Clear Creek Courant April 25, 2024

On the 25th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, our series continues with a look at how school safety, culture and emergency communications changed P10

Clear Creek County deputies assisted with a victim trapped in an avalanche in the Herman Gulch area in March. Flights were used to take a team of Alpine members into the field to get to the trapped party. The victim was rescued and taken out of the field on foot with minor injuries after being trapped against a tree for almost 6 hours.

Matthew Harris gives exclusive interview about how he’s making good on his vow to change the department

BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

It’s been a little more than 100 days since former federal marshall and special agent in charge of the U.S. Postal Service Matthew Harris took o ce as the new Clear Creek County sheri .

He and his deputy sta knew he was walking into a department in turmoil and change was mandatory. However, everyone wondered, “Who

100 days as Clear Creek County Sheri

were nervous because getting a ‘fed’ in — there’s a lot of questions marks

with that,” 17-year Clear Creek County Sheri ’s O ce veteran Seth Marquardt said during a recent interview with the Courant.

Harris was hired by county commissioners in October 2023 after former Clear Creek County Sheri Rick Albers retired in August of 2023 after 43 years in law enforcement.

Albers’ decision came as the sheri ’s department was embroiled in controversy following the shooting death of 22-year-old Christian Glass.

Glass, who was stranded in his car in 2022, called 911 but refused to leave his car when asked to by ofcers, which turned into a stando that ended when o cers broke the car window, used a Taser on Glass and ultimately shot him ve times through the windshield, killing him, according to testimony.

Sheri Matthew Harris says he plans to change the image of the Clear Creek County sheri ’s o ce in part by being more engaged with the community through events like the Easter egg hunt March 29 in Georgetown. PHOTO COURTESY OF CLEAR CREEK COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT

Improvements in Laundry Machines Is Unending. Introducing Heat Pump Dryers

Over the last 20 years, I have listed many homes on the MLS, and when doing so it’s important to list the energy and water-saving appliances of the home in the MLS. Advertising a “high efficiency washer and dryer” became more and more common.

But now there are three generations of high efficiency that I can think of.

20 years ago, high efficiency meant front-loading. This reduced the amount of water needed compared to the old top-loading washers. New detergents were introduced for them.

Then, unexpectedly, a top-loading machine with no agitator took the title. Who knew that you could clean clothes that way? The washing machine saved water because it sensed the amount of clothes in the machine and adjusted the water use accordingly.

But what about the clothes dryer?

Over the years you really could only choose between gas dryers and electric dryers, although I loved to point out the “solar dryer” in the backyard — a clothesline for drying clothes outdoors. Meanwhile, it has always bothered me

how much hot air a dryer exhausts to the outdoors in the dead of winter instead of using that heat inside the house. An analog solution to that is the indoor lint trap. It is filled with water which traps the lint, and the warm air is exhausted into the room. The device is typically used when a vent to the exterior of the house is unavailable, but you might choose to use one because you want to capture the dryer’s heat instead of sending it outdoors. Remember, too, that the air which your home exhausts must be replaced by outside air coming in through cracks, bathroom/kitchen exhaust piping, etc. So you are not only losing that heat in the winter, you are drawing in cold air from outside. There are multiple solutions to this dilemma. In addition to using the lint trap described above (in which case you’ll want to seal the exhaust pipe to outdoors), you can replace your existing dryer with what’s called a condensing dryer, typically using a heat pump instead of gas or traditional resistancebased electrical heating.

A condensing dryer has the ability to keep the heat within your house through

internal processing. It’s also called a ventless dryer. Google it to learn more and to see where you can buy them (everywhere) and what they cost.

Heat pump dryers use less electricity than conventional dryers because they use an evaporator to remove the moisture and then recycle the warm air so they don't have to heat the ambient air again.

Because a heat pump dryer is ductless, you don’t have to worry about lint buildup in the vent pipe, which could lead to a fire. There are 13,000 household fires caused by clothes dryers every year in the U.S.

Because heat pump dryers are ductless, they can be installed in any room. Perhaps you’d like to have one in your walk-in closet or ensuite bathroom.

A secondary benefit is that because heat pump dryers operate at a lower temperature, your clothes will last longer.

If you want to save space and don’t like stackable washers/dryers, you can buy an all-in-one machine that does both.

TheCoolDown.com offers other suggestions for saving energy and water, and reducing your personal carbon footprint. The single biggest savings is by using cold water unless absolutely necessary.

Also, dryer sheets and fabric softeners, they say, work by adding petroleumbased chemicals to your clothing, which can cause eczema. Dryer balls are a onetime purchase that work better. (We use them.)

We buy detergent in gallon-size plastic jugs, but they suggest buying powder instead since it’s questionable whether that jug, made from petroleum, will be recycled, even if you put it in the your recycling cart.

This article and the one below appeared in last week’s Denver Post column.

You’d be amazed how many older building materials included asbestos. If you disturb asbestos, making it airborne, you endanger the health of yourself, your workers and your children.

Because asbestos doesn’t burn, it was used to wrap pipes and ductwork in older homes, and in other less obvious materials. If your home has popcorn ceilings which you want to remove, you should definitely test for asbestos first.

Asbestos is also present in older adhesives used with vinyl flooring. Older gas fireplaces had inserts made of asbestos. It is also found in older roof shin-

gles and siding, in certain Chinese drywall boards, in vermiculite insulation, and in some ceiling tiles.

Although asbestos materials are safe when left alone, disturbing them can be hazardous. See my post of this at http:// RealEstateToday.substack.com for useful links on this topic.

Archive of Past Columns Is Online

Over the past two decades this column has appeared in the Denver Post, and during that time I’ve written about every conceivable topic related to real estate, You can find and search that archive online at www.JimSmithColumns.com

In addition to murder in the second degree, former Clear Creek deputy Andrew Buen is currently on trial charged with o cial misconduct and reckless endangerment in Glass’ death.

On May 23, 2023, the Glass family settled with several Colorado local governments, including the county, for $19 million. It’s the largest settlement of its kind in Colorado history.

Albers’ resignation followed strong criticisms from colleagues in the wake of the settlement, including county commissioners. In a statement, they said they “did not believe the sheri had adequately accepted responsibility” for his role in the Glass tragedy.”

“With the Glass case, I think people (in the sheri ’s department) just became completely overwhelmed. e morale in the o ce was at an all-time low and people were leaving left and right. We were dealing with a lot of that,” Marquardt said.

Harris promised change, and in the rst 100 days, there have been many changes.

Former undersheri John Stein left the department within days of Harris taking o ce.

the sheri ’s department, Harris said, reminded him of a story his grandfather told him many years ago.

As a small business owner, his grandfather was interviewing two guys for a supervisor’s job. One had been there for 15 years, the other only a couple.

e guy who didn’t get the job was the one there for 15 years.

Upset, Harris said the veteran employee exclaimed, “I can’t believe I didn’t get this job. I have 15 years experience. How dare you not promote

Harris said his grandfather’s response was: “You don’t have 15 years of experience. You have one year of experience 15 times, because for 15 years you’ve been doing things wrong. You’ve been doing the same thing year in and year out because you’re not growing.”

“ at’s the way I view leadership,” Harris said.

ing to Harris, is in place to transform the sheri ’s o ce.

e rst is changing the image of the sheri ’s o ce by being more engaged with the community through social media and creating a community relations division within the ofce, Harris said.

e second is through operations: looking at training and the budget.

e department plans to scrutinize the budget by looking under every seat cushion and every crevice for every dime, where it was spent and how it was spent and looking at contracts that were old and the department kept paying, Harris said.

e third part of the approach is employee retention and recruitment in a county where often deputies can’t a ord to live, Harris said.

“I’m just a guy behind a desk with vision and ideas,” Harris said. “If you don’t have the people to implement that, it makes it hard.”

“First thing was to identify two guys who are great cops and great leaders in this organization who were in leadership roles but not high enough to really make a di erence,” Harris said. “So we appointed Matt Brown as the undersheri and Seth Marquart as captain of special services.”

In his conversation with the Courant, Harris talked about what’s often called the “good old boy system” where generations of family and friends are automatically hired because of history and not quali cations.

Harris’s answer to that tradition was simple and blunt: “ e friends and family plan is ending,” Harris said. “We’re not hiring people just because they grew up with ‘Johnny down the street.’ at is ending.

