“We examined the relationship between ADHD, anxiety disorders and bipolar disorder in a birth cohort of 2 409 236 individuals born in Denmark between 1955 and 1991....
Yes, you’ve been seeing and hearing about gorgeous eruptions of wildflowers, thanks to the exceptional moisture Colorado has received this year, but it sounds like the best is yet to come.
Maggie Gaddis, executive director of the Colorado Native Plant Society, says peak wildflower viewing along the Front Range and in the high country has not arrived, and will be later than usual, for different reasons.
“A lot of the rain that fell in town was snow in the mountains, so everything’s late in the high country,” said Gaddis, who lives in Colorado Springs. “Pikes Peak has more snow on it now than it’s had all winter. We were already at like 124% snowpack before we had these intense spring rains.”
Front Range wildflowers and gardens have benefitted from all that rain, of course, but Gaddis says flowering has been delayed because we’ve had so many overcast days.
“If you look at all the plants in people’s gardens, they’re taller than they normally are,” Gaddis said. “They’re greener, but they’re not flowering faster than they normally do, given the water, because there’s been no sun. Down here, everything is long and leggy, just getting used to some sun.”
Gaddis said Front Range gardeners may see their late season plants flowering simultaneously with their early season plants.
“I’ve already got asters that are blooming with my penstemons, and that normally does not happen,” Gaddis said. “The penstemons bloom in June and the asters (normally) don’t bloom until August or September. So potentially those asters will bloom again, if I cut them back, but it’s like all the plants got on the same time schedule.”
Gaddis guesses peak flowering may begin in a couple of weeks. And, because of the drought that preceded this year’s above normal precipitation, wildflower lovers should keep their eyes out for some unusual species.
“We’re seeing a lot of weird plants that we don’t normally see,” Gaddis said. “There’s an active seed bank (in the ground) all the time. Those seeds are sleeping until the moisture is right. This year the moisture is right for a lot of interesting plants. So when it does bloom, I expect to see a lot of things that are rare.”
For those who want to go on wildflower hikes with some expert interpretation, each of the seven regional chapters of the Colorado Native Plant Society conducts frequent botany hikes, at least once a month. For another source of information, she recommends a free app called iNaturalist, a crowd-sourced information platform that allows people to benefit from the observations of others.
“There’s millions of people on the platform,” Gaddis said. “You can look at the map, isolate a geography, click on it and view all of the observations — all the plants that other people photographed recently. That’s a great way to know before you hit the trail if the season is going in that place yet.”
A free native plant swap will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Earthlinks, 2746 W. 13th Ave. in Denver.
Colorado economic forecasters predict another tax refund windfall next spring — though how Coloradans receive the excess collections depends on how they vote this November.
Forecasters for both the legislative and executive branches expect tax collections subject to Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, caps to exceed $3.3 billion. That would be near the prior year’s record that lawmakers refunded through direct checks last fall. Following year forecasts still show excess collections, though not nearly as eye-popping.
The excess collections will surely become a point of leverage in a looming ballot box battle over state tax policy. Voters will decide this November on Proposition HH, a multi-faceted proposal aimed to blunt the sharpest edges of rising property taxes while also allowing the state to keep more tax dollars than currently allowed under TABOR.
Opponents are arguing its passage would lead to a long-term vacuuming of tax dollars that would otherwise be returned to taxpayers. Supporters, including Gov. Jared Polis and many lawmakers, argue the measure is necessary to backfill local governments and services whole while saving property owners hundreds of dollars a year in higher taxes driven by skyrocketing property values.
As an additional carrot, lawmakers attached a one-year, flat TABOR refund to the proposal passing. Economic forecasters with the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting predict individual taxpayers would receive $873 per filer — if HH passes. Forecasters for the legislative branch, who estimate a slightly lower breach of the TABOR cap, predict it would be about $854.
If Proposition HH doesn’t pass, the state would revert to the six-tier refund mechanism that gives lower-income taxpayers lower refund amounts, and higher-income taxpayers higher refunds, under the philosophy that higher-income taxpayers paid more into the overcollected taxes.
General estimates show that a flat rebate means more refund money for taxpayers reporting less than $100,000 in annual income and lower refunds for individuals with higher incomes. Forecasters for the legislative branch predict a six-tier refund would equal about $590 for single filers reporting less than $50,000 in income and $1,850 for taxpayers reporting more than $278,000 in income.
State Rep. Mike Weissman, an Aurora Democrat and sponsor of the bill flattening the rebate, called the six-tier system “inequitable” because it gives the well-off a bigger slice than lower-income folks. The updated forecasts pushed the expected flat rebate to nearly $200 more per person than when lawmakers passed the bill.
