Colorado
Colorado to create missing and murdered indigenous relatives office after lawmakers, governor reach deal
![Colorado to create missing and murdered indigenous relatives office after lawmakers, governor reach deal](https://www.denverpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/TDP-L-missingrallyl050522-cha-249.jpg?w=1024&h=683)
A battle of wills over tips on how to examine lacking and murdered indigenous folks ended Tuesday with advocates and the governor agreeing on an workplace devoted to the disaster.
Standing within the Capitol foyer, with blood-red handprints masking their mouths — an emblem in assist of the hundreds of the lacking and murdered indigenous folks — advocates Donna Chrisjohn and Raven Fee declared a win whereas acknowledging the work left to do.
“This an enormous win for our neighborhood and doing what’s proper,” Fee, who’s Ojibwe and Mohawk, stated. “On the finish of the day, this isn’t about myself, this isn’t about Donna, this isn’t about our sponsors. That is about our communities and our kinfolk which were enduring this violence that frankly, nobody requested for. So to have this huge beginning place, to have an workplace in our authorities to begin doing this work in a great way, is a victory.”
SB22-150, sponsored by Reps. Leslie Herod and Monica Duran and Sen. Jessie Danielson, all Democrats, goals to particularly deal with the disaster of lacking and murdered indigenous folks in Colorado. Indigenous ladies particularly face heightened charges of violence, advocates and researchers say. And people crimes are too usually not correctly tracked or understood.
The homicide charge of indigenous ladies is 3 times that of white ladies; greater than half of indigenous ladies expertise sexual violence of their lifetime, and 96% of victims face it from non-indigenous folks, in accordance with the Nationwide Congress of American Indians.
And when indigenous ladies go lacking, it’s not all the time correctly tracked or investigated, advocates say. In 2016, of greater than 5,7000 lacking indigenous ladies and ladies recognized by the Nationwide Crime Data Middle, solely 116 have been reported in Division of Justice statistics, in accordance with the City Indian Well being Institute.
The invoice creates an workplace of liaison for lacking and murdered indigenous kinfolk throughout the Colorado Division of Public Security. It was initially opposed by Gov. Jared Polis’ workplace, at the very least as initially envisioned, over issues it could create “a broad scope of labor, with expectations which can be past the present mission and ability set” of the Division of Public Security.
The administration initially instructed assigning Colorado Bureau of Investigation brokers to the instances and establishing a process power throughout the Colorado Fee on Indian Affairs to report on finest practices for the disaster — a proposal the advocates instantly discovered unacceptable and demeaning. It signaled that they weren’t being listened to and didn’t know what can be finest for their very own communities, Fee and Chrisjohn stated.
The model that handed on a bipartisan vote of the Home of Representatives Tuesday, and noticed bipartisan approval by the Senate, hews nearer to the unique proposal from indigenous advocates. Whereas talking in assist of the amended invoice within the Senate, Danielson wore the pink handprint over her mouth as an indication of solidarity.
Fee stated she places the invoice at about 80% of what she and different advocates fought for, although a few of that hole displays a mistrust constructed over generations and strengthened throughout negotiations over this invoice.
The modification supplied by Home sponsors blindsided advocates, Fee and Chrisjohn stated — one other instance of feeling spoken for, as a substitute of spoken to, on issues regarding their neighborhood, even when sponsors had good intentions. Duran stated the waning hours of the legislative session pressured them to supply it within the hopes it could be agreeable, and within the hopes some laws would survive. At that time, the Senate nonetheless wanted to concur, in impact serving as a test in opposition to laws that didn’t meet the advocates’ targets.
Fee and Chrisjohn hope the workplace, along with bringing significant reduction and closure to victims and their households, will assist strengthen their voice as a neighborhood.
“The governor and his coverage advisors nonetheless fairly don’t perceive or hear us,” Fee stated. “So I feel that establishing that workplace will give an avenue for us to have additional conversations for them to actually perceive this subject and the way our communities work and tips on how to proceed to middle us and belief that we all know what’s finest to assist heal our neighborhood.”
She stated she’s prepared for sleep — not relaxation, she was cautious to say, since there may be nonetheless work to do — after coming thus far.
Herod stated it was “the dedication, tenacity and spirit of the parents who’re preventing for this invoice” that they have been in a position to get to the settlement. She additionally thanked the governor’s workers for working with them to achieve the settlement.
In an announcement, Polis’ spokesperson Conor Cahill thanked the Home members for “efficiently addressing the technical challenges within the invoice and amending it in order that we will efficiently implement the laws.”
“The governor is aligned with the shared targets of the sponsors and the model that handed the Home will get it to a spot the place we will help obtain these targets throughout the construction and group of the chief department,” he stated.
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Colorado
The business of Bigfoot: Sasquatch tourism brings cryptid-curious to Colorado
![The business of Bigfoot: Sasquatch tourism brings cryptid-curious to Colorado](https://www.denverpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TDP-L-bighoot062624-cha-107.jpg?w=1024&h=681)
For $650 a head, Jim Myers leads cryptid-curious folks from around the world into the wilderness of Colorado’s Park County for a three-day camping expedition in search of the elusive Bigfoot.
