Right here’s what the state’s long-troubled expertise system value Jefferson County when it malfunctioned once more final week: about one-third fewer functions for meals help and different support had been processed in contrast with a median day, which means assist for about 200 individuals was delayed even longer.

And that’s only one county.

Colorado’s 11 largest counties miss out on serving to about 850 households for each half-hour that the Colorado Advantages Administration System will not be functioning. So for the 73 hours from April to December that the system collapsed, that’s 124,000 households, in accordance with a tally by Colorado Counties Inc.

The delays imply some households go with out assist shopping for meals for a month or longer.

The expertise issues Aug. 22 had been notably irritating for Jefferson County, which has been flooded with meals help functions prior to now 12 months and is requiring staff to work additional time to course of all of them. The county final month had the bottom proportion of recent functions for the Supplemental Diet Help Program — or SNAP — processed in Colorado within the time required by federal regulation, at simply 46%.

Colorado is beneath a federal corrective motion plan due to its meals help processing instances, which rank among the many backside 5 states within the nation. Households ought to be capable of obtain meals help inside 30 days of submitting functions and inside seven days for expedited functions. Colorado was forward of solely Kansas, Florida, New York and Georgia, together with Guam, the Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C., in accordance with the U.S. Division of Agriculture’s report for fiscal 12 months 2023.

The explanations embrace main will increase in individuals making use of for assist for the reason that pandemic and never sufficient workers to deal with the workload. However a Colorado Division of Human Companies effort to assist counties clear the backlog is up in opposition to an much more intractable drawback — the state laptop system that manages authorities advantages, from Medicaid to little one assist to burial help.

State staff have groaned or rolled their eyes for twenty years on the point out of the Colorado Advantages Administration System, or CBMS. The legislature’s Joint Expertise Committee, a year-round panel of six lawmakers, heard testimony this summer time on the system’s widespread issues.

Colorado for years has patched up issues however prevented a complete overhaul. The state is budgeted to spend greater than $102 million on CBMS this 12 months, together with vendor contracts and IT assist.

The system, launched in 2004, entails greater than 30 distributors and 700 web sites. It holds data for 1.25 million Coloradans on Medicaid medical health insurance, 599,000 individuals receiving meals help and 17,000 individuals on grownup monetary help.

When part of the system malfunctions, it’s as much as the seller answerable for that half to repair it.

System issues trigger havoc for all of Colorado’s welfare packages, although the issues decreased from 317 hours when the system was malfunctioning in 2022 to 138 hours in 2023, in accordance with the 2 state businesses that use it most, the Colorado Division of Human Companies and the Colorado Division of Well being Care Coverage and Financing. Complete outages, nevertheless, are already at 20 hours up to now this 12 months, up from 18 hours in 2022, the departments mentioned.

The human providers division has two years’ price of backlogged and unscheduled fixes and updates to the system, together with 35 only for SNAP, previously generally known as meals stamps, in accordance with a presentation to the legislature’s expertise committee.

Colorado Counties Inc., a nonprofit affiliation for all counties within the state, needs lawmakers to order a third-party evaluation of the system and decide whether or not it “will be fastened or ought to be changed.”

Colorado improves statewide common to 88%

Colorado is now processing 88% of its new functions for meals help and 87% of its renewals on time, up from a statewide common of about 75% final 12 months, mentioned Shelley Banker, director of the Workplace of Financial Safety on the state Human Companies division. That’s nonetheless not sufficient to get off the corrective motion plan with the U.S. Division of Agriculture, which needs states to achieve 95% compliance.

And Colorado’s statewide common masks the truth that some counties are struggling.

In San Juan County, officers within the county seat of Silverton had only one new software for meals help in July and didn’t course of it inside 30 days as required, giving them a rating of 0%. San Juan County officers didn’t reply to a request for remark about what occurred.

And in Costilla County, one of many poorest counties within the state, officers in San Luis had been in a position to course of solely 18.8% of recent functions and 52.7% of renewals on time.

