Canyon Courier 122222

A Polar Express Day at Elk Creek Elementary

Students see the world, learn holiday traditions

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

“All aboard!” was the call among the kindergarten and rst grade teachers at Elk Creek Elementary School on Dec. 13 as students moved from classroom to classroom on the Polar Express.

e activity modeled after the book by Chris Van Allsburg is the

Downtown shop owners plan to reopen

Long road ahead to clean up damage after

fire

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e owners of the two downtown Evergreen businesses heavily damaged in a structure re on Dec. 15 are devastated by the losses their shops sustained but plan to reopen as soon as everything gets sorted out.

Both Seasonally Yours and Sweetwater Boutique received extensive smoke damage, and Seasonally Yours also sustained re damage. Both will be closed for an undetermined amount of time.

No word yet on the cause of the re.

“I’m completely devastated and still in shock,” said Rachel Nicks, owner of Seasonally Yours. “I’m just thankful nobody was hurt and so grateful to our re ghters and the outpouring of love Chelsea and I have received from our community.”

Chelsea Treinen, owner of Sweetwater Boutique, added: “I don’t think I have fully grasped what happened, and I don’t think I have come up for air. I know there’s a long road ahead.”

Treinen said the silver lining is

Students created poinsettias in first grade teacher Lisa Beckfield’s Mexico room.

First grade teacher Amanda Evans reads “Lucia Morning in Sweden” to students during Elk Creek Elementary School’s Polar Express Day. Evans taught students about holiday traditions in Sweden.

PHOTOS BY DEB HURLEY BROBST

Je com looking into early-morning countywide emergency-alert calls

Calls were for an incident in Lakewood

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Residents in the foothills and throughout the county were awakened around 1 a.m. Dec. 18 when phones rang, and emails and texts were received regarding an emergency down the hill.

Je com911, Je erson County’s emergency services agency, has apologized for waking people unnecessarily.

“Our sincerest apology,” Jeffcom911 said on social media. “We are aware of a Lookout Alert sent out this morning, notifying residents of a

POLAR EXPRESS

inspiration for students to guratively travel to di erent countries to learn about celebrations around the world. According to kindergarten teacher Deb Marinaro, Polar Express Day has been an Elk Creek tradition for years.

Students, most wearing pajamas just like the characters in “ e Polar

SIGN UP FOR LOOKOUT ALERT

To sign up for Lookout Alert, Je erson County’s emergency notification system, Text LookoutAlert to 67283 to get the link to register or visit www.je co. us/473/Emergency-Notifications.

shelter-in-place that … may not have impacted (them). We are looking into the case with the vendor. We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have created.”

Je Streeter, Je com911’s interim executive director, said the agency is working with its vendor for Lookout Alert, which is the agency’s emergency noti cation system, to determine whether it was technology or

Express,” had tickets that the teacher train conductors punched as they moved from location to location, checking out maps to see in which country they landed.

In the North Pole room, students built toys, Santa’s workshop and trains, created a Christmas tree out of green cups and created pretend treats in the kitchen area.

In kindergarten teacher Jerelyn Chism’s class, students learned about China, including making red lanterns and dragon masks for

human error that sent noti cations to 160,000 people throughout the county rather than to residents in a speci c area.

e call informed residents that Lakewood police had issued a shelter-in-place order because of an incident at 17th and Robb Street.

“ is was very unfortunate,” Streeter said. “We apologize to everybody who was woken up. We know it’s scary and trying, and it was not our intent by any stretch.”

He hopes people won’t use this incident as a reason to opt out of Lookout Alert because it provides a vital service to warn residents of emergencies. Instead, he hopes people see these calls as an indicator that the system can work.

“While we have gotten some nega-

the Chinese New Year, listening to Chinese music and eating Mandarin oranges as snacks.

Kindergartners Abby Bennett and Isla MacDonald worked hard coloring their dragon masks, saying they were enjoying Polar Express Day.

First grade teacher Amanda Evans was excited that she was teaching about St. Lucia Day on the day of the Swedish festival, telling students that Swedes say “Good Yule” instead of Merry Christmas.

ey made star-boy hats and St. Lucia crowns, and they ate thin ginger cookies. In Sweden, Evans told

tive comments on social media,” Streeter said, “honestly, we have had a lot of positive comments, too. ey said at least they know the system works, and they were noti ed.”

Streeter noted that Lookout Alert noti ed everyone in Je erson County who has signed up for the service even when they were out of town.

“If this had been something like a Marshall Fire, people who are out of town could have made arrangements,” he said.

According to a Je com911 social media post: “We know we can’t make up for any sleep lost last night, but we hope you sleep a little better tonight knowing the glitch you experienced has been xed, and the suspect (in Lakewood) was apprehended safely.”

them, people press the middle of the cookie, and if it breaks into three parts, people can make a wish.

First grade teacher Lisa Beck eld’s Mexico room was all about poinsettias, which are grown in Mexico, and children drank spiced Mexican hot chocolate and ate Mexican wedding cakes.

e teachers agree that Polar Express Day is both educational and enjoyable.

“We hope it’s a fun day for our students,” Marinaro said, “and it’s a good way to keep them engaged before winter break.”

Kindergartner Jayda Rystrom creates pretend gingerbread cookies in Deb Marinaro’s North Pole room.

PHOTO BY DEB HURLEY BROBST

she is spending more time with her family during the holidays, but she is itching to get to work to go through inventory to see if anything is salvageable.

“I’m hoping some handmade jewelry is salvageable,” she said. “I love everything I put into that store, and the artists have become friends. It breaks my heart. Everything smells like smoke, and there is this horrible greasy ash kind of lm on everything.”

She explained that she doesn’t want to make quick decisions on what to throw out and what to keep.

Both Treinen and Nicks are grateful for the outpouring of community support, and Treinen said she’s kept screenshots of the comforting comments on social media.

ey are waiting for asbestos and carcinogen test results to determine whether they can return to their shops for longer periods, and the Ross-Lewis Trust, which owns the building, will need to determine how to proceed with building repairs.

“I’m making Christmas magic (with my family) with the heartbreak of the store,” Treinen said. “It’s a tug of war.”

The fire

Sarah Beth Brown, a Sweetwater Boutique employee, was closing the shop before 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 15 when she smelled melting, burning plastic. She said she found smoke in the storage room and bathroom, grabbed her phone and ran outside.

The Evergreen Downtown Business Association has set up GoFundMe sites

help

owners of Seasonally Yours and Sweetwater Boutique.

• Fire Fund for Rachel, Seasonally Yours owner www.gofundme.com/f/fire-fund-forrachel-seasonally-yours-owner?qid=df6 1759a1c2a3c871249cbe7 d4b9a1 • Fire Fund for Chelsea, Sweetwater Boutique owner www.gofundme.com/f/5rcy4b?qid=b36 ceee6f6788ac6a7c4896e31661320

Outside, she saw smoke billowing from the roof, and the lights were o at Seasonally Yours, so she knew no one was there. She began dialing 911 when there was an explosion that blew tiles and lighting from the store’s ceiling, blew mannequins over and slammed the front door shut so hard that the door split vertically.

Brown said she was grateful Evergreen Fire/Rescue arrived in a couple of minutes.

e Je co Sheri ’s O ce closed Evergreen Parkway for about three hours while re ghters extinguished the blaze and vented the building so the smoke could escape.

Stacee Martin, spokeswoman with Evergreen Fire Rescue, said three trucks and 30 re ghters responded, and she was happy with EFR’s response and that the re was extinguished quickly.

“It is a rare circumstance that there was a re hydrant on the corner,” she said. “ at helped tremendously.”

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BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Station 1 put on hold

Evergreen Fire/Rescue will not build a new Station 1 for a while. e re department has signed a three-year lease with the liquor store owner in the former Evergreen Mountain Market building on Highway 73, property the department purchased in 2019 for the new re station. When built, it will replace the current Station 1 on Highway 73 close to downtown Evergreen. e new lease will expire on Oct. 31, 2025, and afterward, the department is expected to demolish the mountain market building to make way for a new station.

Alpine Ridge Spa & Salon, which also is in the building, will extend its lease for three years, and the board said at its Dec. 13 meeting that it will look for a tenant for the remaining space in the building.

Board President Stacey Ballinger said a sign stating the property was the future home of Station 1 has been removed. She explained that the sign was part of the lease negotiations with the tenant who said he still had rights to the property, and the sign was causing con ict.

