Latest news with #UniversityofDenver
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
University of Denver student arrested for political vandalism on campus: DU
DENVER (KDVR) — A student was arrested for spray painting political messages on campus on Friday night, according to an email from University of Denver Chancellor Jeremy Haefner. The messages were reported to have expressed 'political views, including pro-Palestine and anti-Trump rhetoric' and were found in several locations, but the locations were not named. The messages were allegedly sprayed days before an attack on a pro-Israel group in Boulder by a man who yelled, 'Free Palestine,' and is now being called a terror attack by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Total injured in Boulder attack increases to 12 'The act of defacing our shared spaces is unacceptable and contrary to our community standards,' Haefner wrote to the DU campus in his email. 'Vandalism is not a form of free expression. It is not protected speech. It is a violation of our shared values and disrespectful to the living and learning environment we share as a community.' Haefner added that DU 'supports the right to express diverse perspectives—but that must happen through lawful means.' According to a probable cause statement obtained by FOX31, the student, identified as 23-year-old Marshall Ray, spray painted 'Free Gaza and 'Free Palestine' on campus property. The statement said that Ray was spray painting a traffic sign when contacted and was painting 'Gaza' at that point. Officers also said a can of spray paint and two paint markers were in his pocket. Ray is being held for investigation of criminal mischief and disturbing the peace. The final determination of charges will be made by the Denver District Attorney's Office. Haefner said that facilities crews were 'working diligently' Monday morning to clean up the graffiti, and said the administration is committed to ensuring campus community members feel safe, respected and heard. The chancellor said that the DU student was arrested by the Denver Police Department. The investigation is ongoing and evidence is being reviewed, Haefner wrote, because there could be others involved. Anyone with information that may assist in the investigation is asked to contact Campus Safety at 303-871-2334. DU said the incident has also been reported to Equal Opportunity and Title IX (EOIX) for review. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Scientists have found a cricket evolving rapidly to beat a new threat
Climate change is reshaping the world — and perhaps nowhere more so than in the wild. As ecosystems change, species are forced to move to new locations in search of the resources they need to live. Unlike some human-made borders that are visible as fences and walls, the wild at large has numerous borders invisible to humans crisscrossing each other. When climate change causes an animal to migrate, it may cross one of these borders — and there new challenges await. Some newcomers quietly adapt to their new environs. Others go rogue and become invasive, throwing the lives of native species in chaos. These invasions are becoming more common, which means more and more native species are being forced to make a choice: evolve to survive or perish. A love song vanishes On the Hawaiian islands, Pacific field crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus) evolved — and how. To avoid being hunted by an invasive parasitoid fly called Ormia ochracea, they have started remixing the songs they've been using to find mates. But according to a study published recently in Current Biology, these escape plans might not be foolproof, at least not yet. About 30 years ago, as O. ochracea flies flew into Hawaii from tropical America, the sound of Pacific field crickets' love songs vanished from the islands. Using their acute sense of hearing, the flies were able to zero in on male crickets as they sang and laid their eggs inside the crickets' bodies. When the larvae hatched, they fed on the nutrients around them and eventually burrowed out, killing the crickets. 'About 20 years ago, we discovered a population on Kauai [in Hawaii] that had gone completely silent because a mutation on their wing erased the sound-producing structures in these crickets,' University of Denver professor Robin Tinghitella said. 'Males still rubbed their wings together but no sound came out. It was a pretty wild discovery. The mutation swept through the island because it protected crickets from flies.' Recently, however, Tinghitella's group discovered populations of Pacific field crickets that still sang — but the music was somewhat different: it contained some additional subdued purrs and rattles. It differed in both frequency and amplitude from the original music. The researchers found that it was still loud enough to attract females but quiet enough to evade O. ochracea flies. To Tinghitella, the crickets' new adaptation signalled a 'rapid pace of evolutionary change'. Step by step? No, thanks 'This got us wondering: could the flies be evolving to keep up?' she continued. 