STANDARD BLADE B R I G H T O N
SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1903
75cI
VOLUME 118
Issue 48
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021
HONORING A FALLEN FRIEND
A safe place to go for the holiday Brighton AA chapter offering 24 hours of counseling, fellowship for Thanksgiving BY SCOTT TAYLOR STAYLOR@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
time by independent commissions created through the 2018 passage of Amendments Y and Z. The court separately approved the new U.S. House map Nov. 1. The court’s approval of the state Senate and House maps allows the Colorado Secretary of State’s office and county clerks to redraw precinct lines to fit the new maps. It also provides clarity for incumbent lawmakers and prospective candidates who have been waiting for approval to make decisions about the 2022 election.
The Thanksgiving holiday, for all of its familial tradition, can be a stressful day for anyone. But it can be a make-or-break day for someone recovering from addiction. “When I got divorced, I was all by myself,” said Wade M., of the Brighton Chapter 1 of Alcoholics Anonymous. “Alcoholics run everyone off. We’re embarrassed. You feel shame and guilt. The people you love don’t want you to be like this, but you keep hurting them. You know you’re hurting them but you can’t quit. So, most people can’t wait for Thanksgiving, the family and kids and the house and everything. For me, I just moved from apartment to apartment.” In recovery for 8 1/2 years, Wade M. — he asked us to use the group’s “first name, first initial of the last name” identification convention for this story — said he spent most presober holidays alone in a series of one-room apartments and hotels. “Who do you end up with? People just like you, addicts and alcoholics,” Wade said. “And everyone is feeling sorry for themselves, but they say ‘Hey, I have a bottle.’ And that’s what you do.” The Brighton chapter will be open throughout Thanksgiving, continuously Nov. 24 and Nov. 25, with hourly meetings and fellowship, offering an alternative to that bottle. It’s called an Alcathon, and Wade said he’s seen it done in other cities.
SEE MAPS, P10
SEE BRIGHTON AA, P8
Hundreds of Battalion Chief Mark Smith’s peers came to honor the fallen first responder who died in the line of duty. See more on PHOTO BY BELEN WARD page 5.
Colorado legislative maps get final approval Maps appear to favor continued Democratic majority BY THY VO THE COLORADO SUN
The Colorado Supreme Court has unanimously approved new state Senate and House maps, the final hurdle the redistricting plans needed to clear before being adopted ahead of the 2022 election. The Independent Legislative
Redistricting Commission followed the Colorado Constitution’s requirements for redistricting and didn’t abuse its authority in deciding how to apply them, Justice Richard L. Gabriel wrote in the Nov. 15 ruling. “Under our constitution, our review is a limited one,” Gabriel said. “It is not our task to determine whether other plans could have been adopted.” Approval by the state Supreme Court is the last step in this year’s once-a-decade congressional and legislative redistricting process, which was overseen for the first
Follow us at: facebook.com/brightonblade
Contact us at 303-566-4100 INSIDE THIS ISSUE
OBITUARIES LOCAL CALENDAR SPORTS LEGALS CLASSIFIEDS
LOCAL
2 • Starting the holiday 3 season with lights, food 7 and fun 12 19 • Page 3 22
SPORTS • Winter sports schedules for local high schools
• Page 12
WWW.THEBRIGHTONSTANDARDBLADE.COM
