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From suffrage to open mic
Polis wants colleges to hold tuition below inflation, but budget doesn’t provide funds BY BRIAN EASON THE COLORADO SUN
News and a state and national suffrage leader. Many of her associates joined in her drive to create a press club west of the Mississippi that represented women writers. “The DWPC was created as a refuge, a safe haven and a meeting ground for women who believed in the power of the written word, and still do,” said Corinne Joy Brown, a DWPC past president, journalist and author. The club’s name is a little misleading. Though television and print journalists are members today, so are novelists, essayists, communication specialists, poets, Substack writers, podcasters, screenwriters, editors and more.
When Gov. Jared Polis released his proposed higher education budget last month, he told the Joint Budget Committee his goal was to make college more affordable by holding in-state tuition increases to 2%. But the governor glossed over a key detail: His spending plan doesn’t actually provide Colorado’s colleges and universities enough money to do so. In early budget writing discussions for the 2024-25 fiscal year, funding for higher education has emerged as a major divide between the state’s Democratic governor and lawmakers on the JBC who say Polis’ plan doesn’t provide enough funding. Polis’ proposal does give the college governing boards a slight funding bump — $41 million, or a 2.9% increase over the $1.4 billion budgeted this year. But after a decade of low state funding and falling enrollment, that won’t come close to covering the cost of holding tuition increases to half the rate of inflation, as the governor has called for. Rising costs mean colleges and universities will have to increase spending by more than what Polis is proposing just to maintain the status quo, lawmakers learned this month in a budget committee briefing. Salaries, benefits and other costs are projected to go up 3.8% next fiscal year, a figure that could rise even further if institutions of higher education implement a new pay plan for state workers.
SEE OPEN MIC, P4
SEE TUITION, P5
Former Rocky Mountain News journalist Minnie J. Reynolds played a major role in organizing the Denver Woman’s Press Club COURTESY OF THE DENVER WOMAN’S PRESS CLUB and became its first president.
Denver Woman’s Press Club remains a hub for women writers as it enters its 125th year BY DIANNE BLOMBERG SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, the Denver Woman’s Press Club remains an integral part of Denver’s literary scene. The DWPC started during the Suffrage Movement to give women a safe location to voice opinions, share ideas and support each other as writers. Today, that support and
encouragement has spread to the community at large through its popular Open Mic Nights, which take place in the tiny house in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Founded in 1898, the club has been located at 1325 Logan St. since 1924. Once surrounded by stately homes of the time, it now sits alone, flanked by parking lots. It is the sentry of history and represents the strength and perseverance of women writers. “The club has been a dynamic spirit affecting cultural and social issues vital to our community and our country,” said Charlotte Hinger of Fort Collins, who is a member and best-selling author. The club was founded by Minnie J. Reynolds, an early political writer at the now defunct Rocky Mountain
CALENDAR: 9 | VOICES: 10 | LIFE: 12
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HOOVES AND HORNS Reindeer magic transcends the holidays P12
2 Denver Herald
January 4, 2024
Copper Mountain volunteer boot packers stomp trails to reduce avalanche danger BY JASON BLEVINS THE COLORADO SUN
The hardy skiers shoulder their skis and wade into the waist-deep powder atop the steep Patrol Chute in Spaulding Bowl at Copper Mountain. Reed Ryan, the ski area’s snow safety boss, warns the crew of looming avalanche hazards. “We may hear some whumpfs. We may see some cracking. That’s fine. That’s what we are here for,” he says as the line of boot packers begins stomping down one of the steepest lines at Copper Mountain. They plug their ski boots deep into the snow, mixing the powder on the top layer with the sugary facets closer to the ground. When they’ve trampled Patrol Chute, they move over to the next. It’s a grueling day for the unpaid volunteers. “But it’s fun and outside and so beautiful and I’m hanging with great people,” says John Murtha, a 48-year-old from Frisco who is finishing up his second year boot packing at his home hill. In 2015, Copper Mountain ski patrollers started recruiting volunteers to boot pack the ski area’s steepest terrain. There were about 20 skiers who signed up that first winter. Now there are 75 and a long waiting list. Most of the skiers keep coming back every winter. Boot packing is an important part of avalanche mitigation at other ski areas like Aspen Highlands, Crested Butte and Silverton Mountain. Steep ski areas have long enlisted volunteers who wade through snow
Volunteer boot packers work their way down Copper Mountain’s Spaulding Bowl in Summit County.
in exchange for passes or lift tickets. Their boots stabilize snowpacks through compaction, mixing up the snowpack to reduce the risk of catastrophic slides. There’s another, overlapping purpose of boot packing: snow conser-
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vation. “We want to keep the snow up where we can ski it,” says Bill Blair, a former Copper Mountain ski patroller who now works as director of mountain operations. “Every flake is gold.” By getting skiers stomping through steep snow, the chances of a big slide scouring a mountainside to dirt in January is reduced. That’s how it was in the old days: wait for the rotten early season snow to avalanche and then wait for more snow to fill in the avalanched slopes. Now, ski patrollers direct a choreographed swirl of mitigation that includes digging pits, hurling bombs and directing snow-blending boot packers, all of which enable skiers to get into the steeps early in the season. Copper Mountain patrollers have been able to open the mountaintop Spaulding Bowl with as little as 60 inches of snowfall. This season, they are still working in the bowl after 75 inches of snow. The season’s winds and long weeks of snowless, high-pressure weather systems have required additional mitigation efforts. Following the last big storm in late November, ski patrollers skicut Spaulding Bowl, carving di-
agonal tracks across open faces of snow. The dissected chunks help limit the potential of a massive slab of snow releasing. As boot packers two weeks ago stomped down the steep lines on the south-facing slopes, a pair of patrollers were digging a pit on a north-facing slope. They were testing the snow to see how previous boot packing work has broken up the rotting, dangerous layer on the ground. Depending on what the snow pit reveals, the boot packers might be called back to the northfacing zone. The snow-stomping crew typically winds down after the first of the year. They get a free pass for seven days of work. But where a ski pass is a big motivator at resorts like Aspen Highlands — where 15 days of boot packing earns a $3,000 Premier Pass — the Copper Mountain boot packers are not necessarily working for a ticket to ride lifts. “They get to be behind the curtain a little bit and see how we operate,” says Ryan, who has hired six boot packers over the years to join the Copper Mountain patrol. “And they usually get a little bit of soft snow to ski.” SEE COPPER, P3
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January 4, 2024
COPPER FROM PAGE 2
Atop Spaulding Bowl, the boot packers are happy to share some important tips. Like: tuck the gaiter under the cuff of your ski pants underneath the buckles of your boots to keep snow from sneaking into your boots. And clasp your buckles tight because they pop open when plugging deep snow. And sort of pre-step your hole before fully weighting your downhill leg, so you can get deep into the snow and reach those weak facets near the ground. “This is kind of perfect boot packing snow,” Ryan says as the line of packers slowly descends Patrol Chute, most of them hip deep in
powder. At the bottom of the steep, Ryan makes the call to put on skis. After a couple minutes of side-stepping down, it’s time to ski and the packers stack tidy squiggles in the apron of snow beneath the chute. Jim Bradley, a 33-year-old from Leadville, takes the opportunity beneath the ski tracks to ask Ryan and Blair about their favorite places to ski at Copper Mountain. He listens closely as they describe wooded nooks and hidden patches. Bradley has boot packed at Copper Mountain for five winters. He likes how the work delivers insights into the snowpack before the backcountry season gets rolling. How else could he spend time in the north-facing Alpine without exposing himself to serious avalanche
risks? And he likes listening to the Copper vets tell their stories. “Just going on the different slopes and feeling the different snow packs at different angles, different sun exposure, different wind exposure, it really does help you get a kind of a feel, early season, for what the snowpack is gonna be like for the rest of the year,” he said. “And it’s so fun to hang with these very knowledgeable ski patrollers and pick their brains. Just so much information to glean, you know.” Maria Leech is a full-time ski patroller at Breckenridge who enjoys skiing Copper Mountain. For the early season, she spends her days off from Breck boot packing at Copper. “Just one more lap to go,” she says on her seventh day, nibbling peanut
noodles from a Tupperware container in the Copper patrol headquarters. “l get to see another patrol’s operations and it’s something to do outside before the skiing gets really good.” Two years ago Murtha, the volunteer from Frisco, was rushed to Denver via Flight for Life after suffering a stroke. Now, he says,”I say yes to a lot of adventures.” Like boot packing. “I mean, come on. Look at how beautiful this is,” he says, riding a chair up for his final lap of the day burrowing through precipitous powder. “I’m pretty lucky. I’m living life, baby!” This story was printed through a news sharing agreement with The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonprofit based in Denver that covers the state.
