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WEEK OF AUGUST 11, 2022

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75 CENTS

Georgetown Community School uses surplus funds to buy school supplies

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Kyle Sandor, the CDPHE remedial project manager, addresses Idaho Springs residents about the investigation into Central City/Clear Creek Superfund Site. PHOTO BY ANDREW FRAIELI

Georgetown Community School has purchased supplies for its students in preschool to eighth grade thanks to extra money in the school’s budget. Teachers also received $150 stipends to get supplies for their classrooms.

The GCS cafeteria is filled with boxes of pencils, notebooks, markers and more, waiting for distribution to students.

“It’s a really cool thing that our budget allowed us to do this this year,” said Amanda Cooper, the public charter school’s board president.

“This way, the onus didn’t end up on families. Parents didn’t have to stress out about supplies, especially since the current economic climate isn’t helping anybody.”

School administrators found when they created the 2022-23 budget that there would be additional funds for the school, especially after receiving Elementary and Secondary School

Officials to launch investigation into Central City/Clear Creek superfund site Traces of heavy metals near residential areas prompts further study

BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Investigations will soon begin into mine waste piles near residential areas within Clear Creek County and beyond to look for further evidence of heavy metals like lead and arsenic that may impact surface waters.

The Colorado Department of

Public Health and Environment and the Environmental Protection Agency hosted multiple public meetings recently to answer questions pertaining to the investigation and elaborate on what the investigation and clean-up will look like.

The area being investigated consists of the entire Clear Creek watershed, about 400 square miles — including most of Clear Creek County, and parts of Gilpin and Jefferson counties — and is called the Clear Creek/Central City Superfund Site. What prompted the investiga-

Map of the Central City/Clear Creek Superfund Site.

COURTESY OF THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

SEE SUPPLIES, P3

SEE SUPERFUND, P4

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2 Clear Creek Courant

August 11, 2022

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Memory In Loving

Place an Obituary for Your Loved One. 303-566-4100 obituaries@coloradocommunitymedia.com Self placement available online at ClearCreekCourant.com

Clear Creek Courant 3

August 11, 2022

Weather Observations for Georgetown, Colorado Week of August 1 – 7, 2022

A local National Weather Service volunteer observer makes temperature and precipitation observations each day at about 8 a.m. at the Georgetown Weather Station. Wind observations are made at Georgetown Lake.

“Max” and “Min” temperatures are for from digital displays of a “MMTS” Weather Observations Georgetown, Colorado (“Maximum/Minimum Temperature System”); “Mean daily” temperature is the calculated average of the max and min. “Total Precipitation” is Weeksnow. of August 1 – 7, 2022 is inches of snow that inches of rainfall plus melted “Snowfall” accumulated during the preceding 24 hours. T = Trace of precipitation.

A local National Weather Service volunteer wind observer makes temperature and precipitation observations at about 8 a.m.

NR = Not Reported.

“Peak gust at Georgetown Lake”eachisdaythe velocity at the Georgetown Weatherand Station.the Wind observations made maximum at Georgetown Lake.wind “Max” andgust “Min” temperatures are from in miles per hour time ofarethe that occurred digital displays of a “MMTS” (“Maximum/Minimum Temperature System”); “Mean daily” temperature is the calculated average during the calendar day preceding the date of observation. Historic of the max and min. “Total Precipitation” is inches of rainfall plus melted snow. “Snowfall” is inches of snow that accumulated dataduring arethebased onhours. the of record which statistical data preceding 24 T =period Trace of precipitation.

NR = Notfor Reported.

“Peak wind gust at Georgetown Lake”have is the in miles per hour and the time the maximum wind gustthe that occurred during1893-2021). the calendar day preceding date of beenvelocity compiled (about 53ofyears within period Anytheweather observation.

Historicare data are based on the of record for which statistical data have been compiledvalue (about 53 years within records noted based onperiod a comparison of the observed with the the period 1893-2021). Any weather records noted are based on a comparison of the observed value with the historical data set. historical data set.

Day and date of observation (2022)

Monday, 8/1 Tuesday, 8/2 Wednesday, 8/3 Thursday, 8/4 Friday, 8/5 Saturday, 8/6 Sunday, 8/7 Summary

Week’s avg max, min, mean daily T; sum of TP, SF Historic week’s avg max, min, mean daily T; avg sum of TP, SF

Temperature (T) (degrees F) Max Min Mean daily

72 79 76 76 83 80 80

Precipitation (P) (inches) Total Snowfall (TP) (SF)

During the 24 hours prior to 8 a.m.

61.5 51 0.14 0 64.0 49 0.1 0 63.5 51 0.08 0 63.5 51 0 0 67.0 51 0 0 50 65.0 0.16 0 51 65.5 0 0

78.0

50.6

64.3

0.48

0.0

75.9

47.0

61.4

0.36

0.0

Peak wind gust at Georgetown Lake * Velocity Time (mph) (24 hr) During the previous calendar day 9 1225 16 1135 24 1250 10 0545 13 2130 16 1920 9 1820

* Wind observed nearby 6th Street in Georgetown until the lake weather station is back in operation.

School supplies are piled in the Georgetown Community School cafeteria waiting to be distributed to students. The charter school’s board decided to use surplus funds to PHOTO BY DEB HURLEY BROBST pay for supplies for its students.

SUPPLIES FROM PAGE 1

Emergency Relief Fund and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funds. The previous board, Cooper said, approved the expenditures.

It helped, she added, that the school could buy many of the school supplies in bulk, allowing the school’s dollars to go further. Cooper figures the school spent about $105 to $115 per student. The school budgeted $10,000 for student supplies and $15,000 for teacher classrooms.

For GCS parent Brittany DeBarris, who has three children at the school, having school supplies checked off her back-to-school shopping list is a relief. With inflation hitting her pocketbook in other areas, it was nice not having to worry about school supplies, too.

“While school supplies for elementary school are not super expensive, when you have three kiddos, it still adds up,” she said, noting that instead, the children may get a couple extra outfits to wear to school.

“I’m really, really proud we could do this,” Cooper said. “To be able to pull the burden off the plates of families is an honor.”

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SUPERFUND FROM PAGE 1

tion was the possible evidence of heavy metals in mine waste piles near residential areas in 2018 during a routine 5-year study of the site, according to CDPHE Remedial Project Manager Kyle Sandor.

The metals, mainly lead and arsenic, caused the CDPHE and EPA to label the superfund site as possibly “not protective of human health.” In other words, the metals “may pose an unacceptable risk,” said Superfund and Assessment Unit Leader Mary Boardman.

Previous work and investigations have been done by the CDPHE and EPA on mine waste piles within the superfund site, but the factors that determine “unacceptable risk” change as they gain a better understanding of the effects of lead and other heavy metals, and, compared to previous work, this investigation is specifically within residential areas.

