DENVER — The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE) reminds carpoolers that High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Express Lanes have changed to 3-plus occupants per vehicle. The change to HOV 3+ began Jan. 1.
The change affects the US 36 and I-25 Express Lanes, two corridors that offer free carpooling in the Express Lanes. The move to HOV 3+ is needed to provide uncongested travel as well as to provide funding to help offset costs of the lane including operations and maintenance.
CDOT and HPTE are working with the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), the Regional Transportation District (RTD), Smart Commute Metro North, 36 Commuting Solutions, North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization (NFRMPO), Lyft, Uber and others to help people find and use additional ways to carpool or take other modes of transportation. To explore other carpooling options, visit the HOV 3+ solutions website at https://www.codot.gov/programs/expresslanes/hov-3. Drivers also always have the option of driving in the free general purpose lanes.
Carpool purists, drivers who use their Switchable HOV Transponder in carpool mode only, will be able to receive the $15 transponder for free in spring 2017 as another way to ease the transition. Drivers can get a Switchable HOV Transponder at ExpressToll.com. For more information, visit expresslanes.codot.gov.
Here is a fun recipe in case your holiday sweet-tooth is still on duty 😉
Chocolate-Covered Marzipan Cherries:
Ingredients:
12 glace cherries
2 tablespoons rum (or brandy)
100 grams dark chocolate
250 grams marzipan
Marzipan recipe:
1/2 pound blanched almonds, coarsely chopped
1 large egg white at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon strong almond extract
1-1/2 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
Make the marzipan first. If you don’t have a food processor, use an electric coffee grinder and grind the blanched almonds in small batches down into a fine powder, and then put the powder into a large mixing bowl. In a different bowl, whisk the egg white with the salt until it is frothy, and then whisk in the vanilla and almond extracts. Stir the mixture into the almond powder. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar (1/2 cup at a time), constantly kneading the mixture together in the bowl, until you have a smooth, pliable dough. and that’s it: that’s your marzipan paste, ready for further use! You can keep it in a cool refrigerated environment for up to 8 weeks.
Now, line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper. Take the cherries, cut them in half and place them in a small bowl. Add the rum or brandy and stir well. Then, leave the cherries to soak up the alcohol for at least an hour, stirring every now and then. I the meantime, you can divide your marzipan paste into 24 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Press half of a cherry cherry into the top of each marzipan ball and roll to get the cherry inside.
Break the chocolate into pieces, place in a bowl and set over a saucepan, stirring until it has melted. Using a cocktail stick, dipe each marzipan ball in the chocolate, covering it completely and allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl. Lastly, put the coated cherries on the baking paper and chill until the chocolate hardens.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Department are searching for at least two people suspected of stealing merchandise from the RadioShack store in Strasburg on New Year’s Eve.
Sheriff’s department officials confirmed that items were stolen but that no weapons were used during the incident.
“It was not a robbery. It was a theft,” said Cmdr. Karl Smalley with the Plains Subdivision of the Adams County Sheriff’s Department. “There is a difference between robbery and theft with a robbery being at gunpoint or with some other threat with a weapon.”
The sheriff’s department can be contacted through the Strasburg substation at (303)622-9797.
For full coverage, see the Jan. 6 edition of the Eastern Colorado News.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Department announced New Year’s Eve that it has arrested a suspect in a series of at least seven automobile break-ins between Dec. 24-26.
According to Cmdr. Karl Smalley with the Adams County Plains Subdivision, the arrest was made early in the morning Dec. 31 but that identification of the suspect in not being released until the investigation is completed.
“It’s a matter of confirming with the victims that the items recovered are theirs and getting additional information collected,” Smalley said. “But hopefully getting this news out will help our residents rest a little bit easier.”
The Adams County incidents in question occurred in and around Bennett and Strasburg and further north of I-70.
Whether the suspect was also involved in a couple of break-ins in Byers in Arapahoe County is unknown.
For updated coverage, see the Jan. 6 edition of the Eastern Colorado News.
RAIDERS AT BRONCOS 2:25 P.M., KCNC Channel 4
by ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Pro Football Writer
DENVER (AP) _ Spoiler is an unfamiliar role for Von Miller and Chris Harris Jr., who get to see what it’s like to play for nothing but pride Sunday when the Denver Broncos host the Oakland Raiders.
The Broncos (8-7) were eliminated from playoff contention last week, so they won’t get a chance to defend their Super Bowl 50 title.
“It’ll definitely be weird,” Harris said. “It’s different playing a game for nothing, really.”
And heading into the offseason so early.
“It’s a weird feeling,” Miller said. “I called some of my buddies that never made the playoffs and I’m like, `What do you all normally do around this time?”