Myers’s business, Rabbit Hole Adventures, provides tents, meals, guides, first aid kits and satellite phones as part of the quest. He also brings night-vision binoculars, thermal imagers and cameras.
To tackle the trek on horseback, Myers charges $1,400 a person. For a Sasquatch search easier on the wallet, the lifelong Bigfoot devotee hosts $125 night hikes with the hopes of catching a glimpse of the hairy creature. On expeditions he’s deemed successful, Myers said trekkers have witnessed a pair of uniquely glowing eyes through the trees or large, expertly woven branches forming a Sasquatch nest as evidence the mythical forest-dweller walks among us.
“Bigfoot is a lot more mainstream than it used to be,” Myers said “The number of people openly interested in the topic as opposed to not wanting people to know they’re interested for fear of being considered a nutcase has definitely increased. America is infatuated with Bigfoot.”
Bigfoot can mean big business for Colorado’s rural and mountain towns. The National Paranormal Network hosts annual Bigfoot Adventure Weekends in Colorado to gather Sasquatch lovers to search for the creature, an activity often referred to as Squatchin’. Bigfoot-hunting professionals host private forest tours to show off their Sasquatch know-how and sighting spots. And businesses across the state rent out shuttles, cars or bikes for Bigfoot hunts.
Myers has been a Bigfoot aficionado since he was a kid after laying eyes on the famed Patterson-Gimlin film, footage captured in 1967 depicting a large, hairy creature walking on two legs through a Northern California forest.
The cryptid consumed Myers’ life so wholly that when he and his wife were rebuilding a 150-year-old grocery store in Bailey in 2012, they ditched the groceries and dedicated the store to Bigfoot instead.
Now the Sasquatch Outpost — a souvenir shop and museum dedicated to all things Bigfoot — is one of the more well-visited attractions in Bailey, Myers said.
“For a little town like Bailey, it’s a very popular destination,” Myers said. “We send people to the local restaurants, the gift stores and things just because once they’re in Bailey, then they want to do other things. We try to help everybody else along, as well.
Bigfoot travellers
It’s not easy to gauge Sasquatch’s economic footprint in Colorado. Believe it or not, the state doesn’t track the financial impact of Bigfoot tourism.
The Denver Post emailed the state tourism office requesting an interview to discuss the impact that unusual tourist attractions have on smaller, rural communities. The message was forwarded to an outside public relations firm, which declined to set up an interview.
“I actually do not know that much about Bigfoot tourism in Colorado,” a representative of Handlebar Public Relations conceded.
But Kevin McDonald, the special events coordinator for the town Estes Park, was game for a cryptid conversation.
The Larimer County town that serves as the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park has hosted the Bigfoot Days Festival since 2019, luring Sasquatch enthusiasts from near and far.
“We celebrate all things Squatchy,” McDonald said.
About 5,000 people attend the festival, which features Bigfoot-themed vendors, Sasquatch celebrities from reality television shows like “Finding Bigfoot,” live music by the likes of Denver-based band That Damn Sasquatch, a contest to see who can do the best Bigfoot call and more.
The night before the event — Estes Park already Squatched it up in 2024, but the 2025 festival is set for April 26 — is the Bigfoot BBQ, where 150 people purchase tickets for an intimate dining experience with their favorite Sasquatch celebrities. This year, the dinner attracted people from eight states, McDonald said.
“It’s a very engaged crowd, and people do travel for their Bigfoot,” he said.
Nearly 75% of surveyed festival attendees said they came to Estes Park specifically for Bigfoot Days, McDonald said, according to a 2024 economic development survey of the event. More than 72% of people surveyed said they stayed in Estes Park and 88.2% said they spent the night in commercial lodging for an average of two nights.
According to the most recent state tourism report, visitors who stayed in a Colorado hotel, motel, or short-term vacation rental spent a combined $17.3 billion in 2022. Travel spending in Colorado increased 25.2% from $22.1 billion in 2021 to $27.7 billion in 2022, the state tourism report found.
Estes Park and its surrounding forests are ripe with Bigfoot lore.
That’s why Andy Hitch, owner of Estes Park ATV and Jeep rental shop Backbone Adventures, said he wrote a blog post advertising an ATV travel guide for spotting Bigfoot.
Initially, Hitch was reticent to share his own Sasquatch encounters, having grown up in the mountains around Estes Park.
“I’m not huge into it,” he told The Post, admitting there was “a rumor mill” about spotting the creature.
Later, Hitch admitted to an experience of his own while dirt-biking through the mountains 14 years ago.
“Something ran in front of me,” he said. “It was tall and had dark-colored hair. I can’t say exactly what it was, but I don’t get riled about anything, and this made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I’m not saying I saw something, but I’m not saying I didn’t.”
Hitch figured others might be looking to have a similar encounter. He was right.
Since writing his post, folks come to his business looking for an ATV or Jeep to get further back into the forest, he said, in the hopes of spying Bigfoot.
