Most newspapers in Colorado carried stories today about the results of an investigation into a fatal home explosion in Firestone, which was caused by anuncapped, abandoned gas line. Read our full coverage on that here.

As for what else made the Wednesday fronts across the state:

The High Plains dairy complex reflects the new scale of the U.S. organic industry: it is big. Stretching across miles of pastures and feedlots north of Greeley, Colorado, the complex is home to more than 15,000 cows, making it more than a hundred times the size of a typical organic herd, reports The Washington Post, re-printed in The Denver Post. It is the main facility of Aurora Organic Dairy, a company that produces enough milk to supply the house brands of Walmart, Costco, and other major retailers. We take great pride in our commitment to organic, and in our ability to meet the rigorous criteria of the USDA organic regulations, Aurora advertises. But a closer look at Aurora and other large operations highlights critical weaknesses in the unorthodox inspection system that the USDA uses to ensure that organic food is really organic.

A felony drug and weapon possession case was dismissed in court last week at the request of the 10th Judicial District Attorneys Office after it was discovered that a Pueblo police officer reportedly reenacted body camera footage of a search of the defendants car after the initial search of the vehicle had already been conducted, reports The Pueblo Chieftain. The case involved [a 36-year-old man]who was facing charges of possession with intent to manufacture or distribute a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a weapon by a previous offender and special offender; all felony charges. Text messages revealed what the officer had done.

Greeley will pay $225,000 to the man injured in October 2015 when a retired Greeley police officer struck him with his unmarked police car, reports The Greeley Tribune. Jerry Hill suffered numerous injuries, including to both shoulders, knees and his head, when he was hit Oct. 20, 2015, in the crosswalk at 9th Avenue and 10th Street. Steve Duus, who has since retired form the Greeley Police Department, eventually pleaded guilty to driving too fast for conditions and paid $181.50 in fines. The $225,000 settlement marks at least the third Greeley has paid out this year, totaling at least $725,000 for a variety of claims.

A new annual report from the Garfield County coroners office shows that the number of accidental deaths in the county nearly doubled from 2015 to 2016, reports The Glenwood Springs Post-Independent. However, its difficult to call this or any other figures in the report a trend yet, said Robert Glassmire, Garfield County coroner, because the office wasnt compiling these numbers prior to 2015, before his term in the office. But Glassmire hopes that tracking statistics about his offices investigations will produce some valuable information in the future for public health, hospitals and budgetary projections. Garfield County saw an estimated 329 total deaths last year, and the coroners office investigated about 38 percent of those, or 126 deaths. All together, 229 deaths were reported to the office. The office performed 61 autopsies, which accounts for about 18 percent of all deaths.

Longmont City Council members did not direct the city staff Tuesday night to study and review a proposal to protect undocumented immigrants by designating a Longmont to be a sanctuary city, reports The Longmont Times-Call. Instead, council members voted unanimously to approve a suggestion from Mayor Dennis Coombs that the city staff prepare a public presentation on what our practices and policies are, insofar as police and city employees dealings with undocumented immigrants. And let us digest that information, Coombs said.

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner has introduced a bill that would authorize the move of the Bureau of Land Managements headquarters to the West, as Gardner reiterated his view that Grand Junction would be the ideal location for the office, reports The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. The Colorado Republicans measure would require the Interior secretary to develop a strategy to move the headquarters from Washington, D.C., to a Western state in a manner that will save the maximum amount of taxpayer money practicable. The bill spells out that by Western state, it means Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington or Wyoming. U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., introduced a companion measure in the House.

Becca Bleil has a fundamental beef with Colorado State University. A university that prides itself on being green should not slaughter animals on campus, no matter how noble the purpose, she said, reports The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. Bleil, a member of the animal rights club on campus, began a petition through change.org to protest a small animal harvesting facility included in the $20 million JBS Global Food Innovation Center planned to open on CSUs Fort Collins campus in 2018.

Extended business hours might help explain why Steamboat Springs three marijuana stores had record sales in March, reports The Steamboat Pilot & Today. Stores began extending their hours Feb. 17, which means March was the first full month they were allowed to be open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. We were really surprised by the number of people we got in here after 7 p.m., Golden Leaf manager Paige OBrien said.

