EMS paraeducator Katie Murphy undergoes a thorough drenching during the Ice Bucket Challenge.
O with a splash
Evergreen Middle School’s day of mental health-focused events ends with Ice Bucket Challenge
BY JANE REUTER
Evergreen Middle School’s 10th annual Wellness Day ended with a splash — a very icy splash for the teachers and sta who participated in it.
Students got to dump buckets of cold water on the heads of their teachers and sta during a new version of the Ice Bucket
Challenge. Originally launched in 2014 to support ALS research, the challenge was recently revived by college students with a focus on destigmatizing mental health issues among youth and young adults. at made it a perfect t for Wellness Day, which also included yoga, music lessons, games, an improv theater event, gardening, a mindfulness walk
and an Evergreen High School student panel focused on the high school experience.
“Today is about recognizing your strength,” teacher and Wellness Day committee member Julia Fliss told them during an afternoon assembly. “Today gets to be a celebration of all the things that make you your best.”
e day incorporates concepts in the school’s Sources of
Strength program, which uses peer leaders to help connect others and encourage strength.
During the morning, student groups rotated through interactive sessions focused on mental health, healthy activities, positive friendships and mentors/ mindsets.
Evergreen’s Envision Martial
SEE WELLNESS DAY, P6
No open date yet for Echo Lake Lodge
Historic building was closed to the public in late 2022
BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
While work continues to repair and redesign Echo Lake Lodge, Denver Parks and Recreation sta say there is no estimated opening date. Its previous operator called the ongoing closure “a letdown for Colorado tourism.” e nearly 100-year-old lodge closed in October 2022. Owned by the city of Denver and managed by its parks and recreation department, it was operated by Bill Carle since 1963 until its closure.
Denver is putting time and money into the old building.
A landscape architecture rm has nished concept designs for Echo Lake aimed at more naturally connecting the lodge with the rest of the park. An architect is nearly nished with a historic assessment of the lodge. And Denver Parks and Recreation is under contract for septic repairs and improvements that are scheduled for this summer.
A ranger is living at the lodge as its caretaker this summer. Without an opening date, the city isn’t yet considering who will run the lodge.
“At this time we’re still eval-
PHOTO BY JANE REUTER
Pro-unification hopefuls sweep Elk Creek Fire election
Kathleen Noonan, Al Leo gained nearly 5 times the votes of their opponents
BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Two candidates who favor unifying Elk Creek Fire with Conifer Fire overwhelmingly won a pair of open seats on the Elk Creek Fire board. Voters elected Al Leo and Kathleen Noonan in the May 6 election to replace Greg Pixley and Melissa Baker on the board; both were term limited.
e two gained nearly ve times or more the votes of opponents Michael Bartlett, omas Seymour and Todd Wagner. Bartlett and Wagner are former Elk Creek reghters.
e two newcomers’ election leaves Chuck Newby the lone voice on the board against uni cation — an e ort to merge Elk Creek Fire with Conifer Fire. If two candidates
Board will fill vacancy with Armah’s departure
BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
According to uno cial results, three incumbents regained their seats on the Evergreen Park & Recreation District board. Voters gave Betsy Hays, Mary McGhee and Peter Eggers a second term on the board in favor of opponents Geo rey Erdahl, Erin Graham and Ally Hilgefort.
However, the board has another seat to ll. Nina Armah resigned on April 21 citing personal and family reasons. Because her resignation came too close to the May 6 election, the vacant seat wasn’t included on this year’s ballot.
Instead, the EPRD board of directors will
BY JANE REUTER
who oppose that move had been elected to the vemember board, the board could have voted to repeal a previously adopted memorandum of understanding on consolidation, stopping the uni cation e ort.
Noonan received 640 votes and Leo 633. Opponents Bartlett, Seymour and Wagner got 133, 71 and 122 votes respectively.
Conifer Fire is a recent merger of Elk Creek’s neighboring North Fork and Inter-Canyon re districts. ose two districts went ahead with a merger after their boards approved the idea.
Elk Creek Fire’s board also approved the proposal with Newby the only “no” vote. He and district resident Neil Whitehead III led an appeal, saying the uni cation process that Elk Creek used violates state statute, subverts the voters’ wishes, and could result in higher taxes without voter approval.
eir argument was denied by the Je erson County Commissioners in May, but the men have said they’ll appeal the issue to district court.
A November 2023 vote on consolidation narrowly failed. Fire chiefs announced last year they would instead pursue uni cation, a process outlined under state statute that does not include a mill levy increase or require an election.
EPRD board incumbents retain seats
appoint someone to ll the position. e appointment will occur after the election, and the new director will serve out the remainder of the term, which runs until 2027.
e EPRD is in the midst of several major projects, including the addition of a natatorium and eldhouse to Buchanan Recreation Center, and redevelopment of Buchanan Park. ose plans are in keeping with the EPRD’s 2023 strategic plan, which also calls for an eventual remodel of Wulf Recreation Center.
Votes tallied May 6 showed incumbents Betsy Hays with 866 votes, Peter Eggers with 757 and Mary McGhee with 512.
Challengers included Ally Hilgefort with 507 votes, Geo rey Erdahl with 145 and Erin Graham with 255.
With only ve votes separating McGhee and Hilgefort for the third spot, EPRD is waiting to see if any overseas or military
votes arrive to potentially change that outcome. ose ballots are sent in accordance with the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
“We sent out 300-plus and received 17 back,” EPRD executive director Cory
Vander Veen said. “We don’t believe there will be anymore.”
If no additional ballots arrive, the vote will be certi ed May 15 by EPRD’s designated election o cial, executive assistant Maddy Evans.
Incumbent slate wins Evergreen Fire board seats
Two incumbents easily won their seats back on the Evergreen Fire/Rescue board during the May 6 election, along with a newcomer who ran with them as a slate.
Incumbents Stacey Ballinger, Julie Ann Courim and Ryan Stack defeated former EFR volunteer re ghters Byrne McKenna, Ed Mills and Kelly Guthner, who also ran as a slate.
Ballinger, Courim and Stack each earned more than 1,000 votes, with the opponents each getting around 400 votes each.
“We are overjoyed with our campaign’s victory, a true re ection of our community’s unwavering support and our team’s relentless dedication,” Ballinger said. “We are deeply grateful for the grassroots campaign our supporters tirelessly championed, which fueled our success.
“Julie Ann and I are building on three
years of strong leadership and decisive direction, we are eager to carry this momentum into a new four-year term, delivering on our promises and driving meaningful progress. Ryan will be an asset strengthening the board just as Evan (Je ries) has always been.”
O cial results will be issued by the canvassing board by May 19.
Ballinger and Courim argued the knowledge and consistency they bring is key to EFR’s future, and Courim said post-election she intends to carry that forward.
“I’m very pleased with our decisive win and looking forward to continuing our positive momentum,” she said.
Stack said he’s eager to join the board.
“I’m relieved the campaign is over and
really looking forward to getting to work, helping the department continue the progress they’ve made the last three years,” he said. “I’m looking forward to helping make this a better, safer community for everyone.” e district is in the midst of signi cant changes as it implements recommendations in a master plan adopted in 2024, which started with the October 2024 hiring of the department’s rst six paid re ghters. It also plans changes to its re stations, starting with a recently approved $3.75 million contract to remodel Station 2 on Bergen Parkway. e expansion will add living quarters and o ces, allowing emergency responders to live there and respond to calls from the building.
