Commerce City Sentinel Express 071323

Suncor’s ‘forever chemicals’ pouring into metro Denver rivers spike again

BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN

Discharges of water tainted with PFAS “forever chemicals” from the Suncor re nery spiked again in May, an environmental watchdog group said, following high readings in November and January.

Suncor, which has used re ghting foam containing PFAS chemicals for years on the sprawling Commerce City property, reported May discharges into Sand Creek at 218 parts per trillion of variants of the chemicals known as PFOS, PFOA and PFNA, according to Earthjustice attorneys. e group monitors Suncor’s required reporting to state water quality regulators.

Immediately after leaving Suncor, the discharged water is carried by Sand Creek into the South Platte River as it ows through Adams County. e May discharge peaks were more than three times the PFAS limits proposed in a 2022 draft renewal permit written by state regulators to cover Suncor’s water discharges.

e report shows Suncor’s “continuing inability to reliably treat their PFAS to meet even the division’s proposed 70 parts per trillion limit, and that limit is still way too high and based on outdated information,” Earthjustice attorney Caitlin Miller said. “Suncor’s continued failure negatively impacts Sand Creek and the South Platte River.”

Neither Suncor nor state regulators responded to new questions about the high discharge readings from May.

e thousands of variations of PFAS chemicals are used in countless consumer and industrial products for water and stain resistance, among other functions. ey were used for

SEE CHEMICALS, P4

Farm to Market tickets on sale

Tickets for Farm to Table, a fundraising event for the Platte Valley Medical Foundation scheduled for Aug. 17 or on sale now.

e Foundation’s biennial fundraising campaign will bene t women’s health services to help women connect

with the care they need throughout their adult years and to support area women who do not always prioritize their own health needs. e foundation hopes to raise $500,000 in the campaign cycle. ey conduct multiple fundraising e orts annually with Farm to Table as the largest event.

Conserving Colorado's Water

Farm to Table will be at 6 p.m. Aug. 17 on the hospital campus. Platte Valley Medical Center’s Chef Mike Anderson uses produce donated by area farmers to create a gourmet meal for about 450 guests.

e event garners so much support that it often sells out long before the date. is year, Muñoz reserved a block of tickets that are available to the public for $75 each. ey are available at https://ftt2023.cbo.io.

Commerce City Music in the Park Commerce City’s free summer concert series moves to River Run Park, 11515 S. Oswego St. from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. July 17 featuring the Brass Attack Band. Enjoy this family-friendly event with performances from local bands and fun activities and face painting for kids. Don’t forget to grab a bite to eat from a variety of food trucks and take home a swag bag lled with information from the city, local nonpro ts and service providers. Learn more at c3gov.com/ MusicIn ePark

Platte Valley Medical Center earns recognition for breastfeeding program

Platte Valley Medical Center is one of 45 hospitals recognized by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for e orts to promote breastfeeding and o er healthier food and beverage options through the Colorado Healthy Hospital Compact and Colorado Baby-Friendly Hospital Collaborative.

e initiatives are part of the state’s work to promote healthy eating and active living to reduce rates of death and disease from chronic illness among Coloradans.

Platte Valley was recognized at the Gold Level for the Healthy Hospital Compact.

Learn more about the Colorado Healthy Hospital Compact and the Colorado Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative at cdphe.colorado.gov/colo-

rado-healthy-hospital-compact and at BreastfeedColorado.com.

A Stroll in the Garden for CASA

e Court Appointed Special Advocate program, or CASA, for the 11th Judicial District is promoting one of its major fundraisers now scheduled for September.

CASA is inviting supporters to come enjoy a Stroll in the Garden at this year’s Indulge for CASA Gala from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 13 at Denver’s Balistreri Vineyards, 1946 E 66th Ave. is Garden Party will be full of delicious food and drinks, fantastic auction prizes, exciting entertainment, and more! Indulge for CASA is presented by the Kenneth & Myra Monfort Charitable Foundation.

CASA’s mission is to provide courtappointed volunteer advocacy for children and youth from the child welfare system so every child can be safe, have a permanent home, and have the opportunity to thrive.

Work Options FREE Culinary Training Program

e Adams County Human Services Department is partnering with local nonpro t Work Options to provide a free culinary training program for residents.

Program participants train with professional chefs over a six-week course and earn certi cations and up to $400 per month. Work Options also o ers food truck internships.

In addition to the training program, Work Options provides the Human Services Center 11860 Pecos St., Westminster, with a full menu of breakfast and lunch options including breakfast burritos, pastries, burgers, pizza, daily specials, and more in the Mountain View Café. e café is located on the third oor of HSC.

Learn more about the program at workoptions.org.

