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As student mental health needs leap, Minn. schools seek a next generation of counselors

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:15:32 GMT

School counselors and psychologists have been in short supply throughout Jen Voge’s 25-year career, but she says the need seems greater now than ever.Student mental health problems have become chronic in the COVID-19 era, with school disruptions and family illnesses taking a toll. It’s not possible to reach all the kids who need help.At Bemidji High School, Voge handles a caseload of 600 students — more than twice the recommended ratio but about average for Minnesota.“Just this morning, I had two students, they were tearful, knocking on the door trying to get in that we had to turn away. That’s a daily occurrence,” Voge said recently. “Kids are saying, ‘Hey, help me, I’m anxious. I’m crying in class, I don’t know what to do. I need to talk about this.’ And we don’t have the resources to talk to them.”Hoping to ease some of those pressures, the Bemidji school district and 17 others across Minnesota and North Dakota are working with Minnesota State University Moorhead to get more coun...

Monarch butterflies pass through St. Louis on migration to Mexico

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:15:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Migratory monarch butterflies recently passed one year on the endangered species list and, with their numbers decreasing, seasonal monarch migration could become a rare sight.Cooling temperatures and shortening days are the environmental cues that trigger monarchs to migrate ahead of the freezing weather. They’ll travel from Canada to Central Mexico, where they’ll spend the winter.Chris Hartley, the science education coordinator at the Butterfly House, says we’ll be seeing an increase of monarchs over the next few weeks but the North American population is threatened.“There are monarchs in Central America, in Southeast Asia. Same species of butterfly, but the North American population right here, where we live in Missouri, is the one that migrates. That is a unique behavior. And that population of monarchs we have seen decline in numbers over the past several decades,” Hartley said.The reason for the decline is broadly due to habitat loss both here and in Mexico. Close...

Colorado high school football rankings, Week 6: Cherry Creek keeps plugging along atop Class 5A

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:15:32 GMT

A look at this week’s Post Preps Top 10 for Class 5A, 4A and 3A:Class 5ATeamRecordPvsLW1. Cherry Creek5-01W (47-28 at No. 10 Regis Jesuit)Comment: Bruins begin Centennial League play this week and will try to do something Creek’s last two 5A champions did not: Win an outright league title. This week: vs. Cherokee Trail, 7 p.m. Thursday.2. Pine Creek5-02W (35-0 at Mullen)Comment: After posting back-to-back shutouts, Eagles get tough test with unbeaten FFC set to visit. This week: vs. Fountain-Fort Carson, 6 p.m. Thursday.3. Columbine5-03W (57-13 vs. Fort Collins)Comment: Trap game alert: Rebels get a winless but competitive Pomona team before next week’s showdown with Ralston Valley. This week: at Pomona, 6 p.m. Thursday.4. Ralston Valley4-14W (22-21 vs. Valor Christian)Comment: After suffering a pair of heart-breaking losses to Valor last season, Mustangs got their revenge. This week: at Lakewood, 7:30 p.m. Friday.5. Arapahoe4-15W (24-0 at Rock Canyon)Comment: What...

The Denver Post wins 18 first-place awards, General Excellence designation from Colorado Press Association

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:15:32 GMT

The Colorado Press Association honored the staff of The Denver Post with 29 awards — including 18 first-place prizes — over the weekend, and awarded the newspaper three coveted sweepstakes wins in the General Excellence, Editorial, and Photo and Design Categories.The sweepstakes prizes are awarded based on a news organization’s overall performance in its class, which is determined by the number of original stories published each month.The Post won first-place awards across the newsroom, with the staff’s “The Big Payout” series — a multi-part investigation into Colorado’s federal pandemic aid — taking the top prize in the Best Public Service Project and Best Data Journalism Reporting categories, as well as second place in the Best Investigative Story Package category.The judges considered journalism published in Colorado between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022.The Post’s other first-place awards included:Best Arts & Entertainme...

After swastika incidents, Steamboat police chief worries about local youth identifying with supremacist ideology

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:15:32 GMT

Steamboat police believe they know who burned a large swastika into a picnic bench at Memorial Park late last month, and a rash of similar incidents have left local officials concerned about a wider trend involving a contingent of local high school students who subscribe to supremacist ideology.According to Steamboat Springs Police Chief Mark Beckett, the department submitted a criminal mischief charge to the District Attorney earlier this week in relation to the Memorial Park incident, which he said happened in the after-school hours of Aug. 30 and involved a male Steamboat Springs High School student.Beckett said detectives were able to identify the student “within a couple of days” before working through the process of collecting witness statements and contacting parents.Routt County District Attorney Matt Karzen’s office confirmed it received the police report of the juvenile suspected of committing a “bias motivated crime and criminal mischief.” In a statement, however, Karzen ...

