existence. The president-elect also selected Wally Adeyemo to be Yellen’s deputy, which would make him the first Black deputy treasury secretary. Neera Tanden, Biden’s pick for director of the Office of Management and Budget, would be the first South Asian American in that job.
Rouse, Tanden and Adeyemo will all require Senate confirmation, and Tanden, in particular, is already drawing heavy Republican criticism.
“Budgets are not abstractions. They are a reflection of our values,” Tanden said during Tuesday’s event.
All of Biden’s picks are outspoken supporters of more government stimulus spending to boost growth — which Biden embraced on the campaign trail — though their proposals could face a difficult reception in Congress, which has stalemated on a new round of economic relief for months.
The prospects for a large-scale deal could hang on the outcome of runoff elections for both Georgia Senate seats. Victories in both would give Democrats control of the chamber — and its agenda —- by the slimmest of margins, but Republican victories will quickly test Biden and his team’s ability to negotiate across the aisle to deliver on their promised relief for Americans.
As he has in recent weeks, Biden repeated calls for Congress to pass immediate pandemic relief funding even before he takes office.
“Right now, the full Congress should come together and pass a robust package for relief,” he said. But Biden added that any package passed during the lame-duck session before the end of the year is “likely to be at best just a start” and said his transition team is “already working on what I’ll put forward in the next Congress to address the multiple crises we’re facing.”
In the meantime, grim economic news is piling up. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Monday that the pace of improvement in the economy has moderated in recent months with future prospects remaining “extraordinarily uncertain.”
And Steven Mnuchin, President Donald Trump’s treasury secretary, announced last month that, over the objections of the Fed, he would not grant extensions for five lending programs being operated jointly by the Fed and the Treasury Department that are scheduled to expire on Dec. 31 — including backstops for corporate and municipal debt and the purchase of loans for small businesses and nonprofits.
Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Christopher Rugaber, Aamer Madhani and Martin Crutsinger contributed to this report.


thedenverpost--2020-12-03--Search persists for parents of 628 kids separated at border by Trump administration

SAN DIEGO — A court-appointed committee has yet to find the parents of 628 children separated at the border early in the Trump administration , according to a court filing Wednesday that also said the government last week provided additional phone numbers to aid the long-running search .
Parents of 333 children are believed to be in the United States , while parents of the other 295 are believed to be outside the U.S. That doesn ’ t necessarily mean the parents and children are still separated , only that the committee has been unable to locate the parents .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 168 of the 628 children whose parents have yet to be located .
The joint filing by attorneys for the Justice Department and families offers the latest snapshot of efforts to reunite families under a “ zero tolerance ” policy on illegal border crossings that resulted in thousands of separations when parents were criminally prosecuted .
On Nov. 25 , the administration provided the search committee with phone numbers and other information from a database of the Justice Department ’ s Executive Office for Immigration Review , which manages immigration courts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an attorney representing parents for the American Civil Liberties Union , said he had been pressing the administration for any additional information for the last year .
“ We just received this new information the day before Thanksgiving and only because the global outcry over the fact that these parents had not been found , ” he said in an interview .
The search committee said it is too early to know how useful the additional phone numbers will be in finding more parents .
More than 2,700 children were separated from their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego ordered an end to the practice under the “ zero-tolerance ” policy .
He ordered them reunited within 30 days .
The 628 children whose parents are still not accounted for were separated before the judge ’ s order , going back to July 1 , 2017 , and were all released from federal custody before the June 2018 order .
Children from that period are difficult to find because the government had inadequate tracking systems .
They include hundreds separated during a trial run of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from July to November 2017 that was not publicly disclosed at the time .
President-elect Joe Biden seized on the issue during the final weeks of his campaign , promising a task force to help locate parents .
The ACLU wants Biden to allow separated families to return to the United States to be given “ some kind of legal status , ” Gelernt said .
“ We think that ’ s only fair given what they ’ ve been put through , ” Gelernt said .
“ We will find the families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the right to return to the United States and give legal status .
Only the administration can do that.
” Volunteers have searched for parents by phone and by going door-to-door in Central America , an effort that was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic .
The committee established toll-free numbers in the U.S. , Mexico , Guatemala , Honduras and El Salvador and mailed letters to 1,600 potential families .