“The work that we did for surface water, we largely think we’ve done that work, so during the last five year review period, we identified these residential mine waste piles as potentially needing further assessment,” said Sandor.

Over 500 mine waste piles near residential properties were identified, according to Sandor, and letters were sent to 143 property owners where homes were within 125 feet of those piles. They hope to get permission to access at least 100 different properties to draw top-soil samples and create a data set to guide the clean-up process.

August 11, 2022 Previous Superfund Work According to the most recently available reports, the superfund site was created in 1983 due to impacts by historic mining activity in the area.

“Historic mining and milling activities resulted in the watershed becoming contaminated with heavy (trace) metals, significantly impacting aquatic life and potentially threatening human health,” the report said.

Multiple actions have already been taken by the CDPHE and EPA to address these issues, called “Operating Unit” sites.

“Just a way to divide an area of the site for investigation and eventual cleanup,” Sandor said.

There have been four already: OU1 in 1987 addressed mine discharges; OU2 in 1988 addressed waste piles and stormwater controls for mine tailings near those same mines; OU3 in 1991 was due to reassessments of the OU1 mines and resulted in further capping of waste piles and active treatment of mine discharges; and OU4 in 2004 was more capping and other clean-up actions of the North Fork of the Clear Creek subwatershed.

Investigation Steps After the 2018 sampling showed signs of heavy metals, the superfund site was actually labeled “Current Human Exposure Not Under Control,” in September of 2021, according to the EPA. Funds were then received from the EPA to hire a consultant and begin the investigation, according to Sandor. This consisted of analyzing aerial photography of the site, looking for potential mine waste piles by

sparsity of vegetation and discoloration of material at the surface, among other factors, leading to the over 500 identified piles.

“The sample results confirmed our suspicion that there may be risk associated with those piles, but there was such a small data set that we couldn’t say for certain that the results were representative of the whole study area,” Sandor said, which is why the investigation was and is necessary.

The letters sent asking for access to properties for soil sampling did only go to owners of properties that have a mine waste pile within 125 feet of a residence though, not the residence itself. But, maps of the locations of piles, and a draft report are currently being worked on, said Sandor, and will be released publicly when completed.

Within this investigation stage, the CDPHE and the EPA will use analysis of samples to determine site specific clean-up goals, according to Sandor.

“The goal is not to be following a federal lead standard, or arsenic standard, but to be able to come up with clean-up goals that are specific to the area and allow us to clean up to a level that is still protective of human health based on the data we collect, versus national input,” he said. “It will allow us more flexibility in our clean-ups while still ensuring we’re being protective.”

Following federal or state standards may require larger clean-ups, he continued.

Boardman elaborated that they may end up with even more stringent clean-up goals, it all depends on the data they collect.

The example Boardman gives is

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higher concentrations of heavy metal in a pile on a cliff, compared to a lower concentration pile near a school. The pile near a school will be cleaned first, with the cliff pile possibly not cleaned at all because few people may ever go there.

Tthe investigation is expected to be finished by the end of 2024 going into 2025, according to Sandor.

After that, a proposed plan will be released by the EPA for public comment, before a “record of decision” is created which will “kind of memorialize the clean-up options and goals for this part of the site,” Sandor said.

The Clean-up Actual clean-up is expected to start in late 2025, potentially early 2026, according to Sandor. He sees it as a mix of land-use control and physical cleanup, but it’s too early to tell what the “ultimate cleanup goals are.”

Elaborating on options, Sandor said there was removal, which would consist of fully removing the waste pile and bringing it to an external site such as the Church Placer Waste Rock Repository — created from a previous OU. Part of their work will be checking the capacity of that repository, with possible plans of expansion or further use outside its initial design, but he specified it was not a strong option for the areas being looked at.

Another option is capping, which consists of covering the pile with a material like dirt or asphalt and has been used extensively already. And a final option is land-use control — not allowing residences to be built SEE SUPERFUND, P5

Clear Creek Courant 5

August 11, 2022

SUPERFUND FROM PAGE 4

within a certain area of the pile.

Long-term goals, according to Sandor, are working with local governments to have a “institutional control,” a notice or restriction, for home buyers that will inform them they may need to test for mine waste — depending on the area — and how to go about that. “This way, we don’t have to come back in 10 years and there’s another slew of people

moved into houses near waste piles and we have to go through this process again,” he continued.

“If we could implement a land-use restriction that still protects human health, than that’s the ultimate goal,” Boardman said.

They also are looking at interim plans that allow immediate action on piles that may affect young children and nursing mothers — people most at risk from these heavy metals — as they assess them.

The Data Needed Sandor and Boardman both ac-

knowledge the worries of property owners over liability due to these mine waste piles, and the labeling of the area as a super fund site. Sandor elaborates that the superfund site’s original purpose was to look for impacts on surface water quality issues.

“One of the issues we have identified with the study area approach is that it casts a wide net, and some ambiguity as to what is part of the site and what isn’t,” he said. “Moving forward we intend on making it really clear what piles we’ve identified, if we consider it part of the site

and if it may require restrictions in the future, or clean up work immediately.”

Boardman explains as well that this is the phase of the investigation to find the metal and give a “hard boundary” to those areas so to release others from the study area.

The best way for them to do that, she continued, is access to those people’s properties to get that data. The bigger the area, the more samples needed. More samples, higher quality data, and better assessments of what areas will need to stay within the study area.

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RUNNERS WILL BE CROSSING ROADS AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS: HIGHWAY 103 @ FOREST SERVICE BUILDING MINER STREET @ RIVERSIDE TO 25TH AVE. COLORADO BLVD. @ RIVERSIDE TO 25TH AVE. EDWARDS TO COLORADO BIKEWAY

GEORGETOWN TO IDAHO SPRINGS 1/2 MARATHON Each year the GTIS ½ Marathon Committee asks for your assistance during this event, and we want to THANK YOU for all your help for so many years. Our goal is to minimize the impact on the citizens, but we recognize it may not be your favorite Saturday of the year! The Students of CCMS and CCHS thank you for helping us make our biggest fundraiser of the year a success.

8:00 AM TO 12:00 PM AUGUST 13, 2022 Miner Street at 20th Ave to 25th Ave Colorado Blvd at 20th Ave to 25th Ave South St to Edwards St Stanley Road

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6 Clear Creek Courant

August 11, 2022

Meet Miner Street’s busker

Elijah Semper filling Miner Street with music, from “100-year-old bluegrass songs to Lil Wayne.” PHOTO BY ANDREW FRAIELI

Elijah Semper plays guitar for all of Miner Street

BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Twenty-six states is how far Elijah Semper hitchhiked to get to Idaho Springs five years ago. And for the five years since, he’s played his guitar for Miner Street.