Tuskegee ‘Top Gun’ James Harvey turns 100

BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY DGRIGSBY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

James Harvey remembers when there were two Air Forces.

“One comprised us, and the other was for the whites,” explained the soon-to-be centenarian from his home in Lakewood, Colorado.

Harvey knows this as fact because he’s one of just a handful of remaining Tuskegee Airmen, a group of Black military pilots and airmen who fought not only against enemy aircraft but against overt racism in the same Air Force they pledged to serve.

Born July 13, 1923, in Montclair, New Jersey, James H. Harvey III was the oldest of four children born to James and Cornelia Harvey. He attended high school in Pennsylvania, where he was an outstanding student, the captain of the basketball team, class president, and graduated as valedictorian.

Harvey said he never encountered much racism until he raised his right hand, swore an oath to serve and protect his country — and entered the segregated U.S. Army.

Drafted in 1943, he was soon reassigned to the Army Air Corps., the predecessor of today’s modern U.S. Air Force.

Harvey will tell you in great detail that things in the military were di erent back then.

Very di erent — especially if you were a Black man.

“You just go with the ow,” said Harvey of how he coped. “You just go with the ow or something happens — something mysteriously happens. So, I just went with the ow.”

When asked why he did, he replied, “Because I wanted to live.”

Harvey settled into military service, classi ed as an engineer. As the war in the Paci c raged, engineers were needed to build and maintain the many makeshift jungle runways used by American forces. But Harvey was more interested in ying planes than building places for them to land.

So, he applied to the Aviation Cadet Training Program in hopes of being accepted into the Tuskegee Flight Training Program in Alabama, a separate school designated for Black pilots.

In 1925 the U.S. Army War College released called “ e Use of Negro

Manpower in War.” Many say this report “set the overall tone” for how the military viewed Black men. e report stated they “lacked intelligence and were cowardly under combat conditions” and the “ability to operate complex machinery.”

To prove this, the U.S. Army set up an “experiment” in 1941 to prove the ndings of the War College Report.  Tuskegee was an experiment that was designed to fail—to prove that Black men didn’t have the capacity to y.

But instead, the program produced some of the nation’s most pro cient ghter pilots.

“I applied. I was accepted,” said Harvey. “However, I had to take an examination rst, and there were 10 of us that reported to Bolling Field to take this test — nine whites and myself.”

Both Black and white candidates took the same preliminary tests to get into the Aviation Cadet Program. Black pilots, however, would be trained at a segregated eld in Alabama.

Testing for this program was known among servicemembers to be notoriously rigorous and particularly unforgiving.

“Well, we took the examination, did everything they wanted us to do, and when the dust cleared, there were only two of us standing –this white guy and myself,” Harvey said.

Long were the hours and challenging were the tasks for Harvey, a selfdescribed perfectionist.

“If everything is perfect, there’s no challenge after that,” he said. “I never dreamed or thought about washing out in ying school. I knew I was gonna make it because I did everything right.”

Because, as a Black man, he had to.

“You only had so many hours or days to learn something and if you didn’t, you were out. It’s that simple,” Harvey said. “You only had a certain amount of time to learn something and if you exceeded that time, you were gone.”

When asked if he’s still a perfectionist, he grins.

“Well, I’m back at it,” he laughs. “I got married, so that was kind of the end of the perfectionism, but my wife

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MICHAEL DE YOANNA Editor-in-Chief michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com

passed, so I’m back at it again.” Perfectionism.

“I’ve always been that way,” Harvey said. “Like Disney, when I was growing up… the Disney characters, I’d sit down and draw them — they were better than what Disney put out!”

His favorite?

“Mickey Mouse, of course… I don’t think Minnie was on the scene yet.”  So, what should we call you?

Harvey earned his wings at Tuskegee Army Air Field on Oct. 16, 1944, near the end of the war. A graduate of Class 44-4, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and began his career as a ghter pilot.

While many Tuskegee Airmen were already ying in Europe, protecting heavy bomber aircraft on their way to strategic targets, Harvey did not get that opportunity.

“ at’s because Hitler knew I was coming and he gave up the following month,” he joked. “I was supposed to ship in April 1945. And I had my bags packed, ready to catch the train, and I got a message the war was over and they expected to wind-up of the whole European theater.”

On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, creating the President’s Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services and banning segregation in the Armed Forces.

Harvey says the order was a step in the right direction, but it also meant his unit would be disbanded and its personnel integrated into other units that would “have” them.

Harvey explains how that became complicated for Black pilots.

