Elbert County News 081023

Warm days still hold cool times

Elizabeth area o ers plenty of activities in weeks ahead

BY COURTNEY FAY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

County fair racks up 89 years

2023 edition closes out nine-day run

BY NICKY QUINBY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

ere was something for all ages at the 89th annual Elbert County Fair, which wrapped up its 2023 run on Aug. 6 after nine days of fun, delicious food and community. Area residents came together to showcase and exhibit their livestock, an agricultural way of life and many other skills at the Elbert County Fairgrounds in Kiowa.

e fair opened July 29 with the Saturday-morning 4-H dog show,

followed by the cutting horse exposition. e weather held out for the kicko concert that evening featuring Brett Hendrix. After a week of high temperatures, it was an ideal way to unwind and begin the festivities.

e 2023 Elbert County Fair

Queen, Elisa Roden, had this to say about fair week: “ e week of Elbert County Fair is my favorite time of year. We get visitors from the city wanting to learn more about agriculture, and local residents take this opportunity to support the farming and ranching culture.”

Roden highlighted the fact that all fair events are free, adding: “You can attend one of the concerts, cheer on 4-H and FFA members as

they show their animal projects, watch the tractor pull or take part in the ice cream eating contest.”

Elbert County Fair Board President Tammi Schneider echoed the sentiment. “We are very proud of our rural heritage and our current mission at the Elbert County Fair to showcase the rich traditions of our farming and ranching families,” Schneider said. “ e fair blends 4-H shows and exhibits with family-fun events.”

Like Roden, Schneider praised the fair for being free. “ at means we don’t charge for admission, parking and all events, shows and concerts are free,” she said.

e kids may be heading back to school, signifying the uno cial end to summer, but there are still plenty of wonderful community events coming up. August and September have no shortage of family-friendly activities. e Friday Night Market, the popular weekly event hosted by the Elizabeth Brewing Company, continues Friday evenings through Aug. 18 at Running Creek Park, 500 E. Kiowa Ave. in Elizabeth. From 5-9 p.m. enjoy live music, local vendors and artisans, food trucks, wine and beer and catch up with friends and neighbors. Join the Elizabeth Fire Department for a pancake breakfast at the re station in downtown Elizabeth on Saturday, Aug. 19 from 8-10 a.m. At $5 per person, this tasty event bene ts the Elizabeth Fire ghters Community Foundation. is is all you can eat, so bring your appetite. Once you’ve gotten your ll of pancakes, head over to Evans Park at 34201 County Road 17, Elizabeth, for the End of Summer Bash hosted by the Elizabeth Park and Recreation District. Starting at 11 a.m., the event will have water balloons, a Slip-NSlide, kickball, bounce houses and more. is will be a day you won’t want to miss!

SPINNING OUT STARS Program helps young musicians shine

SEE COUNTY FAIR, P2

4-H Fashion Revue contestants exhibit their work in Fellowship Hall at the Elbert County Fairgrounds on July 29.

PHOTO BY NICKY QUINBY

COUNTY FAIR

Schneider wanted to highlight the horseshoe tournament set for Friday, Aug. 4, with proceeds from the tournament bene ting the shooting sports programs. Schneider also mentioned this is the rst year the fair has showcased musicians as part of its lineup. After the Junior Market Sale and the Bulls, Broncs, & Buckaroos Rodeo on Saturday, Aug. 5, musician Matt Stell was set to perform in the

For the youngest cowboys and girls, the fair o ered a Kiddie Corral, which includes a petting zoo, bouncy house and face painting, on its nal weekend. e weekend also included the ever-popular

e Elbert County Fair Parade was set for Sunday, Aug. 6, beginning at the Elbert County Courthouse in Kiowa and ending in the

e Elbert County Fair has been a huge draw for the community for decades. Joe Martell of the Elbert County Historical Society & Museum shared some of the fair’s background: “An early version of the Elbert County Fair sporadically took place in the late 1800s … it wasn’t until 1904 that the fair was consistently held annually. .. the single-day fair was held at Elbert with most of the activities taking place east of town along the ats

“Discounted train fares on the Colorado & Southern Railroad brought folks from Denver and Colorado Springs out to Elbert for the day, where they could picnic, view locally grown agricultural exhibits, watch horse racing or catch a baseball game played against

“Later in the 1930s, the Elbert County Fair was reorganized and moved to Kiowa, where it has been

e Elbert County Fair Book is

The Elbert County Fair is back for its 89th year at the county fairgrounds in Kiowa.

The cutting horse exposition is held under cloud cover on July 29 at the Elbert County Fairgrounds.

PHOTOS BY NICKY QUINBY

is year, the Town of Elizabeth is turning 133 and everyone’s invited to celebrate with a movie night at Running Creek Park. e Elizabeth Birthday Bash is set for Friday, Aug. 25 at 6:30 p.m. Bring the family, blankets and chairs and watch “Despicable Me” on the big screen. Snacks will be available for purchase, but the event itself is free.

If you are looking for something active, consider the rst annual Historic Elizabeth Main Street 5k and Family Color Run on Sept. 23. e race begins at 9 a.m. and all participants will receive a T-shirt, nisher’s medal, pancake breakfast and one drink ticket. You can register through townofelizabeth.org either for the 5k distance for $35 or the Family Color Run for $15. All participants begin at the intersection of Main Street and Elm. e 5k course is an out and back, while the Color Run course turns into Running Creek Park for two laps around its perimeter. Of course, you don’t need a scheduled event to nd some fun. Just load up the car and head to Evans Park. With ac-

tivities like disc golf, the skate park, shing, the playground and the splashpad, you and the family can make a day of it. e Prickly Pines Disc Golf course at Evans Park boasts 18 holes. e rst is located right near the parking area for the pond and a set of discs can be rented at the park o ce for just $5. ( e park o ce is located at 34201 CR 17 and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Typical hours of the Evans Park splashpad are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until Labor Day, but of course weather can change that so please keep an eye on the forecast. Dragon y Pond, which is located inside Evans Park, is stocked annually with trout by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and provides a peaceful setting and hopefully a sh or two.

When you’re ready for a break from the heat, head to your local library for Story Time. Each one includes a read-aloud, songs and a craft or hands-on activity and is fun for kids of all ages.

Monday: 10-11 a.m. in Elizabeth (651 Beverly St.)

Tuesday: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Simla (504 Washington Ave.)

ursday: 1-2 p.m. in Elizabeth (651 Beverly St.)

Friday: 10-11 a.m. in Kiowa (331 Comanche St.)

www.RMofCO.com

FROM PAGE 1

A Slip-N-Slide setup like this will be set up for the End of Summer Bash on Aug. 19 at Evans Park.

PHOTO FROM ELIZABETH PARK & RECREATION

Children enjoy a recent Friday Night Market event in downtown Elizabeth.

PHOTO BY COURTNEY FAY

Children smile at one of the Friday Night Market events in Elizabeth.

PHOTO BY COURTNEY FAY

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Please:

Deaths of homeless people in Denver surge

Year-to-date numbers

climb more than 50%

BY OLIVIA PRENTZEL THE COLORADO SUN

e number of deaths among Denver’s homeless population so far in 2023 has spiked more than 50% compared with the number recorded at this time last year.

If the upward trend continues, deaths among people who are unhoused could reach an all-time high, with accidental overdoses continuing to drive the surge, according to data from Denver’s O ce of the Medical Examiner.

So far in 2023, 166 people who were homeless have died, marking a 53% increase from 108 at this time last year, data show, and a 69% uptick from this time in 2021, when there were 98. is year’s data is preliminary, but unlikely to signi cantly change.

e deaths mirror an overall increase of people living on the city’s streets in the past year.

e homeless population in the Denver metro area grew 31.7% in one year and the number of people who became homeless for the rst time saw a 51.7% increase, according to data released last month from an annual count led by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative.

Since June 1, 43 people who were homeless have died in Denver, including 18 people who died on the streets, data show. In June alone, 31 deaths of homeless people were recorded, Ethan Jamison, an epidemiologist with the O ce of the Medical Examiner said.

“It’s not the highest we’ve ever seen, but it continued this upward trend that we’ve seen starting since, essentially December of last year, where we’re seeing record-high numbers of deaths among people experiencing homelessness every month, except for March and May,” Jamison said.

Similar to years past, accidental overdoses are driving the increase.

“We see the homeless population

increasing, unfortunately, and so I think we’re just seeing similarly that increasing in our death data, coupled with the tightening grip of fentanyl in our communities that use substances,” he said.

“I think it’s kind of just these chronic issues that continue to grow.”

Amid the uptick, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston declared a state of emergency to address homelessness last month and announced that he plans to house 1,000 unsheltered people by the end of the year.

“With people su ering and dying on the streets every week, homelessness in Denver is a crisis,” the mayor’s o ce said in a written statement last week.

e uptick in deaths since June, the statement said, “underscores the urgency of the situation.”

e number of people who die while they are homeless in the Denver metro area has gone up each year for the past seven years, said Cathy Alderman, a public policy o cer for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.