“It’s my only job, the only thing

that keeps me sane. I’ve tried working real jobs and I go crazy, but this makes me happy, and it makes other people happy,” Semper said.

He grew up outside Orlando, Florida, describing the state as “a great place to get away from if you’re from there.”

He hitchhiked to follow bands across the country, following Widespread Panic straight into Colorado and onto Morrison. Eventually his family moved out west too, to Idaho The Venue Theatre exists to provide an accepting and enriching environment for the youth of our community - for discovery, exploration, and celebration of their unique and extraordinary abilities.

Springs. He followed not long after.

“I love this place,” he said. “People actually smile at you and wave to you, you don’t have to hide your jewelry when you’re walking out on the street.”

He tries to play every weekday around 6 p.m., until the rain drives him away, and every Friday he plays at the Yeti Saloon. “I played last week on Friday and Saturday, that was a fun time,” he said.

The music he plays differs day to

day. “I’ll do anything from 100 year old bluegrass songs to Lil Wayne — depends on the crowd,” Semper said, splitting time from covers and his own original music about 50/50.

When asked what genre his own music falls under, he couldn’t parse it down.

“I don’t know,” he finally said. “It’s somewhere between everything I feel like.”

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Clear Creek Courant 7

August 11, 2022

Using artificial intelligence to stop school shootings One company thinks the time for the futuristic technology is now

BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As politicians and the public engage in debate over enacting stricter gun laws or arming teachers, only one thing is certain: America’s children continue to die in school shootings.

Now, a Detroit entrepreneur wants to move past the unending fight between red and blue to give technology a chance to keep kids safe in the classroom. And he wants to give dozens of the potentially life-saving systems to schools.

What it is It’s a sophisticated robotic system called ROSA 3.0 that uses artificial intelligence to detect a gun and lock down a school before carnage can take place inside.

Steve Reinharz, founder and CEO of Robotic Assistance Devices, the company that created ROSA, said in a situation where every second counts, the speed with which his advanced detection system can determine the presence of a firearm and relay that information, buys precious time to keep an active shooter from gaining entrance into a school.

“The system can be installed in school entrances and parking lots in 30 minutes or less,” Reinharz said.

“It can detect, alert and lock down schools within 5-10 seconds of a firearm being seen in the area.”

Reinharz said the technology, which his company also uses in other applications, has been around for a while. But the recent massacre in a Uvalde, Texas elementary school convinced him it could make a difference in school shootings.

His team was able to run video from the Uvalde incident through the ROSA system and he firmly

The ROSA 3.0 system uses artificial intelligence to detect firearms.

believes it would have been able to change the tragic outcome for dozens of families.

“Uvalde… I think Columbine was the same… 80% of active shooter incidents — the shooter pulls up, parks and then opens up their gun case, takes out their gun, walks up to wherever they’re going,” he said.

“Uvalde was such a classic example that the building could have been locked down, and it just tore me up.”

ROSA uses cameras that have been trained using AI to spot both short and long guns. Once a gun is detected, an alarm system is triggered, texts automatically alert law enforcement and if the school is equipped with electronic locking doors, ROSA can lock it down — all within a matter of seconds.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got a system that is really, really, good and

really, really accurate,” Reinharz said.

As for false-positives in the detection process, he said they do occur, but it’s rare.

“When we do get a false-positive — when something flashes or looks like it could be a short or long gun, we are able to use that information to train that false-positive out of the system,” Reinharz said. “So, the system keeps getting better and more accurate.”

Why Bailey’s Gift?

As his team was making progress on ROSA, Reinharz met Secret Holt, whose daughter, Bailey, was shot and killed in a 2018 Kentucky school shooting. He said after getting to know Holt and hearing more about Bailey, he gathered his team and told them he wanted to do more. He

PHOTO COURTESY OF RAD

asked Holt to work with his team on giving away 10 of the units to underfunded schools in honor of the daughter she lost.

Since those 10 units have been given away, RAD has created an NFT (non-fungible token — ask your kids), the profits from which, will provide free units to up to 45 more schools. Reinharz said they’re also looking for security industry and other partners to help fund even more free units if possible.

If all goes according to plan, there will be units sold as well. Reinharz said they will sell for around $7,000 each.

Schools can apply to receive one of the free Bailey’s Gift firearm detection units online at radsecurity. com/baileys-gift.

FOR ALL REGISTERED STUDENTS OF GEORGETOWN COMMUNUNITY SCHOOL, PRESCHOOL THROUGH 6TH GRADE,

CLASSROOM SUPPLIES WILL BE PROVIDED FOR THE 2022/2023 SCHOOL YEAR! TO HELP OUR FAMILIES WITH THE HIGH COST OF GOING BACK TO SCHOOL, CLASSROOM SUPPLIES WILL BE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE FOR OUR GCS STUDENTS!

SUPPLIES AVAILABLE ON BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT Parents, use the registration link below to enroll your student for 2022/2023 school year: https://centbocesco.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/clearcreek.jsp

Visit georgetownschool.org for more information on our school.

8 Clear Creek Courant

LOCAL

August 11, 2022

VOICES Beyond our York Street walls

HOLLY HAYNES Denver Botanic Gardens

S

o, you have walked, biked, bused, scootered or driven over to the Denver Botanic Gardens on York Street and are ready to explore all the beauty that is within the 24-acre property. Before you make a beeline for the entrance, stop, and take some time to explore just beyond our walls. What many visitors might not know is the gardens that surround our main property are curated with as much care as the ones inside and are some of our most sophisticated and transformative gardens.

An added perk is these gardens are accessible 24/7.

If you begin along the Josephine Street streetscape, you can explore a naturalistic grassland area. This garden gives you an innovative idea of what is to

come in the world of residential landscaping in the coming years. As our rainfall decreases, but our desire to have beautiful yards and visits from pollinators is still just as important, having a water-wise garden is something you might want to consider. Stroll along Josephine Street throughout the year and observe the transformation that happens from spring through winter. As the idea of adding meadows to your yards takes hold, you can be inspired by this sophisticated design.

Taking a stroll around the gardens that surround our newest building, the Freyer-Newman Center, you will find everything from shade gardens to annuals to medicinal ones. You can enjoy a tasty beverage and read a book in the courtyard, or stop

by the medicinal courtyard (just outside our classrooms) to see what you might want to grow as you learn more about the benefits of herbs. Heading west, look across the street at the Colorado Garden Show Promenade Garden on the parking structure hill. Here you will see more low-water plants that would be perfect for any yard.

This garden performs well into the winter months with architectural interest of hesperaloe parviflora, Salvia azurea, and schizachyrium scoparium.

