STANDARD BLADE B R I G H T O N
SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1903
75cI
VOLUME 118
Issue 43
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021
Writing without sight Brighton native documents history BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Being blind, books were a mystery to Brighton’s Jo Pinto early in her life. “I remember my dad reading a book about Osceola, Seminole Indian Chief in Florida, who fought to keep his people when the government was removing Indians,” said Pinto. “So at the end of the book, I was sad because the story was over. My dad put the book in my hands and described we could turn the book around and read it again from the beginning.” They didn’t remain a mystery, however. Pinto learned how to read with Braille, and between her newfound ability and the stories her parents read to her, she fell in love with poetry. Now Pinto, who has been blind since infancy, won the 2021 Brighton Cultural Arts Commission award for a Master in Fine Arts. “I’m excited and humbled because this is my hometown, and it’s important to me. It’s where my roots are,” said Pinto. Pinto published her first book in 2015, “The Bright Side of Darkness.” It won first place Indie Book Award
for inspirational fiction and received an award from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Born in Chicago in 1971, she grew up in Brighton. “I was born prematurely by a couple of months, so when I was in an incubator, it had a high concentration of oxygen, so my lungs were not developed, the oxygen concentration damaged the nerves in my eyes. So, I was probably born sighted, but I was blind by the time I came out of the incubator, “said Pinto. Pinto was one of the first disabled kids in the 70s to attend Kindergarten at South East Elementary in Brighton when children with disabilities were allowed to integrate into the schools. “1976 was the big year, when I went to kindergarten that kids with disabilities were allowed to go to mainstream public school,” said Pinto. Pinto’s mom was Elaine Padilla that was very involved in the community, volunteering, active in schools, athletics, and Platte Valley Medical Center. Brighton’s Padilla Elementary school was named after her mother. Pinto was captivated by the stories her parents read to her. “So, from there on, I started writing stories down on paper because I wanted to catch stories and write
Jo Pinto receiving an award from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association.
SEE WRITING, P11
COURTESY OF JO PINTO
Regulators say it’s time to end Xcel Energy’s pipeline repair fee BY MARK JAFFE THE COLORADO SUN
What was supposed to be a quick way to raise money to address pipeline safety issues, a little add-on of about $3 a month for the average household, has lingered on Xcel Energy natural gas bills for a decade - but it may finally end. Xcel has since 2011 raised nearly $610 million, or three times the initial revenue estimate, from the add-on fee known as a rider. The company wanted to extend the charge - the Pipeline System Integrity Adjustments or PSIA rider - to 2024, but faced opposition from the
state’s Utility Consumer Advocate, the Colorado Energy Office and the staff of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. In a settlement agreement now pending before the PUC, Xcel has agreed to strike the rider from bills at the end of 2021. Future pipeline investments would be part of rate cases, which the PUC staff argued, provide more oversight. The PUC is slated to rule Oct. 27 on the settlement, which was reached between Xcel and the PUC staff and is supported in full by the Colorado Energy Office and in part by the consumer advocate. “Ongoing state and federal regu-
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lations require continued investment in operating and maintenance in safety and integrity, all which benefits our customers,” Michelle Aguayo, an Xcel spokeswoman, said in an email. “The current settlement gives us a path to transition the recovery of these critical investments from the PSIA rider to base rates.” The story of the PSIA, critics say, is a cautionary tale of the use and potential abuse of riders, which are attached to monthly bills and allow utilities to pass specific costs - for items such as transmission line construction and fuel costs - directly on to customers without having to wait for a rate case, in which the PUC
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reviews charges in more detail. “Riders can take on a life of their own,” said Cindy Schonhaut, director of the state Office of Utility Consumer Advocate, previously known as the Office of Consumer Counsel. “Riders should be limited and be used sparingly and the name of the rider should be clear so consumers know what it is.” Some of the riders on the Xcel electricity and gas bills are listed as CACJA, ECA, GRSA and DSMCA. An explanation for each is listed in small print on the back of the bill. “If you look at your electric bill SEE PIPELINE, P5
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