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Metro drivers working overtime amid labor shortage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - According to a payroll analysis by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, some Metro drivers made more than $40,000 in overtime pay last year. In 2022, two drivers worked enough extra hours to make more than 40 grand in additional pay. and 32 drivers made more than $20,000 in overtime pay. The CEO of Bi-State Development says the hefty O-T payouts are directly related to labor shortages. Day Two of UAW strike: Wentzville picketers explain their motives Even though overtime pay was significant last year, Metro Transit reported saving about $3 million by having fewer workers. The head of MetroLink's main union says the overtime hours are "mostly voluntary."

St. Louis County owes Missouri more than $500K

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - St. Louis County owes the state of Missouri more than half a million dollars.The county must repay the federal grant money after a county contractor used it improperly, according to FOX 2's partners at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. PHOTOS: St. Louis Renaissance Festival returns for its 25th year The grants paid for a workforce development program, but officials say it was out of compliance due to poor record-keeping. The contractor that ran the program, the Wellston-based nonprofit Family and Workforce Centers of America,' has received millions in federal grant money over the years but has been scrutinized and accused of fraud and improper record-keeping.

2 vacant homes catch fire in Cahokia Heights, Illinois

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. - Two vacant homes caught fire early Monday morning in Cahokia Heights, Illinois.The first fire started at around 12:30 a.m. on Edwards Street. Firefighters put it out, then got called back an hour later. Day Two of UAW strike: Wentzville picketers explain their motives That house and a house next door were on fire. No one was hurt, but neighbors shared that they saw two people leaving the second house before the fire started.

Amazon delivery truck crashes overnight in downtown St. Louis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - An Amazon delivery truck was involved in a crash overnight in downtown St. Louis.The crash happened just before 1:00 a.m. on Washington Avenue at 4th Street. It involved a tractor trailer and two cars. PHOTOS: St. Louis Renaissance Festival returns for its 25th year Five people all declined medical treatment.

Candidates, parents looking for Denver school board shake-up this fall in wake of infighting, safety concerns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

Denver’s school board, which has drawn the ire of parent groups in recent months over directors’ infighting and the district’s handling of school safety, faces a potential shake-up when voters cast their ballots in November’s election.Nine candidates — including incumbents Scott Baldermann and Charmaine Lindsay — are vying for three seats on Denver Public Schools’ Board of Education as parent groups push for a change in leadership.At least one new face will join the board later this year after its most high-profile member, Auon’tai Anderson, dropped his re-election bid and is now pursuing a seat in the Colorado House of Representatives.The election comes as DPS and the district’s board are facing heightened scrutiny following the March shooting inside East High School, in which a student shot and wounded two administrators. In the wake of the shooting, a group of parents and other community members have called on members to resign over their handling of...

“The Librarianist,” by Patrick deWitt, and more short book reviews from readers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

“The Housekeeper and the Professor,” by Yoko Ogawa (Deckle Edge, 2009)Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. Sure, you could read advertising blurbs on Amazon, but wouldn’t you be more likely to believe a neighbor with no skin in the game over a corporation being fed words by publishers? So in this series, we are sharing these mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer? Email [email protected].“The Housekeeper and the Professor,” by Yoko Ogawa (Picador, 2009)Intimately written in first person, this book seems more memoir than fiction. We never learn the housekeeper/narrator’s name (nor her son’s real name), but we learn so much about their personalities and grow to love them. The glimpses into Japanese culture were surprising in how Western things often seemed, such as meals that could be on my dinner table. And t...

Sushi-quality fish rolls in daily to this downtown Denver poke spot | Opinion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).Anthony Bourdain warned diners in his famous “Kitchen Confidential” book to usually avoid sushi spots on Monday because most restaurants use old fish from the weekend.But at Denver Poke Company, a truck rolls up every day to deliver fresh, sushi-grade fish. I have personally witnessed this, since I used to work in the office next door. And it quickly became my go-to lunch spot and favorite poke restaurant in town.“We basically copy what barbecue restaurants do, where we order and cook as much for that day, and if you run out, you run out,” owner Anh Nguyen said. “It keeps the integrity of the quality.”Nguyen was a sushi chef for most of his career, previously working for Sushi Den and Kenichi in Aspen, but after starting a family, he was ...

“We literally get run over”: Golden Gate Canyon State Park braces for another busy leaf-peeping season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

Front Range leaf-peeping season will begin any day now, and at Golden Gate Canyon State Park, that means rangers are bracing for crazy crowds that annually overwhelm the scenic mountain area northwest of Golden when the aspen turn.“We literally get run over,” park manager Todd Farrow said recently on a tour of the 12,000-acre park, which is located 12 miles up Golden Gate Canyon and seems to have aspen stands every direction a visitor turns. Some of them frame gorgeous views of the Continental Divide.Golden Gate Canyon State Park will be a very popular destination when leaf-peeping season begins this year. The change is expected to start around Sept. 23.(Bridget O’Rourke, Colorado Parks and Wildlife)Golden Gate consistently ranks as fourth-busiest among the 42 parks operated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, behind Lake Pueblo, Cherry Creek and Chatfield, and it’s No. 1 among CPW’s mountain parks, attracting 1.3 million visitors last year. Of that, 291,00...

10 can’t-miss beer tappings and events during Great American Beer Festival week in Denver

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

There isn’t as much buzz this year around the Great American Beer Festival, which takes place at the Colorado Convention Center on Sept. 21-23, as usual. The annual event — considered to be the largest commercial beer fest in the United States — has had trouble generating momentum since taking two years off because of the COVID-19 pandemic.And while there are usually dozens, even hundreds, of events at metro Denver breweries, bars and restaurants during the week of the fest, 2023 isn’t seeing nearly as many. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of rare, special or fun beers to drink. Here are 10 of the best tappings or events, along with some other suggestions if you can’t make it to those.Cerebral Brewing hosts Bottle Logic for a blending session at its Aurora location. (Staff photo: Jonathan Shikes)Cerebral Brewing/Bottle Logic Live Blending SessionWednesday, Sept. 20. From hazy IPAs to wild ales and from lagers to barrel-aged stout...

Colorado weighs new plan to cut greenhouse gasses. Critics fear it’ll let major polluters pay to avoid reducing emissions.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:00 GMT

Colorado’s air-quality regulators this week will consider a plan for the state’s 18 largest manufacturers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, but it’s running into sharp criticism from legislators and environmentalists who are concerned about a loophole that could allow companies to buy their way out of making cuts.The 18 companies, which include Molson Coors, Cargill Meat Solutions, Microchip Technology, Leprino Foods, Natural Soda, Western Sugar Cooperative and Suncor Energy, also oppose the state’s plan, saying it will place a regulatory burden on them that could force the companies to eliminate jobs or relocate out of Colorado.Ahead of this week’s hearing to finalize the rule, 16 state legislators who created the law that mandates the reduction in emissions sent a letter to the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission to voice their concerns. Opposition also is coming from the advisory council created to guide the Colorado Department of Public ...