Colorado
Pac-12 targeting Boise St., Fresno St., San Diego St., Colorado St. for rebuild, AP sources say
![Pac-12 targeting Boise St., Fresno St., San Diego St., Colorado St. for rebuild, AP sources say Pac-12 targeting Boise St., Fresno St., San Diego St., Colorado St. for rebuild, AP sources say](https://gray-wave-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/VOGOBYNXMI2OED2VBUQ7Y2I45A.jpg?auth=bfc4bc55bc127d8b52d0a78cfb52fbcefed91a8b846dc0a947d8fabc5a8a47ef&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
(AP) – The Pac-12 is ready to begin its rebuild.
The Conference of Champions is targeting Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State of the Mountain West, with the schools on the verge of being accepted as members as soon as this week, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday night.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the conference’s plans and discussions with possible new members were not being made public. They said, if an agreement is reached, the new schools would join in 2026.
Yahoo! Sports first reported the four Mountain West schools were applying for Pac-12 membership.
The Pac-12 is currently a two-school conference, with Oregon State and Washington State the only remaining members after the league was picked apart last year by other power conferences.
NCAA rules allow for a conference to operate with only two schools for two years. Teresa Gould was hired to be the Pac-12 commissioner earlier this year, leading a slimmed down league office.
Leaders at Oregon State and Washington State have insisted since the Pac-12 collapsed last year their priority was to rebuild.
Those efforts are poised to start about a week after Oregon State and Washington State failed to renew for 2025 a football scheduling agreement they have in place with the Mountain West this season.
In a recent interview with the AP, Washington State President Kirk Schulz hinted at what could be next for the the Cougars and Beavers.
“So I think my philosophy going through all this has always been, let’s look for what’s the best long-term solution for WSU. Let’s look where our budget is and how much can we spend in a sustainable fashion around intercollegiate athletics. And can we put ourselves in a position to win championships, conference championships, where maybe you are in the top half of the league instead of near the bottom of the league in terms of resources,” he told the AP.
Oregon State and Washington State also have a two-year agreement with the West Coast Conference to be affiliate members, which covers men’s and women’s basketball and other Olympic sports.
Mountain West exit fees go down the further out a school departs, making it financially prudent for the Pac-12 to wait until 2026 to add the new schools. Still, the conference will have to pay close to $30 million for each school to the Mountain West in exit fees and penalties that were included in the scheduling agreement.
Oregon State and Washington State have tens of millions of dollars at their disposal to work with from the two remaining years of the current College Football Playoff agreements and a contract with the Rose Bowl that will also expired after the 2025 football season. Plus, they have revenue accrued by Pac-12 teams in recent years from the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and Pac-12 Network assets.
If the four schools leave the Mountain West, the conference would be left with eight members — Air Force, UNLV, Nevada, Utah State, New Mexico, Wyoming, San Jose State and Hawaii.
MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement late Wednesday night the conference was aware of media reports and its board of directors was meeting to discuss the next steps.
“All members will be held to conference bylaws and policies should they elect to depart,” she said. “The requirements of the scheduling agreement will apply to the Pac-12 should they admit Mountain West members.”
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AP Sports Writer Tim Booth in Pullman, Washington, contributed to this report.
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Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP
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Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Colorado
Canadian firefighter travels to Colorado to honor lives lost on 9/11
![Canadian firefighter travels to Colorado to honor lives lost on 9/11 Canadian firefighter travels to Colorado to honor lives lost on 9/11](https://gray-kktv-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/SM3YHZZNHBG5NBNWXRGPV2FYVI.png?auth=f6c61433dbed9027074ead528fd5874eeefdbe460afd52a074da6886ec0df1cb&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A firefighter from Canada traveled to a unique location to honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001 this year: Manitou Springs, Colorado.
“Every year we do some tribute to that day, to the firefighters, and its always a weighted vest stair climb situation,” firefighter Paul Hollingshead explained before starting this year’s climb. “We just felt that the Incline would be a great challenge to try this year.”
The Manitou Incline sees its fair share of first responders and guests honor the lives lost on 9/11 by taking on the local challenge.
Hollingshead made the trip from Ontario.
Hollingshead said he was a firefighter in Toronto during the late 90s and early 200s and would often go down to New York City for events with other firefighters. He said those in New York would open their homes to them.
“We would say that we’re from Toronto, and they would be like, ‘no you’re staying at our house, you’re not staying at a hotel, you’re staying with us,’” Hollingshead recalled. “Their generosity and their thoughts on brotherhood and sisterhood was very touching to us. Every time we went down there, they had no problems opening up their doors to us. Knowing that those guys died that day… it’s pretty emotional.”
He also recalled the moments seeing the tragedy unfold on television, his first thoughts going to those firefighters:
“We’re all saying ‘yeah, the guys are going to be in there, they’re going to get this fire under control, they’re going to get people out.’ And then as soon as the one building collapsed, live on TV, my friend said to me ‘do you know how many firefighters just died?’ and I’m like no, no those guys would have made it out… but obviously they chose to stay in there until the very end.”
