Elbert County News 033023

a new Board of Trustees member on

helping to ll vacancies a fantastic mix of passion for the town, excitement to interact with members of the community, and a

BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

With a depleted school board due to a majority resigning, growing tension and unease in the community over curriculum not being taught in the district, and a growing national issue of politics breaking into the classroom, the new superintendent of the Elizabeth School District says he is ready to take the lead.

Just before three school board members resigned from the vemember panel, Dan Snowberger was unanimously approved as the new superintendent. e divided board approved Snowberger’s contract on March 13 in a 5-0 vote.

Elizabeth superintendent ready to face challenges Snowberger says he is looking to calm tensions SCHOOL

Member chosen after 3 leave P4

Joe Belongia stands with his wife, Kim, and son, Ben. Belongia has joined the Elizabeth Board of Trustees.

COURTESY PHOTO

Belongia says he is eager to listen as member of governing board

With a smile, Snowberger said he is glad the board’s nal show of unity was to make him the new district leader.

Right after the o cial vote to make Snowberger superintendent, the resignations of three board members were o cially approved.

During the interview process, Snowberger said he had no clue three members would be stepping down, but he feels even now that the entire ve-member board wanted only what’s best for the district, which has just over 2,200 students.

“ ey are truly committed to getting focused on what our kids need to be successful,” he said. “We are getting kids ready for very di erent futures than what we had when we were in school. In my conversations with the board and individually, we shared the same philosophy. We need to make sure our schools do not become political.”

In a time where many industry professionals with decades of administrative experience are retiring, Snowberger says he still has the drive to lead, educate and ready students for success in adulthood.

“I am passionate about what I do,” he said. “I am not giving up on public education. I certainly share some of the concerns that when schools become political, we fail, and families go elsewhere. We have the responsibility to prepare our kids for success in life. We have to guide it back.”

e decision to apply for the

Elizabeth job came down to timing and programs the Elbert County school district is o ering. Snowberger was superintendent in the Durango School District between 2012 and 2021.

Snowberger said his wife was injured in an accident and needed better care that was o ered along the Front Range, which is how he came from Durango to the Colorado Springs area. With his wife back on her feet, Snowberger said he wanted to get back into a leadership role and Elizabeth o ered what he is looking for when it comes to technology and direct employment programs.

“My last district where I was superintendent we were work-

Dan Snowberger, Elizabeth School District’s incoming superintendent

ing extremely hard in cooperation with our community to expand our career and technical education options,” he said. “Seeing that Elizabeth was in the same homegrown talent initiative was a huge attraction to me. Schools have to expand their thinking in what we are preparing kids for.”

Addressing tensions/unrest

O cially, Snowberger’s rst day will not be until after May 31. He is currently serving as the director of education operations in Monument, a position he has held since 2021.

In the meantime, Snowberger will be on campus in Elizabeth one or two days a week, which he agrees

will help in getting to know the district and sta , especially with the community going through some unrest.

As superintendent, Snowberger acknowledged that he has a “huge” role ahead in supporting the board in current challenges and leveling the tensions among sta , parents and the community.

“We have an amazing sta here,” he said. “Needless to say, they are highly committed to students and community here in Elizabeth. at is certainly exciting. We are struggling in education with people choosing to go into the profession. So, it’s important to us that we

SEE SNOWBERGER, P3

turn it around.

retirement.

‘I am passionate about what I do. I am not giving up on public education. I certainly share some of the concerns that when schools become political, we fail, and families go elsewhere. We have the responsibility to prepare our kids for success in life. We have to guide it back.’

retain the sta that we have here. We’ve gone through some challenges with our board that has led to some concern with our sta .”

Snowberger said work must be done to calm the waters.

“I refer to it as putting the rudder in the water and getting us on a rm course,” he said. “ e key is there is a very clear mission in this district and that is preparing children for success when they leave our schools. My intent is to focus on that e ort. Conversations that need to be had in concerns with curriculum and ideologies — we will work through that, but it will be done in a matter that is focused on our kids and what they need.”

Snowberger said he holds nothing against the board members who resigned, noting that school boards are unpaid positions in Colorado and can be highly stressful.

In resigning, Elizabeth School Board members said the community became hard to deal with in regard to continued complaints about controversial curriculum they agreed shouldn’t and hasn’t been taught in the district.

“It’s an odd situation for sure,” Snowberger said. “I don’t think it was a situation that paints anyone in a bad light or good light. I think they just had to make a decision.”

Snowberger said while there are strong disagreements in the community, the focus has to continually remain on student success and keeping and maintaining a school district that people want to move to and be a part of.

Politics in schools

In a statement after the resignations were accepted, Snowberger said it is unfortunate that adult issues have disrupted and continue to disrupt work being done in classrooms.

“When adult con ict gets in the way of our focusing on what we can do for our kids tomorrow, that’s just sad,” he said. “And, unfortunately, that’s not just Elizabeth.  We’ve seen that play out across the country where we have had challenging situations among school boards and challenging school board elections.

“My belief is we as adults can work through our di erences and we need to model that for our students,” he continued. “We have kind of lost that in our country. We can’t agree to disagree anymore. We must argue and oftentimes get to a personal level. My hope is that we can model for our children that adults can disagree but in the end, we will unify around what’s best for them and work through our di erences.”

In the Elizabeth School District, tensions have boiled over regarding curriculum such as critical race theory and social-emotional learning.

Critical race theory, or CRT, has exploded as a political debate, especially in K-12 education, over the last few years. Around the nation, some lawmakers have introduced bills to ban CRT curriculum in classrooms.

Proponents of CRT have said it has value because it teaches the history of racism in America. ose

against it say it paints white people as racist and is not factual.

While the topic of CRT has become a hot-button issue in recent years, it is not new. CRT, developed in the 1980s, is a graduate-level academic program that focuses on the idea that race is a social construct and racism is part of the country’s legal system and policies.

While the entire Elizabeth School District board was against CRT, and the generally conservative Elbert County has voiced opposition to the curriculum, disorder driven by fear of CRT has engulfed the district, with outgoing board members calling the public comment portion of meetings “chaos” and the constant emails about the unwanted curriculum overwhelming.

Social-emotional learning, or SEL, promotes student social, emotional and academic success. Proponents of SEL say it addresses not just academics, but also a student’s emotional and mental health.

Opponents of SEL say this should not be taught in a classroom by teachers, instead, it should be solely left up to therapists and parents.

For Snowberger, SEL is not so black and white.

“I know there has been some outcry in this community about social and emotional learning and that it is conditioning our kids,” he said. “I can assure in this community that social-emotional learning is helping our kids through crisis, so they don’t become a danger to other students in the classroom.

“ at’s the intent of social-emotional learning to me is making sure we have professionally trained sta to work with students in crisis. And, yes, in a small community like this there are children in crisis.”

School safety

Monitoring student behavior and needs is a reality today’s educators must face. As school shootings and violence continue around the nation, Snowberger said even small districts must be cautious.

“ at’s de nitely a scary part of being an educator today,” he said. “Society does not stay outside of our schools. Society comes into our schools. Sadly, we see that happening in movie theaters, grocery stores and public places across our country. We hyper focus on them when they happen in schools. e key is if we are focused on our kids, and we build relationships with our community and students, we are in a much better position to prevent it from happening.”

Safe2Tell, an anonymous reporting platform, is a good tool, Snowberger said. He has a special ring tone set to alert him when a Safe2Tell lead comes through, Snowberger said every report must be taken seriously.

“Working to build the relationship between community and students helps. Every school shooting, there is typically somebody that knew something,” he said. “We need to encourage them to speak up when they have information.”

Besides encouraging tips about students who might be in crisis, Snowberger said he also hopes the community talks with him more directly, discouraging online and social media discussions. Instead, he said emails and phone calls are always welcome from students, sta and the community.

Dan Snowberger is introduced to the community as the newly hired superintendent of the Elizabeth School District on March 13. PHOTIO BY THELMA GRIMES

2023

BEST BEST

BEST OF THE BEST VOTE

Olsen named president, Booth to serve as VP of school board

BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

To keep business moving forward after the resignation of three board members, the remaining two members of the Elizabeth School Board took steps to ll the vacant seats.

In a special March 16 meeting, Rhonda Olsen was name president of the board, replacing Cary Karcher, who resigned along with Vice President Kim Frumveller and Secretary Craig Blackham e ective March 14.

Heather Booth was appointed vice president of the board.

Following legal advice, the remaining board member made a “declaration of an extraordinary event,” in order to keep conducting business and designate the new titles for Olsen and Booth.

Olsen and Booth also appointed Mary Powell to one of the three vacated seats. Powell is now the board secretary.

Olsen said Powell is involved, known and loved in the community.

“I am very honored to make a motion to appoint Mary to one of the vacant seats so we have a quorum,” she said.

According to the March 21 news release, Powell has been a resident of the Elizabeth School District for 22 years. She is a retired paralegal who worked with law rms that focused on business litigation and in corporate settings.

Powell was invited to serve on the district’s Policy Review Committee in February.

