actually operating as normal. the warm and dry streak will continue through the weekend. meteorologist belen deleon is in the weather center. >> we'll have that mix of clouds and sun through the weekend with temperatures that feel more like spring. let's take a look at this beautiful view over boulder. we did have cooler air that pushed through today. that's why your temperatures were a bit cooler than they were yesterday. our temperatures right now are in the 50s. we should be around 50 degrees this time of year for a high and we're doing upper 50s and 60s in lower elevations right now. for the rest of the afternoon, we're going to see some clearing. we're going to stay rain-free here on the front range and most of colorado. off. winds about 20 miles per hour and this is the strongest winds we're see right now but into the weekend, that's going to be the catch. we'll have the temperatures in

sunday but the winds will kickback in, especially for tomorrow. dry on saturday. sunday, here it's going to stay dry. we'll start to see a bit of rain and snow develop in the high country. doppler 9 is quiet right now, but we are watching the next system that's making its way on shore on the west coast. a flash flood watch, a winter storm warning and high wind warning are going to be in effect ahead of this storm system that's going to bring some big rain out toward the west coast and big snowfall for the cascade mountains. what will it do here in colorado? i've got the answer coming up in your full forecast. but, yeah, you no he we're going to see the change coming. >> okay, well, we'll try to -- we forget that and it's okay. we'll enjoy the weekend. >> exactly. >> thank you, belen. a glaring example of elder abuse. a woman has been sentenced to 208 years in prison for nearly

hired to care for. jana bergmann was in jail for another crime when jack woods bailed her out, brought her home. jack has a supportive family. even so, he did not tell his daughter about bergmann. >> i figured that i was old enough, i could take care of myself but i found that without my daughter, i didn't know what i was doing. >> anastaysia bolton is joining us, and by next year, one in over 60. >> that's why we should continue talking about elder abuse cases and how people can protect themselves. you may not be at risk now but you probably know someone who is. there are efforts in the legislature to help colorado seniors, for instance, since 2014, we've had a mandatory reporting law. there are certain people like bankers and care takers have to report abuse to law enforcement. currently a bill in the works

and if it passes, it will allow investigators to record depositions or witness victims. >> from time to time they're either too ill, unable to appear in court or they don't live through the process, and we want to make sure to preserve that testimony, preserve that evidence to make sure that those full extent. >> we are having an elder abuse line 9 right now starting at 4 until 5:30. we have resources and experts who can answer your questions how you can keep your loved ones safe, what are the signs of elder abuse, what resources exist in the community that can help either you, your family or your neighbor. that number is 303-698-0999. 698-0999. our experts i will be here until 5:30, so take advantage of that. if you don't get through, we

his case, and the general state of elder abuse in colorado on 9news.com as well as links and resources to help you out. because these people are vulnerable and speaking to you earlier, you said jack, you know, jack's a great guy. he's got everything going for him. he just didn't want to trouble his daughter and maybe he had a feeling this woman wasn't on the up and up but didn't want to admit to it. >> yeah, his daughter is very involved. he has other kids, too, who he talks to and they visit and they take him to dinner and lunch. maybe deep down, kim, he thought that, this is not going to be approved by my daughter. i mean, getting the woman out of jail and then baling her out a couple more times, no one would be okay with that. but he had feelings for her. so he says he made the wrong decision. but we are happy that he's with us still. he's okay. >> yes. i'm just really grateful to you for calling attention to this

victim to this. >> thanks. denver police are trying to track down the owner of a bit pull mix that was nearly starved to death. petunia was dumped off in the middle of the night she just weighed 19 pounds. a lot of vets that -- the man and woman that dropped her off didn't provide information. police are launching a search to find whoever is responsible >> it's heart-wrenching to see a dog like that. that's why we're reaching out to the public and try to find out who is responsible. >> police do not consider the man and woman suspects. investigators want to ask them questions. if no one claims petunia, she'll be up for adoption in a county

