DENVER (CBS4) – A postal carrier was seriously hurt after two dogs attacked her on Monday.

The attack happened in Northwest Denver on West 34th Avenue near Utica. A neighbor was also hurt trying to pull the dogs off the woman.

Ron Spagle told CBS4 that when his neighbor’s two dogs got out of the front door of their home and attacked the female postal carrier he jumped over his railing to help. He says one dog had her on the ground and the other had her by the hair.

“I heard her screaming and I heard the commotion of the dogs,” said Spagle, who also suffered minor injuries. “I ran out there and jumped on top of the dogs.”

Animal control took the animals away. The dogs will be put down after they are released from quarantine. Officials said they are a husky and a chow chow.

“She sustained major damage to her arm and some of her upper regions, so we’re very concerned about her,” U.S. Postal Service spokesman David Rupert said.

The attack comes in the middle of Dog Bite Prevention Week. Denver comes in as the eighth worst in the nation for animal attacks on postal workers.

“Animal bites are a big problem for the postal service,” Rupert said. “Over 5,500 carriers were attacked last year alone.”

Rupert said the attack is say this is a sad reminder to dog owners of the precautions that need to be taken.

“If you have a pet, put it behind a fence,” he said. “If you don’t have a fence put them on a leash. Train them, for goodness sake.”

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The Eastern Conference Finals between the rival New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils finally got ugly — real ugly.

Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur was sucker punched in the third period by former teammate Mike Rupp. Coaches Peter DeBoer of New Jersey and John Tortorella of New York screamed at each other after the incident. And the Rangers blew their cool, as the Devils rode two goals and an assist by Zach Parise to a 4-1 victory on Monday night that evened the series, 2-2.

“Throughout a seven-game series,” Parise said, “both teams are going to get frustrated with things.”

Well, Monday was New York’s turn. And only time will tell if it spills over to Game 5, Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. As for Game 3, though, the story was the hit on Brodeur, who made 28 saves en route to his 10th win of the postseason.

After all, the punch came out of nowhere and almost set off a battle on the ice before the coaches got into it on the benches.

“You don’t like to see that,” DeBoer said of the hit on his goaltender. “He’s a key guy for us. Two teams battling it out. He’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.”

Brodeur was more surprised by the incident than anything else.

“I didn’t expect anything,” the 40-year-old said. “I never got punched like that in my career. First time. It kind of surprised me more than anything, but now I know I can take a punch.”

Tortorella refused to say anything about his shouting match with DeBoer, with whom he has argued several times this season, including Sunday when he complained about the Devils using illegal picks and embellishing penalties.

“This isn’t about John and I,” DeBoer said. “This is about the guys on the ice. So, I don’t have anything to say about that.”

This game — and its result — seemed almost anticlimactic after the shenanigans.

Bryce Salvador and Travis Zajac beat Henrik Lundqvist less than four minutes apart in the first to give the Devils their first two-goal lead in a series where the intensity and the emotions are picking up to the point where they now compare to the classic 1994 Eastern Conference Finals between these two rivals.

In that series, there were suspensions on both sides, three double-overtime games, a Game 6 “Guarantee” by New York captain Mark Messier, and unparalleled drama.

Well, this one is getting there.

On Monday, Brodeur, the only remaining player on either side from that 1994 series, even notched an assist in the third, on Parise’s empty netter, capping a game in which the Devils maintained their composure and bounced back from a 3-0 shutout in Game 3, while the Rangers took several uncharacteristic penalties and seemed rattled from the start.

And the chippiness increased with each period. New York’s Marc Staal whacked Patrik Elias in the back of the knee with his stick in the second. Ryan Callahan, the Rangers captain, and New Jersey’s Ilya Kovalchuk tussled and then jawed at each other from the respective penalty boxes.

“There are going to be situations out there where we get into each other’s faces,” Callahan said. “That’s playoff hockey.”

But the Rupp incident might have been a little over the top, even for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

A former Devil who scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal for New Jersey in 2003 vs. Anaheim, Rupp jabbed Brodeur in his crease in the third after a stoppage in play. That almost set off a free-for-all among the players on the ice, especially after Brodeur reacted like he had been hit by a roundhouse left.

As Brodeur walked through the locker room, he was asked if Rupp was his friend.

“That’s what I thought,” he said before heading to the podium for a postgame news conference. Meanwhile, Rupp was not available for comment.

The punch came about four minutes after Parise scored on a power play to give New Jersey a 3-0 lead and for all practical purposes, ended the game. Ruslan Fedotenko ruined Brodeur’s bid for his 25th career playoff shutout with just over five minutes to play.

The Rangers pulled Lundqvist, who had shut out the Devils in Games 1 and 3, with less than three minutes to play, and Brodeur made two outstanding saves to keep it a two-goal game.

Parise — two days after he did not speak to reporters after a disappointing effort in Game 3 — finally iced it with his second of the game and sixth of the playoffs. It was a clearing pass that found its way into the net. Brodeur notched the assist on that play. It was his fourth point of the playoffs.

But this game — which did not include New York’s Brendan Prust, who was suspended for elbowing Anton Volchenkov in Game 3 — was decided early because the Devils finally found ways to beat Lundqvist.

New Jersey dominated much of the play in Game 3, and the first period of Game 4 was even worse for the Rangers. They looked slow, were outhustled on nearly every shift, and they didn’t get a shot on goal until roughly halfway through.

By then, New Jersey already had a 1-0 lead, on a goal by Salvador, and was cruising.

Salvador’s see-eying shot through a half-dozen players from the left point sneaked by the Rangers’ netminder for New Jersey’s first goal since the third period of Game 2. New Jersey’s Jacob Josefson, playing for the first time since breaking his left wrist on April 3, failed to deflect the shot on the way in, and New York’s Anton Stralman seemed to screen Lundqvist, who seemingly never saw the wristshot.

Zajac’s goal gave the Devils a 2-0 edge at 11:59, and the rejuvenated Parise had a big hand in it.

New Jersey’s Dainius Zubrus sent the puck along the boards and New York’s Michael Del Zotto made two mistakes. He didn’t flag down the puck and then, he allowed Parise to skate past him, setting up a 2-on-1 break. Parise lifted a pass over the stick of a prone Dan Girardi, and Zajac one-timed the pass into the upper portion of the net before Lundqvist could react.

Parise extended the lead to 3-0 early in the third, just four seconds after New York’s Derek Stepan was sent off for high sticking. Kovalchuk took a shot from the point that Lundqvist could not control and Parise whacked the rebound into the net.

