Latest news with #ColoradoSun
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Trump portrait hangs in Colorado capitol months after president's outburst
Months after Donald Trump expressed strong negative opinions about a presidential portrait of him in the Colorado state capitol that he described as 'purposefully distorted', a White House-approved replacement now hangs in its place. The new portrait, which Trump reportedly demanded be printed with a golden border so it would catch the light and 'glimmer', bears a close resemblance to Trump's official second-term photograph, which hangs in more than 1,600 federal buildings across the US and thousands more on a voluntary basis. The new Colorado painting – donated by the White House and painted by Vanessa Horabuena of Tempe, Arizona, according to the Colorado Sun – shows a significantly older-looking Trump than the first one. It is also more glowering than his first-term photographic portrait, which presented a sunnier disposition and showed Trump standing in the Oval Office with an American flag in the background, smiling. Related: Director of National Portrait Gallery resigns after Trump's effort to fire her Both are a departure from the mugshot issued during his re-election campaign by prosecutors when he was charged with illegally conspiring to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia. Yet another portrait, taken from a picture with his fist in the air after he survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania last summer, hangs in the grand foyer of the White House, after an official portrait of former president Barack Obama was moved from the location. Trump, with a well-known streak of vanity, strongly objected to the original, rather jowly representation in Colorado by Sarah Boardman. He called it 'truly the worst' and mused that the artist, who also painted the state capitol's portrait of Obama (which Trump said 'looks wonderful'), 'must have lost her talent as she got older'. 'Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,' Trump wrote. 'I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one.' The oil painting, which was commissioned after the state's former Republican senate president Kevin Grantham raised $11,000 for it, was then taken down at the request of other state Republican leaders. 'If the GOP wants to spend time and money on which portrait of Trump hangs in the Capitol, then that's up to them,' the Colorado House Democrats said in a statement at the time. Boardman said the base image she used had been approved by the Capitol building advisory committee. 'My portrait of President Trump has been called thoughtful, non-confrontational, not angry, not happy, not tweeting. In five, 10, 15, 20 years, he will be another president on the wall who is only historical background and he needs to look neutral,' she said.
The Independent
17-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
A record number of people are falling from chair lifts in Colorado resorts. Families of victims are still in the dark as to why
A higher than normal number of people have been falling off of ski chair lifts — with some of them dying — in Colorado. Chris Oxford, who spoke to the Colorado Sun, recounted how he and his friend, Donovan Romero, were skiing in December. Oxford and his friend were riding a ski lift when he said he felt a "jolt," and looked over to see his friend dangling from the lift chair. Romero fell from the lift, 47 feet into the snow below. He had to be airlifted to a hospital in Denver for treatment, but he ultimately died in May. The incident left Oxford shaken. 'It's been really hard. I haven't been able to get back up snowboarding. I didn't have the mental or emotional strength, you know,' he told the Colorado Sun. Romero's deadly fall was one of 18 chair lift falls reported to the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board during the 2024-2025 ski season. It was unusually high when compared to previous seasons, and was especially troubling at least eight of the reported falls involved children. More than a third of the 149 reported falls to the safety board since the 2014-2015 season involved children or teens. Romero was the fourth person to die from a chair lift fall since 2016. The last time 18 falls were reported to the safety board was in 2020-2021, though that spike could be attributed to more people spending time doing outdoor activities due to the coronavirus pandemic. It's unclear exactly why the numbers have shot up again, especially because recent seasons have logged fewer falls. In 2021-2022 there were only nine falls, while in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 there were 12 falls each season, with one fatality between both seasons. Many of the board's reports attribute the falls to "skier error," including Romero's. However, Oxford told the Colorado Sun that his friend hadn't been doing anything he thought could have contributed to a fall in the moment before he slipped out of the chair. Oxford did admit that he and Romero hadn't lowered the restraint bar on their chair lift that day — a decision Oxford says has sat heavy in his mind. 'The lift before we lowered the bar. A week earlier we had loaded a chair lift and this guy asked if he could lower the bar and we said of course and he told us about a run-in with some younger guys who were pissed when he lowered it,' Oxford told the Colorado Sun. 'I really don't know why we didn't do it. We were a little winded. We were heading up to meet a friend. I really don't know … believe me I've been thinking about it a lot.' On top of the pain of losing a loved one, the family of some individuals hurt or killed due to chair lift accidents are also frustrated at what they see as a lack of transparency from ski resorts regarding the incidents. Victoria Sanko-Perucco's husband, John, died in 2023 after he fell from a chair in Breckenridge during a March ski trip. John Sanko-Perucco was an expert skier, with 18 years of volunteer service as a ski patroller at the Grand Geneva ski area in Wisconsin to count toward his experience. He even saved a seven-year-old girl by catching her when she fell from her chair. Victoria Sanko-Perucco believes that John's fall was not the fault of operator error, and said her husband always had his restraining bar down when he rode the lifts. "My family is trying to understand what happened and we have been very frustrated trying to get answers," she told the Colorado Sun. She and her family filed a lawsuit in March arguing that Brekenridge and its owner, Vail Resorts, were negligent in maintaining the chair lift on the day her husband died. 'The event that killed Mr. Perucco is the kind that ordinarily doesn't occur in the absence of negligence,' the lawsuit says. The Independent has requested comment from Vail Resorts. 'There is no higher priority to us than the safety of our guests and employees. We are fully committed to upholding the highest standards of safety, and proactively invest in safety measures and tactics, such as our leading Yellow Jacket safety program, signage in slow zones, and our Kids on Lifts safety program,' Nadia Guerriero, head of Vail Resorts' six ski areas in Colorado and Utah, told the Colorado Sun in a statement. Part of the issue may be ski culture itself and some skiers' aversion to lowering restraining bars on ski lifts. While lowering the bar is common in the eastern US — in Vermont there is even an active campaign to warn skiers that riding without the bar lowered is against the law — out west there's more of a tendency for skiers to ride with the bar raised. A study from 2023 analyzing 24 lifts at eight ski areas across four regions of the U.S. found that only 41 percent of skiers lowered the restraining bar. Only 9 percent of skiers lowered the bar in the Midwest, while 80 percent of skiers in the Northeast lowered theirs. Just under 40 percent lowered their bars at resorts located in the Rocky Mountains. The study, published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, determined that 'with continued education and promotion (as happened with helmet use campaigns) chair lift restraint bar use will ultimately reach high levels across the U.S. as happened with helmet use over time.' Despite the high number of incidents in Colorado this year, deaths and injuries related to ski lifts are still quite rare, especially when compared to injuries in other active hobbies. According to the National Safety Council, approximately 1,000 bicyclists die every year while riding their bikes. Just over 240 people on average die every year in National Parks — though some of those deaths are not related to hiking or sport activities.
