In Other News: A fluke or the future? Boebert shakes up Colorado district; Not Real News: A look at what didn’t happen last week

Published 2:59 pm Monday, February 8, 2021

Editor’s note: “In Other News” is a list of state, national and global headlines compiled by Daily Citizen-News staff from Associated Press-provided stories. Click on the headlines below to read the full stories.  

A fluke or the future? Boebert shakes up Colorado district

DENVER — Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, a stretch of ski resorts, national forest, ranches, coal towns and desert mesas the size of Pennsylvania, has long bred low-key politicians. Its voters have skewed slightly to the right, prized practicality and for years rewarded representatives for accomplishments that fall below the national radar, such as the Hermosa Creek Watershed Act, a crowning achievement of former Republican Rep. Scott Tipton. Until now. The district’s newest representative, Republican Lauren Boebert, is an unabashed, social media-savvy loyalist of former President Donald Trump who, like her fellow first-term colleague GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome, is stoking controversy with her far-right views and defiant actions. But unlike Greene, Boebert doesn’t hail from an overwhelmingly GOP, safe district.

Not Real News: A look at what didn’t happen last week

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of last week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Included: Claim: People may be more susceptible to serious COVID-19 illness after they have been vaccinated. The facts: An Instagram post with more than 4,000 likes falsely claims that people who receive the COVID-19 vaccine may experience more severe symptoms if they are exposed to the virus. “Studies have warned COVID-19 vaccines may result in more serious disease when exposed to the virus by way of pathogenic priming and immune enhancement,” reads the post, which was shared by Joseph Mercola, a doctor who runs a natural health website. But scientists told The Associated Press that such effects simply haven’t shown up in the data.

Election turmoil splits West Virginia city’s evangelicals

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — If you’re Christian in Bluefield — and most everyone is, in this small city tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains — you have your choice. You can follow Pastor Doyle Bradford of Father’s House International Church, who has forcefully backed Donald Trump — doubting Trump’s defeat in November and joining some congregants at the Jan. 6 “Save America” rally that degenerated into the Capitol riot. Or you can go less than 3 miles away next to the rail yard, to Faith Center Church, where Pastor Frederick Brown regards Bradford as a brother — but says he’s seriously mistaken. Or you can venture up East River Mountain to Crossroads Church, where Pastor Travis Lowe eschews Bradford’s fiery political rhetoric, seeking paths to Christian unity. The three churches have much in common. All of them condemn the desecration of the Capitol and pray for a way to find common ground. But they diverge on a central issue: What is the role of evangelical Christianity in America’s divisive politics?

New this week: Sia, Clarice Starling and Kristen Wiig

Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. Included: Kevin James goes from mall cop to NASCAR crew chief in the Netflix comedy series “The Crew,” debuting Monday, Feb. 15. The owner of the Bobby Spencer Racing team decides to hand the reins over to his daughter (played by Jillian Mueller), and that means trouble for James and his crew. The new boss wants to modernize the team, which includes the revolutionary idea of putting a woman behind the wheel. Bruce McGill guest stars as Bobby.