NOTES: Veteran Petr Sykora, who had played in every game for the Devils this season and won the 2000 Stanley Cup with New Jersey, sat, as Josefson returned to the lineup. … With Prust forced to miss the game, the Rangers dressed seven defenseman, including Stu Bickel who returned to the lineup after sitting for Game 3. … Rangers rookie forward Chris Kreider had his three-game goal scoring streak snapped. … The Devils’ win was played on the 18-year anniversary of New Jersey’s 3-1 victory over the Rangers in the aforementioned 1994 series. That was also a Game 4, and that also tied that series, 2-2. New York went on to win in seven games.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Boulder County commissionners want to see stricter regulations when it comes to open burn permits and fireworks within the county. They discussed the issue at a Tuesday morning meeting.

Some of the proposed changes would be to make the process of getting a burn permit stricter. That would apply for those who for anyone conducting a burn in a ditch or field or burning trash.

As part of the process of obtaining the permit the person who wants to burn something would have to contact the sheriff’s office as well as public health officials, and in some cases the fire authority, before that burn would be authorized.

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said the changes would make the burns safer.

“We want to make sure people are educated and we want them to be aware of what they’re doing,” Pelle said. “And also to make sure we’re aware of what we’re doing — and where it’s happening. So this accomplishes a lot.”

At Tuesday’s meeting a first reading for the burn permit ordinance was reviewed. The county commission could pass the ordinance in July.

Commissioner on Tuesday did pass a ban on sales and use of fireworks in the unincorporated Boulder County. An offender could face a $500 penalty.

They released the Top 100 Worst Traffic Cities and Denver is on the list at No. 27, moving up five spots from last year.

Bak also identified the congestion hotspots around town and revealed just how long someone in Denver sits in traffic each year.

The number might surprise you!  Watch my full interview from the CBS4 Morning News below:

The Colorado Department of Transportation is currently working on making life a little easier for the 115,000 cars that travel on Interstate 225 each day.

Removal of the Yale Street bridge is the 1st step in a project which will make it three lanes both directions and extend Light Rail through that area.

LINK: INRIX Ranking

- By Joel Hillan, CBS4 Traffic Specialist

He is participating in an event at Denver International Airport just before noon, and is expected to announce a major development.

The announcement could possibly involve new cities United will offer to people flying out of Denver.

Kevin Garnett added 20 points and Rajon Rondo had 13 points and 14 assists for the Celtics, who can advance to the East finals with a victory in Philadelphia in Game 6 on Wednesday. The Sixers would need a win there to force the series back to Boston for a decisive seventh game on Saturday.

Elton Brand scored 19 and Evan Turner had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which led by six points early in the third quarter before Boston scored 14 of the next 16 points. Bass scored eight of them, including back-to-back dunks followed by a steal that set up Ray Allen’s fast-break layup to give the Celtics a 63-57 lead with five minutes left in the quarter.

Boston closed out the third with a 10-2 run over the final 3 minutes and outscored the Sixers 28-16 in the period. The Celtics also scored 16 of the first 22 points in the fourth quarter — seven from Rondo — to put away the game.

Paul Pierce had 16 points — a perfect 9 for 9 from the free throw line — and Allen, back in the starting lineup because of an injury to Avery Bradley, had five points.

The Celtics acquired Bass in December in a trade with Orlando for Glen “Big Baby” Davis, and he worked his way into the starting lineup after the All-Star break. Although he solidified the power forward position after Garnett moved to center, he hadn’t done anything spectacular — until Monday.

Bass hadn’t scored more than 22 points in a game this season and he matched his regular-season career high of 27 on Monday night. His playoff high was 19 points, in 2008.

He left the game to a standing ovation with 2 minutes left and the Celtics leading by 18.

Boston tied it 57-all when Bass stole the ball from Thaddeus Young and got to the free throw line, making both foul shots. After a Sixers miss, Rondo found Bass underneath for the dunk. Bass added another crowd-pleasing dunk before knocking loose a ball to start Rondo on a fast break he finished by finding Allen for the layup.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – One would guess that Kevin Garnett was not a terribly popular player among Sixers fans, especially during the current series with the Celtics. His comments after Monday night’s game 5 probably won’t do much to change that.

From Ben Wantanabe at NESN.COM:

After the game, NESN’s Jayme Parker asked Garnett to compare the fans in Boston to the ones in Philly. “Not even close,” Garnett said. “You’ve got fans, and then you’ve got fair-weather fans. Take that how you want.”

And he continued …

“[Celtics fans] it for 48 minutes from the tip on, so I can’t see a difference from minute to minute,” Garnett said. “I feel like every minute I look up, I see my family, I see people yelling, I see the drunk, fat guy. I can’t decipher one from the other. This crowd is ridiculous. I love it.”

As far as attendance in 2012, the Celtics were 7th in percent capacity (100%) and the Sixers were 18th (86.1%). The Sixers attendance figure is up from 29th place last season. The Sixers finished third in the Atlantic Division standings, and the Celtics finished first.

However, Garnett didn’t play for the Celtics before their most recent string of championship caliber seasons that began when he and Ray Allen arrived for the 2007-08 season. In 2004, when the Celtics finished 4th in the Atlantic, their attendance figure ranked 15th in the NBA at 87%. In 2005, when the Celtics finished first in the Atlantic, they ranked 18th with a percent capacity of 85.9%. The Sixers ranked 7th and 15th in the league in ’04 and ’05.

In fact, in 2002, the first year that percent capacity figures are available, the Sixers rank second in the NBA at 100.6%, while the Celtics ranked 14th at 86.4%.

Perhaps Kevin Garnett has a point about Sixers fans, but when comparing them to Celtics fans, he should probably do his homework.

OKLAHOMA CITY (CBS) – Russell Westbrook scored 28 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers 106-90 to eliminate the Lakers in five games.

The victory puts the Thunder in the Western Conference finals, and sends Mike Brown’s Lakers into an offseason full of question marks.

Oklahoma City got their spark in the third quarter, after a turnover by Ramon Sessions,  Westbrook’s circus shot fell, plus the foul,  giving the Thunder a 73-70 lead .

Kobe Bryant did everything in his power to keep his team in the game, scoring 42 points on 18-33 shooting.

But the Thunder did their damage with Bryant starting the final frame on the bench, scoring 10-straight points to start the fourth quarter.

“Oklahoma City was the better team.”  Metta World Peace said. ” Indirectly I’m proud of the Thunder,we got them a few years ago.  But we’re going to work hard to get back.”

The Thunder will face the San Antonio Spurs, who have won 18-straight games.

 Boxscore   Photo Gallery

The Denver Post first reported the signing.

