Category: National Headlines

DENVER — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said Friday it was a “New Year’s miracle” that no fatalities have been reported from the destructive, fast-moving fire that ripped through heavily populated neighborhoods and retail areas in Boulder County.

“We might have our very own New Year’s miracle on hand if it holds up that there was no loss of life,” Mr. Polis said at a press conference in Boulder. “We know that many people had just minutes to evacuate.”

As many as 1,000 homes and businesses were destroyed in a matter of hours Thursday in the Marshall and Middle Fork fires, fueled by dry conditions and winds of up to 105 mph that pushed the flames over highways and into the suburbs of Superior, Louisville and Broomfield.

A few small blazes continued to burn in neighborhoods and fields, but the lingering flames were expected to be extinguished by the snow that arrived Friday morning, a day too late to squelch what was described as the most destructive fire in state history, based on the number of structures lost.

“We were fortunate that the winds dissipated last night,” said Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle. “We’re expecting snow today. That snow has already started. We’re hoping to see 3-6 inches of snow and some good moisture. That’s certainly going to help our efforts.”

He said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but it appears to have been sparked by downed power lines.

Tens of thousands of residents were rapidly evacuated Thursday. Shoppers were shown on video rushing out of Target, Costco and Chuck E. Cheese into hazy parking lots, a testament to how quickly the grassland fire charged into the suburban communities.

“The last 24 hours have been devastating. It’s really unimaginable. It’s hard to speak about,” said the Democratic governor, whose home is in Boulder County.

Mr. Polis, who viewed the burn area by helicopter early Friday with Sheriff Pelle and others, said the fire leaped in a mosaic pattern, leveling some houses and leaving others unscathed in the same subdivisions as a result of wind patterns and topography.

“It would spread to a house here and there over other houses, past other streets — a very unusual burn pattern,” he said. “The other unusual factor is this was just in the blink of an eye. This was a disaster in fast motion all over the course of a half a day, nearly all the damage, many families having minutes, minutes to get whatever they could, their pets, their kids, into the car and leave.”

DENVER — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has shortened the prison sentence of a truck driver convicted in a deadly crash to 10 years, drastically reducing his original 110-year term that drew widespread outrage.

The decision Thursday on Rogel Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence was among several end-of-the-year commutations and pardons issued by Polis.

The move comes days after a judge scheduled a hearing for next month to reconsider the sentence at the request of the district attorney, who had planned to ask that it be reduced to 20 to 30 years.

Around 5 million people signed an online petition seeking clemency for Aguilera-Mederos.

Judge Bruce Jones imposed the 110-year sentence on Dec. 13 after finding it was the mandatory minimum term set forth under state law, noting it would not have been his choice.

The Colorado police officer badly injured in a shooting earlier this week has been credited for her bravery after confronting the suspected gunman during a shooting rampage that resulted in five deaths, including the suspect.

Lakewood Police Agent Ashley Ferris engaged Lyndon McLeod, 47, moments after he fatally shot a 28-year-old worker at a Hyatt in the town of Belmar, police said. A police statement said Ferris ordered the suspect to drop his weapon as he approached.

Lakewood Police Agent Ashley Ferris was credited for her bravery during a shooting spree earlier this week.
(Lakewood Police )

“The suspect ignored her commands” and fired a shot into her abdomen, police said. Ferris managed to return fire. The suspect was struck and died at the scene.

Lakewood Police Agent Ashley Ferris is expected to make a full recovery.

Ferris underwent surgery Monday night and is expected to make a full recovery.

DENVER-AREA GUNMAN WHO KILLED TATTOO ARTISTS MAY HAVE ACTED OUT SCENE FROM HIS OWN DARK NOVEL: REPORTS

“I can’t overemphasize enough the heroic actions of our Lakewood police agent,” police said during a news conference Tuesday. “In the face of being shot, in the face of danger, she was able to not only save others from this terrible tragedy but also neutralize the threat.”

Dec. 28: Workers confer close to a sheet of plywood covering a window of a pizza parlor in Lakewood, Colo., near one of the scenes of a shooting spree that left five people dead—including the suspected shooter Monday evening—and left three more people wounded. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

“If not for the heroic efforts of Agent Ferris and other law enforcement, this incredibly violent tragedy could have been even worse,” the statement said.

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McLeod knew most of the people he shot through business or personal relationships, p

A good-government group is suing Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold in federal court for refusing to allow the inspection of voter list maintenance records as required by federal law.

Griswold, a Democrat, is refusing to allow the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) access to voter list maintenance documents, including data that Colorado receives from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).

Griswold says her agency’s contract with ERIC prohibits the release of the data that ERIC provides to member states. ERIC, a nonprofit that describes its mission as “assisting states to improve the accuracy of America’s voter rolls and increase access to voter registration for all eligible citizens,” was created in 2012 with assistance from The Pew Charitable Trusts, a left-wing philanthropy.

Griswold also claims Colorado can’t hand over the records because of the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act and other laws governing the Social Security death record database. Colorado’s membership agreement with ERIC, she claims, also prohibits member states from disclosing records that are public documents under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993.

