Elbert County News 040722

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Week of April 7, 2022

ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

ElbertCountyNews.net

VOLUME 127 | ISSUE 8

Elizabeth seeks input on historic preservation Town hopes residents will answer survey questions, follow meetings Kiowa Elementary students prepare for a stick horse race at the Stampede to Read event on March 23.

PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Stampede to Read is one for the books Elbert County children participate in annual literacy program

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Kiowa Elementary students gathered on March 23 in the school’s gymnasium to welcome Elizabeth Stampede volunteers and kick off the annual Stampede to Read Program. The program began on March 28 and will continue through April.

Various Stampede volunteers showed up to encourage the children, including Rodeo Queen Josie Thomas, Attendant Hannah Thomas and rodeo clown J.W. Winklepleck.

The Stampede to Read Program is designed for elementary school students in Elbert County. Students read a designated length of time each week depending on SEE STAMPEDE TO READ, P2

From left, Stampede Rodeo Queen Josie Thomas, rodeo clown J.W. Winklepleck and Rodeo Attendant Hannah Thomas take part in the Stampede to Read event.

INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 18

BEST OF THE BEST

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

The Town of Elizabeth and its Historic Advisory Board have released a survey designed to gauge resident knowledge and interest regarding downtown Elizabeth and its associated historic sites. The feedback will help shape possible changes to the municipal code and could impact the future of a potential historic district in the town.

The Town of Elizabeth released a statement encouraging residents to participate in the survey: “The Town of Elizabeth and the Historic Advisory Board would like your feedback about Historic Preservation in Elizabeth. The current Municipal Code has similar but not identical sections for Historic Preservation in both Chapters 2 and 16. The Town would like to gather feedback regarding an update to this Municipal Code language in person after the results of this survey have been analyzed.

The survey has 18 questions, most of which are multiple-choice. The survey should take five minutes or less to complete.

Some questions that participants can expect are: 1. What is your level of knowledge SEE HISTORIC, P4

VOTE NOW! ElbertCountyNews.net

2 Elbert County News

April 7, 2022

STAMPEDE TO READ FROM PAGE 1

High school students peer over the gym balcony to watch the Kiowa Elementary kids race across the gym.

Rodeo Clown J.W. Winklepleck entertains the crowd and educates on his role with the Elizabeth Stampede.

PRESENTS

Students, teachers, and staff from Kiowa Elementary School gathered in the gymnasium for the Stampede to Read PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON Program kickoff event.

grade level. Each week students will receive a sheet to keep track of their reading. This must be signed-off by parents and will be managed by teachers.

At the end of each week, students who finish their reading will win small prizes provided by the Elizabeth Stampede. If a student finishes the entire four-week program, they receive a free ticket to the Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo and a coupon for a free ice cream cone at the Elizabeth Dairy Queen.

The Stampede to Read Program has been going strong since its inception in 2009. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stampede volunteers did a tour of all local elementary schools. Due to assembly restrictions, Kiowa Elementary is currently the only school holding large assemblies, limiting where Stampede volunteers can present the program. Students at all other elementary schools will receive information from their teachers and watch a pre-recorded introduction by the Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo royalty.

This is the first year since the COVID-19 outbreak that Stampede volunteers have entered a school to promote the event. The Stampede to Read Program, however, continued even during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

Elizabeth Stampede President Traci McClain shared how the Stampede stayed engaged with the students during quarantine.

“During COVID, we had different volunteers read to the kids through videos on our Facebook page,” explained McClain. “Kids were asked to draw pictures about the story and post them online.”

McClain also shared that their beloved rodeo clown worked to keep the kids engaged during quarantine. “J.W. is our barrelman.

He’s been with us forever,” said McClain. “He kindly donates his time to help us every year.

During COVID he made videos that we uploaded to social media.”

After the Kiowa Elementary students were introduced to the Stampede to Read Program, the Elizabeth Stampede queen and attendant gave a short presentation and Winklepleck did barrel demonstrations. Some students later did stick horse races while their classmates cheered them on. Royalty Josie and Hannah Thomas even took their turn racing each other across the gym.

“The kids really love it. They especially love seeing our rodeo queens,” said Dianna Hiatt, Vice Chair for the Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo Royalty Committee. “I hear so many kids who say they want to be just like them when they grow up. Several of our queens have been through the program themselves.”

To watch the Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo royalty talk about the 2022 Stampede to Read Program, visit youtube.com/shorts/ MGDYbXJ4Y5I.

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Elbert County News 3

April 7, 2022

Postmaster arrested on internet sex charges Jefferson County investigators took Chad Miller into custody at Elizabeth Post Office STAFF REPORT

Postmaster Chad Miller, 45, was arrested on March 31 at the Elizabeth Post Office by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigators on suspicion of two counts of Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Sexual Exploitation of a Child, all felony charges, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

The arrest was made by the sheriff’s Cheezo Unit/Special Inves-

tigations Unit, which focuses on internet sexual exploitation.

The investigation began in August 2021, when Miller allegedly initiated communication with a member of the Cheezo Unit based on the belief that the investigator was a 13-year-old girl. Miller allegedly expressed a desire to have sex with the girl but then stopped communicating with the undercover investigator, never setting a date to meet.

Then last month, between March 9 and March 30, Miller again initiated communication with an investigator from the Cheezo Unit who was posing as a 13-year-old girl and disclosed that he was a postmaster, the news release said.

During the 2022 interactions, Miller continually engaged in detailed sexual communications

with someone he believed was a juvenile, described the sexual acts he wanted to do to the girl, asked for “live” pictures so he could verify the girl was real and requestChad Miller JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ed videos, according to the news release from the sheriff’s office.

As of April 1, the Jefferson County jail webpage showed Miller in custody and eligible for bail.

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4 Elbert County News

April 7, 2022

HISTORIC

FROM PAGE 1

The Huber-Carlson Building in Elizabeth, left, dates to 1890.

The building housing Catalina’s Diner dates to days gone by but the year of construction is uncertain.

PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Antelope Alpacas Fiber Arts Center is located in this Elizabeth building dating to an unknown year.

about the purpose of historic preservation in Elizabeth?

2. Are you concerned about the potential exterior updates/changes to historic structures in town?

3. Are there any buildings in town which you would like to protect from future demolition?

4. Do you think Elizabeth would benefit from having a historic district?

In a March 30 phone interview with Zach Higgins, Town of Elizabeth planner and project manager, he explained the outcome of code changes and outlined the steps toward a possible designated historic district in Elizabeth.

“We’re really trying to gauge people’s general perspectives on historic preservation to see if people want to preserve Elizabeth for the future,” said Higgins. “Based on this feedback, we’re either going to say that there is no interest to preserve or that there is an interest to preserve and here is the data we have to back that up.”

Higgins explained that if the survey yields positive feedback, there is a plan in place to designate a Town of Elizabeth Historic District toward the end of 2022. To create the historic district, the municipal code would first need to be updated.

The district plan would then have to be approved by the Planning Commission followed by the Board of Trustees. There would be several opportunities for public comment throughout the process.

SEE HISTORIC, P5

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Elbert County News 5

April 7, 2022

HISTORIC

FROM PAGE 4

This designation would allow the town and the Historic Advisory Board to apply for state and federal funding. Funding would allow for maintenance and preservation of historic structures, among others.

The Historic Advisory Board survey comes at a sensitive time for some Elizabeth residents. With increasing residential and commercial development in the area, many old structures have been and will continue to be removed to make way for new builds. For example, although the Gold Creek Ranch structures near Walmart are not within the proposed historic district, residents took to Facebook to share their concerns about the removal of the buildings to make way for development.

“I implore as many people as possible to take the survey and attend the public meeting on April 18th,” said Higgins. “Everybody’s feedback is very important.”

The Town of Elizabeth and the Historic Advisory Board will hold a public meeting on April 18 to give feedback on a draft of the code update. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at Elizabeth Town Hall, 151 S. Banner St. Visit surveymonkey.com/r/Q6NV3Q9 to take the survey.

For more information on the survey and the public meeting about historic preservation, contact Town of Elizabeth Planner and Project Manager Zach Higgins at zhiggins@ townofelizabeth.org or 303-725-7496.

The Section House in Elizabeth was constructed in 1882.

PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

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6 Elbert County News

April 7, 2022

Mother ‘desperate’ to warn about THC concentrates Son’s 2019 death by suicide led to push for awareness

BY JEREMY MOORE ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS

Laura Stack pauses as she reflects on what was lost when her son died by suicide.

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Johnny Stack used to tell his parents the mob was after him and that they were in on it. His mother says he couldn’t really explain why.

“He just always had this sense of paranoia or that people were watching him or after him or that everybody knew who he was,” Laura Stack said of Johnny’s behavior before his death in November 2019.