Wolfe, taken in the second round, said Monday night “my main concern was playing football, so I wasn’t really worried about getting the contract done. But still, it’s nice to get it out of the way.”

NFL rules, however, preclude Wolfe from joining his teammates at offseason practices until June 8 because his school, the University of Cincinnati, doesn’t graduate its 2012 class until next month.

So, Wolfe is home in Lisbon, Ohio, working out on his own. “It stinks,” he said. “I like being around my teammates, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

By ARNIE STAPLETON, AP Pro Football Writer

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Investigators hope an autopsy will help identify the victim and help catch the killer. According to the autopsy report, the victim’s death was due to blunt force trauma.

Hikers found the body over the weekend off the Burro trail near Breckenridge Ski Resort. Now officers are looking for help from the community.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office says the murder happened just a few yards inside the forest from the trailhead. The sheriff’s office says there’s a reasonably large community that lives off the grid in the forest and someone in there knows what happened.

“It appears the victim was targeted, so I would say there’s no crazy killer on the loose,” Capt. Jaime FitzSimmons said.

CBS4′s Jeff Todd walked along some trails on Monday and found camp set-ups similar to the murder scene.

“Contrary to what you think, there are a lot of people in the woods there,” FitzSimmons said. “They’ll assimilate in the community, they’ll work in the community, they’ll shop, they’ll drink in bars. They will absolutely be part of the community and they choose to live in the forest while there’s no snow on the ground.”

Detectives are not basing the whole investigation on community support. The area is so close to town, the sheriff’s office confiscated surveillance video from a nearby gas station, but the manager says that’s a common occurrence. The sheriff wouldn’t say what the video shows.

(credit: CBS)

“We’re confident there’s enough people living in that forest, we’ve had contact with people in that forest and we know there are people out there who know what happened,” FitzSimmons said.

Police say the transient community is normally not a big problem. The only real problem is trash, which coincidentally is exactly how the body was found on Saturday — by a volunteer who was cleaning up part of the trails in the area.

But Friedrich remains a bright spot for the Rockies. He’s a lefty who can well become a mainstay in their rotation for the next decade.

Friedrich was a pitcher in complete control when he made his debut two weeks ago. He looked like he’d been a major leaguer for years. He may have looked it, but he sure didn’t feel it.

“It wasn’t the first inning. In the first inning I didn’t have the jitters and all of a sudden the second inning I felt like my knees were shaking when I was in the stretch or something,” Friedrich said. “I didn’t know what was going on.”

Five days later Friedrich was back on the mound. This time in San Francisco and again he was terrific. This time he felt like he really belonged.

“I felt like I was a little more locked in,” he said. “I still have the butterflies in the first inning. You don’t know if you’re going to throw one over the fence behind the backstop or if it’s going to be right down the middle. But as soon as that first one gets out of my hand it feels back to normal.”

The Rockies drafted Friedrich in the first round in 2008, and frankly it’s been anything but smooth sailing. He struggled in the minors in large part because of injuries to his elbow and back. But he also let himself get out of shape, and at time he seemed as interested in video games as he was in baseball.

But this winter he lost 30 pounds, and while he still loves video games, he decided he loves baseball more — much more. So his agent arranged for him to spend some time in Arkansas with one of the game’s best pitchers.

“He was there with Cliff Lee and he had a chance to sit there and observe Cliff Lee and all of a sudden it dawned on him as to where his lead arm needs to be and what it is that he has to do to get this thing to work this way,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said.

“I went in there with my elbow hurting for the first three days and after playing catch for three days watching the way he threw the ball and the way he got on top of it the pain magically went away,” Friedrich said. “I learned how to get back on top of the ball and that was the biggest change.”

Like any young pitcher Friedrich is going to have his ups and downs. Saturday was of course a big bump in the road, but he’s a lefty with a fastball in the 90s and a curve that falls off the table. And he’s a young man who wants to learn as much as he can about his craft.

“I like the way he goes about his business. For me there’s something about preparation that’s really important in this game,” Rockies pitcher Jamie Moyer said. “Wanting to win, the desire to be successful every day whether you have the ball or you don’t. I know he’s trying to learn something and I think that’s really important. That’s what’s going to allow him to mature a little quicker, to maybe grow a little faster.”

Friedrich’s next scheduled start is Friday against the Cincinnati Reds.

The fire northwest of Fort Collins has burned nearly 7,700 acres, or about 12 square miles. But cooler and wet weather over the weekend helped firefighters get containment up to 87 percent. It’s cost nearly $3 million to fight the fire.

4 On Your Side Investigator Rick Sallinger learned more about how the fire started and how the Forest Service plans on trying to get restitution from the man who started it.

The camper who went to authorities and said he started it by accident has been identified as James J. Weber, a mental health counselor at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He could be on the hook for millions of dollars.

Weber told the Forest Service he placed a tiny camp stove on a rock and turned away. When he turned back it was on the ground with a fire burning. He tried to stomp it out, but it expanded greatly.

Forest Service spokesman Steve Segin likens what happened to a car accident. Those who cause it are then responsible.

“The individual started a wildfire and was charged with that, but is also responsible on the civil side to pay for the restitution and rehabilitation of the land,” Segin said.

The fine and fee for the ticket Weber received totals only $325, but the restitution the government may seek could go into the millions.

In 2002 Forest Service employee Terry Barton accidently started Colorado’s largest fire. She was ordered to pay $14 million federal and tens of millions more than $25 million in state restitution, plus she spent six years in prison.

The stove Weber used was like weighs only 1.3 ounces. It’s fueled by alcohol.

“The safety feature would be the user, ultimately. It’s a very basic stove, it’s why people like it,” Devon Beam with REI said. “It has no moving parts on it. It’s very light weight. You add fuel and it’s good to go.”

Other camp stoves are larger, heavier and as a result can be more stable. Regardless, a hot flame and the ultra dry conditions can lead to a catastrophe with a price tag in the millions of dollars.

The government will present a bill to Weber. It could ask him for all or part of the money. Homeowner’s insurance could cover some of it and a schedule could be made out for the rest. Weber’s attorney said they are reviewing the matter.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com’s Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfire (Fourmile Fire) and largest wildfire (Hayman Fire) in Colorado history.

Gary Lozow, 68, a prominent Denver lawyer, was driving along Speer Boulevard near 8th Avenue the morning of April 15 when his SUV was struck by another car. His vehicle flew over an embankment and landed upside down in Cherry Creek.

Belted in to his seat and upside down, Lozow lost consciousness as water filled the car, and his lungs.

“He was blue and in big trouble,” said one of the responding paramedics.