Loveland City Council members on Tuesday voted to spend as much as $500,000 of their special projects fund as a matching grant to the Food Bank for Larimer County, reports The Loveland Reporter-Herald. The City Council approved the request on April 18 for as much as $500,000 and almost $34,000 in fee waivers for the nonprofits purchase of a new warehouse facility the former building of High Country Beverage. Council members approved the request on second reading 6-2 (Councilmen Dave Clark and Steve Olson voted against for the second time).

Opting against an outright ban on ground-floor banks along Pearl Street downtown, the Boulder City Council instead decided to adopt a softer measure with a wider geographic scope, reports The Boulder Daily Camera. By an 8-1 vote on Tuesday night, with Bob Yates representing the lone voice of dissent, the council passed on second reading an ordinance that requires any banks seeking to locate downtown to undergo a special use review. This plan will apply not just to Pearl Street between Ninth and 18th streets the stretch affected by the temporary bank ban approved in February but rather to three different downtown zoning districts that include portions of Canyon Boulevard, Walnut Street and Spruce Street.

Durango business owners upset with panhandlers who are impacting the safety, charm and allure of our community have come up with some creative and potentially unconstitutional ideas for dealing with the problem, reports The Durango Herald. According to a survey circulated last week by the Business Improvement District, ideas to combat panhandling include more police in downtown Durango, informing panhandlers of community resources available to assist them, recruiting volunteers to work in opposition to panhandlers and bringing back no-loitering laws.

Jenny Cristelli said she didnt know about the silver toy gun that was pointed at her daughters head until she came home from school, reports The Caon City Daily Record. This incident might have played a role in the Caon City School Boards decision not to renew Harrison K-8 School Principal John Pavliceks contract, according to district emails obtained by the Daily Record through a Colorado Open Records Act request. In recent weeks, a flood of parents and educators have come forward in support of Pavlicek, who said he was pressured into submitting a letter of resignation. At an April 24 school board meeting where the board decided not to renew Pavliceks contract a crowd of supporters shouted chants of recall at board members and yelled questions.

The Gazette continues its series about legalized marijuana with an installment about how Pueblo is becoming the Napa Valley of weed.

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The Home Front: Your 'organic' milk might not be so organic. WaPo comes to Colorado to show you why. - The Colorado Independent

Free of Burden

Theres little debate in the science regarding the benefits of meditation. According to research published in theJournal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,meditation has beenlinked to reduced feelings of depression, anxiety, and physical pain. Other studies have explored connections betweenmeditation and

Other studies have explored connections betweenmeditation andimproved focus, lowered blood pressure, strengthened memory, reduced fatigue, andwell, the list goes on and on.

But theres a problem. At its core, meditation sounds like the easiest thing in the world: Clear your mindand think about nothing at all. However, meditatingcan be far more difficult than simply breathing in and out for a few minutes. Reaching a meditative state actually takes a lot of work, and truly clearing your mind is far from easy.

However, scientists assert that using proprioceptive input (also know asdeep touch pressure (DTP))to ground your body is helpful when attempting to reach a meditative state. Research has shown that this kind of pressure results in a reduction in cortisol levels and an increase in serotonin production, decreasing yourheart rate and blood pressure.

Thus, the relaxed physical state that comes from peroprioceptive input can make it easier to achieve a calm mental state thats conducive to meditation, and one of the most effective ways to get this proprioceptive input isby using a weighted blanket.

Thegravity blanket is filled withpoly pellets in an evenly distributed grid pattern that is engineered to be roughly 10 percent of yourbody weight. This added weight allows the gravity blanket to applyspecifically targeted pressure to various points throughout your body in order to reduce the aforementioned cortisol levels and increase your serotonin production.

As Amber Martin, an occupational therapistfrom Utica College, notes, peroprioceptive input is good for pretty much everyone and anyone. It can be very calming and organizing. By helping youreach a state of peaceful relaxation more quickly, Gravity Blanket makes it easier for you totake advantage of every valuable moment of meditation before you have to return to the busy world outside your mind.

