Latest news with #Denver
CBS News
42 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Denver Women+Film event honors actress Julia Stiles, celebrates her directorial debut
On Friday afternoon, surrounded by gorgeous spring foliage, the Denver Botanic Gardens was filled with film enthusiasts as the Women+Film Festival began its weekend-long celebration. CBS Presented by Denver Film, Women+Film honors the remarkable achievements of women in cinema and amplifies their voices through outstanding storytelling. This year, actress Julia Stiles was in attendance, receiving the Barbara Bridges Inspiration Award. Bridges presented Stiles with the award, calling her "one of the most fearless and talented actresses in Hollywood." The crowd also enjoyed a film screening of her directorial debut, "Wish You Were Here." Stiles wrote and directed the adaptation of Renee Carlino's best-selling book. The film was released by Lionsgate in January 2025. "This is a total dream come true because the story means so much to me," she told CBS News Colorado First at 4 Anchor Mekialaya White, who emceed the luncheon. "I think this kind of story is necessary in our world today." CBS CBS Colorado is a proud partner of the Women+Film Luncheon. The Women+Film Festival continues throughout the weekend, featuring a marketplace and an evening with writer and journalist Elizabeth Gilbert. "This festival is designed for you to connect with your peers and community," said Denver Film Programming Manager Ambriehl Turrentine. CBS "Women+Film does more than promote films from emerging and seasoned female filmmakers," added Denver Film Director of Development Amy Weiner Wiess. "It provides an opportunity to highlight important issues, foster dialogue, share diverse perspectives, and celebrate stories that reshape the landscape of women in cinema. Women+Film is vital to Denver Film's year-round programming, but we can't do it alone. As an arts non-profit, we rely on the generosity of community members like you."
CBS News
2 hours ago
- Health
- CBS News
Drug dealer busted near Colorado State Capitol after undercover police officer offered 'dope'
A Denver man was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison Friday after an undercover police officer was approached near the Colorado State Capitol and offered to "dope" and "blues." Derris Mayberry, 37, received a 110-month sentence following two guilty verdicts in two separate federal trials. The juries convicted Mayberry of distributing fentanyl and possessing a firearm. Mayberry, having previously served time in the Colorado Department of Corrections for robbery and drug convictions, was not legally permitted to have a gun. Mayberry, according to the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado that prosecuted his cases, was arrested after the exchanging $20 for "blues," an informal code name for fentanyl pills, with the undercover officer. The deal took place the evening of March 22, 2024, in an alley near the Colorado State Capitol. An undated file photo showing fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone pills collected as evidence during a federal investigation. U.S. Attorneys Office for Utah via AP The deal was set up by a female friend of Mayberry's. The undercover officer was conducting surveillance when the female friend made the offer and lead the undercover officer into the alley to meet Mayberry. Several officers arrested Mayberry at a nearby bus stop minutes after the exchange in the alley. A loaded .22 caliber revolver was found in his shorts pocket. More fentanyl pills were also found during his pat down. Cops surveilling a UC op were approached by a woman offering fentanyl. She led them to dealer Derris Mayberry, 37, a multi-convicted felon, After thedrug handoff behind CO state capitol, Mayberry was arrested. He's now convicted for distributing fentanyl & being illegally armed. — ATF Denver (@ATF_Denver) February 11, 2025 Audio of the drug deal's negotiation was recorded by a device worn by the undercover officer, according to prosecutors. The hand-to-hand exchange was also witnessed by several officers prior to their taking Mayberry into custody. "What began as great, proactive police work ended with an armed dealer of dangerous narcotics being sentenced to prison to a lengthy term," stated Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas in the DOJ's press release. "The Denver Police Department, in partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and U.S. Attorney's Office, remain committed to stopping the availability of dangerous drugs in Denver." Friday's federal sentence is the longest yet given to Mayberry. His earlier state sentences were for two-, five- and six-year terms.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
PSA: You Probably Don't Need To Be Weighed At The Doctor's Office
For many struggling with body image, heading to the doctor for a specific health issue or even just a routine checkup is more stressful than it needs to be. Weigh-ins are a standard practice before you see your doctor, but if you've experienced an eating disorder or are self-conscious about your weight, jumping on a scale in the middle of a busy hallway is a tall order. But here's an underdiscussed secret: You really don't have to be weighed every time you go to the doctor. 'It is entirely correct that after age 18, most people do not need to be weighed at the doctor's office,' Jennifer Gaudiani, a Denver-based physician who treats patients with eating disorders, told HuffPost. Of course, there are a handful of exceptions: Weight understandably needs to be tracked when a patient with an eating disorder has specific weight needs in order to treat the disease. If someone comes in and is concerned about unexplained weight loss, that needs to be measured and watched, too. 