Denver Herald 041323

Tocabe is on a seed to soul mission

Local eatery changes health and community with Direct-to-Tribe Ready Meal program

BY ELICIA HESSELGRAVE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Ben Jacobs, a member of Osage Nation, and Matt Chandra’s dream is to build a native peoples’ food supply chain.

And recently, this became a reality for them.

e two have been in the restaurant business for more than 25 years and are co-owners of Tocabe, an American Indianspeci c restaurant that has a Greenwood Village location and another in north Denver.

It is one of only a handful of American Indian restaurants in the United States.

Jacobs and Chandra saw a need beyond their metro area restaurants. Native people often do not have access to culturally relevant, nourishing food. So they set out to meet this need. It took a year and a half, but in January, they began production for the Direct-to-Tribe Ready Meal program.

“What we are providing (is) not just a meal,” Jacobs said. “It’s traditional, meaningful ingredients.”

It’s meant to bring joy, he added.

Jacobs’ name is rising nationally. He was appointed in March to President Biden’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.

e federal advisory committee that aims to promote healthy, accessible eating and physical activity for all Americans,

What we know about the next Denver City Council

BY REBECCA TAUBER DENVERITE

ere’s still a lot we don’t know about what the lineup on City Council will look like, especially with four Council races heading to a runo .

But with votes from the April election mostly counted, here’s what we do know about what City Council will look like and how it will (or won’t) work with the mayor’s o ce and each other.

While Denver is a strong-mayor city, Council has the potential to make life difcult for the mayor, depending on how political alliances shake out.

With one win and three runo s, Democratic socialists could grow their coalition on City Council — but would likely butt heads with the mayor.

Mike Johnston and Kelly Brough are headed to the runo for mayor. Both are centrist candidates with free market-focused solutions to big issues like housing and homelessness.

Democratic socialist won’t be able to count on a Lisa Calderón mayoral administration, as the candidate ended in third and missed out on the runo again, so they will have to work with a mayor whom they might disagree with often.

Two Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates also lost: Tony Pigford to Diana Romero Campbell in District 4, and Ti any Caudill to incumbent Councilmember Kevin Flynn in District 2.

Still, voters in the city hoping for more DSA and progressive in uence on Council still have some hope. ree candidates are heading to the June 6 runo .

Shannon Ho man beat out Noah

SEE COUNCIL, P

Tocabe’s Ben Jacobs, second from left, of Osage Nation, is pictured with his cousins. Jacobs and his business partner, Matt Chandra, are co-owners of the Denver-based Tocabe, which recently launched the Direct-to-Tribe Ready Meal program, which delivers culturally relevant, nourishing ready-to-eat meals to Spirit Lake Nation in North Dakota.

PHOTO BY ADDIE ROANHORSE

regardless of background or ability.

“I’m looking forward to doing my part in furthering food accessibility throughout Indian Country and working with the incredible individuals I will serve alongside on the council,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs joins other notables on the council, including basketball great Stephen Curry and his restaurateur wife, Ayesha Curry, former baseball player Ryan Howard and former women’s basketball player Tamika Catchings, among others.

A seed to soul program

Tocabe’s dedication to its cultural roots were cited along with Biden’s announcement. It has what it calls a seed to soul mission, meaning it aims to create meals that support native people from beginning to end.

e pre-packaged meals are made with ingredients from Tocabe’s Indigenous Marketplace, which is an online store that has ingredients sourced from food distributors all over the country.

e meals are prepared and packaged at a facility in Greenwood Village and shipped to Spirit Lake Nation in Fort Trotten, North Dakota. As of early March, 4,400 meals were delivered and the next delivery in April will supply three months of food.

Once the meals are delivered, the Spirit Lake community has the freedom to distribute them as they see t. ere are no stipulations for eligibility or parameters limiting how the meals are distributed.

“We are thrilled to provide the Spirit Lake community with access to healthy, traditional meals,” said Mary Greene Trottier, director of Spirit Lake Nation’s Food Distribution Program, in a news release.

So far, there has been a very positive response to the program, Jacobs said. He added that recently there was a family of eight living at Spirit Lake Nation that found themselves experiencing homelessness. e

meals from Tocabe were used to support this family during their hard times. Upon learning this, Jacobs said it validated all their hard work.

“ is is a situation where individuals would normally be given a loaf of bread, but instead, they were given a very speci c cultural meal – from native producers all over the country,” Jacobs said.

‘The makers and takers of our own future’

Food banks and the like support the donation of commodities or single, individual items that often lack nutritional value, such as processed foods like chips or white bread, Jacobs said. e existing programs are great to get food to people who need it immediately, he added, but Tocabe wanted to build something sustainable, while also providing foods that are spiritually and nutritionally valuable.

Tocabe’s Direct-to-Tribe Ready Meal program is also groundbreaking because most federally-funded food programs don’t support full, prepared meals as a donation.

“ ere are no acceptable protocols on a federal level to provide a multi-component meal,” said Jacobs. “To achieve this through a government program would have required so much time and so many voices, (and) eventually getting Congress involved.”

After going back and forth with the Agriculture Department and other food and nutrition services out of Washington, Jacobs and Chandra decided to nd an alternative.

“If we want to be the makers and takers of our own future, we need to do it ourselves,” said Jacobs.  rough federal grant building with Spirit Lake Nation, and a 10year friendship and partnership, the Direct-to-Tribe Ready Meal program came to be. While it is federally funded through grants, it is not part of the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.

Going this route also allows for more freedom, Jacobs said, because they are not con ned to speci c parameters, as would have been the case if it were funded by an existing government program.

Food is more than just food

According to Jacobs, when indigenous people gather to feast, it is not just a time to nourish the body, it’s also a time to connect.

erefore, using culturally relevant foods and supporting tradition is a key proponent of the Direct-to-Tribe Ready Meal program.

Traditional food items include bison and sh, wild rice, tepary and pinto beans, maple syrup, and various corn meals including white, yellow, blue and red, Jacobs said. e prepared meals for the program have thus far been wild rice jambalaya with bison sausage, andouille sausage, chipotle bison chili with roasted sweet and purple potatoes, pumpkin butternut squash wheatberry risotto with roasted root vegetables, and green chili stew.

A closed loop system is program is designed to create a Native American infrastructure, Jacobs said. e prepared meal program is not only changing health, but also changing communities economically, by allowing dollars to stay within the tribes.

“Our work is not about, how do we solve for tomorrow, but, how do we solve for years from now,” he said.

“We don’t just want a food economy, we need a nancial economy as well.”

Jacobs told of a recent bison purchase as an example of the ideal, closed loop. e bison were purchased from Fred DuBray and Cheyenne River, then taken to Osage Nation in Oklahoma for processing. is meat was then used in the meals that were prepared for Spirit Lake Nation, he said.

Tocabe will continue supporting communities of color and diverse communities, and uses a business model that does not devalue the time, e ort and commitment of food producers. For example, when it comes to purchasing ingredients, Jacobs said he does not negotiate. If Tocabe cannot a ord to pay a distributor the true value of what their product is worth, he will nd a way to raise the money to pay the desired value.

A community-driven experience

Many other tribal nations are passed enroute to Spirit Lake Nation, including Pine Ridge, Rose Bud, Standing Rock and Cheyenne River. e pipe dream is to build channels to deliver along the plains and drop o meals for all of these Native people, Jacobs said.

Eventually, Tocabe hopes to expand to Oklahoma – where Osage Nation resides – and throughout the southwest.

For now, Jacobs invites everyone to celebrate alongside Tocabe through mindful meals: Eat with tradition, support your own well-being, and support local food production.

“ is is a community-driven experience. Learn about other cultures and celebrate our di erences because it’s important to know about all peoples’ cultural relevance,” Jacobs said. “If we can all inspire each other, we can live in a much better world.”

For those who want to support the Direct-to-Tribe Ready Meal program, there are opportunities to donate directly to the distribution on the Tocabe website or through a “buy two, give one” option at Tocabe’s Indigenous Marketplace. Learn more at tocabe.com.

Matt Chandra, left, and Ben Jacobs, a member of Osage Nation, are the co-owners of Tocabe: An American Indian Eatery. The two recently launched the Direct-to-Tribe Ready Meal program, which delivers ready-to-eat meals to Spirit Lakes Nation in North Dakota.

PHOTO BY RACHEL GREIMAN

Kaplan in a tight race for second place in District 10, and will compete in a runo against incumbent Councilmember Chris Hinds. Incumbent Candi CdeBaca will compete in a runo against Darrell Watson (in 2019, CdeBaca came in second and then won the runo for District 9 against incumbent Albus Brooks).

And former RTD Board member Shontel Lewis also moved into rst in the tight race for District 8, and will compete in a runo against Brad Revare. Plus, Sarah Parady has just about wrapped up one of the two Council at-large seats.

e question remains how much sway DSA candidates could have if elected, since Council needs a nine-vote supermajority to override the mayor. In her rst term, CdeBaca became known for often being the sole no-vote on policies voted through by Council. But she also collaborated with colleagues on legislation including wage theft protections for workers, decriminalizing jaywalking and e orts to prevent displacement from mobile homes.

“Growing up the way that we grew up, you’re a minority and you get pretty used to what it feels like to be a minority voice. So just because you changed the context and you’re a minority voice now on council, it doesn’t change the feeling or the level of perseverance you have to have just to survive,” CdeBaca said about the makeup of Council. “My method to combating it is to just bring more of us in. If you can’t change it through the people who are there, change the players. Change the players and then maybe we can change the

game.”

Regardless of how the runo s shake out, there are also other progressives representing the city.

“Don’t be distracted by the brand name, progressivism is alive and well on the Denver City Council,” said outgoing At-Large Councilmember Robin Kniech about the focus on DSA, compared to the dynamic of Council as a whole.

Serving three terms, Kniech approached progressive policy through working with the mayor’s o ce and state leaders, while una liated with groups like DSA. Looking at early election results, she thinks it means Denver voters want councilmembers who will take a similar approach, pushing for progressive policy while working with the mayor, who has more power.

Kniech pointed to Serena GonzalesGutierrez as an example. She was Kniech’s sole endorsement and looks to have won the race for Council At-Large.

“I think voters are looking for people who are progressive on issues and e ectively able to govern,” she said. “I think that people want someone who’s progressive, but they also want someone who can work with others.”

A lot of the familiar faces will return as most incumbents retained seats after running unopposed or by avoiding runo s. Incumbent Councilmembers Jamie Torres (District 3), Paul Kashmann (District 6) and Stacie Gilmore (District 11) all ran unopposed. With three other incumbents winning their seats without runo s, it looks likely that about half of Council, or six out of 13 people, will be incumbents, but that number could rise if CdeBaca and Hinds win their runo s in June.

e last iteration of Council did not push back against the mayor too often,

and with at least six incumbents, perhaps we could expect to see something similar. But with a new mayor, there’s de nitely some unknowns.

Here are the speci cs:

District 2 faced the opportunity for some of the biggest change on Council, with incumbent Councilmember Kevin Flynn facing a challenge from Caudill and Chris Herr, who has made climate his focus. One of Flynn’s main focuses is pushing back against “inappropriate redevelopment,” so a candidate advocating for more density could have meant change for District 2 and Council.

Like Flynn, incumbent Councilmember Amanda Sawyer has also cautioned against too much development in District 5. She looks likely to keep her seat without a run-o . Sawyer has also made transportation and tra c safety her focus, which she says she plans to continue in a future term.

In District 1, incumbent Councilmember Amanda Sandoval garnered about 80% of the vote against Ava Truckey — a win that will allow her to continue her focus on modernizing zoning and preserving neighborhoods in the face of gentri cation.

We also know some who will for sure not be back at City Council.

Councilmembers Debbie Ortega, Kniech and Christopher Herndon are term-limited, and Councilmembers Jolon Clark and Kendra Black decided not to run for reelection.

Council without Ortega will be the end of an era — she rst joined City Council as a district representative in 1987. She was elected At-Large in 2011, serving on Council for almost 28 years in total. Ortega has focused over the years on environmental and safety issues, most recently examining development

around railroads (though her legislation on this has been postponed). But she also butted heads with Mayor Michael Hancock, who threatened a veto over a plastic bag ban, and vetoed avored tobacco legislation she sponsored. She sought to take the o ce herself this election cycle, but landed in seventh. Kniech’s departure from Council leaves a hole for a progressive legislator who knows how to work with the mayor’s o ce and state lawmakers. Kniech joined Council in 2011, and has spearheaded legislation like raising the minimum wage and initiatives around a ordable housing and homelessness. Her only endorsement this election was Gonzales-Gutierrez, who brings legislative experience from the Colorado State House.

And here’s what’s yet to be determined about the next City Council.

Four races are headed to run-o s, with three DSA candidates and two incumbents. ey’ll determine how much of Council will stay the same, and how much of a voice Democratic socialists will have:

In District 7, Flor Alvidrez will run against Nick Campion. In District 8, Lewis will run against Revare. In District 9, incumbent CdeBaca will run against Watson. In District 10, incumbent Hinds will run against Ho man.

