Commerce City Sentinel Express 090723

Adams County, Anythink libraries name Poet Laureate

Kerrie Joy hopes to inspire community for next two years, and beyond

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Expect Adams County to be a little more lyrical for the next two years.

In joint e ort with Anything Libraries, Adams County Parks, Open Space & Cultural Arts named its rst poet laureate, Kerry Joy.

Joy will serve that role during the library’s two-year-long program “Sincerely.”

“One of the greatest impacts that I hope to have is that individuals fall further in love with themselves through these words and through these communal events,” says Joy. “ at’s always the greatest hope.”

With the joint initiative, Joy will perform several events at Anything and Adams County locations, engaging with the community through performance and writing sessions promoting her art through literature as an ambassador for Adams County.

Joy is based in Denver and is a poet, singer-songwriter, storyteller, educator, and revolutionary. She creates poetry through hip-hop, song, graphic design, and fashion.

Stacie Ledden, director of strategic partnerships for Anythink, said Joy’s role as Adams County Poet Laureate is designed to nd engaging ways to interact

State student performance lags amid disparities

BY LUCAS BRADY WOODS KUNC

Colorado elementary, middle and high school students’ academic performance improved over the last year, but it’s still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels. On top of that, there are alarming disparities between students, according to the latest student assessment data released this week by the Colorado Department of Education.

“We certainly are seeing those persistent and troubling gaps,” Colorado’s Education Commissioner Susana Córdova said. “We need to double down on addressing the historic gaps between different groups of students. is has been a priority for a long time, but we really need to focus our support and resources on students who need it the most. We certainly are seeing those persistent and troubling gaps.”

e data tracked students at fteen schools across Colorado over the 2022-2023 academic year. It was the rst year schools saw more typical schedules since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“ is is probably our new normal,” Chief Assessment O cer Joyce Zurkowski said. “So we’re hoping to nd some consistency. Districts and schools are still making instructional adjustments to address the missed learning opportunities that occurred during those pandemic days.”

e largest performance gaps over the 2022-2023 academic

SEE DISPARITIES, P6

Poet Kerry Joy

COURTESY PHOTOGRAPHER IS RYAN LANDELL

Premier Members Credit Union hosting food drive

Premier Members Credit Union will be collecting donations for local food pantries during the entire month of August. Visit your local Premier Members Credit Union branch, or their corporate offices in Broomfield to donate. Each branch chose a local food pantry to donate to ensure all donations stay local to that community.

Locally, five branches of the

credit union are hosting collections sites. They include locations at 755 E. 144th Ave. in Thornton, the sites at 10339 N. Federal Blvd and 8440 Federal Blvd. in Westminster and the locations in Firestone and Erie.

“We always want to provide support to our local communities,” said Carlos Pacheco, CEO of Premier Members Credit Union.

“One of our company pillars is Premier: Gives, where we provide the communities we serve

with funds and employee volunteers to support initiatives of education, financial literacy, and basic needs. This food drive will help many members of our communities to thrive.”

A Stroll in the Garden for CASA

The 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.

This 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 court-appointed 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

The Adams County Human Services Department is partnering with local nonprofit Work Options to provide a free culinary training program for residents. Program participants train with professional chefs over a sixweek course and earn certifications and up to $400 per month. Work Options also offers 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. The café is located on the third floor of HSC. Learn more about the program at workoptions.org.

with the community through poetry by helping residents of all ages and backgrounds fall in love with the art form and inspire them towards creating original works based on their experiences.

“In this inaugural year, Joy will spark and fuel civic dialogue, amplify voices, break down barriers between the community and poetry as an art form, and enrich the lives of Adams County residents through access to arts and culture. ‘Sincerely’ will have three main components: a public programming series, commissioned poetry and original works, and public readings,” Ledden said.

Shimmering energy

e Adams County Arts & Culture Commission member Evan Siegel said Joy brings shimmering, compassionate energy.

“She will leave you breathless, for her work presents a constant unfolding of ruthless self-revelation with a deep a rmation of her care for all of us, “ Siegel said.

“And yet she will also ll you with life; for her poetry, while built on the rhythms of the ages, is grounded in our moment, reaching out to us to show us love and a way of living with nobility,” he added.

Ledden said Anthink and the Adams County Arts & Culture Commission are excited to bring “Sincerely” and Joy’s unique poetry to the community of Adams County.

“Joy’s passion for poetry, community, and representation will inspire future generations of poets locally. Many people may not yet see poetry as a tool for expression, healing, and cultural understanding – Kerrie is the perfect person to engage in these creative discussions while showcasing her own voice and talent,” Ledden said.

“You will want to hear her, you will want to be with her, and you will want to learn from her. It is our wish that the presence of Kerrie Joy will be a great gift for the people of Adams County,” Siegel said.