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Controversial Building Proposal in Lakewood Is About More Than Birds
The Dec. 24th Sunday Denver Post had a lengthy article on its business pages about a 412-unit apartment building being proposed by a Texas developer for a 5-acre site adjoining Belmar Park (see satellite image at right). The focus of the article was on the birders who are fighting the project as best they can, given that the public and city council have no say in Lakewood when it comes to development. That’s right — no say in any proposal to build on private property so long as it complies with zoning. The City Council doesn’t even have a say on subdividing land, although it’s a review body for appeals on major subdivisions. This project is on a single 5-acre owned parcel and, because it’s zoned multifamily, the owner could build a 12-story apartment or mixed-use building if he wanted. The developer, Kairoi Residential of San Antonio, is proposing a 6-story apartment building — still taller than most buildings in downtown Lakewood. The City of Lakewood has ceded all regulation of such projects to its planning department. The planning director could, if he wanted, submit this project to the city’s planning commission for hearings and debate, but he has chosen not to, despite the controversy. Anita Springsteen (below) served a 4year term on the Lakewood City Council through November. She decided not to run for re-election because the council has no power. Once she was told by the city attorney that council members are like citizens and that she had no more right to the information she was requesting than an ordinary citizen. One such citizen, Mark Smith, made a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request for such information and was told that it would take 149 staff hours to produce the information and would cost him over $5,000. Mark is a retired city planner and he said that he knows of no other jurisdiction which provides literally no public process for approving significant development proposals. The City of Golden has a process that could be a model for Lakewood and any other city. Check out
guidinggolden.com/planning-projects for inspiration. It includes a process for councilors and citizens to have a voice. Lakewood has an ordinance requiring any developer to set aside parkland in proportion to 5 acres per 1,000 added population. For the Belmar Park development, that formula should require 3.5 acres, but the entire parcel is only 5 acres, so the director of community resources is allowing the developer to pay the city $254,545 per acre in lieu of that requirement. Again, no public or legislative say in that decision and, of course, no hearing. The planning commission would hold hearings; the planning director just decides. Anita Springsteen moved that the city manager deny the in-lieu fee, but Mayor Paul said, “I’m not going to allow a vote on an illegal motion.” How is that? In recognition of local concerns, the developer announced a 2-month “pause” on October 18 to allow for a “neighborhood meeting.” That meeting, as de-
The big story here is that Lakewood has no public process for controlling development. scribed on the planning department’s website consisted of up to 3 members of city government, 3 representatives of the developer and 3 residents of Belmar Commons, a 45-unit townhome community closest to the project. It was unannounced, and no recording was made. Instead, facilitator hired by the city took notes. Those notes did not include the names of any of the attendees. The planning department’s web page for the project says bluntly, “This property has had this property right to build multistory uses for a long time, and courts have been quite clear that elected officials and cities can’t impinge or impede a private property owner’s property rights allowed under a ‘use by right.’ Courts have viewed efforts to do this as a ‘taking’ of property rights.” Further, the web page says that “the proposed development will occur solely through the administrative process managed by the Planning Department. That means the Planning Department
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If you live in another city, how does the way Lakewood operates compare with your city?
will review the development to ensure it is meeting the city’s regulations for setbacks of the building, heights, green space requirements, landscaping, etc.” In 2019, Lakewood’s voters approved the Strategic Growth Initiative which imposed a 1% growth limit, patterned after a similar law in Golden. That law also included a provision that projects of 40 units or more should go to the city council for approval, although that has not been followed, as far as I can tell. In the wake of 2023 legislation outlawing growth limits statewide, the city council repealed the Strategic Growth Initiative and then re-passed it with a 2year sunset provision, meaning that it dies unless the council (or voters) vote to retain it. Curiously, the new law retained the 1% growth limit, but it sunsets along with the rest of the law in 2025. I asked why the 412-unit Belmar Park project doesn’t violate the 1% growth limit. It’s because the original designation of the downtown/Villa Italia district as “blighted” exempts that area from the limitation, even though it’s hardly blighted nowadays. By now you’ve probably guessed that the majority of city council members are pro-growth or even pro-developer. I interviewed Ramey Johnson, who served on Lakewood’s city council from 2010 to 2020, and she couldn’t think or any jurisdiction in which the governing body has ceded its authority over development to administrative staff the way Lakewood has. “It’s wrong,” she told me. She says that council has incrementally relinquished its power to administrative staff over many years.
She told how in 2003, in response to “angst” over CCU students living in residential areas, council passed an ordinance defining a “Student Living Unit.” When the zoning ordinance was rewritten in 2012, Ramey noticed that definition had been deleted without pointing it out to the city council. Travis Parker, the director of planning, responded, “It wasn’t needed anymore.” “The staff simply took out something that was voted by City Council,” Ramey said. “What else was deleted?” Lakewood has among the lowest paid elected officials and highest paid staff of any city its size. City council members make $12,000, the mayor makes about $40,000, but the city manager makes about $350,000 (with benefits), and the department heads, like Parker, make over $200,000. Council members have no staff and no expense accounts. “We even have to buy the coffee for our ward meetings,” Anita Springsteen told me. “This is a recipe for corruption,” She has studied the campaign finance disclosures of her fellow councilors and the mayor and told me that the lawyer representing the developer made a campaign contribution to Mayor Paul — and after the election, the chairman of her firm, Norman Brownstein, made a contribution to Paul’s campaign despite the fact that Paul was then term-limited. No building permit has been issued yet for the Belmar Park development. But nothing’s really stopping it.
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4 Denver Herald
OPEN MIC FROM PAGE 1
Its members have received such accolades as the Pulitzer Prize, numerous state and regional recognitions including awards from the Colorado Press Association, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Colorado Book Award. They have achieved New York Times Best Seller status, and most are widelypublished authors. To keep the club moving forward and remain current in attracting new members, the club hosts diverse programs each year. Most are open to the public. Programs include talks like one from Adrian Miller, a food writer and James Beard Award winner, whose 2017 book, “The President’s Kitchen Cabinet,” was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award for Best Literary Non-Fiction. Another event, a presentation highlighting a 2023 best-selling book, “Lodge, an Indoorsy Tour of America’s National Parks,” by Max Humphrey and co-author DWPC member Kathryn O’Shea Evans, drew a big crowd. Early last year, the board of directors realized that after 125 years, the club needed a modern twist to attract greater participation by its members and the community. Happy hour events interested a few and a Little Free Library that was installed in 2022 and replicates the DWPC clubhouse, has been a hit among the club’s Capitol Hill neighbors, but the most popular new event is the Open Mic Night. Open Mic Night is open to anyone 18 years of age and older, and welcomes all gender identities. Writers from across the Front Range come early to get their names on the list for a chance at five minutes in front of the microphone. Performances begin at 5:15 p.m. and end at 6:30 p.m. By 7 p.m., the clubhouse is dark and left to the ghosts of the past 125 years. Bruce Walker, a long-time Park
January 4, 2024 Hill resident, has taken the mic many times. “To have immediate, honest feedback, is important to any writer,” Walker said. “To get it in a place where good writers have been sharing and developing their craft for more than a hundred years makes it all the more meaningful.” In front of this friendly crowd, writers read published, non-published and even early drafts of their work. Poetry, plays, novels, essays and nonfiction are cut to five killerminutes of story. “Open Mic (Night) motivates me to stretch a little and to try something different. Reading a piece out loud is a great exercise,” said Mary Lou Eagan, a club member who lives in Denver’s University Hills neighborhood. After the readings, with a glass of wine or a cold beer in hand, participants mingle with audience members for casual discussions of their work. Linda Berry of Aurora, who is a club member and award-winning playwright, captured the lure of these performances. “I love the open mics,” Berry said. “It’s partly, I’m sure, because of the novelty – it’s a new thing for me.” Buffy Gilfoil, a teacher, Lowry resident and club member since 1986, talked about why writers need opportunities like the Open Mic Nights. “I love the yin and yang of writing,” Gilfoil said, adding that it’s “the isolated meditation involved in giving expression to ideas and the pleasure of being in the company of other writers.” Editor’s note: Dianne Blomberg is a member of the Denver Woman’s Press Club and served as its president in 2022.
