LUNAR OUTPOST’S MOON MISSION GOES SIDEWAYS
DEPLOYMENT
BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Arvada-based company Lunar Outpost’s attempt at making history by landing the rst-ever commercial rover on the moon hit a snag upon arrival, as the spacecraft carrying the rover landed on its side, making it impossible for the rover to be deployed.
Lunar Outpost’s MAPP rover was carried by Intuitive Machine’s Athena Spacecraft, which landed about 5 degrees from the Lunar South Pole on March 6 after launching on the SpaceX Falcon 9 on Feb. 26.
After the touchdown, however, there were some technical challenges. Caroline Cammarano, a member of Lunar Outpost’s communication’s team, said that although the rover survived the journey to the moon, it was unable to drive on the lunar surface due to the Athena’s landing orientation.
“Our Lunar Voyage 1 MAPP rover successfully made it to the Moon, collected data from the lunar surface and in transit, and proved MAPP was ready to drive!” Cammarano said. “Intuitive Machines landing on its side prevented MAPP’s deployment.
“Our data paints a clear picture that MAPP sur-
vived the landing attempt and would have driven on the lunar surface and achieved our mission objectives had it been given the opportunity,” Cammarano continued.
Teams are able to communicate with the machine, said Steve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines, which provided the Athena spacecraft.
“We’ll just have to do the reconstruction and gure out exactly what is the attitude and location, and then we will get on with the rest of the mission,” he said at a NASA press conference.
During the press conference, Altemus said he believes that the machine is in the vicinity of the landing site. ey are waiting for pictures from above, which will come in the next couple of days, to conrm their exact location.
The mission that could have been
Had the landing gone a bit more smoothly, the rover would have set out to complete a slew of rsts, including facilitating the (largely symbolic) rst sale of space resources in human history, a $1 sale of lunar regolith — dust, soil and rock that covers the moon’s surface — to NASA.
‘Eras Gala’ gives chamber at 100 some ‘Swiftie’ glam Community celebrates history, looks toward the future
BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
e Greater Arvada Chamber of Commerce held a birthday party of sorts, as the organization celebrated its centennial anniversary with its 100th Annual Dinner, which featured a Taylor Swift theme this year.
“ e Eras Gala” was held on Feb. 28 at Social Capitol Events. e Taylor Swift theme was incorporated through violin renditions of Swift’s classic songs performed by Sarah Hubbard of the local band Flobots, passing out individualized friendship bracelets and incorporating the history — or “eras” — of the chamber in a large timeline poster that outlined major chamber milestones over the years.
“We are so proud of the rich history of this organization and community and it meant the world to be able to celebrate with 400 of our closest friends and supporters,” the chamber’s Vice President of Member Services, Samantha Geerdes, said about the sold-out event.
“We will continue to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Greater Arvada Chamber of Commerce,” Geerdes continued, “so stay tuned for more!”
Geerdes also said the event’s silent and live auctions raised over $30,000 for the organization — funds it will put towards workforce development, advocacy and business leadership.
In addition to the chamber looking back at its history, it recognized its 2024 awardwinners in a few major categories.
Bale re Goods — which relocated from one Olde Town unit to another last year — was named Business
The Athena spacecraft carrying the MAPP rover approaching the moon. COURTESY OF LUNAR
State Senate approves ‘Buy Colorado Day’
BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Legislators, entrepreneurs and business owners celebrated the rst step of creating a new state holiday in a ttingly Coloradan way, proclaiming “Buy Colorado Day” at 3:03 p.m. on March 3, a nod to the state’s rst area code, 303.
e holiday is intended to celebrate Colorado-based companies and seeks to help strengthen the state’s economy. e holiday also would kick o “Buy Colorado Week,” which would run until March 10.
e holiday was launched as Senate Joint Resolution 8, which passed that chamber of government unanimously Monday, March 3, with a vote of 34-0. It still needs to pass the state House.
“ is is not just a local holiday; this is a global movement. Starting today, every March 3, will be an o cial celebration of Colorado commerce … from Brooklyn to Berlin,” said Ricardo Baca, who spearheaded the e orts to create Buy Colorado Day and also founded PR agency Grasslands, the Underground Music Showcase and ne art biennial Biome.
According to a press release from the marketing team in charge of getting the word out on the holiday, Colorado is home to 13,000 restaurants and taverns, 500 craft breweries and distilleries, nine Fortune 500 companies and “countless” artisans and other retailers.
“Buy Colorado Day isn’t just about shopping—it’s about investing in the trendsetting businesses that make our state such a
brilliant place to live and work,” Baca said. “By making intentional choices to support Colorado businesses, we’re keeping money in our communities, creating jobs and ensuring that Colorado brands continue to thrive—both here at home and on a global scale.”
Rodrigo Braun, brand experience director at Stranahan’s parent company Proximo Spirits, said that as a local brand, the holiday allows businesses to connect with one another in addition to patrons.
“As a brand born right here in the heart of Colorado, we’ve experienced the magic of local love rsthand,” Braun said. “It’s what fuels our growth and keeps us grounded.
at’s why Buy Colorado Day is a chance to not just celebrate but supercharge the connections that make our community thrive.”
Olde Town Arvada celebrates Mardi Gras with New Orleans flair
BY RYLEE DUNN
A little cold front couldn’t keep the funk from washing over Arvada, as the city held its annual Mardi Gras celebration in Olde Town.
e festivities on March 4 kicked o with a march through Olde Town led by the Guerilla Fanfare Brass Band and continued into the night with local restaurants o ering specials including gumbo, jambalaya and Hurricanes to mark the occasion.
“As this event has become an Olde Town tradition, it’s been fun to see how the businesses have continued to raise the bar every year in regard to o ering some New Orleans inspired fare,” Olde Town Business Improvement Director Joe Hengstler said.
“It’s really cool to be able to be a destination on the front range for celebrating Mardi Gras.
“We’re so thankful to everyone who came out to march in the streets and support our local businesses,” Hengstler continued.
Olde Town restaurant Mangiami seized for second time
Warrant for distraint posted on restaurant’s door states proprietors owe over $9,000 in unpaid taxes
BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
It appears that Olde Town Arvada’s hotspot for Detroit-style pizza may be no more, as a seizure notice was posted on Mangiami’s door and the restaurant is marked as permanently closed on Google.
Mangiami owner Olivia Dungey did not respond to a request for comment by press time. Arvada Olde Town Business Improvement Director Joe Hengstler said he had also not spoken to Dungey, and was unsure of the restaurant’s status.
“We have not spoken directly to anyone from Mangiami’s; therefore, we are not sure of what their future is,” Hengstler said. “If there is anything the BID can ever do to help any of our businesses, we always want to strive to be there for them.
“We have an amazing community that supports the businesses of Olde Town,” Hengstler continued. “While businesses may close for a multitude of reasons, situations like this really highlight how critical that community support is for their success.”
While attendance was a bit down from previous years — about 250 folks joined in on the festivities, compared to 350 last year
— that didn’t stop attendees from celebrating in style. is was the 7th year Olde Town has held a Mardi Gras celebration.
Mangiami was previously seized for failure to pay taxes in June 2024 but had set up a payment plan with the City of Arvada to reopen at that time. e seizure notice posted on the restaurant on Feb. 26 states that the proprietors owe over $9,000 in unpaid taxes, dating back to October 2024.
e restaurant, founded by Dungey and her husband, Nicholas Allmond, who previously owned Urban Beets in Olde Town, had recently scaled back their menu, eliminating all of their Italian pasta dishes in January and shifting their focus solely to pizza.
Editor’s note: e Aravada Press was unable to reach the ownership team at Mangiami’s before press time to con rm whether or not the restaurant will be closing after this seizure. e online version of this article will be updated once a de nitive answer is provided.
The Colorado state Senate passed the Buy Colorado Day joint resolution on March 3.
PHOTO BY RYLEE DUNN
Folks march through the streets of Olde Town for Mardi Gras.
COURTESY OF STEPHANIE PAUL
While the White House Reverses ‘Green’ Policies, Will Colorado Be Able to Hold Its Course?
For many years, Colorado, like California, has pursued its own “green new deal,” with its Democratic Governor and General Assembly passing one law after another that promotes everything that is now anathema to the current national administration.
Colorado sends a lot of tax dollars to the federal government and gets lots of tax dollars in return, especially for road projects such as the rebuilding of Interstate 70 through Denver. The current administration is using the leverage of withholding funds to pressure localities to fall in line with its immigration policies. It could just as easily withhold funds unless the state reverses its own green initiatives, such as incentivizing the purchase of new or used electric vehicles with bigger tax credits than any other state.
structed under laws passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor.
The CEO’s website describes several laws it is implementing that address the issue of building efficiency, both residential and commercial. Primarily, it is requiring all jurisdictions in the state of Colorado that create or amend building codes to adopt the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which was adopted by the International Code Council, Inc., a non-governmental organization. It also requires all jurisdictions to adopt the Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code upon updating any other building code.
“Cities and counties with building codes must adopt the 2021 IECC along with the model electric ready and solar ready code when adopting or updating any building code between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2026.”
This isn’t a political column. Coloradans need to know whether its movement toward a “green” economy will be halted or reversed by the new administration. My intent in this column is merely to describe the programs and policies that may be in jeopardy.
The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) is the arm of state government which develops and implements “green policies,” including in the real estate domain, as authorized and in-
According to the CEO, jurisdictions are encouraged to amend their building codes every three years and to incrementally move in the direction of the model codes, and they are prohibited from making amendments to their code which “decrease the effectiveness or efficiency” of the code.
The more liberal jurisdictions, such as Aspen, Denver and Jefferson County, have moved quickly to adopt those model codes, which include requiring new construction to include conduits and pre-wiring to facilitate future installation of EV charging stations and solar panels. According to the CEO website,
Also being developed, according to the website, is The Model Low Energy and Carbon Code, consisting of the 2024 IECC, as amended by Colorado’s Energy Code Board. To the White House and DOGE, the names alone suggest they’ll be targeted by the new administration. Let’s just say they’re “woke.”