Joy was selected through a competitive process that began with an open call in search of eligible Coloradobased poets connected to Adams County.

e candidates were required to submit self-published works of art such as reading, spoken word, performance experience, and community project experience.

e Jury Selection Committee was comprised of the Adams County Arts & Culture Commission members and representatives from the Adams County Parks, Open Space & Cultural Arts Department, and Anythink Libraries.

King James inspired

Joy was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in upstate New York, Newburgh, and has been in Colorado for about seven years.

Joy said she developed writing poetry when she was about 11 years old.

“I grew up legalistic loving family, my parents are natural-born citizens of Jamaica, so they migrated to Brooklyn about two years before I was born. I grew in a Pentecostal religion, my mother is Pentecostal. It has a strong presence in Jamaica,” Joy said.

She started to perform poetry when she was about 21 and has been performing the craft of poetry for over a decade.

“It was the environment that I grew up in, and the church would tend to rule my household more than my mother. So whatever they said, would be applicable to our lives as opposed to whatever rules she personally abided by,” she added.

Joy said she grew up attending church ve out of seven days each week for di erent reasons and reading the Bible. at’s how her relationship with words began.

“If you know anything about the King James Version in the Bible it’s very poetic,” Joy said. “In general, there’s a lot of parables, there are a lot of books within the Bible that, that are clearly poetic, like Psalms, Songs of Solomon, proverbs, things of that nature of Ecclesiastes,” Joy said.

“ ere’s a lot of my favorite works of literature,” she said. “In retrospect, considering the fact that I’ve been able to take the oppressive nature of it and remove that from my personal life, it’s where it began and really shaped my understanding of how to use words in the Bible.”

Joy said she doesn’t have formal training but listens to what is inside and found a way to communicate outside of her and connect to people, which resonated.

“I have a poem that says, ‘I speak because I’m spoken to’,” Joy said.

Future

Joy said she performs in the spoken word scene more than anything. Written prose was always a part of her life, but she kept her written pieces private.

“I shared getting on stage and performing so I tapped into the spoken word world immediately once I found out when I was about 20, to 21- years old,” Joy said.

Joy’s goal is to have some written pieces and release a book before the end of her term in Adams County.

“I’ve been talking with Adams County and Anthink Libraries about a compilation of some sort, re ecting on the two years that we’re working together, and hopefully incorporate poetry and other written works from other Adam County residents as part of the process,” Joy said.

No matter what, she hopes to continue to challenge herself as a creative person.

“I’m a poet, and I believe everything I do is poetry, no matter how it shows up creatively,” she said. “I am a singer; I’m a songwriter, and I am a lover of fashion. I’m an event curator. I want to see how I can nd as many ways as possible to bring poetry into the world through every medium I possibly can,” Joy said.

Joy said she had ideas about collaborating with other visual artists and using augmented reality to display poetry di erently.

“So if that happens during this term, or even after, those are some things I have been kind of chewing and want to see how they have a manifest,” Joy said.

Joy said one of the events she plans to put on during this term is a poetic fashion show.

“I create an original piece and work with designers to nd somehow incorporating the words into the clothing so as the models are walking on the fashion show, they are living epistles, and it’s great,” Joy said.

She’s done that once before, to great e ect.

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Security, construction and salaries at 27J

BY SCOTT TAYLOR STAYLOR@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

With the school year underway, Adams County School District 27J’s School Superintendent Chris Fiedler updated Brighton and Commerce City leaders on the district’s progress.

“We will be at little over 23,000 students, based on enrollment numbers,” Fiedler told councilors. “When I started in’05, I think there were about 11,000 and at the turn of the century there were about 5,000.”

e city of Brighton hosted a joint meeting with the school district and councilors and sta from Commerce City Aug. 29 at Brighton’s Eagle View Adult Center. Each group o ered a quick update about their doings, but the bulk of the meeting was reserved to discuss the school district.

Voters in Brighton, Commerce City and ornton approved a mill levy override for eight mills to provide for school safety, retention of teachers and new construction in 2022 for the district. Voters in the 27J District had not approved a property for the school district since 2000.

Fiedler told the o cials from the two cities that the property tax increase is expected to generate $17.7 million spread across three areas. About $2.8 million is dedicated to career and technical education. e district is using $2.2 million to upgrade its buildings and programs, with $554,393

going to charter schools.

e next $6.7 million is going to safety and security upgrades at the district’s schools, about $5.3 million for the district and $1.3 million to charter schools. e largest portion of $8.3 million is dedicated to teacher and sta compensation, with about $6.7 million going to the district’s schools and $1.7 million going to charter schools in the district’s area.

Construction progress

e school district’s rst CTE center opened Aug. 16 at the district’s newest school, Riverdale Ridge in ornton.

e district has planned ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the two remaining high school CTE centers at Brighton High School and Prairie View High School, on Sept. 11.