The Little Free Library in the foreground is a replica of the house at 1325 Logan St., which has been home to the Denver Woman’s Press Club since 1924. PHOTO BY DIANNE BLOMBERG
The Denver Woman’s Press Club’s Open Mic Nights take place from 5-7 p.m. on the following dates: Jan. 12, Feb. 16, March 22, April 19, May 17. To learn more about the club, visit dwpconline.org.
The Denver Woman’s Press Club has supported women writers for 125 years. Its walls adorn photos of past members, such as this one of Helen Marie Black, a reporter for the former Rocky Mountain News and an early member of Denver Woman’s Press PHOTO BY TIM COLLINS Club.
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Denver Herald 5
January 4, 2024
TUITION FROM PAGE 1
Add it all up, and institutions could be as much as $133 million short of what’s needed to hold in-state tuition increases to 2%, according to a nonpartisan legislative budget staff analysis. The governor’s plan calls for colleges to pass on $80 million of those costs to out-of-state students through a 6.5% tuition hike. The rest, he has suggested, could come through campus-level belt-tightening. In Colorado, the governor’s budget proposal is just that — a suggestion that budget writers on the JBC can take or leave. But it’s a critical starting point, because lawmakers often defer to what departments say they need to fund public services and the governor’s priorities. The budget year starts July 1, and the spending plan must be approved by the legislature each spring. JBC members have railed against Polis’ proposal, saying it would give public universities more incentive to chase wealthy out-of-state students instead of focusing on educating Coloradans. And that’s if the large tuition increase doesn’t discourage students from coming here. Out-of-state students already pay much higher tuition than Colorado residents. The estimated cost of one academic year at CU in Boulder, including food and housing, is now $60,000 for outof-state students vs. $31,000 for Coloradans. “It’s not sustainable,” said Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada, the JBC’s vice chair. “I’m very frustrated by that proposal.” But that’s not the only problem. The Colorado schools that rely the most on state funding don’t have many outof-state students to lean on.
The Jordan Student Success Building of Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Overall, 34% of higher education funding now comes from out-of-state students, while in-state students provide 37%. Taxpayers chip in the remainder through the state’s general fund. But the share of funding varies wildly from one institution to the next. For the state’s largest universities, out-ofstate tuition now provides more funding than in-state students or Colorado taxpayers. At the other end of the spectrum, Metropolitan State University Denver and Colorado community colleges generate just 5% of their base funding from nonresidents. For five of Colorado’s 10 institutions of higher education, including MSU Denver, Colorado Mesa University and the University of Northern Colorado, Polis’ budget proposal would require budget cuts to meet the in-state
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tuition target, the budget staff analysis suggests. In response to questions from The Colorado Sun, Polis said smaller universities could cut back on costs by consolidating some administrative functions, but he did not offer specific examples of potential savings. “We look forward to informing JBC in looking into different cost drivers in different institutions,” Polis said. “There’s economies of scale.” He also suggested lawmakers could adjust the funding formula that divvies up money among the state’s public colleges and universities. “Some of the smaller schools — it’s broadly recognized — need to receive a higher level of funding to be able to maintain their services.” The state already gives a larger slice of public funding per student
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to smaller schools. Lawmakers say the bigger problem lies with the size of the overall pie. Colorado provides less state financial support to public colleges and universities than almost any other state, and tuition costs have risen to the top five in the U.S. In 2022, the state spent $6,711 per student, 34% below the national average of $10,237, according to the most recent annual funding data tracked by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. The JBC will learn more soon. The Department of Higher Education — and university leaders — are due before the committee in January. This story was printed through a news sharing agreement with The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonprofit based in Denver that covers the state.
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January 4, 2024
Jefferson County considers closing Lookout Mountain Road at night Locals concerned about emergency access, pushing illegal activity to neighborhoods BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Anyone who’s visited Lookout Mountain Road or the nearby trails knows how busy the area can be, especially on weekends and/or in the summer. According to Jefferson County Open Space, Lookout Mountain Road is even
busier at midnight than it is at 10 a.m. on the weekends. Although the trails and parking areas close an hour after sunset, JCOS confirmed cell phone data, law enforcement contacts, litter, graffiti and other things indicate there’s a large amount of illegal activity in the area at night. To curb this, the agency and its partners have proposed installing two gates to close the road at night. The gates would close a 4-mile stretch of road that crosses Jeffco and Denver parklands. No residences would be impacted. Several Jeffco Open Space parks, such as White Ranch, have similar gates at trailhead parking lots to pre-
vent people from visiting after park hours. While dozens of Lookout Mountain residents were generally in favor of closing the road overnight, they also were concerned about emergency access, especially during evacuations and snowstorms. Many said at a Dec. 13 stakeholder meeting that Lookout Mountain is their only route home when snow closes both Interstate 70 and U.S. Highway 40. They asked officials to either ensure the road would be open and plowed when both I-70 and U.S. 40 close or to give residents an access code to open the gates. They were also concerned that clos-
ing Lookout Mountain Road would push illegal activity, such as drinking and shooting guns, into the neighborhoods and parking lots outside either gate. Officers from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Golden Police Department said they’d increase patrols in those areas, but asked for residents’ help by reporting any suspicious activity. Mary Ann Bonnell, JCOS visitor services & natural resources director, said preventing overnight activity will help protect the parks’ natural and cultural resources, and make the Lookout Mountain area much safer. SEE LOOKOUT, P8
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Denver Herald 7
January 4, 2024
Cattle ranchers balk at media portrayals Historic ranches have beef with advocacy groups over perceived environmental impacts of meat
and CEO of the North American Renderers Association, said the bill finally focuses on the importance of recouping the meat, bone and fat from an animal and reusing them for other products. “This bill is the first of its kind that acknowledges the critical role of rendering as a safe and sustainable method of upcycling the parts of the animal and birds that are not consumed by humans,” Swisher said in a news release.