Recording the number of people who have died on the streets, rather than inside a hospital or a medical facility, speaks to the isolation that homelessness can cause.

“You don’t even feel comfortable enough to tell somebody that you’re not feeling well or that you’re having a hard time with a health care condition or you’ve been criminally attacked or something like that,” Alderman said.

More supportive and adequate services to connect people with housing is needed to reverse the “alarming” trend, she said.

“Housing is critical — lifesaving for everybody — it’s like the opportunity to thrive. But it literally means life and death for some people.”

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.

•Reduceyourspeed.

•Don’tdrivedistracted.

•Respectcrossingguardinstructions.

•Followspecificstudentdrop-offandpick-upprocedures. Learnmoreat douglas.co.us andsearch SchoolZones

Garden question? Ask a Master Gardener.

Douglas County Master Gardeners provide useful information to help your gardening efforts all year long via the “Virtual Helpdesk.” Email your questions to dcmgardenr@gmail.com for answers seven days a week.

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Searching for a job, changing career paths, or discovering new skills to advance your career can be stressful and challenging. Arapahoe/ Douglas Works! is your one-stop-shop for employment assistance to land your next job, learn new skills or explore a new career path. For more information and to get started, visit adworks.org

SCFD Free Days

Want to learn more about history, spend time appreciating abstract or contemporary art or get in touch with nature? SCFD organizations have your entrance fee and cultural passions covered. For more information including specific dates and locations - visit scfd.org

Reserve your day pass at Rueter-Hess Reservoir

The reservoir is open for non-motorized water activities including paddle boarding, canoeing, and kayaking and fishing from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays into late October.

Due to parking limitations, reservations are required. The cost of a day pass is $10. Reservations must be made online. Visit douglas.co.us and search Reservations

A tent at the corner of East 14th Avenue and Washington Street in Denver.

PHOTO BY ERIC LUBBERS, THE COLORADO SUN

Gen Z unsure about college, a new poll finds

BY JASON GONZALES THE COLORADO SUN

Gen Z believes education after high school is necessary. ey’re just not so sure about going to a four-year university.

It isn’t that the generation born between 1997 and 2012 doesn’t want to get a bachelor’s degree, according to a recent study by the ECMC Foundation. e cost of tuition, student debt, and not feeling prepared keep them from heading to a university. Some are more open to certi cate programs, apprenticeships, two-year degrees, and onthe-job training as viable paths to a career.

e general attitudes of Gen Z students, documented in the report by the foundation that pushes for higher education improvements, tracks similarly to what Colorado college counseling groups hear. Advisors say students they talk to are recovering from an unprecedented pandemic and they’re more cost conscious about their education. Gen Z students are putting nancial security rst.

“ ey’ve seen so many people just operate to survive during the pandemic,” said Melissa Muniz, the Latin American Educational Foundation student services and program manager.

With those attitudes in mind, counselors say there’s a balance in helping Gen Z students understand how to approach their education. About 65% of students say post-high school education is important, the report says. And almost 60% say they can be successful without a four-year degree.

Having a four-year degree has bene ts. State data shows having a bachelor’s degree can open opportunities for more secure and higherpaying jobs that Gen Z students seek. Residents with a bachelor’s degree are also more mobile.

Nonetheless, nancial worries persist about the high cost of tuition at a four-year university or the debt students might be saddled with after they graduate. e study says six in 10 teens worry about how to pay for their education. at can hold them back.

Students do have options in Colorado, and it’s true that some students can get what they want out of their education from a shorter-term program.

But the study shows not enough students feel they get the counseling they need to make the decision. About 63% said they need guidance on nances and 48% said they need education and career guidance.

“ ey’re operating from this place where they want to nd something they love, they want to nd something they’re passionate about doing,” said Muniz, whose nonpro t pushes for greater access to higher education among Latino and Hispanic students. “But they question how they are also going to have stability so that they can provide for themselves and for their families.”

Gabriel Guindon, Denver Scholarship Foundation college access director, said counselors always make sure students know about Colorado’s talent pipeline report that says about 92% of the top jobs statewide require schooling beyond a high school diploma. e Denver foundation helps students realize their college dreams through advising and nancial aid.

Students also should get advised individually to nd the best t,

whether that’s academic, nancial, or social, he said. Guindon o ers advice on how to pay for a four-year degree, but he doesn’t steer students just toward universities. He tries to help students see that an education beyond college is necessary and at their ngertips.

Gen Z’s openness toward other options expressed in the survey aligns with some of Colorado’s higher education priorities. Colorado’s higher education strategic plan calls for students to get a return on what they pay, help more lowincome students get into programs after high school, and for colleges to work more closely with employers.

e state has been investing more in programs that connect post-high school education and industries that need more trained workers. Sometimes these programs lead to a bachelor’s degree and sometimes they don’t.

e state wants more high school students to leave with a certi cate or credential that can lead to a job and has free high school programs where students can attend collegelevel classes and earn credit.

Colorado now o ers free college and training in a range of elds where there’s a shortage of workers, such as teaching, re ghting, and law enforcement. ese programs can help students nd a track that ts their interests and o ers good job prospects after completion.

ese programs expanded on Colorado’s CareForward program, which provides free education for health care elds.

Other examples include schools such as Colorado Mountain College, which partners with local employers to create practical training for students to get jobs on the Western Slope. Community colleges such as the Community College of Aurora have also cut some arts and humanities programs to focus on courses that prepare students for jobs.

Sachs Foundation President Ben Ralston said Gen Z attitudes he’s

observed are also reactions to issues that should be challenged. e national survey says students want their interests to lead to ful llment in their careers.

Ralston, whose nonpro t supports Black Colorado students, said he’s heard from many students who want to learn business or engineering because they care most about the money they’ll earn. Some students, however, have no interest in those careers and won’t nd ful llment, he said.

Adults shouldn’t forget a four-year education also can lead to jobs that may not pay as much, but help create a more robust society through art, literature, or teaching, he said. It’s on state leaders to help make jobs with high societal value worth the time students spend getting educated for them and to help students nd value in creativity.

For instance, Ralson said Colorado needs more Black educators. e foundation and Teach for America Colorado have teamed up to provide nancial and career development support to Black educators, through learning groups and a salary incentive.

Sachs Foundation Chief Operating O cer Pamela Roberts said Gen Z notions about higher ed also can be challenged simply by o ering them information. Not every student has to go to an Ivy League school and most students realize that college is more a ordable than they expect depending on where they go.

Muniz said, however, students too often don’t get the information they need to make dreams a reality.

“ ey know what it takes and they know what they might want to do,” she said. “But some of them are just lacking that con dence or lacking that ability or the resources to really understand how to take advantage of these opportunities.”

Colorado has diversified its college o erings to include more short-term options.

MATT STENSLAND FOR CHALKBEAT

Colorado counselors say reality is more complicated

EPA again blocks air pollution permit for Suncor

BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN

e EPA’s Denver regional o ce is once again blocking a renewed state air pollution permit for the Suncor re nery in Commerce City, agreeing to objections from environmental groups that Colorado should crack down harder on carbon monoxide dangers and past plant modi cations.

Suncor has had numerous air and water pollution violations in recent years, and the regional Environmental Protection Agency had its own objections to Suncor permit renewals last year, ordering the state to make changes. After Colorado issued revisions, neighbors and environmental groups had the chance to make new objections.

While Suncor’s Plant 2 will be allowed to continue producing petroleum products for Colorado and the region, state air pollution o cials must now “resolve EPA’s objections” based on the environmental groups’ two petitions “before issuing a revised permit.”

“Improving air quality for the underserved communities a ected by harmful air emissions from the Suncor re nery is a shared priority for EPA and CDPHE,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. Becker is the former Democratic Speaker of the House for Colorado, and has placed an emphasis on carrying out environmental justice initiatives while at the EPA.

“EPA will continue to work with Colorado to secure the re nery’s compliance with laws and regulations and protect the health of nearby residents,” Becker said.

Representatives of the environmental groups welcomed the new scrutiny on Suncor, which has been releasing excessive levels of danger-

ous materials like benzene, PFAS “forever chemicals,” sulfur dioxide and more into the air and water of south Adams County and north Denver. ey have demanded intensi ed state scrutiny of the re nery as it seeks permit renewals, and some have called for the outright closure of the sprawling plant, the only petroleum re nery in Colorado.

“We’re grateful the EPA is taking the concerns of community and community-based organizations seriously, but nes aren’t working with these people,” said Ean Tafoya, director of the nonpro t Colorado GreenLatinos, one of the petitioners.

“We’ve said for a very long time Suncor continues to be out of compliance, and enforcement isn’t enough, they just keep paying to play. It’s time for us to begin planning the closure of Suncor.”

“We are happy that the EPA took an important step toward holding Suncor accountable for its toxic air pollution,” said Ian Coghill, senior attorney with Earthjustice. “For too long, impacted communities have su ered at the hands of the re nery and the state has failed to hold it accountable. is must result in the state taking a meaningful look at Suncor’s permitting and nally reining in its pollution.”

Coloradans managed while the entire re nery was shut down for repairs early in 2023 after a re, Tafoya said.