Though researchers estimate that it has beenaround for more than 5,000 years, meditation has recently found itself the subject of intense scientific focus. Scientists have used all the tools in their arsenal, from fMRIsto EEGs, to uncover the science behind this practice and determine how productive it really is in relation to the human body.

Theyve reached some interesting conclusions about the positive benefits that it provides. As Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, notes, meditation literally transforms your brain: We found differences in brain volume after eight weeks in five different regionsin the group that learned meditation, we found thickening in four regions. Studies by other scientists have shown that meditation can help enhance attention and emotion regulation skills. Gravity Blanket can help you get there, and significantly help your mind and body as a result. You can learn more about the science behind proprioceptive input, and select a blanket, here.

Futurism has partnered with Gravity Products LLC to bring you this exclusive product.

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No, Meditation Isn't Overrated. Here's How You Can Use it To Change Your Brain. - Futurism

Some corners of corporate America have long had a culture that wears its long and grueling hours like a badge of honor.

Now a group of executives is trying to change that by opening up about how they each found balance in their own lives and by making wellness a priority at their companies.

Ive found in a culture like Wall Street, people are obsessed with how many hours people work, said Barry Sommers, CEO of Wealth Management at J.P. Morgan Chase, during Fortune 's second annual Brainstorm Health conference in San Diego on Tuesday. Way too many people are getting out of there as fast as they can because theyre totally burnt out.

Click here to subscribe to Brainstorm Health Daily, our brand new newsletter about health innovations.

Sommers decided to take his health into his own hands a decade ago after someone hed known personally and professionally for 30 years started doing transcendental meditation. It transformed this persons life, he said. I saw a different person.

Sommers now has being doing transcendental meditation 20 minutes two times a day for a decade. And he prioritizes sleep, getting seven and half to eight hours every night. I changed my schedule and lifestyle, he said. When I do a dinner, well be at the restaurant at 5pm, not at 8pm. He said his kids make fun of it, but he wakes up every morning incredibly happy. If theres a problem at the office, his employees know to call the house and his wife will wake him up. But rarely is there anything so important that it cant wait until the morning, he said.

This goes completely against mainstream assumption that J.P. Morgan is the boiler room of burnout, said Arianna Huffington, the founder and CEO of Thrive Global, who moderated the panel.

Over at Levi Strauss, CEO and president Chip Bergh has focused on pushing exercise for his employees. I always saw a connection between what I was doing for my own health and fitness and performance, said Bergh, who has run triathlons and marathons.

Levi Strauss was in turnaround mode when Bergh joined after 28 years at P&G . It was his belief that the whole human drives performance so he implemented a program that focuses on every aspect of employee life. The company subsidizes gym memberships for its employees who work at headquarters, and now has about half of them signed up. Its one of the things that's helping to contribute to us driving healthcare costs down, Bergh said. He tries to model good behavior by making it clear when he leaves the office at lunch to work out.

Deborah DiSanzo, general manager of IBM Watson Health, sets boundaries for herself and hopes her team follows suit. I try to make a habit of not emailing on the weekend, she said, adding that its parts of the companys goal to create a culture of health.

DiSanzo's health and work like collided five months after she took on her role at IBM when she received a cancer diagnosis. She struggled to get a consistent storyline from multiple doctorsthey all gave her different information about the size of the tumor and the type of surgery and treatment she should have. She turned to Watson, who had been trained by the oncologists at Memorial Sloan Kettering, entered her data, and followed its recommendation. Shes now in remission.

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Sleep and Meditation Key to Top Performance, Execs Say | Fortune ... - Fortune

New York Daily News

Just 10 minutes of meditation can help anxiety New York Daily News Daily, mindful meditation can prevent your mind from wandering and is especially effective against repetitive, anxious thoughts, a new study says. The research, conducted by the University of Waterloo, showed that an advanced awareness of the present ... Study Finds Meditation Improves Attention in Anxious IndividualsVoice of America Just 10 minutes of meditation does wonders for your brainDaily Mail Brief Meditation Practice Can Relieve AnxietyPsychCentral.com Mental Floss -9Honey -International Business Times all 17 news articles »

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Just 10 minutes of meditation can help anxiety - New York Daily News

Another unarmed black person this time a 15-year-old in Texas was killed this weekend by a police officer. When incidents like this occur, they can lead black Americans to feel a frustrating mix of despair, anger and hopelessness.