When it purchased the property, EFR assumed all of the leases. It planned to demolish the building late this year and complete the new re station in 2024. e only tenant remaining from before the re district bought the building on the original lease was the liquor store.

While the liquor store owner’s lease ended on Oct. 31, the lease was written in such a way that it could not simply be broken by the re department, who is the landlord. e tenant has a one-time option to extend the lease.

Fire department o cials have noti ed Je erson County that station construction has been delayed, since Je erson County plans to widen and make improvements to Highway 73 from Bu alo Park Road to Plettner Lane next year. ey include a pedestrian median in front of the current Station 1 and public parking across from the station.

Fire Chief Mike Weege told the re board in July that Je erson County will hold o on constructing the median until a new re station is built and will reserve three to four parking spaces for re ghters while the current Station 1 is functional.

after two board members resigned since August, and it has appointed the rst woman to serve as board president.

Joining Stacey Ballinger, John Putt and Julie Ann Courim, who were elected to the board in May 2022, are Richard Williams and most recently Evan Je ries. Both were appointed by the remaining board members and will serve until the next election in May 2023 when they can decide whether to run for the positions. ey replace Chuck Ridings, who resigned in August, and John Porter, who resigned in November.

Williams has a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master of science degree in nance from George Washington University. He spent 20 years in academia, teaching and researching infectious diseases in European universities, including 10 years with the World Health Organization in East Africa.

Je ries’ family has ranched in Evergreen since the early 1860s. He is a Denver Fire Department re ghter, was an Evergreen Fire/ Rescue volunteer from 2012-18 and owns several businesses. He also has worked with the Upper Bear Creek Wild re Taskforce since 2013, helping bring in more than $3 million in grant money.

e board elected o cers at its Dec. 13 meeting, and Ballinger was elected board president, the rst woman in that position in the re department’s nearly 75-year history. Je ries was elected secretary. Putt will remain vice president and Courim will remain board treasurer.

Master plan

e Evergreen Fire/Rescue board will embark on creating a master plan for the department in 2023.

“We have come to the conclusion, as much as the department is growing and from a personnel standpoint and facilities standpoint, we need to have a long-range planning tool,” board member John Putt said at the Dec. 13 re board meeting.

Fire department personnel are contacting other departments to learn what they have put into a request for proposals before Evergreen creates its own RFP.

In other news:

• Evergreen Fire/Rescue has eliminated its human resources manager position and instead is hiring Employers Council to provide HR support.

Board

vacancies filled, Ballinger heads fire board e Evergreen Fire/Rescue board of directors is back to ve members

• e department has contracted with a part-time grant writer to help edit, review and provide assistance in applying for grants.

Evergreen Fire/Rescue’s Station 1 will remain a working station since construction of a new station has been delayed until 2026.

FILE PHOTO BY DEB HURLEY BROBST

Residents don’t want tower at Station 5

Residents in Hilldale Pines are concerned that the Inter-Canyon Fire Department will erect a communications tower on Station 5.

About a dozen residents attended the Dec. 14 board meeting to express their concerns, and district ocials told them they hadn’t decided where to put a tower, but something needed to be done to improve communication capability among rst responders.

Fire Chief Skip Shirlaw noted that because of the terrain in the foothills, there were several spots where the rst responders’ radios didn’t work, causing dangerous conditions for the rst responders and residents.

Shirlaw said the department is looking at several locations within the district for another tower.

“Our goal is not to force a tower at Station 5,” Shirlaw said. “Our goal is to build the best communication system for safety. We are looking at every possibility, and the choice will be the one that is best for community.”

Residents told the board they would help negotiate with other homeowners associations to nd alternative locations, didn’t want to look at a tower from their properties, are concerned about property value lowering because of the tower and more.

ey wondered if Station 5 was the location that would make a big difference in the communications grid for the re department.

Board President Mike Swenson said there was no timetable to make a decision, but it must be made in a public forum at a board meeting. “ is is a major issue we are trying to resolve,” he said.

Talking strategy, recruitment

e Inter-Canyon Fire board of directors plans to meet in January to talk about its vision for the department and the top critical issues it faces, especially recruiting volunteers.

e board will meet at 9 a.m. Jan. 20 at Station 3, 8448 S. U.S. 285, to spend four hours on these topics. Board members agreed they needed time to discuss strategy and goals.

“Whether we are an individual department or consolidated department, what we do today … a ects what happens down the road,” board member Jackie White said at the Dec. 14 board meeting.

She is referring to the discussions

that Inter-Canyon, Elk Creek and North Fork re departments are having about whether they should consolidate into one department.

“We need to move the needle,” White added. “Let’s focus on putting an action plan in place. … We need a full-court press on this. We need to make sure we have a strategy in place because we have to have

enough re ghters to answer calls.”

Board member Natalie Arnett said she also wanted to nd more ways to reach out to the community.

Fire Chief Skip Shirlaw suggested that volunteer re departments across the country are going through a paradigm shift as they look at the de nition of volunteer.

“It’s of extreme value if someone can drive an ambulance or be a wildland re ghter or drive a tender or help with recruiting or communications,” he said. “Anyone we bring in takes away from things we have to do, and that adds value.”

Community paramedicine

Inter-Canyon’s community paramedicine program is ready to start, Fire Chief Skip Shirlaw told the InterCanyon Fire board on Dec. 14.

He noted that dozens of people in the re district have been identi ed who can bene t from the program.

Community paramedicine helps ful ll smaller medical needs such as checking blood pressure, giving EKGs and taking blood samples so the person — usually a senior citizen — doesn’t need a doctor visit or an ambulance. e community paramedics look for clues and ask questions to make sure the senior is healthy.

Shirlaw said the paramedics operating the program, including Susannah Epperson, who has been spearheading the e ort, will reassess the program after three months to determine how many visits can be made.

Residents in Hilldale Pines don’t want a communication tower built at Station 5.

COURTESY PHOTO

Honoring the fallen

Evergreen participates in nationwide

Wreaths Across America

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Area veteraans who have died are not forgotten — and representatives of American Legion Post 2001 and the Evergreen Elks Lodge proved it once again on Dec. 17.

e organizations took part in Wreaths Across America, an e ort to lay wreaths at the graves of veterans across the nation. More than 3,400 sites participated in the program, which has goals to remember the fallen, to honor those who have and are serving in the military and to teach young people the value of freedom.

In Evergreen, wreaths were laid at more than 200 graves at Evergreen Memorial Park and about 80 graves at Bear Creek Cemetery.

Before laying the wreaths, members of the American Legion hung wreaths to represent the di erent branches of the military and one wreath to represent the 93,000 soldiers who are still missing in action or prisoners of war.

Paula Belleggie, the Evergreen Elks Lodge chaplain, told about 20 people in attendance at Bear Creek Cemetery that they gathered to honor brave men and women who served in the military, so Americans could be free.

“We ask for your comfort and grace on those who loved them,” she said in a prayer.

Clayton Hu man, past exalted ruler for the Evergreen Elks Lodge, quoted President Ronald Reagan to explain why it was important to teach children about serving in the military: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. … It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

Hu man continued: “Remember, we are not here today to decorate graves. We are here to remember not their deaths, but their lives. Each wreath is a gift of appreciation from a

grateful America. ese live balsam r wreaths symbolize our honor to those who have served and are serving in the armed forces of our great nation and to their families who endure sacri ces every day on our behalf. To our children, we want you to understand that the freedoms you enjoy today have not been free but have come with a cost that someday, you may have to pay yourself.”

e volunteers who placed wreaths next to stakes to denote members of the military buried in the cemetery has a variety of reasons for participating. Whether Scouts or former military personnel themselves, they agreed it was important to honor servicemen and servicewomen.

Suzanne Koczon of Evergreen put a wreath next to a stake erected for Glen Christmas. A 42-year resident of Evergreen, she said she had never been to Bear Creek Cemetery until Dec. 17. Koczon comes from a military family: her dad served at Pearl Harbor, she was born in a military hospital, her husband served in the Army in Vietnam and her brother was in the Coast Guard.

Allison Burrier and her daughter, Penelope, 10, set a wreath beside a

stake erected for Joseph C. Hoob. Penelope, a member of Girl Scout Troop 67431, attend the ceremony with her fellow Scouts.

“We came to pay respect to veterans,” said Allison, noting that she and her husband are both veterans.

Kim Christensen also came from a military family, and she brought son Danny, 2, to help place wreaths. Danny helped by saying, “ ank you for your service.”

Kate McMillan and her daugh-

ters, Molly, 10, and Ali, 12, both Girl Scouts, also helped with placing wreaths, thinking about the girls’ grandfather and great-grandfather, who had served in the military.

