Latest news with #Colorado
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Science
- Yahoo
New dog-sized dinosaur identified after fossil mix-up
(NewsNation) — A new species of dinosaur the size of a Labrador retriever has been identified after scientists managed to untangle a fossil mix-up. Incomplete fossil remains of the newly named enigmacursor mollyborthwickae were initially discovered in modern-day Colorado in 2021-22 but were misclassified by scientists as being the remains of a nanosaurus. In a newly published report, scientists behind the discovery note that the small herbivore was about 3 feet long, with its tail making up about half of its length. Dinosaurs didn't roar like in the movies. Here's how they sounded According to the museum, the name enigmacursor roughly translates to 'puzzle runner' in Latin. Despite its small stature, this two-legged dinosaur had long legs, which allowed it to quickly move away from predators. 'We can speculate that Enigmacursor probably wasn't that old, as it doesn't seem to have many of its neural arches fused in place. However, the way the fossil was prepared before it was acquired by the Natural History Museum has obscured some of these details, so we can't be certain,' Paul Barrett, co-lead author, said. New 2-clawed dinosaur discovered in Mongolia The remains, which date back to roughly 150 million years ago, are now on display at the Natural History Museum in London, marking the museum's first new dinosaur on display since 2014. Unearthed from the Morrison Formation of the Western United States, the dinosaur is said to have roamed the same region as dinosaurs like the stegosaurus and diplodocus. 'While the Morrison Formation has been well-known for a long time, most of the focus has been on searching for the biggest and most impressive dinosaurs,' professor Susannah Maidment, co-lead author of the report, told the museum. 'Engimacusor shows that there's still plenty to discover in even this well-studied region and highlights just how important it is to not take historic assumptions about dinosaurs at face value.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Two Colorado freshman to appear in EA Sports' College Football 26
I'm officially In The Game #CFB26 @easportscollege #EAAthlete. #Blessed In the NIL era, players relish the opportunities they receive to make a profit off their name, but there is one deal that might trump any other. That is the ability to play as yourself in a video game, or more specifically, EA Sports' latest installment, College Football 2026. On Friday, incoming Colorado freshmen London Merritt and Mantrez Walker announced they'll be in the soon-to-be-released game. The edge rusher and linebacker confirmed that their name, image and likeness will be included in the game, marking another milestone in their young careers. EA Sports brought back the popular college football franchise last year to widespread excitement from fans and players alike, eager to jump back into the game. New to this year's addition, all 136 Football Bowl Subdivision schools will be paid by EA Sports based on the frequency with which gamers play with their respective team. Real-life coaches are also being added to the game this year. Merritt and Walker are both Georgia natives, with Merritt being a blue-chip prospect once committed to Ohio State. Merritt appears to have significant potential with the Buffs, who lost several key pieces to their defensive line, most notably star defensive end BJ Green. Walker was a three-star prospect who has been with the Buffs for most of the offseason, but he projects as a likely depth piece entering his freshman season. Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads and Instagram. Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Colorado hiker discovers remains of woman missing since 2023
Colorado officials have confirmed the identity of a missing woman whose remains were found in Saguache County last week. According to the Saguache County Sheriff's Office, a hiker discovered human remains in a remote area of the county on June 17. Edna Quintana Saguache County Sheriff's Office Deputies and investigators with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation searched the area and recovered the remains, which were taken to the El Paso County Coroner's Office for examination. The coroner determined the remains belonged to Edna Quintana, a 55-year-old woman who went missing while rock hunting on County Road 46AA around May 3, 2023. Authorities said her cause of death remains under investigation, and autopsy results are pending. They encouraged anyone with information on Quintana's death or disappearance to contact the Saguache County Sheriff's Office at (719) 655-2525.
