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It was almost curtains for a Boulder theater company, but new leadership has changed that

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:24 GMT

When Jessica Robblee and Mark Ragan sat down in the airy lobby of Boulder’s Dairy Arts Center last month to discuss their first season as the Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company’s producing artistic director and managing director respectively, it had been nearly a year since co-founders Stephen Weitz and Rebecca Remaly announced their departure.The arrival of new artistic director Jessica Robblee (left) and managing director Mark Ragan is the kind of kismet worth applauding. (Michael Ensminger, provided by BETC)In December 2022, the fate of one of the area’s finest theater companies was in question. The notion that BETC (or “Betsy,” to its patrons) would be no more was dismaying. Not only were BETC’s productions crisply crafted, they also were cast with some of the area’s best actors.After 17 years, and post-pandemic, Remaly and Weitz, the parents of a young son, were worn out. As theater artists, they also wanted to explore their creativity in fresh ways.Their BETC work remained exper...

Colorado has some of the lowest alcohol taxes and highest drinking deaths. That’s no coincidence, experts say.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:24 GMT

Colorado’s taxes on alcohol are among the lowest in the country, and even though the state consistently ranks as one of the worst for drinking deaths, lawmakers have shown little interest in making beer, wine and spirits more expensive.The state also taxes alcohol at a significantly lower rate than other “sin” products, with customers paying almost $2 in taxes on a pack of cigarettes — more than 20% of the cost, on average — compared to about 18 cents in taxes on a case of beer, or less than 1% of its cost.Taxes clearly aren’t the only important factor, because some higher-tax states, like Alaska and New Mexico, still have elevated death rates. But experts say raising the cost of drinks is one way to curb consumption, along with reducing the number of locations selling alcohol and changing social norms around drinking.Colorado’s quiet killerAlcohol-related deaths in Colorado spiked during the pandemic, and the state ranks as one of the worst...

Beer and wine became more widely available in Colorado even as drinking deaths rose

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:24 GMT

Five years ago, a workgroup tasked with finding ways to reduce Colorado’s rate of drinking-related deaths — among the highest in the country — issued a simple recommendation: cut back on when and where people can buy alcohol.Since then, however, the state has only expanded access to alcohol, and may do so again when the legislature reconvenes.Coloradans voted in 2022 to allow grocery stores to sell wine, three years after they authorized full-strength beer on the shelves. Ahead of the 2024 session, the state’s Liquor Advisory Group recommended lawmakers extend the hours customers can drink at Colorado bars and restaurants by creating a “soft last call,” where final orders must be placed by 2 a.m., but people have until 4 a.m. to finish their drinks.Colorado’s quiet killerAlcohol-related deaths in Colorado spiked during the pandemic, and the state ranks as one of the worst for deaths due to drinking. In this four-part series, The Denver Post ...

 Global Trade Braces for Unprecedented Geopolitical Challenges in 2024

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:24 GMT

“The red sea situation is acute, but not chronic for shipping” says Christian Roeloffs, cofounder and CEO of Container xChange The shipping industry looking forward to up their game in ‘risk assessment and scenario planning’, ‘diversification of routes and suppliers’ & ‘regulatory compliance’ in 2024 as a response to geopolitical risksShipping professionals see ‘associated costs’ as the biggest headache in ‘24 due to geopolitical unrestBRICS expansion to lead polarisation of global tradeContainer xChange, a leading online container trading and leasing platform, releases its New Year’s Edition Container Market Forecaster, shedding light on the escalating geopolitical risks set to reshape the landscape of global trade in 2024.In response to these geopolitical risks, the majority of shipping professionals surveyed in the month of December 2023, by Container xChange, are gearing up to enhance resilience through strategic initiatives like - ‘risk assessment and scenario planning...

Cannabis Enforcement: How Will The Murder of an Oakland Police Officer Change It?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:24 GMT

The California cannabis industry is still in shock from the death of an Oakland Police officer last Friday.Officer Tuan Le was part of an overnight operation targeting the frequent break-ins facing Oakland on a nightly basis, many of them targeting the cannabis industry. The task force was responding to the second break-in of the night at the same distributor. That was three hours after they had cleared it following the initial robbery. While exiting the dispensary, the robbers opened fire on the unmarked police car Le was in with his partner. Le was hit, and fellow officers put him in the back of another police vehicle and rushed him to Highland Hospital. He died a few hours later. The California cannabis industry had grown accustomed to waking up to the news of who had been hit overnight with separate crews targeting it all over the state. But the news of a police officer losing his life in the line of duty while responding to a robbery at a dispensary hit like a shockwave. Especi...