“ e local economy survived. We’re grateful we have these tools and the EPA appears to be listening,” he said.

e EPA’s demands in e ect reset the clock on assessing Suncor’s expired permit, which has been under scrutiny for years. Depending on how much the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment rewrites the Plant 2 permit, the EPA said, “the revisions may involve additional public notice and com-

have another 60-day petition period to make new objections.

Suncor rst sought to renew the Plant 2 permit in 2010. e state allows some industries to keep operating under expired permits, and says it enforces the requirements of the old permit in the meantime.

e EPA’s order directs Colorado ofcials to “evaluate whether additional operational requirements are needed to assure compliance with carbon monoxide and opacity limits at the plant’s uid catalytic cracking unit. It also directs CDPHE to determine whether previous plant modi cations were analyzed properly.”

State air pollution o cials said they were “closely reviewing” the EPA’s decision to grant parts of the petitions to the permit. “ e division will decide how to proceed after its review of the EPA’s decision and documentation,” said a spokesperson for the Air Pollution Control Division.

e EPA’s 99-page summary of its partial agreements with the petitioners appears to lean toward new standards for Suncor, Tafoya said. Environmental groups want the state to require technology upgrades at Suncor that would prevent leaks, including demands to use the “best available technology.”

Given months of news about

benzene, sulfur dioxide and other hazardous material releases, Tafoya said, “GreenLatinos wants to have a meeting with the state about cumulative violations.”

Under the U.S. Clean Air Act, the EPA sets regulations on air pollution limits, and state o cials carry out the permitting, inspection and enforcement on the companies receiving permits.

e EPA announcement said “one petition was led by Earthjustice on behalf of the Elyria and Swansea Neighborhood Association, Cultivando, Colorado Latino Forum, GreenLatinos, Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club. e second petition was led by 350 Colorado.” e 350 Colorado petition was denied, the EPA said, but many of the objections in the petition led by Earthjustice were validated.

“EPA is also supporting community-based air monitoring and stateled e orts to investigate and address noncompliance issues associated with air emissions from the Suncor plants,” the EPA o ce said.

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.

Suncor Energy’s Commerce City plant is seen Feb. 17, 2023.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA SUN, THE COLORADO SUN VIA REPORT FOR AMERICA

Donating gently used household goods

them get their life turned around,” said Peter Conway, vice president of business development and the founder’s son. “ at’s the rewarding part, for me at least.”

Eric Gallegos, who completed the Stout Street program and graduates in February, plans to stay at Spring Back “for the long haul.”

BY TAMARA CHUANG THE COLORADO SUN

Until about two-and-a-half years ago, Bobby Dainko was living in his car, addicted to meth.

Today, he’s clean and works full time at Spring Back Colorado Mattress Recycling, a nonpro t in Commerce City that recycles used mattresses that would otherwise end up in land lls. e nonpro t deliberately employs folks like Dainko — graduates of a nearby addiction treatment program.

“Yeah, I was living in my car right down the street here,” said Dainko, pointing out the window from an air-conditioned o ce where he answers calls and schedules mattress pickups. “I just got sick and tired of what it takes to live homeless. I used to think, ‘Oh, you’re homeless. You don’t have to do anything.’ But no, it’s a daily battle. Hour by hour even. Where am I going? What am I doing? I did that for almost a year and got so sick of it. I called Wellness Court and they welcomed me back at 2 in the morning.”

Dainko had previously worked at Spring Back after graduating from the nearby Stout Street Foundation substance abuse recovery program in 2017. But he relapsed a year later, after his mother passed away. He just wasn’t done with drugs, he says now. But he believes he’s nally kicked his addiction for good. And Spring Back gave him his job back.

“ e owner (Christopher Con-

way), he said, ‘Bobby, you’ve never lied to me, you’ve never stolen from me. ose are the two things I don’t tolerate. Yes, I’ll give you another chance.’ And he did,” said Dainko, who now has bene ts like health insurance. “And because of that, I got a second chance here.”

Uno cial and o cial workforce programs have been a source of labor for Colorado employers long before the pandemic and the ensuing labor shortage struck. But there’s another breed of workforce programs that help the planet, help consumers get rid of old stu and help people who have di culty nding work get a job. From diverting old computers and unwanted couches from land lls to refurbishing or upcycling materials for another life, the social enterprises often hover below the public radar. But some have caught the attention of the Colorado

Department of Public Health & Environment, which awarded grants to many programs aimed at diverting waste from the land lls.

“We applaud companies working on recycling solutions, particularly when they accomplish that by developing socially responsible business models that help some of Colorado’s disadvantaged workers learn new skills,” Kendra Appelman-Eastvedt, the recycling grants program manager, wrote in an email.

Here’s a few of them, but please share others in your local community and we’ll compile a list for a future story.

Spring Back gets a shoutout from the city of Denver’s bulky-item disposal page. e company also partners with ve land lls around the state by providing a trailer to collect mattresses for recycling at $30 each. Otherwise land ll customers often pay more to dispose of a mattress — it costs $74 at the Waste Management-operated Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site in Aurora. And yes, the mattress goes into the land ll, said a Waste Management employee who answered a pricing call. She suggested Spring Back for recycling mattresses at a lower price.

Spring Back works with mattress stores to collect unwanted mattresses, and it has partnerships with a handful of land lls, including in Mesa and Larimer Counties, and several cities, including Pueblo, Loveland and Denver. In the Denver area, there’s mattress pick up. On an average week, Spring Back workers tear down between 1,500 to 2,000 unwanted mattresses; strip them for steel, foam, wood and other recyclable parts; and send very little to the land ll.

“ e environmental impact is huge. Long-term sustainability is really important. Working with cities and municipalities is great. But this whole thing was started out of the desire to help folks and really help

Gallegos, who had the choice of prison or Stout Street, said that Stout Street showed him the path out of a life of drugs. Spring Back helps him stay on it.

“I’m comfortable here. I like to have a good, productive work day that challenges me. And this is labor intensive,” said Gallegos, who is from Trinidad. “When you make it through the day, you feel accomplished.”

Getting a job has long been part of Stout Street’s program, said Bradley Lucero, its executive director. e organization has worked with Spring Back for about a decade and also works with organizations like Food Bank of e Rockies and construction companies. It’s always looking for new partners willing to employ those at Stout Street, most who are there because their only other option was prison.

“ ey’re not used to getting up and going to work. ey’re not used to what minimum wage looks like, or living on $20 an hour because selling drugs, obviously they could make thousands of dollars in an afternoon,” Lucero said. “Having an idea of what a future looks like sober is huge.”

And for those who are tired of their old way of life and ready for more stability, the partnership with employers helps graduates get a second chance to reboot their work life.

“Some of them will take advantage of it, some of them will squander it,” Lucero said. “But for the most part, it’s folks that understand they have a criminal history and the longer they can keep a solid resume or build a solid resume, they understand that’ll help their odds down the road to apply and hopefully retain other positions.”

Seeking developmentally disabled workers

Just west of downtown Denver, Blue Star Recyclers charges a fee to take an old PC, monitor or other household electronics o your hands. e fees help pay a team that dismantles computers and household electronics. Parts are recycled for pro t or upcycled into working computers for sale. e tasks are repetitive but employees are eager to get to work. e majority have been diagnosed with some sort of developmental disability, like autism.

“It’s like they’re waiting by the clock a minute before (the work day starts) to make sure they clock in right on time,” said Sam Morris,

At Spring Back Mattress’ Commerce City warehouse, Eric Gallegos pitches in wherever he can to help the company strip down and recycle all the parts of unwanted mattresses. Gallegos, a former drug addict and dealer, faced prison or a local rehab. He chose rehab, which put him in touch with Spring Back for a job. He’s been clean for more than two years.

PHOTO BY ANDY COLWELL, SPECIAL TO THE COLORADO SUN

Here’s how you can help those most in need in Colorado by getting rid of your old stu

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Blue Star’s CEO. His dad, Bill, started the company in 2009 in Colorado Springs. “We’ve had folks who’ve been with us in Colorado Springs for 13 to 15 years and they are still exceeding their goals every week. And they’re doing the exact same thing every day.”

e company has diverted 34 million pounds of electronics from land lls and continues to do so.

e pandemic strained its growth and caused Blue Star to close newer operations in Chicago and Boulder. But something it did months before the pandemic changed its trajectory. After sharing their workforce results with a team of electronics recyclers in 2019, Blue Star doubled down on its original mission: nding job opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. Blue Star’s employees are rarely absent, very focused on their daily tasks and have a good attitude, according to a case study on the company’s workforce.

“It was just the real simple stu : zero absenteeism and lost-time accidents, 98% on-task engagement, all the measurables that everyone is so focused on, it became pretty clear that they were going ‘Omigosh, how do we get in on this?’” Morris said. “What we’ve found over the years is that, especially for folks on the autistic spectrum, they are just unbelievably good at that systematic step-by-step task. Whether it’s putting something together or taking it apart, if it’s the same everyday and they know what to expect, that’s their comfort zone.”