'This kicked off a series of lab and field experiments to see if the neural and behavioural responses of flies were responding to changes in cricket songs'. To test if the flies were evolving in sync with their prey, the researchers compared the sensitivity of Hawaiian flies to certain sounds and frequencies with that of lab-maintained native flies from Florida. The ancestral Floridian flies were most sensitive to sounds around 4-6 kHz, which is also the frequency most field crickets call at. On the other hand, the researchers found, the O. ochracea flies had broadened their hearing range, tuning into sounds from 6 to 20 kHz. Next, they placed a live fly on a spherical treadmill with speakers on either side. When they played synthetic pre-recorded cricket songs, the Hawaiian flies were more responsive to the purrs and rattles of Pacific field crickets than their ancestral counterparts. Despite the crickets' efforts to stay under the radar, the flies could still find them. 'What we are seeing isn't a classic incremental step-by-step co-evolution, where the cricket changes a little bit in one direction and then the fly carefully tracks that, and so on,' said Tinghitella. 'Instead, the flies have become more responsive to a broad range of sounds that might allow them to track a variety of changes in cricket song.' When the male crickets make new sounds, they aren't changing the way they interact with flies alone. Female crickets have also become less picky in this time about male songs. 'If the females had still preferred only the traditional song, males with the mutations [that cause purrs and rattles] would not have succeeded. They would have gone locally extinct,' Tinghitella said. A new challenge How much and how quickly a species can evolve depends on its resilience, generation time, the plasticity of its traits, and ecological pressure. For example, organisms with short generation times, like insects, reproduce rapidly so they have more chances to evolve, potentially allowing them to respond faster to new threats. Likewise, more long-lived species may be more vulnerable. Even beyond these considerations, unexpected and synergistic pressures may still destabilise either type of species, Viraj Torsekar, an ecologist at GITAM Deemed to be University, Hyderabad, said. The populations of insects are falling in many parts of the world. Their extinction rates are estimated to be eight-times higher than those of birds, mammals or reptiles. Their vulnerability means even if conditions become more unfavourable than usual for a short period — e.g. a year with bad weather — populations are liable to collapse than more long-lived organisms that can better face a fluctuating threat, Cleo Bertelsmeier, professor in the department of ecology and evolution at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, said. As global warming, extreme weather, and biological invasions intensify, predicting how species with varying ecological needs will respond to compounding pressures is becoming increasingly challenging. Many researchers are looking at the genomic architecture of wild insect species to predict their ability to adapt. According to Tinghitella, rapid evolution could explain why some invaders do so well or why some species manage to cope. To predict how these interactions are going to play out in the long-term, understanding how evolution happens in these situations is key. Rupsy Khurana is Science Communication and Outreach Lead at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru.
Saudi Gazette
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi national freed after 19 years in US prison, set for deportation
DENVER — Saudi citizen Homaidan Al-Turki, 56, is expected to arrive in the Kingdom in the coming days following nearly two decades of imprisonment in the United States. Al-Turki was convicted in 2006 on charges of unlawful imprisonment and assault against his Indonesian housekeeper in the state of Colorado, a case that sparked widespread controversy and allegations of judicial bias. According to local media reports, a court in Colorado ruled last week to close Al-Turki's case and authorize his deportation after he accepted a plea agreement. The ruling followed a new hearing in which his legal team successfully argued that his original trial was marred by ineffective counsel. The court agreed to resentence Al-Turki to lesser charges, contingent on his removal from the United States. A representative of the Saudi embassy's legal team and several of Al-Turki's daughters were present at the hearing. Sources familiar with the matter told that Al-Turki was transferred to the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday, with his return to Saudi Arabia pending final procedures. The decision ends a legal saga that began in 2004, when Al-Turki was first arrested alongside his wife for alleged immigration violations. He was later re-arrested in 2006 and sentenced to 28 years in prison. His case drew intense attention both in Saudi Arabia and among Muslim advocacy groups in the US, who argued he was targeted due to rising Islamophobia in the post-9/11 climate. A former linguistics scholar and PhD candidate at the University of Denver, Al-Turki maintained his innocence throughout his imprisonment, describing himself as a victim of anti-Muslim sentiment. In 2013, while serving his sentence, Al-Turki was briefly investigated in connection with the killing of a Colorado corrections official—a claim he denied and was never charged for. During his incarceration, his family launched repeated legal petitions seeking clemency or case review, all of which were rejected until the latest court decision. With the victim's whereabouts unknown and key witnesses deceased, the district attorney's office cited the challenges of retrying the case as a factor in accepting the plea deal. 'This resolution ensures Al-Turki remains a convicted felon and is permanently removed from our community,' said Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley in a statement. The case, long seen in Saudi Arabia as politically and emotionally charged, is now formally closed. Al-Turki's family has refrained from public comment, awaiting his safe return to Riyadh. — SG with inputs from Agencies
