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Colorado barley farmers aim to brew a sustainable future with novel grains

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

On a sunny day in late September, Todd Olander was out in the fields of a 90-acre farm in Berthoud planting rows of barley.Typically, Olander would let the soil rest through the winter months, but in recent years he’s begun experimenting with new varieties of barley that have been specifically adapted to withstand cold temperatures. Growing in the winter means the crops will absorb precipitation through the spring, a vital advantage as weather in the Western U.S. continues to get hotter and drier.As the proprietor of both Olander Farms and Root Shoot Malting, which supplies Colorado breweries and spirit makers with locally grown and malted grains, Olander has to innovate to sustain his family’s 97-year-old farm. About five years ago, he began taking proactive steps to prepare for what he expects to be the next big challenge: the water crisis.That looming threat was enough to begin cultivating the winter-friendly Lightning, Thunder and Buck barley without yet having customers f...

Another favorite Denver restaurant opening at DIA

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

Denver International Airport is about to get a little fatter.On Monday, the Denver City Council approved a contract that will allow an airport concessionaire to open a Fat Sully’s Pizza restaurant inside Concourse A.Known for its ginormous New York-style pies, Fat Sully’s is owned by the Atomic Provisions group, which also owns Denver Biscuit Co. and Atomic Cowboy. Airport concessionaire FM Juice Company will operate the pizza shop under the Fat Sully’s name. (All of DIA’s branded concessions, from Tattered Cover to Great Divide Brewing, do business this way.)The restaurant group declined a request for comment.The city council also approved a second Chick-fil-A and a second Shake Shack in Concourse A. Both Chick-fil-A and Shake Shack opened their first DIA locations in Concourse B.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | Nearly 100 cargo workers at DIA go on strike Monday, protesting unsafe work conditions Restaurants, Food and Drink | ...

Used electric vehicle prices collapsing, with Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf big losers in Denver

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

Electric vehicles, both new and used, remain more expensive than comparable models that are gasoline-powered. But the gap is closing rapidly.After skyrocketing during the pandemic, used car prices across the board are softening, with the average annual decline running 3.6% in Denver and 5.1% nationally as of October, according to a study from online car shopping site iSeeCars.For used electric vehicles (EVs), prices are down by about a third nationally in the past year. And if that trend continues, it is only a matter of time until used EVs will not only cost less to power and maintain but also to buy.“Used electric vehicles are facing a combination of lower prices for new models and consumer reluctance to try a new, more expensive technology when inflation and interest rates are both high,” said Karl Brauer, iSeeCars executive analyst, in an email.The declines reflect basic economics. Supply has outstripped demand when it comes to EVs, which are now taking three times a...

'Barbie,' Israel-Hamas war among top Google searches of 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

(AP) — Your Google search history for 2023 has arrived.Well, actually, the world's. On Monday, the California-based tech giant released its “Year in Search,” a roundup of 2023’s top global queries, ranging from unforgettable pop culture moments (hello, Barbenheimer), to the loss of beloved figures and tragic news carrying worldwide repercussions.The ongoing Israel-Hamas war topped news trends in 2023, per Google's global data, followed by queries related to the Titanic-bound submersible that imploded in June, as well as February's devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Mother talks about being targeted in anti-Mexican rant at Disneyland Damar Hamlin was Google's top trending person on search this year. A safety with the NFL's Buffalo Bills, Hamlin experienced a near-death cardiac arrest on the field during a January game, but has since completed a celebrated comeback. Actor Jeremy Renner, who survived a serious snowplow ...

San Jose considering sanctioned encampments as interim options face long wait lines, timelines

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

In an effort to shrink the number of homeless people living on city streets, San Jose’s mayor said he is considering sanctioned encampment sites for those residents — an approach that may be unique in its scale and more permanent than what other Bay Area cities have tried.Envisioned by Mayor Matt Mahan as “safe sleeping” sites that will help move the city’s over 4,000 unsheltered residents into the pipeline of interim housing, the concept is still in its infancy, and size and placement are still being worked on, city officials said.Like other safe sleeping sites that have been tried before throughout the region and state, the mayor said they would essentially be comprised of tents on top of a wooden pallet, paired with services such as security and bathrooms.Mahan said he is inspired by the city of San Diego, which recently opened its second sanctioned camp, capable of holding 400 tents, and wants to prevent uncontrolled fires and crimes at unmanaged si...