“What we want and need now is ‘diversity in thought,’” Harris continued. “ ere is not a tougher culture to break than the law enforcement culture.”

A history of stagnant growth within

e elephant in the room during Harris’ discussion with the Courant was the fact that next door to the sheri ’s o ce in Georgetown is the Clear Creek Courthouse, where Buen faces a 15-person jury for the death of Christian Glass.

“It’s part of our history now,” Harris said. “It’s part of who we are and part of what happened, but it doesn’t dene the men and women that work in this o ce.”

According to Marquardt, the Glass shooting corresponded with a massive decline in morale within the sheri ’s department.

“I don’t know how to speak on it, and there’s not a better term than ‘it just went to shit,’ and I don’t like to bad-mouth people, but we just didn’t have good leaders in the organization,” Marquardt said.

A three-prong approach, accord-

Appropriate pensions and salaries will be key in attracting local and quali ed candidates, according to Harris.

ere is a symbol of change Clear Creek residents will see sheri ’s deputies handing out soon.

It is a coin commissioned by Harris and designed by Sue LeBarron, a community member and manager of the county’s animal shelter Charlie’s Place.

e coin features a handshake with a mountain background and the slogans “New Day, New Dawn, New Beginnings” and “Public Service First, Public Safety Always.”

“It just encapsulates everything we’re trying to do,” Harris said.

Harris announced in a Clear Creek County commission meeting April 15 that he will be seeking election to the position of sheri in November.

Clear Creek County deputy Seth Marquardt, who also applied for the job of Sheri , was one of the first to raise his hand and swear his oath before Sheri Matthew Harris in Georgetown Dec. 19.

PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL

Clear Creek County prosecutors rest their case, deny defense motion to dismiss Andrew Buen’s charges in Christian Glass trial

BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Christian Glass trial continues after prosecutors rested their case on the morning of April 19.  Andrew Buen’s defense team instantly asked Fifth Circuit Judge Catherine Cheroutes to dismiss the case, citing the prosecution had failed to prove the charges during testimony, but the motion was denied following approximately 40 minutes of arguments from prosecutors and defense.

Cheroutes said the jury could continue to hear evidence and make an informed choice on their own.

Buen is charged with murder in the second degree, o cial misconduct and reckless endangerment in the shooting death of Christian Glass on the night of June 10-11, 2022.

A 15-person jury made up of Clear Creek County residents has so far heard six days of testimony from several court con rmed, law enforcement and expert witnesses for the prosecution and watched three separate body-worn camera videos from law enforcement o cers that night.

Glass called 911 for help, saying he was trapped in his car, and when o cers arrived, they asked Glass to leave his vehicle. He refused in what turned into a long stando that ended when o cers broke Glass’ car

window and used a Taser on him. Buen shot Glass ve times, killing him, according to an indictment.

e consensus from the prosecutor’s witnesses was that Buen’s actions that night could be considered egregious and not keeping with the standard of law enforcement actions, according to testimony over the last week.

Several investigators from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, including Deputy Director Kirby Lewis, noted ve bullet holes in the front windshield and a corresponding nine-millimeter shell casing on the ground at the scene.

Kirby testi ed all ve of the bullets struck Glass in the “center mass” of his chest, killing him.

Christian’s mother, Sally Glass, also testi ed. Her son was coming back from Moab, Utah where he was on a three-day “art trip” collecting rocks using a knife and hammer. ose tools in the vehicle are a large basis of Buen’s defense team who, in testimony, claimed they were dangerous weapons putting ofcers at risk the night of the shooting.

Testimony continued as Buen’s defense called its own expert witnesses to refute prosecutor’s witnesses’ accounts of what transpired the night Glass was killed.

Already, Buen’s defense attorneys have raised the argument that Glass

was intoxicated or “high” the night he refused to leave his stranded vehicle and was killed.

Referring to law enforcement body camera video from the night Glass was shot, Buen’s defense attorney Carrie Slinkard said Glass’s eyes appeared dilated in a manner that is “consistent with drug use.” She also noted a half-smoked marijuana joint “caked in blood” was found on the seat where Glass was shot to death.

Clear Creek County District Attorney Heidi McCollum said the prosecutor’s case will show actions

by Buen that were “excessive and criminal.”

e court wrapped up for the week shortly after noon on April 19 with Cheroutes emphasizing that the jury members should have the opportunity to break for the weekend.

e case was scheduled on the court’s calendar for another two weeks.

Editor’s note: is was the most recent story as of press deadlines. e Clear Creek Courant continues to monitor the trial. Visit clearcreekcourant.com for the latest news.

Sally Glass (left) leaves Clear Creek County Court April 12 after the start of the murder trial against Andrew Buen for the shooting death of her son. PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL

Environmental Protection Agency coming to Idaho Springs to talk toxic mine waste piles

BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

It’s no surprise to many Clear Creek County locals that toxic remnants of mining work for decades saturated the soil across the county and Central City. at’s why the Environmental Protection Agency and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment formed the “Operable Unit Five” in the summer of 2022 to begin overseeing the investigation of mine waste piles in the Clear Creek Superfund Site, according to EPA information.

A public discussion on the OU Five’s ndings and soil testing programs is set for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 8 at the United Center (1440 Colorado Blvd., Idaho Springs).

Representatives from the EPA and CDPHE will be on hand to share results of testing and discuss the next steps for the site, according to EPA Community Involvement Coordinator

Charles Van Otten.

e main concerns, indicated by the EPA, are exposures to heavy metals, primarily lead and arsenic left by decades of gold and silver mining in Clear Creek County.

e EPA will also request access from private property owners for testing for what it says, “is critical to the successful evaluation and cleanup of this OU.”

To “protect your family’s health” the EPA recommends getting blood lead levels tested, especially for children, through the Clear Creek County Public Health Center in Idaho Springs.

e contact at the location is Emily Kuper at ekuper@clearcreekcounty.us or by phone at 303-670-7528.

Potential risks to human health from lead and arsenic, according to the

EPA, include kidney problems, lower birth weight for infants and cancer in the skin, liver, bladder and lungs. “We

We have now passed our upcoming scal year’s state budget and I am proud to report that it is balanced, bipartisan, responsible and sets forth great news and developments for our region and the entire state of Colorado.

e Constitution requires the legislature to do only two tasks every year: pass a balanced budget and pass the school nance act to fund our K-12 public schools. Of course, we end up working on many other pieces of important legislation that help with issues like a ordability, protecting our water and environment, and addressing dozens of other crucial issues, but the budget and the school nance act are critical.

I have spent the last several weeks advocating for Western Slope priorities as we debated the state’s budget. is year’s budget has been tighter than most, and we have worked hard to center smart and constituent-focused priorities. I believe that the budget serves all of us in Senate District 8 and in the entire state of Colorado well. Here are some of the big highlights:

Fully funding education

After 14 years, the state of Colorado has fully eliminated the Budget Stabilization Factor, also known as the BS Factor. e BS factor has been used to withhold an estimated $10 billion from schools since it was rst introduced over 15 years ago but with this year’s budget, we

Our annual state budget VOICES

PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Library programs are ALWAYS FREE! SUMMER READING REGISTRATION OPENS SOON!

Our 2024 Summer Reading program, Adventure Begins at Your Library, starts the week of June 10. Registration opens soon – stay tuned for more information!

AN EVENING WITH CRAIG JOHNSON

Idaho Springs Elks Lodge #607, 1600 Colorado Blvd. Idaho Springs 7 p.m. Saturday, May 4

have zeroed-out the remaining debt and are fully funding schools for the rst time since the Great Recession.

However, eliminating the BS factor is only the beginning of our commitment to support teachers and students. is budget is fully funding education to levels set in 1989, without accounting for in ation. We have so much more work to do and I look forward to continued e orts to provide young Coloradans and their educators the funding they need to thrive in the coming years.

Rural schools support and special education funding

e Senate also just unanimously passed SB24-188, the bipartisan School Finance Act, which will provide targeted and consistent funding for our rural school districts. Rural districts have received one-time grant funding from the state several times, but this year, we advocated for and nally created a permanent source of additional funding for our rural districts. SB24-188 will allocate between $30 and $35 million per year to rural districts, meaning that every rural district will receive a minimum of $100,000 in additional funding that they can use to increase teacher pay, better equip classrooms, and

much more. In addition, the budget allocated $34.7 million for students with disabilities, which will nally fully fund special education.