“It was a very strange pattern of thinking.”

Johnny fell from the top of the parking garage at RTD’s Lincoln Station in Lone Tree. His death was ruled a suicide and his behavior suggests he was experiencing a mental health crisis.

Five minutes before the fall he took a photo of his car odometer. It read 133661. He posted the photo on Snapchat with the message: “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. For one extreme to exist, there must be the opposing.” “[Experts in psychosis] don’t think he probably actually thought he would die,” Laura said. “There was a video of him from the RTD station that the cameras took in the parking lot showing that he spread his wings as if he literally thought that he was going to fly right off the building. I don’t know if he intended to die. I’ll never

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know what was going through his mind. But I do know that if it hadn’t been for marijuana, he’d still be here today.”

Johnny’s family scattered his ashes in Hawaii the February after his death on what would have been his 20th birthday. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, leaving the Stacks to mourn in isolation.

“And then I got really angry living here in Colorado and just the availability of this drug and these dabs, these concentrates, these vapes, these edibles. And these kids don’t have any idea how potent this stuff is and how it’s harming their brains,” Laura said.

“And everyone wants them to believe it’s so natural and harmless.

And it’s legal. It must be safe. Just all the false narratives that these kids buy into, that these adults are telling them and not protecting them.”

For the next six months, Laura wrote about Johnny. She produced 300 pages. “I wrote his life and death story in a way that I hoped other people would recognize their children and hopefully save them.

Can’t save Johnny, but we can maybe keep it from happening to someone else,” she said. “So amazing how many people call me and they say, ‘I read your story and you can substitute my son with yours.

And it’s the same story.’”

Johnny was 14 when he first tried marijuana at a party. It was 2014, the year Colorado became the first state in the nation to legalize rec-

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

Elbert County News 7

April 7, 2022

CONCENTRATE FROM PAGE 6

reational marijuana use for people 21 and older. Voters had passed Amendment 64 two years prior to full commercialization.

Johnny’s parents dismissed his first encounter with marijuana as a relatively harmless bump in the road. They admit they had no idea their son had begun a journey toward addiction. “I thought to myself, you know, it’s just weed, right? I used it. It didn’t hurt me.

I had no idea how wrong I was,” Laura said. “It’s the dirty little secret of the marijuana industry that these high potency products can trigger psychosis in youth.

There’s a campaign of confusion.

They want to cast doubt on any study that comes out that hints that THC in the developing brain can actually cause mental illness and schizophrenia-like psychosis with delusional thinking.”

Johnny tried to stop using marijuana a couple of times. Laura says during those breaks he would recover. But he kept going back.

He would eventually be diagnosed with “THC abuse — severe.”

“That was his diagnosis,” Laura said. “He had no other drugs in his system. It wasn’t laced with anything. This wasn’t the black market.”

According to Dr. Chris Rogers, the Medical Director of Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services at the HealthOne Behavioral Health Campus in Aurora, suicide is the number one cause of

‘The data is very suggestive that your risk of having suicidal thoughts and potential suicide attempts also increases with the potency of cannabis.’

Dr. Chris Rogers, Medical Director of Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services at the HealthOne Behavioral Health Campus in Aurora

death in Colorado for youths ages 10 through 19. And the number one substance found in their toxicology reports is THC, not alcohol.

“The data is very suggestive that your risk of having suicidal thoughts and potential suicide attempts also increases with the potency of cannabis,” Dr. Rogers said. “So, the younger you are and the higher the potency THC products you use seems to correlate to your risk for worsening depression and suicidality later in life. And then the higher the potency gets, it is fairly compelling that your risk of psychosis goes up somewhere between four- and six-fold with each use. The risk of addiction also seems to be correlated with that, such that we believe the data would suggest that one out of every 11 adults who try current cannabis products are destined to then become addicted. One out of every six adolescents … will go on to form a true cannabis use disor-

der or a cannabis addiction.”

Rogers works to increase awareness of how harmful today’s marijuana products can be, particularly for younger populations. And like Laura Stack, he combats misinformation from the cannabis industry and marijuana culture in general.

“A whole generation of Coloradans have been raised to think marijuana is medicine,” Rogers said. “And that’s one of the most alarming trends that we combat on a daily basis. I have kids as young as 12 years old who tell me they use high potency products such as wax, shatter, dabs, things that are basically rock marijuana. It’s THC distilled down into 80%-plus forms using butane and other harsh chemicals. And you use a glass pipe with a blowtorch similar to smoking crack cocaine or any rock product. And they use this nightly to help them fall asleep as SEE CONCENTRATE, P8

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8 Elbert County News

April 7, 2022

CONCENTRATE FROM PAGE 7

if it were NyQuil and they don’t see any harm in it. The harm is evident since I’m obviously talking to them in an inpatient psychiatric unit.”

Both Dr. Rogers and Laura Stack point to how rapidly the marijuana industry has developed THC products that older Americans wouldn’t even recognize. And they say the potency of today’s best sellers are having devastating effects, especially in children.

“You can ingest marijuana any which way you think might be fun and we have no idea. This includes tinctures, edibles, vaporizers, suppositories, THC-infused tampons … there are no guardrails. If it’s got THC and you can make it, you can pretty much sell it in the state,” Rogers said. “These are products that kids describe much closer to like a heroin or methamphetamine addiction. They can’t stop thinking about using these products even though they know it’s ruining their lives. They can’t focus on their friendships, their relationships, their school. They also cannot stop using because it is that potent of an addiction.” “[In 2012, Colorado] voters were thinking they were getting the Woodstock weed. That’s what they wanted. You know, they wanted this 10%, get a paper, put in some flower, roll a joint, pass it around and go to Denny’s, right? That’s what voters wanted. But what our kids got are these 90% shatters and oils and edibles,” Laura Stack said. “I don’t think that voters would vote the same way today if everybody actually understood what marijuana is.”

Rogers and Stack are also eager to highlight how easily children are getting and hiding their use of these products.

“Things like marijuana vaporizer devices … that look like an albuterol inhaler. So, I can look like I’m treating my asthma in the middle of class and I’m getting crazy high to the point that teachers talk about kids falling out of their desks,” Rogers said. “The market share of these high potency products has skyrocketed over the available time that we have data: 170% increase in market share between 2014 and 2016. The marijuana industry knows that if they can hook kids before their brains are fully devel-

oped, their chances of having a lifelong user are much greater. So, they’re exquisitely prone to becoming addicted.”

“These kids are fully aware of who the seniors are, who’s 18, who has their medical marijuana card and who’s selling,” Stack said. “It’s simple for kids here to get marijuana … it’s perfectly legal for an 18-year-old to go into a dispensary with a med card and buy marijuana and then sell it. So, we call this sometimes the gray market.

It’s legal to purchase, illegal to sell it. But, people have the mistaken impression that these kids are getting it on the street or they’re getting it from the black market, or they’re paying somebody five bucks to go in and buy it for them. They don’t have to do that. They just get it from their classmates. They get it from their older brothers and sisters. Sadly, they get it from their parents.”

By 18, Johnny had obtained his own med card without his parents’ knowledge. After he died, the Stacks discovered pictures and videos on Johnny’s Snapchat account that suggest he was also selling marijuana products to younger children.

“He had no mental health, no physical health, no conditions that he should have been able to even get one,” Laura said. “We don’t even know who gave it to him because they protect the doctors… You can say, ‘oh, I have a migraine’ or ‘I have a backache,’ and you can get a medical marijuana card when you’re 18 and legally go into the dispensaries and buy this stuff that’s so toxic. And they don’t know because everyone wants them to be addicted in the marijuana industry because their primary consumer is that 18- to 24-year-old age group … it’s addiction for profit.”

Dr. Rogers admits parents are outmanned and outgunned by commercialized marijuana. “You’re fighting against … a multi-billiondollar industry that is targeting your child, that is intentionally doing everything they can to change the narrative, to say this is safe, this is good, give it a shot. Let’s make it more enticing. Let’s make it more empowering, more euphoric,” Rogers said. “I think if you sit down with Laura Stack and try to say, ‘that’s a parenting problem,’ you’re either delusionally high or you just are a heartless human because these people love the hell out of their kids. They do everything they

can for them, and they’re still losing kids by the hundreds to these addictive properties.”

In May of 2020, Laura founded Johnny’s Ambassadors. The nonprofit educates parents, teens and communities about the dangers of today’s high THC products, particularly on adolescent brain development, mental illness and suicide.

She travels across the country with her husband John, who says he mourned Johnny’s death differently.

“I am proud that [Laura has] channeled her abilities into this direction,” John Stack said. “It took me a year at least to even be able to have this discussion.”