Plans also call for combining two existing stations — one in downtown Evergreen and four on Highway 73 south of town. at project includes demolishing Station 1 and building a new combined station on the site of the former Evergreen Mountain Market.
Al Leo Kathleen Noonan
Betsy Hays
Peter Eggers
Mary McGhee
Stacey Ballinger
Julie Ann Courim
Ryan Stack
Entrepreneur program gets statewide attention
Teachers, administrators visit Clear Creek HS to learn
BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Teachers and administrators from across Colorado recently traveled to Clear Creek High/Middle School in Evergreen to learn how the school is combining entrepreneurship with business within the school where students are in control.
e Entrepreneur II class at the high school is developing business plans while Outdoor Rec and Tech students develop knowledge skills in the tools of the ski industry.
“Creek Craft” is the new name in the ski and snowboarding industry and high school students, mentors and teachers aim to make it pro table for the district and school.
ey are working to create a sustaining model for manufacturing and marketing, according to Career Connections Coordinator Dacia Kelly.
On the production end of the operation Outdoor Rec and Tech Instructor Ben Shay runs the Ski Program.
Both Kelly and Shay provided a seminar for the more than two dozen educators in attendance April 30.
Many of the participants said they’re impressed with the work and now have the opportunity to take the ideas back to their district.
“What I’ve really loved is the Connection Program teachers have an open forum teachers have an open forum
with students like a morning meeting to pose a question, so kids have to use critical thinking skills to answer and then defend their answer,” Pueblo District No. 60 Director of Student Success Shelly Alcon-Montoya said. “It just builds community within the classroom with the teacher and each other.”
Several members of the Colorado Education Initiative were also on hand at the seminar, including the Senior Strategist of Learning and Engagement Finessa Ferrell.
“We are very excited to be here today looking at Clear Creek Middle/ High School and they are doing great work in both creating relationships and connections between people and creating opportunities for students to see their passions come alive,” Ferrell said. “For students to have input and make decisions and feel they are in control of their future.”
Holyoke Junior and.High School Principal Angela Powell made the long trek to Clear Creek along with District Superintendent Kyle Stumpf. “Youth connections, trying to engage students in a variety of di erent ways in a high school setting. We’re one of the districts who started working with Clear Creek and CEI two to three years ago,” Powell said. “Now what we’re doing is coming around and see those things in action in all the districts.”
“If you want kids to stay local you need to give them exposure to what is being done locally so they can t themselves into,” Stumpf said.
Don’t
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.”
Wait to Save for A Downpayment — Here’s How You Can Start Building Equity Now
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.
Rec and Tech workshop at Clear Creek High/Middle school in Evergreen.
Students in the Rec and Tech program at Clear Creek High/Middle school in Evergreen. FILE PHOTOS
Warren Tech students are fired up
Multiple programs stage house fire and solve the crime
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
On a windy spring morning, ames shot skyward as re science students
from Je co Public Schools’ Warren Tech
Central crouched in full gear, ready to knock down the blaze they’d just ignited. e burn was the centerpiece of Fire Investigation Day, a cross-program simulation that brought together students from re science, forensic science, building trades and criminal justice to re-create and investigate a re scene.
“We intentionally set a re to establish
Mount Evans means healing
a crime scene,” said Rob Sprenkle, re investigator with South Metro Fire Rescue and co-creator of Fire Investigation Day. “We’ve placed a bunch of evidence inside of these cells for them to nd and properly process.”
eir task: determine what caused the re and whether a crime occurred inside the structure.
“ is demonstration allows the students to see how they would collaborate with another department in an actual emergency,” said Martha Patton, associate principal at Warren Tech, emphasizing the real-world, interdisciplinary value of the event.
e exercise required students to think like professionals and solve an unfolding mystery in real time. Students rotated through roles throughout the day, observing re behavior, conducting interviews, collecting evidence and analyzing burn patterns.
Before any ames could rise or evidence could be gathered, students rst had to construct the scene of the future crime.
Students built the house they burned
Building Trades students constructed the model house used in the event, applying lessons in framing, materials and interior nishing. ey designed the structure with a functional room and realistic furnishings, knowing it would end up in ames.
“ is structure was built to code, and what we saw today is that the re didn’t come through the walls,” Sprenkle said. “ at’s a testament to what good construction can do. It held up the way it was supposed to.”
“We light it, destroy it and then start over next year,” he added. “ e process of rebuilding teaches just as much as the investigation.”
e structure included drywall, furniture, personal belongings and blood evidence to simulate a realistic re scene.
Forensic and criminal justice students solve the mystery
Once the ames were out and the smoldering structure cooled, another set of students stepped in to piece together what happened inside.
Forensic science and criminal justice students secured the scene and went through the investigation of how the re started, how the pig would die and how they would investigate a body in a necropsy in a re.
e simulation featured a pig cadaver placed inside a burn structure, simulating human remains in a re-related death. Students rotated through roles throughout the day, observing re behavior, conducting interviews, collecting evidence and analyzing burn patterns.
“We try to make it as real as we possibly can,” said Afton Nance, forensic science instructor and co-creator of the event. “ ere’s blood, there’s a body, there’s re, and the students have to use science to solve the problem.”
Community and industry partnerships bring realism to the fireground
Since its creation in 2015, Fire Investigation Day has become a signature Warren Tech event and a rare opportunity for students to test their skills in a simulated but high-stakes environment.
e school partners with South Metro Fire Rescue and other agencies to run the event safely and e ectively.
“We cannot do this without our industry partners,” said Matt Walsh, principal of Warren Tech. “We had support today from Lockheed Martin, the Denver South Fire Department, the O ce of Fire Prevention and Control and South Metro Fire Rescue. ese partnerships are a key part of what makes Warren Tech special.”
Warren Tech also worked with the Boulder County Coroner’s O ce, which provided insight into post- re investigations and how a necropsy is performed on a re victim.
e collaboration showed students rsthand how re investigations often involve coordination between multiple departments and experts.
For students like senior Emma LeBlanc, the day was the culmination of months of preparation and learning.
“It’s something we’ve all looked forward to,” LeBlanc said. “ is kind of hands-on experience helps me see what it’s really like to work a scene instead of just reading about it in a textbook or case study.”
Warren Tech Fire Science students watch as a training structure burns during Fire Investigation Day, an annual simulation that teaches students how to collaborate across emergency fields. PHOTOS BY SUZIE GLASSMAN
Warren Tech students and instructors examine the charred remains of a mock home built and burned for Fire Investigation Day.
Conifer Peace Park sets a soothing summer vibe
Yoga, poetry, music and a celebration of International Peace Day planned
BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Conifer’s nearly 2-yearold Peace Park will host a summer of soothing events designed to foster a sense of peace this summer.
e space behind Conifer’s Aspen Park Community Center was designed to spark connection and peace among those who use it. It is supported by the Conifer Rotary, the Conifer Peacebuilding Committee and the Aspen Park Community Center.
“We’re part of this peacebuilding committee, all dedicated to bringing this peace park alive in the community,” park designer Dennis Paige said. “People can come to our events or meditate on their own in their own private space.”
e committee hosted several events last summer at the park and is expanding on that idea in 2025.