Prior to his departure, he, and another Tuskegee Airman, Eddie Drummond, were to be transferred from Lockbourne Air Force Base in Ohio to

a base in Japan. However, before they arrived, their personnel les — which included their o cial photos — were forwarded to the gaining military unit.

“So, you see, the wing commander had our picture,” Harvey said. “So, Eddie and I report to Misawa, Japan, and before we got there, he had all the pilots report to the base theater and he told them, ‘We have these two Negro pilots coming in and they will be assigned to one of the squadrons.’ e pilots said, ‘No way are we going to y with them. No way.’”

Harvey said he and Dummund were told about the meeting by the pilots themselves.

Regardless of the sentiment, Harvey and Drummund were there to stay and were assigned to a unit ying the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star. As they wrapped up their initial meeting, Harvey said the man who would be their new wing commander casually asked, “So, what do you want us to call you?”

An uncomfortable moment of silence ensued.

“I said, ‘Well, I’m a rst lieutenant and Eddie Drummond is a second lieutenant… how about lieutenants Harvey and Drummond?’”

First ‘Top Gun’

In January of 1949, the newlyrecognized Air Force, thanks to the National Security Act of 1947, issued a directive to all ghter squadrons about an intramural weapons competition.

Each unit was to select its top three pilots to represent their ghter group at the rst-ever aerial gunnery meet to be held at Las Vegas Air Force Base, Nevada.

It was o cially called the United

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Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.

Former fighter pilot who served in the once-segregated U.S. military talks missions, a missing trophy and which ‘Top Gun’ movie he prefers

Retired Lt. Col. James Harvey III looks forward to his big birthday bash to celebrate his 100th year. The former fighter pilot and Tuskegee ‘Top Gun’ says when it comes to the Tom Cruise ‘Top Gun’ movies, “I liked the first one better.” PHOTO BY JOHN LEYBA

SEE TOP GUN, P6

CHEMICALS

decades in everything from carpet to re ghting products to clothing and fast-food packaging, though manufacturers are trying to phase them out of many products and states like Colorado are banning them. States’ attorney general o ces, including Colorado, are suing manufacturers like 3M and DuPont to recover water ltration and ground cleanup costs.  PFAS chemicals do not easily break down in the environment, thus the “forever” moniker, and have been found in sh, wildlife and in the bloodstream of most humans tested.

Until March, the EPA’s drinking water guideline — not a mandate to water agencies, but health guidance — had been limiting PFAS to 70 parts per trillion. en the EPA issued sharply lower levels that are now drinking water mandates that cities must achieve, setting them as low as 0.02 parts per trillion for the variant PFOS, and 0.004 ppt for PFOA.

Earthjustice had previously agged Suncor re nery releases of PFAS. One out ow measured at Suncor found November readings at 1,100 parts per trillion of PFOS in discharges, or 55,000 times the downward-revised EPA requirements.

Discharges of 54 parts per trillion of PFOA that month were 13,500 times the new EPA limits on that chemical,

Earthjustice said.

e high discharges remained in January, though not as elevated. e February report showed lower levels.

e elevated discharges came as state clean water o cials worked to complete revisions to Suncor’s water out ow pollution permits that were rst opened to public comments nearly 18 months ago. Colorado ofcials noted at the time they had included PFAS limits for the rst time in a draft of the revised permit.

Suncor had major December res that prompted air pollution notices and a long shutdown of re ning operations, and environmental groups monitoring pollution there speculate the re ghting foam commonly used in industrial res could have contributed to more PFAS runo .

e re nery recently announced $100 million in repairs to reduce its air emissions.

e state’s proposed draft permit revision for Suncor rst revealed in 2022 set PFAS discharge limits at the

same 70 parts per trillion that had been the EPA drinking water guideline until this year. In response to the high Suncor discharges in 2022 and early 2023, and the EPA’s March 2023 revisions, state regulators said they were reconsidering the draft permit.

ey have not o ered a timetable on when those revisions will be put out for another public comment period.

After Earthjustice called out their November and January PFAS releases, Suncor said the company’s testing away from the re nery outow did not show any higher than normal contamination downstream on Sand Creek or in the South Platte River nearby.

Suncor’s statement said a sampling study by an independent rm in May 2022 said “Suncor’s PFAS contributions are not impacting the South Platte River in any meaningful way.”

