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Failures in Colorado’s courts, mental health system strand hundreds in “vicious cycle” of competency process

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

Tucked along a dirt path in a memorial garden not far from Interstate 225 in Aurora, a flat red brick is carved with just one date: 12/27/1990, the day Patrick Holten came into the world.His mother bought the memorial brick four years ago because she was sure her mentally ill son would be dead in a matter of months.The cycle of competencyIn this series, The Denver Post examines why hundreds of Coloradans cycle through the state courts’ competency process over and over again, caught in the failures of both the criminal justice and mental health systems.Read Part 2: Mentally ill people often end up in jail instead of in treatment, fueling the state’s competency crisisThere was the time she found his empty tent floating in floodwaters and spent all night driving around Aurora looking for him, when her husband walked up a drainpipe searching for Patrick’s body. The time she discovered him buried in snow and he didn’t answer when she called his name, so she nudged...

How jails and courtrooms became Colorado’s mental health safety net — and why that isn’t working

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

Troy Null listened to the 22-year-old man she considered a son as he very earnestly told her he believed he was God. Junior’s mental health had been declining for months — he’d been shadowboxing invisible enemies in her hallway at night — and she’d tried unsuccessfully to get him help.“Everywhere I took him, they said, ‘Are you homicidal?’ No. ‘Are you suicidal?’ No. ‘There’s nothing wrong with him, take him home,'” Null said. “There is nothing more frustrating in the world than trying to take care of an adult child with mental illness in this state.”Null had volunteered as Junior’s court-appointed special advocate beginning when he was 14, and she took him into her home as a son after he turned 18, though they never formalized an adoption. She spoke about him on the condition he only be identified by his nickname to protect his privacy.After Junior said he was God about six years ago, Null sat...

Majority of Colorado voters think housing market will worsen as affordability concerns endure, poll finds

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

A majority of Colorado voters say home ownership is only going to become less attainable, voicing broad concerns about the cost of living and the state’s broader affordability, according to results from a bipartisan poll released Tuesday.The poll, conducted for the Colorado Polling Institute Nov. 26-27 by a team of pollsters, also found a worrying lack of trust in a slew of societal institutions among voters likely to participate in the 2024 election. It underscored that the cost of living and housing affordability here are the most pressing issues facing the state, echoing recent surveys and what state political leaders have stressed as their priorities.An “astounding” 63% of the 652 likely voters interviewed said they expected the housing market to worsen, said Democratic pollster Kevin Ingham in a call with reporters.He conducted the poll with Republican pollster Brent Buchanan, and the survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. The pol...

5 hospitalized after crash between train and semi-truck; 118 reopens

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

At least five people were taken to the hospital after a collision between an Amtrak train and a semi-truck in Ventura County Tuesday evening that blocked traffic and led to the suspension of train service overnight.  The incident occurred in Somis, an unincorporated area of Ventura County, at around 6:20 p.m. on State Route 118 at Sand Canyon Road, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by the California Highway Patrol.  Video of the crash obtained by KTLA showed heavy roadway traffic in both directions as a result of the collision, along with a large response by Ventura County Firefighters who responded to the scene to help passengers safely off the train and triage those injured.  Fire officials said that the five people taken to local hospitals suffered only minor to moderate injuries.  First responders on the scene of a collision between a semi-truck and Amtrak train in Ventura County on Dec. 12, 2023. (RMG News)Wreckage seen in Ventura County after a se...

California worst state for elder-abuse protections, study says

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

A new study released by WalletHub ranked California at the bottom of As we face ongoing economic challenges, it is important to recognize that the elderly population, who often rely on a fixed income, are particularly vulnerable to financial, emotional, and physical abuse. To shed light on this important issue, the personal finance website WalletHub released its annual report on the States with the Best abuse protections.“Falling prey to financial abuse can have dire consequences for anyone, but our older population is particularly susceptible. Abuse can greatly impact their ability to afford basic necessities, especially since many seniors are on a fixed income,” WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe said.Best and worst elder-abuse protections among 50 states and D.C.1. Wisconsin42. Nebraska2. Massachusetts43. Nevada3. Ohio44. South Dakota4. Virginia45. Tennessee5. Kentucky46. Delaware6. Vermont47. New Jersey7. Wyoming48. South Carolina8. Iowa49. Montana9. West Virginia50. Utah10....