Time will show the exact dynamics among council members and between them, and whomever the new mayor will be.

is story is from Denverite, a nonpro t Denver news source a liated with CPR News. Used by permission. For more, and to support Denverite, visit denverite.com.

Land use bill authors stand by plan

ams County, Commerce City, Federal Heights and Westminster.

BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

According to authors of the land use bill making its way through the Colorado Legislature, the primary goal is stopping communities from exclusionary zoning that prohibits the construction of multifamily housing.

Known as SB23-213, the land use bill was unveiled in March by Gov. Jared Polis and Democrats as a solution to the growing housing crisis.

While municipalities statewide are voicing opposition to the bill, authors are saying the 105-page document is vital to the state’s future in providing an adequate supply of a ordable housing.

In this case, a ordable housing does not mean more single-family homes, but instead duplexes, triplexes, other multiplexes, townhomes, condos and apartments.

According to the authors of SB23213, some Colorado cities and counties have implemented zoning policies that decrease or completely bar the construction of multifamily housing.

Rep. Steven Woodrow, D-Denver, co-authored SB23-213 with Rep. Iman Jodeh, D-Arapahoe County, and Majority Leader Sen. Dominick Moreno, a District 21 Democrat covering Ad-

Woodrow said while some communities have done an “exemplary” job at addressing a ordability, others have not and state intervention is required to stop the growing crisis where housing costs are at an all-time high and availability is at an all-time low.

“ is bill really does increase individual property rights,” Woodrow said. “If you are a property owner, you have the right to build an accessory dwelling unit and the government will not be able to prevent that. Some feel like we are taking away rights. We are adding to them. is bill will have some exibility, but it does set forth some minimum standards.”

Since the bill’s introduction, several Denver metro communities have passed resolutions to oppose the bill, including Westminster, Castle Rock, Lone Tree and Centennial. Other communities have said they may take similar votes.

At the center of the opposition is the plan for the state intervening in local development decisions, removing home rule authority. Home rule is a form or structure of governing de ned by the citizens of a municipality or county that allows for more control over matters of local signi cance.

According to the proposed bill, municipalities will be required to submit land-use codes to the state. e state will review the proposed codes and if they are deemed insu cient, the state will impose its own codes.

Arapahoe County Commissioner

CLASSES

Carrie Warren-Gully said the bill takes a one-size- ts-all approach and it will not work for all Colorado communities.

Woodrow said he disagrees, that the bill allows communities to develop and plan growth, but they have to meet minimum standards to avoid state intervention. He stressed the bill has tiers to address all populations, including suburban, urban and mountain towns.

“It is not a one-size- ts all,” he said. “ is only goes into e ect if a community refuses to adopt the (minimum) required standards. e only time you are a ected is if you decided to ignore it.”

e reason the state is taking steps to intervene in local control is because of the excessive use of “exclusionary zoning,” by some Colorado communities, Woodrow said.

Exclusionary zoning laws place restrictions on the types of homes that can be built in a neighborhood. Oftentimes, these laws prohibit multifamily homes and set limits on building heights.

Rep. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, said SB23-213 is a misguided piece of legislation that does nothing more than declare war on single family home construction.

“It’s built on a faulty premise that everyone wants to live in high density housing,” she said.

Frizell said if the Democratic-led legislation wanted to adequately address the housing crisis, it would focus on the impact fees and permit fees that cities and towns are charging developers.

Pointing to Castle Rock as an example, Frizell said home prices have skyrocketed due to the costs home builders are having to pay local entities to build.

According to the fee sheet on the Town of Castle Rock website, a developer building a 2,000 square foot home can pay over $21,000 in impact fees, which includes a line item for parks and recreation, re protection, municipal facilities, police and transportation.   at total does not include other required permit fees.

e construction of a multifamily building is more than $17,000 per unit, according to the fee schedule.

In drafting the legislation, Moreno said the authors looked at what other states have done, speci cally naming California and Oregon, which have also implemented land-use codes.

Moreno said the steps taken by both the Democratic-led states would

not t Colorado’s current and future needs.

“(SB23-213) is drafted to provided local options for municipalities to choose from,” he said. “ is sets goals and gives choices on how to meet those goals. It’s easy. If (municipalities) don’t then the state will step in. ere is a bit more choice than other states.”

In its early stages, Moreno said lawmakers have agreed not to immediately take votes on the proposed legislation, instead opting on April 6 to listening to debate, concerns and ideas.

Moreno said he has heard complaints that the bill does not address a ordability enough. e Adams County senator said amendments are likely as the bill moves through the process.

Moreno said the bill does address a ordability in the area of availability. Moreno said it increases stock, which means added supply will drive down home prices.

According to a monthly report from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors, the median price for a singlefamily home in February was around $600,000, a more than 5% decline from the month before.

e median price for a condo was around $400,000 in February.

As amendments for better language, and clarifying information on water and infeasibility are already on the table, Rep. Mark Baisley, a District 4 Republican, which covers parts of Douglas County, Fremont County and Je erson County said he is “pleasantly surprised” that both Democrats and Republicans have expressed opposition to the bill’s current language.

Even with possible amendments coming to the bill, Baisley said it still wouldn’t work because the entire bill lacks “humility” and the only way to x it is to redo it completely.

No matter what concessions are made in areas of a ordability and language, Baisley said at the core of the bill is taking away home rule, which likely will not be eliminated.

e state intervening just means more government, more state oversight and less local control, Baisley said. at aspect alone makes the bill unlikely to ever be successful.

Woodrow said it is sweeping legislation and can take time, noting that success will be gauged in 10 or 12 months. Instead, he said this bill addresses current needs while allowing Colorado to grow in a more strategic way.

Denver metro area. SHUTTERSTOCK

Opponents of proposal not swayed by claims of a ordability, availability

Colorado collecting 2-cent-per-gallon gas

Total at 3 cents

BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado began collecting a 2-cent-per-gallon fee on gasoline purchases on April 1.

Revenue from the fee, which increases to 3 cents per gallon on July 1, will go toward addressing the state’s multibillion-dollar transportation project backlog. e charge was imposed through a bill passed by the legislature in 2021 that also added fees on deliveries, rideshare

rides and electric vehicles.

e gas fee was originally supposed to begin in July 2022, but the legislature delayed the start until April 1, at a cost of $45 million, because of high gas prices. A year ago, the average cost of a gallon of regular gas in Colorado was $3.97. is week, it was hovering around $3.47.

Fuel prices reached an all-time high in Colorado in June 2022, when a gallon of regular gasoline averaged $4.92 and diesel was at $5.54 a gallon, according to AAA.

e gas fee is set to increase gradually by 1 cent per year until it reaches

8 cents per gallon in July 2028. In July 2032, the fee will be adjusted annually based on in ation.

Other fees imposed by the bill include:

• A 27-cent fee on deliveries

• A 30-cent fee on rideshares

• A 4-cent-per-gallon fee on diesel fuel. Like the gas fee, the diesel fee increases annually — but by 2 cents — until it reaches 16 cents in 2028.

e fuel and road-usage fees are the subject of a lawsuit led in Denver District Court by conservatives who argue the charges were illegally imposed. Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights requires that

voters approve all tax increases, but fees can be imposed by the legislature as long as the revenue goes to a set purpose.

Colorado also collects a 22-cent tax on each gallon of gas sold. e state’s gas tax is among the lowest in the country.

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

Screen exposure raises concern

BY ERIC GALATAS PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE

e pandemic forced many Americans to work and learn from home, and health experts are increasingly concerned about the potentially harmful impact of blue light that comes from screens in telephones, tablets and televisions.

Amanda Melendez is an optometrist with the Monfort Family Clinic in Evans. She said patients who spend hours in front of screens should be on the lookout for symptoms of digital eye strain.

“Which can sometimes be alarming,” said Melendez. “Blurred vision

is one of the more common ones. But even if you’re getting things like a little bit of dizziness, dryness and even neck pain, those could all be indicators of digital eye strain. Something that might prompt you to come see us. We might want to do something about that.”

Blue light, a short-wavelength highenergy light similar to ultraviolet light on the visible spectrum, is still being studied to determine safe exposure levels. Ultraviolet light has been shown to harm eye health over time.

A recent report found that since the onset of COVID-19, the average American spends 13 hours a day looking at some kind of blue light-

emitting screen.

Dr. Scott Edmonds — chief eye care o cer for UnitedHealthcare Vision — said exposure to blue-light is of particular concern because of how close the user’s eyes typically are to screens, and for how long.

“ e photoreceptors can certainly process blue light, but it puts a lot of strain on them,” said Edmonds. “And we’re concerned that over time, the retina will become damaged, and we’ll start to see age-related macular degeneration from this, like we did with UV light.”

Using blue light lters, which are available for most types and sizes of screens, can help reduce exposure.

Eyeglasses with an anti-re ective coating may also help.

And Melendez said if you’re working and really can’t get away from the computer, use the 20-20-20 rule to prevent digital eye strain.

“So every 20 minutes, taking a 20 second break, to look at something 20 feet away,” said Melendez. “And so it really just allows your eyes a break from that blue light. And it allows your focusing muscle to take a break as well, because that’s active as well when we’re on the screen.”

Public News Story via e Associated Press’ Storyshare, which Colorado Community Media participates in.

Christy Steadman | csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Phil Goodstein: ‘Schools for a New Century’

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Back in 1970, local author, historian and Denver native Phil Goodstein had his rst written work published. It was a letter to the editor in “Newsweek.”

“ at inspired me to keep going,” said Goodstein, whose works often delve into local questions.

Today, roughly 30 books later, Goodstein has completed the third part of a trilogy, “ e History of Denver Public Schools.”

“You can’t avoid schools,” Goodstein said. “ ey take in a crucial part of the society.”

Yet, what exactly is a school, Goodstein asked. Are they job training centers? Do they serve as babysitters? Are they penal institutions?

“Nobody has the certain answer,” Goodstein said.

Goodstein’s trilogy looks at about 160 years of DPS. Each is a separate volume and includes many illustrations. It is not necessary to read them in order.

e rst book, “ e Denver School Book,” which came out in 2019, looks at the origins of the school district and spans the following century – 1859 to 1967.

Published in 2020, the second book, “ e Denver School Bussing Wars,” examines 1967 to 1995 and the district’s e ort to desegregate schools through bussing.

e third book was published in September last year and is called “Schools for a New Century. From 1995 to 2020, it explores the rise of charter schools, school choice and the preschool program.

DPS re ects the values of Denver, Goodstein said.

And, he added, “they’re a focal point for education across the state.”

Q&A with Phil Goodstein

What inspired you to write about Denver Public Schools for the trilogy?

e schools are part of the community. Indeed, they are forced on the population. Schemers and dreamers have focused on them

Phil Goodstein COURTESY OF TOM TORGOVE

in trying to shape society. ey are constantly in the news. But nobody had done a retrospection on exactly what Denver Public Schools is, its achievements, and why it is always at the center of controversy.

Filling this void is the main objective of “ e History of Denver Public Schools.”

Goading from people who have been active in the schools as board members, concerned parents and volunteers helped push me to write the volumes.

What do you hope people get out of reading any one or all three of “The History of Denver Public Schools” books?

Ideally, by reading the books, people will grasp the obvious: there are no magical education cures. As part of the community, schools re ect the values, the hopes and the limitations of those with power and individuals valiantly trying to survive in a sometimes insane society. By grasping what the schools are and where they have been, people can work to shape them to blossom as places nurturing self-learning, critical thought, and commitment to nourishing people over pro ts and property.

Where to get the book

e History of Denver Public Schools trilogy — “Denver School Book,” “ e School Busing Wars” and “Schools for a New Century” — are available at many local bookstores. Among them are Capitol Hill Books, the Broadway Book Mall, West Side

books and Tattered Cover.

What’s next?

e next book Goodstein is working on will explore cemetery history in the metro area, including the people who lay to rest in them. It is expected to be published in late 2023 or early 2024.

PM

MONDAY, APRIL 24, 7:00 PM St. Paul Lutheran Church, Denver

stmartinschamberchoir.org

Law gives runaways edge over treatment sta

BY JENNIFER BROWN THE COLORADO SUN

Workers who care for kids in residential treatment centers say they feel powerless to prevent them from running away because of a Colorado law that limits their authority to restrain them.

Sta reported in a new study that they’re regularly confused and paralyzed by what’s known as the Colorado “Restraint and Seclusion Act,” which says they cannot physically prevent a child from leaving a residential treatment center unless the child is in imminent danger. Even police o cers who respond to a barrage of runaway calls often do not understand that treatment center sta cannot restrain or block kids from eeing, sta reported.

In one case, a worker watched helplessly as a 13-year-old boy ran from a center in the middle of a blizzard wearing only sweats and ip- ops. Instead of trying to catch him, she kept an eye on the boy from her car until, gratefully, the child returned to the facility on his own. She feared that he would freeze to death while she also wondered if she would lose her job if she touched him.

e study is part of legislation passed last year that set up a task force overseen by the state child protection ombudsman to determine why so many children and teens are running from foster care placements and residential treatment centers.

