Denver Herald 102022

Swallow Hill Music starting to buzz again

BY BRUCE GOLDBERG SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Aengus Finnan planned to relax for a while after eight years of serving as executive director of the Folk Alliance International, an organization based in Kansas City, Mo. He was planning to take some time off for travel and to work on a book he has in mind.

Then along came Denver’s Swallow Hill Music, a nonprofit music organization founded in 1979 that hosts a variety of programs, including a music school, live music concerts and community outreach such as music therapy, enrichment and early childhood education.

“I was not planning to apply for anything after leaving Folk Alliance,” said Finnan, 50. But, “the mission of Swallow Hill, its legacy, its programs in place, and the passion and resilience of the staff - all of that - and the aspirations of the board, it really dovetailed with what I’m passionate about.”

Swallow Hill Music, 71 E. Yale

Ave., recently hired Finnan to serve as president and CEO after a lengthy search to replace Paul Lhevine, who left in fall 2021.

Born in Ireland, Finnan arrives as Swallow Hill aims to make a big push forward — not just in the Denver metro area, but also beyond the city’s limits — hoping to attract more people to concerts, classes, etc.

As with other institutions, the pandemic hit hard, with membership dropping from about 2,000 down to about 900 today. Swallow Hill intends to try to win back many of those members.

Homelessness on rise in Denver area

Survey shows numbers

BY AMANDA HORVATH ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS

Nearly 800 more people in the Denver-metro area were experiencing homelessness on a single night than that same night two years ago. The Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI) has recently released its full data of its annual Point-inTime count.

The organization creates an annual effort in January to count the number of those experiencing homelessness to understand the scope and demographics of the homeless population. This year’s count took place on Jan. 24 and included people in shelters and living outdoors in seven counties— Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson.

The count found 6,884 people were experiencing homelessness on that night. The year before, the PIT didn’t include those living outdoors because of COVID-19 concerns. In 2020, the count found 6,104 people living unhoused. That’s a 12.8% increase over two years.

“While this count can help us understand homelessness on a single night, getting to a place where we have comprehensive, real-time data regionally is the ultimate goal,” said Jamie Rife, the director of MDHI.

Each year when this count takes place, trained volunteers and staff are dispatched around the metro

Jean Excell, a participant of Swallow Hill’s Women of Folk, has been a Swallow Hill student for four years, taking classes in guitar, bass and harmonica.

COURTESY PHOTO

Aengus Finnan assumes role as president and CEO of the nonprofit

Xcel Energy Colorado has a new boss

Rate increases will continue

BY MIGUEL OTÁROLA AND SAM BRASCH COLORADO PUBLIC

Customers of the largest power company in Colorado should expect higher energy bills to pay for an expanding energy grid that includes upgrades to its natural gas facilities, said Robert Kenney, the newest president of Xcel Energy Colorado.

Kenney took the helm of Xcel’s state operations in June after serving as an executive for Pacific Gas and Electric Company in California. In an interview with CPR News this week, he said the recent trend of rising energy bills likely wouldn’t end anytime soon.

“We will likely see some amount of increase as we continue to make investments in the system,” Kenney said. “We’re making the investments that we think are necessary to drive the clean energy transition while doing it safely and reliably.”

Kenney, who has both worked with utilities and served as a utility regulator, said he wants Xcel to model how investor-owned monopolies can change from coal to cleaner sources of energy.

At the same time, he reiterated the company’s position on natural gas, insisting customers should pay for power plants to burn the fuel and pipelines to carry it to new homes. Kenney said those plans won’t lock in more emissions because natural gas systems could someday run on carbon-free fuels like green hydrogen, a point that’s faced fierce skepticism from researchers and environmental groups.

Climate scientists have also drawn a clear line on new fossil fuel infrastructure. Earlier this year, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a new

report saying any new investment in such systems wasn’t compatible with international climate goals.

State regulators this year allowed Xcel to increase prices to correlate with rising costs in wholesale natural gas. The Minnesota-based company expects the average household will see their bills jump 54 percent this December compared to a year earlier.

The company will soon need to seek further rate increases to pay for new investments. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission recently approved nearly $10 billion in Xcel’s plans for new transmission lines and power generation to replace coalfired power plants. The utility will recoup the cost of those projects from customers over the coming decades — plus an additional profit for their shareholders.

To reduce the effect on monthly bills, the company has incentives for customers who use less energy or make their homes more energy efficient, Kenney said. Xcel will also buy and store enough natural gas before the winter heating season to help guard against high prices that would be passed onto customers, he said.

The utility used one of those programs, the AC Rewards Smart Thermostats program, when its newest coal-fired generator broke down again last month, this time during a heat wave. The company did not warn the 22,000 customers who signed up for the program that it would take control of their thermostats, nor were they able to override the change. The move frustrated many customers and generated public backlash online.

“It’s a component and a feature of the program that customers were voluntarily aware of when they signed up for it,” Kenney said, acknowledging Xcel should remind

customers more often about those terms.

Xcel Energy continues to burn natural gas for electricity. The recently approved plan for new investments includes money for “dispatchable resources,” which could include improvements to existing natural gas power plants and new facilities. Kenney said these upgrades are necessary to maintain a reliable electricity grid and maintain low costs for customers. He added the company plans to purchase fuel certified as “responsibly sourced” natural gas.

“There’s no inconsistency in continuing to use natural gas for heating and for power generation,” Kenney said. “We just wanna make sure that we’re doing it as cleanly as possible.”

Kenney said he was approached to lead the utility because of his experience on “both sides of the bench” as chair of the Missouri Public Service Commission and later as a vice president with PG&E.

The California utility has faced government scrutiny and penalties

for its electric grid, which sparked wildfires that have killed more than 100 people since 2015, according to PBS’ FRONTLINE. It pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to 2018’s Camp Fire, one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history.

Utilities need to evolve their electrical systems to prepare for wildfires that are becoming more frequent and furious because of climate change, Kenney said. That could mean burying power lines underground or clearing more trees and vegetation near lines, he said.

“That work is underway now” for Xcel Energy, he said, though he did not go into specifics. The company filed its own wildfire preparedness plan with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in 2020.

This story is from CPR News, a nonprofit news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.

area to survey anyone they find who are unhoused using a standard set of questions. Over the course of several months, that data is compiled into this report.

Looking further into where people were found, the majority — 70% —

were in shelters, according to the report. A number that remained nearly the same from 2020. While the number of unsheltered homelessness increased by nearly 500 people from pre-pandemic levels to 2,078 people. The majority of those found in this count were also found within the county of Denver at 4,794 individuals.

MDHI admits there are number of factors could affect the count including weather, how well the volunteers

HEALTH

are engaged and how well the subjects of the survey interact with the staff and volunteers.

The encouraging news from the point in time count is the number of veterans experiencing homelessness did drop by 31% in the last two years.

“The region’s emphasis on reducing Veteran homelessness is yielding results,” said Rife.

Veterans are typically overrepresented among the homeless popula-

tion and typically represent 9% of the total unhoused population. This year’s PIT count found only 432 veterans, which is less than 1% of the total unhoused population.

Also, within the data on the metroarea homelessness is a break down of race, showing an over representation of people of color among the unhoused. About 20% in the count

The Xcel Energy Cherokee Generating Station in Denver, June 2, 2020.

PHOTO BY HART VAN DENBURG/CPR NEWS

“(Our job is) to build upon the musical pillars at Swallow Hill — education, outreach, concerts — and to start looking at it as a cultural hub,” Finnan said. “The venue can be a meeting place, a storytelling place that goes beyond the musical programs. There’s an opportunity for that type of extension, which includes audience development.”

Finnan’s background includes producing three albums and, years ago, joining a band onstage at Swallow Hill.

“I’ve had amazing opportunities to play in church basements, coffee houses and the Kennedy Center,” he said. “It’s a hard way to make a living. I spent enough time sleeping in the van to understand what folk musicians face.”

Finnan has spent about 20 years working in the administrative side, focusing on governance and building cohesive teams, he said.

“I see nothing but exciting potential for Swallow Hill and the community that surrounds it and Denver at large,” Finnan said.

Finnan impresed the Swallow Hill community as he met the staff and members.

“There was no question in my mind he would be our next leader,” said Jessy Clark, Swallow Hill’s COO. “When he walked into the building, you could feel Swallow Hill’s ethos dripping off of him. He’s very familiar with music communities all over the United States and

beyond. Aengus gets Swallow Hill and understands its history.”

Swallow Hill board chair Walt DeHaven had similar thoughts.

“We looked far and wide — these people aren’t easy to come by,” DeHaven said. “Aengus just stood out. He knows what we do and that Swallow Hill wants to expand it in a big way. His background in music is extensive, coupled with his understanding (of) business.”

Starting to buzz again

Swallow Hill boasts the nation’s second-largest music school, behind Chicago. It offers lessons on many different instruments — ranging from conventional instruments such as guitar and piano, to some unorthodox instruments and styles like clawhammer banjo. Swallow Hill’s instructors teach a wide variety of genres, including Americana and roots, bluegrass, folk, world music, jazz, blues, rock, country and pop.

“Our classrooms are starting to buzz again and you see students and teachers in the hallways,” said Casey Lea Cormier, who teaches guitar, bass and ukulele and has been on the Swallow Hill faculty for nine years.

“The community aspect is really amazing. What Swallow Hill does is create an environment of musical instruction in a group setting for adults and kids.”

Overall, Swallow Hill draws more than 165,000 people annually through its school, programming and live music concerts. Just in the first quarter of this year, Swallow Hill made more than 20,000 musical connections through its Community Outreach Programs. One of these

programs is Little Swallows, which brings music education to children ages 3 and 4 who may not have access to music programs in their schools.