John and Laura Stack still marvel at how much marijuana changed their son. Before, he was busy with school and sports. He ran crosscountry and track, played soccer and was a brown-green belt in karate. He had a 4.0 GPA until his

very last semester of high school and scored a perfect 800 in math on his SAT, graduating with a scholarship to Colorado State University.He played the piano and guitar, participated in service projects and had a heart for the homeless.

John remembers the strained relationship he had with Johnny before his death. He chalked it up to typical teenage behavior. “I always thought that we had time,” John Stack said. “I always thought that, you know, someday we would laugh about some of the things that happened when he was a teenager. And I never got that chance.”

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.

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Elbert County News 9

April 7, 2022

e

o

Free Noxious Weed and Wildfire Prevention Workshop Elbert County Treasurer Sheryl Hewlett, left, stands with Assessor Susan Murphy at COURTESY PHOTO the Republican county assembly on March 19.

Republicans back assessor for second term Susan Murphy receives unanimous support at county assembly STAFF REPORT

Elbert County Republicans have elected current Assessor Susan Murphy to the June primary ballot. Murphy’s bid for a second term in this year’s elections garnered unanimous support from delegates at the party’s county assembly held on March 19 at the Elbert County Fairgrounds in Kiowa, according to a news release from county GOP Chair Tom Peterson.

“We couldn’t be prouder of Susan and the excellent work she and her team have done during her first term,” said Carol Hinds, vice chair of the Elbert County Republicans. “The unanimous support from the assembly is an indication of the support she has and how well she has done.”

The election was made by 165 seated Republican delegates from throughout the county.

Former County Commissioner Kurt Schlegel from Elizabeth made the nomination and stated, “I’ve known and worked with Susan for several years, first as an elected official for Elbert County and now as a private business owner. Susan has consistently proven herself to be a hard-working, competent and

loyal person.” Schlegel said that under Murphy’s leadership, her office has improved processes and accountability, and added that “we need conservative elected officials like Susan in leadership roles.”

Mary Moore of Simla seconded the nomination, saying Murphy “has built a team that works with integrity and within Colorado law.” Moore noted that Murphy and her team received the Certificate of Excellence in Assessment Administration from the International Association of Assessing Officers, making them the firstever recipients of the award in Colorado.

Murphy accepted the nomination by stating, “I am honored and humbled to have been selected as the Republican candidate to serve as your county assessor. I would like to thank the Elbert County Republicans for advancing our conservative priorities and protecting Elbert County citizens’ values and rural lifestyle.”

Following the assembly, a thankful Murphy reflected on the experience and the upcoming election and stated, “Assembly was a great day in Elbert County! Gathering with a group of individuals that love their community and want the best for their local elected officials and state government.” She added that her goal is to “continue in a shared effort of excellence, efficiency, and productivity that exists in our office today.”

THINNING FORESTS. STARVING WILDFIRES.

Did you know noxious weeds on your property can damage native flora and increase the risk of a wildfire spreading to your home? Learn to ID and eradicate them. Join land, vegetation and wildfire experts for a workshop from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 16, in-person or online.

Visit douglas.co.us and search Noxious Weed Education.

Your voice will help us protect your home and our community Douglas County is updating its Community Wildfire Protection Plan – a document that defines how we can proactively protect life and property. The first step in updating this plan is your input, by completing a short survey. Visit douglas.co.us/cwpp-survey to complete the survey by April 26.

E-recycling: Saturday, April 9 Douglas County residents may dispose of unwanted electronics free of charge at Techno Rescue, 3251 Lewiston St. in Aurora, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and occasional Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Proof of residency is required. For a list of acceptable items, Saturday drop-off dates and more visit douglas.co.us/community-recycling

SCFD Free Days Want to learn more about history, spend time appreciating abstract or contemporary art or get in touch with nature?

SCFD organizations have your entrance fee and cultural passions covered. For more information, including specific dates and locations, visit scfd.org

What’s happening with your County government?

Our commitment to open and transparent government includes online posting of information about public meetings at which the business of government is conducted. To view various public meeting agendas and to participate in-person or remotely visit douglas. co.us and search for Meetings and Agendas.

Experts in Defensible Space & Forest Restoration.

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Visit douglas.co.us and search Child Abuse FAQs for additional information.

Visit douglas.co.us

10 Elbert County News

April 7, 2022

BEST OF THE BEST

2022 BEST OF THE

BEST VOTE NOW! Through April 15th

ElbertCountyNews.net To provide the most accurate results by geographical area, Colorado Community Media does not require, but does encourage readers to vote for businesses in their immediate local community. All nominated businesses have an equal opportunity of winning, no purchase required. Please see voting website for complete contest rules and regulations.

Linda Renford works at the curbside ballot dropoff outside Arapahoe County Elections Division in Littleton on Election Day, Nov. 2, 2021.

PHOTO BY HART VAN DENBURG/CPR

New law bans openly carrying firearms near voting locations No Republican legislators supported bill meant to prevent intimidation

BY BENTE BIRKELAND COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law on March 30 that bans anyone in Colorado from openly carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a voting location, unless their property falls within that buffer.

The Vote Without Fear Act was a priority election bill for Democrats in charge of the state legislature.

Supporters say the law is needed to prevent the harassment of voters and poll workers, arguing that the current intimidation law can be difficult to enforce.

It passed with no support from Republicans, who argued it infringed on Second Amendment rights.

Supporters say the bill will help prevent voter intimidation Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder Joan Lopez attended the bill signing ceremony at the state capitol and recalled an incident that occurred on the eve of the 2020 presidential election. Two men came to the county’s administrative office in Littleton.

“Came in with cameras, filming voters, open carrying, and just trying to intimidate voters. And then they moved to the front of the building where every voter had to pass them to get to the voting center,” she said.

Lopez said people complained and the election judges were really “shook up.”

“Even though the police were called and our attorneys were involved, there was nothing we could do at that point because they weren’t violating any laws. Now it’s going to be law and they won’t be able to do this ever again,” Lopez said.

Democratic state Rep. Jennifer Bacon is one of the main sponsors of House Bill 1086. She said voter intimidation has a long legacy in the U.S, especially against communities of color. She said it’s part of her own family’s history when they lived in Jackson Mississippi.

“I want to thank the NAACP. We have been fighting for this for a century in this country to be able to vote without fear,” she said.

Opponents argued that since Colorado is an open-carry state (with a few exceptions), the bill infringes on Second Amendment rights, and could make people who

openly carry a firearm feel less secure.

The new law is among several election security measures Democrats are putting forward this session.

House Bill 1273 would make it a misdemeanor to threaten or intimidate state and local election workers for doing their jobs.

It’s still awaiting its first committee hearing. It also would make it illegal to publish the personal information of election workers — a practice known as doxing — and allow those workers and their immediate family members to remove their private information from open records requests. And it would increase the penalties for threats and intimidation.

Senate Bill 153 is in response to the security breach in Mesa County. Republican Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters and her Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley are facing multiple indictments for election tampering and misconduct. A federal investigation is ongoing.

It would add new security requirements for counties, requiring constant video surveillance of election equipment, stricter rules about who can access equipment and increase penalties for potential security breaches in an effort to try to prevent insider security threats. The bill cleared the Senate with Democratic support and one Republican yes vote.

This story is from Colorado Public Radio, a nonprofit news source.

Used by permission. For more, and to support CPR News, visit cpr.org.

Elbert County News 11

April 7, 2022

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12 Elbert County News

LOCAL

April 7, 2022

VOICES

Mental health dilemma

S

ince the start of the pandemic, there appears to be a lot more emphasis on doing something about the mental health crisis in this country.

The problem is the help is coming at a pretty late date.

In talking to a clinician at the UCHealth hospital in Highlands Ranch, she was adamant FROM THE that this crisis did not grow from the pandemic. Instead, she compared the EDITOR situation to a pot, filled to the rim, and once the COVID-19 crisis hit the world, the pot boiled over out of control.

If we could point at something good coming from that pot boiling over — it is that we as a society can no longer just ignore or place small Band-Aids on a catastrophic problem. The state, cities, counties and hospitals and doctors are now turning their focus to the crisis Thelma Grimes and doing a lot more to address it.

Recently, through a Kaiser Permanente grant, Englewood Public Schools put $300,000 towards addressing mental health needs for students. This is a great start here. It is great that Kaiser made the project possible.

In Douglas County they are ahead of the curve. Good thinking many years ago has led to a great program there aimed at helping adults and children struggling with mental health. They continue to focus on getting people help rather than throwing them in jail cells. They focus on going directly into homes and showing that someone cares through the Community Response Teams.

The county initiative is also inside the schools, making sure students who need help are getting it.

