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Avoid the crowds at Utah’s Zion National Park with these travel tips

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

Warming my hands around a campfire just outside Zion National Park, I scan the horizon and take in the panoramic view: As the sun begins to set in southwest Utah, the region’s famed Navajo sandstone glows pink in the fading light. I hear the eerie, cascading notes of a canyon wren calling somewhere nearby.There’s not a soul in sight at this secluded Bureau of Land Management (BLM) site. Though we can see some of Zion’s iconic landscapes from our quiet perch atop Smith Mesa, including the Towers of the Virgin rock formations, my friends and I are miles away from the thousands of travelers who flock to the national park each day.Last year, Zion was the country’s third-busiest national park, with 4.69 million total visits. For travelers who want to experience Zion’s colorful sandstone cliffs and slot canyons, especially during the busy summer months, the park’s popularity typically means crowded hiking trails, long lines at entrance stations, jam-packed shuttles and full-to-the-brim pa...

New owner of acoustic music hub plans to keep pulling Denver’s heartstrings

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

Ian Dehmel sees the future of folk music every time someone walks through his door and gazes up at the wall of acoustic instruments that includes shiny new guitars but also a 120-year-old ukulele.“We’ve sold guitars to people in Norway, mandolins to Italy and banjos in Japan — where the bluegrass scene is huge,” said Dehmel, 38, owner of the Denver Folklore Center at 1893 S. Pearl St.. “But in terms of relevance, I find that there are still people of all ages coming into the actual store. I just had a 6-year-old in here buying her next-step mandolin.”Dehmel competed his $500,000 purchase of the Denver Folklore Center in May from co-owners Claude Brachfeld and Saul Rosenthal. Prior to that, Brachfeld and Rosenthal — both longtime customers — had bought the acoustic-instrument store and custom repair shop from founder Harry Tuft, who welcomed legends such as Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie and Bill Monroe to...

Should more Colorado workers get cash tips? Polis vetoes effort to expand law

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

An attempt by Colorado lawmakers to allow more workers to receive cash tips was rejected by Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday. The legislation had been intended to help low-income workers, but Polis said he was wary of what he cast as the bill’s unintended consequences.HB23-1146 would’ve prohibited most employers from punishing workers for accepting tips. The measure exempted health care and gambling workers, as well as employees who work with the elderly or in fields that require licensure. Rep. Alex Valdez, one of the Democratic sponsors, told fellow lawmakers in February the bill was intended to put more money in low-income Coloradans’ pockets during a period of inflation. He pointed to grocery baggers or other service workers who face possible reprimands from their bosses for accepting cash gratuity.Though it passed on a near-party line vote in the House, even some Republicans voiced support for the bill. Rep. Rick Taggart, of Mesa County, said he found it “obj...

Expect big crowds for the summer travel season -- and big prices, too

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

The unofficial start of the summer travel season is here, with airlines hoping to avoid the chaos of last year and travelers scrounging for ways to save a few bucks on pricey airfares and hotel rooms.Some travelers say they will settle for fewer trips than they hoped to take, or they will drive instead of fly. Others are finding different money-saving sacrifices.Stephanie Hanrahan thought she'd save money by planning ahead for her daughter's birthday trip to Disney World in Florida. Instead, it ended up costing the same as the Dallas-area family's trip for four to California last summer, so now her husband and son are staying home.“We just had to grit our teeth,” said Hanrahan, a writer and speaker who also runs a nonprofit, as she and daughter Campbell waited for their flight last week at Dallas Love Field. The number of people going through U.S. airports hit pandemic-era highs last weekend, and those records are almost certain to be broken over the Memorial Day holiday. AAA predic...

Santa Clara: Grand jury transcripts reveal how 49ers handled leaked report

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

In the hours and days after Santa Clara Councilmember Anthony Becker allegedly leaked a confidential grand jury report to the San Francisco 49ers, the team and its consultants intently strategized about how to shape public opinion of its explosive details and undercut any political leverage the findings could give Mayor Lisa Gillmor, according to transcripts of the investigation obtained by this news organization.The 850-page transcript from the March and April criminal grand jury hearings offers a detailed look into how the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report, “Unsportsmanlike Conduct,” became public days before its official release and the ensuing fallout over its expose of the cozy relationship between the team and the city council.In April, Becker was indicted with a misdemeanor for leaking the document and felony perjury for lying about the leak.The report criticized five Santa Clara councilmembers — Becker included — for taking regular closed-doo...