Blue Star began a national training program for the organization behind the e-Stewards certi cation, an ewaste recycling standard that bans exporting toxic e-waste to developing nations.

Before it launched the Advanced Plus program, Blue Star had employed roughly 60 individuals with a diagnosed developmental disability. After setting up the training program in 2019, “we’re almost at 200,” Morris said. “It became clear pretty quickly that this was the best approach.”

When city budgets got slashed during the pandemic, Denver’s Department of Parks and Recreation felt the pain and was unable to hire the usual crew of seasonal workers. at’s when the nonpro t Civic Center Conservancy, which exists to support Civic Center park, began strategizing.

e Conservancy teamed up with Bayaud Enterprises to hire unhoused residents to pick up trash and assist city workers with landscaping in a program called Civic Center Works, which launched in April 2022.

“ e narrative around Civic Center in some way, shape or form was that the homeless were a drain on Civic Center and it was something that was bringing it down. But we knew the unhoused community were

some of the park’s biggest advocates. And we had seen from before (the pandemic) that the people nding community in our park, Civic Center park, were the ones who were walking around picking up trash and taking care of it,” said Eric Lazzari, the Conservancy’s executive director.

Last year, 24 people were hired to work six hours a day, three days a week for the season. Ten moved on to permanent jobs with the parks department or used the program as a stepping stone in their career path. is season, there’s about ve people on the job daily with about a dozen in the program, he said.

“ ese are folks making the steps to transition out of homelessness and were looking for jobs,” Lazzari said. “What started out as a parks problem solved the parks problem but also impacted and changed the lives of others.”

What started as a side project for Nick Reichert and friend Lance Harding to make a few extra bucks in 2016 is now a couch refurbishing and upcycling business helping those in need.

“One of our rst couches actually went to someone who was just getting o the streets,” said Reichert, who was a y shing guide in the Vail Valley when he noticed free couches on Craigslist that were often in decent condition. “I’ve always had a heart, especially for the homeless. He was just so excited to get this really nice couch that had been xed up and cleaned up (and) delivered to his house.”

e Good Couch in Lakewood today receives about 50 couches a week (it also o ers pickup). After cleaning and xing them, the couches are sold online. at helps sustain the company, which is pro table. It donates some of the proceeds to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless but also provides couches to folks who are getting a home after living

on the streets. Harding is a founder but no longer part of the business. But some couches are in such bad shape or, well, just outdated, ugly and unsellable. ose ones are stripped for parts and recycled to avoid the land ll or upcycled into something new.

“Being a y shing guide, I have a heart for sustainability. I want to

see as little waste go into the land ll as possible,” he said. “In couches, there’s just all this wood and metal, upholstery foam. None of that’s good in a land ll.”

Wood and metal has been used for shelving and the company’s storage shed. Extra frames, hardware and legs are used to x up other couches. Reichert also estimates that e Good Couch has saved 1,000 pounds of leather from land lls. ey recently began working with American Made Apparel Manufacturing in Aurora to do something with those leather scraps. Now it has a line of handbags, wallets and card holders — all made in Denver with leather from unwanted couches.

“I’d say that at least 95% of what we take is at least partially or fully disassembled and reused,” he said. “ e most ful lling part is de nitely being able to get furniture to the people who (the Coalition) is able to place in semi-permanent housing. And there’s a lot of other ministries and organizations now, too, that know about us and are able to recommend us so we do get to give away a fair amount of couches every month to folks in need.”

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.

Kian Phair, senior recycling tech at Blue Star Recyclers, has been with the company since 2015. Blue Star accepts e-waste like old computers and has techs that dismantle the machines for parts that can be recycled. The company likes to hire people with developmental disabilities, who can thrive on repetitive tasks. PHOTO PROVIDED BY BLUE STAR RECYCLERS

Insects in dramatic decline in Colorado, study finds

Numbers plummet over course of 35 years

BY WILLIAM ALLSTETTER THE COLORADO SUN

Dramatic insect declines previously reported around the world are also occurring in Colorado. Researchers with the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, or RMBL, report that ying insects in the mountains outside of Crested Butte have declined more than 60% since 1986.  e current research, published in the scienti c journal Ecosphere, is noteworthy for the length of time covered and the relatively undisturbed mountain environment where it was conducted. e declines correlated with drier and warmer weather, suggesting an impact of climate change.

“Increasingly we are seeing insect declines in places that are more pristine, which is much more alarming,” said Julian Resasco, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado.

While historically seen as agricultural pests and personal nuisances, insects and other invertebrates (no backbone) are increasingly recognized for the vital services they provide in nature: pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling and sustenance for birds and other animals higher on the food chain. e continued decline of insect populations could have profound consequences for the environment, humans and other animals.

“We rely on insects for ecosystem services. We need them to be abundant and diverse,” Resasco said.

Concern about declining insect populations surged in 2017 after researchers reported that ying

insects in Germany had declined by more than 75% over 27 years. at was followed by several studies mostly, but not uniformly, reporting alarming declines in insect populations around the world. e reality and the causes of insect decline are ongoing debates among entomologists.

For their study, the RMBL researchers set up a tentlike trap in the middle of a 27-acre meadow at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, 9,500 feet above sea level near the abandoned mining town of Gothic. Surrounded by the peaks and meadows of the Elk Mountains, the setting is stunning — and far removed from intensive agriculture, urban growth, pesticide use and other human activities that have been blamed for insect declines.

“We thought that it was important for us to look at a site that is free from all those in uences,” said David Inouye, co-author on the research paper, and a professor emeritus at

the University of Maryland.

Two days a week, the researchers capture ying insects — mostly bees, wasps and ies. ey count and dry the insects, weigh them and divide them into several broad groupings. Since 1984, researchers have captured and recorded data about the insects every week of every subalpine summer for 40 years.

“If you want to see a long-term trend, you need decades of data,” Inouye said. Insect populations can uctuate several fold from year to year. Data collected over a longer period helps identify less dramatic long-term trends. e current study is the longest controlled study of insects in Colorado and one of the longest in the United States.

e project has lasted so long that it has relied on three generations of scientists. Authors on the paper include the now-deceased originator of the work, Michael Soulé; David Inouye, who is spending his 53rd season at the laboratory this summer; and David’s son, Brian Inouye, and daughter-in-law, Nora Underwood, both professors of ecology and evolution at Florida State University.

e paper analyzes 35 years of data, from 1986 through the summer of 2020. e researchers documented a 62% decline in the number of insects captured and a 49% decline in their total weight over the period.

e insect decline was correlated with less winter snowfall, less summer rain and warmer temperatures.

Average annual snowfall at the laboratory fell sharply during the study period, to 344 inches per year from 463 inches. Abundant winter snow cover provides protective insulation to overwintering insects. Average summer rainfall did not change signi cantly during the study’s 35 years, but years of low summer rainfall had fewer insects. Summer rainfall promotes plant growth that feeds many insects. Average temperature rose about 2 degrees Fahrenheit during the study period and was correlated with the insect decline, although less

so than precipitation.

“Changes in precipitation and warmer temperatures are expected to continue under climate change,” the researchers wrote in their report. “ us, continued insect declines might be expected even in relatively undisturbed habitats.”

“We should be concerned,” Underwood said. “ ere are a lot of cascading e ects of insects.”

Fewer insects can mean less food for other animals, fewer owers pollinated and fewer nutrients recycled through the environment. Underwood does have faith in the resilience of nature and is not predicting an imminent insect apocalypse or deserts in the mountains. But she notes that the study documents big changes occurring to important players in the environment with likely, but unknown, impacts occurring as climate change continues.

Underwood invokes the rivet hypothesis by famed biologist Paul Ehrlich, for whom both she and Brian worked during summers when he came to RMBL. An airplane has thousands of rivets holding it together. You can remove one rivet without causing any trouble. But if you keep removing rivets — or insects — eventually the plane will fall apart and crash. No one knows which is the crucial rivet, and maybe it is best to keep as many as possible.

David Inouye believes the insect declines in Colorado and around the nation may have already rippled through the environment. In 2019, researchers reported an alarming 29% decline in North American birds, a net loss of 3 billion birds, since 1970. Birds that feed on insects were a prominent portion of those losses. Around the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, researchers have likewise documented a striking decline in white-crowned sparrows, an insect-eating bird whose distinctive call is heard less often than in past years.

Insects and white-crowned sparrows are just one of several changes that David Inouye has observed in his decades at the laboratory. Moose and fox now live there year-round, and a Wyoming ground squirrel has moved up from lower-elevation Almont, to Crested Butte and now the laboratory. Ticks and mosquitoes that can carry West Nile virus have also appeared around the laboratory in recent years. Wild owers are blooming earlier.

“I think in the long term, most people are going to nd those changes undesirable,” he said.

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.

SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

Thu 8/17

Denver Broncos

@ 9am

Centura Health Training Center, 13655 E. Broncos Pkwy., Englewood

The Newarkansans live at The Inverness HIlton Denver @ 4pm

Hilton Denver Inverness, 200 Inverness Dr W, Englewood

Featured

Featured

TEN - Colorado Tribute to Pearl

Jam: TEN - A Tribute to Pearl Jam at Tailgate Tavern @ 6pm

Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker

Sat 8/19

Crazy Dave, Bass Guitarist: Resonance Debuts | Tailgate Tavern

@ 5pm Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker

Fri 8/18

Cory Michael @ 1pm Wide Open Saloon, 5607 US-85, Sedalia

Electric Whiskey Experiment @ 5pm

Sunroom Brewing, 3242 S Acoma St, Englewood

Featured

Neil Z: Brightenstar @ Black Bear

@ 4:30pm Black Bear Golf Club, 11400 Can‐terberry Pkwy,, Parker

Fleming Mansion Walkthrough (about 45 days before event)

@ 6pm Fleming Mansion, 1510 S. Grant St., Den‐ver. 720-913-0654

Steve Everett: Earth Angel Fest @ 4pm

Earth Angel Barn, Fo��eld

Crazy Dave, Bass Guitarist: Fleatwood Mac Tribute | Tailgate Tavern & Grill @ 6pm

Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker

powered by

Tom Mcelvain Music @ 6pm private House concert - Castle Rock, CO, Castle Rock

George Porter Jr.: Conscious Alliance All Star Bene�t @ 6pm Cherry Hills Village Community Develop‐ment, 2450 E Quincy Ave, Englewood

Kristopher James: Earth Angel Festival 2023 @ 6pm null, 7231 S Quintero St, Fo��eld

6 Million Dollar Band @ 6pm Pindustry, 7939 E Arapahoe Rd, Centen‐nial

Resist & Bite @ 6pm Wild Goose Saloon, Parker

Jude Brothers @ 7pm Swallow Hill Music, 71 E Yale Ave, Denver

Resist @ 7pm Wild Goose Saloon, 11160 S. Pikes Peak Drive, Parker

Grayson Little Music: Grayson Little & The Sunday Drivers at Concert Under The Lights @ 6pm Festival Park, 300 2nd St, Castle Rock

Sun 8/20 Thu 8/24

Read Southall Band @ 6pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Rotating Tap Comedy @ Coal Mine Ave Brewing @ 6pm Coal Mine Ave Brewing Company, 9719 W Coal Mine Ave unit a, Lit‐tleton

Variety of solutions

As an editor of newspapers in multiple counties, sometimes I feel like I get a front-row seat to the problems and proposed solutions owing through the Denver metro area. One of those major problems is homelessness. It’s been interesting over the last year to watch how each municipality and county has chosen to view the growing crisis.

In Arapahoe County, I have been impressed with the proactive, somewhat uni ed, approach many are taking. Littleton, Centennial, Sheridan and Englewood clearly care on a regional level about working together and solo to address the growing crisis.

Littleton continues to take the lead, hosting forums and really working with neighbors to talk about what’s happening. In a recent forum, Littleton gave business owners, community leaders and residents the opportunity to talk about the issues.

Of course, business owners are concerned when the homeless may interfere with their ability to conduct business and if the crisis continues to grow — those voices will get louder.

I was also impressed with a forum where a man who had been homeless and struggling talked about the path back. He talked about his struggles and shared a story we all need to hear. We all say we know it’s a problem — but without a face — we just look at the negatives and want it gone.

What this man did in this forum was personalize a national problem. Our homeless population is made up of human beings who should not be tossed aside like trash. ey are not all associated with criminal behavior

and our reporters have talked to many of whom are just down on their luck and falling through a variety of trapdoors that get them stuck.

Centennial has hired a homeless coordinator to address the issue head-on.

In Denver, the new mayor jumped out of the gates declaring the homeless crisis an emergency. Hopefully that declaration turns into an approach that includes working with the metro area.

en, we have Douglas County. I can be hard on Douglas County sometimes because I’m not always a fan of the self-care approach to a regional issue. Will a camping ban really work? Is it fair to ship the homeless back into the heart of the metro area?

Aurora’s mayor has raised concerns over this practice and rightfully so.

A problem isn’t solved when one area wants to shove it out of sight and claims it isn’t a problem in their county. A problem is solved when all counties and municipalities start admitting it’s a problem for the entire area and clear, united solutions are needed.

I get the concerns. When I drive home in the evenings and see growing homeless camps along the interstate — I get frustrated. When a homeless woman takes o her shirt and my children are watching at a red light — I have concerns.

However, I do not think forcibly moving them to where I do not see them anymore means the problem is gone for me. e problem is there and even with e ort — is going to grow increasingly visible in every city, town and county in the metro area until a true, united e ort is on track.

To those counties and towns already doing it — I say great job. To others — I say the problem is not going away just because you push them out with a policy.

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

Reading to learn, grow, imagine, escape

As part of our company’s onboarding process, we are invited to connect with new hires at every level of the organization and wherever they may live. Technology of course makes scheduling these calls and having these calls very easy when we are connecting with new remote team members. e other day I had a wonderful call with our newest team member, Adam. What we found that we had in common was a love for reading. And it was a great reminder for me that each year around this time, I publish my reading list and recommendations.

e summertime is always a great way to reacquaint ourselves with reading if we have not been as diligent in our e orts. Vacations and staycations o er us that time to unwind and relax with a good book. For me, depending on what I am reading, a great book transports me to di erent places, in di erent times, inspires creativity, and helps me to learn and grow personally and professionally.

I love this quote by S.I. Hayawaka, “It is not true that we only have only one life to live; if we can read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

of life as we wish.” So spot on. We all have our di erent genres of the types of books we enjoy reading. For me, I go through a cycle of ve different types of books and then repeat the cycle. I start with a faith-based book, then a history book or biography, then move to a business book, add in a personal development book, and then go to a ctional book. I have found that the diversity in my reading keeps me well-rounded and a ords me the opportunity to engage in conversations with people regardless of their own reading preferences. Reading so many di erent types of books also inspires tremendous creativity.

So here is my current reading list, hopefully one or two may be of interest to you.

Faith-based books: “Mission Possible” by Tim Tebow, “All ings New” by John Eldridge, “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat” by John Ortberg, “Let the Journey Begin” by Max Lucado, “ e Carpenter” by Jon Gordon

History or biography books: “ e Forgotten 500” by Gregory A. Freeman, “ e Last Stand” by Nathaniel Philbrick, “George Washington’s Secret Six” by Brian Kilmead and Don Yaeger, “ e Nine” by Gwen Strauss

Business books: “How to Sell to the Modern Buyer” by David Mattson, “10

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.

ELBERT COUNTY NEWS (USPS 171-100)

A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert

750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110

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

ERIN FRANKS Production Manager efranks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.

Thelma Grimes

these these when ing team other derful newest Adam.

Tips to stay safe in Colorado’s hot summer months

Yes, Colorado has had an unusually long stretch of damp, cloudy weather in a state that typically enjoys soaring temperatures and plenty of sunshine. But the sunshine is back and temps are rising which, as always, means more time relaxing, exercising and playing in Colorado’s great outdoors.

On the heels of Denver’s third hottest summer in recorded history in 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting 2023 could likely be one of the Top 10 warmest years on record in much of the U.S., and could possibly approach the Top 5, according to scientists. For people of all ages — and especially older adults — the risks associated with high temperatures and increased UV rays are very real, from small bouts of dehydration to a full-blown, life-threatening medical emergency. A combination of factors make the preparation for higher temps and more time in the sun that much more important.

According to the National Institute on Aging, people age 65 years and older are more prone to heatrelated problems, as our bodies do not adjust as well to sudden changes in temperature like they did when we were younger. In addition, older adults are more likely to have chronic medical conditions and/ or more likely to be taking prescription medications that can a ect the

NORTON

FROM

Leadership Virtues for Disruptive Times” by Tom Ziglar, “Smart Brevity” by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz, “Traction” by Gino Wickman

Personal development books: “ e Power of Who” by Bob Beaudine, “ e Power of Community” by Howard Partridge, “Becoming a Master Communicator” by Renee Marino, “What Drives You” by Kevin Miller, “Growth with Goals” by Jill Hellwig

Fiction books: “Dark Vector” by Clive Cussler, “Wild Fire” by Nelson DeMille, “ e Lion” by Nelson DeMille, “American Assassin” by Vince Flynn, “Transfer of Power” by Vince Flynn

Again, those are just my recent favorites and if you are looking for a good book in a speci c genre, hopefully this list helps or inspires you to look at similar titles.

And remember what Mary Schmich says about reading,

body’s ability to control its temperature or sweat.

Being overheated for too long or exposed to the sun without protection can cause many health problems including:

• Heat syncope: sudden dizziness that can occur when active in hot weather.

• Heat cramps: painful tightening or spasms of muscles in the stomach, arms or legs.

• Heat edema: swelling in ankles and feet when you get hot.

• Heat rash: skin irritation from heavy sweating that causes red clusters of small blisters that look similar to pimples on the skin.

