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Are there really more rats in Denver this year?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:50 GMT

Denver residents are not alone in moving inside to evade the cold winter weather.Community members in Denver have taken to social media in recent weeks to share their shock and unease at what seems to be an increase in rat sightings within the city compared to previous years.But according to Denver Department of Public Health and Environment Public Information Officer Amber Campbell, this increase is not necessarily due to growth in the rat population. A greater awareness of rats in public spaces, Campbell said in a Dec. 13 email, has driven an increase in the number of complaints received by the department.And some of these rats are far larger than the typical field mouse. According to Wilson Christner, owner and vice president of Whitmore Pest & Wildlife Control in Littleton, the size of the rat is directly correlated with its ability to easily access an abundance of food.“Close to downtown, we’ve had some pretty good size rats taken out,” Christner said on a...

First of 2 storms brings rain to Southern California; flood watches issued

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:50 GMT

The wet weather has arrived! Southern Californians got a taste overnight of what to expect this week as the first of two storms brought showers to the region.This first storm, expected to be the weaker of the two, generally brought less than a tenth of an inch of rain overnight. La Cañada Flintridge did receive .20 inches and Northridge reached .13 inches, according to the National Weather Service. The second storm is expected to arrive Tuesday night but we could continue to see some wet weather through the morning. Interactive Weather Radar “Still some isolated areas of very light rain. Some sprinkles, some mist across the Southland this morning,” KTLA's Kirk Hawkins said.Forecasters are already preparing for the next system, issuing a flash flood watch for all of Los Angeles And Ventura counties beginning Tuesday evening and continuing through late Thursday night. Rainfall estimates for most of Los Angeles County remain in the 2 to 4-inch rain. The Weather Service posted an imag...

Recognize Sha EK

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:50 GMT

Recognize Sha EK: Bronx drill rapper She EK has released new single and video “Recognition.”The short but sweet song clocks in at under two minutes, but Sha EK fits a lot into that time. He blasts in and blasts out again, relentlessly spitting lines at ya.“A violin loop writhes across a sparse beat on the track, while Sha EK’s inexhaustible high-energy flow kicks into overdrive,” reads the press release. “He tenaciously rips through the production at a relentless pace, holding nothing back. This track comes in fast and furious on the heels of the incendiary ‘Gun For Gun.’ Listen HERE and watch HERE. His momentum proves as uncontainable as ever as “Gun For Gun” served as the loaded follow-up to ‘EBK.’ Sha EK is simply delivering one anthem after another at a prolific pace, and he shows no signs of slowing down or stopping.”The video sees the artist on the streets and in what looks like a convenience store, either alone or wi...

Prep roundup: Mitty, O’Dowd girls basketball cruise at Nike Tournament of Champions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:50 GMT

No. 1 Archbishop Mitty 62, Miami Country Day 35Archbishop Mitty made a Florida powerhouse look like just another CCS team in the opening round of the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona, defeating Miami Country Day by 27 points. Sophomore forward McKenna Woliczko scored 25 points, and had seven rebounds and five assists to lead the way. Senior UConn commit Morgan Cheli scored just three points, but played a great all-around game. Elana Weisman joined Woliczko in double-figures with 11 points. Although the Monarchs are in the top bracket, they won’t play any of the top three teams in the country until the championship. No. 4 IMG Academy, which was on Mitty’s side of the bracket, was upset by Lone Peak 61-60.No. 1 Long Island Luthern and No. 2 Montverde are both on the other side of the bracket. Mitty will play Xavier College Prep-Arizona at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Related ArticlesHigh School Sports | Monday Morning Lights: Can anyone slow down sizzling De La Salle, Sales...

Bullfrog to become California’s amphibious illegal alien

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:50 GMT

California will take steps to ban the importation and sale of bullfrogs, halting century-old commerce that has introduced deadly disease to the state’s native frogs.The decision, which ends a battle over animals that are traditional cuisine in the Bay Area’s Asian communities, will take time to implement. It is part of a much larger strategy to manage problems caused by the invasive frog, with its huge leap and dangerous appetite.“It’s exciting to be moving forward, finally, to try to walk back the damage that’s been caused by bullfrogs,” said Erika Zavaleta, an ecology professor at UC Santa Cruz and co-chair of the California Fish and Game Commission, which sets policy for the state’s Department of Fish and Game and voted on Wednesday to start work on regulatory and legislative steps to fend off the importation and sale of the frog.The step echoes California’s 2011 ban of the sale of shark fins, a delicacy in a traditional Chinese soup.This Feb. ...