Dr. Candice Crowell, a professor at the University of Kentucky, was intent on creating a way for black Americans to cope with these devastating news stories. She created theBlack Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Trauma to help them attend to their spiritual health.

The 17-minute guided meditation was released in August 2016, less than a month after the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, which Crowell said increased her interest in creating the audio. The meditation contains positive affirmations that were inspired by feelings of unworthiness Crowell picked up on from those around her.

I based [the affirmations] on messages I had heard directly or indirectly from clients, students, friends, colleagues and personal [feelings] that try to undercut black humanity, she told HuffPost via email Monday. The meditation provides the counter message to those.

She said the audio has been used at colleges like UCLA, Emory University,University of North Carolina at Charlotte and University of Iowa, as well as in several private practices.

Crowell said meditation has been an integral component of her well-being: Meditation has helped me sleep well, express more gratitude, practice patience and concentrate.

Where her work in the field of psychology is concerned, BLMs teachings have played a critical role, and she made sure to credit the movements three co-founders.

The BLM movement has been a healing, affirming balm and a catalyst for me, as a researcher, professor and healer, she said. I incorporate activism into all of these roles because I remain inspired by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullorsand Opal Tometis work, as well as the many leaders in this movement. Their courage is empowering and world-changing.

Crowells next meditation audio will be dedicated to helping white allies practice greater sensitivity toward black Americans.

Often, white people do not create the space to center non-white experiences as worthy of love, life, health and happiness, she said. This would inform their continued growth as allies, while also offering a psychological and physiological benefit to them.

You can listen to Crowells Black Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Traumahere.

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This BLM Meditation Can Help People Cope With The Tiring Cycle Of Oppression - Huffington Post

Black men make up only6% of the United States population, yet 35% of unarmed people killed by police in 2016 were, you've guessed it, black men.

The numbers continue to rise and the latest victim to be killed by a police officer was 15-year-oldJordan Edwards in Texas last Saturday. So far this year, he is the youngest to be killed by police.

At the rate at which we are inundated with incidents of police brutality in the news, its fair to say, and research has also proven, that there is a heightened sense of fear and anxiety in the black community that stems from post-traumatic stress syndrome brought on by the trauma of police violence.

While the black community has a lower risk for many anxiety disorders, they have a9.1% prevalence rate for PTSD compared to 6.8% in Whites.

Dr. Candice Crowell, a professor at the University of Kentucky and a counseling psychologist, believes its imperative that black people tend to their mental health during these troubling times.

So she createdBlack Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Trauma, a 17-minute guided meditation audio to help listeners calm their anxiety and find peace.

(Image: Kirsty Latoya/Instagram)

The mediation also emphasizes positive affirmations to refute the worthless narrative being played out. In an interview with theHuffington Post, Crowell reveals how her meditation was inspired by the work of Black Lives Matter.

"The BLM movement has been a healing, affirming balm and a catalyst for me, as a researcher, professor and healer."

On her website, she expounds on the positive effects of meditation in confronting oppression."

"Racial trauma exacts a psychological and physiological toll on people of color, and those involved in the Movement for Black Lives are especially vulnerable to hourly personal, emotional, and physical racist attacks.

Guided meditation is one way to assist in calming a heightened state of distress, affirming ones value and humanity, and recentering with love for Black people."

Crowell will also turn her attention to helping white allies of the movement with her new meditation. Take a listen to Black Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Trauma below or head over to iTunes and download the "How to Love a Human" podcast.

Read More-> Solange Pens An Open Letter On What It's Like To Be Black In 'Predominantly White Spaces'

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There's A Black Lives Matter Meditation Podcast To Help You With Racial Trauma - Konbini US

LSU gymnastics standouts McKenna Kelley and Ashleigh Gnat share what they learned from their Olympian mothers

It was Los Angeles in 1984, and fate seemed unkind to Team USA.