Costilla County’s eligibility supervisor Pamela Taylor mentioned the county is battling ongoing issues with the state expertise system and workers turnover. The county of three,600 individuals has additionally seen an increase in welfare requests, and now has 2,209 individuals receiving SNAP. “Costilla is a county that, resulting from low cost land and legalized marijuana, many off-gridders discover their means right here, and as soon as right here request advantages, which considerably impacts our caseloads,” she mentioned by way of electronic mail.

Taylor labored with the state human providers division to give you a plan to compensate for the backlog of functions, and now some staff have days the place they earn a living from home and focus on processing functions, she mentioned.

In Jefferson County, staff are actually required to work eight hours of additional time every month to sort out the backlog.

Jefferson County, which has 54,540 households on meals help, had about 4,000 functions that had been backlogged in March. Employees have winnowed these to about 800 renewals and 100 new functions that ought to have been processed in July however carried over to August, mentioned Jesi Antonucci, Jefferson County’s group help director.

Jefferson County’s well timed processing instances for brand spanking new functions are actually as much as 84%, although they’re final within the state for renewals.

The county is seeing about 1,000 extra individuals apply for meals help per 30 days than it did a 12 months in the past.

On a typical day, Jefferson County’s crew of about 90 eligibility specialists can course of about 600 functions for presidency help packages. The day the state expertise system was down final week, their productiveness was down by a one-third.

“We’re utterly depending on CBMS,” Antonucci mentioned. “If the system will not be working at full capability, we additionally can’t function at full capability. That day wasn’t simply slowness. We couldn’t authorize instances for the higher a part of final Thursday.”

Issues with the system fluctuate from complete outages to spinning error messages, not permitting staff to log in and never permitting them to change screens, she mentioned.

Raises for county workers, automated knowledge entry

In Adams County, eligibility specialists obtained annual raises of $6,000 to $10,000, relying on their expertise, in an effort to chop again on workers turnover. The county additionally supplied psychological well being providers. The division’s emptiness charge declined to 22% now in contrast with 25% 5 years in the past.

“We now have been in a position to stabilize staffing,” mentioned Katie McDougal, director of Adams County Human Companies. “We’re hopefully creating that atmosphere the place people really feel supported and wish to keep.”

El Paso County has additionally seen its processing instances enhance because the state streamlined a few of its processes, together with automated knowledge entry. Meals help functions embrace details about jobs, incapacity advantages and hire or mortgage prices, all of which staff should enter into the system and confirm with paycheck stubs and hire receipts.

Adams County processed 94% of renewals on time final month, in comparison with about 83% a 12 months in the past.

Colorado is certainly one of a couple of dozen states with a county-run, state-supervised meals help program, which ends up in large variations throughout the state’s 64 counties. Counties make choices about the best way to fund and workers this system, whereas the state gives steerage and technical help.

“We all know that our work will not be completed,” mentioned Banker, with state Human Companies. “It doesn’t matter what county you reside in, gaining access to nutritious meals and sustaining these advantages is a precedence.”

Jennifer Brown writes about psychological well being, the kid welfare system, the incapacity group and homelessness for The Colorado Solar. She will be reached at jennifer@coloradosun.com

VENICE, Italy (AP) — Nicole Kidman returns to the Venice Movie Competition for the world premiere of “Babygirl” on Friday.

The erotic drama is a couple of highly effective CEO who jeopardizes her profession and household life by having an affair with a youthful intern.

“Babygirl” was made by “Our bodies Our bodies Our bodies” filmmaker Halina Reijn, who was impressed by a love of erotic thrillers by filmmakers like Paul Verhoeven and Adrian Lyne. Antonio Banderas performs Kidman’s character’s husband and Harris Dickinson is the intern.

“The affair on the coronary heart of ‘Babygirl’ permits Romy and Samuel to play out their confusion round energy, gender, age, hierarchy, and primal intuition,” Reijn wrote in her director’s assertion. “Regardless of its forbidden nature, the enjoyment of that exploration is liberating, even therapeutic.”

“Babygirl” is enjoying in competitors at Venice, alongside the likes of “Maria” and the but to premiere “The Room Subsequent Door,” “Queer” and “Joker: Folie à Deux.” Winners will likely be introduced on Sept. 7.

