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Colorado business leaders more confident heading into 2024

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:31:53 GMT

Colorado business leaders aren’t ready to sing Happy Days just yet, but they are in a much better mood heading into this year than they were last, according to the latest Leeds Business Confidence Index from the University of Colorado Boulder.“Entering 2024, business confidence remains suppressed but is on the rise,” according to the report, which is published quarterly.The LCBI looks at six different categories and asks respondents what they expect over the next two quarters. An index score of 50 indicates an expansionary or positive outlook, while one below 50 is negative, indicating expectations for a contraction.The overall index came in at 45.3 for the first quarter of this year, which is up 43.6 in the fourth quarter of 2023. The outlook for the state economy was 47.2, up from 45.5 in the last report, while the outlook for the U.S. economy came in at 45.2, up from 40.2.That two-point gap between the U.S. and Colorado outlook is the smallest measured in the pa...

Ban on new oil and gas wells in “cherished” Colorado landscape is close after years of grassroots efforts

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:31:53 GMT

For nearly two decades, a unique coalition of conservationists, ranchers and recreationists have fought to block oil and gas development on a rugged section of land on the Western Slope.The Thompson Divide is “quintessential, old-school Colorado,” as one advocate put it. It encompasses rugged canyons, dramatic mountains, scraggly foothills and broad valleys. Few roads cut through it, and cell phone service is sparse.Temporary protections for the land are now on the horizon after years of lobbying and organizing. The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management requested that the U.S. secretary of the interior block future mining and energy development on more than 350 square miles of the Thompson Divide for the next 20 years.The final public comment period is set to end Monday for the proposal to withdraw the land from eligibility for oil and gas leasing under federal law.“The 20-year withdrawal would be a big win for everyone who values the Thompson Divid...

Contentious custody battle preceded Colorado Springs mom’s alleged slaying of two children

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:31:53 GMT

The Colorado Springs woman accused of killing her 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son was involved in a contentious, yearslong custody battle with her ex-husband, according to court records.Kimberlee Singler, 35, is suspected of first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, child abuse and assault in the deaths of her daughter and son and injury of her 11-year-old daughter.Officers responded to a report of a burglary at Singler’s apartment at 12:29 a.m. on Dec. 19 and found Singler and her oldest daughter with injuries and the bodies of her 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.The children were identified as Elianna “Ellie” and Aden Wentz by their father and Singler’s ex-husband, Kevin Wentz, in a statement released to KDVR this week, according to the Associated Press. Wentz’s attorney could not be reached for comment.Investigators later determined there was no burglary and obtained an arrest warrant f...

Three years after “Shark Tank,” office product startup files for bankruptcy

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:31:53 GMT

A local company has gone from “Shark Tank” to bankruptcy court.Thornton-based M.C. Squares, which makes whiteboard sticky notes, planners and to-do lists, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 22. The company said in the filing that it owes $3.3 million to 43 creditors and has assets of $900,000.Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows a business to restructure and keep operating while paying creditors over time.Founder and CEO Anthony Franco signed the filings. He declined to comment.Franco founded M.C. Squares nearly 10 years ago to replace disposable office and school supplies such as sticky notes. Its products sell for about $25, according to its website. In 2020, the company appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank and landed what later became a $50,000 investment for 11 percent stake in the company from Kevin O’Leary.M.C. Squares also received investments from local venture capital firms such aske Kokopelli Capital, Rockies Venture Club and Denver Angels.In the bankruptcy filing, O’Leary Production...

Nearly 300,000 lives could be saved in the next decade if states followed California’s example on gun laws, study says

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:31:53 GMT

By Emma Tucker and Omar Jimenez | CNNNearly 300,000 lives could be saved from the nation’s wave of gun violence over the next decade if every US state enacted gun control laws like those held by states such as California and New York, according to a new study announced Friday by a gun violence prevention non-profit group.It’s the first estimate that offers a glimpse of the potential life-saving impact of stronger gun laws throughout a nation with significant variation in firearm laws from state-to-state, experts tell CNN.The study by Everytown for Gun Safety revealed new rankings for the 50 states based on the strength of their gun laws in 2023 compared to their gun death rates, putting California and New York at the top of the list for gun safety. Arkansas is ranked last in the nation due to the weakness of its gun laws and high rate of gun deaths, the analysis shows.New York and California are considered “national leaders” in the report, holding some of the lowest gun death rates ...

