KAHANE

can be treated in di erent ways at di erent stages in your life. When you commit to your mental wellbeing you have a real opportunity to unlearn the belief systems you have about how much the mental, emotional and physical parts of yourself depend upon each other for your wellbeing and capacity to thrive.

What lies beneath

PINE – At loose ends, Oscar asked Felix if he could bunk in a trailer on Felix’s property. Felix said Oscar could, so long as he “stayed sober.” In the wee hours of April 25, an inebriated Oscar came back

JOE WEBB

education at 35.4% of the state budget and 36.1% grouped as social assistance. Within just those two groups of appropriations are unfunded mandates made by the federal government to our state government.

When conservatives gripe about out-of-control spending it is the unfunded mandates that are fueling the complaints in part. Regardless of the speci cs behind appropriations, I would think that most Coloradoans regardless of their political feelings would agree that the elected representatives of the people are the ones who should decide what monies are appropriated and how.

Columnist

What is an unfunded mandate, you ask? It is the imposition by statute or regulation that a state must perform certain actions without the money to pay for them. In other words, the federal government is telling our state government to spend certain monies for one thing or another. Worse they are not providing appropriation dollars to accomplish these goals. It is a way to mask out-of-control federal spending by shifting the burden onto the states.

There are more opportunities for treatment and support.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, there are more opportunities for treatment and support than ever before. ere are also new treatments available, as well as support groups and other programs designed to help you with challenging anxiety and stress manage your symptoms and recover from trauma in your life — so you are living a more productive and ful lling life. ere is no one-size- ts-all solu- from somewhere with an equally inebriated trollop in tow. A short time later, Felix was awakened by a ruckus outside, which turned out to be Oscar and his lady friend having a screaming match in the yard and “forcefully throwing full beer cans

It is a little di cult to determine what percentage of the budget of our state budget consists of unfunded mandates. While I have asked the question of others, I have not been able to get a de nite answer. What unfunded mandates accomplish is to crowd out budget dollars for priorities that our elected o cials feel is in the best interest of all Coloradoans. Unfunded mandates help keep the pay for schoolteachers lower. Unfunded mandates keep school districts from hiring more school resource o cers. Regardless tion for managing these issues, so it’s important to seek out appropriate interventions that work best for you.

UnLearn the pattern

Nothing changes until something changes, and avoiding your pain is like putting a band-aid on a severed limb. Give yourself the gift of owning that you are struggling and take a look at what services are available to you. Make appointments with a few mental health professionals whose approaches t your needs.

at each other.” Satis ed that Oscar had just o cially overstayed his welcome, Felix called JCSO for some help evicting the rambunctious roomer. e rst deputy to arrive found no woman in evidence and Oscar hiding underneath the trailer, of the percentage, the salient point about unfunded mandates is that they usurp the priorities that Coloradoans have in how our state should be run. ere are competing priorities in the budget appropriation process and some things are desirable often get cut or eliminated. But those cuts should not happen because of outsider interference.bWhile some programs that are the result of unfunded mandates are well intentioned like Medicaid, I would argue that Colorado and its’ elected leaders could run Medicaid better than any mandate from the federal government. Reasons exist for everything. When conservatives rail against wasteful government spending there is more often than not a reasoned and considered point behind those complaints.

Joe Webb is the former chairman of the Je co Republican party.

Christine Kahane, NBC-HWC, MCHWC – is a Nationally BoardCerti ed Health & Wellness Coach, and owner of KAHANE COACHING (www.kahanecoaching.com), located at 30752 Southview Drive/Suite 110 in Evergreen, CO. For more information about coaching, or to write-in a question for UNlearn it! send your inquiries to christine@kahanecoaching.com.

When and values record ible middle people sors and and we in short-term allowed? ing are renters pretending hard that the o cer who kept encouraging him by name to crawl out into the open couldn’t really see him. Deputies were eventually forced to extract him physically

SEE SHERIFF’S CALLS, P11

Letter To The Editor

When does your property cease to be yours and become property of Je erson County?