In a provided statement, Powell said, “I am excited to be part of a new time of healing and growth in our Elizabeth schools. I look forward to working with the board and Superintendent Snowberger to help achieve the best education and safest environment possible for

our students.”

By appointing the third member, the board was able to vote on business, ratify actions taken on March 13 and move forward with appointing applicants to ll the vacated seats on the board.

No matter who is appointed to the board, they will only serve until the current terms expire. To remain o the board, new members will have to be chosen by voters in the November election.

Moving forward, the district said in a press release that the board will work to ll the remaining two vacancies over the next 60 days, which follows state law.

Residents of the district wanting to apply to serve on the school board can email the board at assistanttoboe@esdk12.org. e email should include a statement of interest and quali cations. e deadline for submissions is March 31 at 5 p.m.

According to the district, applicants will be screened with ve nalists to be selected and introduced to the community during the April 10 business meeting.

During that meeting, the board is expected to settle on the nal two candidates, swear them in and immediately seat them to conduct business.

Director Rhonda Olsen, left, is now the president of the Elizabeth School Board. Heather Booth, right, is vice president.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

Mary Powell placed in vacant seat

‘I am excited to be part of a new time of healing and growth in our Elizabeth schools.’

Mary Powell, new school board member

CSO principal cellist plays in Englewood

Seoyoen Min accompanied by pianist Hsiao-Ling Lin

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Englewood Arts presented Colorado Symphony Principal Cellist Seoyoen Min on March 18 in another of its excellent Saturday matinee series concerts at Hampden Hall. She was accompanied by pianist Hsiao-Ling Lin in three classical works spanning the past three centuries.

Included: Beethoven (1770-1827)

“Cello Sonata No. 4 in C, Op. 102” (1815); Ginastera “Pampeana No. 2 Rhapsody for Cello” (1950); and Grieg “Cello Sonata in A Minor, Op. 36 (1883).” e Ginastera work refers to the plains, pampas, in Argentina. ere is a connection to Colorado’s eastern plains in that work. He was an important 20th-century classical composer.

Min’s inaugural season with the CSO was 2019/2020. e native of South Korea has been an active soloist in the U.S. and South Korea. She was also featured with the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, where she performed the Fredrich Gulda Cello Concerto with Christopher Dragon. She made her South Korean debut at the Youngsan Art Hall in 2016 and has performed in solo engagements with the Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra, Seoul National Symphony Orchestra, the Seoul Academy Ensemble, the Seoul Soloists Cello Ensemble and OZ Ensemble.

She is a founding member of the Edith String Quartet and has participated in a number of chamber music collaborations throughout her career.

Included: a cello ensemble with Lynn Harrell and with Kyung Sun Lee in the Virtuosi Seoul Ensemble, as well as the St. Lawrence Quartet. In her home community, she performs with Englewood Arts as a chamber musician and soloist and with the Front Range Chamber Players.

e contemporary music scene in South Korea has drawn her interest as well. In the summer, she performs as a guest artist with the Southeastern Young Artists in Georgia, with the Grand Teton Festival as principal cello and the “Going Home Project” Orchestra as assistant principal.

Seoyoen Min is a private teacher in her home community and has been a guest faculty member at area music institutions. Most recently, she has taught a master class at the University of Wyoming, where she also taught at the UW Cello Festival. Her personal mentors include musical gures such as Lynn Harrell, Gary Ho man, Xenia Jankovic, Peter Bruns and Tilman Wick, she wrote.

She holds a master of music degree from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, where she studied with Hans Jorgen Jensen and a bachelor of music degree from Seoul National University.

Watch for her name as summer music programming begins to appear in our paper and elsewhere in the area, as summer announcements begin to appear.

Slash-mulch site opens April 1

The County’s main slash-mulch site, at 1400 Caprice Drive in Castle Rock, opens April 1 and will remain open Saturdays only from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. through Oct. 28. For more information, directions and a list of acceptable items, visit douglas.co.us and search

Slash Mulch

Help keep your community safe and beautiful. Adopt a road!

Gather your friends or neighbors and adopt a road for littler pickup. Douglas County’s road adoption process is now online and easier than ever. For details, visit douglas.co.us and search for Adopt a Road.

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Visit

Skip the trip - motor vehicle services just a click away

Seoyoen Min, principal cello with the Colorado Symphony, performed March 18 in Englewood’s Hampden Hall. COURTESY PHOTO

In an email interview from March 7, Belongia shared his thoughts on communication and community. He also gave insight into his background and life outside of his new position with the Board of Trustees.

Where are you from? If not from Elizabeth, what brought you here? What is your favorite part of living in Elizabeth?

We moved to Elizabeth from east Aurora. We wanted to move to a town that provided a hometown feel, great schools, and a place that my family could call home. We love it here. e community is so friendly, and we love all of the amazing events in town, like the farmers market, Wine in the Pines, the concerts, the list goes on and on!

What is your work and educational background? What makes you qualified to serve on the Board of Trustees?

I have worked for the same company for the last 30 years. Both my wife and I work in the title insurance industry. My favorite thing to do when I am talking with friends, family, or someone I just met, is to listen. Listen to their story, their history and what they enjoy. I think that helps me in this position, as I want to represent the community by listening to their opinions and communicating to the board what I have heard in my neighborhood and around town.

What do you hope to bring to the Board of Trustees and the Town of Elizabeth?

(In his application of interest to the Board of Trustees from Dec. 16, 2022, Belongia said: “I pride myself in my customer service skills and my ability to defuse hot situations. I have strong organizational skills and pay very close attention to detail.

Any events? Meetings? Projects?

I love attending as many town events as I can, and I consider myself so fortunate to be part of the board meetings and discussions. As far as projects go, I have to say that I am most excited about the possibility of a Senior Center. at would be such a blessing to not only Elizabeth, but the entire county.

What do you do for fun? Married with kids? Favorite show to binge? Tell me a little about yourself.

Me and my wife enjoy spending time with our son. My wife’s family has a farm and ranch in eastern Colorado, and we try to get out there as often as we can to spend time with her family. We enjoy hunting

laborer for Habitat for Humanity.)

Is there anything you want to make sure people know about you, your new position, goals, etc.?

If you see me out and about, in the grocery store, at a local restaurant or anywhere in town, and you would like to visit, please stop me and let’s talk. I would love to hear what is on your mind. I work for everyone in this town and the only way I will understand how you feel, is by having those conversations.

To contact Joe Belongia, email him at jbelongia@townofelizabeth.org. For more information on the Town of Elizabeth Board of Trustees, visit townofelizabeth.org/bt.

The Elizabeth Board of Trustees meets in Elizabeth Town Hall.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

‘Carousel’ wrapping up its run

Rodgers and Hart’s “Carousel” is presented by Performance Now eater Company through April 2 at Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway. Performances: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. ink: “If I Loved You,” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” ... 303987-7845, Lakewood.org/ LCCPresents.

Englewood concert

Cellist Silver Ainomae will return to Hampden Hall in the Englewood Civic Center, 1000 Englewood Parkway, at 2 p.m. on April 8 for an Englewood Arts Presents concert in the “Chamber Music of the Masters” series. englewoodarts.org or ebertoluzzi@hotmail.com.

Colorado Wind Ensemble

Colorado Wind Ensemble performs at 7:30 p.m. on May 5 at the King Center

on the Auraria Campus, 855 Lawrence Way. With special guest trombonists Dr. Jonathan Whitaker from the University of Alabama and Dr. Peter Ellefson from Indiana University. e CWE has openings for bassoon and percussion. See website for audition information: coloradowindensemble.org.

Zikr Dance

e Zikr Dance Ensemble is touring with “Mysteries, Rites and Revelations” and the premiere of “Mobile.” Performances locally: April 2 — Lone Tree Arts Center; April 11 — Highlands Ranch Southridge Recreation Center; April 14-15 — Lakewood Cultural Center. See zikrdance.com.

College gallery Colorado Gallery of the

Arts at Arapahoe Community College, 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton, is holding an Artist Invitational through May 5: Works by Andrea Gordon, Cindy Young, Amber Seegmiller, Jodee Sweets, Anthony Snyder, Sisel Lan, Mary Murphy, Nicole Hartman, Z.A. Handler, Amy Mower. Gallery hours: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; ursdays until 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 8, noon to 3 p.m.

Miners Alley

“I Hate Hamlet” by Paul Rudnick plays through April 23 at Miners Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington Ave., Golden. Directed by Rory Pierce. Tickets: $44 to $56. Performances: 7:30 p.m. ursday, Friday, Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. MinersAlley. com.

For the ladies

Mark your calendar: LOST (Ladies Only Sample Tour) in Littleton on May 18. More later. See ladiesonlysampletour.com.

Curious Theatre

“Amerikin” by Chisa Hutchinson plays at Curious eatre, 1080 Acoma St., Denver through April 15. Directed by Jada Suzanne Dixon. 303-623-0524, curioustheatre.org.

Creativity summit

Colorado Creative Industries Summit for 2023 will draw more than 300 Colorado creatives from more than 65 cities and towns to Crested Butte this summer for two days to be announced soon. Contact Colorado Creative Industries. Early bird pricing through March. Dates to be rmed up very soon. See oedit.colorado.gov/coloradocreative-industries-summit.