Jarett Mason is one of Swallow Hill’s instructors, running group classes on guitars and mandolin, as well as guiding an ensemble group.

“The reward I get out of teaching (at Swallow Hill) is the sense of community that’s based in music,” Mason said. “I really enjoy seeing people come together and be united by music. Also, seeing people develop new skills later in life. The majority of my students are adults, most of them are retired. This keeps their minds sharp.”

Jen Hitt started teaching voice and folk ensemble at Swallow Hill in 2018. She also guides the Women of Folk group.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for me to connect with my community,” Hitt said. “Class numbers are getting bigger and bigger every session.”

Parker resident Jean Excell, a Women of Folk participant, has been a Swallow Hill student for four years, taking classes in guitar, bass and harmonica.

“It’s worth it,” Excell said of the commute from Parker to Swallow Hill. Swallow Hill has “really advanced my guitar playing and my understanding of music theory. I think it’s excellent — they did a really good job of navigating the pandemic and switching to online courses. Now that we’re back full time, it’s been really outstanding.”

October is upon us! Which means pumpkin spice lattes, apple cider, skeletons, ghosts, and Estate Planning! That’s right, its Estate Planning Awareness Month. Each year during the month of October we remind our community how important it is to ensure that your Estate Planning Goals are met.

One of the most common things amongst all client worries is centered around Probate. So, what is Probate?

Probate is the judicial process in which your Will is “proven” in court, and the court gives its stamp of approval. These are known as the Letters Testamentary. Probate typically occurs in the County of the State in which you reside. The Executor is the person that is then appointed by your Will to wrap or up administer the Will. This sounds well and good, but Probate can be a disaster for many. Below are a few things to remember.

1) To start off, a Probate in the State of Colorado must be open for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 36 months.

2) Creditors to the Estate must be notified of someone’s passing.

3) Everything in the decedent’s name at the time of their death must go through probate.

4) Only the elected or appointed Personal Representative/Fiduciary has the legal authority to begin administering the Estate. These things can be extremely difficult to remember, and even more difficult for your fiduciary to handle. Not only is the fiduciary dealing with the stress of the court, but they are likely grieving from the loss of a loved one as well.

Contact the Davis Schilken, PC team to learn more about what you can do to ensure that your estate plan is set up to help avoid the probate process and that all your wishes are being carried out the way that you would like them to be (303)670-9855. We offer no obligation in person or virtual meetings. We make estate planning simple!

our comprehensive website for more tools

Casey Lea Cormier teaches guitar, bass and ukulele and has been on the Swallow Hill faculty for nine years. COURTESY PHOTO

Aengus Finnan

Jessy Clark

Election 2022: How Secure is the Vote?

BY VIGNESH RAMACHANDRAN COLORADO NEWS COLLABORTIVE

Colorado is known for its mailin-ballot system that some election experts have called the “gold standard” in the nation. But with unfounded claims of massive voter fraud rampant, some state residents remain concerned about whether their vote will get counted.

The Colorado News Collaborative is speaking with nonpartisan election experts to help the public understand more about the integrity of the vote. One of them, M.V. (Trey) Hood III, is a professor of Political Science at the University of Georgia. His state has been the epicenter of high-profi le claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election, which have been found false.

This Q&A has been edited for clarity and length.

How easy is it for someone to mess with the vote?

Certainly every state has a lot of things that have been put in place to prevent voter fraud, so a lot of safeguards are in place. It’s not necessarily easy to commit voter fraud. It does happen — it’s pretty episodic and rare, though. But, the fact that it does happen some – that’s what gets into the news

and that’s sort of what reinforces the belief that it’s just completely rampant.

[Editor’s note: In Colorado, the conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation has documented 16 cases of voter fraud in the entire state since 2005.]

Georgia has been in the news in the last few years because of Trump supporters and allies claiming fraud in the 2020 Election. What are your thoughts about these claims, which have been found baseless?

In Georgia, all kinds of claims were made, and there has just been no evidence at all.

Outside of a handful of cases, there’s no evidence at all that there was voter fraud anywhere at the level that would fl ip an election. We had an initial presidential count, we had a machine recount and we had a full hand recount of the presidential election — all showing the same thing.

The only difference was that, administratively, we found out there were a couple of precincts and a couple of counties where their (results data) were not uploaded properly. So that was an administrative issue. It wasn’t fraud or anything like that. And they got corrected through the recount process. But even that didn’t come

anywhere near to changing the outcome.

In Colorado, we have more than 3.7 million active registered voters. The conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation has documented 16 cases of voter fraud in the entire state since 2005. So what’s the takeaway from those numbers?

In general, cases of proven, verifi ed voter fraud are rare.

State (governments) are sort of the arbiters of elections, and even within that it’s really devolved down to the county level, or in some states, even to the township level. That’s where elections are being carried out at a very low level in the U.S. To perpetrate some kind of massive fraud, that makes it even more diffi cult given how devolved elections are in the U.S. It’s not like we have one central counting place in Washington, D.C.

You’d really need more than just voters. You need the cooperation of election offi cials, which is not going to happen, obviously. You should feel confi dent when you cast a ballot that it’s going to get counted and counted correctly.

What is a primary safeguard to ensure the integrity of the vote in U.S. states like Georgia, for example?

In Georgia, there are a lot of safeguards in place if you vote in person. You have to have a government-issued ID. So if you vote early, or on Election Day, it would be fairly diffi cult to try to impersonate someone. Even if you’re successful, that’s just one vote. I’m not saying that it’s not important to even stop fraud in terms of one vote, but it’s diffi cult to produce fraud on a massive scale.

We do have absentee-by-mail ballots. We used to use signature verifi cation. So the election offi ce would compare the signature on the ballot envelope to the signature that’s in the registration system or the DMV system to see if they match. We moved from that safeguard to having to now put your driver’s license or state ID card number on not only your ballot envelope, but even on your application to get a ballot. There are exceptions — say you have a passport, for instance, you can photocopy that and attach it. But for most people, it’s putting their driver’s license or state ID number on their application to get a ballot or on their ballot envelope when they return it.

Every state has some kind of verifi cation process that they use, whether it’s signature verifi cation for absentee ballots, or a couple of states like Georgia using state ID numbers. In North Carolina witnesses sign your ballot affi davit or your ballot envelope as an affi davit that you are who you are.

[Editor’s note: Voter ID laws vary by state. In Colorado, an ID is requested for in-person voting

and a photocopy of an ID may be needed when voting by mail for the fi rst time.]

What if someone just uses a fake ID to vote?

You would have to be in the Department of Motor Vehicles system. So you’d have to create a fraudulent identifi cation, essentially, for that to work, which is probably not going to happen.

What mistakes can happen with absentee ballots?

A lot of things that may look like fraud are a husband accidentally sends in his wife’s absentee ballot and vice versa. So not fraud — just a mistake that needs to be rectifi ed.

Or someone who is dead votes. Well, what happened? They mailed their absentee ballot before they passed away. So not fraud. Now, it depends on the state as to whether that would count or not since the individual is deceased. Technically, in Georgia, it shouldn’t count. But it’s not fraud by any means.

For voters who have concerns that our systems are secure, what can they do?

I would just encourage people to the extent to which they are concerned, to look into things — see what safeguards are there and how they’re being employed, as opposed to just thinking something is going on without investigating. A lot of the election process in a lot of the places in the U.S. is a very open system. Obviously, the ballot is secret, but the administrative part of it is very open. Most counties have a board of elections or a board of registrars — or both sometimes — and there are open meetings. There’s no shortage of information nowadays.

There is a lot of thought that has gone into this in any state. There are a lot of security and safeguards that are placed in the state’s election code to specifi cally prevent fraud. I would welcome anyone who’s brave enough to look at their state’s election code. It’s not the most interesting thing, but you can get an idea of just how many safeguards are in place.

People can also certainly sign up to work the polls or in other capacities.

Are there other voting issues Americans should be focusing on?

What we should be doing is trying to increase voter confi dence in the system for all partisans, whatever stripe. Now, this seems to be easier said than done, unfortunately.

This story is brought to you by COLab, the Colorado News Collaborative, a nonprofi t coalition of more than 170 newsrooms across Colorado working together to better serve the public. Learn more athttps://colabnews.co

Secretary of State candidates debate

Griswold

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER AND SANDRA FISH THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, is running for reelection this year against Pam Anderson, a Republican who used to be Jefferson County’s clerk and recorder.

The winner of the race will oversee Colorado’s elections for the next four years, as well as enforce the state’s campaign finance laws and oversee business registration, notaries and the regulation of charities.

The two candidates clashed at a debate on Oct. 12 hosted by The Colo rado Sun, the University of Denver’s Center for American Politics and CBS4.

Here’s what you need to know about the candidates and where they stand on the issues:

The candidates’ background Griswold, 38, was elected secretary of state in 2018. She is a lawyer who worked in the Obama administration and directed then-Gov. John Hick enlooper’s Washington, D.C., office. She is currently chairwoman of the Democratic Association of Secretar

ies of State.

Anderson, 52, served as Jefferson County’s clerk and recorder for eight years from 2007 to 2015 and is also the former executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, where she worked on legislative is sues at the Colorado Capitol. She has also worked with national organiza tions on elections and voting policy.

Should Colorado’s secretary of state be elected? And should it be a partisan o ce?

Both Griswold and Anderson agreed that the secretary of state in Colorado should be elected as op posed to appointed, which is how the position is filled in some other states.

“I think it’s important the secre tary of state be accountable to the people,” Griswold said.

