A LETTER TO OUR READERS AND ADVERTISERS

To our supporters: is press closure presents a challenge for us, to be sure, but our commitment to continuing to print the newspapers you depend on remains unwavering. We have not yet identi ed a solution to ful ll the demand starting in August, but we are determined to nd innovative ways to solve it. ank you, as always, for your support of local news. We welcome questions and comments, and we’ll be sure to keep you informed in the weeks ahead as we identify a new printer.

At Colorado Community Media, we’re proud to be your go-to source of local news and advertising in the rich tapestry of growing communities in the Denver metro area and beyond. In recent weeks, we’ve brought you the news of spring ooding and its a ermath, the growing number of property valuation appeals and celebrations surrounding the Nuggets’ historic win.

We know our subscribers appreciate getting their news in many ways, from digital newsletters to timely updates on our website to printed newspapers delivered to your door. We’re committed to ensuring that continues, even as the media industry evolves and faces challenges.

We recently learned the facility that prints all of CCM’s newspapers, located in Pueblo, will be closing in August. In recent years, as newspaper circulation has declined, the costs associated with printing and distributing newspapers have increased dramatically, forcing press facilities across the country to close or consolidate.

And we aren’t alone: We’re working toward a long-term approach by collaborating with partners throughout Colorado. By joining forces, we believe we can identify solutions that not only address this immediate challenge but also provide for future viability.

What does this mean for our subscribers and advertisers? Our goal is to nd a solution that ensures a seamless transition for your reader experience. We are evaluating every available option, and we are committed to keeping you informed as we go through this process.

We’re proud to be part of your community, and we know news plays an essential role in informing, engaging and empowering us. Please consider joining our mailing list, sharing articles, or donating to to help us continue this tradition.

Linda Shapley

Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro Publisher, Colorado Community Media CEO, e National Trust for Local News

ey are designed for any skill level and participants don’t need to consider themselves creative or have any background in designing oral arrangements. Attendees learn oral design tips, tricks and techniques, but Austin does not use a model bouquet.

“ at would take away the beauty of personalization,” she said. “Each design ends up uniquely di erent.”

Centennial’s Caroline Neale attended her rst oral design workshop with Austin earlier this year, in part due to a New Year’s Resolution — to focus time on her passion of oral design. She said she was attracted to Austin’s workshop style and the workshop’s focus on the whole person.

“While I thought I would get instruction, I got so much more,” Neale said. “I found a safe space to explore and connect.”

Austin has only one rule for the workshops. It is to not judge yourself.

“We tend to be really harsh critics of ourselves, but owers don’t judge us,” Austin said. “ ey just ask that we take care of them and appreciate their beauty.”

Fond memories

Bob Christenson described his mother, Jean “Jeannie Bird” Christenson, as a “ ower nut,” and he believes Austin inherited her love of owers through her grandmother.

Austin has fond memories of playing with her siblings and cousins in their grandmother Jeannie Bird’s garden. It was like a maze, Austin said, and they would spend hours exploring it together.

Austin’s late brother, Brooks, loved nature, traveling and adventure, she said. After high school, he spent a year abroad on a Rotary Exchange

Kaitlin Austin was inspired to open her business, Brooks Floral & Co., in honor of her late brother, Brooks, who died in 2021 from complications brought on by COVID-19. Austin expanded her business about a year ago to include a studio space on South Broadway where she hosts flower therapy workshops.

“Whenever I feel imposter syndrome or feel like I’m not enough, I feel his presence guiding me, saying thank you for doing this,” Austin

Flourishing through floral design

During the initial period following Brooks Christenson’s death, the family home was ooded with oral arrangements and plants, transforming it into an indoor garden. ese owers brought comfort during a tragic time, and Austin realized she didn’t want the owers to go to

“Once the owers were gone, it was like a piece of my brother (was, too), in a sense,” she said. “It is therapeutic to still feel connected.”

So, Austin did everything she could to keep the owers alive. She rearranged fresh bouquets to give them a longer lifespan, then dried and pressed the owers and sent them to Brooks’ friends and family who could not be present to honor

Prior to her brother’s death, Austin was a wedding planner. But owers are her true passion, she said. Floral arranging as a creative outlet has helped her process grief and stay connected to her brother’s memory. She wanted to share this with others.

“By combining my creativity, passion and love for owers with education, I’m able to create a community that allows connectedness, kindness, compassion, acceptance and self-love to ourish through oral plishments, Brooks served as a grant writer and advisor for nonpro ts and

His adventurous spirit is re ected in her asymmetrical and whimsy oral

She knows this mission is something her brother would be proud of. “Flowers can teach us so much about ourselves,” Austin said. “Flowers are nite and there is something really special about caring for and designing orals. Experiencing their beauty allows us to really live and re ect in the moment while asking for nothing in return.”

Golden Junior Baseball wraps up spring season, emphasizes sportsmanship

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

With storm clouds rolling in over the foothills, everyone at Ulysses Park hoped the rain and lightning would hold o just long enough for the youngsters to nish their June 14 baseball game.

e North Je erson Americans were enthusiastically cheering on their batting teammate, while their opponents — the Golden Taters — stayed focused on the next pitch and which direction the ball might go. With a few lightning strikes visible on the horizon, the coaches ended the nal inning slightly early, and the teams lined up to tell each other, “Good game.”

As the Golden Taters came o the