Soothing breezes, above-normal temperatures return today

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:30 GMT

Soothing breezes, above-normal temperatures return today ST. LOUIS -- Above-normal temperatures return today thanks to southerly winds. Plenty of sunshine and quiet. Mostly clear and chilly again overnight, with lows in the 30s and low 40s. A bit warmer into the workweek, with highs each day in the mid-60s. Still needing rainfall, but the forecast looks mainly dry. 

Atlanta's hiring event in St. Louis faces setbacks amid staffing crisis

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:30 GMT

Atlanta's hiring event in St. Louis faces setbacks amid staffing crisis ST. LOUIS -- Atlanta police, attempting to recruit officers from St. Louis, faced challenges this weekend as they conducted interviews. According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Atlanta recruiters saw just over half a dozen individuals at their hiring event yesterday, with several turning out to be questionable candidates. These candidates couldn't pass background checks, lack proper paperwork, or have other issues. This situation has raised concerns in the St. Louis region, where the police department is grappling with severe staffing shortages. Mayor Tishara Jones reportedly texted the mayor of Atlanta last week, expressing her concerns and saying, "Hey, stop poaching our people."  Mayor Andre Dickens claims he was unaware that his department was actively recruiting in other cities. The St. Louis Police Department currently has a vacancy rate of about 28%, further complicating the situation. Adding to the complexity, an Atlanta Police Sergeant mentioned successful recrui...

Xcel’s plans for new power generation and transmission to face regulatory scrutiny

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:30 GMT

Xcel’s plans for new power generation and transmission to face regulatory scrutiny The Colorado Public Utilities Commission will soon consider a $15 billion plan by the state’s largest electric utility that could have long-lasting impacts on efforts to cut the state’s greenhouse-gas emissions, increase the amount of renewable energy on the grid and keep electricity affordable.The commission is expected to make a decision by year’s end on the second phase of Xcel Energy-Colorado’s clean energy plan, which maps out the utility’s strategies for meeting a state mandate of reducing its emissions by at least 80% by 2030 in a cost-effective manner.Xcel Energy frequently bumps heads with other parties in proceedings before the PUC, but its proposal to add a total of 6,500 megawatts of renewable energy resources and battery storage to its system has drawn praise.One megawatt of solar or wind energy can supply electricity to several hundred homes.“Overall, the amount of solar, wind and storage that’s being added is something to be celebra...

Broncos scouting report: How Denver matches up against Bills and predictions

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:30 GMT

Broncos scouting report: How Denver matches up against Bills and predictions Broncos (3-5) at Bills (5-4)When: 6:15 p.m. MT, MondayWhere: Highmark StadiumRadio/TV: 850 AM, 94.1 FM/ESPN, KMGH-7Broncos-Bills series: The Broncos are 16-22-1 in 39 regular-season games dating back to 1960; the Broncos lost 48-19 in the last meeting, on Dec. 19, 2020, in Denver, and have lost three in a row to the Bills.In the spotlightBroncos safety Justin Simmons said it best. If Denver truly wants to make a postseason push, it has to take care of business against teams like the Buffalo Bills.If the Broncos want to stop the Bills on Monday Night Football, they will have to contain quarterback Josh Allen, and that’s no easy task.“(Allen) is extremely difficult to game plan against,” Simmons said. “He’s so talented with his arm that he can make all the throws.”Allen has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league for the past five seasons. He and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes are known for making plays that defy logic. This season, Allen has continued that narrative. He is second ...

Meet Louie Romero, the barber who keeps Broncos and Nuggets players fresh

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:30 GMT

Meet Louie Romero, the barber who keeps Broncos and Nuggets players fresh Justin Simmons was in trouble.In 2016, the Broncos safety was a rookie when members of the No Fly Zone — then consisting of Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr., Darian Stewart and T.J. Ward — gave the youngin’ in the room an initiation.First, they told Simmons not to cut his hair. Then, after Simmons grew out his hair to the point he had a mini Jackson Five afro, he had to get it cut in the same design as a Cincinnati Bengals helmet.“It was like the black stripe was bald, and the orange stripe was my hair. Every other line (was) puff, bald, puff, bald,” Simmons told The Denver Post. “It was bad.” View this post on InstagramA post shared by Justin Simmons (@jsimms1119)Simmons had to sport the look for one week of practice. Once that time was up, he needed someone who could help get things back in order. So he reached out to Louie Romero, a local barber who had just started cutting hair for the Broncos at the training facility.Simmons went to Romero’s shop and asked him to “salvage” t...