Fiedler said he’s pleased that the new centers allow the students to get their career classes without impinging on their other classes.

“We are proud of the fact that we have CT centers at each of the high schools. e students can walk out of class in the main building to take their class and then walk back and take their history or whatever in the main building,” he said. “Many districts around us favor the center model, but the students have to travel back and forth. is way, every student has access to the 36 industry certi cates that are available.”

He said the work at Brighton High

School, which was built in the 1955, was the most challenging of the three.

“ e two others are more modern buildings,” he said. “It was kind of a fresh start. But this was by far the most di cult in terms of staging and in terms of space. But we are open and

Fiedler said there are other construction projects to look forward too.

e district hopes to begin work on its sixth middle school at 152nd and Holly in ornton and it’s fourth high school 96th Ave. and Reunion Parkway in Commerce City soon.

“ at will be rst high school in Commerce City since they opened Adams City,” Fiedler said. “So if you are paying attention, it’s been minute.”

Security upgrades

Fiedler said the property tax increase has allowed the district to bolster security at all the schools.

“Previous to mill levy override’s success we had a two person security team,” Fiedler said. “ ey were the sole folks in charge of that, along with the army of others, the principals and teachers.”

Each city has a dedicated safety specialist and the district has also upgraded sta security training and added security and emergency radios.

Each high school and middle school has dedicated school resource o cers, as well as campus supervisors and each of the district’s 13 elementary schools now has a dedicated security

guard.

“And I will say, they look the part,” Fiedler said. “ ey have body armor, uniform and a weapon. ey are pretty visible presence at our schools. e vast majority of feedback has been positive. I’ve gotten call or two about ‘Why is there armed security at our school?’“

He believes it’s having an impact. For the rst ten days of the 2022-23 school year, the district reported 366 events requiring a security response. “ is year, at the start of the year, for the rst ten days we had 142 total events,” he said. “We feel really good about that.”

Sta retention

e largest portion of the tax increase is going to increasing pay for teachers and classi ed sta .

“We’ve increased our base salary for teachers by about $9,000, so it’s all the way up to $52,000 now,” he said. “It’s about a 60% increase for teachers and a 12% increase for classi ed folks. ose are the bus drivers, the employees at the schools.”

He said the district just concluded salary negotiations with the teachers this spring.

“We haven’t had the money to do that before and we have good working relationships with both employee associations,” Fiedler said. “So it’s great to do spring negotiations when you have the money.”

April 17, 1940 - August 22, 2023

Born in Brighton, Colorado in 1940, Ron, or “Doc Bailey” or “Ice Man” as he was known by many University of Nevada - Reno athletes and students passed on August 22nd, 2023.

A resident of Reno for over fty years, Ron came to UNR as the rst certi ed Athletic Trainer for the university which he served for a decade and then joined the faculty as a member of the Recreation, Physical Education and Dance.

Ron was very active in sports as a high school student. He was selected for the Colorado All-State football and basketball teams and was All Conference in baseball.

He graduated from Colorado State, now known as the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Physical Education with emphasis on physical therapy at Sacramento State and an Ed.D at the University of Utah in Recreation Administration and Education. He was pastpresident of the State of Nevada Parks and Recreation Society and of the Sierra Sage Men’s Golf Club.

Ron was married to Sandra Russell Bailey when they both were employed at Galt High School near Sacramento. ey moved to Reno with their son, Todd and were later

blessed with the arrival of their second son, Jay.

Ron was passionate about the Denver Broncos and about racquetball, golf, sailing and bicycling. e high-light of his week was a nickel-dime-quarter poker game with a group of friends including life-long friend Keith Loper, notorious for wild, boisterous games for over 40 years. Ron and family especially enjoyed trips to the Southwest and walks around their semi-rural south Reno neighborhood on the “cow trail.” eir trips to Europe, Mexico and the Southwest were memorable. A man of unparalleled honesty, Ron was known for returning to a bank in Mexico City because the teller had made an error in an exchange rate transaction and over-paid him.

Ron was the son of Gilbert (Sam) Bailey and Ludvina Stoecklein and brother of Sharon Pollard (Ray) of Watagua, Texas, Gloria Mazzocco (Dave) of Broom eld, Colorado and Susan Ewing (Kirk) of Keenesburg, Colorado, his three granddaughters, Kassidy, Rory and Savannah and numerous nieces and nephews.

No funeral or memorial will be held. A private family gathering will mark his passing.

BAILEY Ron Bailey

Grants for teachers o ered

BY ERICA MELTZER CHALKBEAT COLORADO

Colorado teachers can get up to $1,000 toward classroom learning materials. O er good while supplies last.

Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova announced the grant opportunity —a partnership with the website DonorsChoose —at Westview Elementary School in Northglenn in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district ursday.

e money —$11 million in total —comes from federal pandemic relief money intended to help students recover from COVID learning disruptions. In their applications, teachers will have to describe how the materials will contribute to learning recovery. Examples could include equipment for science experiments, games and puzzles to bolster reading skills, or hands-on materials that help students learn multiplication or fractions.

Córdova said she knows teachers dig into their own pockets every year —sometimes to the tune of hundreds of dollars —to make their classrooms inviting and engaging places for learning. She said this grant complements other pandemic relief initiatives that aim to make bigger changes for lots of kids, such as paying for new curriculum or tutoring. By allowing individual teachers to apply for money, the state can match federal money to local needs and know the money “would go

directly into classrooms.”

e money comes from the second round of federal pandemic relief. e state has until Sept. 30 to distribute that money.

“We know this will be very popular, and the funding probably won’t last very long,” Córdova said.

Second grade teacher Jenny Lage recalled a project she did last year in which her students used Play-Doh to build animal habitats that were displayed in a miniature art show. Her students loved it and learned a lot. ey also had to make do with a single container of Play-Doh per child.

Having money to cover more materials means she can design more hands-on learning, and students stay more engaged, she said. It even means fewer behavioral problems.

Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and Oklahoma have done similar projects with pandemic relief dollars.

To participate, teachers should go to the DonorsChoose Colorado Instruction Page. DonorsChoose will review requests. Qualifying applications will typically be funded in two to ve days. DonorsChoose will withhold its suggested donation and sales taxes from the grant amount.

e application is open now, and requests will be lled on a rstcome, rst-serve basis until the funding runs out.

Chalkbeat is a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools.

DISPARITIES

year were among Black and Latino students, students with nancial barriers, those with disabilities and multilingual students. Black and Latino students as well as students who speak English as a second language saw some of the widest performance gaps, with scores around 35% lower than their peers.

Students who quali ed for free or reduced school lunches and those on individualized education plans to accommodate disabilities scored around 30% lower than their peers. e data also highlighted a disparity in performance between female and male students. Boys in Colorado have, on average, surpassed prepandemic performance levels, but girls have not. eir overall perfor-

POET

“I’ve gotten a lot of requests to bring that back. It going to be something that I’ll be doing again,” she

mance scores over the last year were several percentage points lower than boys.

“It’s very good news that we’re seeing the rebound for boys,” Córdova said. “ at is reason to acknowledge and say something is going better for our boys. When our girls are still decreasing, something’s not going right for our girls. We need to have a better understanding of what’s happening with girls in the state and to devote more focus and support.”

Boys may have performed better than girls on average, especially in math, but girls outperformed boys in English Language Arts. e assessment report did not include data on nonbinary or LGBTQ+ students.

Colorado student performance also varied by academic subject and grade level, which was measured for third through eighth grade students. Language arts performance levels mostly saw some improvement from

added.

Joy said her previous series, called Unstudied, sheds light on many jazz musicians, speci cally the musicians, that made up Denver’s the Harlem of the West.

“I am working with local artists who are still making sure the music

the 2021-2022 school year. Elementary school English scores are getting close to pre-pandemic levels, but upper grades are still lagging by several points. Spanish language skills saw an even greater lag. ird graders scored about 9% lower in Spanish than they did in 2019. Only about one in three students are at the level they should be in science.

Students’ math performance, however, saw the most progress, with scores surpassing 2022 levels.

ey are still lagging behind prepandemic levels, however, especially for students in seventh and eighth grades.

Córdova said all of the data included in the assessment report will help her department and state lawmakers use resources e ectively to move Colorado’s education system in the right direction.

“It really does provide the roadmap for our schools and districts, as they

scene is ourishing, blossoming and evolving, but we pay homage to those who paved the way,” she said, “It’s what unstudied is about. I’ll be doing that throughout this program, but have been doing that already.”

Event planning and curation has been a part of her life for a few years

think about designing their uni ed improvement plan,” Córdova said. “It gives us information at a state level to determine where we need to place more focus and energy. It really is about sharing the information transparently and understanding what we’re seeing in terms of trends and then how we allocate support and resources to districts.”

Córdova credited recent investments from the state for the better-than-expected performance in math. House Bill 1231 passed earlier this year and created a state grant program to support academic acceleration in mathematics. e measure also provided funding for the Department of Education to provide math training for teachers and compile a list of high quality math teaching materials.

is KUNC story via e Associated Press’ Storyshare, of which Colorado Community Media is a member.

now, Joy said.

“I have a lot of events at any point in time by meeting someone, and I’d love to collaborate. When I meet people who have ideas, we can gure out ways to work together, and we do.

To learn more about Kerry Joy, visit: https://kerriejoy.com/

(BPT) - Did you know you can start protecting your baby against u while you are still pregnant? For pregnant people, getting a u shot is the rst and most important action you can take to protect both yourself and your baby from u and its potentially serious complications.

