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Families behind Texas missing persons law push for more police participation

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:19 GMT

Investigative Summary: A KXAN investigation in February found Texas police might not always be complying in reporting missing persons cases to a national, public database. Additional data obtained found discrepancies in reporting since the law took effect. Now the lawmaker behind the legislation is reviewing the effectiveness as families who pushed for it try to raise awareness. READ: Texas passed missing persons reporting law, but does it work? EXPLORE: KXAN's complete missing persons coverage LISTEN: 'My Dad didn't die in vain' ul.kxan_summary_bullets li { list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; } John Joseph Almendarez from Houston went missing in 2002. (Courtesy Alice Almendarez) AUSTIN (KXAN) — In the almost two years since "John and Joseph's Law" has been in effect, Alice Almendarez has heard more pleas for help from families with missing loved ones. John Joseph Almendarez from Houston went missing in 2002. (Courtesy A...

Mild today followed by a cooldown

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Most afternoon temperatures Saturday soared to the upper 80s to low 90s. Camp Mabry's high of 90° yesterday came within two degrees of the record.A cold front is moving south this morning leaving a north wind. This afternoon's highs will be much lower than Saturday's. Today's normal high is 72°The day will be partly cloudy with north winds 10 to 15 mph and gusty. Clouds will increase overnight leading to a mostly cloudy sky Monday morning. Most lows will be in the middle/upper 40s to around 50°.Tomorrow and Tuesday will be cooler. Monday's highs will generally average the middle 60s. Most highs Tuesday will only make the upper 50s to low 60s.There will be a low chance for rain Tuesday from a weak disturbance moving across the state. Any rain measured will generally only be a few hundredths of an inch. NEW BLOG: La Niña has ended — Here’s what’s next and when El Niño could beg Wednesday will be dry and seasonably mild with temperatures rebounding to the low 70s. Cl...

New podcast explores missing in Texas solution: 'My dad didn't die in vain'

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Families of a Texas missing persons law’s namesake react to the discovery that police might not have complied with potentially thousands of cases.Listen to the podcast episode here

5 Texas law enforcement agencies explain missing persons reporting gap

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — New data on missing persons in Texas reveals some discrepancies in what law enforcement agencies and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, are reporting.A law that went into effect in September 2021 requires police across the state to enter missing persons cases into the system within 60 days of someone filing an official missing persons report. READ THE INVESTIGATION: Families behind Texas missing persons law push for more police participation In roughly the year after the law went into effect, NamUs data obtained by KXAN investigators shows 450 Texas cases were entered by professional users, which include police. By comparison, data obtained from the Department of Public Safety shows Texas police have received 6,466 missing persons cases that weren't cleared within 60 days in that same time frame.KXAN investigators reached out to the agencies with the most cases in the DPS data beyond the 60-day time frame and asked for a...

Readers and writers: A ‘trans-glam-punk-rock love story’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:19 GMT

Two novels about women and babies and a memoir by a cisgender woman about her love for her trans spouse offer rich reading this week.“Wild Things: A Trans-Glam-Punk-Rock Love Story”: by Lynette Reini-Grandell, foreword by Venus de Mars (Minnesota Historical Society Press, $29.95)The person I married, who I am still married to and remain very much in love with, is now legally named Venus de Mars, and she uses she and her pronouns. But to get to that point was a journey of decades. At the time we didn’t know where it would lead — we had no real role models and made it up as we went. —  From “Wild Things”How would you feel if the man you married, the love of your life, came out as transgender?That’s the involving story Lynette Reini-Grandell tells in “Wild Things,” one of LambdaLiterary’s most anticipated books of the season, and it couldn’t be more timely, with increasing threats to the LGBTQ community in parts of...