SAN DIEGO — A court-appointed committee has yet to find the parents of 628 children separated at the border early in the Trump administration, according to a court filing Wednesday that also said the government last week provided additional phone numbers to aid the long-running search.
Parents of 333 children are believed to be in the United States, while parents of the other 295 are believed to be outside the U.S.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the parents and children are still separated, only that the committee has been unable to locate the parents. The committee has found other family members for 168 of the 628 children whose parents have yet to be located.
The joint filing by attorneys for the Justice Department and families offers the latest snapshot of efforts to reunite families under a “zero tolerance” policy on illegal border crossings that resulted in thousands of separations when parents were criminally prosecuted.
On Nov. 25, the administration provided the search committee with phone numbers and other information from a database of the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, which manages immigration courts, the filing said.
Lee Gelernt, an attorney representing parents for the American Civil Liberties Union, said he had been pressing the administration for any additional information for the last year.
“We just received this new information the day before Thanksgiving and only because the global outcry over the fact that these parents had not been found,” he said in an interview.
The search committee said it is too early to know how useful the additional phone numbers will be in finding more parents.
More than 2,700 children were separated from their parents in June 2018 when U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego ordered an end to the practice under the “zero-tolerance” policy. He ordered them reunited within 30 days.
The 628 children whose parents are still not accounted for were separated before the judge’s order, going back to July 1, 2017, and were all released from federal custody before the June 2018 order. Children from that period are difficult to find because the government had inadequate tracking systems. They include hundreds separated during a trial run of the policy in El Paso, Texas, from July to November 2017 that was not publicly disclosed at the time.
President-elect Joe Biden seized on the issue during the final weeks of his campaign, promising a task force to help locate parents.
The ACLU wants Biden to allow separated families to return to the United States to be given “some kind of legal status,” Gelernt said.
“We think that’s only fair given what they’ve been put through,” Gelernt said. “We will find the families but we cannot provide the families with the right to return to the United States and give legal status. Only the administration can do that.”
Volunteers have searched for parents by phone and by going door-to-door in Central America, an effort that was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The committee established toll-free numbers in the U.S., Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador and mailed letters to 1,600 potential families.


thedenverpost--2020-12-03--No. 4 Denver falls to No. 3 Minnesota Duluth in season opener

The Denver Pioneers gave up back-to-back power-play goals in the third period to fall to Minnesota Duluth 2-1 in their @ @ @ @ @ Baxter Arena .
The Pioneers stayed out of the box for the first 40 minutes @ @ @ @ @ power-play opportunities in the third period .
Minnesota Duluth scored on a too- many-men penalty @ @ @ @ @ seconds later on McKade Webster ’ s tripping penalty at 13:52 .
The Pioneers opened @ @ @ @ @ when Bo Hanson ’ s wrist shot deflected off the stick of a UMD defenseman @ @ @ @ @ in the third period and didn ’ t look back .
The Bulldogs scored back-to-back @ @ @ @ @ secondary shots on net to clip the Pios in their season opener .
Denver looks @ @ @ @ @ on Friday Dec. 4 at 6:35 p.m .

The Denver Pioneers gave up back-to-back power-play goals in the third period to fall to Minnesota Duluth 2-1 in their season opener Wednesday night at Baxter Arena. The Pioneers stayed out of the box for the first 40 minutes but gave the Bulldogs three power-play opportunities in the third period.
Minnesota Duluth scored on a too- many-men penalty at 13:04 and again 48 seconds later on McKade Webster’s tripping penalty at 13:52.
The Pioneers opened scoring in the second period when Bo Hanson’s wrist shot deflected off the stick of a UMD defenseman.
Duluth took the lead in the third period and didn’t look back. The Bulldogs scored back-to-back goals in 48 seconds on secondary shots on net to clip the Pios in their season opener.
Denver looks to rebound against North Dakota on Friday Dec. 4 at 6:35 p.m.


thedenverpost--2020-12-03--Cameron Peak Fire — Colorado’s largest wildfire on record — now 100% contained

After 112 days of burning , the Cameron Peak Fire is 100 % contained , fire officials announced Wednesday evening @ @ @ @ @ the largest in state history — was 94 % contained as of Tuesday morning , @ @ @ @ @ secure new sections of the fire ’ s perimeter , according to the fire ’ @ @ @ @ @ On Wednesday around 7 p.m. , they announced the fire was fully contained .
“ @ @ @ @ @ long road together ; this evening , we breathe a collective sigh of relief with @ @ @ @ @ , ” the incident management team wrote on InciWeb Wednesday evening .
The state ’ @ @ @ @ @ East Troublesome Fire , was also announced as 100 % contained on Monday .
A @ @ @ @ @ continued to work to remove hazardous timber in the northwestern area of the Cameron Peak @ @ @ @ @ been slow work due to icy , snow-covered roads and fewer daylight hours , the @ @ @ @ @