You may have heard that pregnant people are at higher risk of getting very sick and being hospitalized with u. is may be because of changes in the immune system, heart and lungs during pregnancy. Flu also may be harmful to a pregnant person’s developing baby. A common u symptom, fever, has been associated in some studies with adverse outcomes for a developing baby. Additionally, babies younger than 6 months are at higher risk of getting very sick from u, but they are too young to be vaccinated themselves.

FLU SHOT BENEFITS FOR YOU AND YOUR BABY

But there is some great news about u shots for pregnant people and their babies. Studies show a u shot during pregnancy protects pregnant people from u during and after pregnancy. Vaccination during pregnancy also protects the infant during the rst few months after birth when they are too young to get vaccinated themselves. One study showed fewer cases of infants with in uenza in mothers who received the vaccine compared to those mothers who were not vaccinated, displaying a high degree of vaccine e ectiveness. is is because, as a pregnant parent, you pass your antibodies on to your developing baby during your pregnancy.

WHEN TO PROTECT YOU AND YOUR BABY

A u shot can be given during any trimester of pregnancy. For most pregnant people, September and October are generally good times to be vaccinated. For pregnant people in their third trimester, however, vaccination during July or August can be considered to provide optimal protection against u for the baby after birth, when they are too young to get vaccinated. is information is outlined in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidance for the prevention of u through vaccination for the 2023-2024 season, which was adopted by CDC’s director as CDC policy on June 28, 2023.

GET YOUR FLU SHOT TODAY!

ere are many di erent options for you to get a u shot, including at a health care provider’s o ce, at work, a pharmacy, some stores or even supermarkets. Speak to your health care provider today to learn more about how a u shot can protect you and your baby, and to access information about the importance of all maternal vaccinations including Tdap, COVID-19 and HepB vaccines. You can learn more about u and pregnancy at cdc.gov/ u/ highrisk/pregnant.htm.

Are you pregnant?

Here’s how to protect yourself and your baby against flu

Winter months bring the trifecta of illness Will 2023 have high numbers of flu, RSV, and COVID?

With colder months just around the corner, that means it’s time to start thinking about and preparing for the trifecta of illnesses that comes with winter. In 2022, the trifecta was a word used to describe the unseasonably high number of cases of COVID, in uenza and, on the rise in recent years, RSV, also known as a respiratory syncytial virus.

Not only has the increased number of RSV cases caused worries for health o cials across the Front Range, but the early onset of when they start seeing patients ll hospital rooms is a concern.

In 2021, from Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree to Children’s Hospital Colorado campuses across the metro area, doctors said they were seeing RSV cases in August and September, which is uncommon for a respiratory virus that is more common during what is considered u season.

Flu season generally runs between October and February, with the height of cases popping up between December and February.

RSV, usually a respiratory issue that a ects children, is also being seen in more adults over the last few years.

Dr. Ben Usatch, UCHealth emergency-room director at Highlands Ranch Hospital, said there is an RSV vaccine available this year. While noting it is not new, Usatch said attention to the vaccine has increased as more adults, especially senior citizens, are coming down with RSV.

Symptoms of RSV include runny nose, decreased appetite, coughing, sneezing, fever, and wheezing. More severe cases require hospitalization, especially for infants and toddlers.

According to the Colorado Department of Health and Wellness, since October 2022 there have been 2,597 RSV hospital admissions in

Douglas, Je erson, Arapahoe and Adams counties.

ere have been 4,174 COVID hospital admissions in the four-county stretch along the Front Range. In u cases, the state health department has tracked 1,502 admissions.

Usatch said that while he does not have any real studies to back it up, he believes when schools and society shut down during the pandemic, immune systems were weakened

Usatch said once the masks came o , immune systems were put back to work, and that could be the reason for more cases of u, COVID-19 and RSV in 2021 and 2022.

Agreeing with Usatch, Dr. Matt Mendenhall, chief medical o cer at AdventHealth Littleton, said unmasking invited cold seasons to return. During the stretch of the

pandemic when nearly everyone wore masks, colds, RSV and the u were almost nonexistent.

“Last year was a bit overwhelming since it all returned and caught like wild re,” Mendenhall said. “I have never seen an RSV season like last year. e worry this year is if RSV will overwhelm our healthcare systems again.”

Still, Mendenhall said he is optimistic about RSV in 2023, given there have been approved vaccinations for older adults, while the FDA approved Beyfortus for infants.

Beyfortus, a monoclonal antibody, is approved for infants and toddlers 24 months and younger, who are the most vulnerable to RSV.

In the upcoming season, Usatch said he believes things could be better than the last two years because disease resistance has increased as

people have returned to ordinary living.

Usatch said the increase in tracking cases is also because doctors learned a lot more during the pandemic, meaning they are more vigilant in checking for everything. Doctors now check for COVID, u and RSV.