Keeler: How Von Miller’s vision still helps kids in Broncos Country see the light

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:30 GMT

Keeler: How Von Miller’s vision still helps kids in Broncos Country see the light Von Miller had this gift, by the grace of God and mom, Gloria, to make complete strangers feel 10 feet tall. Even Curt Greeley, who was already two-thirds of the way there.“Hey, are you lacing them up later?” the Vonster asked him two years ago as No. 58 — he’ll always be 58 here — reached out to shake Greeley’s hand.The future Broncos Ring-of-Famer looked up. And up. And up. From beneath those big frames, Miller’s eyes twinkled.“Do you want to come play basketball?” the Vonster asked.Heck yeah, he did.Greeley’s an optometrist by trade and hooper by birth. At 6-foot-7, he graduated from Newton High School in Iowa as the Cardinals’ all-time leading scorer. He played college ball at Division II Minnesota State in Mankato.“Yeah,” the eye doc replied with a grin. “Name the time and place and I’ll be there.”This was two years ago, when Dr. Greeley and the good folks at ICON Eyecare were providing fr...

Hockey Heals provides community, love for players facing life-threatening adversity: “This is actually what I’m living for”

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:30 GMT

Hockey Heals provides community, love for players facing life-threatening adversity: “This is actually what I’m living for” LITTLETON — Hanna Gootée woke before sunrise, body hurting, doubt creeping in her mind. How long could she do this? How long would she have to fight against thyroid cancer, and three autoimmune diseases on top of that?Her eyes were heavy as she made the two-hour drive from Edwards, across snowy Vail Pass, watching the light break over the horizon. But once she walked into Edge Ice Arena and put on her skates, that doubt dissipated.She had arrived at Hockey Heals, a weekly skate for those who have endured a life-threatening illness, disorder or event. This was her most potent form of therapy. Where she felt alive.“The important thing I have to remember is I need to show up as I am,” Gootée said. “That’s what gets me here. I don’t care what’s working or what’s not with me on this particular day. If I can just show up and get here, it will change my whole day around.“When you get diagnosed with something, unfortunately, that’s...

Surviving Jamal Murray’s injury starts with Reggie Jackson’s scoring resurgence

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:30 GMT

Surviving Jamal Murray’s injury starts with Reggie Jackson’s scoring resurgence Growing up in a military family, Reggie Jackson moved around enough to never remain with one basketball program too long. He was constantly adapting to new systems, new styles, new teammates.“Everything didn’t always revolve around me,” he said.Jackson attributes his general plug-and-play comfort level to that upbringing. But the self-aware Nuggets point guard also understands he can’t credit himself too much for the seamless dependability with which he has replaced an injured Jamal Murray so far.Late in a November litmus test for the defending NBA champions, the Nuggets turned to the two-man game to bail them out: “Big Government” Jackson and Nikola Jokic.“I think he’s just that damn good that he’s making me look like I know what I’m doing out there with the team,” Jackson said when asked how he has built chemistry with Jokic.Murray is estimated to be out at least three weeks with a right hamstring strain, sources told The Denver Post, thou...

Me & My Car: Piedmont owner’s ’63 Volvo with him through thick and thin

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:30 GMT

Me & My Car: Piedmont owner’s ’63 Volvo with him through thick and thin In researching the Volvo company’s history, I learned that it has had many partners, joint ventures and owners over the years (I counted 15) but that there never was a Mr. Volvo.Related ArticlesLocal News | Me & My Car: Oakland man’s ’92 Allanté one of Cadillac’s unique models Local News | Me & My Car: Pleasanton man owns first-, last-generation Thunderbirds Local News | Me & My Car: ’71 Pantera in Livermore proved to be a good investment Volvo was established in 1915 as a subsidiary of a Swedish company called SKF, a ball bearing manufacturer, and the original plan was to use the Volvo name for a new series of ball bearings for the American market. In Latin, volvo means “I roll.”The closest thing to having a Mr. Volvo were two SKF executives, Gustav Larson, an engineer, and Assar Gabrielsson, the sales manager, who are credited with the first Volvo car in 1927, the Volvo OV4 (“OV” ...

Kenya’s Edwin Kiptoo wins Athens Marathon in a course record of 2:10:34

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:12:30 GMT

Kenya’s Edwin Kiptoo wins Athens Marathon in a course record of 2:10:34 ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Kenya’s Edwin Kiptoo has won the 40th Athens Marathon in a course-record time of 2 hours, 10 minutes and 34 seconds.The 30-year-old Kiptoo gradually shook off his main challengers, most of them his compatriots, over the second half of the course, running the last 10 kilometers alone.As Kiptoo was crossing the finish line, about a 100 people in Athens’ Panathenaic stadium unfurled a banner saying “Free Palestine” and waved Palestinian flags. Some spectators also held and waved Palestinian flags along the course.Kenya’s Rhonzai Lokitam Kilimo came in second at 2:12:36 and Felicien Muhitira of Rwanda was third in the same time, his late charge just failing to edge out Lokitam.Kenyan runners have won the race 17 times since 2001, including Felix Kandie, who had set the previous record of 2:10:37 in 2014.Soukaina Atanane of Morocco won the women’s race in 2:31:52, good for 19th overall; Kenya’s Caroline Jepchirchir was runner-up 2:32:19, and Greece’s Gloria Privileg...