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Top 3 mistakes homeowners make that increase energy bills

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:17:26 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver weather forecast includes high temperatures, which has many bracing for higher electric bills. The U.S. Department of Energy says lowering your thermostat by just one degree can save 3% off the average bill. The FOX31 Problem Solvers asked Plumbline Services president Bob Logan about how to reduce the electric bill during the summer months. Plumbline Services maintains an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. "The best thing to do is close up your home and seal it up and allow the system to work the way it’s designed to work," Logan said.Logan told FOX31 his team sees many homeowners making common and costly mistakes. 1. Turning off the ACSome feel shutting off their HVAC system during work hours will save money, but Logan said doing that runs the risk of adding additional wear and tear on the system, much like constantly starting and stopping a car."They turn the system off during the day, so the inside temperature gets up to 80 and even 90 sometimes...

Large encampment appears on shoulder of I-225 ramp

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:17:26 GMT

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Several people have set up a growing encampment at the shoulder of an on-ramp to Interstate 225 at Parker Road.FOX31 reached out to the Colorado Department of Transportation about this problem and what's being done to fix it.CDOT said no trespassing signs are usually the first option to curb encampments. The department said it cannot clear out an encampment without help from local law enforcement, but that is another option and done as humanely as possible.Then comes the cleanup — not just trash but hazardous waste — which comes at an annual cost to the state of between $2 million to $3 million. Surveillance tech to monitor I-70 express lanes for violators There is also the human cost of these encampments: the safety of the people who set them up and live there. Back in April, a man sleeping in a tent off I-25 was hurt and later died when he was struck by a car.People experiencing homelessness already face a number of risks to their lives: untreated illnesse...

72nd Avenue construction causes irrigation issues in 82-year-old's yard

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:17:26 GMT

ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) — An Arvada family is calling the FOX31 Problem Solvers for help, saying a street-widening project is causing a nightmare for their 82-year-old grandmother.As temperatures flirted with 90 degrees in Arvada on Monday, the game of fetch looked a little different for Jane Truesdell, who sought cover in the shade as she threw a ball to her dog, Dolly.“You know, this wasn't the way I planned to spend my last years in this house,” Truesdell said.With an ongoing street-widening project on 72nd Avenue, Truesdell said she got some money and the city of Arvada got some of her property through eminent domain. ‘He had a hoof print on his chest’: Moose attacks man as he walks his dogs "They took the 5 feet with three 80- to 100-foot pine trees and about 20 feet of lilac bushes," she said. "It went from a forest to a desert in 4 hours as I watched them take down the trees."A street-widening project underway on 72nd Avenue in Arvada. (KDVR)'The flooding is a concern'Tru...

Chicago White Sox come up empty late in 5-2 loss to the Texas Rangers — their 8th defeat in 11 games

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:17:26 GMT

Tanner Banks became the first left-hander to start for the Chicago White Sox in more than one year when he served as the opener Monday against the Texas Rangers.Things didn’t break right for the Sox, falling 5-2 in the series opener in front of 19,554 at Guaranteed Rate Field.Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert Jr. hit back-to-back homers in the sixth to get the Sox within 3-2.The Rangers responded with a pair of two-out runs in the seventh against reliever Aaron Bummer. All five of the runs for the Rangers came with two outs.The Sox loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but Yasmani Grandal and Jake Burger struck out. They brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth and again came up empty as the team lost for the eighth time in 11 games.“I liked the fact (Banks, Nick Padilla and Jesse Scholtens) went in and threw strikes, they competed, attack the strike zone,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “They got beat a couple of times here and there, but for the m...

Samuel L. Jackson brings back Nick Fury for ‘Secret Invasion’ on Disney+

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:17:26 GMT

As the Marvel universe has expanded over the last 20-odd years, Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury has remained a constant.Fury was created in 1963 by the two comics legends, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, then re-imagined in 2001 with the character modeled on Jackson’s big-screen image. Jackson, 74, first claimed the role of Fury in 2008’s “Iron Man.” Wednesday’s new “Secret Invasion,” a six-episode Marvel series on Disney + about an alien invasion of planet Earth, marks the 14th time the actor has suited up for Fury.“This is my second appearance post Snap. Nick’s kind of been gone for a while since the Snap,” Jackson, sockless in a pink suit and pink shoes, said last week of Fury’s disappearance during a virtual global press conference. “He’s been gone for a while. He’s a little tired, a little vulnerable but he’s coming back to Earth because he was summoned.”How’s he doing?“He’s got a bad knee now. We’ll see what happens.”Actually, a lot happens in this “Invasion” with the Skrulls, alien sh...