Making the secretary of state an appointed position wouldn’t dispel the politics of the position, Anderson said. “It really enforces that we have responsiveness to our electorate if we are elected.”

Anderson said, however, that Colorado should consider making the secretary of state a nonpartisan position similar to city council and school board seats.

Should the secretary of state dive into issues beyond the secretary of state’s role?

Anderson said she would try to

keep the office “above the political fray” by never endorsing a candidate or advocating on behalf of issues outside of the secretary of state’s role because of how those actions could be perceived by the public.

“Even though I’m a person of po litical conscience, I am a pro-choice woman, it’s not a central position for the office of the secretary of state,” Anderson said. “Even if the percep tion is that you are putting your thumb on the scale … that creates doubt for the process.”

Griswold disagrees, saying she would use her position to stand up for abortion access and the right for same-sex couples to marry.

“That’s not partisan, that’s Ameri can,” Griswold said.

Politicizing the Secretary of State’s O ce Anderson isn’t among the Colorado Republicans who’ve gone along with former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, but during The Sun’s debate she criticized Griswold for invoking election deniers, including indicted Mesa County Clerk Tina Pe ters, as fodder for national television appearances and fundraising emails.

“I will not put fuel on the fire with hyperpartisan and polarizing and divisive rhetoric to fuel my political campaign,” Anderson said.

Griswold, meanwhile, attacked

Anderson for appearing at campaign events with Republican candidates who have questioned the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. She specifically mentioned 7th Con gressional District candidate Erik Aadland, who said the election was “rigged,” and Danny Moore, the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor who was removed from his role as chairman of Colorado’s Indepen dent Congressional Redistricting Commission in 2021 after social media posts surfaced in which he questioned the outcome of the 2020 election.

“I think it’s inappropriate to cam paign with election deniers spread ing the big lie,” Griswold said, chal lenging Anderson to stop appearing with the Aadland and Moore.

While Anderson didn’t directly respond to the challenge, she noted that she’s objected to Aadland’s state ment and other Republican election deniers. “I will continue to push back on candidates, even in my own party, about the big lie,” she said.

Anderson also repeatedly criticized Griswold during The Sun’s debate for spending more than $1 million in federal election assistance money on TV ads cautioning voters against disinformation. The ads featured Griswold and former Secretary of

Treasurer candidates Dave Young and Lang Sias discuss the issues

and Tabor di erences

BY JESSE PAUL, ELLIOTT WENZLER THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado Treasurer Dave Young, a Democrat, is running for reelection this year against former state Rep. Lang Sias, a Republican.

The treasurer’s duties include overseeing the state’s money, handling its investments, serving on the board for the Public Employees’ Retirement Association and managing Colorado’s unclaimed property program.

Here’s what you need to know about the candidates and where they stand on the issues:

The candidates’ backgrounds

Young, a Greeley resident, is a former math and science teacher. He served as a state representative from 2011-2019, including as a member of the Joint Budget Committee, which writes Colorado’s budget. In 2018, he was elected state treasurer and he’s running for a second four-year term.

Sias also served in the state House. He was a state representative for four years before running unsuccess fully in 2018 to be Colorado’s lieuten ant governor on a ticket with GOP candidate Walker Stapleton. He also ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in

2014 and for Congress in 2010. Sias, a former fighter pilot in the Navy and Air National Guard, lives in Arvada and works as a pilot for FedEx. He also currently serves on a bipartisan subcommittee overseeing PERA.

The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights

Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights is central to every conversation about the state budget and its finances.

The constitutional amendment, ap proved by voters in 1992 and champi oned by Republicans, requires voter approval for all tax increases and limits government growth and spend ing to the combined rates of inflation and population growth.

While neither Young nor Sias would have the power as state treasurer to change TABOR, they can use the bully pulpit of the office to discuss it.

Young, speaking at a debate hosted by The Colorado Sun, the University of Denver and CBS4, said he’d like to see Colorado’s tax policy changed be cause he feels TABOR has hampered the state’s ability to fund schools, health care and infrastructure. Young, however, didn’t provide specifics on how he’d like to see the policy changed.

“Right now, we’re in survival mode,” he said. “We need to get out of that model.”

Sias said he is a supporter of TA BOR “because I think it prompts an important conversation between the

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voters and our elected officials.”

Democrats and Republicans in the legislature are having conversations about changing TABOR’s limit on government growth and spending to decouple it from the inflation rate because the rate used to calculate the limit lags current economic condi tions.

Young said he is interested in ex ploring ways to better link the TABOR cap to Colorado’s economic conditions — ”I would like to see what the Joint Budget Committee is actually mulling over” — while Sias said he is opposed.

“The idea that we’re in, all of a sudden, crisis mode sort of flies in the face of the fact that the state budget has increased by over 25% in the last four years,” he said. “Second of all, there’s nothing to prevent going to the voters and asking them to change the inflation formula.”

TABOR refunds

How the state refunds money to taxpayers in excess of the TABOR cap is another area where Young and Sias disagree.

This year, Democrats in the legisla ture, with the backing of Young and Gov. Jared Polis, temporarily changed the state’s TABOR refund mechanism to make it a flat rate instead of tying it to income and giving the biggest refunds to the highest earners. Indi vidual filers got a $750 refund while joint filers received a $1,500 refund.

Sias said he thinks Colorado should keep TABOR refund amounts tied to Coloradans’ income levels. “I would prefer to stick with the original TA BOR (refund) mechanism,” he said.

Young said he thinks the flat-rate refund system was much better.

“I think the move to a flat system was actually more beneficial to a larger number of people here in the state of Colorado,” Young said.

Sias, meanwhile, criticized Young for supporting an unsuccessful 2019 ballot measure, Proposition CC, that would have ended Colorado’s TA BOR refunds forever and let the state government keep the money and spend it as the legislature wished. He called Young a hypocrite for backing Proposition CC and then celebrating TABOR refunds this year.

“I supported CC because it said, ‘let’s use our refunds to meet essen tial needs,’” Young said. “We aren’t meeting the essential needs of people. So I’m happy that I made that effort to try to solve problems in the state of Colorado.”

PERA’s financial stability

he voted against the measure because it was passed in the final minutes of the 2018 legislative session and he didn’t feel he had enough information to analyze its effects.

“It’s coming up on five years of activity,” he said. “And so I think we should lay all the facts out on the table, we should do a deep analysis of the impact of Senate Bill 200 to see if there are changes that are war ranted.”

Sias said Young should have voted for the 2018 bill and that he thinks more time should pass before the mea sure is revisited per the recommenda tion of a bipartisan PERA oversight subcommittee that he is a member of.

“The right thing to do right now is to let the Senate Bill 200 work, give it some time to work and percolate through the system before we make any other adjustments to it,” Sias said.

PERA’s investments

As members of the state legislature, both Sias and Young supported a 2016 bill that required PERA to halt invest ment in companies that have divested from Israel.

When asked if PERA should have investment policies related to social and environmental issues, such as divesting in fossil fuel companies in an effort to combat climate change, Young said his priority is for a sus tainable future for PERA.

“I believe in the science of climate change,” he said. “Everybody needs energy. I think it’s a bad fiduciary deci sion to actually divest from fossil fuels or only invest in fossil fuels. We need to be actually investing in businesses that have a sustainable future in mind. We’re not day traders at PERA. We’re long-term investors.”

Sias said he doesn’t think politics should have any place in the office’s investment policies.

“I don’t think that politics should be having a place, either from the left or from the right, in our investment poli cies, least of all unilaterally from the treasurer’s office” Sias said. “It should be extremely rare and come from the legislature.”

Sias said the 2016 bill was appropri ate because it affected a small number of businesses and helped prevent what he felt was an existential threat to Israel. “We were dealing with a very specific universe of companies, not an entire sector of a market,” Sias said.

The Colorado Secure Savings Program

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One of the treasurer’s most im portant jobs is sitting on the board overseeing the Public Employees’ Retirement Association, the pension program for tens of thousands of state employees. PERA has faced economic challenges in recent years, and Young and Sias have different philosophies on how to fix it.

Young voted against the bill, while Sias voted for it.

Young says he thinks the fact that the measure prevented PERA’s credit rating from being downgraded “was a good feature,” but that the legislation should be revisited now to determine whether it’s working properly. He said

Sias voted against a 2018 bill that would have created state-run retire ment accounts for private-sector employees. The policy, aimed at help ing Coloradans plan for a sustainable financial future, became law in 2020, after Sias had left the legislature, and the treasurer’s office is charged with implementing it.

The measure created Colorado’s Secure Savings Program, which start ing next year requires most business owners to enroll in a state-run retire ment program for their workers if they don’t already offer a 401(k) or something similar. (Employees are responsible for contributing to their retirement accounts and can opt out.)

State Wayne Williams, a Republican Griswold defeated in 2018 and who this year has endorsed Anderson.

That money should have been directed to county clerks for election security, Anderson said.

Tina Peters

In August 2021, Griswold announced she was investigating Peters after images of passwords to Mesa County’s voting equipment were posted on a conservative website. A grand jury indicted Peters in March on 10 counts, including charges of attempting to influence a public servant and criminal impersonation. Peters is scheduled for a trial in early March.

Anderson defeated Peters, who also ran for secretary of state this year, by a 14 percentage point margin in the Republican primary

in June.

Anderson said that while she agreed with the investigation of Peters — “I supported you on that,” Anderson said to Griswold — she said Griswold crossed a line when she raised money based on the active investigation of the Mesa County clerk.

“We need to make sure that we take the politics out, take the fundraising out of the scenario, and maintain that fairness as a fair referee for the entire process,” Anderson said. “It’s not appropriate to do that for your political career and it denigrates the office.”