What was that lightshow in Southern California sky? SpaceX launches first 2024 trek

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:24 GMT

Hawthorne-based SpaceX launched its first mission of 2024 on Tuesday, Jan. 2, from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, setting off a night-time light show for Southern Californians.The Falcon 9 rocket carried 21 Starlink satellites including six with Direct to Cellular abilities. The speeding spacecraft was visible all over the region, including over Royal Palms Beach Park in San Pedro, as it traveled past the Palos Verdes Peninsula.The mission launched successfully at at 7:44 p.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched 21 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.SpaceX is renowned for reusing rockets, but this was the first flight for the first-stage booster.The company said Direct to Cell capabilities enable mobile network operators around the world to “provide seamless global access to texting, calling, and browsing wherever you may be on land, lakes, or coastal wat...

Mastrodonato: Baseball Hall of Fame ballot revealed, and Joe Mauer isn’t on it

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:24 GMT

You must have an opinion.That was the very sound advice I received the first time I went on live TV as a sportswriter in Boston many years ago. I found myself thinking about it while I was filling out my ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame this year, my first as a voter after completing my 10th year in the Baseball Writers Association of America.If you don’t have an opinion, the process of selecting worthy candidates becomes impossible.It might be wrong. It might be right. Who’s to say? That’s why there are about 400 ballots sent in each year; the sum of 400 people creates an opinion that has worked quite well over the nearly-century-long process of voting.A little less than half of the 270 players who have been inducted into Cooperstown were selected by the BBWAA; and a little more than half were selected by other processes, mostly the veterans committee, which is a group made up of former players and executives who get a chance to right the wrongs of the BBWAA.The system works. A...

Opinion: Bay Area food bank demand rises as residents struggle to pay bills

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:24 GMT

Bay Area food banks are stepping up to fill the gap for our neighbors experiencing food insecurity. We have always supported the community during times of crises and need — that’s what we were designed to do.But the prohibitive cost of living in the Bay Area coupled with the government’s rollback of pandemic-era support has magnified our role. Food banks have become the safety net for many Bay Area families, seniors, veterans and students.Across the Bay Area, reliance on food banks and our partner distribution sites has increased and, in many cases, returned to the same level it was at the peak of the pandemic.Second Harvest of Silicon Valley is serving an average of half a million people every month in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. In Alameda County, an estimated 1 in 4 residents is struggling to afford sufficient food. Alameda County Community Food Bank is on pace to provide more food than ever.Half the people we serve are children and seniors. Most of the other client...

Taco Bell staple Baja Blast is coming to a store near you

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:24 GMT

For 20 years, Taco Bell has been the to-go place for Mountain Dew Baja Blast. But customers will have more options this year, according to PepsiCo, makers of the soft drink.The beverage will be sold in bottles and cans throughout 2024 to mark its 20th anniversary, the New York-based company announced in a news release.PepsiCo is marking the “Bajaversary” with a contest at bajablast.com and a “first-ever onscreen appearance” during Super Bowl LXII on Feb. 11. Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | New at Starbucks: Customers may use their own cups for mobile, drive-thru orders Restaurants, Food and Drink | Bay Area breweries: Here’s what to look for in 2024 Restaurants, Food and Drink | Quick Cook: Baked Cumin-Lime Sweet Potatoes with Radish Slaw Restaurants, Food and Drink | If you’re looking to eat better in 2024, focus on your snacking habits Restaurants, Food and Drink | High-end Oakland Mexic...

Language for California parental notification ballot measure sparks lawsuit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:24 GMT

A battle is brewing over an effort to have voters decide whether all California schools should notify parents if their child may be transgender.From the steps of the Capitol Wednesday, the first day of the 2024 legislative session, the Protect Kids California group announced a lawsuit challenging Attorney General Rob Bonta’s title and summary language he gave to their proposed ballot initiative.If passed by voters, the measure would require schools to notify parents if their student, under the age of 18, requests to be treated as a gender different from school records. It would also revoke the California education code that allows students to play on sports teams that align with their chosen gender identity, and it would ban gender-affirming health care for minors.Bonta’s office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.Dubbed parental notification policies, these mandates for how schools must inform parents if their child may be transgender have already been adopted by sev...