“Our box has become much bigger for what we are looking for,” he said.

Usatch said while the general public has seemingly moved on from COVID, cases exist and the virus still spreads quicker than other illnesses.

“With COVID continually mutating, we have to watch out,” he said.

“We have to see what other health issues come with it. Is the (new mu-

By elma Grimes

tation) more spreadable? Is it more contagious?”

COVID continues to create issues for health o cials worldwide, as the omicron variant was more prevalent in 2022.

In March, the World Health Organization, or WHO, said the omicron viruses account for over 98% of COVID cases since February 2022. ere are now two new COVID variants worrying health o cials, with the EG.5 variant being the most dominant strain in the U.S. In August, the Centers for Disease Control estimated that the EG.5 strain makes up about 20.6% of all new COVID infections.

On Aug. 9, WHO reported that the EG.5 variant poses a low public health risk, saying it is similar to past variants.

However, EG.5 is just as contagious as past variants. Globally, WHO reported that there have been over 1 million new COVID-19 cases and more than 3,100 deaths reported since July.

Since 2020, WHO reported that there have been 768 million conrmed COVID cases and 6.9 million deaths.

When it comes to u season, Mendenhall said he is less optimistic. Each year, U.S. health o cials try to gauge u season during the summer months when it’s wintertime in Australia.

In July, Australian health o cials said this year’s u season is worse than pre-pandemic numbers in 2019 and one of the worst on record.

Mendenhall said like the U.S., Australian vaccination numbers have decreased since the pandemic, with fewer residents getting the u shot. e controversy surrounding COVID has hurt vaccinations in other areas, Mendenhall said, stressing that politics in healthcare has created some hardships since 2020.

Usatch said the u vaccination is vital to decreasing hospital admissions during winter months. While the vaccine is not 100% e ective, it does decrease a person’s chances of catching u or risking complications from it.

“It’s not about being a good or bad vaccine,” Usatch said. “( ose making the vaccine) consider recent

HEALTH & WELLNESS 2023

strains and work to make the best guess for the new vaccine and hope that it covers a lot of strains. Vaccines are just great tools for people to take advantage of.”

Mendenhall said it’s important for residents to listen to their physicians and follow the science when it comes to preparing for the upcoming season.

“ e science is clear — vaccines protect from illness,” he said.

Both COVID and u vaccinations are expected in September this year. Mendenhall said for COVID vaccinations this year, it’s important to remember that the government is no longer paying for shots. is year, residents will have to rely on insurance or themselves to pay for them.

Usatch said vaccinations are the best option to decrease cases in the upcoming season.

“You really got to start vaxing up in September and October,” Usatch said. “ ere is a new COVID vaccination this year, there is more access to RSV vaccinations, and for those who qualify, there is a pneumococcal vaccine.”

e pneumococcal vaccine is usually available to vulnerable citizens aged 65 and older. e vaccine prevents pneumococcal pneumonia.

According to the American Lung Association website, pneumococcal pneumonia is the most common type of bacterial pneumonia, with the risk increasing with a person’s age and certain chronic conditions.

Pneumococcal pneumonia can develop after a person has been infected with a viral cold or u.

Besides getting vaccinated, Usatch said the best way to combat the trifecta of viruses that can spread in and beyond the metro area is to be vigilant.

“Pay attention to your environment,” he said. “Pay attention to yourself. If you are sick, you need to respect your coworkers and stay home. We have tools and tests to do surveillance and understand what’s out there, but most importantly, you need to keep yourself protected. Keep yourself healthy.”

Mendenhall also advised parents to be cautious with children going to school. School-aged children showing symptoms of RSV, u, COVID or a cold should be kept home.

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HEALTH & WELLNESS 2023

Community Drug Overdose Prevention Successes in New Resources

CDC Shares

(BPT) - Drug overdoses are preventable, yet more than one million people died from a drug overdose between 1999 and 2021. Every day, almost 300 people lose their lives due to drug overdose. Public health professionals, policymakers and communities all play a role in preventing overdose deaths. Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) is a CDC-funded program that helps state and local health departments, and the communities they serve, to get high-quality, timelier data on nonfatal and fatal drug overdoses and use those data to inform prevention and response e orts. CDC supports OD2A-funded communities in their ability to address drug overdoses by providing access to subject matter experts and tailored technical assistance, and overdose prevention resources. “ e impact of this crisis is far-reaching, touching the lives of our families, friends and neighbors in deeply personal and profound ways. By prioritizing successful prevention and response e orts and providing tailored tools and resources, we can help ensure everyone has access to the care and support they need to live healthy, ful lling lives - building stronger, more resilient communities,” says Christopher M. Jones, PharmD, DrPH, MPH (CAPT U.S. Public Health Service), Director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

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Sharing state and local overdose prevention and response strategies

CDC developed the OD2A Case Studies to capture in-depth information from funded jurisdictions about current and emerging practices related to overdose prevention and response. Designed for public health practitioners, these case studies share examples that can be adapted at the state and local levels. Partners on the ground asked for more relevant and applicable strategies, so CDC identi ed six key topic areas for interviews, analysis and write-ups in these case studies.

• Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are preventable, potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years).

• Harm reduction is a public health approach that focuses on reducing the harmful consequences of drug use.

• Linkage to care is the process of connecting people at risk of overdose to evidence-based treatment, services and support.

• Public safety-led post-overdose outreach can help identify people at higher risk of overdose by linking them to care and other overdose prevention and harm reduction e orts.

• State and local health departments are uniquely positioned to respond to the drug over-

dose crisis, with the authority to enact policies, deploy resources and coordinate various partners.

• Reducing stigma at multiple levels and creating a culture of change is important to helping people at risk of overdose.

Helping communities put effective practices to work

When people’s lives are on the line, integrated data and e ective programs help communities take action to protect people from drug overdose and related harms. e overdose crisis requires prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction e orts that are tailored to promote optimal health for all.

Communities are demonstrating innovation in reducing overdose and are sharing compelling examples of collaboration and teamwork. CDC is showcasing these so that communities can learn from each other. Beyond promoting the critical work that continues nationwide, tools and resources like the OD2A Case Studies encourage applying solutions that work to help communities that need it most.

For additional OD2A resources or to learn more about how CDC is working to prevent overdoses and substance use-related harms visit: https:// www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/od2a/index.html/.

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United Power expands solar generation with deal

release.

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Front Range electric cooperative United Power made a step to bolster it’s solar power resources with a new agreement this month.

e cooperative signed a 25-year power purchase deal with OneEnergy on Aug. 17 to provide all output to its planned overland solar project beginning in 2024, according to the new

“ is agreement is attractive because it leverages solar production right here in the cooperative’s service territory,” United Power President and CEO Mark A. Gabriel said in a written statement. “ e 10 megawatt project will be directly tied into one of the co-op’s existing substations. at means clean, renewable power will be generated nearby and delivered to United Power members.”

According to o cials, OneEnergy is expanding community solarenergy projects to create distributed generation

SEE UNITED, P16

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SPONSOREDBY:

Dean Hubbuck, SVP, and Chief Energy Resource O cer for United Power; Mark A. Gabriel, President and CEO for United Power; Gavin Berg, Vice President of Development for OneEnergy; and Nathan Stottler, Associate Director, Development for OneEnergy. COURTESY BY UNITED POWER

Cooperative to work with OneEnergy Hudson solar plant

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Solution

1. TELEVISION: Which animated series stars a precocious toddler named Stewie Gri n?

2. GEOGRAPHY: Where are the Diomede Islands located?

3. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Former President Jimmy Carter served in which branch of the military?

4. LITERATURE: Which 20th-century novel featured a character named Boo Radley?

5. U.S. STATES: What animal is featured on California’s state ag?

6. HISTORY: Which U.S. state was the last to remove a ban on interracial marriage?

7. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of sharks called?

8. AD SLOGANS: Which products were advertised with a slogan that called them

“indescribably delicious”?

9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What shape has been used in U.S. stop signs since the 1920s?

10. PSYCHOLOGY: What irrational fear is represented by the condition called alektorophobia?

Answers

1. “Family Guy”

2. e Bering Strait, between Alaska and Siberia

3. Navy

4. “To Kill a Mockingbird”

5. A bear

6. Alabama in 2000

7. A shiver

8. Mounds and Almond Joy candy bars

9. Octagon

10. A fear of chickens

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Pets

Colorado revives ‘cash for clunkers,’ o ers $6,000 for an old car you trade for an EV

BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN

Car buyers, re up your internet and get your websites pre-loaded.

e Colorado electric vehicle cash-for-clunkers program has begun with $6,000 in extra rebates available to the rst few hundred people who sign up and are willing to turn in an older fossil-fuel powered car. ose participating in Vehicle Exchange Colorado must apply the $6,000 toward a qualifying new or leased electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or take $4,000 o a used EV.

Electri cation rebates tend to go fast. (See: “e-bike rebates/crashed servers” in your search bar.) Colorado has $1.8 million for the rst year of the clunkers exchange rebates, and hopes to expand the budget for the next scal year starting in July 2024. Colorado Energy O ce program manager Ed Piersa said the state expects the exchange program to last for years and ramp up nancing if it proves popular.