Griswold touted her work on and support for a law passed by Colorado’s legislature following the investigation of Peters that made it a felony to allow unauthorized access to voting equipment.

“I was the first secretary of state in the country to actually have to deal with an insider threat,” Griswold said. “I acted quickly and decisively.”

Making Colorado’s elections more secure

Responding to a question about how to improve the security of Colorado’s elections, Griswold said that while there is room for innovation, pointing to her work around automatic voter registration, Colorado’s elections are already safe and secure.

Anderson said she would improve audits for voter lists and signature verification. She has also recommended improving regulation around “ballot harvesting,” referring to Coloradans’ ability to return up to 10 ballots for themselves and other voters.

Some worry that allowing Coloradans to return so many ballots for others could result in fraud.

Griswold said there’s no evidence fraudulent ballot harvesting has occurred in Colorado. She accused Anderson of pandering to the far right by voicing concerns about the practice.

“Ballot harvesting is a conspiracy

theory made popular by Donald Trump,” Griswold said.

Anderson said she supported the law allowing Coloradans to turn in up to 10 ballots, and “I also support enforcing the law if there’s a complaint.”

“Let’s make sure that we can enforce the law and provide all the access and security we can,” Anderson said.

Postcards to noncitizens

For the second election cycle in a row, Griswold’s office this year mistakenly sent postcards urging noncitizens to register to vote even though they are ineligible.

This year’s postcards went to some 30,000 ineligible people.

“There was a data error,” Griswold said. “Anybody with a noncitizen ID would be blocked from registering. No one has attempted to register from that list who is ineligible.”

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Griswold noted during The Sun’s

that Anderson made a similar error when she was Jefferson County clerk, sending postcards to 22,000 vot ers saying they’d failed to vote when they actually had.

Anderson said making the mistake twice is an issue.

“I think making the same error again points to a management prob lem, points to a lack of leadership,” Anderson said.

Anderson noted that turnover in the Secretary of State’s Office has been high, potentially resulting in the mistake.

Griswold defended her actions.

“I’m very proud of my office’s response to this,” she said. “If we re ally want to get into the minutiae of a blame game, that’s not something I’m willing to do. You have not seen me blame anybody within my staff. You’ve seen me take responsibility and that’s what I do as secretary of state.”

Managing the 2024 presidential election

Griswold and Anderson were asked what they would do if Trump should run for reelection in 2024 and ask them to change the results of the presiden tial contest, as he did in 2020 in Geor gia. Both candidates said they would stand up to Trump.

“I would say ‘absolutely not’ and my first call would be to the attorney general,” Anderson said.

When asked a follow-up question

HOMELESS

identify as Black, African American or African while only making up about 6% of the population in these seven counties. A similar difference can also be found among those who identify as American Indian, Alaska Native or Indigenous with 6% among this PIT count and only make up 1.4% of the census for the area.

“The overrepresentation of people of color, specifically Black and Native Americans, among those experienc ing homelessness is critical to the response,” Rife explained. “Homeless ness is an issue of race and must be approached through this lens,” she added.

The harsh racial realities of home lessness stem from long-standing historical and structural racism that has not improved over time. This includes but isn’t limited to segrega tion, housing discrimination and access to quality health care.

Part of the recommendations from the National Alliance to End Homelessness to help improve these disparities is to first collect and assess more accurate data. This is something MDHI is working toward

about whether she would vote for Trump, Anderson didn’t answer, saying she has never revealed which candidates she supports and won’t take sides in elections.

Griswold said she would never sup port “someone who is using the office for their posture, to destabilize this country, to try to destroy democracy for their own political benefit.”

Why should you vote for them?

If elected, Anderson said she would work to restore professionalism to the Secretary of State’s Office by focusing on bipartisan leadership.

Anderson noted that she has been endorsed by former Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall, a Democrat, and current clerks Tiffany Lee, of La Plata County, and Michelle Nauer, of Ouray County, who are both unaffiliated.

In a closing statement, Griswold emphasized her role in expanding voter access during the pandemic and creating a new process for businesses to fight identity theft.

“In a new term, I will continue to protect the right to vote for every Coloradan and make this the best state in the nation to open a business,” she said.

Colorado Sun staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.

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

beyond these PIT data collections.

Providers, cities and others in Colorado are working together to im prove participation with the region’s Homeless Management Information System to make data accessible each day on those experiencing homeless ness.

“This data highlights the dynamic nature of homelessness and the importance of real-time data to allow the region to coordinate effectively and allocate resources efficiently,” said Rife

This summer, Boulder became the first community in the area to reach Quality Data for all singles, which means accounting for every single adult experiencing homelessness by name, in real-time.

The data from this PIT survey will also be used by MDHI to release its annual State of Homelessness report next January. Estimates show that with these numbers close to 31,000 people in this seven-county region experience homelessness in one year.

This story is from Rocky Mountain PBS, a nonprofit public broadcaster providing community stories across Colorado over the air and online. Used by permission. For more, and to support Rocky Mountain PBS, visit rmpbs.org.

Chef celebrates Día de los Muertos with recipes

Oscar Padilla honors his family traditions

BY JULIO SANDOVAL AND SONIA GUTIERREZ ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS

During Día de los Muertos, Oscar Padilla honors his grandmother Gloria.

“She showed me the basics to celebrate and incorporate all these components and food to receive and welcome our family after they pass away,” said Padilla.

Padilla is originally from Los Angeles, California, but said at one point in his life he went to live with his grandmother in Mexico City. “This changed my life,” he said. “It gave me the opportunity to discover my blood, my family in Mexico and all the traditions they have at that amazing country.”

Padilla is now the executive chef at Toro, a Cherry Creek restaurant that features a ceviche bar, small plates and family-style entrees. Toro shares authentic Latin ingredients, international fl avors and artful dishes.

While in Mexico, Padilla was fi rst introduced to a career in the kitchen. His fi rst teacher? Gloria.

“She showed me the traditional techniques to make molcajete salsa, moles — traditional dishes to celebrate the specifi c parties or traditions that Mexico has,” he explained.

Those recipes, Padilla said, have been passed down in his family from generation to generation.

“These traditions are to celebrate them but it’s also to celebrate us too,” added Padilla.

Prior to his role as executive chef at Toro, Padilla was a culinary trainer for Richard Sandoval Hospitability. He helped open more than 15 new restaurants in the United States, Dubai, Qatar, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Padilla also has a passion for training aspiring chefs, never forgetting his Mexican roots and traditions.

“A lot of people are so scared of death,” he said, “but in Mexico, we celebrate with the dead. It’s to celebrate and share and be happy because at some point you are in communion again. You remember your family and you’re there on that day.”

Día de los Muertos is celebrated November 1-2 every year primarily in Mexico, but also by others around the world including some in the United States. The holiday is rooted in Aztec culture, where the dead are the guests of honor. The ceremony is like a family reunion that helps people remember the deceased and celebrate their memory.

Through the years, people have developed different combinations of the fundamental traditions, which most often include setting up a candlelit altar so spirits can fi nd their way back to their rela-

tives. The altar includes food and items that were important to the one who passed. Families then often gather in the graveyard for a big party that includes a huge feast, cleaning the tombstones, singing songs and talking to their ancestors.

“It’s something we need to respect, and we want to share it not only with the people in Mexico,

but we want to share it with everybody around the world,” said Padilla.

This story is from Rocky Mountain PBS, a nonprofi t public broadcaster providing community stories across Colorado over the air and online. Used by permission. For more, and to support Rocky Mountain PBS, visit rmpbs.org.

Oscar Padilla, the executive chef at Toro Latin Kitchen & Lounge, pours achiote ponzu sauce over the restaurant’s salmon dish.

PHOTO BY CHRISTY STEADMAN

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VOICES

Distracted distractions

Recently, it came out that the governor’s race has started talking about “furries” and supposed issues in our schools. I read a story, printed by our west partners, and listened to a radio interview regarding the supposed problems with kids dressing like cats and dogs or barking and meowing in classrooms.

In a local radio show interview last week, Lindsay Datko of the supposedly private Facebook group Jeffco Kids First was interviewed, talking about how kids dressed as “furries” are disrupting classes. How parents need to be worried, and intervention is needed.

Thelma Grimes

She also talked about how they have received the support of GOP candidate for governor Heidi Ganahl. Apparently, Ganahl agrees that the distractions these issues are causing in schools is a problem.

I have to admit, Datko hit all the right pressure points for me as a parent. I started nodding in agreement as she said our kids deserve to learn, need a place without distractions and should be in a safe environment. I came away wondering if issues are facing my children in their school district.

I assigned our Douglas County reporter to check into it.

However, as with everything, its just not that simple. As I did more research, talking to our reporters and read more stories — I can honestly say this is not a distraction parents need right now.

Datko was absolutely right when she pointed to our children and teens going through a full-on mental health crisis. They absolutely are. However, encouraging people to take pictures of children who behave or dress differently is nothing but a form of bullying that no kid deserves.

As a parent, I teach my children to be accepting and understanding. Sure, they may think something is different or strange, but it is not for them or me to judge. Our job is to be kind, good people and avoid creating more distractions because another student may be acting differently.

Kids can be mean enough without some parent group encouraging them to take pictures and post them on social media.

I am also disappointed that Ganahl ventured into this nonsense. That means incumbent Gov. Jared Polis also had to comment on it. The leader of our state should not be creating more distractions involving our children who are still trying to get back on track after the pandemic.

Here’s the bottom line, Datko is right — Our kids are going to school to learn. They deserve an environment as free of distractions as possible and the ability to retain and grow as people as much as possible.

However, creating more drama for our teachers and administrators to deal with, developing more scare tactics in the name of politics just does not work for me. The distractions from distractions is not responsible for parent groups or politicians.