A 2021 joint Colorado Sun/9News investigation found that kids are running from the centers nearly every day and that two boys who ran away from di erent facilities were struck by cars and killed. e Sun investigation found that Denver police were called to Tennyson Center for Children about once per day and to Mount Saint Vincent center about twice per week.

Each year, 20-30 kids run away

from foster care placements in Colorado and are not found. eir child welfare cases are closed.

e new study, by researchers from the University of Denver’s Evaluation and Action Lab, included interviews with 15 sta as well as 21 young people ages 12-17 who have run from placements.

A key reason they run is that they are looking for “connectedness,” the researchers found, often by running to family members. Also, they are living in “ ght, ight or freeze” mode, a constant state of stress. Children are typically “dysregulated at the time of a run” and are “unable to access parts of their brain that allow them to make rational decisions and understand consequences,” according to the study.  ey run when they are triggered by upsetting events. ey run because they are not connected to sta members and they’re seeking connection. ey feel ignored and unseen. Some run to nd drugs or alcohol. Many run to a place of familiarity, the study found.

Children are placed in residential treatment centers either because they are in foster care due to abuse and neglect, or because their behavioral and mental health issues are beyond their parents’ control.

In the past few years, updates in state law and regulation have attempted to strike a balance between children’s safety and the use of restraints and seclusion. One new law came in response to concern that the youth corrections division was relying too heavily on solitary connement and straitjackets to control behavior. Other state regulations say that residential treatment center sta cannot use physical restraint on children in out-of-home placements unless there is imminent danger to themselves or others.

Sta interviewed for the study said they want the state to de ne “imminent danger” so they have a clearer understanding of when they are

Cleo Wallace Academy is inside the Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health building complex seen on April 21, 2021, in Westminster. COURESTY OF THE COLORADO SUN

Authority is limited

Snowpack is peaking higher than usual

Spring floods a concern

BY SHANNON MULLANE THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado’s snow season is nearing its typical peak with above-average snowpack, and water o cials are beginning to worry about ooding and gauging potential reservoir releases. But in some places, the snow just keeps coming.

Each year, April marks the point in the season when the snowpack starts to reach its peak as temperatures warm and spring runo begins. It’s also an important point for water o cials, water users and even emergency managers: How high the snow piles up is a key indicator of water supply for the next year, but how fast it melts can have big impacts on ooding and seasonal irrigation.

“We do anticipate high water,” said Sgt. Todd Wheeler, emergency management coordinator for Mo at County in northwestern Colorado. “Will it be higher than normal? at remains to be seen.”

In the Colorado River Basin, which supplies water to 40 million people spread across seven Western states and 30 Native American tribes, the snowpack was above average as it reached its seasonal peak.

In the Upper Colorado Region, which includes Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah, the snowpack usually peaks around April 8, and on ursday, it was about 160% of the median from 1991 to 2020, according to Natural Resources Conservation Service data. It was even nearing the highest snowpack recorded since 1986.

e Lower Colorado Region, which includes Arizona, California and Nevada, was at 446% of the historical median as of ursday.

e above-average snow is welcome news for the parched basin, which is facing its worst drought in 1,200 years. However the basin’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, will need to see this kind of snowfall for multiple

years to recover from the impacts of prolonged drought and overuse, experts say. e water levels at Lake Mead are even projected to fall further this year, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

“While this year has been really good news in terms of above-average snowpack and above-average stream ows into Lake Powell over the summer, it’s not enough to totally re ll those reservoirs or even get them back to normal,” said Peter Goble, a climatologist with the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University.

e seasonal peak refers to the snow-water equivalent — the amount of liquid water in snow — in the snowpack. e peaks vary regionally and year to year, and the data can be sparse for elevations higher than 11,000 feet and lower than 9,000 because of the distribution of data collection stations, called SNOTEL sites, Goble said.

In Colorado, the snowpack has already passed its historical peak in southern basins, including the Upper Rio Grande, Arkansas and the combined San Miguel-DoloresAnimas-San Juan basin. Northern

basins, like the Yampa-White, Gunnison, Colorado main stem, North Platte and South Platte, will peak this weekend or later this month. at means more winter storms might roll through — and help add to the water supply — but they will balance out with spring runo as temperatures warm.

“ at’s not to say that the moisture that falls after peak snowpack isn’t important,” Goble said. “In fact, it is really important, what happens in late April and May, in terms of the overall runo that we get. But I think you’ll probably see our numbers peak quite soon here.”

Western Slope river basins, which feed the Colorado River, were all reporting above-average snowpack Wednesday. e snowpack in the Upper Rio Grande basin, which usually peaks April 2, was at 135% of the historical median, according to SNOTEL data April 5.

In southwestern Colorado, the combined San Miguel-DoloresAnimas-San Juan basin blasted past its historical median this season, reporting the highest snowpack in the state at about 180%. e basin typically peaks April 2 with a snowwater equivalent of 18.1 inches. is year, the basin reported 31.5 inches, which is half an inch lower than the maximum recorded between 1987 and 2022.

“In the modern SNOTEL observation era, we’re right on the doorstep of a record,” Goble said. “I’m not sure if we’re going to get there … but we’re going to get darn close to a new, modern era snowpack record in the San Juan combined basin.”

e region has been hit hard by the drought in recent years, and water o cials, farmers, ranchers and other water users are enthusiastic about the deep snowpack.

For Ken Curtis, general manager of the Dolores Water Conservancy District, the plentiful snowpack means that the local reservoir will ll, and the district is even starting to plan a managed release for rafters and ecological purposes, he said.

Montezuma County emergency manager Jim Spratlen said the high

snowpack could also mean ooding as rivers swell in May and June. Spratlen’s team was already updating emergency planning resources online and handing out sandbags to people in the towns of Dolores and Mancos in early April as a precautionary measure.

“Basically, we prepare for everything,” he said. “We prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

As of April 6, projections from the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center indicated that three areas of the Western Slope, in Mo att, Routt and Gunnison counties, are already more than 50% likely to see ooding.

Higher, northern elevations are still seeing new snow, and spring runo is weeks away; however, emergency managers in those areas are also preparing for the spring runo .

ey’re taking precautionary steps, like clearing ditches and culverts, holding planning meetings, running high-water public service announcements and monitoring ow-rates and areas prone to ooding. ey’re also watching weather forecasts for signs of prolonged warming, higher nighttime temperatures and duston-snow events, all of which can speed melting.

e Gunnison County snowpack was well above average according to SNOTEL data, said Scott Morrill, the county’s emergency manager.

“What the Snotel data does not re ect is the mid and low elevation snow levels/water content,” he said in an email to e Colorado Sun. “As of a couple weeks ago, readings at all of the low/mid elevation sites were very high, with some of them at historic highs.”

e Gunnison and Yampa-White basins were at 161% and 146% of their historical medians, respectively, as of Wednesday. Both will pass their usual seasonal peaks this weekend. e Colorado main stem, which was 132% of its historical median Wednesday, usually peaks around April 14.

In Routt County, particularly north of Steamboat Springs, conditions are similar to 2011 which was a big ood year, said David DeMorat, emergency operations director.

“It all depends on how quickly it melts. at’ll be a key thing,” he said.

Before the spring runo heightens in coming weeks, the key for community members is to contact their local emergency management o ces and sign up for their alert systems, Spratlen said.

“To us, that is one of the biggest things that the public really needs to do, and then they will be noti ed if something’s going on,” he said. “ ey’re going to be very aware of it, whether it’s a law enforcement issue, a ood, a re evacuation, or whatever.”

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

Snowplow removing snow from a street.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Gun violence hits 40-year high in Colorado

Death rates also high

BY JOHN INGOLD THE COLORADO SUN

In the spring of 2019, as the state mourned the shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch and lawmakers began eyeing a raft of new rearms-related legislation, e Colorado Sun analyzed 38 years of

RUNAWAYS

allowed to prevent a child from running either by restraining them or physically blocking a doorway. ey also want help from the Colorado Department of Human Services, which includes the child welfare division, in creating better collaboration between youth residential facilities and local law enforcement o cers who respond when children try to run.

Workers also reported that when they write required reports about children running from a center, they take the blame, feeling “the assumption was that they had not done everything in their power to keep youth from running.” Often, the only option is calling the police. e law that prevents physical intervention leaves no room for

state data on gun deaths.

At the time, e Sun found that 20,669 people died from rearmrelated injuries between 1980 and 2018, and the death rate, after dipping in the early 2000s, was on the rise.

Now, with the reverberations from a shooting at Denver’s East High School still ringing and lawmakers again hotly debating a slate of gun bills, e Sun decided to revisit that

what a parent would want, sta complained.

“If I was the mother of one of those children, I would want a voice,” one sta member reported to the study authors. “I don’t think we listen to our families enough in that interpretation. I used to get numerous phone calls, ‘How do you let my kid run away? I put him there for him to be safe. How can you just say that you guys let them walk away?’”

Kids who have run away say that when they are returned to residential centers they feel like they are punished, the study found. “Like you can’t change your clothes. You can’t wear shoes. You have to wear your slides. You have to only wear scrubs,” one child said. “You can’t wear your personal clothes. You’ll be separated, so you won’t be with the unit.”

One child described it plainly — they run because they want to go home.

“I honestly just didn’t want to sit

earlier analysis.

e number of those who have died from rearm-related injuries has increased, of course. Between 1980 and 2021 — the most recent year for which nalized mortality data is available — 23,493 people were killed by gunshot wounds, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. But more surprising is that the rearm-related death rate in 2021

here and do another six months of treatment,” the child said. “It’s really hard because a lot of us, me, we, have so many people at home that we care about. For my speci c situation, I have two little sisters, and I’m missing my little sister’s rst days of kindergarten, and she’s getting bullied in school right now. And I have to hear about it over a phone. It really sucks. So, I guess I just wanted to leave. at’s pretty much why I ran.” e task force is named for Timmy Montoya-Kloepfel, who was 12 when he ran from Tennyson Center for Children in Denver in June 2020 and died after he was hit by a Chevy Tahoe. His mother did not know for 26 hours where he had gone after running from the center.

Timmy and Andrew Potter, 15, were killed in separate incidents with similar details — both were struck by cars late at night after running away from di erent centers, two years apart.

was the highest since at least 1980. e new analysis shows the state recorded 18.2 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, far exceeding any other year in that time span. e previous high was in 1981, at 16.3 deaths per 100,000 people.

ese numbers include all deaths caused by rearms — homicides, suicides, accidents and incidents

eir deaths and the escalating runaway problem at some residential child care facilities sparked calls for investigation and allegations from residential centers that they were su ering from years of inadequate state funding. Some called for review of state regulations that prohibit centers from locking their doors or using physical force to prevent children from running away.  e task force, which includes former foster kids, foster parents, social workers, a police o cer and county child welfare o cials, must submit reports to the legislature by October 2024.

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

‘The

Little Prince’ lands at DU

that goes back more than 400 years and still has the power to connect with audiences.

BY CLARKE READER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

If a story catches a person at the right time, it can stick with them for their whole lives. Since its publication in 1943, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “ e Little Prince” has been one of those stories.

e story of a stranded pilot who lands on Earth and must navigate his way through a strange place while meeting a cast of unique characters has been read by parents and children alike for 80 years. In 2003, the story was transformed into an opera by Rachel Portman, and now it’s coming to the University of Denver, courtesy of the Lamont School of Music and Lamont Opera eatre.

“ is will be the rst time that Lamont has done an opera by a living, female composer,” said Matthew Plenk, artistic director of the production. “Most opera companies are doing at least one production a season that isn’t part of the western canon so the fact that the composer is both living and female is signi cant.”

“ e Little Prince” will make its Colorado debut at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts’ Gates Concert Hall, 2344 E. Ili Ave. in Denver, from April 20 through April 23.

According to provided information, the opera was rst performed at the Houston Grand Opera. For the Denver performances, Plenk and music director and conductor Sahar Nouri worked with the Utah

Rachel Portman’s opera makes Colorado debut STAFF REPORT

Symphony and Utah Opera to bring scenery and costumes from Utah to Colorado.

Not only is staging the show a chance to break some new ground, it provides the all-important opportunity for students to get stage — and behind-the-scenes — experience.

“It’s very exciting to be part of a work that hasn’t been done here before,” said Megan Pryor, a rst year master’s degree student who is Plenk’s assistant director and a member of the show’s chorus. “I’ve done some assistant directing in high school, but never delved into opera directing until now. It’s something I’ve been very interested in.”

e goal of any production is to entertain audiences, but Plenk emphasized the importance of students learning that the talents and skills they have can be used beyond performing.