ACC benefit

Mark the calendar again! Arapahoe Community College will hold its “Wine, Art and Design” bene t in Littleton, at ACC Art and Design Center, 24oo W. Alamo Ave., from 6:30 to 9 p.m. See arapahoe.edu/foundationevents.

Lone Tree Tunes on the Terrace at Lone Tree Arts Center has ticket packages available for June 23: Six One Five Collective; July 7: e Hot Lunch Band; July 21, 8 p.m.: Pink Martini, featuring China Forbes; August 4: Face Vocal Band. All performances will take place. If moved to the Main Stage, patrons will be noti ed via email on the day of the performance. All outdoor seats have a corresponding seat in the Main Stage theater in case of inclement weather. No cancellations within 72 hours of the performance. See lonetreeartscenter.org.

Curtis Center Curtis Center for the Arts, 2349 E. Orchard Road in Greenwood Village, continues with Month of Photography through May 6. Works by Ben Cooper and Jaime Belkind-Gerson are exhibited. Open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Arvada Center

“Damn Yankees” will play at the Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., from April 7 through May 7. Tickets start at $53. 720-898-7200, arvadacenter.org.

The cast of “Carousel.”

COURTESY OF RDGPHOTOGRAPHY

SONYA’S SAMPLER

Why so many Colorado cars have expired license plates

BY PAOLO ZIALCITA COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

eodore Shille was driving home from the grocery store when he noticed something. During the short trip, he passed three cars that had expired temporary license plates or no plates at all.

It wasn’t the rst time he had seen this near his Denver home; a few days before he wrote in to CPR News and asked, “what’s the deal with all the cars driving around without a license plate, or with an expired temporary plate?”

It’s a question that regularly appears on a local Reddit message board.

And it’s something this reporter has seen, as well. When I started looking into this story, I stood at a busy intersection in Westminster near the entrance to U.S. 36 on a Sunday morning to count the number of cars I saw with expired temporary license plates or no plates. Within 10 minutes, I saw 10 cars.

Why are there so many cars on Colorado roads with expired plates? At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, before vaccines were readily available, county Department of Motor Vehicle o ces were closed frequently and experienced supply chain issues for materials needed to make the plates. Could that still be a ecting permanent

license plate turnaround times? Are drivers lax in getting their plates updated, or is something else happening?

According to Adam Wilms, director of vehicle services at the state DMV, that early pandemic slowdown has come and gone.

“You’ll see appointments ranging from same day to, I would say, a max of three or four days out,” he said.

But that only covers one aspect of the process to acquire permanent plates. It really begins once someone purchases a vehicle from a dealership.

After all the forms are signed, the dealer has 30 days to forward the title paperwork to your county DMV o ce for processing. Jessica Ramirez, who manages titles for GoJo Auto in Denver, said this part usually goes smoothly for her, but there are exceptions.

“Every deal’s di erent. I have three right now that aren’t good,” Ramirez said. “Sometimes it’s a trade-in and we pay out the lien and the bank doesn’t send us the title. Or it gets lost in the mail, so I have to wait for a lien release and then get a duplicate title. ere’s lots of things that could delay it.”

e county DMV has 30 days after it receives the title to process the paperwork and send the buyer a “Title Complete Notice” via mail. Ramirez said she heard from the people she sends paperwork to that there are potential slowdowns there, as well.

Derek Kuhn, a spokesperson for the state DMV, said that all Colorado counties should be caught up on title processing by now, except for one.

“Our team con rmed that Denver County DMV is running behind on processing title paperwork, but we believe they should be caught up in a couple of weeks,” he said.

Department spokesperson Courtney Meihls said the Denver County DMV wait time is currently 30 days: “Denver is experiencing a backlog due to sta ng issues, and because our branches operate di erently than other [motor vehicle] branches throughout the state.”

If drivers don’t receive their permanent plates within by the time the temporary plates expire, Meihls continued, the DMV branches will provide extended temporary plates. After the local DMV mails that Title Complete Notice, the process to get permanent plates varies by county. In Denver County, for example, buyers can either register their vehicle over the phone or visit a branch ofce. Buyers may be required to bring documentation, like proof of owner-

ship and insurance, into their local DMV o ce.

All that’s left to do is pay for registration fees, which can vary depending on the age, weight and value of the vehicle. Fees can amount in the low hundreds, while some vehicles may garner a nal fee of well over $1,000. Fees help pay for vital infrastructure across the state.

“What most people don’t realize is that a signi cant portion of [registration fees] goes to the county, so that pays a lot of your county taxes,” Wilms said. “In addition to that, it’s your road and bridge taxes and fees. A lot of the money goes to the highway user tax fund and funds the repairs and the creation of our roads and bridges throughout Colorado.”  e road to obtaining permanent plates should take 60 days, at most. But for Kyle Spence, it took six months.

“As soon as I actually purchased the car and left with it, that’s when everything started falling to pieces,” Spence said.

When his rst set of temporary tags expired in November, he called his dealership, a national chain, in orton which told him they hadn’t submitted any documents to the state.

“ ey never really gave me a reason for it,” he said.

By January, Spence’s second set of temporary tags were due to expire, and he hadn’t received the Title Complete Notice from the DMV. So, he took matters into his own hands.

“ ere’s a way that you can look up your VIN number of your vehicle, [and] whether or not you have a title number,” he said. Spence took the title number to the tax collector’s o ce without his Title Complete Notice and eventually got his permanent plate. He acknowledged, however, that persuading the o ce to go through the process without the notice was di cult.

For Kate McElhaney, the road to permanent plates has been similarly rocky. In November, she bought an electric vehicle and by February, she was still waiting to obtain permanent plates.

“I don’t know where the holdup is. Is it with the dealership? Is it with the DMV? I’m not really sure,” she said.

Neither her dealership nor the DMV have answered her questions. And with the tax deadline quickly approaching, she isn’t sure how to le to get the state’s electric vehicle tax credit.

“If I don’t get my car registered until after April 15, what does that mean?” she asked. “Do I just surren-

der my tax credit or can I go for it in this calendar year? I don’t know and I can’t really nd any information on that.”

But what about people driving around with long-expired temporary plates, or cars with no plates?

Until recently, Colorado only penalized people with expired vehicle registration. But earlier this month, a new law went into e ect that aims to reduce the number of cars with expired temporary license plates by introducing new nes to people late with the registration of their temporary plates, as well as permanent ones.

In response to the DMV’s renewed hard stance on all unregistered vehicles, some state law enforcement agencies said they would take more consistent action against cars with expired plates or no plates.

Colorado State Patrol, the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce, and other police departments recently said they will begin pulling over people for unregistered vehicles.

e Denver Police Department, however, signaled that unregistered vehicles are low on their priority list.

“Consistent with our commitment to Vision Zero, Denver Police O cers generally focus on safety violations when conducting tra c enforcement. When they are not responding to reports of crime, o cers are encouraged to engage in proactive e orts, to include enforcing trafc and parking violations,” DPD said in a statement.

Police departments aren’t the only entity with the authority to enforce registration laws. In Denver, a division of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure handles parking violations and citations around the city.  at division — the Right of Way Enforcement — issued about 92,000 citations in 2022 to cars breaking municipal code 54-62, which prohibits having either an expired license plate or no front license plate. at’s about 7,000 more citations than were issued in 2019.

John LeDrew has received several of those tickets.

About a year ago, he began leasing a plug-in hybrid and has been driving with expired temporary license plates since they rst expired. He wasn’t told by his dealership or the DMV that he could obtain more temporary license plates.

“I did the calculation, the fees were like $600. I went [to the DMV] to register and get those tags, but it turned out to be closer to $1,400,” LeDrew said. “I couldn’t a ord that at the time. So, I asked what my options were and he said, ‘you just drive around with expired tags.’ I said, ‘alright, cool.’ And I just left.”

LeDrew has been trying to save up to a ord his permanent plates, but owning a small business and having a commission-based salary makes his nances di cult to predict. He believes he’s close, but more tickets could set him back.

“It’s just one of the constant battles we have to manage,” he said.

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

Tra c on intersate 25 in Denver

COURTESY OF CPR NEWS

Situation is widespread

Coloradans could get up to $2.5 billion in tax refunds

BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

Coloradans will receive more than $2.5 billion in tax refunds from the state as long as there isn’t a recession, according to two quarterly economic and tax revenue forecasts presented this month to the legislature.

An economic downturn is increasingly likely, however, given international nancial instability, including stubborn in ation and the banking industry’s headline-grabbing struggles over the past month.