Let the students grow, let the teachers teach and let school districts address issues as needed. Creating more distractions for all of them is just needless noise.

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

LINDA

Can we handle the truth?

She vacillated for months. Her boss was micromanaging everything that she and her team were doing. Never satisfied with anything that was produced by anyone on the team, her boss felt compelled to change even the smallest of details. It was a blind spot for the leader for sure, and unfortunately demoralizing to the entire team.

When she found what she thought was the right opportunity to discuss this blind spot with her boss, hoping it would make a change, she unfortunately found herself on the receiving end of even tighter scrutiny and micromanagement, eventually ending in her termination.

He was experiencing some erosion of trust with his friend. The friend began acting and behaving in a way that was outside their normal behavior. As the behavior became increasingly amplified, he began wondering what the truth was and what were lies any time that his friend shared a story. He invited his friend to meet for breakfast one morning to talk about it.

Defensiveness was their shield. His friend took offense at what was being shared, so much so that they got up and left. As he sat their wondering if he had made the right call to bring this change in behavior to his friend of more than 20 years, his first feeling was regret. That feeling quickly gave way to relief as he knew the conversation had to happen. To this day they have not spoken, and the hopes are that his friend has made some changes in their life, wherever they may be today.

CHRISTY

WINNING

There was a deep family secret. Something that was held onto for a very long time. So many opportunities to get the skeleton out of the closet, yet too many excuses about why it was never the right time. Then one day the truth was shared, the skeleton set free from its chains. Thinking that finally the air would be cleared, knowing it might take time for the family and friends to understand, they believed all would eventually be OK and the sins of the past forgiven. It was not to be, not yet anyway. The truth and pain were too much. Those secrets hidden for so long brought too much currentday pain.

The truth will set us free. For those of us hearing the truth, I guess sometimes it depends on if we are ready to handle the truth. For those delivering the truth, it truly is freedom.

How often have we wished we could say exactly what is on our mind? Probably more than we can count on our fingers and toes. We remain quiet, but why? Political correctness? Maybe we don’t want to hurt a family member, friend, peer or employer. The issue could be so white-hot that anything we say will possibly be misconstrued and the tables turned on us. We might stay quiet because we fear being canceled, shut out, unfriended

Colorado,

241-760)

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CO

Becoming a Colorado homeowner

In September, my partner and I closed on a condo as first-time homebuyers.

It was a long journey, and despite not knowing where anything is as I sit among boxes writing this column, it is well worth it.

The journey began sometime mid-2019 when my then-landlord asked if my partner, Tommy, and I would be interested in purchasing his condo where we had been long-term tenants. We had been living there for about five years at the time. Though it wasn’t our “dream home” — the main thing it was missing for me is an inunit washer and dryer — it was a cozy place with a partial view of Golden’s Lookout Mountain from the balcony.

So we met with a lender who was recommended by our landlord. The lender gave us a list of tasks related to financials, such as building credit and saving for cash to close, and told us to come back in about a year to see where we stand.

Mid-2020 came around, and I contacted the lender to make another appointment, but he never returned calls or emails — still not sure what happened, but perhaps it was due to the pandemic.

From my time covering Golden, I remembered one of the Golden Lions Club members mentioning that she worked as a loan officer.

Because I had assumed my role with Life on Capitol Hill and Washington Park Profile by this time — thus, no longer a conflict of inter-

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Across Colorado, parents are in the back-to-school season with great hope and expectations for their children. I am excited for my daughter to be in the classroom with her friends, and learning face to face.

As parents, we want our kids, and all children, to learn, grow, and thrive in school.

The good news is that Colorado is making tremendous investments in early education, which has the

Christy Steadman

est — I reached out to her.

She ran our numbers and found that we qualified for an FHA loan to purchase the condo, so we proceeded.

Tommy and I completed the first-time homebuyer’s class, dropped off the earnest money, had the home inspection.

All was going well until our lender called with some bad news: the condo did not qualify for an FHA loan because of stipulations not met by the HOA.

Instead of giving up, however, Tommy and I decided we still wanted to purchase. Our lender introduced us to Sarah, a real estate agent who she had worked with previously.

This was August 2020, when the journey actually begins.

Sarah got us on the MLS search and we started going to showings. I remember the first one we went to — it was a cute little condo in southeast Denver. Ultimately, the place was a bit too small for our needs, but had I known then what I know now, we probably would’ve put an offer in on it.

As you probably know, the housing market went crazy. And our biggest setback was the fact that we could only purchase a condo that met the stipulations for an FHA loan. Still, by summer 2021,

Tommy and I had seen countless condos and we put in I-don’t-knowhow-many offers. Each one was beat out by investors or higher offers with cash or conventional lending. We were doing everything we could do “sweeten” our offer — waiving inspection except health and safety, offering well over listing, etc.

Still, places were getting snatched up almost as immediately as they were listed. Sometimes we didn’t even get to go to our scheduled showing because an offer had been accepted hours after it had been listed. There were other times that as Sarah was writing up our offer, the listing agent contacted her to let her know that an offer had already been accepted.

By winter 2021-2022, it seemed hopeless. I’ll admit that I lost motivation and began looking into rentals — we were still living in the condo that our landlord wanted to sell.

But then in late August, our soon-to-be future condo was listed. Tommy and I knew it was “the one.”

Sarah put in our offer and the listing agent informed her that there were two other “spoken” offers at the time, but nothing in writing. A day or so later, those other offers did come in, and the listing agent informed Sarah that ours was not the highest offer. So, our lender gets involved — she checked with us to make sure we’d be willing, in her words, to “go all

in,” and ran all our numbers again to get us to the highest amount we’d be able to competitively offer.

That did it — after two years of searching and being let down, offer after offer — we finally put in an offer that was accepted. It seems everyone was rooting for us to get the place, even the seller. After our offer was accepted and everything was going smoothly in the process, the listing agent informed Sarah that a fourth offer had come in on the place. It was higher than ours, but the seller chose us because that fourth offer was an investor with conventional lending, and the seller wanted the condo to go to first-time buyers with an FHA loan because that is how they purchased it. And it served them well for a number of years, until they were ready to sell it and purchase a larger place.

I’m not sure if I can call it luck — though certainly it was — or if it was just a case of being the right time, but I am so grateful for the experience. Yes, it was trying. But I had a wonderful team by my side, with Sarah, our lender and even the seller. And now I’m fortunate enough to have 740 square-feet to call my very own, complete with a gorgeous window that my cats can watch the birds from and an in-unit washer and dryer.

Christy Steadman is the editor of the Life on Capitol Hill and Washington Park Profile monthly publications, and the Denver Herald.

power to give kids a strong start in school and life. Gov. Jared Polis has championed these investments, including funding for full-day kindergarten and universal preschool.

By working with state legislators and community leaders, Polis has helped to give Colorado’s young children, regardless of their zip code, a head start in school. As a parent and an early educator, I have seen that children who participate in quality early learning programs

who do developmentally appropriate practices go on to do better in school and gain social emotional skills that serve them well in life.

When children participate in the already mentioned early childhood programs, they learn through play, social skills, self-regulation — they develop motor skills while having fun. All of this will allow them to be ready for reading, writing and math. Quality play-based programs are the foundation for happier and

smarter children who will transform our communities.

Early education is the right thing to do for Colorado kids.

Polis is helping to make our state a place where all children can have a strong start in school and life.

As a parent, and Save the Children Action Network advocate, I call on Coloradans to cast their ballot for Polis this November.

Here’s the real question, as the examples above were about real people who shared their stories and experienced negative repercussions. The question is, the title

of this column, can we handle the truth? We live in a world of chaos, corruption, and lies. Chaos, corruption, and lies that companies, politicians, television, social media and people will justify because they believe it is for our greater good. Is it? Is it really? We cannot manage what we do not know. Maybe it’s not our place to manage it anyway. But we all want the truth. Can we

handle it?

Who is the arbiter of truth? For me, I find it through my faith, as it is the way, the truth, and the life. Even for my many, many sins of the past, by the way probably the record holder of sins, I know that the truth comes from one source, our God. I would love to hear your story of handling the truth at gotonorton@ gmail.com, and when we can get

to a place where we can handle the truth, no matter how hard it is, it really will be a better than good life.

— Erika Echeverria, Denver or blocked on social media.

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.

FARMING GROUP HELPS AFGHAN REFUGEES FEEL MORE AT HOME IN DENVER

BY DANA KNOWLES, LINDSEY FORD ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS

We don’t have cars. We don’t have transportation. This is our only outing,” explained Mahmude, one of three Afghan refugee women who spoke with Rocky Mountain PBS about their new lives in Colorado.

The women left Afghanistan when the United States completed its military withdrawal last year. None of them wanted to use their last names and all of them spoke

with the help of an interpreter who translated Dari, an Afghan dialect of Farsi, into English.

Mahmude has been in the U.S. for eight months and says Monday is now her favorite day of the week. “This is the highlight of my life, coming here every Monday.

I’m happy to be here in the United States as my home country isn’t safe.”

The women come to Ekar Farm, an urban farm next to Denver Academy of Torah that started 14 years ago mainly serving the Jewish community.

In 2020, the pandemic forced

Ekar Farm shift toward doing outreach across the city by collaborating with various nonprofits like Denver’s Metro Caring, an antihunger organization. All the produce that Ekar grows is donated to people in the metro area who are experiencing food insecurity, including these Afghan women and their children. Metro Caring and Ekar are partnering with Denver’s International Rescue Committee to transport them back and forth to the farm.