BY MONTE WHALEY THE COLORADO SUN
Robbie LeValley sees her family’s cattle ranch settled in the high pastures near Hotchkiss as a linchpin in the state’s food chain and a fifthgeneration steward of the local environment. The LeValley ranch is bordered by habitat for the Gunnison sage grouse, a ground-dwelling bird that is protected as an endangered species. Grazing has helped the sage grouse thrive and meet recovery goals set by the Endangered Species Act, the LeValleys say. The water supply for the LeValleys’ public land allotment also originates on their private land. The family has built 17 miles of pipeline, allowing the water to flow from their spread to ponds that are open to the public. The LeValleys say this allows plenty of water for the fishing ponds and the Gunnison sage grouse to thrive. All the ranches in that part of the North Fork Valley — many of which were settled over a century ago — share a common interest in sustaining the local environment, Robbie LeValley said. “Each of the ranchers in their own way have taken on the ethic of improving the land for and making it safe for the sage grouse and wildlife in general,” LeValley said. “Ranchers provide the large open space that wildlife need and require.” Large ranching operations like the LeValleys’ have been targeted by activists accusing them of contributing to environmental degradation, including contributing to climate change. Research published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Climate claims that phasing out animal agriculture over the next 15 years would have the same effect as a 68% reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through the year 2100, which it says would limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. “Reducing or eliminating animal agriculture should be at the top of the list of potential climate solutions,” Patrick Brown, a professor emeritus in the department of biochemistry at Stanford
SEE RANCHERS, P8
A publication of
Farm Runners store employees Lara Widner, left, and Dana Stopher chat while stocking the produce section, Nov. 21, 2023, in Hotchkiss. The store, next to City Market in town, is a year-round regional food distributor for the local farmers and ranchers to Roaring Fork, Gunninson, and Grand Valleys. PHOTO BY HUGH CAREY THE COLORADO SUN
University, told Stanford Magazine. The LeValley Ranch and five other ranches own about 2,000 head of cattle that are raised on clean mountain water, fresh air, Colorado sunshine and green grass, the ranchers say. They are not fed antibiotics, added hormones or animal byproducts, according to the LeValley family. When it’s time to market their meat, the animals are slaughtered and custom processed at Homestead Natural Meats in nearby Delta. That operation is also owned by LeValley and the other ranchers. The site — including corrals, equipment, flooring, feed and water supply — is regularly inspected by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, according to the Homestead Meats website. A retail store is also on-site where customers can buy beef, pork, lamb and other meats offered by the ranches. Homestead sells Mexican shrimp, tuna and salmon, as well as fresh milk and cheese. The variety of items tendered to customers local and statewide is the result of the area ranchers deciding in the 1990s to remain viable by catering to changing customer tastes, Robbie LeValley said. The best way to do that, she said, was to open its own processing plant and a retail store where the producers can talk directly to potential buyers. “Everybody at the time was ranching a cow-calf op-
eration,” LeValley said. “We decided to diversify and add additional processing so we could begin selling directly to consumers. It provides us the opportunity to interact with consumers.” “It allows us,” she said, “to expand customer knowledge of agriculture in general and what it takes to provide a diversified enterprise.” The LeValley ranch is roughly 25 miles from its processing plant in Delta. But other grower-owned processors and retailers that allow ranchers to cut out the middleman in Colorado are few and far between. Ranchers often have to travel hundreds of miles to get to a processing facility. And if an activist group working toward a ballot measure for 2024 gets its way, the lone cooperative processing plant in Denver will be eliminated altogether. The huge gap between ranchers and processing plants produces a gaping hole in Colorado’s supply chain and threatens the sustainability of meat production, LeValley said. Colorado is home to 13,000 beef cattle producers and 206 feedlots, all of which are served by 24 USDA certified slaughter plants, according to the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. Colorado is the fourth-largest exporter of fresh and frozen beef in the United States, with the export market worth over $1 billion, the CCA says. The meager number of slaughter plants compared to the size of the state’s cattle
production is leaving Colorado’s food chain vulnerable to disruption. It also drives up food costs as producers truck their livestock from the far corners of the state to processors on the Front Range while smaller ones are scattered along the Eastern Plains and Western Slope, LeValley said. “So many of these facilities are just so far out there,” she said. “Depending on the situation, you may have to travel from Fort Collins to Delta for your processing. That is a huge expense.” “And processing is just a critical part of providing food security for us and the entire world,” LeValley said. “It’s like the energy sector. If one processing center is affected by something, it affects the entire system.” LeValley is among meat producers who are largely backing a Congressional bid to allow small and midsize meat processing facilities to expand their operations. The “Butcher Block Act” — co-sponsored by Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet — authorizes USDA loans and loan guarantees to increase and modernize small and medium-size meat-processing and rendering facilities. The legislation would also develop new mobile facilities to improve local and regional access to processing and rendering services. Meat industry leaders hailed the proposed legislation for potentially increasing competition among processors and capacity in rural areas. Kent Swisher, president
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8 Denver Herald
FROM PAGE 6
She said JCOS and its partners are in the stakeholder-engagement process, talking to residents and other groups that’d be impacted by such a closure. After that, she said the agency would need to have a conceptual design for the gates to take back to stakeholders, but she hoped the agency and its partners could install the gates sometime in 2024. Making the mountain safer
According to Bonnell, if the gates are installed, pedestrians and cyclists
so the problems just continue, he said. Installing gates would prevent that and have an overall “positive impact,” Aten continued, adding, “The call loads and activity up here have just increased (in recent years).” Regarding gate access, Bonnell said the gates would have a sensor and open if there was a vehicle inside, just in case someone didn’t finish their hike before the gates closed. The gates would also be able to recognize emergency vehicles, and first responders would be able to keep the gates open during emergency evacuations. Residents described dangerous activity on the mountain overnight, including gunfire, with one resident holding up bullets he’s found in his yard. He said overnight road closures would make his neighborhood and the entire Golden area safer. Bonnell acknowledged that illegal gunfire was a major problem, saying that even during the day, deputies and JCOS rangers get calls about people carrying firearms on Lookout Mountain. When asked whether they supported the overnight road closure proposal, almost all the attendees raised their hands. Only a few did not. Bonnell said JCOS and its partners would continue
The bottom of Lookout Mountain Road is visible from Windy Saddle Park’s Chimney Gulch Trail. Jeffco Open Space has proposed installing a gate near the area depicted, along with another one at the top of the park, to prevent people loitering along Lookout Mountain Road PHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN after hours.
gathering public input, and invited people’s feedback on the proposed closure. For more information, visit jeffco.us, or contact Mary Ann Bonnell at mbonnell@jeffco.us or at 303-271-5995. CLOG-FREE GUTTERS
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would still be able to access the road overnight. However, they’d have to stay on the road. Bonnell said, in general, motorists using Lookout Mountain Road isn’t the issue. It’s people who pull off the road and park, despite Windy Saddle Park and the surrounding areas being closed. Bonnell said JCOS and its partners have installed signs that people disregard, and barricades that people relocate. Lt. Dan Aten of the Jeffco Sheriff ’s Office described how frequently deputies patrol the area overnight, writing tickets and clearing people out of the parking lots. But, the problem is that more people come in behind the deputies,
climate neutrality of U.S. cattle production by 2040, according to a news release. LeValley points to work done at Colorado State University as examples of livestock producers working to keep its industry sustainable in an era of changing attitudes toward meat. The Institute for Livestock and the Environment brings in several groups from various disciplines from across the CSU campus to balance issues of “economic growth with the environment,” the CSU website states. That academic work and research will help determine just how much farms and ranches influence the environment, good and bad, LeValley said. “So far we’ve only been concentrating on one side of the ledger,” she said. “We’ve been getting the blame for a lot of things without getting credit for what we do everyday.” This story was printed through a news sharing agreement with The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonprofit based in Denver that covers the state.