“ e number of professional singers is close to that of professional athletes, so having a wide range of experience o ers more job opportunities,” he said. “ is is a great way to demonstrate how very, very important everyone is in telling these stories.”

at same sense of discovery that students have while working on the show will hopefully translate into an appreciation for opera, an artform

“ is show has a lot of the exciting elements of musical theater while having the di cult classical singing aspect that opera brings, so it’s a great piece for rst-timers,” Pryor said. “I think audiences will be surprised by the intensity of opera and how visceral the experience is. e drama is so much more heightened because everyone on stage is giving it their all vocally.”

And while the stereotype of opera stories are huge and sweeping — to match the music — often with a heartbreaking conclusion, “ e Little Prince’s” power comes in its directness.

“ e show has serious messages, but they’re expressed through the eyes of children,” Plenk said. “I hope people are inspired to be better humans, because, I really believe art and opera can be used to remind people how to be better to each other.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “The Little Prince”

WHERE: Gates Concert Hall at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, 2344 E. Ili Ave., Denver.

WHEN:

7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 20

7:30 p.m., Friday, April 21

7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 22

2:30 p.m., Sunday, April 23

COST: Adult: $20 to $40; Student, seniors and groups: $16 to $36 TICKETS: https://liberalarts.du.edu/ lamont/opera-theatre

Denver seeks input from LGBTQ+ community

Denver’s LGBTQ Commission and e Center on Colfax, a nonpro t organization and community center located at 1301 E. Colfax Ave. that serves the Rocky Mountain region’s LGBTQ+ community, is seeking input to learn about challenges the LGBTQ+ faces.

e survey is geared toward LGBTQ+ people who are 18 years or older and live and/or work in the Denver metro area. e questions focus on a variety of issues: policing and public safety, mental health and wellbeing, housing, civil rights and engagement, and nancial wellbeing. e Denver LGBTQ Commission

will use the survey responses to develop recommendations for the

next mayoral o ce for ways the city can advance social, economic and political equity for the LGBTQ+ community, according to a news release.

It is expected that the survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and is anonymous. e survey can be accessed at surveymonkey.com/r/ lgbtqcommsurvey.

To learn more about the Denver LGBTQ Commission, which is part of the Denver Agency for Human Rights & Community Partnerships, visit tinyurl.com/Denver-LGBTQCommission. To learn more about e Center on Colfax, visit lgbtqcolorado.org.

COURTESY OF THE CENTER ON COLFAX’S WEBSITE

Thu 4/20

Texas Hippie Coalition

@ 6pm Wild Goose Saloon, Parker

Creeping Death @ 6pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Sacred Reich @ 6pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Die Like Bothans: WP1313 presents

Jetboy @ 6pm Herman's Hideaway, 1578 S Broadway, Denver

Rend Collective @ 6pm

Cherry Hills Community Church, 3900 Grace Blvd, Highlands Ranch

TJ Miller @ 6:30pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 South Broadway, En‐glewood

Fri 4/21

School Break Camp - 4/21 @ 6:30am / $45 Parker Fieldhouse, 18700 E Plaza Dr., Parker. 303-805-6315

Municipal Waste @ 6pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐

wood

Frank Reyes @ 9pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

Sat 4/22

Dear Marsha,: DM @ her Freaky Band @ Toleys @ 7pm Toley’s on the Creek, 16728 E Smoky Hill Rd Suite 11C, Centen‐nial

Mon 4/24

School Break Camp - 4/24 @ 6:30am / $45

Parker Fieldhouse, 18700 E Plaza Dr., Parker. 303-805-6315

Wed 4/26

Carcass @ 6pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood

Barkin' Dog Duathlon @ 7am / $58.50-$72

4800 S Dayton, Englewood

easy life w/ Support from SAIAH

@ 8pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood

Tue 4/25

Dave Mensch - Tailgate Tavern - Parker, CO @ 5pm Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker

Ladies Night @ 5pm / $10 Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Fleming Mansion Walkthrough (about 45 days before event) @ 7pm Fleming Mansion, 1510 S. Grant St., Den‐ver. 720-913-0654

DJ Rockstar Aaron @ 7pm Bout Time Pub & Grub, 3580 S Platte River Dr A, Sheridan

Thu 4/27

The King Stan Band in Paradise @ 6pm Paradise Tavern, 9239 Park Mead‐ows Dr, Lone Tree

Vamonos Pest/Mobro:

Vamonos Pest at Wide Open

Saloon @ 5:30pm Wide Open Saloon, 5607 US-85, Sedalia

Rave On Productions: Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles

Experience @ 6:30pm

Parker Arts, Culture & Events Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker

Tony Medina Music: The Alley Open Mic Hosted By Tony Medina @ 5:30pm The Alley, 2420 W Main St, Little‐ton

Last Train To Juarez: The En‐glewood Tavern, South Broad‐way, Englewood, CO, USA w/ Special Guest Tom McElvain @ 5pm The Englewood Tavern, 4386 S Broadway, Englewood

Tom Mcelvain Music @ 5pm The Englewood Tavern, 4386 S Broadway, Englewood

Jamie Lissow @ 6:30pm Comedy Works South, 5345 Landmark Pl, Greenwood Village

powered by

Answers in short supply

Afew weeks ago I wrote about the need for school resource o cers, or SROs, in local schools. I did not have crystal ball, but days after the editorial went live the shooting at East High School occurred.

It was a tragic day. Not only were two innocent administrators shot, but a young man who was allowed to continue coming to school despite his troubled record died. Had that student been placed in online learning or so many other options we as parents have today — would we not have lost him and would our teachers not be feeling like they are in a war zone?

I was impressed to see the superintendent of the school district stand up and say something has to be done and that means SROs back on campus protecting our students.

I can’t imagine what those parents in that district are feeling as details come out and the constant political debate continues. I had a sinking feeling to nd out the student who is now dead had attended my own children’s school district. A little too close for comfort.

Bottom line — teachers and administrators deserve protection too. at means school boards, superintendents and principals are going to have to speak louder as politically correct decisions are being placed above their safety and our general student population. A teacher being shot by a 6-year-old is not OK. A teacher videoed being beaten unconscious by a student who was mad she took his game is not OK.

en, we had another mass shooting at a school in Tennessee. ree children at the age of 9 were killed.

ree adults trying to save lives were also killed.

Like every shooting, as soon as tragedy strikes — we lack the ability to come together as a country today. We lack the ability to be empathetic and sympathetic because it might create a problem in subjecting political will.

My son is 9 years old and with each shooting I become even more disheartened. ese children should not be the target in a world where adults have created a politically driven war zone in every aspect of our lives.

Of course, the gun debate comes up almost immediately. I saw articles and comments online where a father of one of the innocent victims said simply that he hopes his daughter nds peace in heaven. He was put down for taking that approach. I saw comments where people thought he should be angry and point to gun control.

I say this — He lost his daughter. He has a right to comment and react however he chooses and we as a society should be sympathetic and supportive.

en, I saw a troubling statement online about the fact that stopping these shootings may be causing political division and debate but stopping them is not so simple.

Our country has an astounding mental health crisis on our hands and when you have a gunman decide that they are going to take weapons and kill innocent people with the objective of dying that day themselves — What do we do to stop it?

In the end, I want an SRO, a trained member of law enforcement, posted at the front doors, back doors and in each hallway of schools. ey are trained to go ahead and complete the wishes of the disgusting people who are on these suicide missions. And they may do so before innocent lives who deserve none of this are killed.

elma Grimes is the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media.

Since 1926 publication of

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MICHAEL DE YOANNA

Editor-in-Chief michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com

THELMA GRIMES South Metro Editor tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.com

New beginnings begin with gratitude

He picked up his grandson from preschool and for a treat the grandfather decided to take his grandson to McDonald’s. It was late afternoon and hardly anyone was in the restaurant at that hour. As they ordered their meal and sat down at a table, the grandson was fascinated by the people cleaning up, sweeping the oor, wiping down tables and taking care of the trash.

As they nished their meal, the grandson was holding his grandfather’s hand as they were leaving the building. e grandson tugged on his grandfather’s hand and said, “Let’s go this way so we can say thank you to the people who work here.” e grandfather smiled, and walked with his grandson as he said thank you to the McDonald’s team. e look on the faces of those behind the counter was genuine warmth as they received the young boy’s gratitude. e only smiles bigger than the grandfather’s, were on the faces of the people working that day.

e boy was only four years old. What a lesson for all of us.

Last week I wrote about another season of new beginnings. If we have been challenged, in a rut, or facing di culties in our lives, we have every chance to start over, give ourselves a new beginning and stop doing what we have always done and expecting di erent outcomes. And maybe our new beginnings begin with gratitude.

New beginnings mean change. Whether we are doing really well and just want to raise the bar for ourselves, or we are struggling in some way, we nd ourselves looking to change something. A change in attitude, behavior, strategy, or maybe learning or elevating a skill. And when it comes to changing our attitude I like to think about one of my favorite Jimmy Bu ett songs, “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes. “

A part of the lyrics go like this

“It’s those changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes

Nothing remains quite the same With all of our running and all of our cunning If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane”

Our attitude has so much to do with the way

CHRISTY STEADMAN Editor csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

WINNING

we choose to live, laugh, love, work and play. And it has been said that gratitude is one of the strongest human emotions. It’s also been said that the more we show our gratitude for what we have, the more we will have to be grateful for. So I think back to the story of the 4-year-old boy and his grandfather, ask ing myself: Am I saying thank you enough? Am I showing gratitude to everyone, not just those closest to me? Am I living out the actions of living and working with an attitude of gratitude?

Again, it’s spring, it’s less than a week past Easter, and it’s the perfect time for new beginnings as life seems to be blooming all around us.

You have all probably heard about this thing called a gratitude challenge. It’s where we are challenged to come up with a few things every day that we are grateful for. One of my close friends, John Brokken, does this every day and posts his gratitude list on social media. It’s one of my very favorite things to read each day.

Here are a few ways that I am changing in my word choices when it comes to showing gratitude, I am sure you have your own too, but feel free to put these to good use as well. “ ank you very much.”

“I appreciate you so very much.” “I am so grateful for you.” “I am so thankful that you are in my life.”

“ ank you for being such a blessing to me.”

How about you? Is it time for new beginnings in your own life? And would a new beginning have a better chance of success if you started with lling your gratitude bucket? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we remember to show our gratitude, even just a simple and sincere “thank you,” it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Herald-Dispatch.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.

Denver Herald-Dispatch (ISSN 1542-5797)(USPS 241-760)

A legal newspaper of general

Thelma Grimes

A dancing bird finally gets some protection

What I remember most about that dark early morning of crouching on the prairie is the rhythmic sound of pounding. It was so loud I wondered if someone had put a microphone near the skinny legs of the dozen birds dancing on the turf. As the sun rose above the horizon in southeastern New Mexico, the male lesser prairie chickens continued their ritual performance, each hoping to entice a female. ey strutted, leaped in the air with feathers spread, and bowed, but the greatest thrill was watching them pu up the garish, red-orange air sacs on either side of their necks.

WRITERS ON

ately needs — federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.  e designation, however, comes 25 long years after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  rst determined that this magical dancing bird could go the way of the passenger pigeon.

In June 1988, the Service did something seemingly mundane, though it had profound consequences. It relegated the lesser prairie chicken to what might be called endangered species purgatory — making its protection status “warranted but precluded” under the Endangered Species Act. Precluded apparently meant, “We should list the birds but nd it impossible to do that.”

dangered Species Act protection for the lesser prairie chicken has mainly been about oil and gas development. Meaningful protection of this bird, whose habitat covers millions of acres across New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma, would mean restraint from the oil and gas and agricultural industries. Pump jacks and plows are the greatest threats to prairie chicken survival.

laws to really mean something, they must be enforced, even when — especially when — opponents are among the most economically and politically powerful industries.

Concealed in a blind, we watched late into the morning that spring of 1999, until the last birds — members of a rapidly vanishing species —  ew o .

I recalled that wonderful day recently, because in late March, after countless lawsuits and scienti c opinions, the lesser prairie chicken in New Mexico, Colorado and eastwards nally got what it so desper-

For decades, the Fish and Wildlife Service, under pressure from opponents in Congress and powerful industries, has used this designation to delay Endangered Species Act protections for hundreds of species that need an ecological safety net, including the lesser prairie chicken.  e result since 1998 has been predictable: e bird’s numbers have plummeted. In many parts of the West, it has disappeared entirely. Lesser prairie chickens now number about 30,000, less than 2% of what they were in the 19th century when the birds ourished in the hundreds of thousands.

Controversy around granting En-

Kansas Republicans, namely Sen. Roger Marshall and Rep. Tracy Mann, have already pressured the Fish and Wildlife Service to delay the date that the listing takes e ect. Texas has also led a lawsuit to block the listing, and Kansas and Oklahoma are threatening to sue. e long struggle to keep the birds alive is far from over.

Fifty years ago, Congress enacted the Endangered Species Act to recognize the importance of endangered and threatened species, citing their “esthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational and scienti c value to the Nation and its people.” e Act’s vision was remarkable, and Americans are fortunate that the law fought for a half-century ago continues to be fought for today.