“Get out there and keep your eyes open,” Hitch said. “Who knows what you’re going to see out there? You might find antlers. You might just see Bigfoot.”
“The wonder and mystery of what we don’t know”
The Bigfoot hunting expeditions don’t generate enough income for Myers to make a living. His bread and butter is the Sasquatch Outpost store and museum, while the expeditions are more of a hobby to continue fueling his passion, he said.
What keeps Myers and other Squatchers hooked?
“It’s the magic of the whole paranormal cryptid world,” Myers said. “Bigfoot is just one of the many unidentified, uncategorized species in the world. If Bigfoot are real — and they are — what else could be real? Are fairies real? Dogmen? Mothmen? It’s the wonder and mystery of what we don’t know and understand.”
Last year, a Bigfoot sighting in southwest Colorado went viral after photos and video taken from the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad showed a Bigfoot-esque creature traipsing through nature. Debates ensued about whether the sighting was a marketing campaign or prank.
The Post reached out to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to see whether the sighting sparked more Bigfoot believers to come aboard, but the train folks were tightlipped.
Bigfoot has a number of talents most don’t know about, Myers said, including mind-reading and the ability to put thoughts into people’s brains.
Another skill? The ability to draw a crowd.
People from all over the globe have ventured out for Myers’ expeditions, he said, but even more have visited the museum and store to gaze upon the wonders of a 6-foot-tall fiberglass Bigfoot replica and a 7-foot-3-inch animatronic Sasquatch. Around 90,000 people have braved the cryptid models, plaster footprints, video footage and educational information in the museum over the years, he said.
Myers houses the merchandise — Bigfoot and Yeti salt-and-pepper shakers, plush toys, boxer briefs, Bigfoot foot-shaped soap and more — among 27 real trees he brought inside. He built a cave system for kids to run through and a small theater where Myers gives “cave talks” — his version of TED talks.
“You won’t find any store like it in the world,” Myers said.
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Colorado
Benton’s Tedeschi commits to Colorado State
Colorado
Fans roast EA Sports' 'laughable' Colorado ranking in 'College Football 25'
![Fans roast EA Sports' 'laughable' Colorado ranking in 'College Football 25'](https://cdn1.thecomeback.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/94/2024/06/EA-Sports-College-Football-25-Power-Rankings-e1719607809730.jpg)
EA Sports has released several rankings for its College Football 25 this week, teasing the July 19 release date for the much-awaited new game. When the company dropped the latest Power Rankings Friday, fans argued on social media about this team or that team’s relative ranking.
Yet fans universally seemed to agree on one ranking: Colorado is not the No. 16 team in the country.
Recall the Buffaloes started 3-0 last season under new coach Deion Sanders, and some fans had illusions of a College Football Playoff spot. But reality set in, and the Buffs dropped eight of nine to finish the season.
That is not what anyone looks for in a potential top 20 program. The popular College Sports Only X account noted, “EA Sports really ranked Colorado the 16th best team in “College Football 25″ after going 4-8 last season & losing 8 of their last 9 games.”
EA Sports really ranked Colorado the 16th best team in “College Football 25” after going 4-8 last season & losing 8 of their last 9 games. 🤦 pic.twitter.com/cmjIgbehz8
— College Sports Only (@CollegeSportsO) June 28, 2024
EA Sports has shared details about how it wants to make the game as realistic as possible, even having CFB 25 announcers such as Chris Fowler call every conceivable scenario that might happen in game play. Fans have pointed out some slight errors in the game thus far. For example, the Texas State stadium was rendered in the game without an upper deck.
But even with Sanders coming in and energizing Colorado’s football program, rating the Buffaloes 16th is a huge stretch. And fans had plenty to say on social media.
EA Sports developers leaving Colorado after guaranteeing Deion Sanders a top 25 ranking pic.twitter.com/Ngm614yZRc
— Pregame Empire (@PregameEmpire) June 28, 2024
HOW IS COLORADO at SIXTEEN LMFAO?!
— Athens Steve (@rainy_steve) June 28, 2024
Again why is Colorado this high? They won 4 games last year 🤦
— Bryan (@BGauvin23) June 28, 2024
EA had to screw something up on this game eventually 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/T1I1piPO8d
— Brandon Suarez (@Bdon300) June 28, 2024
where’s the logic here https://t.co/S8jQzHDtfL
— lifetime grizzlies fan (@therealkevinyeh) June 28, 2024
I’m convinced the person in charge of ratings is a 17 year old hype beast https://t.co/YnHC3dk5uN
— mike (@burnacount4mike) June 28, 2024
One of their developers must be Rocky Mountain high if they think Colorado is that good.
— J.P. McDonough (@JPMcDonough74) June 28, 2024
EA sports ranked Colorado at number 16 in college football 25! This is laughable! This makes no sense! Finished the season four and eight! But they’re the 16th best team in the country. OK!
— 5star CFB (@5starcfb) June 28, 2024
[College Sports Only on X/Twitter]
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