All the grasses, similar to the Josephine streetscape, put on an amazing show as well, and are great as a foundation for any home garden.

If annuals and perennials are your passion, continue a slow stroll up York Street and

enjoy the beautiful blooms.

Not to be outdone by the flashy campsis radicans, the annual and perennial blooms put on a real show from April through October. Maybe you missed the bulb blooms of spring, but by August, the perennials and annuals have exploded in color.

To me, August is the height of gardening season in Denver, and it is one of the best times to have a look at what Denver Botanic Gardens has to offer. No ticket required to see the gardens outside our gates, anytime of day - access to all, just beyond our walls. Enjoy the journey.

Holly G. Haynes is the plant mapping coordinator for the Denver Botanic Gardens

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Ideas for Library/Carlson Courtyard Park The recent rejection of the $350,000 bid for landscape planting at the historic downtown Idaho Springs Library by the City of Idaho Springs would be better spent toward a more comprehensive Library Park with a“bigger picture” design tying it into the new building replacing Carlson Elementary with a new entry Courtyard on the southeast side of the building. This would yield a more unified and dynamic urban space that would invite pedestrian flow from the gateway area of Miner Street and 13th Avenue east to the Library and historic downtown pedestrian mall.

The highest and best use for Carlson is a boutique hotel (Ritz-Carlson ?) which would be great for downtown but hotels require more money up front to develop than condos and are a more intensive use. A hotel would need a drop off-pick up entry for vehicular traffic which a condo would not necessarily need. The most important thing is that the new building fits the scale and character of historic downtown Idaho Springs.

A new Carlson Courtyard could be created by demolishing a portion of the existing front classrooms to the southeast to allow sun into a new Courtyard with a taller building wing in the rear along Colorado (demolishing

the school wing along Colorado). A portion of the school building front at the southwest corner of Miner and 13th Street along with the gymnasium could be preserved for historic character and to transition to the higher new building in the background along Colorado Boulevard. The new wing along Colorado Boulevard could have and may need a one or two story parking garage, which could be similar to the new City parking garage along I-70, with rooms above.

The dynamics of this Carlson Courtyard to Library Park space would also help break up the mass of the new building and transition from a taller building along Colorado Boulevard, probably three to four stories on top of the garage , down to the smaller Fire House and Library neighboring buildings. The Carlson Courtyard may be vehicular or pedestrian which connected to the Library Park would then provide pedestrian flow into the historic downtown mall.

Now is the time to plan for this once in a lifetime opportunity to make the new Carlson building and the Library Park a unique landmark for the Clear Creek Community that best blends into historic downtown Idaho Springs.

Mike Caistor, Idaho Springs

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Clear Creek Courant 9

August 11, 2022

Will salmon finally win this year?

WRITERS ON THE RANGE

Rocky Barker

For the last 35 years I’ve been covering what we call the “salmon wars” in the Pacific Northwest, writing so many stories about salmon heading toward extinction that I’ve lost count.

The decline occurred year by year while we spent $18 billion on what’s politely called “mitigation.” That meant building fish passages around dams without fish ladders or snatching fish from warming rivers and trucking them around dams before they died. Nothing has ever worked.

The truth is that some dams must be removed if salmon are to have a prayer of leaving the ocean and swimming up rivers to spawn.

Now, finally, there is a sign of hope for the fish even as Snake River salmon in the states of Idaho, Oregon and Washington remain close to extinction.

There’s hope because the Biden administration has been in settlement talks with legal plaintiffs the state of Oregon, the Nez Perce tribe, and sporting, fishing and environmental groups. They have sued the federal government five times over its failed attempts to save salmon under the Endangered Species Act, and each time the government has lost.

Meanwhile, spring chinook, sockeye and steelhead trended toward extinction in the Snake River watershed, which includes their best remaining habitat in the lower 48 states.

In 1997, my newspaper, the Idaho Statesman, wrote a series of editorials calling for breaching the four lower Snake dams in Washington to restore salmon abundance.

The editorials urged paying for the impacts on dam removal on power supply, grain transportation and irrigation as a more

effective and cheaper fix than continuing failed policies. The federal government chose to spend $18 billion on those failed policies.

But now, the Biden administration and others recognize that restoring our rivers is an issue of tribal justice as well as the only real solution. For far too long, say biologists Rick Williams of Idaho and Jim Lichatowich of Oregon, we have treated salmon as an industrial commodity. Our reliance on hatcheries while we continue to fragment and destroy habitat has been at the root of the fish’s struggles.

But if we remove the chief obstacles that block the fish from their cool, high elevation-habitat, the biologists say, these wild, adaptable fish will recover themselves.

“Because of our long reliance on substitute nature, we’ve almost lost faith in salmon to reproduce itself in quality habitat,” Williams said.

It has taken decades, but much of the public has come to understand the folly of our industrial fixes for salmon. In the May Republican primary, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson won reelection by a landslide after introducing a plan to breach the four dams to save salmon and make impacted communities

whole. His losing opponent opposed breaching the dams.

More significant, Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, who has long resisted any salmon recovery plan that included removing the four dams, joined with Washington Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee in endorsing a study of how to replace the services provided by the dams.

The study showed that breaching the four dams was the most promising approach to salmon recovery, though it would require spending from $10.3 billion to $27.2 billion to replace the electricity from the dams’ hydropower, plus grain shipping and irrigation.

Murray is the most powerful Northwestern senator in Congress. But she will need the rest of the Democratic delegation to join her if she is going to turn the tide.

Most of all, Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell and Oregon Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio will need to join Murray, Simpson, Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer, and outgoing Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, if legislation is going to pass this year.

The resilience of the wild Snake salmon and the quality of the high-elevation spawning habitat has led biologists to predict the fish will reverse the 40-year extinction trend if the four dams are removed. This might just be the year that rivers and salmon are set free, ending the salmon wars. Here’s hoping.

Rocky Barker is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, a nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He is a retired reporter who lives in Idaho and is the author of “Saving All the Parts: Reconciling Economics and the Endangered Species Act.”

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LOCAL

August 11, 2022

SPORTS AND

RECREATION Running club gathers in Idaho Springs for beer and camaraderie

BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Free beer is strong enough of a carrot to run a 5k in Idaho Springs.

A running club hosted by Westbound & Down partnering with the CCMRD supplies a free beer and appetizer after a 5,000 meter run around town every Thursday.

“I hate running. Seriously, if it wasn’t for the beer from Westbound I probably wouldn’t be here,” said Tristen Schmidt, who’s been running with the club for two months.

He also only recently moved to Idaho Springs from Westridge. “I was looking for a way to get closer to the community (and) meet people, and this has been a great way to do

Free beer for a 5k that,” he said.

