Denver Post

denverpost.com — James Gandolfini, star of HBO's "The Sopranos," has died of a possible heart attack in Rome. He was 51. A spokeswoman for the cable network said that Gandolfini was on holiday in Italy. They were preparing a more complete statement. Gandolfini had recently filmed "Criminal Justice" for HBO, which had received a limited series order.

denverpost.com — WASHINGTON - Gov. John Hickenlooper said Wednesday he was still undecided whether to back a ballot measure this fall that would fuel a new $1.1 billion tax increase necessary to pay for a newly overhauled system for administering the state's education dollars.

denverpost.com — TORONTO - Jeff Francis' locker was cleared out Wednesday, and his time with the Rockies could be over. Though a roster move will not be official until Thursday, Francis will not re-join the team in Washington. Colorado is expected to clear a roster spot for Roy Oswalt, who will start Thursday night's game.

denverpost.com — A Denver grand jury ruled Wednesday that Secretary of State Scott Gessler did not violate the law when he used his office's discretionary fund to pay about $1,300 to attend the Republican National Lawyers Association meeting in Sarasota in August.

denverpost.com — The Denver Post library has compiled the following list of Colorado's top 18 most destructive wildfires in terms of the number of homes destroyed. 1. Black Forest Fire, Colorado Springs, 2013 -- 509 homes. 2.Waldo Canyon, Colorado Springs 2012 -- 347 homes. 3. High Park, Larimer County 2012 -- 256 homes.

yourhub.denverpost.com — The 25,000 square-foot store will open July 10 and fill a need in the area Sprouts Farmers Market on East Colfax now has an official opening day of July 10 the company announced. The 25,000 square-foot store between Garfield and Monroe streets, just west of Colorado Boulevard, will be the third Sprouts in Denver.

denverpost.com — WASHINGTON - Gov. John Hickenlooper has launched a Colorado office in the nation's capital to push the state's agenda in front of Congress and federal agencies. The state is now among 32 other states that have offices or advocates in Washington.

denverpost.com — A Tokyo-bound flight from Denver made an emergency landing in Seattle Tuesday afternoon following a problem with one of the aircraft's oil filters. United Airlines flight 139 landed safely at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport shortly after 5 p.m. mountain time. The nonstop flight from Denver International Airport to Narita International Airport took off at about 12:30 p.m.

denverpost.com — A 23-year-old Thornton man was indicted this week by a federal grand jury in Denver for allegedly making a bomb threat on a flight from Knoxville, Tenn., to Denver last Friday. Mark Michael Bote was returning from a group trip to help build a church in Tennessee, a person traveling with him told authorities, adding Bote "was not well."

denverpost.com — We've had our issues with state Senate President John Morse, calling his gun liability plan from the recent legislative session "wishful thinking" in one editorial and saying it "flies in the face of logic and federal law" in another.

denverpost.com — Location and details of the Lime Gulch fire in southern Jefferson County, Colorado, which prompted mandatory evacuations on June 19, 2013.

blogs.denverpost.com — The top elected official in DeKalb County, Ga., attempted to extort campaign contributions from Ciber, a Greenwood Village-based IT consulting company, by threatening one of the company's local managers, according to a grand jury indictment. DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis allegedly threatened to damage the reputation of Ciber manager Joanne Wise and cut off county business with the company if they didn't contribute to his campaign.

blogs.denverpost.com — The Nuggets' media guide will need an extensive makeover for next season as the mass exodus continues out of their front office. Nuggets director of player personnel, Mike Bratz, and scouting director, Dan Tolzman, are both leaving the organization. Tolzman will join former Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations, Masai Ujiri, in Toronto.

denverpost.com — A wildfire burning in south Jefferson County forced residents to evacuate their homes on Wednesday afternoon. The fire was originally reported as the Chair Rock fire, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, but it was later clarified that the fire was named the Lime Gulch fire.

denverpost.com — Click photo to enlarge BEIRUT-Hezbollah fighters joined Syrian forces in battling rebels in a Damascus suburb that is home to a revered Shiite Muslim shrine, in a push to secure the area around the ornate, golden domed mosque.