D
But the Butcher Block Act runs counter to changing attitudes toward livestock production, a local environmental activist says. Watchdog groups argue that large ranches and slaughterhouses are morally wrong and environmentally disastrous. Livestock accounts for about 15% of greenhouse gas emissions mainly from methane from the gas they expel, according to Earth First and The World Counts. Large meat operations are also destroying forests and chewing up land for wildlife, the environmental group says. Huge ranches are guilty of spreading foodborne illnesses while also occupying 30% of the Earth’s land surface leaving less land for other uses, according to Earth First. Industrial animal agriculture is a key driver of the climate crisis, and replacing it is the necessary part of any climate solution, said Aidan Kankyoku, spokesman for Pro-Animal
“The government should be leading a transition away from animal agriculture or, at the very least, stop tilting the scales of competition against humane, sustainable alternatives.” Superior Farms Inc. could not be reached for comment. On its website, Superior Farms says it partners with over 1,000 family ranches to provide high-quality lamb with a strong commitment to animal well-being and sustainability. “The lambs graze mainly on open pasture lands, sustaining on the natural vegetation of vast grasslands as they have for centuries while providing benefits to the land through fertilization, erosion mitigation and wildfire suppression,” the website states. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, along with other agriculture groups, has fought against claims that beef producers are a detriment to the environment, noting that beef producers in the United States are already the global leader in sustainable beef production. The cattlemen’s association said that the industry has committed to
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FROM PAGE 7
Future. The group is leading an effort to place a measure on the 2024 ballot to ban slaughterhouses in Denver. Superior Farms Inc. is the only slaughterhouse in the city and is located in Globeville. The company employs well over 500 people and is one of the largest lamb slaughterhouses in the country, killing over 1,000 lambs daily, Kankyoku said in an email. “Slaughterhouses dump toxic chemicals into waterways, and most of all, nobody with a heart in their chest can watch the footage of what happens to animals inside these facilities without feeling disgusted,” Kankyoku said. “New meat alternatives and shifting cultural norms have shown that we don’t need to rely on farming animals to thrive,” he added. “Society is evolving away from a reliance on animal farming, and that’s a good thing.” Bennet’s bill would be a step backward in the move away from factory farming, Kankyoku said. “There is no place for slaughterhouses in the progressive, peaceful future Colorado voters wish to create,” he said.
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10 Denver Herald
LOCAL
January 4, 2024
VOICES
New year, new chapter
I
“No time like the present” This mazetorial represents the 2024 new year. To solve, start at either ‘S’ in the lower right and left corners, and maze-out to the ‘W’ for win where the sand gathers at bottom of the hourglass.
t was tough writing this column. It
is tough because it will be my last. For nearly two years now I have had the privilege of writing whatever I feel like from week to week. I started it with EDITOR’S the hopes of letting our COLUMN readers get to know me and my family. After all, we ask you all to share your stories all the time. Why shouldn’t I? However, it became more as the years went on. I have come to see how amazing our readThelma Grimes ers are over the last few years. When it feels like we have nothing but an angry world — I would get a quick email from a reader saying my column was appreciated, restoring some faith. When a mom at my son’s pediatric dentist recognized me and again thanked me for the column that addresses local, national and personal issues that mean a lot to her ... it meant something. When another reader told me that a column I wrote about myself and struggles with weight loss meant enough to him that he sent it to his sister in Arizona who was also struggling ... it meant a lot to me. In all honesty, not all emails have been friendly. I have had my share of comments from those who completely disagree. The ones who disagreed with civility have my respect, and I always considered their points of view. No matter what topic I chose each week, I always took pride in knowing I am sharing something personal, or giving my opinion on something that matters, and I am not the final word on any topic. I have truly appreciated the support from our readers. I was recently offered a new opportunity to move on. It was a tough decision, as I am seeing my vision for our south metro team come true in so many ways. We have strong reporters who are working hard to bring readers news no other organization is covering. What we have accomplished over the last year especially would not have been possible without the fantastic work of McKenna Harford, Nina Joss, Haley Lena, Ellis Arnold, Elisabeth Slay and Tayler Shaw. I also have a special thank you to Scott Gilbert. His editing kept me in line as I have put these columns together and his friendship is probably one of the most important I will leave Colorado Community Media with. I am so proud of my reporters and the hard work they have done throughout 2022 and 2023. It is the staff that made me think hard about this decision. It is also the readers who made me second-guess my decision a few times. As I move on to serve as an editor elsewhere, I still want to stress that community journalism and local news is near and dear to my heart. SEE NEW CHAPTER, P11
Denver Herald 11
January 4, 2024
Mind-blowing: Bubble-wrapped brains
E
volution is a curious process.
Whether devouring a mate, squirting acid from the abdomen or shooting blood from the eye, each speINSIDE THE cies fits perfectly in its own niche, even OUTDOORS though that niche is not always understood by humans. For example, the expectation that two 300-pound animals, each carrying 30 pounds of horn on his head, should Christie Greene run into each at 40 mph is staggering. Bighorn sheep have intrigued scientists who wish to learn how the animals’ head-bashing behaviors do not result in concussions. In an interview with the New York Times, Dr. Gregory D. Myer, director of research in sports medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, shared a head-scratching description of the mechanism by which bighorn sheep rams avoid concussions. He stated that “bighorns’ brains are naturally protected with mechanisms that slow the return of blood from the head to the body, increasing blood volume that fills their brains’ vascular tree, creating the Bubble Wrap effect.” Myer continued his mind-boggling explanation: “The sheep has hollow pneumatic horn cores attached to its respiratory system that allow it to re-breathe its air and thus increase carbon dioxide in its bloodstream, expanding its intracranial vascular tree and enhancing the Bubble Wrap effect.” No quiz will be given at the conclusion of this article. Yet, there has been recent research suggesting that the sheeps’ headramming might be more impactful to their brain health than earlier believed. In 2022, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published a study in Acta Neuropathologica revealing that signs of concussions and head trauma were present in the brains of deceased bighorn sheep and muskoxen. If brain damage isn’t enough of a challenge, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (RMBHS, for those in the know) face serious threats from infringement of the more aggressive mountain goat and the tragic effects of a strain of pneumonia contracted from domestic goats and sheep which is fatal to RMBHS lambs. Col-
NEW CHAPTER FROM PAGE 10
Over the last year, thousands of journalists have lost their jobs nationwide as community news outlets continue to struggle. I worry about our future but hope those of you reading will continue to contribute to an important element of society. Please continue to contribute whatever you can to the work we do here. Local news is my passion and will always have a place in my heart. It is where I have built a career that I am proud of and likely is the reason I
Bighorn sheep have intrigued scientists who wish to learn how the animal’s head-bashing behaviors do not result in concussions. PHOTO BY CHRISTIE GREENE
orado Parks and Wildlife states that the separation of domestic sheep and goats from RMBHS is critical to the survival of the state’s wild sheep. In Idaho, a sheep rancher’s grazing permit was retired in order to prevent infection of a neighboring RMBHS herd after the wild herd suffered 100% lamb mortality for several consecutive years. Domestic sheep are carriers of the disease but remain asymptomatic. Fortunately, the largest bighorn sheep herd in Colorado is receiving support from federal and state government agencies. The Colorado Department of Transportation will have a new opportunity to expand on a professional level. I wish you all a wonderful New Year. I again thank you for bringing me into your homes and taking my points of view each week. And, as I said when I first started filling this space each week — remember how much kindness in this world matters right now. You never know what someone else is going through, and let’s make 2024 about getting back to civility even where we disagree. Thelma Grimes has served as the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media.
be constructing a wildlife overpass near the town of Empire, protecting the sheep and other wildlife from collisions with vehicles. The project is to be completed by 2025. Additionally, Rocky Mountain National Park protects its bighorn sheep population from the threat of encroachment by mountain goats by killing goats that enter the park.
Humans can support bighorn sheep populations by keeping domestic sheep and goats contained, driving carefully in bighorn sheep habitats, refraining from feeding sheep and by giving them space. As the majestic Colorado State animal since 1961, the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep deserves protection and respect.