Colorado, 30 states, and the District of Columbia outsource the maintenance of their voter rolls to ERIC. ERIC regularly provides the Colorado Secretary of State’s office with reports showing which registered voters are no longer eligible because they have died or relocated. The NVRA provides that all records used to add or remove voters are public records, yet Griswold denied a group’s request to inspect the reports ERIC provides to the state.

“Colorado is hiding voter list maintenance documents the public is legally entitled to,” said PILF President J. Christian Adams in a statement.

“Elections must be free and transparent for Americans to trust their results. Secretary Griswold and ERIC are blocking transparency and violating federal law,” said Adams, a former U.S. Justice Department civil rights attorney.

ERIC also has critics on the political left, as The Epoch Times previously reported.

Liberal journalist Greg Palast has likened ERIC to Jim Crow, a set of post-Civil War state and local statutes that legalized racial segregation. Barbara Arnwine, former executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, reportedly said, “ERIC should be called ERROR because it’s that erroneous and that full of flaws.”

The lawsuit, PILF v. Griswold, was filed on Dec. 16 with the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. Griswold is being sued in her official capacity.

On Aug. 20, PILF n

A Colorado elementary school recently planned a racially-segregated “families of color playground night” in the name of diversity and inclusivity.

Chris Rufo, a journalist who has lead the charge against critical race theory, first shared a sign outside of Centennial Elementary School promoting the event.

“Denver Public Schools now promoting racially-segregated playtime—for ‘equity,’” Rufo captioned the photo.

Denver Public Schools now promoting racially-segregated playtime—for “equity.” pic.twitter.com/QO5XZXHfcX

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 14, 2021

The school’s Facebook page says the first event was scheduled to take place on October 13 and would then reoccur on the second Wednesday of each month to follow outside at the school, weather permitting.

Rufo reported that the event was organized by the school’s Dean of Culture, Nicole Tembrock, and that it was ultimately canceled because of Covid-19 protocols, though the school plans to reschedule in the new year. 

University of Denver law professor Dave Kopel replied to Rufo’s tweets and said the event would be in violation of the state constitution, which says “nor shall any distinction or classification of pupils be made on account of race or color.”

The Facebook post also promotes an event to introduce parents to the “Community Equity Collective” hosted by the school’s leadership and its “Diversity and Inclusivity Committee.”

The “Families of Color Playground Night”—a form of state-sanctioned racial discrimination—is a monthly activity at Centennial Elementary. pic.twitter.com/nagCE5g0sb

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 14, 2021

“In this first session, we will introduce

Five cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in New York state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced late Thursday, after cases were detected in Minnesota and Colorado.

“New York State has confirmed five cases of the Omicron variant,” she said on Twitter. “Let me be clear: This is not cause for alarm. We knew this variant was coming and we have the tools to stop the spread. Get your vaccine. Get your booster. Wear your mask.”

At a press conference with Mayor Bill de Blasio at New York City Hall, Hochul said authorities “still don’t have specific information on how the vaccines [and] the boosters are holding up” against the new variant, which was reported by South Africa to the World Health Organization about a week ago.

“While this may be highly transmissible, at least from the early evidence, and again more information is still forthcoming, we want people to know that the early cases that have arisen are not life-threatening, they seem to be minor cases and that is a source of good news for us right now,” she added.

One of the cases is a 67-year-old woman in Suffolk County, who had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Hochul said. She had mild symptoms of a headache and a cough. The woman had traveled from South Africa and tested negative upon her return on Nov. 25, but tested positive later on Nov. 30.

Two more cases were of people based in Queens. Another case was from a Brooklyn-based resident. Hochul said there is no details on the fifth case apart from confirmation of the Omicron variant. The vaccination status of these four cases are currently unknown.

Minnesota health authorities earlier on Thursday confirmed the second U.S. case of the Omicron variant in a person who recently returned from New York City after having attended the Anime NYC convention at the Javits Center. They experienced mild symptoms.

A third U.S. case of the variant was detected in Colorado in a female resident of Arapahoe County who recently traveled to South Africa. She had been fully vaccinated but had yet to receive a booster shot.

The first case was confirmed in California on Nov. 30 in a person who returned to San Francisco from South Africa. The person is doing well as of Thursday.

The latest five cases reported in New York state brings the total number of U.S. confirmed cases of the Omicron variant to eight.

“We’re assuming in New York City there is community spread at this point, we have to, that’s the only way to approach this to protect everyone,” de Blasio told reporters. “We see a handful of cases, we’ve got to

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert apologized Friday for using anti-Muslim language in describing a recent encounter she had with Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. 

In her apology, Boebert didn’t address Omar‘s criticism that Boebert made up her story about the encounter at the U.S. Capitol.

Boebert tweeted, “I apologize to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Rep. Omar. I have reached out to her office to speak with her directly. There are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction.”

I apologize to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Rep. Omar. I have reached out to her office to speak with her directly. There are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction.

— Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) November 26, 2021

According to a video clip posted by a Twitter account called PatriotTakes, Boebert made the remarks this holiday break. In it, she says she and a staffer were taking a Capitol elevator when she saw an alarmed Capitol police officer running toward them. She said she turned to her left and spotted Omar standing beside them.