I am proud that our nation passed this powerful law to protect the diversity of life. But for our nation’s

You’d think that identifying a species as “endangered” meant that there was still time to save it. But the prairie chicken, along with its high-pro le distant cousin, the sage grouse, is running out of time. e birds need lots of open space, and the new designation only puts some constraints on existing oil and gas operations, while limiting new development.

Later this spring, I intend to return to the prairies near the town of Milnesand, New Mexico, this time with my nine-year-old twins in tow. I can only hope that the birds are still dancing. I also hope that my boys have the opportunity to watch and wonder about why these birds return to woo females at the same place each spring, and what we, as a society, must do to ensure that the dance continues.

John Horning is a contributor to Writers on the Range, an independent nonpro t dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He is the executive director of WildEarth Guardians and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Tracy wins the 2023 Denver Lyric Opera Guild’s top award

Si nce 1984, members of the Denver Lyric Opera Guild have raised enough to give over a million in support money to help young (23-32) opera singers get started on their professional careers.

The top award of this year’s competition was given by the judges to operatic bass Gryffen Hagen Tracy, a Coloradan, who has been an apprentice with the Santa Fe Opera and is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, where he had a residency and received a Master of Music Degree.

He has been in Central City Opera Company’s training program and received his Bachelor of Music degree from Lamont School of Music at DU. He also has a Master of Music from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

It’s necessary for these young singers to travel to auditions in order to be cast in operatic performances and these awards help them with launching into a professional career. The group meets monthly at Columbine Country Club in Littleton and welcomes new members. Visit the website.

Kathy van Arsdale will be the next DLOG president.

Colorado Ballet

The Colorado Ballet has announced performances of “Sinfonetta,” originally planned for the 2019/2020 season and finally appearing. The work, choreographed by Jiri Kylian in 1976 and new to Denver audiences, is set to a score by Leos Janacek and blends clasic and contemporary techniques.

Elie Caulkins Opera

A horn fanfare is performed from the audience at the Elie Caulkins Opera House. Performances: April 14, 15, 21, 22 at 7:30 p.m. and April 15, 16 and 23 at 2 p.m. 303-8378888, ext. 2. Ballet Masterworks tickets start at $40. See ColoradoBallet.org.

Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center

Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center, one of History Colorado’s community museums, is among 15 nalists for the 2023 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. It is located in the San Luis Valley and shows visitors what a frontier fort looked like. It’s a great site for a family visit with kids who are learning about our state. Well organized to tell a story. e address is 29477 Hwy 159, Fort Garland, CO and is open every day from 9 a.. to 5 p.m.. Call 1-719-430-3512 for information. Or, try 303-HISTORY.

Mary Louise Lee Orchestra

e Mary Louise Lee Orchestra will play a Tribute to Natalie Cole at 8 p.m. April 21 at Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree 720-509-1000. Tickets cost $31 to $45.

Colorado Gallery of Art

e Colorado Gallery of Art at Arapahoe Community College Littleton Campus has an exhibit of work by invited students and

alumni. Ooen Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Grapefruit Lab to perform

Grapefruit Lab performs “Strange Bird, Queer Bird” April 7 to 15 at Buntport eater, 717 Lipan St., Denver. Original music by Teacup Gorilla, choreography by Kate Spear and design by Colorado Shoe School. Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 15, additional matinee at 2 p.m. Name your price for tickets.

Parker Symphony Orchestra

Parker Symphony Orchestra will perform a Concert called “Arabian Nights” at 7:30 p.m. at the PACE Center, 20000 E. Mainstreet, Parker. 303-805-3289. Box o ce MondaySaturday noon to 5 p.m.

Denver Audubon

e 2023 Birdathon will be held

May 1-31 by Denver Audubon. Form a team, pick one day in May for a team. Have team members collect donations for Audubon on one day in May and look for birds during that day in your yard, on a hike... Pledges might be for $1 a

bird. A Birdathon Meet and Greet will be held at the Kingery Nature Center at Denver Audubon, 9303 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton. email info@denveraudubon.org, Can donate there as well. Donations will be used to add more educational programs and reach more schools year- round.

Arvada Center

“Damn Yankees” plays April 7 to May 7 at Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd. , Arvada. Tickets start at $53. 720-898-7200, arvadacenter. org.

*Call for artists: CORE Art Space, 6501 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood. invites entries for “Flower Power” which will run May 12 to 28. Entries due by April 16 at CAFE, .callforentry.org. Juror Michael Paglia. Show runs may 12-28, with a reception May 12, 5 to 10 p.m.. Gallery open 12 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday* eater for kids: “Robin Hood” will play april 8-22 and May 27-June 24 at Miners Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington Ave, Golden,: Saturday at 1 p.m. and June 17 and 24 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. 303-935-3044.

SONYA’S SAMPLER

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

An tiques might seem like a eld that’s struggling to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the local scene in Elizabeth — and elsewhere in Colorado — suggests a renaissance of sorts might be occurring in the industry.

Randy Wallace owns Randy’s Antiques and Art on Main Street in Elizabeth. e bustling scene in town — featuring e Prickly Pear Antiques, e Carriage Shoppes and 1897 House of Antiques, among others — breeds community, not competition, he said.

“ e more stores in town, the better,” Wallace said. “People love to come antique shopping when there are multiple stores. Each one of our shops has a di erent niche, each one has just a little bit di erent style; I think customers enjoy having a di erent variety when they come to Elizabeth.”

Wallace said that while his shop specializes in antique art and furniture, others cater to di erent interests, like the Prickly Pear’s tearoom.

Over in Littleton, owner Joe Crawford of Old Crow Antiques had the novel idea to add a root beer bar to his shop, with the eventual goal of making the soda section — which currently carries between 60-90 varieties of vintage soda pop at any given time — the largest root beer bar in the world.

Crawford said Old Crow — which he opened three years ago with his brother — is one of the “new kids on the block” in the local

antiquing scene, but said they’ve been welcomed into the scene with open arms.

“I feel like we’re part of a larger community in the metro area,” Wallace said. “ ere are stores throughout the area, and we’ve gotten to know the people who own and work there — some have been here a long time.”

Nostalgia and good, old-fashioned, quality craftsmanship

Antique shops can often sprawl thousands of square feet — Old Crow’s showroom is over 45,000 square feet — packed with items from all eras and purposes. Shopkeepers say that a sense of longing for a di erent time helps people nd what they’re looking for out of the scores of inventories, in addition to the fact that many antiques have stood the test of time for a reason.

“In antique furniture, it’s already lasted 100 years, and — if you take care of it — it’ll last another 100 years,” Wallace said. “A lot of today’s stu is kind of throwaway.”

Julie McCoy, who runs own Unique Treasures Antiques and Collectibles in Wheat Ridge with her parents, echoed Wallace’s sentiment.

“(Antiques are) made so much better,” McCoy said. “ ey’re around 100 years later for a reason. It’s not like Ikea stu that you put together and throw away. It’s good quality

SEE NOSTALGIA, P15

stu that’s built to last. It builds a lot of memories with people.”

People also point to childhood nostalgia or family memories as reasons for antique shops’ sustained popularity.

“(People seek out) childhood memories,” McCoy said. “Stu that’ll last, people come in and say, ‘My mom had this,’ they need to have that again to relive their childhood.”

Crawford said his family got into

the antiques business because of a love for history and historic items cultivated from time spent with grandparents as kids.

“We tell people it’s a walk down memory lane,” Crawford said. “You’ll see something that reminds you of another time, maybe a simpler time, or childhood. Something you haven’t thought of in maybe 50, 60 years.

“I’ll be reminded of my grandma, my family and that’s what it is for me, the stories and experiences of everything that’s here,” Crawford continued. “We say, ‘ ere are a lot of ghosts under this roof.’”

Old Crow Antiques in Littleton is home to the world’s largest root beer bar. COURTESY JOE CRAWFORD

The exterior of Unique Treasures Antiques and Collectibles in Wheat Ridge. COURTESY UNIQUE TREASURES

Randy’s Arts and Antiques features a menagerie of furniture and art from di erent COURTESY RANDY WALLACE

Crow

Six things to know about Colorado’s $38.5B budget

BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

No new federal COVID-19 dollars. Record in ation. State services stretched thin by a growing population.

ose are the circumstances under which the Colorado legislature’s Joint Budget Committee this year drafted the $38.5 billion state budget that takes e ect July 1.

“It’s not a sexy budget,” said state Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, an Arvada Democrat who chairs the JBC. “It’s pretty conservative.”

Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Brighton Republican who sits on the JBC, called next year’s spending plan a “get ’er done budget.”

But it’s still packed with plenty of notable items. Here’s what you need to know about the budget — being debated by the legislature right now — and how it may a ect you:

e general fund portion of the scal year 2023-24 budget, which is the money state lawmakers have discretion over, is up 8.9% over the current year to $14.7 billion. But Zenzinger said about two-thirds of that new spending is going toward Medicaid, the state and federal program that provides health insurance to lowincome people.

Of the Medicaid dollars, $442 million will be allocated to replacing federal matching funds that are going away as the Biden administration ends the COVID-19 public health emergency and eliminates

the enhanced federal Medicaid match rate. Another $396 million was set aside to handle projected increases in Medicaid enrollment because of a slowing economy, as well as for a 3% increase in health care provider rates.

Zenzinger said the rest of the increase is going toward ensuring the state has a 15% reserve in preparation for an economic downturn and to account for in ation’s e ect on the state’s ability to o er government services. e Department of Corrections, for instance, will get $275,000 to cover the increased cost of food served to prison inmates, as

well as $1 million for a jump in the cost of utilities.

e JBC also set aside $30 million for the legislature to spend on miscellaneous bills and new, ongoing programs. For the current scal year, it was more than double that amount.

Overall, the budget is smaller than it was last year when you take into consideration the federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars the state had to spend in the current scal year, which ends June 30.

Keep in mind: e Colorado legislature is constrained in how much it can spend each year by

the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which caps government growth based on population increases and the rate of in ation.

While Republicans complain that the state budget is growing too large, it’s TABOR — which conservatives adore and Democrats generally loathe — that really determines the size of the budget.

It’s still up to lawmakers — mainly the Democratic majority in the House and Senate — how the money is spent, but TABOR is the real deciding factor of the top-line number.

Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, R-Monument, said during budget debate in the Senate last week that he wishes the legislature would stop creating new programs and o ces and focus its money on core government responsibilities: education and roads.

“I will be a ‘no’ vote, not in strenuous objection to this budget but in a call of a pursuit of a policy horizon that honors rst our constitutionally mandated requirements and honors rst that which should be our primary priority: the full funding of public education in Colorado,” he said.

One other thing to keep in mind: TABOR requires the state to refund any money it collects over the cap. Next scal year, that’s expected to be $2.7 billion.

e in ation rate used to calculate the cap, however, lags current conditions, so state budget writers

D I R E CT V H A S T H E M O ST L O C A L M L B G A ME S

The Colorado Senate on the first day of the 2023 legislative session, Jan. 9, 2023, in the Capitol in Denver. COURESTY OF THE COLORADO SUN

SEE BUDGET, P18

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

BUDGET

FROM

say while the amount of money they have to spend appears large, it’s not keeping up with economic conditions that have increased the cost of governing.

ere are a handful of line items in next year’s budget that could be described as (somewhat) big-ticket items.

- $26 million to purchase a second Sikorski S-70 Black Hawk helicopter that will be converted into a “Firehawk” that can battle wildland res.

e legislature set aside money two years ago so Colorado could buy its rst Firehawk. e chopper still hasn’t been put in service, however.

e budget also sets aside another $1.7 million to operate and sta the new helicopter.

- $3.2 million for Senate Bill 13, which would help the Division of Fire Prevention and Control investigate the causes and origins of res, with a priority on investigations into wild res.

- $15 million toward a new O ce of School Safety in the Department of Public Safety that will house a variety of existing e orts to prevent and respond to tragedies at K-12 schools. at represents about $9 million in new spending that will help expand some of those existing initiatives. e Senate also passed an amendment allocating an additional $10 million in new spending for a grant program in the new o ce.

- $7.3 million to account for a forecast increase in the state’s prison population.

- $221 million set aside for forthcoming property tax relief legislation, as well as other housing-related bills.

- $115 million to implement Proposition FF, a ballot measure passed by voters in November that raises taxes on wealthy Coloradans to pay for universal free lunches in public schools. e money will be repaid to the general fund once the tax collections begin.

- $120,000 to respond to the decision to disband Tri-County Health Department and to help Douglas, Arapahoe and Adams counties stand up their own public health agencies.

- $1.6 million that includes funding to hire 14 people to represent the state in Colorado River water negotiations.

State Sen. Je Bridges, a Greenwood Village Democrat who sits on the JBC, said one of his favorite line items in the budget is a $416,000 allocation to hire ve people in the Department of Veterans A airs to help connect Colorado veterans with the bene ts they earned.

