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Legitimacy of 'customer' in gay rights case raises ethical, legal flags

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:28 GMT

A Christian graphic artist who the Supreme Court said can refuse to make wedding websites for gay couples pointed during her lawsuit to a request from a man named “Stewart” and his husband-to-be. The twist? Stewart says it never happened.The revelation has raised questions about how Lorie Smith's case was allowed to proceed all the way to the nation's highest court with such an apparent misrepresentation and whether the state of Colorado, which lost the case, has any legal recourse. What the Colorado Privact Act means for your data It has served as another distraction at the end of a highly polarizing term for a Supreme Court marked by ethical questions and contentious rulings along ideological lines that rejected affirmative action in higher education and President Joe Biden’s $400 billion plan to cancel or reduce federal student loan debts.Here's a look at the legal questions surrounding the mysterious would-be customer, “Stewart:"What role did the claim play in the 303 Creative...

Dog rescued after falling off Colorado 14er

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:28 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Members of the Alpine Rescue Team rescued a dog that fell off of Torreys Peak on Sunday.A 911 call was received around 1 p.m. after the dog fell off the east face of the mountain, according to the rescue group. ‘Nuisance’ mountain lion relocated after multiple incidents in Pagosa Springs A team of seven was sent up to the summer trailhead to assess the situation. They then climbed to the summit to rescue the animal at the top of the 1,500-foot South Paw couloir.Thankfully, the dog was OK but did suffer minor injuries and needed to be carried seven miles back to the trailhead.According to Alpine Rescue Team, she was "extraordinarily calm" given what she had gone through, and exhibited no pain from her injuries.Dog that fell off the side of Torreys Peak, seen from a distance (Credit: Alpine Rescue Team)A rescuer helps a dog that fell off the side of Torreys Peak (Credit: Alpine Rescue Team)The team was eventually able to reunite the dog with her owners.Torreys Peak ...

Pug rescued from 130-degree car at Denver Zoo

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:28 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A pug from Texas was rescued after being left in a car that reached 130 degrees at the Denver Zoo last week.At least an hour had passed before Denver Animal Protection arrived to help the dog on June 27.The pug's owner faces an animal cruelty charge in the incident, which carries a fine of up to $999 and/or 300 days in jail.Why hot cars are dangerous – and what you can doA Colorado law protects people who take extraordinary measures to rescue humans or pets from dangerously hot conditions in locked vehicles. People are required to contact authorities first, however. If it’s 90 degrees outside, how hot is it for your dog inside the car? Temperatures inside vehicles can reach 120 degrees in minutes on particularly hot days, even if the weather is mild or the windows are cracked open.Dogs regulate body temperature differently than humans and cool off primarily by panting. However, when they're in a hot vehicle, they breathe in the hot air around them and can't cool o...

What to do if you think you see illegal fireworks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:28 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- It's illegal to use fireworks that explode or leave the ground in Colorado without the proper certifications. The only permissible fireworks in the state, according to Colorado law, may not contain more than 50 milligrams of explosive composition and includes fountains, ground spinners, illuminating torches, dipped sticks and sparklers, trick noisemakers and tube devices. Where to watch Colorado’s 4th of July fireworks, drone shows this year Despite fireworks being outlawed, you still might see them, especially around the Fourth of July. If you see anything that explodes or launches into the air, police say you should report it, but not by calling 911."We get it. You hear the fireworks going off and know that Aurora doesn't allow anything that explodes or leaves the ground. It's annoying," the Aurora Police Department said in a tweet. "But calling 911 isn't the best way to let us know."How to report illegal firework usage and salesSince fireworks are illegal throu...

Clear Creek lifts water restrictions before July 4th

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:28 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — After one month, Jefferson County has lifted the water restrictions on Clear Creek in Golden just in time for the Fourth of July. Effective at 10 a.m. Monday, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the city of Golden made the decision to lift the restrictions that limited water activities on Clear Creek. These restrictions have been in place since June 1. According to JCSO, water flow measurements have shown a continued decrease since the closure on June 1. June 2023 rainfall sets new record The restrictions had closed the creek to tubing and swimming after a record amount of rainfall caused water levels to increase rapidly over a short period of time. “We’ve had a good snow year compared to other years, so the amount of water in the creek this year is higher than it’s been the last couple of years,” said Fire Marshal Scott Case.Even though the restrictions have been lifted right before Independence Day, JCSO is still encouraging visitors to be very c...