7 L.A. small businesses named best in America by U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:15:32 GMT

Nine California small businesses have been recognized by the United States Chamber of Commerce as the best in 2023.Among those nine businesses, seven are in the Greater Los Angeles area, one is in the Central Valley and another is in San Francisco.The businesses range from security technologies to restaurants and family-owned automotive repair companies.The Chamber releases its "America’s Top Small Business Awards" each year to celebrate "pioneers of innovation, entrepreneurship, and community engagement."Seventy businesses were chosen for 2023 and will be honored during a ceremony on Oct. 19 in Washington D.C.The businesses were chosen from a wide-ranging field that included companies from all of the nation's 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and D.C.The Chamber evaluated each business based on its business growth, innovation, community engagement and ability to overcome challenges. Seven small businesses will ultimately be chosen as finalists, officials said.U.S. Chamber of Commerce Pre...

Man wanted in East Hollywood double shooting surrenders

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:15:32 GMT

A man wanted in connection with shooting two people in East Hollywood over the weekend was taken into custody Monday, police said.The man had previously evaded authorities after SWAT entered an apartment where he was believed to have been holed up.The unidentified suspect allegedly shot two people just before 2 p.m. Sunday in the 1500 block of Serrano Avenue, near Sunset Boulevard.A neighbor told KTLA the incident began as a dispute between neighbors apparently over a dog. One neighbor was armed with a knife while the other had a gun.The witness then heard gunshots ring out as well as screaming.Responding Los Angeles Police Department officers found two victims at the scene. They were taken to a hospital where they were listed in critical but stable condition.The suspect was believed to be holed up in an apartment, but was gone by the time police made entry.Authorities said they recovered the gun they believed was used in the shooting.Around 11:05 a.m. Monday, the suspect showed up ...

Woman Arrested after DUI Crash on Highway 50 [Sacramento, CA]

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:15:32 GMT

Severe Injuries Reported in DUI Crash on Highway 50 near Pioneer BridgeSACRAMENTO, CA (September 25, 2023) – In the early hours of Friday morning, a DUI crash on Highway 50 in Sacramento resulted in one individual being transported to the hospital with serious injuries.The collision took place around 3:00 a.m., in the vicinity of the Pioneer Bridge, between 5th Street and 15th Street.According to initial reports, a Nissan SUV was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of Highway 50. In a tragic turn of events, the Nissan collided head-on with an eastbound Honda sedan, causing severe injuries to the occupants of both vehicles.Swiftly responding to the scene, emergency crews arrived to provide assistance. Subsequently, law enforcement took into custody the 27-year-old woman who was driving the Nissan SUV, suspected of driving under the influence.Following the collision, the affected areas surrounding the crash site were temporarily closed to facilitate preliminary investigat...

Letters: Send thanks | Inventors forgotten | Adding up | Good news | Turf wars | Partisan poison

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:15:32 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.City should sendthanks to SalataRe: “Officials eye fine for tarp removal” (Page A1, Sept. 19).For years, the city of San Jose sat on its hands. For years, the property owner ignored its responsibilities. And what did Jim Salata do?Eliminated potential sources of catastrophic fire, removed debris and dry vegetation, secured windows to protect the integrity of a historical asset, repaired portions of the damaged roof, and pulled out a years-old, ragged tarp topping off an eyesore.Fine him? City staff and Councilmember Omar Torres should be sending Jim Salata thank you notes.Leslie KelsaySanta ClaraTech giants lionizedas inventors forgottenRe: “Remembering Silicon Valley tech giant John Warnock” (Page A6, Sept. 22).Tom McEnery’s eulogy for John Warnock hits all the right chords, but it does omit one important detail.Warnock and Chuck Geschke had the insight and connections to c...

New bill requires California schools to have gender-neutral restrooms by 2026

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:15:32 GMT

All public schools across California will be required to have gender-neutral bathrooms by July of 2026 — the outcome of a bill signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday.Although some cities and school districts across the country have added gender-neutral bathrooms, the new law makes the Golden State the first to require it in schools statewide.The legislation was one of many supporting LGBTQ+ youth that became law in recent, including a new requirement for schools to provide “cultural competency” training to staff members on LGBTQ+ issues, and the creation of a task force that will identify LGBTQ+ students across the state, and push forward initiatives to support them.“California is proud to have some of the most robust laws in the nation when it comes to protecting and supporting our LGBTQ+ community, and we’re committed to the ongoing work to create safer, more inclusive spaces for all Californians,” said Newsom in a statement. “These measures will help protect vulne...