I was adopted as an infant and found my birth mom聽when I was in my 30s. She had gotten pregnant in high school and gave birth to me at 17.

We lived in different parts of the country and after I found her, we saw each other once a year for over a decade until she died suddenly last year.

After her death, her brothers and sisters, who I鈥檇 only met once before, started regularly calling, sending constant texts and inviting me to family holiday dinners and on family vacations.

I don鈥檛 feel a connection to them, don鈥檛 consider them family, and find it very uncomfortable to be around them.

What do I owe them? (And what do I owe to my birth mother?)

Is there a way to limit contact without being unkind?

鈥� Dis-connected

Dear Dis-connected:

You ask what you owe to these biological family members.

My answer is that you don鈥檛 owe them anything 鈥� but the fact that you see the connection this way reveals the guilt you seem to be carrying. What an unfair burden!

You also don鈥檛 owe your late birth mother anything. You found her, connected with her, and seem to have accepted her distant position in your life. If there is any unfinished business left to conduct, it would only be to accept this teenager鈥檚 long-ago choice to place you up for adoption and 鈥� if necessary 鈥� forgive her for it.

These other biological family connections are bound to bring up ambivalent feelings, and it is completely within your rights to distance yourself from them.

I suggest that you communicate a polite version of: 鈥淒on鈥檛 call me, I鈥檒l call you.鈥�

You can do this by saying, 鈥淚 am glad that I found my birth mother and was able to get to know her. You are so kind to keep in touch and to want to include me in so many family events, but at this point, this makes me quite uncomfortable. I have your contact information and know how to reach you, but for now I鈥檇 like to regain some privacy. Thank you for your attitude of kindness and inclusion.鈥�

Dear Amy:

I have an intrusive neighbor that refuses to acknowledge my non-verbal signals when I don’t want to have a conversation.

I live on a very friendly street and have a casual relationship with most of my neighbors.

The lady next door always insists on interrupting me whenever I am outside. She enjoys sharing her opinion about my yard and garden.

It’s gotten to the point where if I go outside and see her, I promptly turn around and go to the privacy fenced backyard or go inside and wait for her to leave.

I’ve tried to set boundaries. I have told her directly that I don’t want to chat when I’m in the middle of mowing my lawn, but she will stand in front of my lawn mower and force me to stop.

What can I say to this woman to be left聽alone?

鈥� Intruded Upon

Dear Intruded Upon:

You seem capable of delivering a direct statement to your neighbor (good for you), and so let鈥檚 borrow a technique from my favorite nursery school teachers, and kick it up a notch.

Try saying, 鈥淚 need you聽not聽to come into my yard. Can you agree to respect the boundary between our properties?鈥�

Ending with a question should inspire a positive response. If not 鈥� or if this intrusion continues 鈥� you might need to ask a lawyer to draft a letter reminding this neighbor not to trespass onto your property.

You can then post a small 鈥渘o trespassing鈥� sign at the edge of your yard. Further intrusions might necessitate a call to your sheriff鈥檚 non-emergency line to ask their advice.

鈥淟iving a Lie鈥� said he had lied about being a Vietnam War veteran for the last 50 years. He has been carrying a burden of guilt for all of that time.

I am a decorated Vietnam veteran.

With that said, I wish I could sit down with Living a Lie, talk with him, and forgive him.

This man accepted his draft notice. He didn’t flee to Canada like some of my friends did. He took his physical and would have served, had he been able.

He doesn’t have anything to be ashamed of in my book.

鈥� Michael, in聽Fort Wayne, Indiana

Dear Michael: The outpouring of compassion and support to 鈥淟iving a Lie,鈥� especially from Vietnam veterans like you, has been truly inspiring.

(You can email Amy Dickinson at聽askamy@amydickinson.com聽or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter聽听辞谤听.)

漏2024 Amy Dickinson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Read Ask Amy Columns on , , , 欧美巨乳色情片 Tribune, ,

Police arrested 31-year-old Omar Delacruz May 9 鈥� a day after he started a fire in the garage next to a pair of propane tanks he had tied together, according to an affidavit for his arrest. Police say he also turned on all the burners on the gas stove in the kitchen to try to accelerate the fire.

Delacruz faces eight felonies, including three suspected attempted murder charges 鈥� one for each person home when he set the fire 鈥� and two counts each of suspected use of explosives to commit a felony and suspected first-degree arson, according to Colorado Court records.

At 8:30 p.m., May 8, 欧美巨乳色情片 police responded to the 300 block of East 22nd Street on a report of a man attempting to burn down the house in which he lived. Police say the caller told them his brother 鈥� Delacruz 鈥� had recently made several threats to burn down the caller鈥檚 house and made an attempt that morning.