“ is is an investment to help veterans get the bene ts they’re entitled to — that they’ve sacri ced for — that the Department of Veterans a airs makes nearly impossible to access,” Bridges said, calling the agency a “labyrinth.”

An item that would likely go overlooked? A $9 million spend on a technology building at Adams State University in the San Luis Valley. Without it, students at the Alamosa school could be left without internet access, Bridges said.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wanted the budget to cap the amount staterun colleges and universities can raise undergraduate, in-state student tuition at 4%, but the legislature decided on 5% with the exception of the University of Northern Colorado, which will be able to increase tuition by 6%.

Zenzinger said the state’s higher education institutions had an 11% gap in their mandatory costs and that even with allowing for such a large tuition increase they will only have enough money to close the gap at 10.1%.

“My biggest regret (about the budget) is that we just were not able to close that gap fully,” she said.

Zenzinger said the JBC was trying to meet schools’ nancial needs without pricing students out of higher education. If the legislature were to allocate enough money to colleges and universities to cap tuition at 4% it wouldn’t have had any money left for new legislation and ongoing programs.

Total state funding for higher education in the budget was increased by $147 million to $1.4 billion. e scal year 2023-24 budget includes $485 million more in K-12 education funding than in the current year, which represents a $900

SEE BUDGET, P23

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PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088

Legals

Misc. Private Legals

Public Notice

NOTICE OF DEFAULT AND FORECLOSURE SALE

WHEREAS, on February 27, 2006, a certain Deed of Trust was executed by Leo Chavez, Sr. and Mary A. Chavez, as Grantors, in favor of Financial Freedom Senior Funding Corporation, a Subsidiary of Indy Mac Bank, F.S.B., and the Public Trustee of Denver County, Colorado as Trustee, and was recorded on March 15, 2006, at Reception Number 2006041435, in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of the County of Denver, Colorado; and

WHEREAS, the Deed of Trust was insured by the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (the Secretary) pursuant to the National Housing Act for the purpose of providing single family housing; and

WHEREAS, the beneficial interest of the Deed of Trust is now owned by the Secretary, pursuant to an assignment recorded on February 3, 2014 at Reception Number 2014011210 in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of the County of Denver Colorado.

WHEREAS, a default has been made in the covenants and conditions of the Deed of Trust in that Paragraph 9 (a) (i) has been violated; and

WHEREAS, the entire amount delinquent is $314,996.52 as of March 1, 2023; and

WHEREAS, by virtue of this default, the Secretary has declared the entire amount of the indebtedness secured by the Deed of Trust to be immediately due and payable;

NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to the powers vested in me by the Single Family Mortgage Foreclosure Act of 1994, 12 U.S.C. 3751 et seq., by 24 CFR part 27, subpart B, and by the Secretary’s designation of me as Foreclosure Commissioner, recorded on July 19, 2017 at Reception No. 2017094067 in the records of the Denver County Clerk and Recorder, notice is hereby given that on May 5, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. local time, all real and personal property at or used in connection with the following described premises (“Property”) will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder:

LOT 2, BLOCK 76, HARVEY PARK ADDITION

FILING NO. 12, CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER, STATE OF COLORADO

Commonly known as: 5060 W Vassar Ave., Denver, Colorado 80219.

The sale will be held on front steps of the City and County Building located at 1437 Bannock St., Denver, CO 80202.

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development will bid the lesser amount of the loan balance, or the appraised value obtained by the Secretary prior to sale.

There will be no proration of taxes, rents or other income or liabilities, except that the purchaser will pay, at or before closing, his prorated share of any real estate taxes that have been paid by the Secretary to the date of the foreclosure sale.

When making their bids, all bidders except the Secretary must submit a deposit totaling 10% of the Secretary’s bid in the form of a certified check or cashier’s check made out to the Secretary of HUD. A deposit need not accompany each oral bid. If the successful bid is oral, a deposit of 10% of the Secretary’s bid must be presented before the bidding is closed. The deposit is nonrefundable.

The remainder of the purchase price must be delivered within 30 days of the sale or at such other time as the Secretary may determine for good cause shown, time being of the essence. This amount, like the bid deposits, must be delivered in the form of a certified or cashier’s check. If the Secretary is the highest bidder, he need not pay the bid amount in cash. The successful bidder will pay all conveying fees, all real estate and other taxes that are due on or after the delivery date of the remainder of the payment and all other costs associated with the transfer of title. At the conclusion of the sale, the deposits of the unsuccessful bidders will be returned to them.

The Secretary may grant an extension of time within which to deliver the remainder of the payment. All extension will be for 15-day increments for a fee of $500.00, paid in advance. The extension fee shall be in the form of certified or cashier’s check made payable to the Secretary of HUD. If the high bidder closes the sale prior to the expiration of any extension period, the unused portion of the extension fee shall be applied toward the amount due.

If the high bidder is unable to close the sale within the required period, or within any extensions of time granted by the Secretary, the high bidder may be required to forfeit the cash deposit, or at the election of the foreclosure commissioner after consultation with the HUD representative, will be liable to HUD for any costs incurred as a result of such failure. The Commissioner may, at the direction of the HUD representative, offer the property to the second highest bidder for an amount equal to the highest price offered by that bidder.

There is no right of redemption, or right of possession based upon a right of redemption, in the mortgagor or others subsequent to a foreclosure completed pursuant to the Act. Therefore, the Foreclosure Commissioner will issue a Deed to the purchaser(s) upon receipt of the entire purchase price in accordance with the terms of the sale as provided herein, HUD does not guarantee that the property will be vacant.

The scheduled foreclosure sale shall be cancelled or adjourned if it is established, by documented written application of the mortgagor to the Foreclosure Commissioner no less than three (3) days before the date of sale, or otherwise, that the default or defaults upon which the foreclosure is based did not exist at the time of service of this notice of default and foreclosure sale, or all amounts due under the mortgage agreement are tendered to the Foreclosure Commissioner, in the form of a certified cashier’s check payable to the Secretary of HUD, before the public auction of the property is completed.

The amount that must be paid if the mortgage is to be reinstated prior to the scheduled sale is $314,996.52 as of March 1,2023, plus all other amounts that would be due under the mortgage agreement if payments under the deed of trust had not been accelerated, advertising costs and postage expenses incurred in giving notice, mileage by the most reasonable road distance for posting notices and for the Foreclosure Commissioner’s attendance at the sale, reasonable and customary costs incurred for title and lien record searches, the necessary out of pocket costs incurred by the Foreclosure Commissioner, and all other costs incurred in connection with the foreclosure prior to reinstatement.

Tender of payment by certified or cashier’s check or application for cancellation of the foreclosure sale shall be submitted to the address of the Foreclosure Commissioner provided below.

Dated: March 28, 2023

Deanne R. Stodden

Foreclosure Commissioner 1550 Wewatta Street, Suite 710 Denver, CO 80202

Telephone: (303) 623-4806

Email: foreclosure@messner.com

Legal Notice No. 82176

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

WHEREAS, on September 7, 2004, a certain Deed of Trust was executed by Horace Hart, as Grantor, in favor of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., and the Public Trustee of Denver County, Colorado as Trustee, and was recorded on September 21, 2004, at Reception Number 2004196375, in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of the County of Denver, Colorado; and

WHEREAS, the Deed of Trust was insured by the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (the Secretary) pursuant to the National Housing Act for the purpose of providing single family housing; and

WHEREAS, the beneficial interest of the Deed of Trust is now owned by the Secretary, pursuant to an assignment recorded on July 26, 2018 at Reception Number 2018092262 in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of the County of Denver Colorado.

WHEREAS, a default has been made in the covenants and conditions of the Deed of Trust in that Paragraph 9 (a) (i) has been violated; and

WHEREAS, the entire amount delinquent is $294,067.61 as of March 1, 2023; and

WHEREAS, by virtue of this default, the Secretary has declared the entire amount of the indebtedness secured by the Deed of Trust to be immediately due and payable;

NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to the powers vested in me by the Single Family Mortgage Foreclosure Act of 1994, 12 U.S.C. 3751 et seq., by 24 CFR part 27, subpart B, and by the Secretary’s designation of me as Foreclosure Commissioner, recorded on July 19, 2017 at Reception No. 2017094067 in the records of the Denver County Clerk and Recorder, notice is hereby given that on May 5, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. local time, all real and personal property at or used in connection with the following described premises (“Property”) will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder: LOT 13, 14 AND THE NORTH 10 FEET OF THE LOT 15, BLOCK 7, STRAYER AND SHEPARD’S PARK HILL, CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER, STATE OF COLORADO.

Commonly known as: 2840 Magnolia Street, Denver, CO 80207.

The sale

will pay, at or before closing, his prorated share of any real estate taxes that have been paid by the Secretary to the date of the foreclosure sale.

When making their bids, all bidders except the Secretary must submit a deposit totaling 10% of the Secretary’s bid in the form of a certified check or cashier’s check made out to the Secretary of HUD. A deposit need not accompany each oral bid. If the successful bid is oral, a deposit of 10% of the Secretary’s bid must be presented before the bidding is closed. The deposit is nonrefundable. The remainder of the purchase price must be delivered within 30 days of the sale or at such other time as the Secretary may determine for good cause shown, time being of the essence. This amount, like the bid deposits, must be delivered in the form of a certified or cashier’s check. If the Secretary is the highest bidder, he need not pay the bid amount in cash. The successful bidder will pay all conveying fees, all real estate and other taxes that are due on or after the delivery date of the remainder of the payment and all other costs associated with the transfer of title. At the conclusion of the sale, the deposits of the unsuccessful bidders will be returned to them.

The Secretary may grant an extension of time within which to deliver the remainder of the payment. All extension will be for 15-day increments for a fee of $500.00, paid in advance. The extension fee shall be in the form of certified or cashier’s check made payable to the Secretary of HUD. If the high bidder closes the sale prior to the expiration of any extension period, the unused portion of the extension fee shall be applied toward the amount due.

If the high bidder is unable to close the sale within the required period, or within any extensions of time granted by the Secretary, the high bidder may be required to forfeit the cash deposit, or at the election of the foreclosure commissioner after consultation with the HUD representative, will be liable to HUD for any costs incurred as a result of such failure. The Commissioner may, at the direction of the HUD representative, offer the property to the second highest bidder for an amount equal to the highest price offered by that bidder.

There is no right of redemption, or right of possession based upon a right of redemption, in the mortgagor or others subsequent to a foreclosure completed pursuant to the Act. Therefore, the Foreclosure Commissioner will issue a Deed to the purchaser(s) upon receipt of the entire purchase price in accordance with the terms of the sale as provided herein, HUD does not guarantee that the property will be vacant.

The scheduled foreclosure sale shall be cancelled or adjourned if it is established, by documented written application of the mortgagor to the Foreclosure Commissioner no less than three (3) days before the date of sale, or otherwise, that the default or defaults upon which the foreclosure is based did not exist at the time of service of this notice of default and foreclosure sale, or all amounts due under the mortgage agreement are tendered to the Foreclosure Commissioner, in the form of a certified cashier’s check payable to the Secretary of HUD, before the public auction of the property is completed.

The amount that must be paid if the mortgage is to be reinstated prior to the scheduled sale is $227,025.89 as of March 1, 2023, plus all other amounts that would be due under the mortgage agreement if payments under the deed of trust had not been accelerated, advertising costs and postage expenses incurred in giving notice, mileage by the most reasonable road distance for posting notices and for the Foreclosure Commissioner’s attendance at the sale, reasonable and customary costs incurred for title and lien record searches, the necessary out of pocket costs incurred by the Foreclosure Commissioner, and all other costs incurred in connection with the foreclosure prior to reinstatement.

Tender of payment by certified or cashier’s check or application for cancellation of the foreclosure sale shall be submitted to the address of the Foreclosure Commissioner provided below.

Dated: March 29, 2023

Deanne R. Stodden Foreclosure Commissioner 1550 Wewatta St., Ste. 710 Denver, CO 80202

Telephone: (303) 623-4806

Email: foreclosure@messner.com

Legal Notice No. 82179

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE OF DEFAULT AND FORECLOSURE SALE

WHEREAS on July 25, 2011, a certain Deed of Trust was executed by Carol Kurz, Successor Trustee of the John B. Kurz, Jr. Trust dated April 30, 1997, as Amended and Restated April 7, 2006, as Grantor, in favor of MetLife Home Loans, a Division of MetLife Bank, N.A., and the Public Trustee of Denver County, Colorado as Trustee, and was recorded on July 29, 2011, at Reception Number 2011082392, in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of the County of Denver, Colorado; and

WHEREAS, the Deed of Trust was insured by the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (the Secretary) pursuant to the National Housing Act for the purpose of providing single family housing; and

WHEREAS, the beneficial interest of the Deed of Trust is now owned by the Secretary, pursuant to an assignment recorded on October 17, 2018 at Reception Number 2018134975 in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of the County of Denver Colorado.

