Brighton Standard Blade May 15, 2025

Page 1


SMILES FOR CINCO DE MAYO P8

Brighton strikes “Dianetics Day” proclamation

Brighton City Councilors removed a proclamation that would have honored Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard at their May 6 City Council meeting.

Brighton was expected to o cially recognize the 75th anniversary of the rst publication of “Dianetics: e Modern Science of Mental Health” at the May 6 City Council meeting, declaring May 9 as Dianetics Day in Brighton.

Brighton’s proclamation, signed by Mayor Greg Mills and Brighton City Clerk Natalie Hoel, noted that L. Ron Hubbard, an American science ction and pulp author, rst published his most well-known book “Dianetics,” on May 19, 1950. e Church of Scientology opened its rst of-

cial location nearly four years later, in California.

But Councilor Tom Green moved to strike the proclamation from the council’s agenda at the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting and councilors agreed unanimously.

e Dianetics proclamation was one of four proclamations the mayor was scheduled to read at the May 6 meeting. Others included “Kids to Parks Day” on May 17, declaring the week of May 11 as “National Police Week” and declaring the month of May “Historic Preservation Month.”

After agreeing to strike the Dianetics proclamation, councilors then moved to postpone the three remaining proclamations from that night’s agenda, but didn’t pick them up later on during the meeting.

City Manager Michael Martinez said the

rest of the proclamations were removed due to timing and will be considered true proclamations. e council’s May 6 agenda was long and councilors removed the proclamations budget item to save time, he said.

Since the Dianetics proclamation was struck by a unanimous vote of the City Council, May 9 will not be considered Dianetics Day in Brighton.

Brighton City Councilors voted to approve proclamations until about ve years ago, Martinez said.

Now, the mayor simply signs them and announces them at an appropriate meeting. Martinez said he expects councilors to discuss that policy at their next study session meeting, tentatively scheduled for May 13.

Federal order a threat to instate tuition

Executive order aimed at ‘sanctuary city’ policies

Undocumented students in Colorado have gone on to be teachers, nurses and business owners thanks to a program that allows them to pay in-state tuition at public universities.

Now the future of that program and ones like it in 23 other states are in doubt after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that seeks to punish states and cities with so-called sanctuary policies.

e order, signed April 28, also speci cally calls out programs that provide in-state tuition for undocumented students who graduated from high school in that state or who meet other residency requirements.

Allowing in-state students who are not citizens to pay less tuition than out-of-state students who are citizens represents discrimination, according to the order, which says that the attorney general, in cooperation with the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, “shall identify and take appropriate action to stop the enforcement of state and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful.”

Advocates for immigrant students say that without in-state tuition, many undocumented students will struggle to a ord college. ey don’t qualify for any federal nancial aid and face other barriers to college.

“ is is absolutely essential for immigrant students,” said Raquel Lane-Arellano, communications manager for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, which fought to pass Colorado’s in-state tuition law in 2013. “It’s not these students’ fault that our immigration system is so broken. ey deserve the opportunity, just like all of their peers, to access higher levels of education.” So far, Colorado universities are not making any immediate changes to their policies.

Artists selected for the Brighton Tra c Box Project

Five adult nalists and one youth nalist were selected as winners for the 2025 Tra c Box Mural Project, according to a news release on April 28.

e contest began earlier this year, inviting artists to submit artwork for the tra c signal boxes as part of the city’s effort to beautify Brighton through public art. e city received over 100 submissions, and the judges selected 15 based on community feedback.

Over 750 public votes were cast during the week-long voting period. e nalists will be installed this summer and displayed for up to two years. Additionally, the artist will receive a $500 honorarium.

In his piece “Reach,” David Swartz, a Denver-based artist, emphasizes the theme of connection, symbolized through water.

“My piece, ‘Reach,’ symbolizes reaching for your goals, aspiring for more, and spreading your wings to soar, designed to inspire hope and bring a smile to the viewer’s faces,” Swartz said.

Sabu Watanabe III, a husband and father of three, titled his piece “Mountain Life.”

“I love spending time with them outdoors. My artwork captures wildlife and the Rocky Mountains,” Watanabe said.

Kelsi Nicholson’s piece is titled “Sunower Field.” She is a graphic designer.

“I create collages inspired by personal passions, showcasing the beauty of Colorado,” Nicholson said.

Deborah Ewing, whose piece is titled “Butter ies,” is a retired art teacher who worked at the Butter y Pavilion for many years.

Her piece “Butter ies” is an original watercolor painting of butter ies that can be found in Colorado.

Samantha Pascavis created a piece called “Fawns in Field.” Born and raised in Colorado, she uses her art to celebrate and honor the ora, fauna, and natural surroundings.

“It provides me a much-needed source

Brighton, Anythink o er handheld air quality monitors

Anythink Libraries, Adams County and the City of Brighton are o ering residents a chance to monitor the quality of air in their homes this summer.

Residents can borrow an air monitoring device from the Anythink Brighton library, 327 E. Bridge St. e library has a small number of Temtop M10+ Air Quality Monitor and residents can take them home and use them for two weeks, according to a City of Brighton press release.

e rechargeable monitors provide real-time data on several key air quality metrics. ese monitors measure PM2.5 ( ne particulate matter), TVOCs (Total Volatile Organic Compounds), and formaldehyde (HCHO) levels, and provide a general Air Quality Index (AQI) rating. “ is initiative supports our goal of increasing community engagement around environmental health,” Traci McLean, Brighton sustainability coordinator, said in a written statement. “Together with Adams County and Any-

think Libraries, we’re equipping residents with tools to better understand and address air quality concerns in their homes, neighborhoods, and daily lives.”

e devices come with simple instruction guides and resources for interpreting readings and taking action based on the results.

According to the manufacturer’s website, dangerous particles can be directly emitted from wind-blown dust, mold spores, pollen and wild res. at dust and smoke from outdoors can enter your home, making the indoor air unhealthy.

“Based on this, the Temtop M10 Air Quality Monitor is a compact, tabletop device that tracks your air quality continuously, so it’s good for use in areas where you want easy access to air quality information, like a workshop, a baby’s room, or next to a gas replace,” manufacturers say on the website. “ e indicator LED will turn red if the sensors detect dangerous levels of any of the monitored substances.

For more information, visit www.brightonco.gov/3071/ Air-Q

of joy and escape throughout her childhood. “Fawns in the Field” represents a pair of fawns hiding amongst eld grass against a dusk sky with graphic stars.”

Youth nalist Alexandra Grein’s piece is called “Storm of the Game.” Grein is an eighth grader who not only loves to draw but also enjoys playing lacrosse.

“I play for the Bison Lacrosse Club, playing boys lacrosse on their eighthgrade team,” Grein said.

e Bison Lacrosse Club serves the Brighton, Commerce City, and orn-

ton areas to o er lacrosse at an a ordable rate, ensuring that all kids can play. Grein said that her artwork references both men’s and women’s lacrosse play. Lacrosse will be an Olympic sport in the upcoming Summer Games. It is a piece that connects lacrosse with the local community.

For more information on the Tra c Box Mural Project, contact Communications & Engagement Director Kristen Chernosky at kchernosky@brightonco. gov.

‘Drug dealer’ gets 30 year sentence

Meth dealer wore “drug dealer” T-shirt during o ense

A 32-year-old man — who wore a shirt that said “drug dealer” during one of his arrests for drug trafcking in ornton — has been sentenced to 30 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections for high-volume drug tra cking in Adams County.

e sentencing of Ivan Rodriguez marks the culmination of a multiple-year-long investigation by the North Metro Task Force into Rodriguez’s large-scale distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamine and other dangerous narcotics across the region, said Adams County District Attorney Brian Mason.

“ is defendant was a major source of deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine in our community and acted with utter disregard for the lives destroyed by these drugs,” Mason said in a news release. “ irty years in prison is an appropriate and necessary consequence for these crimes. I am grateful to our law enforcement partners for their thorough investigation in these cases. e District Attorney’s O ce will con-

tinue to prioritize the prosecution of high-level tra ckers like Mr. Rodgriguez, who pro t from addiction and death.”

Rodriguez pleaded guilty to multiple charges of Drug Felony 1 Possession with Intent to Distribute.

He was sentenced to 14 years in prison for one of three cases in Feb. 2025. He received an additional 16 years on April 29, 2025 for two other separate cases.

e April sentences will be served concurrently with each other but consecutively to the February sentence, for a total of 30 years in prison, according to the news release.

Operation ‘Dress for Less’

Rodriguez was arrested on Nov. 2, 2022, following a coordinated operation by the ornton Police Department involving SWAT and surveillance teams, according to the news release.

After tracking him from a hotel to a nearby store, o cers executed a search warrant and recovered a large stash of illegal drugs, including 147.94 grams of methamphetamine, 112.44 grams of counterfeit Oxycodone (fentanyl), 1.39 grams of Ketamine, and 13.77 grams of counterfeit Xanax.

e news release states that Rodriguez was wearing a shirt that read “drug dealer” at the time of the o ense.

e defendant posted bond on

November 8, 2022, but failed to appear in court on January 17, 2023, was re-arrested, and posted bond again on May 15, 2023.

In 2023, during an extensive narcotics investigation dubbed “Dress for Less,” North Metro Task Force detectives intercepted court-authorized wiretap communications revealing Rodriguez’s role in a drug tra cking operation with ties to a Mexican drug cartel, according to the news release.

While out on bond, Rodriguez was observed conducting a drug transaction and then led ornton Police on a high-speed chase, during which he discarded a backpack, which was later recovered from a dumpster.

e bag contained 1.68 kilograms of fentanyl, 2.56 kilograms of methamphetamine, a rearm, nearly $3,000 in cash, and multiple cell phones. e indictment in this case was led on Sep. 25, 2023, and an arrest warrant was issued, according to the news release.

On Dec. 10, 2023, Rodriguez was located during a surveillance operation, according to the news release. Detectives immobilized Rodriguez’s vehicle as he returned to a parking lot in a black Audi sedan. He attempted to ee again but was caught. Rodriguez admitted to possessing narcotics in the car. A search revealed nearly three pounds of methamphetamine and 21 grams of counterfeit fentanyl pills, the news release states.

Youth winner Alexandra Grein of painting “Storm of the Game” is designed to wrap around a tra c signal control box. A lacrosse player, Grein’s work is meant to celebrate both mens and womens’ lacrosse. COURTESY CITY OF BRIGHTON

Brighton to leave Ward 1 vacant until November vote

Council does not want to play favorites with former councilor Johnston’s seat

Brighton will leave the former City Councilor Matt Johnston’s Ward 1 seat vacant rather than rush to have a special election or appoint a replacement.

“Just naming somebody in the meantime might create a challenge, and signify a favorite,” City Councilor Peter Padilla said.

Johnston o cially resigned his seat on

DIANETICS DAY

Martinez said the request for the Dianetics proclamation came from members of the Brighton community. However, Denver TV station 9News reported on May 6 that the request actually came from Camila Miranda, the public a airs director for the Church of Scientology.

Controversial group

Dianetics teaches followers to rely on their analytical mind to make decisions rather than the “reactive” subconscious by identifying and healing mental and emotional scars left by traumatic events in their past — called “Engrams” in Scientology. ose engrams are identi ed and dealt with through a counseling process called auditing. Hubbard added the use of electropsychometers to Dianetics in 1952, a device that measures the ow of electrical current through they body. Scientol-

April 14.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Greg Mills noted that Johnston’s term in Brighton Ward 1 was due to expire after this November’s vote.

“By the time we schedule a special election to ll the seat, they’d have to start gathering petitions to run again in November,” Mills said.

Johnston said he decided to step down from the Brighton City Council and leave Brighton soon after November’s election.

ogy auditors use the meters to monitor a person’s reactions to the questions asked as they proceed through the Auditing process.

Hubbard died in 1986 and the church has been led by his protege David Miscavige since then.

Scientology claims to have 8 million members worldwide with 10,000 churches and missions in 168 countries. It has since created numerous related e orts, including anti-drug addiction training “Narcanon”, the criminal rehabilitation program “Criminon” and educational “Applied Scholastics.”

But the church has also battled claims that it is a cult that uses information obtained during auditing sessions to blackmail its members. e 2015 HBO documentary “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Beliefs” makes allegations of abuse against the church of intimidation, coercion and physical violence against members and those seeking to leave Scientology as well as the harassment of former members and critics.

Don’t Wait to Save for A Downpayment

For many would-be homebuyers in Colorado, the biggest obstacle isn’t affording monthly payments — it’s saving up for a down payment. But there’s a lesser-known solution: a unique down payment assistance program connected to FHA that offers generous terms with fewer limitations than many alternatives.

I learned about this program from Jaxzann Riggs, owner of The Mortgage Network, who explained how this option helps buyers get into homes sooner - with little or no money out of pocket.

“Some buyers have strong income and credit, but they just haven’t been able to save enough for a down payment,” she told me. “This program bridges that gap - without the typical income or location restrictions.”

Johnston lost a race for a State Senate seat in Colorado’s 13th District in November and said he didn’t feel as if he could represent his constituents any longer.

“When the people speak and they don’t feel like you are right to represent them in one o ce, it’s usually the same thing for the o ce you currently are in,” Johnston said. “It’s not fair to the voters and residents to have you sitting in a seat as a lame duck when they chose to not have you represent them in another of-

ce that’s just the same area.”

He also said he was tired of being a consistent no vote on agenda items. “It was a hostile work environment that I faced consistently every Tuesday at City Hall from some of the sta and the others on council,” Johnston said. “It was ne to deal with when you have the ability to actually create positive change, but as soon as you can’t create positive change any more you feel it and it was just wearing on me and my wife.”

Critics claim the number of Scientologists is much smaller, between 30,000 and 55,000 Scientologists worldwide. Dianetics Day is one of six holidays the

Church of Scientology recognizes. Other include L. Ron Hubbard’s March 13 birthday, Sea Org Day on Aug. 12 and Auditors Day on the second Sunday of September.

Here’s How You Can Start Building Equity Now ADVERTISEMENT

HOAP, and MetroDPA, these programs often have income caps and/or location limits. But as stated before, the national FHAbacked option offers broader eligibility, no income or area restrictions, and more flexible terms, making it a strong option for buyers who are ready now.

rising-rate environment.

Additionally, this program allows for higher debt-to-income (DTI) ratios, a hallmark of FHA financing. That means borrowers with student loans or other debt may still qualify.

Why This Matters Now

A Powerful Alternative to Traditional Down Payment Assistance (DPA)

This FHA-approved assistance is more flexible than many state or local programs. It comes in the form of a second mortgage behind an FHA loan, but here’s the twist: there are no income limits, no geographic restrictions, and more flexibility within FHA guidelines, compared to a conventional loan.