“Our (Scout) troop is here to remember veterans,” Ali said. “ ey served our country and help us live free.”

Mom Kate explained: “It is a nice chance for the troop to participate in something meaningful.”

Kate McMillan, center, and her daughters Molly, 10, and Ali, 12, reflect for a moment on the sacrifices veterans made during Wreaths Across America at Bear Creek Cemetery in Evergreen.

Rose Smith takes a moment to reflect on the veterans buried at Bear Creek Cemetery at the end of the Wreaths Across America ceremony.

BY MARK HARDEN SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

During the warm months, Denver Botanic Gardens’ 23-acre York Street campus, next to Cheesman Park, blazes with colorful owers and plants. Over the holidays, the color is provided by an estimated half-million LED lights.

An annual tradition since 1988, Blossoms of Light heralds the

holiday season with dazzling color at every turn of the gardens’ paths. It takes months to install the lights using poles, lifts, climbing harnesses, waders and cherry-picker buckets. Each year, a few new lighting arrangements are added, while many favorite displays return.

Blossoms of Light opened for the season Nov. 18, and runs nightly from 4:30 to 9 p.m.

through Jan. 7, except on Nov. 24 and Dec. 25. It’s the gardens’ most popular attraction each year, so it’s wise to plan ahead if you hope to enjoy the spectacle.

Timed tickets must be purchased in advance; they are not sold onsite. For the general public, tickets are $24 for adults, $22 for ages 65 and older, $20 for children ages 3-15, and free for children 2 and under. Botanic

Gardens members get a $3 discount. e event is accessible to wheelchairs and strollers but icy conditions may exist. For more information and to order tickets, go online to tinyurl.com/CCMBlossoms.

And the Botanic Gardens’ Chateld Farms campus in Je erson County o ers its own holiday display, Trail of Lights. For information, visit tinyurl.com/CCMTrail.

The

PHOTO BY MARK HARDEN

VOICES

Concerned we no longer have much of a loyal opposition

Editor’s note: Do to an oversight, Linda Rockwell’s column is running late.

Acouple of days after the election, a friend asked, “Are you happy with the election results?” I replied, “No. I’m ecstatic!”

Democrats whom I expected to win won by large margins. ose in tough races all chalked up victories. Who would ever have thought that Je erson County would not have one Republican elected o cial? ( e new Senate District 4, which includes parts of south Evergreen, Conifer, and areas south of U.S. 285, is now represented by a Republican from Douglas County.)

As the days have passed, I have changed my thinking a little. Of course, I am delighted for our Democratic candidates. ey worked hard for their victories and will all do a ne job, but I’m concerned that we no longer have much of a loyal opposition.

e most quotable comment in the post-election journalistic analysis came from Colin Larson, a current South Je co state representative who, because of re-districting,

LINDA ROCKWELL

ended up running for House District 25 against Tammy Story. He lost by a narrow margin. Speaking of the overall election results, he told Colorado Public Radio, “ is was an extinction-level event. is was the asteroid that ended the reign of the dinosaur, and in this case, the dinosaur was the Republican party.”

How did this happen?

I can only speak about the Je co Republicans because that’s what I can observe at close range. ey have rejected true conservatism and replaced it with denial of the 2020 election results, questioned the mail-ballot system they once strongly supported and misread the electorate. For example, 46% of Jeffco voters are una liated, and 68% of them told a pollster they couldn’t vote for a candidate who wanted to ban abortion.

All this kept them from focusing on their mission — to nominate

and elect good candidates. It seems simple, but even my Democratic friends sometimes forget that that’s their job.

Almost in spite of themselves, Je co Republicans did nominate a handful of quality candidates. Some voters looked beyond the national scene and all the vitriol and voted for them, but most only saw the tainted “R” behind their names and chose the Democrat.

It’s going to take a long time for the Republican Party to repair and rebuild with a commitment to the future, and to solving the real problems of real people.  Meanwhile, I hope the members of my party continue to heed the priorities of all their constituents.

I have every reason to think they will. ey know that Je co is not a deep blue county. ey know that someday, the Je co Republican Party will become viabl and will once again nominate competent leaders who know what responsive government means, and will do the work it takes to get them elected.

I am reassured by what Commissioner Tracy Kraft- arp told a CPR reporter.  Speaking of her time in

Corvids: Redefining “birdbrain”

In 1963, Jane Goodall stated, “In modifying a natural object to make it suitable for a speci c purpose — the chimpanzee has reached the rst crude beginnings of tool making.” Her discovery of chimpanzees fashioning termite shing poles from sticks changed the way scientists thought of humankind’s superiority. Weren’t only humans capable of crafting tools?

Move over, primates! Despite the lack of ngers, certain songbird species have demonstrated the ability to create tools and solve complex problems, in some instances surpassing the capabilities of apes and young children.

e family of Corvidae, which include ravens, crows, magpies and jays has demonstrated superior analytical abilities, deep emotional capabilities, engagement in play and trickery and remarkable language skills.

Researchers recorded more than 64,000 raven vocalizations from 37 raven pairs. According to crow musicologist Eleanor Brown, each family of crows has its own vocabulary of sounds, some which they share with other groups but many are distinct. By comparison, an average 3-year old child’s vocabulary consists of 1,000 words.

LINDA

MICHAEL

LINDSAY

INSIDE THE OUTDOORS

Corvids use their ability to mimic sounds and conduct pranks seemingly for their own amusement.

In one instance, a zookeeper reported that magpies would visit the zoo and mimic the voice of an employee who fed the chickens. e chickens would rush to the eat the food, and though the magpies repeated the trick many times, the hapless chickens never gured out the prank.

Reportedly, the ravens at the Tower of London will squawk “keep the path!” to tourists, and in Evergreen, Steller’s jays have been observed mimicking red-tailed hawks, perhaps to ru e the feathers of their avian neighbors?

Laboratory and eld studies of crows’ analytical abilities continue to impress researchers. e biggest problem-solving incentive for the birds involves food rewards.

In Japan, crows were observed pick-

FIORE West Metro Editor kfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com

HURLEY BROBST Community Editor dbrobst@coloradocommunitymedia.com

RUTH DANIELS Classified Sales rdaniels@coloradocommunitymedia.com

the legislature serving with Republicans, she said, “Actually it worked out really well. It forced people to be able to negotiate, work together, nd common ground in order to get things done.”

Je co voters expect no less. In closing, let me congratulate Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper and all our incumbent county ofcials, and all the new and returning legislators. A special shout-out to Reggie Marinelli, the rst woman and the rst Democrat to be elected sheri in living memory. She is a serious professional with an incredible work ethic and a positive “can-do” attitude. I look forward to seeing how she will implement new evidence-based approaches to law enforcement in Je co.

Linda Rockwell moved to Evergreen with her family in 1982. She got involved in local land-use issues in 1984 and in the Democratic Party a few years later. She served as chair of the Je co Democrats from 1993 to 1997. Good government and principled politics remain her passion.

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Columnist

Christie Greene

GRAPHIC: CORVIDRESEARCHBLOG, ARTIST: ROSEMARY

Chocolate, the most beguiling, seductive natural substance, a ubiquitous aphrodisiac. Dark, white or milk? How do you like yours? Pure and simple, perhaps wrapped in foil in the form of a waterdrop? Or encasing an almond, cashew, cherry, cream or mixture of them?

e etymology of the word seems to have come from the Nahuatl, natives of southern Mexico and Central America: chikol tl. For millennia, cacao was food for and from the gods, a sacred ambrosia in Olmec, Maya, and Aztec spiritual rituals. Finding it unappealing to their delicate taste buds, the invading Europeans sweetened it with honey. It quickly found its way into the regal courts of Europe, where it remained in the domain of the nobility who jealously guarded it as their divine right. Legend has it that it became a favorite for Casanova, understandably so given its purported aphrodisiac power.

What was once sequestered in the realm of the gods and their mortal legates over time became available to the masses. Humanize the gods, dethrone their majesties and enjoy what they did. at is the power of secularism and democracy. And economics. Worldwide annual chocolate sales, now in the tens of billions of dollars, are projected to grow at increasingly higher rates.

In 1828, a Dutch chemist gured a way to reduce the cacao bean to powder, hence Dutch cocoa. Nineteen years later, Englishman omas Fry reversed the process and created the rst chocolate bar by folding

GREENE

FROM PAGE 8

ing walnuts from nearby trees and then dropping them in front of cars while tra c lights were red. When the lights turn green, the nuts were cracked as the carsdrove over them. During the next red-light cycle, the crows would y down to retrieve their food, joining pedestrians in the crosswalk.

