Colorado business leaders still expect a recession amid low confidence

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 12:14:44 GMT

Colorado business leaders still expect a recession amid low confidence DENVER (KDVR) -- Things are still looking gloomy, according to the quarterly survey of state business leaders conducted by the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder. Leaders still expect a recession and have bad feelings in particular about the national economy.This kind of negative sentiment has been the norm since the COVID pandemic. The Leeds Business Confidence Index has been negative in five of the last six quarters, though this quarter's index is less negative than the first quarter of the year. Leaders have negative confidence in the national and state economies, industry profits and hiring, and capital expenditures. Respondents only expressed positive feelings about industry sales. In the 20 years the school has performed the survey, confidence has never been negative for this long except for the Great Recession. Throughout most of its history, business leaders express some degree of optimism. Inflation and high-interest rates are what's souring thei...

Gwyneth Paltrow insists Utah ski collision wasn’t her fault

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 12:14:44 GMT

Gwyneth Paltrow insists Utah ski collision wasn’t her fault PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Gwyneth Paltrow took the stand on Friday to testify in a trial over a 2016 ski crash at a Utah ski resort, where a man claims that the movie star’s recklessness on the slope caused broken ribs, brain damage and lasting physical injuries.Paltrow testified that the crash shocked her — and she thought at first that she was being violated. “Two skis came between my skis, forcing my legs apart. And there was a body pressing against me and a very strange grunting noise. My brain was trying to make sense of what was happening,” she said of the collision.“I felt a body pressed against my back,” Paltrow said. She later clarified on the stand that the collision was not a sexual violation.Paltrow and Terry Sanderson, the retired optometrist suing her, are both expected to answer questions about the crash while their attorneys jostle to convince the 8-member jury which skier was positioned downhill and had the right of way. The actor-turned-lifestyle influencer has previo...

Hallandale Beach Commissioner confronts Broward Animal Control director over stray dogs

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 12:14:44 GMT

Hallandale Beach Commissioner confronts Broward Animal Control director over stray dogs A Hallandale Beach commissioner who spends her time advocating for animals is calling out Broward County’s animal shelter for turning away stray and injured animals.Local police departments have been sounding the alarm for months about being forced to care for stray animals, saying when they call Broward County Animal Control, they are told the shelter won’t take them.These three dogs are not police K-9 dogs, but they have been in Hallandale Police custody since Tuesday.“They, out of the goodness of their hearts, because they love dogs, they will not just leave dogs roaming on the streets,” said Hallandale Beach Commissioner Michele Lazarow.She says officers have been calling animal control to pick up the dogs but have been told no.“We called the shelter repeatedly for assistance and were told no, so we came over today to drop these dogs off in the lobby,” said Lazarow, outside Broward Animal Control.And this is not the first time Hallandale Beach Police have had to care...

Miami Fire Rescue crews ready for Ultra crowds

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 12:14:44 GMT

Miami Fire Rescue crews ready for Ultra crowds With parts of South Florida turning into party central on a busy weekend, safety is the top priority for local first responders who will be out on patrol and ready for anything particularly in downtown Miami.As the Ultra Music Festival gets underway in Bayfront Park, crews with City of Miami Fire Rescue said they are fully prepared to render aid.“The paramount message is safety,” said Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez.Miami Fire Rescue on Friday gave 7News a first-hand look at the preparations paramedics put in place ahead of the big weekend, like checking their first aid and life-saving equipment.With the estimated 165,000 people expected at Ultra per day, officials said, all hands will be on deck.“It’s over 100 firefighters per day,” said Sanchez.Crews will be positioned throughout the festival venue, using bicycles and other vehicles to help them navigate through large crowds in order to respond to any kind of potential emergency.“We will have...

Raw Saturday, better Sunday

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 12:14:44 GMT

Raw Saturday, better Sunday 7Weather- We end the work week on a nice note with highs in the low/mid 50s and some sun and clouds. This evening stays pleasant. It’ll be a different story tomorrow as a mix of rain, snow and sleet spreads into the region. It’ll be a raw day.There’s our system across the Plains on the Storm Scan below. It’s a weak one. The center of it will track through the Ohio Valley/Great Lakes region into tomorrow and bring us a mix of precipitation by midday. Where you see the pink shading, that’s where you can expect a brief mix and rain. This time of year, if the snow and sleet showers are light, it won’t stick to the road. There could be a coating on your grass or car windshield, but that’s about it. For the rest of us, it’s mostly a cold rain.Here’s the timing below. Expect showers midday and into the night. Have the rain gear with you for Saturday evening plans. Luckily, the heavier downpours occur overnight into Sunday.Sunday will be...