A Model Green Code, currently in draft form at the CEO, “will address building attributes such as energy and water use efficiency, electrification, low carbon building materials, and other strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of new buildings. Local governments may voluntarily adopt this code in addition to the required energy code,” according to the website.
The state of Colorado has no statewide building code, but it does require any jurisdiction (i.e., counties or home-rule cities) which
Some Eager Sellers Cut Out Potential Buyers by Accepting a Quick Good Offer
Yes, the seller’s market of the Covid years is over, but there are still listings which sell right away, and too many sellers accept a fullprice or better offer on the first or second day, when they might get a better price if they just waited a few days.
This January, the average days on the MLS for listings within 25 miles of downtown Denver peaked at 60, compared to 22 days in January 2022. The median days on the MLS peaked at 44 this January compared to only 5 days in January 2022.
However, of the 2,396 listings in that area which closed this January, 63 went under contract the first day they were on the MLS and another 44 listings sold without even being entered on the MLS so that other buyers could know about them. 47 more went under contract the second day they were on the market, and 57 went under contract on the third day. I tell my sellers that if someone makes an
offer that quickly, and there are lots of showings, there are probably other buyers who might have paid more. It is my job as a listing agent to help my sellers get the highest price for their home, and I’m not doing that if I don’t convince them not to go under contract in less than four days.
This topic was inspired by a broker associate who said that twice in the past couple of months his buyer had lost out on a new listing that he showed the first or second day it was on the market because the seller had accepted a quick offer that our buyer would have beaten, given the chance.
In conclusion, just because the market has
Interested in a Different Take on Politics?
I have my own political blog called “Talking Turkey.” You can find it online at http://TalkingTurkey.substack.com
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slowed down, sellers who price their home wisely and get a quick full-price offer should at least look at how many showings have been set, inform those other agents about the offer, and give them a chance to submit.
has a building code to follow state laws regarding building codes, and it’s common to adopt one of the codes created every few years by the International Code Council, amended as appropriate to their local needs.
The above map from the CEO website, shows the extent to which each county has adopted the IECC codes by year. The lightest colors are counties which have adopted (likely with amendments) the 2021 IECC, and the darkest counties have no building codes. The other colors have building codes based on IECC years 2006, 2009, 2015 and 2018. It’s a interactive map, and can be changed to display home-rule cities and their codes, or you can search a county or city and it will display the details of its code requirements and IECC year.
As usual, I have the links for all this at http://RealEstateToday.substack.com
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Support grows for Pettersen bill on remote voting for reps
BY ELYSE APEL
THE CENTER SQUARE
Bipartisan support is growing for a U.S. House resolution that would change the rules to allow House members to vote remotely while on parental leave.
Spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colorado, House Resolution 23 is receiving national media attention after Pettersen traveled to Washington D.C. with her four-week-old son to cast her vote.
“Unfortunately, Republican leadership denied my ability to vote remotely after giving birth to my son, Sam, but that’s not stopping us from showing up to vote no on this disastrous budget proposal,” Pet-
tersen said on social media, in a February post that quickly went viral.
Some Republicans have joined with Pettersen in supporting the resolution. Currently, it has 158 co-sponsors in the U.S. House: 149 Democrats and 9 Republicans.
U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Florida, is one of those co-sponsors.
“Congress needs to get with the times,” Luna said of the resolution. “No parent should have to choose between caring for their child and ful lling their duties in Congress to represent their constituents. We will get it done!”
Currently, no proxy voting is allowed on the oor of the House or Senate. is was a Republican response to an expan-
sion in proxy voting over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, which both political sides have acknowledged was abused at times.
It’s time for a change, though, advocates for the resolution argue.
“Historically, it’s been much more wealthy, older men who serve in Congress,” Pettersen said in a recent interview. “ is isn’t designed for young families and for young women especially.”
e resolution would change the House rules to permit “parental remote voting by proxy,” which is when a House member designates another representative to vote on their behalf in their absence.
It would allow members who are new
parents, both mothers and fathers, to vote by proxy for up to 12 weeks under the House Rules, excluding proxy votes from establishing a quorum.
It would also allow pregnant members to vote by proxy if a pregnancy-related “serious medical condition” prevents travel. Time spent proxy voting pre-birth would count against the 12-week limit for parental leave.
e bill was referred to the U.S. House Rules Committee in January. No date has been set for the resolution to be taken up. Republished from e Center Square, a national news service that is the project of the nonpro t Franklin News Foundation, headquartered in Chicago.
Arvada business owner acquitted of murder charges in road rage incident
BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
An Arvada business owner who was on trial for murder in an alleged road rage shooting in 2023 has been acquitted by a jury but was found guilty for a lesser charge of menacing.
Nicholas Moodley, who owns the Arvada Apothecary/Kratom Cafe near Olde Town, was found not guilty of rst-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter in connection to a Nov. 17, 2023 shooting near Park Avenue and Blake Street in Denver that left 45-year-old Shane Warn dead.
On Feb. 28, Moodley was acquitted of the three major charges and sentenced to probation for the lesser charge of menacing.
Moodley’s attorney, Doug Richards, attempted to have the case dismissed after a paralegal with the Denver District Attorney’s O ce told a close friend of Moodley’s that the prosecuting team thought Moodley acted in self-defense and should not have been charged with murder. at motion was denied, but Richards said after the sentencing hearing that the decision to charge Moodley with murder was a mistake by the previous DA (Beth McCann was Denver’s DA until January, at which time John Walsh was sworn into o ce) that could have led to Moodley spending his life behind bars.
“ is was a case that was overcharged by Beth McCann’s District Attorney’s Ofce, and now we have a new district attorney, he was kind of stuck with mistakes
Vote
that Beth McCann made,” Richards said.
“You know, thankfully, a man is not going to jail for the rest of his life with no parole because of Beth McCann’s bad judgment.”
e Denver DA’s O ce did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
e arrest a davit states that Moodley called the police around 4:53 p.m. on the day of the shooting, stating that he was with someone who had been shot. Moodley told the dispatcher that he had been followed by a man who ashed a gun at him and tried to get into the vehicle.
O cers arrived to nd Warn su ering from multiple gunshot wounds in his chest and arm. Warn was taken to Denver Health, where he died without being able to give a statement.
Moodley’s wife, Laura, said she and her family are looking to move on from the incident.
“We are relieved this tragic nightmare is over as the jury clearly saw Nick had no other choice but to defend himself,” Laura said. “When the DA’s o ce had its own employees questioning the charges, they should have been dismissed but it seemed like their o ce cared more about winning no matter what.
“ e last 15 months have been incredibly stressful, but we are grateful for the support from our family and friends and look forward to moving on,” Laura continued.
Moodley opened the Arvada Apothecary/Kratom Cafe in 2020 after deciding to take a homeopathic approach to healing from a signi cant motorcycle crash.
Small program helps seniors age in place
Medicare does not cover services of CAPABLE
BY JOANNE KENEN KFF HEALTH NEWS
Chikao Tsubaki had been having a terrible time.
In his mid-80s, he had a stroke. en lymphoma. en prostate cancer. He was fatigued, isolated, not all that steady on his feet.
en Tsubaki took part in an innovative care initiative that, over four months, sent an occupational therapist, a nurse, and a handy worker to his home to help gure out what he needed to stay safe. In addition to grab bars and rails, the handy worker built a bookshelf so neither Tsubaki nor the books he cherished would topple over when he reached for them.
Reading “is kind of the back door for my cognitive health — my brain exercise,” said Tsubaki, a longtime community college teacher. Now 87, he lives independently and walks a mile and a half almost every day.
e program that helped Tsubaki remain independent, called Community Aging in Place: Advancing Better Living for Elders, or CAPABLE, has been around for 15 years and is o ered in about 65 places across 26 states, including Colorado. It helps people 60 and up, and some younger people with disabilities or limitations, who want to remain at home but have trouble with activities like bathing, dressing or moving around safely. Several published studies have
people to date. Insurance seldom covers it (although the typical cost of $3,500 to $4,000 per client is less than many health care interventions). Traditional Medicare and most Medicare Advantage private insurance plans don’t cover it. Only four states use funds from Medicaid, the federal-state program for low-income and disabled people. CAPABLE gets by on a patchwork of grants from places like state agencies for aging and philanthropies. e payment obstacles are an object lesson in how insurers, including Medicare, are built around paying for doctors and hospitals treating people who are injured or sick — not around community services that keep people healthy. Medicare has billing codes for treating a broken hip, but not for avoiding one, let alone for something like having a handy person “tack down loose carpet near stairs.”
And while keeping someone alive longer may be a desirable outcome, it’s not necessarily counted as savings under federal budget rules. A 2017 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services evaluation found that CAPABLE had high satisfaction rates and some savings. But its limited size made it hard to assess the long-term economic impact.
found the program saves money and prevents falls, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says contribute to the deaths of 41,000 older Americans
and cost Medicare about $50 billion each year.
Despite evidence and accolades, CAPABLE remains small, serving roughly 4,600
It’s unclear how the Trump administration will approach senior care. e barriers to broader state or federal nancing are frustrating, said Sarah Szanton, who helped create CAPABLE while working as a nurse practitioner doing home visits in west Baltimore. Some patients struggled to reach the door to open it for her. One tossed keys to her out of a second-story window, she recalled.
hikao Tsubaki took part in a program called Community Aging in Place: Advancing Better Living for Elders, or CAPABLE, that helps people modify their homes and safely live independently as they age. In addition to an occupational therapist and a nurse, CAPABLE sent a handy worker to Tsubaki’s home to install grab bars and build a bookshelf that wouldn’t topple over when he reached for his cherished books.
PHOTO BY BRIAN FITZEK / KFF HEALTH NEWS
BEST OF THE BEST
OUTPOST
In addition to being the rst commercial rover on the moon, the MAPP rover is also the rst American rover on the Lunar South Pole.