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The psychological benefits of paying off debt
Relief is more than a feeling. Dr. Pearl Chiu, a psychology professor at Virginia Tech, notes that while we often think of reward or loss as behavioral drivers, relief can shape our decisions in profound ways. Debt-related stress often creates a 'constant pull on our attention,' making it difficult to focus on other aspects of life, such as work, relationships or personal goals. Becoming debt-free can lift that psychological burden, freeing up cognitive space and emotional energy. Dr. Mark Aoyagi, a professor at the University of Denver's Graduate School of Professional Psychology, explains that while short-term stress can sharpen our focus, chronic stress does the opposite — it drains mental energy and narrows our ability to think clearly. In Bankrate's latest Money and Mental Health Survey , 42 percent of U.S. adults reported that money negatively impacts their mental health. Among those aged 35 to 54, that number jumps to 52 percent. It's no surprise that debt causes stress — but few realize just how deeply it affects mental health. According to experts, paying off debt comes with perks beyond making space in your budget. Since 1976, Bankrate has been the go-to source for personal finance data, publishing average rates on the most popular financial products and tracking the experience of consumers nationwide. Making a plan to pay what you owe — whether that be through debt consolidation or another repayment strategy — can improve your well-being and help reduce your mental and emotional stress. Americans across the nation feel the impact of rising prices and increasing financial strain. Bankrate's Credit Card Debt Survey found roughly one-third of U.S. adults (34 percent) have at least one credit card that carries a balance month-to-month. But the burden of debt extends beyond the numbers. Debt carries a psychological weight that affects mental, emotional and even physical health. The pressure to repay debt can lead to chronic stress, strained relationships and harmful coping behaviors. Once debt is paid off, maintain your emotional well-being by following a budget and paying bills on time and in full each month. Creating a plan to pay down debt can improve your emotional outlook. It gives you a sense of control, shifts you from panic to action and helps reduce harassing creditor calls. High debt levels can lead to increased stress and anxiety, pessimism about the future and a diminished social life. Story Continues 'Being debt-free is really relieving in some ways and can have positive impacts on behavior,' she says. Feeling relief not only signals emotional safety but also encourages more confident, future-oriented choices. By eliminating the immediate threat of debt, individuals can shift from survival mode to strategic planning — researching for the best loan rates, setting savings goals and making empowered financial decisions. Improved relationships Debt doesn't just affect your internal world — it can impact your relationships as well. According to Bankrate's 2025 Financial Infidelity Survey, 40 percent of Americans in a committed relationship have kept a money-related secret from their partner. Nearly a third (33 percent) reported spending more than their partner would like, and 23 percent secretly racked up debt. Financial strain is a common source of tension in relationships, often leading to conflict, secrecy and emotional distance. Paying off debt together — or individually — can reduce that strain and foster healthier communication. Psychological challenges of paying off debt Becoming debt-free has significant mental health benefits, but the path isn't always easy. Many individuals face internal barriers that make debt repayment psychologically difficult. Shame Shame is one of the most overlooked obstacles to financial recovery. People in debt often feel embarrassed, believing their situation reflects personal failure. According to Aoyagi, this is basic biology. In their evolutionary past, humans became apex predators not with claws and teeth but by cooperating, which made maintaining their status in the 'tribe' vital. 'How others perceive us and how we see ourselves in the tribe, is our biggest strength,' he says. 'People who have a lot of financial stress — they're seen less favorably.' Fear of being seen as a social failure 'prevents us from using our most effective resource' — other people, Aoyagi says. Overcoming shame by seeking support — whether from credit counselors or financial advisors — can be a major psychological breakthrough. Scarcity mindset and risky behavior Debt can also trap individuals in a 'scarcity mindset.' Dr. Elliot Berkman, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon, explains that financial stress can impair long-term thinking. 