Editorial: Instead of banning plastic bags, why not recycle?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:17:26 GMT

Cities and towns across Massachusetts started banning plastic bags around 2015, and environmental organizations won’t be happy until residents in all 351 are lugging home groceries in paper or reusable bags.“The Commonwealth is behind where it should and can be when it comes to reducing plastics,” said Lydia Churchill of Environmental Massachusetts. “Nothing we use for a few minutes should pollute our environment and threaten our wildlife for hundreds of years.”Agreed.Though estimates differ on how long it takes a plastic bag to decompose – 20 years or 500, no one wants to see them litter the landscape, or wind up damaging marine life in our oceans.But what happened to the recycling option?A visit to mass.gov leads to the “how and where to recycle” page. It says: “Most supermarkets and numerous other retailers accept plastic bags and wraps for recycling at no cost. Visit the Wrap Recycling Action Council to find a nearby drop-off location.”A click...

Graham: PBS warns about Trump rhetoric, gives Biden pass

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:17:26 GMT

PBS isn’t for the “public.” It’s taxpayer-funded content for Democrats.Last September, when President Joe Biden gave a nasty speech in front of a blood-red backdrop at Independence Hall, proclaiming, “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic,” PBS streamed this harsh rhetoric live with no “explanatory” text on screen for charges the Republicans are authoritarians.But on June 13, when Trump spoke in New Jersey after being arraigned in Florida, the PBS livestream felt inexorably compelled to insert opinions on screen. Near the end, there was this: “Experts warn that inflammatory rhetoric from elected officials or people in power can prompt individual actors to commit acts of violence.”Even the liberal website Mediaite called it a “jawdropping warning label” in its headline about the speech. Founding editor Colby Hall called it “a concern...

Dear Abby: Guest’s showering habits leave host high and dry

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:17:26 GMT

Dear Abby: I invited a friend to spend the weekend with me on my parents’ boat. She insisted that she must shower twice a day, as that is her usual routine. She said she can’t wake up without a shower, and needs to shower to be clean at the end of the day. I believe showering twice a day is excessive. Even showering once a day isn’t necessary unless someone has been working or exposed to dirt.I have been criticized for “judging” her hygiene habits. They say she may suffer from a germ phobia. I have known her more than 10 years, and she has worked as a professional cleaning lady. I don’t think she’s a germaphobe but high-maintenance and vain.I suggested she could wash up with face cloths and wipes, and shower once a day. The lake is so clean you don’t need to shower after a swim. (For anyone who doesn’t understand why I’m questioning this, it’s because fresh water on a boat is in limited supply.)Should a guest be asked...

1 hurt in North County house fire

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:17:26 GMT

POWAY, Calif. -- Authorities are investigating a fire that destroyed a home Saturday in the Poway area.The blaze occurred around 7 p.m. in the 16000 block of Martincoit Road, Sgt. Anthony Portillo with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) said in a news release Monday.When deputies arrived on scene, they found the home fully engulfed in flames, prompting several nearby homes to evacuate, according to law enforcement.Witnesses described seeing a 68-year-old woman run back into the fiery house. She later emerged from the bottom level of the home and was taken to a hospital with minor scrapes and held for a mental health evaluation, per SDSO. Police investigating fatal stabbing at City Heights park; no arrest made "She had been living in the home after it was recently condemned by the city and sold," Portillo said. "City officials and the Sheriff's Department have been working with the new owner to remove anyone from the home."The fire, which was knocked down after severa...

Germany’s biggest theme park to reopen after large fire forces evacuation

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:17:26 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s biggest theme park will reopen to visitors on Tuesday after a large fire the day before sent a dense plume of black smoke billowing into the sky that was visible for miles.The Europa-Park in the town of Rust, near the French border, was to open with only minor restrictions after the blaze Monday, the German news agency dpa reported. The fire broke out in a control room for an attraction on Monday afternoon at a time when some 25,000 people were visiting the park. Fire alarms functioned properly and the park was evacuated as some 450 firefighters, police and emergency personnel rushed to the scene, dpa reported. Two firefighters were lightly injured but no visitors were harmed. The cause of the fire is still under investigation and the area directly around the scene will remain closed while the rest of the park is reopened, officials said.Europa-Park is a popular tourist destination that drew more than 6 million visitors last year, mostly from Germany, F...