After 112 days of burning, the Cameron Peak Fire is 100% contained, fire officials announced Wednesday evening.
The 208,913-acre wildfire — the largest in state history — was 94% contained as of Tuesday morning, but firefighters were able to secure new sections of the fire’s perimeter, according to the fire’s incident management team. On Wednesday around 7 p.m., they announced the fire was fully contained.
“We have all traveled a long road together; this evening, we breathe a collective sigh of relief with you. Rest well tonight,” the incident management team wrote on InciWeb Wednesday evening.
The state’s second-largest wildfire, the East Troublesome Fire, was also announced as 100% contained on Monday.
A group working on fuel reduction continued to work to remove hazardous timber in the northwestern area of the Cameron Peak Fire Tuesday. This has been slow work due to icy, snow-covered roads and fewer daylight hours, the incident management team said.
Read the full story here.


thedenverpost--2020-12-04--Colorado could avoid overrunning hospitals by keeping up pre-Thanksgiving COVID-19 precautions

If Coloradans can keep up the level of social distancing they practiced in the week before Thanksgiving , there ’ s a good chance the state can make it through the end of the year without overwhelming hospitals , according to the latest COVID-19 modeling report .
But if people return to their habits from three weeks ago , hospitals could run out of capacity , especially if many Coloradans gather between Christmas and New Year ’ s , said Dr. Jon Samet , dean of the Colorado School of Public Health .
“ This points to the need for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hospitalizations dropped slightly this week .
On Thursday , 1,956 people were hospitalized across the state with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 , down from 1,995 on Wednesday .
Eighty percent of the Colorado ’ s intensive care unit beds are in use , according to state data .
Deaths have increased , however , passing their spring peak in the week ending Nov. 22 .
In that week , 247 people died with COVID-19 , passing the record of 237 set in mid-April .
Death reports can be delayed up to two weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s deaths could ultimately exceed the spring peak as well .
It ’ s not yet clear how Thanksgiving weekend might affect the number of new cases and hospitalizations .
Previous holiday weekends led to greater spread of the virus , state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said , but new cases resulting from Thanksgiving celebrations likely won ’ t show up in the data until at least Monday .
“ I think we ’ re going to learn quite a bit in the next week or two , ” she said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day over the last week .
That ’ s an improvement over the previous week , but still about four times higher than the rate in mid-October .
The rate of tests coming back positive has ranged between 11 % and 13 % , suggesting some infections are going undetected , Herlihy said .
About 1 in 40 people are currently contagious in Colorado , Samet said .
While that was still an increase over last week ’ s 1-in-41 figure , it wasn ’ t as drastic a change as in recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Colorado School of Public Health and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment , includes some uncertainty .
It attempts to project what will happen if current conditions continue , but it ’ s possible that people will further limit their interactions , or will decide to gather despite the virus .
Under the most optimistic scenario , Colorado could see an additional 1,900 COVID-19 deaths by the end of the year .
In the worst-case scenario , 4,300 people more could die .
As of Thursday , 2,716 people have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 604 others died with it .
It ’ s possible the virus could later be determined to be the cause of death for some who died with it , but those reports lag .
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If Coloradans can keep up the level of social distancing they practiced in the week before Thanksgiving, there’s a good chance the state can make it through the end of the year without overwhelming hospitals, according to the latest COVID-19 modeling report.
But if people return to their habits from three weeks ago, hospitals could run out of capacity, especially if many Coloradans gather between Christmas and New Year’s, said Dr. Jon Samet, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health.
“This points to the need for continued maintenance,” he said.
Hospitalizations dropped slightly this week. On Thursday, 1,956 people were hospitalized across the state with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, down from 1,995 on Wednesday. Eighty percent of the Colorado’s intensive care unit beds are in use, according to state data.
Deaths have increased, however, passing their spring peak in the week ending Nov. 22. In that week, 247 people died with COVID-19, passing the record of 237 set in mid-April. Death reports can be delayed up to two weeks, but it appears last week’s deaths could ultimately exceed the spring peak as well.
It’s not yet clear how Thanksgiving weekend might affect the number of new cases and hospitalizations. Previous holiday weekends led to greater spread of the virus, state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said, but new cases resulting from Thanksgiving celebrations likely won’t show up in the data until at least Monday.
“I think we’re going to learn quite a bit in the next week or two,” she said.
The state has averaged about 4,000 cases per day over the last week. That’s an improvement over the previous week, but still about four times higher than the rate in mid-October. The rate of tests coming back positive has ranged between 11% and 13%, suggesting some infections are going undetected, Herlihy said.
About 1 in 40 people are currently contagious in Colorado, Samet said. While that was still an increase over last week’s 1-in-41 figure, it wasn’t as drastic a change as in recent weeks.
The model, developed by the Colorado School of Public Health and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, includes some uncertainty. It attempts to project what will happen if current conditions continue, but it’s possible that people will further limit their interactions, or will decide to gather despite the virus.
Under the most optimistic scenario, Colorado could see an additional 1,900 COVID-19 deaths by the end of the year. In the worst-case scenario, 4,300 people more could die. As of Thursday, 2,716 people have died of the virus in Colorado, and 604 others died with it. It’s possible the virus could later be determined to be the cause of death for some who died with it, but those reports lag.
“We hope (the death projections) aren’t played out,” Samet said.
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thedenverpost--2020-12-04--Colorado high school football championships: Scouting the Class 3A, 4A and 5A title games