A ordable housing and property taxes

A ordable housing, particularly in our mountain communities, has been one of my top priorities throughout my time at the Capitol. In addition to other e orts supporting a ordable housing this legislative session, including the recently signed SB24-002, the state budget provides more than $42 million for a variety of a ordable housing e orts.

In addition, the Property Tax Commission has nalized ten recommendations to address the growing burden of property taxes for homeowners in Colorado. I look forward to seeing which of these recommendations turn into policies for the legislature’s consideration before the end of the session on May 8, and supporting those I believe will truly bene t hard-working Coloradans, lower property tax bills, and properly fund crucial local services like re departments and paramedics, hospitals, schools, libraries, and much more.

Water

Protecting and preserving Colorado’s water resources is essential to preparing for a drier future. I am proud to be sponsoring HB241435, which dedicates more than $55 million to fund needed water projects and the Colorado Water

Plan. Funded projects will include drought planning and mitigation e orts, helping the Colorado River District secure the Shoshone water rights to preserve crucial water ow on the Western Slope, and dozens of important water infrastructure improvements across the state. We continue to fund our state’s water future at historic levels, in part thanks to an in ux of tax revenue from sports betting, and we must continue this momentum.

And so much more…

Our balanced state budget, $40.6 billion in total, supports dozens of key agencies and programs. We’ve made investments to pay our healthcare providers more, and support our rural communities with more resources for mental health, economic development, and agriculture industry support.

In the end, this budget re ects a balanced, bipartisan, commonsense approach to Colorado’s future. Our future is found in every classroom and in the Colorado River. Our future is right here in Senate District 8, and I am grateful that this year’s budget will help make that future brighter.

As always, you can contact me directly at SenatorDylanRoberts@ gmail.com or 970-846-3054.

Dylan Roberts is the State Senator for Clear Creek, Eagle, Gar eld, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Mo at, Rio Blanco, Routt and Summit Counties

Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of the “Longmire” mystery series, will read from his new novel and treat attendees to a Q&A session and book signing. is event is FREE, but tickets are required for entry. For more information and to reserve your tickets, please visit www.cccld.org.

STORYTIMES

Idaho Springs Public Library: 11:15 a.m. Tuesdays

John Tomay Memorial Library: 11:15 a.m. ursdays

Share stories, play games, and get

creative. Storytimes are a great opportunity to connect with other local families with young children.

YOUNG PATRON FUN

Vampires & Werewolves Pizza Party 3:30-7:15 p.m. May 2 at Idaho Springs Public Library

Join us to play the popular deduction game Werewolf, watch Twilight, and enjoy pizza and snacks. is program is for tweens and teens aged 11 years and older. Registration is required – to sign up, please email holly@cccld.org.

Parental permission is required for participants under the age of 13 years, as Twilight is rated PG-13.

Werewolf Donut Den

10 a.m. Friday, May 3 at John Tomay Memorial Library

Wolf down delicious donuts, and play the popular deduction game Werewolf. We’ll have a howling-good time!

FRIDAY VIRTUAL REALITY SESSIONS

State Senator

Idaho Springs Public Library: 2-4 p.m. May 10

John Tomay Memorial Library: 2-4 p.m. May 24

Explore new worlds at our virtual reality sessions for young patrons ages 12 years and older. Please email heather@ cccld.org to learn more and register.

BOOK GROUPS

Idaho Springs Book Group: 4 p.m. May 13, “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann

John Tomay Memorial Library Book Group: 3 p.m. May 16, “Still Life” by Sarah Winman

Connect with other local readers at our monthly book groups. Email libby@cccld.org for information.

ADULT CRAFTS

is month, we are delighted to host Resilience 1220 for art workshops at the Libraries! Supplies are included, but registration is required. Please email holly@cccld.org to register.

Creating Opportunitieswith Art erapist Nicole Nepote

5:30 p.m. May 21 at Idaho Springs Public Library

In this art therapy support group, we will focus on identifying actions and healthy boundary setting to bring about opportunity. We will create collages with magazines (supplies are included, but please feel welcome to bring magazines for this craft).

Fluid Arts Exploration with Art erapist Jessica Barks

5:30 p.m. May 23 at John Tomay Memorial Library

Expand creativity and exibility with an exploration of alcohol inks and acrylic pour mediums. Working with these materials, we will explore color, mindfulness, and psychological exibility while creating beautiful works of art.

MONTHLY WRITERS’ CHAT

6 p.m. May 22 and June 26 at Idaho Springs Public Library

Join us for Quill & Spill sessions at the Idaho Springs Public Library to discuss your writing project and connect with other Clear Creek writers! Hosted by local author, Lisa Manifold. To register, email lisa@cccld.org by the day before the event.

CONNECT WITH US

Idaho Springs Public Library: 303567-2020

John Tomay Memorial Library (Georgetown): 303-569-2620

Email us at hello@cccld.org

Visit us at www.cccld.org

LIBRARY SERVICES COLLECTION

Call or visit us to learn more and request items.

Explore our book and movie collection at www.cccld.org

View our Library of ings at https:// cccld.org/library-of-things/

Download the Libby App to your smart device to access thousands of ebooks and e-audiobooks.

Do you have the Libby App? Download the Libby App by Overdrive to your smart device to access thousands of e-books and audiobooks, available for checkout with your library card. Visit https://cccld.org/library-resources/ and click on the Overdrive/Libby icon to get started.

VISITING AND CURBSIDE PICKUP HOURS

Idaho Springs Public Library Hours

Monday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Tuesday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Wednesday: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

ursday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Saturday: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Sunday: CLOSED

John Tomay Memorial Library

Hours

Monday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Tuesday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Wednesday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

ursday: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Saturday: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Sunday: CLOSED

Local History Archives — visitors are welcome with an appointment.

Curbside pickup services — available by appointment; please contact us to schedule your pickup.

HOME DELIVERY

Let us bring the library to you! Call us for details. Home delivery services are intended for homebound persons and patrons experiencing illness, and availability is determined by weather and sta ng.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Our library sta can assist you with a variety of tasks –– using a tablet or smartphone, navigating the internet, setting up an email account, and more. Call us or email heather@cccld.org for more information.

PRINTS, COPIES, FAXES

Email printcccld@gmail.com or call your Clear Creek County Library branch to request prints, copies, and faxes — or just come in and use our equipment during our hours of operation!

NOTARY SERVICES

Notary services are FREE! Please contact your Clear Creek County Library branch to book your appointment.

Our ‘Columbine at 25’ project

Last week, our newsroom released the rst part of our two-week series “How Columbine changed us.” It looks back on the 25 years since the tragic shooting at Columbine High School, where two armed students took the lives of 13 people before ending their own. e narrative often repeated in the media focuses on the killers and victims, but, as we reported in week one, it overlooks Columbine’s journey of re-

covery, resilience and triumph. In week two, we touch on the issues of safety in “How Columbine changed response.” In the aftermath of Columbine, schools across the country have increased security measures. ese include classroom doors that lock from the inside, single-point entry systems, security cameras, metal detectors, scanners and drills. And, rst responders have changed how they communicate.

Our biggest nding is that the de ning aspect of Columbine is not the shooting, but the response of the community. It is the indomitable spirit that has emerged and evolved at the school and surrounding area since 1999. is spirit is evident in the school’s Day of Service, held every April 20, the anniversary of the shooting. As teacher Mandy Cooke, a survivor of the 1999 incident, puts it, “We have turned that day into some-

thing so positive… making sure that our current students know how to be better humans in the world, instead of this awful, tragic thing that happened to us.” us, inclusive school culture is perhaps the most critical way Columbine changed us.

View the whole project online at coloradocommunitymedia.com/ columbine-at-25.

– Michael de Yoanna and Kristen Fiore, editors

The Columbine High School yearbook, one of many points of pride for students and the community and part of the culture that those close to the school say is also a part of what makes it safer.

COURTESY OF KELLEY KELLOGG

BY HALEY LENA AND SUZIE GLASSMAN

Today, it’s common across the country for children as young as 4 and 5 to participate in active-shooter drills and shelter-in-place lockdowns about as often as they take standardized tests. at includes the Je erson County School District, where Columbine High School resides.

e Columbine of today has classroom doors that lock from the inside and a single-point entry for students, sta and visitors. It’s equipped with many visible and invisible ways to prevent and/or limit the impact of a mass-scale emergency, a kind that had not been on the national radar before the mass shooting.