Let’s jump right to the biggest questions about the clunkers exchange:

Why is Colorado doing this, and whose money is being used?

e Colorado program has a few goals: Promote equity in the electri cation revolution in the state by using an income-quali ed exchange program to make EVs cheaper to more people, while also taking older, higher-emissions fossil fuel cars o the road. Colorado has pledged to get 940,000 EVs on state roads by 2030, and has also launched various rules and programs to promote environmental justice and economic equity along the way.

e money comes from new fees implemented when the state transportation department’s funding and spending were overhauled in the

legislature in 2021. What quali es me for $6,000 in extra EV rebates?

ere’s a multi-part test for this answer. First, you have to be incomequali ed, meaning you make less than 80% of the median income in your county, or have already qualied for a government assistance program like Medicaid or SNAP food bene ts.

Second, you have to purchase a new or used EV that costs less than $50,000 from a dealer quali ed to be in the state rebate program. e

Legals

Bids and Settlements

Public Notice

NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT

Notice is hereby given that on or after September 25, 2023 at 8:00 AM local time, final settlement shall be made by the City of Commerce City, Colorado with:

Heritage Links P.O. Box 16390, Little Rock, AR, 72231

Hereinafter called the “Contractor”, for and on account of the Contract: “Buffalo Run Irrigation Replacement”, Project Number 2021-PRG-004, 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, Golf Course Manager at 15700 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

Buffalo Run Golf Course

Paul Hebinck

Golf Course Manager (303) 289-1500

Legal Notice No. CCX1143

First Publication: September 7, 2023

Last Publication: September 14, 2023 Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express

Public Notice

FINAL SETTLEMENT

Project Title:Painted Prairie Filing 1 –High Prairie Park Landscape Improvements

Project Owners: Painted Prairie Public Improvement Authority

Project Location: City of Aurora, Adams County

The Painted Prairie Public Improvement Authority plans to accept the above titled project as substantially complete and for Final Settlement to Hall Contracting, LLC. after September 29, 2023. In accordance with the Contract Documents, the Painted Prairie Public Improvement Authority may withhold a portion of the remaining payment to be made to Hall Contracting, LLC., as necessary, to protect the Painted Prairie Public Improvement Authority from loss on account of claims filed and failure of Hall Contracting, LLC. to make payments properly to subcontractors or suppliers. Project suppliers and subcontractors of Hall Contracting, LLC. are hereby notified that unresolved outstanding claims must be certified and forwarded to:

Contact Person:Barney Fix, P.E.

Address:5970 Greenwood Plaza Blvd. Greenwood Village, CO 80111 as soon as possible, but no later than September 25, 2023.

Legal Notice No. CCX1138

First Publication: September 7, 2023

Last Publication: September 21, 2023

Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on August 16, 2023, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Adams County Court.

The petition requests that the name of Aagaman Khanal be changed to Aagaman Adhikari

Case No.: 23 C 1216

By: Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. CCX1142

First Publication: September 7, 2023

Last Publication: September 21, 2023

Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express

PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on August 16, 2023, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Adams County Court.

The petition requests that the name of Nirmala Khanal be changed to Nitya Adhikari

Case No.: 23 C 1215

By: Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. CCX1141

First Publication: September 7, 2023

Last Publication: September 21, 2023

Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel

It’s your right to know what the city and county governments are changing and proposing.

See the ordinances on these legal pages.

Read the public notices and be informed!

SEE CLUNKERS, P16

across the United States. Seatlebased OneEnergy has an o ce in Boulder and is also operating in Oregon, Wisconsin and Washington D.C.

“We are honored to partner with

CLUNKERS

vehicle must be zero- or ultra-low emissions, meaning a fully electric battery-only EV, or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Used EVs get a $4,000

United Power on their journey to deliver more renewable, a ordable energy to their members. With the addition of the Overland Solar project to their portfolio, they are leading the way to a cleaner energy future for electric cooperatives,” said Gavin Berg, Vice President of Development at OneEnergy.

e Overland Solar project

rebate. New car seekers can also get the rebate applied to a lease instead of an outright purchase.

ird, the fossil-fuel powered car you turn in must be fully owned, and either 12 years old (2011 model year for this year’s rebate) or have failed a recent emissions test. It must be running — no “push, pull or tow” for this

would be developed north of Hudson producing 10 megawatts of noncarbon energy and its output will travel into the United Power distribution system. e Overland Solar enormous project provides an economical energy source that generates tax revenues for the community, according to o cials. United Power’s service is made up of more than 110,000 meters

new program.

How is the $6,000 taken o the price?

By going through a new or used car dealer quali ed through the Vehicle Exchange Colorado (VXC, because why not make it more confusing), the $6,000 or $4,000 can be taken o the sale price “at the register,” and the

with 6,500 miles of distribution lines. Its service territory covers 900 square miles north and west that borders Denver International Airport. It includes the north and northeast metropolitan development along Interstate 25, Interstate 76, U.S. Highway 85, and E-470. It also expands into the historic Golden Gate and Coal Creek Canyons.

dealer takes care of the paperwork. 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.

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