A breakdown of each of the Colorado high school football championship games in Class 3A , 4A and 5A to be played this weekend at the ThunderBowl at CSU-Pueblo .
No .
1 Cherry Creek ( 8-0 ) vs. No .
2 Valor Christian ( 7-0 ) Defensive leaders : Creek — Myles Purchase , Sr. , CB , 22 tackles , 5 INTs , 6 TDs ( 2 pick-6s ) ; Malik Majekodunmi , Sr. , DE , 36 tackles ( 15.0 for loss ) , 7.0 sacks ; Arden Walker , Sr. , DE , 31 tackles ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; Luis Lozano , Sr. , LB , 55 tackles ( 6.0 for loss ) , 1 INT .
Valor — Elijah Hamilton , Sr. , MLB , 50 tackles ( 6.0 for loss ) 1 INT ; Jordan Norwood , Jr. , MLB , 40 tackles ( 6.5 for loss ) , 1 sack ; Andrew Hale , Jr. , S , 34 tackles ( 2.5 for loss ) , 2 INTs ; Zaire Jackson , Sr. , CB , 24 tackles ( 2.0 for loss ) , 1 INT .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had Cherry Creek ’ s number since coach Dave Logan took over in 2012 — the Valor Christian Eagles .
The two storied programs have met eight times in the past six seasons , with Valor winning the last six , most recently in the 2018 5A championship — which also happens to be the last time Creek lost .
Now comes perhaps the most anticipated meeting of them all .
Both teams dominated their abbreviated schedules , with Creek outscoring opponents by an average margin of 36.0 points and Valor by 43.71 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than one touchdown to an opponent since Week 1 , while Valor has surrendered double-digit points just twice .
As both coaches conceded earlier this week , this game will likely be won in the trenches .
That may very well include a few intriguing one-on-one matchups between Valor ’ s junior left tackle Jake Maikkula ( CU , CSU offers ) and Creek defensive end Arden Walker ( CU , Texas , UCLA ) — the highest-rated uncommitted senior in the state by 247Sports.com .
As is always the case with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FBS-level players on both sides of the ball .
Cherry Creek ’ s senior class , in particular , is loaded with six three-star recruits headed to Power 5 programs .
That doesn ’ t even include running back James Walker II — a talented 5-foot-10 , 180-pound senior with an offer from Northern Colorado — or CU basketball commit Julian Hammond III at QB .
On the other sideline is one of the 50 most-coveted players in the country for the Class of 2022 : five-star running back Gavin Sawchuk .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stopped him all season .
The Bruins , who haven ’ t given up 100 yards to a running back all season , offer the toughest test yet .
No .
4 Loveland ( 8-0 ) vs. No .
2 Palmer Ridge ( 6-0 ) Defensive leaders : Loveland — Ian Loomis , Jr. , MLB , 96 tackles ( 10 for loss ) , 3.0 sacks , 3 INTs ; Jadyn Tafoya , Sr. , ILB , 69 tackles ( 8.0 for loss ) ; Tyson Williams , Jr. , CB , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Austin Bierhaus , Sr. , CB.LB , 41 tackles ( 3.0 for loss ) , 3 INTs .
Palmer Ridge — Saxon Wright , Sr. , LB , 57 tackles ( 4.0 for loss ) , 2.0 sacks ; Cameron Jones , Sr. , DL , 24 tackles ( 7.0 for loss ) , 5.0 sacks .
A talented Bears senior class is looking to put the finishing touches on a four-year run of state championships — except this time , they ’ re trying to do it at the 4A level .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ features a CSU commit taking snaps ( Luke McAllister ) and college recruits across the receiving corps ( seniors Kaden Dudley and Marcellus Reed , and junior Anthony Costanzo ) , the three-time 3A champs have no problem putting up points .