At Oxford University, researchers established a captive colony of New Caledonian crows. In one experiment, a crow named Abel ew o with a hooked wire, the only tool in the room that was designed to allow access to food, leaving his friend Betty with only straight wires. In a ash, Betty picked up a straight wire, stuck one end of the wire under a piece of tape at the base of the experiment apparatus and using her bill and body weight, she pulled the wireand bent it into a hook.

melted cacao butter back into Dutch cocoa. It did not take long before John Cadbury marketed the creamy morsels. By 1868, he was packaging them in a heart-shaped tin, and the rest, as ´tis said, is history.

Pre-Lent to postLent, it is interesting to see how chocolate has become entwined with Valentine’s Day in the shape of hearts and at Easter in the form of bunnies and eggs. At Halloween, demand again spikes. And then it is pellmell during the winter holidays as it makes the most splendid of gifts and welcoming treats for guests. I still recall my elder sister, Boots, bringing home a large box of assorted chocolates each Christmas from a local confectioner.

“One!” she’d pointedly say as she held the box. Her second rule was that if you touched it, you ate it. So I had to be judicious making my selection. One and done. Hmm… which has the cherry or coconut encased within the con nes of the sweet milk chocolate?

Of course, temptation lurks during the months between because candy bars and other delectable treats ll display racks along supermarket checkout lines. And for me, dark chocolate has become my preference, although whenever a Snickers falls within my line of sight, I become melted chocolate.

What is it, though, about choco-

Triumphantly, Betty negotiated the remaining challenges and successfully retrieved her food reward after completing an eight-step process.

At a nature preserve in Australia, camera footage recorded crows consuming ticks from the necks and ears of wallabies drinking from a water tank. e birds positioned themselves along the rim of the tank, took aim, and with sudden stabbing motion, extracted engorged ticks the size of grapes from the ears and neck of the su ering wallabies.  e results are in: corvids are just plain smart. eir brain size in relation to body mass is equal to that of great apes and dolphins. e hawksized raven has the largest brain to body size ratio in the corvid family.

Part of a short but growing list of species able pass the mirror test, European magpies successfully demonstrated self-awareness, a feat only performed by some primates, dolphins and one species of sh. e next time someone calls you a birdbrain, be sure to say thanks!

late that makes it such a magical food? Do its inherent chemical compounds bond with welcoming, agreeable host cells in the bloodstream, creating a potion that can transform the most unlikeable character into a charming friend, awaken and sustain passions of the heart, and even bring a moribund, morally uptight community held under the oppressive hand of over-wrought morality back to life?

ose are themes of the novel and lm Chocolat. Vianne, the heroine, shows up in a French village right before Lent to open a chocolate shop. ere she creates concoctions of mixed forbidden fruits conjured from the bitter-tasting cacao bean. She plants the seed of vitality in a lifeless wasteland, and soon the power of her products — chocolates in various forms from bars to drinks — work their magic.

Medical science is now providing evidence for chocolate’s health bene ts, especially dark chocolate. It is being shown to reduce anxiety and clinical depression. e reason seems to be that chocolate enhances serotonin, which helps calm troubled minds. In addition, because of the high amount of avonoids, it

helps reduce cardiovascular disease risks, reduce cell damage and lower blood pressure. What’s not to love?  “Chocolat” is one of my favorite lms to watch again and again. It is not only a fun tale, but it also serves to remind us to let go of our uptightness and enjoy life.

Chocolate has a rich history to back up its power. As we know, a cup of hot chocolate on a wintry day can warm any heart. So let me suggest a way out of our quagmire. Mimic Vianne.During the holiday season,host a serotonin-enhancing chocolate party at which every dish and cocktail is chocolate based. Invite every morally, socially, or politically priggish sti and bah-humbugging Christmas-stealing grinch you know and a few others to sweeten the mix.

You have nothing to lose and much to gain. You might develop lifelong friendships, and your sweet tooth will be pleased. And since chocolate is far better for your health than eggnog, your heart will thank you.

Jerry Fabyanic is the author of “Sisyphus Wins” and “Food for ought: Essays on Mind and Spirit.” He lives in Georgetown.

Evergreen Children’s Chorale, Festival of One-Act Plays

lude, said it was di cult to learn the music at rst, but it gets easier.

Evergreen Children’s Chorale just completed its 31st annual holiday concert at Center Stage with a larger complement of singers than during the pandemic.

No matter how large the group, the performers agree on several things: ey love to sing and perform, they get to know others with similar interests, and it’s something fun to do after school. ey said everyone in Evergreen Children’s Chorale was nice.

“I like the friendships we make along the way,” explained Emmi McMenaman, 11, who is in Prelude, the precursor to the Chorale.

Lucy Halligan, 8, who also is in Pre-

“In the end, it’s a great experience,” she said.

Evergreen Children’s Chorale, now in its 31st year, is for children in fth grade through eighth grade. It was formed in 1991 thanks to a Scienti c and Cultural Facilities District grant. Prelude was added in 1997 for second- through fourth-graders to prepare them for chorale.

e children’s chorale rehearses for a winter concert and a spring musical. Students audition to be part of the program.

is spring, Prelude will perform “ e Lion King Kids” and Chorale will perform “Seussical.” Auditions are in January and performances are

in April.

Festival of One-Act Plays

Evergreen Players plans to catapult some new playwrights and directors into the spotlight in January. e Festival of One-Act Plays will be performed Jan. 13-29.

“Essentially, we wanted to start opening up (Evergreen Players) to new playwrights with work that hasn’t been seen, and we wanted to give new directors a chance to direct,” said performing arts instructor Tal Arnold.

So Evergreen Players put a call out for one-act plays and received more than 25 submissions, Arnold said. Evergreen Players also o ered a directing class, and each student chose one

of the 25 submissions to direct.

“ is is the rst time we’ve done a project like this,” he said. “We have ve directors and ve plays. I’m really excited about how they are turning out so far.”

He called each of the plays very different with something to say. Directors chose plays that spoke to them personally.

e Festival of One-Act Plays will be performed Jan. 13-29 in the Black Box eatre, 27886 Meadow Drive, with performances at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for students. For tickets, visit www.evergreenplayers.org or call 720-515-1528.

Prelude rehearses before the first winter concert on Dec. 9. PHOTO BY DEB HURLEY BROBST

The members and directors of Evergreen Children’s Chorale. COURTESY PHOTO

An asylum-seeker charts her path in the Denver suburbs

BY ROBERT TANN COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Amid turmoil, a single mother strives to nd community in the Denver metro area after leaving hers behind

In late 2018, a woman now raising her daughter near Denver made a life changing decision. She would leave her home country of Venezuela, a choice she did everything she could not to make.

e woman, a single mother in her mid40s, had been enjoying an ambitious life of public service with a career that began in the government’s transportation department when she was barely 19. She went on to become a nurse, a lawyer, a radio host and eventually to teach at the college level.

A threat on her life changed everything.

“I didn’t choose to leave until I had a gun pointed to my forehead,” she said, recounting the day military o cers broke into her home and threatened her life. “I fought hard not to try to move to Colorado. It was really, really hard.”

Having seen “so many injustices, so many inequalities” in her country, the woman charted a path of helping others. But the rise of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s president since 2013, altered her trajectory. She viewed Maduro’s government as a brutal regime and spoke out against it, attending protests and using her platform as an educator to call attention to human rights abuses that have beendocumented by United Nations investigators.

at is how she became an asylum-seeker in Denver – one of thousands of immigrants in the area who’ve ed their home country, fearing for their safety.According to TRAC Immigration, a database of federal immigration data compiled and published by Syracuse University, Denver’s immigration court reviewed 2,875 applications for asylum between scal years 2018 and 2022.

As she currently awaits a court’s verdict on her asylum, which will determine her legal status in the United States, the single mom has found some security. In 2020, she and her daughter, who is middle school-aged, received temporary protected status — a form of legal protection which allows some immigrants to live and work legally in the U.S. but which must be renewed every two years. Venezuela isone of 15 countries designated for this protection by the federal government.

According to Violeta Chapin, clinical professor of law at the University of Colorado Law School, the protection is meant for those living in the U.S. facing situations that make it “impossible for individuals of that country to return back.” ose with this protection “have no immigration status, they’re just protected from removal for a temporary period of time,” Chapin said.

