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Filing a pothole claim in Denver? Records show city rarely pays up 

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:12:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — As cold nights begin to mix with warm days, potholes are appearing across the Front Range. In Denver, multiple crews are being dispatched every day to patch the holes, with the city receiving dozens of 311 calls every day.  Parents plan new commute as Denver Public Schools to close campuses Drivers who damage their cars after hitting a pothole in Denver can file a claim for reimbursement within 180 days. But FOX31 has learned those claims are rarely paid out.So far this year, 55 pothole claims have been submitted to the city. Only three have been paid out."I think it's a racket," Joe Salazar said.Salazar said he blew his tire on a large pothole near 16th and Welton streets and was denied on his $1,300 claim to the city.“They said we didn’t have notice of the pothole, so we are going to deny your claim," he said.Why did Denver deny the pothole claim?A city spokesperson told FOX31, "In order for Denver to be held liable for damage resulting from potholes, we must fir...

East High students meet with leaders at gun safety summit

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:12:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — East High School students joined local leaders at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday night to discuss gun safety.The gathering happened in the wake of protests and students calling on the city council for change after 16-year-old Luis Garcia was shot right outside the school and later died. Yet another student hit by car near Aurora high school This summit was a student-led initiative, one that Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero said should have happened a while ago. He said he's raised the alarm but never pressed for a meeting of this sort as these students have.Fear of gun violence 'every day of our lives'Prepared questions and those from the audience pressed this panel on what will and can be done for these students to feel safe. "This is every day of our lives where we feel we could be shot or injured or in some other way hurt because of gun violence," said Alexander Cisneros, vice president of Students Demand Action at East High. Principal Teri...

1 in 4 workers over 40 taking gig jobs: AARP study

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:12:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — As people get closer to retirement, more workers are turning away from traditional 9 to 5 jobs and are doing gig work instead. A new study by AARP says 27%, or one in four workers over age 40, are doing independent, freelance or gig work. 'Social security is not gonna cut it'“It doesn’t surprise me in the least,” Lisa Sonshine said. “I’m 61, so I’m close to retirement age and I feel like this is truly the perfect thing to do for retirement. Because let’s face it, social security is not gonna cut it.” Pothole blamed in I-70 trailer crash had been an issue for weeks Sonshine recently began driving for Uber seven days a week after quitting her career as a caregiver.“The reason I started driving for Uber was because, unfortunately, caregivers don’t get paid appropriately, so I couldn’t support myself on that,” she said. According to AARP, 89% of gig workers choose the style of work because of the opportunity to make money. “I’m doing this full-time because honestl...

$1 million California Lottery winner strikes gold at South Bay supermarket

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:12:57 GMT

NATIONAL CITY, Calif. -- A San Diego-area supermarket was the lucky location for a California Lottery winner, officials announced Thursday.Victor Varela won the $1 million prize thanks to a Winter Riches Scratchers ticket he purchased at the Vallarta Supermarket in National City, the CA Lottery press release stated.It's not the first Vallarta Supermarket to be on luck's side. A store in Whittier, located near Los Angeles, sold a Scratchers ticket worth $5 million in April of last year. The cherry blossoms are back in Balboa Park. Here’s how to enjoy them Varela is one of five California Lottery Scratchers players who took home a combined $7 million in the Golden State, according to officials. Two in the Bay Area cashed in on top prizes of $2 million each while a $1 million ticket was sold in Mendota (Fresno County) and another $1 million prize received in Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles County)."Our stores do see an increase in traffic, particularly during the large jackpots, as custome...

Australia aims to bolster security, economic ties with India

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:12:57 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Australia wants to strengthen security cooperation with India while also deepening economic and cultural ties, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday ahead of talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.“We are partners and building that partnership even stronger each and every day,’’ Albanese told reporters after a ceremonial reception at the Indian president’s palace in New Delhi.Both countries are working to strengthen the Quad, an alliance of Australia, India, Japan and the United States that aims to counter China’s rising influence in Asia.At a media briefing on Friday, Albanese was asked to explain his country’s position toward China after he described India as a “top-tier security partner.″“We need to ensure that Australia’s defense assets are the best they can be, and that we build our capability. At the same time, we need to build relationships. That’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been doing that here in India, we’re doing that throu...