While many people may believe school security is about physical barriers and policing threats, those working in the building today, including principal Scott Christy and social studies teachers Sam Bowersox and Je Garkow, say safety at Columbine is also about culture. As a result, the sum of those safety measures is far greater than the parts.

“Kids can’t learn if they don’t feel safe, and teachers can’t teach if they don’t feel safe. And so it’s everything. It’s incredibly important,” said Christy. “I think Columbine is the safest school in the world. My hope is that sta and students don’t think about what happened 25 years ago. ey see it as they see their school as a home, a place that they’re proud to be a part of, and a place that they know that they’re loved and cared for.”

Still, security has changed since the April 20, 1999 shooting.

John McDonald wasn’t at Columbine that day, but like countless others, his life was forever changed by the tragedy. Nine years later, he became the executive director of school safety for the Je erson County School District, including Columbine, and, since moving on, has continued to work to make schools safer.

“I hate to say good came out of it,”

said McDonald. “But what came out of (the Columbine shooting) was the commitment to protect kids.”

Before the tragedy, school o cials and security o cers focused on the potential dangers outsiders might in ict on their buildings. Overnight, they had to shift their thinking to consider that students could be threats, too, and how that might impact school safety plans.

Doing so took its toll. Between 1999 and 2008, the school district had multiple executive directors of school safety.

“ e job was di cult,” said McDonald, who held the position for 14 years starting in 2008. “It was overwhelming for people.”

McDonald, who is now the chief operating o cer for the National Council of School Security, was recognized internationally as the architect of the Columbine High School security and emergency management plan.

In April 1999, with no incident command structure in the district, school security consisted of a handful of cameras outside the school and a few school resource o cers. ere was a disconnect with local law enforcement agencies, who were unfamiliar with the insides of the school, critical information that would be useful for saving lives during an incident.

According to a 2018 Federal School Safety Commission report, there was a rush by leaders across the country to add security o cers and speed up response times, among other measures. Security experts also began considering how students, who often hear rsthand about planned attacks or suicidal ideations, might help tip them o . As a result, the Colorado Trust awarded a $375,000 grant to establish the anonymous 24/7 hotline Safe2Tell.

It’s di cult to know precisely how the immediate security changes impacted students. Walking into Columbine in August 1999, Kelley Kellogg said she didn’t focus on the

added security or the changes to the school other than being relieved that the library where the majority of the deaths occurred had been walled o .

Instead, she felt the typical nerves and excitement of any student on their rst day of high school. As a freshman, she hadn’t been there on the day of the shooting, but she knew several classmates who had, including one whose sibling had died.

“Mostly, we didn’t talk about it, even my friend who’d been directly impacted,” said Kellogg. “But I felt incredibly safe. Everyone was super vigilant and protective. Frank DeAngelis (the principal at the time) and all of the teachers took such good care of us, shielded us from the media attention and made us feel loved and cared for.”

A 2021 Students’ Reports of Safety and Security Measures Observed at School published by the National Center for Education Statistics indicated four measures became more prevalent in the ensuing years, from 2009 to 2019.

Students saw an increase in the use of one or more security cameras, a locked entrance or exit door during the day, student identi cation badges and security guards or assigned police o cers.

e sitting Je erson County School District Executive Director for the Department of School Safety, Je Pierson, said that in addition to more alarmed doors, secure classrooms, and vestibules to check identi cation, more information and security is coming with added cameras and security guards.

“I think it sends a message to our kids and our parents that we’ve got an additional set of eyes that are highly trained individuals watching out for and keeping an eye on what’s going on in our buildings,” said Pierson.

Six years ago, McDonald hired Pierson as the district’s director of safe school environments. In this role, he focused on enhancing part-

Columbine High School Principal Scott Christy stands on April 4 outside the Frank DeAngelis Community Safety Center in Wheat Ridge. He spoke to reporters there as part of the Je co Public Schools “media day” in connection with the 25th anniversary of the Columbine shooting.

nerships between schools, district leadership, and the Department of School Safety, seeking to establish a more proactive approach.

Before taking on this role, Pierson was the principal at Standley Lake High School in Westminster and trained in federal and police safety and policing programs. Pierson said having rst responder training and the lens of an educator has helped him break down barriers to how schools should operate.

Far more than the enforced wearing of student IDs and the additional patrol cars posted outside, Kellogg said safety came from a sense of belonging.

“I feel like everyone just kind of tried to get along,” she said. “Because even though this really tragic thing happened, I felt like we were a part of a family. Kids are kids, and stu still happens, but I felt like everyone tried their best to take care of each other.”

PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

Communications problems led to state’s now-robust radio program

After more than 25 years of build-out, Colorado’s Digital Trunked Radio System has made a di erence, first responders say

BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY DGRIGSBY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In the years before the shooting at Columbine High School, Colorado had already started to address challenges within its radio communications system for rst responders. Primarily directed at helping rural and mountainous towns mitigate dead spots in coverage, these e orts were a promising step forward, particularly during wild res, when aid spanned multiple jurisdictions.

But on April 20, 1999, when more than 40 separate agencies descended upon Columbine High School, communication broke down.

As police, re and medical personnel responded to the shootings that took 13 lives, radio frequencies overloaded because so many di erent agencies were all trying to talk at once.

At one point, radios had become so useless that messengers on foot had to relay critical information between agencies, as then-chief of the state Fire Safety Division Kevin Klein told e Denver Post in 2011.

“Go back to Columbine — di erent responding agencies on di erent radio systems that couldn’t talk to each other,” Klein told the Post. “You had paralysis in the initial phase of the incident. We had to use runners to go back and forth to talk about what we’re going to do.”

But a quarter of a century later, many rst responders say that challenges aside, the state’s Digital Trunked Radio System (DTRS) has made a di erence.

Experts describe DTRS as a “system of systems” that connects re, law enforcement, medical, military

Colorado’s interoperable radio communication system for first responders has undergone continuous build-out over the past 25 years since Columbine. More commonly known as the digital trunked radio system (DTRS), this “system of systems” connects firefighters, law enforcement and other responders across a network of radios, both handheld and vehiclemounted. While it has seen its share of problems from inconsistent funding to technology glitches, Larkspur Fire Protection District Fire Capt. Chad Campagnola says he’s confident in the system and in its ability to perform in the event of a largescale emergency.

and federal assets with a network of radios, antennas and specialized software patches to bridge gaps between newer hardware and legacy equipment.

And even school districts can be part of the DTRS system.

“Any agency within the state can go to the system and connect with any other law enforcement or rst responder group that is on the scene of a critical incident,” Jacki Kelley, spokesperson for the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce, said of the DTRS.

Fire Capt. Chad Campagnola said the Larkspur Fire Protection District has been a part of the state’s DTRS systems since Douglas County transitioned to it in the early 2000s.

Campagnola, who has been with the department since 1992 and styles himself as the “district radio guy,” said that although the DTRS system added more capabilities for his team, the early roll-out was not without frustrations.

As in most jurisdictions, Campagnola cites the standard funding and technology challenges as the most troublesome.

Not only is the radio expensive, but there are also fees for each radio to be on the system and for certain types of software upgrades.

However, with more than two decades of build-out complete, Campagnola says he’s con dent in the system and feels it has evolved into a dependable asset that can help save lives and protect property.

Prior to DTRS, Larkspur had often experienced radio communication di culties due to its local geography and terrain.  ings are much better now.

“It’s de nitely an improvement from 24 years ago,” said Campagnola. “It’s also an improvement from two years ago. In our district speci cally, Douglas County has added more (radio) towers in the past ve years and that’s made an impact, especially for responders in the southern part of the county, as it a ects not just re but law enforcement, but roads and bridges, and the Douglas County School District — anyone operating within the DTRS coverage area.”

PHOTO BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY

PROGRAM

The Columbine Commission Report

Nine months after the Columbine massacre, then-Gov. Bill Owens signed an executive order creating the Columbine Review Commission in response to public outcry for answers. e 10-member board, chaired by retired Colorado Supreme Court Justice William H. Erickson, was charged with identifying lessons learned and how those lessons could prevent future tragedies.

e Columbine Review Commission Report was released in May 2001, nearly a year and a half later.

Anger and accusations ensued in the days after the report’s release as parents, school o cials and others demanded answers, saying the 174page report completely “glossed over” the events that led up to the attack and failed to properly investigate police response.

e commission o ered its recommendations but made no requirements for mandatory implementation. e commission was disbanded after its report was released, further infuriating the public.