“Lower-income taxpayers — anybody under $100,000, which is a lot of Coloradans — will benefit from the passage of Proposition HH,” Weissman said. “… That’s been true since the legislative session. It’s more true now with this forecast.”
Overall, forecasters revised the economic forecast up for this fiscal year. They expect the economy to slow next year and in 2025, though still show overall growth.
“The economy is showing still positive growth, but slower growth than we saw in 2022,” Emily Dorman, an economist with the Legislative Council Staff, said. She expects that positive growth to continue through 2025.
She added that the risk of a recession is still elevated, but not as sharp as it was in March. Greg Sobetski, chief economist for the Legislative Council Staff, singled out the resolution of the federal debt ceiling fight and lower risk of a cascading financial crisis spurred by collapsing banks as positives. Looming uncertainty around long-term monetary policy and federal interest rate hikes tempers their optimism, though.
He predicted “a slow, plodding economic growth over the next year, year-plus, returning to a moderate pace of expansion in 2024 going into 2025.
Colorado’s public services have suffered under TABOR. Due to TABOR’s forced deep spending cuts, Colorado’s national rankings on a number of critical public services plummeted in the years after it adopted TABOR in 1992. For example:
Colorado fell from 35th to 49th in the nation in K-12 spending as a percentage of personal income between 1992 and 2001.
Colorado’s college and university funding as a share of personal income declined from 35th in the nation to 48th by 2008.
Colorado fell to the bottom of national rankings in providing children with full vaccinations. It even suspended its vaccination program between 2001 and 2002 because it could not afford to buy vaccines.
The share of low-income children in the state without health insurance doubled between 1992 and 2005, while falling in the rest of the nation.
Furthermore, Colorado’s business climate and economy deteriorated under TABOR. The measure contributed to a credit downgrade in 2002 and alarmed business leaders by undermining the state’s ability to invest in its basic infrastructure and workforce.
These directories can help you find a great therapist. You may want to filter by your particular problem or the approach you want your therapist to use. Many of these directories also allow you to filter by therapist's identity....
Some therapists just aren't good. She shouldn't push for something you've explicitly stated is off limits. The saying is "start where the client's at" not "push the client to start where you feel is appropriate." I'm sorry you had that experience.
Kids diagnosed with ADHD are 10 times more likely to develop bipolar disorder later in life. Kids diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety - 30 times more likely. (drive.google.com)
“We examined the relationship between ADHD, anxiety disorders and bipolar disorder in a birth cohort of 2 409 236 individuals born in Denmark between 1955 and 1991....
Peak Colorado wildflower season is two weeks away [PAYWALL - ARTICLE IN COMMENTS] (www.denverpost.com)
These 9 abandoned Colorado ghost towns will give you the chills (www.denverpost.com)
At the Colorado Tiny House Festival, small spaces are a big deal (the fest takes place in Brighton June 24-25) (www.denverpost.com)
Goodwill permanently closes dressing rooms in Colorado (www.9news.com)
Goodwill of Colorado said it is "experiencing high levels of theft, substance abuse and vandalism in our fitting rooms."
A multi-day severe weather threat could bring strong storms to the Denver area on Wednesday and Thursday (www.9news.com)
Unstoppable (lemmy.world)
A Colorado program is training the next generation of outdoor innovators at WCU (coloradosun.com)
Coloradans can expect another TABOR windfall. How much depends on voters in November [PAYWALL - ARTICLE IN COMMENTS] (www.denverpost.com)
Denver Health building transitional apartments for patients who have nowhere to go (www.9news.com)
Colorado will start using Medicaid data to determine free school lunch numbers (www.9news.com)
Colorado wants you to mail in your ticks (yes, really, it's for science!) (www.9news.com)
To submit your tick, go HERE, then follow mailing instructions:...
“Tiger King” Joe Exotic is not on the Colorado ballot for president, despite what he may say [PAYWALL - ARTICLE IN COMMENTS] (www.denverpost.com)
Therapist Directories
These directories can help you find a great therapist. You may want to filter by your particular problem or the approach you want your therapist to use. Many of these directories also allow you to filter by therapist's identity....
TSA starts facial recognition program at Denver International Airport (www.cbsnews.com)
The technology is currently voluntary for flyers.
Finding therapy for bipolar (lemmy.world)
Therapy Directories...
And Then His Wife Called Me On Christmas: A Tale of Bipolar Hypersexuality (medium.com)