'And young children need to have weight and height monitored to make sure growth is proceeding properly,' Gaudiani said. 'Pregnant people also need to have weights followed ― although they don't need to have the weights revealed or discussed ― to be sure baby is getting what baby needs.' But outside of exceptions like these, Gaudiani said she's confident that '90%' of weigh-ins taken at medical offices are entirely unnecessary. 'What that means is someone coming in to talk about their depression, digestion, substance use or twisted ankle can find themselves on the other end of a lecture about weight and weight loss,' she said. That sometimes results in weight-conscious patients avoiding health checkups altogether. 'Unnecessary weigh-ins chill patients' willingness to see medical providers, waste everyone's time, fail to address the most important concerns of the patient, and may push individuals into cycles of dieting, maybe some weight loss, then regaining even more,' she said. Given Gaudiani's thoughts on weigh-ins, she was thrilled last month when she saw these 'Please Don't Weigh Me' cards trending on Twitter: The cards, created by eating disorder recovery site read: 'Please don't weigh me unless it's (really) medically necessary,' adding: 'If you really need my weight, please tell me why so that I can give you my informed consent.' The cards were initially free for individuals but now cost $1 each due to demand. There's an option for health care providers to purchase a batch, at $35 per 100 cards. The site also offers 'please don't talk about my child's weight' cards to parents, to kick off important conversations with kids about the often unfair conflation of weight with good health in advance of a checkup. (Children need to be weighed but the card says, 'If you have any questions, ask me when my child is not present.') 'I'm a fan of these cards because it's a starting point where the patient or parent doesn't have to come up with all the words and reasons themselves, but rather has the support of the card as a neutral object to try and advocate for their bodies,' Gaudiani said. Ginny Jones, the founder of created the initial batch of cards back in 2019. In recovery from her eating disorder, Jones had begun asking not to be weighed at doctor's appointments. She soon realized not everyone knew that was an option. Getting health care providers on board with the cards has been great ― 200 providers have ordered anywhere from 100 to 500 cards for their offices, Jones said ― but the responses she's received from individuals has been the most heartening. 'The best feedback I hear from patients is, 'I made my first appointment in years!'' Jones said. 'I'm shocked to hear personally from so many people who are delaying health care because they hate stepping on the scale. I love that these cards give them the confidence to walk back into a health care provider's office.' Gregory Walters, a writer and educator from Vancouver, British Columbia, who was diagnosed with anorexia in his 50s, sees the card as a simple but effective tool to empower patients to advocate for themselves. Being weighed triggers Walters, but in the past, he struggled to discuss it with health care providers. 'Under no circumstances can I know my weight,' he told HuffPost. 'If it's more than I expect, I amp up my eating disorder behaviors. If it's less, it becomes a weird game where I decide to see how much lower I can go.' Walters hasn't weighed himself in more than 10 years. When he spent six weeks in the hospital in 2019 for eating disorder treatment, they did blind weigh-ins around 6 a.m. every Monday. 'We always stood on the scale, facing away from it, which as a method of weighing me was affirming,' he said. 'It told me the doctors and staff understood how traumatizing a number related to one's weight can be.' Before that, he would just close his eyes when stepping on a scale at a doctor's office and say emphatically, 'I don't want to know.' These days, Walters' family doctor has learned about his triggers, but he knows how hard it can be to speak up for yourself. 'It can be challenging for anyone to talk with doctors,' he said. 'Their time can feel limited. As a patient you can feel intimidated due to a perceived imbalance in terms of education and knowledge.' The card 'allows a patient to quickly get a message across without having to stumble and bumble through an extremely uncomfortable conversation,' he said. In an ideal world, it wouldn't be such an uncomfortable conversation. Asking not to be weighed should be as simple as stating, 'I'd prefer not to be weighed today.' Unfortunately, it's not always that easy, according to Gaudiani. If you say you don't want to be weighed and are challenged, Gaudiani said to tell the nurse, 'Thanks for letting me know it's standard, but this is my body, and I'm electing not to be weighed. You may write 'declined' on my note for insurance purposes. I'm happy to discuss it further with my doctor.' If the doctor challenges you, bring up the medical issue that brought you into their office in the first place. 'That might sound like, 'I have a short amount of time with you, and I really need to discuss my back pain, my constipation and my asthma today. Let's focus on that, please,'' Gaudiani said. Since going viral, the cards have received some criticism from people online who think the cards are enabling or will do damage to public health given the obesity epidemic in America. Shana Spence, a registered dietitian nutritionist based in New York, said she thinks weight stigma and a larger trend of fatphobia in the medical field does greater damage to the quality of health care and health outcomes than any card could ever do. 