Nearby security guards from Denver Health Medical Center, bike riders, strollers, paramedics and firefighters rushed to Lozow’s aide, jumping in the water, frantically working to free Lozow from the car.

Sunday night Lozow and his family gathered the rescuers for what he termed a “Thanksgiving” dinner at a downtown Denver restaurant so he could look each person in the eye and thank them for saving his life.

“Anybody in this room, for the rest of their life, I will be there,” Lozow said. “And my word is my bond.”

Gary Lozow’s car in Cherry Creek (credit: CBS)

He told the group of about two dozen people that he planned to “pay it forward” to others as a way of repaying their kindness.

“I will take this gift and do good deeds and each time I am thinking of you and I am doing it for you. You’ve got my ticket. I mean it wholeheartedly,” he said.

One by one he called his rescuers to his side and thanked them. Julie Schumacher, a single mother of two who was walking on the Cherry Creek bike path the morning of the accident and jumped into the water said, “I thought he was certainly dead. I still can’t believe it, but there he is.”

Lozow suffered cracked ribs and a broken left hand but escaped more serious injuries. He thanked Tim Gillen and Gillen’s wife Dani Przychodzin. The couple was cycling down the bike path on their way to church, but jumped in the water and helped free Lozow from the wreckage. After that with their clothes still soaked the couple continued on to church where friends wondered how they got so wet.

Nursing student Sarah Johnson recalled how she called 911 when she saw the accident and was so certain she had seen a man die, she called in sick to work.

Denver Health Paramedics J.P. Piche and Robert Petre both said they didn’t think Lozow would survive the accident.

“It’s an honor to do this work and meet someone we’ve had a positive impact on,” Petre said.

Security guards Brandon Skalak, Kris Stevenson and Omar Salgado were also on the receiving end of Lozow’s gratitude.

“It’s a good feeling, I feel good with myself,” said Salgado, a native of Panama.

Also hailed was passerby Sam Kimpton, a student and husband who jumped in the fast moving water to help pull Lozow from the car.

Denver fire fighters Kevin Denny, Jason Parrington, Chad Cranmer and Matt Berry were also thanked for their efforts.

Lozow, surrounded by his family, said, “It feels pretty good to live in a community that has the predisposition to do the right thing. And they did.”

- Written by Brian Maass for CBSDenver.com

Drought conditions combined with hungry bears coming down from the high country make for a dangerous mix. Already two black bears have been captured from neighborhoods in the metro area — one in Boulder and the other in Federal Heights.

It’s a lot easier for bears to get into the suburbs than many people think. Canal drainage systems become a corridor for the bears to maneuver from the high country into backyards. Why they make their way down has everything to do with food.

In 2001, one bear galloped through yards, scaled fences and tall trees; even darted across the rooftops of Centennial homes. The folks who live in Cherry Knolls still talk about it.

“It was exciting,” Cherry Knolls homeowner Dawn Kalavity said.

“There were helicopters and police everywhere,” Cherry Knolls homeowner Tim Ratterman said.

When the 300-pound acrobatic bear made his way into the suburbs, Copter4 flew above the bear chase.

“The bear was scared. The people weren’t scared,” Ratterman said.

People perched rooftops trying to catch a glimpse of the bear. Children brought out their teddy bears for fun.

“We have wolves, we have snakes, but a bear? That’s funny. Actually, it’s not funny,” Cherry Knolls homeowner Mariella Warner said.

One of the most active bear seasons the Division of Parks and Wildlife experienced was in 2001. A repeat of that active season is predicted this year.

Just a few weeks ago an Adam’s County neighborhood got their first bear.

“Whoa, how could he get all the way over here?” witness Manuel Ramos said.

The bear darted around for 45 minutes, creating a big stir before he was tranquilized.

“I was wondering how it got all the way down here from up there. It’s just really strange,” witness Brian Trullinger said.

How bears get into the suburbs is part of the reason why Colorado is so beautiful. An example is the High Line Canal. Up the canyon the water diverts off of the South Platte River. That particular canal can take a bear through Denver and toward Denver International Airport. There are also drainage systems and open space areas that lead into the High Line Canal.

“They can cross a lot of country,” Jerrie McKee with the Division of Wildlife said.

McKee says if there aren’t good sources of forage for the bears in their habitat, they move down the canal with hungry stomachs.

“It’s not unusual for them to find these kinds of corridors to maneuver and then they get out and find themselves in major urban, metropolitan areas,” McKee said.

Along the Front Range there are an abundance of corridors for bears to travel — the High Line, South Platte, Turkey Creek, Bear and Clear creeks — just to name a few.

“Right now it’s not looking real good. We do have drought conditions over a lot of the state,” McKee said. “So we are anticipating this may be a really tough year for bears.”

Drought conditions have a detrimental effect on a bears normal food supply such as oak brush and choke-cherry.

People don’t expect a bear to come out of the riparian area, but when they do suburbs are littered with attractants — calorie-rich items lingering around a home like trash, dog and bird food.

“So you can imagine if a bear were to catch (the High Line Canal) and wander through town and hit almost any backyard and find an abundance of attractants and find itself in a lot of trouble,” McKee said.

A bear in the ‘burb might seem fascinating to some, but wildlife managers say there are so many potential dangers that the folks in Cherry Knolls remember all too well.

“It is scary because if you have grandchildren that are around the patio,” Warner said. “Sometimes the cuddly bear is not cuddly, really.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife managers say if a bear does end up in a neighborhood there are things residents should not do, like pursuing the bear and trying to get close to it to snap a picture. The more excited a bear gets, the more he runs and metabolism gets revved up along with adrenaline, it becomes very difficult to tranquilize.

The fire near Livermore was 94 percent contained Monday night. Managers expect to have the fire fully surrounded by containment lines by Tuesday evening.

About a half inch of rain fell at the fire on Saturday, which helped firefighters gain the upper hand on the blaze. It’s not growing much now, but fire managers say there are still some hot spots within the perimeter.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says a camper started the fire with an outdoor stove in the Roosevelt National Forest and was unable to stamp it out.

The U.S. Forest Service says costs of fighting the fire have reached about $3.2 million.

RELATED: Man Who Started Hewlett Fire Could Be On The Hook For Millions

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com’s Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfire (Fourmile Fire) and largest wildfire (Hayman Fire) in Colorado history.

Austin Kearns tied a career-best with four hits for the Marlins, whose 15-5 record in May leads the majors.

Buehrle (4-4) worked 7 2-3 innings, giving up four runs and four hits in the first and one more hit the rest of the way. Heath Bell pitched the ninth for his sixth save in 10 chances.