Buyers can use this program whether or not they’re a first-time homebuyer. It’s designed for those who are financially ready to buy but need help covering the minimum 3.5% down payment or closing costs.

While Colorado offers down payment help through programs like CHFA, CHAC,

With rents and home prices both climbing, waiting to save for a traditional down payment could cost more in the long run. Getting into a home today versus two or three years from now allows you to start building equity instead of continuing to pay rent.

“Every month you rent is a month you’re not gaining ownership,” Jaxzann says. “This program gives you a way to step into the market faster and start growing wealth.”

Keep in Mind: Not All FHA Loans Are Eligible It’s important to note that this assistance applies only to new FHA purchases. If you already have an FHA loan, you won’t qualify for this specific program — but there’s still a silver lining. FHA loans are assumable, meaning a future buyer could take over your low-interest mortgage without a rate hike, an incredibly valuable feature in a

“You can’t beat the ability to transfer a loan with no escalation in rate,” Jaxzann points out. “That’s something worth knowing if you already have an FHA loan.” Homeowners with existing low-rate FHA mortgages are sitting on a very valuable asset. When it is time to sell, they should consider allowing the new prospective purchaser to “assume” their existing loan.

This is done by having the prospective purchaser apply for a “qualifying assumption” with the lender that is currently servicing the loan. Because the prospective owner is qualifying to assume the existing loan, the original borrower is released from all future liability for the loan while allowing the new purchaser/owner to keep the original mortgage interest rate. The difference between the current loan balance and the purchase price of the home is paid to the seller in cash.

Weighing the Trade-Offs

As with most zero-down options, there are considerations:

 Interest rates will be higher than traditional FHA loans with full down payments. On a $500,000 home, that might mean around $550 more per month.

 You will have to pay off any remaining balance on the second mortgage when you refinance or sell.

 All FHA loans require mortgage insurance on the loan. This insurance protects the lender in the event of foreclosure.

Unlike mortgage insurance on conventional mortgages, 30 year fixed rate FHA loans require that the mortgage insurance remain in place for the life of the loan.

 You must intend to live in the home as your primary residence at the time of purchase.

Still, for many buyers, the ability to get into a home now outweighs the costs.

“This program can open doors much sooner than people think,” Jaxzann told me.

“This is ideal for households with two incomes and/or those that might have been denied down payment assistance in the past because they exceed income limitations for other programs. If you’re ready to buy but short on upfront funds, it’s absolutely worth exploring.”

To learn more and find out if you qualify, contact Jaxzann Riggs at The Mortgage Network at (303) 990-2992.

NOTE: My “Real Estate Today” column that normally appears on this page is now published bi-weekly. Look for it here next week and every other week thereafter.

On those alternate weeks, look for a half-page ad like this on a related topic.

Brighton City Hall at night. City Councilors are expected to discuss their proclamation policy May 13. SCOTT TAYLOR

A new life for Keenesburg newspaper

Lost Creek Guide back as The Lost Creek Sentinel

Keenesburg’s bi-weekly newspaper e Lost Creek Guide– which was owned and operated by Bob Grand who passed away in 2024 – now has a new publisher, Ed Morales, and owner-editor, Tammy Whitaker.

It is now called e Lost Creek Sentinel.

“ is loss has impacted the ability of southeast Weld County businesses to connect with their communities, especially given the challenges posed by limited internet access in outlying areas,”  said Morales.  “Print publication remains essential for maintaining connections between businesses and residents.”

e Lost Creek Sentinel is a monthly news publication that covers south Weld County, Morgan County, and rural Adams County. It’s available in Keenesburg, Brighton, Fort Lupton,

Hudson, Lochbuie, Orchard, Prospect Valley, Roggen, Wiggins and Weldona.

Morales said he is pleased to announce the launch of a new print publication to address this void.

“ e Lost Creek Sentinel is set to release its rst issue in the upcoming months and will continue to be distributed to 18,000 homes across a tenzip code area,” said Morales.

e community-focused newspaper will emphasize delivering local news, events, and human-interest stories relevant to the residents, he said.

“By aiming to support local businesses, the Lost Creek Sentinel seeks to foster community engagement through comprehensive coverage of local and cultural events, school activities, and business news, contributing to our communities’ overall growth and well-being,” Morales said.

Morales said he joined the Fort Lupton Chamber of Commerce to network with the community.

“As the newest member of the Chamber, the Lost Creek Sentinel is dedicated to forging relationships with Chamber members to reconnect local businesses with their communities,” Morales said.  Morales can be reached at publisher@lostcreeksentinel.com.

Fort Lupton gets grant for swim lessons for kids

Philip 66 has partnered with the Fort Lupton Recreation Center to o ernancial assistance for a swim program designed for families in spite of nancial di culties.

“I’m happy that Philip 66 reached out to us to o er the Swim Safety Scholarship grant program,” said Joisan Skrocki, aquatics coordinator at Fort Lupton Recreation. “Financial constraints make it harder for families with multiple children to a ord swimming lessons. Phillips 66 aimed to assist these families in covering the cost of swim classes.”

“Phillips 66, in collaboration with the City of Greeley, started the swim safety program last year. It was wildly successful, so this year we wanted to expand the program to other communities,” said Megan M. Hartman, Phillips 66 Gulf Coast Public A airs Director.

Fort Lupton and the Town of Windsor, the ompson Parks and Recreation and the City of Greeley are all

participating in the swim safety program, she said.

“ e initiative aims to enhance swim safety for local youth. Our hope in providing learn-to-swim scholarships is to ensure the children gain essential swimming skills, water safety knowledge, and con dence around water. e initiative underscores Phillips 66’s commitment to community well-being, safety, and social advancement.”

Drowning scare

Skrocki said she experienced a neardrowning scare when she was 6 years old. e experience inspired her to teach swimming lessons for both children and adults.

“Not having enough swimming experience, I had grabbed onto a rope in the pool to save myself. By the time the lifeguard saw me, the rope had saved me,” Skrocki said.

Skrocki said she needed more swimming lessons after that experience but the small community where she lived did not o er or focus on swimming lessons.

“I started to take the swimming les-

sons when I was 15, then later I moved to Colorado; I reached out and started working at the Recreation Center in Commerce City,” Skrocki said. “ en I moved to Fort Lupton and started teaching swim lessons during that time here, and I loved it.”

Skrocki said that the Fort Lupton recreation center has o ered swim lessons for approximately 20 years, since the pool opened.  ey took a break during COVID but have been consistent otherwise.

“ ey’ve had a very strong program. I’ve been here for ve years; I started out as a swim instructor, and I’ve worked my way up into the coordinator position,” Skrocki said.

Skrocki said the program has developed signi cantly, with two or three instructors per session o ering two or three hours of swim lessons.

“Now we have four instructors with up to ve four-hour swim lessons every session. I love seeing the same kids over and over developing, and parents want their kids to be comfortable in the water, which is their biggest fear,” Skrocki said.

Summer camp helps kids with personal development

Camp Ripple focuses on martial arts to give campers a boost

A summer camp designed to build condence in children and teens with karate classes kicks o May 23 in Johnstown.

“We’re thrilled to bring Camp Ripple to Johnstown,” Rachael Macy, co-owner of Ripple E ect Martial Arts, said. “Our goal is to give kids a summer lled with purpose, progress, and unforgettable fun. Martial arts gives kids the tools to believe in themselves, and Camp Ripple expands that impact to a fullday experience.”

Ripple E ect Martial Arts is a family-owned martial arts school committed to investing in students of all ages with physical training and personal development, inspiring kids and families, and guiding them with courage and kindness.

“We’re more than just kicks and punches,” said Master Greg Macy, co-owner. “We teach leadership, respect, focus, and resilience— and Camp Ripple is a natural extension of that mission.”

Camp Ripple accepts students from ages 5 to 12 and o ers a fresh option for youth summer camps that keeps kids active, creative, focused, having fun, and learning the discipline of martial arts and con dence.

In addition to the daily karate classes, the kids participate in reading time, crafts, active games, and rotating weekly activities to help develop them as con dent leaders in class, personal lives, and school, according to the Macy’s. e class also focuses on building self-discipline, focus, and resilience as students advance in a structured belt system of sparring and developing leadership skills.

Camp Ripple runs Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., through August 8 with weekly themes to keep campers engaged and excited.

Registration is now open for Camp Ripple is open and spots are lling up fast, and early enrollment is recommended. Families can make an advance registration for their children with a $25 registration fee at JohnstownSummerCamp.com.

ey also have schools in Broom eld, Fort Collins and Longmont that o er physical training with personal development. e Johnstown location is at 4870 ompson Parkway.

The late Bob Grand left a legacy in his communities with his bi-weekly newspaper the Lost Creek Guide. COURTESY PHOTO

Billera, Hiromasa, Miller claim NMFD seats

The voters will be o cially confirmed May 15

North Metro Fire Rescue District voters Tuesday elected Peter Billera, James Hiromasa and Richard Miller to the re district’s board of directors.

ose elected to four-year terms were James Hiromasa of Northglenn, who will

e Colorado House of Representatives this week passed legislation that would provide a major nancial boost to public safety and law enforcement training.

e bill – SB25-310 – was co-sponsored by Rep. Shannon Bird of Westminster and passed the House by a voted of 55-9.

e bill honors the intent of  Proposition 130, passed by voters last year, to invest in new resources for the state’s police agencies, said Bird, a Democrat.

“Last year, Colorado voters approved Prop 130 to better support the recruitment and training of peace o cers and ensure that families of rst responders can receive death bene ts after a tragedy,” said Bird in a news release. “ is

serve his rst term on board, and Peter Billera of Broom eld, who was re-elected and will serve his third and nal term.

Voters were allowed to vote for three candidates on their election ballot—two candidates to ll the four-year terms and one candidate to ll the two-year term.

According to the district’s uno cial results, Billera received 292 votes and Hiromasa received 273 votes. Candidate Jacob Heibert received 106 votes.

Richard Miller is also of Broom eld and currently serves as the board president. He was elected to serve the remaining two-year term of a vacancy left by a former board director.

According to the uno cial results,

Miler received 232 votes. Challenger David Feineman had 80 votes and Bernard Burns had 29 votes. e results will be o cially con rmed on May 15, once the eight-day window closes for absentee ballots to be received from uniformed and overseas citizens, according to a re district news release. e elected directors will begin serving their term after taking their oath of o ce at North Metro Fire’s upcoming board meeting on May 20. ey will be joined by current board members, Elizabeth Law-Evans and Richard Kondo.

Bill to bolster law enforcement moves ahead

solution implements the will of the voters and supports our law enforcement departments and ofcers while maintaining funding for essential services like K-12 education and health care.”

SB25-310, also sponsored by Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction, would implement the voterapproved Proposition 130 and direct a total of $350 million to keep Coloradans safe and to recruit new peace o cers, hire additional peace o cers, and provide continuing education and training for peace o cers.

RTD program aims at human tra cking education

e Regional Transportation District is launching an education campaign for employees and riders to identify and report human tra cking.

RTD said it is partnering with Truckers Against Tra cking – TAT – and the Denver Anti-Tra cking Alliance – DATA – to kick start a Human Tra cking Awareness Campaign throughout the RTD system. e focus of the campaign is to educate young customers, families and

community members on how to identify and report tra cking, RTD says.

An RTD news release states that human tra cking is a serious crime that a ects people worldwide, including in Colorado. It involves severe exploitation for labor or commercial sex through force, fraud or coercion. Victims may be forced to work long hours for little or no pay, and tra ckers often take their identi cation, making it difcult to access transportation and human services, according to the news release.

SEE EDUCATION, P6

e bill would implement and create a funding mechanism for the distribution of $350 million for local law enforcement o cer recruitment, retention and training, the news release states.

e bill makes a one-time investment of $500 million of the general fund reserve in PERA and reduces future general fund payments to PERA by the amount of interest earned. It would then divert that amount to the new Peace Ofcer Training and Support fund each year, which will be distributed to local police departments, according to the legislation.

In addition, the bill would require a transfer of $15 million to the fund from the General Fund in 2026-27, and a minimum of $15 million from the general fund each year, regardless of the amount o set by interest earnings.

Once the full $350 million is ful lled or if the general fund reserve falls below $1 billion, the bill would establish mechanisms to e ectively return the $500 million invested in PERA to the general fund, the news release states.

e bill would also implement the death bene t required in Proposition 130 of $1 million to the surviving spouse, family member or designee of any rst responder who died as a result of injuries or an occupational disease sustained while performing their job and create the Death Bene t Fund.

e bill would transfer $5 million on July 1, 2025, and a further $5 million on July 1, 2026, to the Death Bene t Fund. Beginning in 2027, the bill would require an annual transfer from the General Fund to the Death Bene t Fund that restores the fund balance to $10 million.

Hiromasa

“ e executive order does not provide enough details to truly know what federal actions will be taken,” said Colorado Department of Higher Education spokesperson Megan McDermott.

e Trump order sets up a possible legal showdown over the state-supported tuition programs that immigrant rights and higher education-advising groups have called essential to help undocumented students access higher education and educate them to ll in-demand jobs.

Twenty-four states, including Colorado, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey, along with Washington, D.C. have programs that allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. While the programs have received bipartisan support, Republicans in several states have recently led bills to consider rolling back in-state tuition for undocumented students. Last week, Florida lawmakers ended the state’s decadeold program.

e order adds to an already uncertain environment for immigrant students, who worry about the risks of lling out nancial aid paperwork while grappling with deportation fears. Denver Scholarship Foundation’s Natasha Gar eld said the college-advising nonpro t will continue to provide students information about their options and allow them to decide whether college is right for them during a time when Trump’s immigration stance has brought incredible uncertainty.

“ ere are some who are very, very concerned about the state of things, and I don’t think there’s anything that DSF or anyone else could say to reassure them,” said Gar eld, the scholarship organization’s director of scholarships and nancial aid. “I think that’s completely understandable given some of the actions that

EDUCATION

Survivors often seek to escape by bus, train or ee to a transit center. As the region’s public transit provider, RTD is uniquely positioned to help identify and disrupt tra cking, the agency’s o cials say.

“I value RTD’s partnerships with TAT and DATA,” said RTD General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson, said in the news release. “Collectively, we aim to educate employees, customers and the general public about human tra cking while sharing resources to help eliminate it in our communities.”

we’ve seen coming from ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and the federal government.”

e order is part of Trump’s larger push to crack down on people in the United States without legal authorization. His directive to punish states with these programs also included several other enforcement actions such as punishing so-called sanctuary cities and states. e administration led suit Friday against Colorado and Denver for its policies.

e administration argues in the order that some state and local o cials use their “authority to violate, obstruct, and defy the enforcement of federal immigration laws. is is a lawless insurrection against the supremacy of Federal law.”