It means until a decision is made on her asylum case, the woman remains in a legal limbo, according to Chapin. If she is granted asylum, it a ords her more access to the social safety net along with greater work opportunities. If she is denied, she can still hold on to her temporary status and seek to renew it over the coming years, but she will not be recognized as an immigrant and could face deportation if her status is not renewed.

“ e United States immigration system is extraordinarily restrictive,” Chapin said. “It’s set up to make it very di cult to lawfully enter and live in the United States.”

‘Who was going to trust me?’ e days leading up to the woman’s departure from her home country were a desperate blur. As threats on her safety escalated, a colleague living in Denver reached out to help. Her son, in his mid20s, ed to Peru on foot, where he lives today.

Before leaving, the woman sold everything she owned, including her car, for about $1,300. With enough money in hand to ee, she ew to Denver with her daughter and another resident who was living in their former apartment complex.

Of the few possessions she brought with her was a binder full of her credentials. Degrees. Licences. Awards and honors.

With her career experiences, she had hoped to buoy her survival in America and secure a goodpaying job to support her family. But within days, doubt began to set in.

“Who was going to trust me,” she said. “I felt seen as an intruder, but I had so much to o er.” e colleague who o ered help found them an apartment to rent in the Denver suburbs. He put his name on the lease because she lacked the paperwork to get one on her own and charged her $900 for a deposit.

But after 10 days, they were all kicked out. Her colleague had become emotionally and mentally unstable, she said. e neighbor who had own to the U.S. with her decided it was time to part ways and has not been seen since, the single mom said.

It was December and the days were becoming shorter, darker, colder.

“It was the middle of the winter with a little kid, I didn’t know what to do,” the woman said. “I’m running out of money, but I cannot go back to Venezuela.”

Solace came when she turned to her daughter’s

school district, where she had enrolled her daughter in a middle school while they were housed. A parent of one of her daughter’s friends o ered them temporary stay at their home while she looked for a new apartment.

Public schools have been a crucial pillar of support for undocumented residents, according to Chapin. at’s thanks to a 1982 Supreme Court ruling, Plyer v. Dow, which prohibits public school districts from denying enrollment to the children of undocumented immigrants.

With a temporary roof and place to sleep, the single mom knocked on door after door wherever she saw an apartment available, worried that she was overstaying her welcome.

But deposits for every apartment she found were $1,000 or more, nearly eclipsing what money she had saved. And “everyone asked for papers,” she said, of which she only had a passport.

“What really surprised me, now looking back, is the lack of solidarity, the lack of empathy for people,” she said. “I was not here because I wanted to. I had to run away.”

Some relief came when a friend living in Miami sent the woman cash for a deposit. With it, she found a studio apartment outside Denver that a landlord allowed her to lease. ough rent was about $1,000 per month, she cut a deal with the

landlord for $200 o in exchange for her cleaning the outside of the building. Her deposit was $1,300. She said she couldn’t have been more grateful.  “All I had was my word, and he took it,” she said.

e woman had no access to safety net programs like SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, so she turned to a nearby church for nourishment. Whatever money she had left from the month would sometimes go to a toy for her young daughter. e woman said she was determined to provide whatever momentary escape she could for her.

But the fear of losing everything, of coming up a few dollars short for her rent, always loomed large for her. It still does.

‘Thousands, millions’ living in uncertainty

When the single mother applied for asylum in 2019, she could not a ord a lawyer to help with her case, though she has since found voluntary legal aid.

Chapin said U.S. immigration courts do not provide free public defenders for asylum-seekers. And whether an applicant has a lawyer or not can make a huge di erence in the outcome of their case, Chapin said, with most asylum cases being denied.

According to the Syracuse University database, of the more than 5,000 immigrants who applied for asylum through Denver’s immigration court between 2001 and 2022, more than 2,900 were denied. e single mom does not know when her case will be decided.

“ ere are a lot of people applying for immigration and asylum bene ts, there’s a lot of stress on the system right now,” Chapin said.

e single mom found some comfort when, in 2020, she and her daughter were granted their protected status. Since then, she has worked “everything, anywhere,” her heavy binder of credentials going unnoticed as she took jobs cleaning hotel rooms and serving food in restaurants.

Even with multiple jobs, the woman said she faced nancial uncertainty as she struggled to pay for housing, food and everything in between.

“You have to take on so many hours to work,” she said. “In this county to survive you need at least two jobs.”

In 2020, she moved to a new apartment, allowing her daughter to be closer to her school. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, her landlord raised rent from $1,050 to $1,350. Again, she moved.

Shortly before 2021, she found a one-bedroom apartment in a Denver suburb where she lives today. It is dotted with reminders of home, including her country’s ag hanging in the living room and photos of her son on the wall. She pays $1,200. Her deposit was $500. “I have no ability to save,” she said. “Deposits were a big burden.”

Recently, her income has steadied. She now works at an embroidery shop where she brings in about $2,000 each month. e rest she makes up driving for food delivery services, a job that at least a ords her the opportunity to spend more time with her daughter. ey listen to music on those drives or just talk.

rough all the discord, she said she’s worried most for her daughter’s well-being. When she can she’ll make a homemade meal, something healthy, usually Venezuelan.

For herself, she has gone through some therapy programs after becoming depressive and anxious. She does not want her daughter to feel the burden of her mental health, she said. What she wants more than anything now is to make a home where she can, for herself and her child.

Chapin said the woman’s story of survival is the same as “thousands, millions of immigrants, who live this existence every day.”

To build something beautiful e asylum-seeker said she is still waiting for the hard work to pay o , to see the “end of the tunnel.” But beyond just surviving, she wants to thrive.

“ e time that I’m supposed to be here in the United States is to build something beautiful, is to give something back,” she said. “A home is love, work, dedication, solidarity.”

She is currently taking online classes through Metropolitan State University of Denver in social communications, hoping to use the education to land a job in social work and reignite her passion for building community.

ough she has seen growth in her English skills over the past four years, she wants to take college classes to improve her prospects of a career. e most inexpensive course she found was about $6,000 per semester at the Community College of Denver — too much for her to spend currently. at money instead goes to rent.

While the change in her living situation has “been night and day,” she said it’s precarious. It would only take a rent increase of about $200 for her to no longer be able to a ord her apartment, she said.

“I’m living in the present right now and that’s all I can a ord to think about,” she said. “Yes, I can only pay so much and yes, we are in a very tight budget. But, I get to spend quality time with my daughter … we only have each other.”

According to Chapin, there are numerous reforms to U.S. immigration policy that could bene t residents living in uncertainty. About 11 million immigrants are undocumented in the U.S., Chapin said, and sta ng issues have left immigration courts across the country backlogged. For many immigrants, it can mean years waiting for a decision on their future.

Even with temporary protected status, many still face low-wage jobs as their only choice for employment. It is di cult for immigrants to translate credentials they earned in their home country to work in the U.S., Chapin said, and doing so comes at a large

nancial cost.

Allowing immigrants to use their quali cations to work more skilled jobs and authorizing citizenship for most of the 11 million already here “would bene t the economy tremendously,” Chapin said, given the U.S. is “desperate for labor.”

is need has been a major driver behind the immigration reform championed by U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, who represents Colorado’s 6th congressional district.

“We have a lot of people in Colorado who’ve immigrated from all over the world who have some substantial skills,” Crow said, “and it takes a long time to translate those licenses and certi cations.”

is fall, Crow helped introduce the bipartisanBridging the Gap for New Americans Act, which passed in both chambers of Congress before President Joe Biden signed it into law Oct. 17.

Over the next year, the legislation will direct the U.S. Department of Commerce to study how it can expedite translating out-of-country credentials. Crow said the ndings will likely spur more legislation to overhaul the process and allow immigrants more access to higher-wage professions.

“ ey can buy homes, they can enter our economy more fully, they can send their kids to college,” said Crow, who added this would be crucial to “addressing the sustainable workforce shortage in our country.”

But beyond the potential economic impacts, Crow said immigration reform is a “moral issue.”

“When the current laws and systems don’t treat people with basic dignity and respect, that alone is the reason to reform and change this,” he said, adding he is “optimistic” of bolder immigration legislation still to come.

For immigrants like the single mom in Denver’s suburbs, she is determined to build on her new life as she strives to nd what she loved most about her home: a sense of belonging. Often her mind wanders to her home country, to what she’s left behind. She talks every day on the phone with her son in Peru, who’s made a family of his own with his partner and their child.

Clasped safely in the folds of her heavy binder, amid her many certications and credentials, is a letter from him.