Earthjustice disputes that conclusion, saying a report from Westwater Hydrology at the “Outfall 20” in question “accounted for between 16-47% of total PFAS found in Sand Creek, and 3-18% of PFAS found in the South Platte River downstream of the facility.”

is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun. com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

AKINS Sandra “Sandy” (Akins) Akins

July 21, 1959 - June 30, 2023

Sandy Akins 63, passed away peacefully June 30th. Sandy was born to Joseph Akins and Mildred Northrup at Fitzsimmons. She was the fth of six siblings and never married. She lived in several states, Germany and settled in Brighton in 1972. A graduate of Campion Academy in Loveland, she worked for 30 years at Golden Bell Press in Denver. She also worked for Home Instead, Visiting Angels, Eagles Nest in Hudson and the Fort Lupton Chamber of

Commerce. Sandy’s faith was demonstrated by her volunteer work as an EMT with Platte Valley Ambulance and as a Board member of Hope at Miracle House in Fort Lupton.

Sandy is preceded in death by her parents and is survived by her sister, Karen Fernandez, brothers Randy, Keith, Bill and Brian, in addition to many of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

LANGE Kenneth Donald Lange

September 22, 1925 - June 3, 2023

Kenneth Donald Lange, 1925-2023, 97 of Tucson, AZ formerly of Hudson, CO went home to his Savior on Saturday, June 3, 2023. Kenneth was born in Siebert, CO. In 1948 he moved to Brighton with his family where he worked as a dairy farmer. In 1957 he moved his dairy farm to Hudson, CO. In March of 1958 he married Edna Zoch of Harrold, Texas. In 1972 he opened up a jewelry store, Lange’s Jewelry, in Brighton, CO until his retirement in 1992. A memorial service will be held on July 8, 2023 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Tucson, AZ at 11:00 AM. Kenneth is survived by his wife, Edna

Lange, his sons: Mark (Juanita) Lange of Tucson, AZ and Roy (Andrea) Lange of Boise, ID and his daughter: Joan (Kent) Ford of Mineola, TX.

Six grandchildren: James, Abby, Ollie (Julia), Cody, Jacob, and Cooper. His sister, Ruby Kunkel. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Minna Lange, sister, Ruth Stewart and brother, Dale Lange. In lieu of owers, the family requests donations be made in Kenneth’s memory to Redeemer Lutheran Church, 8845 N. Silverbell RD, Tucson, AZ.

The Suncor refinery in Commerce City is pictured on Sand Creek from along the Sand Creek Regional Greenway on May 26, 2021. PHOTO BY ANDY COLWELL / SPECIAL TO THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado County Clerks honor Kirkmeyer

Former Weld Commissioner dismisses election deniers

BY LYNN BARTELS SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

DURANGO - Colorado’s county clerks honored Brighton Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer for her e orts in helping them update voting policies and priorities, including reimbursements for the cost of running elections.

Kirkmeyer was one of four state lawmakers singled out by the Colorado County Clerks Association at its summer conference in Durango that concluded on June 29.

“Voting is the single most signicant way Americans exercise their political power,” she said.

“ ank you to the county clerks of Colorado. You ensure the opportunity to fully participate in the democratic process and freely vote for the candidates and issues that represent my values, my beliefs. You are at the heart of democracy.”

Kirkmeyer, a member of the powerful Joint Budget Committee, was instrumental in proposing legislation that increased the amount the Secretary of State’s o ce reimburses counties for running elections with statewide measures on the ballot. Currently, counties receive between 80 and 90 cents for each active registered voter. Beginning July 2024, the state will pay 45 percent of the cost of any election with state-certi ed ballot content.

Clerks were thrilled - and relieved - with the increase.

“ e additional reimbursement means a great deal to Lincoln County taxpayers who have spent numerous years paying for ballot `real estate’ taken up by state candidates, issues and questions,” said Lincoln

County Clerk Corinne Lengel.

“Sen. Kirkmeyer heard our cry and worked diligently to ensure the state pays its fair share. We appreciate all she did for us and look forward to working with her on future election bills that will help small counties like ours,” she said.

Kirmeyer, a fourth-generation Colorado who has lived in Weld County for 35 years, last year ran for the newly created Congressional District 8. She lost by less than 1 percentage point to Democrat Yadira Caraveo of ornton.

e other lawmakers recognized at the event were Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango, and Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa. Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, will receive his award at a later date.

“ ese lawmakers are valuable partners,” said Fremont County Clerk Justin Grantham, president of the Colorado County Clerks Association. “ ey help make democracy work.”

Kirkmeyer, a former Weld County commissioner, stressed that clerks are partners with the Secretary of State. Clerks run elections; the secretary of state oversees them.

And she dismissed election deniers, who have questioned recent election results and practices, particularly the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

“I may be Republican,” she said, “but I think the election was fair and right.”

Lynn Bartels was a reporter for 35 years, including working for e Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News. She served as the spokeswoman for Secretary of State Wayne Williams, and now occasionally handles communications for the Colorado County Clerks Association.