DeMar DeRozan won’t play tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers, reigniting concerns about the Chicago Bulls forward’s quad injury

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 12:14:44 GMT

DeMar DeRozan won’t play tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers, reigniting concerns about the Chicago Bulls forward’s quad injury Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan will miss Friday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers as he continues to struggle with a right quadriceps injury.DeRozan has been bothered by the injury since mid-December, playing through it for 10 games before exiting the Jan. 11 matchup against the Boston Celtics. He appeared to return to full speed only to exit against the Orlando Magic on Feb. 13 and miss the final two games before the All-Star break.Despite insisting upon his return that he was back to 100%, DeRozan requested to leave Wednesday’s blowout loss to the Philadelphia 76ers only minutes into the third quarter. DeRozan’s production has dipped in February as he dealt with the injury — logging 6.7 fewer points per game compared with his season average — but appeared to level out in March.The description of DeRozan’s injury has been somewhat ambiguous over the last four months, ranging from a bruised knee to a Grade 1 thigh strain. In February,...

Donovan Mitchell committed lane violation on game-winning play vs. Nets, NBA concludes

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 12:14:44 GMT

Donovan Mitchell committed lane violation on game-winning play vs. Nets, NBA concludes Donovan Mitchell did, indeed, jump the gun.The NBA concluded in its Last Two Minutes (L2M) Report that officials failed to properly whistle Mitchell for a lane violation when he rebounded his own missed free throw with the Cavaliers down one on the game’s final possession.Instead of a whistle — which would have given the Nets possession of the ball up one with only seconds left on the clock — Mitchell attempted to put-back his own miss. A group of Nets denied him at the rim, but the ball slipped away into Caris LeVert’s hands.LeVert found Cavs guard Isaac Okoro in the corner for a game-winning three.“I didn’t look at it real closely, but it’s pretty interesting, the way it came off, a lot of times, it doesn’t get back to the shooter without it being a violation,” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said after the loss. “So I’ll take a quick look at it when I get back in there, but it’ll be interesting to see.”Th...

‘We all know what time it is’: Heat’s late, crucial stretch brings Nets next

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 12:14:44 GMT

‘We all know what time it is’: Heat’s late, crucial stretch brings Nets next The Heat know what it takes to make the playoffs, having reached the postseason the past three years. So gearing up for a two-week stretch to end the regular season is nothing out of the ordinary.Miami’s final eight games could result in the Heat finishing as high as fifth in the Eastern Conference. Or the Heat could get stuck in the play-in round.Miami hopes to get one step closer to clinching an important top-six spot in a Saturday night home game against the Brooklyn Nets, who sit half a game behind the Heat in the conference standings entering the 8 p.m. showdown at Miami-Dade Arena.“It is our March Madness, our April madness,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “This is why we’re in this business — to be tested, to have the competition, to play against good teams that are playing for something, as well.”The last time Miami (40-34) faced Brooklyn, the Nets (39-34) won 116-105 at the Barclays Center, and small forward Mikal Bridges scored 45...

Biden: US will ‘forcefully’ protect personnel in Syria

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 12:14:44 GMT

Biden: US will ‘forcefully’ protect personnel in Syria By JOSH BOAK, BASSEM MROUE and JON GAMBRELL (Associated Press)OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — President Joe Biden said Friday that the U.S. would respond “forcefully” to protect its personnel after U.S. forces retaliated with airstrikes on sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard following an attack Thursday by a suspected Iranian-made drone that killed a U.S. contractor and wounded six other Americans in northeast Syria.“The United States does not, does not seek conflict with Iran,” Biden said in Ottawa, Canada, where he is on a state visit. But he said Iran and its proxies should be prepared for the U.S. “to act forcefully to protect our people. That’s exactly what happened last night.” Activists said the U.S. bombing killed at least four people.While it’s not the first time the U.S. and Iran have traded strikes in Syria, the attack and the U.S. response threaten to upend recent efforts to deescalat...

Center of attention: Giants eyeing interior offensive line after Jon Feliciano and Nick Gates depart

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2024 12:14:44 GMT

Center of attention: Giants eyeing interior offensive line after Jon Feliciano and Nick Gates depart The Giants’ starting left guard and center from last season’s playoff run are both gone.Starting center Jon Feliciano signed a one-year free agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers this week, following starting left guard Nick Gates (Washington Commanders) out the door.So GM Joe Schoen must prioritize the interior offensive line in April’s NFL Draft, along with wide receiver, corner and a host of other needs.Two centers the Giants have shown interest in, per sources, are Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz and Ohio State’s Luke Wypler. Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence also is viewed as a potential great fit.The 6-3, 301-pound Schmitz and 6-5, 330-pound Torrence are both projected first-round picks. The 6-3, 303-pound Wypler is a projected second- or third-rounder. Wypler is a local product, too. He grew up in Bergen County, N.J., and played at St. Joseph Regional in Montvale.Center has been a bit of a revolving door for the Giants, and really they just...