Livermore: Fatal crash leaves Interstate 580 with several lane closures

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

One person died in an early morning collision on Interstate 580 in Livermore on Thursday, forcing several lane closures ahead of the morning commute, according to the California Highway Patrol.A three car pileup on eastbound 580 near First Street left one person dead, a CHP officer said Thursday morning. The crash was first reported at 3:31 a.m. As of 5:45 a.m., all lanes except for one were closed on eastbound 580.The offramp for First Street was left open to temporarily divert traffic off of the highway. There was no estimated time of reopening as of 5:45 a.m.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Teen held to answer for Peninsula DUI crash that killed passenger Crashes and Disasters | Two killed in Highway 1 head-on collision in Monterey County Crashes and Disasters | Woman dies of injuries suffered in five-vehicle crash in San Jose Crashes and Disasters | San Jose: Scooter driver who was ejected after hitting brush pile...

U.S. census: Bay Area population grew older, Asians are now the region’s largest racial group

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

Over the last decade, the Bay Area’s population grew older and more racially diverse — with White residents no longer the region’s largest racial group — while soaring housing costs meant fewer people could afford to own homes.The demographic and household shifts, highlighted in newly released U.S. census data, could have major implications for the local economy and workforce while underscoring the region’s deepening housing affordability crisis.The data, comparing census results from 2010 and 2020, comes with a caveat: It doesn’t fully capture the sweeping societal changes brought on by a once-in-a-generation pandemic. That includes a roughly 3% drop in the region’s population since the onset of COVID-19.Even so, the data sheds new light on how the Bay Area is changing and what challenges it could face in the future. Here are four of the main takeaways:1. The Bay Area is graying The region saw a 38% spike in the number of residents 65 or ol...

Christian McCaffrey could propel any of 49ers’ three QBs to Super Bowl

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Organized team activities are mostly manufactured drama and the 49ers are no different.Will Brock Purdy be ready for Week 1?Can Trey Lance show enough to challenge Purdy until he’s ready?Is Sam Darnold a darkhorse candidate to start Sept. 10 in Pittsburgh?One thing was clear as the media got its first look Tuesday on Day 2 of OTAs — none of those quarterbacks are going anywhere near the 49ers’ desired destination without Christian McCaffrey.Lots of players sat out, which is typical of voluntary OTAs. Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams and Javon Hargrave weren’t there. Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw contributed with encouragement from the sideline. Cornerback Charvarius Ward and wide receiver Jauan Jennings worked with trainers on the sidelines.Yet there was McCaffrey, looking spry and explosive, whether taking handoffs in the non-contact drills or running pass routes. He was decisive, explosive and decidedly the most eye-popping skill p...

Bay Area rapper Lul G sentenced to 21 years for fatal shooting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

Vallejo rapper George Harris, who fatally shot a 26-year-old Vallejo man nearly four years ago in a Fairfield home, was formally sentenced on Monday to 21 years in state prison.George Harris, aka Lul G (Solano County Sheriff’s Office) Harris, aka Lul G — who, on March 2, pleaded no contest for killing Rashied Flowers — appeared in Department 9 for a morning sentencing hearing in the Justice Center in Fairfield.Solano County Superior Court Judge Carlos R. Gutierrez, who received a pre-sentencing report on Harris, 24, handed down the sentence for voluntary manslaughter that was determined during the plea deal.When he pleaded, Harris faced a first-degree murder charge on the verge of a jury trial. A previously convicted felon, he also admitted to the personal use of a firearm during the shooting, an enhancement.But with the plea, Harris avoided the possibility of being found guilty of the murder charge and a sentence of 25 years to life, plus more time for the firearm charge and f...

Big real estate players grab two old South Bay apartment complexes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

Vista Pointe Apartments, a 68-unit residential complex at 3455 Homestead Road in Santa Clara. (Google Maps)SANTA CLARA — Two six-decade-old apartment complexes in Santa Clara with a combined total of hundreds of apartments have been grabbed by big-time Bay Area real estate players.Normandy Park Apartments and Vista Point Apartments were bought on the same day for a combined $75.6 million, according to documents filed on May 23 with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office.Sobrato Family Foundation, acting through an affiliate, paid $49.5 million for the 140-room Normandy Park Apartments at 48 and 50 Washington Street in Santa Clara, the county property files show. The Sobrato firm is one of Silicon Valley’s iconic real estate companies.The deal shows that investors continue to hunger for apartment buildings as investments, even with the economic uncertainties that arose out of the coronavirus outbreak.Related ArticlesHousing | Big San Jose housing d...