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Sen. Barbara Kirmeyer, center, is flanked by Lincoln County Clerk Corinne Lengel and La Plata County Clerk Ti any Lee at the Colorado County Clerks Association conference in Durango last week. The Brighton lawmaker was one of four legislators honored by the clerks’ group. COURTESY COLO. COUNTY CLERKS ASSOCIATION

TOP GUN

States Continental Gunnery Meet, which would later evolve into the USAF William Tell Competition. Other derivatives would include Gunsmoke and Red Flag.

Harvey’s unit, the 332nd Fighter Group selected 1st Lt. Harvey, III, 1st Lt. Harry Stewart, Jr., and Capt. Alva Temple. ey were all Black pilots, including the alternate pilot, 1st Lt. Halbert Alexander.

“We met with Col. Davis (Col. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.), prior to leaving for the competition,” Harvey said. “We chit-chatted, and his nal remark was, ‘If you don’t win, don’t come back.’ And with those words of encouragement, o we went.”

It was May of 1949.

e competition for “Top Gun” would prove formidable in the conventional piston category, ying the North American P-51 Mustang and the North American F-82 Twin Mustang. ese were some of the best pilots and aircraft maintenance teams in the country ying some of the most advanced aircraft in inventory.

“And we’re ying the obsolete P-47 underbolt,” Harvey said “It was big, clumsy — and heavy.”

e lineup consisted of two missions of aerial gunnery at 12,000 feet, two missions of aerial gunnery at 20,000 feet, two dive-bombing missions, three skip-bombing missions, and a panelstra ng mission.

“Well, we won the meet,” said Harvey. “Our closest competitor was the P-51 out t… they were only 515,000 points behind us.”

They were the winners, but…

Each year, the Air Force Association publishes an almanac citing overall

“But, each year when that almanac came out, the winner of the 1949 weapons meet was mysteriously listed as ‘unknown,’” Harvey points out. “We didn’t nd out, we, meaning us, the Tuskegee Airmen, didn’t nd out about this magazine until 1995.”

It was only by chance Harvey’s group commander stumbled across an almanac and noticed the winner of the 1949 U.S. Air Force Weapons Meet was “unknown.”

e almanac was corrected in April of 1995 to show the 332nd Fighter Group as the o cial winners of the 1949 weapons meet. ough the records were xed, one more mystery would remain.

‘That trophy will never be on display

As winners of the rst Air Force “Top Gun” competition in the piston-engine division, Harvey and his team were brought into a hotel ballroom where the almost 3-foot tall stainless steel victory cup sat on a table. at was in

a century later.

In 1999, Zellie Rainey-Orr got involved with the Tuskegee Airmen as the result of a Tuskegee Airman pilot from her Mississippi hometown who died in combat — 1st Lt. Quitman Walker.

Rainey-Orr confesses, until that day, she never knew much about the Tuskegee Airmen.

She was about to get a rst-hand lesson from the men who were there.

“I thought I was just gonna go and put a ower on the grave of Quitman Walker,” she said. “I assumed he was buried here in Indianola, Mississippi and that’s when I would learn that no one knew where he was buried.”

Rainey-Orr reached out to the Walker family in an attempt to help locate the airman’s remains.

rough her quest to help, she would eventually meet Alva Temple, the captain of the 1949 ‘Top Gun’ team at a 2004 event to award Walker’s medals posthumously, at Columbus Air Force

Base, Mississippi. It was there that she learned of the missing trophy.

“I just felt a connection,” Rainey-Orr said.

Unable to resist, she began a quest to locate it.

Not knowing what the trophy looked like, and with Temple, at that time, in failing health, she reached out to the family in hopes of nding more details.

Someone in Temple’s family mentioned that there was a newspaper story covering the event, dated May 12, 1949, on a bedroom dresser. at clipping provided Rainey-Orr with enough information to start contacting military bases and museums. Within a week, she received a response from the National Museum of the United States Air Force, in Dayton, Ohio.

“ ey said they had the trophy and attached a photo,” she said.

Rainey-Orr called Temple’s family on Sunday, Aug. 29 to share the good news, but was told Temple had passed the day before.

“It was almost like his spirit guided me,” she said. “I didn’t know the story or the impact. I was just looking for a trophy.”

Oddly, while it took Rainey-Orr less than a week to locate a trophy that had been missing for more than 50 years, it would take her much longer to get the U.S. Air Force to agree to bring it out of mothballs.

“I was talking to the historian at the Air Force Museum, the one who sent the photo, and I said I’d love to come see it,” she recalled. “And he (the historian) said, ‘It’s not on display — and it will never be on display.’”

Rainey-Orr was confused.