“What seems like a simple opportunity to grow food carries a lot of dimensions. The program

allows the women to be around other people from their home country,” said Mireille Bakhos, who works with International Rescue Committee in Denver. “The media often highlights the war and challenges in Afghanistan but [these] programs are about resilience and the endless possibilities of human connections. It is about the power of people to heal and nurture positive change from the ground up, literally.”

The program runs from May through October due to weather.

COURTESY

The women cultivate a small section of land and use the produce to cook fresh meals for their families at home in Denver.

Razye came from Afghanistan to the United States more than three years ago and says she grew up farming in her home country.

“I was a rancher. I had my own animals and I had big farm back in Afghanistan, so when I come to this farm, I feel so excited,” she

said, explaining how the tomatoes and potatoes are her favorites to take home and cook. “We make food that reminds me of my country back home, and that’s the happiest I’ve been.”

Anywhere from 70,000 to 80,000 Afghan refugees are now living in the United States. According to the Colorado Refugee Program, Colorado has welcomed around 2,500 refugees since July of 2022. The United Nations Refugee Agency says that Afghans are one of the largest refugee populations in the world with an estimated 2.6 million registered across the globe in coun-

tries like Pakistan and Iran.

For Monira, who has been in Colorado for almost a year, the opportunity to connect and socialize with other women from her country is just as important as bringing home fruit and vegetables.

“First, we come here and we say ‘hello’ and we have a quick chat, and talk, and after that we harvest” she said, adding that being around people come from the same country make it easier to live in a new and unfamiliar place. “This is a country that’s unknown and new for us, so coming here to see people who speak the same language, and we

became fast friends, and we talk.”

Monira hopes her work on the farm can help her life evolve into something new.

“My wish is to be able to start working and repay what people in Colorado have done for us, and find a job to contribute to this country, and this state,” she said.

This story is from Rocky Mountain PBS, a nonprofit public broadcaster providing community stories across Colorado over the air and online. Used by permission. For more, and to support Rocky Mountain PBS, visit rmpbs.org.

Afghanistan refugees, including a group of women and children, have found something they love through helping Ekar Farms in Denver each week.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS

‘MY WISH IS TO BE ABLE TO START WORKING AND REPAY WHAT PEOPLE IN COLORADO HAVE DONE FOR US, AND FIND A JOB TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS COUNTRY, AND THIS STATE.’

Monira, Afghan refugee

Keeping Hispanic culture and traditions alive

munity,” Martinez said. “It creates a common sense of a collective community.”

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Hispanic traditions have helped shape the tapestry of Colorado and the United States.

It is organizations like Denver’s Mexican Cultural Center that helps keep these traditions alive through arts and culture.

“The Mexican Cultural Center promotes and maintains the richness of our beautiful and vibrant culture,” said Lisandra Gonzales, who sits on the Mexican Cultural Center’s board. “We have to put these at the forefront to ensure they survive.”

The Mexican Cultural Center, 5350 Leetsdale Dr. in Denver’s Washington Virginia Vale neighborhood, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. It formed at a time when there were only 23 cultural centers across the U.S. — some were specific Hispanic culture, but not all, said Jesse Martinez, the executive director of the Mexican Cultural Center.

“When the Mexican Cultural Center began, the community wanted to invest in arts and culture,” Martinez said.

He added that when the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District — a sales tax that collects one penny on

every $10 to support cultural organizations in the seven-county metro area — was passed, there was a “synergy” among the community for arts and culture. This synergy could have amounted because of the recession in the early 1980s that put a strain on arts and culture, Martinez said.

Forming in the early 1990s, the Mexican Cultural Center was “a pioneer in investing in arts and

culture,” Martinez said.

The Mexican Cultural Center’s mission, he added, is to expose people in Denver and across Colorado to Mexican and Latin American arts and culture. It does this by this by highlighting Latin American cuisine, music, customs and traditions.

“Experiencing culture — whether other peoples or your own — creates a societal understanding of com-

Today, the Mexican Cultural Center is known for its three signature programs: Día del Niño: Celebrating All Children; Latin Beats: Sonidos de las Americas, which is a free, annual concert; and its Día de los Muertos events.

“The cool thing about our programming is that it’s always free,” Martinez said. “It’s inclusive and representative of the community.”

Another goal of the Mexican Cultural Center is to promote and work with other community nonprofits and organizations to form a bridge to the Latinx community. With these partnerships in place, the Mexican Cultural Center can also collaborate on the other organizations’ programming to help make it more culturally relevant, Martinez said. The Mexican Cultural Center collaborates on more than 30 programs and events throughout the year.

One such partnership is with the Colorado Symphony, which formed more than 20 years ago.

Anthony Pierce, the chief artistic officer for the Colorado Symphony, described the partnership as “fruitful,” pointing to collaborations on dozens of concerts including Latin Beats performances, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, Mexico en el Corazón and the Music of Selena.

A child participates in an activity at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science during the 2019 Día del Diño — Children’s Day — which is a program of the Mexican Cultural Center.

PHOTO BY CHRIS SCHNEIDER

Denver’s Mariachi Sol de Mi Tierra performs during a past year’s Latin Beats: Sonidos de las Américas, a free concert o ered annually

a partnership between the Mexican Cultural Center and the Colorado Symphony.

Traditions can get lost with time, Gonzales said.

“Every year, we are thrilled to partner with the Mexican Cultural Center to highlight the sounds of the Americas, celebrate Hispanic heritage and share the power of music and with the community,” Pierce said.

“The Mexican Cultural Center helps keep these traditions alive,” she said, “and provides education to the community so it can celebrate (Hispanic traditions) with us.”

There has been a Hispanic presence in Colorado going all the way back to the beginning of statehood, Martinez said.

The Mexican Cultural Center will

“continue to celebrate different aspects of our community,” Martinez said. “Latin American culture (and)

The Mexican Cultural Center is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a gala on Nov. 10 at The Cable Center, 2000 Buchtel Blvd. S, on the University of Denver campus.

The evening will include a multi-course dinner created by award-winning chefs

Denver’s Mexican Cultural Center helped bring artist Oscar Becerra-Mora’s giant alebrije, “Xolotl: Dios Perro” to Denver.

showcasing different perspectives allows for a deeper understanding of our community for greater unity.”

paired curated beverages and a variety of entertainment. Marcela de la Mar, a notable community leader, will be honored.

To learn more about the Mexican Cultural Center or for more information on the 30th anniversary gala, visit mccdenver. org.

HolidayContest

COURTESY OF THE MEXICAN CULTURAL CENTER

PHOTO BY AMANDA TIPTON PHOTOGRAPHY

Source

TREASURER

Sias said if elected, he would man age it to the best of his ability, even though he still dislikes the policy.

“The bill as presented, I thought, was not a very good deal for the actual people it was supposed to be helping. And that involved largely the fees they were going to be charged,” he said.

Young, who has touted the program, said the state is preparing to launch a pilot to streamline the system for businesses and make it easy for them to enroll. He added that his office is in talks with New Mexico to partner on a similar program there in the hopes of reducing user fees in both states.

“We’re working to minimize the fees and make it easy for businesses,” he said.

Future political aspirations

Since 2010, Sias has run for several political offices. He said, however, that he doesn’t see the treasurer’s office as a stepping stone to higher political office.

“This is a job that I really want to do,” he said. “I think I have the pas sion for service, I have a very relevant background and I have an interest in the issues

Young didn’t directly say if he plans to run for higher office if he is elected

to a second term —“I consider the trea surer higher office,” he joked — but said he loves his work as treasurer.

Why should you vote for them?

In his closing statement, Young said if he is elected to another term he wants to focus on the state’s infrastruc ture struggles, including affordable housing, education, water and trans portation.

“We have what may be approaching a $100 billion problem and I think it’s the treasurer’s role to begin to pull people together and make sure that we can actually can address this problem in a way that gets us out of survival mode,” he said

Sias said his goal is to bring political balance to a state dominated by Demo crats, citing stats about Colorado’s growing inflation and budget.

“This has all happened with one party controlling everything,” he said.

“No compromise and no conversa tion, it is time to restore some balance because our state works better with balance.”

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

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PUBLIC NOTICES

Legals

City and County

Public Notice

Notice of Availability - Draft Environmental Assessment

Proposed Phase I

Construction and Operation Project at Fort Logan National Cemetery Denver, Colorado

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) an nounces the availability for review and comment the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Proposed Phase 1 Expansion of the Fort Logan National Cemetery. VA’s National Cemetery Ad ministration (NCA) operates the cemetery located at 4400 W. Kenyon Ave. Denver, CO 80236. The proposed Phase 1 expansion encompasses 19.45-acres entirely within the existing grounds of the cemetery and will be designed in concert with the existing topography and architecture.

The proposed burial areas would consist of ap proximately 9,100 casketed remains including preplaced crypts and traditional gravesites, 19,397 at markers for cremains, and 7,500 columbarium niches. Infrastructure upgrades such as roadways leading to/from the new burial areas and spillway improvements would also be constructed.

VA prepared the Draft EA in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and the Council on Environmental Quality and VA regulations implementing the Act (40 CFR Part 1500, 38 CFR Part 26). Comments will be addressed in the Final EA. The VA invites the public to review the Draft EA and provide comments. The Draft EA is available for review online at: https://www.cfm.va.gov/environmental/index.asp

Please email comments by October 25, 2022 to vacoenvironment@va.gov . Please use “Fort Logan Phase I Draft EA” in the subject line.

If you have any questions or are unable to submit your comments by email, please contact Mr. Fernando L. Fernandez at (202) 632-5529 or Fernando.Fernandez@va.gov.