Nonpartisan Legislative Council Sta said the state government will collect $2.75 billion in tax revenue in excess of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights cap on government growth and spending in the current scal year, which ends June 30. e legislature is required to refund that money.

e Governor’s O ce of State Planning and Budget expects the TABOR cap to be exceeded by $2.7 billion in the current scal year.

e cap, set by a 1992 constitutional amendment passed by Colorado voters, is calculated by multiplying the prior year’s limit by in ation and population growth rates.

e money will predominantly be refunded to taxpayers in April 2024 in the form of checks tied to people’s income — with higher refund amounts going to higher earners — as long as the legislature doesn’t change the refund formula this year, as it did in 2022.

e forecasts are provided to the Colorado General Assembly to help lawmakers draft the state budget for the next scal year. e data presented in March to the legislature’s powerful Joint Budget Committee, which drafts the budget, is considered the most important each year because it’s used to set spending.

e good news for the legislature is that it will have all the money it’s entitled to. e bad news is that the in ation rate used to calculate the TABOR cap lags current economic conditions. at means that while the legislature would seem to have more money to spend next year, the amount is actually lower than this

year’s when adjusted for real-time population and in ation increases.

In fact, Greg Sobetski, chief economist for Legislative Council Sta , told the JBC that even without TABOR state budget revenue isn’t expected to keep up with in ation and population increases.

“We expect those revenue increases to not make up for the budgetary pressures that arise from in ation and population,” he said.

Still, state tax revenue is expected to exceed the TABOR cap through the 2024-25 scal year, which begins on July 1, 2024. at’s assuming Colorado voters don’t approve more reductions in the income tax rate — as conservatives are pushing for — and the legislature doesn’t pass new bills o ering tax breaks.

ere’s also a proposal swirling at the Capitol to ask voters to forgo their TABOR refunds and send the money to K-12 schools instead.

e TABOR cap was exceeded last scal year by $3.7 billion, which prompted refund checks to be mailed to Coloradans last year. Another round will be mailed out in April, as well.

Legislative Council Sta and the governor’s o ce shared good and bad news about the state’s economy.

Overall, the state’s economy, like the nation’s, is slowing in the wake of rising interest rates set by the Federal Reserve. Unemployment in Colorado, however, remains low — 2.8% in January, which means it has returned to pre-pandemic levels — and isn’t expected to rise too much.

Legislative Council Sta forecasts the unemployment rate to be 2.9% at the end of 2023 before increasing slightly to 3.1% in 2024. e Governor’s O ce of State Planning and Budgeting says there are two job openings in Colorado for every unemployed person.

Coloradans’ personal savings, meanwhile, have shrunk amid high in ation, while credit card balances have risen.

“Some households may still have excess savings, but most lowerincome households spent down the excess savings acquired early in the pandemic,” Louis Pino, an LCS

analyst, told the JBC.

Bryce Cooke, chief economist with OSPB, said if there is an economic downturn, Colorado will be well positioned to weather it.

“If the gap between the workforce and job openings remained similar to where it is now, you would see that people wouldn’t be losing jobs,” he said.

Cooke said bank failures in the U.S. and internationally are a real economic risk, though it will be tempered by the federal govern-

ment’s willingness to respond to the situation.

Overall, Lauren Larson, who leads OSPB, said these are “uncertain economic times.”

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

e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

A look up through the dome in the state Capitol.

PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

Organizational meeting held for veterans council

Groups discuss ideas

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Parker Chamber of Commerce President T.J. Sullivan hosted a brainstorming session at the Douglas County Parker Library in hopes to make the rst Chamber Veterans Council.

Sullivan was inspired by another chamber executive to look into creating community councils through the chamber. As there are many specialized groups in the community, to be involved in an issue that they care about would be a way to get more people involved in the community, he said.

“We wanted a council with substance,” said Sullivan. “[To help] expand the reach of the chamber and also bring in people who identify with that particular community.”

According to Sullivan, there are many military veterans in the Parker Chamber of Commerce. e Town of Parker also has a large veteran presence as well as veteran-owned businesses,  e Chamber’s mission statement is “To be the preeminent organization in the Parker area for advocacy, promotion, and collaboration of business.”

With a primary goal of supporting veteran-owned businesses, the purpose of the Parker Chamber Veterans Council is to provide

professional resources to veterans in the area, promote professional programs and opportunities and to encourage more veterans to start businesses in Parker.

In attendance were 16 veterans,

active duty members and family of military personnel, all of whom work in or run a business in the area, and many are part of the chamber.

Everyone sat in groups of four to discuss and write down ideas of how a Parker Chamber Veterans Council could assist Veteran business owners.

“It’s a good thing to have these things work out organically and actually ask the community that’s gathered what they want, what’s needed,” said Sullivan. “ is is literally a brainstorming meeting to see if this is something that would be useful, if we can help people and if we can do it within our mission.”

Attendees were given 30 minutes to discuss how the chamber could support veteran business owners, how they could encourage veteran entrepreneurs and what activities could a potential council do to make a di erence for veteran owning or wanting to own a business.

e group’s thoughts crossed over one another as each had similar ideas. Topics focused around mentoring, networking, social media and marketing, preparing a resource list, having a presence at events and being a liaison to the town council.

e idea of the veteran council is to provide resources for and mentor veteran entrepreneurs and veteranowned businesses who are looking for additional support. Resources

would include listing the job trades and diversity of those involved in the council.

Among many ideas, one was to have job listings available for veterans in veteran-owned businesses that already exist. is would help create a transition and build trust and partnerships among business owners.

e discussion of how to let the community know the council and resources are available was brought up. Social media and marketing will be a focus as many people coming out of service are looking to sites such as LinkedIn for job opportunities.

An attendee brought up the idea of creating a veteran business fair expo that veteran networking groups could be invited to. e expo could include chamber business and community resources.

Looking forward, Sullivan will be reading over the notes that were provided during the organizational meeting and is awaiting approval from the chamber board.

According to Sullivan, the Parker Chamber Veterans Council looks to have 12 permanent members. e only requirement is the person has to be part of the chamber or have a legitimate connection to the chamber.

e date and time of the next meeting will be announced at a later date.

Attendees at the Parker Chamber Veterans Council organizational meeting.

PHOTO BY HALEY LENA

Thu 4/06

Cooking with Elle @ 3pm

Apr 6th - Apr 27th

Heather Gardens Clubhouse, 2888 S. Heather Gardens Way, Aurora

Tue 4/11

Casino - Bally's @ 12:45pm

Heather Gardens Clubhouse, 2888 S. Heather Gardens Way, Aurora

Colony House @ 6pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood

Little Image @ 6pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Phat Daddy @ 7pm

Q's Pub and Grill, 10133 W Chat‐�eld Ave, Littleton

Wendy Clark Band: Wendy Clark at The Englewood @ 7pm The Englewood Tavern, 4386 S Broadway, Englewood

A Flock of Seagulls & Strangelove-The DEPECHE

MODE Experience at Parker Arts PACE Center @ 6:30pm

Parker Arts, Culture & Events Cen‐ter, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker

Anavrin's Day: Tailgate Tavern Main Stage @ 7:30pm

Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker

Tony Medina Music: The Open Mic at The Alley @ 5:30pm

The Alley, 2420 W Main St, Little‐ton

Wed 4/12

Ladies Night @ 5pm / $10

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

DJ Rockstar Aaron: Forbidden Bingo at 'Bout Time Pub & Grub @ 7pm Bout Time Pub & Grub, 3580 S Platte River Dr A, Sheridan

Thu 4/13

Teague Starbuck @ 5pm Modern Brew - Kitchen, Coffee, Bar, 8221 S Holly St, Centennial

WHL U.S. Development

Combine: Denver - GOALIE @ 11pm / $399

Apr 6th - Apr 9th

South Suburban Family Sports Center, 6901 South Peoria St, Centennial. 888-844-6611 ext. 3354

Diego Figueiredo @ 11pm

Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S Allison Pkwy, Lakewood

Flag Football:Adult FREE AGENTSThurs-Coed Female-Spring 23 @ 11:30pm

Apr 6th - Jun 22nd

Parker Fieldhouse, 18700 E Plaza Dr, Parker

Fri 4/07

Quilting- Beginner @ 2pm

Apr 7th - Jun 16th

Heather Gardens Clubhouse, 2888 S. Heather Gardens Way, Aurora

Anavrin's Day: Tailgate Tavern

Main Stage @ 7:30pm

Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker

Sat 4/08

Boogie T @ 10:30pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood

Sun 4/09

Colorado Country Dance Social @ 6pm / $10

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Bunny Trails at Belmar @ 10am / Free

Belmar, 7337 West Alaska Drive, Lakewood. janet@see-janetwork.com, 303-815-3504

Science: The Ancient Norse (612yrs) @ 2:30pm

PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker

Love and Theft live w/ Woodland Park @ 6pm Wide Open Saloon, 5607 US-85, Sedalia

Dave Mensch - Tailgate Tavern - Parker, CO @ 11am

Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker

Brad Williams @ 6:30pm

Comedy Works South, 5345 Land‐mark Pl, Greenwood Village Music City Hit-Makers; From Nashville with Strings @ 6:30pm

Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St, Lone Tree

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Support for SROs FROM THE EDITOR

Over the last few years, the idea of defunding the police was tied to the idea that we would have better outcomes with depleted law enforcement resources. While I am continually in support of more training, continued discussions when an incident happens and departments evolving for the better with education — I was never on the defund any local law enforcement messaging.

In all the calls for defunding police, an area that likely got caught up unfairly in the discussions was school resource o cers. In 2020, local news reports called for removing SROs in light of a national anger at law enforcement in some Denver metro schools.