The Raiders (12-3) know all too well what it’s like to play for pride rather than playoff positioning before beginning an extended offseason. They went 13 years without even a winning record since losing the Super Bowl following the 2002 season.
They’re headed to the postseason party for the first time since then, but they’ll be without Derek Carr after losing their star quarterback to a broken right leg last week. Backup Matt McGloin will lead them instead.
The Broncos still own the league’s best secondary and premier pass rush, but both were neutralized by slow starts and poor play in the trenches that spelled an end to their five-year reign atop the AFC West.
“When teams don’t have to throw at me and (Aqib) Talib or have Von pinning his ears back to rush, it kind of takes away what we do,” Harris said. “We’re definitely built to stop the pass more than the run, and it definitely showed this year.”
Oakland needs a win Sunday to secure the division crown and a first-round bye. If the Raiders stumble, they could fall all the way to the fifth seed and have to hit the road for the AFC playoffs as a wild card.
Broncos coach Gary Kubiak plans to play both of his young quarterbacks . Trevor Siemian is coming off his worst game _ 17 for 43 for 183 yards _ at Kansas City, where the unflappable second-year pro looked rattled for the first time all season.
So did raw rookie Paxton Lynch in his last start, a 20-10 win at Jacksonville a month ago that marks Denver’s only victory after hitting the bye week sitting pretty at 7-3.
“I think Trevor deserves the right to go back out there as a starter,” Kubiak said. “He’s done a lot of good things this year. He’s a young player that needs to keep going. I want him to get the Kansas City taste out of his mouth. It was a tough outing.
“ Paxton is also going to play. I’m preparing both and you’ll see them both in the game.”
Other story lines in this role reversal:
SLOW STARTS: The Broncos’ 33 first-quarter points are lowest in the league and include just one sustained TD drive. That ineptitude defanged their 143 fourth-quarter points and 110 points off turnovers _ both NFL highs. Denver has trailed 48 percent of the time this season after playing from behind 27 percent of the time last year. So, teams quit testing their cornerbacks but targeted tight ends and backs instead.
MONSTER MILLER: The Broncos have 10 or fewer points in three consecutive games for the first time since 1966. That’s kept Miller, the MVP of last year’s Super Bowl, stuck at 131/2 sacks. He’s still a leading contender for Defensive Player of the Year because of his stellar all-around play and ability to beat double- and even triple-teams whenever QBs did have to drop back.
MILLER VS. MACK: Oakland coach Jack Del Rio worked with Miller as Denver’s defensive coordinator and now has an elite pass rusher in Khalil Mack, who has 11 sacks. “They’re similar in that they’re both disruptive,” Del Rio said, noting Mack is heavier than Miller.
“Von’s the only guy I’ve ever seen that can look like Gumby going around a corner and an inch off the ground and still be going at full speed,” Del Rio said.
RUN SUPPORT: The Raiders relied heavily on the run to nullify Denver’s pass rush and “No Fly Zone” secondary in a 30-20 win on Nov. 6 , when they ran for 218 yards on 43 carries. They figure to rely even more on their ground game with McGloin under center and the banged-up Broncos ranking 29th against the run and No. 1 against the pass.
POSSIBLE FIRST: Del Rio can accomplish something Sunday he has never done in his previous 170 games as an NFL coach. A win, or a loss by Kansas City, would give Del Rio has first career division title. Only Norm Van Brocklin (173) coached more games without winning a division in NFL history.
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For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
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AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow contributed.
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Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton
AP-WF-12-30-16 0504GMT
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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) _ Von Miller is headed for a very different kind of offseason.
“For one, I already know that I’m not going to be Super Bowl MVP,” the Broncos star cracked.
No, but he could still win his first Defensive Player of the Year award _ if voters look past Denver’s offensive-driven nosedive that will leave them out of the postseason party for the first time since 2010.
Even though he’s been stuck at 131/2 sacks for three weeks, Miller has grown into a well-rounded linebacker : one who can stuff the run, cover tight ends and torment tackles as adroitly as he can knock the ball out of the quarterback’s hand.
Miller cringes at the term “pass rusher” because it describes just one aspect of his job, which he says is to “make plays, big plays, for my team.”
“That’s interesting that he would answer that question like that way because that tells you how much better a player he’s become,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “Guys get a lot of accolades for sacks and numbers in this league, but really are you a complete player?”
In Miller’s case, absolutely.
Denver’s inept offense and poor run defense limited his chances down the stretch to have game-turning plays like he piled up earlier, including sack-strips of Andrew Luck and Blake Bortles that sealed victories and a sack of Cam Newton in the opener that was reminiscent of his spectacular Super Bowl.
Miller’s 73 tackles are a career high and more than double what he collected last season (35) before embarking on a big playoff run that culminated with probably the greatest defensive performance in Super Bowl history.