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12 Denver Herald
January 4, 2024
LOCAL
LIFE
Handlers in Idaho Springs, Brighton and beyond help the animals spread joy BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A
sense of magic in the air
sparks joy when people young and old see reindeer. But for the owners of the reindeer, it’s a balance between creating a magical experience for people and making sure the reindeer are comfortable. Kayla McIntosh, who owns Riverdale Reindeer of Colorado with her husband David McIntosh, said it’s easy these days for people to get caught up in school and work, which doesn’t always feel magical. “But the ability to see an animal that most people believe doesn’t actually exist,” Kayla McIntosh said. “And to see the kids light up and the parents really enjoy it and even learn things, it really is just a beautiful opportunity.” Reindeer have been domesticated for thousands of years and have been used for various purposes. They also tend to make the holidays a little brighter by participating in holiday events across
the metro area. However, it takes a lot of work to prepare reindeer for events to ensure it’s a safe environment for the public and so the reindeer remain happy and healthy. For each reindeer owner, training may look different, but it all starts with learning about the fascinating animal. What makes reindeer a unique animal
Santa Bill (as he preferred to be called) at Laughing Valley Ranch in Idaho Springs has learned a lot about reindeer over his many years of working with them. Just as other entities train their reindeer differently, reindeer are not all alike, he said. They each have a unique personality and different characteristics than other animals in the deer species. “We want to educate everybody about reindeer and what magical animals they really are,” Santa Bill said. When adults and children interact with the reindeer, Santa Bill includes an educational piece,
which he calls a domestic livestock educational experience, that details reindeer adaptations for survival. Reindeer can adapt to the changing seasons. They can change their coats and hooves and have amazing eyesight — they are the only animals that can see ultraviolet light, according to Santa Bill. What helps reindeer stand out are their antlers, Santa Bill added. Reindeer are the only members of the deer family that both male and female grow a new set of antlers every year. They use their antlers to strip away snow and vegetation, to find food and to defend themselves. Male reindeer, also known as a bull, can have antlers that grow up to four feet tall, and they can weigh 25 to 30 pounds each, Santa Bill said. Owners have to be extra careful with reindeer during their rut season, because they’re scraping velvet off their antlers — which is part of the natural growth process and acts as protection, Santa Bill
continued. At the ranch, most of the reindeer training happens after the rut and mating season where they are walked around their pens, outside and practice going in and out of the trailer. When training, even reindeer who have done events in the past need a little refresher to get back into the routine and certain training aids may not always work. “Sometimes we have to try different things,” Santa Bill said. “Nothing is an exact science when it comes to training animals.” These reindeer also learn how to pull Santa’s sleigh by using reigns to signal the reindeer to start moving and the assistance of reindeer wranglers using lead ropes to guide the reindeer. Another unique characteristic of reindeer is, unlike horses and cattle, reindeer can only kick forward and have a slight retraction. This helps them gain traction and start to catch air, Santa Bill said. SEE REINDEER, P13
Denver Herald 13
January 4, 2024
Holly sits in front of Eve, enjoying the warmth of the sun as they rest after taking part in the Parker Hometown Holiday Parade and event
REINDEER FROM PAGE 12
When people tell Santa Bill they thought the reindeer would be bigger, he says if they were any bigger, they’d be too heavy to get off the ground. “It’s a magical thing,” Santa Bill said. Riverdale Reindeer Farm
Currently in flight school in preparation to one day pull Santa’s sleigh are Kayla and David McIntosh’s reindeer at Riverdale Reindeer of Colorado in Brighton. The McIntoshes bring their reindeer to events simply because of their love of reindeer and the hope to share that joy and passion with others. David McIntosh is a fifth-generation dairy farmer whose family has been caring for and raising animals in Colorado since the early 1900s. He has also always been interested in reindeer. Together, David and Kayla McIntosh spent years studying the history and biology of reindeer, have talked with other reindeer owners and breeders and have visited a number of farms. Kayla McIntosh said it may sound corny, but just being in the presence of the reindeer and seeing their majesty is truly wonderful. The McIntosh family has been raising reindeer for about three years. They have Lacuna, Chilli, Noelle, Cranberry, Juniper, Krist-
off and Hickory, the first bull to be born on the Riverdale Reindeer farm. When preparing reindeer for events, Kayla McIntosh said the most basic point in training is spending time with the reindeer. “It’s not like dedicated training hours, so much as it is just spending a lot of time with them,” Kayla McIntosh said. “It’s a pretty consistent thing to get them to be comfortable with us.” At their farm, they are very particular about giving the reindeer their autonomy and don’t expect the reindeer to be okay with people petting them. Cranberry is one of the reindeer that regularly goes to events but isn’t keen on being touched and the McIntosh family doesn’t force it. However, working with Hickory over the past year, he has become more comfortable around kids. In addition to shows and holiday events, Hickory has also gone to schools where he got used to standing still for photos. “A lot of the training was just on the spot,” Kayla McIntosh said. “Watching his cues, seeing if he felt comfortable in the situation and walking him out of the situation if he felt uncomfortable and giving him time to resettle.” To ensure the reindeer always feel comfortable and safe, the family’s goal is that the reindeer enjoy going to events just as much as people enjoy coming to see them. The family takes their reindeer’s personalities into account when they decide who goes to an event.
Kayla McIntosh said even on the day of an event, they look to see who is feeling comfortable and who is feeling agitated. If they can’t put a certain two reindeer together, they won’t do it. The McIntoshes also want to make sure they keep the people coming to watch the show safe in the instance a reindeer gets nervous or agitated — one swing of the head could cause someone to get poked or hit with an antler. “We do our best to make sure that isn’t even an option,” Kayla McIntosh said. “So we encourage lots of photos and things but we don’t specifically train them to be petable animals.” For events, the reindeer are set up in an enclosure which is decorated with garland, bows and lanterns around the holiday season. It is important to the family to include an educational aspect where they can talk to the kids and other guests about what it is like to be in agriculture and to raise animals. The family loves to interact with the kids as well and typically provides treats, stickers and coloring sheets. Although the reindeer don’t do long events, when they get tired, they will just lay down. “We don’t force them to do anything they don’t want to do,” Kayla said. “They’re resting and relaxed and we want to encourage them to just enjoy their surroundings. They should feel like they are at home.” Keeping reindeer happy and healthy
Holly and Eve are two reindeer who are not afraid to lay down and
PHOTO BY HALEY LENA
get comfortable. At 7 Oaks Reindeer Farm in Franktown, Lisa Vaughn said she would never let her reindeer get to the point of feeling overworked. “When they’re tired, they just fall asleep,” Vaughn said. Vaughn has had Holly and Eve for about two and half years and said they are like big dogs as they like to greet her when she comes, love treats and even get the zoomies. Vaughn works with trainer Karena Mee to get the reindeer used to people. In addition to gently touching the reindeer, they would hold a happy hour once a week so the reindeer could get used to a crowd and music. Holly and Eve have been busy throughout the holiday season. They took part in the tree lighting in Elizabeth, were at the Parker Hometown Holiday Parade and spent time at Lone Creek Farms. The holiday season is also a lot of effort for the reindeer owners and handlers as well. They have to load the trailer, make sure there is enough food and supplies to last throughout the event and once they get to the event, they set up the pen to ensure it’s comfortable for the reindeer. Hard work and early mornings aside, it’s all worth it when they have the opportunity to educate others on reindeer and see the excitement on the children’s faces. And it’s not just kids who get excited to see the reindeer. “The adults are just as flabbergasted as the kids,” Mee said.
14 Denver Herald
January 4, 2024
© 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
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TRIVIA 1. ANATOMY: What are the small bones that make up the human backbone? 2. GEOGRAPHY: Which country is made up of about 7,000 islands? 3. MOVIES: What native language is spoken in the movie “Avatar”? 4. BUSINESS: When did the first Apple computer go on sale? 5. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a male swan called? 6. FOOD & DRINK: Which nut is used in a Waldorf salad? 7. PSYCHOLOGY: What fear is represented in arithmophobia? 8. TELEVISION: Who played the lead in the series “Buffy the Vampire Killer”? 9. AD SLOGANS: Which restaurant chain advertises itself as “no rules, just right”? 10. SCIENCE: Which science fiction author wrote the three laws of robotics?
Answers 1. Vertebrae. 2. The Philippines. 3. Na’vi. 4. 1976. 5. A cob. 6. Walnuts. 7. Fear of numbers. 8. Sarah Michelle Gellar. 9. Outback Steakhouse. 10. Isaac Asimov. (c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.