Axios
10-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Colorado Gov. Polis wields power despite lame-duck status
Gov. Jared Polis is a lame duck — but he still holds a veto pen. Why it matters: The term-limited Democrat loomed large in the now-completed legislative term, evidenced by his record 11 vetoes, and his influence sets the stage for his final session in 2026. State of play: A deepening rift between Polis and his fellow Democrats emerged as a major theme from this year's session on issues ranging from artificial intelligence to labor issues. Polis signed 476 of 487 bills into law by last Friday, the deadline — 88% of the new laws included at least one Republican sponsor. He signed business-friendly legislation and rejected measures tightening regulations on technology companies, calling them "what's right for Colorado." Yes, but: The numbers mask the outward tension from the 2025 term that split Democrats. Polis managed to use his veto threat to scuttle numerous other bills to keep them off his desk. He vetoed three bipartisan measures and one to limit ambulance costs that passed with unanimous support. What they're saying:"This isn't the first year where we've had conflict. I think maybe the difference is how visible it might be," House Speaker Julie McCluskie said at a recent event hosted by the Colorado Sun. What we're watching: Asked if he feels like a lame duck, Polis demurred.
Axios
09-06-2025
- Climate
- Axios
Homelessness rises despite fewer people living on Denver streets
Sheltered homelessness in Denver has dropped to its lowest level in six years, even as overall homelessness across the metro continues to rise, the latest point-in-time (PIT) count released Monday shows. The big picture: There were 10,774 people experiencing homelessness during this year's count, an 8% jump from 2024, per data from the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI), which surveyed people across seven metro counties on Jan. 27. The overall rate of increase slowed "significantly" compared to previous years, per a statement from the MDHI, which credits improved coordination and Denver's All In Mile High program for helping reduce unsheltered homelessness. Why it matters: While fewer people are living on the streets, the data shows homelessness remains a persistent problem in Denver despite tens of millions of dollars annually invested to find a fix. State of play: Roughly 80% of people surveyed during January's count were considered sheltered, meaning they were staying in emergency shelters or transitional housing. The remaining 20% were unsheltered, referring to people living on sidewalks, in cars or parks. Between the lines: Mayor Mike Johnston's administration eliminated most large encampments in Denver through its rehousing program, bringing nearly 7,000 people indoors over the past two years by enforcing the city's urban camping ban. His administration said it only conducted sweeps when shelter space was available, though that didn't always prove to be the case. Caveat: This year's PIT took place during a frigid night, which likely affected the total number of people in shelters, per the Colorado Sun. The intrigue: Johnston's administration is taking credit for the steep drop in unsheltered homelessness, in a statement calling it "the largest two-year reduction in street homelessness in U.S. history." The data shows a 45% decrease in unsheltered homelessness since 2023, the year the mayor launched his signature program to bring thousands of people indoors. Now called All In Mile High, the program costs about $57.5 million a year, a spokesperson for the mayor's office tells us. His staff compared similar reductions to larger cities, including Dallas from 2021 to 2025 and Houston from 2020 to 2024, which registered 28% and 33% drops, respectively. By the numbers: The 785 people counted as unsheltered this year in Denver is lower than similar-sized cities with PIT counts, including Washington, D.C. (798), Atlanta (1,061) and Austin (1,577), per data provided by Denver.
Axios
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Boulder firebombing suspect appears in federal court
The man accused of yelling "Free Palestine" and throwing Molotov cocktails at demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, made his first appearance Friday in federal court in Denver. The latest: Magistrate Judge Timothy P. O'Hara advised the suspect of the hate crime charge he faces and the possibility of a life sentence, court records show. The hearing lasted just 7 minutes, per court records. The right side of the suspect's face appeared to be burned, the Colorado Sun reports. The big picture: The Friday hearing comes one day after the suspect was charged in Colorado state court with 118 counts, including 28 counts of attempted first-degree murder. Mohamed Sabry Soliman also faces multiple counts related to the use and attempted use of an explosive/incendiary device. The 45-year-old suspect has been held at the Boulder County Jail on a $10 million cash bond since his arrest after Sunday's attack. Zoom in: The attack near the Boulder County courthouse on the city's popular Pearl Street injured at least 15 people and a dog, according to the Boulder County District Attorney's Office. All of the victims — ages 25 to 88 — are expected to survive, Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn told the Daily Camera on Tuesday. Catch up quick: Last Sunday, Soliman threw Molotov cocktails at people advocating for the release of hostages held by Hamas, according to an affidavit reviewed by Axios. The suspect allegedly told law enforcement he wanted to kill all Zionist people and that he had been planning the attack for a year. Run for Their Lives, the group targeted in the attack, gathered in support of the hostages "to show solidarity with the hostages and their families, and a plea for their release."