“Well, she doesn’t have a backpack. We should be fine,” Boebert recalled saying, drawing laughs from her audience. “And I said, ‘Oh look, the jihad squad decided to show up for work today.’”

“Fact, this buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol, this whole story is made up,” Omar tweeted late Thursday. “Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout.”

“Anti-Muslim bigotry isn’t funny and shouldn’t be normalized,” Omar continued. “Congress can’t be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslim tropes get no condemnation.”

Fact, this buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol, this whole story is made up. Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout.

Anti-Muslim bigotry isn’t funny & shouldn’t be normalized. Congress can’t be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslims tropes get no condemnation. https://t.co/S1APT7RbqW

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 26, 2021

Police officers in Denver, Colorado, and the Denver Police Foundation went on a unique kind of patrol recently.

The outing was a “turkey patrol,” not searching for turkeys but giving them to needy families who might have gone hungry over Thanksgiving, KDVR reported on Thursday.

Hundreds of delicious Thanksgiving meals, 1,000 exactly, were packaged by helpers with the DPD, AT&T, Walmart, and We Don’t Waste, ready for delivery to local families.

Video footage showed a mass of helpers bagging the holiday meals and placing them in long rows on the floor of a hallway:

“Really it’s our officers, they interact with the communities seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We get to see this need firsthand,” Denver Police Department Chief Paul Pazen explained.

Neighbor Keeyonna Dashiell has six children to care for, including 5-year-old Drayah, and the donation will make a huge difference for them.

“The cost for 1,000 Thanksgiving dinners? About $40,000, all donated. Add in the hundreds of hours of volunteer time, bake for approximately three hours and you have got one happy family,” the KDVR report said.

In a social media post on Friday, We Don’t Waste acknowledged the officers’ hard work in helping to provide food to so many neighbors in need of assistance.

“We put the Denver Police Department to work helping us provide thousands of Thanksgiving meal kits to the community!” the post read:

Additional video footage showed the officers going to residents’ homes and surprising them with the food:

“It helps out a lot. Donations, you know, it wouldn’t be possible

Colorado Wildlife officers successfully removed a tire from around the neck of a 600-pound male elk last month. The 4-year-old bull had been wearing the 20-pound tire for the last two years, first being sighted in July 2019.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers had made several attempts to track him down to remove the cumbersome tire, finally succeeding when the elk was reported in a neighborhood near Pine Junction last October.

A trail camera sighted the elk on July 12, 2020. (Courtesy of Dan Jaynes via Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

The first sighting of the bull with the tire around his neck captured by Wildlife Officer Jared Lamb in July 2019 during a survey for bighorn sheep and mountain goats. (Courtesy of Jared Lamb/Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

Officer Dawson Swanson responded and was able to intercept the animal and get close enough to implement a tranquilizer dart.

After calling for assistance, Swanson was joined by Officer Scott Murdock, and together they attempted to cut through the tire but were unable to, and had to cut off the elk’s antlers—which will grow back in the spring.

“It was not easy for sure, we had to move it just right to get it off because we weren’t able to cut the steel in the bead of the tire,” Murdock said in a press release. “Fortunately, the bull’s neck still had a little room to move.

“We would have preferred to cut the tire and leave the antlers for his rutting activity, but the situation was dynamic and we had to just get the tire off in any way possible.”

(Left) Locating the bull elk after darting it with the tranquilizer. (Courtesy of Pat Hemstreet via Colorado Parks and Wildlife); (Right) Wildlife officer Dawson Swanson attempting to cut the tire off. (Courtesy of Pat Hemstreet via Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

Previously, the officers feared the elk’s neck would swell during breeding season, causing the tire to cut off blood circulation or airflow for the animal or prevent growth.

After the tire’s removal, they noted that some hair was rubbed off and saw a wound “the size of a nickel or a quarter,” but found his neck was in surprisingly good condition, the statement said.

After freeing the elk, they administered a tranquilizer reversal and the bull was back on his hooves within minutes—leaving the scene about 35 pounds lighter.

The 20-pound tire had accumulated debris over the last two years.

(Left) Wildlife Officers Scott Murdoch (L) and Dawson Swanson hold up the tire that was on this bull elk for over two years. (Courtesy of Pat Hemstreet via Colorado Parks and Wildlife); (Right) The elk’s neck showed surprisingly little injury from the tire. (Courtesy of Pat Hemstreet via Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

“The tire was full of wet pine needles and dirt,” Murdoch said. “So the pine needles, dirt, and other debris basically filled the entire bottom half of the tire. There was probably 10 pounds of debris in the tire.”

“I am just grateful to be able to work in a community that values out state’s wildlife resource,” Swanson said. “I was able to locate the bull in question along with a herd of about 40 other elk.”

Wildlife during winter often make themselves scarce, but mating season afforded the officers an opportunity to locate and unburden the bull.

Animals occasionally do venture in where people live and put their heads in things which they then walk away with.

Parks and Wildlife advises lo