States have a long history of o ering instate tuition at public universities to youth who were brought as children and without legal status. Texas and California passed the rst laws in 2001, and other states followed with similar laws. Each varies in how they approach granting in-state tuition.

About 408,000 undocumented students enroll in higher education each year, although not all bene t from these state programs, according to the Higher Ed Immigration Portal. However, even in states without these laws, some private schools in Tennessee and elsewhere may o er in-state tuition for all students regardless of their residency or legal status. And in Pennsylvania, at least one public institution provides in-state tuition to undocumented students.

Colorado’s Advising Students for a Stronger Tomorrow law, or ASSET, updated in 2019, says students must have attended a Colorado high school for at least one year before graduation or been physically present in Colorado for at least one year to qualify for in-state tuition.

New York’s law says students must have attended at least two years of high school in New York and graduate or receive a general education diploma. Students must

RTD Transit Police – RTD-PD -  trains and certi es its o cers to recognize, investigate and report human tra cking. RTD-PD also partners with the Denver Police Department and the FBI. e agencies work together to conduct an operation to better recognize and aid young adults who are at risk, runaways or have been victimized, the news release states. ese law enforcement agencies will continue to work together to support combined e orts focused on preventing human tra cking.  ere are several “red ags” that may indicate an individual is a victim of trafcking. RTD says examples include individuals who are not allowed to speak for themselves, whose tickets and/or ID cards are being controlled by another

also apply to a college or university within ve years and show proof of residency. ey must also sign an a davit saying they will le for legal status.

Illinois’ law has similar requirements, while New Jersey requires three years of residency.

National student immigrant advocacy organizations FWD.us, eDream.US, and the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration all criticized the order. Collectively, they said states, colleges, and universities shouldn’t overreact and that the order hurts states that need quali ed workers.

“Blocking states from o ering in-state tuition to undocumented students who have lived in these states for most of their lives would purposefully lock countless individuals out of the higher education system, waste years of educational investment, hurt local economies, and rob all Americans of future leaders,” said Todd Schulte, FWD.us president.

State leaders are still working to understand the impact of the order, and a spokesperson for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement the administration is

person and minors who are unaware of the person they are traveling to meet or reference meeting “a friend from the internet.”

Human tra cking groomers may approach individuals who look vulnerable to recruit victims, the news release states.

Customers and community members are encouraged to review resources shared on RTD’s social channels (RideRTD) and advertisements on RTD’s buses and at stations. e agency also created a webpage dedicated to human tra cking education. e agency said RTD sta will share these resources with community members during regularly scheduled outreach activities throughout the month,

looking into the impacts of this order. e state remains committed to ensuring the state remains a destination for all learners, the statement says.

e state has not led any legal action against the order, but leaders have been willing to push back on Trump administration orders.

Colorado’s largest university system also doesn’t plan changes at this time. University of Colorado System spokesperson Michele Ames said its schools are committed to following applicable laws and will not make any changes at this time. Other universities, such as the University of Northern Colorado, are monitoring the actions. Schools across the state have also said that they won’t release individual student information, such as information about undocumented students who attend schools through the ASSET program, to the federal government without a court order or warrant, per federal student privacy laws.

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.

which can be found on the RTD Community Calendar. Internally, RTD employees have access to additional training resources to further their understanding of tra cking and learn about the ways they can help stop it.

Customers who suspect an individual is a victim of human tra cking should contact law enforcement directly and should never confront a suspected trafcker. To report an incident in Colorado, call the Colorado Human Tra cking Hotline is 866-455-5075. e Call Center is available 24/7. e hotline can be reached via text on 720-999-9724 from noon to midnight MST.   For more information and resources, visit RTD’s Youth on Transportation Safety Month page.

Higher education institutions in Colorado, such as the University of Northern Colorado, are monitoring the impacts of a recent order by the Trump administration that would punish states for programs o ering in-state tuition to undocumented students. PHOTO BY ELI IMADALI FOR CHALKBEAT

What losing $24M of federal money really means for Denver

Funding loss may foreshadow campaign to cut from cities that support immigrants

e federal government just made it ofcial: It won’t be paying $24 million the city of Denver had expected to get back.

e city spent the money in 2023 and 2024 to run emergency shelters for tens of thousands of immigrants who were arriving in the city. Under the Biden administration, the federal government promised to reimburse cities for that kind of spending.

Under President Donald Trump, that’s not happening. e Federal Emergency Management Agency told the city this month that it wouldn’t be paying about $24 million in reimbursements that the city was expecting.

“ at’s $24 million that the city worked to procure — for a crisis that it did not create — that it will not be getting,” said Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for Mayor Mike Johnston.

e loss of funds could foreshadow a longer federal campaign to cut funding for Denver and other cities that support immigrants. Separately, a new executive order issued by Trump Monday requires the federal government to compile a list of “sanctuary” jurisdictions and take action against them.

e $24 million in question was spent in large part to aid people who had turned themselves in to Border Patrol and then were paroled into the country with the CBP One app.

e letter from FEMA didn’t accuse the city of doing anything wrong. Instead, it said that the spending “is not consistent with (federal Department of Homeland Security’s) current priorities” because of its support for immigrants without legal status.

e letter stated that the grant program provided money for “shelter, food,

transportation, acute medical care, and personal hygiene supplies for individuals released from [Department of Homeland Security] short-term holding facilities,” arguing that it provided “support for illegal aliens.”

e letter states the agency can terminate grants if they no longer align with its goals or priorities.

“It was a really onerous process to apply for that reimbursement. It took a really long period of time to le for that, but we did everything by the federal government standards so as to receive that money, and, you know, be made whole, or at least be partially compensated for this work,” Ewing said.

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, of Denver, said in an interview that the city and state would ght back.

“I have no doubt that Denver and Colorado will push back,” DeGette said, “because we can’t be subservient to an authoritarian leader who just decrees that we have to do whatever he wants or he’s not going to give us the money that we’re legally entitled to.”

e city was awarded $32 million from the reimbursement program, and had already received $8 million, according to Ewing. City o cials are hoping that the federal government is only blocking the payout of the remaining money, and not pursuing a clawback of the money it already granted.

FEMA has been aggressive in canceling these grants elsewhere. e agency pulled $80 million of funding from New York City’s bank accountsin Februaryand was pursuing another $106 million as of April 1, Gothamist reported.

What does the loss of funds mean for Denver?

e city has already spent the money in question, dipping deep into its savings in 2024 to pay for its immigration response.

e good news, at least for the city’s budget, is that Denver o cials hadn’t expected to be paid anytime soon, anyway.

“We don’t incorporate those [reimbursements in] our budget, really, until

they’re in house, or until we have a really good assurance that we’re going to receive them. So in this case, we weren’t factoring those into the budget for this year or next year,” Ewing said.

Still, the loss of the money adds to the already signi cant pressure on the city’s budget. Denver ran a $108 million decit last year, in part because of a surge of spending on immigration and homeless responses.

e city cut spending to bring the budget closer to balance in 2025. But it’s now facing another tough budget year for 2026, with slow revenue growth due to a shaky economy — one that Ewing blames on Trump’s trade war.

at $24 million would have come in handy, especially with the city’s depleted savings account.

It doesn’t seem Denver o cials are holding out much hope of getting the money back. e city Department of Finance will go “back and forth” with the feds to try to get the grants paid, Ewing said. But at this point, he added, there’s no plan to go to court.

What’s next?

Ewing said he was unaware of any other speci c threats to federal funding for Denver. But bigger changes could be coming. On Tuesday, Trump issued anexecutive orderthat wasdescribedas “cracking down on sanctuary cities.”

While it didn’t name Denver or other cities speci cally, it ordered federal ocials to publish a list of states and cities that “obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem are to publish the list within a month. e federal government is then to identify federal funds to those “sanctuary” jurisdictions “for suspension or termination as appropriate.” Denver has received from about $100 million to nearly $220 million in federal grants in recent years.

“ e city does not have the capacity if all of that federal funding were to go away to back ll it. And so that is another risk that we are carefully monitoring and

very concerned about,” said Justin Sykes, the city’s budget director.

e latest Trump order also called for action to prevent federal bene ts for undocumented immigrants and against policies “favoring aliens over any group of American citizens.” at includes offering in-state tuition to immigrants, as Colorado does.

This fight has been happening since the first Trump term.

Trump issued similar “sanctuary” ordersin Januaryand at the beginning of his rst term in 2017, with both facing legal challenges. e 2017 order was blocked that year by federal Judge William Orrick III, who issued a nationwide permanent injunction against it.

e earlier 2025 order was temporarily blockedby the same judge last week. With the most recent order, the Trump administration is trying again.

City leaders have generally denied that Denver is a “sanctuary” city, though the city of Denver and the state of Colorado have passed numerous laws that limit cooperation with law enforcement or provide bene ts for undocumented immigrants. ose laws are the result of decades of advocacy.

Local o cials have defended many of these policies as good for public safety, arguing it harms the wider community when immigrants are afraid to report crime because of the threat of deportation, or drive without insurance because they can’t get a driver’s license.

“We do not harbor anyone,” Johnston said last month after testifying in Washington. “We were providing services. I think there’s no federal law that makes it illegal to give someone food who is hungry, or put someone into an overnight shelter who is at risk of freezing. I think that’s just common decency and humanity.”

CPR Washington correspondent Caitlyn Kim contributed to this article. is story is from Denverite, a nonpro t Denver news source a liated with CPR News. Used by permission. For more, and to support Denverite, visit denverite.com.

For those in search of a full life cultivated from the land, Farmlore represents a wonderful slice of small-town living that harkens back to a time when kids on bikes outnumbered cars, and neighbors could be spotted chatting over coffee or lemonade on the front porch.

Farmlore is located in Brighton, just west of Prairie Center, on 144th Ave.

New homes from $400s

State preschool enrollment high but quality guardrails lag

Colorado’s popular universal preschool program has dramatically increased the number of 4-year-olds who get statefunded preschool, but it’s unfolded largely without guardrails to ensure quality.

A report released by the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University highlights these twin realities and provides a more detailed look at where Colorado stands compared to other states.

Overall, the report suggests Colorado has prioritized quantity over quality as it moved from a small tuition-free preschool program for children with certain risk factors to one that’s open to all 4-yearolds. e state’s universal preschool enrollment numbers are impressive, with 70% of eligible children enrolled last year. at number helped Colorado leapfrog from its previous ranking of 27 to third in this year’s “State of Preschool” report. Only Washington, D.C. and Vermont had a larger share of 4-year-olds enrolled in public preschool programs last year.

Leaders at the research institute noted that California added more 4-year-olds to state-funded preschool than Colorado last year — 35,000 compared with 30,000 — but Colorado made far bigger gains than California when it comes to the percentage of children served.

“ e progress Colorado made in terms of enrollment and expanding access was pretty remarkable,” said Allison Friedman-Krauss, an associate research professor at the institute.

But Colorado’s showing deteriorated in the quality standards department. In

the latest report, it meets only two of 10 benchmarks, down from four in the previous preschool program. e benchmarks, which describe state policies that promote high-quality classrooms, touch on factors such as teacher training, curriculum, and class size.

Colorado o cials plan to put new rules governing universal preschool quality in place, but plan to postpone the start date by a year to July 2026. It’s the third time the rules have been delayed.

“ ey kicked the can down the road one more time,” said W. Steven Barnett, senior co-director of the institute.

Dawn Odean, the state’s universal preschool program director, acknowledged that the state has delayed the rules, but said Barnett’s statement is misleading because Colorado has been working on efforts related to quality for a long time and continues to do so.

She described the state’s approach as “going slow to go fast.”

Colorado leaders repeatedly pledged that universal preschool would provide highquality classes, starting when they pitched the program to voters, who approved a nicotine tax in 2020 to help fund it.

But currently, the “universal preschool” label doesn’t indicate anything about the caliber of classroom a child will join. Rather, it simply indicates the state is paying for 10 to 30 hours of class time. Of about 2,000 preschools participating in the program, some are excellent and have high state ratings, some are weak and meet only basic health and safety standards, and some are in between.

Experts say high-quality preschool can produce short- and long-term bene ts for kids.

In the report, Colorado got credit for meeting two quality benchmarks: having a set of early learning and development standards and providing guidance to preschools on curriculum. While the state has not yet released a list of curriculum approved for use in universal preschool classrooms, that is slated to happen sometime this year.

Texas, Wisconsin, and Indiana are the only other states to hit only two of the institute’s preschool quality benchmarks. More than a dozen states and Washington D.C. meet 9 or 10 of the benchmarks. ey include two of Colorado’s neighbors: New Mexico and Oklahoma.

Colorado didn’t meet benchmarks requiring class size caps of 20 and stastudent ratios of 1 to 10. Both limits have prompted heated debate over the last two years. Some private providers have argued they’ll lose money if they have to reduce class sizes below the state’s current cap of 24 and ratios below the current limit of one sta member for every 12 4-year-olds.

By the 2027-28 school year, state ocials do plan to require the class size and ratio caps recommended by the research

institute for universal preschool. ere’s one big exception though: Preschools that have one of the top two state ratings will be allowed to stick with the current caps.

Colorado also didn’t meet benchmarks related to the types of credentials teachers or assistant teachers should have or annual training and coaching for sta .

Lisa Roy, executive director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, which administers the universal preschool program, said when Colorado’s rules on preschool quality are fully implemented over the next few years, she anticipates the state will meet at least half of the institute’s benchmarks.

Odean noted that the institute’s 10 benchmarks look at “outputs,” but that Colorado is focused on child outcomes.

“What families tell us consistently, and educators too, is that those outcomes are what’s a priority, and that’s not contemplated in the NIEER ratings,” she said, referring to the institute’s acronym. e institute’s report describes its benchmarks as “a set of minimum criteria, established by state policy, needed to ensure e ectiveness of preschool educa-

Communicating through the storm

We are living in a time of incredible pressure, and tragically, it’s our children who are carrying the heaviest burden. Anxiety and depression among children and teens have skyrocketed, with every credible study pointing to culprits like social media, internet access, and mounting academic, athletic, and social expectations. It’s overwhelming — and that’s putting it lightly.

It’s easy to point ngers at TikTok, Instagram, and the endless pursuit of “perfection.” And sure, those factors are real. But if we’re serious about loving and leading our families, we must ask the harder question: Are we doing enough at home to ease their worries, doubts, and fears?

it, over-communication.

Our kids navigate a digital battle eld every day. e loudest voices tell them they aren’t good enough. If we don’t ll their emotional tanks with hope, encouragement, love, and acceptance, someone else will, and it will be with poison, not life-giving truth.

I’ll never forget an incredible moment I witnessed with Zig Ziglar, one of the greatest motivational speakers ever.

For most of us, the honest answer is not yet.

e Critical Role of Communication. Communication isn’t a “nice-to-have” in this battle for our children’s hearts and minds, it’s everything. And not just when problems show up. Proactive, frequent communication. Maybe even, dare I say

TAt a packed seminar, a man stepped to the mic, thanking Zig for shaping his own life but sharing that his son was struggling. Zig’s response was pure wisdom:

He told the man to sit on his son’s bed, look him in the eyes, and say:

“Son, I am so glad God entrusted me with your life. You are a blessing to me. I am proud of you. And I love you.”

Zig encouraged him to say it every

he return of warmer weather to the Front Range adds a bit of dread to my mind. You see, it reminds me that one of the most frustrating parts of multiple sclerosis comes when it is super-hot. Heat wears me out incredibly quickly, making me feel like I am trying to walk through knee-deep quicksand to do anything. It is a feeling that is all-encompassing for my body. You might think the answer is to stay inside as much as possible. e problem is, cold air tightens my muscles and makes it di cult to bend and move around. So, a week of extreme temperatures leaves me deciding between navigating energy-sapping heat or muscletightening cold. We all face di erent struggles; mine are very present in weather extremes.

Last summer, we experienced a week of 100-degree days. For much of the week, I trudged, doing what we all do when we have struggles: I put one foot in front of the other, moved forward as best I could, and stayed positive while being exhausted by the e ort.

It was in my week of trudging that I had two appointments where I was asked questions that made me think about things in a di erent fashion.

I was with my chiropractor, Dr. Danielle Wesley, and she simply asked the question, “Are you keeping a journal of your victories so that you have something to look at when you feel like you are not making progress?” I had to answer “No,” but the brilliance in what she was asking me was clear because as soon as she nished the question, I could name ve or six things that had gone well in what I perceived as my week of trudging.

en Bear, my service dog in training, and I had a session with our coach Ana and she asked the question, “What do you and Bear do for fun?” I could name several things that

ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Colorado Community Media welcomes letters to the editor. Please note the following rules:

• Email your letter to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com. Do not send via postal mail. Put the words “letter to the editor” in the email subject line.

• Submit your letter by 5 p.m. on Wednesday in order to have it considered for publication in the following week’s newspaper.

• Letters must be no longer than 400 words.

• Letters should be exclusively submitted to Colorado Community Media and should not submitted to other outlets or previously posted on websites or social media. Submitted letters become the property of CCM and should not be republished elsewhere.

morning and night, not once, not when convenient, but every day.

As cameras panned the audience, thousands wiped away tears. Sitting beside me was Zig’s son, Tom Ziglar, a grown man and CEO, with tears streaming down his face. When I asked if Zig had done that for him, Tom smiled through the tears and said, “Yes. And he still does, even now.”

ink about that: A father who never stopped telling his grown son how proud he was. Every single day.

Fighting for eir Hearts. If we want to lead and love our children in today’s chaotic world, we must show up with our words, not just advice or correction, but daily, intentional a rmation.

ey need to hear it when they get straight A’s.

ey need to hear it when they fail a test.

ey need to hear it when they make us proud, and especially when they break our hearts.

Because mistakes don’t de ne them, grace does. Growth does. And our un-

Find the shine amid the struggle

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

we do, each example I shared made me smile as I thought about his antics and the games we play.

e next day I was again trudging, doing some watering when Bear, as if right on cue, climbed a tree, looked at me, jumped down and climbed it again. It was as if he was reminding me about having fun and marking my victories. It was a simple moment of fun, it elicited a quick smile and a little laugh, and it made me appreciate the victory present in the fact that I could do the watering.

e origins of our struggles are di erent, but there are moments in every struggle that make us feel like any action is di cult. When you hit your trudge spot and it feels like everything is a battle, I hope you will both take a moment to look at a list of your accomplishments and that you will nd a way to have some fun.

Moving through a struggle is easier when you can reect on the progress you have made and nd a moment to smile.

I am not saying it is easy, but you have got this.

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.

• Letters advocating for a political candidate should focus on that candidate’s qualifications for o ce. We cannot publish letters that contain unverified negative information about a candidate’s opponent. Letters advocating for or against a political candidate or ballot issue will not be published within 12 days of an election.

• Publication of any given letter is at our discretion. Letters are published as space is available.

• We will edit letters for clarity, grammar, punctuation and length and write headlines (titles) for letters at our discretion.

• Please don’t send us more than one letter per month. First priority for publication will be given to writers who have not submitted letters to us recently. WINNING

wavering love does.

Our communication must be a ood of love, encouragement, and constant reminders that they are more than enough that no failure can separate them from our love, and no outside voice can ever be louder than the voice of their family. e pressures and dangers are real. But so is our power to counteract them. If we don’t communicate, the world will. If we communicate relentlessly, intentionally, and lovingly, we can raise a generation that walks through the storm without losing their way.

Let’s speak up, every day, every chance we get. eir future depends on it. I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@ gmail.com. And when we intentionally communicate through the storm, it really will be a better-than-good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

A plea for prairie dogs

Please humor the author of this letter and imagine what it must be like to be a humble prairie dog; to watch the world around you become smaller, more unfamiliar as it presses in around your home. To be treated like a pest, a nuisance, or even a danger just for existing. Prairie dogs are often seen as a problem to eliminate despite the key role they play in Colorado’s landscape. ey are a ‘keystone species’ and ‘ecosystem engineers,’ meaning they play a vital role in keeping our beautiful prairies alive and healthy. In fact, they support an entire ecosystem of predators, prey, insects and plant communities (over 100 species!) and prairie dog towns have been referred to as the “coral reefs of the prairie” and a “biological oasis” by the National Park Service. ere are many myths about prairie dogs. Perhaps the one I have heard the most is that they carry diseases.

e fact is that it is not easy for prairie dogs to transmit plague to people. e plague is transmitted through the bites of infected eas, not prairie dogs themselves. Prairie dog eas are very hostspeci c and therefore generally avoid humans and other animals.

Prairie dogs are not known to contract rabies and while they can contract other diseases, they die from these diseases and therefore cannot be carriers. e odds of prairie dogs spreading diseases to humans are incredibly low and are often exaggerated by misinformation. erefore, the risk of disease does not justify the widespread extermination of prairie dog colonies.

While driving through developing parts of Westminster and Broom eld, my heart breaks at how these innocent creatures are surrounded by encroaching construction. I worry that they are only temporarily safe and that development will harm them and therefore all of us that live in this ecosystem we call home.

Prairie dogs are not pests, they deserve our protection. ey deserve to be looked after and left in peace–they were here before any of us. is letter is a plea to anyone who might care to look to your representatives for their protection, to care about the land before it becomes a parking lot. eir habitat is shrinking and their numbers are too…we must protect them before they are pushed to endangerment or even extinction. If there are prairie dogs near you, please speak up for them before it is too late.

Westminster

Jim Roome

Anxiety steers economic indicators, report says

Colorado economic signals are mixed as businesses try to make sense of President Donald Trump’s ip- ops on tari s. e number of people ling to start a business was up in the rst quarter compared to the end of last year, according to a joint report from the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business and the Secretary of State’s O ce.

At the same time, the state’s executives are feeling deeply anxious about how the new administration’s trade policies

are going to impact their bottom lines, the report found.

“ e indicators in this report do not show any immediate or signi cant economic disruption to Colorado … but it does show business leaders in Colorado are nervous about these disruptions,” Secretary of State Jena Griswold said during a webinar about the report.

Colorado’s economy started slowing before Trump was sworn in for his second term. As of April, the state added 2,300 jobs during the prior 12 months, which equates to a growth rate of 0.1 percent. at compares to the U.S. rate

of 1.2 percent.

Colorado now ranks 44th for job growth among the 50 states and Washington, D.C.

“We were hard-charging for a long time. Now, some of the other states are catching up and are continuing to have that growth that we had,” said Richard Wobbekind, senior economist and faculty director at CU’s Leeds School of Business.

e state’s per capita personal income and labor force participation still rank high, he said.

“We are a prosperous state, and we are

growing, we’re just growing at a slower rate,” Wobbekind said.

Colorado’s professional business services, which includes the tech sector, took a big hit in the past year. at sector has 8,400 fewer jobs than a year ago. “ at had been a disappointment in terms of job performance in 2024. And so far it’s continuing into 2025,” Wobbekind said.

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.

DHS o ers $1,000 to immigrants who self-deport

WASHINGTON — e U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced May 5 that the agency will provide $1,000 in what it called “travel assistance” to people in the United States without permanent legal status if they self deport. It’s the latest attempt by DHS to try to meet the Trump administration’s goal of removing 1 million migrants without permanent legal status from the country.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem touted the option as cost-e ective.

“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to

avoid arrest,” Noem said in a statement. “ is is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens and is a 70% savings for US taxpayers.”

It’s unclear from which part of the DHS budget the funding for the travel assistance is coming, as it would roughly cost $1 billion to reimburse up to $1,000 to meet the goal of removing 1 million people.

DHS did not respond to States Newsroom’s request for comment.

President Donald Trump gave his support for the move Monday afternoon, according to White House pool reports.

“We’re going to get them a beautiful ight back to where they came from,” the president said.

OBITUARIES

Joyce Yvonne (Bredehoft) Harshbarger January 1, 1936 - April 26, 2025

Joyce Yvonne Harshbarger passed away on April 26th at the age of 89 at her home in Brighton. Joyce was born in Brighton, Colorado on January 1, 1936, to Melvin and Bertha Bredehoft.

Joyce attended Brighton High School and graduated in 1953. After graduating she worked at Pape Pharmacy at the soda counter where she met Ed her husband to be. She also attended Nursing school for one year.

Ed enjoyed traveling and have visited all 50 states and several foreign countries. Hunting and shing were an important and joyful part of their lives with family and friends. ey loved spending the Winter months in Arizona with friends and family.

Joyce is survived by her husband Ed, sons’ Brian (Mary), Kevin (Loretta). Two grandchildren, Austin and James and great-grandson Dean.

Self-deportation would be facilitated by the CBP Home app, which was used by the Biden administration to allow asylum seekers to make appointments with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. e payment would apparently not be made in advance. DHS said that once those who use the app to self deport arrive in their home country, they will receive a travel stipend of $1,000.

According to DHS, the Trump administration has deported 152,000 people since taking o ce in January. e Biden administration last year deported 195,000 people from February to April, according to DHS data.

DHS said already one migrant has used the program to book a ight from Chica-

go to Honduras.

“Additional tickets have already been booked for this week and the following week,” the agency said in a statement. e Trump administration has rolled out several programs to facilitate mass self-deportations, such as a registry to require immigrants in the country without legal authorization to register with the federal government.

Immigrants who don’t register with the federal government could face steep nes and a potential prison sentence. is story is from Colorado Newsline. Used by permission. For more, and to support the news organization, visit coloradonewsline.com.

Joyce married the love of her life Ed on November 13, 1955, in Brighton, Colorado. ey were married for 69 years. Joyce was a stay-at-home mom while her two boys Brian and Kevin were growing up. She was also a teacher’s aid at South Elementary and Vikan Middle School.

Preceding Joyce in death were her parents Melvin and Bertha Bredehoft, sister Melba, and two brothers’ Bryce and Larry.

Joyce had a passion for crafting to include sewing, knitting, crocheting and needle point. Joyce and

ere will be a funeral service for Joyce on May 16th at the Tabor Funeral Home. Visitation will be at 10:30 and the service will at 11:00. ere will be a reception at the Alli Event Center located at 100 S. 3rd Avenue in Brighton, from 1:00 pm until

A publication of

Call first: 143 S. 2nd Pl., Brighton, CO 80601

Mailing Address:

750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110

Phone: 303-566-4100

Web: TheBrightonBlade.com

To subscribe call 303-566-4100 or Scan this QR Code

BROOKE WARNER Executive Director brooke@ntln.org

LINDA SHAPLEY Director of Editorial & Audience lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

SCOTT TAYLOR Metro North Editor staylor@coloradocommunitymedia.com

BELEN WARD Community Editor bward@coloradocommunitymedia.com

JOHN RENFROW Sports Editor jrenfrow@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

BUSINESS INQUIRIES

For advertiser or vendor questions, please email our business department at accounting@ coloradocommunitymedia.com

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Standard Blade.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone. Email letters to staylor@coloradocommunitymedia.com Deadline Tues. for the following week’s paper.

Brighton Standard Blade (USPS 65180)

A legal newspaper of general circulation in Brighton, Colorado, Brighton Standard Blade is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 143 S. 2nd Pl., Brighton CO 80601. .

PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID AT Brighton and additional mailing o ces.

POSTMASTER: Send address change

to: Brighton Standard Blade, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110

CORRECTIONS

Colorado Trust for Local News asks readers to make us aware of mistakes we may have made.

Email linda@cotln.org if you notice a possible error you would like us to take a look at.

BRIEFS

Brighton Cemeteries o ering discounts

Brighton Cemeteries is o ering a 10% discount on any preneed property sales at Elmwood Cemetery or Fairview Cemetery through May 31. is o er cannot be used on opening/closing, perpetual care, or vault lowering. e discount is available to both residents and non-residents with the mention of this promotion.

Elmwood Cemetery is located at 14800 Old Brighton Road, while Fairview Cemetery is located at 102 N. Telluride St.

Post o ce seeks new location in Hudson

Due to space constraints, the Postal Service must relocate retail services to a yet-to-be-determined location within the zip code of 80642, which includes Hudson and the surrounding area.

e desired size of the new facility needs to be approximately 2,750 square feet with adequate parking.

written citation and court summons for more than three violations.

Brighton hosts Day in AA 2025 Brighton Alcoholics Anonymous is hosting the District 9 Day In AA 2025 for District 9 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on June 14 at their location, 147 Second Place in Brighton.

e Day in AA includes eight meetings, three meals and one solution that will be delivered over the course of 13 hours.

e meeting is open to anyone in Colorado’s AA District 9, which includes the entire Metro Denver region and Boulder.

e relocation project will consist of procuring a suitable substitute location, as close as reasonably possible to the existing location. Retail Services will continue at the current location until necessary preparations are completed at the new location. Instead of a public meeting, the Postal Service is inviting residents and property owners to send comments on the proposal to “United States Postal Service, Attn: Hudson, CO MPO Relocation, PO BOX 27497, Greensboro, NC 27498-1103.”

e Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Contact Brighton Cemeteries at 303-655-2090 to set up an appointment for purchase.

Art in the Park announces call for artists

e City of Brighton will host its annual Art in the Park festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, at Carmichael Park, 650 Southern St.   ose artists interested in showcasing and selling their artwork can visit www.brightonartinthepark.com for more information and to apply. e deadline for booth applications is Aug. 15.   is one-day festival brings together talented artists, live performances, interactive activities, and a vibrant artist market.

For more information, contact Communications & Engagement Director Kristen Chernosky at 303-655-2146 or kchernosky@ brightonco.gov.

the community more e ectively and enhance the way the county builds and sustains partnerships, both internally and with external organizations.

e team is led by Adminstrator Daniela Garcia, who played a key role in establishing SPARC for Adams County. She leads e orts to secure diverse funding, promote equitable resource distribution, and empower communities to foster resilience and prosperity.

e team will collaborate with partners to foster ongoing engagement with programming and organizations in the community, and remain a reliable place where anyone can turn when challenges arise and resources are needed.

Learn more at sparc.adcogov. org.

Historical Society tea tickets on sale

e Adams County Historical Society & Museum is hosting its annual – and popular – Spring Tea from 1-3 p.m. Saturday May 17 at Ho man Hall, located on the Riverdale Regional Park campus.

golf course, playground and all shelters will be closed. Sports programming will be relocated to other parks during the work.

Internships available with Adams County

Are you interested in learning more about working for local government? Adams County currently has paid internships available.

Opportunities include a cook ($16.48/hour) and classroom aide ($15.62/hour) for Head Start, an IT intern ($17/hour) for the Sheri ’s O ce, and a Healthy Farmers Market intern ($17/hour). ese opportunities are available through the Workforce & Business Center. ose interested should work with their Business Center case manager or call 720.523.6898 to get established with a case manager.

Tickets for the tea are on sale now and going quickly. Volunteers can accept credit cards to reserve tickets. For more information or to buy tickets, call 303-6597103 and visit https://www.adamscountymuseum.com/events online for more information.

Water audit program

e city of Brighton and Resource Central teamed up to provide a free water audit for businesses and homeowner associations. e program aims to help residents and cities increase water use e ciencies and reach conservation goals. Call 303-999-3824 or visit https://www.brightonco. gov/589/Water-Audit-Program

Legal advice

School District 27J accepting openenrollment applications

Garden In A Box kits on sale

Watering restrictions begin Brighton’s lawn watering and irrigaiton restrictions o cially began May 1, limit how long and how often residents can water their property.

According to the rules, lawn watering and irrigation is allowed three days per week, depending on the last numbers in the property’s address. ose with even numbered street addresses can water Sunday, Tuesday and Friday. ose with odd numbers or properties without assigned street address can water their lawns on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

e Brighton Utilities Department has once again partnered with conservation nonpro t Resource Central to o er to Brighton residents the Garden In A Box Program.

City of Brighton utility customers can receive a $25 discount o each individual purchase of the program’s water-wise garden kits, while supplies last. Purchase your garden before they sell out.

Sales are now open to the public. Residents can choose from 13 Garden In A Box kits with the $25 discount. Box kits include anywhere from nine to as many as 30 starter plants, with selections ranging from vibrant hardy xeric (low-water) perennials to a pollinator-friendly vegetable garden. Gift certi cates are also available for purchase.

Watering is not allowed during the hottest part of the day, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and residents should not allow irrigation runo to pool or ow into gutters or streets.

e restrictions last untl end of September. e city also does not allow placing of sod during that time.

ese pre-designed kits are tailored to Colorado soil, and the simple plant by number maps take the guesswork out of buying and planting. Plus, the garden kits can help you save around 7,300 gallons of water over the garden’s lifetime compared to a traditional lawn.

Kit pickup will be in the spring — details will be released when they become available.

For more information, visit brightonco.gov/gardeninabox, email gardeninfo@resourcecentral.org or call 303-999-3820 ext. 222.

Adams County School District 27J announced that Choice of Schools applications are now being accepted for the 2025-2026 school year. 27J Schools allows any student to apply to attend any 27J school or program on space/ program availability and the applications are being accepted for the district’s 14 elementary schools, six middle schools and ve high schools — including the district’s online academy.

For the full list of available schools, an application and a list of frequently asked questions, visit https://www.sd27j.org/enrollment/accepting-applications online.

e Brighton-based school district operates schools in Brighton, Henderson, Commerce City and ornton.

Benedict Park renovations ongoing

Renovations at Benedict Park at 1855 Southern St. are underway, resulting in limited public access to sections of the park through June 2025.

e Access to Justice Committee hosts a free, legal self-help clinic from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on the rst Tuesday of every month. e program is for customers without legal representation who need help navigating through legal issues.

Volunteer attorneys are available to discuss family law, civil litigation, property, and probate law. Call 303-405-3298 and ask for a Legal Self-Help Clinic at least 24 hours before.

Get trained to administer Naloxone e Adams County Health Department’s Harm Reduction Team will supply all Automated External De brillator cabinets in government buildings with Naloxone this month. Naloxone will be made available to take home after these trainings.

If you have any questions about the training or other resources, contact our Harm Reduction team at 303-363-3077 or by email: harmreduction@adcogov.org

Sidewalk, curb, and gutter program

e construction project will add a variety of amenities and upgrades, including two new playgrounds, a new irrigation system, a skate park expansion, new shelters, new lighting, supplemental landscaping, and a walking trail on the east end of the park.

Violators will get warnings from the city for their rst two violations, but face nes of up to $125 for homeowners or $1,500 for commercial properties after three violations and could be given

Adams County o ers O ce of Strategic Partnerships

Adams County’s O ce of Strategic Partnerships & Resilient Communities is meant to serve

e parking lot along Southern Street will be closed but access to drive through it is permitted. Portions of the parking lot adjacent to the splash pad at the northwest corner of the park will be closed. School access will be allowed.

e path along the east side of the park will be closed in sections and the skate park, Disc

e city of Brighton’s 50.50 Sidewalk, Curb, and Gutter program is underway. According to a statement, the program helps ease the nancial costs of maintenance and replacements. Property owners are responsible for that maintenance work. e program halves the replacement costs between the city and the property owner.

e program began in 2004. Last year, it assisted 14 homeowners. e city says the program has saved about $75,000 worth of repairs.

Visit www.brightonco.gov/5050 to apply. Call 303-655-2036 with questions.

With the weather getting warmer and summer just around the corner, it’s time to hit the road — and the stacks.

While Denver Public Library’s Central Branch is a Colorado landmark, it’s not the only library worth the trip. Scattered throughout Denver metro are unique libraries, lled to the brim with books and other resources waiting to be discovered.

Coloradans are lucky enough to be able to get library cards in nearly every library district, regardless of whether they live in the district or not. Patrons just need to bring in a Colorado State ID or other proof of address, and they’ll be able to register for a library card.

Summer reading programs are also just around the corner, and they’re not just for kids. Many libraries will o er special programming to inspire a love for reading in kids, teens and adults alike. To get ready for a literary adventure- lled summer, hop in the car, stock up on library cards and discover what each library has to o er.

Columbine Library, Je erson County Public Library

7706 W. Bowles Ave., Littleton, CO 80123

Seated within Robert F. Clement Park, Columbine Library has books — and views — to share. e library’s west side features oor-to-ceiling windows with a panoramic view of Johnson Reservoir with the mountains behind it. Around the window, tables and chairs abound, giving visitors a cozy spot to study, read or just hang out.

“We are very lucky to have — in our biased opinions — one of the best locations in Je co Public Library,” said Columbine Public Services Manager Julianna Sipeki. “Nestled against the foothills, we are located in the beautiful Clement Park, where we host some of our outdoor programs, like birdwatching.”

However, great views aren’t all that Columbine Library has to o er. In addition to over 100,000 physical books and other materials, the library has Culture Passes for local museums, Chrome-

books and Wi-Fi hotspots that patrons can take home, access to apps for streaming music and movies and access to 133 di erent research databases.

“We wish everyone knew that you can use all of our library services at no cost,” said Sipeki. “It costs nothing to get a library card, we don’t charge to book meeting or study rooms, there’s no charge to attend any program and we don’t charge late fees. You don’t even need a library card to come in and attend programs or use a computer.”

With dedicated sections for children and teens, study rooms and local businesses nearby, the library o ers a spot for anyone to hang out.

“We want people to know libraries are so much more than just a place to check out a book,” said Sipeki. “We are a place to meet your neighbors and make new friends; a place to learn and expand your worldview; a place to practice a skill or start a new hobby; or simply, just a place to spend an hour of your day.”

BELOW: The Columbine Library is part of the Je erson County Library system.

ROAD TRIP

Bemis Public Library

6014 S. Datura St., Littleton, CO 80120

Nestled in a sleepy grove across from the Littleton Historical Museum, Bemis Public Library is one of the few independent libraries in the metro area, meaning it is not part of any library system.

Instead, the library was built by the City of LIttleton in 1965 and is the namesake for former Littleton Independent Publisher Edwin A. Bemis.

Now, the library — which is walking distance from Downtown Littleton — sports a large kid’s section that sometimes hosts storytimes, as well as a teen area that is separated from the rest of the library.

Bemis Public LIbrary is also home to resources for

groups the library welcomes through its doors. e library also eliminated overdue fees in 2023 as an e ort to become more equitable to patrons.

Koelbel Library, Arapahoe Libraries

5955 S. Holly St., Centennial, CO 80121

Arapahoe Libraries comprises eight community libraries, a jail library and a bookmobile, all of which provide valuable resources to their patrons.

Oliver Sanidas, the executive director of Arapahoe Libraries, said that Koelbel Library in particular offers unique programming thanks to its cafe, meeting spaces, 39-seat theater, outdoor space and public art installations.

“We want to provide a place and services that help meet not only the information needs of our patrons, but also the social needs,” Sanidas said. “ e library provides a place for people to connect with others who

share their interests and passions. We do this through events and programs, and by providing spaces for patrons to meet, work and enjoy fun activities.”

Sanidas said that meetings rooms are used for birthday parties, business owners use the library’s cafe to meet with clients, tutors can meet with students and adults participate in book clubs and open mic nights at the library’s facilities.

“We want our library to be a community hub,” Sanie library’s cafe serves bites and sips from local vendors, and o ers a rotating series of drink speciale. e Koelbel Library Cafe is currently featuring a Purple Rain Latte, a Crimson and Clover Latte and a Strawberry Fields Lemonade.

Anythink Wright Farms, Anythink Libraries

5877 E. 120th Ave., ornton, CO 80602

Anythink Libraries branches o er all of the usual trappings of a library with a fun added twist: TryIts, a program wherein a patron can check out a kite, tarot deck, toy, musical instrument, games and more. e program is o ered throughout the Anythink system.

e library system’s agship branch, located at Wright Farms, features a digital lab featuring video, audio and design software that allows teens to work on their digital editing skills and push their creativity. e agship branch also contains a one-acre park adjacent to the li-

Castle Rock Public Library, Douglas County Libraries

100 S. Wilcox St., Castle Rock, CO 80104

e new Phillip and Jerry Miller Library in Castle Rock was built in 2023 and was constructed with an emphasis on creating space for working adults, families and Douglas County history.

“ e Castle Rock location features two outdoor Aloha Plazas East and West, an interactive children’s play space called e Ranch, sponsored by Castle Rock Rotary Club, and DCL’s Archives & Local History, its collections and the Sjostrom History Lounge reading room,” said Melissa Anciaux, the sta writer for Douglas County Libraries.

e branch replaced the old Phillip S. Miller Library that stood at the same location.

Douglas County Libraries also partners with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which o ers books to children up to 5 years old that the youngsters are able to keep.

RIGHT : The Koelbel Library in Arapahoe County.
LEFT: The Castle Rock Library in Douglas County was built in 2023.
COURTESY PHOTOS

1. MOVIES: What is the name of Han Solo’s ship in the “Star Wars” series?

2. TELEVISION: What is Ray Barone’s job on the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond”?

3. U.S. STATES: e Baltimore Ravens’ name is a nod to which past famous resident?

4. PSYCHOLOGY: What fear is represented in the condition called “alliumphobia”?

5. LITERATURE: Who created the ctional detective Lord Peter Wimsey?

6. GAMES: Which chess piece can’t move in a straight line?

7. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a baby mouse called?

8. SCIENCE: What does the acronym RNA stand for?

9. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which president was the rst to wear contact lenses?

TrIVIa

10. ASTRONOMY: Which constellation contains Polaris, the North Star?

Answers

1. Millennium Falcon.

2. Sportswriter.

3. Edgar Allen Poe, who wrote the poem “ e Raven.”

4. Fear of garlic.

5. Dorothy L. Sayers.

6. Knight.

7. A pinky or pup.

8. Ribonucleic Acid.

9. Lyndon Johnson.

10. Ursa Minor ( e Little Dipper).

(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.

Miscellaneous

AGING ROOF? NEW HOMEOWNER? STORM

Erin

CLOTHES FURNITURE TOOLS ONLY GARAGE SALE !!

Thurs–Fri, May 15-16, 8a-6p & Sat, May 17, 8a-3p

We have CLOTHING for ALL AGES!! INFANTS & TODDLERS CHILDREN TEENS

LADIES MATERNITY MEN

** MANY BRAND-NEW OR NEAR-NEW! **

Our PROFESSIONALLY REFINISHED ANTIQUE

FURNITURE includes: Eastlake Dining Table & China Hutch, BirdsEye Maple Dresser, stunning Oak Dressers & so much more!

OTHER FURNITURE includes: sofas, desks, side tables, bookshelves, filing cabinets & more!

Our TOOLS include: Multi-Function Power Tool, MIG Welder, Bench Grinder, hand tools & much more!

Come for our BBQ LUNCH starting at 11am!

SHEPHERD of LOVE FELLOWSHIP

13550 Lowell Blvd., Broomfield shepherdoflove.org Info: (303) 466-5749 or (303) 469-0410

Merchandise

Health & Beauty

VIAGRA and CIALIS USERS!

50 Generic Pills SPECIAL $119.00! Shipped discreetly to your home. 100% guaranteed. 24/7 CALL NOW! 800-709-3080

Dental insurance from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 400+ procedures. Real dental insurance - not just a discount plan. Get your free Information Kit with details! 1-855-526-1060 www.dental50plus.com/ads #6258

Miscellaneous

Extreme Internet $39 month! Insanely fast fiber speed! Available nationwide! No contracts! No credit check! Everyone approved! Get insane fiber speeds for $39/ month. 866-905-2272

Portable Oxygen Concentrator May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 877-305-1535

DAMAGE? You need a local expert provider that proudly stands behind their work. Fast, free estimate. Financing available. Call 1-888-878-9091 Have zip code of property ready when calling!

Consumer Cellular - same reliable, nationwide coverage as the largest carriers. No longterm contract, no hidden fees free activation. All plans feature unlimited talk & text, starting at just $20/mo. Call 1-877-751-0866

Jacuzzi Bath Remodel can install a new, custom bath or shower in as little as one day. For a limited time, waving all installation costs! (Additional terms apply. Subject to change and vary by dealer. Offer ends 6/30/25. 1-844-5013208

Home break-ins take less than 60 seconds. Don’t wait! Protect your family, your home, your assets now for as little as 70¢/ day! 1-844-591-7951

DIRECTV Stream - Carries the most local MLB Games! Choice Package $89.99/mo for 12 mos Stream on 20 devices at once. HBO Max included for 3 mos (w/ Choice Package or higher.) No contract or hidden fees! Some restrictions apply. Call IVS 1-866859-0405

Inflation is at 40 year highs. Interest rates are way up. Credit cards. Medical bills. Car loans. Do you have $10k or more in debt? Call National Debt Relief and find out how to pay off your debt for significantly less than what you owe! Free quote: Call 1-844-9554930

We buy houses for cash as is! No repairs. No fuss. Any condition. Easy three step process: Call, get cash offer & get paid. Get your fair cash offer today by calling Liz Buys Houses: 1-844-8775833

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris -blocking gutter protection. Schedule free LeafFilter estimate today. 20% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-833610-1936

Bath & shower updates in as little as 1 day! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & military discounts available. 1-877-5439189

Become a published author We want to read your book! Dorrance Publishing trusted since 1920. Consultation, production, promotion & distribution. Call for free author`s guide 1-877-7294998 or visit dorranceinfo.com/ ads

!!OLD GUITARS WANTED!! GIBSON, FENDER, MARTIN, Etc. 1930’s to 1980’s. TOP DOLLAR PAID. CALL TOLL FREE 1-866-4338277

Wesley Financial Group, LLC Timeshare Cancellation Experts Over $50,000,000 in timeshare debt & fees cancelled in 2019. Get free info package & learn how to get rid of your timeshare! Free consultations. Over 450 positive reviews. 833-308-1971

Don’t let the stairs limit your mobility! Discover the ideal solution for anyone who struggles on the stairs, is concerned about a fall or wants to regain access to their entire home. Call AmeriGlide today! 1-833-3993595

Prepare for power outages today with a Generac Home Standby Generator. Act now to receive a FREE 5-Year warranty with qualifying purchase* Call 1-855948-6176 today to schedule a free quote. It’s not just a generator. It’s a power move.

SunSetter. America’s number one awning! Instant shade at the touch of a button. Transform your deck or patio into an outdoor oasis. Up to 10-year limited warranty. Call now and SAVE $350 today! 1-855-914-1148

Water damage cleanup & restoration: A small amount of water can lead to major damage in your home. Our trusted professionals do complete repairs to protect your family and your home’s value! Call 24/7: 1-833887-0117. Have zip code of service location ready when you call!

MobileHelp America’s premier mobile medical alert system. Whether you’re home or away. For safety & peace of mind. No long term contracts! Free brochure! Call 1-888-489-3936

Replace your roof w/the best looking & longest lasting material steel from Erie Metal Roofs! 3 styles & multiple colors available. Guaranteed to last a lifetime! Limited Time Offer up to 50% off install + Additional 10% off install (military, health & 1st responders.) 1-833-370-1234 Pets Dogs

Doodle Puppies Golden Doodles and Bernedoodles Home-Raised Heath Tested and Guaranteed Standard and Mini Size available Schedule a visit today! (970)215-6860 www.puppylovedoodles.com

Wanted

Donate Your Car to Veterans Today!

Help and Support our Veterans. Fast - FREE pick up. 100% tax deductible. Call 1-800-245-0398

THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BRIGHTON, COLORADO, ADOPTING ARTICLE 2-33 OF THE BRIGHTON MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO THE CREATION OF A SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD

WHEREAS, the City of Brighton (the “City”) recognizes the importance of sustainability in long-term planning, policy development, and community engagement; and

WHEREAS, certain amendments to the Brighton Municipal Code are necessary to better implement science and evidence-based initiatives, programs, and policies within the City; and

WHEREAS, City Charter Section 9.1 provides, in pertinent part, that City Council may, by ordinance, establish, consolidate, or abolish any board or commission, except the Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment and Appeals; and

WHEREAS, the City Council desires to establish a Sustainability Advisory Board to provide guidance and advise the City Council and City staff on sustainability issues; and WHEREAS, the City Council has reviewed the proposed additions to the Brighton Municipal Code and has determined that it is in the best interests of the City to adopt a new article to create the Sustainability Advisory Board.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BRIGHTON, COLORADO, AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. Article 2-33 is hereby adopted and titled “Sustainability Advisory Board” as follows:

Sec. 2-33-10. - Title.

There is hereby established a Sustainability Advisory Board (“Board”).

Sec. 2-33-20. - Purpose.

The Board created under this Article shall study, review, conduct research, and make recommendations to implement science and evidence-based initiatives, programs, and policies with the goal of achieving a healthy and sustainable ecosystem for all Brighton residents. The Board will work on projects included in the 2024 City of Brighton Sustainability Plan, which may be amended from time to time, and any future sustainability planning documents. These projects will be focused on community engagement, energy conservation, waste diversion, air quality, and resiliency, amongst others. The Board may provide leadership and education for sustainability initiatives, events, and programs. Additional sustainability programs and projects may be included in workplans as the needs of the community, or the sustainability staff change, and the implementation of the Sustainability Plan progresses.

Sec. 2-33-30. - Powers and duties.

The Board shall have all the powers granted herein and shall perform all duties as provided herein.

(1)The Board will advise the City Council and the Sustainability Division on programs and initiatives that advance sustainability.

(2)The Board may request specific research or invite subject-matter experts to present at Board meetings or joint meetings with the City

Council.

(3)The Board will provide feedback to staff and Council on projects included in the 2024 Sustainability Plan, amendments thereto, and any future sustainability planning documents.

(4) The Board may offer assistance with educational activities, events, and other community engagement functions.

(5) The Board may develop a position or advise the City Council on matters involving sustainability.

(6) The Board shall adopt bylaws for the conduct of meetings and for defining the duties of the Board’s members, officers, and committees.

Sec. 2-33-40. - Membership.

The Board shall be composed of seven (7) voting members, all of whom must reside in the City or have significant ties to the City, including but not limited to attending school within the City, working at a business with a physical location in the City, or other evidence of substantial and/or significant ties to the City. The members of the Board shall be appointed as follows:

(1) Five (5) at-large members appointed by the Mayor with approval of the majority of the City Council;

(2) One (1) ex officio City Council member and one alternate who shall be appointed by the Mayor;

(3)Two (2) youth members, defined as ages 15-20, shall represent the community at large and shall be appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the City Council.

Sec. 2-33-50. - Terms of office.

(1) The terms of office for members of the Board shall expire on January 31 and begin on February 1. The terms of office of the Board shall be as follows: The term of office for the members appointed from City Council shall be the same as their tenure in office and subject to change by the Mayor. Subsequent to the initial appointment, the terms of office for all other members shall be three (3) years and shall serve no more than (4) four consecutive terms or until a successor has been appointed.

(2) Absences and vacancies shall be addressed in the bylaws, including removal due to absences. Any removal pursuant to the bylaws shall be reported to the City Clerk.

(3) Initial appointments shall be made as follows:

a. Three at-large members shall be appointed for a three-year initial term;

b. Two of the at-large members shall be appointed for a two-year initial term;

c.One youth member shall be appointed for a two-year initial term; and

d.One youth member shall be appointed for a three-year initial term.

Sec. 2-33-60 – Organization and rules.

At the first meeting of the year, the Board shall elect a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among its regular members, each of whose term shall be for one (1) year, with eligibility for reelection. The Board shall keep a record of its proceedings through approved minutes, which record shall be a public record. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the voting members.

Section 2. For the first applicants and appointments, City staff may conduct the interviews of candidates and make recommendations to the City Council for appointment until at least five members have been appointed. After the initial five appointments, the board shall conduct interviews of applicants and recommend appointments, unless or until City Council changes such interview procedure.

Section 3. As provided in City Charter Section 5.9(A), this Ordinance, either as presented or as amended, shall be published in full as it was adopted after the initial reading. This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect five days after its final publication, as provided in City Charter Section 5.8.

INTRODUCED, PASSED ON FIRST READING AND ORDERED PUBLISHED THIS 6TH DAY OF MAY 2025.

CITY OF BRIGHTON, COLORADO

/s/ GREGORY MILLS, Mayor

ATTEST:

/s/ NATALIE HOEL, City Clerk

APPROVED AS TO FORM:

/s/ JAMES GALLAGHER, Assistant City Attorney

Legal Notice No. BSB3858

First Publication: May 15, 2025

Last Publication: May 15, 2025

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade Public Notice

ORDINANCE NO. 2473

INTRODUCED BY: Padilla

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BRIGHTON, COLORADO, APPROVING THE SINGH PROPERTY ZONING MAP AMENDMENT FOR AN APPROXIMATELY 10.59 ACRE PROPERTY, GENERALLY LOCATED TO THE NORTH OF EAST 120TH AVENUE, SOUTH OF EAST 121ST PLACE, EAST OF WHEELING STREET, AND WEST OF POTOMAC STREET, MORE PARTICULARLY LOCATED IN THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF SEC-

TION 36, TOWNSHIP 1 SOUTH, RANGE 67 WEST OF THE 6TH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, CITY OF BRIGHTON, COUNTY OF ADAMS, STATE OF COLORADO

PASSED ON SECOND AND FINAL READING AND ORDERED PUBLISHED BY TITLE ONLY THIS 6th DAY OF MAY 2025.

CITY OF BRIGHTON, COLORADO

/s/ GREGORY MILLS, Mayor

ATTEST: /s/ NATALIE HOEL, City Clerk

APPROVED AS TO FORM: /s/ YASMINA GIBBONS, Deputy City Attorney

A COMPLETE COPY OF THE ORDINANCE IS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS AND ON THE CITY OF BRIGHTON WEBSITE.

Legal Notice No. BSB3859

First Publication: May 15, 2025 Last Publication: May 15, 2025 Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade Public Notice

BRIGHTON HOUSING AUTHORITY

PROJECT-BASED VOUCHER

NOTICE OF WAITING LIST OPENING

The Brighton Housing Authority (BHA) will begin accepting applications for its project-based voucher (PBV) program. Specifically at Hughes Station Apartments:

· 2 Bedroom Waitlist- Hughes Station

· 3 Bedroom Waitlist- Hughes Station

Applications will open on:

Monday, May 26, 2025, at 10:00 A.M.

Applications will be available online only at www.brightonhousingauthority.org. Applications will not be available for in-person pickup at BHA offices. Only families that qualify based on the currently published occupancy standards will be placed on these waitlists.

These applications are separate and distinct from the tenant-based voucher lottery program. Families who applied to the tenantbased lottery last year are encouraged to apply to these lists.

If you have already applied to these waiting lists, do not reapply, as duplicate applications will disqualify you.

If you are a person with disabilities and are in need of a reasonable accommodation in order to apply, please call BHA offices at 303-6552160 or contact the agency through the above listed website.

The waitlist will close without further notice once enough applications have been received.

Legal Notice No. BSB3860

First Publication: May 15, 2025

Last Publication: May 22, 2025

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade Public Notice

NOTICE OF VESTED PROPERTY RIGHT CITY OF BRIGHTON MILE HIGH LOGISTICS CENTER SITE PLAN

Notice is hereby given that the City of Brighton has approved the Site Plan known as the Mile High Logistics Center, generally located to the west future S. 45th Avenue alignment, east of Lot 2 of the Kmart Distribution Center Park Subdivision, north of Bromley Lane, and south of Southern Street. The approval is for an approximately 103.32 acre property to facilitate development of the existing property, including but not limited to, update portions of the property with new parking areas, updated landscaping, and on-site amenities associated with the building. The property is located in the southwest quarter of Section 10, Township 1 South, Range 66 West, of the Sixth Principal Meridian, City of Brighton, County of Adams, State of Colorado.

The approval of this application on May 1, 2025, creates a vested property right.

Further information may be obtained from the City of Brighton Planning Division by calling (303) 655-2072.

Legal Notice No. BSB3852

First Publication: May 15, 2025

Last Publication: May 15, 2025

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

Metropolitan Districts

Notice

POR LA PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA, de conformidad con el § 1-13.5-513(6), CRS, que, al cierre de operaciones el 4 de marzo de 2025, no había más candidatos que cargos por cubrir, incluidos los candidatos que presentaron declaraciones juradas de intención de ser candidatos por escrito, para el Distrito Metropolitano de Todd Creek Village (el “Distrito”). Por lo tanto, se cancela la elección del Distrito del 6 de mayo de 2025.

Los siguientes candidatos se declaran electos por aclamación:

George R. Hanlon, Jr. hasta mayo de 2029

John Blackburn hasta mayo de 2027

El siguiente cargo sigue vacante: VACANTE hasta mayo de 2029

/s/ Ashley B. Frisbie

Representante electoral designada

Persona de contacto para el Distrito:

Blair M. Dickhoner, Esq.

WHITE BEAR ANKELE

TANAKA & WALDRON

Attorneys at Law

2154 E. Commons Avenue, Suite 2000

Centennial, Colorado 80122 (303) 858-1800

Legal Notice No. BSB3851

First Publication: May 15, 2025

Last Publication: May 15, 2025

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade Public Notice

NOTICE OF CANCELLATION OF ELECTION and CERTIFIED STATEMENT OF RESULTS TODD CREEK VILLAGE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to § 1-13.5-513(6), C.R.S., that, at the close of business on March 4, 2025, there were not more candidates than offices to be filled, including candidates filing affidavits of intent to be write-in candidates, for the Todd Creek Village Metropolitan District (the “District”).

Therefore, the election for the District to be held on May 6, 2025 is hereby cancelled.

The following candidates are declared elected by acclamation:

George R. Hanlon Jr.

Until May 2029

John Blackburn Until May 2027

The following office remains vacant: VACANT

Until May 2029

/s/ Ashley B. Frisbie

Designated Election Official

Contact Person for District: Blair M. Dickhoner, Esq.