'Fatphobia in the medical field often translates into a lack of diagnosing for ailments,' she said. 'When someone goes in for pain or whatever ailment, it's extremely discouraging to be told to just lose weight or simply ignored altogether. What are those in thinner bodies told for the same ailments?' Spence said there are many instances when people in larger bodies are congratulated on weight loss, no matter how unnatural or unhealthy it is. 'Even a thin or straight-sized person is congratulated on weight loss because we as a society are very weight-centric,' Spence said. A 2012 survey of almost 2,500 U.S. women found that 69% reported feeling stigmatized for their weight by their doctors and 52% endured recurring fat bias. As Spence pointed out, diagnoses are often missed because providers are fixated on the number on the scale rather than the full picture of health. A review of studies published in the journal Obesity Reviews in 2015 showed that health care professionals' negative feelings about fat bodies can lead to misdiagnosis and late or missed diagnoses, negatively impacting patient outcomes. Studies have also shown that this bias makes women and people in larger-sized bodies less likely to seek health care in the first place. The good news is, more weight- and body-neutral doctors seem to be entering the profession. Some doctors have adopted a Health at Every Size, or HAES, approach to public health. HAES-aligned health care providers seek to deemphasize weight loss as a health goal while reducing stigma toward larger bodies in the medical field. Most HAES health care providers believe that the current practice of linking weight to health using body mass index standards is not only biased but unhelpful when it comes to weight loss. (If you're looking for a HAES-informed health care provider in your area, there's an online database that you can search by area or specialty.) A 2017 study out of the University of Pennsylvania found that when people feel shamed because of their weight, they are more likely to avoid exercise and consume more calories to cope with this stress. Spence noted that healthy solutions include encouraging patients to incorporate more fruits, vegetables and fiber-rich foods into their diets, work on strategies to quit smoking and focus on mental health, since stress can contribute to many health problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. 'There is no need to concentrate on numbers constantly,' she said. At the very least, medical professionals should start asking patients if they want to be told their weight. When Gaudiani consults with fellow medical practitioners who aren't quite on board with radically reduced weight checks, she asks them at least to consider asking for consent. 'A doctor or staff could say, 'Would you be willing for me to check your weight today? I was worried last month when you said you were feeling low energy and having a harder time getting in your meals, and I'd like to follow up,'' Gaudiani said. 'So much of medicine assumes permission to act upon patients' bodies, when in fact we need to be honoring body autonomy and seeking consent much more.' What To Do If Your Doctor Fat Shames You Being Fat Is Not A Moral Failure. Here's How To Teach Your Kids That. Your Body On Alcohol: How It Affects Your Heart, Liver, Weight And Cancer Risk
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Police search for hit-and-run suspect, RiNo neighborhood fed up with constant crashes
DENVER (KDVR) — Denver police are still looking for the suspect in a hit-and-run near 26th Street and Larimer Street that happened a week ago. They said a motorcycle hit a person on a scooter, leaving them with serious injuries. Colorado Parks and Wildlife kills grey wolf in Pitkin County after attacks on livestock Jessica Regalado, who works in the neighborhood and was nearby on the night of the accident, is tired of it. 'Freaked everybody out again. Just another incident that keeps occurring in this area,' she said. Regalado has worked here for a few years, but said seeing crime scene tape and flashing lights never gets easier. 'It's just sad that it just keeps happening,' she said. According to the city of Denver's crash location map online, at least 10 similar incidents have happened in the 2600 block of Larimer since the start of 2024. This one involved a motorcycle, which is a common sight in the neighborhood. 'People just consistently being reckless in this area,' said Regalado. Recklessness, that was confirmed by Denver police, who said the driver was doing a wheelie at the time of the accident. Regalado believes it, having seen similar actions countless times. 'It kind of spooks our customers just because you have the engines roaring and then all the loud noises,' she said. While police still search for the suspect, Regalado plans to send a petition to the city asking for this block of Larimer to become pedestrian-only, similar to no-car areas like Larimer Square and 16th Street. Anything to keep the crime scenes from being a regular sight. 'We just want our neighborhood safe again,' said Regalado. Rockies on track for worst MLB season ever Denver police put out a Crime Stoppers bulletin today in hopes of finding the suspect, describing the motorcycle as an older, black model likely now with damage to the left side. There is up to a $2,000 reward for information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
17 hours ago
- Business
- CBS News
Kratom is the subject of a new Colorado law also known as the Daniel Bregger Act, more regulations now being placed on the substance
