Kaiser Permanente union employees could strike amid short-staffing crisis

Published Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:01:21 GMT

Kaiser Permanente union employees could strike amid short-staffing crisis DENVER (KDVR) -- Thousands of healthcare workers and service employees with Kaiser Permanente are threatening to go on strike.They are giving a 10-day notice over what they call unfair labor practices, but Kaiser Permanente said they are still negotiating. Kaiser Permanente health care workers picket for more staffing, better wages "If you're a Kaiser patient, you've probably experienced longer wait times," Stephanie Felix-Sowy, president of the Service Employees International Union said.Felix-Sowy said September 30th is when the contract expires between Colorado's largest non-profit healthcare provider and its employees.Negotiations are happening now, in California, between the SEIU and corporate officials."We're having to wait three, six, nine months," Felix-Sowy said. "At certain points in time up to a year, for essential services."SEIU said employees are overworked because there aren't enough people to cover the needs of patients, quicker."The short-staffing crisis really crea...

UPDATED: Colorado fall colors forecast 2023: When and where to see peak colors

Published Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:01:21 GMT

UPDATED: Colorado fall colors forecast 2023: When and where to see peak colors DENVER (KDVR) -- Fall colors are arriving a bit later than usual in Colorado, but leaves have started changing. The Pinpoint Weather team is out with a new, updated forecast of when you can expect peak colors across the state.Colorado is having one of its wettest years on record. All that rain may have set the state up for a particularly vivid year for fall foliage. Now is the time to plan trips to see the best fall colors in Colorado, with the season of changing leaves arriving. 📷 Photo Gallery: Share your fall photos When can you expect to take a weekend trip to see the best of fall in Colorado? The peak colors are set to start showing in parts of the state by mid-September.When will fall colors peak in Colorado in 2023?The Pinpoint Weather team has adjusted the forecast for peak colors to arrive a bit later.An updated map of the 2023 forecast as of Sept. 22 for peak fall colors in Colorado. (FOX31 KDVR)The Pinpoint Weather team has put out these dates for peak color as of Sept....

Ceremony held to unveil Aden Perry Hero Life Rings in honor of teen who died trying to save driver who crashed into lake

Published Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:01:21 GMT

Ceremony held to unveil Aden Perry Hero Life Rings in honor of teen who died trying to save driver who crashed into lake A life preserver ring was installed in honor of a South Florida teen who lost his life trying to save a driver who crashed into a lake.Now his selfless act lives on, with hope his story will save more lives.A ceremony in Sunrise unveiled new installations of Aden Perry Hero Life Rings, Friday morning.A demonstration was held at Markham Park to show off how the rings are used to help save lives.“What we have to day is the kickoff of Broward County’s partnership with the foundation to put life rings into our county park system,” said Broward County Administrator Monica Cepero.These newly installed rescue rings are part of an initiative to help save more people.“There’s more than 100 water safety rescue rings that have been donated and installed in the cities across Broward County,” said Cepero as she addressed attendees.In April of last year, 17-year-old Perry lost his life when he selflessly tried to save a driver whose car went into a lake.Sadly, ...

Downey: Inflated grades hide COVID learning loss

Published Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:01:21 GMT

Downey: Inflated grades hide COVID learning loss Three and a half years ago, COVID-19 began its deadly march across the United States, shuttering schools and isolating children from their communities and their teachers. A series of recent reports have quantified the academic and mental health toll to students from the pandemic. The consensus: The “COVID-19 generation” is not ready for the demands of college or the working world, and dramatic interventions are needed.On Wednesday, the Building Bridges Initiative, a collaboration of national education advocates across the political spectrum including leaders of the Georgia Charter Schools Association, RedefinED Atlanta and GeorgiaCAN, issued a call to action, warning the pandemic caused learning setbacks that will stagger “our nation’s social and economic health.”Also released on Wednesday, the “State of the American Student” report by the Center on Reinventing Public Education depicts a generation in crisis emotionally and academically. In many ways, school feels normal again, said...

The Breeders all in for ‘Last Splash’ at Boston House of Blues

Published Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:01:21 GMT

The Breeders all in for ‘Last Splash’ at Boston House of Blues Kim Deal was perusing social media last week when she saw a post from Olivia Rodrigo — who was enthusing over the fact that Deal’s band, the Breeders, would be opening her show at Madison Square Garden. And Deal says she was surprised as anyone else to see that.“It was a cute post, wasn’t it?,” she told us later that morning. “I am hoping that her fans will be super excited, even if they don’t know us. I think audiences are different now. If a band comes out in front of the headliner, they know he headliner has backed them and they won’t be mean. We’ve been in front of Foo Fighters audiences and they’re a really sweet crowd, with husbands and wives sharing their love for that band. And this will be my first time at Madison Square Garden — unless the Pixies ever played there, but I really have no idea.” (In fact they did, but only after Deal’s departure).Before that happens, the Breeders will be in Boston Sunday night to play the entirety of their “Last Splash” album at t...

