Taking the drive down to Castle Rock to see Toll Brothers’ spectacular ranch models at Montaine — the best-looking ranches you’ve ever toured — is a good-news bad-news story. The good news is that these designs will give you an entirely new way of looking at your options for moving into a new ranch, at a moment when your old place is worth more than ever. Toll Brothers’ Age-55-Plus Regency at Montaine in Castle Rock What: Regency at Montaine, age-55-plus master-planned community featuring six ranch models; country-club styled pool & clubhouse, 13 miles trail, 548 acres of scenic open space Where: 273 Alumroot St, Castle Rock, south on I-25 past 470, 13 mi. to Plum Creek Pkwy, turn east 1 blk to S. Wilcox, turn south 2 mi. to Crystal Valley Pkwy, turn east 1/2 mile to Plum Creek B

Thornton’s Alonzo Verge is introduced before the regional title game against Bloom in 2017. | Sun-Times file photoThe Sun-Times is counting down the 50 high school basketball programs with the most wins during the decade. When high school basketball fans think back to the 1980s, programs like Quincy, Providence St. Mel, East St. Louis Lincoln and the arrival of city powers King and Simeon are easy to think back on. The 1990s brought us memorable basketball giants in Peoria Manual and Thornton, a few steamrolling Proviso East teams and the continued dominance of King. The first 10 years of the 2000s included Glenbrook North, Peoria High and the beginning of a Simeon juggernaut. Earlier this year we broke down the decade’s best teams and best players. Now, with every season of the past decad

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new plan to reopen kindergarten through sixth grade classes beginning in the spring finally puts the state on a needed forward course. Although we appreciate the parameters of his “Safe Schools for All” framework, we’re troubled by the governor’s willingness to put union priorities above the needs of parents and students. In particular, the plan “hinges on districts with collective bargaining agreements to reach memorandums of understanding with their labor partners,” as the Sacramento Bee’s Marcos Bretón reported. As a result, mostly poor union-controlled schools will face delays – and unions will use these requirements to exact salary concessions. Unfortunately, teachers’ unions have long dragged their heels. In December, the California Teachers’ Association sent a le

Summary List PlacementThe US government will spend almost $500,000 on a deep clean of the White House before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20, CNN reported, citing government contracts it had viewed. The building has been the center of three COVID-19 outbreaks. A deep clean between administrations is expected — but contracting extra companies to help at this scale is unprecedented in modern times, presidential historian Kate Brower Andersen told ABC. "There's always been a deep clean between administrations, but we've never seen anything like this," she told ABC News' "Powerhouse Politics" podcast. The contracts for janitorial and housekeeping work include $127,249 on "2021 Inaugural Cleaning," $44,038 on carpet cleaning, and $29,523 on curtain cleaning, CNN reported...

Nearly a month into the Warriors season and nothing has changed. Yes, Golden State has some games after their inauspicious start to the season. Yes, we’ve seen some development from James Wiseman, the return of Draymond Green, and a new role for Eric Paschall. Yes, the Warriors look like a viable playoff team in the Western Conference. But this team is still overly reliant on Stephen Curry to win. And if that continues for the next few months, there’s not going to be anything left of No. 30 for those playoffs. Of course, there are far less capable people to carry an entire team out there, but that doesn’t make what the Warriors are doing to Curry fair. Case in point: Thursday’s game against the Nuggets. Related Articles Takeaways from the Warriors’ loss to the Nuggets

» Last year was the hottest on record, NASA finds, as climate change continues to accelerate. “This isn’t the new normal,” a researcher says. “This is a precursor of more to come.”  [The Guardian] » Latinos in L.A. County are dying from COVID-19 at a faster rate than any other group. An average of 28 out of very 100,000 Latinos in the county is now dying each day due to the virus. [Los Angeles Times] » The latest L.A. River revitalization master plan has been revealed. An updated to the decades-long project, this version of the plan encompasses all 51 miles and seeks to prioritize environmental sustainability and community engagement. [Forbes] » Numerous individuals who were already on the FBI’s terrorism watch list were among the participants in the Capitol attack. That so many known pe...

Summary List PlacementHistorians and presidential-library buffs say they're worried that any sort of Donald Trump presidential library or museum will be used entirely to glorify the ex-commander in chief while promoting lies about his administration and attacking his critics. Construction of a Trump library could wind up being a major battleground over the legacy of the twice-impeached president. Historians and Washington insiders are already speculating about whether Trump's kids might lead the effort, where a library would be located, and whether the federal government might withhold its support. "It will be ostentatious. It will be like Trump Tower. It'll be like everything he does — over the top and not very subtle," said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at ...

Summary List PlacementLast Friday, Twitter and its CEO Jack Dorsey made the call to permanently suspend President Trump from its platform for inciting violence. The statement that would follow from Dorsey himself, the following Wednesday, had four years of buildup riding on it. But for many who scrolled through Dorsey's thread, the messages fell flat. "I don't think it took an effective stand," Sandy Lish, principal and cofounder of communications firm The Castle Group, told Insider. "It's definitive that they banned [Trump], but his rationale, as he explains it, is not definitive."  In speaking with Insider, crisis communications experts generally agreed that Dorsey's response sounded authentic, but hasn't been met with enough action. It tried to address too many issues without providi...

Summary List PlacementPresident-elect Joe Biden's economic relief package unveiled on Thursday included yearly benefits for families with children, marking his first official step toward addressing child poverty. According to Biden's American Rescue Plan, the Child Tax Credit will be expanded so that families with children under the age of 6 will receive $3,600 per year, along with $3,000 per year for every child between the ages of 6 and 17. In addition, this credit will be "fully refundable," meaning that taxpayers will get a refund check even if the tax credit is greater than their tax liability. Families can currently claim a maximum of $2,000 per child under the age of 17. "We are facing an acute, immediate child care crisis in America, which is exacerbating our economic crisis," ...

Bitcoin has been around for 12 years (Picture: Getty Images) Earlier this month, Bitcoin topped $30,000 for the first time. Many believe that Bitcoin could now emerge as a mainstream payment method following the Covid-19 pandemic. Statista estimates that Bitcoin currently has over 63 million unique users. But what is Bitcoin, and is the money real? What is bitcoin? Bitcoin is a type of cryptocurrency, which is a virtual or digital currency – like an online version of cash. It works without a central bank and is usually exchanged from person-to-person when it is sold or exchanged, without anyone working in-between to overlook the transaction. There are various apps to help track bitcoin value (Photo Illustration by Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Im...

David Chambers, 33, allegedly knocked on the pensioner’s door offering her an injection if she paid him (Picture: Getty Images / iStockphoto)A man accused of tricking a 92-year-old woman into paying for a fake coronavirus vaccine has appeared in court. David Chambers, 33, allegedly knocked on the pensioner’s door on December 30 offering her an injection if she paid him. It is said he pressed something onto the woman’s wrist to pretend it was a vaccination and charged her a £160 fee, the Evening Standard reported. He is then alleged to have returned on January 4 to ask for another £100 from the woman. He has been charged with two counts of fraud by false representation, assault by beating, and two counts of breaking London tier four restrictions on travel. More: Coronavirus...