The group meets at 6:30 p.m. behind Westbound & Down, and have been since the end of May this year, according to Director of Programs and Communication at CCMRD Samantha Dhyne. She said there used to be a previous running club

by Westbound & Down, but it had ended. Dhyne went to the brewery this year to try and revive it.

With about ten to 15 runners showing up every week, some from as far as St. Mary’s Glacier, Dhyne considers it a success.

“I mean it’s a great carrot,” said Meghan Potter, who also only recently moved to Idaho Springs. She’s been running for two years though, competing in the recent World Championship Pack Burro Race.

Beer is certainly a motivator, continued Schmidt, “and it’s nice to find that sense of sociability and community that isn’t necessarily through my job.”

Members of the running club hosted by Westbound & Down and the CCMRD, including PHOTO BY ANDREW FRAIELI Tristen Schmidt and Meghan Potter from right.

Middle-school camp keeps athletes active during summer

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Six area middle-schoolers have learned their own strength literally and figuratively as they participated in a strength and speed camp last month at the Marshdale fields.

The six boys participate in club sports during the school year, so the camp was designed to help keep them active and motivated during the summer months, according to Ian Smith, a rugby coach who is opening a performance facility in Evergreen. After warming up, participants lifted weights, ran sprints and participated in other athletic activities. On the last day, Smith measured their progress.

Logan Sargent, 11, who attends West Jefferson Middle School, said he wanted to participate because he likes Coach Ian, who coaches his rugby team. Logan also plays football.

His brother, Cole Sargent, 10, a West Jefferson Elementary student, said the camp looked fun.

Joe Giduck, 13, who plays rugby, explained that he liked running, and Smith makes the camp fun, while Matthew Roberts, 12, an Evergreen Middle School student, said he hoped the camp would help him become a better lacrosse player.

For Smith, the three-week camp ws a way to get middle-schoolers up and moving. The 2014 Conifer High School graduate explained that there seemed to be a lot of camps for other age groups.

“Speed and strength are both skills,” Smith said. “I want to teach them the correct technique and to teach them the basics of running and strength training. That is why this camp had a little bit of everything.”

Middle-schooler Logan Sargent concentrates during strength training.

PHOTOS BY DEB HURLEY BROBST

Middle-schooler Xavier Spungin prepares to perform a squat.

From left, middle-schoolers Joe Giduck, Cole Sargent, Graysen Beaulieu, Logan Sargent, coach Ian Smith and Matthew Roberts warm up at the beginning of the camp.

Logan Sargent, left, and Cole Sargent listen to direction from coach Ian Smith.

J

Clear Creek Courant 11

August 11, 2022

Evergreen Town Race

5K racers take off from the starting line and begin their downhill run.

Event coordinator Kelly Brown celebrates her 5k finish while listening to live music.

Julia Williams is a flight nurse with Flight for Life.

Racer Eryn Callihan wins the 5k for the women, with a time of 17:39.

Runners raced 5ks and 10ks on Aug. 7 down Bear Creek Avenue

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Evergreen Town Race was a dash downhill on the morning of Aug. 7, with racers screaming in at sub-15 minute times for the 5k and 32-minute times for the 10k.

The race saw a great turnout, with participation from babies, dogs and runners of all ages.

Results for all of the age categories can be found at evergreentownrace.com.

After running, the racers enjoyed snacks and beer from vendors, live music and emcee entertainment from the Alpine Rescue Team.

Members of the Alpine Rescue Team get ready to race.

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August 11, 2022

Teen Takeover Festival makes root beer splash

Resilience1220 art therapists running arts and crafts at the Teen Takeover Festival on PHOTOS BY ANDREW FRAIELI Aug. 4 at Shelly/Quinn Fields in Idaho Springs.

BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Music, paint and root beer was enjoyed Aug. 4 at Shelly/Quinn fields for the aptly named Teen Takeover Festival.

A couple dozen teens, and a few younger kids, came to the event, with the root beer spilled over a game of root beer kickball — more points being awarded for more drink left in the cup after running bases.

“It’s great. To be able to field a

kickball game, have people over there doing art, eating, it’s awesome,” said Youth Programs Coordinator at Mountain Youth Network and TREK Outdoors Ben Shay.

Hosted by Resilience1220, TREK Outdoors and the Clear Creek Metropolitan Recreation District, the Teen Takeover events are a major ongoing event for Resilience1220, according to Annie Cooley, a therapist at Resilience. Part of the hope is teens will approach them about free therapy sessions, she said.

Teens playing root beer kickball at the Teen Takeover Festival on Aug. 4 at Shelly/Quinn Fields in Idaho Springs.

As to how specifically successful that is, the programs have had multiple kids start sessions because of these events in the past, according to Cooley.

“A lot of the work we do here in Clear Creek, at least it always seems to be the school district, the rec center and Resilience partnering for events, because we really wrap a full glove that way, he continued. Shay is also a board member for Resilience1220. “We have the education, the recreation, we exist in public

health, and then the therapeutic element as well. It just really makes for a well-rounded event.”

Taren McKown, 15, said whenever he hears about the events he tries to go.

“The leaders are always fun here at TREK,” he said, arms covered in rootbeer. “...I just came out to hang out and meet new people. I have nothing better to do.”

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Clear Creek Courant 13

August 11, 2022

CURRENTS We’d like to know about events or activities of interest to the community.

Visit www.clearcreekcourant.com/ calendar/ and post your event online for free. Email dbrobst@coloradocommunitymedia.com to get items in the print version of the paper. Items will appear in print on a space-available basis.

AUG. 13 THE 44TH ANNUAL GEORGETOWN TO IDAHO SPRINGS HALF MARATHON will be Aug. 13 starting in Georgetown. The race is sponsored by the Clear Creek Booster Club with proceeds going to Clear Creek High School/Middle School students. Start times will be staggered between 7 and 9 a.m.

AUG. 14 HONORARY MAYOR PARKER’S “DOG DAYS” OF SUMMER — a street fair on historic 6th Street in Georgetown — will be from noon6 p.m. Aug. 13. There will be music nat the library stage, a dog costume contest, kids carnival, food and libations, and more.

AUG. 20 THE RAPIDGRASS MUSIC FESTIVAL will be from 10 a.m.-midnight Aug. 20 on the Shelley/Quinn ball fields in Idaho Springs. The festival is free. For more information, www.rapidgrassfestival.com.

Aug. 25 outside the Project Support Senior Center, 1402 Miner St. Join in the dancing or watch. There will be a limbo contest at 5:45 p.m.

AUG. 27 PROJECT SUPPORT SENIOR CENTER will host the Dancing Dog fairy tail costume contest starting at 11 a.m. Aug. 27 at the center, 1402 Miner St.

Wednesdays. For information and the Zoom link, email lior@wisetreewellness.com.