WHEREAS, a default has been made in the covenants and conditions of the Deed of Trust in that Paragraph 9 (b) (i) has been violated; and

WHEREAS, the entire amount delinquent is $295,784.28 as of March 1, 2023; and

WHEREAS, by virtue of this default, the Secretary has declared the entire amount of the indebtedness secured by the Deed of Trust to be immediately due and payable;

NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to the powers vested in me by the Single Family Mortgage Foreclosure Act of 1994, 12 U.S.C. 3751 et seq., by 24 CFR part 27, subpart B, and by the Secretary’s designation of me as Foreclosure Commissioner, recorded on July 19, 2017 at Reception No. 2017094067 in the records of the Denver County Clerk and Recorder, notice is hereby given that on May 5, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. local time, all real and personal property at or used in connection with the following described premises (“Property”) will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder:

LOT 2, BLOCK 7, VIRGINIA VILLAGE, FILING NO. 3 CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER STATE OF COLORADO.

Commonly known as: 1290 S. Ivy Way, Denver, CO 80224.

The sale will be held on front steps of the City and County Building located at 1437 Bannock St., Denver, CO 80202.

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development will bid the lesser amount of the loan balance, or the appraised value obtained by the Secretary prior to sale.

There will be no proration of taxes, rents or other income or liabilities, except that the purchaser will pay, at or before closing, his prorated share of any real estate taxes that have been paid by the Secretary to the date of the foreclosure sale.

When making their bids, all bidders except the Secretary must submit a deposit totaling 10% of the Secretary’s bid in the form of a certified check or cashier’s check made out to the Secretary of HUD. A deposit need not accompany each oral bid. If the successful bid is oral, a deposit of 10% of the Secretary’s bid must be presented before the bidding is closed. The deposit is nonrefundable. The remainder of the purchase price must be delivered within 30 days of the sale or at such other time as the Secretary may determine for good cause shown, time being of the essence. This amount, like the bid deposits, must be delivered in the form of a certified or cashier’s check. If the Secretary is the highest bidder, he need not pay the bid amount in cash. The successful bidder will pay all conveying fees, all real estate and other taxes that are due on or after the delivery date of the remainder of the payment and all other costs associated with the transfer of title. At the conclusion of the sale, the deposits of the unsuccessful bidders will be returned to them.

The Secretary may grant an extension of time within which to deliver the remainder of the payment. All extension will be for 15-day increments for a fee of $500.00, paid in advance. The extension fee shall be in the form of certified or cashier’s check made payable to the Secretary of HUD. If the high bidder closes the sale prior to the expiration of any extension period, the unused portion of the extension fee shall be applied toward the amount due.

If the high bidder is unable to close the sale within the required period, or within any extensions of time granted by the Secretary, the high bidder may be required to forfeit the cash deposit, or at the election of the foreclosure commissioner after consultation with the HUD representative, will be liable to HUD for any costs incurred as a result of such failure. The Commissioner may, at the direction of the HUD representative, offer the property to the second highest bidder for an amount equal to the highest price offered by that bidder.

There is no right of redemption, or right of possession based upon a right of redemption, in the mortgagor or others subsequent to a foreclosure completed pursuant to the Act. Therefore, the Foreclosure Commissioner will issue a Deed to the purchaser(s) upon receipt of the entire purchase price in accordance with the terms of the sale as provided herein, HUD does not guarantee that the property will be vacant.

The scheduled foreclosure sale shall be cancelled or adjourned if it is established, by documented written application of the mortgagor to the Foreclosure Commissioner no less than three (3) days before the date of sale, or otherwise, that the default or defaults upon which the foreclosure is based did not exist at the time of service of this notice of default and foreclosure sale, or all amounts due under the mortgage agreement are tendered to the Foreclosure Commissioner, in the form of a certified cashier’s check payable to the Secretary of HUD, before the public auction of the property is completed.

The amount that must be paid if the mortgage is to be reinstated prior to the scheduled sale is $295,784.28 as of March 1, 2023, plus all other amounts that would be due under the mortgage

agreement if payments under the deed of trust had not been accelerated, advertising costs and postage expenses incurred in giving notice, mileage by the most reasonable road distance for posting notices and for the Foreclosure Commissioner’s attendance at the sale, reasonable and customary costs incurred for title and lien record searches, the necessary out of pocket costs incurred by the Foreclosure Commissioner, and all other costs incurred in connection with the foreclosure prior to reinstatement.

Tender of payment by certified or cashier’s check or application for cancellation of the foreclosure sale shall be submitted to the address of the Foreclosure Commissioner provided below.

Dated: March 29, 2023

Foreclosure Commissioner Deanne R. Stodden 1550 Wewatta Street, Suite 710 Denver, CO 80202

Telephone: (303) 623-4806

Email: foreclosure@messner.com

Legal Notice No. 82177

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE OF DEFAULT AND FORECLOSURE SALE

WHEREAS, on May 23, 2005, a certain Deed of Trust was executed by Delia Torres, as Grantor, in favor of Financial Freedom Senior Funding Corporation, a Subsidiary of Indy Mac Bank, F.S.B., and the Public Trustee of Denver County, Colorado as Trustee, and was recorded on June 19, 2005, at Reception Number 2005100755, in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of the County of Denver, Colorado; and

WHEREAS, the Deed of Trust was insured by the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (the Secretary) pursuant to the National Housing Act for the purpose of providing single family housing; and

WHEREAS, the beneficial interest of the Deed of Trust is now owned by the Secretary, pursuant to an assignment recorded on July 6, 2009 at Reception Number 2009084299 in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of the County of Denver Colorado.

WHEREAS, a default has been made in the covenants and conditions of the Deed of Trust in that Paragraph 9 (a) (i) has been violated; and

WHEREAS, the entire amount delinquent is $227,025.89 as of March 1, 2023; and

WHEREAS, by virtue of this default, the Secretary has declared the entire amount of the indebtedness secured by the Deed of Trust to be immediately due and payable;

NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to the powers vested in me by the Single Family Mortgage Foreclosure Act of 1994, 12 U.S.C. 3751 et seq., by 24 CFR part 27, subpart B, and by the Secretary’s designation of me as Foreclosure Commissioner, recorded on July 19, 2017 at Reception No. 2017094067 in the records of the Denver County Clerk and Recorder, notice is hereby given that on May 5, 2023 at 3:00 p.m.. local time, all real and personal property at or used in connection with the following described premises (“Property”) will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder:

THE NORTH 20 FEET OF THE WEST 77 FEET OF LOT 3, AND THE SOUTH 5 FEET OF THE WEST 77 FEET OF LOT 2 BLOCK 14, ELMWOOD ADDITION TO THE CITY OF DENVER, CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER, STATE OF COLORADO.

Commonly known as: 674 Elati Street, Denver, Colorado 80204

The sale will be held on front steps of the City and County Building located at 1437 Bannock St., Denver, CO 80202.

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development will bid the lesser amount of the loan balance, or the appraised value obtained by the Secretary prior to sale.

There will be no proration of taxes, rents or other income or liabilities, except that the purchaser will pay, at or before closing, his prorated share of any real estate taxes that have been paid by the Secretary to the date of the foreclosure sale.

When making their bids, all bidders except the Secretary must submit a deposit totaling 10% of the Secretary’s bid in the form of a certified check or cashier’s check made out to the Secretary of HUD. A deposit need not accompany each oral bid. If the successful bid is oral, a deposit of 10% of the Secretary’s bid must be presented before the bidding is closed. The deposit is nonrefundable. The remainder of the purchase price must be delivered within 30 days of the sale or at such other time as the Secretary may determine for good cause shown, time being of the essence. This amount, like the bid deposits, must be delivered in the form of a certified or cashier’s check. If the Secretary is the highest bidder, he need not pay the bid amount in cash. The successful bidder will pay all conveying fees, all real estate and other taxes that are due on or after the delivery date of the remainder of the payment and all other costs associated with the transfer of title. At the conclusion of the sale, the deposits of the unsuccessful bidders will be returned to them.

Public Notices

The Secretary may grant an extension of time within which to deliver the remainder of the payment. All extension will be for 15-day increments for a fee of $500.00, paid in advance. The extension fee shall be in the form of certified or cashier’s check made payable to the Secretary of HUD. If the high bidder closes the sale prior to the expiration of any extension period, the unused portion of the extension fee shall be applied toward the amount due.

If the high bidder is unable to close the sale within the required period, or within any extensions of time granted by the Secretary, the high bidder may be required to forfeit the cash deposit, or at the election of the foreclosure commissioner after consultation with the HUD representative, will be liable to HUD for any costs incurred as a result of such failure. The Commissioner may, at the direction of the HUD representative, offer the property to the second highest bidder for an amount equal to the highest price offered by that bidder.

There is no right of redemption, or right of possession based upon a right of redemption, in the mortgagor or others subsequent to a foreclosure completed pursuant to the Act. Therefore, the Foreclosure Commissioner will issue a Deed to the purchaser(s) upon receipt of the entire purchase price in accordance with the terms of the sale as provided herein, HUD does not guarantee that the property will be vacant.

The scheduled foreclosure sale shall be cancelled or adjourned if it is established, by documented written application of the mortgagor to the Foreclosure Commissioner no less than three (3) days before the date of sale, or otherwise, that the default or defaults upon which the foreclosure is based did not exist at the time of service of this notice of default and foreclosure sale, or all amounts due under the mortgage agreement are tendered to the Foreclosure Commissioner, in the form of a certified cashier’s check payable to the Secretary of HUD, before the public auction of the property is completed.

The amount that must be paid if the mortgage is to be reinstated prior to the scheduled sale is $227,025.89 as of March 1, 2023, plus all other amounts that would be due under the mortgage agreement if payments under the deed of trust had not been accelerated, advertising costs and postage expenses incurred in giving notice, mileage by the most reasonable road distance for posting notices and for the Foreclosure Commissioner’s attendance at the sale, reasonable and customary costs incurred for title and lien record searches, the necessary out of pocket costs incurred by the Foreclosure Commissioner, and all other costs incurred in connection with the foreclosure prior to reinstatement.

Tender of payment by certified or cashier’s check or application for cancellation of the foreclosure sale shall be submitted to the address of the Foreclosure Commissioner provided below.

Dated: March 29, 2023

Deanne R. Stodden

Foreclosure Commissioner

1550 Wewatta Street, Suite 710 Denver, CO 80202

Telephone: (303) 623-4806

Email: foreclosure@messner.com

Legal Notice No. 82178

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Storage Liens/Vehicle Titles

Public Notice

Notice to obtain title- The following vehicle(s) were towed and abandoned:

1) VIN 2HGEJ6342XH104467

1999 Honda Civic,

2) VIN 2HGEH3384PH509999

1993 Honda Civic,

M1 Towing lot address 2810 W. 62nd Ave, Denver, CO 80221, 720-364-1160 is applying for title.

Legal Notice No. 82184

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 13, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

Broncos Towing, 303-722-3555 (office) will be applying for title to the following vehicles, abandoned.

1) 1998 Viking pop-upT 464394

2) 2000 Viking pop-upT 610793

3) 1984 Plymouth silver 403922

4) 1987 Chrysler black 049587

5) 1997 Pontiac white 206355

6) 1998 Coachman motorhome A24331

7) 1995 Fleetwood motorhome A16147

Legal Notice No. 82137

First Publication: March 23, 2023

Last Publication: April 13, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Notice to Creditors

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Doris M. Pare, AKA Doris Merrilee Pare, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30283

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 31, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Bradley L. Pare Co-Personal Representative 6836 S. Bellaire Way Centennial, Colorado 80122

Representative

P.O. Box 4797 Breckenridge, Colorado 80424

Legal Notice No. 82152

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: April 13, 2023 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

TO CREDITORS Estate of Thomas Robert Howes, a/k/a Thomas Howes, and Tommy Howes, Deceased, Case Number 23PR73

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 6, 2023 or the claims may be forever barred.