Editorial: Nixing Senate dress code weakens much-needed decorum

Published Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:01:21 GMT

Editorial: Nixing Senate dress code weakens much-needed decorum Congress is bickering as usual. A potential federal shutdown is looming. Public respect for the elected representatives of government is at historic lows.What a perfect time to announce that members of the world’s greatest deliberative body are welcome to start coming to the U.S. Capitol looking like slobs.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has officially ditched the Senate dress code for members while on the chamber floor.It’s true that post-pandemic fashion norms are, to put it mildly, relaxed.But they shouldn’t be when representing American democracy to the nation and the world from the televised floor of the United States Senate.“There has been an informal dress code that was enforced,” Schumer said in a statement, but going forward, “Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor. I will continue to wear a suit.”Notably, the relaxed new standards don’t apply to the staff who attend the senators. They still have to dress in business attire. Thus has Schum...

Bobb: Polarization harming a generation of kids

Published Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:01:21 GMT

Bobb: Polarization harming a generation of kids A perfect storm is brewing — and if we fail to act, the damage to our classrooms and children could be significant.Much of the 2023-2024 school year will occur against a looming presidential election. Many Americans look toward that election with dread because of the deep polarization and bitter rhetoric occupying much of our national discourse.A 2022 survey found Americans rated political extremism and polarization as a leading concern, outpacing immigration, healthcare and unemployment. But hyper-polarization does not just tear at our national fabric; it is causing harm to a generation of young people.A Stanford study last year found that children can become politically polarized at age 11. These are sixth-graders already learning to distrust and dislike fellow citizens because of political disagreements.At the Bill of Rights Institute, we work with more than 70,000 civics and history teachers, and they experience the effects of polarization firsthand in their classrooms.As one No...

Orioles’ 2-out rally in 9th goes to waste in 9-8 walk-off loss to Guardians as bullpen is again asked for too much

Published Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:01:21 GMT

Orioles’ 2-out rally in 9th goes to waste in 9-8 walk-off loss to Guardians as bullpen is again asked for too much An Orioles bullpen that was a strength for much of the season is showing the effects of two straight weeks of games.Baltimore lost to the Cleveland Guardians, 9-8, on Friday night, the team’s third consecutive defeat that landed on a reliever. A short start from right-hander Dean Kremer tasked the bullpen with covering five innings in the team’s 15th of 17 straight games.After the Orioles manifested a two-out rally to take the lead in the top of the ninth on Aaron Hicks’ two-run double, All-Star reliever Yennier Cano allowed a leadoff double in the bottom half. Following an intentional walk to put the potential winning run on base and set up a potential game-ending double play, David Fry drove in both runners on a walk-off double to deep left field.The Orioles (95-59) benefited from the Toronto Blue Jays beating the Tampa Bay Rays to drop their magic number to win the American League East to six, but Baltimore couldn’t lower it further by beating a Cleveland ...

Dear Abby: Vacation with hubby a drunken drag

Published Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:01:21 GMT

Dear Abby: Vacation with hubby a drunken drag Dear Abby: I love to travel, yet I loathe traveling with my husband. He gets anxious and extremely mean on the days leading up to the trip and especially while en route. I do all the planning and pay for everything, and I regard it as not only ungrateful and rude, but unnecessary. Is it wrong for me to not want him to come on the next big trip I plan?Also, while we travel, all he wants to do is sleep, eat and drink. I’m all about taking in the local culture and making sure to not miss anything. I also enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, but I don’t want to drink into oblivion, and I’m definitely not up for sleeping my vacation away. My husband does have a drinking problem as well (a topic for another letter).Before I booked our last trip, I begged him to please not ruin it (our children were with us), and he promised to be on his best behavior. That lasted until the day before we left. Then it was like the mean switch flipped on. Before we even left for the airport,...

Bribery case against Sen. Menendez shines light on powerful NJ developer accused of corruption

Published Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:01:21 GMT

Bribery case against Sen. Menendez shines light on powerful NJ developer accused of corruption NEW YORK (AP) — In late 2020, Sen. Bob Menendez met with Philip Sellinger, a private practice lawyer and former fundraiser for the senator, to assess his potential fit as the next U.S. Attorney for the state of New Jersey — and to discuss one case in particular.If appointed, Sellinger would assume control of one of the largest prosecutor’s offices in the country, a post that comes with the power to bust mob bosses and go after corrupt public officials.But Menendez, federal prosecutors say, was fixated on a less consequential matter: ensuring the future prosecutor would act sympathetically toward a friend of his facing bank fraud charges, real estate developer Fred Daibes.Daibes is now a key figure in a sweeping bribery case brought against Menendez, his wife and multiple other associates. It accuses Menendez and his wife of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cash, gold bars and a luxury car in exchange for a range of favors, including secretly aiding the government ...