“We had a good result last year with yoga, poetry and music for peace,” Paige said. “So we’re going to keep it going and add more events and di erent people.”
Events include:
·Peace Yoga in the Park with Carrie Lehtonen at 6 p.m. June 19
·Poetry and storytelling for peace by the Colorado Society of Poetry at 6 p.m. July 17
·Music for Peace with John Erlandson and friends at 6 p.m. Aug. 21
·International Day of Peace, 2-5 p.m. Sept. 21
e Sept. 21 International Peace Day event will feature discussions and international food.
“ e idea is to celebrate our collective consciousness for coming together and sharing our di erences,” Paige said.
e International Day of Peace, launched in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly, celebrates the power of global solidarity for building a peaceful and sustainable world.
Paige hopes people will visit the park for the events and at other times as well.
“We were able to establish the park so it’s a very attractive, peaceful place,” he said. “It has an envisionist character to it and a lot of di erent dimensions.”
Conifer Peace Park
FILE PHOTO
Feds end grant to support student mental health care
BY JENNY BRUNDIN CPR NEWS
A federal grant to support the state’s students with mental health challenges was canceled in early May by the Trump administration, which said the grant con icts with priorities of the new government.
e $1.5 million ve-year grant was aimed at confronting Colorado’s critical shortage of school-based mental health professionals.
“We are deeply disappointed by this decision,” the Colorado Department of Education said in a statement. “Addressing the mental health needs of students remains one of the most urgent priorities identi ed by school and district leaders throughout Colorado.”
e cuts, which total $1 billion nationwide, appear to re ect the Trump administration’s broad attack on diversity,
equity and inclusion e orts. e loss of the grant likely means many youth experiencing mental health challenges will not get the support they need at school. Rates of anxiety and depression in youth began spiking during the pandemic, and social media use has worsened trends.
In October, the federal Department of Education awarded the School Based Mental Health Grant to expand mental health services for students across Colorado. e grant, which would have provided $1.5 million each year from 202529, was aimed at helping school districts recruit and retain mental health professionals. It would have also helped re-specialize existing mental health professionals to serve students in school settings.
Push for funds after Uvalde
After a teenage gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022, Congress sent
$1 billion to the grant programs to help schools hire more counselors and school psychologists.
e Biden administration gave more points to applicants who planned to train counselors to work with students from diverse backgrounds. Research shows reports of mental health struggles among students of color were higher than white students during the pandemic.
In a statement, the federal department of education said the awards “were not advancing Administration priorities.” It found several things about the grant problematic including goals to ensure some of the counselors were counselors of color, training sta to address racial trauma and stress and challenging “the pervasiveness of white supremacy.”
“ ese grants are intended to improve American students’ mental health by funding additional mental health professionals in schools and on campuses,”
said Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the department. “Instead, under the deeply awed priorities of the Biden Administration, grant recipients used the funding to implement race-based actions like recruiting quotas in ways that have nothing to do with mental health and could hurt the very students the grants are supposed to help.”
O cials from Colorado and several other states were noti ed last week that the grant would not be continued after Dec. 31, 2025. It was in its early implementation phase and no funds had yet been distributed. However, schools in some states appeared to keep their grants.
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.
Arts, Brazilian Top Team jiu jitsu, Generation Pound (a workout program designed for kids), Evergreen’s Resilience 1220, the Crafty Chassis mobile arts and crafts studio, Well Nourished Cooking, and True and Gather yoga studio teachers all helped lead the sessions.
e day ended with an interactive, educational performance from the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance troop’s educational program, and the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Fliss said the program’s come a long way since it began, and student feedback shows the changes are resonating.
“I was on the committee to start it 10 years ago, and we’ve evolved our focus based on feedback we’ve gotten from kids,” she said. “We’ve also invited the community to interact and engage with our kids to help them be their best.
“Especially given the craziness of the world right now, it’s so important to create space for the multidimensionality of what it means to be a teenager in the world today.”
While individual students highlighted various sessions of the day as their favorites, all loved the Ice Bucket Challenge.
“It’s good to see teachers and sta interact in a way that honors the fun and the
middle schooler in all of us,” Fliss said. Source of Strength is also a weekly ursday EMS club led by social-emotional learning specialist Anna Bellows, also a key Wellness Day committee member. It’s built around fun activities de-
signed to help students explore emotions, build their strengths and be school leaders by helping others.
Sources of Strength started in Colorado nearly 30 years ago.Research shows the multi-part program — focused on teach-
ing students learn resilience, making connections and seeking support when needed — is having measurable success in preventing teen suicides. It helped reduce suicide attempts by 29% among high school students over two years.
EMS students gathered in the gym for the Wellness Day assembly, which included an interactive performance from Cleo Parker Robinson dancers and the Ice Bucket Challenge. PHOTO BY TIM VIALPANDO
The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance education team performed an educational, interactive routine for EMS students as part of the Wellness Day assembly.
PHOTO BY SARAH ALLER
HAPPENINGS
We’d like to know about events or activities of interest to the community. Visit www. canyoncourier.com/calendar/ and post your event online for free. Email jreuter@ coloradocommunitymedia. com to get items in the newspaper. Items will appear in print on a space-available basis.
UPCOMING
Art Gone Wild Bene t Returns – An Evening of Art, Wine, and Wildlife Conservation: 5 p.m. May 16, Mountain Home, 27965 Meadow Drive, Evergreen. Wild Aware’s second annual bene t celebrating wildlife through art, while supporting local conservation e orts. Wine, appetizers, art by Colorado artists, sculptors, and photographers. wildaware. org
Seniors4Wellness Friday Cafe: 11:30 a.m. May 16, Christ the King, 4291 Evergreen Parkway, Evergreen. 720-835-8776.
Evergreen Audubon Walden Ponds Bird Walk: 6:30 a.m. to noon, May 17. Meet at the Bergen Park-andRide at 6:30am or at Walden Ponds at 7:30am.
Hill’s “ e Ravens’ Tears” and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Evergreen Chorale. Tickets: evergreenchamberorch.org
Evergreen Audubon Intro to Birding: 8:30 a.m. May 27, Golden Gate Canyon State Park’s Reverend’s Ridge campground pavilion, 313 Reverends Ridge Road, Black Hawk. Valid State Park pass required for entry or purchase or day pass. evergreenaudubon.org
Seniors4Wellness Game Day: 11 a.m. May 28,Buchanan Recreation Center Evergreen Room, 32003 Ellingwood Trail, Evergreen. seniors4wellness.org.
Walden Ponds is one of Boulder’s premier birding sites due to its variety of habitats. Free, registration required. evergreenaudubon. org
Morrison Town Clean Up Days: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 17 and May 18, Town Shop O ce, 700 Bear Creek Avenue, Morrison. Morrison residents only. Items not accepted: Concrete, TVs, electronics, air conditioners, refrigeration units, hazardous waste, paint, oil, tires, batteries, computers. Drain uids from motors. morrisonco.us.