She thought that this was an important piece of Air Force history, it was the rst nationwide gunnery compe-

SEE TOP GUN, P7

The 1949 Air Force Annual ‘Top Gun’ Weapons Meet winners pose for an o cial photo with the competition trophy. This would be the last time they would see the trophy — until more than 50 years later. (Left to right) 1st Lt. Halbert Alexander, 1st Lt. Harvey III, Capt. Alva Temple and 1st Lt. Harry Stewart Jr.

COURTESY OF U.S. AIR FORCE

TOP GUN

tition since the end of the war and it was the rst time that Black pilots had participated.

Why wouldn’t they want the trophy displayed?

After a lot of back-and-forth negotiations, the Air Force agreed to let the trophy be shown.

In December of the same year, Air Force Museum representatives took the trophy out of storage and delivered it to Detroit, Michigan, the home of another Tuskegee Top Gun, Harry Stewart, for its rst unveiling at the National Museum of the Tuskegee Airmen’s annual banquet.

After the banquet, the trophy was returned to the museum where it went on permanent display in early 2006.

Harvey was unable to attend the 2004 banquet in Detroit, but Rainey-Orr, who is now an author and Tuskegee Airman historian, prompted him to make the journey to Ohio in 2006.

When asked how he felt upon seeing the trophy on display, Harvey smiled and said, “Feels good. Feels very good — very, very good. Mission accomplished.”

About that 100th birthday

Harvey plans to celebrate his 100th birthday with true ghter pilot air.

He says close to 270 friends, family and guests from around the country, many of them “military brass,” will join him for a private gala celebration in Centennial, Colorado.

ere will be three birthday cakes, one fashioned into the shape of a

Corvair F-102 Delta Dagger — “made of gluten-free marble and cappuccino,” of course.

What does one hope for after blowing out all of those candles?

“Continued good health,” he said. “Continued excellent health.”

And what does 100 years feel like?

Harvey will tell you.

“It doesn’t feel any di erent than the rst year,” he joked. “ Actually, I don’t remember the rst year, but I do remember the second–that’s when I got measles.”

His secret to longevity?

“I try to be a nice person to everybody — until they prove otherwise,” he said. “Just be nice to people. My motto has always been, ‘Do unto others as you have them do unto you.’ I live by that one and it works.”

Rainey-Orr agrees, and describes Harvey, whom she rst met in 2005 as “caring and compassionate.”

“I just like to say he is a real example of what we sow, we get to reap,” she said. “He is a rst in many areas, including becoming the rst Black pilot to y jets in Korea — and often unless he told the stories, they were forgotten.”

While saddened that she’ll miss Harvey’s birthday bash, Rainey-Orr is happy for her friend.

“I’m just so happy he got to live long enough to see the day, and to understand that people really do appreciate his sacri ces in the service of our country,” she said, “because he had comrades who did not. ey survived the war, but didn’t get to see the respect.”

But the big question is, what does the rst ‘Top Gun’ think of the new Top Gun: Maverick movie?

“I liked the rst one better,” Harvey said.

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TRIVIA

1. FOOD & DRINK: What kind of nut is used in a satay?

2. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who is the rst president to have a telephone in the White House?

3. MOVIES: Which actress won an Oscar for her role in “Mary Poppins”?

4. ASTRONOMY: How many planets in our solar system have rings?

5. LITERATURE: e novels “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn” are set in which U.S. state?

6. TELEVISION: How many seasons of “Star Trek” were produced for television?

7. GEOGRAPHY: What is the name of the highest mountain in Greece?

8. SCIENCE: Which plant produces the world’s hottest pepper?

9. ANATOMY: Which hormone regulates blood sugar?

10. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a piebald?

Solution

Answers

1. Peanut.

2. Rutherford B. Hayes.

3. Julie Andrews.

4. Four: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

5. Missouri.

6. ree.

7. Mount Olympus.

8. Carolina Reaper.

9. Insulin.

10. An animal with irregular patches of two colors, usually black and white.

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

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COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

CLASSIFIEDS

Help Wanted Nursing Faculty

Full-Time, 167 work days beginning August, 2023. The faculty member is responsible for instruction to students in the Associate Degree Nursing program. For additional quali cations, full announcement & Employment Application, https://morgancc.applicantpro.com/ jobs/2935855.html and https://morgancc.applicantpro.com/ jobs/2935846.html or call 970-542-3130. EOE

Advisor for Career Technical Education

Full-time, The position advises current and prospective students about college and career opportunities in the manufacturing industry. This position will be the primary contact between students, regional workforce centers, manufacturing/industry partners, secondary schools, and the College regarding available pathways for students. For additional quali cations, full announcement & Employment Application, https://morgancc.applicantpro.com/jobs/2831678.html or call 970-542-3130. EOE