Many Ukrainians stuck in limbo with US permission expiring

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:12:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — When U.S. officials at the U.S.-Mexico border stamped the Ukrainian passports of Mariia and her daughter last April and gave them permission to stay for a year, she figured she would return home within months.Now with that year almost up and the war that caused them to flee still raging, their permission to stay in the U.S. — known as humanitarian parole — is set to expire April 23. “The word `worry’ doesn’t capture what I’m feeling,” said Mariia, who spoke through an interpreter and asked that only her first name be used over concerns that speaking publicly would hurt their immigration case. “This is something that frightens me, mainly because of my daughter and my daughter’s future.”The 46-year-old woman and her daughter, now 13, are among 20,000 Ukrainians in a similar situation, according to resettlement agencies. Most arrived to the United States at its southern border after fleeing to Mexico, where it was easier and faster to get a visa to enter the country in...

Loyal and experienced, China’s other top leaders take posts

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:12:57 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — With Chinese leader Xi Jinping receiving a norms-breaking third five-year term as president on Friday, the other six men who serve with him on the ruling Communist Party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee are beginning to take up their new portfolios. All are party veterans with close personal and professional ties to Xi, China’s most powerful figure in decades. Chief among them, the party’s second-in-command Li Qiang is widely expected to take over as premier, nominally in charge of the Cabinet and caretaker of the economy. Li is best known for ruthlessly enforcing a brutal “zero-COVID” lockdown on Shanghai last spring. Shortly after Xi received unanimous approval from the National People’s Congress, the party’s third-ranking official Zhao Leji was put in charge of the nearly 3,000-member ceremonial legislature. A member of the Politburo Standing Committee until October, Han Zheng was made vice president.Underscoring the overwhelmingly male makeup of ...

Is America a Democracy or a Constitutional Republic?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:12:57 GMT

Q&A with Denver City Council District 7 candidate Nick Campion

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:12:57 GMT

Go to: Denver Post Voter Guide • Candidate Q&A home pageNick CampionPROFESSIONSoftware CEOEDUCATIONMBA, BSEXPERIENCECEO for three private equity software companies; aircraft maintainer for the Colorado Air National Guard; event marketing tour manager, volunteer for the unhoused, entrepreneurs and the planet.WEBSITE • FACEBOOK • TWITTERBriefly describe the single most urgent issue facing the city of Denver and how it should be addressed.Homelessness. Right now, the city’s approach is piecemeal and patchwork at best. What we need as a city is a plan that is comprehensive. We need quality services to get the unhoused jobs, houses, and treatment, if they suffer with mental health problems. Part of the issue is the lack of affordability many Denver residents are facing.What should Denver leaders do to address the city’s lack of affordable housing?Denver leaders need to rework the antiquated zoning laws that make development unaffordable and inequitable. We need to work on ...

Q&A with Denver City Council District 5 candidate Amanda Sawyer

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:12:57 GMT

Go to: Denver Post Voter Guide • Candidate Q&A home pageIncumbentAmanda SawyerPROFESSIONDenver City CouncilwomanEDUCATIONBA – University of Colorado at Boulder, JD/MBA – American UniversityEXPERIENCEFour years as the current District 5 City CouncilmemberWEBSITE • FACEBOOK • TWITTERBriefly describe the single most urgent issue facing the city of Denver and how it should be addressed.It’s public safety. I’ve worked hard to create and fund new programs to address this in my first term. I partnered with DPD District 2 leadership and residents to design a community policing program in East Colfax. I created a program using CPTED studies to help small businesses address crime issues. In 2022, I took almost 1,000 weapons off our streets through a gun buyback program, which were turned into garden tools. I also partnered with Xcel Energy and DPD to deliver two lightbulbs to homes and add street lighting in problem areas.What should Denver leaders do to addre...