the 66-year-old woman was hit near park avenue west and tree month place west. homeless. car sedan. morning. police say there were multiple people in the car at the time that the woman was hit. anyone with information is asked to contact metro denver crimestoppers at 720-913-7867. police in los angeles are investigating a report that a knife was discovered years ago by a construction worker on the property of o.j. simpson. the report published by tmz cited law enforcement sources that said the worker found the knife buried on the property of the former simpson. he gave the knife to a former lapd officer working nearby. the officer was ordered by the

simpson is now serving time in nevada for a robbery-kidnapping conviction. >> we need to, one, first of all, determine is this evidence, and if it's not evidence, how do we prove one way or another it's not? the only way we can do that is by being able to challenge the people involved as to what -- where it was recovered, how long it was -- where it was alleged to have been, et cetera. >> authorities say the officer will likely not face administrative charges because he's retired, but an investigation will determine whether criminal charges are possible. ben carson confirmed what everyone expected this afternoon. he is ending his presidential campaign. he skipped last night's gop after saying there was no path forward for him in the 2016 race after the super tuesday results. he made the announcement at the political action conference in washington d.c. carson earned just eight delegates in the first 15 gop nominating contests.

county are looking for a way to deal with a homeless and transient population. matt renoux joins us live. the plan is to try to control illegal camping? >> reporter: you bet, people, kim, that authorities say are just passing through, usually staying for about a week, maybe two, and then heading on. communities throughout colorado have seen a rise in their population in recent years and clear in clear creek county, the authorities say the problem with the illegal campers is illegal camp fires which can be dangerous and trash left all over the place. more and more people seeing trash like this all over clear creek county. clear creek county sheriff's department started a task force to deal with illegal camping. contacting people who are doing it and guiding them to public services that may help. they say illegal camp fires can be dangerous as we head into the warmer months and illegal trash dump are being seen more and

food banks are seeing more demand and are having a hard time keeping their shelves stocked. authorities are looking into laws around idaho springs in clear creek county saying right now illegal camping laws are too vague, need to be rewritten and defined for clearly, similar to those this boulder and denver. >> we saw an increase right after the denver police department instituted a camping ban, or the city and county instituted a camping ban. our population of homeless folks or people camping tended to grow. so we've also ran into the same issue with marijuana, legalizing with marijuana, seems to have drawn in people from other states and they tell us they're here strictly for the marijuana. >> reporter: there are a lot of communities in the mountains seeing this problem, a lot of other issues maybe leading to this rise in illegal camping. high rent could be forcing more people out and right now the

clear creek county as maybe modeling or recent illegal camping laws as in denver. >> as fire season is coming up soon and if there's any kind of illegal fire and trash to burn, it's devastating. >> reporter: yeah. i think the camp fires are a real big concern, especially right now because we haven't gotten a lot of moisture and we've had a lot of high i winds that tried that vegetation out. things like this, visually, pretty difficult thing for people to deal with so it's something they want to address. >> all right, matt renoux all righting from clear creek county. thank you. a group effort between habitat for humanity and the crowley county correctional facility in southern colorado, doing more than creating new homes. it's giving inmates at that medium security prison a fresh start. roof trusses on four new homes in north boulder were raised this week. they were all built by engine mates that learned -- inmates that learned construction skills.

elements for more than 100 homes. >> they want to attract more diverse teachers to the district. dps said 75% of their students are minorities compared to just 25% of the teaching staff. to help close the gap, 15 prospective teachers were brought to denver in an all-expense paid trip and today they met with the mayor, visited schools and interviewed. tomorrow, they're headed to a nuggets game. >> it's become increasingly more difficult for denver public schools to recruit teachers of color. we have to do these extraordinary efforts, such as ask the mayor and other elected officials in the community to step up and say, would you help us. >> dps says they hope that more teachers of color will help mentor the students and thus, of course, improve their performance. genesee park along i-70 lost

a group of year -- bison were relocated. >> this herd was brought to denver in 1914. they are descendants from the yellow stone herd. it's a good blood line to start a herd out on, you know, because of the lineage of these animals. >> some of the buys bison sold. >> okay. and people who take i-25 on a regular basis will start noticing something new. it's shorts authority field at mile high, brand new spanking broncos banners. one says lombardi champions and the broncos say they are not only to celebrate the victory but thank the fans that sported

the banners will be up through the beginning of next season. >> we like, perhaps, the opposing teams to take note of that. >> they'll see that everytime they arrive. and the city is beautiful enough, now they get to look at something cool. >> you take i-25 and does that say super bowl? >> a little overdue. local organizations and non-profits are pitching to investors today.