Kidman got here to Venice 25 years in the past with one other risqué movie: The Stanley Kubrick movie “Eyes Broad Shut.” However even with a resume stuffed with boundary-pushing, horny and difficult works, she nonetheless has some nerves about this one.

As she informed Self-importance Honest just lately: “I’ve made some movies which might be fairly exposing, however not like this.”

A24 will launch “Babygirl” in theaters on Dec. 25.

___

For extra protection of the 2024 Venice Movie Competition, go to https://apnews.com/hub/venice-film-festival.

In Colorado, you’re by no means too removed from Rocky Mountain snowmelt, so it’s no shock that an annual competitors for the state’s best-tasting water led to a three-way tie. Nevertheless, after a sudden-death sip-off, Denver took residence the gold.

The style check, held on the American Water Works Affiliation Rocky Mountain Part convention in Keystone, pitted eight submissions from across the state towards each other. Bronze and silver additionally went to Entrance Vary cities. Louisville took second and Broomfield took third.

The primary place metropolis chalked its success as much as onerous work from workers who work on water from “supply to faucet.”

“We’ve obtained individuals working 24/7, 365 to maintain it tip-top,” stated Nick Yarish, a water therapy plant supervisor with Denver Water.

The panel of six judges, every blindly testing and score samples from every metropolis, included an environmental engineer, a farmer, a utility supervisor and this reporter. Victor Sam was maybe probably the most knowledgeable amongst them. Sam, an environmental engineer whose work has centered on water style and odor, stated Denver’s water was “probably the most versatile.”

“What meaning is I can combine Kool-Assist with it and it’ll be nice,” he stated, “Or simply drink it out of the hose and it’ll be nice.”

Whereas water might sound tasteless, the stuff that flows out of your house faucet is commonly fastidiously balanced to incorporate a sure mixture of minerals in an try to go away water drinkers feeling quenched.

On the subject of judging a contest, Sam stated the “finest” water is really a matter of non-public desire. Totally different individuals, he stated, will typically favor one water over one other primarily based on the place they dwell or grew up.

“It’s what brings again nice reminiscences,” he stated. “For me it’s tenting or climbing, in order that’s why I favor mountain water. It’s actually a private feeling.”

Denver’s successful water will advance to a nationwide style check competitors on the American Water Works Affiliation’s annual convention – coincidentally in Denver, this time — in June 2025.

This story is a part of ongoing protection of water within the West, produced by KUNC, and supported by the Walton Household Basis.

For the second consecutive day, Cincinnati Bengals huge receiver Ja’Marr Chase was current on the crew’s observe however not taking part.

Chase, 24, arrived at Thursday afternoon’s observe in road garments for the second day in a row. Chase beforehand returned to observe on Sunday and Monday after watching from the sideline for the whole lot of coaching camp.

All through the offseason, Chase has been searching for a contract extension that might make him among the many NFL’s highest-paid huge receivers.

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Earlier this week, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor stated he was optimistic that Chase would go well with up in opposition to the New England Patriots in Week 1 on Sept. 8. After Chase’s non-participation on Wednesday, Taylor was extra noncommittal on the topic.

“I feel every single day is a brand new day, we are going to preserve working by means of it,” Taylor stated on Chase. “Not going to make predictions on what tomorrow brings. On the finish of the day, Ja’Marr is a superb dude, means loads to this crew and we’ll simply proceed to take it day-to-day.”

Chase returned to observe for the primary time on Sunday and in accordance with Taylor, appeared nice throughout his reps with the crew this week.

On Wednesday, Taylor added that Chase is absolutely wholesome and he’s assured Chase could be able to go for Week 1 in opposition to the New England Patriots, even with out training with the crew.

“He is been in each assembly. He is aware of the whole lot. He is been within the system now for 3 years that he is performed in, and within the fourth yr now. He is very on high of it,” Taylor stated of Chase.

Throughout Thursday’s observe, Bengals proprietor Mike Brown was seen subsequent to Chase on a golf cart, although the 2 didn’t seem to work together whereas the observe was open to the media.