Lunar Outpost also has a number of partnerships with companies including Lego, Adidas and Nokia, some of which the company’s Vice President of Strategy Michael Moreno could detail, and some of which he was not yet at liberty to divulge.
Moreno said the company recognizes the gravity of the Lunar Voyage 1 mission’s place in history.
“We feel a tremendous responsibility to be on the forefront of this, of the lunar economy, and showing people — showing the world — that this is not science ction,” Moreno said. “It’s not something that’s 50 years from now, it’s actually happening — happening (now), and in the weeks and months ahead.”
Looking forward
One of the things the company will explore is their ability to collect Helium-3, which Moreno says is an isotope that’s found in abundance on the moon, but is scarce on Earth. e impacts of that could be wide-ranging, Moreno says, and are cause enough to justify Lunar Outpost’s exploits.
“One of the more exciting (uses) that folks talk about is in fusion energy,” Moreno said. “Commercial fusion energy is not yet a reality, but there are so many companies working on this to create this reality.
“And what it means is, if we are able to crack the code on the fusion energy, and we combine that with the abundance of Helium-3 — the essential ingredient in that — then we e ectively unlock free, unlimited energy for humankind,” Moreno continued. “So, just that alone is a reason to push the boundaries of exploration on the lunar surface.”
e company — which has o ces in Luxembourg and Melbourne, Australia, in addition to Golden — recently moved its headquarters and mission control to Arvada just before Lunar Voyage 1. e ribbon cutting for the company’s new headquarters was held on March 5.
Moreno added that the company’s long-term goal is to create infrastructure for a workforce on the moon — and beyond. e company has contracts to send four rovers to the moon, and is also building a Lunar Terrain Vehicle for NASA’s Artemis Mission, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon.
“We’ve grown since (being founded in 2017) with some really exciting milestones… and a future that we envision where we will be running a robotic workforce on the moon and beyond to build lunar infrastructure and help really create that long term sustainable presence for humans in space,” Moreno said.
Following the Lunar Voyage 1’s unexpected conclusion, Cammarano said Lunar Outpost is looking ahead to future missions.
“We look forward to our upcoming missions – including exploring Reiner Gamma (Lunar Voyage 2), heading back to the South Pole of the Moon (Lunar Voyage 3), and having the rst Australian rover mission to the Moon (Lunar Voyage 4),” Cammarano said. “With our capabilities clearly demonstrated in space, we look forward to further showcasing what our mobility systems can achieve.”
Denver mayor threatened with jail during testimony
Mayors testify on immigration policies
BY JENNIFER BROWN THE COLORADO SUN
Mayor Mike Johnston, called before a congressional committee March 5 to answer for Denver’s status as a so-called sanctuary city, said providing refuge for the tens of thousands of migrants who arrived in Denver was both a requirement of his job and a moral obligation.
Several Republican members of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, however, said Johnston — along with the mayors of Chicago, New York and Boston — should be prosecuted and jailed for violating federal law that prohibits “harboring illegal aliens.”
Four hours into the heated hearing, U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, said she would request that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi investigate the mayors. A referral from a member of Congress does not guarantee the U.S. Department of Justice will investigate.
“I’m not doing that in an e ort to bully you guys but I do believe that your policies are hurting the American people,” she said. “If you guys continue doing what you are doing, you are not going to help anyone. You are going to hurt more people and that’s exactly why I’m tired of it. e American people are tired of it.”
U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican, referenced a previous comment by Johnston that the Denver mayor was willing to go to jail to prevent immigration raids at schools and churches in his city.
“One of you said you were willing to go to jail,” Higgins said at the end of ery remarks about the dangers of illegal immigration. “We might give you that opportunity.”
Johnston faced multiple rounds of tough questioning, including from U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, after he described how Denver housed and fed many of the 42,000 migrants who arrived in the city in an 18-month period beginning in December 2022.
“We are each entitled to our own opinion about what should happen at the border,” Johnston said in his opening remarks to the Republican-controlled committee. “But that was not the question facing Denver. e question Denver faced is: what will you do with a mom and two kids dropped on the streets of our city with no warm clothes, no food and no place to stay?”
Johnston also quoted from the Bible as he spoke to the panel.
“As mayor I have to protect the health and safety of everyone in our city. As a man of faith I have a moral obligation to care for those in need,” he said. “As scripture says, ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in.’ So that’s what we did.”
At the height of the migration to Denver, 10 or 11 buses were arriving per day, carrying hundreds of people, many of them women and children in T-shirts and sandals in the middle of winter, Johnston said. Denver set up eight city-funded shelters, which are now closed, and helped 8,700 people apply for work authorization. e mayor pointed out during the hearing
that many of the buses were sent by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
“When buses started showing up lled with migrants some in my city were afraid, just like I’m sure some of your constituents are afraid,” Johnston said. “ ey were afraid about crime and homelessness and worried about what these new people might take away from them. I understand that fear. e truth is people who are new to this country do good and bad just like all of us.
“When those buses kept on coming, Denver made a choice as a city, not to hate each other, but to help each other.”
Boebert, whose district includes Douglas County, Loveland and the rural Eastern Plains, is on the committee, and three other Colorado Republicans — Reps. Je Crank, Je Hurd and Gabe Evans — asked to take part in the hearing.
Besides threats of jail, the hearing could have big implications for Denver and the other cities, as members of Congress have called for ending federal funding to cities that do not cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In Colorado, it’s against state law for local law enforcement to hold immigrants in jail for the purpose of waiting for ICE to pick them up.
Boebert, limited to ve minutes like the rest of the panel, peppered Johnston with questions and wanted “yes” or “no” answers. When he tried to speak longer, she cut him o .
Boebert questioned why the mayor hired a lawyer “to help cover your ass for Denver’s sanctuary city policies for this hearing” and said she has documentation “that proves you were shipping illegal aliens to Aurora, their crime was increasing while you were hiding under laws that you will not demand be repealed.”
She asked about a 2017 Denver ordinance, called the Public Safety Enforcement Priorities Act, that prohibits city employees from asking about someone’s immigration status or reporting it to federal immigration authorities.
“Would a city employee be red for communicating, coordinating, talking with an agent from the EPA?” Boebert asked.
“What about Health and Human Services?”
“So they would only be red for talking to federal law enforcement o cers?”
Johnston countered that Denver does cooperate with federal authorities, including by notifying ICE when someone in the local jail
is wanted on an immigration detainer. Local authorities tell immigration agents when that person will be released, but they will not hold the person longer.
Denver has made such noti cations to ICE 1,226 times in the past seven years, the mayor said.
Johnston also faced a round of aggressive questions from U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, who asked the Denver mayor about an ICE arrest last week of an immigrant charged with aggravated assault and held in jail for about a year. Jordan said Denver authorities gave ICE only about an hour’s notice before they released Abraham Gonzalez, who was picked up in the jail parking lot Friday after being chased by multiple federal o cers.
A Denver Department of Public Safety video shows ICE o cers tackling Gonzalez, a situation that the Ohio congressman said was made dangerous because of Denver’s refusal to keep Gonzalez in custody. Jordan said an ICE o cer was assaulted and tasers were used during the arrest.
“Why not give them more of a heads up?” Jordan asked. “Why not release him to ICE.”
Johnston said he had reviewed the video and o ered to meet with ICE about procedures the city could change.
Johnston was noti ed in a Jan. 27 letter that the committee was “investigating sanctuary jurisdictions” across the country and “their impact on public safety and the e ectiveness of federal e orts to enforce the immigration laws of the United States.”
“Denver is a sanctuary jurisdiction under Colorado law, and Mayor Mike Johnston con rmed that he was prepared to go to jail to protect illegal aliens from federal immigration authorities,” the letter said, citing a Fox News story that quoted Johnston about how the city would try to prevent a mass deportation.
is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalistowned nonpro t based in Denver that covers the state.
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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and mayors from New York, Chicago and Boston spoke to congressional members of the House Oversight Committee on March 5 to discuss and defend their immigration policies.
Finding the will and the way
When our oldest daughter, Kate, was just over two years old, I found her perched on top of the refrigerator with one hand holding open the door of the freezer and the other reaching in to grab an Otter Pop.
I was shocked by the sight and asked her what she was doing. Kate, who always wanted to be exactly like her mother and therefore refused to call me “Dad” because that’s not what Beth (Mom) called me, turned her head, looked at me, and said, “Nothing, Jim.”
To get in this precarious prone position six feet o the ground, Kate had gone to the corner of the kitchen and placed her plastic step stool on the counter. She then must have moved her highchair across the kitchen so that she could use the chair to climb onto the counter.
Apparently, after getting on the counter, she pushed her step stool over next to the refrigerator, stepped up on it and climbed on top of the refrigerator. From there, for this two-year-old fearless climber, it was easy to open the freezer door and begin to reach down to grab the prize.
We can critique our parenting regarding this situation all day long. How is it that a 2-year-old could be left alone long enough to accomplish such a feat? Why did I not hear the furniture being moved? What other safety features were not in place? e list goes on. In the end, whether it was good parenting or not, after getting her down safely from the top of the refrigerator, Katie, Beth, and I had Otter Pops. I am sure we took a few minutes to talk about not doing that anymore, but I do not remember that part of the conversation.
We have shared that story with people numerous times over the course of the last 30 years laughing with each retelling. ose are great memories. In the last 16 years, since my MS. Diagnosis, I have come to recognize that beyond the great memories, the story holds lessons about overcoming obstacles.
ree things stand out for me.
Most obviously, there is the idea that where there is a will, there is a way. In our struggles, it is so easy to get stuck with an “I can’t do that.” recording playing in our head. We need to get rid of that record; it is
Iam a recently-retired lawyer, having practiced for 45 years in Colorado. Over the past 10 years, my wife and I have had the honor of working as volunteer interpretative rangers in Rocky Mountain National Park (“Rocky”).