At the college level, a recent discussion with a school official said young adults are taking on more today than ever before. They are trying to pass full class loads while working 40 hours a week just to be able to pay rent and get by.

As this official said, all of these students are one flat tire away from having full-blown meltdowns. To some, a flat tire should be seen as no big deal, but to the student juggling everything and barely holding it together, the flat tire is the last straw.

The pandemic has shown that while we often say our young children are resilient and will be fine — evidence shows the opposite. We should be applauding what Children’s Hospital Colorado had the foresight to do in 2021.

That foresight was essentially speaking out.

CHC said hospital beds are not being filled with physically sick children. Instead, they are being filled with children and teens causing self-harm.

CHC called out the state government for not doing enough to address the issue. That has led to more discussions, more effort to help our children.

The problem, however, is the pot is boiling over and the concern now is did we wait too long to really start taking the crisis seriously? Can we stabilize an out-of-control situation?

I know there are a lot of local programs and community leaders who are taking on the crisis head on. As citizens, hopefully we too can jump in and help where we can.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Did you know?

The Colorado Attorney General’s (AG) office can investigate an elected official if their actions might reasonably show a pattern of abuses of office that deprives citizens’ rights granted by the U.S. or state constitutions. A single incident should be reported to local law enforcement. Citizens should also not hesitate to any abuse to the AG’s office so that any continuing pattern can be identified and investigated by the AG’s office.

If you have experienced or believe you have witnessed such abuse(s)s, consider reporting the violation(s) here: https://coag.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/ SV_9AmM09jK0GcwetT Following is a statement from the AG’s office explaining its granted authority:

Giving and receiving grace WINNING WORDS

Michael Norton

Thelma Grimes is the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media

A publication of

750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110 Phone: 303-566-4100 Web: ElbertCountyNews.net To subscribe call 303-566-4100

“Following the enactment of Senate Bill 20-217 (C.R.S. § 24-31-113), the Colorado Attorney General has authority to pursue civil actions when there is reasonable cause to believe that a governmental authority has engaged in a pattern or practice that deprives persons of rights protected by the constitution or laws of the United States or the state of Colorado.

Pattern-or-practice cases focus on systemic reform of widespread misconduct by government entities, and do not address individual instances of misconduct. After you complete this form, we will review the information as part of our work to collect data and identify patterns or practices of unlawful conduct.”

Susan Shick Elizabeth

A

young man stood by the side of the road waiting for a bus. The rain was pouring down and he was doing his best to stay dry. He was dressed for success, a nice suit and tie, and carried an expensive laptop bag in the hand that was not holding the umbrella. A car came racing by and drove very close to the curb where the young man was standing. The splash from the car drenched him. No visible sign of anger, no words came from his mouth, he just did what he could to minimize the damage.

As an observer to this event, I was beyond curious. I approached him and offered the roll of paper towels that I had in my truck. The man smiled at me, accepted the paper towels, and began cleaning himself off. I shared with him that

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager

lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

LISA SCHLICHTMAN Editor-in-Chief

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eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

THELMA GRIMES South Metro Editor

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tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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ERIN FRANKS Production Manager

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I admired his response to what happened, even sharing that I might not have been so forgiving. Again, he smiled, and he said, “Mister, I have done so many bad things and have wronged so many people, it is only right that I forgave them.” He continued, and said, “I have been given grace and forgiven so many times, I now know that I have to give grace and forgive others too.”

He was speaking my language.

I asked him where he was headed, and he shared that he was catching the bus to downtown Denver. I let him know that I was on my way to Denver and offered him a ride. He gratefully accepted and we began our journey. As we drove, I learned that he was going downtown to interview for a job. And he was laughing because now he was going

Columnists & Guest Commentaries Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Elbert County News.

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

Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.

SEE NORTON, P13

ELBERT COUNTY NEWS (USPS 171-100) A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County News is published weekly on Thursday

by Colorado Community Media, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110.

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address change to: Elbert County News, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110

Elbert County News 13

April 7, 2022

An unsolved math problem on the Colorado River

S

pring runoff last year in the Colorado River Basin was a bust, with snowpack of almost 90% of average reduced to a 30% BIG PIVOTS inflow at Lake Powell.

Nobody yet predicts another bust this year. While we wait, water managers talk about “the math problem.”

The gap between water flows and Allen Best demands in the Colorado River is enormous and likely to widen. The dysfunctional equation begins with 20 million acre-feet, the average annual flows assumed by the Colorado River Compact that was crafted 100 years ago by delegates from the seven basin states.

This cheerful assumption was based on early 20th century flows.

It was made with almost willful disregard of evidence available even then of the river’s lesser flows during the prior half-century. The delegates who met at a lodge near Santa Fe in 1922 were determined to yoke all irrigable acres into agricultural production.

In this math problem, another key number is 12.3 million acre-feet.

That’s been the river’s average flow in the 21st century. Some of this reduced flow seems to be entirely natural, what we call drought, if exceptional in duration.

Something else has been going on.

Temperatures have risen 3 degrees Celsius altogether since 1970. By some estimates, half or more of the reduced flows can be attributed to this global warming effect. This

NORTON FROM PAGE 12

to show up soaking wet.

As I asked him what kind of job he was looking for and the company that he was interviewing with, it turned out that I had many connections within the company and knew the woman who he was meeting for the interview. I didn’t tell him that. And as I dropped him off, I sent a text message to the woman, my friend, and let her know how he handled the day and his approach to giving and receiving grace. I advised her that even if his resume or experience didn’t qualify him as a great candidate, his character certainly would. He got the job.

Look, we all fall short, we all fail from time to time. There are things we wish we could have done better, there are words we wish we could take back, and there are certainly moments in time where our actions were inappropriate as we either overreacted or underreacted under times of stress. And when we think about our own misgivings and the errors of our ways, I am sure that we can also remember the people who gave us grace, and who demonstrated love and forgiveness, no matter how big or

warming explains the grand larceny in the Colorado River, decent snowpacks reduced to a shrug in the Utah desert because of evaporation but also because plants need more water. Too, baked soil sops up water.

We can’t flip the switch on global warming and it’s almost certain to worsen, the temperature rise doubling or tripling, as Colorado State University’s Brad Udall warns.

He describes what is occurring as aridification. Unlike drought, it’s not temporary.

Dismal forecasts This brings us to another number for this Colorado River Basin math problem: 11 million acre-feet.

That’s the number cited last week at a University of Utah conference about future flows of the Colorado River.

“The best climate scientists in the world say we will be lucky to have 11 million acre-feet,” said John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the agency serving Las Vegas.

To recap this math problem, the Colorado River Compact assumed 20 million-acre feet, the reality has been 12.3 in the last two decades, and we’ll end up with 11 millionacre feet—or conceivably less.

“Every new use will have to be mitigated by someone, somewhere, using less water,” Entsminger added.

That’s not entirely right either.

We all will have to use less water.

Keep in mind that not one drop of the Colorado River gets to the Sea of Cortez.

Cinching of the water belt has been underway from Mexico to

small our mistake may have been.

Perhaps, as we look upon our family, friends, community, and workplace, there are circumstances where we have a chance to offer such forgiveness and grace. Each time we receive grace from others should be seen as a deposit in our own bank account of love, forgiveness and grace. We just need to be reminded that we must make withdrawals from time to time and give that same grace to others.

There is enough division and conflict going on in our world today, we don’t need to add any more or pile on. Instead, we should look at the events, the statements, and the actions that were obviously a mistake or that could have been handled better, as an opportunity to love and forgive.

Unconditional love and forgiveness sound idealistic, yet we know when we live with and apply this philosophy that the outcome is decisively better. I would love to hear your story of grace at mnorton@xinnix.com. And when we can learn to give and receive grace, it really will be a better than good year.

Michael Norton is the grateful president of XINNIX, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes.

Colorado. It’s not happening as rapidly as needed, though. Consider the rapidly emerging walls of Glen Canyon and the dam that creates Lake Powell. Despite emergency releases from upstream reservoirs in Colorado and Utah last summer to bolster Powell, the water levels last week dipped below 3,525 feet.

That elevation is arbitrary but a loud warning that a further decline of 35 feet leaves Glen Canyon unable to generate electricity. Recent modeling by the U.S. Geological Survey shows a 25% risk. If — or perhaps when — that happens, municipalities and cooperative members who get power from Glen Canyon will still get electricity from elsewhere, but it will cost more. That includes Holy Cross Electric.

Long term, this worsening situation of subpar runoff in the Colorado River matters to well more than 90% of Colorado’s population.

The Colorado River and its tributaries deliver half of Front Range water. Even the easterly flowing rivers in Colorado that pass through more distant, less citified places, Sterling and La Junta, carry water augmented by diversions from the

Colorado River.

