U.s. Education Department Investigates 5 States Over Mask Mandate Bans - The New York Times

The Colorado Rockies have the third overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft on July 14. It will be their highest pick since they selected infielder Brendan Rodgers with the No.  3 pick in 2015. Over the last 10 drafts, the Rockies have had hits and misses with their top selection: RELATED: Rockies Journal: Power hitter or power pitcher, Colorado must hit home run in draft 2014: Kyle Freeland, LHP, University of Evansville, No.

On July 14, the Rockies will take a home run swing. They can’t afford to whiff. The Rockies own the third overall pick in a draft featuring two intriguing starting pitchers and some tantalizing power hitters at the top of the class. This draft gives the self-described draft-and-develop organization a golden opportunity to select a player who can help lift the franchise out of the cellar and become a star and fan favorite. General manager Bill Schmidt always plays it close to the vest when discussing whom the Rockies might select, but he’s not being coy when he says, “We are simply looking for the best player.” RELATED: How Colorado Rockies’ top MLB draft picks have fared over the last decade “That’s what we always try to do,” the executive said.

A man was stabbed to death in Westminster on Saturday morning, and police are searching for a suspect. Westminster officers responded to reports of a stabbing in the 12000 block of Melody Drive about 9:10 a.m. Saturday, according to a news release from the police department. The area is near Willowbrook Park and the Wesley Chapel Cemetary in northern Westminster. When officers arrived, they found an adult man with a stab wound to the chest, the release stated.

A motorcyclist was sent to the hospital Saturday morning after a crash on Interstate 70 near Wheat Ridge, police said. Related Articles Crashes and Disasters | Man killed in Green River rafting accident at Dinosaur National Monument Crashes and Disasters | Car crashes into JCPenney at Lone Tree’s Park Meadows Mall Crashes and Disasters | Westbound I-76 near Commerce City to close for weekend bridge repairs Crashes and Disasters | Plane in fatal Arvada crash needs more examination to determine cause, NTSB says Crashes and Disasters | Southbound Interstate 225 reopens after closing for crash in Aurora Investigators believe the motorcyclist rear-ended another car near Exit 269A for Wadsworth Boulevard on I-70, according to a statement from the Wheat Ridge Police Department on social media. Paramedics took the motorcyclist to the hospital with serious injuries, police said.

Your faithful pals on the Grading The Week crew are gamers and, full disclosure, have a love affair with EA Sports that goes back four decades now. (Tom Chambers’ “Fake Drive 2-Hand Slam” on “Bulls vs. Lakers” is still the most fun, unstoppable SEGA hoops move known to man, no matter what “NBA Jam” enthusiasts say.) But our crack staff was more than a little confused to see during the social reveals for EA Sports College Football 25, which drops on July 19, that the eighth highest-rated offense in the popular video game, ahead of Clemson, Penn State, Ole Miss, Arizona, Notre Dame, Florida State and Oklahoma was … your CU Buffs. Which we sort of get, on one hand.

Jim Buchta | Star Tribune (TNS) Last year, after Deb Jerikovsky’s husband died, she decided to swap the lake home where they planned to spend retirement for a house in the metro that’s closer to family. She put that plan on hold, however, once she realized 7% mortgage rates would force her to dip too deeply into her savings.