However, among the commission’s top recommendations was the need to improve communications and, as a byproduct, more coordination among emergency response agencies. It recommended continuing development of the Digital Trunk Radio System.

Speci cally, the Columbine Commission recommended that “agencies in parts of the state not yet within the statewide system receive funds for the purchase of TRP 100 or similar systems, enabling them to be available in the event of a serious catastrophe in any part of the state.”

While much has changed since 1999, improving the rst responder radio system has been di cult in the decades since. e challenge in building out — and sustaining — Colorado’s interoperable communication system seem to be consistent among agencies and falls

into three distinct buckets: funding, planning, and training.

Colorado amply followed up with heavy investment in the DTRS program.

Putting a nger on exactly how much has been invested in Colorado’s DTRS program year-to-date is complicated as multiple sources of funding have been and continue to be employed. A  2016 memo from the Colorado Legislative Council provides an insight into the program’s early nancial history, nearing $250 million at the time.

But piles of money aside, what most didn’t realize is that this project would be far more than just buying new radios and issuing them to rst responders.

Building a statewide interoperable radio system would include the construction of multiple antenna towers — some of them in hard-toget-to mountainous terrain — to bridge growing technology gaps between new and legacy systems. State technology experts would also have to identify and manage radio frequencies, as well as convince jurisdictions to collaborate and share resources.

Legislation to provide interoperable communication funding for schools

In 2011, more than 10 years after the mass shooting, then-Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law Senate Bill 11-173. e bill addressed the lack of interoperable communications between schools and rst responders during an emergency. It augments the Colorado School Response Framework, created in 2008, to improve school crisis response by clarifying that interoperable communications are included in a school district’s school safety, readiness, and incident management plan.

Senate Bill 18-158 created the School Access for Emergency Response program, which provides schools with grant funding to purchase interoperable communication hardware and software, pay for equipment maintenance and provide training. e goal was to facilitate “seamless communications between existing school communications systems and rst

responder communications systems.”

e state placed the SAFER program within the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and initially funded it with a $5 million transfer from the Department of Public Safety for the 2018-19 scal year. Subsequent years were funded by State Public School Fund transfers through July 1, 2023.

Colorado’s O ce of Information Technology currently oversees the state’s public safety communications network and the DTRS.

But even with millions in local, state and federal dollars invested in the DTRS program, completing — and sustaining — a statewide interoperable radio system still has a few bugs.

While most emergency management and public safety experts say the state’s system has improved dramatically and local governments are more organized and collaborative since the Columbine shooting, there is still work to do.

Other jurisdictions have a similar take.

e Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce — an early adopter of DTRS, joining Douglas County and Arapahoe County in the program in the late 1990s — was among the rst to arrive on the Columbine scene in 1999.

e agency understands, rsthand, what can go wrong when rst responders are unable to communicate. Brad Ingermann, a commander with the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce Patrol Division, said that while the state’s DTRS still has its challenges, his agency is far better o than it was at the time of the Columbine shooting and now clearly believes it has an interoperable radio system that works.

“While large-scale incidents such as Columbine are far more common than they used to be, they are still very rare compared to events such as wildland res,” he said.

Mobile data terminals or MDTs as they are known, are computers used in vehicles operated by fire, law enforcement and other fields to connect mobile units, such as this fire engine operated by the Larkspur Fire Protection District, to a central dispatch or communications center.

PHOTO BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY

A Day of Service: Columbine teacher assists with reshaping narrative

BY ELISABETH SLAY ESLAY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Every day Je rey Garkow frequents the halls of his alma mater.

Garkow graduated from Columbine High School in 2006 and now works there as a social studies teacher.

He is one of the rst people to help reshape how the school honors the 13 lives taken on April 20, 1999.

Prior to 2017, the school wouldn’t hold classes on April 20.

“My experience with April 20 on the professional side of things was that it was just a day o ,” Garkow said. “I think that was hard for a lot of people, especially for the sta who were here on April 20, 1999.”

So, in 2016, Garkow said he and other Columbine educators decided to reimagine the day o and launched Day of Service.

“ is, I think, is kind of giving us the chance to control the narrative a little more about what Columbine has been through and what we are now,” he said.

e rst Day of Service was held in 2017. Garkow said about 400 students volunteered to participate. Last year around 1,500 of the school’s 1,700 students participated in the event.

Students, alumni, sta and community members participate in various projects on the Day of Service including volunteering at nursing homes, spending time at animal shelters, cleaning up parks, working with younger students in the district and cleaning up the campus.

In 2019, Gov. Jared Polis signed a proclamation declaring that Colorado will observe a Day of Service and Recommitment on April 20 each year.

Over the years, more alumni have gotten involved with the day and even planned their own versions of the event at other schools or their places of employment.

Frank DeAngelis, former Columbine principal, said people have participated in the Day of Service from beyond the state — even as far

away as Tanzania.

“It’s stu like that that I think is so important,” he said. “Because here’s the thing. ere are kids now that weren’t even born, but there’s certain messages — kindness, saying thank you … How do we make the world a better place?”

Mandy Cooke, a Columbine High School employee and survivor of the shooting, said the Day of Service reects the school’s current attitude of moving forward with hope.

“We have turned that day into something so positive,” she said. “And that is what I am most proud of — is making sure that our current students know how to be better humans in the world, instead of this awful, tragic thing that happened to us.”

For Garkow, the best aspect of Day of Service is the reactions from students who he says have loved participating in the celebration and carry that impact long after they graduate or leave.

“It’s just a really cool thing to hear students talk about that and how much of an impact that made on them and how much they continue to want to do that now,” Garkow said.

Garkow was in fth grade at Governor’s Ranch Elementary School on April 20, 1999. All he really remembers is learning the impact that day had on the community.

Sometimes students ask him about the shooting and Garkow said he is as open as possible with them and does his best to answer their questions.

“ ere is so much misinformation online and on social media or on ReddIt or in news articles about our school and the culture of our school that I think students pick up on,” Garkow said.

Garkow feels protective of his students. He feels they should not have to answer to people who are curious about the school.

“What responsibility do our kids have to own that story when they weren’t even alive during it?” Garkow said. “I think a lot of our kids

have a di erent take on it now because they didn’t experience any of it.”

As a student himself, Garkow didn’t fully comprehend what had happened but did witness how tight-knit the community became.

“I came into the school already as a kid with a lot of pride in seeing what the community did after that and seeing how the community responded,” Garkow said.

He said DeAngelis became the center of that community in many ways.

“I think so much of why we are the community we are today is because of Frank,” Garkow said. “ at guy absolutely gave up everything for himself to take care of the community and made sure every kid felt valued and welcomed.”

Garkow said DeAngelis later hired him to teach at the school. He worked with DeAngelis for a few years before DeAngelis retired.

“I absolutely love being in the school,” Garkow said. “ ere’s 20plus alumni who I think work in the building and I think that speaks a

lot to the strength of the community (and) how much the school means to people.”

Garkow said the community of the school feels almost like a family.

“I think it’s rare to work in a place where so many of the people you were with are just dear friends,” Garkow said. “It’s pretty rare that I feel like I’m coming here just to work.”

Garkow works with a lot of his own former teachers.

“( ey) are mentors and friends and people who I hope I can model myself after as an educator just because they meant so much to me when I was a student here,” Garkow said.

Garkow said he hopes more stories about where the school is now are told rather than only re ecting on the past.

“

ere is so much tragedy but there have also been so many beautiful moments that’ve come out since, that I think it gives a much better picture of who we are now and where we are as a school,” Garkow said.

Social studies teacher and alumnus at Columbine High School, Je Garkow stands at his old locker from his time as a student. Garkow has pride in the school, which he shows each year at the school’s Day of Service on April 20. He assists with coordinating the event and feels it reshapes the narrative of Columbine as a school and community.

PHOTO BY ELISABETH SLAY

As Ingerman points out, wildland res can quickly spread across multiple jurisdictions and require a medley of rst responders and mutual aid partners — all arriving on the scene and many operating on di erent radio systems and channels.

DTRS helps solve this.

It does so by connecting rst responders by the use of pre-coordinated channels assigned to both day-to-day and emergency operations. Speci c talk groups are allocated based on responder function and assignments, freeing up channels and organizing incident information among multiple agencies and partners.

Hardware alone does not create interoperability

the purchase of equipment hardware: things like handheld radios, car radios, repeaters, antennas and tower systems.

Some experts in the eld recall “radio spending sprees” to purchase the 800-MHz radios — quickly spending grant money to avoid getting caught up in product shortages and back-order delays.

Fran Santagata, a retired U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulatory analyst and former Douglas County emergency manager, said the same was true for Colorado.

But interestingly, over the past 25 years, much of the federal dollars made available to states and local jurisdictions initially went toward

SECURITY

Evolving approach to safety and security

McDonald noted that school districts across Colorado struggled to create cohesive security plans until 2008, when state lawmakers passed a law creating the Colorado School Safety Resource Center “to assist schools in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and crisis situations and to foster positive learning environments.”

“But equipment alone doesn’t create interoperability,” she said. “ ere is a speci c element of coordination and planning required, as well as training. Prociency and comfort in using the equipment are just as important.”

For most jurisdictions, Larkspur included, a signi cant portion of their daily radio tra c occurs over the DTRS, as designed.

emergency channels.

“I think the DTRS got built out, the towers have helped tremendously, and all of the training has helped, but I think we still struggle at every event with the lowest common denominator, which is the individual rst responder only being comfortable using the frequency they use day to day,” she said. “Almost every after-action report usually has a paragraph — or a chapter — on how communications broke down.”

But, as Santagata suggests, many rst responders tend to be more comfortable with their daily comms channels than they are with their

energy at Columbine is relaxed and playful. e school’s 1,668 students walk the halls with ease, chatting with friends and making their way to class.

Additionally, the Standard Response Protocol, created by the I Love You Guys Foundation, was released in 2009 and is now used by countless districts across states. e guidelines made a di erence for the school district because they were an “emergency prepared, not emergency scared program” that everyone understood.

Columbine today

On a bright Tuesday morning, mere days before spring break, the

“I think there’s de nitely truth to that,” said Campagnola. “Dealing with, like, a uni ed command with three agencies where we are, we are very comfortable with our primary work zone or operational zone.”

But Campagnola notes the solution to that is not just the responsibility of the individual radio user.

He said agency leadership also plays an important role in developing good muscle memory for users, looking at the bigger picture and developing relevant training exercises to reinforce those skills.

ey aren’t worried about potential threats or the possibility of something terrible happening. at’s because safety is baked into the very fabric of the school’s culture, and the students know it, explains Columbine SRO Eric Ebling.

Columbine is the only school in Je erson County with two SROs, Ebling and Dan Wonner, who have been there since 2017 and 2019. SRO Joella Gallegos works at one of the feeder middle schools and communicates constantly with Ebling and Wonner. Because of its storied past, Columbine also has more unarmed campus supervisors than others in the Je erson County School District.

recruits in the county’s law enforcement academy and continues with day-to-day use as the recruit enters the force, and with annual exercises that help reinforce radio competency.

“But we are a think-outside-ofthe-box agency,” said Jacki Kelley, spokesperson for the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce. “We have an initial plan and a backup plan, but as you know, emergencies don’t always go the way you plan or the way you train.”

For the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce, DTRS training for its personnel begins as early as with new

(Wonner) and me, the sheri ’s o ce or even campus security. If you’re on this property, your job is safety and security.”

Yet, safety doesn’t come only from the number of o cers.

“It’s people. It’s communication, and it’s philosophy,” said Ebling. “It’s not mind-reading technology or drones. e only reason we can make this work every day is with the mindset that everyone’s job is safety and security. Security is not just Dan

But as communities continue to expand and population density increases, more funding will obviously be needed to support and maintain the state’s program.

Overall, most users seem to agree the DTRS system has made a di erence.

Is it perfect?

Not really.

“But I think it’s all good,” said Campagnola. “Like, I have no complaints about anything with our system. We’re continually improving it as a county and as a state, which is allowing for better interoperability.”

Pierson adds that “culture is one of the biggest mitigators.”

“If you have a culture that embeds safety, connections, knowing your student by name, strengths and needs and making sure they have a reporting mechanism for when they hear or see something, those things are easy to implement, and they’re free,” Pierson said.

Columbine sophomore Madison Price sees the school’s security measures but also feels safe because, like Kellogg, who graduated long before her, there’s a sense that everyone in the school is dedicated to taking care of them.

“I do feel safe at school,” Price said. “ ere’s people here to protect us.”

Today, the district’s Department of School Safety, which has over 100 security sta working round the clock, continues to work directly with law enforcement and speak with other districts. It established a group of school safety administrators who meet once a month to discuss hot topics and are also part of a group

that gives feedback to legislators.  Part of the culture is balancing the ne line between having too much of a physical environment that creates a prison-like mentality and keeping the physical presence there while maintaining a calm, inclusive and safe atmosphere.

“It has to be completely controlled internally,” said Pierson. “Which means student voices, teachers’ voices, parents’ voices, all those stakeholders have to be completely involved and not just involved but invested in what looks like a safe school environment.”

e measures in place at Columbine are “night and day from what the security measures were back then,” said Pierson. “But our job is to continue to stay up with the times and keep our buildings as safe as they can be.”

e Columbine tragedy forever changed school safety and security measures as we knew them. Yet, the one thing the massacre couldn’t change was the unbreakable spirit of the Columbine community, which continues to embody former principal DeAngelis’ rallying cry: “WE ARE COLUMBINE.”

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 ckoeberl@coloradocommunitymedia.com to get items in the newspaper. Items will appear in print on a space-available basis.

UPCOMING

A Perfect Pairing: Easterseals Rocky Mountain Village in Empire is hosting the 11th annual A Perfect Pairing event to benefit the organization at 4 p.m. April 27 at the RMV, 2644 Alvarado Road, Empire. A Perfect Pairing directly supports helping campers attend a life-changing week at RMV. Tickets are $100 and available at https://www.easterseals.com/.

Basic Bike Maintenance Class:

The Clear Creek Metropolitan Recreation District is offering a basic bike maintenance class either from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, or from 10-11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 4, at the rec center in Idaho Springs. Cost is $15. Bring your bike. Register at clearcreekrecreation.com

Loaves & Fishes Wing Crawl:

The event starts at noon on Saturday, May 4 at Citizens Park (located at the corner of Miner Street and 16th Avenue in Idaho Springs). Participants will visit eight Idaho Springs restaurants to sample two wings at each location.

Environment Protection

Agency in Idaho Springs: A public discussion on findings and soil testing programs is set for

Wednesday, May 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the United Center (1440 Colorado Boulevard, Idaho Springs). Public questions are invited.

Floyd Hill Gridlock Volleyball Classic: Saturday, May 11, is the inaugural Floyd Hill Gridlock Volleyball Classic at Clear Creek High School in Evergreen. Get ready to bump, set, and spike your way through an exhilarating day of volleyball action. Games start at 8 a.m. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Clear Creek Metropolitan Recreation District Summer Camp supporting youth enrichment programs in our area. Help CCMRD reach its goal of $1,000 by participating in the event and contributing to the cause.

Clear Creek Democrats: Leg-

islature wrap-up 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 14 at Tommyknocker Brewery, 1401 Miner St. Idaho Springs.Guests will include Sen. Dylan Roberts and Rep. Judy Amabile.

Wander Women Project: Beginner whitewater rafting instruction on Clear Creek at 8 a.m. May 15. Beginners can enjoy a whitewater rafting trip on Clear Creek with this guided tour. All instruction and equipment — wetsuits, paddles, life vests and personal drybags — are provided. This tour is suitable for those who have no experience and is also perfect for families with children. 409 Park Ave. in Empire.

Charlie’s Place Canine on the

CURRENTS

Creek: May 18 is the Canine on the Creek 5K/1-mile fun run. Proceeds benefit Charlie’s Place, the Gilpin and Clear Creek animal shelter. There will be an after-party featuring Smokin’ Yards BBQ, TKB craft brews and cocktails, dog caricatures, dog costume contest, agility course and pet-themed vendors.

ONGOING

CASA of the Continental Divide seeks volunteers: CASACD promotes and protects the best interests of abused and neglected children involved in court proceedings through the advocacy efforts of trained CASA volunteers. Be the Difference, and advocate for the youth in our community. Office: (970) 513-9390.