Coordinator of Regional Center - Bennett

Full-time. This position is responsible for assisting with the delivery of credit and non-credit programs to residents of the communities served by the Regional Center. The position has responsibility for coordinating the day-to-day operations of the Center (either in Bennett or Strasburg) under the direction of the Director. This includes assisting with recruiting, testing, advising, and registering students. For additional quali cations, full announcement & Employment Application, https://morgancc.applicantpro.com/jobs/2930398.html or call 970-542-3130. EOE

Director of Human Resources

Full-time. The Director of Human Resources manages the leadership and day-to-day operations of the human resources department. This is a hands-on position requiring data entry as well as coordination of a comprehensive human resources program for the college in coordination with the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). For additional quali cations, full announcement & Employment Application, https://morgancc.applicantpro.com/jobs/2934043.html or call 970-542-3130. EOE

Instructional Coordinator

Full-time. This position exists to manage the operation of the Instructional O ce in collaboration with the Coordinator of Instructional Support. It involves the development, analysis, and evaluation of processes to ensure e ciency and compliance within the Instructional Division. This position facilitates communication between the Instructional O ce and the other areas of the college and provides support services to Deans, VPI, faculty and instructors.

For additional quali cations, full announcement & Employment Application, https://morgancc.applicantpro.com/jobs/2930453.html or call 970-542-3130. EOE

STEM Coach

Full-time. The STEM Coach is responsible for a variety of activities related to intense support services for students in underserved populations interested in STEM elds. This position will provide one-on-one support services primarily for minority, low-income, rst generation, and/or at academic risk students in the STEM programs. For additional quali cations, full announcement & Employment Application, https://morgancc.applicantpro.com/jobs/2837758.html or call 970-542-3130. EOE

Student Support Specialist

Full-time. The primary role of the Student Support & Equipment Specialist is to provide support and training to students in the operation and use of instructional equipment for in-person and remote learning. For additional quali cations, full announcement & Employment Application, https://morgancc.applicantpro.com/ jobs/2665963.html or call 970-542-3130. EOE

CLASSIFIED AD SALES

303-566-4113

classifieds@coloradocommunitymedia.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY ADS

Contact Teresa, 303-566-4125

talexis@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Legals

Metropolitan Districts

Public Notice

NOTICE OF VACANCIES FOR REUNION VILLAGE METROPOLITAN

DISTRICT NOS. 1, 2, 3, 4 AND 5

Pursuant to Section 32-1-808(2)(a)(I), C.R.S., notice is hereby given that one (1) vacancy exists on each of the Board of Directors of the Reunion Village Metropolitan District Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (the “Districts”), respectively. One (1) director may be appointed to the vacant positions on the Board of Directors for each of the Districts to serve until the next regular election, which shall be held on May 6, 2025. Any interested elector may file a letter of interest in such position by mail to: Matt Ruhland, Esq., Cockrel Ela Glesne Greher & Ruhland, P.C., 44 Cook Street, Suite 620, Denver, Colorado 80206.

REUNION VILLAGE METROPOLITAN

DISTRICT NOS. 1, 2, 3, 4 AND 5

By:/s/ Matthew P. Ruhland Attorney for the Districts

Legal Notice No. CCX1095

First Publication: July 13, 2023

Last Publication: July 13, 2023

Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express

Public Notice

NOTICE OF VACANCY FOR REUNION SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURAL METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

Pursuant to Section 32-1-808(2)(a)(I), C.R.S., notice is hereby given that a vacancy exists on the Board of Directors of the Reunion Sports Entertainment and Cultural Metropolitan District. One director may be appointed to the vacant position to serve until the next regular election, which shall be held on May 6, 2025. Any interested elector may file a letter of interest in such position by mail to: Matt Ruhland, Esq., Cockrel Ela Glesne Greher & Ruhland, P.C., 44 Cook Street, Suite 620, Denver, Colorado 80206.

REUNION SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURAL METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

By: /s/ Matthew P. Ruhland Attorney for

the District

Legal Notice No. CCX1097

First Publication: July 13, 2023

Last Publication: July 13, 2023

Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express

Public Notice

NOTICE OF VACANCIES FOR REUNION CENTER METROPOLITAN

DISTRICT NOS. 1, 2, 3, 4 AND 5

Pursuant to Section 32-1-808(2)(a)(I), C.R.S., notice is hereby given that one (1) vacancy exists on each of the Board of Directors of the Reunion Center Metropolitan District Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (the “Districts”), respectively. One (1) director may be appointed to the vacant positions on the Board of Directors for each of the Districts to serve until the next regular election, which shall be held on May 6, 2025. Any interested elector may file a letter of interest in such position by mail to: Matt Ruhland, Esq., Cockrel Ela Glesne Greher & Ruhland, P.C., 44 Cook Street, Suite 620, Denver, Colorado 80206.