Here we are years later and regular crime at a Denver metro high school has gotten so bad that even students at East High School staged a protest to ask for better.

As discussions continued, several have now admitted that the idea of SROs doing more harm than good was a bit misguided.

Before becoming a parent, I worked with SROs in Arizona on a regular basis. I loved working with these o cers. I loved seeing them work with students. ey truly cared about a student having a bad day. ey understand the need to communicate and spend extra time with students who are obviously going through a rough time.

For other students who may have taken rst in a track meet or won the spelling bee — these SROs are some of the biggest cheerleaders in the school.

I loved how receptive these students are to the SROs. ey serve as security, counselor, mentor and friend. ey can spot a student who may be posing a threat to the school based on changed behavior and habits.

Now, I am a parent. As a parent, knowing what I know from my days as a journalist doing a “ride-along” with police, I would never push to take SROs out of schools.

ese men and women are some of the best members of our communities. ey likely have more knowledge of what is happening with students in our schools because they are trained to do so. I do not think I have ever met an SRO who does not like their job. ey are good at their jobs because they love their jobs.

When I see an SRO at a local school, I never think of unneeded authority. I automatically think my kids are likely getting great mentorship from an adult who is trained to protect them and advocate for them.

I believe all of our local school districts should look to bring in more SROs, and frankly, given the state of mental health with our children, especially here in Colorado, another set of eyes, an extra advocate for our children can only be a positive thing.

I hate that negative publicity has hurt these people who are great additions to our education system and I hope, given some recent discussions, they get back on track and in full force in schools.

Just to give a shout out to other community aspects of our local law enforcement — In Douglas County I have taken a class in how to survive in case of a mass shooting. Brian McKnight, prevention specialist/community resources, taught me to sit a certain way in a building. I look around for exits, I look for weapons — I look at how I will survive. ese programs are unfortunately welcome and needed.

I did a ride-along with the Community Response Team in Douglas County. In watching Deputy Zach Zepeski in one day – I was amazed at the di erence he and his team makes in the daily lives of our citizens.

Law enforcement is not just about writing tickets and drawing a gun. From citizen academies, training sessions and community support — I say don’t be so quick to put them down, and instead experience and be a part of the good they o er.

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

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MICHAEL DE YOANNA Editor-in-Chief michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Adding value through relatable life experiences

Robin was one of the newest and youngest members of the team attending the training session. As the facilitator shared ideas, strategies and tactics for dealing with the various situations that the team may encounter, she found herself really leaning in to try and absorb and retain as much as she possibly could. It was harder for her because other than a few part-time jobs and her education experiences, Robin could only image some of the scenarios as they were being explained.

Sean was in the same training session, and although new to the company, he had many years of experience in the industry. Since he had been in the industry for so many years, he had a lot of knowledge that others in the training class had lacked. Sean also brought with him so many relatable life and work experiences, making it easy to connect the concepts being taught to his job function.

During an exercise the facilitator paired the newest person with the most experienced person to go through the exercises together during the training.

at meant that Robin, the new college graduate, was partnered with Sean, the most tenured person in the training. Initially both Robin and Sean felt uncomfortable about the pairing. Sean believed he would learn nothing from someone so young and inexperienced and that he would have to do most of the work. Robin was intimidated at rst and just

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

wished that she would have been paired with someone closer to her own age. By the end of the training Robin and Sean were working and collaborating so well. At the end of the day the facilitator asked for lessons learned from the training. Robin shared that although Sean was much more experienced, that his willingness to share information and connect real-world stories to the exercises helped her to connect the dots better to the concepts being taught. And Sean shared that although he believed that his young counterpart could ever teach, “ is old dog any new tricks,” that Robin’s natural curiosity taught him that he certainly did not know it all and it reminded him of the need to be more curious himself.

I don’t know about you but I get to experience this very thing every day. Our own team is made up of some very young, incredibly bright, extremely driven, and curious team members. We are also blessed with, let’s just say, a little more gray than the rest of the team and lots of lessons learned over the years. And we have others on the team somewhere along their own career and life journey that bring so much to the team in the way of critical thinking, wonderful experience, and knowledge.

What makes our team meetings work so well is that those of us who have been around for a while appreciate the new thinking and insights that those just coming into the business are bringing to each situation or opportunity. And I watch in awe as the seasoned veterans share their wisdom through role plays

SEE NORTON, P13

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Phone: 303-566-4100

Web: ElbertCountyNews.net

To subscribe call 303-566-4100

THELMA GRIMES South Metro Editor tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.com

SCOTT GILBERT Editor sgilbert@coloradocommunitymedia.com

AUDREY BROOKS Business Manager abrooks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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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.

Thelma Grimes

Understanding ‘The Long Bill’

JOE WEBB

Columnist

The scal year for Colorado state government begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following year. Like any other large entity, the agencies of our state government work year round on the budget for the following year. It is important to understand some basics about the state budget before examining it in depth.

Ultimately the governor of Colorado presents a budget to the legislature for its approval or rejection. e budget bill known as “ e Long Bill” is the result of year round planning by di erent state agencies, the Governor and those who assist him. e O ce of State Planning and Budgeting assists the Governor with planning his budget

NORTON

and pressure testing ideas while the younger team members really pay attention. We are all learning from one another regardless of age or experience.

When we do not know what we do not know, it’s a best practice to stop pretending to be a no-it-all. And that’s something I will also brag on my team about, no one is afraid to ask for help. Our team culture is to

ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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and making various spending recommendations to the legislature much like the O ce of Management and Budget assists the president. Once the legislature has debated the “Long Bill” both houses will vote on that bill and send it to the governor for his signature or veto.

e Governor can sign or veto the whole bill. He can also veto various line item expenditures within the bill like the Governors from many other states. is is an ability the President does not have with the budget of the federal government.

e legislature has a signi cant input into the budget through the Joint Budget Committee. e Joint Budget Committee of the Colorado General Assembly is composed of six members currently, three Senators and three Representatives. Currently, it consists of two Democrats from the State Senate and one Republican. e House of Representatives also have two Democrats and one Republican

be there for one another and help in any way that we can, respecting that everyone on the team brings relatable life experiences regardless of age. It’s about who they are and what they bring that matters most. How about you and your team? Is everyone valued and respected for what they bring to the opportunities and meetings? Is everyone learning to be more curious and instead of telling, asking better questions? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can openly talk about, share, and learn from one another’s life experi-

• Publication of any given letter is at our discretion. Letters are published as space is available.

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TURN TO THE COLORADO SUN FOR NEWS ACROSS THE STATE

The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself.

In this way, The Sun contributes to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado.

The Sun, launched in 2018, is committed to fact-based, in-depth and nonpartisan journalism. It covers everything

from politics and culture to the outdoor industry and education.

Now, The Colorado Sun co-owns this and other Colorado Community Media newspapers as a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy. The Sun is CCM’s partner for statewide news.

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

on it. It is chaired by Je co’s own Sen. Rachel Zenzinger of Arvada. e vice chair is Rep. Shannon Bird from Adams County. e purpose of the Joint Budget Committee is “studying the management, operations, programs and scal needs” of the Colorado state government. eir role is very important. In fact, at one time, it was said that the Chairman of the Joint Budget Committee was the second most powerful person in state government with only the Governor exercising more power. e Joint Budget Committee holds hearings and discussions on the state budget throughout the year even when the legislature is out of session. e committees work is that important because of all sorts of entities and individuals ought to have some input regarding government expenditures.

A wonderful feature of the internet and government transparency is that documents and explanations about di erent features of the state

ences, it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach,

budget are online for perusal by the public. e narrative of the Long Bill provides an excellent example of what you can discover online. It provides year over year changes in appropriations (spending) in various subject areas. One area, Early Childhood, received an 1,841% increase in spending for FY2022. is, of course, is due to Gov. Polis’ initiative to establish universal pre-K education within the state of Colorado. at initiative is above and beyond the constitutional requirement that Colorado must provide K-12 education. Reading these documents, which can be found through any internet search, can be enlightening. e governor’s initiative re: early childhood education is but one part of the state budget even though an entire new department was created to oversee it.

Joe Webb is the former chairman of the Je co Republican party.

consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Type in “restaurant” on Google Maps and set the lter to “open 24 hours.” You’ll be hard-pressed to nd any local restaurants serving up food to the night owls, late workers and early risers.

Unless you’re seeking around-the-clock Mexican food.

“We’re open 24 hours, and it’s something fresh, you know?” said Govanny Alvarado, a member of the family who runs Alvarado’s Mexican Fast Food. Compared to other restaurants, “you can taste the di erence,” Alvarado said.

e new Englewood spot that opened in August adds to a small but mighty list of Mexican joints that o er all-day, all-night service in the Denver metro area — a type of restaurant that’s becoming more di cult to nd since the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

“Most people like us, you know, we’re always looking for a late-night snack,” said Alvarado, 21, adding that his family “understands the struggle” to nd restaurants that are open late.