49ers: Don’t fret, Steve Young. Brock Purdy is rust-proof

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:31:53 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Steve Young is concerned.The 49ers shut down Brock Purdy for their regular-season finale Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams and with a bye week to follow, Young wonders if it’s a good idea.“I don’t like sitting out,” Young said on his weekly appearance on the 49ers’ flagship KNBR. “I’d rather warm up, play a quarter — even a half — and be done. That’s the way to kind of stay with it. Now you’re going to get the next week off so it’s 21 days. From a quarterback spot, that’s a hard restart. Every game you miss, it takes a half to fully get back up to speed.”Far be it from me to challenge a Pro Football Hall of Famer and 49ers legend whose weekly takes on the radio are a must-listen.Young obviously pays close attention to the 49ers, but in this case it’s hard to determine if he’s paying any attention at all.Let’s review how Purdy makes an entrance following an exte...

Walters: How will California respond to the home insurance market meltdown?

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:31:53 GMT

While Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators wrestle with a massive state budget deficit this year, a few blocks from the Capitol another crisis that could have far more impact on California families will be playing out.Ricardo Lara, California’s insurance commissioner, will be trying to dissuade companies that provide insurance coverage to millions of homeowners from fleeing the state. Citing heavy losses from disastrous wildfires and the potential for more destruction in the future, the largest insurers, such as State Farm and Farmers, have already cut back on new policies and renewals.As a result, many homeowners in fire-prone regions have been forced into the state’s last ditch insurance plan, called FAIR, which offers reduced coverage at high premiums, to protect themselves and comply with their mortgages.The industry wants to include actuarial projections of future losses and the costs of reinsurance in their premiums. Neither factor is now allowed under regulations approved ...

Warriors get a reality check in loss to Nuggets: They aren’t yet close to winners

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:31:53 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Straggling Denver Nuggets celebrating Nikola Jokic’s 39-foot game winner hadn’t cleared the court before Steph Curry was in the locker room with his nose in the film rolling on his phone.Curry typically waits to watch the film at home, but he couldn’t wait that long. He needed to see how his Warriors let an 18-point lead slip within six minutes. The turning point was his bad pass leading to Jokic’s shot, but within the Nuggets 26-4 run he didn’t see botched defensive rotations or poorly executed offense.He found something worse: A reality check.At the peaks of their dynasty, the Warriors could fall back on a familiar identity to endure rough stretches. They knew who would start and who would close; that Draymond Green was good for a game-saving stop, or that Curry and Klay Thompson could break free for a clutch shot. Perhaps most importantly, all three had a supporting cast whose muscle memory instinctively danced a rhythm that mad...

El Cerrito man’s murder arraignment delayed in Santa Cruz court

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:31:53 GMT

SANTA CRUZ — Appearing before a packed courtroom Thursday morning, Theobald “Theo” Brooks Lengyel faced arraignment on a murder charge related to a believed Capitola woman.Theobald “Theo” Brooks Lengyel. (El Cerrito Police Department — Contributed) Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Syda Cogliati, overseeing the matter, appointed a public defense attorney for Lengyel, a 54-year-old El Cerrito resident, and agreed to delay his arraignment two weeks, to Jan. 16, after his counsel’s new assignment.Police arrested Lengyel on Tuesday off Highway 1 near Wilder Ranch, the same day human remains were located in the East Bay’s Tilden Regional Park, said Capitola Police Department Capt. Sarah Ryan. Detectives found the human remains after a tip led them to coordinate with East Bay Regional Park District police to search the park. They are linking the remains to Lengyel’s girlfriend, 61-year-old Capitola resident Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann, Ryan said. However, definitive DNA ...

Man killed in shooting at apartment complex parking lot

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:31:53 GMT

(BCN) -- A 24-year-old man was shot to death in Salinas on Wednesday evening. Salinas police officers were called to the 1000 block of Sieber Street at about 6:10 p.m. after receiving a report of an injured man in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Suspected Highway 1 road rage driver who shot child identified Officers found Ramon Angel Basurto suffering from a gunshot wound. He was provided medical care but died from his injuries. The fatal shooting is under investigation by the Salinas Police Department. Anyone with information can contact Detective Pete Gomez at (831) 758-7162. Tips can be left anonymously at (831) 775-4222. Copyright © 2024 Bay City News, Inc.