Evergreen Audubon
Morning Birds & Brews: 8:30 a.m. May 30, Evergreen Nature Center, 27640 CO-74, Evergreen. Evergreen Audubon will provide co ee, hot water, tea, and hot cocoa packets. No registration required. evergreenaudubon.org
Conifer/North Fork Fire 50K or 50 mile ultramarathon: 6 a.m. 50 mile, 7 a.m. 50K, May 31, Bu alo Creek Clubhouse, 18050 S. Bu alo Creek Road, Bu alo Creek. Portion of proceeds bene t the re department. aravaiparunning.com
A Taste of Peace: 5 p.m. May 31, Evergreen Elks Lodge, 27972 Iris Dr, Evergreen. Fundraiser for PeaceWorks. Tickets and more information at peaceworksinc. co/communitywellness
days, Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church, 9444 Eagle Cli Road, Conifer. Free for members, $10 for non-members.
Al-Anon: Mountain Awakenings Family Group: 7 p.m. ursdays, Evergreen United Methodist Church, 3757 Ponderosa Drive, Evergreen.
Evergreen Nature Center
Weekly Preschool Adventures Program: 9 a.m. every ursday, 27640 Hwy 74, Evergreen. Free & no registration required. Programs designed for children ages 2-5 years old. All children must have an adult in attendance. Dress to explore the outdoors. evergreenaudubon. org
“How Spiritual Perception Brings Healing: A free talk for the community, 2 p.m. June 1, Buchanan Rec Center, 32003 Ellingwood Trail, Evergreen. Hosted by First Church of Christ Scientist, Evergreen.
Evergreen Chamber’sConnections & Cocktails: 4:30 p.m. May 19, Creekside Cellars, 28036 CO74, Evergreen. evergreenchamber.org
Evergreen Newcomers & Neighbors Happy Hour: 4 p.m. May 20, Genesee Pub & BBQ, 25948 Genesee Trail Road, Golden. membership@evergreennewcomers. com
Evergreen Audubon Bird Walk for Beginners: 8 a.m. to noon, May 21, O’Fallon Park, 25663 Lines Lane, Kittredge. Free, registration required. evergreenaudubon.org
Evergreen Chamber Orchestra - Season Finale Concert: 3 p.m. May 24, Rockland Community Church, 17 S Mt Vernon Country Club Rd, Golden. Premiere of William
Yoga in the Park with Carrie Lehtonen: 6 p.m. June 19, Conifer Peace Park, 26215 Sutton Rd, Conifer.
ONGOING
Mountain Women Alcoholics Anonymous (AA): 9 a.m. every Saturday in person and on Zoom, Evergreen Lutheran Church, 5980 CR73, Evergreen. Mountain Women also meet via Zoom on Wednesdays at noon. evergreenaa.com/
Evergreen Nature Center Monthly Family Program: 11 a.m. every last Saturday, 27640 Hwy 74, Evergreen. evergreenaudubon.org
e American Legion Evergreen Post 2001: Meets 4 p.m. every fourth Tuesday, Evergreen Church of the Trans guration, Douglas Hall, 27640 Hwy 74, Evergreen. Serving all military Veterans in the foothills. Email evergreenpost2001@ gmail.com.
Evergreen Camera Club: Meets every second Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Evergreen Fire/Rescue auditorium, 1802 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen. Club is for people who share a passion for all photography, from beginners to professionals. Attend in person or via ZOOM.
Wild Aware is actively recruiting volunteers for their Last Friday Co ee. e monthly event is at 9 a.m., the last Friday morning of every month. Evergreen Bread and Cocktail Lounge, 1260 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen.
Conifer Chamber of Commerce member meeting: 7:30 a.m. on second urs-
BROOKE WARNER Executive Director brooke@ntln.org
LINDA SHAPLEY Director of Editorial & Audience lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com
ERIC HEINZ West Metro Editor eric@cotln.org
JANE REUTER Community Editor jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com
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Some HS science fair awards caught in USAID cuts
BY HENRY LARSON CPR NEWS
When 15-year-old Max Kurtz won an award at his school district’s science fair, he never thought it would be impacted by the Trump administration’s cuts to a federal agency.
But that’s exactly what happened.
Back in February, the Fairview High School sophomore presented a project at Boulder Valley School District’s annual science fair. His project measured microbial activity in soil, which could help farmers get the most yield from their crops.
It was part of some broader lab work he’d been doing while working with a mentor and lab group at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
“(Farmers would) be able to sort of just stick this little thing in the ground,” Kurtz explained. “And if the reason that all our crops are dying, or the reason why they’re having shortages, is due to a de ciency in microbial activity, they’d be able to then take steps to sort of solve that.”
Kurtz didn’t advance to the next round of competition, but his project did win an award sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID.
e USAID award was given out to projects that hold “the potential to improve
lives around the world,” according to an online list of awards.
It also came with a prize: a conversation with a USAID employee to talk about his project and pursuing a career in a science and engineering eld with a humanitarian focus. at was a big deal for Kurtz.
“I think my interest in engineering very much aligned with (USAID’s) mission … just like helping developing countries, that’s also a big part of what inspired me to want to work with this lab for my project,” he said.
But in the rst weeks of the Trump administration, o cials sought to dismantle the agency and halt its distribution of billions of dollars in aid and nonpro t grants. at e ort was largely successful, although a federal judge ruled in March that the USAID cuts were likely unconstitutional.
Kurtz’s award was caught up in the cuts. Days after winning, he was forwarded an email from the organization that coordinates regional science fairs across the country, the Society for Science. USAID had given that nonpro t a stop-work order, and the group had discontinued all their awards sponsored by the federal agency.
e Society for Science pulled Kurtz’s award from its website and the conversation Kurtz was promised was canceled.
Hunter Hart is the Society for Science’s
International Science and Engineering Fair program manager. He wrote the email notifying Kurtz and hundreds of fair organizers about pulling the award.
“I think us and a lot of other organizations kind of received this (stop work order) when the news went public that USAID was essentially going to be dissolved. (It) basically just said, ‘Any of the contracts that we’ve signed with you, you should not work on,’” Hart said.
e International Science and Engineering Fair has a liates in all fty states and 70 other countries and territories. In order to get to the big international fair, students have to compete at regional ones. Outside groups like USAID can sponsor special awards at both kinds of fairs, but at the international competition, the stakes get much higher. ere, judges will award almost $9 million in prize money.
USAID had sponsored two di erent awards at these competitions for over a decade. e regional awards that Kurtz won — with the virtual conversation — and separate awards presented at the international competition with a cash prize. Starting in 2014, the federal agency gave the fair about $300,000 in prize money in total. at’s been pulled this year as well.
A spokesperson for the State Department told CPR News the contract did “not t within the standards laid out by Sec-
retary Rubio for U.S. foreign assistance, which must make the United States stronger, safer, or more prosperous.”
Hart estimates about a third of ISEF’s afliated regional fairs in the United States took place before he received the stop work order. at includes almost all of Colorado’s. At least one other student in the state besides Kurtz was also given the USAID regional award before it was withdrawn.
“Obviously, I’m not happy about it being taken,” Kurtz said. “I’m not really upset for myself, really. I’ll have other opportunities like this … but I think that what’s really upsetting to me is how far-reaching funding cuts like this are. Because I feel like it’s really easy to see stu like this on the news and see that funding is being cut, or that programs are going away, and not really understand the real, tangible impact that it has on people.”
Losing out on the bene ts of his award hasn’t pushed Kurtz away from science and engineering, however. He’s already planning to participate in BVSD’s regional fair next year and he’s working up a new printer part to make the soil sensor he helped build even better.
is story is from CPR News, a nonpro t public broadcaster serving Colorado. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.