Much remains to be worked out.

Within Colorado, agriculture uses 80% to 90% of all water. Farmers and ranchers who own the more senior water rights, not subject to compact limitations, have served emphatic notice that their water will not be the answer to the math problem.

Another problem is the compact clause that puts the upper basin states—Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming—on the hook for diminished flows. It says they “will not cause” the flows at Lee Ferry, just below Glen Canyon, to be depleted below 75 million acrefeet of water over a rolling 10-year average. The upper basin states cannot do this alone. The risk must be shared.

This sounds gloomy. That said, the seven basin states, Mexico, and the sovereign tribes who collectively own about 20% the basin’s water have yet to throw rocks at each other. They are talking. They just haven’t solved this math problem.

Allen Best publishes Big Pivots, a reader-supported e-journal. See more at bigpivots.com.

Memory In Loving

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

14 Elbert County News

April 7, 2022

Cranes grace valley on northward trip Magnificent birds make stopover at Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

What could be more beautiful than an excursion to the San Luis Valley to see thousands of big, graceful sandhill cranes, as they make a rest stop en route from their winter home to the northwestern U.S. and Canada, where they nest.

The sky was blue and endless, the surrounding mountains were capped with a skiff of fresh snow, fields were greening and the sun was shining. That valley is a protective spot for cranes and those who love to watch them.

They winter in the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, near Albuquerque, New Mexico and start arriving in the San Luis Valley in February to feast on barley in the fields at the valley’s Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge and nearby San Luis Lakes State Wildlife Area.

It’s located 15 miles west of the Great Sand Dunes National Park, so one can spend a splendid few days with nature at its finest.

It’s a beautiful drive from our south area on Highway 285,

Sandhill cranes fill the sky at Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado’s San COURTESY PHOTO BY KATE MIYAMOTO / U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE Luis Valley.

which goes through Bailey, Fairplay, Buena Vista ... (We like to make a brunch/lunch stop at one

of the latter two.) Turn west in Monte Vista to the refuge.

Overnight stays are available

at the Movie Manor Motel in Monte Vista (kids love the two big screens they can watch from the window). Or, we had a pleasant B&B this trip.

The Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge has lakes, fields, a wetland area and a number of large parking places set aside at the edges of the refuge, so that families can get out of the cars with binoculars and cameras to watch and wonder at these large, long-legged birds with a six-foot wingspan.

Cranes mate for life, but in the spring, they repeat a courtship ritual that includes dancing and bowing — and communicating with a sound I’ll never forget ... some pairs will have last year’s chick, now a teenager, with them in the field as it learns how to be a grownup ...

Hope to see flocks in the air mornings and evenings as well as watching them in the fields.

They spend the night in the wetlands, which is closed Feb. 15 to July 15 for nesting season.

Our information says there are 250 species of birds found in the Great Sand Dunes Park and Preserve, which is right next to this refuge, so pack in a bird identification book or two along with those binocs.

We spent about four hours en route, including a brunch stop, and it’s scenic all the way from Red Rocks Park to the valley.

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Elbert County News 15

April 7, 2022

Parker teen heads to world competition in skydiving Sydney Kennett to compete in Belgium on April 5

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As Sydney Kennett steps into the wind tunnel, she adjusts her helmet, reaches her arms out and begins to tip forward. As the wind reaches 50, 60, then 70 mph, she leans in further until finally, it lifts her off the ground.

Before long, the wind is at 120 mph and Sydney is flying through the air, flipping upside down and twisting as she adjusts to the space.

Sydney, a 15-year-old professional indoor skydiver from Parker, is training for the world cup in her sport, which will take place April 5 through the 10 in Belgium. It’s only the fourth ever world competition for the relatively new sport, and already, it’s Sydney’s second time attending as a junior.

“It’s kind of like gymnastics in the air,” Sydney said from the iFly indoor skydiving facility in Lone Tree March 21.

During her routines, Sydney does flips, splits, twists, stationary poses and more inside tunnels that usually span about 12 feet wide and 45 feet high.

“Some people have called her a hummingbird,” said Michelle Kennett, Sydney’s mom. “Because of how finely detailed she is and how she can fly so close to the wall but not hit it.”

While the sport includes multiple

Sydney Kennett does the splits while hovering in a Lone Tree wind tunnel, which is producing wind of about 120 mph.

PHOTOS BY ELLIOTT WENZLER

Sydney Kennett, 15, poses for a portrait inside the wind tunnel at the iFly facility PHOTO BY ELLIOTT WENZLER in Lone Tree.

disciplines, Sydney mostly competes in the freestyle division, where she’s required to complete both free routines, where she decides on her own tricks, and compulsory routines, where she’s required to incorporate certain moves. The free routines last about a minute and 30 seconds and the compulsory routines are about 45 seconds.

She gets two scores for her routine: one based on the difficulty and the other on how well she executes the moves. Points for each trick are not

Worship

EASTER

yet standardized, so judges choose subjective scores.

“Sydney usually has one of the hardest difficulty routines,” Michelle said.

Leading up to a competition, Sydney practices about four hours per week inside the tunnel. The work isn’t finished when she’s out of the wind however, she also works on flexibility and weight training. In the past, she’s also taken contortion classes to improve her routines.

Her mom and dad are her coaches and the three of them choreograph her routines together.

“Usually we will just like sit down at the dinner table and talk about it,” she said “We gather my moves together and then talk about how they could flow together.”

When Sydney was 4-years-old, her

dad — a longtime skydiver — wanted her and her sister to try it out. With age restrictions on skydiving stopping them from actually jumping out of a plane, they ended up at the iFly in Lone Tree.

Four years later, she joined the kids club there and started practicing.

About a year after that, she went to her first competition in Chicago.

“It kind of just took off from there,” she said.

At first, it was a cardio workout, but before long it became more of a mental exercise as she focused on the isolated movements required for her tricks.

Now, Sydney is sponsored by iFly; Cookie, which makes skydiving helmets; and Deem, a skydiving suit manufacturer.

A sophomore at Ponderosa High School, Sydney also recently started pole vaulting for the school’s track team. In some ways, it’s similar to indoor skydiving, she said.

Through social media, Sydney works to introduce more people to the sport of indoor skydiving.

“That’s basically my main goal is just to show people it’s actually a sport and not just an amusement ride,” she said.

At the last world competition in 2019, Sydney competed as the youngest person there as a 12-year-old and received third place. This year she has a different goal.

“I’m hoping to bring back the gold this time,” she said. “That would be really exciting.”

16 Elbert County News

April 7, 2022

Sleep expert calls permanent daylight saving time a dumb idea Extra-dark winter mornings could mess with circadian rhythms

BY JOHN INGOLD THE COLORADO SUN

On the darkest morning of winter, the sun rises across Colorado — depending on where you are — sometime between about 7:05 a.m. and 7:40 a.m.

You roll out of bed, get dressed, make coffee or eat some breakfast.

If you are like the average person in Denver, the sun is probably rising along with you as you do these things.

Now imagine that your morning routine stays the same, but the sun stays in bed an hour later. You would head off to work in the dark. School for many children would begin in the dark.

This is the situation Colorado would be facing during the darkest days of winter if the nation switched to permanent daylightsaving time, and it’s why University of Colorado sleep science professor Kenneth Wright thinks the idea is so horrible.

“Every morning, sunlight helps us to reset ourselves,” said Wright, who teaches integrative physiology and the head of the university’s Sleep and Chronobiology Lab. “And that way we are in sync with the 24-hour light-dark cycle of Earth.”

While some want to streamline daylight saving time, experts are looking at the health SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE drawbacks.

people to be more active after work or school.

The idea of switching Colorado to permanent daylight-saving time is an old one, with efforts in the state legislature stretching back more than a decade. On Monday, a Colorado state House committee gave approval to the latest effort — a bill that would make daylight time permanent in Colorado but only if either the federal government authorizes it or if four other states in the Mountain time zone do the same.

But the idea of going to daylight saving time full-time really gained new momentum earlier this month when the U.S. Senate passed a meaPRESENTS: sure to make daylight saving time country. � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �permanent � � � across � � the � � � Wright said there is no debate about the idea among sleep experts globally. At the same time the SenThursday, April 21, 2022 ate voted to make daylight saving 6:30p.m.– 10:30p.m. permanent, Wright was in Rome, attending World Sleep 2022, an anLocation: nual conference that is so big that Cielo at Castle Pines, the World Sleep Society dubs it a A NIGHT IN 485 W. Happy Canyon Rd, “congress.”

Castle Rock, Co. 80108 The reaction among attendees at the meeting? It’s a really bad idea.