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Earlier than coaching camp started, Brown spoke concerning the probabilities that Chase receives an extension to remain within the Queen Metropolis long-term.

“He’s a key participant,” Brown stated. “Subsequent to Joe (Burrow), he’s the subsequent one. He is aware of it. We all know it. This may occasionally take some time. We’re going to bend over backwards to get it completed. I can’t inform you when although.”

Traditionally, the Bengals have been prepared to barter extensions till the beginning of the season. Final yr, quarterback Joe Burrow agreed to his deal on the NFL’s opening night time, whereas in 2015, huge receiver AJ Inexperienced and the Bengals agreed on a deal simply days earlier than the crew’s season opener.

With out an extension, Chase is beneath contract with the Bengals for 2 extra seasons, with Cincinnati exercising his fifth-year choice for 2025 earlier this yr.

Simply six months after Common Photos and Amblin Leisure confirmed {that a} new Jurassic World film was in improvement, we now have an official title, early plot particulars, and a pair of first-look photographs.

The upcoming installment within the huge blockbuster franchise will go by the title Jurassic World Rebirth and can hit theaters in every single place subsequent July. Written by David Koepp, scribe behind Jurassic Park and The Misplaced World, the film is helmed by Gareth Edwards, who is aware of a factor or two about big reptiles, having reimagined Godzilla for American audiences a decade in the past. The British director can also be recognized for Monsters, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and The Creator.

RELATED: Jeff Goldblum’s Shock Recommendation for New Jurassic World Star Scarlett Johansson: “Do not Get Eaten!”

Rebirth options an all-star forged made up of Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Mahershala Ali (Inexperienced Guide), Jonathan Bailey (Depraved), Rupert Buddy (Asteroid Metropolis), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer(), Luna Blaise (Manifest), David Iacono (The Summer season I Turned Fairly) Audrina Miranda (Lopez vs. Lopez), Philippine Velge (Station Eleven), Bechir Sylvain (BMF), and Ed Skrein (Deadpool).

Naturally, Steven Spielberg, the person who began it throughout 30 years in the past, is an government producer on the film, as are Denis L. Stewart and Jim Spencer. Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley are producers. As you may see within the two manufacturing stills beneath, we have got two traditional situations related to the Jurassic mythos: an individual igniting a flare (most likely to distract a hungry dinosaur whose imaginative and prescient is predicated on motion) and folks gazing up at one thing in marvel (most likely a grazing dinosaur or related) from a patch of tall grass.

First Have a look at Jurassic World Rebirth

What’s Jurassic World Rebirth about?

Set in the identical world established by writer-director Colin Trevorrow, a actuality through which people and dinosaurs stay side-by-side, Jurassic World Rebirth takes place 5 years after the occasions of Dominion. On condition that our planet has modified a lot over the past 65+ million years, the ecology of Earth is proving somewhat inhospitable for the large lizards that escaped Lockwood property on the finish of Fallen Kingdom. “These remaining exist in remoted equatorial environments with climates resembling the one through which they as soon as thrived,” reads the synopsis offered by Common. “The three most colossal creatures inside that tropical biosphere maintain the important thing to a drug that can carry miraculous life-saving advantages to humankind.” 

Johansson leads the expedition as Zora Bennett, an professional in covert operations who heads a top-secret staff tasked with securing — what else? — genetic materials from the three largest specimens. Nonetheless, issues take a flip for the sudden when Zora’s crew comes throughout a civilian household whose boat capsized by aquatic dinosaurs. Stranded on an island collectively, the group makes a stunning discovery that is been hidden from the world for many years.

The forged additionally contains Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali as Zora’s trusted staff chief, Kincaid; Olivier Award winner Jonathan Bailey as paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis; Emmy nominee Rupert Buddy as Huge Pharma consultant Martin Krebs; Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Reuben Delgado, patriarch of the shipwrecked household; Blaise, Iacono, and Miranda because the members of Reuben’s household; and Velge, Sylvain, and Skrein as members of Zora and Krebs’ crew.

RELATED: Jurassic Park’s Assistant Director Reveals the 4 Huge Classes He Realized from Steven Spielberg

When does Jurassic World Rebirth open in theaters?