It reads: “ ank you so much for everything you’ve given me and taught me throughout life. It hasn’t been an easy road for both of us, I know, but it’s been worth it. I will try to prove myself to you for the rest of my life, you’ve done a good job.”

Editor’s note: As an immigrant with temporary protected status seeking asylum through the U.S. court system, Colorado Community Media withheld the source’s name and other identifying factors to protect her identity. Her interviews were conducted through an EnglishSpanish interpreter. All quotes from her have been interpreted from Spanish to English.

IMMIGRATION DESIGNATIONS

The United States has numerous designations for a person’s immigration status, each with its own caveats that dictate the legality of what a person can and cannot do. Here are what some of these statuses mean according to immigration lawyer and law professor

Violeta Chapin:

Refugee : Refugee status is granted to immigrants before they leave their home country. Refugees are authorised to live and work legally in the U.S. and are eligible for safety net programs but cannot vote. Most recently, a large amount of refugees in the U.S. have been from Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Asylum : This is similar to refugee status but is granted to someone after they come to the U.S. Because asylum can take months or years to be processed, some immigrants have the option of pursuing a temporary status in the meantime to afford them some legal protections and work authorization.

Temporary protected status : This status is only for people fleeing turmoil from certain countries. Currently, the U.S. has designated 15 countries for temporary protected status. Once granted, it must be renewed every two years and does not allow recipients to be eligible for federal programs, though they can be eligible for some state benefits depending on state law.

Green card : This status, officially called a lawful permanent resident but more commonly known as a green card, affords immigrants nearly all the benefits and rights as a U.S. citizen with the exception of voting. For asylees, those granted asylum, they must wait one year after receiving asylum to apply for a green card. Green cards typically need to be renewed every 10 years.

Naturalization : The final stage of immigration. With naturalization, immigrants are considered fully legal U.S. citizens and can vote in any and all U.S. elections. This status does not need to be renewed. Asylees can apply for it five years after receiving asylum and will need to pass a civics test to receive this status.

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 dbrobst@coloradocommunitymedia.com to get items in the print version of the paper. Items will appear in print on a space-available basis.

UPCOMING

Bootstraps scholarship applications:  e Bootstraps Scholarship and Loan Round 1 application is open for graduating seniors from Clear Creek, Conifer, Evergreen and Platte Canyon high schools. Visit bootstrapsinc.org to access the application. e deadline is Jan. 12. Scholarships and loans are available for students planning to attend college, university, community college, trades programs, vocational programs and certi cation programs.

Two shows at Shadow Mountain Gallery: Shadow Mountain Gallery will host both its Holiday Treasures and Winter Poetry shows in December. Holiday Treasures will showcase paintings, photography, ceramics, glass art, jewelry and gifts. Winter Poetry will showcase snow-covered peaks, winter wildlife and home dé-

cor. e gallery, which is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, is in downtown Evergreen near Java Groove.

skate rental, broomball, ice hockey, marshmallow roasting, a DJ and more. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.evergreenrecreation.com/310/Skate-theLake.

Evergreen Lake Plunge: e Evergreen Lake Plunge will be from noon-2 p.m. Jan. 1 at the Evergreen Lake House. e plunge is a fundraiser by Active4All, the Evergreen Park & Recreation District’s foundation, with proceeds going to the INSPIRE program for those with special needs. Cost to jump in the lake is $40, and costumes are encouraged. Sign up to participate at https:// a4aevergreen.org/.

ONGOING

ESA EverGREEN Re ll Station: EverGREEN Re ll Station (Rell your laundry detergent, lotions, soaps and more. We have many sustainable products available.)  e Re ll Station is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 1-4 p.m.

Hiwan Museum winter hours: Hiwan Museum has shortened winter hours for tours, open ursday and Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and weekends from noon to 4:30 p.m. Private tours of large groups may be accommodated when the museum is closed by calling Erica Duvic at Hiwan Museum at 720-4977653.

Skate the Lake: Evergreen’s annual Skate the Lake New Year’s Eve celebration will be from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 31 at Evergreen Lake. e $30 admission price includes

Free legal clinic: A free legal clinic for people with no attorney will be from 2 to 5 p.m. ursday, Jan. 5. By telephone or video, volunteer attorneys will answer questions, help ll out forms, and explain the process and procedure for all areas of civil litigation. Pre-registration for individual 15-minute appointments is available by calling 303-2355275 or visiting je colibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/search/ q=free%20legal%20clinic or call 303-235-5275.

Community Bible Study: Several community Bible study groups are available — women (in person and online), co-ed young adults, school age, preschool & babies. is year’s study covers six books of the Bible: Philemon 1, 2, 3, John, Jude and Revelation. In-person classes are ursday morning at Rockland Community Church in Genesee, Tuesday night at Bergan Park Church in Evergreen

Cat-snatch fever

CONIFER – When her beloved cat had kittens, Ms. Newmar celebrated the joyous occasion by selling o the litter for 200 bucks per fur-ball. Successfully marketing the brood via various social media, she had just ve purring papooses left in stock when two fellows of her casual acquaintance dropped by to size up the merchandise. After thoroughly examining the rapidly waning pride, the men settled on one Tom and one Tabby, handed over the cash, and carried them away in a portable carrier. Moments later, Ms. Newmar discovered to her horror that two of the three remaining kittycats were not where she’d left them, and she instantly called JCSO to accuse the customers of calculated catnapping. Ms. Newmar theorized that they’d stu ed the whiskered wares into their coat pockets while she was busy pocketing their payment, and she wanted deputies to retrieve the goods before her factory-fresh felines had a chance to depreciate.

Reached by phone, the accused cat burglars expressed considerable surprise and dismay at the allegation, insisting they’d come home with only those pets they’d purchased. ey also informed deputies that, shortly before departing

HAPPENINGS

FROM PAGE 14

and Wednesday morning at Conifer Community Church in Conifer. More information is available at cbsclass. org/evergreengolden.

Ms. Newmar’s home, they’d both noticed a precocious pair of fuzzy foragers awkwardly navigating the stairs leading down to her recreation room, and they suggested that their accuser might have more pro tably investigated in that direction before getting her back up and casting baseless aspersions. O cers advised Ms. Newmar to check for the missing kitties downstairs. Although clearly skeptical, Ms. Newmar said she’d have a look and hung up the phone. She didn’t call back.

Food fight

SOUTH TURKEY CREEK – eir rst anksgiving together as sweethearts kicked o with lots of love and cocktails, which were immediately followed by a main course of bitterness and acrimony. Girlfriend told deputies Boyfriend “got in my face” because he “didn’t like the food.” Boyfriend told deputies that Girlfriend gave as good as she got. Girlfriend thought it barely possible that “I might have smacked him.” Boyfriend was willing to brush o the blow, but JCSO o cers aren’t allowed to ignore domestic assault and they booked Girlfriend into the Golden lockup on a domestic violence charge.

Support After Suicide Loss: Heartbeat and Resilience1220 o er Support After Suicide Loss from 5:30-7 p.m. the fourth ursday of the month for ages 14 and older. Join in-person or online. Suggest donation is $15. For location, email heather@resilience1220.org or call 720-480-6672.

Suspect is green and may have garlic in soul

EVERGREEN – Mrs. Kringle loves Christmas, and her lovingly lighted lot had been a joy and a credit to her entire neighborhood. In her yard she’d set to graze a delightful deer fashioned from a hundred tongues of re. Heartless vandals had snipped its cord clean in half with scissors. All about the shapely pine that shades her humble cottage she’d strung a brilliant rainbow of holiday merriment. Cheerless wretches unknown had ripped down and savaged the lovely ornament, leaving it broken and forever dark upon the cold ground. From her eaves she’d draped exquisite garlands of light, which had been repeatedly slashed and would never again ignite smiles in innocent faces. Before her door once rose a merry forest of plastic candy canes, each one aglow with the True Spirit of Christmas. ey’d been razed to the ground, and one of the dainty decorations had been callously inserted into the deer’s posterior elevation, a cruel insult to both the season’s sanctity and the animal’s dignity. Mrs. Kringle asked for placement in North Pole P.D.’s Grinch Patrol Program. O cer Who said he’d keep an eye out.

History Happy Hour: e Evergreen Mountain Area Historical Society will host a History Happy Hour from 4:30-6:30 p.m. the second Friday of each month at Hiwan Museum. Join us in a round table discussion on any and all aspects of history with topics driven by the attendees.