Legal Notice No. 81901

First Publication: October 20, 2022

Last Publication: October 20, 2022 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Summons and Sheriff Sale

You are summoned and required to file your ap pearance, in the office of the clerk of the court, within 60 days after service of this summons, not counting the day of service. If you fail to do so, a judgment by default may be entered against you for the relief asked in the complaint, to wit:

(a) Approving its accounts with respect to the Elsie Colvin Share of the James T. Colvin Trust, as Amended;

(b) Instructing BMO Harris Bank N.A. as to the proper disposition of the Elsie Colvin Share in light of Elsie’s Power of Appointment;

(c) Directing BMO Harris Bank N.A., as Trustee of the Elsie Colvin Share of the Family Trust created under the James T. Colvin Trust, as Amended, to pay from such portion of the Trust attorneys’ fees and other costs of this litigation as the court shall deem reasonable and proper; and

(d) Granting BMO Harris Bank N.A., as Trustee of the Family Trust created under the James T. Colvin Trust, as Amended, such other or further relief as shall be proper.

THERE WILL BE A FEE TO FILE YOUR AP PEARANCE

To file your written appearance/answer YOU DO NOT NEED TO COME TO THE COURTHOUSE. You will need: a computer with internet access; an email address; a completed Appearance form that can be found at http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/Forms/approved/ procedures/appearance.asp; and a credit card to pay any required fees.

E-filing is now mandatory with limited exemp tions. To e-file, you must first create an account with an e-filing service provider. Visit http://efil. illinoiscourts.gov/service-providers.htm to learn more and to select a service provider.

If you need additional help or have trouble efiling visit http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/faq/gethelp.asp or talk with your local circuit clerk’s office. If you cannot e-file, you may be able to get an exemp tion that allows you to file in-person or by mail. Ask your circuit clerk for more information or visit www.illinoislegalaid.org.

If you are unable to pay your court fees, you can apply for a fee waiver. For information about defending yourself in a court case (including filing an appearance or fee waiver), or to apply for free legal help, go to www.illinoislegalaid.org. You can also ask your local circuit clerk’s office for a fee waiver application.

Please call or email the appropriate clerk’s office location (on Page 3 of this summons) to get your court hearing date AND for information whether your hearing will be held by video conference or by telephone. The Clerk’s office is open MonFri, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, except for court holidays.

NOTE: Your appearance date is NOT a court date. It is the date that you have to file our completed appearance by. You may file your appearance form by efiling unless you are exempted.

named estate are required to present them to the

or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before February 6, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Stephen Morris, Personal Representative 701 Lake Maggiore Blvd. South St. Petersburg, FL 33705 Phone: 727-743-1614 smb050811@gmail.com

Legal Notice No. 81871

First Publication: October 6, 2022 Last Publication: October 20, 2022 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Joanne Lenzini, Deceased Case Number: 22PR499

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 February 20, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Carla Lenzini, Personal Representative 6000 W. Floyd Avenue No. 104 Denver, Colorado 80227

Legal Notice No. 81895

First Publication: October 20, 2022

Last Publication: November 3, 2022 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of DONALD G. ECKHOFF, a/k/a D. ECKHOFF, a/k/a DONALD GEORGE ECKHOFF, a/k/a DON ECKHOFF, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31318

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 February 20, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Lois C. Eckhoff, Personal Representative 2021 Bellaire Street Denver, CO 80207

Legal Notice No. 81896

First Publication: October 20, 2022

Last Publication: November 3, 2022 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of David Ray Martin, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31260

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 February 13, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Legal Notice No. 81877

First Publication: October 13, 2022

Last Publication: October 27, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of SHIRLEY ANN HARDY-SALMERON, a/k/a SHIRLEY A. SALMERON, a/k/a SHIRLEY SALMERON, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR031182

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 February 13, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Darrell E. Hardy, Personal Representative

530 Grizzly Flat Rd.

Watsonville, California 95076

Legal Notice No. 81879

First Publication: October 13, 2022

Last Publication: October 27, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Paul Lewis Roybal, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31111

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 November 29, 2022, or the claims may be forever barred.

Geraldean R. Martinez Personal Representative 5551 Shoshone Street Denver, CO 80221

Legal Notice No. 81898

First Publication: October 20, 2022

Last Publication: November 3, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Craig Leroy Sundholm, a/k/a Craig L. Sundholm and Craig Sundholm, deceased Case Number: 2022PR31327

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the Probate Court of the City and County of Denver on or before Febru ary 21, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Carolyn Moller Duncan, Atty. No. 33766

Attorney for Personal Representative Duncan Legal, PC 6436 S. Racine Circle, Suite 227 Centennial, Colorado 80111

Phone No: 303-394-2358

OF GUARDIANSHIP, trustee of the Corporation of Guardianship Umbrella Pooled Trust v. MICAIAH BAKER, et al.

TO: JOHN HILLMAN

Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled superior court civil action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: For modifications of the COG non-charitable, irrevocable umbrella pooled trust necessary for compliance with current federal and state law, and federal and state regulations of pooled trusts due to changed circumstances. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than November 29, 2022 and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought.

This, the 6th day of October, 2022

Michele P. Lee, Attorney for Petitioner N.C. State Bar No. 26232

OF COUNSEL:

BOOTH HARRINGTON & JOHNS OF NC PLLC 239 North Edgeworth Street Greensboro, NC 27401

(336) 275-9567

(336) 369-3118

A court date will be set in the future and you will be notified by email (either to the email address that you used to register for efiling or that you provided to the clerk’s office).

CONTACT THE CLERK’S OFFICE for information regarding COURT DATES by visiting our website: cookcountyclerkofcourt.org; download our mobile app from the AppStore or Google play, or contact the clerk’s office:

Court date EMAIL: ChanCourtDate@cookcountycourt.com. Gen. Info: (312) 603-5133.

W.

P.C.,

Jill Christensen, Personal Representative c/o Timothy J. Parks 1999 Broadway, Suite 1400 Denver, CO 80120

Legal Notice No. 81883

First Publication: October 13, 2022 Last Publication: October 27, 2022 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Mark William Mandler, a/k/a Mark W. Mandler, and Mark Mandler, Deceased Case Number: 2022 PR 31288

Legal

Storage Liens/Vehicle Titles

Public Notice

Broncos Towing,

1)

A NOTICE TO: JOHN W. MAY, 55 S. Lincoln Street, Denver, CO 80209.

You have been named a defendant in the com plaint in the following case: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, No. 2022 CH 01680.

BMO HARRIS BANK, N.A., as Trustee, Petitioner, v. ROBERT J. COLVIN, individually and as Execu tor of the Estate of Elsie Colvin, EVELYN SUE DAVIDSON, a/k/a SUE DAVIDSON, individually, PUEBLO BANK & TRUST, not individually but as Trustee of the Trust for the Benefit of EVELYN SUE DAVIDSON, a/k/a SUE DAVIDSON c/u/ the Will of Elsie Colvin, BARBARA NOLAN, individu ally, LYNNE COLVIN, individually, JOHNNY MAY, individually, Respondents.

Legal

First

Notice to Creditors

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Justin Henry Morris, a/k/a Justin H. Morris, a/k/a Justin Morris, and Henry Morris, Deceased Case Number: 2022 PR 31256

Public Notice

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 February 13, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Francisca Escalante

Personal Representative 334 Sulky Trail Houston, TX 77060

Legal Notice No. 81885

First Publication: October 13, 2022

Last Publication: October 27, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Laurence H. Holmes, Deceased Case Number: 22 PR 394

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 February 13, 2023 , or the claims may be forever barred.

Baysore & Christian Fiduciary Services, LLC

By Stephanie Lambert

Person Giving Notice 7000 E Belleview Ave., STE 150 Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Legal Notice No. 81878

First Publication: October 13, 2022

Last Publication: October 27, 2022 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Daniel J. Foxhoven, aka Daniel Foxhoven and Dan Foxhoven, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR031057

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 January 10, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Hal R. Blanchard, #1305 Attorney to the Personal Representative 19039 E Plaza Dr, Ste 275 Parker, CO 80134

Legal Notice No. 81902

First Publication: October 20, 2022

Last Publication: November 3, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

Legal Notice No. 81897

First Publication: October 20, 2022

Last Publication: November 3, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Stella B. Valdez, a/k/a Stella Valdez, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR30912

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 January 20, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Roger A. Brasser, aka Roger Anthony Brasser, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31259

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Probate Court of City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before February 27, 2023 (date)*, or the claims may be forever barred.

Wayne R. Brasser, Personal Representative 3932 C.R. 7, Leadville, CO 80461

Legal Notice No. 81899

First Publication: October 20, 2022

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 February 13, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Karyn M. Mandler, Personal Representative c/o Poskus, Caton & Klein, P.C. 303 East 17th Avenue, Suite 900 Denver, Colorado 80203

Legal Notice No. 81884

First Publication: October 13, 2022

Last Publication: October 27, 2022 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Suzanne Stahl Fogarty, A/K/A Suzi Fogarty, A/K/A Suzanne S. Fogarty, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31284

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 February 13, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Margaret Donohoe Fogarty

Personal Representative

CO

Lisa Nolan, Personal Representative c/o Davis Schilken, PC 7887 E. Belleview Ave., Suite 820 Denver, CO 80111

Legal Notice No. 81900

First Publication: October 20, 2022

Last Publication: November 3, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of DOROTHY RUTH REPPERT, a/k/a DOROTHY R. REPPERT, a/k/a DOROTHY REPPERT, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31207

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 February 21, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Joel Duane Reppert - Personal Representative 1663 S. Pennsylvania St. Denver, CO 80210

Legal Notice No. 81892

October 20, 2022

November 3, 2022

Denver Herald-Dispatch

Last Publication: November 3, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of CATHERINE ANNE KOCUR, a/k/a CATHERINE KOCUR, a/k/a CATHY KOCUR, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31232

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 February 6, 2022, or the claims may be forever barred.