REVERSE MORTGAGES MADE EASY
Shift
Winners and losers in school finance bill
to weighted model has wide range of e ects on metro districts
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Colorado lawmakers on May 7 nalized a sweeping shift in how the state funds public schools, passing House Bill 25-1320 on the nal day of the 2025 legislative session. While most districts will see a boost in the coming year, a slow but steady transition toward a new weighted formula will leave some districts, including Je erson County, facing signi cant nancial challenges.
is shift in public school funding comes as lawmakers worked this spring to pass the 2025 School Finance Act against the backdrop of a $1.2 billion state budget shortfall. Initially, districts with declining enrollment faced steep potential cuts under a proposal championed by Gov. Jared Polis to eliminate “ghost students” from funding counts.
However, after weeks of negotiations, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a compromise that preserves more stability for districts while slightly slowing the transition to the new weighted formula.
e compromise maintains the use of a four-year student enrollment average for the next year, protecting districts with declining enrollment and phases in the new formula more gradually over seven years instead of six.
It also sets a statutory minimum for total statewide funding in the 2025-26 school year, requiring the state to allocate at least $10 billion for all districts and institute charter schools combined.
is gure will be updated midyear based on actual enrollment, assessed valuations and local tax revenue.
e nal bill also caps state construction grants at $150 million to free up additional operational funding.
Even with these adjustments, school funding will increase statewide next year, although some districts with shrinking enrollment will see no additional money beyond a “hold harmless” guarantee — a provision that ensures districts receive at least as much funding as the previous year, even if their enrollment declines.
A new revenue stream
As part of a late-session amendment to the School Finance Act, lawmakers also created the Kids Matter Fund, a dedicated account that will receive a small percentage of state income tax revenue beginning in the 2026-27 scal year.
While it won’t immediately change funding levels, the fund is expected to support total program costs through 2030, then shift toward base and categorical funding. at long-term infusion could eventually help districts with high-cost student needs, though its exact impact re-
mains to be seen.
Sen. Chris Kolker, who represents Arapahoe and Je erson counties, said the idea came from a shared concern that lawmakers could one day reverse course and divert money away from K-12 education.
By designating 0.065% of state income tax into a trust beginning in the 2026-27 scal year, the amendment ensures a baseline of protected funding for public schools.
“Let’s put a priority that we’re funding education,” Kolker said. “Granted, it may not be up to the adequacy amounts by those studies, but it’s a start, based on the formula.”
How it will roll out
When the legislature passed a new school nance formula in the spring of 2024, it promised that no district would lose funding immediately. at promise held for the 2024-25 school year:
• Every district was guaranteed at least as much total program funding as the previous year.
• A “hold harmless” provision ensured that even districts with enrollment declines received at least the same amount of funding they got for 2023-24.
However, the shift toward the new funding formula o cially begins in the 202526 school year. is year, districts’ funding will be calculated based on the greater of the two numbers:
• What the district received in 2024-25 (the hold harmless oor), or • A phased-in amount that moves 15% closer to what the new, weighted formula would provide.
By 2027-28, the transition will accelerate, and by 2031-32, Colorado plans to fully fund schools using the new formula.
How several major metro districts are affected
A look at ve of Colorado’s largest districts shows how uneven the impact will be over time, according to the scal note attached to House Bill 25-1320 and data from the Colorado Department of Education:
• Je erson County Public Schools: Steep losses. Je co Public Schools is protected from immediate funding cuts in 2024-25, thanks to the hold harmless provision. For the 2025-26 school year, the district is guaranteed to receive at least as much funding as it did in the 2024-25
school year.
However, long-term challenges are building. Without the hold-harmless protections, scal note projections show Je co would face a 14.9% drop in total program funding under the state’s new weighted formula. Several factors are driving this risk:
Several factors are converging:
• Enrollment loss: Je co’s student population continues to shrink, reducing its funding needs under both formulas.
• Property value surge: Rising home values increase local tax collections, reducing the amount of state funding Je co quali es for.
• New formula weighting: e new funding model places greater emphasis on at-risk and multilingual learners, areas where Je co’s demographics o er fewer additional dollars compared to other metro districts.
• Adams 12 Five Star Schools: Rela-
Colorado Education Association Vice President Liz Waddick holds up a sign at a school funding rally at the Colorado Capitol on Thurs., March 20, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.
PHOTO BY JASON GONZALES / CHALKBEAT
SEE SCHOOL FINANCE, P18
An uncertain idea of America
I’ve begun reading Peggy Noonan’s latest book. It’ll take me a while to complete. e reason isn’t because it’s extraordinarily long or complex or that it’s one of several I’m immersed in. It’s because it’s an exceptionally thoughtful and calming read.
Peggy was a speechwriter for Ronald Reagan and is currently a Wall Street Journal columnist. As such, friends and long-time readers might be surprised that I’m winding my way through her work, but they ought not to be. My reading on social-political and religious-spiritual topics ranges wide, from philosophically liberal to conservative. e salient requirement for me to read such a work is that the author present their thoughts in a coherent, intelligent, deliberative manner. Peggy does that. Given that, “A Certain Idea of America” deserves, even requires, a leisurely pace.
I must confess, though, her book wouldn’t have pinged my radar screen if it weren’t for New York Times columnist Bret Stephens referencing it. I was immediately struck not only by the literary allusion but also of the notion itself: a certain idea of America. It’s a vague concept and not easily pinpointed. If we surveyed the American populace for their ideas, we would have a vast array of interpretations since we’re a multi-racial, multi-religious, multicultural nation.
In the Foreword, Peggy states she drew the idea for the title from the World War II general and later president of France, Charles de Gaulle, who began his memoir by stating that throughout his life he had “a certain idea of France.” What could it have been? Not being French, I have no right to speculate, but being an American, I can about our country.
A ood of ideas bursts forth. First and foremost, liberty and freedom of expression and action. en there’s love of country. Allegiance to the Constitution. Rule of law. Equal justice under the law. Cultural, racial, ethnic, religious and spiritual pluralism and tolerance. Economic opportunity. Due process. And more.
But how to bundle those in a compact, easily understood statement or document? Even a professional writer like Peggy would likely nd it a daunting task.
Like her, I frequently write pieces that re ect and express the values I hold. Of course, I’m only one of three hundred million plus people. As you are. And my opinions and yours are as valid as all others. I suspect, though. that your take—your listing— would considerably overlap with mine.
However, I’m neither delusional nor pollyannaish about the total makeup of the American citizenry. ere are those who not only don’t share my values but are also willing to go to great lengths to ensure they’re mitigated and even erased from the national conscience. Nevertheless, like it is with me embracing the whole of American history, from the heroic and triumphant to the gut-wrenching, I embrace them as fellow Americans. And being a civil libertarian, I defend their right to express their opinions, even those that I nd contemptible. With all that in mind then, there’s no doubt that it’d be a mess if we tried to synthesize the range of beliefs and values Americans today hold into a certain idea of America.
Fortunately, a bunch of guys did that for us 249 years ago. ey wrote the Declaration of Independence, which begins with, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are equal … ”
About a decade later, a related group produced our Constitution that lays out the framework of our government. ey even took time to explain their action by crafting and adding the Preamble: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
We’re coursing through what I consider to be a turbulent and perilous period. But we’ve survived lethal challenges before. Each time our ancestors rose to the occasion and saved the republic. We can point to the speci c acts they took, but it’s essential to keep in mind they held true to that certain idea of America our Founders eloquently expressed in those documents.