The brother told police he was asleep in his bedroom around 8 a.m., when he could hear Delacruz yelling and moving around in the kitchen, according to the affidavit. The man told police he could hear the distinct clicking sound of the gas stove鈥檚 burners being turned on. He said he could also see and smell heavy smoke inside the house, according to the affidavit.

Police say Delacruz鈥檚 brother walked to the kitchen and saw him turning on all the burners.

The brother could see the smoke was coming from the garage and went to investigate, according to the affidavit. When Delacruz鈥檚 brother walked in, police say he saw a large fire up against the wall that backs up to the kitchen.

Just next to the fire, Delacruz鈥檚 brother saw two propane tanks tied together by a rope, according to the affidavit.

Police say Delacruz ran out of the house and Delacruz鈥檚 two brothers put out the fire with a garden hose.

One brother told police Delacruz had made prior threats to burn down the house, according to the affidavit.

On April 17, one of the brothers said Delacruz told the family he was going to burn down the house. On that day, Delacruz ran a copper wire from the valve of the propane tank to the gas line of the water heater, according to the affidavit. Police say he also placed a second propane tank behind the gas stove and tried to cut the gas line from the stove.

The brother showed police an audio clip from that incident, in which Delacruz was heard arguing with family members and telling them that he had a bomb ready to blow up the house, according to the affidavit.

Along with Delacruz鈥檚 brothers, one other family member was home at the time of the fire, according to the affidavit.

Police spoke with Delacruz鈥檚 father, who left the house about an hour before Delacruz set the fire.

The father told police that Delacruz asked to borrow his car because he was starting a new job. Delacruz鈥檚 father said he knew he was lying about work, so he refused to let him borrow the car, according to the affidavit, and Delacruz began arguing with him.

Delacruz鈥檚 father left for work and got a phone call shortly after letting him know about the fire.

Delacruz claimed he left a candle lit and it fell over, but his father saw no candle and didn鈥檛 believe him. He threatened to call the police and Delacruz again threatened to burn the house down before leaving, according to the affidavit.

Delacruz鈥檚 mother said she heard the argument between Delacruz and his father before he left, and said Delacruz had also made several threats to her about burning down the house, according to the affidavit.

The week prior, she told police he was standing outside the house with a black toy gun and a propane tank. She asked him what he was doing, and he replied that if the cops came, he was going to blow them up, according to the affidavit.

She added that she didn鈥檛 feel safe in her home and that Delacruz had been exhibiting 鈥渂izarre behaviors鈥� due to the types of videos he had been watching, according to the affidavit. Police say she told them he had been watching videos of 鈥渕assacres鈥� and would show his mother the videos and tell her he wanted to commit one of the massacres.

Delacruz鈥檚 other brother said he also woke up earlier that day to smoke coming from the garage. He said Delacruz told him he left a candle lit in the garage, but he also told police he did not see a candle, according to the affidavit.

Police estimated the damage to the garage at $800.

Just before 4 a.m, the next day, police say they saw Delacruz walking in the 2200 block of Balsam Avenue in 欧美巨乳色情片. He was arrested and booked into the Weld County Jail without incident. He has a disposition hearing May 31 at Weld District Court.

Just after 4 p.m., May 2, police say Duis struck a vehicle stopped on 16th Street facing east, waiting to make a turn onto 14th Avenue northbound. Police declared Duis dead at the scene.

The driver of the other vehicle 鈥� a 71-year-old woman 鈥� was not injured. Police say she stayed on scene and is cooperating with the investigation.

Police say Duis was going at least the speed limit, but are not sure whether excessive speed was a factor in the crash. They said they will not release any further details, citing the ongoing investigation.

Duis’s obituary describes him as 鈥渁 beautiful soul鈥� who 鈥測ou wanted to have on your side and was loyal to a fault.鈥�

He had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer earlier this year and leaves behind a wife and three children.

To plant trees in his memory, go to on the Sympathy Store at Legacy.com.

The closure will start Monday, after officials decided to keep the road open for both Briggdale and Pawnee Schools graduation ceremonies Sunday, according to a Weld County release. The stretch of road also is expected to temporarily re-open over Father鈥檚 Day Weekend, June 13 to 16, for the expected extra traffic headed to and from the Earl Anderson Memorial Rodeo in Grover.

The Weld County Department of Public Works has also worked in tandem with the Briggsdale Fire Protection District, Pawnee Fire Protection District, Weld County Department of Public Safety Communications, Pawnee School District, Briggsdale School District and local mail carriers to ensure that school buses, mail and emergency vehicles all can run without interruption.