Hollingshead said his trip up and down the Manitou Incline and the other tributes he’s done are just small ways to honor those firefighters.
“I know I’m going to climb this today and be able to go home, not a problem… It’s just a small kind of sacrifice we do to try to think about how those guys felt that day.”
Copyright 2024 KKTV. All rights reserved.
Colorado
High fire danger returns in many parts of Colorado, Thursday will be a First Alert Weather Day
![High fire danger returns in many parts of Colorado, Thursday will be a First Alert Weather Day High fire danger returns in many parts of Colorado, Thursday will be a First Alert Weather Day](https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/09/11/47b1a8b8-c454-4597-929e-6af3ae2ce7d1/thumbnail/1200x630/d127f7cd8495242e3693e7d2c4701e8c/mountains.jpg?v=631cf5f2b4e8db7f9bc428589402864d)
Fire danger levels will rise in Colorado on Thursday as winds kick up, humidity drops and temperatures climb into the low 90s. As a result of this weather change, Thursday will be a First Alert Weather Day.
The Denver metro area and parts of Northern Colorado, southern Colorado and the Eastern Plains will be the areas where a fire weather watch has been put in place by the National Weather Service. That will be in effect from noon on Thursday until 8 p.m. Winds could gust up to 40 mph with relative humidity as low as 10%.
In a public safety message, the National Weather Service wrote on X that people should “avoid any burning or outdoor activities that may cause sparks.”
A red flag warning will also go into effect in parts of western Colorado (including Grand Junction and Aspen) and the far eastern part of the state.
Temperatures on Thursday are expected to rise to the low 90s in Denver.
A cold front will move in on Friday and will bring temperatures closer to normal. Temperatures will drop into the low 80s. Looking ahead to the weekend, we heat back up into the mid-80s with mostly sunny and dry conditions.
Colorado
Letters: Colorado stores’ anti-theft measures inconvenience legitimate shoppers
![Letters: Colorado stores’ anti-theft measures inconvenience legitimate shoppers Letters: Colorado stores’ anti-theft measures inconvenience legitimate shoppers](https://www.denverpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/TDP-L-Grocery-stores-wine-RJS-13670.jpg?w=1024&h=724)
We’re the ones paying for all this theft
Re: “Grocery stores ramp up theft deterrents,” Sept. 7 news story
Depending on the neighborhood, The Denver Post reported that stores are securing merchandise or going to extraordinary lengths to inconvenience legitimate shoppers from purchasing items. Items under lock and key now necessitate a store employee to provide the key to the locked storage. Good luck with getting a quick response.
Store and corporation policy dictates against any employee action against shoplifting because of liability and risk of violence. But in the meantime, legitimate shoppers have to foot the bill.
Police and the courts are too involved in more serious crimes to effectively prosecute shoplifters since it is only a misdemeanor. Good luck with having a police officer respond to the scene. Lastly, the media publicizes these incidents of no prosecution and thereby encourages more errant behavior.
The five-finger discount is alive and well in Denver.
Philip Arreola, Denver
Wolves suffer in human interventions
Re: “Death in pack as wolves captured,” Sept. 10 news story
I did not vote for wolf reintroduction. Why? Because efforts like the proposed reintroduction always mean suffering, trauma, and death for the subject animals. When will humans look beyond their own limited interests and really think of other species we share the planet with?
Think about the fear the four juveniles and their mother are now experiencing while in captivity. The male is dead. Then, think about the terrible suffering the ranch animals experienced.
Wolves had naturally found their way to Colorado. Let’s leave well enough alone.
Marianna Young, Monte Vista
Coach Payton right to remain a mystery
Re: “Time for Payton to prove he’s worth $18M by outcoaching Macdonald,” Sept. 8 sports commentary
Call this a novice’s opinion, but I don’t think anyone, the Denver sports writers included, has figured out what Broncos Coach Sean Payton is really all about. That’s what got former coach Nathaniel Hackett into trouble, being too honest. Personally, I am in the “let’s see where the team is at Thanksgiving” camp; any more thought about it will tax my few remaining brain cells.
Payton will, and should, hold his cards close to the vest. All coaches will, and he who has the last card will win it all. And as the famous Howard Cosell would say, nothing more to be said about that.
Gary Rauchenecker, Golden
Husker fan not pining for Prime
Re: “Why does Coach Prime drive Husker fans nuts? ‘They wish they had him’,” Sept. 8 sports story
Cornhuskers are jealous of Coach Prime? Nah, keep him. Long live Matt Rhule! We Husker fans just want some competent refs.
Pamela Bell, Thornton
Not a fan of Cornhuskers’ balloon release
Almost daily the news reports tell us that plastic is strangling our rivers and oceans, smothering the soil, and invading our bodies through our food supplies worldwide.
How, in the face of this terrible threat to our earth, can the University of Nebraska allow clouds of red balloons to be released to pollute their state and neighboring states? Why on earth were all those balloons allowed at a football game? There is nothing joyous about spreading litter across the countryside with complete disregard for the people, the plants, the animals, and the waterways, which will suffer from all that plastic fallout.
Nebraska, you can find better ways to celebrate.
Doris Cruze, Centennial
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