Test sirens scheduled: In an effort to notify people in the town of Georgetown of potential flooding due to the unlikely event of a dam failure at Xcel Energy’s Cabin Creek or Georgetown hydroelectric plants, Clear Creek County would like to provide notice to the residents of Georgetown ahead of the test sirens expected to take place on the first Wednesday of every month.

Clear Creek EMS/Evergreen Fire Rescue Launch Mugs for Rugs Campaign: Bring an old throw rug and you’ll leave with an awesome bright green mug! You can bring them to Station 1A in Dumont, 3400 Stanley Road, or you can email captains@clearcreekems.com and CCEMS will come to you to make the trade. Have elderly neighbors? Bring them and their throw rugs with you. Clear Creek EMS also offers Fall-Risk Assessments. EMS will also bring someone from the fire department to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly. To request a visit, fill out the form: www.clearcreekcounty.us/1388/Community-Outreach.

Clear Creek Democrats: The Clear Creek Democrats meet from 5-7 p.m. the third Thursday of the month at the Vintage Moose in Idaho Springs. Join them for conversation and social time.

Blue Spruce Habitat volunteers needed: Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers. A variety of opportunities and flexible schedules are available on new construction sites as well as for exterior minor home repairs. No previous construction experience needed. Contact volunteer@bluesprucehabitat.org for information.

Walk-in vaccine clinics: Walk-in vaccine clinics for adults and children needing flu and other vaccines are available from 10 a.m.4 p.m. Wednesdays at the Clear Creek Health and Wellness Center, 1969 Miner St., Idaho Springs. No appointments required for the vaccines, though you can pre-register by calling 303-670-7528.

Resilience1220 counseling: Young people 12 to 20 can get free counseling through an Evergreenbased organization called Resilience1220. Composed 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 R1220.org, email Resilience1220@gmail.com or call 720-282-1164.

Dental clinics: Cleanings, Xrays, dentures, tooth extractions and more. Most insurances are accepted including Medicaid. Sliding scale/low-cost options are also available. No appointment necessary. This is a mobile dentist that comes once a month. Call program manager Lauralee at 720-205-4449 for questions.

Clear Creek Rotary 2000 meetings: Clear Creek Rotary 2000 meets at 7:30 a.m. Wednesdays at Marion’s of the Rockies. 2805 Colorado Blvd., Idaho Springs. For more information, email loeffler806@comcast.net.

Support After Suicide Loss: A safe place to share and learn after losing a loved one to suicide. This group meets every fourth Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. via Zoom or in person at the Resilience1220 office. For ages 14 and up. Suggested donation for

JOIN OUR TEAM

Operations Assistant

Colorado Community Media is hiring an Operations Assistant to work with managers and staff to ensure tasks are completed as needed.

We believe that a creative, learning environment staffed with talented people who want to grow and utilize the newest and best tools will result in a dynamic and successful culture that has a positive impact on our clients’ businesses and our community.

Our brand is one of the most trusted in the communities we serve. We’ve built this reputation by providing award-winning news coverage and top-notch customer service, and by being engaged in our communities at all levels.

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

• Be an excellent multi-tasker working on several projects simultaneously.

• Be deadline oriented.

• Possess an understanding of all Microsoft Office products.

• Perform administrative tasks i.e. updating reports, delivering items as needed and more.

• Excellent customer service and communication skills.

Join our team, working from our Englewood office and remote. This position offers competitive pay starting at $17.50/per hour and a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision. Life and paid holiday, vacation, sick and personal time.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We’re committed to building an inclusive organization that represents the people and communities we serve. We encourage members of traditionally underrepresented community to apply, including people of color, veterans, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.

Interested applicants can submit a resume and cover letter with references to VP of Sales and Advertising Erin Addenbrooke at

eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Clear Creek, SkyView Academy battle through weather on the diamond

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROWCOLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

SkyView Academy came up the mountain from Highlands Ranch to Clear Creek to battle the Golddiggers on the diamond late last week.

Dicey weather conditions made the contest a game-time decision, but the rst pitch was thrown in a snow-dusted cloud as Clear Creek sought its rst win of the season.

Visibility was low as out elders silhouetted the mist like ghosts 300 feet from home plate.

Going into the game, Clear Creek was 0-4 and had been outscored 62 runs to one. SkyView was 4-4 coming o a 6-3 win over Bishop Machebeuf from Denver.

“It’s just time to develop kids,” said Golddiggers Head Coach David Schuessler earlier in the season. “Whatever happens in terms of wins and losses is whatever happens. As long as we’re getting better, that’s got to be the main focus. Hopefully, we get some W’s on the way, but that’s where we’re at.”

e Hawks jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the top of the rst inning as Clear Creek struggled defensively in the haze, but when the Golddiggers went to bat, they chose their swings well and got on base. Still, SkyView took care of business, running up the score to 9-1 before the game was suspended due to fog. If the teams can’t nd time to nish the game, that will remain the nal score.

For updated records, scores, schedules and stats, visit the Golddiggers’ pro le on MaxPreps.com, or visit ColoradoCommunityMedia.com for more sports coverage.

Clear Creek freshman Dylan Garner swings for a pitch against SkyView Academy. PHOTOS BY JOHN RENFROW

Clear Creek pitcher Landon Lewis winds up a fastball while a SkyView Academy player lurks in the background. SkyView’s Logen Meyers fires a ball to first base. Visibility was low, making defense di cult.

SkyView Academy’s Clay Cosart checks with the umpire after sliding safely into third base.

this group is $15. Register at resilience1220.org/groups.

Storytime with Miss Honeybun: Storytime with Miss Honeybun is at 11:15 a.m. Tuesdays at the Idaho Springs Public Library and at 11:15 a.m. ursdays at the John Tomay Memorial Library in Georgetown.

Sensitive Collection: Resilience1220 strives to inform and support highly sensitive people to live healthy and empowered lives. It meets the third Wednesday of each month from 6-7 p.m. and is offered via Zoom or in person at the Resilience1220 o ce. Register at resilience1220.org/groups .

Public Health o ering sexual health and family planning: Clear

Creek County Public Health is now o ering Sexual Health and Planning Services at the Health and Wellness Center in Idaho Springs. Public Health o ers counseling, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing, STI and HIV screenings, basic infertility services and birth control options and referrals. ese services are con dential. Public Health can also now bill Medicaid and most private insurance. However, if you do not have insurance, fees are based on a sliding scale — and no one will be turned away if they are unable to pay.

Clear Creek County Lookout Alert: e CodeRED alerts have been replaced by the Lookout Alert. Residents can sign up for emergency alerts county-wide by signing up at www.lookoutalert.co. e new site replaces CodeRED following the switch to Je Com911 for emergency dispatch earlier this year.

The reminder I got from my doc to get 150 minutes of weekly exercise was a wakeup call. By my standards, I had been slacking. Oh, I’d get in workouts here and there, but not on a regular, dedicated regimen. I could feel the results in my body, and it was beginning to a ect my frame of mind. I was increasingly feeling tighter in both, which, in my belief, are indistinct from each other. e reminder from my doctor, who specializes in sports medicine, prompted me to think about how I primarily used to get my cardiovascular workouts: running.

I had abandoned running over a considerable time ago because I had thought it was putting too much stress on my system. But that really wasn’t the case. e truth was I was rationalizing, justifying giving up something that was becoming increasingly strenuous. I had begun to look at running as a chore rather than a delight, and as a result, I was becoming sedentary, less active, in short, lazy. “Wow!” I thought as I mulled over my doc’s point. I turned my computer o , slipped into my running attire, laced up my shoes and headed out the door.

A few weeks later, a New York Times article extolling the bene ts of exercise and how it can strengthen the brain reinforced something that had been taking root in my mind: Due to my rediscovered running routine, I was not only feeling stronger physically but also sharper mentally and more upbeat emotionally. at validated for me the evidence that shows regular moderate —150 minutes per week — exercise has salutary bene ts not only for the body but also for working memory and other executive functions. e reason is believed to be movement increases the release of neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly epinephrine and norepinephrine, which are necessary for being attentive to tasks and information gathering. And regular exercise is proven to help increase mood-enhancing serotonin and dopamine, which is the reason that despite aching muscles, we tend to smile after a hard workout. At least I do.

Another bene t of regular exercise is increased blood ow delivers vital molecules to the brain. ey in turn act in concert with a hormone called B.D.N.F. — brain-derived

neurotrophic factor — which is essential for creating synapses between neurons. One expert called B.D.N.F fertilizer for the brain.

at is especially important for seniors to understand given how the brain, including the hippocampus that controls memory and mood, shrinks with age. Evidence shows those su ering from dementia have decreased size in their hippocampus. Exercise can mitigate or counteract that decline.