A map indicating the detour route is available on the .

Beyond rebuilding the road, crews will replace three culverts, correct a sight-distance issue on Weld 77 by lowering a hill and replacing the deck and driving surface of a bridge on the road.

This is the second phase of the project, following the same process taken when rebuilding Weld County Road 77 between U.S. 14 and Weld County Road 100.

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs will contribute $200,000 to the project.

Removal of the encampment by demonstrators started around 8 p.m. on Friday, with most of it gone by Saturday morning, said Auraria spokesperson Devra Ashby. 鈥淭he encampment was dispersed in a relatively calm manner, except for blocking Speer and Auraria last night,鈥� she added.

The Auraria Campus announced the dispersal of the Tivoli Quad encampment on Saturday near 1 p.m., citing that cleanup starts today. However, access to the campus buildings remains limited to 鈥渃ritical personnel and operations,鈥� with Tivoli Quad and other green spaces also closed for repairs, according to a statement issued by the campus.

鈥淟eaders have worked diligently towards finding a peaceful resolution,鈥� the statement details. 鈥淲e hope this will end more than three weeks of unauthorized occupation that has increasingly escalated into dangerous activities, taken significant time, resources, and dialogue with student protesters to resolve, and has pulled us away from our academic mission and goals.鈥�

Protesters first , with the goal of pressuring the University of Colorado system into cutting ties with Israel, including by divesting from corporations in the Middle Eastern country and ceasing study programs abroad.

Ashby didn鈥檛 immediately respond to a question asking whether any of these demands were agreed to by university officials.

On Friday, the University of Colorado Denver told students that classes would take place online 鈥渦ntil further notice鈥� due to the encampment, and events held on the Auraria Campus were canceled through next week.

鈥淭he encampment was a tool of our protest,鈥� said student activist organization Students for a Democratic Society in an emailed statement. 鈥淲e are picking up a new one to continue the fight for Palestine.鈥�

Similar protests continue to occur on college campuses nationwide. The latest related developments include a campus building occupied on Friday, the arrest of 19 protesters who tried to occupy a building on Friday and an agreement reached between protesters and on Tuesday in California.

It doesn鈥檛 seem possible to truly answer that question, but a study came out a few years ago that attempted to. What ended up being the No. 1 one thing? What most stirs the human soul and wakes us up to the miraculous world around us? The answer surprised me when I found out.

Before the reveal, what would you put on the list? Where do you find awe or experience moments that take your breath away? Personally, I was a professional musician for 20聽 years, so I would definitely place music on there. I鈥檝e also been in awe of the natural world, and I often plan out hikes and walks to find centering and inspiration.

This global study of awe was led by the psychologist and author Dacher Keltner. He collected stories from across cultures and continents and, in response, compiled a list he called the “eight wonders of life.”

Let me share with you what all came in just under No. 1:

2. Collective effervescence. (when groups of people gather together. Think 鈥淭aylor Swift concert.鈥�)

3. Nature.

4. Music.

5. Visual design.

6. Spirituality & religion.

7. Life & death.

8. Epiphany.

So what is number 1? Drum roll please …

Moral beauty.

Moral beauty is Keltner鈥檚 poetic way of saying that when we see people doing the right thing in tough situations, acts of courage or selfless giving, we find ourselves greatly moved. We find ourselves in awe. Filled with wonder.

This is the most awe-inspiring, moving thing for people around the world.

I was surprised when I read this, but I could sense the truth in it. How many of us are taken in by stories, books, and real-life accounts that exemplify just this 鈥� people going through great challenges to accomplish true good?

Here at the Community Foundation, we often say we have a front row seat to all the good that is happening in Weld County. So much moral beauty. We see it in the giving of donors, the hard work of our nonprofits, the aspirations of students, and the creative solutions of our locale.

It is awe-inspiring. The moral beauty we encounter weekly is a constant encouragement and challenge of who we can fully be as people. My guess is that for those of you reading this, local heroes are coming to mind 鈥� teachers, coaches, first responders, church and nonprofit leaders, friends and family, patrons and supporters, businesses that are fully invested in our community.

Friends, may our eyes be opened, taken with the awe and wonder of people 鈥� real people 鈥� doing tremendous good!

And may we be so moved to do likewise.