Moyer (2-4) allowed nine hits and six runs in 3 2-3 innings in his debut at Marlins Park, the 50th big-league stadium in which the 49-year-old has appeared during his career.

Troy Tulowitzki hit a two-run home run and Michael Cuddyer had a two-run double for the Rockies.

Stanton wasn’t even born when Moyer’s career began in 1986. His first game against him was one to remember.

Miami’s big fourth got going with one out, when Buehrle hit a soft double — the second of his career. He scored when Jose Reyes’ single was bobbled by center fielder Dexter Fowler. Moyer nearly escaped further trouble, but walked Hanley Ramirez on a full count with two out, then walked Kearns to load the bases.

That brought up Stanton, who watched Moyer’s 2-2 offering just miss — replays showed the inside pitch wasn’t out of the zone by much, if at all.

Moyer’s next pitch was 72 mph. It went out faster.

Stanton’s ninth home run of the season and fourth career grand slam went an estimated 438 feet down the left field line, the impact of its collision with the video board over the left-field concourse temporarily knocking out a portion of the digital display. The Marlins had a 6-4 lead, and the crowd roared for nearly a minute before Stanton acknowledged their desire for a curtain call.

“I looked it up and 1986 was his debut and I wasn’t even a thought at that moment,” Stanton said. “I was born three years later.”

Meanwhile, Buehrle was in a groove.

Buehrle got hit hard in the first, literally and figuratively. Jordan Pacheco lined a ball off Buehrle with one out, and scored along with Carlos Gonzalez two batters later when Cuddyer’s double beat Kearns to the left-field wall. Tulowitzki followed with a homer to left that put the Rockies up 4-0 before Moyer even saw the mound.

Buehrle didn’t give up another hit until Pacheco’s two-out single in the eighth, tipping his cap to the crowd as he departed.

Moyer has pitched in more ballparks than anyone since at least 1921, and was 8-2 in the Marlins’ former home, Sun Life Stadium. Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen — one of 11 current managers to bat against Moyer in their careers — went 4 for 22 against the lefty, and several members of the Miami coaching staff and front office also have faced him at one time or another.

“I don’t remember much,” Guillen said about his times against Moyer. “I know he went from very bad to very good to very old. … I feel proud to know him.”

Miami added an insurance run in the seventh, when Ramirez tripled and scored on Kearns’ fourth hit.

NOTES: Stanton is the eighth player to hit a grand slam off Moyer, and Buehrle had never before batted twice in an inning until the fourth, according to STATS LLC. … Miami RHP Ricky Nolasco (4-2, 4.10) is the Marlins’ scheduled Tuesday starter against Colorado’s Juan Nicasio (2-1, 4.37). … Kearns stole second in the third inning, his first time swiping a bag since June 6, 2010. … The Marlins hope to have 2B Omar Infante back Tuesday. Infante left the team Sunday to attend a family funeral in Venezuela. … Pacheco extended his hitting streak to seven games.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Even though women go through a lot worse, and worse things more frequently, us guys still whine about it.

But now we hear that the PSA blood test may do more harm than good.

That pronouncement comes from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the same group who made the world angry a few years ago when they said mammograms for women in their 40s were a waste of time and money.

This time around, they looked at the effectiveness of having a PSA, and after weighing the evidence, gave it a grade of D. Not so hot.

But that grade made an awful lot of urologists hot, who argued today that the PSA is effective, and the task force was full of … ah, what you might step in on a horse farm.

Some cancer experts, on the other hand, said the recommendation is a good one. The PSA isn’t perfect, and may be even be a worthless test when you look at it in the big picture.

That’s because an abnormal PSA doesn’t mean deadly cancer. It only suggests there may be cancer — but doctors being doctors, and men being men, we like to put people through biopsies or have “drastic” procedures done to kill off any chance that we might die from a treatable cancer — even if it’s so slow growing we’d probably die from something else before the cancer actually hurt us.

The point here being is that a PSA doesn’t tell you if you’re in big trouble or whether you can ride it out for decades.

Plus it’s wrong 80 percent of the time — saying you have a problem, and you really don’t.

The Task Force says for every 1,000 men who have a PSA :

- 1 will have his lived saved

- 1 will develop a life threatening blood clot because of unnecessary treatment

- 2 will have a heart attack because of unnecessary treatment

- 40 will become impotent or incontinent because of unnecessary treatment

What’s my advice as a man and a doctor over 50?

I don’t like blood tests, and hate the finger wave. But at this point, I’m probably going to keep checking. Then if something comes back abnormal, at least I have the option of biopsy, treatment or just hanging out and seeing if I die in 20 years from being hit by a bus.

Life is about options. The PSA isn’t the best test, but its the only test we’ve got. Even though it’s not black and white.

And that’s the message of this whole thing. Keep your options open. There is no right or wrong answer to this puzzle … at least not yet.

Department officials say an investigation allegedly found Carlos Miguel’s Mexican Bar & Grill violated overtime, minimum-wage and record-keeping provisions at restaurants in Woodland Park, Frisco, Castle Rock, Littleton and Colorado Springs.

Investigators say in some cases, employees worked up to 55 hours in a week without receiving proper wages. Investigators say some employees were underpaid because they were misclassified as salaried employees exempt from federal overtime and minimum wage requirements.

Federal investigators say the restaurant cooperated with the investigation and has agreed to abide by the Fair Labor Standards Act in the future.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The university said Monday that Paul Ohm will serve as a senior policy adviser for consumer protection and competition issues affecting the Internet and mobile markets. He begins his new position Aug. 27 in the agency’s Office of Policy Planning, which focuses on long-range competition and consumer protection policy initiatives and advises staff on cases raising new or complex policy and legal issues.

Ohm specializes in information privacy, computer crime law, intellectual property and criminal procedure.

His career has included working as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s computer crime and intellectual property section.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

City officials started investigating Mike Sanchez after receiving complaints last year of cars being illegally towed from pay parking lots.

Following an investigation, Stop-&-Park LLC was issued 18 citations for unlicensed operations of parking lots. The city Department of Excise and Licenses says Sanchez pleaded guilty on behalf of the business to nine of those counts.

The city says it no longer automatically renews parking lot licenses and is checking on complaints against applicants seeking renewal. It also is working with the Colorado Better Business Bureau.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The new lab would pull a lot of crime scene investigation work under one roof. Once the new lab is built, crime labs in existing law enforcement buildings in Northern Colorado will move their equipment and employees to the new building.

“Having everyone in one spot makes us more efficient and more effective in what we do,” lab director Ronald Arndt said.

