SHOOTING

accounts of the four codefendants.

Jones — who apparently rst spoke to authorities in 2010 — has acknowledged to investigators that he knew the codefendants but has denied involvement in Graham’s death.

He admitted to having a gun around the “2009 time frame,” according to the January 2017 indict- e three suspects appeared in court at 1 p.m. on May 3 for the return ling of charges. ment that led to the arrest of the other defendants. He indicated before a grand jury that Ford stole that gun from him at a party, the indictment says. e codefendants “aren’t just witnesses that came forward to make a statement,” Wilcox has said. ey are people who “put themselves as being involved in a crime.”

Koenig and Zachary Kwak all face the same 13 charges: one count of murder in the rst degree, six counts of criminal attempt to commit murder in the rst degree, three counts of assault in the second degree and three counts of criminal attempt to commit assault in the rst degree.

Wilcox argued in October 2020 that “while the court heard voluminous statements about stories that changed,” Jones still may be found guilty by a jury.

Drop by 17 Mile House Farm Park and discover how animal wool is spun into the sweaters we wear. Featured activity: try wool carding by hand and dye your own sheep’s wool!

17 Mile House Open House

Saturday, May 13, 2023 | 9 a.m.–12 p.m. 8181 S. Parker Rd, Centennial, CO 80016

We will also o er small-group tours of the historic 17 Mile House and barn.

This is a FREE event, but registration is required.

Registration: www.arapahoegov.com/17milehouse

13101 E. Broncos Parkway in Centennial. Learn more at arapahoesheri .org explaining the Centennial Airport is trying to change that.

Aviation gasoline is the only transportation fuel in the U.S. to contain lead and is the fuel most commonly used in piston-engine aircraft, a ccording to the FAA’s website.

In February 2022, the FAA announced an initiative to eliminate the use of leaded aviation fuel by the end of 2030.

Later that year, in October 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed an endangerment nding for lead emissions from aircraft engines that operate on leaded fuel.

“When it comes to our children the science is clear, exposure to lead can cause irreversible and life-long health e ects,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan in a news release. “Aircraft that use leaded fuel are the dominant source of lead emissions to air in the country. Today’s proposal is an important step forward as we work to reduce lead exposure and protect children’s health.”

According to the news release, the EPA’s consideration of endangerment is “a rst step toward application of EPA’s authority to address lead pollution.”

An alternative to leaded aviation gasoline is UL94 fuel, which is what

Centennial Airport is incentivizing.

In March, the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to provide incentives to tenants and xed-based operators to accelerate the transition from 100 low-lead aviation gas to unleaded fuel.

“Based on the resolution the airport board passed, there are several di erent things we’re doing to incentivize and push forward this transition,” Fronapfel said.

One of the strategies is o ering nancial assistance toward “supplemental type certi cates” for aircraft based at Centennial Airport. ese certi cates are required for reciprocating engine aircraft to get before using the unleaded fuels.

As of May 3, roughly 80 aircraft have gotten supplemental type certi cates, which equates to about 20% of the eligible aircraft on the airport, Fronapfel said.

“But because most of those aircraft are ight school aircraft, 80% of the ight school aircraft at Centennial Airport have secured the type certi cates, allowing them to use the unleaded gas,” he said.

“ e ight schools account for about 50% of the fuel sales here in (aviation) gas, and so that’s gonna be a big step towards, you know, helping the environment, cutting back on the lead emissions from aircraft,” he added.

He noted the airport sent out yers to all of its resident aircraft owners to get them to obtain the certi cates and “letting them know the airport would fund that.”

According to a Centennial Airport news release, it will reimburse aircraft owners up to $110 per aircraft based at Centennial Airport to secure a supplemental type certi cate. e airport will also o er nancial assistance to its xed-based operators as they transition to unleaded fuel, Fronapfel said.

“And then the last piece is bringing the cost, retail cost, of the unleaded fuel at a level playing eld with 100 low-lead (aviation gas),” he said.

When the airport began looking at getting unleaded fuel, the idea was originally to get 350- or 500-gallon totes of unleaded fuel, Fronapfel said, adding that the pay di erential for that would have been $3 to $4 per gallon.

However, according to the airport’s news release, jetCenters of Colorado decided to dedicate a tank to the unleaded aviation gas, “vastly lowering the cost per gallon.”

“Because we were able to free up a fuel farm tank and … free up a fuel truck, we can accept full shipments of 8,000 gallons, which really makes the di erential in cost between $1 and $1.15, or so,” Fronapfel said.

“ e airport is working with our partners at Colorado jetCenters, and we’re going to subsidize that di erence — that $1 to $1.15 di erence — to make it, at the retail level, the same cost as low lead,” Fronapfel said. “We think that’s very important.”

Arapahoe County Commissioner Jessica Campbell-Swanson, a member of the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority Board of Commissioners, highlighted the incentives the airport is o ering as opposed to mandating a switch to unleaded fuel.

“It’s currently voluntary, and I think, you know — we think sometimes about mandates and requirements, but sometimes you can get magic to happen when everybody comes together,” she said. “Collaboration is really where you can make some magic happen.”

The influence of the community

Becoming the rst airport in Colorado to o er unleaded aviation gas is a step several o cials credited, in part, to residents who raised concerns.

“I think most everybody here knows that this airport has a big footprint,” said ad Bagnato, the chair of the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority Board of Commissioners.

“It touches a lot of lives, and as a result, it has a lot of constituencies. ose constituencies are part of the reason we’re here today and not maybe six, eight, nine, 10 months from now,” he added.

Bagnato said that roughly six months ago, residents living north of Arapahoe Road came to the airport and expressed a deep concern about lead.

For months, residents have been attending meetings to raise concerns about increased air tra c, noise and lead pollution impacting the community, speci cally those living north of Arapahoe Road.

Some joined forces to form a group, Quiet Skies Over Arapahoe County, to advocate for changes to be made to address safety and noise concerns at Centennial Airport.

“We need to thank them,” Bagnato said about the residents. “ ey deserve a vote of thanks for having the courage and the persistence that they had in coming to us, the way they did, requesting that we go to no lead.”

Campbell-Swanson, who was elected as a county commissioner in November, said residents contacted her with concerns right after the election.

“It was an immediate call to action for me,” she said.

She described the residents advocating for changes as an incredible group of people who are passionate and concerned for their community.

“I just need to say that — while this incredible achievement is absolutely ascribable to a whole suite of people and organizations — that Centennial Airport would not be the rst airport in the state of Colorado to make unleaded 94-octane aviation fuel available without (the) community raising its voice,” she said.

For the Arapahoe County Commissioners, the health and safety of people and the environment “is absolutely number one,” CampbellSwanson said.

“I hope everybody sees us all here today as a statement of our commitment to working not only with (the) community, but with business and operations and for solutions that work well for everyone,” she said. “I look forward to this team building on this success and continuing to address the other issues that community has raised.”