what have you done for your heart lately. we share small steps that can have a pay off for your heart and for your overall health as well. >> fingers, feet, fork are the three fs that determine our heart health. holistic cardiologists say

>> for weight control, for avoiding diabetes, for lowering cholesterol, shutting down that kitchen at 8:00 p.m. is a great thing to do. pile on spices. the fresher the better. >> as powerful as prescription drugs. >> it can make the occasional unhealthy meal less so. >> it will be better with lots flakes. >> transition to green tea in the afternoon. >> there is a green tea chemical that you can buy at a vitamin shop and it is very good for stress, anxiety, lack of attention. >> benefits don't stop there. >> there is another compound which really lowers your cholesterol and improves your heart rate function.

>> two cups can lower your blood pressure ten points. >> become a vegetarian for breakfast and lunch. >> if you eat nothing but oatmeal for breakfast, you would have taken a huge health step especially with blueberries and walnuts on top, you have a power house. you eat. >> you don't want to go to the gym and get on the treadmill for seven miles per hour after a big meal but a walk is perfect. >> for more tips, go to 9 bottom line article. there is a lot of good advice there. every time we eat, we try to walk after. it's crucial. my girlfriend nags me to stop eating meat with every meal. while. >> you might like it. >> and she proves she's right.

it will be a great weekend to walk no matter what. before or after dinner or even after breakfast. >> we have been spoiled and again this weekend we have highs in the 60s even close to

look at that picture. we are starting to see some green here and there. sometimes it is frustrating in colorado. we have brown longer than we would like. we have had some awfully warm days so we cannot complain. celebrate the brown around you. you are outside, people, and you can get outside and do anything you want because we will hit close to 70. >> unbelievable. we have been so spoiled for so long.

this surrendered to police. >> the spring-like weather will last during the weekend. it's like a different kind of weather that we are seeing. we are seeing brown and need that moisture. with the warmth we are starting to see color with flowers blooming. >> yes. >> people are asking should i start planting my garden? we usually suggest you hold off until after may. this is a reason why. the last freeze is usually may 6 on average. i would hold off on that. we are liking this quiet weather. it is going to change up. we saw a beautiful spot of the flat iron. i will take you around colorado with more beautiful shots. a big hello to all the folks in the roaring fork valley. this is one of my favorite shots. this is eagles nest in veil. snow borders made their way off the mountains right there. ridgeway looks beautiful with a few high clouds. if you have relatives in town,

garden of the god this weekend. that will be a great place to go into in el paso county. we should be closer to 50 at this time of year. we had 60s in northern colorado. right now we are sitting at 57 at d.i.a. look at the winds, calm. in the backyard, we are calm too at 55 degrees. let's check current temperatures. if you are going to be outside, things look fantastic with 50s and 60s in lower spots. for the rest of the afternoon, i have karate with the kids later on and i will see dry roads when i am headed out. you are in the same boat. we are looking at dry roads as you are heading home. our skies this evening will start to clear out. temperatures will drop to 34 degrees. i want to show you what's happening across the country. although the weather is calm

up for us by the start of next week. this is the reason. colorado for saturday. into sunday we start to see a bit of rain and snow develop into the mountains. this is the reason why. we have a system off to the west coast that's going to make its way onshore already bringing some rain for parts of california. that rain and even snow will increase during the weekend. in fact we are going to see big time rain along the coastal areas from 3 to 9 inches. in sierra mountains we will be measuring snow fall from one to three feet. that moisture is headed into colorado. it starts on sunday and lasts through about monday. tomorrow you don't need to worry about the umbrella. 66 will be the high. we'll have high clouds that catches that the winds will pick up from the south. at 7:00 am temperatures will be around 38. it will be a windy morning. around noon it is breezy and 61.