Neither Rocky Mountain, nor any of Colorado’s other national park units (of which there are about 16, including parks, monuments, historic trails and other sites), are oversta ed. Indeed, they have been understa ed for quite some time. at is based on our rsthand knowledge. When Elon Musk announced the indiscriminate employment cuts to our federal government, including all of our national
limiting and debilitating. When we change the message to, “I can’t do that in the way I used to.” It opens doors and creates possibilities.
Next, while I can only imagine what her 2-year-old brain was thinking, I suspect that Kate broke the problem of wanting an Otter Pop into several parts: How do I get on the counter? How do I get on top of the fridge? How do I get an Otter Pop? To nd di erent ways to do things, we may have to break hurdles down into parts. Figure out one step that gets us a portion of the way there and then gure out the next. When we do that, eventually we will get our Otter Pop.
Finally, Kate was bold and open to taking chances. To take on the struggles we face we too must be bold, willing to take chances.
Struggles put us at a crossroads, an inection point where we must decide what our mindset and path will be. My hope for each of us is that we will choose the path with options, with possibilities, with joy.
You have got this.
I hope my words encourage you, and that you will share them with those who need support. ank you to everyone who has shared their stories with me so far; I truly appreciate hearing about the valuable ideas you nd in these columns and how you use them to uplift those around you.
Jim Roome lives in Arvada with his wife, Beth. He spent 34 years in public education. Lessons learned from the one two punch of being diagnosed with MS shortly before his best friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer led him into a new pursuit as a freelance writer and speaker. He uses his life experiences and love of stories to inspire, educate and encourage local, national and international audiences. Contact him at jim.roome@gmail.com.
Education in the U.S. and how each state fares
How does the U.S. do in educating its citizens compared with other developed nations? e following quote from education expert Judy Butler gives a perspective I never thought of.
states in order):Indiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Utah, Ohio, Maine, Florida, Delaware, Washington, South Dakota, Rhode Island.
“Education system rankings are always an apples and oranges comparison. Educational systems are a product of the countries’ culture,” she said.
She contends the U.S. is No. 1.
“ at’s because we educate everyone through age 18 and don’t siphon o kids around age 16, sending only the best students on to high school making them eligible for college and other post-high school education,” Butler said.
So, our democratic ideas a ect our ranking. We live up to the idea that everyone in the U.S. deserves a chance to succeed.
I looked at many rankings and only one, a U.S. News and World Report study in 2024, ranked the U.S. No. 1 in education. It included our world-class colleges and universities as part of our education system. As a result of my research, I know we are not 24th, as Elon Musk reported, but we are not the best either. e U.S., despite ranking high in educational system surveys, falls behind in math and science scores compared to many other countries. In reality, we have 50 educational systems as our K-12 education is managed and funded almost completely by the 50 states, according to a 2024 report by Fullerton College of Education at Michigan State University.
So, as a result, I focused on measuring the 50 states in terms of their K-12 school systems. I found three credible studies that measured school quality, student safety and student success. As each study had di erences, I combined the three averaging each state’s scores. e following are those results.
First quadrant (highest performing states in order): New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, Maryland, Illinois, Nebraska, Colorado, Iowa.
Second quadrant (above average
ird quadrant (Below average states in order):Montana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Missouri, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee, Idaho, Texas, Arkansas, Michigan, North Carolina.
Fourth quadrant (Poorest performing states in order): Hawaii, California, Oregon, Mississippi, South Carolina, Alaska, Alabama, Nevada, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico.
Some of these rankings are in uenced by the makeup of the individual states. ere is a study by the National Center for Education, which studies 67,977 schools in 12,842 districts. at study shows that suburban schools produce reading scores of 50.7 vs. similar scores of 41.4 in rural schools and 37.4 in urban schools. Math scores are also highest in suburban schools at 49.7 vs. 41.7 in rural schools and 38.0 in urban schools.
e three di erent school settings have similar student to pupil ratios and similar teacher pay per student ratios. is suggests that the scores students produce depend on their school environment. States with predominantly suburban schools will produce higher scores and the reverse is also true. You may be wondering how we are doing. Schooldigger.com, an organization that helps parents understand school quality, rates both Evergreen and Conifer High Schools in the top 3% of the over 26,000 high schools in America.
I had a wife, sister and two aunts who were teachers. All would agree that the two facts that matter most in student success are parental involvement and the quality of the teacher. Who among us has not had that special teacher who motivated and challenged us.
My son, upon graduating from college, wrote to his fth-grade teacher thanking her for her extra e ort on his behalf. I invite you to remember your special teacher and tell someone about them.
Jim Rohrer of Evergreen is a retired businessman who worked in small, medium and very large businesses. His books “Never lose your job. Become an MVP” and “Improve your bottom line, develop MVP’s today” focus on fostering success.
is guest column was written by Boulder County resident Kevin Allen, who moved to Colorado in 1978 and practiced law for 45 years, mostly at Allen Vellone Wolf Helfrich & Factor P.C. Now retired, he and his wife have served as volunteer interpretative rangers at Rocky Mountain National Park for 10 years. Protect our parks by contacting your representatives
park units, I immediately began contacting the ofce of 8th District Congressman Gabe Evans to discuss the catastrophic e ect of these cuts on our national parks in Colorado, and I asked when he would publicly support our parks.
I’m in my third week of constant contact, and while I have spoken to people at his o ce, no one has given me any impression that he cares the least about our parks. Most re-
cently, when I asked a representative in his o ce to tell me when he would support the reversal of employee cuts in our national park units in Colorado, he said he did not know and instead referred me to the videos on Mr. Evans’ website touting his support for a recent House budget resolution and potential cuts in Medicaid. Please, let Mr. Evans know that our national parks are a beacon of light in the world.
My wife and I, in our jobs, discuss the beauty and majesty of Rocky with literally thousands of visitors from throughout the U.S. and dozens of other countries. I can think of nothing more important for us to promote in these trying times for our
country, and nothing more shortsighted than ignoring the park’s needs. Let Mr. Evans further know that if he does not care about our parks, he does not care about Colorado and has no business representing its citizens, whether in the 8th or any other district.
Jim Roome GUEST COLUMN
Kevin Allen GUEST COLUMN
Jim Rohrer
Lawmakers seek to delay childcare cuts
Move by legislators aims to deter planned cuts
BY ANN SCHIMKE CHALKBEAT
A powerful legislative committee on Feb. 27 expressed an interest in reversing some planned cuts to a Colorado program that provides therapies to babies and toddlers with delays.
While the details are still up in the air, lawmakers on the Joint Budget Committee essentially pledged to nd funding to prevent thousands of young children who get services through the state’s Early Intervention program from losing certain therapies starting this month.
e committee’s decision is sure to prompt a sigh of relief from parents and therapy providers, many of whom said they were panicked and heartbroken when they learned of the impending cuts announced by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood a few days before the announcement. e state’s $87 million Early Intervention program serves around 11,000 children from birth to 3 years old each month.
“We are going to get this done and help these kids,” said Sen. Je Bridges, a Democrat who represents parts of the Denver metro area and is chairperson of the committee.
e committee voted unanimously to authorize a bill that would lay out possible xes to the cuts that directly impact children. e meeting was tense at times, with several lawmakers expressing
frustration that the Department of Early Childhood’s leaders hadn’t informed the committee about the budget problems that prompted them to plan the cuts.
e cuts would have limited children to four hours of therapy a month, which is a fraction of what some get now. In addition, children who are on Medicaid, a health insurance program for low-income people, would no longer have been allowed to get developmental intervention, which is therapy that can help young children with attention, cognitive development, and learning.
Planned cuts that only a ect Early Intervention therapists — for example, not reimbursing them for no-shows — will go forward as planned.
Parents, therapists, and lawmakers all expressed surprise when they heard about the cuts. Leaders from the early childhood department said the cuts were needed to stave o a projected $4 million shortfall caused by a growing Early Intervention caseload, the expiration of federal COVID stimulus funds, and the fact that fewer children are eligible for Medicaid.
But some lawmakers on the Joint Budget Committee were angry they had never been alerted of the impending shortfall or service cuts to babies and toddlers with disabilities.
Rep. Rick Taggart, a Republican from western Colorado, called it “insulting, to say the least.”
Jeanni Stefanik, chief nancial ocer for the early childhood department, said the funding shortfall “was not fully realized until just a few weeks ago” and called the factors contributing to it “a perfect storm.”
It’s not entirely clear why state ocials, who said they routinely monitor the number of children in Early Intervention, weren’t aware of the possible funding shortfall earlier.
Reprinted with permission from Chalkbeat, a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.
EDWARDS
William Samuel “Bill” Edwards September 19, 1939 - December 21, 2024
William Samuel Edwards (Bill) passed away peacefully on December 21, 2024. He was born on September 19, 1939 to William P. Edwards & Bessie Wilson Edwards.
Service will be held at the Methodist Church at 6750 Carr St. Arvada, on Friday March 28, 2025 at 10:30. Lunch to follow
He graduated from Emporia State Teachers College, attended OCS and received his commission as an Ensign in the US Navy serving 3 years. Bill sold residential real estate for the next 40 years, was an instructor for the Colorado Association of Realtors, and was named Realtor of the Year in Je erson County. He was a member of the Arvada Rotary Club and the Arvada Garden Club.
BISHOP
September 14, 1940 - February 15, 2025
Bruce Bishop, long time resident of Arvada, Colorado, died peacefully at home in his sleep on February15, 2025. He is survived by his three children Kim, Mike and Susan, daughter-in-law Ashlie, and granddaughter, Alanna (10). Bruce touched the lives of so many throughout his 84 years. He will be remembered for so much, but most of all for his witty sense of humor and love of a good time with friends and family.
city of Denver.
Bruce loved Denver, the city, the mountains, people, weather, and of course the Denver Broncos. Bruce undoubtedly caught Bronco fever in the mid-1970’s and became a loyal season ticket holder. In the 50+ years of having season tickets he only missed a handful of games, this past season he made every home game and was excited to see the team become competitive again.