But there ’ s more to the Bears than just an aerial fireworks display .
The Bears defense limited Pine Creek and Fountain-Fort Carson to 19 points combined in a pair of playoff wins , and has given up an average of only 7.7 points per game .
Loveland ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the road to Pueblo , forcing 20 turnovers ( 16 interceptions ) with 32.0 tackles for loss along the way .
That included a one-point win over Skyline in its regular-season finale that saw Loveland limit the Falcons to their lowest point total ( 26 ) of the fall .
The Indians also held previously unbeaten Dakota Ridge , which came into last weekend ’ s semifinals averaging 54.9 points per game , to just one offensive touchdown .
The Indians ’ most effective defense : Keeping the ball away from Palmer Ridge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running back Zack Rakowsky ( 2,531 career rush yards ) and sophomore quarterback Garrett Harstad .
Loveland is two years removed from its last 4A title , and is in the state championship for the third time in six years .
The previous two came under since-departed coach Wayne McGinn .
Now Jeff Mauck can add to the trophy case .
No .
1 Roosevelt ( 7-0 ) vs. No .
3 Durango ( 7-0 ) Defensive leaders : Roosevelt — Cooper Walton , Jr. , OLB , 70 tackles ( 15.0 for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ INT ; Clayton Robinson , Jr. , OLB , 46 tackles ( 15.0 for loss ) , 5.5 sacks , 2 INTs ; Anthony Munoz , So.
, DT , 50 tackles ( 13.0 for loss ) , 4.0 sacks .
Durango — Thomas Barnes , Sr. , LB , 57 tackles ; Kyler Reimers , Sr. , DE , 56 tackles , 5.0 sacks ; Ford Pitts , Sr. , DE/OLB , 50 tackles , 4.0 sacks , 2 fumble recoveries ; Chase Robertson , Jr. , CB , 30 tackles , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer in the equation , the 3A title will find a new home this fall .
And it ’ s guaranteed to go to a program that ’ s never won one before — at least not outright , anyway .
Durango , which tied Lamar for the Class A crown back in 1954 , is back in the state championship for the first time in 32 years — a 23-13 loss to Grand Junction in 1988 .
Meanwhile , Roosevelt returns to the 3A title game for the second time in five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Roughriders ’ previous two visits ended in losses .
A strong , tight-knit group , the Demons have rampaged through the 3A playoffs with blowouts of Lutheran ( 47-6 ) and Holy Family ( 34-14 ) .
Four-year starter Jordan Woolverton ( 7,078 career total yards ) is the pilot of an electric spread offense as a true dual threat QB , as well as the team leader in takeaways with five interceptions at free safety .
The Durango defense specializes in creating takeaways ( 18 overall ) , and is allowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roosevelt , the Demons will face offense that has been nearly as productive throwing the ball ( 1,203 yards ) as it has running it ( 1,559 ) .
Senior QB Brig Hartson is efficient and dangerous , while the defense is fresh off a dominant performance against Pueblo South that saw the Riders hold the Colts to just one touchdown over the final two quarters of a 49-19 win .