At some point, you must say stop! Every year property taxes and house values in Unincorporated Je erson County Colorado are increased at record amounts. We choose to pay these high taxes to live in these incredible mountains, but every year our mountains become more out of reach for middle and lower-income families. Short-Term Rentals become a way for people to share what we take for granted.

Referencing the article in the Canyon Courier dated May 11, 2023, “Assessors predict sticker shock for homeowners,” these mountain residences own and pay taxes! Je erson County is trying to tell homeowners what they can and cannot do with their property while stating if you give us more money we may consider allowing it? Short-term rental owners have a vested interest in maintaining their property, or they will not have returned guests. If having short-term rentals are so bad, why is camping in overcrowded campgrounds allowed? Fires have been started in these campgrounds as well as generating many problems from unregulated visitors. Friends, family and visitors are screened and only stay in the rental for a short period, unlike long-term renters that are almost impossible to evict if they cause havoc and destruc-

SHERIFF’S CALLS

for the long ride down to detox. “I’m cool,” Oscar assured them.

Fire smart

SEDALIA – An observant homeowner called JCSO on the afternoon of April 27 to report a pair of ill-mannered anglers plying their lines in the South Platte who were 1) “videotaping my house” and 2) “throwing cigarette butts into the river.” A deputy quickly located the pesky pole-jockeys, immediately noting that Fisherman One had “a

GoPro camera on his hat.” Fisherman One admitted shooting “about 45 minutes” of dramatic riparian action but assured the o cer that any inclusion of the complainant’s house was purely incidental. Since lming yourself shing is not illegal, the ofcer turned his attention to Fisherman Two, who admitted throwing cigarette butts into the river, saying he thought that method of disposal would be better than tossing stillsmoldering smokes “into the brush.” e deputy told Fisherman Two that there exist for the smoker myriad alternatives to pollution and arson, and the certainty of a king-sized littering ticket if he keeps casting his Camels in the creek. Fisherman One tion, and long-term residents use more resources. As for using water for a hot tub, really? Je erson County residents cannot have a hot tub or showers, what’s next? Will Je erson County require tax-paying residents to clear-cut their trees, install sprinkler systems, add expensive septic systems, radon mitigation, the list goes on. At some point, we as homeowners need to stand up and say enough. e reason why only 28 residents out of 900 have received permits is the length and cost of acquiring a permit; after months of paperwork and paying fees, Je erson County may then give its blessing; which is never guaranteed, it’s not what you know but it’s who you know. e cost of this application process and county’s Board of Adjustment hearing is never set, and is subject to increases yearly, like your property taxes. Retired xed income residences in Je erson County rely on income from long- and short-term rentals, additional cost hurt, and most people cannot a ord a lengthy time without revenue during the con rming process. Take examples from other Colorado Counties and leave Unincorporated Je erson Short Term property owners alone, don’t feel you must have a “mechanism to enforce.”

Susan Woods, Conifer

promised to be mindful of homeowner’s privacy, and Fisherman Two promised to dispose of his roaches responsibly.

BOLO for Laila Ali

EL RANCHO – Drunk and disheveled, young Penrod staggered into the gas-and-go complaining that somebody “stole my car keys” and a girl “punched me in the face.” Responding deputies traced Penrod’s allegations a nearby residence where a small all-male party was underway. According to the youthful attendees, Penrod had gotten “pretty (funked) up” and lost his car keys all by himself. As to getting punched in the face, they said there’d been a girl present earlier in the evening, but whether she’d fed Penrod a knuckle sandwich or not they couldn’t say. O cers saw Penrod home safely and closed the case.

Her lucky day

EVERGREEN – e sun was high when deputies came upon a woman walking along the side of the road and weeping bitterly. Naturally, they stopped to o er comfort and assistance. It was terrible, she sobbed. ere she was, just riding along in her boyfriend’s car, getting all excited about her big job interview, when her boyfriend got mad about

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Spring is in full swing, bringing many folks around Colorado out of the doldrums of winter with the promise of outdoor recreation.

