A PERFECT DAY FOR WEATHER WEDNESDAY With Fox 31's Dave Fraser. He's on at 12:30 to answer your weather questions this frigid day.
YOU CAN SUPPORT PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES I love the ARC Thrift store and I have a long history with ARC, which once long ago was called the Association for Retarded Citizens. The language has changed but the mission has not, they help people living with developmental disabilities live fulfilling and independent lives. My mom worked for them when I was a kid and they do wonderful things. They have a gala coming up and I've got the CEO of ARC Thrift Stores Lloyd Lewis on the show today at 2:30 to talk about what they do and why they do it and the deals you can get by shopping there! They are having an event this Thursday, find the details below:
Reception for The Arc of the US & Inclusion International
The Arc of the US, the largest service and advocacy provider for children and adults with intellectual disabilities in the United States
Inclusion International, a global IDD advocacy organization with members in over 100 countries
Date: Thursday, February 13, 2025
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM MT
Location: Landmark East Tower, 7600 Landmark Way, Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Special Guests:
· Katy Neas, CEO of The Arc of the US, a long-time IDD advocacy leader recently named to the Forbes 50 Over 50 leadership list.
The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes. For over 65 years, we have channeled the power of our nationwide network to provide support, services, advocacy, and programs for people with I/DD and their families.
·Connie Laurin-Bowie, Executive Director Inclusion International. Inclusion International is the international network of people with intellectual disabilities and their families advocating for the rights and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities worldwide
HERE COME THE SPEED CAMERAS Talk about burying the lede here. The Denver Gazette has a story about traffic deaths in construction zones, which is terrible. But in the story they drop this little nugget without much ado:
The new cameras are intended to supplement traffic stops regarding excessive speed, but speedsters will also receive mailed citations if detected by the cameras.
So because of traffic deaths, we are going to get speed camera tickets now. Kind of a big deal. I don't speed in construction zones or school zones because if they are going to take the time to put up all those signs I'm gonna obey them, but what about when NO WORKER ARE PRESENT? Do we get the increased fine from the traffic camera we can't face in court? I am not happy about this. Not happy at all. Also from the article, in the first year of lane filtering motorcycle deaths went UP. They make up 24% of traffic fatalities in Colorado and there is a zero percent chance they make up 24% of passenger miles. Riding a motorcycle is inherently more dangerous than driving a car so please be careful out there, I want all my friends to survive.
A CONVOLUTED CASE AGAINST OIL AND GAS CONTINUES The City of Boulder is spending what must be GOBS of money trying to sue Exxon Mobil and Suncor for damages to the city because of climate change. On the face of this it's absurd, as we all know that the climate is a worldwide situation and there is LITERALLY NO WAY to prove that local actions were the cause of any adverse effect, but the Supreme Court just declined to hear a similar case out of Hawaii so the suit here continues. You can read about it here, but it will be interesting to see what "evidence" the plaintiffs bring to prove their case, because they MUST prove their case. I'm sure the bottomless pockets of Exxon Mobil have already lined up experts for a trial. I wonder how much Boulder has already spent on this.
KING SOOPERS IS NOT PLAYING THIS TIME And they are asking a judge for a temporary restraining order to keep picketers from impeding customers from entering their stores.
ARE THE KING SOOPERS STRIKERS BEING USED? And I mean by union leadership outside of Colorado. Jimmy Sengenberger writes a column here about it, and this part seems pretty important:
In October, King Soopers objected to involving outside unions, citing their lack of any bargaining relationship with the company. Yet when contract negotiations began two days later, UFCW 3000 President Faye Guenther flew in anyway. The next day, UFCW 3000 openly declared intentions to “coordinate proposals and actions” through their “united coalition” to force both Kroger and Albertsons to bend.
...
In an April 2024 interview with In These Times — a publication modeled after a socialist newspaper — Guenther laid out her revolutionary vision: compelling locals like #7 to “act more like Local 3000” and using “coordinated national contracts to transform the entire grocery industry.”
She wants to remake the entire UFCW International in her image — “more willing to strike,” “aggressively organizing,” and spreading an “evangelistic message of democratic unionism…rooted in social justice.” Meanwhile, Guenther — who, according to UnionFacts.com, made $166,447 in 2021 for leading Local 21 before merging to form #3000 — sees this as a “multiyear strategy” to “sweep away long-entrenched (union) leadership” and propel her to UFCW International’s presidency in 2028.
So are these workers even striking for themselves and other local workers or because a union leader from California wants to “build a more militant union.” Do local workers even know this? Some in the column above seem not to. They are being used.
TWO BILLS THAT MUST DIE ARE UP FOR DEBATE The first is the atrocious and clearly unconstitutional gun bill that is so bad it has lost Democratic support. The second would make is easier for unions to steal money from people who think they are awful by doing away with a second vote before forcefully taking money away from people who don't want to belong. Read about them both here, but then read this editorial about how that labor change would likely be the final nail in the coffin of small mom-and-pop restaurants in Denver, which are already on the ropes. Colorado Democrats seem to operate from the position that if you own a business, you are inherently evil and trying to rip people off and under pay your employees. Or they are deathly afraid of losing the money laundering operation that unions have become from them. Could be a little from Column A and more from Column B. Nothing else makes sense.
