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Opinion: For the sake of students, end the ‘college marketplace’ myth

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:12 GMT

Virtually every policy that governs our higher education system is based on a dangerous myth — that students do, and should, meticulously shop around for colleges nationwide and pick the best fit.That’s the classic image: The prospective college student visits a slew of colleges and completes an array of applications. Then, they debate their options. Finally, parents pack up the car and drive across the country to drop their child off at college.The entire college selection apparatus — including college rankings, recruitment, marketing and entrance exams — fuels this “marketplace” perception. And following the U.S. Supreme Court’s curtailment of race-conscious admissions, most policy discussions have focused on ensuring students of color can still access and choose between highly selective colleges.Here’s the reality: Only 1 in 5 undergraduate students travel outside their home state for college, according to research I conducted with the Institute for College Access & Success, ...

GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert escorted out of “Beetlejuice” musical in Denver after “causing a disturbance”

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:12 GMT

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert was escorted out of a Sunday night performance of the “Beetlejuice” musical in downtown Denver, accused by venue officials of vaping, singing, recording and “causing a disturbance” during the performance.In an incident report shared with The Denver Post on Tuesday afternoon, officials with Denver Arts & Venues wrote that two patrons were asked to leave the city-owned Buell Theatre during the performance of the touring Broadway show. They previously were issued a warning during the intermission regarding behavior that prompted three complaints from other theatergoers, the report says.The report does not name Boebert as one of the patrons or identify the other person. But her campaign office — while disputing the behavior alleged — confirmed that she was escorted from the Buell on Sunday night during the “Beetlejuice” show.The incident report states that after receiving the intermission warning, about five minutes into the second act security officials rec...

Montgomery Co. police makes case for drone first responders to Wheaton residents

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:12 GMT

The police department in Montgomery County, Maryland, hopes it will be able to use drones to respond to some 911 calls starting this fall.It is called the “Drone as First Responder” program and, ahead of asking the county’s council to green light the program, the police department is seeking the support of the communities in which the drones will be tested.“We need to start thinking [about] how can we use technology to try to help achieve our mission of high-quality service to you all here in the room,” said Capt. Jason Cokinos, director of special operations at the Montgomery County Police Department.Speaking to a room of residents at the Wheaton Community Center on Tuesday night, Cokinos said a “staffing crisis” for the department has them looking to better response times and help the department decide whether or not patrol officers need to respond to a scene.The department would need $350,000 to start the pilot program which would likely place drones in Wheaton and Si...

International crews in Moroccan to recover bodies days after deadly 6.8 quake earthquake struck

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:12 GMT

IMI N’TALA, Morocco (AP) — The stench of death wafted through the village of Imi N’Tala high up in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains four days after a deadly earthquake struck, slicing off a chunk of mountain, killing residents and razing the hamlet to the ground.Bulldozers, rescue crews and Moroccan first responders work around the clock trying to dig through the wreckage to unearth the eight to ten corpses still underneath.“The mountain was split in half and started falling. Houses were fully destroyed,” Ait Ougadir Al Houcine said as rescuers worked on recovering bodies, including his sister’s. “Some people lost all their cattle. We have nothing but the clothes we’re wearing. Everything is gone.”The scene in Imi N’Tala, which mainly houses herders and famers and where 96 residents perished in Friday’s earthquake, mirrors that of dozens of places situated along the treacherous mountain roads south of Marrakech: Men in donated djellabas neatly arrange ru...

China upgrades relationship with Venezuela to ‘all weather’ partnership

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:12 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China announced Wednesday it was upgrading its diplomatic ties with Venezuela to an “all weather” partnership, a label reserved for a select few of its diplomatic partners.Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is on a state visit in Beijing, his fifth as president, according to state broadcaster CCTV. He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. One of the best known of China’s select all-weather strategic partnerships is with Pakistan, where it has invested $25.4 billion over the past decade. About 7 million people have left Venezuela during a complex political and humanitarian crisis that has been ongoing for the past decade. The country is reliant on oil as its main export but has faced U.S. sanctions. Last year, the Biden administration eased part of its sanctions on the country.Maduro has cultivated China throughout his years in power. His country has received support from China in loans, cash and investment worth tens of billions of dollars.Source

South Korean and Polish leaders visit airbase in eastern Poland and discuss defense and energy ties