So there’s no need for us to ponder as much as to re ect upon the most serious question before us: Will we pass those Blessings of Liberty—that certain idea of America our Founders bequeathed to us—on to our posterity?
Jerry Fabyanic is the author of “Sisyphus Wins” and “Food for ought: Essays on Mind and Spirit.” He lives in Georgetown.
VOICES
Find the shine amid the struggle
The 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 different 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 effort.
It was in my week of trudging that I had two appointments where I was asked questions that made me think about things in
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
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 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 re ect 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.
JERRY FABYANIC
Columnist
Jim Roome
Bear, in a tree.
PHOTO BY JIM ROOME
Bogus charge SOUTH JEFFCO – Two neighbors, two stories, one conclusion. About 9:30 p.m., Neighbor No.1 heard somebody tugging on her patio gate, which sound ended when the motion-light came on. Returning from an errand at roughly the same time, Neighbor No. 2 pulled in next to two unfamiliar men sitting in a Black Denali. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, No. 2 continued toward her house, but lingered on the patio hoping to audit the strangers’ conversation. Minutes later, one of the men knocked on her patio gate and asked permission to come inside and “use her electricity” to charge his cell phone. Unwilling to provide any of her electricity for that purpose, No. 2 went next door and compared notes with No. 1, after which the ladies concluded they had a decidedly suspicious incident on their hands and called the cops. e mystery men were gone by the time deputies arrived, and a check of the area failed tolocate the suspect vehicle. Noting construction tools laying on the patio of a vacant unit, o cers advised the landlord to secure those items indoors, and asked all parties to notify JCSO of any future dubious doings.
Blast from the past TURKEY CREEK – ey worked together 20 years ago, but eventually parted ways and “stopped being friends.” Except her former coworker didn’t want to stop being friends and kept her phone busy until she prevailed upon law enforcement to make him to stop. Fast forward 15 years, when that long-ago coworker popped up again on the complainant’s LinkedIn page. Doing her best to keep it friendly, Complainant told Ex-coworker she didn’t mind a quick reminisce, but wasn’t interested in renewing their association. Finding her new phone number who-knowswhere, Ex-coworker kept calling until she blocked his number. en he emailed her until she blocked that. Running out of ways to reach out to Complainant, Ex-coworker called her mother, which is when Complainant complained to JCSO. She didn’t want to bring charges, just an o cial word to Ex-coworker discouraging him from further contact. While not able to speak with Excoworker directly, deputies left him
several messages explaining the new reality and inviting him to call with any questions. Call JCSO, that is. He wasn’t genuflecting on purpose CONIFER – When her boyfriend came home soused, she was riled. When she found out he’d gotten that way at the home of his ex-girlfriend, she was irate. And when he tried to restore peace in their house by likening their relationship to that of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, she was downright wrathful, smiting him in the groin with her Knee of Righteousness and beseeching JCSO for deliverance. When higher authorities arrived, she bade them chastise the cur for comparing her to a harlot. e cur, on the other hand, assured deputies that his visit to the Ex had been chaste, if intemperate, and that his allusion to the gospels had been meant to illustrate the exalted spiritual nature of their bond, rather than to suggest she was a woman of negotiable virtue. Alas, while injudicious scriptural analogies are not deemed sinful in Je erson County, bashing your boyfriend’s boy-parts is, and Ms. Magdalene was taken away to atone for the sin of third-degree domestic assault.
Battle of the behemoths
EVERGREEN – A man in a silver Suburban was going to kill her, the woman told JCSO dispatchers. Deputies ew to the scene to nd the caller sitting in her black Tahoe intact, her assailant absent, and a rather unremarkable story behind all the fuss. Seems Black Tahoe had been tooling along the boulevard when Silver Suburban pulled out from the shoulder directly in front of her, forcing her to brake, swerve, and signal her disapproval by particularly energetic application of the horn. Reacting to the racket, Silver Suburban followed Black Tahoe until she parked and began sounding o on his own account. While Black Tahoe couldn’t make out the entire dissertation, she was reasonably certain he hollered “I will kill you” before departing in a hu . Contacted via his license plate number, Silver Suburban admitted instructing Black Tahoe on honking proportionality, but denied threatening murder. O cers gave both sides a fair hearing and quietly dropped the case.
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WANGAARD
Carolyn H Wangaard
July 6, 1942 - March 7, 2025
Carolyn Wangaard, formerly of Evergreen, CO, passed away peacefully on March 7, 2025, at the Highland Health and Rehabilitation Center in Bella Vista, AR. She was 82.
Carolyn lived a full and vibrant life. She was born Carolyn Louise Ho man on July 6, 1942, in Meadville, PA, and later raised in Kentucky where she attended the Margaret Hall Episcopal School for girls in Versailles. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island. She went on to wed Frederick F. Wangaard in Lexington, KY, in 1964, and accompanied him as a military spouse on several deployments to US naval bases during the Vietnam con ict. ey raised their children in Colorado, where she worked for many years as a registered nurse. She earned a sterling reputation as a nurse practitioner and published co-author of numerous medical articles in the eld of pulmonary health and medicine. After retiring, she moved to Gravette, AR, where she and her close friend raised her granddaughter.
Carolyn enjoyed hiking, skiing, traveling, birdwatching, cooking, reading, and writing. She co-authored three books, A Photographic Journey rough Colorado, Seasonings for a Colorado Afternoon, and e Day Begins Flamingo Pink. She was giving to her church and active in her community. She possessed a sharp intellect, a biting wit, and an abundant sense of humor. She loved without limits and would lovingly threaten a good old-fashioned whack with her “shillelagh” to all those who got out of line. She is survived by her close friend Beverly McDermott, her adult children Derick, (Andrea), Kjell (Jessene), Tristan (Karen), Dane (Andrea Visnjevac), Cami Ryan (Justin), and Jaelen, her adopted granddaughter. She is also survived by 13 other grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, her sister Linda James, and many nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 24, 11 am, at Church of the Trans guration in Evergreen, CO.
DHS o ers $1,000 to immigrants who self-deport
BY ARIANA FIGUEROA COLORADO NEWSLINE
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.
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 Chicago 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.
Federal order a threat to in-state tuition
Executive order aimed at ‘sanctuary city’ policies
BY JASON GONZALES CHALKBEAT
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 specically calls out programs that provide instate 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-ofstate 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 afford 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.
“ 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 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 in-state 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 instate 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 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 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.
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
Years of work pay o for skate park in Idaho Springs
Group of Idaho Springs kids, rec center break ground on a $2 million skate park
BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Construction on a multi-million-dollar, state-of-the-art skateboard park in Idaho Springs is underway — and a bunch of kids made it happen.
It’s been more than four years since a group of young boarders in Idaho Springs, tired of being chased o of private property or riding poorly constructed ramps and rails, had an idea: “Why don’t we build our own skate park here in town?” ey were serious, and a short time later they formed what would become the “Skate Board” of Idaho Springs. e group lobbied city council members and would often show up in numbers to speak or support initiatives before council regarding the idea or potential grants in support of a skate park.
Idaho Springs Mayor Chuck Harmon said he’d never seen anything like it.