SENATOR SONYA JAQUEZ LEWIS ISN'T SORRY At least she didn't say she was sorry in her multi-page response to the ethics committee about complaints filed by members of her staff alleging a hostile workplace. Jaquez Lewis not only didn't apologize for any of the stuff she did, including asking an aide to sign an NDA, which is illegal under Colorado law, but she also said the complaint was "full of distortions and falsehoods and should never have been assigned to an Ethics Committee," which is odd since she ASKED that the complaint be heard by the ethics committee. She says it's a move by the union to get better pay. This is all very odd, and maybe something is wrong with her? To say the ethics committee was not impressed is an understatement. Read it all here.
THE FLU IS OFFICIALLY MORE DANGEROUS THAN COVID AGAIN As flu deaths out paced Covid deaths for the first time this winter a couple of weeks ago. Rates of flu hospitalization are three times the rates for Covid right now. The world is healing. All joking aside, the flu is raging through the country right now. Here is more info about the flu you should know.
WHOOPING COUGH IS ON THE RISE TOO Pertussis is something we've had a vaccine for a long, long time for, so the fact that it has been surging this year makes me think vaccine hesitancy may be to blame. Read more here.
THIS IS ONE TRUMP WILL WIN I talked yesterday about Trump being challenged in court and that I think there are some that seem more winnable than others. This one is very winnable for Trump. A federal judge has ordered the gender ideology webpages that Trump ordered scrubbed must be restored while the case works its way through the courts. I think Trump clearly has the power to do this and he will win.
TIME TO CUT DOWN COLORADO'S FORESTS Because they are now emitting MORE CARBON than they are removing from the air. THE HORROR! THE SCANDAL! It has to do with the fact that we have so many dead trees emitting carbon rather than removing carbon If this gets rid of some of the dead trees and makes that a priority for the Governor I'm all for it. Imagine the carbon release when all those trees catch fire.
DOGE IS GAINING SUPPORT According to the new Trafalgar survey, support for DOGE and what Elon Musk is doing is growing. I'm guessing it has to do with some of the things we've found the Federal government to be spending money on that did it. From Newsweek:
According to the latest Trafalgar Group and Insider Advantage poll, conducted between February 7-9, 49 percent approve of the job Musk is doing at DOGE, while 44 percent disapprove. The poll also shows positive results for Trump. Some 54 percent approve of the job the president is doing, while 45 percent disapprove. The poll surveyed 1,321 voters with a margin of error of 2.98 percent.
This is going to send the Dems further into the tailspin they are in.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD IS OUT THIS WEEKEND And though it's getting mixed reviews, it is a Marvel movie so I expect it to do well on a date night weekend. Watch the trailer below.
DEMOCRATS LAY OUT THEIR OBSCENE PLAN And I'm just going to let Rep. Maxine Dexter lay it out, and if bad language bothers you, you may want to skip it.
NICK FERGUSON SAYS TRAVIS KELCE SHOULDN'T BE A KEPT MAN Travis Kelce is hinting he's considering retirement and it inspired this diatribe by Nick.
POLITICO COURSE CORRECTS And nothing is better at showing how in bed they are with the Democrats than these competing headlines:
YES, FEMA SPENT GOBS OF MONEY ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Remember back when people said that FEMA was redirecting disaster funds to pay for the accommodations, food, and more for illegal immigrants and we were told that THAT was a different pool of money? Yeah, well it was true, and now people who got $750 checks from FEMA when they lost everything know about it too. Read it here. This is why DOGE polling is going up. At least now people are being fired for it.
SO HOW IS GERMANY'S NET ZERO GOING? About as well as you can expect.
A DEMOCRAT WHO TELLS THE TRUTH And it's so awkward. But at least she says what the real job is.
A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER ON THE DEATH OF DEI Of course she has already been called a "white supremacist" for saying teachers should teach the basics and not DEI. Read it here and I hope others are getting brave like she did.
WHY ONE PSYCHOTHERAPIST WON'T AFFIRM GENDER DELUSIONS
MONTY WINS BEST IN SHOW The Giant Schnauzer took Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club show after beating a clearly superior Saint Bernard in the Working Dog group. That's what I thought anyway.
WHAT A DRAGON MEET AND GREET WILL LOOK LIKE This is cool by Universal studio. You can see a video of what the Dragon from How To Train Your Dragon will look when he meets the public at Universal. I can't embed it so click here to see it on Instagram.
THIS MAKES KAYAKING A BIT LESS APPEALING As a Great White Shark stalked this kayaker as he paddled along. This seems terrifying to me! Watch below or click here.
JOSH ALLEN IS A GOOD MAN And his name check of a guy in the mailroom had a huge impact. Watch below or click here.