Crossword Solution
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Public Notices call 303-566-4123 Legals Misc. Private Legals Public Notice NOTICE To: First Mortgagees of Units in 40 Madison Homeowner’s Association, Inc. Date: January 4, 2024 January 11, 2024 Re: Notice of Proposed Declaration Amendment The purpose of this notice is to provide written notice of the proposed Amended and Restated Declaration of Covenants Conditions and Restrictions of 40 Madison Condominiums (“Declaration Amendment”) to first mortgagees of Units within the community of 40 Madison Homeowner’s Association, Inc. (“Association”), pursuant to C.R.S. § 38-33.3-217(1)(b) (I). The Association, through its Board of Directors and with assistance from legal counsel, has prepared the proposed Declaration Amendment to the existing Declaration of Covenants Conditions and Restrictions of 40 Madison Condominiums which is located in the City and County of Denver State of Colorado, and was recorded in the real property records of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on September 5, 2002, at Reception No. 2002153794, as it may have been amended and supplemented from time to time (“Declaration”). The consent of sixty-seven percent (67%) of first mortgagees is required to approve the proposed Declaration Amendment, pursuant to Section 12.1 of the Declaration. The general purpose and nature of the Declaration Amendment is to: (1) include stronger covenants and supporting the existing rules and regulations regarding, for example, smoking, parking and pets; (2) include a much more complete list of items, and explains in detail whether Owners or the Association are responsible for maintaining and repairing them and insuring them; (3) include common sense limits on leasing, and clarifies the responsibilities of landlords and tenants. A first mortgagee shall be deemed to have approved the proposed Declaration Amendment, if said first mortgagee does not deliver to the Association a negative response within sixty (60) days after the date of this notice, pursuant to C.R.S. § 38-33.3-217(1)(b)(II). You may deliver your response in writing to the Association, c/o Moeller Graf, P.C., 9557 South Kingston Court, Englewood, CO 80112, but you are not required to respond.
Please review this notice carefully. It may affect first mortgagees’ rights in the Lot(s) within the Association’s community in which first mortgagees may have an interest.
Legal Notice No. DHD 1001 First Publication: December 14, 2023 Last Publication: January 11, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Notice to Creditors
A copy of the proposed Declaration Amendment may be obtained by contacting Moeller Graf, P.C., at 720279-2568 or via email at bahmeti@moellergraf.com. Legal Notice No. DHD216 First Publication: January 4, 2024 Last Publication: January 11, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE OF INTENT TO CREATE BINDING USE RESTRICTIONS ON 29X Apartments at 4900 W 29th Ave, Denver, CO, 80212 29x Landco LLC and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) provide notice of their intention to impose binding environmental use restrictions (EURs) on the 29x Apartments located at 4900 W 29th Ave, Denver, CO 80212. The EURs restrict the apartment to its current use unless approved otherwise, and no subterranean groundwork can be done without approval also. Pursuant to § 25-15-318.5, C.R.S., once the EURs have been finalized, they are binding on all current and future owners of the land and any persons possessing an interest in the land. CDPHE is accepting public comments on the draft EURs. Copies of the proposed EURs and a legal description of the affected property are available by contacting Fonda Apostodopoulos at 303-692-3411 and fonda.apostolopoulos@state.co.us. All comments must be submitted to fonda. apostolopoulos@state.co.us by January 16th, 2023. Legal Notice No. DHD190 First Publication: December 14, 2023 Last Publication: January 11, 2023 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice TO: OSCAR SANTANA: You are notified that you have 10 days after publication for this notice of levy to file your claim of exemption with the District Court of Denver County, 1437 Bannock, Room 256, Denver, CO 80202 in Case 2022CV031577 entitled: SIGNS BY TOMORROW-DENVER, d/b/a SIGNS BY TOMORROW v. OSCAR SANTANA, a/k/a OSCAR CASTREJON SANTANA, a/k/a OSCAR C. SANTANA, d/b/a FUSIONS $2,583.90 garnished at Chase Bank, 5800 S Parker Rd, Aurora, CO 80015
Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of THOMAS LOUIS LOHR, aka THOMAS L. LOHR, aka THOMAS LOHR , Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31441 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 April 22, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. Brenda Allen or Michael Lohr Co- Personal Representative c/o Katz, Look & Onorato, PC 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 1100 Denver, CO 80203 Legal Notice No. DHD201 First Publication: December 21, 2023 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of ROSE 0. MARKS a/ka ROSE ORLINDA MARKS a/k/a ROSE MARKS a/k/a ROSE 0. MARTINEZ a/k/a ROSE ORLINDA MARTINEZ a/k/a ROSE MARTINEZ, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31369 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 May 4, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. Shelli Marks Personal Representative 12050 W. Rice Pl. Morrison, CO 80465 & Sherri Bernal Personal Representative 2458 S. Zurich Ct. Denver, CO 80219 Legal Notice No. DHD218 First Publication: January 4, 2024 Last Publication: January 18, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Mary C. Quinn a/k/a Mary Quinn, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31457
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 April 29, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. Kevin G. Quinn Personal Representative c/o Keith L. Davis, Esq. Davis Schilken, PC 1658 Cole Blvd. Building 6, Ste. #200 Lakewood, CO 80401 Legal Notice No. DHD207 First Publication: December 28, 2023 Last Publication: January 11, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of ALLAN E. LACKNER, a/k/a ALLAN EDELSTEIN LACKNER, a/k/a ALLAN LACKNER, a/k/a AL E. LACKNER, a/k/a AL LACKNER, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31412
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 April 22, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. Susan R. Lackner Personal Representative c/o H. Michael Miller Spencer Fane LLP 1700 Lincoln Street, Suite 2000 Denver, CO 80203 Legal Notice No. DHD204 First Publication: December 21, 2023 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Jean Lajeune (a.k.a. Jean Wills Lajeune), Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31437
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
Denver Herald Dispatch January 4, 2024 * 1
18 Denver Herald
January 4, 2024
Public Notices
before April 29, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. LEONA HAUSCHILD, Esq. Attorney for Personal Representative 1801 California Street, Suite 2400 Denver, CO 80202 Legal Notice No. DHD208 First Publication: December 28, 2023 Last Publication: January 11, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Eleanor McLerran, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 520
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 May 6, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. Nancy Travis Personal Representative 16245 Plover Pl Parker, CO 80134 Legal Notice No. DHD217 First Publication: January 4, 2024 Last Publication: January 18, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of John Daniel Chavez, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31353 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 April 22, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
c/o Franks Law, PC 355 S Teller Street, Ste. 200 Lakewood, CO 80226 Legal Notice No. DHD197 First Publication: December 21, 2023 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice
995 Kendall St Lakewood, CO 80214 Legal Notice No. DHD196 First Publication: December 21, 2023 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of DONICIO MADRID, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31306
NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of JOHN ARLEY SODERQUIST a/k/a JOHN A. SODERQUIST a/k/a JOHN SODERQUIST, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 031482
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 April 22, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
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 April 29, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Lisa Tolbert Personal Representative c/o Nicole Andrzejewski 5347 S. Valentia Way, Ste. 335 Greenwood Village, CO 80111
David Soderquist Personal Representative 7763 South Jackson Circle Centennial, CO 80122
Legal Notice No. DHD198 First Publication: December 21, 2023 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of NEIL DENNIS JOB, also known as NEIL D. JOB, also known as NEIL JOB, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 031323 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 April 22, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Jane M. Roberson Attorney for Personal Representative PO Box 1077 Denver, CO 80201-1077
Patricia J. Job, also known as Patricia Jean Job, Personal Representative c/o Illumine Legal LLC 8055 East Tufts Avenue, Suite 1350 Denver, Colorado 80237
Legal Notice No. DHD206 First Publication: December 21, 2023 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Legal Notice No. DHD200 First Publication: December 21, 2023 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
Public Notice
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Virginia Alice Schlenz, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 30937
NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Deborah Treseder, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 547
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 April 22, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
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 April 22, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Joseph Schlenz Personal Representative
Benjamin Treseder Personal Representative
Legal Notice No. DHD209 First Publication: December 28, 2023 Last Publication: January 11, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of REX MARTINEZ, a/k/a TONY GURLAY, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 472 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 April 21, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. Charmaine M. Shaw Personal Representative 1125 S. Irving Street Denver, CO 80219 Legal Notice No. DHD205 First Publication: December 21, 2023 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of JUDITH RUTH FERGUSON AKA JUDI FERGUSON, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31506 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 April 29, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
First Publication: December 28, 2023 Last Publication: January 11, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice Estate of JOANNE M. SESSON, a/k/a Joanne Marie Sesson, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31406
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 May 4, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. Stuart R. Davis Personal Representative 9 Brookside Drive Greenwood Village, CO 80121 Legal Notice No. DHD215 First Publication: January 4, 2024 Last Publication: January 18, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Marjorie H. Power a/k/a Marjorie Virginia Haas Power a/k/a Marjorie Haas a/k/a Marge Power a/k/a Margie Power, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 031180
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 April 22, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. Claudia J. Jansen Personal Representative 2220 S. Pinon Ct. Denver, CO 80210 Legal Notice No. DHD199 First Publication: December 21, 2023 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Luvern Wafford Nettles, also known as Luvern W. Nettles, also known as Luvern Nettles, also known as Luvern Wafford, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31438
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 April 22, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.