His family members, longtime workers in the Mexican fast-food industry, gained experience at his uncle’s restaurant in Arizona. ey later started working for Taco Star and Tacos Rapidos, two chains with 24-hour locations in the metro area, Alvarado said.

“And Taco Star, the one in ornton here, that’s where my dad worked, and that’s where I started as well when I was young,” Alvarado said of the location near 84th Avenue and Washington Street.

When his family members had the chance to start their own restaurant about six years ago, they opened Tacos Los Compas — another 24-hour eatery, near downtown Denver and the Auraria Campus.

“Most of the people that I’ve known or talked to customer-wise, they’re all from Arizona or California, and they all say they miss that taste of authentic Mexican food,” Alvarado said.

Carrying on authentic recipes is part of the job as well for Tamale Kitchen, a longstanding family business with locations around the metro area.

What makes the restaurant unique is “the green chile, the New Mexico-style red chile, the tamale avors, just the avors in general of just old grandma recipe — the beans, the rice, everything’s grandma’s recipes,” said Jose Bishop, owner of the Westminster and Northglenn locations.

e restaurant grew out of an e ort to sell tamales door to door in 1980, and the rst Tamale Kitchen opened in Lakewood in 1981, according to its website.

Its Northglenn location at 104th Avenue and Huron Street stays open around the clock on the weekends, running from 5 a.m. Friday through 10 p.m. Sunday.

e business has expanded to eight locations, stretching from Adams County all the way to Highlands Ranch, and some are franchises run by people outside the family, Bishop said.

Familiar places see challenges

Alvarado noted that after the COVID-19 pandemic shook up the

LATE-NIGHT

economy, it’s di cult to nd 24hour restaurants.

Staples of late-night food in Denver permanently closed amid the pandemic, including the Denver Diner o Speer Boulevard and Colfax Avenue and, to the south, the Breakfast King at Santa Fe Drive and Mississippi Avenue. Both had been open 24/7.

Tom’s Diner, also on Colfax Avenue near downtown, shut down in March 2020 during the pandemic’s early days. It reopened in 2022 as a bar and lounge called Tom’s Starlight, no longer open 24/7.

Pete’s Kitchen, located on Colfax in central Denver, remains open 24 hours Friday and Satur-

LATE-NIGHT SPOTS

Looking for a late-night meal? Here are some local restaurants that o er 24-hour service on at least some days each week.

• Alvarado’s Mexican Fast Food 4901 S. Broadway in Englewood, a couple blocks north of Belleview Avenue

Open 24/7 720-664-9260

• Tamale Kitchen

1030 W. 104th Ave. in Northglenn, a short drive west of Interstate 25, at Huron Street

Open 5 a.m. Friday through 10 p.m. Sunday; 5 a.m.-10 p.m. on other days; other locations in the metro area, including in Highlands Ranch, have di erent hours 720-379-7825

• Taco Star

503 E. 84th Ave. in Thornton, a short drive east of I-25

day night, according to the diner’s webpage.

Other than that, though, 24hour options in the metro area tend to be con ned to chains that aren’t local, such as IHOP, Denny’s, McDonald’s or Wa e House.

e trend of restaurant headwinds during the pandemic applies to the entire industry, not just 24-hour restaurants, said Denise Mickelsen, a spokesperson for the Colorado Restaurant Association.

“Operations are proving increasingly di cult in the face of the ongoing labor shortage and soaring costs, causing restaurant owners and operators to make changes that include decreasing operating hours,” Mickelsen said.

‘All walks of life’

Bishop, the owner of the north-

ern Tamale Kitchen locations, has felt the challenges himself. His Westminster location used to o er some 24-hour service like the Northglenn spot, but sta ng issues led to shortened hours starting around spring 2020, he said.

ough they can be tough to operate, Bishop, 38, said 24hour restaurants serve di erent parts of a community.

“ ere’s still 11 p.m. (movie) showings, so people going home at 1 or 2. We get a lot of nightshift workers, people who are going to work at 4 in the morning, a lot of construction workers bringing burritos to their coworkers,” Bishop said. “It’s a little mixed — people of all walks of life going out for entertainment, getting o of work late. Just a variety of di erent people out and about.”

1050 W. 104th Ave. # 8 in Northglenn, near Huron Street

1760 S. Havana St. in Aurora, a short drive north of Parker Road

Open 24/7 303-288-9228 for Thornton location

• Tacos Los Compas

1385 N. Santa Fe Drive in Denver, about a block south of Colfax Avenue

Open 24/7 720-328-0299

• Tacos Rapidos

2800 W. Evans Ave. in Denver, o Federal Boulevard

Open 24/7

Other locations nearby; hours di er 303-935-0453 for Evans location

• Pete’s Kitchen

1962 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver, about 1 mile east of Broadway

Open “24 hours Friday and Saturday night,” according to the restaurant’s website 303-321-3139

A sign is lit up at Alvarado’s Mexican Fast Food, one of several Mexican restaurants open 24/7 in the Denver metro area.

PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

The sign at the Tamale Kitchen location in Westminster. The Northglenn location stays open around the clock on the weekends.

PHOTOS BY ELLIS ARNOLD

Alvarado’s Mexican Fast Food, seen here in January, recently opened in Englewood.

End of COVID emergency to usher in health system change

White House sets May cuto

BY RACHANA PRADHAN KAISER HEALTH NEWS

e Biden administration’s decision to end the COVID-19 public health emergency in May will institute sweeping changes across the health care system that go far beyond many people having to pay more for COVID tests.

In response to the pandemic, the federal government in 2020 suspended many of its rules on how care is delivered. at transformed essentially every corner of American health care — from hospitals and nursing homes to public health and treatment for people recovering from addiction.

Now, as the government prepares to reverse some of those steps, here’s a glimpse at ways patients will be a ected:

e end of the emergency means nursing homes will have to meet higher standards for training workers.

Advocates for nursing home residents are eager to see the old, tougher training requirements reinstated, but the industry says that move could worsen sta ng shortages plaguing facilities nationwide.

In the early days of the pandemic, to help nursing homes function under the virus’s onslaught, the federal government relaxed training

requirements. e Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services instituted a national policy saying nursing homes needn’t follow regulations requiring nurse aides to undergo at least 75 hours of state-approved training. Normally, a nursing home couldn’t employ aides for more than four months unless they met those requirements.

Last year, CMS decided the relaxed training rules would no longer apply nationwide, but states and facilities could ask for permission to be held to the lower standards. As of March, 17 states had such exemptions, according to CMS — Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington — as did 356 individual nursing homes in Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan,

Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C.

Nurse aides often provide the most direct and labor-intensive care for residents, including bathing and other hygiene-related tasks, feeding, monitoring vital signs, and keeping rooms clean. Research has shown that nursing homes with sta ng instability maintain a lower quality of care.

Advocates for nursing home residents are pleased the training exceptions will end but fear that the quality of care could nevertheless deteriorate. at’s because CMS has signaled that, after the looser standards expire, some of the hours that nurse aides logged during the pandemic could count toward their 75 hours of required training. Onthe-job experience, however, is not necessarily a sound substitute for the training workers missed, advocates argue.

Adequate training of aides is crucial so “they know what they’re doing before they provide care, for their own good as well as for the residents,” said Toby Edelman, a senior policy attorney for the Center for Medicare Advocacy.

e American Health Care Association, the largest nursing home lobbying group, released a December survey  nding that roughly 4 in 5 facilities were dealing with moderate to high levels of sta shortages.

A looming rollback of broader access to buprenorphine, an important medication for people in recovery from opioid addiction, is alarming patients and doctors.

During the public health emergency, the Drug Enforcement Administration said providers could prescribe certain controlled substances virtually or over the phone without rst conducting an in-person medical evaluation. One of those drugs, buprenorphine, is an opioid that can prevent debilitating withdrawal symptoms for people trying to recover from addiction to other opioids. Research has shown using it more than halves the risk of overdose.

Amid a national epidemic of opioid addiction, if the expanded policy for buprenorphine ends, “thousands of people are going to die,” said Ryan Hampton, an activist who is in recovery.

e DEA in late February proposed regulations that would partly roll back the prescribing of controlled substances through telemedicine. A clinician could use telemedicine to order an initial 30-day supply of medications such as buprenorphine, Ambien, Valium, and Xanax, but patients would need an in-person evaluation to get a re ll.

For another group of drugs, including Adderall, Ritalin, and oxycodone, the DEA proposal would institute tighter controls. Patients seeking those medications would need to see a doctor in person for an initial prescription.

David Herzberg, a historian of drugs at the University at Bu alo, said the DEA’s approach re ects a fundamental challenge in developing drug policy: meeting the needs of people who rely on a drug that can be abused without making that drug too readily available to others.

e DEA, he added, is “clearly seri-

ously wrestling with this problem.”

During the pandemic, CMS has tried to limit problems that could arise if there weren’t enough health care workers to treat patients — especially before there were COVID vaccines when workers were at greater risk of getting sick.

For example, CMS allowed hospitals to make broader use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants when caring for Medicare patients. And new physicians not yet credentialed to work at a particular hospital — for example, because governing bodies lacked time to conduct their reviews — could nonetheless practice there.

