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National Zoo to open Bird House to the public on Monday

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:59:37 GMT

Starting Monday, you can visit Northwest D.C.’s Smithsonian National Zoo and its newly renovated Bird House. The six-year $69 million dollar project features more than 70 different bird species in aviaries where the birds can swim, fly and waddle freely.In one exhibit, visitors can even get their hands on binoculars for an up-close view of the smaller birds that love to flit among the treetops in the aviary that mimics a bird-friendly coffee farm.At a recent preview of the Bird House, migratory bird ecologist Brian Evans gave a bird-banding demonstration, explaining how the practice helps biologists learn about migration patterns and how bird populations are doing overall.Sarah Long, an intern from American University, assisted Evans in the demonstration, releasing the white-throated sparrow after it had been banded.More Local NewsMore DC NewsIt was Long’s first time holding a wild bird. “We’ve been studying the birds in the aviaries, but we’ve never go...

SPHL Glance

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:59:37 GMT

All Times ESTGPWLOLSOLPtsGFGAPeoria4733112169181117Birmingham4730141263183143Huntsville4528151158158130Knoxville4627161257174149Roanoke4526163056144121Evansville4325162052144134Pensacola4522192248154154Fayetteville4618208044126147Quad City4720251142118144Macon439322020113189Vermilion County30424201059126NOTE: Two points are awarded for a win, one point for tie. The top eight teams in the league advance to playoffs.Thursday’s GamesNo games scheduledFriday’s GamesBirmingham 5, Fayetteville 2Roanoke 4, Huntsville 0Peoria 3, Quad City 2Macon at Birmingham, 8 p.m.Saturday’s GamesFayetteville at Birmingham, 8 p.m.Macon at Birmingham, 8 p.m.Roanoke at Huntsville, 8 p.m.Knoxville at Pensacola, 8:05 p.m.Quad City at Peoria, 8:15 p.m.Sunday’s GamesKnoxville at Pensacola, 6:05 p.m.Monday’s GamesNo games scheduledSource

City collecting Grand Theatre Residency applications

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:59:37 GMT

Two pairs of week long residencies at the Grand Theatre will be available to Kingston artists for the third straight year this July. The City of Kingston’s Local Arts Residency program at the Grand Theatre was born in 2021 when the theatre was unable to be used for performances due to COVID restrictions, instead leveraging the available space to allow local artists access to a well outfitted room to develop their projects. The residency is aimed at Kingston-based emerging or mid-career professional artists, and in the past two years has welcomed a variety of different artistic disciplines. Kingston’s Director of Arts and Culture Services Colin Wiginton says it’s tailored for an artist who has a project well thought out and ready to go.“Someone has to be prepared to come in and actually hit the ground running,” Wiginton said.“So it’s not necessarily something for an artist who doesn’t have an idea already of what they want to achieve.&#...

Gun bills debated in Senate, 2 advance

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:59:37 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The gun debate continues at the state Capitol. Colorado state senators spent their Friday night discussing three major gun bills.  Frontier Airlines pays incentives to agents who charge extra baggage fees at gate The bills would broaden red flag laws, give gun violence victims more pathways to suing firearm dealers and manufacturers and raise the age for all firearm purchases to 21. The red flag and lawsuit bills passed the second reading in the Senate. They now move to a third reading before moving to further consideration by the House. Republicans slow progress on gun billsRepublican state Sens. Bob Gardner and Paul Lundeen spoke for extensive lengths of time, offering amendments to slow the progress of the bills — specifically the bill that would give gun victims a path to sue.“What this bill is doing is ensuring that those who manufacture and sell firearms, small gun shop owners, are driven out of business," Gardner said."There’s only one e...

Family celebrates end to lengthy immigration battle

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:59:37 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The Zaldivar family's long struggle against U.S. immigration laws, technicalities and even wrongful deportation came to an end on Friday.Jorge Zaldivar, the family patriarch, recently became a permanent resident of the United States. This came after nearly two decades and multiple separations for their family. Southern Colorado has 6 earthquakes in 24 hours, region’s strongest in a decade "It was like Uncle Sam was pissed off at me for marrying an immigrant," Christina Zaldivar, Jorge's wife, said.Christina is an American citizen. She married Jorge, who was undocumented when he came to the U.S."I saw him fit enough to be a citizen and a contributor to this country, which he is and he has been," Christina said.Immigration journey filled with obstacles"I'm hopeful that people have understood that immigrants come here to work and to be part of their family, and that we are here because we're contributing," Jorge said through an interpreter.Their joyous day didn't come...