As it stands now crime labs are spread across Northern Colorado, making it sometimes difficult to get things done in a timely manner.

“The county has committed $4 million for the construction of a brand new crime lab building,” Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway said.

Once built the crime lab will house analysts from Greeley and Loveland police as well as Weld and Larimer county sheriff’s offices. It’s expected Fort Collins police will join later.

The new lab will make the process of investigating evidence from DNA to fingerprints quicker.

“We’re cutting that delay by weeks if not months,” Weld County Sheriff John Cooke said.

“Let’s say there’s a firearm that needs to be processed for DNA, for latent prints and for firearms,” Arndt said. “I now have three different sites that gun may have to go in order get that work done. By having everyone in one location, the gun is in one spot.”

The new crime lab will be built somewhere near Highway 34 and 257 in Weld County. They are hoping to open the lab by September of 2013.

Williams most recently coached at South Dakota, where he spent four seasons. He coached the Coyotes to a 23-8 record and a WNIT berth last season.

Williams is a native of Gillette, Wyo.

Former Colorado State women’s basketball coach Kristen Holt resigned earlier this spring after four seasons in charge. Assistant coach Dick Lien was filling in on an interim basis while the school looked for Holt’s replacement.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The State Patrol says 187 people not wearing seat belts died in Colorado crashes last year, up from 164 in 2010.

The State Patrol released the numbers while announcing a “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement period that started Monday and runs through June 3.

Adults can be ticketed for not wearing a seat belt if their vehicles have been stopped for another violation. Seat belt fines are $65 per violation.

The Colorado State Patrol says that according to statistics from last year, those more likely to die in a crash without a seat belt were young men, pickup truck occupants, nighttime drivers and passengers, Hispanics and those traveling in rural areas.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The incident happened around 6 p.m. Heidi Compton parked her white Buick in front of the store and went inside. Her son Hunter wanted to stay in the car and listen to one of his favorite songs on the radio.

A man who was in line in front of Compton left the liquor store and initially walked beyond the car. He then returned a few seconds later. He casually got inside and screamed at the boy to get out as he was backing the car up. Hunter jumped out and the man drove away.

“I made the stupid mistake of leaving him in the car and I want other parents to know, even if you know it’s only going to be for a second, and even if you think that it’s going to be safe, it’s not because it can happen that fast. Just don’t ever do it.” Compton said.

Hunter wasn’t injured.

The man is described as a Hispanic male in his early 20s. He was wearing a Navy jacket with two thick white stripes on each shoulder.

Lakewood police said they located the car on Monday. Officers watched the car for awhile to see if the thief would come claim it, but he did not. It appears intact but does not have the keys, so Compton will have to pay for that. She said police found it in an area where stolen cars are often taken and dumped.

Sarah and Kip Wilson and their 3-year-old daughter Karina got a chance to personally thank Denver Health Medical Center paramedics James Hart and Randy Benish.

Last year the parents called 911 when Karina fell and had some strange loss of movement. When Hart and Benish arrived their skilled response determined that something was terribly wrong and rushed her to the hospital. She was diagnosed with an unexplained stroke.

“So they made a point to come into the room and say, ‘We really hope the best for Karina. We’re sorry this happened.’ I could really tell they truly cared. They weren’t just doing their job,” Sarah Wilson said.

Karina still has some weakness in her right hand and right leg, but otherwise is doing just fine.

DaVita is based in Denver and will pay more than $3.5 billion and $758 million worth of stock for Health Care Partners.

DaVita operates or administers almost 2,000 dialysis facilities around the nation. Health Care Partners has medical groups in California, Nevada and Florida.

The crash happened on the way to school on Interstate 225 near Yosemite Monday morning. Police say the driver made an illegal lane change and hit a car.

The eight students on board went to the hospital with neck and back injuries.

(credit: CBS)

Police say the murder-suicide happened Sunday night at Wheatridge Manor Care Center.

Joyce Schaffer, 69, was recovering for the past 10 months from a broken hip. Police say her husband Donald Schaffer went inside and shot her and then himself.

Family members say the couple was very much in love and are shocked by the shootings.

The voluntary recall by River Ranch Fresh Foods of Salinas initially included lettuce shipped to California and Colorado. The company said Monday it had expanded the recall to the entire nation.

The bagged salads are sold under the names River Ranch, Farm Stand, Hy-Vee, Marketside, Shurfresh, The Farmer’s Market, Cross Valley, Fresh n Easy, Promark, and Sysco.

The recalled retail and foodservice salad bags have “best by” dates between May 12 and May 29 or Julian dates of 118 and 125. The code date is typically located in the upper right hand corner of the bags.

Symptoms of listeria infection include high fever, headache and neck stiffness.

For more information about the salad recall visit the River Ranch website.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Williams’ lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, asked for the mistrial Monday just before opening statements were about to begin. He said he was only able to excuse two jurors instead of the three he was entitled to during jury selection.

Judge Andre L. Rudolph granted the request and scheduled another trial on the misdemeanor charges for Aug. 15.

Afterward, Rudolph declined requests to comment on what went wrong.

Steinberg said he told Rudolph about the problem after jurors were selected.

“It’s a mistake in the math,” Steinberg said.

Prosecutor Brian Dunn objected to a mistrial being called. He left without commenting, referring questions to the Denver District Attorney’s Office. A spokeswoman didn’t immediately return a call.

A jury of three men and three women, ranging in age from 20 to 61, were seated after questioning in the morning. A lunch recess was called and opening statements were scheduled to begin after the break.

Williams’ trial has already been delayed several times, including last fall after he suffered a dislocated right elbow during a game.

He faces a multiple-game suspension from the league because it was his second such arrest in his seven seasons in Denver. The Broncos stripped him of his captain’s title shortly after his arrest on Nov. 12, 2010.

Police say he was pulled over a little before 3 a.m., when he was spotted driving his car without headlights. He was cited with DUI and taken to a detox facility.

He was fined an undisclosed amount by the team.

- By P. Solomon Banda, AP Writer

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Manning ran the offensive practice, lining up receivers, running backs and even fellow quarterbacks during the Broncos’ workout Monday that marked the first time the media witnessed Manning throwing the ball since last year’s training camp.

Up until now, reporters have had to rely on his receivers for updates on his progress from a series of neck operations. Manning has refused to talk about it.

RELATED: Milestone For Manning & Broncos: Offseason Workouts Begin

Manning was released by the Indianapolis Colts in March after he missed the entire 2011 season because of a nerve injury that caused weakness in his throwing arm. The only four-time MVP in league history signed with Denver, leading to Tim Tebow’s departure.