Following on the heels of reading that article, I read another about the dearth of reading among American adults. I couldn’t help but see a correlation between the two pieces.

According to a You.gov poll, 54% of Americans read one book in 2023, which means almost half read none. at was especially true among those without college degrees with nearly 60% saying they didn’t read one. e good news is, however, that among those who have read at least one, the gap between college and non-college graduates in the number of books they read was considerably narrower.

Book — novel — reading, though, might not be an accurate measure of literacy. Friends and other readers have shared with me they like reading essays like this because they nd them thought-provoking, yet not lengthy or time-consuming to ingest. And therein lies the holy grail to a sharp, agile mind into elderly years: a nutritious diet supplemented by daily exercise both of the body and of the brain by reading works that challenge and strengthen those synapses and neurons. Acting in combination, they create fertile ground where worthwhile thoughts can take root and thrive. After all, why till and fertilize the soil if you’re not going to grow some luscious vegetables or gorgeous owers in it?

ere are, of course, many who are incapable of regular, outdoor exercise. Despite their diminished physical capabilities, many of them still undauntedly push on and do what they can within the con nes of their limitations. On the ip side are those

Cultivating Community Health & Wellness

Saturday Sep. 21st at DCSD Legacy Campus 10035 S Peoria St, Lone Tree and

Saturday Oct. 5th at The Arvada Center 6901 Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada

VAS E THEDATES

www.coloradocommunitymedia.com

303.566.4115

Calling all health and wellness vendors! Elevate your brand and join our event as a sponsor. Connect with our healthconscious community and showcase your products/services to a motivated audience ready to prioritize their wellbeing. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a transformative experience!

who self-sabotage by refusing to get up and get out. Then they wonder why they ache and suf-

fer so many ills. The same is true about those who pollute their minds by ingesting mind-altering nonsense, primarily through cable, the internet, and social media. No wonder they often become neurotic, uptight, shorttempered, and socially myopic.

Garbage in, garbage out. Imagine how much better we’d be as a culture and society if everyone, or at least more than 54%, dedicated themselves to a minimum of 150-minute regimens of both mental and physical exercise, the kinds that

don’t make your blood pressure rise but, instead, cause you to smile when you’re done.

Jerry Fabyanic is the author of “Sisyphus Wins” and “Food for Thought: Essays on Mind and Spirit.” He lives in Georgetown.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF GEORGETOWN

812 Taos St., Georgetown • 303-569-2360

Serving the community since 1874. Sunday worship 10:00 am. Please join us!

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF IDAHO SPRINGS

100 Colorado Blvd., P.O. Box 840, Idaho Springs, CO 80452

Family worship Sundays at 10 a.m.

ALL ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US! THE

1410 Colorado Blvd., Idaho Springs (303) 567-2057 Sunday Worship Service – 10:00 AM

TRIVIA

1. LITERATURE: What are the names of the four sisters in “Little Women”?

2. U.S. STATES: Which northeastern state has a desert?

3. MOVIES: Which long-running movie series features the character Legolas?

4. ANATOMY: What does the lacrimal gland produce?

5. GEOGRAPHY: Ellesmere Island belongs to which nation?

6. SCIENCE: Which of the human senses is most closely related to memory?

7. LANGUAGE: What does the Latin phrase “ad meliora” mean?

8. TELEVISION: Which TV sitcom features a mom named Rainbow Johnson?

9. THEATER: Who wrote the play “A Little Night Music”?

10. MUSIC: Which alternative rock band went by the name of e Warlocks before becoming famous?

Answers

1. Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.

2. e 40-acre Desert of Maine.

3. “ e Lord of the Rings” and “ e Hobbit” trilogies.

4. Tears.

5. Canada.

6. Smell.

7. “Toward better things.”

8. “Black-ish.”

9. Stephen Sondheim.

10. e Grateful Dead.

(c) 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.

FLASHBACK

1. Name the three Chipmunks. Which one wanted the hula hoop for Christmas?

2. Which artist wrote and released “Honey Don’t”?

3. Was there a real MacArthur Park, as in the song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded by Richard Harris?

4. What was the rst release by Bread?

5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “If you want it you can have it, at’s what you said, But I don’t want the things that you leave behind.”

Answers

1. Alvin, Simon and eodore. It was Alvin who wanted the hula hoop. e animated singing trio was rst created in 1958 with the novelty song “Christmas Don’t Be Late.”

2. Carl Perkins in 1956. e song was issued as a b-side to “Blue Suede Shoes” and has been covered by dozens of artists over the years.

3. Yes, in Los Angeles. e song includes all the things Webb saw around him when he was at the park, including cake left

out in the rain.

4. “Dismal Day,” which got a fairly dismal response when it was released in 1969, only reaching No. 127 on the charts.

5. “Heaven Help Me,” by Deon Estus, in 1989. “Heaven” was a single from his only album, “Spell.”

(c) 2024 King Features Syndicate

50 Generic Pills SPECIAL $99.00 100% guaranteed. 24/7 CALL NOW! 888-445-5928 Hablamos Espanol Dental insurance from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 400+ procedures. Real dental insurance - not just a discount plan. Get your free Information Kit with details! 1-855-526-1060 www.dental50plus.com/ads #6258

Medical

Attention oxygen therapy users! Discover oxygen therapy that moves with you with Inogen Portable Oxygen Concentrators. Free information kit. 1-866-4779045

Miscellaneous

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule free LeafFilter estimate today. 20% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-833-610-1936

Home break-ins take less than 60 seconds. Don’t wait! Protect your family, your home, your assets now for as little as 70¢/day! 1-844-591-7951

Bath & shower updates in as little as 1 day! Affordable pricesNo payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & military discounts available. 1-877-543-9189

Safe Step. North America’s #1 Walk-in tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service. Now featuring our free shower package & $1600 off - limited time! Financing available. 1-855-417-1306

Replace your roof w/the best looking & longest lasting material steel from Erie Metal Roofs! 3 styles & multiple colors available. Guaranteed to last a lifetime! Limited Time Offer up to 50% off install + Additional 10% off install (military, health & 1st responders.) 1-833-370-1234

Prepare for power outages today with a Generac Home Standby Generator. Act now to receive a FREE 7-Year warranty with qualifying purchase* Call 1-855-9486176 today to schedule a free quote. It’s not just a generator. It’s a power move.

Miscellaneous

Aging Roof? New Homeowner?

Got Storm Damage?

You need a local expert provider that proudly stands behind their work. Fast, free estimate. Financing available. Call 1-888-878-9091

DIRECTV Stream - Carries the most local MLB Games! Choice Package $89.99/ mo for 12 mos Stream on 20 devices at once. HBO Max included for 3 mos (w/ Choice Package or higher.) No contract or hidden fees! Some restrictions apply. Call IVS 1-866-859-0405

Jacuzzi Bath Remodel can install a new, custom bath or shower in as little as one day. For a lim-ited time, waving all installation costs! (Additional terms apply. Subject to change and vary by dealer. Offer ends 6/30/24.) 1-844-501-3208

MobileHelp America’s premier mobile medical alert system. Whether you’re home or away. For safety & peace of mind. No long term contracts!

Free brochure! Call 1-888489-3936

Wesley Financial Group, LLC

Over 450 positive reviews. Call 833-308-1971

Water damage cleanup: A small amount of water can cause major damage to your home. Our trusted professionals dry out wet areas & repair to protect your family & your home value! Call 24/7: 1-888-872-2809. Have zip code!

/s/

Notice is hereby given that in the following proceedings filed in the Court during the month of February 2024 under the Uniform Dissolution of Marriage Act, the above Court has found that due diligence has been used to obtain personal service of process within the State of Colorado and that efforts to obtain same would be to no avail, C.R.S. 14-10-107(

the date of publication. Dated this 16th Day of April 2024

DATE OF PUBLICATION: April

LEAP provides energy assistance to lower home heating costs.

LEAP proporciona asistencia de energìa para bajar los gastos de calefaccòn.

LEAP helps eligible Coloradans pay a portion of their winter home heating costs.

LEAP ayuda a los residentes elegibles de Colorado a pagar una parte de sus gastos de calefacciòn de invierno.