George Kocur, Personal Representative 6 Blueberry Hill Lane Arlington, MA 02474

Legal Notice No. 81866

First Publication: October 6, 2022

Last Publication: October 20, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Gerald M. Greenberg, a/k/a Gerald Morton Greenberg, a/k/a Gerald Greenberg, a/k/a Jerry Greenberg, a/k/a Jerry Morton Greenberg, a/k/a Jerry M. Greenberg, Deceased

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Maria Dolores Calderon de Aguilar a/k/a Maria Dolores C. Aguilar a/k/a Dolores C. Aguilar a/k/a Maria Dolor Aguilar, Deceased Case Number 2022PR31250

Online program helps neurodiverse kids

Children’s Hospital

Colorado researchers created resource

BY DANA KNOWLES, LINDSEY FORD ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS

Leo Krause, 10, can’t help but smile while snuggling with one of his two family dogs, Louie, a mini Australian Labradoodle. It’s one of the many strategies he uses to calm himself after being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD when he was 7 years old.

“It feels like it’s hard for me to focus sometimes. I just want to move around all the time, and it’s hard for me to sit still,” Krause explained.

He received help with his ADHD through a program that’s now free and online called “Unstuck and On Target.” It was developed by researchers through Children’s Hospital Colorado to improve the executive functioning of elementary-aged school children with ADHD and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Navigating ADHD

Executive functions come from the frontal lobe of the brain and involve things like paying attention, problem-solving, emotional regulation, planning, impulse control and setting goals. When left unaddressed, challenges with these traits can create barriers to success for

many children.

Leo’s mom, Jodi Krause, says the program has been a game changer for their entire family.

“Having a child who struggles with attention and having a child who struggles with anxiety can create obstacles that you want to be able to get ahead of, but as parents, we kind of react in the moment. So that’s really challenging,” she added, saying that the strategies taught in the Unstuck and on Target curriculum continue to help Leo function like any other 10-year-old boy. “A change in Leo from the program that I’ve noticed is that he’s way more willing to put into words the things that his body is feeling.”

Laura Anthony, Ph.D., is a psychologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, a professor of psychology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and one of the researchers who developed the online curriculum for the program. It can be done in school with educators and at home with kids and their parents and/or caregivers

“We want all kids as they’re growing to be at their most optimum developmental trajectory. We want them to do and be their best,” she explained, adding that free access is the key. “From the beginning, we wanted to create a communitybased program that would reach all the kids and families who needed it.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, between the years of 2016 and 2019, 6 million chil-

Public Notices

Case Number: 2022PR31197

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 Monday, February 6, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Gregory Lawrence Greenberg, aka Russell J. Greenberg, and Scott D. Greenberg, Personal Representative C/O Brandon D. Rains, Esq.

East Crescent Parkway, Suite 600 Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Legal

First

October 6, 2022

October 20, 2022

Denver Herald-Dispatch

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Margaret Ann Carl, a/k/a Margaret Carl, a/k/a Peggy Carl, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31167

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 February 6, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Nancy L. Greer, Personal Representative

S. Irving Street Denver, CO 80219

Legal Notice No. 81874

First Publication: October 6, 2022

Last Publication: October 20, 2022

Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Dolores F. Pugh, also known as Dolores Pugh, Deceased

Case Number: 2022PR31115

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 February 21, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Legal Notice No. 81894

First Publication: October 20, 2022

Last Publication: November 3, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of David Van Fleet Bay, Jr., aka David V Bay, Deceased Case Number: 22PR31120

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 February 13, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Anastasia Fainberg Attorney to the Personal Representative 3600 S Yosemite St, Suite 670 Denver, CO 80237

Legal Notice No. 81882

First Publication: October 13, 2022

Last Publication: October 27, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Ronald Herbert Schneider, a/k/a Ronald H. Schneider, a/k/a Ronald Schneider, Deceased Case Number: 22PR31183

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 February 6, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Eugene E. Schneider, Personal Representative c/o Katz, Look & Onorato, P.C. 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 1100 Denver, CO 80203

Legal Notice No. 81873

First Publication: October 6, 2022

Last Publication: October 20, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Clarence Everett Blinn, a/k/a Everett Blinn, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31153

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

10-year-old Leo Krause can’t help but smile while snuggling with one of his two family dogs, Louie.

dren from the ages of 3 to 17 were diagnosed with ADHD, while one in 44 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. “Kids with either Autism or ADHD have particular difficulties with executive functioning skills and [that’s why] we designed this intervention for them,” added Anthony.

Free to be himself

Leo told Rocky Mountain PBS some of the strategies he’s learned in the program include walking away from tense situations, taking deep breaths and thinking happy thoughts. His favorite coping mechanism? Squeezing a lemon

when he’s feeling anxious.

“I feel a lot different. I’m able to calm myself down more,” he explained.

Jodi says these days Leo can be fully himself; a boy who’s compassionate and empathetic. A boy who loves his dogs, his family, friends, playing soccer, mountain biking and skiing.

This story is from Rocky Mountain PBS, a nonprofit public broadcaster providing community stories across Colorado over the air and online. Used by permission. For more, and to support Rocky Mountain PBS, visit rmpbs.org.

personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before February 6, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Warene Hunt, Personal Representative 333 S. Eaton Street, Apt. 423 Lakewood, CO 80226

Legal Notice No. 81875

First Publication: October 6, 2022

Last Publication: October 20, 2022 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Dean C. Lopez, Deceased Case No: 2022-PR-31338

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative named below, or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before February 20, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Margaret D. Casados-Lopez

Personal Representative 1041 Knox Court Denver, Colorado 80204

Legal Notice No. 81889

First Publication: October 20, 2022

Last Publication: November 3, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of JUSTIN CALVIN SUTTON, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31237

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative (MATTHEW CALVIN SUTTON) or to DENVER PROBATE COURT, (1437 Bannock Street, Denver, CO 80202) on or before FEBRUARY 28, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

/s/ Leona Hauschild LEONA HAUSCHILD, Esq.

Attorney for Personal Representative 1801 California Street, Suite 2400 Denver, CO 80202

Legal Notice No. 81888

First Publication: October 20, 2022

Last Publication: November 3, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Lorna S. Gray, Deceased Case No.: 2022PR31306

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 February 21, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Michael B. Gray, Personal Representative 265 Dexter St. Denver, CO 80220

Legal Notice No. 81893

First Publication: October 20, 2022 Last Publication: November 3, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Frank M. Mantello, a/k/a Frank Marion Mantello, and Frank Mantello, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31286

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 February 6, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Michael E. Mantello

Co-Personal Representative 725 SW 119th Street Seattle, Washington 98143

And Patricia J. Blessing a/k/a Patti J. Blessing Co-Personal Representative 15240 206th Avenue SE Renton, Washington 98059

Legal Notice No. 81872

First Publication: October 6, 2022

Last Publication: October 20, 2022

Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of LIZ HAMP-LYONS, also known as Elizabeth M. Hamp-Lyons, Deceased Case Number 2022PR31274

All persons having claims against the above

County

Legal

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

of Sandra Lynn Bluhm, also known as Sandra L. Bluhm, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31210

NOTICE

All

James Joseph Knobbe

COURTESY OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS

Denver Grand Opening Specials

Courtney Benham Cabernet

2020 California 750ml

purchases, must present coupon at time of purchase.

SAVE $4.00 15.99

w/coupon 19.99 Olema Chardonnay Reserve Sonoma 2020 California 750ml

Offer valid 10/20/2022-10/27/2022 in CO only. Valid in-store, on the Total Wine app and at TotalWine.com. For in-store purchases, must present coupon at time of purchase. Limit one online code per customer. Not valid on previous purchases or deliveries. Cannot be combined with any other Total Wine & More wine coupon or discount. Limit 6 btls PLU 8670

SAVE $5.00 13.99

w/coupon 18.99

Tesoro Della Regina Chianti Classico Riserva

2017 Italy 750ml

Offer valid 10/20/2022-10/27/2022 in CO only.

Valid in-store, on the Total Wine app and at TotalWine.com. For in-store purchases, must present coupon at time of purchase.

SAVE $4.00 19.99

w/coupon 23.99

The American Plains Vodka 1.75L

Offer valid 10/20/2022-10/27/2022 in CO only.

one online code per customer. Not valid on previous purchases

be combined

SAVE $5.00 19.99

w/coupon 24.99 Borrasca Premium Cuvee France 750ml

deliveries.

Total

Offer valid 10/20/2022-10/27/2022 in CO only.

Valid in-store, on the Total Wine app and at TotalWine.com. For in-store purchases, must present coupon at time of purchase. Limit one online code per customer. Not valid on previous purchases or deliveries. Cannot be combined with any other Total Wine & More wine coupon or discount. Limit 6 btls PLU 8670

Valid in-store, on the Total Wine app and at TotalWine.com. For in-store purchases, must present coupon at time of purchase. Limit one online code per customer. Not valid on previous purchases or deliveries. Cannot be combined with any other Total Wine & More spirits coupon or discount.

Limit 2 btls PLU 8671

SAVE $5.00 29.99

w/coupon 34.99 Kavanagh Irish Cream 1.75L

Offer valid 10/20/2022-10/27/2022 in CO only.

Valid in-store, on the Total Wine app and at TotalWine.com. For in-store purchases, must present coupon at time of purchase. Limit one online code per customer. Not valid on previous purchases or deliveries. Cannot be combined with any other Total Wine & More spirits coupon or discount.

Limit 2 btls PLU 8671