The fourth entry within the Jurassic world sequence (and the seventh total within the Jurassic saga) will stomp its approach into theaters someday subsequent July. A particular date has but to be introduced.

The entire Jurassic Park/World saga is now obtainable to personal from Common Photos House Leisure.

Common has formally launched the primary look of “Jurassic World Rebirth,” the seventh movie within the 31-year-old franchise, starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali. Gareth Edwards (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “The Creator”) is directing from a script by David Koepp, who wrote the unique “Jurassic Park” launched in 1993.

In line with an official abstract, the movie shall be set 5 years following the occasions of “Jurassic World Dominion,” when “the planet’s ecology has confirmed largely inhospitable to dinosaurs.”

“These remaining exist in remoted equatorial environments with climates resembling the one wherein they as soon as thrived,” the synopsis continues. “The three most colossal creatures inside that tropical biosphere maintain the important thing to a drug that may deliver miraculous life-saving advantages to humankind.”

The studio additionally revealed particulars about lots of the characters within the movie. Johansson’s character is a covert ops professional named Zora Bennett, who has been employed to steer the crew extracting DNA from the three most gargantuan dinosaur species left alive. Ali performs Zora’s associate, Duncan Kincaid; Bailey performs a paleontologist named Dr. Henry Loomis; and Rupert Pal (“Homeland”) performs Martin Krebs, the consultant of the drug conglomerate funding the expedition. Philippine Velge (“Station Eleven”), Bechir Sylvain (“BMF”) and Ed Skrein (“Deadpool”) make up the remainder of Zora’s crew.

Ultimately, they encounter a civilian household “whose boating expedition was capsized by marauding aquatic dinos,” at which level everybody turns into “stranded on an island the place they arrive face-to-face with a sinister, stunning discovery that’s been hidden from the world for many years.”

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (“The Lincoln Lawyer”) performs Reuben Delgado, the daddy of the household that’s been shipwrecked, which incorporates Luna Blaise (“Manifest”), David Iacono (“The Summer time I Turned Fairly”) and Audrina Miranda (“Lopez vs. Lopez”).

Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley are producing the movie, and Steven Spielberg, Denis L. Stewart and Jim Spencer are govt producers.

“Jurassic World Rebirth” is scheduled to open on July 2, 2025.

Ever marvel what Novak Djokovic’s pre-match routine seems like?

Djokovic, the primary man to realize 90 or extra victories at every of the Grand Slams — Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open — shared that his routine earlier than Wednesday’s second-round victory in Flushing Meadows is one thing each tennis fan can relate to.

“Simply name me Demurekovic,” the Serbian tennis star took to TikTok. “Earlier than match, some conscious coaching. #verymindful #demure.”

Within the video, Djokovic gave followers a sneak peek into the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s afternoon getting ready for a match. This included warming his physique up and speaking match technique along with his coaches earlier than heading out to the follow courts along with his iconic golden tennis luggage.

On the courts, he’s seen catching Coco Gauff hitting some balls earlier than he will get on courtroom himself.

Later within the night, Djokovic secured a win over his compatriot Laslo Djere at Arthur Ashe Stadium, proving his “demure” and “conscious” preparation was key to his success, as he superior to the third spherical of the U.S. Open.

If you happen to’re thinking about adopting a routine just like the GOAT’s, it’s value noting that “demure” is an adjective that means “affectedly modest, reserved, or severe,” in line with Merriam-Webster. This phrase has been trending on-line lately, capturing widespread consideration.

Djokoivic will proceed his U.S. Open run in Spherical 3 on Friday as he units his sights on a document breaking 25 Grand Slam titles.

If you happen to noticed the strains that wrapped round Dodger Stadium on Shohei Ohtani’s first bobblehead evening and thought they have been too massive, then the crowds at his second evening have been appalling. Traces fashioned seven hours earlier than the primary pitch on Wednesday, 1000’s clamoring for not only a bobblehead of Ohtani, however his canine Dekopin (or Decoy). 40,000 of them have been being given out to a sold-out crowd of over 52,000, with a couple of particular version gold ones thrown in there for some fortunate followers.