This week, Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law placing more regulations on kratom. It's called the "Daniel Bregger Act." Daniel Bregger Bregger Family Many may have seen signs for the substance outside convenience stores or vape shops but may not be aware of what it is. What is kratom? Kratom is an herbal supplement said to treat pain, anxiety and opioid withdrawal. While some say it is a lifesaver, others point out the risks. The leaf can produce stimulant effects in low doses and sedative effects in high doses. It's not a federally controlled substance, but now it will be subject to regulation in Colorado. Daniel Bregger's father had never heard of kratom "I miss him every moment of every day, and I'm doing this in his memory," said David Bregger. A new law in Colorado bears the name of Bregger's son, Daniel. "My son died of an extract that if this bill had been in place at the time, would not even be available," Bregger said. In 2021, Dan was 33, living in downtown Denver with his brother, working a corporate job and spending his weekends enjoying Colorado's outdoors. "He loved the bike paths. He biked everywhere. Just loved the town," Bregger said. But one day, he was found dead in his room. Dan's autopsy showed he died from the combined toxic effects of kratom and diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl. "I'd never even heard of kratom before," Bregger said. Dan's family says he was never an addict. They believe Dan had purchased kratom online as a holistic anxiety treatment. "He had purchased two small bottles," Bregger said. "But there were no labeling instructions whatsoever on them, nor on their website. "And so it was a lethal dose in one of those." After his son's death, Bregger wanted to ban kratom, but realized regulation may save more lives. "I think ultimately, if it ended up on the black market, it would be worse than it would if it were regulated," Bregger said. Kratom user and advocate favors regulations "I advocate for regulations. I 100% advocate for it because we need guardrails in place," said Thornton resident Misty Brown. Kratom user and advocate Brown also believes in regulation. CBS Colorado's Olivia Young interviews Misty Brown. CBS "I was trapped in active addiction for 11 years straight via chronic pain management," Brown said. "I was addicted to FDA-approved pain pills, benzos and muscle relaxers." Eventually, Brown says she turned to the streets and began using cocaine. But one day, she tried kratom, and it changed her life. "When I took it, I didn't notice anything. It wasn't until I went to bed that night and I was thinking about everything I did during that day. I cooked dinner, I listened to music, I cleaned my house, I did laundry, all without being high, without having that high feeling in your head. And so I was like, hmm, maybe there is something to this," Brown said. Misty Brown says kratom saved her from addiction and helps manage her chronic pain. "I know kratom will save somebody like me," Brown said. Today, she advocates for safe kratom use, and against bans. "What's up y'all? I just want to remind you to sign up for the Louisiana kratom rally that's happening at June third at 2 p.m.," Brown said to a TikTok audience. The Colorado bill, SB 25-072, was opposed by the American Kratom Association and the Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust, but supported by the Global Kratom Coalition. Brown initially testified against the Daniel Bregger Act, concerned over registration fees she felt would impact small businesses. But the regulatory structure and penalties initially proposed in the bill were removed through amendments before it reached the governor's desk. "We had this hearty, chunky soup that we started out with, and now it's a thin broth, but it is a step in the right direction," Bregger said. Colorado's new law includes numerous bans On Thursday, Gov. Polis signed the Daniel Bregger Act into law. Among other things, the law: - Requires transparent labeling and dosing information of kratom products - Prohibits synthetic and semi-synthetic alkaloids in kratom - Caps the amount of 7-hydroxymitragynine ("7-OH"), an alkaloid found in kratom products, at 2% - Bans kratom vaporizers - Bans kratom products that are candy-like or marketed to children - Requires kratom products be kept behind a counter, similar to tobacco - Bans the sale of kratom to those under 21 "Whole leaf kratom powder is an exit from addiction. These synthetic 708 products that are out here is an entrance into one," Brown said. CBS Brown and Bregger agree, synthetic kratom presents the greatest risk. "It's so addictive and so readily available that it's going to be an epidemic in no time," Bregger said. Faith Day founded Clean Kratom in Oregon and today has a location on Broadway in Denver. Day says her business is the first licensed kratom dispensary in the United States, and worked to help craft this legislation. Day shared the following comment with CBS Colorado: "We fully support science-backed regulation and believe it's a critical step in legitimizing the industry. While we had hoped for tighter restrictions to help keep bad actors out and ensure consumer safety, we remain optimistic that these new frameworks will give responsible, compliant companies like ours a chance to shine. We're committed to quality, transparency, and continued advocacy for safe access to kratom through well-regulated channels." While Brown won't stop advocating for the substance she says saves her life, Bregger says this is just the beginning of his fight. "I will forever have chronic pain, anxiety and depression. You know, I can't pray my pain away. I will always need something to help manage my pain, so that is why I utilize kratom now," Brown said. "I can 100% confidently tell you that I'm a recovered addict now." "It's a plague in Colorado, and the legislation will save a lot of lives. And that's what I'm in it for, to save lives in Dan's memory," Bregger said.