Right before the summer Olympic games began, Team USAs great womens gymnastics hope had suffered a knee injury. And there was stiff competition from the rest of the gymnastics world to snatch the gold.

But Mary Lou Retton wasnt going to let something like an injury stop her. She was a 16-year-old powerhouse, after all. Retton, with her tiny frame and bob haircut, was about to take U.S. womens gymnastics to a level it had never been before.

She earned perfect 10s on both her floor exercise and vault, becoming the first American woman to win the all-around gold. The fame that accompanied it was immediate: Retton was named Sports Illustrateds Sportswoman of the Year and became the first spokeswoman for Wheaties.

But for McKenna Kelley, the legendary Retton is just mom. The Olympic gold medals at the familys house in Houston are an added bonus, of course, considering that Kelley is an LSU gymnast and part of the universitys standout last two gymnastics seasons.

Growing up, I dont think I ever fully grasped what it even meant for her to be an Olympic champion, Kelley says. I had heard that so much, but she was just mom to me.

Gymnastics is not like baseball or basketball, sports that are easily passed down to your children through afternoons spent on the court or playing catch. Its rigor and dedication to training can be a more solitary endeavor. Even still, theres no guarantee of success.

Yet, for LSUs squad, success seems all but hereditary. The team is home to two exceptional athletes whose mothers were Olympic gymnasts: Kelley and her All-American teammate, Ashleigh Gnat.

While Gnats dad, Ray, was a collegiate gymnast at LSU, her mom, Joan, did a bit of history-making herselfwinning 10 national championships and competing in the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

Theres footage of her floor excercise on YouTube, and she floats and flutters like a butterfly. Ashleigh loves to watch her.

I watch the videos a lot, actually, Ashleigh says. Shes so beautiful to watch.

That sentiment is mutual for her mother.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed, Joan says. Not only at her gymnastics performance, but just the person shes become. She has a great heart. Shes beautiful inside and out, and I get so filled with pride every time I watch her.

Joan says Ashleigh was practically born in the gym. Joan and Ray Gnat opened up their own gymnastics facility as coaches in Florida and would take Ashleigh to work with them every day. They first brought her to the gym two days after she was born.

As she started walking, she started doing forward rolls and then cartwheels and then handstands, and I think it just grew from there, Joan says.

While raising Ashleigh, Joan says she never forced her daughter to keep up with gymnastics, but Ashleigh fell head over heels for the sport anyway. Now, Ashleigh confides in her mom and dad about all things gymnastics.

Kelleys road to the sport mirrors Ashleighs. Retton put Kelley in gymnastics when she was 2 years old, along with her three sisters.

Gymnastics was what she knew, and she wanted her kids to try it out, Kelley says, smiling at the memory. I mean, what kid doesnt love to run around and jump on a trampoline? Its easy to put them to sleep after that.

Like Joan, Retton never pressured her children to continue gymnastics, leaving it up to them to decide. Kelleys passion was born out of true love for the sportthough she did inherit her mothers dedication.

I would miss birthday parties, playdates and sleepovers because I wanted to be at the gym, Kelley says. Even when I was little, I always looked forward to practice.

Having an accomplished Olympic mother does come with a certain amount of pressure, and Kelley isnt totally immune. There are those who criticize her, saying shes benefited from nepotism and has only come this far because of who her mother is. But doubters and critics come with the territory, and it helps that her mother has always been there to help her find her own path, she says.

Now that shes old enough to understand the scope of her mothers accomplishments, she, too, cant get enough of watching old footage of her mom.

Ill watch interviews of her after the Olympics and Im like, oh my God. She was so cute with her little voice and her hair, Kelley says.

While the girls forge their own paths, gymnastics will always bring them and their mothers together. The sport is the backbone of both the Kelley and Gnat families, a bond that despite time and age cannot be broken.

But Kelley still laughs at all the talk of having an Olympian mother.