At midseason, Miller was just about the only player in the conversation for top defender in 2016. Going without a sack for the last three games has opened the door to others, including Khalil Mack of the Raiders (12-3), who visit the Broncos (8-7) on Sunday.
Oakland coach Jack Del Rio said Miller and Mack are similar in their disruptive capabilities but “Von’s the only guy I’ve ever seen that can look like Gumby going around a corner and an inch off the ground and still be going at full speed.”
Miller also faces constant double- and even triple-teams that guys like Mack, Vic Beasley Jr. and Ryan Kerrigan don’t usually have to worry about.
Sunday will mark the first time in Miller’s six-year NFL career that the Broncos are playing for pride and not playoff positioning.
At this time last year, Miller was preparing for a stellar playoff run that would bring him fame and fortune, from a Super Bowl 50 MVP trophy to a record-breaking contract. His cross-country victory lap: a six-month jet-setting junket of television and dance studios, A-list parties and B-roll appearances.
“Honestly, I did miss my teammates. I love these guys in here. But it was so new and I was meeting new people and it was new experiences,” Miller said. “And the end of the day, I was like, `Dang, I was supposed to … we had practice today.’ I’m on my Snap and I’m getting messages from my guys like, `Bro, we ready to work out today and you at Six Flags.’”
He compared it to taking a sick day during school and thinking about what his buddies were doing all the time.
Miller combined his Super Bowl success and his franchise tag status to enjoy last year’s offseason as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: “An offseason like that with the contracts, you really only get one of those,” Miller said. “So, I wanted to take advantage of that.”
Miller is preparing for a very different kind of offseason now.
“I’m starting my offseason training on Wednesday,” Miller told The Associated Press. “I just don’t want to take a break. Right now, I’m in great shape. So, why take a break and lose that? So, while I got January off, I’m just going to hit the workouts hard while I can where I just focus on working out and not appearances or endorsements. I’m heading to the Super Bowl. That’s a month away. I’ve got all of January to just grind it out.”
Come April, he’ll report to the Broncos’ offseason program with the rest of his teammates.
“I’ll be here with my guys,” he said. “I won’t be so all over the place.”
He’ll save that for game days.
NOTES: C Matt Paradis, Denver’s 2016 Ed Block Courage Award winner, confirmed he’ll have surgery on both hips this offseason. … Kubiak, who had a second health scare in three seasons back in September, was asked about his desire to continue coaching Friday. “Why, do I look bad?” he said with a laugh, then added: “I love this league. I love the Broncos. I love to work. I’m all in on the Raiders right now. There will be a time for reflection and all of that stuff next week.”
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Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton
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For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
AP-WF-12-30-16 2154GMT
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This is the Denver Metro Air Pollution Forecast effective 4PM on Thursday, December 29, 2016:
An Action Day for Visibility is now in effect for the seven-county Denver-Boulder metropolitan area . Indoor Burning Restrictions and requests to limit driving are now in effect until at least 4 PM Friday, December 30, 2016. Poor visibility and an exceedance of the state visibility standard are expected on Friday. Otherwise, good or moderate air quality conditions are expected. No other air quality advisories are in effect.
High pressure over Kansas, calm to light winds over the Front Range, and an inversion that will be persistent until later afternoon, will promote visibility degradation on Friday.
A poorly maintained vehicle pollutes more than a well maintained one. If you must drive, properly maintain your vehicle. We’ll all breathe easier!
At 2PM (MST), Thursday, 12/29/2016 the highest AQI value was 39 for Nitrogen Dioxide which indicates Good air quality. Front Range Air Quality Forecast & Colorado Smoke Outlook
FRONT RANGE AIR QUALITY FORECAST: Thursday, December 29, 2016, 2:10 AM MST
Ozone concentrations are expected to be in the Good category on Thursday and Friday.
Fine Particulate Matter concentrations are expected to be in the Good to Moderate range on Thursday and Friday. Moderate concentrations of fine particulates are most likely within the Denver Metro area. Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion in these areas on Thursday and Friday.
Carbon Monoxide concentrations are expected to be in the Good category on Thursday and Friday.
Nitrogen Dioxide concentrations are expected to be in the Good to Moderate range on Thursday and Friday. Moderate concentrations of nitrogen dioxide are most likely within the Denver Metro area near busy roadways, particularly between the hours of 7-10 AM and from 5-9 PM on Thursday and Friday. For health recommendations, please see Fine Particulate Matter above.
Visibility is expected to be Moderate to Poor on Friday.
COLORADO SMOKE OUTLOOK: Thursday, December 29, 2016, 2:10 PM MST
Light to moderate smoke is possible near prescribed fires and small wildfires around the state.
