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Agile Space Industries in Durango expanding, shooting for the moon

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:51 GMT

Far from the aerospace hotbed of Colorado’s Front Range, Agile Space Industries is scaling up its work in Durango on rocket thrusters that will be used to land on the moon.The company, started in 2009, designs, tests and manufactures propulsion systems for spacecraft. One of its products, the A110 thruster, has passed performance tests and met customers’ requirements and Agile expects a second product to do the same later this year.In June, Lockheed Martin Ventures participated in Agile’s $13 million seed-funding round and expects to hold a Series-A investment round later this year to help expand production.The company said it has raised more than $18 million.Agile’s customers include companies that plan to use the systems in spacecraft headed to the moon. Agile CEO Chris Pearson said one of the customers is ispace, a Japanese company whose U.S. office is in Denver.According to its website, ispace will build its Series 2 lunar lander in the U.S. Agile’s...

On the bubble: Five Broncos facing interesting position fights in training camp

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:51 GMT

Denver’s veteran players reported to training camp Tuesday, and the first of 12 open practices is Friday.The roster will be sliced and diced and analyzed in all sorts of ways between now and the cutdown from 90 players to 53 on Aug. 29.Today, a look at five Broncos who could find themselves on the roster bubble over the next month.WR Brandon JohnsonDenver’s got a well-established numbers crunch at wide receiver. Four spots are all but secure (Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and Marvin Mims Jr.) barring a trade and there are several players vying for maybe two other spots. Johnson showed as a rookie that he’s got a skill set that aligns with what coach Sean Payton likes. He’s smart and tough and can do a little bit of everything. He could play in the slot or on the perimeter. Payton talks often about finding the “right” 53 players. Johnson will be in the mix, though earning a spot at receiver won’t be easy.DL Jonathan HarrisThe veteran defensive lineman moved up a rung Mon...

Avs Mailbag: Will Avalanche name new captain while Gabriel Landeskog misses another season?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:51 GMT

Denver Post sports writer Bennett Durando opens up the Avs Mailbag periodically throughout the season. Pose an Avalanche- or NHL-related question for the Avs Mailbag.With Gabe Landeskog out next season, are the Avalanche going to name a new captain for next season? It seems like a no-brainer to elevate Nathan MacKinnon and give Cale Makar that “A” on his sweater.— Mark, ArvadaI don’t think they’re planning on it. When Landeskog and the team decided in early April that he would miss the 2023 playoffs, general manager Chris MacFarland was steadfast in saying nobody else would assume the title during Landeskog’s absence. The way the Avs see it, keeping the “C” exclusive to Landeskog isn’t a knock on anybody else’s ability to lead; it’s their way of expressing belief in his ability to return to the role eventually. A knee cartilage transplant is a rare surgery for a pro athlete with a grueling rehab process, as I reported...

Clerk fatally shot at Long Beach gas station; gunman sought

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:51 GMT

Police are searching for a gunman who shot and killed a clerk at a Long Beach gas station Tuesday night.The shooting occurred shortly before 10 p.m. at the Valero station near the Intersection of Atlantic Avenue and North Atlantic Place.Police investigate a fatal shooting in Long Beach on July 25, 2023. (KeyNews.TV)Investigators told KTLA the victim was shot multiple times before being transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A man who heard the gunshots saw police arriving at the station and realized the victim was a store clerk. “I’ve just known him for probably a few months … just coming down here to buy stuff from the store … So I kind of know him you know but it’s just terrible,” Steven Luzero said. Family members busted in recycling fraud investigation Detectives were seen searching a black Nissan sedan that was left in front of the store but the connection to the incident was unclear. A motive for the shooting is also unknown. Anyone with information w...

Opinion: Californians should not have to pay billions for oil-wells cleanup

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:51 GMT

Central California residents once again found themselves blindsided and alarmed last month when a state task force found more than two dozen idle oil wells leaking methane in Kern County — some close to schools. Compounding shock into outrage, many oil companies admitted they have no intention of repairing the leaking wells, more than a dozen of which are gushing methane at explosive levels.It’s the latest stunning example of oil companies’ impunity when it comes to the costs — and dangers — of more than 35,000 idle wells in California.As the state’s oil industry dies out, operators often leave wells unsealed and unattended. Surveys last year found dozens of these idle or orphan wells leaking methane near Bakersfield. These methane leaks revealed how rarely state regulators actually inspect idle wells near homes, schools and churches. Only a tiny fraction of these wells have been tested, and many have gone unchecked for more than a decade.This negligence is dangero...

