The week began as frustratingly as possible for the Colorado women’s soccer team.

But the Buffaloes got back on track on Thursday night, and fifth-year senior Shyra James made history along the way.

Four days after allowing a lead to slip away in the final minutes against nationally ranked North Carolina, CU returned to the win column with a 5-1 victory against Wyoming at Prentup Field. James made it a memorable night, scoring three goals in the second half to break CU’s career goals record.

James’ first career hat trick increased her all-time total to 44 goals, breaking Nikki Marshall’s former mark of 42.

Marshall, who helped coach James as a CU assistant in 2022, was in attendance at Prentup.

“Once I scored the first one, it kept happening and I started getting more adrenaline, more excitement,” James said. “To experience this with my team, it’s insane. To beat (Marshall’s) record, and me knowing her in that aspect, is exciting as well. She texted me good luck. It was exciting to beat the record in front of her, and how I did today.”

CU (2-0-1) got on the board early in the first matchup against the Cowgirls since 2012, with Hope Leyba converting on a header chance in the eighth minute off a corner kick from Laura Gouvin.

The 1-0 lead held through halftime, and then the match turned into the Shyra James show.

After a hand ball penalty against Wyoming, James converted the penalty kick to tie Marshall’s record and give the Buffs a much-needed cushion in the 59th minute. James was just getting warmed up.

James blasted home a rebound goal six minutes later to give CU a 3-0 lead and take sole possession of the all-time goals record with 43, and she added to the festivities with a header goal off a crossing pass from Emerson Layne.

The first career hat trick for James was the seventh in program history, the first since Tatum Barton scored three goals against Missouri on Aug. 25, 2018. James scored her three goals in a span of 10 minutes, 23 seconds.

Wyoming’s Alyssa Bedard scored on a penalty kick in the 83rd minute to ruin the Buffs’ shutout. CU’s Lola Stanley capped the scoring with her first collegiate goal in the 88th minute.

“You can go a couple ways after (North Carolina) and we went ‘We’re going to really get after it.’ Tuesday was probably our hardest practice of the season,” said Buffs coach Danny Sanchez, who spent four seasons as the head coach at Wyoming prior to taking over at CU. “After a disappointing end to a game like Sunday, you just want to play again. So I think the team was champing at the bit to get out there again.”

Notable

On Thursday, James was one of 44 players named to the watch list for the Hermann Trophy, which is awarded to the top player in the nation. James was one of just four Big 12 players on the list, which also included the Texas Tech trio of Macy Blackburn, Sam Courtwright and Ashleigh Williams. … Buffs co-captain Rachel Rosen had started 37 consecutive games but played off the bench on Thursday. … CU completes a season-opening four-game homestand on Sunday against Michigan (noon, ESPN+).

CU Buffs women’s soccer 5, Wyoming 1

Wyoming           0 1 — 1

Colorado            1 4— 5

Goals — Colorado: H. Leyba (Gouvin), 8th minute; James (PK), 59th minute; James (unassisted), 65th minute; James (Layne), 70th minute; Stanley (Fisher), 88th minute. Wyoming: Bedard (PK), 83rd minute.

Goalies (Min.-goals allowed-saves) — Wyoming: Bartel (90-5-4). Colorado: Nytes (69-0-8); Campbell (21-1-3).

Originally Published: August 22, 2024 at 9:39 p.m.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed is proposing the first overhaul of the city’s charter since 1995.

Breed called on city and county leaders to start the process of comprehensive charter reform and examine potential changes that could be put before voters in November 2026.

As the city and county’s “fundamental law,” the city and county charter is its governing document that defines its governance structure and government duties. 

In an executive directive on Tuesday, Breed did not lay out any specific proposals, but said broadly that the changes should “improve the effectiveness of government and improve the delivery of services to our residents.”

The directive also took aim at the ballot measure process, saying it had added too many layers of bureaucracy to the city’s government. Eight measures will go before voters this fall.

The closest the directive comes to specifics is its component that calls on city leaders to gather data related to potential reforms, including “consolidating City Departments, overhauling Commission structures, improving accountability in the Executive Branch, and updating the legislative process to ensure that new rules can be implemented,” according to the executive directive.
Breed said she thought now was the time for wholesale reform.

“Over the last three decades, the Charter has been amended over and over, adding new departments, creating new positions, setting in place new legal requirements, restricting city spending, and adding other bureaucratic barriers that have not been created through a holistic view of what it means to govern,” Breed’s directive said.

Breed also included the nonprofit San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, known as SPUR, as a participant in the process. The organization has made specific recommendations for a new charter, including reducing redundancies, adding a legislative analyst to the Board of Supervisors, and restoring the mayor’s ability to hire and fire department heads. 

The organization has also suggested “raising the bar” for getting measures on the local ballot, something Breed’s directive hinted at. The organization said in its newly released report, “Designed to Serve,” that any potential measure put forth by the county Board of Supervisors and be subject to a mayoral veto, and that any measure proposed by the mayor should first be passed by the Board.

It also suggested raising the signature threshold from 2% to 5% of registered voters’ signatures to qualify a measure for the ballot.

The mayor’s executive directive calls on the city controller and city administrator to work with other city leaders and good government experts like SPUR to prepare for putting proposed changes before voters in fall 2026 by collecting data, preparing outreach and stakeholder input, and, ultimately, make a range of recommendations for reforms.

“It’s the right time to ensure that laws are keeping pace with our ever-evolving city,” said San Francisco Controller Greg Wagner.

County Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who, like Breed, was interviewed for SPUR’s report, agreed that a lot of “dysfunction is baked into our Charter.” 

“Too often, our City government acts more like a collection of loosely affiliated departments than a unified municipal government with clear lines of accountability and oversight,” Mandelman said.

SPUR’s President and CEO, Alicia John-Baptiste, agreed it was time for a broad reexamination of the charter.

“Sometimes, it’s important to step back and evaluate whether the system we have in place is structured to allow the government to play this critical role effectively and if not, how it should change,” John-Baptiste said.

DENVER — Afternoon showers on Thursday didn’t stop the unveiling of Monarch Montessori’s newest classroom — a yurt. But the journey to this day hasn’t been easy.

“When we first started looking at the yurt, I was told there is no possibility that you are going to get a yurt permitted in Denver, that would be impossible,” said Monarch Montessori Executive Director Laura Pretty. “That’s why the girls went to city council.”

In May, a group of young girls from the school stood in front of the Denver City Council and asked council members to help bring to life a new space for their music classes. During the meeting, the girls became the targets of a racist rant from an attendee watching via Zoom.

“We can use this as not something that’s going to tear us down, but something that’s going to build us up,” said Jerod Sarlow, a teacher at Monarch Montessori.

In the months that followed, Petty said the community rallied around them, raising money and getting permitting done in record time.

“What’s neat to see is it’s not impossible. We are a democracy, and we can raise our voice and we can make things happen,” said Pretty.

The round dome will serve as a space for music classes for grades K-5.

Packed with instruments, the room is an extension of the school’s other outdoor learning areas. The yurt has also become a symbol for the school.

“I hope that’s the lesson that the girls are taking away from this, that you can speak up and you can make a change and make something happen,” said Pretty.

“I don’t just feel that a child changed history. A child did change history,” said former Monarch Montessori parent Janice Resendez.