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“A Brief History of Earth,” by Andrew H. Knoll, and more short reviews from readers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:10 GMT

Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and other readers, to share these mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer? Email [email protected].“A Brief History of Earth,” by Andrew H. Knoll (Mariner Books, 2023)“A Brief History of Earth,” by Andrew H. Knoll (Mariner Books, 2023)Explaining “Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters,” the subtitle of this book, is a tall order. Fit all that scientific knowledge into a paperback the size of a 5-by-7 greeting card, just 230 pages, and you’ve got what the author calls an “approachable” read. Harvard geology professor Andrew Knoll beautifully pulls off the challenge put to him by Mariner’s Publisher Peter Hubbard, who has a long record of backing bestsellers, including paleontologist Steve Brusatte’s 2018 book “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs.” The a...

Bills, bills, bills: In 2023, American wallets are feeling the squeeze from fees, fees, fees

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:10 GMT

Fees — service fees, convenience fees, transfer fees, delivery fees, bank fees — are ubiquitous and, more and more, a standard part of commerce in the gig-age of the 21st century.Despite the pervasiveness of fees, they can still give consumers sticker shock. After clicking Apple Pay to buy that $25 late-night Grub Hub order, it turns into nearly twice that once tip is added — or when those $100 tickets to see that up-and-coming band quickly turn into $200 tickets.The impact on consumers’ wallets isn’t small.Take credit card fees and interest. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimates that, from 2018 through 2020, Americans paid around $364 billion for just those two types of extra charges. And to keep their money in checking accounts, almost 30% of Americans are forced to satisfy monthly fees, paying an additional $24 every month on average — or $288 annually, according to a survey by consumer financial services company Bankrate.Consider ...

The Denver Nuggets drumline is a slam dunk at home games

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:10 GMT

Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems). I’ve been to a lot of Denver sporting events — playoff games, preseason games, blowout wins, embarrassing losses and even an All-Star game. I’ve watched from the nosebleeds, in fancy boxes, down front and even in the old Migh High Stadium’s raucous south stands.For my money, though, the best are Denver Nuggets games. Everything is right there, in your face. The massive scoreboard is close no matter where you’re sitting, the music is loud and the seats vibrate. Even up top, in the third level, you have a chance to run into Rocky the mascot or catch a T-shirt during halftime.For pure entertainment, however, watch for the Skyline Drumline, a group of 20 to 40 rotating musicians who roll out percussion versions of pop songs and stadium...

12 hottest Denver restaurant openings of 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:10 GMT

There’s a buzz in the Denver air, and it’s not just the holiday spirit. The local restaurant scene has been riding high the past year, and new restaurants want to get a taste of the action.Of course, we’ve had some tough closures, but Denver chefs are still taking risks and offering exciting new happy hours, neighborhood date-night spots or family favorites.In 2023, food truck operators parked their wheels for brick-and-mortar spaces, while big names like Caroline Glover, Kelly Whitaker and the owners of Michelin-starred Beckon expanded their portfolios with new intimate, cocktail-focused concepts. Local restaurateurs also produced everything from elevated omakase menus to chef-driven, fast-casual spots.Here are the 12 hottest restaurant openings of the year (that weren’t Casa Bonita).Bap cai luoc charred cabbage with anchovy breadcrumbs and egg yolk at Sap Sua June 24, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)Sap SuaConsidering Bon Appetit named Sap Sua one of its eight mos...

Actor and Aspen resident William H. Macy is shameless about Colorado whiskey

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:10 GMT

William H. Macy describes his first visit to the mountains near Aspen, Colorado, as “pretty much love at first sight.” It was sometime in the mid-1980s, Macy recalls, and he was traveling with then-girlfriend Felicity Huffman back to the area where she grew up.“Her mom was a magnificent cook, and they ride horses,” Macy said. “From a middle-class boy, I thought it was beyond the beyond.”These days, the actor is embedded in the local beverage community. He and Huffman own a home and some land in Woody Creek where they grow potatoes that eventually become vodka and gin at the nearby Woody Creek Distillers. Macy is also a fixture of the scene there, having come on as the distillery’s official “spokesdude” in 2018.Aside from the occasional ukulele performance, his role primarily entails being the face of the brand, offering interviews and, in a less official capacity, taste-tasting. Macy is hard at work fulfilling those duties on a recent bluebird win...