CBS News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Colorado church wins right to shelter homeless in RVs after legal battle with Castle Rock
A years-long legal battle between the Colorado town of Castle Rock and a local church has finally reached a resolution. It all started when the town ordered The Rock Church to stop sheltering the homeless in two RVs on its property. The town claimed it was a zoning violation, but the church argued it was their religious duty to help the homeless and said the town was violating their religious freedoms. The two parties have now reached a settlement that allows the church to shelter the homeless in up to five additional RVs beyond what they previously had. "It's actually a mandate in the Bible to take care of your neighbors, to love your neighbor as yourself, to take care of those that are struggling," said Rock Church lead pastor Mike Polhemus. CBS When Polhemus filed a federal lawsuit against the Town of Castle Rock, he was prepared for it to go all the way to the Supreme Court. "We're really fighting for the churches to be able to have their religious freedom, to do the things that we're called to do according to what the scripture commands us to do," Polhemus said. The church's first victory came last July, when a judge granted a preliminary injunction allowing them to resume sheltering people while the case moved forward. The church quickly moved a Parker family of eight in, who stayed for three months. "Now they're they're doing great. They're in their own home. They have a vehicle now," Polhemus said. "They're so thankful that we were able to help them in one of their greatest times of need." This month brought a final win for the church, with a settlement allowing them to shelter people in up to seven RVs on their property. CBS The settlement states the town may choose to pay for and install fencing to screen the RVs from neighbors. The town must also pay $225,000 of the church's legal fees. The terms of the settlement also allow the church to operate a coffee shop on site, as well as partner with the American Red Cross as an emergency shelter in Castle Rock. The Town of Castle Rock shared a joint statement saying: "On May 13, 2024, the Church of the Rock ("the Rock") filed a federal lawsuit against the Town of Castle Rock, Colorado, in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. The Rock sought and received a court order enjoining the Town from enforcing its land-use laws to prohibit the Rock's operation of its On-Site Temporary Shelter Ministry, through which the Rock provides shelter to those in need in trailers on its property, during the pendency of the case. Since the Court issued its injunction order, the Rock and the Town have sought to resolve this dispute without further litigation. As part of those efforts, on December 2, 2024, the Town issued a revised Letter of Determination that explicitly permits the Rock to operate its On-Site Temporary Shelter Ministry in the two trailers currently located on the Rock's property and clarifies that the applicable Planned Development zoning regulations do not prevent the Rock from providing additional shelter during public emergencies through its partnership with the Red Cross. The Town and the Rock now wish to inform the public that they have reached an agreement intended to end the current litigation and settle issues regarding the future use of the Rock's property to provide temporary housing to those in need. As part of this agreement, a new Letter of Determination will permit the Rock to operate its On-Site Temporary Shelter Ministry located in its existing parking lot. The Town has the option to install additional fencing or landscaping to partially screen the location of the units from the surrounding neighborhood in accordance with the terms of the agreement. The Town acknowledges the Rock's invaluable services to the Castle Rock community through its longstanding efforts to provide support for those members of our community most in need. The Rock acknowledges its responsibilities as a good neighbor and looks forward to working in partnership with the Town while providing those services. The Town and the Rock believe that this agreement is in the best interest of all parties and successfully balances the Rock's religious free-exercise rights with the Town's public interest in enforcing land use regulations and protecting the general welfare, public health, and safety. The Town and the Rock are no longer in an adversarial posture in regard to the litigation and look forward to productive cooperation and potential partnerships on issues in the future." The town looks forward to cooperating with the church in the future, a sentiment Polhemus shares. "We love the Town of Castle Rock. We love everything that they're doing. And our hope is that we can actually work together," Polhemus said. "We're not here to hurt our community, we're actually here to help the community. One of the ways we can do this is help those that are struggling, help our neighbors that have become homeless or in a bad situation, and we can bring them in and quickly get them back on their feet and into a sustainable position and integrated back into society." Today, two people live temporarily in the RVs on site, and the church will set up more RVs as needed. "We find is a lot of the people that are struggling, they don't just need a shelter, but they need people to come alongside them and to really help them in their greatest time of need," Polhemus said. Now that the conflict is settled with the town, the church hopes to explore building workforce housing on their land, an idea that was not popular with neighbors. "I know there's concerns from the neighbors that this is going to reduce their property values and increase crime rates, and I would say to this date, we have done nothing of that sort, and do not plan to do that," Polhemus said. Polhemus says the church will continue to follow its calling, and he hopes neighbors will join them. "Christ showed us love when he died on a cross for us," Polhemus said. "My encouragement to our community, to our churches, is that we would respond in the same love that Christ had for us, and lay down our lives for one another. And one of the ways we do that is by helping those that are struggling with housing."