- By Arnie Stapleton, AP Sports Writer

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

For example, 7-Eleven holds a free Slurpee Day Wednesday, May 23, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can get a free 7.11 ounce Slurpee during their kick-off party for Slurpee Lite.

Mark your calendar for June 1, National Donut Day, when you can get a free donut “that doesn’t require any dough” from Lamar’s.

For links to more freebies, from fries to desserts and fun things to do, check out Suddently Frugal’s list: http://www.suddenlyfrugal.com/2012/05/suddenly-frugals-freebie-friday-may-18-24-2012/

Also, it’s not really a freebie, but Traffic Specialist Joel Hillan wanted me to mention it’s BOGO time at Men’s Warehouse.

Happy Savings — and to those who’ve served our country, we’ll be thinking of you this Memorial Day.

About The Blogger

- In her Brooke’s Bargains blog Brooke Wagner writes about finding bargains and saving money for her family. She calls it one of her favorite hobbies. Blog entries cover everything from the latest steals, deals, and freebies to cheap family activities, saving for college, and what to buy right now. Tweet Brooke your ideas at @BrookeCBS4.

Demonstrators are trying to get their message across to world leaders in town for the NATO summit. They are protesting everything from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, climate change, and income disparity. The protests spread all the way to Denver.

The conflict in Chicago produced an Occupy Denver march that began at Lincoln Park. It was a last-minute gathering as Occupy Denver expressed its rage against NATO and what they call the war machine.

A two hour standoff produced a spasm of violence. Chicago police used batons on protestors attempting to reach a convention center where President Obama was hosting the NATO gathering. Earlier protestors were seen hurling objects at police.

“The only solution is global resolution,” a protestor said.

Occupy Denver responded with a solidarity march and a message.

“Beat us in Chicago, resist in Colorado,” an Occupy Denver protestor said.

Protestors in Chicago accuse NATO of starting wars and want the U.S. to avoid military intervention. That same message was heard in Denver.

“The U.S. is destabilizing Syria, they’re preparing to go into Iran,” the protestor said.

The Occupy movement began as a protest against banks and corporate America — that idea remains.

“I agree with them on fair taxes against the rich,” another protestor said.

And yet like the multiple messages from the Occupy movement, the Occupy Denver member wants NATO to be involved in removing Syria’s ruling family.

Roughly three dozen marched along the 16th Street Mall. Police kept a low profile, but as in past marches, curses were aimed at them and not appreciated by one tourist.

“They’re walking down a city street swearing, they’re talking about beating people up, it’s not what we’re about here,” the tourist said.

The turnout in Denver was smaller compared to other Occupy Denver gatherings last fall, but the hardcore remain.

“Even if the numbers have dwindled we still have a moral obligation to fight oppression,” the protestor said.

The Occupy Denver marchers walked the entire length of the 16th Street Mall, but unlike past Occupy Denver protests, there were no arrests, citations or criminal damaging.

As we get closer to Memorial Day weekend, there’s closer focus on gas prices for the heavily-traveled holiday period.  For the moment at least, fuel flows about 25 cents cheaper per gallon than this time in 2011, according to AAA.  That’s also about the current price gap between regular and premium, give or take.

Some drivers are doubling-down their savings.  They’ve stopped running higher-grade gas in favor of the lower-octane option.  Though as the Los Angeles Times cautions, saving a little now could come back to haunt motorists down the road.

Engine knock, characterized by a metallic pinging sound, can occur when an engine is under load and things get out of sync in the combustion chamber, with misfiring low-grade gas often the catalyst, so to speak.  It’s not a beautiful noise, and it’s not at all good for an engine’s health.

Cars today are equipped with knock sensors to prevent or least minimize this through dynamic engine timing.  So when an engine designed to benefit from premium fuel runs on regular, the immediate driver’s seat translation can be less responsive acceleration and slightly lower gas mileage.  Some drivers, having done the math, find they still come out ahead and are willing to sacrifice some horsepower in the process.

Long-term effects are less certain.  Knock sensors, however well they function new, may not perform to the same level after tens of thousands of miles.  Less effective engine management could open the door to internal damage.

Perfect opportunity for a large-scale experiment?  Possibly.  But as Harold Schock, director of the Engines and Automotive Research Labs at Michigan State University told the Times, don’t expect it to happen.  Even the EPA isn’t about to test how a couple hundred cars fare on different types of gas, short-term and long-term.

There’s nothing stopping consumers from trying it on their own cars, though.  The consensus is to check the owner’s manual first.  There, Schock says, you’ll find “the best set of practices for…the longest life and the best performance.”

If the manual suggests premium fuel is recommended, you can probably segue to the cheaper stuff without any drama.  If it reveals premium is required, you probably shouldn’t tempt matters.

If it’s any consolation–especially to the latter crowd–the interviewed engineers agree there’s more to be saved through proper maintenance and sensible driving than cheaper gas can deliver.  Besides, a 25-cent per gallon difference on a 15-gallon fill-up only amounts to $3.75.  Something to ponder over that $6 cup of coffee.

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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection.

Although many consumers might still be unfamiliar with stop-start technology, once they learn how it works and the potential benefits, a new survey finds that 97 percent of Americans say they’d accept it.

Briefly, stop-start technology automatically shuts off the engine during idle and restarts it when the brake pedal is released or the clutch engaged.

The survey, conducted in a series of eight focus groups in four U.S. cities, was commissioned by Johnson Controls, a leading supplier of automotive batteries.  Most of the respondents said they liked the idea of saving on fuel costs, while 25 percent said stop-start technology “just makes sense.”

How much were consumers surveyed willing to pay for such a system? More than one-third said that for a 5-percent improvement in fuel economy, they’d be willing to pay up to $500.

Vehicles With Stop-Start

As automakers try to comply with increasingly stringent Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards – 35.5 mpg by 2016 and 54.5 mpg by 2025—the incorporation of start-stop systems in mainstream non-hybrid vehicles is likely to take hold.

Now, annual production is about 3 million, and that’s mostly in the European market. That’s expected to grow to 35 million worldwide by 2025.

Which vehicles are available today with the technology? Originally offered in some luxury models from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, stop-start technology will be available on the new 2013 Ford Fusion mid-size sedan and the 2013 Kia Rio subcompact. The 2013 Porsche 911 will also get the technology.

As for the price point of the system in mainstream cars, Auto Start Stop in the 2013 Ford Fusion costs $295 and is available as an option with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine. Fuel economy is projected to be 26 mpg city/37 mpg highway.