65 is okay to be outside with the kiddos. your futurecast shows the clouds clearing up through tonight and then through tomorrow we'll have a mix of clouds and sun as you are starting your saturday. it will be the high country that will see the increase in high level clouds. again that moisture does not arrive until sunday to colorado. saturday pretty much is staying rain and snow free across colorado. here is a look at the wind gust forecast and how it picks up through tomorrow morning. the winds by 8:00 am will be from the south and we'll see wind speeds down south in castle rock gusting to 40 miles per hour, 30 miles per hour in parker and also pretty windy for our friends in the eastern plains. that's what we have to deal with. winds into the weekend on saturday and sunday ahead of the next storm. on sunday we'll see that rain start to develop towards the western slope early in the day and that will increase as the day goes on. we'll get to 70 here in the metro area. it's on monday when we get that shot for moisture on the front

with cooler temperatures at 53 degrees. really what that is is it is knocking us down to where we should be. tuesday, 54, wednesday 58. next weekend, next sunday actually is when we have to set our clocks forward an hour. hour. that will be the start of daylight savings time. are you ready for that? >> certainly. always. >> not much. i don't love the early mornings but i have been noticing how you would head to school and it was dark outside. nowhere close to that anymore. i guess we'll take it. it just takes a while to adjust. >> some getting used to. >> that's hard for us that work on the weekend mornings. i just heard your gasp. you have to go to sleep earlier so you still function the next day. you have time to prepare. don't worry about me. i am getting my sleep in. >> you are a rock star.

>> after about a week, you love it but it takes a little bit to get there. >> thank you. the mystery, today we take you to the seldom seen sight of a national park to learn about the people who live there and lessons they left behind when they abandoned the famous cliff dwelling. >> we are continuing our week long series this land rediscovering the parks. >> it's not like your normal national park. >> locked up like a home because it is, several in fact. >> it is well worth coming to this point. this is actually designed out here and ex cancellations invited to help draw visitation pressure away. >> 40 years later most visitors don't come to this side of the park. they never see the cliff dwelling that's as large and even more accessible than cliff palace. >> it's very quiet. you have to walk more.

park and walk 50 feet to see something. ranger. >> two distinct styles. utilitarian. >> a ranger like david franks. can hike freely. archeological sites. see. right here we have a barrier. floor. those are corn cob imprints. they plastered the floor. these were done 700 or 800 years ago. isn't that amazing? >> franks is what the park services called an interpretive ranger. he makes this understandable, real. >> my interpretation is my son or my daughter, they're bored and push something into the floor and it looked cool and they did it again. mom and dad say "hey don't do that."

the eyes of a child. >> this is one of the parks as a child that inspired me to be a ranger. at one point i sat down and watched the birds dart about. i just listened. it was quiet and i remember all the way back then i wanted to be a ranger here. you had that moment, just quiet, where you let your mind here. imagine the people. what sounds did you hear? what smells? that kind of thing definitely grabs you. >> it asks you to imagine the ancestral people living in the area for 700 years before the white man, before the horse, before whatever caused this em to pick up and leave all the physical things they had built. >> you connect people with common things. sometimes we start talking about survival with food, shelter, water, fire. let's go beyond that and talk about thriving.

expressing yourself through art, through music. you are leaving marks. you are building pottery. you are trading, trading items and ideas. they had expert masons, expert farmers, people that knew the sky, when it is time to plant and farm. we have equinox parkers, lunar calendars. i bet most people today didn't know there was a pattern to the moon. that's not survival. that's just doing really well. really well. >> yet, they left. was it war? drought? scarce resources? a spiritual calling? it's as easy to get lost in that question as it is to see cliff dwellings, the beautiful homes, and to think they are the legacy legacy. >> honestly i overlooked it for a number of years. i just celebrated that somebody made this with their bare hands and hearts and sticks and stones.