Bruce was born in Norton, KS to parents Ralph and Vera (Blickensta ) Bishop and grew up on a small farm north-west of Norton. At the age of 2 his father Ralph died due to complications with Polio and soon after he and Vera moved to Norcatur, KS where Bruce would go on to graduate H.S.. Being an only child, he would often talk about life on the “lonely farm” and feeling grateful for moving to town and playing football for the Norcatur Cardinals 8-man team, joking about playing as a 98 pound H.S. freshmen with a knee pad in his helmet to keep it from falling o . He would go on to attend Kansas State University and eventually graduate from Fort Hays State College in 1962. Soon he would begin working for his Uncle R.E. “Blick” Blickensta at Ideal Trucklines based in Norton. In 1964, while interstate trucking regulations were still in place, he would move to Denver, CO to establish a relay between Kansas and Colorado in order for Ideal to better service its customers and the growing
Bruce was a thoughtful dad, grandpa, and friend, a teacher at heart, one who seemed to know when to be tough and when to be supportive. Bruce loved to play golf across Colorado and was a long time member of the Lake Arbor men’s and sr. men’s league. As with his golf swing, and many other “problems” in life, he pursued perfection with an obsession that only few knew; unless you were on the end of one of his many hour long phone conversations strategizing on ways to get better, solve a business issue or to process life’s challenges. He was a cancer survivor, successful businessman, a story teller, a problem solver, a charismatic character who’s memories will be cherished by many.
A celebration of Bruce’s life will be held on April 12, 2025 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm at the Lake Arbor Golf Course in Arvada. In lieu of owers or other gestures, the family asks for your consideration in donating to the American Cancer Society in Bruce’s name.
Bruce E. Bishop
FINDING PIECES OF IRELAND IN THE METRO AREA
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Rather than vibrant green landscapes and stone bridges arched over running waters, the Rocky Mountains act as the backdrop for various pieces of Irish culture throughout the Denver metro area. Ireland’s rich history shines through in many aspects of life, re ected in clothing, cuisine, artwork, family life and much more.
However, it’s the music, dancing and pubs that play integral roles in the nation’s identity and keeps Irish culture alive across Denver.
“Denver has a strong Irish cultural scene,” said Ariel Bennett, owner of the Denver-based Heritage Irish Stepdancers dance school.
Denver’s Irish history
e Irish have had a strong presence in Denver since the mid-to-late 1800s.
Between 1845 and 1855, many Irish people immigrated to the United States due to the Great Famine in Ireland that decimated potato crops. A few decades later, Irish immigrants migrated to Leadville when silver was discovered. But when the Colorado Silver Boom ended in 1893, they began to make their way to Denver.
ey continued to work as laborers, but as generations evolved with the turn of the century, the Irish became more involved in the development of the city – in uencing religion, education and politics.
“Including eight Irish dance schools, a number of Irish pubs and a bunch of home-grown Celtic bands.”
e in uence of the Irish continues to be seen today through dance, music and pubs.
“Singing, playing and dancing are an essential part of social interaction, artistic expression and cultural identity,” Bennett said.
Stepping into the culture
When Bennett was a child, her mom, Molly, played in an Irish band and while playing at a party, Molly met two teenagers from Ireland. e teens asked if anyone would be interested in joining an Irish dance class. Bennett was immediately put in the class and was later joined by her sister and mom.
e family started their own school, Heritage Irish Stepdancers, in 1998. While the main studio is in Denver, located at 7808 Cherry Creek South Drive, they also have classes at the Dance Academy, 8600 Park Meadows Drive in Lone Tree, and at Flatirons Dance, 8390 W. 80th Ave. in Arvada.
Although the exact origin of Irish dance is unknown, Bennett has learned about the di erent types of dances and how important it is to the culture.
ere are two forms of Irish social dancing. One is called set dancing, which has roots in English dancing, said Bennett, and the other is ceili dancing. is type of dance – which has become popular in competitions – involves couples dancing with other couples, similar to American square dancing.
“Sometimes people would do what was called a stepabout at these gatherings, where dancers would take turns showing o their fanciest moves,” Bennett said.
One of the more commonly-known styles is seeing the dancers with their arms by their sides. is is stepdancing, also known as solo dancing, and there are two styles within stepdancing. e soft shoe is more like ballet and the hard shoe is more like tap.
Also, women typically perform light and graceful moves while men do moves that are more powerful and rhythmic.
“Historically, stepdancing was done by common people, and they didn’t have special dance equipment,” said Bennett. “ ey wore ordinary clothes and shoes when they danced.”
Women and girls wore knee-length dresses with embroidered Celtic designs, said Bennett, but as competitive Irish dance became more popular, performance attire became shorter and lighter, with bright and bold designs.
For Bennett, Irish culture has always been part of her life, and over time, she has seen how dancing plays a key role in Irish identity.
A rainbow sits over a bright green landscape at the Rock of Cashel in Cashel, Republic of Ireland.
The River Lee runs through the Republic of Ireland’s second largest city, Cork, which is home to the English Market and the Blarney Castle and Gardens. PHOTOS BY HALEY LENA
PIECES OF IRELAND
Unique and distinctive music
“I was once told by an Irish person that the way you tell if someone has Celtic blood in them is by putting on Irish music. If they tap their feet and can’t sit still, they’re a Celt,” said Bennett. “ is just shows the importance that music has in Irish culture.”
With distinctive rhythms and unique traditional instruments, Irish music has always been a way to express emotions, tell stories and share culture.
Laura Schulkind, founder and executive director of the Chamber Music Society of Greater Denver, has been traveling around the metro area this March with the chamber, celebrating Celtic culture through music.
“Celtic music can be sorrowful, re ecting a lost love,” said Schulkind. “Or joyful and full of dance.”
Similar to many cultures, music was used to resist oppression. And Celtic music has also been used to preserve history, celebrate the nation’s identity and build community. It’s the instruments that are unique to the Celtic sound that instills life into the music.
Although Schulkind is a utist, she nds the distinctive sound of the Irish harp soothing and uplifting, making it one of her favorite instruments.
Other instruments that make up the Celtic sound include ddles, utes, the mandolin, concertina, tin whistles, highland pipes, uilleann pipes, Irish Bouzouki and the bodhrán.
A bodhrán is a frame drum where one side of the drum is open and the musician places their hand against the inside of the drum to control the tone and pitch while the other hand beats the drum.
“ e instruments create a rich texture that can go from a dense sound to a very light sound,” Schulkind said.
It’s often said that Irish music is a blend of storytelling and musical expression. Schulkind agrees.
A piece Schulkind is playing is called “In Ireland” by Hamilton Harty. She said the note at the beginning from the composer states: “In a Dublin street at dusk, two wandering musicians are playing.”
“ e composer is compelling me to tell a story with his piece,” said Schulkind. “He wants me to paint a picture with sound through the fantasy-type writing at the beginning and the joyful music at the end.”
Celtic music is not just for formal settings.
‘Good-ole Irish craic’
“Many of the tunes are also drinking tunes for the pubs,” Schulkind said.
From Celtic on Market to the Irish Rover, there are a multitude of pubs hidden throughout the Denver metro area. ere may not be as many as the 6,000 plus like in Ireland, but the metro area has its fair share.
Pubs are more than just a place to grab a drink. ey serve as a hub for the community, fostering a sense of belonging and contribution to the town.
“You just sit and have a good time, chat with your local friends, meet new people – and that’s exactly what we’ve tried to establish here,” said Megan Casey.
Casey has worked at Ned Kelly’s Irish Pub for 14 years and has fallen in love with getting to know the community and sharing a piece of Ireland.
e pub is a small, bright red building tucked away o Main Street in downtown Littleton. It rst opened in 2009 by two men – one of whom is from Ireland – after owning Scru y Murphy’s in downtown Denver.
Littleton “de nitely had the small town charm that a lot of Irish pubs have,” Casey said, adding that the building was remodeled in 2013 to make the pub more authentic.
While musical and stepdancing performances, as well as fundraising for local charities bring authenticity to the pub, Casey said getting to know its patrons on a personal level is what makes the pub feel genuine.
Having been to Ireland a few times, Casey said everyone in the pub is treated like family and that is what they aim for at Ned Kelly’s.
“ e few Irish pubs that I was in, that’s exactly how it was,” said Casey. “Everybody just welcomed you and wanted to get to know you. Like they say, ‘the good-ole Irish craic.”’
Stepdancing, also known as solo dancing, is a form of dance where the dancers perform with their arms down to their sides where women typically perform light and graceful moves while men do moves that are more powerful and rhythmic. COURTESY OF ARIEL BENNETT
Ned Kelly’s Irish Pub in downtown Littleton is one of many Irish pubs scattered throughout the Denver metro area. Established in 2009, it is the only Irish pub in Littleton. PHOTO BY HALEY LENA
With various styles of social and competitive dance, dancing has been an integral part in Irish culture. The Denver-based Heritage Irish Stepdancers dance school continues to carry on the Irish culture in the metro area. COURTESY OF ARIEL BENNETT
BIFF goes big in 21st year
Arising tide lifts all boats, and that may just be the case with the lm scene in Colorado.
Not only is the state’s lm community constantly becoming more dynamic and diverse, but people outside the state are catching on. With Boulder’s status as one of the nalists for the Sundance Film Festival, there’s no telling what the future will bring.
PROGRAMS
COMING ATTRACTIONS
But we do know the 21st Boulder Film Festival (BIFF) is here to celebrate another great year in lm, with plenty of movies and events to delight cinephiles of all kinds.
“We’re excited about so many aspects of BIFF this year. Our line-up of lms is excellent,” wrote Robin Beeck, co-founder and executive director of the festival, in an email interview. “ e world can feel chaotic these days, but great lm can o er inspiration and escape.”
is year’s festival runs from ursday, March 13 through Sunday, the 16th at locations all over the Boulder area. Passes for multiple screenings and events are available, or patrons can purchase single tickets for individual lms. is year, BIFF features 68 lms from 18 countries and will include around 60 lmmakers—20 0f whom are from Colorado. e event also features three world premiers and six U.S. premieres, according to provided information.
“We have a lot of special guests attending screenings this year, including the world-renowned fashion designer Kenneth Cole, who is featured in a moving documentary about his activism over the years,” wrote Kathy Beeck, co-founder and director of BIFF, in an email interview. “We will also host Eileen Collins, the rst female spacecraft commander in history, whose documentary Spacewoman will be featured as our closing night lm; Mark Mothersbaugh from the inuential 1980s band Devo; and Olympic gold medalist Edwin Moses.” e festival is particularly wellknown for its special events, which include CineCHEF, where award-
to have their portfolios reviewed by industry professionals, according to provided information.
Clarke Reader highlights
winning Colorado chefs create dishes inspired by their favorite lms and compete against their peers, and e Adventure Film Program, which highlights new adventure lms. Audiences can check out adventure shorts, features and discussions with lmmakers and world-class adventurers, plus Call2Action conversations with community groups, according to provided information.
ere are also numerous lmmaker Q&As and opening and closing night parties.
When it comes to what lms to check out, both Kathy and Robin encourage people to explore and try something new. at’s the best way to embrace the myriad of opportunities BIFF presents and come away with a new perspective.
“We hope that attendees are inspired and entertained by the unique and fascinating stories that are told at BIFF this year,” Kathy wrote. “We hope they enjoy great food, fun parties and good music. We hope they meet some of the 60 lmmakers in attendance and that BIFF 2025 is an experience that they won’t soon forget.”
See the full schedule and purchase tickets at https://bi 1.com/.
Parker Celebrates Student Artworks e Parker Arts, Culture & Events (PACE) Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave., is hosting a display of some of the best work by students in the district with theStudent Art Exhibit: Bright Futures 2025
Running through ursday, March 27, the exhibit includes pieces from local high schools: Denver East, Douglas County, Grandview, Legend, Rock Canyon and Chaparral. All the participating students took place in this year’s Portfolio Day, an enrichment day for high school students
More details available at https:// parkerarts.org/event/art-exhibitbright-futures-2025/.
Denver’s ‘Catalysts’ Honored by DTD e Denver eatre District (DTD) announced“Catalysts,”a new exhibit by British-American artist Jann Haworth (co-designer of e Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” cover), which will be installed on theside of the Buell eatre, on Champa Street between 13th Street and 14th Street.
e work features a collage of 34 stenciled portraits of behind-thescenes individuals, who are integral to the success and vibrancy of Denver arts and culture, as selected by participating arts organizations, according to provided information. e work began in summer 2024 and will be on display on the billboard, which consists of three panels, each 26 feet by 24 feet, until 2027.
For more information, visitwww. catalystsproject.com.
Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Adrian Younge at the Marquis Adrian Younge is one of the modern musicians keeping jazz alive and thriving. Not only has he worked with some of hip-hop’s best voices and brought a jazz element to their music, but he cofounded the Jazz Is Dead record label with Ali Shaheed Muhammad, of A Tribe Called Quest. e music he produces is always vibrant and dynamic and sounds both classic and contemporary.
It seems like Younge is always working on some new project, but he’s taking time out to stop by the Marquis eater, 2009 Larimer St. in Denver, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 15. Get tickets for the show at www.livenation.com.
Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached atClarke.Reader@ hotmail.com.
Seeking a solution, Szanton discovered a program called ABLE, which brought an occupational therapist and a handy worker to the home. Inspired by its success, Szanton developed CAPABLE, which added a nurse to check on medications, pain, and mental wellbeing, and do things like help participants communicate with doctors. It began in 2008. Szanton since 2021 has been the dean of Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, which coordinates research on CAPABLE. e model is participatory, with the client and care team “problem-solving and brainstorming together,” said Amanda Goodenow, an occupational therapist who worked in hospitals and traditional home health before joining CAPABLE in Denver, where she also works for the CAPABLE National Center, the nonpro t that runs the program.
CAPABLE doesn’t profess to x all the gaps in U.S. long-term care, and it doesn’t work with all older people. ose with dementia, for example, don’t qualify. But studies show it does help participants live more safely at home with greater mobility. And one study that Szanton co-authored estimated Medicare savings of around $20,000 per person would continue for two years after a CAPABLE intervention.
“To us, it’s so obvious the impact that can be made just in a short amount of time and with a small budget,” said Amy Eschbach, a nurse who has worked with CAPABLE clients in the St. Louis area, where a Medicare Advantage plan covers CAPABLE. at St. Louis program caps spending on home modi cations at $1,300 a person.
Both Hill sta and CMS experts who have looked at CAPABLE do see potential routes to broader coverage. One senior Democratic House aide, who asked not to be identi ed because they were not allowed to speak publicly, said Medicare would have to establish careful parameters. For instance, CMS would have to decide which bene ciaries would be eligible. Everyone in Medicare? Or only those with low incomes? Could Medicare somehow ensure that only necessary home modi cations are made — and that unscrupulous contractors don’t try to extract the equivalent of a “copay” or “deductible” from clients?
Szanton said there are safeguards and more could be built in. For instance, it’s the therapists like Goodenow, not the handy workers, who put in the work orders to stay on budget.
For Tsubaki, whose books are not only shelved but organized by topic, the bene ts have endured.
“I became more independent. I’m able to handle most of my activities. I go shopping, to the library, and so forth,” he said. His pace is slow, he acknowledged. But he gets there.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.
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Mines project aims to lower bills in mobile homes
Goal is to bring energy
ciency to poor families and communities
BY MARK JAFFE THE COLORADO SUN
It gets cold in Lake County’s high country, and getting warm when you live in a mobile home is expensive. Just ask Armando, whose monthly utility bill for his two-bedroom manufactured house heads toward $300.
“It’s the biggest bill,” said Armando, who like other residents of the predominantly Latino mobile home park asked to be identi ed by only his rst name out of concerns about the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
at bill, however, is dropping thanks to a pilot project spearheaded by the Colorado School of Mines aimed at bolstering energy e ciency across the community through a combination of improvements to the units and a switch to electric appliances.
e upgraded homes are going through their rst winter in the three-year project, with more retro ts to follow in the spring. Armando says he is already seeing an impact. “It looks like I am saving about $35 next month,” he said.
“It is a big di erence,” Armando said. “It stays warm all day. … Hopefully it will get even better.”
One of the updates was a smart thermostat that enables Armando to use his cellphone to turn down the temperature when he and his family are out and turn it up before they get home — saving natural
gas. “It really works,” he said.
e goal of the project is to bring energy e ciency to low-income families and communities, said Paulo TabaresVelasco, a Mines associate professor of mechanical engineering and the project’s lead researcher.
“How can we produce technologies that can work for everybody, not only for people that make $500,000?” Tabares-Velasco said.
e project got jump-started with a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, but has drawn support from the Colorado Energy O ce and Energy Outreach Colorado, which helps low-income households pay their utility bills, as well as a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Moves that slash bills
A key element of the program is upgrading a group of homes at one time. Fifteen of the park’s 28 homes are participating in the pilot. “We are trying to demonstrate that when you retro t and electrify an entire community you get more bene ts,” Tabares-Velasco said.
Last summer, the rst upgrades were made. ese included low- ow shower heads and LED lighting. e oors were insulated and the homes were air sealed. e gas furnaces were replaced with highe ciency gas furnaces.
In some cases, doors and windows were replaced or a new refrigerator was added. ese are the kinds of steps that are already cutting Armando’s utility bills.
Next spring, the electric installations will be done, including new 100-amp electric panels, a 16.4-kilowatt battery, induction stoves, electric water heaters and cold-climate mini-split heat pumps.
Cold-climate heat pumps, which squeeze heat out of even very cold air, are rated to work to 13 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, well below Leadville’s average winter low of minus 5 degrees.
on the Lake County pilot.
Butler said the o ce also wanted to see if there are economies in bulk purchases and bigger contracts with installers. “We wanted to see what the bene ts are in scaling up, how do we do that at scale,” she said.
Leadville temperatures, however, have slipped below minus 25 at least 24 times in the past 60 years with a record minus 38, in February 1985. e high-e ciency gas furnaces will serve as backup.
Most of the work is being done through the Weatherization Assistance Program, which is a federal initiative administered by the Colorado Energy O ce.
Since 2018 the state program has been helping homeowners and even some renters individually upgrade their properties, but is now interested in the opportunities communitywide improvements might o er.
“Is it more e cient for us to weatherize and electrify a group of homes all at once?” asked Michelle Butler, a senior engagement manager for the energy o ce’s weatherization program who is working
e energy o ce has budgeted about $1.3 million for the Lake County project.
Resident-owned communities are eligible e energy o ce helped homeowners ll out the application for the weatherization grants, which are long and ask for personal details, including nancial information. “ at may have been a reason some people decided not to join,” Tabares-Velasco said.
Most manufactured homes are not eligible for the weatherization program because the families don’t own their homes or own them but lease land in a park to put them on.
Associate Professor Paulo Tabares-Velasco explains to residents how two indoor air quality sensors being installed in their homes work. Tabares-Velasco and his team installed sensors to measure electric energy use, indoor air temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide, radon, particulate matter (PM2.5) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in each participant’s house to monitor changes in indoor air quality before and after energy retrofits and electrification.
PHOTO BY KATHRYN SCOTT / COLORADO SCHOOL OF
BY ELAINE TASSY
NEWS
Report says fewer Coloradans identify as Christian
e percentage of Coloradans who call themselves Christian has declined over the past decade and a half, as the percentage of Coloradans who de ne themselves as “religiously una liated” increased by almost the same amount over the same time period.