“I was oored that the young people were that passionate,” Harmon said. “ ey had big dreams not even knowing where the money would come from. It’s just shocking, and they ended up being right.”
“We were like, we want a real skate park. Why can’t we have one? So, we started talking to people and having weekly meetings and of course Cameron (Marlin) got involved and started helping us and it just took o and started working,” one of
e Skate Board found a champion for their cause in Idaho Springs native and Clear Creek Metropolitan Recreation District General Manager Cameron Marlin. She too was serious about making the idea a reality.
“It’s groundroots community organizing, we had our rst skate board meeting in 2021,” Marlin said.Mellon started working on the project when he was in the eighth th grade, he will graduate from Clear Creek High School this May.
He was also one of several close to the project from the start to sink a shovel into the ground on the ball eld May 2 to and ceremoniously start construction of the park.
PROJECT ANNOUNCEMENT
Clear Creek Metropolitan Recreation District General Manager Cameron Marlin’s reaction to breaking ground on new skate park in Idaho Springs May 2.
“ ey let us do so much of it and we gured out a lot of it, we designed the skate park, it was crazy,” Mellon said.
Marlin estimated the park could be open as early as this Fall. In addition to the skating feature the park will also have a playground and pickleball courts.
A large portion of the park is funded by a $1.25 million grant administered by the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife.
e Henderson Mine in Empire contributed $100.000 and an anonymous donor added a matching grant of $10,000.
Marlin said the CCMRD is well funded to start the project but will eventually need to nd another $200,000 from grants or donors.
Newline Skateparks based out of Flori-
da, California and Canada was awarded the contract to build the park, Director of Engineering and former professional skateboarder Andy Stone is leading the way.
“I know the passion of a grassroots community and having a community the size of Idaho Springs to have those folks show up (Skate Board) and kinda demand a space designed for them. It’s not traditional for a community of this size,” Stone said.
Stone and Newline have designed and constructed skate parks across the nation and around the world. However, Stone said this project is special to him as he also lives in Colorado.
“ is one, because it’s close to my home, it really touches my heart in that I will end up coming here and utilizing this space,” Stone said. “It will absolutely be a destination for folks all across the frontrange and across Colorado.”
For Marlin the groundbreaking was the culmination of a lifelong dream as an Idaho Springs native.
“I’ve never been more proud, this is the best moment of my life,” Marlin said. “It’s a pretty surreal moment.” e process of putting everything together and watching the ceremonial rst step in construction represented overcoming many challenges along the way. Marlin said it’s been a long road but one she’s extremely proud to have traveled.
“It’s the most beautiful road I’ve ever traveled. Together people are strong, if we can come together and work together we can raise $2 million and nally make our dreams come true,” Marlin said. “I will remember that forever.”
Project Announcement
JC 73 Corridor Improvements from Little Cub Creek Road to Plettner Lane
Jefferson County will begin making improvements to a section of the Jefferson County Highway 73 corridor (JC 73) from just south of Little Cub Creek Road to Plettner Lane in the Town of Evergreen in mid-May.
Project Schedule & Hours
• The project begins in mid-May with anticipated completion by November 30.
• Normal working hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, weather permitting.
• Some overnight work will take place on JC 73 and Little Cub Creek Road.
• Construction schedules are weather dependent and subject to change.
Traffic Impacts
Schedule & Hours
• No lane closures will be in place on JC 73 during daytime hours.
• Single lane closures may be taken from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday on Little Cub Creek Road, with brief traffic holds managed by flagger operations.
project begins in mid- May with anticipated completion by November 30.
• Periodic overnight single lane closures will occur in both directions of JC 73 and on Little Cub Creek Road from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Monday to Friday, with brief traffic holds.
Normal working hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, weather permitting.
• Special access will be granted to emergency vehicles from the nearby Fire Station 1.
Some overnight work will take place on JC 73 Little Cub Creek Road.
• Reduced speeds, traffic shifts, and delays can be expected
• Signs and construction devices will be present to maintain safety and alert the public to work zone restrictions.
Construction schedules are weather dependent and subject to change.
Impacts
Corridor Improvements from Little Cub Creek Road to Plettner Lane
County will begin making improvements to a section of the Jefferson County Road 73 Little Cub Creek Road to Plettner Lane -May correct turn lane and shoulder width limitations replace the Little Cub Creek widening sections of JC 73 and adding a 6 foot paved walkway/shoulder to the east side of the roadway turn lanes, and replacing the Little Cub Creek Road bridge with a concrete box culvert retaining walls, adding two paved parking lots accessible via the new walkway, and installing a new bike lane pedestrian facilities. Crews will also mill and pave JC 73 within the project limits and add new striping, reflective delineators . FNF Construction is the prime contractor for the project.
• A 12-ft width restriction will be in place. Contact Information Call, email to sign up for updates, or scan the QR code for more information on the project! Hotline: 720.998.6223 Email: publicinformation@comcast.net
lane closures will be in place on JC 73
PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL
Ski legend joins women’s soccer ownership
BY LINCOLN ROCH THE COLORADO SUN
e greatest alpine skier of all time is stepping onto the soccer eld, as an owner.
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, giant 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 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 with the Cherry Creek School District to build a temporary venue in Centennial for their rst two seasons. A 20,000-square-foot, 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. is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonpro t based in Denver that covers the state.
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With 101 World Cup victories, two Olympic gold medals and eight world championship titles, Mikaela Shiffrin is widely considered the most decorated alpine skier in history. SHUTTERSTOCK
ECHO LODGE
uating the highest and best use of the building,” Denver Parks and Recreation marketing spokesperson Stephanie Figueroa wrote in an email. “Any future concession opportunities will be publicly advertised and are likely to be on a more limited scale than previous concessions.”
Carle and his family, who also ran Lookout Mountain’s Pahaska Tepee gift shop and café, which Denver also closed with no announced reopening plans, took over
SCHOOL FINANCE
tively at. For the 2024-25 school year, Adams 12 received a slight funding increase over the 2023-24 school year. However, by 2025-26, the district is projected to face a slight decrease of approximately 1.6%. Ongoing enrollment declines and fewer qualifying high-needs students are under the new weighted formula, contributing to this dip.
• Adams County School District 14: Small drop. Adams 14 saw at funding for 2024-25 compared to the previous year. For 2025-26, projections show a minimal decrease of about 0.6%. Despite long-term enrollment loss, the district’s
BERGEN PARK CHURCH
Echo Lake Lodge’s operations in 1963. “ ree summers ago, the new leadership at Denver Parks decided they didn’t want us there anymore, so they didn’t renew our lease,” Carle said. “We were told they wanted to go in a di erent direction. at’s as much as I know about their future plans, too. I’ve heard a visitors’ center.
“What I do know if they’ve disappointed a lot of people, and this’ll be the third summer.”
Carle has a heart for long-running, historic businesses and has since taken over such businesses in other communities. But he said he misses Echo Lake Lodge
high concentration of at-risk and multilingual learners helps stabilize funding levels.
• Cherry Creek Schools: Solid increases. Cherry Creek Schools received a solid funding increase in 2024-25 and is projected to receive an even larger one in 2025-26, with a projected gain of 7.8%.