humbling. i think their greatest accomplishment is that they moved. this is somebody's home and there are moms and dads buried here. that's amazing to walk away from a comfort to go to an unknown and take a risk. i had to learn that the hard way when my parents passed. me and my brothers had to sell that was tough. memories there. with comfort it is familiar. to go to unfamiliar is amazing and an amazing risk and amazing sacrifice. >> today, 26 tribes claimed heritage. >> they're children, all the various pueblos. >> they are descendents of the people who around the year 1300 extinguished the last of the home fires. >> i would rather be done early. >> they are rekindled now once each year.

that. now we get to wait for the dark. >> this place never feels more like a home than a luminary night each december. >> there is something about the night. it is soft, gentle, soothing. >> the glow of the fire is the ancient porch light. come in, sit. we're home. you're welcome here. >> it has a special magic that it brings to the holiday season that nothing else can really compare with and part of it is the mystique of the sight

quality and because of the people who live there. >> those people, they feel close on this night. >> when you look at these dwellings and you realize that people lived in these villages, that they laughed together, they cried together, they grieved together and they lived and they died. they eeked out a living. >> we know they did more than that. they thrived in this home. >> i think it's overwhelming to most people. it gives them, i believe, a sense of hope and a sense of vision that no matter how bad things may get that there is hope and that there is a vision for survival and even for thriving.

colorado's national parks continues on 9 news at 9:00 tonight. join us tomorrow night at 9:00 on 9 news for an hour long special. it will reair sunday night at 9:30 on channel 20. >> it has been such a joy to watch that entire series throughout the week. beautiful imagery and writing by kyle and chris, our photo journalists. they put this beautiful thing together. you have to watch the special this weekend. >> it will invoke memories for many people who remember coming here to visit as a child or taking relatives on trips. you enjoy the beauty of colorado and you haven't gotten back. you will after you see it. you will make the time. >> cool. some people got to test the new 3d harry potter ride, they're wishing they hadn't. >> it sounds fun. it sounds a little too

well, if your summer vacation includes vacationing to the wizarding world of harry

>> some riders are having trouble keeping their food down. don't eat at all those places before you ride. some websites have posted that some employees can't stomach. it combines motion with video to convince riders that they're soaring. it's also in 3d. universal hasn't commented on the reports. >> i think you nailed it with the food. >> that's good enough for me not to do it, but i love universal. >> definitely don't do the beer beforehand. not a good combination. >> it's the funnel cakes and the snacks, things like that. >> the sugar. >> it's the things that you can make a better choice. >> i know, right? >> i guess the non-3d one doesn't make you barf. it's the 3d one that makes you barf. >> you have options? >> we saw it last year when it

>> i want to barf a little bit. >> don't tell me that. >> so have a really weird question for you guys. were you ever allowed to good to the movies by yourself as a kid? did your parents just drop you off? >> as a child? >> yes. >> no. >> yes. i had to go with an older cousin who was like -- i was like six, he was seven, we went to see "casper". >> it's a big deal, man. >> my poor cousin had to get up every two seconds because i wanted more butter and salt for my popcorn. >> how old were you? >> six. >> wow. >> that was young. >> it was a big moment. >> you got to be dropped off when you were what? >> about 13 or so because i was irresponsible and my sister was responsible, she was 12. slacker never got dropped off because his parents didn't trust him. >> i think that's still the case. >> there are kids in my son's class who's nine and the parents

>> pick them up two hours later. >> i don't know if that's the different time now? >> is that what it is? >> maybe. >> i just don't know -- there's probably some people that work in theaters that might have some opinions about this. >> right. >> let's just say -- >> i trust him, i just don't trust everyone else. >> the people that are around you, that's the only thing. when they get to be a certain age and they're old enough to go to the movies by themselves, you're like be respectful of the people around you and you still say, i don't know that they are. >> it's scary. >> if you drop them off at the harry potter ride, they'll yack on you. be careful of that. >> well, i'm thinking of little jonathan seeing casper right now. >> i had a blast. my poor cousin, i think it's still a bad memory for him. >> awesome. >> that's funny. well, i hope you guys have a good weekend. >> you, too. >> speaking of the weekend, there are some great ways to

