Comment on New Colorado law extends financial help to “kinship” foster families

WASHINGTON — The United States will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to Israel, along with the troops needed to operate it, the Pentagon said Sunday, even as Iran warned Washington to keep American military forces out of Israel. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized the deployment of the THAAD battery at the direction of President Joe Biden.

CHICAGO — Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya smashed the world record by nearly two minutes at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, winning in 2:09:56. The 30-year-old broke the world record set by Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia in 2:11:53 at the 2023 Berlin Marathon. Sutume Asefa Kebede of Ethiopia finished second in 2:17:32. Chepngetich became the first woman to break 2:10 in the marathon.

Inside Colorado’s aging school buildings, black mold forces educators to teach students outside during warm months. Sewer problems prevent toilets from being flushed and render water fountains and sinks unusable. Classrooms don’t have air conditioning, meaning temperatures can reach into the low 90s indoors. And then there’s the growing paradox metro Denver school districts find themselves in: K-12 enrollment is declining statewide, but new housing developments are reshaping where children live, creating a need for new schools despite buildings closing elsewhere. But all of this takes money to fix and build, which is why the leaders of Colorado school districts are hoping voters next month will greenlight billions of dollars in new spending. “Our buildings are reaching the end of their useful life,” said Scott Smith, chief financial and operating officer for the Cherry Creek School District. Statewide, at least 32 school districts are seeking nearly $7 billion via bonds, mill levies and other funding mechanisms so that they can repair their buildings, construct new schools, make safety upgrades and expand learning services.

It took less than 24 hours for Jennifer Gardinier’s family to grow from three people to eight, with the youngest new member still in diapers and the oldest close to graduating high school. Getting a state foster care certification that would allow the Weld County family to receive financial help would take significantly longer. The children arrived at her home in Dacono in August 2023, and while the caseworkers were helpful in getting clothes, car seats and other items they needed immediately, the first check to partially offset the costs of feeding a much larger family didn’t come until November. Gardinier and her husband Stacy, who have an 8-year-old daughter, agreed to serve as “kinship” caregivers to their former neighbors’ five children after Larimer County officials determined the kids weren’t safe with their parents.

Museums get a lot of attention for the art they collect, but less so for the art they conserve. And conservation is, arguably, the most important, expensive and relentless part of the work they do. Each time a museum adds a piece to its holdings, it also increases its responsibility to store, maintain and show the object to its audiences — for perpetuity.

Republican Jeff Hurd and Democrat Adam Frisch each entered the 3rd Congressional District race with a parallel goal: Unseat U. S. Rep. Lauren Boebert. For Hurd, a Grand Junction lawyer who jumped in the race in August 2023, the chance would be in the mostly Western Slope district’s June primary. And if he didn’t prevail against Boebert, then Frisch, a former Aspen city councilman, would await a rematch this fall as the Democratic nominee — after narrowly losing to her two years ago in one of the most surprisingly close results of that year. But both their strategies were forced to shift in late December, when Boebert announced she would hop the Front Range and seek to represent eastern Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in 2025 and beyond. RELATED: Lauren Boebert harnesses new district’s GOP advantage, while rival raises hopes — and money — off chance of upset That decision instantly reshaped the race.