Its so funny when people ask about her, because I still just see it the same, Kelley says. Like I dont get it. Shes just my mom. lsusports.net

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Like mother, like daughter - 225 Baton Rouge

New York Times

Alice Coltrane's Ashram Recordings Finally Have a Wide Release New York Times Surya Botofasina, 39, a keyboardist who lives in Brooklyn, has fond memories of growing up at the Shanti Anantam Ashram in Agoura, Calif., which was established in 1983 by Alice Coltrane, the jazz pianist, harpist and widow of the saxophone immortal ... Revisiting Alice Coltrane's Lost Spiritual ClassicsRollingStone.com all 2 news articles »

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Alice Coltrane's Ashram Recordings Finally Have a Wide Release - New York Times

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, May 2: The murti of Swami Atmaram and Mahatma Prithvi Nathji were unveiled in a grand function, at the Swami Atmaram Ashram Gosain Gund, Camp Tomal, Bohri near here. A large number of people, including social workers, activists, intellectuals etc., participated in the anaavaran puja. Among the participants were Ajay Bharti MLC, . H L Jad, Kashmiri Lal Bhat, H L Bhat, Pradeep Koul, Brijlal Bhat, G L Kaath and a host of other dignitaries. The anaavran puja, conducted by Makhan Lal, was performed by senior trustee Arjan Nath Hangloo on behalf of the Trust. Disclosing the details, Dr R L Bhat President Swami Atmaramji Vedanta Ashram Gosain Gund Trust said that the Murtis had been got made from expert murtikaars of Rajasthan, with the cooperation of the family members of late Mahatma Prithvi Nathji, through Manoj Bhat. along with late Mahatma Premnath Ji, Mahatma Prithvi Nathji had established the Gosain Gund Ashram camp at Bohri with great effort and sacrifice. Dr. Bhat also disclosed that the Vedant Ashram Gosain Gund had land and building assets at Gosain Gund Doru, where an ancient Shiv Mandir also exists. Dr. Bhat and his team including Pawanji Pandita, Ashokji, Sanjay Bali, M K Bhat, Rajesh Koul, Sunilji, Aditya Koul, Kumarji, Sahil Dhar and others have put in great efforts to maintain the Gosain Gund Ashram and its traditions. He also said that all this had been made possible with the support of the trustees appointed by the late Mahatmas, Prem Nathji and Prithvi Nathji. A Mandli was held on the occasion, well known artists Munnuji Bhat, Indarkala and their party built up an ambience of Shrada and Bhakti with their exquisite bjajans. Kashur tuhr was served as Prasad on the after the anaavaran ceremony.

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Murti Sathapana at Swami Atmaram Ashram - Daily Excelsior - Daily Excelsior

STATE TIMES NEWS JAMMU: The Murtis of Swami Atmaaram and Mahatma Prithvi Nathji were unveiled at a function held at Swami Atmaaram Ashram Gosain Gund, Camp Tomal, Bohri. A large number of people, including social workers, activists, and intellectuals participated in the ceremony and performed prayer. Ajay Bharti MLC, H.L Jad, Kashmiri Lal Bhat, H.L Bhat, Pradeep Koul, Brijlal Bhat and G.L Kaath were also present. The Anaavaran Puja, conducted by Makhan Lal, was performed by senior trustee Arjan Nath Hangloo on behalf of the Trust. Disclosing the details, Dr R.L Bhat President Swami Atmaaramji Vedanta Ashram Gosain Gund Trust said that the idols were prepared by the expert sculptors from Rajasthan with the cooperation of the family members of late Mahatma Prithvi Nathji. He said that Manoj Bhats contribution in preparing the idols remain laudable. Late Mahatma Premnathji and Mahatma Prithvi Nathji had established the Gosain Gund Ashram at Bohri with great effort and sacrifice, he said adding that the Vedant Ashram Gosain Gund had land and building assets at Gosain Gund Dooru where an ancient Shiv Mandir also exists. Dr Bhat along with his team comprising Pawanji Pandita, Ashok, Sanjay Bali, M.K Bhat, Rajesh Koul, Sunil, Aditya Koul, Kumar and Sahil Dhar has put in great effort to maintain the Gosain Gund Ashram and its traditions. A Mandli was held on the occasion in which well known artists Munnuji Bhat and Indarkala, and their party presented Bhajans.

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Installation of idols held at Atmaaram Ashram - State Times