WHITE BEAR ANKELE

TANAKA & WALDRON

Attorneys at Law 2154 E. Commons Avenue, Suite 2000 Centennial, Colorado 80122 (303) 858-1800

Legal Notice No. BSB3850

First Publication: May 15, 2025

Last Publication: May 15, 2025

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

Summons and Sheriff Sale

Public Notice

DISTRICT COURT, ADAMS COUNTY, COLORADO Court Address: 1100 Judicial Center Dr., Brighton, CO 80601

Plaintiff: GREENS AT BUFFALO RUN HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., a Colorado non-profit corporation

Defendants: DEBORAH A. SANDERS; U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, FOR THE C-BASS MORTGAGE LOAN ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-CBl; THE VILLAGES AT BUFFALO RUN PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.; ALEX VILLAGRAN AS PUBLIC TRUSTEE AND TREASURER FOR ADAMS COUNTY; UNKNOWN TENANT(S) IN POSSESSION

Attorneys for Plaintiff: WINZENBURG, LEFF, PURVIS & PAYNE, LLP

Wendy E. Weigler, # 28419

Address: 350 Indiana Street, Suite 450 Golden, CO 80401

Phone Number: 303-863-1870 wweigler@wlpplaw.com

Case Number: 2024CV030530

SHERIFF’S COMBINED NOTICE OF SALE AND RIGHT TO CURE AND REDEEM

Under a Judgment and Decree of Foreclosure entered on December 30, 2024, in the abovecaptioned action, I am ordered to sell certain real property as follows:

Original Lienee

Deborah A. Sanders

Original Lienor

The Greens at Buffalo Run

Homeowners Association, Inc.

Current Holder of the evidence of debt

The Greens at Buffalo Run

Homeowners Association, Inc.

Date of Lien being foreclosed

June 23, 2022

Date of Recording of Lien being foreclosed

June 23, 2022

County of Recording Adams

Recording Information

2022000055175

Original Principal Balance of the secured indebtedness

$6,097.00

Outstanding Principal Balance of the secured indebtedness as of the date hereof

$29,743.97

Amount of Judgment entered December 30, 2024

$27,466.11

Description of property to be foreclosed:

Unit E, Building 28, The Greens at Buffalo Run according to the Condominium Map recorded on June 15, 2006 at Reception No. 20060615000609950, in the records of the Office of the Clerk and Recorder of Adams County, Colorado, and as defined and described in the Amended and Restated Condominium Declaration for The Greens at Buffalo Run recorded on September 16, 2004 at Reception No. 20040916000908710 and November 23, 2004 at Reception No. 20041123001187980, and Supplement recorded June 15, 2006 at Reception No. 20060615000609960 in said records, County of Adams, State of Colorado.

Also known as: 15501 E. 112th Avenue, #28E, Commerce City, CO 80022.

THE PROPERTY TO BE FORECLOSED AND DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN.

THE LIEN BEING FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

The covenants of Plaintiff have been violated as follows: failure to make payments on said indebtedness when the same were due and owing.

NOTICE OF SALE

THEREFORE, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that I will, at 9:00 o’clock A.M., on June 12, 2025, at the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, located at 1100 Judicial Center Drive, Brighton, CO 80601, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property described above, and all interest of said Grantor and the heirs and assigns of said Grantor, for the purpose of paying the judgment amount entered herein, and will deliver to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law. Bidders are required to have cash or certified funds to cover the highest bid by noon on the day of the sale. Certified funds are payable to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.

First Publication: April 17, 2025 Last Publication: May 15, 2025 Name of Publication: Brighton Standard Blade

NOTICE OF RIGHTS

YOU MAY HAVE AN INTEREST IN THE REAL PROPERTY BEING FORECLOSED, OR HAVE CERTAIN RIGHTS OR SUFFER CERTAIN LIABILITIES PURSUANT TO COLORADO LAW AS A RESULT OF SAID FORECLOSURE. YOU MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO REDEEM SAID REAL PROPERTY OR YOU MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO CURE A DEFAULT UNDER THE LIEN BEING FORECLOSED. A COPY OF THE STATUTES WHICH MAY AFFECT YOUR RIGHTS ARE ATTACHED HERETO.

A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE PURSUANT TO §38-38-104, C.R.S., SHALL BE FILED WITH THE OFFICER AT LEAST FIFTEEN (15) CALENDAR DAYS PRIOR TO THE FIRST SCHEDULED SALE DATE OR ANY DATE TO WHICH THE SALE IS CONTINUED.

IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED.

A NOTICE OF INTENT TO REDEEM FILED PURSUANT TO §38-38-302, C.R.S., SHALL BE FILED WITH THE OFFICER NO LATER THAN EIGHT (8) BUSINESS DAYS AFTER THE SALE, EXCEPT THAT, IF THE PERSON IS DEEMED AN ALTERNATE LIENOR PURSUANT TO §38-38-305.5, C.R.S. AND THE LIEN BEING FORECLOSED IS A UNIT ASSOCIATION LIEN,

DISTRICT COURT, ADAMS COUNTY, COLORADO 1100 JUDICIAL CENTER DRIVE BRIGHTON, CO 80601 (303) 659-1161

Case Number: 2025CV30459 Div: C

Petitioner: METRO WATER RECOVERY, a Metropolitan Sewage Disposal District of the State of Colorado, v.

Respondents: ALTHEA E. STORM; ALL UNKNOWN HEIRS OF ALTHEA E. STORM; and ALEX VILLAGRAN, in his official capacity as the COUNTY TREASURER OF ADAMS COUNTY.

Attorneys for Petitioner: M. Patrick Wilson, No. 26303 Daniel P. Harvey, No. 49863 Hoffmann, Parker, Wilson & Carberry, P.C. 511 Sixteenth Street, Suite 610 Denver, CO 80202 (303) 825-6444 pwilson@hpwclaw.com dph@hpwclaw.com

NOTICE OF CONDEMNATION ACTION TO OBTAIN FEE SIMPLE TITLE TO REAL PROPERTY

TO RESPONDENTS: ALTHEA E. STORM; ALL UNKNOWN HEIRS OF ALTHEA E. STORM

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a Petition in Condemnation has been filed in this Court by the above-named Petitioner seeking fee simple title to real property pursuant to Colorado law; said property located in Adams County, Colorado in which you may have an interest being more particularly described as follows:

A PARCEL OF LAND CONTAINING 3,846

SQ. FT. (0.088 ACRE), MORE OR LESS, LOCATED IN THE NORTHEAST ¼ OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION 1, TOWNSHIP 3 SOUTH, RANGE 68 WEST, OF THE 6TH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN ADAMS COUNTY, COLORADO, SAID PARCEL BEING MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:

COMMENCING AT THE NORTHEAST COR-

NER OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SAID SECTION 1, THENCE COINCIDENT WITH THE NORTH LINE OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SAID SECTION 1, S89° 55’ 09”W, A DISTANCE OF 1,031.57 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING;

THENCE, S00°28°31”E, DEPARTING SAID NORTH LINE OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION, A DISTANCE OF 200.00 FEET;

THENCE, S89°55’09”E, A DISTANCE OF 19.92 FEET;

THENCE N00°04’51”W, A DISTANCE OF 200.00 FEET TO A POINT ON SAID NORTH LINE OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION 1;

THENCE, ALONG SAID NORTH LINE OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION 1, N89° 55’ 09”E, A DISTANCE OF 330.00 FEET TO SAID POINT OF BEGINNING.

BASIS OF BEARINGS: BEARINGS ARE BASED ON THE NORTH LINE OF SAID NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION 1, TOWNSHIP 3 SOUTH, RANGE 68 WEST, 6TH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, BETWEEN A 3-1/4” ALUMINUM CAP AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SAID SECTION 1 AND A 3-1/4” ALUMINUM CAP IN A RANGE BOX AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF SAID SECTION 1 BEING S89° 55’ 09”W.

You are hereby required to file an Answer or other response in the Adams County District Court, 1100 Judicial Center Drive, Brighton, CO 80601, no later than June 19, 2025, to answer or otherwise respond to said Petition. If you fail to file an Answer or other response by that date, the Court will proceed to ascertain the compensation to be paid to the owners and title to the above-described property interest will be vested in Petitioner, as provided by law.

DATED this 21st day of April, 2025.

Legal Notice No. BSB3835

First Publication: May 1, 2025

Last Publication: May 22, 2025

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

Notice to Creditors

Public Notice

District Court, Adams County, State of Colorado

Court Address: Adams County Courthouse 1100 Judicial Center Drive Brighton, Colorado 80601

In the Matter of the Determination of Heirs or Devisees or Both and of Interests in Property of:

[Leslie Orr McWilliam’s paternal grandparents]

Crawford McWilliam, a/k/a Crawford McWilliam, Sr., Deceased; Elizabeth McWilliam, Deceased; [Leslie Orr McWilliam’s maternal grandparents]

Lewellyn Orr, Deceased; Eliza Jane Orr, Deceased; [Leslie Orr McWilliams’s father and mother]

Crawford McWilliam, a/k/a Crawford McWilliam, Jr., Deceased; Maggie B. McWilliams, a/k/a Maggie B. McWilliam, a/k/a Margaret B. McWilliam, Deceased; [Record title owner]

Leslie Orr McWilliam, Deceased;

[Leslie Orr McWilliam’s paternal aunts and uncles]

Eliza Jane McWilliam, a/k/a Lizzie McWilliam, Deceased; Samuel McWilliam, Deceased; William Andrew McWilliam, Deceased; Mary Jane Crawford, Deceased; Thomas McWilliam, Deceased; John McWilliam, Deceased; Margaret Elizabeth Drake, Deceased; [Leslie Orr McWilliam’s maternal aunts and uncles]

Foster A. Orr, Deceased; Mary Elizabeth Parker, Deceased;

Martha A. Orr, Deceased; Edwin Elsworth Orr, Deceased; [Leslie Orr McWilliam’s cousins, their spouses, and their heirs or devisees]

Jennie McWilliam, Deceased; Elizabeth Morris, Deceased; Glenn James Morris, Deceased; Hettie A. Conner, Deceased; Clyde C. Conner, Deceased; Bertha M. Giles, Deceased; Marion Wayne Giles, Deceased; Aven Crawford McWilliam, Deceased; Learah D. McWilliam, Deceased; James Crawford McWilliam, Deceased; Chester Ray McWilliam, Deceased; Eleanor Ollie Ross, Deceased; Elmer Dewey Ross, Deceased; Robert Samuel Ross, Deceased; Bertha M. Ross, Deceased; Lois Irene Ross, Deceased; Renee Ross Vetter, Deceased; Cora Helen Bailey, Deceased; Lee H. Bailey, Deceased; William Lee Bailey, Deceased; and William Lee Bailey, Jr., Deceased

Attorney: Aaron D. Bieber – CO Bar 41983

The Law Offices of Aaron D. Bieber, PLLC Sugar Land, TX 77479 (713) 899-3893 aaron@aaronbieberlaw.com

Case Number: 2025PR30317 Division: T1

NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION TO INTERESTED PERSONS AND OWNERS BY DESCENT OR SUCCESSION PURSUANT TO § 15-12-1303, C.R.S. To all interested persons and owners by descent or succession:

Section 34: NW

Containing 160.00 acres, more or less

The hearing on the Petition will be held at the following time and location or at a later date to which the hearing may be continued:

Date: July 3, 2025

Time: 8:00 A.M.

Address: 1100 Judicial Center Drive, Brighton, Colorado 80601

The hearing will take approximately one day.

Note:

•You must answer the petition on or before the hearing date and time specified above.

•Within the time required for answering the petition, all objections to the petition must be in writing, filed with the court and served on the petitioner and any required filing fee must be paid.

• The hearing shall be limited to the petition, the objections timely filed and the parties answering the petition in a timely manner. If the petition is not answered and no objections are filed, the court may enter a decree without a hearing.

Date: May 5, 2025

/s/ Adam Josephson

Signature of Party Giving Notice

Adam Josephson, Land Manager

Type name of Party Giving Notice

Phoenix Energy One, LLC

4643 South Ulster Street, Suite 1510 Denver, Colorado 80237

Legal Notice No. BSB3856

First Publication: May 15, 2025

Last Publication: May 29, 2025

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Isaac Jacobson,

a/k/a Isaac Jacobson Reyes, a/k/a Ike Jacobson, Deceased Case Number: 2025PR30060

All persons having claims against the abovenamed Estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the Denver Probate Court on or before September 1, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Dunn Fiduciary, LLC P.O. Box 238 Littleton CO 80160

Legal Notice No. BSB 3159

First Publication: May 1, 2025

Last Publication: May 15, 2025

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Martin Chairez, aka Martin Chairez Juarez, aka Martin C. Juarez, aka Martin Juarez, Deceased Case Number: 2025PR30315

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before September 15, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Brenda Chairez-Moreno

Personal Representative c/o Baker Law Group, PLLC 8301 E. Prentice Ave. #405 Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Legal Notice No. BSB 3160

First Publication: May 15, 2025

Last Publication: May 29, 2025

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of DOUGLAS MICHAEL CLARK, Deceased Case Number: 2025 PR 30253

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before September 10, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

DEBBY CLARK

Personal Representative 7982 Meade St., Apt. 2 Westminster, CO 80030

Legal Notice No. BSB3841

First Publication: May 8, 2025

Last Publication: May 22, 2025

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Lori Anne Promenschenkel

a/k/a Lori A. Promenschenkel

a/k/a Lori Promenschenkel

a/k/a

All

Publisher:

All

Austin

Publisher:

Name Changes

ATTEST:

Maricela Peña, City Clerk

Approved as to form: Andy Ausmus, City

requests that the name of Raudel Chavez Reyes be changed to Raudel Olave Reyes Case No.: 25 C 0608

By: Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. BSB3838

First Publication: May 1, 2025 Last Publication: May 15, 2025

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade ###

Fort Lupton Press

Legals

City of Ft. Lupton

Public Notice

ORDINANCE NO. 2025-1187 INTRODUCED BY: VALERIE BLACKSTON

ADOPT ORDINANCE 2025-1187 INITIALLY ZONING LAND KNOWN AS THE 1.21 INITIAL ZONING, LEGALLY DESCRIBED IN EXHIBIT A, TO THE ‘I-1’ LIGHT INDUSTRIAL ZONE DISTRICT.

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT LUPTON, COLORADO:

WHEREAS, under the procedures detailed in Section 16-9 of the Fort Lupton Municipal Code, the Applicants, 1.21 LLC and Rancho de Los Tiempos Buenos Partnership, LLC represented by Matt Hengel with Westside Property Investment Company, Inc., submitted a request to initially zone 290.55± acres of land more particularly described in Exhibit A; and

WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on the zone request on April 24, 2025, and recommended approval to City Council of the initial zoning of land described in Exhibit A to the ‘I-1’ Light Industrial Zone District, with all the uses-by-right allowed in said district; and

WHEREAS, the City Council, after public notice and hearing, and consideration of the Planning Commission recommendation, declares that the official zoning map be amended to reflect the initial zone on the property described in Exhibit A of this Ordinance to the ‘I-1’ Light Industrial Zone District, and that the Ordinance is hereby approved.