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Funeral home owner who stashed 190 decomposing bodies in abandoned building and sent families fake ashes jailed
A TWISTED funeral home owner who stashed 190 decomposing bodies in a bug-infested building and handed grieving families fake ashes has been jailed for 20 years. Jon Hallford, co-owner of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in southern Colorado, was sentenced in federal court on Friday. 5 5 5 The 44-year-old pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud over a gruesome scheme that shocked the nation. He admitted fleecing clients and siphoning nearly $900,000 in Covid-19 relief funds meant for struggling businesses — splurging the cash on luxury shopping sprees, laser body sculpting, flashy cars and cryptocurrency. His sentence is five years more than prosecutors requested, and double what his own lawyer pushed for. 'I am so deeply sorry for my actions,' Hallford told the judge. 'I still hate myself for what I've done.' He added that he opened the funeral home hoping to 'make a positive impact in people's lives,' but admitted: 'Then everything got completely out of control, especially me.' Bodies piled up 'like lumber ' Hallford and his wife, Carie Hallford, who co-owned the funeral home, ran their grisly scam between 2019 and 2023. Investigators were first alerted in October last year when neighbours in Penrose, a tiny town two hours south of Denver, complained of a foul stench. Cops who turned up made a stomach-churning discovery — at least 190 bodies stacked atop each other in various states of decay, so badly decomposed that FBI agents had to lay boards over the sludge to navigate the rooms. Some corpses had been left there for years, including the body of Colton Sperry's grandmother who died in 2019. Chilling details emerge after number of rotting bodies found at 'green' Colorado funeral home rises to 189 In court on Friday, the young boy tearfully told the judge he fell into a deep depression when he found out. He told his parents at the time: 'If I die too, I could meet my grandma in heaven and talk to her again.' His father later rushed him to hospital for a mental health check, which led to therapy and an emotional support dog. Another victim, Derrick Johnson, travelled nearly 3,000 miles to tell the court how his mother was 'thrown into a festering sea of death'. 'I lie awake wondering: was she naked? Was she stacked on top of others like lumber?' he said. 'While the bodies rotted in secret, [the Hallfords] lived, they laughed and they dined. 'My mom's cremation money likely helped pay for a cocktail, a day at the spa, a first-class flight.' Two families even buried the wrong bodies after being sent urns of worthless dust — devastating relatives who said it destroyed their ability to properly grieve. 5 5 Lavish spending spree Federal prosecutors revealed the Hallfords drained the pandemic aid and clients' money to bankroll a lavish lifestyle. They splashed out on a GMC Yukon and an Infiniti worth over $120,000 combined, snapped up Gucci and Tiffany jewellery, spent $31,000 on cryptocurrency, and paid for laser body sculpting treatments. The sentencing also included an order for Jon Hallford to pay more than $1 million in restitution — with $193,000 to be divided among the victims' families and the rest to the Small Business Administration. Hallford will serve his 20-year term concurrently with a state sentence expected in August, after he pleaded guilty to 191 counts of corpse abuse and hundreds of other state charges including forgery and money laundering. Meanwhile, his wife Carie withdrew her guilty plea in the federal case earlier this year and will now go to trial in September. She also faces 191 counts of corpse abuse in the state case. The pair were arrested in Oklahoma last November after going on the run. By then, the decaying funeral home had already been torn down.