WELLNESS CLINIC is Monday through Friday for free blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol screenings at the Clear Creek Health and Wellness Center, 1969 Miner St., Idaho Springs. For more information and to make an appointment,

AUG. 20, SEPT. 17 THE FOURTH ANNUAL HANS BERG ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY cleanup program in Empire will be from 8-10 a.m. starting at the Empire Visitors Center. These events are sponsored by Friends of Clear Creek.

ONGOING OMEGA (OPEN MINDS ENCOURAGING GENERAL ACCEPTANCE) social group meets the second Saturday each month for LGBTQIA+ youth and allies aged 12 to 20 years. Fun, friends, snacks, games in a welcoming environment.

This program is a collaboration between The Clear Creek County Library District and Resilience 1220.

AUG. 25 LEARN TO SQUARE DANCE AND LINE DANCE at 4:30 p.m.

RESILIENCE1220 has a support group called College Age Community that meets from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

VOA TRANSPORTATION is available on Fridays to the Idaho Springs Safeway and the post office.

The van leaves at 12:30 p.m. from 1402 Miner St., Idaho Springs.

WALK-IN VACCINE CLINICS for adults and children 5-17 plus flu and other vaccines are available from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays at the Clear Creek Health and Wellness Center, 1969 Miner St., Idaho Springs. No appointments required for the vaccines.

AUG. 27 PROJECT SUPPORT SENIOR CENTER will host a garden tea party at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 27 for children age 2-15. Sign up by emailing psmanager@projectsupportseniorcenter. com or call 303-567-2382. A $5 donation is suggested.

SEPT. 4 THE GOLD RUSH & SILVER SPLASH DUCK RACES will begin at the Old School, 809 Taos St., at 11:45 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 4, as merchants kick off the annual race.

Watch little rubber duckies float to a feather-flurried finish on the creek just before the footbridge by the lagoon. Tickets are on sale now.

Buy a flock of five ducks at www. eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-goldrush-and-silver-splash-duck-races[1] tickets-295879632947.

the Clear Creek Health and Wellness Center, 1969 Miner St., Idaho Springs. Appointments are recommended by visiting covidcheckcolorado.org/find-our-sites.

call 303-670-7528.

MOUNT EVANS HOME HEALTH CARE & HOSPICE offers two monthly groups to provide emotional support services for caregivers helping ill, disabled or elderly loved ones. An in-person support group meets every third Monday from 4-6 p.m. at 3081 Bergen Peak Road, Evergreen, and a virtual support group meets every first Tuesday from 10 a.m.-noon via Zoom. Call 303-674-6400 to learn how to connect to the group virtual call.

For more information visit mtevans. org/services/emotional-support/.

THE PROJECT SUPPORT SENIOR CENTER offers Sit ‘n’ Stretch at 10:30 a.m. every Wednesday at the center, 1402 Miner St., Idaho Springs.

COVID-19 TESTING is available from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays in the dirt lot by Mount Buzz near the corner of Argentine and 11th Street in Georgetown, and from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at

THE PROJECT SUPPORT SENIOR CENTER offers free bingo from 12:30-2 p.m. the first and third Tuesday and a monthly birthday cel-

ebration at noon the second Tuesday of the month.

YOUNG PEOPLE 12 TO 20 can get free counseling through an Evergreen-based organization called Resilience1220. Comprised of licensed therapists, Resilience1220 serves individuals and groups in the foothills including Clear Creek County. They also facilitate school and community groups to build life skills in wellness and resilience among youth. For more information or to schedule a counseling session, visit www.Resilience1220.org, email Resilience1220@gmail.com or call 720-282-1164.

TURN TO THE COLORADO SUN FOR NEWS ACROSS THE STATE The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself.

In this way, The Sun contributes to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado.

The Sun, launched in 2018, is committed to fact-based, in-depth and non-partisan journalism. It covers everything from politics and culture to the outdoor industry and education.

Now, The Colorado Sun co-owns this and other Colorado Community Media newspapers as a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy. The Sun is CCM’s partner for statewide news.

For Colorado Sun stories, opinions and more, and to support The Sun’s misssion as a member or subscriber, visit coloradosun.com.

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August 11, 2022

Saving an endangered toad Zoo, state partner to boost boreal toad numbers

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

On June 28, teams with the Denver Zoo and Colorado Parks & Wildlife released 570 boreal tadpoles into wetlands in a remote site in the Gunnison National Forest. The goal of the effort is to restore the state’s populations of boreal toads.

The boreal toad is a state-listed endangered species. It has experienced dramatic population decline in the past two decades, which “appears to be related to habitat loss and primarily infection by the chytrid fungus, which can infect the majority of the world’s 7,000 amphibian species,” states a news release.

Last November, conservation and amphibian experts with the Denver Zoo traveled to the Colorado Parks

and Wildlife’s Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility (NASRF) in Alamosa to pick up 95 adult boreal toads to serve as an additional breeding population for the species.

These toads were prepped for breeding at the Denver Zoo, and staff nurtured the offspring to get them ready for release into the wild.

“This was the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and planning by our partners at Colorado Parks & Wildlife, and members of our animal care and field conservation teams,” said Erica Elvove, Senior Vice President for Conservation Engagement and Impact at Denver Zoo. “Boreal toads face an extremely uncertain future in Colorado and have a good chance of going extinct without human intervention. We’re committed to continuing this effort with CPW for many years to come, and doing our part to make sure the species remains part of Colorado’s ecosystem for future generations.”

The boreal toad is a state-listed endangered species that has experienced dramatic PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DENVER ZOO population decline in the past two decades.

The collaboration is expected to be a multi-year program, as officials with the zoo and Colorado Parks & Wildlife estimate it will take many years to bring the boreal toad back to a level where it is secure in the

southern Rocky Mountains, states the news release.

To learn more, visit DenverZoo. org/Boreal-Toad-ConservationTeam.

by Julianne Seifert

97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement

by Jane Ziegelman, 2010

As a fan of historical nonfiction, I’ve seen authors look at times and places throughout history from a number of different perspectives.

It’s an ongoing challenge for writers and researchers to find new ways to breathe life into bygone eras, ones that will spark fresh interest in the reader helping them to understand things they never have before.

Recognizing how daunting it must be to try to break new ground in the art of recounting the past makes it particularly satisfying to discover a book which succeeds at telling its story in a unique and unprecedented way.