Clearly, with a deficit of over 12,000 bobbleheads and a few followers taking excess of their fill to resell on eBay to the tune of as much as $7,000, many who attended that day needed to depart empty-handed.

Nevertheless, those who missed out have been nonetheless in for a deal with. On Ohtani’s first bobblehead evening, he and his spouse Mamiko ceded first pitch duties to a younger fan named Albert, a affected person at UCLA Mattel Youngsters’s Hospital. On the second, he did the one logical factor: had Decoy throw out the primary pitch.

What adopted was maybe the cutest factor that is ever occurred at Dodger Stadium. Ohtani despatched Decoy to the mound as he arrange behind the plate. Decoy grabbed the ball in his mouth and charged to the plate as the group roared.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s canine threw out the primary pitch on bobblehead evening at Dodger Stadium, and it was superb

After which, as a result of Shohei Ohtani is Shohei Ohtani, who appears to have a penchant for doing essentially the most poetic and well-timed issues doable, we barely needed to wait any time in any respect to observe him hit his forty second homer of the season. Backside of the primary, Cy Younger winner Corbin Burnes on the mound, a slider that missed its spot. Ohtani despatched it 391 toes over the middle area wall.

It helped spur the Dodgers to a win, with Teoscar Hernández additionally getting in on the house run enjoyable with a three-run blast within the backside of the third. Walker Buehler made it by means of what is likely to be certainly one of his finest outings of the season. He pitched 4 2/3 innings and solely gave up two earned runs (4 whole scored) and struck out 4 batters.

The Dodgers are nonetheless holding on to the perfect document in baseball and are simply two wins shy of .600. The vibes at Dodger Stadium have been wonderful on Wednesday evening, and hopefully it’s going to care over to get LA a sequence win on Thursday.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, whose profession has been likened to baseball nice Babe Ruth’s legendary begin in professional ball, was upstaged on Wednesday evening by his personal canine.

The participant’s pup Decoy, “threw out” the ceremonial first pitch earlier than a sport towards the Baltimore Orioles.

Ohtani carried Decoy — who wore his personal customized jersey — to the pitcher’s mound, the place the canine waited for his proprietor’s sign to select up the ball along with his mouth earlier than working it to Ohtani behind the plate. The designated hitter acquired a high-five from his furry good friend and rewarded him with a deal with. The play was met with raucous applause from the sellout crowd of greater than 53,000 individuals at Dodger Stadium.

“I believe I used to be extra nervous with the ceremonial pitch than Decoy,” Ohtani informed reporters after the sport by a translator. “I am glad all the pieces went properly.”

The Japanese participant stated it took him three weeks to coach Decoy, a Dutch Kooikerhondje.

“It was a very particular evening,” Ohtani stated. “I hope to purchase a particular snack for him.”

The 30-year-old pitcher-hitter is trying to make Main League historical past as the primary participant to notch 50 house runs and 50 stolen bases (He is at the moment eight away on each counts). However his canine is the primary canine to carry out the ceremonial pitch at a Dodgers sport, in accordance with ESPN.

Decoy impressed the Dodgers supervisor

“I used to be actually impressed that that canine was already that skilled,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts stated. “I assume if it’s Shohei’s canine then nothing ought to be that stunning.”

Decoy made his MLB debut final yr when Ohtani revealed the identify of his canine, after the Dodger was awarded his second American League MVP title.

“His identify is Dekopin,” Ohtani informed reporters on the time. “That’s a Japanese identify. I figured it’d be onerous for American individuals to pronounce it. He has an American identify, it’s Decoy.”

“Dekopin” is Japanese for “flicking somebody’s brow.”

The gesture is a well-liked prank amongst schoolchildren in Japan, reported Kyodo Information.

Decoy’s star flip follows a newsy summer time for canine baseball movie star. Final month, a 13-year-old canine named Layla retired from her bat retrieval duties after six years with a Philadelphia Phillies minor league group, the Clearwater Threshers. Her successor, Lucy Might, went viral this previous weekend for an impromptu potty break on her first evening on the job.