Standard time — what Wright believes the country should be on full-time — roughly tracks the sun in each time zone, with the sun at its highest point in the sky around noon. Colorado and most other states observe standard time during the winter months. Daylight time, meanwhile, pushes the clock ahead an hour during the spring, summer and fall, meaning people will see later sunsets — something advocates for changing to permanent daylight time tout as a benefit that will allow

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“There is expert consensus here that, if we have to choose one of these, permanent standard time is the healthier choice,” Wright said.

Ending the spring forward Wright wants to be clear: He is not in favor of clock-switching, the most loathsome feature of the nation’s annual change from standard time to daylight time and back again.

A robust body of research shows that the annual springing forward, when we shift clocks an hour ahead at the start of daylight-saving time, causes a surge in fatal car accidents, heart attacks and strokes.

“No question, we need to stop the change, going back and forth,” Wright said.

Changing to permanent daylightsaving time will compound the problems by interrupting our bodies’ natural circadian rhythms, Wright said.

As he explains it, light in the morning is different to our bodies than light at night. The morning light signals to our circadian clocks that it’s time to get moving. The ebbing of evening light tells our clocks it’s time to slow down. So, stealing light from the morning to give to the evening, especially in winter, pushes that clock rhythm back.

This would likely lead to later bedtimes in the winter, especially when coupled with the impact of artificial light at night on sleep. (A CU study published earlier this year found that even minor exposure to light in the hour prior to bedtime can disrupt the sleep of preschoolers.)

This might not be such a big deal if our schedules were fungible, and we could just plan to wake up later in the morning. But they’re not.

School start times are fixed, as are most people’s work start times. Both could be changed, of course, but it would require a big cultural movement to do so.

That means, when alarm clocks start going off during those dark morning hours, our circadian rhythms would likely rather we still be fast asleep. The resulting sleep deprivation could lead to greater risk for a litany of health problems, SEE SLEEP, P17

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Elbert County News 17

April 7, 2022

Climate bills have drawn most lobbying in legislature Spending continues to rise, with Xcel Energy topping list

BY SANDRA FISH THE COLORADO SUN

Efforts to address climate change are among the most lobbied measures at the Capitol this year as a host of businesses and nonprofits seek to pass, block or amend them.

Five of the top 10 lobbied bills this year at the General Assembly

SLEEP FROM PAGE 16

from weight gain, heart attacks and cancer to poor mental health and substance abuse.

“This change,” Wright said of a move to permanent daylight-saving time, “is likely going to make these types of problems worse.”

Be glad we’re not Idaho Colorado, though, wouldn’t get the worst of it if the nation moved to full-time daylight time. That’s because the state sits on the eastern side of the Mountain time zone.

The latest the sun will rise in Denver this year is 7:32 a.m., which will happen in early November right before the clocks fall back to standard time. Things stay darker a little longer as you go farther west and north. But, even in Grand Junction,

address greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Colorado Sun analysis of lobbying disclosures. Others on the top 10 list include measures seeking to prohibit employers from punishing employees who use cannabis when they aren’t working, which was rejected last week, and to ban flavored nicotine and tobacco products.

Nearly 600 individual lobbyists and lobbying firms are representing more than 1,100 clients before the legislature and state agencies this year. And spending by those clients

to influence government continues to rise as the legislature enters the home stretch of its 2022 lawmaking term.

Spending from July 2021 through the end of February totaled $29.4 million. That’s up from $26.2 million during the same period of the 2020-21 fiscal year and $24.5 million in 2019-20.

the latest the sun will rise this year is 7:45 a.m.

If daylight saving time were made permanent, those latest-sunrise times would change to 8:19 a.m. and 8:31 a.m., respectively, and they would fall right around the first of the year. Wright said switching to daylight time year-round would mean about two months out of the year when the sun wouldn’t rise before 8 a.m. in the state. (It wouldn’t change the latest sunset times because those occur in summer when the state is already on daylight time, but it would push the earliest sunset times back an hour — to about 5:36 p.m. at the earliest in Denver, occurring in early December.)

This year, with both standard and daylight time in place, Denver will see 107 days without a sunrise before 7 a.m. If daylight saving were made permanent, that number

would rise to 166 days without a sunrise before 7 a.m.

The number of days with late sunset times in Denver — those after 7 p.m. — would remain virtually unchanged under permanent daylight time, rising to 198 this year instead of the 193 we will see under the status quo. There would be a greater increase in the number of days with sunset times after 6 p.m. — 291 under permanent daylight time, instead of 238 with the status quo.

This is nothing, though, compared to what people in Boise, Idaho, on the western edge of the Mountain time zone, would experience. There, residents would endure roughly two months out of the year without a sunrise before 9 a.m.

But, to Wright, this just underscores the problem with permanent daylight-saving time. Some places will see greater impacts than others, but all places will see more darkness

Most-lobbied bills not always most publicized It’s not always the case that the most-lobbied bills at the Capitol are

the ones that garner the most public attention.

Take the measure to affirm abortion access in Colorado and prevent local governments from hindering access to abortion or birth control.

It drew late-night public hearings and a 24-hour House floor debate, yet only 53 lobbyists registered to represent 31 clients on the legislation, House Bill 1279. (It’s now awaiting Gov. Jared Polis’ signature.)

Senate Bill 153, which seeks to SEE CLIMATE, P20

on winter mornings.

“It’s not that we won’t be impacted, we certainly will be impacted,” he said. “And others further west they will be impacted more by this.

That doesn’t mean that because we’re less impacted is the right thing to do.”

It appears that Congress might be starting to come around to that thinking. At last report, the Sunshine Protection Act — the bill passed in the Senate to make daylight saving permanent — is facing a much, ahem, dimmer outlook in the U.S. House.

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

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18 Elbert County News

April 7, 2022

LOCAL

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N

F

Some Front Range mental health workers are using nature as a ‘co-therapist’

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

L

ots of Coloradans spend their free time hiking through the forest, climbing mountains and backpacking through the wilderness, but some of these adventurers are simultaneously working on improving their mental health.

That’s because of a variety of outdoor mental health programs along the Front Range that are using nature as a “cotherapist.”

Whether it’s the guided meditations of forest bathing, the extended alone time of wilderness therapy or the activitybased programs of adventure

therapy, there are multiple options for people who want to improve their mental health but aren’t interested in sitting in an office or a clinical setting.

Adventure therapy Aleya Littleton, an adventure therapist based in Golden, uses a variety of experiences in nature as the backdrop for her therapy work.

“It’s using nature as your office and your co-therapist,” she said. “Nature herself creates a neutral and regulating space for us to be in while we’re feeling and talking about difficult things.”

Littleton’s work includes hikes at North Table Mountain, climbing at a nearby crag or

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even camping and backpacking. While her clients are pull- ing on their climbing harnesses or stopping to take in mountain views, they’re also talking about and addressing specific mental health concerns.

Littleton, who is a trained rock climbing guide, also takes out new and experienced climbers to work on things like fear and body autonomy.

“What happens when you climb is you have to refine and renegotiate your relationship with your body, with the rock and with other people,” she said. “You get to learn about yourself with a constant, neutral backdrop.”

One of her priorities during these excursions is to allow the climbers to make their own decisions about whether they want to push forward or come down.

“We celebrate choice and people who are learning to listen to their body,” she said. “It’s not about the actual climbing, it’s about you being good to you and making wise decisions for

you.”

Littleton points out that from the research she’s seen, adventure therapy is equally as effective as traditional forms of therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, but for some people it’s just a better fit.

“What makes the difference is that relationship with the therapist,” she said. “And your SEE NATURE, P19

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Elbert County News 19

April 7, 2022

NATURE FROM PAGE 10

belief that it’s going to work.”

Forest bathing When Sandy Troyano tells new clients about her work in forest bathing, they often picture something involving a swimsuit.

The reality of the practice is far from that, however.

Instead of diving into a body of water, when Troyano, an Evergreen resident, meets with a client or group of clients, she walks them through a series of sensoryopening exercises followed by a long, slow walk through the forest.

“There’s a saying that the guide opens the door, but the forest actually does the work,” Troyano said.

The practice comes from a Japanese concept called shinrinyoku, which literally translates to “forest bathing.” The sessions have an approach that’s similar to meditation, with exercises intended on opening up clients’ senses through slow, deliberate walks in nature and a focus on the present moment.

Troyano begins her sessions — which can be one-on-one, groups or couples — with a type of sensory-focused, guided meditation that includes feeling the textures of the earth, noticing smells in the air and deeply listening to sounds both near and far away.

“The next step is take a small

walk, a slow walk and notice everything that’s moving around you,” she said.

Then, she invites the forest bathers to find places to sit still for about 15 minutes each, observing the world around them. The process takes about two and a half hours.

“It’s really about putting yourself into the present moment,” she said.