Stable enrollment and a growing population of at-risk and multilingual learners align well with the new funding priorities, placing Cherry Creek in a strong nancial position. While its enrollment has remained stable, Cherry Creek’s at-risk and multilingual student populations have grown. at demographic shift aligns with the new weighted funding priorities, resulting in a projected 7.8% increase in funding from 2024-25 to 2025-26.
• Douglas County School District:
and Lookout Mountain.
“When something’s been part of your family for so long, it’s hard,” he said. “ ey closed a 96-year continuously operating restaurant and business. ese things are rare. I don’t know why anybody would do that. ese things are rare, and these attractions were worldwide.”
Carle said some people came every year with stories of birthdays, engagements and other signi cant life events they’d celebrated at Echo Park Lodge or the adjoining park.
“I think Denver’s let not only visitors but their taxpayers down,” he said, adding sales from their businesses added sig-
Relatively at. Douglas County saw a modest increase in 2024-25 and is projected for a at to slight increase of about 0.8% in 2025-26. While enrollment is declining, strong local property wealth and demographic balancing help the district maintain relative stability under the phased-in new formula.
What the shift means for metro districts e 2025-26 school year marks the beginning of Colorado’s shift toward a new vision of school funding, one that prioritizes student needs more heavily but also leaves some communities facing complex adjustments.
While families may not notice dramatic changes immediately, the foundation for bigger nancial shifts is being laid now. Districts like Je co and Adams 12 will
ni cant money to Denver’s parks department.
Meanwhile, the Carles are now running Out West Gift tters and other businesses in Grand Lake, Masonville Mercantile and Ozark Amphitheater in Missouri. But he still thinks about the Colorado mountain businesses he ran for decades. “ ey need to get some buildings open,” he said. “It’s part of everybody’s experience.”
Denver acquired the land and the lake that makes up Echo Lake Park in 1921. Echo Lake Lodge was designed by Denver architect Jules Jacques Benoit Benedict and built in 1926.
need to plan carefully to navigate tighter budgets, while Cherry Creek and others may nd new opportunities to invest in expanded programs and services. e hold harmless protection provides a temporary cushion, but districts like Je co face growing nancial challenges as the transition accelerates. By the end of the decade, Colorado’s school nance landscape will look very di erent from what it does today.
Charter schools will also see a share of the phased-in formula funding. Another late-session amendment requires that charter and institute charter schools receive a per-pupil amount tied to their authorizing district’s incremental increase in 2025-26, ensuring they bene t proportionally as Colorado begins implementing the new formula.
WORSHIP DIRECTORY
Bergen Park Church is a group of regular people who strive to improve ourselves and our community by studying the Bible and sharing our lives with each other. On Sunday mornings you can expect contemporary live music, Children’s Ministry that seeks to love and care for your kids, teaching from the Bible, and a community of real people who are imperfect, but seek to honor God in their lives. We hope to welcome you soon to either our 9:00AM or 10:30AM Sunday service. Search Bergen Park Church on YouTube for Livestream service at 9:00am 31919 Rocky Village Dr. 303-674-5484 info@bergenparkchurch.org / www.BergenParkChurch.org
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH SERVICES
28244 Harebell Lane
Sunday Service & Sunday School: 10 a.m.
Wednesday evening: 7p.m: (Zoom only Nov.1st-Mar. 31st.) Visit: www.christianscienceevergreen.com for more information and ZOOM link
Reading Room: 4602 Plettner Lane 303-674-5296 OPEN: TUES-SAT 12 p.m.-3 p.m.
CHURCH OF THE HILLS PRESBYTERIAN (USA)
Serving the mountain community from the heart of Evergreen Worship 10:00 a.m.
Reverend Richard Aylor
O ce Hours: Tu-Thur 9:00 - 4:00; Fri 9:00 - noon Bu alo Park Road and Hwy 73 www.churchofthehills.com
CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION EPISCOPAL
In-Church: Sunday Communion Quiet Service 8:00 am & with Music 10:15 am 10:15 am only Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86017266569
In-Meadow: 2nd Sunday of the month at 9:30 a.m. --June through September— 27640 Highway 74 – ¼ mile east of downtown Evergreen at the Historic Bell Tower www.transfigurationevergreen.org
CONGREGATION BETH EVERGREEN (SYNAGOGUE)
Reconstructionist Synagogue
Rabbi Jamie Arnold www.BethEvergreen.org / (303) 670-4294 2981 Bergen Peak Drive (behind Life Care)
DEER PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Reverend Dr. Knut Heim, pastor, Sunday Worship 10 AM
Located one mile west of Pine Junction just o Rt. 285 966 Rim Rock Road, Bailey (303) 838-6759 deerparkumc.org
All are welcome to our open/inclusive congregation!
EVERGREEN LUTHERAN CHURCH
5980 Highway 73 + 303-674-4654
Rev. Terry Schjang
Join us for worship in person or on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EvergreenLutheranChurch
Sunday Worship held at 9am. www.evergreenlutheran.org + All Are Welcome!
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY CHURCH – EPC 1036 El Rancho Rd, Evergreen – (303) 526-9287 www.lomcc.org – o ce@lomcc.org
Sunday Worship 10:00 a.m., with communion every Sunday “Real Church In An UnReal World”
A community empowered by the Holy Spirit which seeks authentic relationships with God and others to share the good news of Jesus with Evergreen, the Front Range and the world. Come as you are, all are welcome!
PLATTE CANYON COMMUNITY CHURCH
Located: 4954 County Road 64 in Bailey.
O ce hours MWF 8am-1pm 303-838-4409, Worship & Children’s Church at 10am
Small group studies for all ages at 9am
Transitional Pastor: Mark Chadwick
Youth Pastor: Jay Vonesh
Other activities: Youth groups, Men’s/Women’s ministries, Bible studies, VBS, MOPS, Cub/Boy Scouts.
ROCKLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH
“Connecting all generations to Jesus”
Please check our website, www.Rockland.church, for updated service times ¼ mile north of I-70 at exit 254 17 S Mt. Vernon Country Club Rd., Golden, CO 80401 303-526-0668
SHEPHERD OF THE ROCKIES LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod. 106 Rosalie Road, Bailey, CO 303-838-2161 Pastor John Graham Sunday Worship Service; 9 a.m., Fellowship Time; 10:15 a.m., Sunday School & Bible Class; 10:45 a.m. www.shepherdoftherockies.org
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF EVERGREEN Rev. Sarah Clark • 303.674.4810 • www.evergreenumc.org 3757 Ponderosa Dr. across Hwy 74 from Safeway in Evergreen Join us in person every Sunday at 10:00am for worship “Open Hearts, Open Doors, Open Minds”
CROWSSUPDRO ELZZ
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).
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•
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Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program is a “Gift of Early Literacy’’ for children in our Mountain Area. This gift of early literacy is accomplished through the Imagination Library program which mails books to children from birth to age ve in our participating communities. Every month, each child receives their special book, which encourages families to spend time together reading.
The program is managed and administered by The Rotary Club of Evergreen with support from our local Mountain Area Rotary Clubs.
Our club has more than 100 members from all walks of life. We like to have fun and we organize social functions throughout the year.
• We meet once a week on Fridays at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast. There is no meeting commitment – attend as many or as few as you like.
• Our meetings, events, location details and speaker schedules can be found at EvergreenRotary.org, along with details about our local and international committees and projects.
• Our membership is open to all people of all ages and all backgrounds. More info at EvergreenRotary.org