Other changes during the public health emergency were meant to shore up hospital capacity. Critical access hospitals, small hospitals located in rural areas, didn’t have to comply with federal rules for Medicare stating they were limited to 25 inpatient beds and patients’ stays could not exceed 96 hours, on average.

Once the emergency ends, those exceptions will disappear.

Hospitals are trying to persuade federal o cials to maintain multiple COVID-era policies beyond the emergency or work with Congress to change the law.

e way state and local public health departments monitor the spread of disease will change after the emergency ends, because the Department of Health and Human Services won’t be able to require labs to report COVID testing data. Without a uniform, federal requirement, how states and counties track the spread of the coronavirus will vary. In addition, though hospitals will still provide COVID data to the federal government, they may do so less frequently.

Public health departments are still getting their arms around the scope of the changes, said Janet Hamilton, executive director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.

In some ways, the end of the emergency provides public health o cials an opportunity to rethink COVID surveillance. Compared with the pandemic’s early days, when at-home tests were unavailable and people relied heavily on labs to determine whether they were infected, testing data from labs now reveals less about how the virus is spreading.

Public health o cials don’t think “getting all test results from all lab tests is potentially the right strategy anymore,” Hamilton said. Flu surveillance provides a potential alternative model: For in uenza, public health departments seek test results from a sampling of labs.

“We’re still trying to work out what’s the best, consistent strategy. And I don’t think we have that yet,” Hamilton said.

Kaiser Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at Kaiser Family Foundation. KFF is an endowed nonpro t organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

COVID is still present as health o cials look at next steps. SHUTTERSTOCK

DAs balk at raising prosecution age from 10 to 13

Colorado lawmakers will consider a proposal again this year to raise the age that children can face criminal charges, from 10 to 13 years old.

robust version of a bill that failed youngest criminal o enders directly into therapy and other community programs, instead of arresting and juvenile corrections center. e only exception included in the legislation

Supporters point to statistics that show young children who spend time in juvenile detention are more likely to return to the corrections studies showing that it’s di cult to get their lives on track after being “Are we making kids better or are we making them worse?” asked Kyle Piccola, vice president of advocacy for Healthier Colorado, which supports the proposal. “We came to the conclusion that the system as it is e major di erence in this year’s legislation is that it would require in which authorities would refer trouble to mentoring, therapy, anger management and substance use treatment. Last year, opponents had argued that children were unlikely to get rehabilitation services if they were never charged with a crime.

But, same as last year, the proposal doesn’t have broad support from the law enforcement community. District attorneys say Colorado’s juvenile justice system has evolved so much in the past several years that nearly all 10- to 12-year-olds who are accused of crimes end up not behind bars but in diversion programs intended to rehabilitate them. And, they argue, the legislation would strip the judicial system’s ability to levy consequences against kids who don’t participate in required services.

It’s extremely rare that children that young end up sentenced, or “committed,” to spend time in a juvenile detention center. In the past 10 years, only four kids 12 and under were committed in Colorado.

Many more, however, were arrested and detained in juvenile facilities while a judge decided their case.

In the six years from 2016 to 2021, 455 kids ages 10, 11 and 12 were detained for days or months in the Division of Youth Services. Of those, 49 were 10-year-olds.

e crimes range from weapons charges and auto theft to homicide and attempted homicide. In the last scal year, one 12-year-old was detained on a homicide charge and three 12-year-olds were held on attempted homicide charges, according to Division of Youth Services data released to e Sun.

Two children, one 12 and one 11, were held on sexual assault charges.

e state Department of Human Services, which includes the youth corrections system, is not taking a position on the legislation.

When children who are 10, 11 or 12 get in trouble with law enforce-

ment, o cers would complete a form to refer them to a so-called “collaborative management program.” e programs, created by state law in 2004, already exist in 51 of Colorado’s 64 counties and coordinate services for families and children involved in multiple systems, such as child welfare and juvenile justice.

e programs would create a plan for each child, a mix of services that could include mentoring, anger management, family therapy and individual counseling. In cases in which the crime had a victim, the victim could contribute input about the services plan. Victims would still be eligible for victims’ services and compensation.

In cases of a felony sex o ense, the county human services department would also participate in the plan and would decide whether to open a child abuse or neglect case.

e bill says children who violate a protection order intended to protect the victim in a case cannot be held in custody. Instead, a court could order the child to participate in a collaborative management program.  It also would outlaw transferring the criminal cases of 13-year-olds to adult court.

An organization called Fully Liberated Youth is among those that would provide services to kids who come into contact with law enforcement but are too young to face prosecution.

e agency already has worked with about 100 children in four judicial districts in the Denver area through pretrial diversion, a program in which a judge orders a juvenile o ender to complete a rehabilitation program in order to avoid criminal charges.

Fully Liberated Youth also has programs in school districts targeting young people who often miss class, get in ghts or are involved in gangs. School sta and authorities can refer students to the program.

If the legislation passes, it likely would send more funding to Fully Liberated Youth and similar programs.

“We’re asking bigger questions about why is this young person engaging in these activities in the rst place, instead of trying to incarcerate our way out of the problem,” said Preston Adams, a co-founder of the program.

A child who is stealing, for example, might need help with food assistance. A child might act out because they need a special learning program in school. Other kids need a mentor on the Fully Liberated Youth team.

“It’s a comprehensive plan for the client and the family to get to the root of the problem,” Adams said.  e proposal to get kids into services instead of behind bars is also a way to address the racial bias that exists in the juvenile justice system, said the organization’s other cofounder, Natalie Baddour. Nearly all of the children who participate in the organization’s programs — 98% — are Black and brown, she said. Black youth are overrepresented in Colorado’s judicial system, according to department data.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, a Denver Democrat and a prime sponsor of the legislation, has worked with young people in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems and ran Denver’s collaborative management program for 10 years.

“We continue to hear his concern that the juvenile justice system was the only place that these kids could access services, which in my experience, I know is actually pretty false,” she said. “ ere are a number of resources and services that are already available. It was a matter of how do we make sure that they are made more easily accessible and available to these kids, if they are no longer going through that system.”

Rep. Ryan Armagost, a Berthoud Republican and the other prime sponsor of the bill, is a former sheri ’s deputy and worked in the prison system.

“ at’s part of the reason that brought me to this bill,” he said. “I’ve seen the revolving door.”

“I carried handcu s to detain somebody. I never had to put them on a 12-year-old, they’re not even designed to t a 12-year-old, so the fact that we are considering this as an option for kids 12 and under is frustrating to me.”

But the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council opposes the measure.  e juvenile justice system is working ne, said Tom Raynes, a former district attorney in Montrose and now executive director of the

council. Criminal lings against juveniles have dropped 50% in the past 20 years because kids are sent to diversion programs instead. And in 2017, Colorado stopped allowing detention of 10- to 12-year-olds except for felonies or weapons charges.

“I feel like they are attempting to unwind a system that’s working extremely well,” he said.

e state is already diverting most juvenile o enders to support services, and the success rate for those programs is high. But today, when a child violates court orders to participate in therapy or not contact a victim, a judge can send them to detention. e legislation would take away that consequence, replacing it with meetings about service plans and shifting accountability from the child to their parents, who could become the subject of a child neglect case if their child does not follow the service plan,

Raynes said.

“Failure to comply has little consequence, until perhaps an ultimate decision to le a dependency and neglect action against the parents, which is this kind of exaggerated premise that all kids who get in trouble have neglectful or abusive parents,” he said.

In the decade from 2011 to 2021, there were 973 violent and serious o enses led in Colorado against kids ages 10-12, according to the council. at included 14 murder and attempted murder charges. Yet only four kids were sentenced to serve time in a juvenile corrections facility.

“You’re seeing that the probationary and community services are working,” said Jessica Dotter, the council’s sex assault resource prosecutor.

In the past decade, children ages 10-12 were accused of 1,500 sex

cases. More than half were sexual assault on a child, meaning the child was victimizing a child younger than them, she said.

“It’s a really harsh reality and one that most people don’t want to believe occurs with this population,” Dotter said. “And it’s worrisome that the bill does not have any sort of carve-outs for violent crimes other than murder, and worrisome that the bill does not have any carveout for sexual o enses.” Last year’s proposal was stripped down to a task force, which recently released its nal report.

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

‘Are we making kids better or are we making them worse? We came to the conclusion that the system as it is today is making kids worse.’

Kyle Piccola, vice president of advocacy for Healthier Colorado

CROWSS UP DRO ELZZ

Skin care for spring and summer

Tips from a dermatologist FROM THE EDITOR

St udents and families in the Pikes Peak region are gearing up for spring break later this month. Whether it’s a sandy beach or the snowy slopes, there are several skin care tips to keep in mind.

e most important advice a dermatologist can give you is: no matter the season, protect your skin from solar radiation. ere is nothing that will bene t your skin as much, especially if you are thinking long term.

Whether you are going to enjoy the break on the mountains or at the beach, protect your skin from ultraviolet rays by using sun protective clothing, hats, and sunglasses, as well as applying sunscreen to the exposed areas.