SF Giants, Oakland A’s react to fans uniting for anti-John Fisher protest

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:51 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — For the Giants and A’s players, the focus of Tuesday night’s first Bay Bridge series matchup of 2023 was on trying to win.But it was impossible not to notice what the fans of both teams did, with many of the 40,014 coming together for some booming “Sell the team” chants directed at A’s owner John Fisher during the fifth inning of the Giants’ 2-1 win.A’s outfielder Cody Thomas led off the top of the fifth against Giants starter Alex Cobb. While the protest plan was for fans to remain silent throughout Thomas’ at-bat and begin the chants once he was done, the chants picked up after the first pitch of the fifth inning.In fact, much like during last month’s “reverse boycott” in Oakland, Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb couldn’t hear his PitchCom — but unlike A’s pitcher Hogan Harris, who stopped the game to check his, Cobb kept pitching.“I had no idea what was going on. It just got loud,” Cobb said. “I was trying to focus on the PitchCom. I couldn’t hear the...

Man pleads not guilty to attempted murder of Vallejo police officer

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:51 GMT

A suspect accused of attempting to murder a Vallejo police officer who shot him during a burglary last month pleaded not guilty to all counts Tuesday.Judge Jon Rolefson ordered 29-year-old Jamazea Kittell to return to court Sept. 13 for a hearing prior to his preliminary examination, according to court documents. The preliminary examination – the hearing at which the state will attempt to prove that there is probable cause to believe Kittell committed his alleged crimes – is scheduled to begin Sept. 20.Assistant Public Defender Nick Filloy represented Kittell at his 9 a.m. arraignment at the Solano Justice Building in Vallejo. Assistant District Attorney Paul Sequeira represented the prosecution.Kittell remains held without bail in the Justice Center Detention Facility in Fairfield.Kittell was arrested June 27 following reports of a break-in at a Vallejo gas station. Footage of the incident released by the Vallejo Police Department shows Officer Brad Kim scrambling out of his patrol...

Five-bedroom home sells in Danville for $2.7 million

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:51 GMT

748 Glen Road – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 700 block of Glen Road in Danville has new owners. The 2,871-square-foot property, built in 1967, was sold on July 10, 2023. The $2,650,000 purchase price works out to $923 per square foot. This single-story home offers a roomy layout with five bedrooms and three bathrooms. In addition, the home includes an attached two-car garage, offering generous space for vehicles and storage requirements. The lot size of the property measures an impressive 0.5-acre and features a pool for added enjoyment.Additional houses have recently changed hands nearby:A 2,164-square-foot home on the 700 block of Calmar Vista Road in Danville sold in November 2022, for $1,899,000, a price per square foot of $878. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In September 2022, a 2,783-square-foot home on Nadine Place in Danville sold for $2,150,000, a price per square foot of $773. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Glen Road, Danville, in ...

Monterey County crop gross value totals $4.6 billion, up 13.1% from last year

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:51 GMT

SALINAS – The value of Monterey County crops increased 13.1% to $4.6 billion in 2022 with strawberries again leading the way with a value of nearly $1 billion.The 2022 Crop and Livestock Report was released Tuesday by Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo at a press briefing with a panel of agricultural leaders. The report lists top crop values and other key agricultural statistics while highlighting the work and programs of the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office.“We do not usually see double-digit increases in crop value from year-to-year,” said Hidalgo. “There are many factors that can contribute to double-digit increases. I think one of those things is the continuance to emerge from the pandemic.”The report reflects a production gross value of agricultural commodities grown in Monterey County and pegs it at $4,638,336,000.The 2022 Annual Crop and Livestock Report for the County of Monterey showed a value of more than $4.6B of production gross value for agricultur...

Opinion: If Trump loses the GOP primary, will backers shun the nominee?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:51 GMT

On Capitol Hill and in other Democratic circles, there are many Democrats who believe that Donald Trump would be easier to defeat in the general election than Ron DeSantis.Trump certainly has his weaknesses. Most of the country does not like him, for reasons that are too obvious and numerous to list here. He has also been indicted twice and likely faces further criminal charges between now and the election, although so far that hasn’t seemed to hurt him much.In addition, Trump is seen as the candidate who will most mobilize the Democratic base — and also Democratic funders. And some see DeSantis as more of a threat because he is 44 years old, and Biden’s age has become a concern among a significant share of voters.But Trump is unique in some ways that give him special powers. Ironically, one of these powers is something that stems from a personality trait that almost no politicians, demagogues or even dictators would want to display in public. But Trump seems to flaunt it: his appar...