If a Rockies springs training trip is in your future, here’s how to enjoy Scottsdale

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:19 GMT

“Take me out to the ballgame,” so the classic singalong goes. But throughout March, the ballgame — if you’re a Colorado fan, that is — calls for a trip to Scottsdale, where the Rockies’ spring training camp takes place.Even for the most casual Rockies fan (you don’t bleed a jewel-tone purple; maybe a shade of lavender, though?), spring training provides a nice excuse to slip away to the Sonoran Desert and root for the home team in a smaller stadium, snag some autographs, snack on a bacon-wrapped Sonoran Dog and enjoy pool time back at your hotel. Sunny and in the mid-70s, Scottsdale in March provides a nice preview of summer while snow remains in the forecast back home.Scottsdale’s 40 plus galleries showcase more than 1,000 artists all in a two-block area of downtown. Provided by the Scottsdale Gallery AssociationSpring training 2023 runs through March 28 with the Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks sharing a home field at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. (See the full sch...

Colorado advocates seek more funding for birth control, family planning in wake of Roe v. Wade reversal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:19 GMT

The ongoing pandemic and the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year have increased demands on Colorado’s family planning clinics, prompting some advocates to call for more state funding — but it’s not clear if the legislature will respond.Hunter Nelson, a policy analyst at the Colorado Children’s Campaign, said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson — which found the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion — has increased pressure on family planning clinics.Colorado’s family planning program doesn’t pay for abortions, but some clinics like Planned Parenthood offer both abortions and state-funded services like birth control prescriptions and testing for sexually transmitted infections.Planned Parenthood reported a 95% increase in out-of-state patients seeking abortions after some states outlawed the procedure following the Dobbs decision, leaving fewer appointments available for other services.“Wait lis...

Endorsement: Mike Johnston for Denver mayor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:19 GMT

Editor’s note: This represents the opinion of The Denver Post editorial board, which is separate from the paper’s news operation. Over the past month, The Denver Post editorial board spent 45 minutes each with 15 of the 17 candidates for Denver mayor.We agonized with them about the toll of escalating youth violence, the conditions our unhoused neighbors endure, the risk of a failing urban core, and the innumerable ways the city’s next mayor can make things better for a city of 715,000 people anxiously awaiting change.Every candidate brought passion, unique skills, specific expertise, and an ability to lead.Mike Johnston stood out even in this field of stars.RELATED: The Denver Post’s endorsements for Denver’s 2023 electionJohnston, a 48-year-old father of three who lives in Central Park, is ready to be the mayor of Denver.With urgency, he will fight for this city, the way he fought at the state Capitol as our representative, the way he fought as a teacher for his student...

Post Premium: Top stories for the week of March 6-12

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:19 GMT

A man at Denver International Airport told his father he’d ram his truck through a gate, hijack a plane and shoot up the airport.A husband promised carnage at his former place of worship.A woman in east Denver vowed to open fire in a grocery store to make people listen to her.An author published a book detailing gruesome killings.A young person with bomb-making supplies pledged to be the next mass killer.A Colorado Springs man threatened a mass shooting at a street fair.In the last 15 months, three of those people acted on their threats. And 12 Coloradans died.After those attacks, the three suspects’ prior threats loomed large — missed warning signs of impending tragedy. A year before authorities say a 22-year-old killed five in a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub, a judge said the suspect was clearly planning an attack and it would be “so bad” if the person did not get mental health treatment.Before a man shot and killed five in a targeted spree across Denver and Lakewood, a r...

Nuggets Journal: Denver’s bench needs serious auditing before postseason

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:19 GMT

Bruce Brown’s primal scream would’ve rang throughout downtown Denver were it not drowned out by the sounds of raucous Bulls fans Wednesday night.Denver’s previous four home losses came via a total of eight points. The final margin vs. Chicago, in just the Nuggets’ fifth home loss of the season, was by 21 points. The Bulls smacked the Nuggets in a way the No. 1 team in the West wasn’t accustomed to getting bullied.“We can’t come out soft,” Brown said.But back to that scream, which came after Brown knifed through the lane and jackhammered a dunk late in the third quarter of the rout. If there was pent-up frustration, from his team’s execution, their lack of toughness, or, most pressing, the ongoing puzzle that is Denver’s second unit, no one could blame him.After Friday night’s tilt at San Antonio, there were only 15 regular-season games left on the schedule. Already with a six-game lead in the West, that represented precious few opportunities for Brown, Reggie Jackson, Jeff Green, Th...