A breakdown of each of the Colorado high school football championship games in Class 3A, 4A and 5A to be played this weekend at the ThunderBowl at CSU-Pueblo.
Class 5A
No. 1 Cherry Creek (8-0) vs. No. 2 Valor Christian (7-0)
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Last meeting: Valor Christian 24, Cherry Creek 14, on Dec. 1, 2018
Passing leaders: Creek — Julian Hammond III, Sr., 105-of-153 passing for 1,373 yards, 19 TDs and 5 INTs. Valor — Sean McNair, Sr., 57-88-790, 6 TDs, 1 INT.
Rushing leaders: Creek — James Walker II, Sr., 108 carries, 1,010 yards, 11 TDs. Valor — Gavin Sawchuk, Jr., 108-1,086, 17 TDs; Zachary Wiley, Jr., 61-413, 9 TDs.
Receiving leaders: Creek — Chase Penry, Sr., 45 catches, 648 yards, 8 TDs; Gunnar Helm, Sr., 28-367, 7 TDs. Valor — Tyler Larson, Sr., 14-381, 2 TDs.
Defensive leaders: Creek — Myles Purchase, Sr., CB, 22 tackles, 5 INTs, 6 TDs (2 pick-6s); Malik Majekodunmi, Sr., DE, 36 tackles (15.0 for loss), 7.0 sacks; Arden Walker, Sr., DE, 31 tackles (10.0 for loss), 6.0 sacks; Luis Lozano, Sr., LB, 55 tackles (6.0 for loss), 1 INT. Valor — Elijah Hamilton, Sr., MLB, 50 tackles (6.0 for loss) 1 INT; Jordan Norwood, Jr., MLB, 40 tackles (6.5 for loss), 1 sack; Andrew Hale, Jr., S, 34 tackles (2.5 for loss), 2 INTs; Zaire Jackson, Sr., CB, 24 tackles (2.0 for loss), 1 INT.
There is only one team that has consistently had Cherry Creek’s number since coach Dave Logan took over in 2012 — the Valor Christian Eagles. The two storied programs have met eight times in the past six seasons, with Valor winning the last six, most recently in the 2018 5A championship — which also happens to be the last time Creek lost.
Now comes perhaps the most anticipated meeting of them all. Both teams dominated their abbreviated schedules, with Creek outscoring opponents by an average margin of 36.0 points and Valor by 43.71. Creek hasn’t given up more than one touchdown to an opponent since Week 1, while Valor has surrendered double-digit points just twice.
As both coaches conceded earlier this week, this game will likely be won in the trenches. That may very well include a few intriguing one-on-one matchups between Valor’s junior left tackle Jake Maikkula (CU, CSU offers) and Creek defensive end Arden Walker (CU, Texas, UCLA) — the highest-rated uncommitted senior in the state by 247Sports.com.
As is always the case with these two, there will be multiple FBS-level players on both sides of the ball. Cherry Creek’s senior class, in particular, is loaded with six three-star recruits headed to Power 5 programs. That doesn’t even include running back James Walker II — a talented 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior with an offer from Northern Colorado — or CU basketball commit Julian Hammond III at QB.
On the other sideline is one of the 50 most-coveted players in the country for the Class of 2022: five-star running back Gavin Sawchuk. There isn’t a defense that has stopped him all season. The Bruins, who haven’t given up 100 yards to a running back all season, offer the toughest test yet.
Class 4A
No. 4 Loveland (8-0) vs. No. 2 Palmer Ridge (6-0)
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Last meeting: N/A
Passing leaders: Loveland — Garrett Harstad, So., 26-41-378, 4 TDs. Palmer Ridge — Luke McAllister, Sr., 84-123-1,646, 23 TDs, 6 INTs.
Rushing leaders: Loveland — Zack Rakowsky, Sr., 174-1,224, 16 TDs. Palmer Ridge — Nathaniel Robinson, So., 72-391, 3 TDs.
Receiving leaders: Loveland — Zack Rakowsky, Sr., 11-140, 1 TD. Palmer Ridge — Marcellus Reed, Sr., 19-596, 8 TDs; Kaden Dudley, Sr., 27-387, 1 TD; Anthony Costanzo, Jr., 17-328, 7 TDs.
Defensive leaders: Loveland — Ian Loomis, Jr., MLB, 96 tackles (10 for loss), 3.0 sacks, 3 INTs; Jadyn Tafoya, Sr., ILB, 69 tackles (8.0 for loss); Tyson Williams, Jr., CB, 4 INTs, 6 pass deflections; Austin Bierhaus, Sr., CB.LB, 41 tackles (3.0 for loss), 3 INTs. Palmer Ridge — Saxon Wright, Sr., LB, 57 tackles (4.0 for loss), 2.0 sacks; Cameron Jones, Sr., DL, 24 tackles (7.0 for loss), 5.0 sacks.