Tim Coons is President/CEO of the Weld Community Foundation, a nonprofit that helps donors create charitable funds which support our community through grants, scholarships, and program support. He loves the question, “What does it mean to be a true community?” info@weldcommunityfoundation.org

March鈥檚 strong monthly gain, initially estimated at 5,300 jobs, was revised down to 2,800 jobs. The state鈥檚 seasonally adjusted unemployment remained at 3.7%, below the U.S. rate of 3.9%.

鈥淐olorado employment started the year on a strong note, but employment growth tapered off in March and April,鈥� said Broomfield economist Gary Horvath. 鈥淭he bottom line is that there is not broad-based growth. While government employment is important, resilient economic growth requires increased employment in the private sector.鈥�

Education and health services added 4,600 jobs between March and April, more than any other supersector. Other services added 1,200 jobs. The biggest decline, 3,100 jobs, came in professional and business services, followed by construction, which shed 1,700 jobs.

Over the past year, the private sector has added 27,200 jobs while governments have added 24,600. The largest annual private sector gains came in educational and health services, up 19,400 jobs; leisure and hospitality, up 7,600 jobs and professional and business services, up 5,800 jobs.

The biggest annual declines came in trade, transportation and utilities, down 6,000; construction, down 4,300, and information, down 2,500 jobs.

鈥淭he disappointing performance is not surprising given the uncertainty caused by persistent inflation and high interest rates. The higher and longer mindset has caused some business leaders and consumers to be cautious,鈥� said Horvath.

The state鈥檚 job growth rate of 1.8% the past year matches the U.S. rate, but historically Colorado has ranked as a top 10 state for job growth. The share of Colorado鈥檚 adult population participating in the labor force was unchanged at 68%.

Black American West Museum Board Chair Daphne Rice-Allen, who presented Saturday at the Annual Dearfield Conference, said the restoration process is moving along quickly.

That can be a challenge for the Denver-based museum and other involved leaders who are in Weld County. Rice-Allen said it’s clear to her now the museum board needs to identify a liaison “to be at the table” for the preservation and restoration efforts.

“It’s going well,” Rice-Allen added. “It’s good and it’s exciting.”

The preservation and restoration efforts were expedited with the interest of Colorado’s Congressional delegation a few years ago.

In January 2022, U.S. Reps. Ken Buck and Joe Neguse introduced legislation directing the U.S. Department of the Interior to study Dearfield for inclusion in the National Park System. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet followed with companion legislation later in the year. President Joe Biden signed the bills into law in December 2022.

Helping to continue Dearfield’s restoration, 欧美巨乳色情片 will receive $743,224 from the Historic Preservation Fund’s African American Civil Rights grant program, according to an April 30 news release from the National Park Service. The 欧美巨乳色情片 award was one of 39 projects in 16 states and the District of Columbia to receive $23.4 million from the program.

The African American Civil Rights grant program focuses on the preservation of sites and stories directly associated with the struggle of African Americans to gain equal rights, according to the NPS.

Dearfield was a Black agricultural community about 25 miles east of 欧美巨乳色情片 founded in 1910 by Ohio native O.T. Jackson. Two structures and other remnants of the town remain at the site just off of U.S. 34.

The town was named Dearfield because it was “dear” to residents, who had a chance to own and work land there under the Homestead Act of 1862.

The Black American West Museum in Denver owns much of the land at Dearfield. Museum founder Paul W. Stewart was interested in collecting information on Black people who lived in the West. The museum developed its interest in Dearfield in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Efforts to preserve and save the former town began about 30 years ago 鈥� first with 欧美巨乳色情片 professor of Africana studies George Junne and later with Bob Brunswig, a now-retired anthropology professor.

Junne and Brunswig, along with many others, have been instrumental in preserving and rehabilitating Dearfield, leading to the National Park Service now evaluating the site to be a part of the federal system.

The National Park Service expects to have the Dearfield study completed in mid to late 2025.

On Saturday, Brunswig and Junne were a part of the 10th annual Dearfield Conference, which is a day of “information and education” on the status of Dearfield, according to Brunswig. The conference was held in person at 欧美巨乳色情片’s Michener Library and online.

The conference is co-sponsored by 欧美巨乳色情片 and the Dearfield Preservation Committee, which was founded in 2008 by former Weld County Commissioner Bill Garcia.

Garcia was also among the conference leaders or moderators for the day of presentations and programs including 鈥� looking at genealogy of Jackson’s family, advancing Dearfield to National Park System status and architectural considerations of preserving and restoring buildings on site and potential future plans.

Nine major bills aim to reduce water use in cities, replace nixed federal protections of wetlands and minimize the amount of toxic 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥� leaching into water supplies. Gov. Jared Polis already has signed four of the bills into law, while four more await his signature and one will go to voters.