How stumbling Warriors, refreshed Celtics took divergent paths since 2022 NBA Finals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:50 GMT

Eighteen months ago, the Warriors dismantled the Celtics in six games, stamping their dynasty with a fourth NBA title in eight years.Golden State was too savvy, too headstrong and too deep for the younger Celtics. Winning his first Finals MVP, Stephen Curry was unquestionably the best player on the court.Each team looked like it could return to the grand stage — the Celtics with an emerging core around wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown entering their primes, the Warriors refusing to let their championship window close for as long as possible.“We came back from the abyss,” Joe Lacob said at the start of a raucous parade down Market Street, later adding, “We’re ready to come back next year and do it again.”Neither the Warriors nor Celtics reached the Finals in 2023, and as they meet Tuesday night in Chase Center, each squad looks quite different from June 2022. Each has gone through dramatic organizational change, yet come out on the other side on opposite tracks. Boston comes...

NFC playoff picture: 49ers in driver’s seat for top seed thanks to Seahawks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:50 GMT

A margin for error.Something the Faithful probably never anticipated in late November when the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles were 10-1 and the 49ers were 8-3.Yet here we are, after the division rival Seattle Seahawks stole a 20-17 win Monday from a reeling Eagles team that is suddenly 10-4.Both No. 2 seeded Dallas and No. 5 Philadelphia are a game behind the 49ers (11-3). The 49ers beat both teams handily so in a tiebreaker sense, life is good.A month ago, who would have considered the 49ers could wrap up their bye and home-field advantage by winning two of the last three games?If the 49ers, winners of six straight, beat the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas night and follow that up with a road win against the currently 4-10 Washington Commanders, their home finale against the Los Angeles Rams becomes moot.Imagine that. The top seed and home field wrapped up before they even take the field against the Rams.It would take a considerable fade by the 49ers to give up the bye and...

Big San Jose retail center lands California buyer in $30 million-plus deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:50 GMT

SAN JOSE — A big retail center in San Jose with some high-profile anchors has landed a buyer from Southern California in a $30 million-plus deal.Monterey Plaza, a shopping center in south San Jose, has been bought for $33 million, according to documents filed on Dec. 18 with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office.Monterey Plaza, a shopping center with addresses ranging from 5502 through 5568 Monterey Highway in south San Jose. City Sports Club is visible on the left and FoodMaxx supermarket is visible on the right. (Google Maps)Brixton Capital, a real estate investment firm, bought the shopping center, the county documents show. Brixton Monterey Owner is the affiliate that now owns the retail complex, according to the property records.“Adding Monterey Plaza to our retail portfolio serves as a testament to our firm’s commitment to our value-add strategy aimed at enhancing shopping centers to better serve the surrounding community,” said Dan Sutherland, ...

Walters: Despite progress, epic California water wars still ahead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:50 GMT

The politics of water in California could be likened to the constant grinding of tectonic plates 10 miles or more beneath its surface.The Pacific Plate battles with the North American Plate for dominance along the 800-mile-long San Andreas Fault tracing California’s coast. When one gives way, the state experiences an earthquake.Similarly, California’s water interests — farmers, cities and environmentalists, principally, with infinite numbers of sub-groups — joust constantly over how the state’s water supplies will be apportioned.The conflicts of water buffaloes, as they have been dubbed, play out in legislative arenas, in the many federal, state and local governmental agencies that manage water distribution, and increasingly, in state and federal courts.Their grinding struggles have been underway for as long as California has been a state (173 years), but on occasions — sometimes separated by decades — major actions change California’s waterscape.This appears...

Three arrested on suspicion of $40,000 worth of stolen goods from Bay Area outlet mall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:50 GMT

Three people were arrested Friday on suspicion of commercial burglary following a large theft from the Premium Outlets in Vacaville.According to Vacaville Police Department officials, the Vacaville Communications Center received a report of a thief at the shopping center and officers were soon able to identify a suspected vehicle by using traffic cameras to identify a license plate.“An observant lieutenant located the vehicle driving on westbound I-80 through Fairfield,” read a release by the department. “With the help of Fairfield PD, the vehicle was stopped and all the occupants were safely detained. Officers were able to see two filled trash bags within the vehicle.”According to officials, the trash bags contained several pairs of sunglasses that still had price tags attached to them. An estimated $40,000 of suspected stolen sunglasses were found in the vehicle, according to officials.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Commission hearing retail theft complaints ...