• Heat exhaustion: a warning that your body can no longer keep itself cool. You might feel thirsty, dizzy, weak, uncoordinated and nauseated. You may sweat a lot. Your body temperature may stay normal, but your skin may feel cold and clammy. Some people with heat exhaustion have a rapid pulse. Heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke. If you or someone you are with begin to show any signs of heat exhaustion, move to a cooler environment as quickly as possible — preferably a well airconditioned room. Loosen clothing, sponge o or bathe with cool water, lie down and rest.

• Heat stroke: a medical emergency in which the body’s temperature rises above 104°F. Signs of heat stroke are fainting; confusion or acting strangely; not sweating even when it’s hot; dry, ushed skin; strong, rapid pulse; or a slow, weak pulse. When a person has any of these symptoms, they should seek medical help right away and immediately move to a cooler place, such as under shade or indoors. ey

“Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere.” It is so true, we can let whatever it is we read to lead us into a new paradigm and bring us into a new place mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Reading broadens our knowledge and leads us to new horizons. And the only thing that we are bound by is our own time and willingness to commit to making the e ort to read and read more often.

How about you? What are you reading these days? I always love getting fantastic book recommendations from our community and sharing what we both get out of the reading. I would love to see your list at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can read to learn, grow, imagine and escape it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

should also take action to lower their body temperature with cool clothes, a cool bath or shower, and fans.

But the added risks don’t mean you have to stop doing the things you love. It just means taking the time to prepare for your outdoor fun.

Some of the most e ective preventive measures include:

• Wear sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher).

• Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose tting, cotton clothing, including long sleeves and a breathable hat.

• Take frequent rest periods.

• Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from UV rays.

• Drink plenty of liquids. Try a measured water bottle to track your progress — some water bottles are connected to an app on your smart phone to remind you to drink.

Water, fruit or vegetable juices, or drinks that include electrolytes are best. Avoid alcohol and ca einated drinks.

• Get outside earlier in the day and try to avoid outdoor activities during the heat of the day, which is typically mid to late afternoon.

• Don’t rely on perspiration to cool you down, some people just don’t sweat as much as they age.

Getting outdoors and enjoying the sun and warmer temps should stay on everyone’s to-do list. However, a few basic precautions and awareness of what to look for and when to shut things down will help deliver a fun, safe summer for Coloradans of all ages.

Stacey Johnson, RN, NHA, is the area director of Clinical Services for Ascent Living Communities.

Stacey Johnson

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

ADenver-based nonpro t music education organization is helping local rising stars showcase and enhance their musical talents, record music and learn podcasting for free.

Youth on Record, founded by local musician community organizer Flobots in 2008 works with people aged 14 to 24.

“Flotbots’ mission was to bring music to young people to improve academic success and youth outreach, and it grew into what is now known as Youth on Record,” said Haley Witt, a guitar musician and singer-songwriter who manages Youth on Record.

Youth on Record recently rocked at its ninth annual block party in support of youth in music with over 20 live music performances, teen activities and vendors at its o ce location near downtown Denver.

“We have a state-of-the-art recording studio soundboard and all sorts of instruments,” Witt said. “So young people can drop into our programs and learn about mixing, mastering songs and learn about songwriting and instrumentation.”

After school programs

e Youth on Record runs afterschool, out-of-school and in-school programming with Denver Public Schools and Aurora Public Schools middle and high schools.

“We partner with the schools to teach four-credit classes, and we hire local professional artists to teach those classes,” Witt said. “Our Youth on Record teaching artists come to the schools, and the young people are able to learn from them. It’s one way that you nd our Youth on Record programs through the schools.”

Youth on Record also has afterschool programs at the Youth on Record media studio space called the open lab on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and is available to young people from 14 to 24 years old.

“It’s self-guided so that they can explore their interests. ey come into the space with a passion for music, making songwriting production, and we teach them the skill set they need to accomplish the projects they’re passionate about,” Witt said.

Witt said Youth on Record also o er an internship and fellowship program and a fellowship program, both of which are paid programs by donors.

“Youth on Record is a nonpro t organization so donors fund our program,” Witt said.

Witt said Youth on Record has had a lot of talented program graduates.

Baily Elora from Hudson/ Keenesburg Colorado, featured in the Fort Lupton Press, went through the program and signed on with Sony Music Subsidiary e Orchard.

“We are proud of all of our program graduates and all of the various directions that they’re headed, it’s really important to us to connect with young people with economic opportunities, “ Witt said.

Witt said Youth on Records is a pillar of academic success, economic opportunity and community activation.

“Our economic opportunity pillar, it’s really important to us to connect young people to community careers and job opportunities,” Witt said.

Witt said they have young people who play gigs in the community and support booking those gigs and paid opportunities for young people to perform.

Youth on Record also places young people into community internships and fellowships.

“Our fellows will have the opportunity to have community internships with local partners as well. It’s important to us to connect young people to jobs in the industry and to connect them to opportunities in creative elds and show them that it’s possible,” Witt said.

ere also is an open mic every rst Friday, and it is open to the public, where the youth perform and gain experience in combination with all the First Fridays and art walks across the city, speci cally in collaboration with the Santa Fe Art Walk.

“ at’s a program run by our fellows and learn how to put together a music festival, run it, secure porta potties and design posters for the festival and how it ties in economic opportunity. e block party is a youth-led program,” Witt said.

Learning about podcasting

David Ladon, Youth on Record audio arts innovation manager, teaches youth how to do podcast interviews. Ladon has been teaching podcasting for nine years and has worked with Youth on Record for three in a half years.

“We have a podcast show that comes out monthly called ‘Generation Collaboration’ that we produce in collaboration with Colorado young leaders,” Ladon said, adding that they just nished season one and that the podcast airs on KGNU.

ARTISTS

“We have another monthly show called ‘Youth on Rewind,’ which is a segment-based show and the tagline podcast amplifying young people’s voices, stories and ideas,” Ladon said.

Ladon said the podcast features segments produced by interns, peer navigators and fellows, covering whatever interests them.

“Our third show is called ‘Underground of the Showcase’ as

the official podcast of the underground music showcase, which Youth and Record helps put on.”

The podcast is hosted and produced by youth interns from 16 to 24 years old.

Ladon said his love for the application of podcast work expanded beyond media production or journalism.

“It gets to the root of socialemotional learning and developing yourself because you’re learning to exercise your voice and get to practice hearing your voice, which is not something we’re all comfortable with,” Ladon said.

Mobile Studio

Oren Bregman, executive director of the Mobile Studio nonprofit music outreach program has partnered with Youth on Record.

Bregman’s program brings the mobile studio to Denver, Green Valley and Montebello pathway schools in Aurora.

“We focused on singing, rapping, and poetry so we bring our equipment and expertise so students can create music to express themselves and share it online with their family and friends,” Bregman said.

Bregman said Youth on Records helped Mobile Studio get their

first grant and gave them some instruments.

“We are happy to be part of the family,” Bregman said.

Witt said that the young people the programs serve are incredibly talented. “It blows me away to see the ways that they’re able to cultivate their skills, and it’s inspiring to watch and build strong mentorship relationships with our staff and to feel connected to a sense of community through our programs,” she said.

For more information about Youth on Record, visit youthonrecord.org or call 303993-5226.

Youth on Record student Addie Uhl performs at the Youth on Record block party.

PHOTOS BY BELEN WARD

Cornelius Bates sings a hip-hop rap on the mic at the Mobile Studio tent.

David Ladon, Youth on Record audio arts innovation manager, prepares the podcast studio for an interview.

Laura Stedman warms up for her solo performance at the Youth on Record block party.

Clive Cussler’s legacy lives on through Arvada’s classic car museum

BY LILLIAN FUGLEI LFUGLEI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Tucked away behind construction on Indiana Street is a collection of over 100 cars, some over 100 years old. e collector of these cars is none other than Clive Cussler.

Cussler was a best-selling author with over six dozen books, primarily writing adventure and thriller stories.

ough Cussler passed away in 2020, his legacy lives on, partially through his museum.

ough Cussler began collecting cars in the 1970s, it wasn’t until 2005 that the museum opened.

“My mother and I approached him about opening it up to the public because he had over 100 cars, and they’re so fascinating,” Amie Knutson, Cussler’s granddaughter, said. “We thought it’d be neat to open up to the public and let people come see them.”

Knutson added that she wants to keep her grandfather’s legacy going.

“He passed away three years ago,” she said. “It’s just neat talking to all the people that are huge fans of his and just showing people these awe-

some cars that you don’t really see every day. It’s wonderful.”

Keith Lowden, the museum’s mechanic, has been working on the cars since the 1980s. Lowden helped Cussler to pick out cars and restore them and has been helping with upkeep and repairs ever since.

“I would go on trips with him to car auctions,” Lowden said. “I checked (cars) over and stu before he would decide to bid on them. So that was a lot of fun. ose times were really great.”

With over 100 cars, the museum can only display around 60 at a time. Each car has a small sign detailing the model and history of the vehicle, while many cars are displayed with a copy of one of Cussler’s books. Many of Cussler’s books feature a car in his collection, with a photo of him in the car on the back cover.

“Opening this up as a museum so people can come in, we get a lot of his fans in here,” Lowden said. “It’s like they’re movie stars to them or something where they want to come and see the car. ey can’t see the character. e stories are just kind of made up. But the cars exist.”