Royall E. S. Charsley, esq. 9565 S. Kingston Court, Suite 100 Englewood, CO 80112
Ralonda Thompson Personal Representative 45143 W. Desert Cedars Ln. Maricopa, AZ 85139
Legal Notice No. DHD212
Legal Notice No. DHD202
Denver Herald Dispatch January 4, 2024 * 2
Denver Herald 19
January 4, 2024
Energy assistance asks on the rise Colorado’s low-income energy assistance program gets record applications BY TATIANA FLOWERS THE COLORADO SUN
For the second year, Colorado’s Low-Income Energy Assistance Program is receiving a record number of applications to start the heating season, as the cost of energy and other necessities continues to rise and many Coloradans struggle to afford their bills. The federally funded statewide program helps eligible people and families pay a portion of their winter home heating bills by making a one-time payment directly to the utility company on their behalf. More than 71,000 Coloradans have applied for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, also called LEAP. That’s a 12% increase in the number of applications received this year compared with this time last season. Eligible families can receive between $200 and $1,000 in energy assistance, depending on the type of heating fuel they need, their income and other factors. Applications will
be accepted through April 30. “Rents are higher, housing costs are higher, food is much more expensive and medicine is getting much more expensive,” said Theresa Kullen, Colorado’s LEAP program manager. “We’re living in an economic situation where the impacts can be devastating enough that people have to either take food off their table or cut down medications to an unsafe amount,” she said. “And we don’t want, ever, to see a household have to make choices of that nature in order to live in a home with a safe indoor temperature.” In 2022, the program received 16% more applications than in 2021, Kullen said. And this year, the program’s administrative agencies have already received almost 10,000 more applications compared to last year at this same time. People are applying for assistance in higher numbers from all areas across the state. “And it’s not even that cold yet,” Kullen said. “The recent temperatures in the last few days have gotten chilly but we haven’t seen our worst time of winter. To see the increase so early on in the year is showing that this need is real and that people are really needing our help.” LEAP program employees have already approved 55% of the applications received so far this year
for almost 40,000 people. Many applications are still pending as LEAP employees sort through such a high volume of requests, Kullen said. The program is designed to help households with the highest energy costs, and the lowest incomes, by giving them the highest payment amounts. Typically, the highest payments help people who heat their homes with propane and electricity. To qualify for LEAP, Coloradans’ gross incomes must be no more than 60% of the state’s median income, or $3,081 per month for a one person household and $5,926 per month for a household of four. In addition to applying for LEAP, there are other steps Coloradans can take to lower their heating bills. People can ensure their home’s furnace is ready for winter by having it inspected by a professional and changing the furnace filter every three months during the winter. Sealing gaps around doors and windows can also help maintain heat on cold days. Those who are not able to receive funds from LEAP may have another opportunity to get help from Energy Outreach Colorado, a nonprofit that also provides home energy assistance. The organization was founded more than 30 years ago to support the LEAP program, said Denise
Stepto, a spokesperson at Energy Outreach Colorado. Many people who apply for assistance through Energy Outreach Colorado are those who couldn’t get any help or enough help through the LEAP program, she said. The organization has a year-round bill payment assistance program that helps people pay their utility costs. During the week that ended Dec. 10, the bill payment assistance program had received 561 applications and the organization spent $414,000 to help people with past due bills or costs they were unable to pay. Energy Outreach Colorado encourages people to first apply for assistance through LEAP. If people qualify for LEAP, they could also become eligible to receive help through Energy Outreach Colorado’s furnace repair and replacement program, its home energy efficiency upgrades program and possibly others. Through its furnace repair and replacement program, Energy Outreach Colorado organization helped about 2,600 households across the state this year and it spent just over $10 million through that effort, Stepto said. This story was printed through a news sharing agreement with The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonprofit based in Denver that covers the state.
Public Notices Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Timothy Spencer McClure, a/k/a Timothy S. McClure, a/k/a Timothy McClure, a/k/a Spencer McClure, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31492 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 May 6, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. Patrick R. Thiessen (40185) FRIE, ARNDT, DANBORN & THIESSEN P.C. 7400 Wadsworth Blvd, Ste. 201 Arvada, CO 80003 Phone Number: 303-420-1234 Attorney for Rodney Titoni Personal Representative Legal Notice No. DHD213 First Publication: January 4, 2024 Last Publication: January 18, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of PAULA JEAN KONIGSBERG, also known as PAULA J. KONIGSBERG, PAULA KONIGSBERG and PJ KONIGSBERG, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31299 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 April 22, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. Allan C. Gordon Personal Representative 726 Garfield St. Denver, CO 80206 Legal Notice No. DHD203 First Publication: December 21, 2023 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of ALAN P. PRICE, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31505 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 April 28, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. James J. Moynihan Personal Representative 1346 St. Paul Street Denver, CO 80206 Legal Notice No. DHD210 First Publication: December 28, 2023 Last Publication: January 11, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
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Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Brian Frederick Cass, also known as Brian F. Cass, also known as Brian Cass , Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 31434 All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Co-Special Administrators Maxwell F. Cass and/or Nathaniel C. Cass or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before May 4, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. Kirk B. Holleyman 4450 Arapahoe Avenue #100, Boulder, CO 80303 Legal Notice No. DHD214 First Publication: Januarya 4, 2024 Last Publication: January 18, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of George Roman Nadolny, Deceased Case Number: 2023 PR 031365 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 April 22, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred. Anna L. Burr, Esq. 2851 South Parker Road, Suite 230 Aurora, Colorado 80014 Legal Notice No. DHD195 First Publication: December 21, 2023 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch ###
PUBLIC NOTICES
First Publication: December 21, 2023 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch
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Denver Herald Dispatch January 4, 2024 * 3
20 Denver Herald
January 4, 2024
SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM
DON’T LET YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPERS GO SILENT.
This year, even more than ever before, the news is in crisis. More than 17,000 news media jobs were cut just by June, at national and local outlets including at some of the biggest names like NPR, The Texas Tribune and Gannett. In fact, newsroom layoffs are up 20% from last year. Some of these outlets laid off more than 10% of their staff in the last few months — even as we head into a critical election year. These are devastating numbers. But all is not lost. Many local and independent newsrooms continue to launch across the country. With your contributions and subscriber memberships, small newsrooms like ours continue to grow, adding new journalists and expanding reporting and investigations. We’re committed to bringing the news to Coloradans. That’s because you deserve access to local, independent journalism that keeps you connected and informed — especially during challenging times. This is #newsCOneeds.
PLEASE SUPPORT LOCAL NEWS AND THE COMMUNITY CONNECTION WE PROVIDE. To contribute online: www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.com/give-to-CCM To contribute by phone: Please call 303-566-4100 • Monday-Friday 9am-4pm To contribute by mail please send your contribution to the following address:
Colorado Community Media, Attn: VC, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Ste. 225 Englewood, CO 80110