A Texas man who went missing as a teen 8 years ago was just found alive sleeping outside a church

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:28 GMT

(CNN) — A Houston man who went missing as a teen more than eight years ago was found sleeping in front of a local church, according to police.Rudolph “Rudy” Farias IV had been missing since March 6, 2015, according to a missing persons flyer published by the Texas Center for the Missing.On June 29, the Houston Police Department received a call for service, responded to the church in east Houston and later confirmed that the individual was Farias, a department spokesperson said.It’s unclear where Farias has been over the years, and officials did not offer further details on his past whereabouts or what led to the call that reunited him with his family.He is “receiving the care he needs to overcome his trauma,” his mother, Janie Santana, said in a statement for the family.Farias is nonverbal and is unable to communicate with his family, according to the statement.He was found by a good Samaritan who called 911, the family statement said, adding they had no other information on hi...

A flood watch is on for Massachusetts through the 4th of July: ‘Heavy downpours at times’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:28 GMT

Torrential rain could spark some flooding on the roads for the Fourth of July, as showers and thunderstorms continue to impact the region during the holiday weekend.The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for a wide swath of the Bay State through late Tuesday night.Meteorologists are warning that flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be a threat.“Locally heavy downpours at times, which may result in flooding especially along & south of the MA Turnpike,” the National Weather Service’s Boston office tweeted on Monday.“Shower/storm activity will be more widespread across southern New England on July 4th,” NWS Boston added.The counties that were under the flood watch Monday afternoon were: central and northern Middlesex; western Essex; southern and northern Worcester; eastern Hampden; eastern Hampshire; and eastern Franklin.“Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and...

Report: Celtics add depth to backcourt, sign Dalano Banton to two-year deal

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:28 GMT

The Celtics added some depth to their backcourt on Monday, signing young guard Dalano Banton to a two-year deal, according to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania.Banton is 23 years old and just finished his second season with the Raptors, where he only played in 31 games and logged nine minutes per game before he was not extended a qualifying offer, which made him an unrestricted free agent. The second year of his deal will be a team option, according to the Globe.Banton does not project to play significant minutes as it stands in the Celtics backcourt, where Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon and Payton Pritchard are slated to take up much of the time. Still, Banton is an intriguing depth option as he continues to develop. The Nebraska product has unique size for a guard at 6-foot-9, 204 pounds, and can give the Celtics some flexibility and defensive versatility. He’s not a strong 3-point shooter – with just a 27.5 percent mark over two seasons – but has solid slashing ability ...

Pick fresh strawberries at this family-owned farm in Carlsbad

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:28 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Summer is fruit season and nothing epitomizes that more than the sweet taste of a strawberry in the California sunshine.Whether it’s by picking up a basket from a local farmers market or a local produce stand, San Diego has plenty of ways to enjoy the strawberry season, including picking them from the vines yourself.There are nearly a dozen farms across the county that offer this fun and interactive activity for the family to enjoy. However, one farm has been supplying strawberries to San Diegans for over four decades: the Carlsbad Strawberry Company.Situated right off the Interstate 5 on Canon Road, the Carlsbad Strawberry Company is the oldest and probably most recognizable field for the ruby red fruit in the region. Past Big Bay Boom anthem performers: Where are they now? Robyn Ukegawa’s family has been tending to the land for over three-generations. Ukegawa’s grandfather – a second-generation farmer – first started farming there in 1952, moving down to the a...

A North Dakota medical waste facility says a human torso was delivered to its site and is suing

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:28 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Human remains are at the center of tangled litigation involving a major regional health care system and the company contracted to dispose of its medical waste. Monarch Waste Technologies sued Sanford Health and the subsidiary responsible for delivering the health care system’s medical waste, Healthcare Environmental Services, saying the latter “brazenly” deposited a human torso hidden in a plastic container to its facility in March. Monarch discovered the remains four days later after an employee “noticed a rotten and putrid smell,” according to the company’s complaint. Monarch rejected the remains and notified North Dakota’s Department of Environmental Quality, which is investigating. An agency spokeswoman declined to comment during an active investigation.The Texas-based company also claims an employee of Sanford Health’s subsidiary deliberately placed and then took photos of disorganized waste to suggest that Monarch had mismanaged medical waste, part ...