Clive Cussler’s collection of over 100 cars is on display in Arvada.

PHOTO BY LILLIAN FUGLEI

CRUEL HOPE:

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

George Vonesh drives an hour round trip each day to visit his grandson, Justin.

Justin is a kind, caring, nonjudgmental young man, says his grandfather. He keeps up on the news and likes to discuss current events. In his free time, Justin enjoys music, concerts and paranormal television shows.

He also lives with intellectual disabilities, which have impacted him since childhood. Yet, at 32 years old, Justin lives on his own in an apartment in Lafayette.

As Justin’s primary companion and caregiver, Vonesh has spent much of his life memorizing the ins and outs of programs and services that many adults with disabilities rely on — from Medicaid to food assistance programs, to housing choice vouchers and more.

“It’s taken me years to learn all this stu ,” Vonesh said.

At age 79, he is starting to worry about how he can sustainably support his grandson. e distance from Arvada — where Vonesh lives — to Lafayette is feeling more and more challenging to travel as the years go by.

He wants to move Justin closer, but for months he’s faced hurdle after hurdle. Despite all his research, paperwork, phone calls, meetings and more paperwork, Vonesh hasn’t been able to nd an apartment that will work.

e problem comes down to what’s commonly called a housing choice voucher.

Justin received a voucher in 2018, about a year and a half after applying for the rent subsidization program. He was luckier than many,

EVEN WITH A HOUSING VOUCHER, METRO MAN FACES ENDLESS BARRIERS TO FIND DISABLED GRANDSON A HOME

program and its many intricacies, Vonesh has uncovered a system with pitfalls at every turn. Sometimes, these challenges come from administrative complexities of the program. Other times, they are rooted in discrimination.

As Vonesh has worked tirelessly to nd a home for his grandson, housing advocates have taken steps to strengthen laws meant to protect people like Justin.

there has to be a vacancy that lines up with the end of Justin’s current lease. He also has to add time for a federally mandated inspection of the unit.

as some people wait on lists for years — sometimes more than a decade — before being selected for the program that’s part of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD.

e program, sometimes known as Section 8, aims “to help very low-income families, the elderly and the disabled a ord decent, safe and sanitary housing,” according to HUD.

Justin is both low-income and disabled in the eyes of the government. His income was about $800 per month — less than 7% of the area median income in his county — when he applied for a voucher. is money came from a monthly stipend for people with disabilities, called Supplemental Security Income. Since then, however, Vonesh has learned that a voucher is not a guaranteed ticket to housing.

“It’s not easy,” he said, gesturing at a pile of paperwork full of handwritten notes and math problems.

“Even now, with all this homework that I have, I still am never quite sure about all the exact steps.” rough his deep dive into the

A new law on this front, which goes into e ect this month, has resulted in resistance from Colorado landlords. While they concede that people with housing vouchers can struggle to nd a place, they say the problem should be addressed by making the program more economically attractive — not mandating how landlords interact with it.

Moving Justin closer

Vonesh has been living in the same Arvada home for over 50 years. Since his wife passed away a few years ago, he divides his time between taking care of his dog, Jasper, and his grandson.

“Jasper in the morning, Justin in the afternoon,” he said.

Justin’s disabilities, which impact his social interactions, have made it challenging for him to make friends over the years. Vonesh said that causes Justin to be sad sometimes, making the daily visits even more important.

“If I don’t go up there, he’s just by himself,” he said.

As Vonesh gets older, the long drive is becoming more challenging.

“It’s hard on me,” he said. “I’m getting old and that tra c is dangerous … so I’d like to get him closer. Otherwise, I’m telling him, we’re just gonna have to gure out some days a week that I take o .”

But Vonesh has had little luck since he began searching for a closer apartment eight months ago. Because Justin has a voucher, moving is a complicated process that involves a staggering number of considerations.

First, prospective apartments need to qualify under a payment standard set by HUD. at means the unit, plus utilities, has to be at or under a speci c price.

Once Vonesh nds an apartment at the correct rate in a desired area,

If the new apartment is in a different county, Vonesh would need to transfer Justin’s rental subsidy across housing authority lines. e process is possible, but it adds extra steps that take time. In a fast-paced rental market where landlords want tenants con rmed as quickly as possible, the timeline of these extra steps can complicate options.

Add those requirements to the personal desires any person may have for an apartment — like in-unit laundry or a place to sit outside — and Vonesh has a puzzle on his hands.

It is a puzzle that gets more challenging when some landlords, Vonesh says, won’t even take a glance at Justin’s application.

“I have lost count of the apartment managers who told (me) that they don’t accept (vouchers)” since Justin got a voucher in 2018, Vonesh said. “ ey don’t want to deal with the bureaucracy and perceived problems with low-income renters.”

Discrimination over source of income e apartment managers who told Vonesh they wouldn’t accept housing choice vouchers — if they said so after January 2021 — could have been breaking the law. at’s when House Bill 20-1332 took e ect, outlawing housing discrimination based on a person’s source of income. e state law added this category to other protected classes including disability, race, color, creed, familial status and more.

In practice, this law means landlords in Colorado with more than three rental units must accept housing choice vouchers. ey cannot use Justin’s federal aid as a reason to turn him away.

Despite facing this issue, Vonesh never led a complaint with state ofcials. e process seemed cumbersome and time-consuming, and it was more important to him to put his time and energy toward nding Justin a home, he said.

Vonesh isn’t the only one con-

SEE VOUCHERS, P19

George Vonesh sits with his dog, Jasper, outside of his home in Arvada. PHOTO BY NINA JOSS

VOUCHERS

cerned that landlords discriminate in this way. Housing advocates across the metro area say they’ve seen evidence of housing discrimination based on source of income.

“Complaints about housing vouchers — and landlords refusing to accept them or refusing to count the value of the voucher — is the number three source of complaint that we received (in the past 18 months),” said John Paul Marosy, outreach and education coordinator at the Denver Metro Fair Housing Center.

e center is a private nonpro t organization that works to investigate matters related to housing discrimination across the metro region.

Although there may be some bad actors, Marosy noted that most discrimination against voucher holders comes from landlords who are unaware of the law.

“From our experience, the vast majority of landlords don’t intentionally discriminate in this way,” he said. “But it is incumbent on them to educate themselves.”

In a few cases, discrimination against voucher holders is outright. But more commonly, landlords create barriers for voucher holders without doing anything that appears to break the law, advocates say.

One of these barriers is the minimum income requirement. is is

when a landlord requires a potential tenant to prove they make a certain ratio of income to rent.

Vonesh ran into this problem recently when he was checking out an apartment in Arvada for Justin. Right as he started to think it might work out, the apartment manager shattered his plan.

“ ey said, ‘Oh, you know, we can take a voucher, sure — but you still have to prove three times (the rent in) income,’” Vonesh said.

With Justin’s income — all from federal aid — this requirement was impossible to meet.

The income barrier

Aubrey Wilde, advocacy program director at Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, said income requirements are one of the biggest barriers for people with vouchers.

“We have folks with vouchers who technically should be able to use those vouchers, in most cases, being asked to prove that they earn three, four, ve — even eight — times the rent amount in income,” Wilde said, recounting numbers from her and other advocates’ work with people searching for housing.

Jack Regenbogen, deputy executive director at the Colorado Poverty Law Project, said he and other advocates consider this behavior to be a form of discrimination.

“ ey’re not saying anymore, ‘We won’t accept Section 8,’ but they are discriminating based on the amount of income,” Regenbogen said.

Although many voucher holders can’t meet income requirements, Marosy from the Denver Metro Fair Housing Center said the voucher itself is a dependable sign that the tenant will be able to pay their rent each month.

“If you look at it from the landlord’s point of view, this is a guaranteed source of income,” he said. “ ey know for a fact that this individual has this voucher and that money will be there for months and months to come.”

But House Bill 20-1332 sets no limit to the income level a landlord can require. And for people with vouchers, there’s no clarity about whether a minimum income requirement applies to the whole rent, or just the portion of rent a voucher holder is paying out of pocket. is legal blurriness has created a situation where landlords can reject a voucher holder for not making three or more times the full rent amount in income.

A new law rough months of lobbying and testifying, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and the Colorado Poverty Law Project worked with legislators on a new law this year, Senate Bill 23-184, that addresses income requirement barrier for voucher holders. It will go into e ect in August.

“It caps the minimum income requirement at two times the cost of rent,” Wilde said.

e Colorado Apartment Association, a leading state group for landlords, was a vocal opponent of the bill. Spokesperson Drew Hamrick said the income requirement cap — which will allow people to spend 50% of their income on rent — will set tenants up for failure.

“Anyone signing a contract that they’re promising to pay that much of their income in rent is going to default under it,” he said. “No one can a ord to do that.”

Hamrick said landlords do not care about the source of a tenant’s money — but they care that they get paid.  In landlords’ eyes, he said, the housing voucher program adds the risk of additional expenses they might not be compensated for. ese potential expenses include rent lost while o cials inspect a unit to see if it meets federal standards. He added there are other risks, like the chance that a tenant might not be able to pay for repairing property damage. Instead of mandating that landlords accept vouchers, Hamrick said, legislators should work to make the program more nancially attractive for landlords.