REUNION CENTER METROPOLITAN

DISTRICT NOS. 1, 2, 3, 4 AND 5

By:/s/ Matthew P. Ruhland Attorney for

the Districts

Legal Notice No. CCX1093

First Publication: July 13, 2023

Last Publication: July 13, 2023

Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express

Public Notice

NOTICE OF VACANCY FOR REUNION NATURAL RESOURCE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

Pursuant to Section 32-1-808(2)(a)(I), C.R.S., notice is hereby given that a vacancy exists on the Board of Directors of the Reunion Natural Resource Metropolitan District. One director may be appointed to the vacant position to serve until the next regular election, which shall be held on May 6, 2025. Any interested elector may file a letter of interest in such position by mail to: Matt Ruhland, Esq., Cockrel Ela Glesne Greher & Ruhland, P.C., 44 Cook Street, Suite 620, Denver, Colorado 80206.

REUNION NATURAL RESOURCE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

By:/s/ Matthew P. Ruhland Attorney for the District

Legal Notice No. CCX1096

First Publication: July 13, 2023

Last Publication: July 13, 2023

Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express

Public Notice

NOTICE OF VACANCIES FOR REUNION RIDGE METROPOLITAN

DISTRICT NOS. 1, 2, 3 AND 4

Pursuant to Section 32-1-808(2)(a)(I), C.R.S., notice is hereby given that one (1) vacancy exists on each of the Board of Directors of the Reunion Ridge Metropolitan District Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 (the “Districts”), respectively. One (1) director may be appointed to the vacant positions on the Board of Directors for each of the Districts to serve until the next regular election, which shall be held on May 6, 2025. Any interested elector may file a letter of interest in such position by mail to: Matt Ruhland, Esq., Cockrel Ela Glesne Greher & Ruhland, P.C., 44 Cook Street, Suite 620, Denver, Colorado 80206.

REUNION RIDGE METROPOLITAN

DISTRICT NOS. 1, 2, 3 AND 4

By:/s/ Matthew P. Ruhland Attorney

for the Districts

Legal Notice No. CCX1094

First Publication: July 13, 2023

Last Publication: July 13, 2023

Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express

Metro Districts Budget Hearings

Public Notice

NOTICE AS TO PROPOSED 2022 AMENDED BUDGET

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that amended 2022 budget has been submitted to Riverdale Dunes Metropolitan District. A copy of such proposed budgets has been filed at the offices of Pinnacle Consulting Group, Inc., 550 West Eisenhower Blvd., Loveland, Colorado 80537, where the same is open for public inspection. The Board of Directors will consider the adoption of the proposed budget of the District at a regular meeting of Riverdale Dunes Metropolitan District to be held via Zoom on Monday, July 17, 2023, at 6:00 pm. Any interested elector of Riverdale Dunes Metropolitan District may inspect the proposed budget at the offices of Pinnacle Consulting Group, Inc., 550 West Eisenhower Blvd., Loveland, CO 80537, and file or register any objections at any time prior to the final adoption of the budget.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

RIVERDALE DUNES METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

By: /s/ Jordan Wood, District Administrator

Legal Notice No. CCX1092

First Publication: July 13, 2023

Last Publication: July 13, 2023

Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express

Bids and Settlements

Public Notice

NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT

Notice is hereby given that on or after July 30, 2023 at 8:00 AM local time, final settlement shall be made by the City of Commerce City, Colorado with:

Hallmark Inc. 5085 Harlan St. Denver Co, 80212

Hereinafter called the “Contractor”, for and on account of the Contract: “E.72nd. Ave. and Quebec Parkway Underpass Improvements”, Project Number PRG2022-003, hereinafter called the “Project,” for the City of Commerce City, Colorado.

1. Any person or entity 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 his sub-contractors, in or about the performance of said work, may at any time up to and including said time and date of such final settlement, file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claims.

2.All such claims shall be filed with the Commerce City, Parks Capital Projects Manager at 13905 E.112th. Ave., Commerce City, CO 80022.

3.Failure on the part of a creditor to file such a statement prior to such final settlement will relieve the City of Commerce City from any and all liability for such claim. City of Commerce City, Colorado Parks, Recreation and Golf Tony Jaramillo

Parks Capital Projects Manager (303) 944-9112

Legal Notice No. CCX1091

First Publication: July 13, 2023

Last Publication: July 20, 2023

Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express ###