Despite its title, I would not describe 97 Orchard as the story of one specific tenement house or five individual families. Instead, it is a sweeping look at the way immigration has shaped American culture over the decades, giving special attention to its influence on the very food we eat. From the 1850s to the 1930s, from the easternmost country in Europe to the one furthest west, Jane Ziegelman takes readers on a descriptive and informative tour of stovetops and marketplaces, grocery stores and feast days. She contrasts the attitudes different cultures have toward food, their passions, their tastes, and their unbreakable rules. She reveals what traditions and methods they had to change after the journey to their new homes, and which ones stayed the same. She hints at the origins of meals which have become modern-day American staples, while also giving mention to the foods which never caught on outside their own countries. Sprinkled throughout are recipes, photographs, and quotes from newspapers and novels, giving faces and voices to the people she talks about and bringing images of them hard at work in their kitchens vividly to mind.

The singular focus is what sets this book apart from other

nonfiction.

Books that view history as an unending cycle of dominant personalities and political upheavals have their place, but it can sometimes be difficult to feel fully engaged in the action when it falls far outside the realm of our experience.

The making and eating of food, however, are fundamental shared experiences.

The sights, smells, and tastes that are described in this book are ones that any reader who has eaten well can visualize, allowing us to instantly stand alongside the cooks and vendors that fill its pages. History gains substance in moments like these, when we are shown how much we have in common with the everyday people who came before us.

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August 11, 2022

Coloradans face 10-12 week wait for unemployment pay Pandemic backlogs continue

BY TAMARA CHUANG THE COLORADO SUN

It’s now taking 10 to 12 weeks for Coloradans to get new unemployment claims processed by the state Department of Labor and Employment.

There hasn’t been a sudden rise in new claims. Rather, said Philip Spesshardt, director of CDLE’s division of unemployment insurance, it’s the older pandemic claims that are “now being adjudicated.”

An executive order at the start of COVID-19 required the agency to pay benefits first and review them later. As of Monday, there were 19,982 issues under adjudication.

That’s down from more than 800,000 issues at the peak. There are usually multiple issues per claim leading Spesshardt to estimate that between 5,000 to 10,000 people may be impacted.

Issues could include investigating whether the individual was eligible, whether it was COVID-19 related or whether there was a protest by a former employer. The agency must sort out claims of those who lost a job due to COVID from those who didn’t, which could impact an employer’s future unemployment insurance premiums.

“There was 10 years (worth) of work that came in the door of this building and (new complexities) which we never had to deal with before,” Spesshardt said. “Where we’re at now is certainly not acceptable to us. We certainly want to be further along on processing unemployment insurance customers.”

But the backlog has created delays for Coloradans filing for unemployment for the first time. This week, on the MyUI+ page, where unemployed people file for weekly benefits, a banner informs claim-

ants that processing “is taking 10 to 12 weeks from the date of file due to high volumes.”

Some say it’s taking even longer than that. One unemployed worker who spoke on condition of anonymity said she applied April 1 and nearly 16 weeks later, is still waiting for her claim to be processed. She had to take out a personal loan and get money from her 401(k) to survive.

Before the pandemic, new claims took about four to six weeks to process. After the start of the pandemic, an executive order by Gov. Jared Polis forced the agency to put applicant reviews on hold and pay benefits within 10 days.

Since April 1, there have been 32,273 new claims for unemployment benefits in Colorado, or an average of 2,300 per week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. That’s higher than the pre-pandemic average of 1,500 to 1,800 per week.

More claims continue to tax staff, which has also been difficult to retain. Spesshardt said the labor department is not unlike other employers who have dealt with labor shortages in the past year. A recent new training class for new hires attracted 10 people instead of 20, he said. The agency now has 89 available staff to process claims, compared to 71 before the pandemic.

Another 20 are being trained.

The labor department split up its staff to handle older pandemic claims and new ones and is working on ways to prioritize new claims so those folks aren’t waiting three months for their first unemployment check. The goal is to get new claims processed within three to four weeks. In certain circumstances where there are no issues, a claim is processed and paid after the first week.

“We have a team that’s dedicated to working the old backlog and the remaining three or four teams are processing current claims as they (come in) right now. Again, right

As the state works to clear the backlog created by the pandemic, new unemployment SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE filers are waiting 10-12 weeks.

now, that requires some manual work for supervisors,” Spesshardt said. “They’re supposed to roll out an enhancement within the system that will allow the system to automatically do that so we hope to see better efficiencies moving forward.”

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of new unemployment claims in Colorado was 2,289 for the week ending July 2, up about 215 from the prior week.

That’s also about the same number as a year ago but higher than the average week in 2019, when weekly new claims were around 1,500 to 1,800. Continued claims were roughly the same as the prior week, at 16,566. Weekly continued claims have been declining all year.

People who are waiting on their

unemployment claim to be processed should continue to document their search for work and request a payment each week. After their claim is processed and approved, all eligible weeks will be paid. For those who have been waiting more than 12 weeks, Spesshardt advised that they check spam filters and missed calls, and also call the customer service line at 303-318-9000 and ask that their case be escalated.

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com.

The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

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Clear Creek Courant 17

August 11, 2022

Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act passed Perlmutter adds amendments to bill

BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act was passed July 29 by the House of Representatives.

The act is a package of 49 bills that will provide investments to improve fire-adapted ecosystems, protect communities against catastrophic wildfires and enhance drought resiliency..

The bill also will expand science programs, modernize data and technology and ensure a whole-ofgovernment approach to wildfire and drought issues as well as helping to improve the understanding of wildfires, their behavior, and their long-lasting effects.

U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) applauded passage of the act, which included four amendments he authored.

A statement released by Perlmutter’s office said climate change has increased wildfire risk nationally presenting a year-round threat to the United States as well as made drought more severe and persistent, with parts of the western U.S. experiencing their driest conditions in over 1,200 years. Together, the effects of wildfire and drought cost the U.S. roughly $20 billion in 2021 alone.

“Close to half of Colorado’s popu-

lation lives in or near places prone to wildfires. We need to get serious about our approach to wildfires to protect people’s lives, (their) homes and our natural resources,” Perlmutter said. “It’s long past time Congress took the issue of climate change and wildfires seriously, and this package is a big step forward in ensuring we can better prepare for and respond to these worsening threats.”

The four amendments secured by Perlmutter: • Expand research and development opportunities to better protect buildings from wildfire hazards as well as promote energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, and encourage greater collaboration between FEMA and other agencies on hazard resilience research to protect buildings from wildfires.

• Ensure the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) collaborates with other agencies, like NASA, on its work in fire weather forecasting and alerts.

• Expand the Department of Energy’s activities under the Wildland Fire Risk Reduction Program to include fire modeling, forecasting fire spread, and analysis of wildfire fuels.

• Expand opportunities for NOAA and NASA to purchase commercial data products from satellites and airborne data sources to support their efforts to improve our understanding of wildfires under the bill.