It’s a trend that matches what’s happening across the country.
e Pew Research Center’s “Religious Landscape Study,” published Feb. 26, found that in 2007, about a third of Coloradans (67%) identi ed as Christian. Last year, that number dropped to about half (52%).
Carl Raschke, a professor of philosophy of religion at the University of Denver, says this shift is based on some unique characteristics about the Centennial state. “Colorado is one of the most educated states in the country …. Higher levels of education very much go hand in hand with higher levels of religious disa liation,” Raschke said. “Colorado has historically always been less religious than other parts of the country.”
e state of Colorado is 10% less Christian than the country as a whole, according to the study. e percentage of people who identi ed as Christian was 78% nationally in 2007 (as compared to Colorado’s 67% at that time). e percentage of people nationwide self-identifying as Christian declined to 62% in 2024, 10% higher than Colorado’s 2024 Christian percentage at just over half (52%).
Religiously una liated on rise
“Most of the decline has been among the younger generation. That’s been a national trend.”
Carl Raschke, a professor of philosophy of religion at the University of Denver
nationally by 16%; those who de ned themselves as religiously una liated
In Colorado, the percentage of people who de ned themselves as religiously una liated In 2007 was a quarter of the state’s population, 25%. at percentage shot up 15 percentage points to 40% last
DU’s Raschke said age is a factor in the shift away from Christianity and religiosity in general.
“Most of the decline has been among the younger generation,” he said. “ at’s been a national trend.”
Besides providing data on the decline
of how many people identify as Christian, the report also found that the percentage of people in the U.S. who aren’t a part of any religion and describe themselves as “religiously una liated” has gone up, and it appears that the people who are walking away from Christianity
are not connecting with new faiths. Indeed, the decline in the number of people who identify as Christian nearly mirrored the rise in the number of people who are “religiously una liated” between 2007 and 2024. e number of people identifying as Christian declined
About 37,000 people participated in the Pew research study, which has been conducted for the past 17 years. is story is from CPR News, a nonprofit public broadcaster serving Colorado. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.
First Congregational Church in downtown Colorado Springs is part of the United Church of Christ, widely seen as the most progressive sect of Christianity in the nation. PHOTO BY DAN BOYCE / CPR NEWS
Should Colorado fear measles outbreaks?
Health leaders say vaccination is the best prevention
BY JOHN INGOLD THE COLORADO SUN
e ongoing measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico is edging closer to Colorado, at least geographically.
Four cases — and possibly a fth — have been reported in the Texas Panhandle county of Dallam, which sits about 35 miles south of Colorado’s southern border, separated by the Oklahoma Panhandle.
is doesn’t mean an outbreak is imminent in Colorado, of course. But state health o cials have been getting ready in case one is.
“Right now we are ensuring that we are prepared,” said Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state epidemiologist with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “We know that measles cases can occur at any time. But we know the risk is going to be greater when there are large outbreaks occurring in other parts of the country.”
So what should you be doing now and how worried should you be? e Sun talked to Herlihy and to Dr. Michelle Barron, an infectious disease expert at UCHealth. Here are some answers.
What’s going on with this measles outbreak?
At least 155 cases have been reported in Texas and New Mexico as of March 4, with 146 of those reported in Texas. e cases in Texas have been concentrated in children, with 40 occurring in kids under the age of 5, and 70 more in kids ages 5 through 17. One child has died, the rst measles death in the United States since 2015.
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Of the 146 cases in Texas, ve have been in people who were inoculated with at least one dose of a measles vaccine. Of the remaining cases, 79 are in people who are unvaccinated and 62 in people with unknown vaccination status.
e outbreak was initially concentrated in an under-vaccinated Mennonite community in West Texas, but it has since spread outward.
Nationwide, a total of 164 cases of measles have been reported so far in 2025, including the Texas and New Mexico outbreaks. Of those infected, 20% have been hospitalized.
“I want people to fully appreciate that this is a huge outbreak, and we have not seen anything like this in a very long time,” Barron said.
Have there been any infections in Colorado?
As of March 4, there have been no measles infections in Colorado from the current outbreak.
e last measles case in a Colorado resident was in 2023. e patient was an adolescent who had traveled abroad.
Travel is a common source of exposure, Barron said, and Colorado often sees a case of measles every year or so related to travel. But you have to go all the way back to the mid-1990s to nd the last time there was a locally transmitted case of measles in Colorado, Herlihy said.
Back up, what is measles? Why is it bad?
People often associate measles with its telltale red rash. But the disease can be much more aggressive than that — attacking the brain and the respiratory system. Barron said the rash is typically at and not itchy. Another common symptom are white dots in the mouth called Koplik spots. e disease can also cause ear infection and diarrhea. Worse, the disease can cause pneumonia or swelling of the brain,
which is what can lead to hospitalization and death. Severe complications and deaths are most common in children under 5.
at’s bad enough, but measles also has a superpower: its contagiousness. e measles virus is among the most contagious ever documented, with one infected person able to pass the disease to as many as 18 other people. e virus is airborne and can linger in the air for as long as two hours after being exhaled by an infected person.
What can people do to prevent measles?
As with all viruses, good hygiene is helpful — wash hands thoroughly, avoid touching your face, wear a tight- tting mask in settings where you think you could be exposed, etc. But because the virus is so contagious, it can be di cult to avoid it if you are susceptible to infection. So the key, Herlihy said, is to make yourself not susceptible.
“We certainly want to make sure that Coloradans that are working on spring break plans are thinking about vaccine plans ahead of time,” she said.
A two-dose series of the MMR vaccine, which also covers the diseases mumps and rubella, is 97% e ective at protecting against measles.
e rst dose of MMR vaccine is typically given to kids around their rst birthday, but it can be given to kids as young as 6 months old if they will be traveling, especially internationally. ( ose kids will still need two doses after they turn 1.) e best advice, Barron and Herlihy said, is to talk to your pediatrician for guidance.
I’ve already had measles or a measles vaccine. Do I need a booster?
e measles vaccine has gone through various formulas and dosing schedules over the years, creating an immunization hodgepodge, depending on when you were born (assuming you got your typical childhood vaccines as a kid).
Here’s what the state advises:
- For people born before 1957, you were likely exposed to measles as a kid. Prior infection is believed to create lifelong immunity for most, so no additional vaccination is recommended.
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- For people born before 1968, you may have received an ine ective vaccine, especially if you were born from 1963 through 1967. You should receive a booster dose of the MMR vaccine unless you happen to
People often associate measles with its telltale red rash, but the disease can be much more aggressive than that — attacking the brain and the respiratory system.
know that the vaccine you received was a live measles vaccine, and not an inactivated measles vaccine. If you’re unsure, the recommendation is to get the booster.
- For people born from 1968 to 1989, you likely received only one dose of MMR. ere is no overall recommendation for these folks to get a booster dose, since one dose of MMR is 93% e ective. But Barron said people in this group who didn’t get a second dose later in life may want to get a booster, especially if you live or work around young children.
Herlihy and Barron said there is no known harm in getting a booster if you are unsure of your vaccination status. Again, though, talking it through with your doctor is the best policy.
Does Colorado have a high measles vaccination rate?
Colorado is among the states with the lowest measles vaccination rates in the country for school-age children. at has long been true, but the COVID pandemic — both the lack of access to health care that many families experienced during the pandemic, as well as the rising levels of vaccine skepticism — made it worse.
SEE MEASLES, P17
MEASLES
e percentage of kids in kindergarten through 12th grade who were fully vaccinated against measles in Colorado hit its lowest level last year in at least six years. In the 2023-24 school year, 93.7% of students had received a full course of the MMR vaccine.
BILLS
“More than 90% of manufactured homes are split-tenure,” said Zachary Lamb, an assistant city and regional planning professor at the University of California Berkeley, who is studying manufactured homes as an underused housing resource.
“ ere is this general reluctance of state and government programs to deal with these parks,” Lamb said. “ ey don’t want to give funds to landlords.”
In his research in California, Lamb said manufactured home parks have been more susceptible to blackouts and brownouts. In Arizona trying to cool a manufactured home is a challenge. “ ere is no insulation, poor wiring,” Lamb said. “It is a huge issue from an energy justice perspective.” e Lake County park was able to tap into federal funds because several years ago the residents — many of whom work in construction and at quarries in the region — got together, bought the park and now run it as a cooperative.
Of the 40,000 manufactured housing communities in the U.S. less than 3% are resident-owned.
at may sound like a lot, but it is below the target level for achieving herd immunity. Because measles is so contagious, health experts say 95% vaccination coverage is needed to ensure the disease can’t spread within a community.
While many districts do hit that mark, there are pockets with measles vaccination coverage below 80%. e state’s immunization dashboard has data by district and by school.
“A major bene t of co-op ownership is that it can unlock government and philanthropic funds,” Lamb said. “An indirect bene t is when you have a resident ownership model, residents are more secure in making investments in their homes.”
In 2020, Colorado passed a law to aid homeowners to buy their parks. In 2023, Senate Bill 160 created the Mobile Park Resident Empowerment Program with a $23 million revolving loan and grant fund to help mobile home owners organize and nance their mobile home parks. e fund, administered by the Department of Local A airs, has nanced three mobile home acquisitions, in Dumont, Milliken and Littleton, with a fourth pending, according to Shannon Gray, a DOLA spokeswoman. Four more purchases are planned for this scal year.
Residents in four other parks — in Lafayette, Durango, Glenwood Springs and one near Boulder — have purchased or are working toward buying their parks with the help of two nonpro ts, istle Community Housing and resident-owned community organization ROC USA.
Better decisions through data
While being a cooperative has enabled the Lake County park to access dollars and
Is it time to worry yet?
Barron said she isn’t trying to cause alarm, but she has been losing sleep as she worries about what could come from the growing outbreak in Texas and New Mexico. at’s why she said it is important for people to know their vaccination status.