Keep on truckin’

EVERGREEN – According to Truck, he’d been tooling eastbound on Stagecoach Boulevard on the afternoon of Nov. 22 when he found his swift progress impeded by a woman in a Honda CRV traveling “15 to 20 mph under the speed limit.” Truck said he passed her at his rst opportunity, at which point CRV “rode my (axle)” until he stopped to nd out “what the issue was,” at which point she “punched me nine times in the head.” According to CRV, Truck rst menaced her from behind, and then forced her to a stop, and then threw her cell phone into the grass beside the road when she tried to record their conversation. Since neither party wanted to press charges, none were pressed, although the deputy tried to impress upon both the potential personal and legal consequences of road rage. “It’s safer to keep driving,” the o cer advised.

Sheri ’s Calls is intended as a humorous take on some of the incident call records of the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce for the mountain communities. Names and identifying details have been changed. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty.

Sensitive Collection: Resilience1220 o ers a monthly workshop for highly sensitive people to help them live healthy and empowered lives from 3:30-4:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month via Zoom. Visit r1220.org for more information.

WORSHIP DIRECTORY

ASCENT CHURCH

“Real people pursuing a real God” All are Welcome Sundays at 10am

In-person or Online www.ascentchurch.co 29823 Troutdale Scenic Drive, Evergreen

BERGEN PARK CHURCH

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 9:30AM or 11:00AM Sunday service.

Search Bergen Park Church on YouTube for Livestream service at 9:30am 31919 Rocky Village Dr. 303-674-5484 info@bergenparkchurch.org / www.BergenParkChurch.org

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH SERVICES

28244 Harebell Lane

Sunday Service & Sunday School 10am Wednesday Evening ZOOM Meeting 7:30pm

Contact: clerk@christianscienceevergreen.com for ZOOM link Reading Room 4602 Pletner Lane, Unit 2E, Evergreen OPEN TUE-SAT 12PM - 3PM

CHURCH OF THE CROSS

Please join us for Sunday worship at 28253 Meadow Drive, Evergreen or visit www.churchotc.com

8:30am Traditional Service

10:30am Contemporary Service Communion is served every Sunday at both services. All are welcome! Visit our website at www.churchotc.com for info on church activities. 28253 Meadow Drive, Evergreen • 303-674-4130 • o ce@churchotc.com

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)

CONIFER CHURCH OF CHRIST

“Doing Bible Things in Bible Ways” 11825 U.S. Hwy. 285, Conifer, CO 80433

Sun: 9:00a.m. Bible Study-10:00a.m. Worship; Wed: Bible Study 7:00p.m.

EVERGREEN CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) 27772 Iris Drive, Evergreen - 303-674-3413 www.EvergreenChristianChurch.org - eccdoc01@gmail.com

Sunday Worship 10:00 a.m., with communion every Sunday We are an inclusive faith community and welcome you to join us in our new ministry journey.

EVERGREEN LUTHERAN CHURCH 5980 Highway 73 + 303-674-4654

Rev Sara Wirth, Interim Pastor Join us for Virtual Worship on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EvergreenLutheranChurch Sunday Worship uploaded by 10am. 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!

MOUNT HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH-LCMS 30571 Chestnut Drive ~ (303)670-1387

Sunday Worship 9:00am • Education for All 10:30am Rev. Carl Frank, Pastor www.mounthopelutheranlcms.org

MOUNTAIN REVIVAL CHURCH

“Baptizing the Mountains in Jesus Name” Sundays 11:00 am & Wednesdays 7:00 pm

Location: Aspen Park Community Center 26215 Sutton Road, Conifer, CO 80433 (Additional parking at the Park & Ride next to Big O Tires) 720-770-0380 Call, Text, or Just Drop In www.mountainrevival.org

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

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”

UNITY OF THE FOOTHILLS

Transforming lives through the power of Love

Join us on Sundays from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., in person or on Zoom, for a unique, member-led service. Each week a member volunteer presents a spiritual topic of their choice along with discussion questions. Attendees are encouraged, not required, to share their experiences and views on the chosen topic. We find our discussions to be lively, thought provoking, and meaningful. We are an all-inclusive community and welcome all perspectives. 28577 Bu alo Park Road, Suite #120 • Evergreen, Colorado • 80439 Email: unityofthefoothills@gmail.com

TRIVIA

LANGUAGE: What is the third letter of the Greek alphabet?

HISTORY: When was the last time the Liberty Bell rang in Philadelphia?

MOVIES: What was Henry Fonda’s jury number in “12 Angry Men”?

London, England.

of

Lincoln.

No.

Market Place

Merchandise

Furniture

FREE queen size box spring. Clean, excellent condition. 303-979-9534 (please leave message if no answer)

Lawn & Garden

FREE MULCH

LAM TREE SERVICE 30476 Bryant Drive 303.674.8733

Health & Beauty

VIAGRA and CIALIS USERS!

50 Generic Pills SPECIAL $99.00 100% guaranteed. 24/7 CALL NOW! 888-445-5928 Hablamos Espanol

DENTAL INSURANCEPhysicians Mutual Insurance Company. Covers 350 procedures. Real insurancenot a discount plan. Get your free dental info kit! 1-855-526-1060 www.dental50plus.com/58 #6258.

Medical

Attention oxygen therapy users!

Inogen One G4 is capable of full 24/7 oxygen delivery. Only 2.8 pounds. Free info kit. Call 877-929-9587

Miscellaneous

!!OLD GUITARS WANTED!! GIBSON, FENDER, MARTIN, etc. 1930’s to 1980’s. TOP DOLLAR PAID.

CALL TOLL FREE 1-866-433-8277

Protect your home from pests safely and affordably. Pest, rodent, termite and mosquito control. Call for a quote or inspection today 844394-9278

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule free LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-833-610-1936

Free high speed internet if qualified. Govt. pgm for recipients of select pgms incl. Medicaid, SNAP, Housing Assistance, WIC, Veterans Pension, Survivor Benefits, Lifeline, Tribal. 15 GB internet. Android tablet free w/one-time $20 copay. Free shipping. Call Maxsip Telecom! 1-833-758-3892

Caring for an aging loved one? Wondering about options like seniorliving communities and in-home care? Caring.com’s Family Advisors help take the guesswork out of senior care for your family. Free, noobligation consult: 1-855-759-1407

Attention Homeowners! If you have water damage and need cleanup services, call us! We’ll get in & work with your insurance agency to get your home repaired and your life back to normal ASAP! 855-7677031

Miscellaneous

Beltone Hearing Aids. Voted #1 hearing Care retailer. Rechargeable, weather & sweatproof. Easily connect music, audio & calls to your hearing aids. Starting at $799. Call today & get 25% off plus a free cleaning kit with purchase. Expires 3/31/2023. Call 1-866-625-4985

Put on your TV Ears & hear TV w/ unmatched clarity. TV Ears Original - originally $129.95 - now w/this special offer only $59.95 w/code MCB59! 1-888-805-0840

The Generac PWRcell solar plus battery storage system. Save money, reduce reliance on grid, prepare for outages & power your home. Full installation services. $0 down financing option. Request free no obligation quote. 1-877-539-0299

FREE $20 Cash App Everyone! Yes It’s Real. Very Limited supply until we run out! Go to Free20Now. com

MobileHelp, America’s premier mobile medical alert system. Whether you’re home or away. For safety & peace of mind. No long term contracts! Free brochure! 1-888489-3936

Christmas tree: 7’ foot Pre-lit tree that has never been out of its box. Price negotiable. 303979-9534 (please leave message if no answer)

Switch and save up to $250/yr on talk, text & data. No contract or hidden fees. Unlimited talk & text with flexible data plans. Premium nationwide coverage. 100% U.S. based customer service. Limited time get $50 off any new account. Use code GIFT50. 1-855-903-3048

Donate Your Car to Veterans Today! Help and Support our Veterans. Fast - FREE pick up. 100% tax deductible. Call 1-800245-0398

STORAGE UNIT SALE. Bids due by 2 pm on Dec 21. Bid opening at 3. Power tools, ladders, scaffolding and a great deal more. Call 303 674 6431 for more info and to view contents of unit. 5418 S Skyline Dr., Evergreen.

Prepare for power outages today with a GENERAC home standby generator $0 Down + Low Monthly Pmt Request a free Quote. Call before the next power outage: 1-855-948-6176

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months!

Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 855-761-1725

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Safe Step. North America’s #1 Walk-in tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service.

Now featuring our free shower package & $1600 off - limited time! Financing available. 1-855-4171306

Miscellaneous

DISH TV $64.99 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR included, Free Voice remote. Some Restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/21/23. 1-866-479-1516.