>> one of them means you might want to visit a denver restaurant, one that actually

if you don't have weekend plans just yet, we have ideas in our list of nine things to do in colorado this weekend. we love that number. it's under the feature section on 9news.com. >> the boulder international film festival is happening this weekend. >> it's four days of films from local, national and international film makers. the ticket packages are available. you can buy single tickets as well and there are several locations to see the films around downtown boulder. be a nice weekend to head out. the longest running snow boarding competition in the world is at vail mountain this weekend. the championships features the world best completing in slope style and half pipe. the event is completely free and

another great weekend to go out and do something cool. >> there are three more nights to enjoy denver restaurant week. 235 restaurants with $35 three-course meal. >> have you ever thought about the history behind whether you're eating? we go inside bowers restaurant and listening lounge. [ music [ music ]. >> reporter: a blast from the past. >> we have these old photographs. >> reporter: gracing the walls are magical memories from way back then. current chef and owner diory ford takes us back in time. >> i started as a candy company and they incorporated the soda fountain and ice cream and then they expanded into catering in the area and they were the caterer to denver's elight.

this space was home to denver's most delicious destination. for most people, it was their first real taste of sweet goodness. >> this is from the 30s when bowers used to give out free ice cream to the kids in the middle of the depression. >> reporter: when starting his new restaurant here, he wanted to keep as much of the history intact as possible. >> who can't like history? and just throw away all that value and richness, you know, when you look at a chandelier and a crown molding on a floor that's 100 years old. i think it would have been heartbreaking to tear it all out so i chose to embrace it. >> reporter: he took over this location in 2015 after it was a revolving door of other restaurants. denver is so new and exciting right now, and he said that's what's great about our city but in his heart he couldn't let go of the past just yet. >> you see all the construction cranes so it means there's a lot of new stuff coming in.

disappear and i think it's important for a city to hold on to its culture and its background, that you find gems and jewels and utilize them and keep them. >> reporter: the charming bowers sign suspended outside the building at the start of it all still hangs outside today. this historic space started as a candy factory. the sweetness of the past makes for an even more delectable future. >> history of food is still a history of food. >> what a fun story. ford wants to continue some of bowers legacy. the team plans to make its own ice cream. >> wouldn't that be yummy? >> yeah. >> the history of colorado said

despite it feeling like spring, we're still three weeks away. the national park service said

between march 31st and april 3rd-ish. so. >> the timing of that, depending on what the winter has been like, but it's beautiful, isn't it? >> i can't say i've ever been and now i really want to good after looking it he video. -- looking at the video. >> you don't necessarily know the timing but you'll get something no matter what general time you hit that. when they're in full bloom, it's absolutely worth it. >> we had some cherry blossoms in bakersfield where i used to work. >> give us a little time, we have some good blossoms. >> that does it for us.

next at five, an attraction elderly man looking for companionship. >> i just had an attraction for jana that i couldn't get over. >> also ahead, some of the strongest evidence to date linking the zika virus to severe birth defects. >> and an investigation into the complaints that the brakes can fail on some of ford's best-selling f-150 instructions. that's next on 9 news. i figured that i was old enough, i could take care of my myself but i -- of myself but i found r found without my daughter i didn't know what i was doing. >> jack woods wanted a house deeper and a xan -- housekeeper and a companion. he found one in jail. jana bergmann read his ad and

months later, she almost killed us. anastasia bolton tells us jack's story is not unique. >> i needed a housekeeper and a cook and a companion that i could talk to. >> reporter: he went about it an old fashioned way, an ad in the newspaper, some letters and a phone calls and he thought he found the right person. jana bergmann needed a place to live because she was living in jail. bergmann had a long criminal history with multiple felonies, including fraud, drugs, forgery, but in spite all of that, jack wanted to help. >> so i took up the position that i needed to help her. >> reporter: bergmann wrote and called jack from jail telling him she was, quote, a care provider in every sense of the title. he bought that and her freedom. jack bailed bergmann out of jail so she could come live with him. he would do that two more times before their fight in october of 2014, the fight that almost killed him. >> i knew he was trying to push