“I don’t want to scare people, but I think people should truly be aware,” she said. While measles has crept closest to Colorado’s southeastern border, Herlihy said
new hardware, an equally important part of the project is putting more information and more control in the hands of the homeowners.
On a February morning, Tabares-Velasco was knocking on doors in the park distributing electronic tablets, or dashboards, that will help residents monitor their energy use and the air quality of their homes.
In addition to the upgrades, the Mines researchers had added so-called smart plugs, which can monitor energy consumption from speci c appliances, such as a refrigerator, a meter measuring electricity ow at the breakers, and sensors monitoring radon, carbon dioxide and particulates.
“One of the bene ts we want to quantify is when we electrify a home and remove a gas stove, furnace and hot water heater how much do you improve the air quality,” Tabares-Velasco said.
Tabares-Velasco showed Armando how to navigate the tablet and access the data — in either Spanish or English. “ ere is a lot there,” Armando said.
With a touch of a nger, they could tap into the home’s energy use by day, week or month, the current utility bill, a forecast for next month’s bill, the home’s biggest electricity users, how it compares with neighbors in the program and all the
she doesn’t see any one area or community more at-risk than another. Measles can just as easily be spread by someone on a plane or driving to the mountains for spring break.
“Really, it’s statewide,” she said of the area she’s watching. “It’s really di cult to predict.”
is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonpro t based in Denver that covers the state.
air-quality readings.
e goal of the dashboards is to put knowledge and control in the hands of the homeowners so they can take steps to manage their energy use and air quality,
Tabares-Velsaco said.
“If they see a high carbon dioxide reading, they’ll know to switch on a fan or open a window,” he said. “And if they see that their energy use is higher than their neighbors’ they will have an incentive to curb their use.”
“We hope we can get people to make the right choices with the right information,” Tabares-Velasco said.
While the pilot is working with a handful of manufactured homes in the Colorado Rockies, the hope is the lessons learned can have broader implications.
“It doesn’t have to be a home park,” Tabares-Velasco said. “If we can go into a neighborhood and do an entire block, say 80 homes, get them on board to retro t, there is a lot of leverage there.”
A home park in Lake County is a start, he said. “If we can x it here, we can x it everywhere else.” is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonpro t based in Denver that covers the state.
Shaun White promotes Snow League in Thornton
Snowboarding legend visits SNÖBAHN to lend tips, skate with kids
BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Future of snow sports and next generations
BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
the event moves to Yunding Secret
Garden in China on Dec. 4–6, where 16 of the world’s top freeskiers will join the roster at the Beijing
Olympic Gold Medalist and X-Games standout Shaun White sat with Colorado Community Media’s John Renfrow to discuss teaching kids the skills to excel on the mountain and his new project, e Snow League.
Colorado Community Media: Why is SNÖBAHN such a good resource and tool for aspiring action sports athletes? Why did you want to get involved?
It’s not often an arguable top-10 athlete of all time stops in for a session in your hometown. But that’s what kids in ornton got on March 4 when snowboarding legend Shaun White pulled up to SNÖBAHN Action Sports Center.
e League returns to Aspen next Feb. 26–28 and concludes at LAAX, 21, where the rst-ever Snow League World
e three-time Olympic gold medalist and 15time X Games gold medalist was in the Denver area ahead of the debut of Shaun White’s e Snow League at Buttermilk Ski Resort in Aspen. Beginning on March 7, the league is dubbed “the rst professional winter sports league entirely dedicated to snowboarding and freeskiing.”
e inaugural event will see some of the world’s top snowboarders compete head-to-head in the halfpipe on NBC and Peacock. e qualifying day is March 7, and the nals are on March 8. “I mean, look, Colorado, it’s hard to compete with it,” White said. “It’s one of the best places in the world for winter sports and the people are amazing. I’ve had plenty of memories and plenty of things happen for me here. And so, we’re so proud to kick o the league event here and support SNÖBAHN. I try to work in the places that I’ve had great experiences and have been good to me … Aspen’s one of, if not the most talked about, world destination for winter sports, plus just the vibe and the culture and all that. It’s a scene in many ways. I’ve had some amazing experiences there. All the stars really aligned.”
About the Snow League
Season one features a four-event global format boasting a $1.6 million prize purse, with athletes competing to earn points to determine the overall champions. After the season debut at Buttermilk in Aspen Snowmass this week,
e event features reigning Olympic gold medalist Ayumu Hirano of Japan, PyeongChang Olympic silver medalist Liu Jiayu of China, Beijing Olympic bronze medalist Sena Tomita of Japan, along with U.S. Olympians Chase Josey, Lucas Foster and Maddie Mastro.
“ e nals is a head-to-head format. It’s like a March Madness or something,” White said. “It’s something that people recognize from other sports. It’s confusing format currently. But now, there’s a lot more education that’s going to go on to get people excited and understand what’s happening.”
Check out e Snow League on NBC and Peacock.
Shaun White + SNÖBAHN
White is an ambassador and investor at SNÖBAHN, an indoor action sports facility founded in 2016 with locations in ornton and Centennial.
SNÖBAHN o ers indoor skiing and snowboard lessons with slopes and trampolines, provides a full indoor skate park, camps throughout the year, rentals and more.
Visit www.snobahn.com for more information.
For more, read an extended Q&A with White at https://coloradocommunitymedia. com/2025/03/05/shaun-white-thornton/
White: I think it’s pretty obvious. You take one step into this place and go, “Oh, wow, like the trampoline setup and this entire skate park, the learn-to-ride areas.” And so I just thought it was so exciting. And there were a bunch of kids excited about it, talking about it. And I think I stepped into my 8-year-old self or whatever, and I was like, “Man, I would kill to have had something like this.”
Can you imagine? ese kids get it all. And then I was thinking about what type of athlete that would maybe bring about in the future, having access to something like this. And not only during the winter, where you can ride or go learn tricks up on the mountain, but when it’s not winter time, you you can come here year-round and learn.
CCM: How do facilities like this make the sports more accessible compared to when you were an up-and-coming snowboarder?
format, a whole new way of watching and understanding what’s happening in the sport. And then changing just the competitive landscape for the actual athletes — any traditional sport: tennis, football, hockey, F1, whatever — you can go nd out how your team or your favorite athlete is doing. It’s really dicult in (snowboarding). We want to make it like any other traditional sport. One home, one hub for the sport, and it’ll just make it better for the athletes and better for the viewers and people. And I felt like I was the right person for the job, from having that experience as a competitor and knowing the resort owners and the landscape and what’s needed.
CCM: How have snowboarders or skiers responded to this new tour format and event?
White: Just hearing their excitement on the phone was probably one of the coolest experiences of all this. But then I think the most kind of “pinch me” moment was the amount of resumes we started getting from people within the industry that are like, “ is is amazing. We’ve needed this for so long and I’d love to be a part of, if I could, in some way.” We want to take the world’s best, put them at the world’s best resorts and then have the biggest prize there’s ever been. And for athletes, in your path to qualify for the Olympics, you’ll get points at our events. We don’t want athletes to say, “Oh, I want to do Shaun’s thing, but I know you get points at other events that go towards your qualifying for the Olympics.” We wanted to make sure it was just like a plus experience. And so we were thrilled. CCM: A lot of kids here today. How much do you enjoy spending time with the youth and passing down some wisdom to the next generation?
White: I started thinking about when I grew up riding, you know, it’s such an expensive sport. In a family of ve, lodging, these tickets, it’s such an expensive sport. And so to come to somewhere like this and learn and then take those skills to the mountain and have a better experience, you can get the most bang for your buck when you’re there. I mean, you don’t want to spend that kind of money and just be like, hooking an edge, trying to learn how to ride all day. It’d be nice to get there and really explore the mountain for what you’re paying. I think it just breathes life into the sport. It supports the youth. It’s temperature-controlled. It’s a more controlled environment. My family members get to ride more often than most, but still, they wanted to go enjoy the mountain, but they’re there teaching and helping the kids out. And so I just think it’s so awesome to have this on many di erent levels for sure.
CCM: What’s your vision for e Snow League? How exciting is it to be debut week?
White: e goal is to just to change the sport; how it’s viewed by the spectator and at home. We’ve got a whole new
White: It’s one of the joys for me, you know, sharing that experience. And I remember being that age and asking pros for tips on tricks and whatever. I’m excited to be able to pay that forward and and just be in the mix. And it’s fun for me. I’ve done this for my entire life. And the big fear as an athlete is like, “Oh, I retire, and then everything stops,” right? You think about traditional sports athletes … does Tom Brady have to go to the park and do pickup games?” So, I love being around it. I love being a part of it. I get that same excitement. I pop into this place all the time, every time I connect through Denver. I’m like, “Oh, I’ll just swing through, say hi to the kids, do my thing.” So yeah, I’m sel shing just investing in the things I like to do.
Shaun White (left) highfives a local while skating with kids at SNÖBAHN Action Sports Center in Thornton on March 4.
PHOTO BY ELISABETH SLAY
CROWSSUPDRO ELZZ
1. TELEVISION: Which 1960s sitcom was about a TV comedy writer, his job and his family?
2. AD SLOGANS: Which candy slogan urges consumers to “Taste the rainbow”?
3. COMICS: Which superhero gets his power from a ring?
4. GEOGRAPHY: Which country has the most islands?
5. MEASUREMENTS: How many cups are in a pint?
6. MOVIES: Which scary 1980 movie contained the phrase “red rum” and what does it mean?
7. ANATOMY: What is the outermost layer of human skin called?
8. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was the rst president to ride in a car to his inauguration?
9. HISTORY: When did India gain its independence from Great Britain?
TrIVIa
10. CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: Who lives at 32 Windsor Gardens?
Answers
1. “ e Dick Van Dyke Show.”
2. Skittles.
3. e Green Lantern.
4. Sweden.
5. Two.
6. “ e Shining.” It’s the word “murder” spelled backward.
7. Epidermis.
8. Warren Harding (1921).
9. 1947.
10. Paddington Bear and the Brown family.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
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