In the case of the Kia Rio, the technology was supposed to deploy in late 2012 model year, but has been moved to the 2013 Rio as part of the Eco package. Pricing for the Eco package is $400, but it also requires the $1,150 Convenience package. Fuel economy is 31 mpg city/40 mpg highway, although commuters navigating through highly congested stop-and-go conditions may see 10-percent improvement (compared to Rios without stop-start). Read more about the 2013 Rio in this review.

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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection.

Progress in technological advancements, easy and instant access to information and entertainment, and a host of other new and better items to make everyone’s life more convenient on-demand: It’s all good, right? Who really longs for the good old days anymore—the days when kids played stickball and kick-the-can and jump rope in the streets?

Over the years since most of adult Americans were born, something changed rather dramatically. The streets became an unfriendly place for children, so much so that parents increasingly opted to drive their kids to and from every possible destination.

This may be having a profound effect in how today’s kids not only view their surrounding environment but also how they learn how to function in society.

Sound far-fetched? According to a recent article in The Atlantic Cities, kids who get driven everywhere have difficulty connecting with their neighbors and community. The article goes on to say that these children don’t even know where they’re going, citing work by Bruce Appleyard, the son of urbanist researcher Donald Appleyard, who’s been looking into how children’s constant exposure to traffic affects their perception and understanding of their “home territory.”

Appleyard studied and worked with children in two suburban communities, one with light traffic and infrastructure conducive to the kids walking and biking to school on their own, and the other with heavy traffic where the kids traveled almost exclusively by car. Using a technique called cognitive mapping, Appleyard encouraged the children to draw maps of their neighborhoods, showing places like school and the houses of their friends, as well as marking places they liked or disliked.

Not surprisingly, the results of the study showed dramatic differences between the children’s perspectives. In heavy traffic neighborhoods, the kids expressed feelings of dislike and danger, drawing little detail of their surroundings. In contrast, kids in light traffic neighborhoods drew rich detail, more places they liked, and fewer cars or signs of danger.

What’s the take-away from this? Is there anything that can be done to change our high-traffic neighborhoods and encourage children to once again walk or bike to school? Appleyard points out that there are groups and programs committed to helping communities improve infrastructure and make streets and sidewalks safer for kids.

One such group is Safe Routes to School, which began research on children safely walking and bicycling to school in the early 1970s. The first modern safe routes to school program began in 1997 in the Bronx, New York.

In 2005, Congress passed federal legislation establishing a National Safe Routes to Schools program. The Federal Highway Administration administers the funds to states to use in infrastructure projects and non-infrastructure activities.

What programs such as Safe Routes to School can do is to help communities build sidewalks, pedestrian paths and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, reduce speeds in school zones and neighborhoods, address distracted driving among drivers of all ages, and educate generations on pedestrian and bicycle safety.

With a goal of creating safer and more pedestrian-friendly streets and neighborhoods for our kids, parents and communities can help children begin to view their home turf, at least, as a much more kid-friendly environment. If the research is on point, this small but very important change may give them a boost in learning how to be more functional members of society.

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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection.

America is in the midst of graduation season, which can only mean one thing: High school graduates across the country are motoring around in their very first cars, taking their first road trips, and buying their first (and last) air-fresheners disguised as fuzzy pairs of dice.

But along with those joys comes another, less pleasant first: the very first breakdown. How will your teen driver perform in the face of adversity? The folks at AutoMD put together a quick checklist to help them through the rough patch, and we’re going to share it with you, along with a suggestion of two of our own.

(Note: This list is directed at novices, but it really applies to drivers at every level of experience. Have a look. You might learn something.)

1. First things first: get your car off the road. Even when things go seriously wrong, moving vehicles don’t usually stop working entirely, so hopefully, you’ll have some time and momentum to get your car to the side of the road. (If not, turn on your hazard lights and skip to step 2; don’t get out of the car while it’s stranded in traffic, especially if you’re stuck on a busy highway.) When you reach the side of the road, put the car in park, engage the emergency brake, and spin your steering wheel away from the road. That way, your car won’t accidentally roll out into oncoming traffic. Turn on your hazard lights, too.

2. Call for help. According to the Pew Research Center, about 77% of American teens have cell phones, so odds are good that this won’t be a problem. (For the remaining 23% of teens, parents might consider stowing a limited-function feature phone in the glove box, just for emergencies. Or you could purchase a roadside assistance device like OnStar FMV, which is now on sale for $99.)

3. Let other drivers know that you’re in trouble. Hazard lights are a start, but they don’t necessarily shout to the world that you’re having car problems. (For example, you might’ve pulled over to take a call.) If you can get out of the car safely and if you have road flares available, place a couple of them about 50 feet behind your car. Raising the hood isn’t a bad idea, either.

4. Stay with the car. For at least two reasons, it’s usually best if you stay with your vehicle. First, if you’ve called AAA or another roadside service, they typically can’t do anything to a vehicle without the driver present. And second, as we mentioned above, roadways are dangerous places for people on foot — in fact, about 4,000 pedestrians are killed each year in the U.S. The situation is far more deadly when cars are flying by at 60 or 70 miles per hour.

5. Now probably isn’t the time to take a blind stab at auto repair. If you’ve got some tinkering experience, you might be able to identify a loose battery cable, but if your problem is a flat tire and you’ve never changed one before, leave it be unless the situation becomes desperate. Changing tires can be tricky, even under ideal conditions — and frankly, perched on the shoulder of a highway isn’t what we’d call “ideal”. If you do know how to change a tire, proceed with caution. In the best of all possible worlds, you’d wait until a police officer shows up, just to help slow down traffic.

6. Use common sense. Every breakdown is different, depending on where you are, what you’re driving, the time of day, the underlying problem, and so on. For example, if you’re on a quiet stretch of road and you know what’s wrong — say, for example, you ran out of gas and you’re certain there’s a gas station nearby — it’s probably okay to ignore item #4 and hoof it. Just exercise caution, and don’t exit the car on the same side as traffic is flowing.

7. Be wary of strangers. Your parents probably told you that a thousand times when you were young, but it bears repeating. There are plenty of good Samaritans out there, eager to help folks in trouble. However, there are also a handful of bad eggs that can really spell trouble. If a stranger pulls over and offers help, it’s probably best to remain in the car with the doors locked. Roll down the window a bit and tell them that help is on the way. Call the police if need be. Sorry if it seems that we’ve lost all faith in humanity, but if you’ve ever been to a cutthroat garage sale, your views are probably a little jaundiced, too.

Got any other tips for folks experiencing their first breakdown? Drop us a line, or leave a note in the comments below.

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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection.