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Major bills impacting nursing homes, resident rights inch toward passage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:33 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After the last legislative session, Mary Nichols thought she was done driving 200 miles from the Dallas-area town of Forney to the Texas State Capitol to advocate for residents in nursing and assisted living facilities.After the doors of her mother’s nursing home closed in 2020 and the state suspended visitation to prevent the spread of COVID-19, she formed the group Texas Caregivers for Compromise. She worked with lawmakers to help pass a law giving Texans the constitutional right to an “essential caregiver.”However, she said, the group’s work is far from over.Mary Nichols' mother, who lives in a nursing home, pictured prior to the pandemic. (Courtesy Nichols family) Texas Caregivers for Compromise are advocating in favor of Proposition 6 on the November ballot. (Courtesy Mary Nichols) “There are other issues related to long-term care, resident rights, that have come up — that we've just not been able to walk away from,” she said. “There aren't many people out there...

Texas Department of State Health Services issues meningitis warning tied to surgeries performed in Mexico

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:33 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas Department of State Health Services said Tuesday one person has died and four others were hospitalized for suspected cases of fungal meningitis after getting surgery in Matamoros, Mexico. According to TDSHS, all five traveled from Texas to Matamoros to get surgical procedures that involved an epidural, which is anesthetic injected into the area around the spinal column. Health authorities in the United States and Mexico are investigating what caused the infections, whether the cases are linked, and whether there are more cases.“It is very important that people who have recently had medical procedures in Mexico monitor themselves for symptoms of meningitis,” said DSHS Commissioner Jennifer Shuford on Tuesday “Meningitis, especially when caused by bacteria or fungus, can be a life-threatening illness unless treated promptly.”DSHS said people should consider canceling or postponing any elective surgeries, including liposuction, involving epidural anesthesia in...

Pittsfield PD: Human remains identified as missing man

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:33 GMT

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (NEWS10) -- Human remains in the area of Morningview Drive are that of a 69-year-old man who has been missing since July 2022, according to Pittsfield Police. Lee Walter Meisenheimer was last seen around July 13, 2022. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On Sunday, around 6:25 p.m., Pittsfield Police Officers responded to the area of Morningview Drive in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. A resident called after finding apparent human remains and clothes in a wooded area behind a yard. Officers confirmed the presence of human remains and contacted the State Medical Examiner's office for assistance. An autopsy confirmed the remains are that of Meisenheimer, and police say there is no evidence to suggest foul play at this time. Woman pleads guilty to driving drunk with kids in car The cause of the death and manner are still pending. Once Meisenheimer went missing, police conducted interviews, searched his home, prop...

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner resigns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:33 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Kim Gardner is stepping down as St. Louis Circuit Attorney two weeks ahead of schedule. Earlier this month, the embattled chief prosecutor announced she would resign effective June 1. Gardner, the city’s first African American chief prosecutor, will instead leave her post today, May 16.In a statement, Gardner said the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office would handle priority cases until a replacement can be named. However, such authority hinges on the decision of a presiding judge and Governor Mike Parson.The Circuit Attorney has worked with St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell and his office to ensure a comprehensive transition plan is in place to handle cases that prioritizes public safety. Effective immediately, Kimberly M. Gardner will end her service as the City of St. Louis Circuit Attorney. Ms. Gardner has been committed to serving the people of the City of St. Louis and has done all she can to ensure a smooth transition. Further inquiries ...

Keeler: Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. is chasing Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler for title of NBA’s best playoff closer. Will coach Michael Malone treat him like one in Game 2?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:33 GMT

Michael Porter Jr. is a closer, OK? And not the Wade Davis kind. He won’t ruin two hours of good work with 10 minutes of madness. He won’t turn your stomach to mush or a sure victory into a slasher film.“He came up to me during the Phoenix series and said, ‘Listen, man, if you want to get Bruce (Brown) in at the end of a game, whatever you think is going to help us win the game, I just want to win,’” Nuggets coach Michael Malone recalled after MPJ’s double-double (15 points, 10 boards), along with a clutch rebound late, helped the hosts escape Tuesday night with a 1-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Final.“So it’s just another example of a guy being selfless, realizing that this is much bigger than any individual. This is about the collective.”The stats say — not so much say as scream — that the best thing for the Nuggets collectively is for Porter to be on the floor in crunch time late. Scoreboard be danged.As of early Wednesday morning, amon...

Why these local restaurants aren’t afraid to open on the 16th Street Mall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:33 GMT

Mary Nguyen remembers the 16th Street Mall’s glory days, when she would ride the tram up and down the block as an 8-year-old child with her relatives. The streets were buzzing and full of people from all over, the granite tile pavers lining the pedestrian-only street were bright and clean, and there were new stores and restaurants that Nguyen had never seen before.“The 16th Street Mall is the main stretch that represents our city. It’s iconic,” said Nguyen, who opened Little Finch in February at 1490 16th St. Mall. The café is the little sister to Olive & Finch, Nguyen’s popular restaurant on 17th Avenue in Denver’s Uptown neighborhood and another in Cherry Creek. “From my perspective, being on the 16th Street Mall was an opportunity to be able to introduce people to the good things in Denver … as a tourist or a newbie,” Nguyen said. “You’re going to go check out the different scenes, and 16th Street Mall is always going to be at the top of th...

Tocabe is closing its restaurant and converting it into production facility

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:33 GMT

What started as a passion project for Ben Jacobs and Matt Chandra during the pandemic has since become a full-time job.The owners of Tocabe, An American Indian Eatery, have decided to close their Greenwood Village restaurant at 8181 E. Arapahoe Rd. on May 27 and convert it into a production and packaging facility for its online marketplace and recently launched Direct-to-Tribe Ready Meal program.“It’s been difficult running a restaurant four days a week and a marketplace the rest of the three days,” Jacobs said. “On Sunday, our team is in, knocking out prepared meals, then we’re filling on Mondays and Tuesdays, and immediately turning around for the restaurant again, and the amount of stress built into that is tough.”Tocabe’s Greenwood Village location first opened in 2015. Fans of their 24-hour cured bison ribs, Indian fry bread tacos or Iko’s green chili stew can still satisfy their craving at their original Denver location at 3536 W. 44th Ave., which opened in 2008 as “the only A...

Retail real estate robust, but Denver’s office space still trying to shake pandemic’s pall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:33 GMT

A new real estate report shows a robust post-pandemic rebound for retail, resulting in low vacancy rates. However, office building vacancies keep trending the other way, stirring concerns about downtown Denver’s bounce-back and the potential of foreclosures.There is “very little availability” for retail space in metro Denver, said Sam Zaitz, an executive vice president at JLL, a global real estate company with an office in Denver. Overall, about 5% to 6% of the retail space is open, he said.“But if you look at sought-after trade areas where the retailers and restaurants want to be it’s probably more like 2%” availability, Zaitz said.By contrast, the vacancy rate of downtown Denver’s office buildings is 28.1%, according to JLL.The low vacancy rates in retail are due in part to lower levels of new construction, Zaitz added. “What you’re seeing more of is mixed-use development with retail going on the first floor of office and multifamily” buildings....

Colorado public defender employees raise concerns about disbursement of $16 million pay boost

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:33 GMT

More than 500 employees in the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender signed a petition this spring raising concerns about how a $16 million wage increase will be divvied up among workers.The 546 petitioners worry that some employees will remain underpaid even while managers and administrators receive raises, according to a copy of the petition shared with The Denver Post by the newly-formed Defenders Union of Colorado, which organized the effort and submitted the petition to agency leadership last month.The employee group, which was created last year, has not been recognized as a union by the Office of the State Public Defender, but nevertheless is pushing for transparency and a seat at the table during the budgeting process. The public defender’s office has close to 1,000 employees; its attorneys represent people charged with crimes who can’t afford to hire an attorney or who are in jail.“The culture has been so silent on this issue for so long,” said...

Bay Area Little League field named after Brandon Crawford

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:33 GMT

There were no cornfields, ghosts or voices in people’s heads, but the Greater Vallejo Recreation, Good Tidings Foundation and Giants Community Fund knew that if they eventually built it, he would come.The three organizations helped rebuild it — a Little League field at Wilson Park — during the last two months, so on Tuesday morning he came.He. Brandon Crawford.Crawford — the three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glover and two-time World Champion with the San Francisco Giants — was on hand for the ceremony celebrating the renovation of the Wilson Park Baseball Field as well as the renaming of the field as the Brandon Crawford Junior Giants Field. This was done as part of the Peter A. Magowan Fields for Kids program.A mural of Crawford at the site — later signed by the shortstop himself — was also shown for the first time.Crawford said it was an honor to have his name attached to an amazing product like the field, the result of a team effort.“As a kid growing up I remember I was fortun...