As a member of the House Sci-

The Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act will provide investments to improve fire-adapted ecosystems, protect communities against catastrophic wildfires FILE PHOTO and enhance drought resiliency.

ence, Space and Technology Committee, Perlmutter also is a lead sponsor of H.R. 5781, the National Wildland Fire Risk Reduction Program Act, a comprehensive package to identify and invest in R&D, set up warning and forecast systems, develop observation and sensing technologies, and standardize data collection efforts to improve the nation’s preparedness, resilience and response to wildfires.

Earlier this year, he introduced H.R. 6845, the Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act to support commercial remote sensing

activities in the U.S. and renew the requirement for an annual report on the status of commercial remote sensing applications and regulations. H.R. 6845 also passed the U.S. House this week. Commercial Remote Sensing is a way to detect wildfire using satellite imagery.,Perlmutter and fellow House Science Committee members have advocated for a more sustainable, comprehensive solution to the growing threat of wildfires across the U.S. but particularly in the Western U.S.

Stay connected to your local community!

Sign up today to receive our weekly newsletter Go to coloradocommunitymedia.com and click the newsletter tab to sign up today!

18 Clear Creek Courant

August 11, 2022

Dems spent $4 million to influence GOP primary Senate Majority PAC, tied to Chuck Schumer, spent big in Colorado

BY SANDRA FISH THE COLORADO SUN

The Senate Majority PAC, a group aligned with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, was behind the shadowy, $4 million campaign to encourage voters in Colorado’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate last month to back state Rep. Ron Hanks.

Hanks, an election conspiracist and hard-line conservative, lost by a wide margin to Joe O’Dea, a first-time candidate and the owner of a Denver construction company.

O’Dea faces Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in November.

The Senate Majority PAC, known as SMP, was the lone donor to Democratic Colorado, another super PAC that spent millions on TV and digital ads boosting Hanks’ profile and attacking O’Dea. SMP’s link to Democratic Colorado was revealed in a campaign finance filing Wednesday night.

Democratic Colorado also closed its account with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday and returned about $3,000 to SMP, further proof that the group was formed for the sole purpose of influencing Colorado’s Republican primary.

Democratic Colorado’s organizers were so keen on keeping their funders secret that their address was listed as a UPS Store in Denver’s Cherry Creek North neighborhood. If it weren’t for the PAC’s name it might have been unclear which political party the group was linked to.

“We saw two deeply flawed candidates running against each other, so we worked to weaken both their campaigns,” JB Poersch, president of Senate Majority PAC, told The Colorado Sun in a written statement.

Sign up here to get The Unaffiliated, our twice-weekly newsletter on Colorado politics and policy.

Each edition is filled with exclusive news, analysis and other behind-the-scenes information you won’t find anywhere else. Subscribe today to see what all the buzz is about.

Dark-money nonprofit Majority Forward, which doesn’t legally have to disclose its donors, is a major contributor to SMP, at $28 million of the group’s $65 million raised this election cycle through June 30, per federal reports.

Majority Forward is the same nonprofit that fueled a $1.5 million campaign in the 2020 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Colorado to support former Gov. John Hickenlooper over former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. Hickenlooper won the primary and went on to beat Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner in the general election.

Democratic Colorado’s ad campaign this year painted Hanks as the most conservative candidate in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in the apparent hope that he would be more appealing to GOP voters.

The idea behind the initiative was that Hanks would be easier for Bennet to beat in November.

SMP released a statement after O’Dea won the primary June 28 calling him too conservative and criticizing him for “racing to the right” during the primary. While Democratic Colorado’s preferred candidate may not have won, O’Dea and his supporters spent millions to

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer

ensure O’Dea would win.

As a result, O’Dea was at a major cash disadvantage to Bennet heading into July.

“National Republicans are now saddled with propping up a not ready for prime-time candidate in Joe O’Dea, who has less money in the bank today than he did at the beginning of the year,” Poersch said in his statement, celebrating the campaign as a success.

Democratic Colorado’s campaign wasn’t the only effort undertaken

by Democratic groups to help Hanks and more extreme Republican candidates in other races.

Those advertising campaigns also failed in Colorado’s highly competitive new 8th Congressional District and in the GOP primary for governor.

It’s still unclear who sent some mailers targeting O’Dea and favoring Hanks. O’Dea filed a federal

SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

lawsuit over the mailers last month, but that legal action likely won’t be concluded until after the Nov. 8 election. Colorado is one of several states where Democratic groups are funding ads promoting the most extreme or controversial GOP candidates, theorizing they’d be the easiest for Democrats to defeat in the general election in November.

Republicans have deployed similar tactics in Colorado and across the country in previous election cycles.

Colorado Sun staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com.

The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

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Clear Creek Courant 19

August 11, 2022

C R O S SWO R D P U Z Z L E

© 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

Solution

TRIVIA 1. AD SLOGANS: Which product’s advertising slogan is “Look, Ma, no cavities!”?

2. MOVIES: The movie “300” is based on which famous historical battle?

3. U.S. PRESIDENTS: How many presidents have served more than two terms?

4. ANIMAL KINGDOM: How far can a skunk’s spray reach?

10. FOOD & DRINK: Which plant produces cacao beans, which are used to make chocolate?

Answers 1. Crest.

2. The Battle of Thermopylae.

3. One. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

5. GEOGRAPHY: What is the southernmost major city on the continent of Africa?

4. About 10-20 feet.

6. LANGUAGE: What is a funambulist?

6. Tightrope walker.

7. HISTORY: Who was the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon (unofficially)?

7. Bobbi Gibb, 1966. The race was opened to women in 1972.

8. TELEVISION: What was the name of the cruise ship on the sitcom “The Love Boat”?

8. Pacific Princess.

9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Which colors make up the fivering Olympic symbol?

5. Cape Town.

9. Blue, yellow, red, green and black.

10. Cacao trees. (c) 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.

Crossword Solution

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20 Clear Creek Courant

August 11, 2022

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Clear Creek Courant 21

August 11, 2022

COLORADO COMMUNIT Y MEDIA

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Clear Creek Courant 23

24 Clear Creek Courant

August 11, 2022

2022

PRESENTS

Holiday Craft Show & Mini-Market Saturday Nov. 26

10am - 6pm

Sunday Nov. 27

10am - 2pm

Douglas County Fairgrounds 500 Fairgrounds Dv. Castle Rock, CO.

Come shop for unique gifts and special items during the Colorado Community Media Holiday Craft Show and Mini-Market; With more than 200 exhibitors filling the Douglas County Fairgrounds, this is the best place to find that special, personal gift for friends and family.

The show will feature handmade crafts in all areas from metal and leather, to flowers, baskets, ceramics, and so much more.

In it’s third year - expanding into two buildings.

In 2021, 3,000 customers attended

Admission is free to the public Interested in selling your handmade crafts?

Interested in hosting classes?

Contact Event Producer Thelma Grimes at tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.com All applications must be approved to participate