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:12 GMT

MINSK MAZOWIECKI, Poland (AP) — South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was in Poland on Wednesday for talks on regional security amid war in neighboring Ukraine, and also to discuss military and nuclear energy cooperation, as the two countries continue to strengthen their ties.Han and his Polish counterpart, Mateusz Morawiecki, visited an airbase in Minsk Mazowiecki in eastern Poland where they watched Korean FA-50 fighter jets that Poland recently bought along with other military equipment. They discussed further cooperation over military weapons and equipment, as Poland also wants to help produce South Korean weapons. South Korea is also to take part in Poland’s development of nuclear power.Poland has given much military equipment to neighboring Ukraine to support its fight against Russia and is making intensive weapons purchases to upgrade its own deterrence and defense capabilities.Warsaw is buying billions of dollars worth of armaments, mainly from the U.S. and South Ko...

Income too high for Medicaid? ‘Spend down’ to qualify

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:12 GMT

More than 1.4 million people have lost Medicaid coverage in 2023 because they no longer meet the eligibility requirements, according to August tracking data from KFF, a health policy nonprofit.After a pause on disenrollments during the COVID-19 public health emergency, beneficiaries now must prove that they still meet the income limits for Medicaid. People whose income has gone up risk losing their coverage.What some beneficiaries might not realize is that even if their income seems too high for Medicaid, they might be able to spend down some income to qualify. For certain beneficiaries, spending on medical bills, including Medicare premiums, can be subtracted from their income when applying for Medicaid.WHAT IS A MEDICAID SPEND-DOWN?A spend-down is like a health insurance deductible, according to Catrice Simpson, a supervisory social service representative for the Washington, D.C., Department of Health Care Finance. “It is the amount you must show proof of meeting or exceeding befo...

'I need to get out of here before I die': Inmate's family sues Denver Health over his death

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:12 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Two days before he died, Leroy "Nicky" Taylor called his public defender from jail and in a barely audible recording left her a message where he said, "I need to get out of here before I die."The 71-year-old wasn't exaggerating. Taylor died on Feb. 9, 2022, in the Denver Detention Center. He and fellow inmates and even deputies from the Denver Sheriff Department had spent days pleading with medical staff to get him better treatment. Intercepted gun part shipment from China leads to bust at Thornton home Taylor's sons file wrongful death lawsuitNow, Taylor's two sons, Derek Taylor and Shawn Herron, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Denver Health and Hospital Authority, which has a contract with the Denver Sheriff Department to provide medical care to inmates at the downtown jail.In addition to Denver Health, the lawsuit specifically names Dr. Peter Crum and nurses Melissa Brokaw, Bernice Chavarria Torres, Isaac Karugu and Alice Mukamugemanyi, along with 2...

Colorado man wins $5 million on lottery, wants to buy watermelon

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:12 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Imagine winning $5 million on a lottery jackpot. Would you pay off your mortgage or your loans? Would you buy a boat or a new car? Well, one Colorado man got the surprise of a lifetime when he walked home with a $5 million check. And his first move was to purchase a summer fruit.On Sept. 11, the Colorado Lottery shared the story of Waldemar “Bud” T. of Montrose. Bud won the Colorado Lotto+ jackpot on the Sept. 6 drawing and came out $5,067,041 richer.At 77 years old, Bud is retired but is still an avid outdoorsman. So, when his winning numbers were chosen, he was backpacking in the Holy Cross Wilderness with his golden retriever, Augie. According to the lottery, Bud didn't know he had become a millionaire until he got back from his trip and checked the website. See these codes on your Colorado scratcher ticket? You could be a winner Bud figured, “It must be a mistake!"But it was no mistake at all, and Bud chose the cash option of $2,533,520. According to the lotter...

Did you know Aurora water tastes better?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:12 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — When it comes to drinking water from the tap, Aurora has some of the best-tasting water in the region, and it's not new for the city. On Monday, a panel of judges taste-tested tap water throughout the Rocky Mountains from seven utilities in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. The water was judged on taste, appearance, smell and overall impression by a panel of judges. Celebrities spotted in Boulder for CU vs. Nebraska game This year, Aurora placed first at the Water Taste Test at the Rocky Mountain Section of the American Water Works Association conference. This is one of many tap water wins for Aurora.Aurora's award-winning water previously won this competition in 2009 and 2011 and placed second or third in multiple years. It's just like any other tap water you could get in Aurora. "The water that we submit is literally out of the tap from one of our purification facilities," said Gregory Baker, a Deputy Director for Internal and External Relations for the City...