Category: Local / Living

Denver Housing – Unaffordable

Talk to anybody looking to buy a place to live in Denver and they’ll tell you about their struggles. Properties are too expensive for most mortals to afford, bidding wars have been raging, and even though there are slight signs the market is cooling down, prices are still higher than ever.

In fact, Denver just ranked as the fifth least affordable real estate market in the United States. That’s according to an April report from Ojo Labs, an Austin-based real estate company.

In March, the median selling price for a home in Denver was $564,990 (compare that $520,000 in the New York City area). That was 23.2% higher than the previous year, according to the report.

The least affordable city was San Francisco, where the median home price was $1.3 million.

Only four U.S. cities were less affordable than Denver in March
Other than San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Miami, pretty much everywhere else is cheaper to live.
Kyle Harris

Senate confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson

The Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on Thursday in a historic vote that paves the way for her to become the first Black woman to serve on the highest court in the nation.

The tally was 53-47, with Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining Democrats to vote in favor.

Senate confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson to be first Black woman to sit on Supreme Court
CNN

Tigray Protest – Denver – April 2, 2022

Haven’t heard as much about this in the news. Here’s some info from the NYTIMES:

A year of conflict in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country and a linchpin of regional security, has left thousands dead, forced more than two million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine-like conditions.

Forces under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed — the Ethiopian military, ethnic militias and troops from neighboring Eritrea — are fighting to oust the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or T.P.L.F., from its stronghold in the northern region of Tigray.

The tide of the civil war has fluctuated wildly. The government teetered in early November when fighters from Tigray surged south toward the capital, Addis Ababa, forcing Mr. Abiy to declare a state of emergency. Foreigners fled the country and the government detained thousands of civilians from the Tigrayan ethnic group.

Why Is Ethiopia at War With Itself?
Sixteen months after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed began a military campaign in the Tigray region, fighting has slowed but Ethiopians are bitterly divided and their country is wracked by suffering.
March 16, 2022

See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigray_War

New Jersey Shutting Down Last Coal Plants

The era of power plants using coal to generate electricity is ending in New Jersey.

The last two remaining coal-fired plants in the Garden State — both in South Jersey — are preparing to cease operation within months, Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration announced last week.

Murphy called the move a “very good step in the right direction” as the state continues to shift away from fossil fuels and toward renewable, or greener, energy sources. The Democratic governor has set a goal of using only carbon-free — or “clean” — energy sources by 2050.

N.J.’s last two coal plants set to close. ‘A world without coal’ is cleaner, safer, Murphy says.
Brent Johnson

Covid and Alcohol Related Deaths

Almost a million people in the United States have died of Covid-19 in the past two years, but the full impact of the pandemic’s collateral damage is still being tallied. Now a new study reports that the number of Americans who died of alcohol-related causes increased precipitously during the first year of the pandemic, as routines were disrupted, support networks frayed and treatment was delayed.

The startling report comes amid a growing realization that Covid’s toll extends beyond the number of lives claimed directly by the disease to the excess deaths caused by illnesses left untreated and a surge in drug overdoses, as well as to social costs like educational setbacks and the loss of parents and caregivers.

Alcohol-Related Deaths Spiked During the Pandemic, a Study Shows
The deaths were up 25 percent in 2020 compared with 2019, amid heightened stress factors and delayed treatment, according to a new report.
Roni Caryn Rabin

Anti War Perspective from Russia – New York Times Opinion Piece

Russian has become the language of fear. My parents avoid discussing politics over the phone; they’re not alone. Since the Kremlin has strangled freedom of speech, most Russians I know are afraid to publicly express their opinions. They’ve gone back to Soviet-era’ kitchen conversations to share their views on politics.

We have seen the Kremlin crack down violently on protests about elections and political prisoners like Aleksei A. Navalny. On the day Putin launched his full-scale assault on Ukraine, the government issued a statement warning that Russians who protest could face prosecution.

I was heartened, and scared, to see that the warning did not stop Russians from turning out in force that same day. Protests took place across Russia, from Moscow to St. Petersburg to Khabarovsk. Signs bore messages like “No War” and “Do you see evil and keep silent? Partner in crime!” Nearly 1,800 people were arrested.

This War Is Not in My Name
By Irina Kuznetsova
Dr. Kuznetsova emigrated from Russia to Britain in 2014. She is an associate professor of human geography at the University of Birmingham.