INTRODUCED, READ, AND PASSED ON FIRST READING, AND ORDERED PUBLISHED this 6th day of May 2025.

PUBLISHED in the Fort Lupton Press the 15th day of May, 2025

FINALLY READ BY TITLE ONLY, PASSED AND ORDERED PUBLISHED BY TITLE ONLY this X day of MONTH 2025.

PUBLISHED BY TITLE ONLY the X day of MONTH 2025.

EFFECTIVE (after publication) the X day of MONTH 2025.

CITY OF FORT LUPTON, COLORADO Zo Hubbard, Mayor

Skiing legend Shi rin joins NWSL Denver ownership

e greatest alpine skier of all time is stepping onto the soccer eld, as an own-

Colorado’s own Mikaela Shi rin is joining the ownership group of the National Women’s Soccer League’s Denver expansion team, the team announced May 6. With 101 World Cup victories, two Olympic gold medals and eight world championship titles, Shi rin is widely considered the most decorated alpine skier in history. Born and raised in Vail, she started competing on the World Cup circuit at age 16. Shi rin is the only athlete to win all six of the World Cup disciplines: slalom, gi-

ant slalom, super-G, downhill, combination and parallel combination. In 2023, she won the annual ESPN award as the best athlete in women’s sports and was one of Time magazine’s 100 Most In uential People.

e skier joins an ownership group led by Rob Cohen, CEO of Denver’s IMA Financial Group, and Ariel Investments Co-CEO Melody Hobson through Project Level — Ariel’s fund dedicated to investment in women’s sports. e Colorado Sun asked NWSL Denver what percentage of the team Shi rin would own. ey declined to provide the information.

“ e sport culture in Colorado is rich and deep, and — most notably — the growth of women’s sports is one of the

PUBLIC NOTICES

SAID LOT B OF SAID RECORDED EXEMPTION NO. 1471-22-2 RE-4561 AND THE EAST LINE OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SAID SECTION 22; THENCE S00˚ 32’09”E ALONG THE EAST LINE OF SAID LOT B AND THE EAST LINE OF SAID NORTHWEST 1/4, A DISTANCE OF 2608.40 FEET TO THE TRUE POINT OF BEGINNING.

CONTAINING 5,104,457 SQ. FT. / 117.1822 ACRES, MORE OR LESS. ALL LINEAL DISTANCE ARE REPRESENTED IN US SURVEY FEET.

Legal Notice No. FLP1292

First Publication: May 15, 2025 Last Publication: May 15, 2025 Publisher: Fort Lupton Press Public Notice

AND THE TRUE POINT OF BEGINNING;

THENCE S89˚ 28’40”W ALONG THE SOUTH LINE OF THE EAST 1/2 OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SAID SECTION 22 AND ALONG THE SOUTH LINE SAID LOT B, A DISTANCE OF 1,320.13 FEET TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE EAST 1/2 OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SAID SECTION 22 AND THE SOUTHEAST CORNER LOT B RECORDED EXEMPTION NO. 1471-22-2 RECX20-0026 RECORDED UNDER 4612745; THENCE S89˚ 28’04”W ALONG THE SOUTH LINE OF THE WEST 1/2 OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SAID SECTION 22 AND ALONG THE SOUTH LINE OF SAID LOT B, A DISTANCE OF 1,319.64 FEET TO THE WEST 1/4 CORNER OF SAID SECTION 22 AND THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF SAID LOT B; THENCE N00˚ 29’23”W ALONG THE WEST LINE OF THE NORTHWEST 1 /4 OF SAID SECTION 22 AND ALONG THE WEST LINE OF SAID LOT B, A DISTANCE OF 965.89 FEET TO THE CENTERLINE OF THE BRIGHTON LATERAL DITCH; THENCE ALONG SAID CENTERLINE AND ALONG THE WESTERLY LINE OF SAID LOT B THE FOLLOWING NINE COURSES

1.THENCE N62˚ 12’54”E, A DISTANCE OF 76.50 FEET; 2.THENCE N70˚ 11’28”E, A DISTANCE OF 165.29 FEET; 3.THENCE N62˚ 18’11”E, A DISTANCE OF 201.41 FEET; 4.THENCE N51˚ 41’17”E, A DISTANCE OF 166.66 FEET; 5.THENCE N19˚ 34’15”E, A DISTANCE OF 212.43 FEET; 6.THENCE N02˚ 27’35”E, A DISTANCE OF 84.80 FEET; 7. THENCE N13˚ 40’25”W, A DISTANCE OF 115.28 FEET; 8. THENCE N08˚ 06’32”W, A DISTANCE OF 65.02 FEET; 9.THENCE N11˚ 03’02”W, A DISTANCE OF 433.11 FEET TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER LOT A SAID RECORDED EXEMPTION NO. 1471-22-2 RECX20-0026;

ORDINANCE NO. 2025-1185 INTRODUCED BY: CHRIS CERETTO AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING TWO LOAN AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE COLORADO WATER RESOURCES AND POWER DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND THE CITY OF FORT LUPTON, COLORADO ACTING BY AND THROUGH ITS UTILITY ENTERPRISE, AND LOANS (LEVERAGED AND DIRECT LOANS) TO BE MADE IN CONNECTION THEREWITH IN THE MAXIMUM AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF $20,000,000, APPROVING THE FORM AND TERMS THEREOF, MAKING CERTAIN FINDINGS AND DETERMINATIONS, AUTHORIZING INCIDENTAL ACTIONS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT LUPTON, COLORADO, ACTING IN THE CAPACITY OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY’S

INTRODUCED, READ AND ADOPTED ON FIRST READING AS AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE AND ORDERED PUBLISHED this 15th day of April, 2025.

Published in: Fort Lupton Press

Publication date:April 24, 2025

FINALLY ADOPTED ON SECOND READING AS AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE AND ORDERED PUBLISHED BY TITLE, this 6th day of May, 2025.

Published in: Fort Lupton Press

Publication date:May 15, 2025 By Mayor Attest: By City Clerk

APPROVED AS TO FORM:

City Attorney

Legal Notice No. FLP1291

First Publication: May 15, 2025

Last Publication: May 15, 2025

Publisher: Fort Lupton Press

most exciting movements in our culture today,” Shi rin said in a statement. “To be part of it, and to help bring professional women’s soccer to Colorado, is not only an incredible investment opportunity — but it is both an honor and a joy.”

Denver was announced as the 16th NWSL team in January. eir $110 million expansion fee is the most expensive in U.S. women’s sports history. Since then, the team has been rapidly preparing for its 2026 season debut. In April, the team announced Jen Millet as its rst president. Millet has served as chief operating o cer of Bay FC and previously worked for the Golden State Warriors, StubHub and Pandora.

In April, the team surpassed 10,000 season ticket deposits. ey are partnering

Bids and Settlements

Public Notice

NOTICE Request for Proposal GENERAL CONTRACTORS TO BID ON PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Frederick-Firestone Fire Protection District (“District”), a political subdivision of the State of Colorado, is soliciting general contractor request for proposal on the construction of the District’s Training & Maintenance Campus (“Project”). Only general contractors who have been approved through this RFP process will be eligible to bid on the Project.

Beginning 8:00 a.m. (MST) on Thursday May 15, 2025, the RFP application (“Application”) may be obtained by requesting a copy of the Application by email to Gary Cahill at the following email address: cahill@dunakilly. com. The subject line for the email must state: “Request for Proposal – Training & Maintenance Campus”.

All Applications must be received by the District on or before 4:00 p.m. (MST) on Thursday, May 22, 2025 (“Submission Deadline”). Applications received after the Submission Deadline will not be considered. Applications must be submitted by email to Gary Cahill at the following email address: cahill@dunakilly.com. The subject line for the email must state: “Request for Submission – Training & Maintenance Campus”.

Contractors are solely responsible for ensuring that their emailed Applications have been received by the District. The District will not search for emailed Applications that are not delivered or are delivered to “spam” or “junk” folders. Contractors may contact Gary Cahill at 720.346.8377 to confirm that their emailed Application has been received. Contractors preparing and submitting an Application do so solely at their own expense.

Each Application must conform and be responsive to the standard application form provided by the District. Any deviation from the standard application form or failure to provide the required information may be considered non-responsive and grounds for disqualification and rejection of the Application in the District’s sole discretion. The District has the right, in its sole discretion, to reject any or all Applications and to waive any irregularities in any Application received. The District also has the right to modify or terminate this selection process or the Project any time in its sole discretion. Submitted Applications become the District’s property and will be considered public records within the meaning of the Colorado Open Records Act, unless a general contractor conspicuously labels the portion(s) of its Application that it deems confidential and proprietary as “Confidential and Proprietary”, and separates such materials from the rest of the Application. The general contractor is solely responsible for all costs incurred in preparing and submitting an Application.

Legal Notice No. FLP1289

First Publication: May 15, 2025

Last Publication: May 29, 2025

Publisher: Fort Lupton Press

Public Notice

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS CITY OF FORT LUPTON FORT LUPTON, COLORADO ELEVATED WATER SORAGE TANK

General Notice

The City of Fort Lupton (Owner) is requesting Bids for the construction of the following Project: Elevated Water Storage Tank FTL2025-006

Bids for the construction of the Project will be received at the Fort Lupton City Hall located at 130 S McKinley Ave, Fort Lupton, CO 80621, until Friday, June 13, 2025, at 2:00 pm local time. At that time the Bids received

will be publicly opened and read.

The Project includes the following Work:

1. Construction of 1MG Composite elevated water storage tank including internal piping, coating and site work.

2. Construction of a pump station with site work.

3. Installation of 20” PVC transmission main including appurtenances such as valving and vaults.

4. Installation of 20” PVC Distribution main including appurtenances such as valving and vaults.

This project anticipates funding from the Colorado State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan program. Bidder’s attention is called to the SRF requirements in the bid package. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) requirements and goals are included. Also, certified DBEs or a consortium of certified DBEs are encouraged to bid.

Obtaining the Bidding Documents

Information and Bidding Documents for the Project can be found at the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System: https://legacy.rockymountainbidsystem. com.

Pre-bid Conference

A mandatory pre-bid conference for the Project will be held on May 30, 2025 (Friday) at 2:00 pm at the Fort Lupton City Hall, 130 S. McKinley Ave, Fort Lupton, Colorado 80621. Bids will not be accepted from Bidders that have not attended a pre-bid conference.

Instructions to Bidders.

For all further requirements regarding bid submittal, qualifications, procedures, and contract award, refer to the Instructions to Bidders that are included in the Bidding Documents.

This Advertisement is issued by:

Owner: The City of Fort Lupton

By: Roy Vestal

Title: Public Works Director

Date: May 15, 2025

Legal Notice No. FLP1290

First Publication: May 15, 2025

Last Publication: May 15, 2025

Publisher: Fort Lupton Press

Summons and Sheriff Sale

Public Notice

Case No. 2024CV030982

District Court, Weld County, Colorado 901 9th Avenue Greeley, CO 80631 (970) 475-2400

Plaintiff PennyMac Loan Services, LLC

Defendants: Andrey Grubbs; Estate of Kevin Grubbs; Adrianne Todman in her Official Capacity as the Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and Brigitte C. Grimm in her Official Capacity as the Public Trustee of Weld County, Colorado.

Attorney for Plaintiff: Randall M. Chin #31149

Barrett Frappier & Weisserman, LLP 1391 Speer Blvd., #700 Denver, CO 80204

Phone: 303-350-3711

Email: randallc@bdfgroup.com

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANT(S):

You are hereby summoned and required to appear and defend against the claims of the amended complaint filed with the court in this action, by filing with the clerk of this court an answer or other response. You are required to file you answer or other response within 35

with the Cherry Creek School District to build a temporary venue in Centennial for their rst two seasons. A 20,000-squarefoot, purpose-built training facility will also be located on the same property.

e ownership group and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston are asking the City Council to approve $70 million in public funding to help build a stadium at Interstate 25 and Broadway at the Sante Fe Yards. e total cost would range from $150 million-$200 million and be built by the team.

at request passed its rst hurdle late last month, but has not yet reached the full council. If the money is not approved, Cohen has hinted that the team might leave Denver.

days after service of this summons upon you. Service of this summons shall be complete on the day of the last publication. A copy of the amended complaint may be obtained from the clerk of the court.

If you fail to file your answer or other response to the amended complaint in writing within 35 days after the date of the last publication, judgment by default may be entered against you by the court for the relief demanded in the amended complaint without further notice.

This is a C.R.C.P. 105 action for judicial foreclosure in real property regarding the following real property:

SITUATED IN THE COUNTY OF WELD AND STATE OF COLORADO DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:

Lot 40, Block 1, Park View Estates, an addition to the Town of Frederick, County of Weld, State of Colorado, as per Plat recorded November 15, 1978 in Book 851 under Reception No. 177871, Weld County Records, County of Weld, State of Colorado. known and numbered as 110 Maple Drive, Frederick, Colorado 80530.

Dated: April 22, 2025

Barrett Frappier & Weisserman, LLP

/s/ Randall M. Chin Randall M. Chin # 31149

Attorney for Plaintiff 00000010252989

Legal Notice No. FLP 6325

First Publication: May 8, 2025

Last Publication: June 5 2025 Publisher: Fort Lupton Press

Notice to Creditors

Public Notice

District Court, Weld County, Colorado 901 9th Ave, Greeley, CO 80631

In the Matter of the Estate of: Deborah Marie Cotton, aka Deborah Maria Craig, aka Deborah Maria Fisk, aka Deborah Marie Haakenson, aka Debby Cotton, Deceased

Attorney): Alex Konopasek Hulme, Woodbury & Ybarra, PLLC 10600 W. Alameda Ave STE 210 Lakewood, CO 80226

Phone Number: (801) 203-0297

E-mail: alex@woodburyandybarra.com

FAX Number: Atty. Reg. #: 59828

Case Number: 2025PR030179 Division: 1

NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION PURSUANT TO § 15-10-401, C.R.S.

To: Darris Cotton

Last Known Address, if any: 1101 Lilac Dr., Lochbuie, CO 80603

A hearing on Petition for Adjudication of Intestacy and Formal Appointment of Personal Representative (title of pleading) for (brief description of relief requested) the appointment of Joyce Buessing as Personal Representative of Deborah Cotton’s Estate will be held at the following

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.