School asks for safety upgrades on Smoky Hill Road

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:59:37 GMT

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — The Problem Solvers are getting some answers this week from Aurora officials about the dangerous stretch of road near Smoky Hill High School, first reported by FOX31 Thursday night.Video showed a car hitting a student earlier this week. The 16-year-old is said to have suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Aurora Police Department. Southern Colorado has 6 earthquakes in 24 hours, region’s strongest in a decade Since the crash, school officials are taking safety concerns straight to the city.Neighbors, Smoky Hill officials concerned about roadFOX31 broke this story and continues his reporting as school officials weigh in, as well as like Mike Davis. He reached out to the Problem Solvers after the story aired, highlighting the issues on Smoky Hill Road near the high school. Davis sent pictures from a crash late last year, right by the school, which ended in his yard. Luckily, no students were hurt.“I think that school zone's way too small,” ...

Louisville company rebuilds Marshall Fire survivor's lab equipment

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:59:37 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Colo. (KDVR) — Hours after the Marshall Fire swept through Boulder County, Chuck Demarest returned home to find his out-building destroyed.The chemist said the building was filled with all sorts of equipment, but the most prized possession was his FlackTek SpeedMixer. "I didn't know what to do," he said. "It's an expensive device, and the insurance company didn't cover it. I thought it was a loss."FlackTek HQ steps in to helpDemarest took the charred remains to the FlackTek headquarters in Louisville, assuming the equipment was worthless. Matt Gross had other ideas and quickly got his team to work.“I saw the old machine sitting in the back, and just had the idea, 'Hey, why don’t we rebuild this?' Right now, the community’s being rebuilt around us, and the concept was, let’s make this the phoenix machine,” he said. Filing a pothole claim in Denver? Records show city rarely pays up Gross left the outside as is but replaced the entire inside of the machine, making it goo...

Catch up on some of Michelle Yeoh’s greatest hits

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:59:37 GMT

How many actors can do intense drama and even-more-intense-kung-fu? If you guessed one, you are correct.Michelle Yeoh’s performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has won her high praise – and it might win her the Best Actress Oscar on Sunday. Despite the 2023 blockbusters success, the movie only shows off a sliver of Yeoh’s talents. When you are ready for a deep dive on Yeoh’s best kung fu queens, most evil matriarchs, and strangest roles – yes, stranger than “Everything Everywhere All at Once” – check out these five offerings.“Police Story 3: Supercop,” 1992What’s the greatest movie of all time? Probably not “Police Story 3,” and yet… the final15 minutes are like nothing else in the history of cinema. Yeoh and Jackie Chan play, well, supercops, who close the movie trying to top one another. While Chan is typically considered the king of stunts, Yeoh’s work here is mind boggling – over a few short minutes she hangs off a van barreling down the highway, falls off...

Lowry: Republicans should embrace the lessons of Reagan

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:59:37 GMT

Presumably, Donald Trump will never produce the dark secrets promised about Ron DeSantis’ past. But his team thinks it already has one — the Florida governor once was a Reagan Republican.“There’s a pre-Trump Ron and there’s a post-Trump Ron,” someone in the Trump camp told Axios. “He used to be a Reagan Republican. That’s where he comes from. He’s now awkwardly trying to square his views up with the populist nationalist feeling of that party.”In his CPAC speech doubling down on “MAGA,” Trump said, “We are never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove and Jeb Bush.” He didn’t mention Reagan, but the inclusion of the Gipper in the hall of shame was heavily implied.This way of thinking in a Republican primary is something new. Once, pretty much every Republican wanted to be a Reagan Republican. If the Trump camp gets its way, Reaganism will have gone from passé in 2016 to an affirmative vu...

Editorial: First Amendment under siege from all sides

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:59:37 GMT

Hostility to the First Amendment is a bipartisan endeavor. Too many elected officials take an oath to uphold the Constitution without having bothered to read the document.The Orlando Sentinel reported this week that a Florida lawmaker of Republican persuasion has offered a bill to require bloggers to register with the government or face fines. The proposal excludes print journalists but mandates that all others who write about the governor, state officials or lawmakers provide information to the state about whether they are being paid and who is paying them.The sponsor, state Sen. Jason Brodeur, who represents a district near Orlando, argues the bill is “an electioneering issue, not a free speech issue” and will provide voters with information about who is attempting to influence public policy.That’s weak tea. It may be news to Brodeur, but electioneering enjoys free speech protections.“The idea that bloggers criticizing a politician should register with the government is insane,” N...