Stormwater filtering devices being installed in San Jose but one site left construction litter in its wake

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

Q: First, thank you for your column. Second, what is that mess on Blossom Hill Road near Indian Avenue in San Jose (across from the VTA station) that has been in the middle of the road since the summer? And how much longer is it going to be there?It’s some construction equipment and gravel all enclosed. They were repaving this summer and now it’s just sitting there. It belongs to some company. I just want to know why it’s just sitting there, causing traffic issues. If you can find out, many of us would appreciate it.— Debbie WebsterA: Colin-the-city-spokesman reports that it is a San Jose Public Works project to install large trash capture devices around San Jose. These devices filter litter and debris from stormwater, reducing the amount of trash that enters in the surrounding creeks and rivers. This particular location has a higher ground water table than what was anticipated, which is causing some delay in the installation of the trash capture device. The site will be in th...

California elementary school janitor who spent years in jail acquitted of child sexual abuse

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

JOSHUA TREE — A jury has acquitted a former Southern California elementary school janitor who spent years in jail after being accused of sexually abusing students, his attorneys announced Tuesday.Pedro Martinez, of Hesperia, who’s been jailed since January 2019, was found not guilty on Monday on all 10 counts against him. An 11th charge was dismissed during his 3 1/2-month-long trial, according to a statement from his attorneys.He has been released.“We are thrilled that Pedro Martinez has been found not guilty of any of the terrible crimes that he was accused of, and he is home again with his family,” defense attorney Ian Wallach said in the statement.Martinez’s attorneys alleged there wasn’t any legitimate evidence in the case and accused the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department of bungling and misconduct. They didn’t immediately indicate whether Martinez might sue but said he is considering his options.“Although the outcome was not what we ...

49ers mailbag: Putting this offense, George Kittle, No. 1 seed into historical perspective

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

SANTA CLARA – Time to get to the 49ers Faithful’s wish list this holiday season, or at least their questions in our social media mailbox:Do you think this is the best offense you’ve seen under Kyle Shanahan? (@casiano9679)Without a doubt. It’s the most impressive/entertaining/consistent/star-laden cast in my 24 seasons covering the 49ers. The early 2000s relied heavily on Hall of Famer Terrell Owens and Jeff Garcia, the 49ers’ most recent Pro Bowl quarterback (21 years ago). The Harbaugh years saw Frank Gore complemented by Alex Smith and then Colin Kaepernick, the latter of which had a dual-threat dominance that flamed out too fast. Mark Purdy, my former Bay Area News Group colleague and no relation to Brock, was on the phone with me Monday, and he thought this team most reminded him of the 1984 championship squad, which I think is their best ever.Hundred-percent healthy or No. 1 seed, which would you take? (@rogeoneandthelovetts)The No. 1 seed comes with the playoffs’ only bye for...

San Jose International Airport post-COVID recovery has begun to stall

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

SAN JOSE — Passenger totals at San Jose International Airport have stalled, an unsettling reminder the Silicon Valley aviation hub faces turbulence as it seeks to recover from economic woes spawned by the coronavirus.During October, San Jose Airport accommodated nearly 1.06 million passengers, according to a post on the airport’s website.The 1.06 million figure was about 2.3% below the slightly more than 1.08 million passengers who traveled through San Jose Airport in October 2022, a review of the airport’s statistics shows.However, the October figures for this year are 3.8% higher than the total for September, when slightly fewer than 1.02 million passengers traveled through the San Jose transportation complex, the airport reported.The airport’s performance for October marked the third straight month that the travel center reported a monthly result that was less than the same month the year before. The airport’s year-to-year comparisons began to falter...

Opinion: A joyous celebration of Hanukkah this year feels incongruous

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

For each night so far of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, Jews across the Bay Area and around the world have lit an additional candle, bringing a bit more light into a world that so desperately needs this symbol of hope. And every night, the reminder of the miraculous survival of the Jewish people against all odds grows brighter as the flames glow in our windows.But this year, a joyous celebration of Hanukkah has felt incongruous. We are still grieving for the victims of Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israeli civilians and desperately hoping for the return of all the hostages held by terrorists in Gaza. We are pained by the suffering of Palestinian civilians, caught between the Israel Defense Forces and terrorists using hospitals and schools as military command centers. And rising antisemitism at home — in our city halls, the public square, on social media and in our schools — is compounding the trauma.Antisemitism is playing out in myriad ways across the Bay Area. At...