Troyano has worked with clients who are grieving or dealing with mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety. But she believes everyone can benefit from the practice, she said.

Troyano, who is a certified nature and forest therapy guide, said the mindfulness practice also helps clients become more in tune to the nature around them even when they’re not in the forest.

“Once you open your senses, you start noticing more,” she said. “More comes into you.”

Wilderness therapy When Anthony Riske was first introduced to wilderness therapy, the programs were typically nomadic backpacking trips accompanied by clinical support. The clients were often teens or young adults with substance abuse problems or lifestyle issues.

Now, his work includes more consultations for those interested in trying out “solos,” where they spend extended time alone in the outdoors as a way to treat mental health concerns.

“We spend so much time with machines that we think that we

are machines now,” he said. “But really, we are a part of nature.”

Riske, who is a therapist originally based in Arvada but currently living in Costa Rica, meets virtually with clients to help them set up their own wilderness therapy experience. Often, his clients will search for an isolated area and camp there for up to 72 hours.

He recommends journaling prompts, symbolic ceremonies and books for them to engage with during their time alone.

“If you get bored, look closer,” he said he advises people. “Find the trail of ants, the different kinds of soil.”

Riske usually advises clients to slowly work their way up to spending more time alone outside and ensures that the client is comfortable with safety precautions.

Often, clients will report that during the first 24 hours alone, they remained busy with their assigned activities along with setting up camp and eating. After 48 hours, some say they feel good but somewhat exhausted from their thoughts, he said. Many of those who remain for 72 hours, though, say they reach a blissful, relaxing state.

In the past, he’s also led group backpacking trips with therapy intertwined and solo therapy meetings in the outdoors.

“People are certainly more interested in that kind of experience,” he said. “And in Colorado, you just head straight up into the foothills.”

Climbers working with Aleya Littleton in adventure therapy make their way up the rocks.

A group of climbers that work with Aleya Littleton in adventure therapy show off their muscles at the crag.

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20 Elbert County News

April 7, 2022

C R O S S W O R D CLIMATE P U Z Z L E FROM PAGE 17

block insider threats to Colorado’s election system, prompted plenty of emails and calls from opponents who believe false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. But the measure has drawn only 36 lobbyists representing 17 clients. None of those clients opposed the bill.

That’s considerably fewer than the 116 clients trying to influence the top two bills in The Sun’s lobbying analysis: Senate Bill 138, which sought to limit the sale of of gas-powered lawn equipment, and House Bill 1152, which would have prevented employers from taking action against workers who use cannabis products on their own time.

(The former was amended, and the latter was voted down last week by a House committee.)

And 141 lobbyists are representing 87 clients on House Bill 1064, a measure aimed at keeping flavored nicotine products away from young people.

Some of the most lobbied bills this year didn’t make it very far in the legislative process. In fact, three of the top 10 lobbied measures never made it past their first committee.

House Bill 1138 would have given employers an income-tax credit to encourage employees to use alternative transportation to and from work but failed 9-1 in the House Finance

Committee. Senate Bill 131 sought to restrict the use of pesticides in certain places in an effort to “protect pollinators,” but it failed 6-1 in the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

And March 24, a House committee rejected the measure allowing employees to use marijuana on their own time.

All but one of the other top 10 bills are still going through the legislative process. A measure to protect whistleblowers in public health emergencies awaits action on the Senate floor.

Top spenders often lobbying on top bills Xcel Energy is signed up to lobby on seven of the 10 most-lobbied bills at the Capitol this year. The company is also the top spender on lobbying in the first eight months of the fiscal year, which began on July 1.

Spending nearly $286,000, Xcel pays eight lobbyists, three of whom are employees and the rest contractors.

The American Association of Retired Persons, or AARP, was second in lobbying spending, paying two employees nearly $144,000 to lobby on more than 70 bills, including two in the top 10.

The Colorado Association of Home Builders lobbied on eight of the top 10 measures, while paying four individual lobbyists a total of $132,000.

SEE CLIMATE, P23

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April 7, 2022

COLORADO COMMUNIT Y MEDIA

CAREERS

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Careers

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

Special Education Paraprofessionals Full & Part-Time Special Education Paraprofessionals needed for our West Area Center-based Learning Program located in Strasburg.

Competitive pay and benefits including individual health insurance . $13-$17 per hour depending on experience. May be eligible for Sign On Bonus! To apply for this position, please complete the Classified Application for Employment available for download on the ecboces.org website under “Jobs” or contact Tracy at (719) 775-2342, ext. 101.

Please fax completed application to 719-771-4001 or email it to tracyg@ ecboces.org Equal Opportunity Employer

School Psychologist or Intern East Central BOCES is seeking a Full-Time School Psychologist or Intern to join our dynamic, multidisciplinary team of professionals for the 2022-23 school year.

Educational Specialist (Ed.S.), Colorado certified. Provide PreK-12 intervention including assessment, development of IEP’s & consultation services. Competitive salaries: ED.S $51,450-60,900 & Intern $47,600$52,400, both commensurate upon experience. excellent benefits including dental, vision, and medical insurance. May be eligible for Sign On Bonus! May also be eligible for loan forgiveness. Flexible schedule. Use of a car or mileage reimbursement. Questions contact Tracy (719) 775-2342, ext. 101.

To apply for this position, please complete the Certified Application for Employment available on the East Central BOCES website www. ecboces.org under “Jobs”. EOE Various Positions Available Distribution and Production Labor, Delivery Drivers, and General Management wanted. Must enjoy working outdoors with plants. $15$20, depending on experience.

Contact info: Arbor Valley Nursery, 18539 County Road 4, Brighton, CO 80603, 303-654-1682.

Speech-Language Pathologist or SLPA Positions Full-Time & Part-Time Open to School Internships. Able to provide supervision for CFY hours. Join our dynamic, multidisciplinary team of professionals for the 2022-23 school year. Administer assessments, provide direct, indirect & consultation services for students PreK-12th grades.

Competitive salaries: SLP - $44,100-$56,000 & SLPA- $36,050- $44,450, both commensurate upon experience.

May be eligible for a Sign On Bonus! May also be eligible for loan forgiveness. Excellent benefits, including full health benefits & mileage reimbursement. Flexible schedule. Questions contact Tracy at (719) 775-2342, ext. 101. To apply for this position, please complete the Certified Application for Employment available on the East Central BOCES website www.ecboces.org under “Jobs”. EOE Special Education Teacher For a significant needs program located at the Strasburg Elementary School. Current Colorado Special Education Teacher license required.

BA salary range $34,650-$40,950 & MA salary range $39,900$46,200, based on experience.

Excellent benefits. Collaborative work environment with lots of free continuing education opportunities available. May be eligible for Student Loan Forgiveness.

Questions contact Tracy at (719) 775-2342, ext. 101 or tracyg@ecboces. org. Please complete a Certified application located at the bottom of the “Jobs” page on ecboces.org or email tracyg@ecboces.org. Equal Opportunity Employer.

JOB FAIR JELLYSTONE PARK at LARKSPUR FREE onsite job fair for seasonal/ summer opportunities. Visit our team Saturday, April 9th 11am3pm. 650 Sky View Ln. in Larkspur.

Opportunities include Activities, Food & Beverage, Guest Services, Maintenance, Rangers, Store Clerks & MORE! Apply online at WorkAtSun.com Contact info: careers@ suncommunities.com

Registered Occupational Therapist Full-Time and part-time Registered Occupational Therapist. OTR must have, or be eligible for appropriate Colorado licensure. Provide Pre-12 intervention, assessment, direct & indirect services just east of Denver on I-70, Bennett, Strasburg Byers & Kiowa areas. Support from an experienced COTA is available.

Full Time Salary range for OTD: $49,350-$60,550. Part-Time Salary prorated based on the number of days employed. Excellent benefits.

Access to a company vehicle or mileage reimbursement. May be eligible for a loan forgiveness program and signing bonus. To apply for this position, please complete the Certified Application for Employment available on the East Central BOCES website www. ecboces.org under “Jobs”. EOE Questions contact Tracy at (719) 775-2342, ext. 101 or email tracyg@ ecboces.org

TO ADVERTISE CALL 303-566-4100

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Help Wanted

CDL Driver At Publication Printers, we believe that print is alive and well! With over 40 years in the industry, and as one of the largest family-owned printing companies in the country, Publication Printers values customers and employees like part of the family. We are deeply invested in the success of our 1500+ customers, who trust us to deliver quality printing, as well as marketing solutions and top-notch customer service.

MUST BE ABLE TO BACK UP A 53 FOOT TRAILER *Day shifts only, NO overnight shifts* The position assists or performs the packaging or palletizing and securing and then the transport of printed material or matter related to printing in the safest, most efficient and professional manner possible. Operates PPC owned vehicles and trucks, must possess CDL license.