Randy Howes, Personal Representative 4367 S. Coors St. Morrison, CO 80465

Legal Notice No. 82159 First Publication: April 6, 2023

TO CREDITORS Estate of STANLEY RAVINE, ALSO KNOWN AS STAN RAVINE, Deceased Case Number: 23PR30216

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 31, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Blake Pilgreen, also known as Warren Blake Pilgreen Personal Representative 17058 E. Carr Avenue Parker, CO 80134

Legal Notice No. 82139

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: April 13, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS:

Estate of Samuel M. Webb, aka Samuel Webb, Jr., aka Samuel McHugh Webb, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31667

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the Denver Probate Court, City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 30, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Samuel M. Webb, Personal Representative c/o Patrick J. Tobin, Attorney at Law 12650 West 64th Avenue, Unit E, # 258 Arvada, CO 80004

Legal Notice No. 82150

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: April 13, 2023 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of KEVIN MICHAEL HARTMANN, also known as KEVIN M. HARTMANN, and KEVIN HARTMANN, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31594

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 30, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Laura Moore Attorney to the Personal Representative Warren, Carlson & Moore, LLP PO Box610 Niwot, CO 80544-0610

Legal Notice No. 82148

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: April 13, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Richard W. Burton, Deceased Case Number: 23PR11

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 31, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

David Burton: Personal Representative 1252 Jackson St. Denver CO 80206

Legal Notice No. 82146

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: April 13, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Wilfird C. Meier, aka Wilfird Meier, aka Wilfird Charles Meier, aka Bill Meier, Deceased Case

Randy A. Meier, Personal Representative Patrick R. Thiessen (40185) Frie, Arndt, Danborn & Thiessen P.C. 7400 Wadsworth Blvd., #201 Arvada, Colorado 80003 303/420-1234 Attorney for Personal Representative

Legal Notice No. 82165

First Publication: April 6, 2023

Last Publication: April 20, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The Estate of: JOSEPH MITCHELL OLMEDO, SR. aka Joseph M. Olmedo, Sr., aka Joseph Olmedo, Sr., aka Joseph Mitchell Olmedo, aka Joseph M. Olmedo, aka Joseph Olmedo, aka Joe Olmedo, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30309

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 15, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Susan Mickus: Attorney for Personal Representative Jon A Olmedo Skipton Law 2 Inverness Drive East, Suite 102 Englewood, CO 80112

Legal Notice No. 82173

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of William Paul Trinen, a/k/a William P. Trinen, a/k/a Bill Trinen, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30285

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 7, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Maya D. Pingle, Personal Representative 2495 S. Columbine Street Denver, CO 80210

Legal Notice No. 82158

First Publication: April 6, 2023

Last Publication: April 20, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Maria Bittler, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31545

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 6, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Marlene Bittler Hewitt Personal Representative c/o Pearman Law Firm 4195 Wadsworth Blvd Wheat Ridge, CO 80033

Legal Notice No. 82157

First Publication: April 6, 2023

Last Publication: April 20, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Robert Dexter Harry, M.D., aka Robert Dexter Harry, aka Robert D. Harry, and Robert Harry, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR030392

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 13, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Michael Thomas Harry Personal Representative 3773 Gill Drive Denver, Colorado 80209

Legal Notice No. 82171

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Dolores M. Kalber, a/k/a Dolores Kalber, a/k/a Dolores Marie Kalber, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30310

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 14, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Lori Jean Lucero, Personal Representative

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Kathleen M. Fiore, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR7

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 14, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Angelo Belore, Personal Representative

c/o Henry J. Geisel, #2551

Attorney for Personal Representative NAYLOR & GEISEL, P.C. 1123 N. Elizabeth Street Pueblo, CO 81003 (719) 543-7243

Legal Notice No. 82181

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Judy Jo Bulow, a/k/a Judy B. Bulow, a/k/a Judy J. Bulow, a/k/a Judy Bulow, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30090

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 7, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Janelle Bulow, Personal Representative

Patrick R. Thiessen (40185)

FRIE, ARNDT, DANBORN & THIESSEN P.C. 7400 Wadsworth Blvd, Ste. 201 Arvada, CO 80003

Phone Number: 303-420-1234

Attorney for Janelle Bulow

Personal Representative

Legal Notice No. 82163

First Publication: April 6, 2023

Last Publication: April 20, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Sonya Z. Botiller, a/k/a Sonya Botiller, Deceased Case No: 2023PR30197

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the Denver Probate Court, City and County of Denver, Colorado, on or before August 14, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Nancy S. Botiller, Personal Representative 3063 S. Steele St. Denver, CO 80210

Legal Notice No. 82183

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Carrie Elizabeth Gayles, aka Carrie E. Gayles, aka Carrie Gayles, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30282

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 14, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Carlton E. Gayles, Personal Representative c/o Schafer Thomas Maez PC, 4 Garden Center #200 Broomfield, Colorado 80020

Legal Notice No. 82174

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice Denver Probate Court Denver County, Colorado 1437 Bannock St. #230 Denver, CO 80202

In the Matter of the Estate of: Mary Lee Fowler, aka Mary L. Fowler, Mary Fowler and ML Fowler

Attorney: Kristi Radosevich, Karnopp, Radosevich & Preston, LLC PO Box 2708, Elizabeth, CO 80107 Phone Number: 303.646.2763

E-mail: kristirad.law@gmail.com Attv. Req_ #: 34335 Case Number: 23PR030365

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of HENDRENA JEAN ALLEN, a.k.a. JEAN K. ALLEN, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR33

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 31, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Attorney for Personal Representative John Allen: Ernest Staggs, Esq., #17999 STAGGS MORRIS, P.C. 600 Seventeenth Street, Suite 2800 S Denver, CO 80202 Phone Number: 303-750-9900

Legal Notice No. 82142

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: April 13, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Steven Mark Rochefort, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30211

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 13, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Joseph M. Rochefort

Personal Representative 411 Hilcrest Str. El Segundo California 90245

Legal Notice No. 82172

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Clarence L. Contreraz, AKA Clarence Lory Contreraz, Deceased

Case Number: 2023PR30312

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 10, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Julian A. Contreraz, Personal Representative 5813 Owens Street Arvada, CO 80004

Legal Notice No. 82153

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: April 13, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Patricia Connors Houlihan, a/k/a Patsy Connors Houlihan, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30346

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Probate Court of the City & County of Denver, Colorado or on or before August 13, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Thomas M. Houlihan Personal Representative 3021 S. Gilpin St. Denver, CO 80210

Legal Notice No. 82185

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of THOMAS T. GRIMSHAW, a/k/a THOMAS TOLLIN GRIMSHAW, a/k/a THOMAS GRIMSHAW, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30251

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 14, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Colette Ratcliff Grimshaw Personal Representative 550 E. 12th Avenue, Unit 1504 Denver, CO 80203

where the intent cannot be determined.

ough still preliminary, the rearm-related death rate appears to have declined slightly in 2022. e state will likely have nal data on 2022 deaths next month, and it is possible that the preliminary gure — 16.8 deaths per 100,000 people — could rise as more deaths are o cially recorded.

BUDGET

per-pupil increase.

e budget calls for a 5.7% increase in base education spending to $8.9 billion and an 8.4% increase in average per-pupil spending to $10,404, Chalkbeat Colorado reports.

ere’s no money in the budget, however, for buying down the budget stabilization factor — sometimes referred to as the negative factor — which is a Great-Recession-era scheme that allows the General Assembly to allocate to schools each year less than what they are owed.

e IOU persists today.

at’s because there’s enough money in the State Education Fund to buy down the de cit. And that will happen in the School Finance Act that will be debated later on in the legislative session.

( e State Education Fund, which is expected to be a rainy day pool of money to help the legislature fund K-12 education, is lled with income tax revenue. e fund gets 0.33% of

e reason we stop the analysis at 1980 is because that’s how far back CDPHE has data on rearmspeci c causes of death.

e state does have data on suicides going back to 1940 and homicides back to 1970. But, because those numbers do not record whether a gun was involved in the deaths, they are not comparable to post-1980 numbers.

Gun deaths are increasing across most age groups in the state. e only age group where a trend is di cult to discern is for children from birth through age

9. Deaths in that age range can be few enough in a given year that CDPHE won’t release the actual numbers — it is common in health statistics for small numbers to be withheld for privacy reasons.

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

taxable income, meaning that it rises and falls with the economy and as Coloradans’ pay increases or decreases. ere’s expected to be more than $1 billion in the fund next scal year.)

“For the rst time in a very long time we don’t need to use general fund money to e ectuate that buy down in the budget stabilization factor,” Zenzinger said. “ at will come from the State Education Fund this year. at fund has grown and grown and grown and we’ve tried not to tap it. But now we’re in a situation where we need to spend it down.”

e budget stabilization factor is roughly $321 million. Zenzinger says the plan is for the JBC to buy it down by either half or fully in the school nance act.

Zenzinger said there are also two things happening that are reducing how much it costs for the state to run K-12 schools: an increase in property values driving up local property tax revenue and a decrease in student enrollment.

“ e circumstances are di erent (this year), the context is di erent,” she said.

Public Notices

Legal Notice No. 82170

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Russell R Noe, deceased Case Number: 2023PR63

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to District Court of Denver County, Colorado on or before July 30, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Trisha J. Cochenour

Personal Representative

15738 Willamette St Forest Lake, Minnesota 55025

Legal Notice No. 82149

First publication: March 30, 2023

Last publication: April 13, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Andrew P. Woolfolk II, Deceased

Case Number: 2023PR30181

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 13, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Dana R. Woolfolk

Co-Personal Representative

8680 E Duke Pl Denver CO 80231

Co-Personal Representative

Kimberly L. Woolfolk-King

7958 Vassar Dr. Denver CO 80231

Legal Notice No. 82182

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

Next year’s budget also contains money to start up several new departments and initiatives launched by lawmakers in recent years, including universal preschool and the Behavioral Health Administration.

Starting next school year, 4- and 5-year-olds will be eligible for a minimum of 15 hours per week of preschool with no out-of-pocket costs for their parents. e budget has $322 million to get that up and running, half of which is a reallocation of existing funds while the rest is coming from tax revenue generated by Proposition EE, the 2020 ballot measure raising nicotine and tobacco taxes.

e budget also has $2.5 million to incentivize preschool providers to be a part of the program.

When it comes to the Behavioral Health Administration, which was created by the legislature in 2021, there is $1.9 million in the budget for sta ng, $5 million for community providers and $2 million for children’s programs. e total amount the administration is slated to get is about $270 million.

e budget provides a 5% raise to state employees, with an additional

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Frederick Camillo Battaglia, a/k/a Frederick C. Battaglia, and Frederick Battaglia, Deceased

Case Number: 2023PR30264

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 6, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

BOKF, N.A., Personal Representative

c/o Russell G. Gamble, Trust Officer, SVP 1600 Broadway, 4th Floor Denver, CO 80202

Legal Notice No. 82161

First Publication: April 6, 2023

Last Publication: April 20, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Ruby K. Coleman, also known as Ruby Kate Coleman, and Ruby Coleman Deceased

Case Number: 2023PR30337

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 7, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Nadya Vecchiet-Lambert, Esq.

Attorney to the Personal Representative 6855 South Havana Street, Suite 370 Centennial, CO 80112 Legal Notice No. 82166

Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 7, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Lawrence C. Heller, Personal Representative 8247 San Benito Way Dallas, TX 75218

Legal Notice No. 82164

First Publication: April 6, 2023 Last Publication: April 20, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of David Ellis Kirkpatrick, A/K/A Dave Kirkpatrick, A/K/A David E. Kirkpatrick, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30269

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 31, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Daniel Owen Kirkpatrick Personal Representation 6083 South Fairfield Street Littleton, CO 80120

Legal Notice No.82151

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: April 13, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Kristi Lou Peeples, a/k/a Kristi L. Peeples a/k/a Kristi Peeples, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30306

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the Denver Probate Court, City and County of Denver, State of Colorado, on or before August 14, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

William Charles Peeples, Personal Representative 24900 WA County Road 1 Flagler, CO 80815

Stan M. Kimble, P.C.

Denver Probate

3.5% pay boost for state employees who work at 24/7 facilities, like the Mental Health Institute at Pueblo. It’s tough to quantify how much money that will cost because it a ects various agencies and departments di erently.

Additionally, any state worker who makes minimum wage will have their hourly pay bumped up to $15 an hour.

ere is also $7.3 million set aside in the budget to increase pay for Colorado State Patrol troopers.

Finally, the budget includes $9 million for the Department of Corrections to be spent on $1,000 per month housing stipends for 1,133 sta ers through February 2024. e money will be targeted at DOC sta serving in the Buena Vista, Sterling and Limon correctional facilities.

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

Stan M. Kimble, Attorney for the Estate P.O. Box 731 Limon, CO 80828

Legal Notice No. 82180

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of SCOTT WAYNE CLEVELAND, JR., a/k/a SCOTT W. CLEVELAND, JR., a/k/a SCOTT CLEVELAND, JR., a/k/a SCOTT CLEVELAND, Deceased Case Number 2023PR30229

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 30, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Kristie Buckley, Personal Representative c/o Wade Ash, LLC 5251 DTC Parkway, Suite 825 Denver, CO 80111

Legal Notice No. 82147

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: April 13, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Irene Sigrid Staerz, aka Irene Staerz, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30279

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before August 14 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Uwe D. Staerz Personal Representative c/o Schafer Thomas Maez PC, 4 Garden Center #200 Broomfield, Colorado 80020 Legal Notice No. 82175

First Publication: April 13, 2023

Last Publication: April 27, 2023

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Amanda Mary Malone, a/k/a Amanda M. Malone, and Amanda Malone, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30260

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal

the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before July 31, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Douglas Dixon, CPA, LLC

Person Giving Notice P.O. Box 704 Larkspur, Colorado 80118

Legal Notice No. 82138

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: April 13, 2023 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch ###

Following the mass shooting in Nashville, Tennessee where six people were killed, the Douglas County GOP group wrote a letter to the Douglas County School Board calling for arming teachers. The idea was rejected by the board. SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE