The small, peaceful town of Elbert is located in the forested hills just 15 minutes south of Elizabeth along North Elbert Road. Though small, the town has a thriving community, a state-of-the-art K-12 school, restaurants and other businesses.Thetown of Elbert, however, is not an official town at all. Established in 1874, Elbert is an unincorporated community in Elbert
BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
“The reason we started DoEC is to help those in Elbert County who are unable to help themselves or who have an urgent need that we can support. When the fire hit the Owen family, we immediately knew we needed to do something to help,” said Decker. “We love our community and are proud to help when we can. It’s really just neighbors helping neighbors.”
A publication of Week of September 15, 2022 ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO$1.00 ElbertCountyNews.net VOLUME 127 | ISSUE 31 INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 18 MANGOMANIA areBusinessesallaboutthemango P18
Elbert Town Committee launches website
PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON
Elbert Christian Church is among landmarks of its namesake community.
BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
At the fundraiser, 12 DoEC members worked at Bernie’s Kitchen from 5-8 p.m. Clad in their matching black T-shirts and hats, members greeted, seated and waited on customers throughout the evening. They served a $15 penne Alfredo dinner accompanied by salad and garlic bread. They also set out a donation jar for anyone wanting to give beyond the $15 set dinner price.
Unincorporated community is jewel of rural Colorado
Local nonprofit organization Dads of Elbert County (DoEC) held a fundraiser on Sept. 1 at Bernie’s Kitchen in Elizabeth to benefit the Greg and Susan Owen family. The Owen home south of Elizabeth was struck by lightning during a severe storm on Aug. 15, causing a devastating fire.
SEE FUNDRAISER, P14SEE ELBERT, P16
Bernie’s Kitchen is site of event to help local residents
All proceeds from the fundraiser went directly to the Owen family, and while DoEC president Clint Decker declined to reveal the amount, he said the fundraiser was “a huge success for this family.”
Historic Elbert was founded in 1874, with settlers first moving into town around 1860.
Dads group raises funds forafterfamilyfire
and other lifelong issues.
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Antipollution activists often target south Adams County and north Denver because of the Suncor oil refinery, the Cherokee Generating Station, multiple interstates jammed with truck traffic, numerous heavy industries and a history of metals smelting.“Thisstudy adds to a growing body of evidence that breathing pollution harms more than just our lungs,” said Laurie Anderson, Colorado field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force. “Babies and children are especially vulnerable. Here in Colorado, where we have persistent air pollution problems, this study increases the urgency of taking swift action to reduce pollution — especially in the most impacted communities.”Theinfant gut collection of microbes is largely a blank slate until influenced by breast milk, solid food, the environment, any medicine intake, and other factors, according to the CU researchers. Beneficial microbes work to build appetite, immunity, insulin control and brain functions. But “bad” microbes can influence asthma, Type 2 diabetes
The CU study piggybacked on a mother’s milk study by genetically analyzing fecal samples from 103 primarily Latino infants in Los Angeles. Alderete learned of the cohort and was able to gain access to the genetic data while she worked on her Ph.D. at the University of Southern California. The infants’ health data was overlaid with hourly pollution samples in their area that are taken constantly by the ThoseEPA.exposed to the most PM2.5 lost 60% of a bacterium that decreases inflammation and aids infant brain development. Those exposed to the most PM10, slightly larger particles, had 85% more of a bacterium associated with inflammation.
“We’re going to also be considering individual behavioral factors as well as the environment,” Alderete said. “If there is this association with air pollution and the gut bacteria, how long does that persist? Do we see that over the course of development and the question is what kind of health implications does that have?”
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.
Air pollution hurts baby gut biome
Particles slash good bacteria in infants, CU study says
But decades of regulation are just starting to have an impact, and low-income neighborhoods near refineries, power plants and busy highways are much more exposed than others. Bad wildfire seasons like those in 2020 and 2021 wipe out a lot of progress.
PM2.5 particle pollution is limited by regulations, and each particle is about 1/70th the diameter of a human hair. The particles are emitted by car and truck fossil fuel exhaust, coal-fired power plants or chemical emissions from factories, burning forests and other sources. Colorado is not currently in violation of EPA limits on PM2.5 in the way that it violates ozone caps.
The results speak to a crucial age of development where the environment “sticks with you,” the CU researchers say. They talked about the study in a week of record heat in Denver and much of Colorado, and where state officials called another series of Ozone Action Day Alerts cautioning those in urban areas vulnerable to some forms of air pollution.“Iwant to be able to arm individuals and communities with the information needed to fight for change,” said Tanya Alderete, study co-author and assistant professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado.
The researchers say the study published in the August edition of the science journal “Gut Microbes,” is “the first to show a link between inhaled pollutants … and changes in infant microbial health during this critical window of development.”
The research also looked at markers from slightly larger particles, PM10, and nitrogen dioxide, primarily a vehicle-related emission.
“So the results of this study are alarming, as we know that many Latinos live in disproportionately impacted communities in Adams County and north Denver,” he said.
The healthy gut “microbiome” of babies living in high pollution areas is under threat from particulates from vehicles, industrial smokestacks and wildfire smoke, leaving them more vulnerable to immune afflictions like diabetes or allergies, a new University of Colorado study says.The findings from babies involved in a mother’s milk study in Southern California go straight to the heart of a series of environmental justice and air pollution laws passed in Colorado in recent years. State lawmakers and regulators are targeting pollution concentrated in lower-income and minority neighborhoods, and overhauling permitting and transportation spending to combat what they have called historic injustice.
said Juan Madrid, a clean air and transportation advocate with Colorado GreenLatinos. Half of Adams County births in 2020-21, and a third of Denver births, were to Latino mothers, Madrid noted.
The researchers have also received funding and approval to follow the Southern California babies through six years, to check on the long-term impacts of their gut biome findings.
Alderete’s earlier research on air pollution and microbes looked at about 50 young adults, showing that air pollution exposure from nearby high-traffic roads “was associated with bacteria in the gut,” she said. “And those bacteria had been linked with obesity, Type 2 diabetes and insulinThosesensitivity.”results,Alderete said, have since been replicated in a larger sample of young adults.
BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN
The study is not able to distinguish the varied influence of the child’s indoor environment on the same intestinal biome issues. Home cooking creates particulates that can influence personal health, as well as other behavioral or environmental factors such as burning candles or having access to home air filtration.Inthemeantime, the researchers say all families should take the easiest precautions against local air pollution: avoid exercising near traffic or industrial areas, open windows or use stove vents during home cooking that may create particulates and seek a low-cost air filtration system. As always, they emphasize that moms should continue breastfeeding as long as possible, one of the most crucial ways to support a healthy baby biome and brain development.“What we do know is that breastfeeding can act as a very potent beneficial probiotic,” Alderete said.
The new CU study bolsters previous research about the health impacts of air pollution on adults,
One of the most prevalent causes of poor air quality in Colorado is ground-level ozone. SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE
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Who’s running
time talking to people in different communities to find out who the real local movers and shakers are. The goal, as he put it, was to avoid automatically picking the person who always shows up to the Republican men’s breakfast.
“As just a citizen, my voice was not being heard, right? Talking to neighbors, talking to family and friends, you felt like things that you
“We really just put an emphasis on reaching Republicans that weren’t necessarily the party insiders, but were really more in tune with what was going on in the community,” said Larson.Inaddition to recruiting more diverse candidates for statehouse races, Republicans have the only statewide candidate of color this year on the ballot — Danny Moore, who is Black. He was gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl’s pick for running mate.
PHOTO BY HART VAN DENBURG/CPR NEWS
he showed interest in running, the infrastructure and support were there for him to make a bid for the legislature.“Idon’t think it’s necessarily that we are all of a sudden finding new minority voices here in Colorado to run,” he said. “I think they’ve been here and the Republican Party has made sure that we are getting those candidates and telling them it is time to step up and represent our communities and our values, our morals, the way that we know weHowcan.”many of this year’s diverse GOP candidates make it to the statehouse remains to be seen. Some are running in safely blue seats; Johnnie Johnson, who is Black and blind, is in House District 5, a downtown Denver seat where Democrats hold a 64-point advantage. Other races wouldn’t change the overall makeup at the capitol. Mosqueira is challenging incumbent Democratic Rep. David Ortiz, who is also Latino and has made accessibility a priority as the first lawmaker to use a wheelchair.
In Colorado Springs, Republican Rachel Stovall and
BY BENTE BIRKELAND COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO
Diverse GOP slate seeking state o ce
At 26 years old, Jaylen Mosqueira could be the youngest member of the state legislature if he wins his House District 38 race in Denver’s southern suburbs. It’s one of Colorado’s most competitive House races this year.Mosqueira has always been a Republican and worked as a legislative aide at the capitol. He said when
Dan Montoya never thought he’d be running for the state legislature. He served 20 years in the Marines and, up until last January, he says he’d spent his entire adult life as an unaffiliated voter, avoiding politics.“Forme, politics was a non-issue,” he said recently while attending the opening of a GOP Hispanic outreach center in Thornton. “That was not anything we talked about. As a matter of fact, you steered clear.”
In addition to fielding candidates from different backgrounds, many are also on the younger side. Burton Brown, who is 34, said she believes that will appeal to voters looking for new ideas and new Hedatesthethirties,whitetativeRepublicanapproaches.Staterepresen-ColinLarson,whoisandalsoinhisearlyhelpedspearheadefforttorecruitcandi-forthisyear’sraces.saidhespentalotof
The state party under chair Kristi Burton Brown has made a concerted effort to identify and encourage new types of candidates,
like Montoya, to run for the statehouse.BurtonBrown, the first woman to head the Colorado GOP, said the diversity of this year’s candidates is a point of pride, one that “kind of pushes back on the narrative that all Republicans run is old white men.”
Candidates look to change perception of Republican Party
were passionate about were maybe falling on deaf ears,” heSosaid.heentered the race for House District 28 in Jefferson County, as a Republican.
In recent years, Colorado’s legislature has become increasingly diverse; the most recent session included numerous Latino and Black members, as well as Colorado’s first transgender lawmaker, first lawmaker to use a wheelchair and first Muslim lawmaker. Nearly all of them are Democrats. But this year a diverse slate of Republican candidates hope to change that.
But living through the pandemic changed things for Montoya. He describes himself as a concerned parent, one who believes schools need to be more transparent about their policies, and that parents should have a stronger voice in their children’s education.
“We were very much raised with this idea that America’s the greatest coun try in the world and here are the values that make it so great,” said Kim. “It was never about our ancestry as being Korean. And I know there’s lots of statistics about who’s identifying with the Republican Party, but, I’m just thrilled to see all of the different perspectives that have come around the table.”
“We have the possibility of minorities coming into these things from as many political perspectives as we have, that it’s not required to think the same way.”
FROM PAGE 4 GOP
This story is from CPR News, a nonprofit news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.
“For the first time I’m at the table, not because I was a union president or because I’m checking a box that I’m Hispanic, or because I’m a young Hispanic. It’s more because, ‘Hey, you have a lot to offer,’” he said.
can hear the issues spe cific to people from different backgrounds.
have failed to deliver.
“I think it’s historic,” said Stovall of her race.
A new strategy at a di cult moment
This year, Varela is a newly minted Republican running for state Senate in a hotly contested seat that could help determine which party controls that chamber.
business consultant and attorney Tom Kim, a state Senate candidate in Arapa hoe County. If Kim wins, he could be the legislature’s only Asian American member, but he believes the focus of elections should be on issues, not the color of someone’s skin.
with these yet.”peopleloveyet,thatofthetapRepublicangreatestthatUnitedfyingwillhighlyopedyou’rediverseBoulderShetobornstaynecessitycandidatesontheinfirstshepartycomplexmyself,continuously.communities“BeinganAfroLatinawe’remuchmorethanIthinkeithergivesuscreditfor,”said.DemocratJunieJoseph,atimeHousecandidateBoulderCounty,viewsColoradoGOP’sfocusbroadeningitspoolofasanactofforthepartytorelevant.JosephwasinHaitiandmovedtheU.Swhenshewas14.currentlyservesonthecitycouncil.“Wehaveoneofthemostcountries,whenthinkingofdevelnations,intheworld.Idoubtanyinstitutionsurvivewithoutdiversiitself,especiallyintheStates.”Sheaddedthisisthecountry’sstrengthandbeauty.“Icanunderstandwhythepartywantstointothatstrength.Butthingis,it’saboutlovepeople.AndIdon’tseecomingfromthepartytheloveofpeople,theofneighbor,bringingin,they’renotthere
Rahn points to the network of community centers the Republican National Com mittee is opening to reach voters of color as one of the many ways GOP candidates
Just two years ago, Ste phen Varela was helping to organize Democratic voter outreach to Pueblo’s Latino community ahead of the 2020 presidential election. But he’s since soured on the Democratic Party, feeling like it has moved too far to the left and hasn’t done anything to really protect union jobs. And he said it felt like he was just viewed as “the Hispanic guy in Pueblo” who only got a call when the party wanted something. Varela has changed party affiliations numerous times in the past decade, the Pueblo Chieftain has“Peoplereported.are tired of being polarized or tagged into one area,” said Varela, “being told that you’re Hispanic or you’re African American or you’re Asian, so you have to be a Democrat. I don’t believe that.”
Rahn says historically Re publicans have concentrated on issues, not demograph ics.“It hasn’t been a focus. But because of that, there are communities who feel like we don’t However,care.”the party na tionally is taking steps to try to counter that image.
For some of this year’s GOP candidates, though, the party offers exactly the re spect they think Democrats
The Republican Party holds a similar appeal for
Republicans’ new out reach efforts come at a time when the party is more mar ginalized in Colorado than it has been in interactingbloc;ofbetterpoliticalatsuccessdidatesingEmerge,Calderon,doesrepresentationforwe’vethey’retiontopicsavoidingconcernshaveeducationthetheiraretide,andtheyears.legislaturebothDemocratsdecades.havecontrolledchambersofColorado’sforthepastfourTheyalsoholdallofmajorstatewideofficesbothU.S.Senateseats.TotrytoreversethatblueRepublicansthisyeartryingtofocusmuchofelectionmessagingoncostofliving,crimeand—issuesvotersidentifiedasmajor—whilegenerallymorepolarizinglikeabortionandelecconspiracytheories.“It’sgoodtoseethatrecognizingwhatknownasDemocratsquitealongtime,thatabsolutelymatter,”saidLisatheheadofaDemocratictrainprogramforfemalecanthathashadalotofandincludesalumnithestatehouse.ButCalderonsaysbothpartiesneedtodoajoboftreatingpeoplecolorasaseriousvotingshe’dliketoseethemandengaging
“I’m not really a big pro ponent of identifying people by anything other than who they are as a person,” he said.Kim’s grandparents immi grated to the U.S from what is now North Korea and built a restaurant business. His father served in World War II and the Korean war. Kim is a long-time Republi can; he registered in college and voted twice for Presi dent Ronald Reagan.
Colorado GOP Vice Chair Priscilla Rahn, who is Black and Korean American, notes that Republicans have some catching up to do when it comes to making their case to nonwhite “Democratsvoters.have done a great job in recruiting and messaging,” she said. “We’ve acknowledged that as a Republican Party.”
‘People are tired of being polarized’
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Meanwhile, University of Colorado Regent Heidi Ganahl, Polis’ Republican opponent in November, brought in nearly $252,000 last month. She paid off $46,000 of a $250,000 loan she previously made to the campaign and had $188,000 heading into this month, putting her at a major cash disadvantage compared to her deep-pocketed opponent.
Deep Colorado Wells spent $500,000 in August on radio ads opposing Polis and supporting Ganahl.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl FILE PHOTO
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Wells, who says his family has been farming and ranching in Colorado since 1888, even promotes his efforts on his voicemail message. “Hi, this is Steve Wells,” said the message on the phone listed for the PAC. “After three and a half years of the Democratic leadership we have in the state of Colorado, if you still support that, please hang up. I don’t have time for that. Everyone else leave a message.”
Wells told The Sun he isn’t sure how much he’ll spend to defeat Polis.“Ihonestly believe this is probably the most important election Colorado will ever see,” he said. “I look at the drugs, I look at the crime. I’m looking at the homelessness, I’m looking at the economy. These guys have made a mess out of everything.”Polis spokeswoman Amber Miller said the governor “is working hard to earn voters’ support, including getting his positive message out to all Coloradans about how he will protect our freedoms, fight to cut costs and always do what’s right for Colorado.”Inonevideo on his website, Wells encourages voters not to back thirdparty candidates, saying a vote for third-party candidates is “a vote for Jared Polis and the Democrats.” He appeared to be referencing Danielle Neuschwanger, the American Constitution Party’s gubernatorial nominee, who left the GOP after failing to make the primary ballot. She raised only $7,200 in August, and had less than $8,500 in cash.
The 2022 race for Colorado governor may boil down to who wants to spend more of their own money: Democratic Gov. Jared Polis or Steve Wells, a Weld County rancher and oil and gas booster who is now one of the state’s most prolific RepublicanPolisdonors.gave his 2022 reelection campaign another $1.2 million in August, bringing his total so far this cycle to $7.1 million, according to a campaign finance report filed Tuesday. He had $3.3 million in his campaign’s bank account to start September after spending $4.4 million, most of it on TV ads scheduled to run through Election Day.
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BY SANDRA FISH AND JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN
Wells has partnered with Noble Energy, which was acquired by Chevron in 2021, to drill on his family’s tens of thousands of acres of land in Gill. He questioned the science behind climate change in a 2016 Christian Science Monitor article.
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.
Ganahl gets big funding boost
His first TV ad is set to air starting today. Polis spent more than $23 million to win his first term in 2018.
This brings Wells Ranch’s total investment in the PAC to $6 million. And it makes the ranch the biggest donor to a state-level super PAC in Colorado so far this cycle.
The super PAC spent more than $401,000 on anti-Polis billboards in July and August, and is scheduling TV ad time that’s billed as mentioning “inflation, drug abuse, homelessness.” The ads are slated to air Sept. 12 through Nov. 6.
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In June, Wells donated $100,000 to Defend Colorado, a state-level super PAC that supported Ganahl in the primary.WellsRanch donated $100,000 in 2019 to a committee to recall Democratic Rep. Rochelle Galindo. The Greeley lawmaker resigned before she could be recalled over allegations that she was later acquitted of by a Wellsjury.has also donated $5,800 to GOP state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer’s campaign in the 8th Congressional District.
PROBLEMS? ALLERGIES? ASTHMA? DUST PROBLEM? HEADACHES? HIGH
While the group’s stated mission is to support Republican candidates, nearly all of Deep Colorado Wells’ $600,000 in spending last month went toward opposing Polis and supporting Ganahl.
September 15, 20226 Elbert County News
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But Wells appears to be helping Ganahl make up the difference. Wells Ranch, the company owned by Wells, put another $5 million into Deep Colorado Wells, the state-level super PAC he formed in June.
The super PAC has two websites, one that features pictures of the billboards and videos about Wells. Another, Had Enough Colorado, is headlined “It’s time for a change! Inflation, crime, drugs & deaths. Coloradans are feeling the pain and chaos under current ‘leadership.’”
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Neuschwanger is expected to win votes in November that would have otherwise gone to Ganahl.
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Republican rancher spends millions to support candidate for governor
September22
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.
Renew your driver license or motor vehicle registration and more from the convenience of your smartphone, tablet, desktop or laptop. You can also renew vehicle registrations at MVExpress kiosks. Find information at DouglasDrives.com
Open House on Sept. is
Clean up and reduce wildfire risk
Steinberg has never responded to Colorado Sun questions about the cases against Peters, including a message left for him on Sept.Peters,7. who ran unsuccessfully this year to be Colorado’s secretary of state, was indicted by a grand jury in March.
The state Supreme Court ordered Peters to submit written arguments by Oct. 5 as to why the deposition should be allowed.
Barrett scheduled a seven-day trial in the case to begin March 6. Peters’ next court appearance in the criminal matter was set for Jan. 30 for a motions hearing.
Please visit douglas.co.us and search Snow and Ice Removal as a reference guide to frequently asked questions about snow and ice removal in unincorporated areas of Douglas County.
Now is the time to clean up tree limbs, shrubs and brush from your property and reduce your wildfire risk. Dispose of them at the County’s slash-mulch site, 1400 Caprice Drive in Castle Rock. Open Saturdays-only from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. through October. For more information, visit douglas.co.us and search for Slash
BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN
Mesa County District Judge Matthew Barrett then has 21 days to reply. The Supreme Court will then determine whether to allow theThedeposition.court’sruling came after Barrett on Wednesday at about 2 a.m. filed an 11th-hour appeal to keep his deposition, scheduled for midday Wednesday, from happening.“Adeposition significantly increases the risk that Judge Barrett will be accused of partiality or bias in (Peters’) criminal case,” state attorneys representing Barrett wrote in their 24-page motion to the Colorado Supreme Court. “There is every reason to think that (Peters) could attempt to use the deposition to undermine the perception that the judge is an impartial arbiter.”
Both Barrett and Rubinstein sought to quash the subpoenas ordering them to be deposed by Peters’ lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, a high-profile Denver defense attorney.Butthey were ordered by District Judge Paul R. Dunkelman, the judge appointed to oversee the contempt of court case, to appear for the depositions, though they were told they only had to answer questions related to the conduct that led to Peters being charged with contempt of court.
The contempt of court charge, which is being handled as a civil matter, stems from an allegation that Peters used an iPad to record a portion of a February court proceeding for her former chief deputy, Belinda Knisley, and then lied to Barrett when he asked aboutRubinsteinit. filed a civil contempt charge against Peters as a result.Barrett was also overseeing Knisley’s case, before she pleaded guilty last month and agreed to testify against Peters. In her plea
Youth Congress seeks delegates
The Colorado Supreme Court on Sept. 7 temporarily blocked indicted Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters from deposing the judge presiding over the case against her in connection with an unrelated contempt of court matter.
She is charged with three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, a Class 4 felony; one count of attempting to influence a public servant, a Class 5 felony; one count of criminal impersonation, a Class 6 felony; one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, a Class 6 felony; one count of identity theft, a Class 4 felony; and one count of first-degree official misconduct, a Class 2 misdemeanor.
It’s the latest twist in a weekslong legal drama threatening to roil the criminal case against Peters, a 2020 election conspiracy theorist accused of crimes stemming from a security breach of her county’s voting system.
Court blocks Tina Peters’ deposition of judge
Mesa County clerk faced contempt citation
agreement with Rubinstein’s office, Knisley said Peters filmed the proceedings at her request “and then lied to the judge about doing so, including acknowledging to Ms. Knisley that she lied.”
Peters appeared in Barrett’s courtroom in the criminal case on Wednesday afternoon where she pleaded not guilty to all charges against her.
(The Colorado Supreme Court on Wednesday also ordered Dunkelman to explain his ruling by Oct.Dunkelman5.) was set to review the deposition transcripts to determine whether Barrett and Rubinstein could be called as witnesses in the contempt of court trial, which was originally scheduled for this week.
Elbert County News 7September 15, 2022 Visit douglas.co.us
The judge and district attorney both feared that being named as witnesses in the case could disqualify them from participating in the criminal trial against Peters, which is receiving national attention.(Rubinstein was deposed at 9 a.m. Wednesday, apparently before the Colorado Supreme Court’s order was issued.)
Colorado Sun staff writer Olivia Prentzel contributed to this report.
Douglas County students, in grades 9-12, have an opportunity to become involved as youth delegates at the 2022 Douglas County Youth Congress on Oct. 7 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Legacy Campus, formerly the Wildlife Experience. To complete your online registration or to learn more, visit douglas.co.us and search for Youth Congress
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Debate around Peters’ request to depose Barrett and Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein, who is prosecuting the criminal case against Peters, has been swirling for weeks.
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Barrett and Rubinstein argued that deposing them wasn’t necessary because they didn’t actually see the alleged filming, but rather were told about it by an employee of the district attorney’sDunkelmanoffice. ruled Barrett and Rubinstein only had to answer questions during the deposition about what they saw, but Steinberg contended that he should be able to press Barrett on his “opinions on Ms. Peters’ credibility.”
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Ashley died after a zoo volunteer felt he was acting strangely and then called police. It was later determined that Ashley was suffering from heat stroke. He died from cardiorespiratory arrest brought on by heat, dehydration and exertion during a struggle with police who had restrained and tasered him.
In 2019, the most-recent data available, 74% of zookeepers were white, 16% were Latino, 4% were Black, 2% were Asian and less than 1% were Native American, according to Zippia, an online site providing tools and information to help people achieve their career goals.
BY TATIANA FLOWERS THE COLORADO SUN
“That is the central theme of our work,” she added. “It is internally focused, so we can be more representative of the community, but also externally focused, so that when people engage with the zoo, they feel seen, and they feel like their identities are taken into consideration when we create exhibits, when we make updates, when we put infor-
When Vescolani was hired in 2018, he launched a strategic planning
SEE DENVER ZOO, P9
process focused on community engagement and other DEI initiatives.
“All of those things led to the creation of the steering committee, and to where we are today with our new strategic plan, and the personnel we have in place,” said Jake Kubie, director of communications at the Denver Zoo. “It’s all connected,”
COURTESY OF THE DENVER ZOO
The demographics of the zoo’s staff and visitors are not reflective of the area, a concern for organization leaders. Of the 406 employees working at the Denver Zoo, 19% are people of color.
The zoo is using an ongoing guest experience survey to track whether guests feel welcome at the organization.One question asks visitors to indicate whether they feel the zoo is a welcoming place for them and other visitors in their group. To date, in 2022, 88% of people have ranked the zoo as “very” or “extremely welcoming.” Zoo leaders hope that figure will increase to 95% or greater by nextSinceyear.Vescolani started in his role, he said he has worked hard to diversify the zoo’s staff and its board of governors, which hires and fires the CEO and maintains oversight of zoo operations. In 2018, when Vescolani was hired, 8% of the board of governors were Black and 8% were Latino. This year, the percentage of Black members rose to 13% and 20% for Latino board members.
Teens, older adults, people of color and people with disabilities are among the main groups the zoo is trying to engage to increase diversity. Each year, the zoo is now hosting a sensory night, where all flashing lights and music are disabled, specifically designed to welcome people with sensory processing disorders.
Zoo leaders stayed relatively quiet for years after Alonzo Ashley died, but were thrust into a local debate about diversity, equity and inclusion after his death, before the topic came up again following George Floyd’s death, and then once more during the Black Lives Matter protests that followed in 2020.
mation out on social media. We want everyone to feel like they have a role in saving wildlife for future generations.”TheDenver Zoo is a high profile, visible organization where staff are the catalysts for making connections between guests, animals and the rest of nature, Kubie said.
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Denver Zoo leaders have worked earnestly over the last few years to diversify their staff and visitors, continuing on a journey toward equity that was renewed last summer, when the zoo took responsibility for the death of a Black man who was tackled and tasered by police in 2011 while he suffered from heat stroke.
The zoo’s visitor demographics would reflect the racial makeup of the metro Denver area if 5% of its visitors were Black, if 23% were Hispanic, if 4% were Asian and if 64% were white. Currently, 16% of visitors are Hispanic, 5% Black, 5% Asian, and 79% of zoo visitors are white. Kubie said the organization has inched toward its goals over the last few years but recognizes there’s still room for improvement.
It was an important gesture that is part of Vescolani’s strategic vision for the zoo, which includes diversifying the organization’s staff and visitorship to reflect the makeup of the metro Denver area. The equity work, zoo leaders said, also fits in line with the zoo’s core mission of inspiring communities to conserve wildlife for future generations.
“The Alonzo incident was definitely a moment for us to really reflect on who we are and who the community thinks we are,” Kubie said. “With the Black Lives Matter movement growing over the last decade, and George Floyd, there have definitely been key moments along the journey that have really been a moment in time for us to pause and reflect on how we’re doing things.”
Denver Zoo leaders work to diversify
Could inspire young people to save wildlife
Two years later, during nationwide Black Lives Matter protests calling for racial equality, the foundation of the strategic plan was finalized, Kubie said.
and then lead the distressed person to adequate services. Security staff will continue to be trained to use de-escalation techniques in a course that will include a segment about how biases can impact how a person views a threat to help mitigate incidents similar the one that led to Ashley’s death.
Zoo leaders have partnered with Inclusive Journeys, an organization creating data-driven economic incentives that push businesses toward becoming more inclusive of patrons who typically experience discrimination.A$200,000grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services is being used to develop a more accessible recruitment and hiring process for early career professionals. Some of the money was used to create a paid internship program to help recruit young people of color who are hoping to break into careers in the zoological and wildlife conservationDenverindustry.Zooleaders attribute the lack of racial diversity in the industry to too few opportunities for paid internships at a time when a racial wealth gap makes it hard for interns of color to take low paying jobs.
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This year is pivotal for the Denver Zoo, he added, because many DEI initiatives outlined in the strategic plan are finally coming to fruition.
When an organization is diverse, it’s more innovative and creative, and improves business outcomes, said Elkin Alfred, director of equity and culture at the Denver Zoo, whose role was recommended a few years ago by the zoo’s DEI steering committee. “But it’s also the right thing to do.”
Last summer, Denver Zoo CEO Bert Vescolani apologized to Ashley’s family, and unveiled a water fountain and cooling station at the zoo in the 29-year-old’s honor.
Zoo leaders are revamping their interviewing process to mitigate bias and create a culture where leaders can engage and manage a diverse team. There’s a focus throughout the organization on preparing leaders for diversity and ensuring guests, volunteers and employees feel that they are a part of the team, including by ensuring that workplace meetings are more accessible for people with disabilities.
By 2025, millennials will make up 75% of the workforce, according to the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization conducting research. “If you think
During the last few years, the Denver Zoo has hired two staff members primarily focused on diversifying the zoo’s staff, and two team managers focused on getting the zoo involved in community events that should reach more people of color living and working in the neighborhoods surrounding the zoo.
Lion brothers at the Denver Zoo.
Some of the zoo’s equity work is focused on training staff who provide services to guests. These frontline workers will soon be trained in mental health first aid, a course that gives people with little or no experience in behavioral health the tools they need to recognize the signs and symptoms of a mental health crisis
“We are always looking at the barriers that prevent our community from visiting, and there are many barriers: there’s cost barriers, or psychological barriers, there’s emotional barriers, there’s people who
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The Denver Zoo has nearly 2 million guests per year who visit about 3,000 animals representing about 450 species. Zoos build empathy and curiosity for children who visit and create educational opportunities for adult patrons, Alfred said.
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.
DENVER ZOO
More than a decade after Ashley died at the zoo, organization leaders say they’re still on the journey toward creating a more diverse and equitable Denver Zoo.
The zoo recently opened a new animal hospital where guests are able to watch procedures in real time. The new hospital showcases the medical work done at the zoo but also helps kids see themselves in the shoes of a veterinarian or a wildlife biologist, Kubie said.
or zookeeper,” he said.
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But zoos haven’t always bathed in glory. In the 19th and 20th centuries, human zoos were prominent across the U.S., and other parts of the world, where people of color were displayed in zoos, fairs and museums as living exhibits. White visitors would pet and photograph the people on display for having features they deemed unusual. These historical events coupled with a sense that people of color are not welcomed in the outdoors because of lacking representation has created distrust in the zoo and wildlife conservation industry, especially among patrons of color, Kubie said. Now, Denver Zoo leaders are working to engage with those
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about millennials, what they come to the workforce with is a far greater and more focused wanting of diversity in its broadest sense, and they come with expectations that that’s the way it’s going to be, so it is not an option for any employer,” Vescolani said. “Nature survives because of its diversity and that same diversity should translate here.”
communities.Manyskeptics are also concerned about the level of care provided by zoos. There are about 2,500 zoos in America and only 238 are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, meaning the accredited zoos, like Denver Zoo, adhere to the strictest animal care standards and contribute to wildlife conservation. Kubie said the only animals that come to the Denver Zoo from the wild are those that were rescued. The vast majority of animals there are born and bred within a zoo setting in species survival programs to help conserve threatened, vulnerable and endangered species with an intent to eventually release them into the wild, he added.
“You don’t change systems that have existed for hundreds of years in two, three years, so the zoo is focused on this long term,” Alfred said. “We’re doing the work, and we’re looking at systemic change, and not just meeting quotas.”
don’t like zoos and are not going to agree with us, which is really where my department comes in to really tell people why zoos are important and what we do for wildlife conservation,” he said.
“I think there’s a case to be made for the likelihood of that increasing if a Black elementary school kid sees a Black vet tech or veterinarian
FROM PAGE 8
BY JESSE PAUL AND SANDRA FISH THE COLORADO SUN
The U.S. Senate race in Colo rado has become a darling of the national media.
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er, lost by 12 percentage points to then-U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, a Republican.Muchofthe money spent by this point in the election cycle in 2020 came from dark-money groups, nonprofits that don’t have to disclose their donors. On the Republican side, the darkmoney spending was by Unite for Colorado and One Nation. The Democratic dark-money groups that ran TV ads included Major ity Forward and Rocky Mountain Values.TheNational Republican Senatorial Committee and Senate Majority PAC, two federal politi cal action committees, ran ads supporting Gardner and Hicken looper, respectively. Gardner and Hickenlooper’s campaigns were also airing Ultimatelyads.$64 million was spent on TV ads in the 2020 contest. The Senate Leadership Fund, a GOP super PAC tied to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, aired ads through September and October, as did the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and other Democratic groups.
fact that national Democratic groups haven’t started spending in Colorado to shore up Bennet.
There are some notable dif ferences between the 2020 Sen ate race and this year’s contest. Namely, Gardner was an incum bent and the former chair of the NRSC, meaning he had a national base of support and a proven re cord of winning in Colorado.
That compares with the nearly $46 million worth of TV ads that had aired or were booked before Sept. 1 in Colorado’s 2020 Senate contest between Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner and Democrat ic former Gov. John Hickenlooper.
The RAGA poll was released to The Washington Examiner by the Colorado GOP. The Sun asked the state party for a copy but did not receive one.
Chris Hartline, communica tions director for the NRSC, said his organization is “obviously keeping an eye on the race.” The group is looking at races across the country to determine where its money could be best spent.
This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news out let based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit colora dosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
Still, O’Dea appears to have a steep hill to climb toward Wash ington.Public Policy Polling, a Demo cratic firm, on Wednesday re leased the results of a survey conducted among 782 Colorado voters Aug. 30-31 that shows Ben net leading O’Dea by a wide, 46%35% margin. The poll had a 3.5 percentage point margin of error.
The survey, whose results are the only one released publicly showing the race so tight, was conducted by the Tarrance Group, a Republican firm based in Virginia, on behalf of the Republican Attorney General’s Association. It had a 4.1 percent age point margin of error.
On Sept. 7, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan election prognosticator at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, changed its ratings for the Senate races in Pennsylvania and Arizo na, where Republicans were hop ing to pick up seats, from toss-ups to lean Democratic.
TV ad rates go up as the elec tion nears, and outside groups pay more than candidates or political parties.
Colorado Republicans hope that national help will come for O’Dea as GOP Senate candidates in other states falter, driving the party’s spending plans to change.
Forty-three percent of those polled said they have a favorable opinion of Bennet, while 37% said they have an unfavorable opinion of him and 20% said they weren’t sure. For O’Dea, 27% said they have a favorable opinion of him, 29% said they have an unfa vorable opinion of him and 44% said they weren’t sure how they felt about O’Dea, indicating that the first-time candidate still has work to do in ensuring Colora
dans know who he is.
“Colorado could be one of those places,” he Americansaid.Policy Fund, a GOP super PAC funded by Colorado construction companies and their owners, aired ads for O’Dea in the primary and early August, and has some ad buys scheduled for October.Ifthenational GOP spending does arrive, it will need to come soon and it will also likely need to come in large amounts. County clerks can begin mailing ballots to voters for the November elec tion Oct. 17.
The GOP also has concerns about Republican Herschel Walk er’s chances in Georgia, where he is trying to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.
In 2022, Republicans feel like momentum is on their side. Biden’s approval numbers nation ally and in Colorado are poor, and the party in charge of the White House traditionally loses seats in Congress during midterm elec tions.Additionally, the GOP sees O’Dea as their ideal candidate in Colorado: moderate, compared with the rest of his party, on is sues like abortion and his sup port of Trump.
Bennet began airing TV ads in late July, booking $1.9 million through the end of August. O’Dea began airing ads in early August, booking about $770,000 during the month. Both candidates are air ing Spanish-language TV ads on Telemundo and Univision.
“As someone who ran in a competitive congressional (race), when I got the call that the na tional money wasn’t coming in on my side, that meant that I was cut off and the race was over,” said Sal Pace, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully to represent Colo rado’s 3rd Congressional District in 2012. “Both the national par ties have decided it’s a waste of money to invest in Colorado, ap parently, which means there will be other races that determine the makeup of the U.S. Senate.”
Both the Tarrance Group and Public Policy Polling are well regarded by FiveThirtyEight, the election prognostication and political and sports statistics website, though it’s impossible to evaluate the efficacy of the Tar rance Group poll without seeing the details of its method.
The biggest spender on TV ads in the Senate race so far this year has been Democratic Colorado, a super PAC funded by Senate Majority PAC, which is affiliated with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York. The group spent $3.4 million on TV ads in the Republican primary in an unsuccessful effort to propel state Rep. Ron Hanks, a 2020 elec tion denier, over O’Dea.
Republicanssure. are celebrating an internal poll among 600 likely Colorado voters between Aug. 22 and 25 showing O’Dea trailing Bennet by just 1 percentage point — 48% for Bennet and 47% for O’Dea with 5% undecided.
The NRSC said the poll is an indication “that Joe O’Dea is a great candidate who meets the moment.” Zack Roday, O’Dea’s campaign manager, touted the results on Twitter as proof of his candidate’s momentum.
The New York Times, Washing ton Post and CNN are among the outlets that have parachuted into the state in recent weeks to cover the contest between Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and his Republican challenger, Joe O’Dea, under the notion that the state represents a potential surprise pickup opportunity for the GOP inButNovember.heading into Labor Day, the unofficial start of the home stretch of the campaign season, most polling and the money — especially the money — haven’t borne that out.
But Gardner was also widely expected to lose to Hickenlooper given the national backlash against President Donald Trump. Despite all of that spending in Colorado, Gardner lost by 10 per centage points.
Nation eyes contest between Bennet, O’Dea, but funders hold back
Just under $9 million worth of TV ads have aired or been booked in the Senate contest this year, ac cording to a Colorado Sun analy sis of contracts filed with the Federal Communications Com mission through Wednesday.
“It’s a race we’re keeping an eye on,” said Jack Pandol, a spokes man for the Senate Leadership Fund. “We continue to be im pressed by the race Joe O’Dea is running in Colorado.”
Biden’s approval numbers remain weak, according to the poll. Forty-three percent of those surveyed said they approve of the job he is doing, while 51% said they disapprove and 6% said they weren’t
The Senate Leadership Fund canceled $8 million worth of scheduled TV advertising in Ari zona earlier in the week.
Pace, a former state lawmaker and Pueblo County commission
The NRSC spent $241,000 on cable TV in August with an ad linking Bennet to Democratic President Joe Biden. But NRSC and Senate Leadership Fund have yet to schedule TV time for the fall, which is a major indication the race isn’t a priority, as is the
But the situation in other states is a double-edged sword for O’Dea: Republicans could decide to double down in those places and spend gobs of money to try to help their candidates running there. Or the GOP could shift its focus and resources to Colorado, where no Republican running for statewide office has won since 2016.
Senate race draws more attention than cash
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Making the most of the upcoming season
For this column, I would like to focus on the changing of the seasons for businesses and salespeople, although most of what I am about to share could be relevant to almost everyone.
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SCOTT GILBERT sgilbert@coloradocommunitymedia.comEditor
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September 15, 202212 Elbert County News 12-Opinion
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LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.comManager
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I respect a lot about my dad when it comes to his work ethic. I have his work ethic. But, I also look at how much he gave to companies before he had his own business. I look at all he gave after his business failed during the recession and he moved to a company.
Is that necessarily a bad thing?
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A term describing today’s younger workforce is “quiet quitting.” While I am not fond of the term, I am intrigued by the meaning. The main meaning for “quiet quitting” is an employee setting boundaries and not taking additional work. That means doing exactly what the job description says.
ERIN FRANKS Production efranks@coloradocommunitymedia.comManager
The summer season is coming to an end, with many of us looking forward to fall. It’s been a hot summer and it will be nice to get some cool air, turning of leaves, and just a change of pace. For some of us we get locked into the summer doldrums, especially in those severely hot days and nights. And yet for others, being outdoors and in the sunshine bring us energy.
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To make the most of the upcoming season, the first thing we need to do is to make sure we have executed against all the planning we did for 2022. Did we do what we said we would do when we said we would do it? Next, we should evaluate where we are and what we can build upon tactically to finish the year as strong as possible. An increase in sales behaviors, creativity in marketing, leveraging existing relationships and referral sources, and maybe an amplification of the social media sources that drive our business.
WORDSWINNING
Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Elbert County News.
THELMA GRIMES South Metro tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.comEditor
LOCAL
Michael Norton
In February, pewresearch.org came out with a study on how COVID reshaped work in America. According to the research, nearly six in 10 workers who say they can work from home are staying home. Many say they are doing this by choice rather than necessity.
ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.comConsultant
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Could he have given less and enjoyed a better worklife balance?
Labor of love
LINDA SHAPLEY lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.comPublisher
I agree — America does work hard. However, what that looks like has steadily changed since the pandemic sent everyone home and likely had many rethinking their lives.
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For employers and employees — the debate and negotiations over several issues are moving into view. One of those being the concept of working from home permanently. Now that COVID is seemingly here to stay and Americans are being told to get back to normal, some employers want staff to return to in-office work.
For one, the interaction with other reporters, editors, and our company’s senior management happens a lot less. I am a true believer that my work family is just as important of my home family. We work together, cry together, take on the public together. They all matter. I want to hear about their families, victories and losses in life.
Thelma Grimes is the south metro editor of Colorado Community Media.
I don’t know if I am in favor of staff only doing the bare minimum all the time, but I respect the idea of setting and sticking to reasonable boundaries.
With September comes the end of the 3rd Quarter for the businesses who operate on calendar year, beginning in January and closing the books in December. Depending on the industry and the organization, many times it comes down to the 4th Quarter, just like a football game. Although in football there is a chance for overtime, in business, when the year ends, the year ends.
As people come back from summer vacations, September is usually a strong month for planning and preparing for the things we can do that can have an immediate impact on how we finish the year. And more importantly, how we are all planning for 2023. This is
e recently celebrated, or rested, on Labor Day. When the topic of labor comes up, it’s been an interesting few years as employees and employers work to find some sort ofOncompromise.theDepartment of Labor website, it says, “work is changing, but America has always been a country filled with hard workers.”
The other fascinating part of the workforce changes is the term, “The Great Resignation.” During the pandemic, people left their jobs for something better or for nothing. Some of this had to do with low pay, but a lot of stories and reports on the “Great Resignation” comes down to people wanting to experience a true work-life balance.
A publication of
the time to plan and prepare, with most budget decisions and commitments happening before Oct. 31. For some, that budget deadline date is the scariest part of Halloween.
New products, services, or solutions will not be brought to market within three months — that is aligned with more long-term thinking. So, the best thing we can do is focus on what we can do in the short run that will have the greatest impact on our finish, while positioning us for success in the new year.
In a recent conversation with the chief revenue officer of a technology company, we kicked around the concepts and tactical approaches that their sales team was pursuing. And the idea was not to have the team grind it out, stressing themselves to the max, and getting frustrated. No, the idea was to make the push to finish the year strong as positive,
SEE NORTON, P13
I think there has to be a balance. For the most part, I could absolutely do most of my job from the comforts of my own home. However, the pandemic has shown me what is lost in doing that.
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This leads to how, by generation, the workforce has changed. My dad, the baby boomer generation, worked hard. His skin is stained from decades in plumbing, running his own business and working hard.
The compromise comes with hybrid working. Encourage employees to pick a few days a week to be in.
Thelma Grimes
Many low-wage industries around America employ victims
Napolitano added that most victims are recruited.
Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.
NORTON
Denver’s Laboratory to Combat Human Tra cking. COURTESY OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS
A threat to vulnerable populations
BY DANA KNOWLES, BRIAN WILLIE ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS
FROM PAGE 12
According to the U.S. Department of State, there is an average of 24.9 million trafficking victims worldwide at any given time. Statistics show that anyone of any race, age or gender can become a victim. Human trafficking is defined as a crime of
In a laboratory housed in a red brick building near downtown Denver, the workers inside aren’t running scientific experiments.
The Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking actually functions as a hub for information, data and resources for anti-trafficking efforts across the state, while also taking around-the-clock calls that come in on Colorado’s Human Trafficking hotline. Anywhere from two to five calls come into the hotline on a daily basis.“We provide the resources for the needs of trafficking survivors in Colorado. Survivors call looking for resources themselves, or providers that are working for survivors. Sometimes we get tips that we pass on to law enforcement when requested,” said Kara Napolitano, the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking’s research and training manager.Napolitano explained that human trafficking goes beyond what most people see in mainstream media and social media.
exploitation; victims are pressured into providing labor — including sex as a form of labor — through the use of force, fraud or coercion. But trafficking also happens in many industries such as landscaping, hospitality and restaurants, construction, massage parlors, childcare, domestic work, factories and janitorial services. Many of these workplaces are in low wage industries with high turnover rates.
upcoming season is to energize and motivate ourselves and our teams in such a way where we all can win and feel good about what we are accomplishing together.
“They are identified by the perpetrator or trafficker as being vulnerable and people are vulnerable for lots of reasons. They’re experiencing homelessness, they’re using drugs, they’re desperately looking for work,” Napolitano explained, saying that many victims had a traumatic childhood. “They’re looking for love and inclusion, and a trafficker reaches in and offers that person the thing they need — that love, the bus ticket, the job, the housing — and kind of hooks them that way.”Katlyn Pryshlak, the hotline and advocacy manager at the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking, adds that the hotline is so important because most trafficking victims have a difficult time reaching out.
“Many of the people affected by these crimes are from marginalized communities, so they don’t feel comfortable, they don’t feel safe reporting the crimes,” she said. “They don’t feel like they will be be loved or supported and in many cases they are criminalized because of crimes they were forced to commit as a result of their trafficking.”
Perpetrators of trafficking target and manipulate their victims, taking over their lives. If you suspect someone you know is in a trafficking situation, call Colorado’s Human Trafficking Hotline at 866-455-5075, or text 720-999-9724.
And that also makes many human trafficking cases difficult to prosecute in court, explained Napolitano, who said that only a few hundred cases have been prosecuted in Colorado over the last several years.
How is the end of the year looking for you personally or professionally? Did you start strong and are looking to finish stronger? Or do you need to get creative and energized to make the most of the upcoming season? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@ gmail.com, and when we can finish as strong as possible while setting ourselves up for success in 2023, it really will be a better than good year.
Debunking ‘white van’ myth of human tra cking
“I think one of the biggest myths and what we see on social media is that people are kidnapped by a stranger and taken into a situation that would be sex trafficking, when in fact that is almost never the case,” she said, adding that most victims are trafficked by someone familiar to them, which sometimes includes parents trafficking children. “Oftentimes it’s someone they know and love. So this ‘Stranger danger, white van marauding the neighborhoods gonna-snatch-upyour-kids’ myth is really just that.”
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fun, engaging and motivating as possible. Small daily rewards and recognition that cost the company little, but created a fun yet daily competitive environment that are driving greater results.
Then, build upon that with weekly and monthly larger stretch goals and opportunities to win. Not a winner-takes-all approach, but making it so that if everyone exceeds their own personal goals by a certain percentage, everyone had the chance to win. For many organizations, the grind has been especially difficult with labor shortages, resignations, quiet quitters who stay but do the bare minimum, supply chain issues, and just the chaos, confusion and stress happening all around us. And one way to make the most of the
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.
“There’s a lot of stigma and shame around the experience of being trafficked and losing control over your life,” Pryshlak said, “so when a human trafficking survivor shows up at the hospital or school, they’re not going to be that person who’s saying ‘help!’”
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BJ Hutchinson, owner of Bernie’s Kitchen, puts together a to-go order for the Owen family fundraiser.
Castle Rock, Parker & Highlands Ranch Area
SEE FUNDRAISER, P15
Families gather for the penne Alfredo fundraiser dinner at Bernie’s Kitchen.
Community members from around Elizabeth and greater Elbert County came together at Bernie’s Kitchen to help support the Owen family.
PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON
FUNDRAISER
“I love to open up my restaurant for things like this,” said BJ Hutchinson, owner of Bernie’s Kitchen. “It’s all about community to me. And families. Anything I can do to give back, I do it.”
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“For me, fire is terrifying. It’s one of the worst natural disasters that can hit you,” said Suchomel. “It’s one of my biggest fears, and when I saw this family lose almost everything, it really hit my heart.”
Bernie’s Kitchen, an Elizabeth institution, has a history of working to help people in need and during periods of struggle. The business has previously opened its kitchen for other nonprofit events, and it worked with nonprofit groups including DoEC during COVID-19 to provide food to ailing families.
FROM PAGE 1
Over the course of the fundraiser’s first hour, Bernie’s Kitchen started to pack with people wanting to support the Owen family. Patrons sat at tables with their loved ones talking about the food, the fire, and the Owen family. Meaghan Suchomel of Elizabeth shared her reasoning for coming to the event.
Greg and Susan Owen were in attendance, observing everyone who came into the restaurant to support them. They set near the door, talking with patrons as they approached to give their condolences. When asked how she felt about the community coming together to support her family, Susan Owen shared her thoughts.
“What is there to say? This is beyond kind. Beyond caring,” she said. “People from all over came to help us when our house was burning. It was overwhelming. Everybody came. People I didn’t even know came to help us. This town is amazing and I’m so glad I live here.”
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A Dads of Elbert County volunteer with the sign for their fundraiser at Bernie’s Kitchen.
Dads of Elbert County o ered a tip jar for those wanting to donate beyond the $15 dinner cost at the fundraiser for the Owen family.
Greg Owen, far right, Susan Owen, in red shirt, and restaurateur BJ Hutchinson, standing beside signboard, stand with the Dads of Elbert County volunteers at Bernie’s Kitchen during the Owen family fundraiser.
FUNDRAISER
FROM PAGE 14
The Dads of Elbert County are continuing to take donations for the Owen family through Venmo. Donations should be sent to @doec1 with the memo reading “Owen fire donation.”
Dads of Elbert County, local nonprofit, set up a tent at the event to promote their organization and to support first responders.
PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON
“We are just a nonprofit organization that focuses on bringing our community together and keeping the history of the town alive. We will also donate money to families in need,” said Lacey Catterton, president of the Elbert Town Committee, in an interview from Sep. 6. “The Elbert Town Committee is comprised of Elbert residents who are passionate about our town, its residents, and hosting events to bring our town together.”
ELBERT
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The Elbert School teaches students in grades K-12.Historic homes stand along Eccles Street in Elbert.
PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON
County without a town governing body. Elbert has no mayor, board of trustees, or general town officials. What Elbert does have is a group of dedicated and passionate community members who pull together to promote the area and hold annual events.Several community groups are responsible for the continued success of Elbert, including the Elbert Town Committee, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Their mission is to “reach, connect, and celebrate community and to promote the growth of the historic and rural Town of Elbert.”
The rural town of only about 200 residents is often missed when people visit Elbert County. The towns of Elizabeth and Kiowa have large yearly events that draw people from around the county and nearby parts of Colorado. The Elizabeth Stampede and Elbert County Fair alone bring in tens of thousands of visitors to the area.Members of the Elbert Town Committee are working to bring bigger and better events to Elbert in hopes of bringing in more visitors and promoting the town and its unique history. Recently, the Elbert Town Committee launched a new website
FROM PAGE 1
A water tower stands above the small community of Elbert.
The historic instructuresignature1906,builtbuilding,cantileGatesRussellMer-Co.inisathe
A red barn along North Elbert Road greets people as they drive south into the unincorporated community of Elbert.
SEE ELBERT, P17
PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON
William H. Spires Memorial Veterans Hall stands alongside historic Elbert structures.
South 40 Bar and Grill is an Elbert favorite.
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“I feel like we will be able to reach more residents to promote more of our events and be able to host bigger and better community events in the future,” said Catterton. “We are really excited to have a place where we can advertise all the local businesses who have sponsored our annual Elbert Day Festival in years past. I also believe it will be a place where people can come learn about the history of Elbert and see pictures from years past.”
Visitors are urged to stop by the community of Elbert to see its historic homes and buildings. People can dine on prime rib at the South 40 Bar & Grill, grab a cup of coffee at the Dancing Jaguar coffee truck often parked along North Elbert Road, peruse the Naked Goat Soap Shop and tour the historic Russell Gates Mercantile Co. building.“Elbert is amazing because although it has some new structures and a few new residents, it still has the small, old town feel to it. Everyone knows everyone,” said Catterton. “When I drive through town on Elbert Road, it’s amazing to think that I’m driving along the old railroad route. When I walk into the Russell Gates Mercantile building, it’s like walking back in time to 1906 and imagining all the people who have walked through its doors and all the stories the walls could tell.”
to promote the town and its events.
For more information about the Elbert Town Committee, as well as information about the history of Elbert and exciting yearly events, visit elberttowncommittee.com.
FROM
PAGE 16
ELBERT
Elbert is located in wooded hills.
curry and samosas; Jasmine Syrian Food, with cumin and lemon flavored hummus and chicken; Odaa Ethiopian Restaurant, providing an abundance of flavorful meats and vegetables; Nepali Mountain Kitchen, serving up warm curry and momo; and Golden Sky Sushi, which offers a fusion of Japenese and other Asian cuisines.
whose family immigrated from India, where mangoes are cherished andParmarabundant.said he chose the name Mango House because he wanted something “tasty and fun” that paid homage to his patients and patrons. He said he sees people from a broad swath of countries and regions, including Nepal, Burma, Somalia, Iraq, Eritrea, Afghanistan and Ethiopia.Somewho come to Mango House do so for space to start their business. Currently, it is home to five small food stalls: Urban Burma, known for its rice noodle bowls,
SEE MANGO, P20
politan area.
September 15, 202218 Elbert County News
“All my tenants are my patients,” Parmar said. “I like to think what we do is unique.”
At Mango House in Aurora, such sentiment could not better describe the mission of P.J. Parmar, who began the organization in 2014 to provide resources — primarily low-cost health care — to refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants.Italsoserves as a marketplace, with a grocery store and several vendors preparing and selling freshmade food from their home countries.“Mangoes are from everywhere our patients come from, but they are not from the U.S.,” said Parmar,
LOCAL
BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
For many, mangoes are defined by bright colors, aromatic flavor and embodiment of the sun-soaked tropics.Butfor some Denver-area business owners, the fruit is also a sense of identity, cultural connection and one’s openness to the new. From a refugee resource center offering an array of dine-in cuisines to a dessert bar fusing traditional Hong Kong sweets with Western styles, the mango serves as a token of the wider world for a land-locked metro-
Siri Tan, who began serving Burmese cuisine from his stall — Urban
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Burma — in 2019, said without Mango House “we wouldn’t exist.” Tan said he “wanted to introduce Burmese cuisine into the Denver area” and, through a patchwork of cooking education that included recipe books, online videos and tips from the Burmese community, he made that dream a reality.
Founded in Flushing, New York, Mango Mango has since been franchised to several locations across theKuo,U.S.who immigrated from Taiwan at age 5, said he fell in love with the business after first trying it in Flushing and sought to open one in Denver because, at the time, he saw no “truly Asian dessert places.”
Emma Mo, a co-owner of Mango Mango in Denver, presents a plate of sticky rice and fresh mango at the store Aug. 23.
The dessert bar, offering roughly 30 meals and 20 drinks, imbues the sweet and citrus-like flavors of mango into nearly all its cuisine. The signature dessert is modeled after a traditional Hong Kong favorite and consists of mango ice cream, fresh
For Parmar, he hopes the food of Mango House can offer an invitation for Coloradans to explore something new and build relations with their immigrant neighbors.
“I love Asian food, all kinds of Asian food,” Tan said. “When I hear that people like our food, that’s what makes me happy.”
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“I’d like to think we aren’t just preaching to the choir, with our restaurant-goers already loving refugees,” Parmar said. “I do think, occasionally, someone — adult or even a child — who has doubts towards foreigners is brought as part of a group, and their eyes are opened a bit when they are here. At
least their mouths, or palates, are opened.”
MANGO
PHOTO BY ROBERT TANN
SEE MANGO, P23
For business owner Robert Kuo, who co-owns Mango Mango Desserts in Denver, bringing customers the tastes of Asia drove him to open his“Ishop.think people like to come to try new things,” said Kuo, who opened the store in 2019 alongside his business partner, Emma Mo.
September 15, 202220 Elbert County News PLAYING! THANKS for THANKS Answers
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FROM PAGE 18
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“A lot of people like mango and I think it’s a perfect fit (for our shop),” KuoMangosaid.Mango offers a pallet of other sweet treats, some of which are inspired by more Western foods such as a layered crepe cake with mango cream filling or fresh-baked waffles drizzled with chocolate and cold mango chunks.
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fruit, juice and soba — edible starch pearls that Kuo said have been eaten “way, way, way before boba.”
For Marc Corona, who runs
Corona said. “Having a mango shot was just another way to create that experience for people.”
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Mangoes, Kuo said, are “in every corner of Hong Kong,” and that dessert, in particular, is a beloved treat.
FROM PAGE 20 MANGO
“It’s cool to see the community have the same mindset as we do of ‘hey, we like to do things together.’”
People are at the heart of Mango Tree’s ethos, Corona said, and outside of providing assistance to global poverty-fighting efforts, the business also strives to be an advocateMangolocally.Tree partners with area churches and other organizations to provide packed lunches to Englewood Schools students, a complement to the district’s free and reduced lunch program.
Mango Mango
“As we’ve built Mango Tree, that’s the mindset that we have, creating a space where everybody feels welcome and can be a part of something bigger than themselves,” CoronaOpenedsaid.inJune 2021, Mango Tree roasts its coffee in-house and offers a reliable cafe menu complete with espresso-based drinks, chai and teas.But one standout item is the mango shot, a blend of mango chunks, kefir — a fermented dairy product — and spices.
“We want to be an asset to the community,” Corona said, adding that the coffee shop also serves as a gathering space, much as its namesake mango tree did 20 years ago.
name harkens to a MANNA trip in 2002 when community members gathered under a mango tree in Kenya to discuss anti-poverty programs for the area.
Some of these come in the form of warm dishes, popular during the winter, Kao said. Others, such as bright green durian pancake rolls and purple-powdered taro cakes, present a unique and inviting option for customers — though these desserts are more subtle and savory compared with the reliable sweetness of the mango counterparts.
Mango House
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, closed Sunday
Mango Tree Co ee
Hours: noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday
Location: 3498 S Broadway, EnglewoodHours: 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday
PHOTO BY ROBERT TANN
Legal
“I think one of the main aspects that drives what we do is this sort of passion and drive to have fun,”
Elbert County News 23September 15, 2022 www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.com/Notices Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com PUBLIC NOTICES Legals Metro Districts Budget Hearings Public Notice NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING ON ELIZABETH FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT’S PARTICIPATION IN THE FAMLI PROGRAM PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that at 6:00pm on September 20, 2022, the Board of Directors of the Elizabeth Fire Protection District ("District") will hold a public meeting to consider whether to participate in Colorado’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act (“FAMLI”) program. Prior to the Board’s vote on the matter, the Board will take comments from any interested individual prior to or during the public meeting. The public meeting will be held at Station 271, located at 155 W Kiowa Ave, Elizabeth, CO 80107. Questions or comments prior to the public meeting should be directed to Fire Chief T.J. Steck at (303) 646-3800. The Board of Directors may continue the public meeting to a subsequent meeting. BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ELIZABETH FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT By: /s/ T.J. Steck Fire Chief Legal Notice No. 24877 First Publication: September 15, 2022 Last Publication: September 15, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News Notice to Creditors Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Steven Dale Schantz, a/k/a Steven D. Schantz, a/k/a Steven Schantz, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR30034 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 January 21, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred. Myka M. Landry, Attorney, ATL for Personal Representative Matthew Taylor Schantz PO Box Elizabeth,2276CO 80107 Legal Notice No. 24874 First Publication: September 1, 2022 Last Publication: September 15, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Leigh Robert Milne, a/k/a Leigh R. Milne, a/k/a Leigh Milne, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR30031 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 January 2, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred. Person Giving Notice: Cyndi L. Lyden, 18th Judicial District Deputy Public Administrator and Personal Representative Estate of Leigh R. Milne 1777 S. Harrison St., Suite 1250 Denver, CO 80210 Legal Notice No. 24875 First Publication: September 1, 2022 Last Publication: September 15, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News NamePUBLICChangesNOTICE Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name Public notice is given on August 1, 2022 that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Elbert County Court. The Petition requests that the name of Nancy Margaret Willard be changed to N. Margaret Willard Case No.: 22 C 51 By: Sarah Parlor, Clerk of Court / Deputy Clerk Legal Notice No. 24876 First Publication: September 15, 2022 Last Publication: September 29, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News Children (Adoption/Guardian/Other)ServicesPublicNoticeAttorneyEricaN.VargasTheVargasLawFirm,P.C.2201KiplingSt.,Suite206Lakewood,CO80215Phone:(720)572-4645 E-mail: evargaslawfirm@gmail.com Atty. Reg.: # 37315 Notice to Michael Del Ray Parker Case Number:2022JA30001 NOTICE OF ADOPTION PROCEEDING AND SUMMONS TO RESPOND PURSUANT TO 19-5-105(5), C.R.S. To the above-named Respondents: You are hereby notified that a Petition for Step parent Adoption has been filed and if you wish to respond to the Petition, you must file your Response with the clerk of this Court within 35 days after this Notice is served on you. Your response must be accompanied by the ap plicable filing fee of $192.00. Your failure to file a Response, or to appear, within 35 days after service, and, in the case of an alleged father, your failure to file a claim of paternity under Article 4 of Title 19, C.R.S., within 35 days after service, if a claim has not previously been filed, may likely result in termination of your parental or your alleged parental rights to the minor child.
Mango Tree Coffee in Englewood, mangoes serve as a form of expression for the business’ larger mission.Abranch of MANNA Worldwide — a global nonprofit network that works with organizations in 50 countries — all proceeds from Mango Tree go back into MANNA’s efforts to fight global poverty, which include building schools and food centers and expanding access to water, education and job opportunities.Corona said the coffee shop’s
And it’s not just mango that’s on the menu. The shop also serves flavors for other desserts that include matcha, durian and taro.
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Location: 1144 S Colorado Blvd, Denver
September 15, 202224 Elbert County News Come shop for unique gifts and special items during the Colorado Community Media Holiday Craft Show and Mini-Market; With more than 200 exhibitors filling the Douglas County Fairgrounds, this is the best place to find that special, personal gift for friends and family. The show will feature handmade crafts in all areas from metal and leather, to flowers, baskets, ceramics, and so much more. In it’s third year - expanding into two buildings. In 2021, 3,000 customers attended Interested in selling your handmade crafts? Interested in hosting classes? Contact Event Producer Thelma Grimes at tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.com All applications must be approved to participate Admission is free to the public PRESENTS 2022 Holiday Craft Show& Mini-Market 10amSaturdayNov.26-6pm 10amSundayNov.27-2pm Douglas 500FairgroundsCountyFairgroundsDv.CastleRock,CO.