Denver City Council offices violated city rules by making donations on credit cards, audit finds

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:10 GMT

Denver city auditors flagged 14 times that City Council members or their staff members violated the rules by using city-issued credit cards to donate money to local organizations between 2021 and 2023.The improper spending, cited in a recent audit, included one donation that was spread over three transactions in a single day. The Denver Auditor’s Office said that suggested the cardholder, who wasn’t identified, was trying to get around a $2,000-per-transaction spending limit for city purchase cards.Those findings were highlighted in Auditor Tim O’Brien’s long-planned report focused on City Council operations. His office released the 46-page report, including a council response letter, last week.The audit was set to commence in 2021, but O’Brien sparred with then-council President Stacie Gilmore over the parameters of that work.“I’m glad we were finally able to conduct this audit,” O’Brien said in a news release. “The council’s complete agreement w...

The nation’s first VFW isn’t a smoky bar with vets telling war stories. Here’s what Post 1 in Denver is doing instead.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:10 GMT

The art gallery on Santa Fe Drive teemed with people on a recent night, part of the district’s signature First Friday art walk that takes over the funky strip south of downtown Denver.Families, young professionals and retirees — some with drinks in hand — took in the myriad works gracing the gallery’s walls, chatting amiably with the artists about their process. The gallery featured moonlit nature photography; avant-garde, black-and-white portraits; and artificial-intelligence-infused pieces.If visitors didn’t notice the 19th-century memorabilia hanging on the walls, they might confuse 841 Santa Fe Drive with just another art gallery.But this isn’t your average art space — this is Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1, the international veteran organization’s first and oldest post in existence, with origins dating back to William McKinley’s presidency. Its motto: “First of many, one of a kind.”“We want to change the s...

Colorado population growth bouncing back, but not as much as forecast

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:10 GMT

Population growth in Colorado accelerated this year, but it remains significantly below the pre-pandemic pace and gains fell short of what state demographers had expected.Colorado added 36,571 people to its population over the past year, bringing the total to 5,877,610 as of July 1 of this year, according to vintage estimates the U.S. Census Bureau released last week.That is up from a gain of 29,443 people in the July 1, 2022, count and 26,377 in the July 1, 2021, count. But even though population gains were 24% higher in 2023 than they were in 2022, the state remains well short of the 75,000 a year added on average last decade and the 51,900 the state demography office had forecast.Colorado’s population growth rate was in line with the national average. But the popularity that western states long enjoyed has shifted to southern states, which accounted for nearly 9 in 10 of the population gains the country experienced in the most recent count, according to the U.S. Census Bure...

Thieves take wallet from woman as she waits with baby for carousel: video

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:10 GMT

Police are searching for two thieves seen on video taking a wallet from a woman waiting in line for the Irvine Spectrum carousel last month.The Irvine Police Department on Tuesday posted a video on its Instagram page of the November incident. In the video, a woman can be seen holding a baby while in line for the carousel as the two suspects approach and stand beside her. Two people are suspected of taking a woman's wallet while in line for a carousel in Irvine. (Irvine Police Department)The pair is suspected of stealing the woman's wallet from her purse and walking away just as the woman turns to look at them. Police are asking the public for help in identifying the suspects. Anyone with information was asked to email [email protected]. Boy, 16, fatally shot during altercation; gunman at large The Police Department offered the following tips when in public. Keep your distance from strangersWhen you are in public, make sure your purse is zipped closed or latched shutWhen groc...

Wish Book: Vital San Jose youth center looks for tech upgrade

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:10 GMT

At the Washington United Youth Center, there is strength in numbers.As in the number of teens who support each other in the Washington-Guadalupe neighborhood just south of downtown San Jose, where just walking the streets is a tenuous proposition because of a block-by-block patchwork of territorial gang claims.As in the number of adult counselors, social workers and staff who work tirelessly to ensure young people in the neighborhood have a safe space to do homework, talk to someone about their lives, pick up a pool cue or take to the handball courts after school.The youth center is a respite from the unrest that surrounds them. The conflicts and tensions that exist outside are checked at the door, led by a ban on wearing anything that could be considered promoting gang colors or culture. Teens who cluster in the halls are broken up and directed to the game room, or the gym: If you want to stay, you’ve got to be active.“This is a neutral ground where everyone can coexist...