HughesNet– Finally, super-fast internet no matter where you live. 25 Mbps just $59.99/mo! Unlimited Data is Here. Stream Video. Bundle TV & Internet. Free Installation. Call 866-499-0141

Pets

Portable Oxygen Concentrator. May be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim

and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free Information Kit! Call: 844-823-0293

Legals

City and County

Public Notice

NOTICE OF FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS

Date of Publication: December 22, 2022

Jefferson County Community Development 3500 Illinois Street Golden, CO 80401

303-248-6318

esander@jeffco.us

This notice shall satisfy two separate but related procedural requirements for activities to be undertaken by Jefferson County Community Development.

REQUEST FOR THE RELEASE OF FUNDS

On or about January 6, 2023, Jefferson County Community Development will submit a request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on behalf of Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity for the release of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds under Title 1 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, to undertake the following project:

Project Title: 29592 Spruce Road Duplexes

Purpose: The purpose of the project is for acquisition of a multi-lot property in Evergreen for the construction of seven duplexes with affordable units in Jefferson County. CDBG funds will be used to pay for the acquisition costs for the property located at 29592 Spruce Road, Evergreen, CO 80439.

29592 Spruce Road Duplexes will serve residents earning up to 80% of the area median income.

Location: 29592 Spruce Road, Evergreen, CO 80439

Estimated Cost: CDBG funds through Jefferson County: $465,000 Total Project Cost: $4,763,300.00

FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT

tronically via email. Please submit your request, weekdays 8 A.M. to 5 P.M., to Jefferson County at esander@jeffco.us or by phone at 303-248-6318.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments on the ERR to Jefferson County. All comments received by January 5, 2023 at 5 P.M., will be considered by Jefferson County prior to authorizing submission of a request for release of funds. Comments should specify which Notice they are addressing.

ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION

Jefferson County certifies to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that Kat Douglas, Director, Housing, Economic and Employment Services Division, in her capacity as Certifying Officer consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to the environmental review process and that these responsibilities have been satisfied. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s approval of the certification satisfies its responsibilities under NEPA and related laws and authorities and allows Foothill Regional Housing to use Program funds.

OBJECTIONS TO THE RELEASE OF FUNDS

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will accept objections to its release of funds and Jefferson County Community Development’s certification for a period of 15 days following the anticipated submission date or its actual receipt of the request (whichever is later) only if they are made on one of the following bases: (a) the certification was not executed by the Certifying Officer of Jefferson County Community Development; (b) Jefferson County Community Development has omitted a step or failed to make a decision or finding required by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations at 24 CFR Part 58; (c) the grant recipient or other participants in the development process have committed funds, incurred costs, or undertaken activities not authorized by 24 CFR Part 58 before the approval of a release of funds by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; or (d) another Federal agency, acting pursuant to 40 CFR part 1504, has submitted a written finding that the project is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of environmental quality.

Legal Notice No. CC1076

First Publication: December 22, 2022

Last Publication: December 22, 2022

Publisher: Canyon Courier

Bids and Settlements

Public Notice

NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT JEFFERSON COUNTY, STATE OF COLORADO

Pursuant to C.R.S. Section 38-26-107, notice is hereby given that on the 3rd day of January 2023 final settlement will be made by the County of Jefferson, State of Colorado to:

HASELDEN CONSTRUCTION LLC. 6950 S POTOMAC ST ENGLEWOOD, CO 80112

hereinafter called the “Contractor”, for and on account of the contract for the CAB fire suppression piping and retention project in Jefferson County, CO.

1. Any person, co-partnership, association or corporation who has an unpaid claim against the said project, for or on account of the furnishing of labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender or other supplies used or consumed by such Contractor or any of said work, may at any time up to and including said time of such final settlement, file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim.

2. All such claims shall be filed with Heather Frizzell, Director of Finance Jefferson County Colorado, 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden CO 80419-4560.

3.Failure on the part of a creditor to file such statement prior to such final settlement will relieve the County of Jefferson, State of Colorado, from any and all liability for such claim.

County of Jefferson, State of Colorado Andy Kerr, Chairman Board of County Commissioners

Legal Notice No. CC1071 First Publication: December 15, 2022 Last Publication: December 22, 2022 Publisher: Canyon Courier

Silva Construction Inc. 154 Cisne Cir. Brighton, Co 80601

hereinafter called the “Contractor”, for and on account of the contract for the Road & Bridge 2021 Concrete Gutter and Curb Removal and Replacement project in Jefferson County, CO.

1. Any person, co-partnership, association, or corporation who has an unpaid claim against the said project, for or on account of the furnishing of labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender, or other supplies used or consumed by such Contractor or any of said work, may at any time up to and including said time of such final settlement, file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim.

2. All such claims shall be filed with Heather Frizzell, Director of Finance for Jefferson County Colorado, 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden CO 80419-4560.

3.Failure on the part of a creditor to file such statement prior to such final settlement will relieve the County of Jefferson, State of Colorado, from any and all liability for such claim.

County of Jefferson, State of Colorado Andy Kerr, Chairman Board of County Commissioners

Legal Notice No. CC 1077

First Publication: December 22, 2022

Last Publication: December 29, 2022 Publisher: Canyon Courier

Public Notice

NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT JEFFERSON COUNTY, STATE OF COLORADO

Pursuant to C.R.S. Section 38-26-107, notice is hereby given that on the 3rd day of January 2023 final settlement will be made by the County of Jefferson, State of Colorado to:

CONCRETE EXPRESS INC. 2027 W. COLFAX AVE.

DENVER, CO 80204

claim.

2. All such claims shall be filed with Heather Frizzell, Director of Finance Jefferson County Colorado, 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden CO 80419-4560.

3.Failure on the part of a creditor to file such statement prior to such final settlement will relieve the County of Jefferson, State of Colorado, from any and all liability for such claim.

County of Jefferson, State of Colorado Andy Kerr, Chairman

Board of County Commissioners

Legal Notice No. CC1070

First Publication: December 15, 2022

Last Publication: December 22, 2022

Publisher: Canyon Courier

Storage Liens/Vehicle Titles

LEGAL NOTICE

Under C.R.S. Law §38-21.5-103 Evergreen Self Storage will sell/dispose of Misc. furniture, shelving, ceramic pots, and household items in Unit 405 contracted to Martin P Olsen, last known address, 6445 Olympus Dr, Evergreen, CO 80437. The sale will take place January 8th, 2023 between 11:00am and 2:00pm at Evergreen Self Storage, 30705 Bryant Drive, Evergreen, CO. For information call 303-674-9911.

Legal Notice No. CC 1068

First Publication: December 15, 2022

Last Publication: December 22, 2022

Publisher: Canyon Courier

Name Changes

PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public Notice is given on November 21, 2022, that a Petition for a Change of Name of a Minor Child has been filed with the Jefferson County Court.

IMPACT

Jefferson County Community Development has determined that the project will have no significant impact on the human environment. An Environmental Impact Statement under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), therefore, is not required. Additional project information is contained in the Environmental Review Record (ERR). Due to staff working remotely, the ERR will be made available to the public for review elec-

Objections must be prepared and submitted via email in accordance with the required procedures (24 CFR Part 58, Sec. 58.76) and shall be addressed to Noemi Ghirghi, CPD Region VIII Director, at CPD_COVID-19OEE-DEN@hud.gov. Potential objectors should contact CPD_COVID-19OEE-DEN@hud.gov to verify the actual last day of the objection period.

Kat Douglas, Certifying Officer

Public Notice

NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT JEFFERSON COUNTY, STATE

OF COLORADO

Pursuant to C.R.S. Section 38-26-107, notice is hereby given that on the 10th day of January 2023 final settlement will be made by the County of Jefferson, State of Colorado to:

hereinafter called the “Contractor”, for and on account of the contract for the “Mouth of Canyon” Segment of P2P Trail project in Jefferson County, CO.

1. Any person, co-partnership, association or corporation who has an unpaid claim against the said project, for or on account of the furnishing of labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender or other supplies used or consumed by such Contractor or any of said work, may at any time up to and including said time of such final settlement, file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such

The Petition requests that the name of Ophelia Faye Robinson be changed to Ophelia Faye Pierandozzi. Case No.: 2201618

By: Megan Grossman Clerk of the Court / Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. CC1057

First publication: December 08, 2022 Last publication: December 22, 2022

Publisher: Canyon Courier