'When you're low on resources, it's the same as being cognitively distracted,' says Berkman. 'Scarcity makes it hard for us to focus and engage in high-level thinking.' In this state, individuals often take riskier financial actions — not because they're reckless, but because they're desperate to escape the pressure. Paying off debt can break this cycle, helping people shift from reactive decisions to strategic, long-term planning. With greater mental clarity, people can focus on building financial stability. Strategies for paying down debt To unlock the psychological benefits of becoming debt-free, it's essential to create a plan that feels manageable and empowering. Here are some debt payoff strategies that can also support your mental well-being: Debt management plan (DMP): Through a DMP, you work with a credit counseling agency to consolidate debts into an affordable monthly payment. Your creditors may agree to waive fees or reduce your interest rates. Credit counseling : Credit counseling involves working with a reputable agency that examines your finances and helps you develop a budget and debt payoff strategy, such as a DMP. Negotiating with creditors: You could contact creditors and discuss credit card hardship programs or more favorable repayment terms (such as reduced interest rates or lump-sum payments). Or, you might work with one of the best debt relief companies. For a more in-depth guide to approaching your debt, check out Bankrate's expert advice on getting out of debt. Try this tool: Bankrate's debt payoff calculator How to avoid future debt That final debt payment is a great reason to celebrate. But the celebration shouldn't involve taking on more debt or spending more money. Resist the temptation to get that extra credit card unless it's part of a carefully considered plan to rebuild your credit score — secured credit cards can be valuable credit-building tools. Instead, put your newfound motivation into sticking to a budget and keeping track of your bills. Money you free up when your monthly debt payments end can go into an emergency fund to prevent debt from unexpected expenses. If you already have a healthy emergency fund, consider investing in a high-yield savings account or retirement account so your money can grow. Other ways to avoid getting back into high levels of debt include: Borrowing only what you need Being cautious with Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) programs Paying credit card bills in full each month Bottom line Paying off debt isn't just a financial achievement — it's a psychological liberation. From reduced stress and improved focus to better relationships and clearer thinking, becoming debt-free transforms more than just your bank account. By making a plan and taking consistent action, you can shift from survival mode to thriving.
New York Times
05-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NHL coaching candidate David Carle signs multiyear extension with University of Denver
David Carle has signed a multiyear contract to remain head coach of the University of Denver's men's hockey team, the school announced Monday. The 35-year-old has been Denver's head coach since 2018, winning the national championship in 2022 and 2024 and amassing a record of 179-74-17. He has also been behind the bench for Team USA's back-to-back World Junior titles in 2024 and 2025. This season, the Pioneers lost to Western Michigan in the semifinals at the Frozen Four in St. Louis. Advertisement Carle seemed a candidate to either become an NHL head coach this summer or use the considerable interest he's generated off his NCAA and World Junior success into a raise from Denver. He was linked to multiple NHL head coaching vacancies over the past few weeks and had interviewed for openings in prior years as well. The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported interest from the Anaheim Ducks, and there were multiple reports that the Chicago Blackhawks made an aggressive pursuit before Carle removed himself from consideration. This new contract doesn't preclude him from leaving Denver mid-contract, but he holds the cards. He has great job security at Denver, and NHL coaches are mostly hired to be fired shortly thereafter. An NHL team will need to make a very convincing argument to Carle, and he can pick his ideal situation to step into where he can have success. That Carle is staying at the University of Denver isn't necessarily a surprise, especially if you consider his backstory and bond with the school. Carle hasn't shied away from talking to NHL teams, and there was certainly interest in this cycle of openings (the Blackhawks most notably). There might be a time when he does make the jump. But Carle has said he's very happy with the Pioneers, who have advanced to the Frozen Four six of the last 10 years and are the standard in college hockey. Carle told The Athletic after their semifinal loss to eventual champion Western Michigan: 'What drives me now is people saying, 'It was a good run.' F— that. That window is still wide open. And we'll be back.' Carle, whose wife, Mellissa, gave birth to their third child (a daughter) in March, said it'd have to be a really special job to leave. 'If there's a life-changing opportunity, then I'd have to listen to that,' Carle said in February. 'And if it's accompanied with the opportunity to win, then that becomes more enticing. But to just take any job, that's not happening.'