Salary: $34/hour Essential Job Functions: • Transports product to customer on schedule.

• Delivers printed material, proofs, bluelines, artwork, inserts, and other materials as required mostly to company to customers but may be any similar delivery required in the performance of what the company does.

• When preparing loads for delivery, verifies count and condition of good loaded and unloaded and records in scale logs.

• When preparing loads for delivery, Reports overages, shortages, and damage to supervisor. Or once delivered if required, reports overages, shortages, and damage to supervisor.

• Unloads or assists in unloading freight as required.

• Properly secures loads.

• Operates company truck, trailer, and car in a safe manner, and follows all traffic laws and requirements.

• Reports any vehicle problems and defects to supervisor.

• Does daily maintenance checks and housecleaning or vehicles (washing). with all department of • Complies transportation standards and regulations.

• Possesses and maintains a good driving records and current driver licenses.

• Keeps dock areas and truck dock cleaned and organized.

• Assists in hand bindery, pressroom, and front office when called upon.

• Ensures good customer relations by consistency delivering orders on time and action in a courteous and professional manner.

• Works with all co-workers in a professional respectful and cooperative fashion.

• Performs other duties as requested or required.

CLASSIFIED AD SALES

DEADLINES CLASSIFIED LINE ADS: MONDAY, 11 A.M. SERVICE DIRECTORY: THURSDAY, 5 P.M. LEGALS: THURSDAY, 3 P.M.

303-566-4100 classifieds@coloradocommunitymedia.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY ADS

Contact Erin, 303-566-4074 eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com Help Wanted Special Education Teacher for a significant needs program located at the Strasburg Elementary School. Current Colorado Special Education Teacher license required.

BA salary range $34,650-$40,950 & MA salary range $39,900$46,200, based on experience.

May be eligible for Sign On Bonus!

Excellent benefits. Collaborative work environment with lots of free continuing education opportunities available. May be eligible for Student Loan Forgiveness.

Questions contact Tracy at (719) 775-2342, ext. 101 or tracyg@ecboces. org. Please complete a Certified application located at the bottom of the “Jobs” page on ecboces.org or email tracyg@ecboces.org. Equal Opportunity Employer.

Need to get the word out?

Advertise with us to find your next great hire!

Call us at

303.566.4100

Help Wanted

Competencies/Qualification: • License and experience as a CDL driver.

• English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language in order to understand requirements when building loads and in order to obey traffic signs and related.

• Be able to pass a pre-employment drug test and background check • Be able to operate a pallet jack and fork lift Physical Demands: • The physical demands are typical for a warehouse and tractor trailer long bed truck or company delivery vehicle on the public highway(s) setting. Be able to lift up to 50 lbs.

Please apply online publicationprinters.com

WANTED Oil Field Labor Roustabouts NEEDED! General oil field labor, including repairing, maintaining, and transporting equipment and parts as needed. FT + benefits. $19+/hr to start. Previous experience a plus, will train. Apply at 10137 WCR 19, Fort Lupton, 80621 or call 303-833-5670 Contact info: Christina Ling cling@kpk.com K.P. Kauffman Company, Inc

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Elbert County News 23

April 7, 2022

CLIMATE FROM PAGE 20

The Colorado Contractors Association and Colorado Retail Council each lobbied on six of the top 10 bills. The contractors came in third in spending, paying David Foster $133,000, while the retail council came in eighth in spending, paying The Howes Group nearly $128,000.

COPIC, the state’s primary medical malpractice insurer, didn’t lobby on any of the top 10 bills. It paid Nexus Policy Group $131,000 to lobby on six other measures.

Several groups spending to influence public on issues Reaching out to lawmakers or regulators isn’t the only way lobbyists or their clients try to influence public policy.

Some also report spending to get the public to lobby lawmakers on issues.

Advance Colorado Action lobbyist Michael Fields, for example, reported spending $300,000 on lobbying so far this year. Of that, $200,000 went to digital ads on fentanyl penalties, several of which target Democratic lawmakers running in competitive state Senate

contests this year. Another $100,000 went to digital ads and direct mail opposing a measure to allow government employees to bargain for pay raises. Advance Colorado Action is a nonprofit that doesn’t report its donors and changed its name earlier this year after operating as Unite for Colorado.

Jesse Mallory, executive director of Americans for Prosperity’s Colorado branch, reported spending nearly $89,000 on digital ads, door hangers and canvassing to encourage lawmakers to enact tax refunds. Some of the spending also encouraged opposition to Senate Bill 138 on lawnmowers and other measures.

And Liz Welch, a lobbyist for the national American Civil Liberties Union, reported spending nearly $51,000 on polling and lobbying research.

But those amounts pale compared to the million-dollar ad campaigns of recent years by the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future, last year’s top lobbying spender. That group opposed a measure aimed at reducing health care costs through a dramatic increase in insurance regulations.

That group paid a lobbyist

Lawmakers and lobbyists are seen at the Capitol on Jan. 12 in Denver at the start of Colorado’s General PHOTO BY OLIVIA SUN/THE COLORADO SUN Assembly’s 2022 session.

$20,000 in August, and ended its Colorado lobbying activities after that.

How we did this analysis The Colorado Sun received data on lobbying income and bills lobbied by lobbyists and their clients from the Secretary of State’s Office.

It analyzed the data using Python programming, making best efforts to standardize client names, and remov-

ing income paid by lobbying firms to lobbyists, which can result in double counting.

In Excel, additional records are removed that report income from clients instead of the lobbying firms paying the lobbyists. In identifying the most-lobbied measures, we identified the top measures lobbied by clients and lobbyists.

Then data on individual

bills was downloaded, cleaned and analyzed.

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

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www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.com/Notices

PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals Metropolitan Districts Public Notice NOTICE OF OPEN MEETING FOR HEARING ON PETITION FOR EXCLUSION OF REAL PROPERTY FROM THE ELIZABETH PARK AND RECREATION DISTRICT NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to all interested persons that a Petition for Exclusion of real property has been filed with the Board of Directors of the Elizabeth Park and Recreation District. The Board of Directors has fixed Tuesday, the 19th day of April, 2022, at the hour of 7:00 p.m., at Casey Jones Pavilion, 4189 Highway 86, Elizabeth, CO 80107, as the date, time and place of an open meeting at which such Petition shall be heard.

The name and address of the Petitioner is: Donald P. Jones and Peggy J. Jones 40127 County Rd 21 Elizabeth, CO 80107

The property to be excluded from the District is generally described as follows: SECTION 8 TOWNSHIP 7 RANGE 64 N2S2SE4 Elbert County, State of Colorado All interested parties may appear at such hearing to show cause in writing why such Petition should not be granted.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ELIZABETH PARK AND RECREATION DISTRICT. ELIZABETH PARK AND RECREATION DISTRICT By:/s/ JC Cook, President Legal Notice No. 24823 First Publication: April 7, 2022 Last Publication: April 7, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

Storage Liens/Vehicle Titles Public Notice

legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Colorado Container Homes an LD Horton LLC Company 8561 Hwy 86, Kiowa, CO 80117 Applying For Title – Abandoned Vehicle We are applying for the title of a Red 2013 Dodge Durango, VIN#1C4RDJAG5DC684870. This vehicle was abandoned and left in our lot since April 2019. If this vehicle is registered to you, please contact us at 720.381.1714. A storage fee of $35.00 per day from the date it was first abandoned on our lot (April 1st 2019) will be owed to us, LD Horton LLC, before this vehicle is released.

Legal Notice No. 24812 First Publication: March 17, 2022 Last Publication: April 14, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

Notice to Creditors PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Leo Ruben Salas, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR2 All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the

Personal Representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before August 28, 2022, or the claims may be forever barred.

First Publication: March 24, 2022 Last Publication: April 7, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

LuAnn Lynn Leeder Personal Representative 23509 Jasper Trail Deer Trail, CO 80105

Name Changes PUBLIC NOTICE

Legal Notice No. 24822 First Publication: April 7, 2022 Last Publication: April 21, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name Public notice is given on December, 2021 that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult / a minor child has been filed with the Elbert County Court.

Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Joyce Hexum, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR30010 All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before July 25, 2022, or the claims may be forever barred.

Scott M. Hexum, Personal Representative 10354 Severance Drive Parker, CO 80134 Legal Notice No. 24816

The Petition requests that the name of Sherry Lee Standen be changed to Sherrylee Rees Standen Case No.: 22C15 By: Palmer L. Boyette County Court Judge Legal Notice No. 24820 First Publication: March 24, 2022 Last Publication: April 7, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

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