For folks who aren’t fans of “traditional sports” — think baseball, basketball, football, soccer — there are plenty of unique, exciting alternatives throughout the Centennial State. From roller skating to parkour, there is no shortage of variety in Colorado’s recreation options.

Roller skating, roller hockey and roller derby

Roller sports are alive and well in Colorado. Folks have quite a few options for activities revolving around wheeled feet; from roller skating to roller hockey to roller derby, there is no shortage of options.

Roller skating lovers have a plethora of skate parks in the metro area and can get all of their gear — and some lessons — from the newlyopened Denver Skates Shop in Arvada. e store provides ttings and skating lessons for folks ranging from novices to experienced park skaters.

Brina Wyss, a sales associate and coach at Denver Skates Shop, said that roller sports experienced a surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic that’s since died down, but has nonetheless roughly doubled the community’s size.

“I think there was a big surge in interest in wheels and skating during the pandemic, but it was a trend” Wyss said. “I people had a lot of spare time and were looking for something active to do. e community has de nitely grown at least twice as much during the pandemic.”

Wyss participates in roller derby, which is played at the professional and recreational level in Colorado. Wyss said the competitive nature and team atmosphere of roller derby came to be a replacement for volleyball, which she played competitively growing up.

“A lot of people do (skating) for joy and exercise,” Wyss said. “I do it as a way to escape, and it’s also a great way of community meeting.”

Denver Roller Derby operates a large number of recreational and traveling teams and has opportunities for new players.

Folks looking for a non-contact alternative to ice hockey might nd roller hockey appealing — Skate City operates rinks in Arvada, Westminster and Littleton that o er roller skating and hockey, while Rocky Mountain Roller Hockey operates youth and adult leagues out of the Foothills Fieldhouse in Lakewood, and the Parker Fieldhouse also hosts youth and adult roller hockey.

Ultimate frisbee/ disc golf

Frisbee sports have come into favor in Colorado recently — a semiprofessional ultimate frisbee team kicked o their inaugural season in Golden this month — with two main ways to play.

Ultimate frisbee resembles American football in that teams must complete passes in an end zone to score points. As the name suggests, disc golf resembles “traditional” golf, but is played with a disk instead of a ball. e Denver Summer Ultimate League is the oldest ultimate frisbee competition in the state, and just nished registration for its 2023 season.

Disc golf fans may nd more frequent playing options. In Arvada, the Johnny Roberts Disc Golf

Course and Birds Nest Disc Golf Course both operate at city parks.

Colorado Christian University operates a disc golf course in Lakewood, and Foothills Parks and Recreation operates the Fehringer Ranch Disc Golf Course in Morrison. For those looking for a more secluded experience, the Wondervu Disc Golf Course in Golden is considered to be one of the most scenic — and challenging — courses around.

Parkour

According to gym owner Lorin Ball, the de nition of parkour is simple: “Using environment to get from point A to point B in the most e cient way possible.”

Ball is the owner of Flow Vault, a parkour and ninja warrior — yes, American Ninja Warrior — training gym in ornton. Flow Vault opened in 2008 and o ers classes to people ages 5 and up. His gym has even graduated some ninja warriors to the popular NBC show.

“It’s a full curriculum, similar to that of gymnastics, where you have di erent levels of progressions,” Ball said. “We’re training people to be more intentional with their movement and apply that to other sports or physical activities that they do.”

Other parkour gyms in the area include APEX Denver, Path Movement in Littleton and Ninja Intensity in Parker.

Aerial Adventures

Finally, Colorado has no shortage of arial adventure options. Ropes courses and adventure parks are plentiful in the Centennial State and are often and family-friendly way to recreate uniquely.

e Colorado Adventure Center is based in Idaho Springs, e EDGE Ziplines and Adventures is in Castle Rock, and the Treehouse Adventure Park is based in Bailey.