A talented Bears senior class is looking to put the finishing touches on a four-year run of state championships — except this time, they’re trying to do it at the 4A level.
Led by a talented passing game that features a CSU commit taking snaps (Luke McAllister) and college recruits across the receiving corps (seniors Kaden Dudley and Marcellus Reed, and junior Anthony Costanzo), the three-time 3A champs have no problem putting up points. But there’s more to the Bears than just an aerial fireworks display. The Bears defense limited Pine Creek and Fountain-Fort Carson to 19 points combined in a pair of playoff wins, and has given up an average of only 7.7 points per game.
Loveland’s ran a gauntlet of explosive offenses on the road to Pueblo, forcing 20 turnovers (16 interceptions) with 32.0 tackles for loss along the way. That included a one-point win over Skyline in its regular-season finale that saw Loveland limit the Falcons to their lowest point total (26) of the fall. The Indians also held previously unbeaten Dakota Ridge, which came into last weekend’s semifinals averaging 54.9 points per game, to just one offensive touchdown.
The Indians’ most effective defense: Keeping the ball away from Palmer Ridge with a ball-control ground game led by running back Zack Rakowsky (2,531 career rush yards) and sophomore quarterback Garrett Harstad.
Loveland is two years removed from its last 4A title, and is in the state championship for the third time in six years. The previous two came under since-departed coach Wayne McGinn. Now Jeff Mauck can add to the trophy case.
Class 3A
No. 1 Roosevelt (7-0) vs. No. 3 Durango (7-0)
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Last meeting: N/A
Passing leaders: Roosevelt — Brig Hartson, Sr., 76-119-1,033, 13 TDs, 4 INTs. Durango — Jordan Woolverton, Sr., 51-85-865, 10 TDs, 1 INT.
Rushing leaders: Roosevelt — Keegan Sterkel, Sr., 84-652, 7 TDs; Cooper Walton, Jr., 35-308, 8 TDs. Durango — Nate Messier, Jr., 84-517, 7 TDs; Ben Finneseth, Sr., 42-478, 7 TDs.
Receiving leaders: Roosevelt — Tucker Peterson, So., 19-393, 8 TDs; Keaton Kaiser, Jr., 35-347, 2 TDs. Durango — Gage Mestas, Sr., 20-398, 2 TDs; Ben Finneseth, Sr., 18-227, 3 TDs.
Defensive leaders: Roosevelt — Cooper Walton, Jr., OLB, 70 tackles (15.0 for loss), 2.5 sacks, 1 INT; Clayton Robinson, Jr., OLB, 46 tackles (15.0 for loss), 5.5 sacks, 2 INTs; Anthony Munoz, So., DT, 50 tackles (13.0 for loss), 4.0 sacks. Durango — Thomas Barnes, Sr., LB, 57 tackles; Kyler Reimers, Sr., DE, 56 tackles, 5.0 sacks; Ford Pitts, Sr., DE/OLB, 50 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries; Chase Robertson, Jr., CB, 30 tackles, 3 INTs.
With Palmer Ridge no longer in the equation, the 3A title will find a new home this fall. And it’s guaranteed to go to a program that’s never won one before — at least not outright, anyway.
Durango, which tied Lamar for the Class A crown back in 1954, is back in the state championship for the first time in 32 years — a 23-13 loss to Grand Junction in 1988. Meanwhile, Roosevelt returns to the 3A title game for the second time in five years and third time since 2002. The Roughriders’ previous two visits ended in losses.
A strong, tight-knit group, the Demons have rampaged through the 3A playoffs with blowouts of Lutheran (47-6) and Holy Family (34-14). Four-year starter Jordan Woolverton (7,078 career total yards) is the pilot of an electric spread offense as a true dual threat QB, as well as the team leader in takeaways with five interceptions at free safety. The Durango defense specializes in creating takeaways (18 overall), and is allowing just 11.7 points per game.
In Roosevelt, the Demons will face offense that has been nearly as productive throwing the ball (1,203 yards) as it has running it (1,559). Senior QB Brig Hartson is efficient and dangerous, while the defense is fresh off a dominant performance against Pueblo South that saw the Riders hold the Colts to just one touchdown over the final two quarters of a 49-19 win.