For skiers, although most of the skin is covered by gear, it is very easy to forget the face. Don’t make that mistake. At high altitude, you are exposed to signicantly more intense ultraviolet radiation than at sea level. Apply a generous amount of sunscreen on your entire face and neck before you put on your scarf, face cover, helmet or goggles. Even though you think most of your skin is covered, it is common to have people with intense facial sunburn after a day in the mountains - the classic skier sunburn that only spares the areas around the eyes, which are covered by the goggles. A useful tip is carrying in your pocket a sunscreen in a stick, so you can apply to the face without even taking your gloves o , while waiting in lift lines. It is easy to lose

track of time when we are having fun in the slopes, so make sure to reapply every few runs.

After a fun day in the mountains, most people like a hot shower or a hot tub. While this feels lovely, remember that, associated with the dry air of the mountains and of heated spaces, this will dry your skin. Apply thick moisturizing cream to your skin at the end of the day to prevent dry or itchy skin.

If you are going to be at a sunny destination to enjoy the ocean or the pool, more of your skin will be exposed to the sun. Clothes provide a physical barrier to protect your skin, and there are several brands that o er clothes with ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) number, which are made for outdoor activities. ey have cool breathable fabric, and some also can be used for swimming.

Regarding the sunscreen for the beach, look for one that is water resistant (stays e ective for 40 minutes in the water) or very water resistant (stays e ective for 80 minutes in the water). Even if your skin remains dry while using a water-resistant sunscreen, you’ll need to reapply the sunscreen every 2 hours. Also, don’t forget your feet! If you’re wearing sandals, be sure to apply sunscreen to all exposed skin.

Remember that it does not matter if it’s a cloudy day on the mountain or at the beach. Ultraviolet A rays can go through clouds and cause skin damage. Good skin care should happen all year round, but spring break is a great time to remind us of that, as we prepare to step out of the house and enjoy the beautiful outdoors.

Dr. Renata Prado is a board-certied dermatologist and board-certi ed Mohs Surgeon at Vanguard Skin Specialists

Dr. Renata Prado

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Careers

Help Wanted Educational Audiologist East Central BOCES is looking for a part-time Educational Audiologist for the 2023-24 school year

• CDE Special Services and Colorado Audiologist licensure required; CCC’s or AAA certificate; knowledge of current technologies in Audiology including HAT systems and cochlear implants preferred.

• Experience with children 0-21 preferred.

• Complete evaluations, provide direct services, and consultation services, manage hearing equipment and oversee hearing screening program.

• Benefits include: a signing bonus, mileage reimbursement

• Flexible scheduling with some opportunity to work from home.

• May be eligible for a loan forgiveness program.

• Ph.D. Salary $51,450-$60,550.

• For Questions, please contact Tracy at tracyg@ecboces.org or 719-775-2342 ext. 101.

• To apply for this position, please visit our website ecboces.org and click on the “Jobs” page, click on the job you are interested in & then click on the grey button “Apply Online”, located at the bottom of the job listing. EOE

Help Wanted

Speech Language Pathologist or SLPA Positions

FT & PT Speech-Language Pathologist or SLPA Positions

Available for 2023-24 School Year!

Open to School Internships. Able to provide supervision for CFY hours. Join our dynamic, multidisciplinary team of professionals for the 2023-24 school year. Administer assessments, provide direct, indirect & consultation services for students

PreK-12th grades. Competitive salaries: SLP - $50,450-$56,050 & SLPA- BA $41,000- $46,600, both commensurate upon experience. May also be eligible for loan forgiveness! Excellent benefits, including full health benefits & mileage reimbursement. Flexible scheduling with the opportunity to complete some work at home. To apply for this position, please visit our website ecboces.org and click on the “Jobs” page, click on the job you are interested in & then click on the grey button “Apply Online”, located at the bottom of the job listing. EOE.

Questions contact Tracy at (719) 775-2342, ext. 101 or email tracyg@ ecboces.org

Help Wanted

Registered Occupational Therapist/ COTA

Full-Time and part-time Registered Occupational Therapist/COTA for 2023-24 School Year! 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 COTA Needed for Limon & Surrounding Areas Support from an experienced COTA is available for OT. Full Time Salary range: MA $50,450$56,050 PhD $55,700 -$61,300. Part-Time Salary prorated based on the number of days employed. COTA Salary range BA $41,222$46,600. Excellent Benefits. Access to a company vehicle or mileage reimbursement. May be eligible for a loan forgiveness program! Flexible scheduling with the opportunity to complete some work at home. To apply for this position, please visit our website ecboces.org and click on the “Jobs” page, click on the job you are interested in & then click on the grey button “Apply Online”, located at the bottom of the job listing. EOE Questions contact Tracy at (719) 775-2342, ext. 101 or email tracyg@ ecboces.org.

Bennet raises concerns about what chatbots say to kids

Senator from Colorado points to examples

BY KAITLIN KIM COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

Generative Arti cial Intelligence, like Chat GPT, may be able to write an episode of South Park or ace the LSAT, but Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is concerned about what these chatbots might be saying to kids.

is comes after journalists and others, posing as kids and young teens, reported that generative AI programs helped provide information to questions that should have raised red ags.

e examples listed in Bennet’s letter include AI giving tips on how to protect access to social media apps parents wanted kids to delete, how to cover up bruises before a visit from Child Protective Services and advice on setting the mood with “candles or music” for someone who posed as a 13-year-old girl preparing to meet a 31-year-old man.

“Although generative AI has enormous potential, the race to integrate it into everyday applications cannot come at the expense of younger users’ safety and well being,” Bennet writes to the heads of Open AI, Snap, Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta. “Although AI-powered chatbots come with risks for anyone – for example, by providing false information, perpetuating bias, or manipulating users – children and adolescents are especially vulnerable. Younger users are at an earlier stage

of cognitive, emotional, and intellectual development, making them more impressionable, impulsive, and less equipped to distinguish fact from ction.”

Bennet had several questions for the tech leaders as they move to integrate generative AI into their apps, including what existing or planned safety features they will implement for younger users, whether they have assessed or planned to assess potential harms to younger audiences, and what kind of auditing processes they have for the AI models behind chatbots that talk to the public.

is push comes as more lawmakers have expressed concerns about how social media is a ecting teens’ mental health and how social media companies use the data they are collecting. Answers to Bennet’s questions could help shape any congressional response, either legislation or future hearings, to these concerns.

Bennet is one of several lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who have expressed concerns about the popular social media app TikTok, in particular.

e CEO of TikTok will testify in front of the house Energy and Commerce committee later this week.

In the last Congress, Bennet also introduced a bill to set up a federal commission to provide oversight of digital platforms “to protect consumers, promote competition, and defend the public interest.”

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

Legals

Public Notice

Notice of Board Vacancy and Invitation to Submit Statement of Interest for Appointment

Elizabeth School District Board of Education March 16, 2023

The Board of Education of the Elizabeth School District is accepting Statements of Interest from persons interested in serving on the Board of Education from the date of appointment in April 2023 until the next regular biennial school election in November 2023. The Board will appoint two eligible candidates after receiving Statements of Interest and interviewing candidates in public. Must be a resident of the school district and a registered voter, as shown on the books of the county clerk and recorder, for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the date of appointment; must be at least 18 years of age; may not be an employee of the school district. Any person who meets the qualifications who desires to be considered for the appointment is invited to submit a written Statement of Interest to the executive assistant to the Board of Education by 5 p.m., March 31, 2023, by emailing it to assistanttoboe@esdk12.org or delivering it to the district office located at 634 S. Elbert St., Elizabeth, CO 80107. The Board will interview prospective candidates in public on Monday, April 10, 2023, during its regular business meeting starting at 6 p.m. (time subject to change). The signed Statement of Interest should include:

• Full name of the candidate.

• Contact information.

• Physical address of the candidate.

• Affirmation of at least 12 months

of residency in the district.

• A detailed explanation of why the applicant is interested in serving Elizabeth School District.

For further information, contact the assistant to the Board of Education at assistanttoboe@esdk12.org or 303-646-1836.

Legal Notice No. 24979

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: March 30, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

Metropolitan Districts

Public Notice

NOTICE OF

has designated the following polling place(s):

Name Changes

Dalbey, a.k.a. Noel C. Dalbey Deceased Case Number: 23PR30017

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or the District Court, Elbert County, Colorado, on or before July 23, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Carla Dalbey Schwartzkopf, Personal Representative, 11634 E Evans Ave. Aurora, Colorado 80014

PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on March 6, 2023, 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 Erica Shinya Kim be changed to Erica Kim Shinya Case No.: 23C81

By: Brian Fields, Magistrate

Legal Notice No. 24972

First Publication: March 23, 2023

Last Publication: April 6, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on February 16, 2023, 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 Jodell Rennae Mutschler be changed to Jody Rennae Mutschler Case No.: 23C7

By: Jafeen Jenkins, Clerk of Court / Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. 24971

First Publication: March 23, 2023

Last Publication: April 6, 2023

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: April 13, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

Publisher: Elbert County News ### Elbert County Legals March

Sen. Michael Bennet says the interaction of chatbots with children deserves examination. U.S. GOVERNMENT PHOTO