In-N-Out Burger to open restaurant No. 400

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

In-N-Out Burger will open its 400th restaurant in Meridian, Idaho, on Tuesday, Dec. 12. It is the Irvine-based chain’s first location in the Gem State.Media in the Boise suburb have been watching for the opening for weeks and predicted the date days before In-N-Out announced in a news release on Monday. A story on Boise’s 103.5 KISS FM website said that In-N-Out staff were flying in from Phoenix for the launch, attributing the news to an anonymous Reddit post.The article called the event history-making. And the Idaho Statesman called In-N-Out “Idaho’s most dreamed-of, begged-for fast-food chain.”There’s a plan in place for stacked parking using four nearby dirt lots to deal with expected crowds, according to the Boise channel KTVB.In-N-Out’s new Idaho team members could be serving a lot of hot beverages to its first customers. According to the Weather Channel, the Tuesday morning forecast is for temperatures south of 40 degrees with a chance of rain.The drive-thru puts In-N-Out in e...

New psychedelic-like drugs: All treatment, no trip?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

Since their creation decades ago, mind-altering drugs have remained as unchanged as bellbottoms, tie-dye and patchouli oil.Now — full of promise and peril — psychedelics are undergoing a makeover. Chemical neuroscientists, many based in Northern California, are redesigning the structures of psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA and other powerful drugs to concoct compounds that they hope will offer mental health benefits with fewer risks.With advanced tech tools and a deepened understanding of brain chemistry, scientists say the new drugs might succeed where conventional therapies have failed, treating post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, addiction and other devastating mental health problems.“Our goal is to make medicines that are derived from psychedelics that are safer and gentler, more effective and more accessible,” said Matthew Baggott, former director of data science and engineering at Genentech, whose Palo Alto-based startup Tactogen has patented several nov...

Psychedelic drugs: Follow the money

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

The golden road to pharmaceutical riches can quickly become a rocky wilderness trail. Chemical compounds that hit a target in the lab often fall short in human studies.But biotech startups, academic scientists and investors say that research into psychedelic drugs starts with a major advantage: These substances are already known to work.The goal is simply to improve upon them – so they’re safer, more effective and faster-acting. Someday, perhaps, psychedelic-like drugs could treat mental illness for a fraction of what it costs to do therapy with conventional tools.REALTED: New psychedelic-like drugs: All treatment, no trip?Three drugs — MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine — are the furthest along in clinical development for mental health disorders, according to Dr. Boris Heifets of the Stanford University School of Medicine.Investors are already betting tens of millions of dollars, sensing the opportunity to replace drugs like Prozac, Zoloft and other selective serotonin reup...

Intersection an upgrade for drivers, bicyclists but pedestrians less sure: Roadshow

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

Q: My family and I have lived near the Almaden Expressway-Camden Avenue intersection in San Jose for 30-plus years. A coming-of-age milestone for our three children was when they were allowed to cross that intersection without an adult (requiring that I trusted them to follow the rules!).That intersection was re-engineered this summer and is very nice. I see benefits for drivers and bicyclists, but not pedestrians. Before the redesign, there was a separate right-turn only lane and an island where the button for the walk/don’t walk signs livedNow it’s a straight shot all the way across the intersection and the walk/don’t walk buttons are on the sidewalk. Cars use a separate right-turn only lane and drivers are not visually reminded to look for pedestrians.If it were like this when my kids were growing up, I don’t know that I’d ever let them cross without an adult! I myself have forgotten to check at times and had some sort-of-close calls. I don’t k...

49ers-Cardinals preview: Brock Purdy has homecoming date Sunday in Arizona

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

SANTA CLARA – Party at Brock’s house!The NFC-leading 49ers are going to Arizona for their next game, in what will be Brock Purdy’s first NFL appearance in his home state.Purdy played for Perry High-Gilbert 45 miles southeast of State Farm Stadium, where he led Iowa State his junior year to a Fiesta Bowl win over Oregon on Jan. 2, 2021. The next day, that stadium hosted the 49ers’ 2020 season finale – against the Seattle Seahawks – to conclude their month-long residency in Arizona, after Santa Clara County’s banishment amid COVID concerns.The 49ers lost a Week 5 return in 2021, then bypassed Arizona last year to face the host Cardinals in Mexico City, where the Niners won 38-10. Purdy knelt in the victory formation for that game’s final two snaps, and, two weeks later, he replaced an injured Jimmy Garoppolo as the 49ers’ quarterback.Speaking of home fields, the 49ers (10-3) control their own destiny in securing the NFC playoffs’ No. 1 seed, a spot they moved into Sunday n...