鈥淚t was a pretty big year for water under the dome,鈥� said , the healthy rivers director at Western Resource Advocates, who has been monitoring Colorado water policy for 20 years. 鈥淚t feels like the state is stepping up to take advantage of this moment of time 鈥� and not just sit idly by 鈥� as climate change makes our climate drier and our rivers shrink.鈥�

But momentum must continue if Colorado is to avoid looming water shortages, lawmakers and advocates said. Critical conversations about and making sure that conserved water is used thoughtfully must turn into policy, they said.

Colorado鈥檚 demand for water is expected to outpace its supply by 2050 as the population grows and climate change sucks moisture from streams and snow, . By that time, municipal and industrial water users every year could be short up to 240 billion gallons. Shortages already faced by Colorado鈥檚 agriculture sector will grow.

Lawmakers in recent years have responded to that crisis and momentum has grown around water policy at the Capitol, advocates said.

The biggest achievement this year, lawmakers and advocates said, was the passage of , which created by a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year.

Colorado was the first state to pass legislation to address the decision, in which the court ruled that the federal Clean Water Act did not protect wetlands and temporary streams. The May 2023 ruling left more than half of Colorado鈥檚 waters without protections and regulations for construction activity.

Polis has not yet signed the bill, which would create a program in the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to regulate dredge and fill activities.

鈥淚t was critical to make this a priority for the legislature this session,鈥� said House Speaker Julie McCluskie, one of the bill鈥檚 sponsors. 鈥淚n a drought that has stressed our water resources in significant ways, there couldn鈥檛 be more urgency to make sure we鈥檙e protecting every waterway as best we can.鈥�

Other major legislation

Among other water-related bills passed this session were two focused on quality: , which has been signed into law, bans the sale of some consumer products with 鈥� like cookware and ski wax 鈥� beginning in 2026 and another class of products in 2028, in part to reduce how much of the chemicals reach waterways. And (not yet signed into law) orders a study of ways to use 鈥済reen infrastructure鈥� to improve water quality.

Voters will be asked in November to decide a ballot measure referred by allowing the state to keep more sports betting tax revenue for state water projects. The measure would remove the cap on the amount of money that goes for those projects.

Currently, any tax revenue above $29 million each year is returned to the betting companies.

Several other bills are targeted at conservation in various ways:

• (not yet signed into law), would implement recommendations from the Colorado River Drought Task Force convened last year. That includes making it easier for tribal nations to apply for state water grants and allowing people who hold agricultural water rights to loan them to the state water conservation board to boost flows.
• (signed into law), bans the and artificial turf on commercial, industrial, government and HOA-owned property beginning in 2026.
• (signed into law), allows the installation of graywater systems in new construction statewide. Graywater systems collect water after its first use and reuse it for a variety of purposes, like flushing toilets or watering plants.
• (not yet signed), would allocate $56 million to through state agencies, including water supply forecasting and turf replacement. The bill also includes $20 million for the purchase of the .
• (signed into law), allows stormwater facilities to running off hard surfaces like asphalt.

There will likely be further tweaks to the dredge-and-fill legislation for wetlands and seasonal streams as the program is implemented, said , a senior attorney at environmental conservation law firm Earthjustice. More stringent protections might be needed, he said, as the nation鈥檚 wetlands were being eradicated even before the Supreme Court decision.

Making progress, with more needed

Overall, the water-related legislation passed this session was a good step forward, said Sen. Dylan Roberts, an Avon Democrat who sponsored several of the bills. The alone will save millions of gallons of water since nearly half of municipal water is used to water lawns.

Lawmakers need to continue to pursue innovative solutions for the state鈥檚 most critical resource, he said, even if it鈥檚 not the flashiest policy topic.

Lawmakers in coming years should consider聽the creation of a statewide , which would pay water users to temporarily reduce the amount of water they consume, said , water campaign manager for Conservation Colorado.

Roberts remains disappointed that the , which convened last year, didn鈥檛 make recommendations on such a program, but he hopes conversations will continue.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been of the mindset that there鈥檚 no harm in preparing now and getting things ready for when we need them,鈥� Roberts said.

Water policy is complicated and can take years to develop, said , director of government relations at the Colorado River District.

Everyone involved in Colorado water policy knows that more needs to be done in the face of a hotter, drier future, he said.

The 2024 legislative session was an attempt to rise to the occasion, Kessler said, and the results show that lawmakers and advocates can make progress through conversation and compromise.

鈥淪ometimes these big hairy policy issues require time and conversation,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible to go to a water conference without someone bringing up the adage: Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting about. I just don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 true.鈥