He said the new cap is not a sustainable decision for rental housing providers, who will have to accept tenants more likely to default on rent. He added that more defaults would likely make rents rise across the market over time.

“ e Colorado legislature has SEE VOUCHERS, P20

VOUCHERS

FROM

substituted their own business judgment for the judgment of the entire market and made a bad business decision here,” he said.

Regenbogen, however, said he thinks people paying half their income on rent will still be able to make ends meet. Low-income people, he said, have always had to be resourceful — and housing is a necessity they deserve the opportunity to have.

“(Paying half of one’s income on rent is) not ideal, but what’s worse was the previous status quo where if people weren’t earning an arbitrary multiplier of what rent is, then they could very possibly nd themselves either in the homeless shelter or on the street,” he said.

He added that the new number reects a reality in Colorado — where more than half of households are rent-burdened, meaning they are paying more than the recommended 30% of their income on rent, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau data.

For people with vouchers, the new law also clari es that minimum income requirements must only apply to the portion of rent the tenant pays out of their own pocket.

In addition, it prohibits landlords from considering the credit score of an applicant who is on a voucher. Wilde said credit, like the minimum income requirement, has historically been a barrier for voucher holders in nding housing.

Hope for Justin

Vonesh said the new law is good for people at low income levels like Justin.

Since voucher holders generally pay 30% to 40% of their income on rent, the vast majority will now always qualify in terms of income.

“I think (the law) will have a fairly signi cant positive impact,” Vonesh said, re ecting on the times Justin has been turned down on the grounds of income. “ at new provision, I think, takes that o the table.”

Vonesh said the more he knows and understands the laws, the more he is feeling prepared and empowered going into conversations with apartment managers.

“I was just waiting for them to say ‘We don’t accept vouchers,’” he said, describing one recent meeting. “I was ready to pull out my printedout copies of the statutes that are all highlighted.”

But people who don’t know their rights don’t have that opportunity to stick up for themselves, he said.

To help educate more tenants and landlords on the rights and rules related to housing discrimination, the Denver Metro Fair Housing Center launched a campaign in April about source-of-income discrimination.

“Most prejudice is rooted in the lack of knowledge,” Marosy said. “We’re optimistic that as we get more knowledge out about the voucher program, we’ll see a decrease in the discrimination that we’ve been seeing against voucher holders.”

As months have gone by, laws have been passed and Vonesh has gotten help, he has maintained hope for Justin — but it hasn’t been easy.

With the number of apartments that have not worked out for his grandson, Vonesh was hesitant to say one law would x the whole process.

“I think some of these folks can be pretty creative if they really don’t want to accept vouchers,” he said.

But the new law is a step forward, he said.

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Wonderbound season begins Oct. 19

tion, according to information we received.

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Wonderbound’s Artistic Director Garrett Ammon and Clay Rose created “Wicked Bayou,” which will open the contemporary ballet’s 10th season Oct. 19-29 in its new permanent home in Park Hill, at 3842 Dahlia St., Denver, according to a recent announcement.

e company has appeared at various venues in the metro area since its founding and moved into the new facility in May.

October performances will be with

e Widow’s Bane, a band which is described as “a convergence of Creole and Cajun folklore.” (Ammons features live music.)

is will be a nal chance to see this band perform, as it will be saying farewell after this produc-

Wonderbound now has a 260seat auditorium and will welcome its audience to performances on a large stage, where the company will rehearse and perform. e new facility also has administrative o ces. (We are told that there is parking at the new location and on the nearby street.) e organization is proud to have weathered the pandemic without furloughs or layo s or salary cuts ...

e “Wicked Bayou” ballet was created by Ammons and Rose, frontman for the Boulder-based band Gasoline Lollipops. e new work is a dark adventure, which includes a depraved puppet master, an insatiable alligator and two young lovers who must ght for their lives ...

December will feature a new holiday production, “Icy Haught,” choreographed by Ammons and company dancer Sarah Tallman, on Dec. 7-17. We are assured that this is not standard holiday fare.

Ammon and Rose will also pair up for the season nale, a world

premiere of “Samson and Delilah,” which will be set in Palestine, Texas in 1977, at the height of the ERA movement. All-new music in the psychedelic country genre will tell of Delilah, a beautician, and Sam, the local sheri , star-crossed lovers, who do not always see eye to eye.” Rose and his band will accompany on May 2-12, 2024.

Also included in the season will be “Awakening Beauty,” with Tom Hagerman and his band on Feb. 22 to March 3.

e dance company is described: “Lives at the convergence of tradition and innovation, vulnerability and courage and intimacy and openness. Under the leadership of husband-and-wife team Garett Amon and Dawn Fay, Wonderbound is committed to the development and sharing of the collaborative artistic experiences ... creations erase boundaries between mediums and engage artists and audiences in candid explorations of the human experience.”

See wonderbound.com for subscription information.

Publisher: Elbert County News

Legals

Metropolitan Districts

Public Notice

Call for Nominations for School Board Directors Douglas County School District RE-1 Douglas County, Colorado

The Douglas County School District RE-1 in the Counties of Douglas and Elbert, State of Colorado, calls for nomination of candidates for school board directors to be placed on the ballot for the regular biennial school election to be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

At this election three (3) directors will be elected representing the following director districts: A, C and F for a term of office of four (4) years. To be qualified, a candidate must have been a registered elector of the school district for at least 12 consecutive months before the election and a resident of the director district which will be represented. A person is ineligible to run for school board director if he or she has been convicted of committing a sexual offense against a child.

A person who desires to be a candidate for school board director shall file a written notice of intention to be a candidate and a nomination petition signed by at least 50 eligible electors who are registered to vote in the regular biennial school election.

Nomination petitions may be obtained at Douglas County School District, Wilcox Building, 620 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, CO 80104. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Completed petitions shall be submitted to Ronnae Brockman, Designated Election Official, Douglas County School District, Wilcox Building, 620 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, CO 80104, no later than 4:00 p.m. on September 1, 2023.

Legal Notice No. 25030

First Publication: August 10, 2023

Last Publication: August 24, 2023

Public Notice

Call for Nominations for School Directors Elizabeth School District Elbert, County, CO

The Board of Education of Elizabeth School District in the County of Elbert, State of Colorado, calls for nomination of candidates for school directors to be placed on the ballot for the regular biennial school election to be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

At this election two directors will be elected for a two-year term of office, and two directors will be elected for a four-year term of office.

To be qualified, a candidate must have been a registered elector of the school district for at least 12 consecutive months before the election. A person is ineligible to run for school director if he or she has been convicted of committing a sexual offense against a child.

A person who desires to be a candidate for school director shall file a written notice of intention to be a candidate and a nomination petition signed by at least 50 eligible electors who are registered to vote in the regular biennial school election.

Nomination petitions may be obtained at the district offices for Elizabeth Schools, 634 S. Elbert Street, Elizabeth. Office hours are 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Completed petitions shall be submitted to Jaimee Glazebrook, Elizabeth School District designated election official, no later than 4 p.m. on September 1, 2023.

Legal Notice No. 25031

First Publication: August 10, 2023

Last Publication: August 10, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News Misc Notices

BEFORE THE ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO IN THE MATTER OF THE PROMULGATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF FIELD RULES TO GOVERN OPERATIONS FOR THE NIOBRARA FORMATION, WILDCAT FIELD, ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO

CAUSE NO. 535

DOCKET NO. 230600225

TYPE: POOLING

NOTICE OF HEARING

GMT Exploration Company, LLC, (Operator No. 10243) (“GMT” or “Applicant”) filed an Application with the Commission for an order to pool all oil and gas (“mineral”) interests in lands identified below. This Notice was sent to you because the Applicant believes you may own mineral interests that will be pooled if the Commission approves the Application. Pooling is the consolidation and combining of mineral interests so that all mineral interest owners receive payment for their just and equitable share of produced oil and gas. For more information about the Commission’s pooling process, please see a brochure on the Commission’s website here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14QaK0JG6G35gv qwq5pp5t1psF0fDil0M/view

APPLICATION LANDS

Township 6 South, Range 64 West, 6th P.M

Section 7: All

Section 18: All

Section 19: N½

DATE, TIME, AND LOCATION OF HEARING

(Subject to change)

The assigned Hearing Officer will hold a hearing only on the above referenced docket number at the following date, time, and location:

Date:October 4, 2023

Time:9:00 a.m.

Place:Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission

The Chancery Building 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 801

Denver, CO 80203

PETITIONS

DEADLINE FOR PETITIONS BY AFFECTED PERSONS: September 4, 2023

Any interested party who wishes to participate formally must file a written petition with the Commission no later than the deadline provided above. Please see Commission Rule 507 at https:// cogcc.state.co.us, under “Regulation,” then select “Rules.” Please note that, under Commission Rule 510.l, the deadline for petitions may only be continued for good cause, even if the hearing is continued beyond the date that is stated above. Pursuant to Commission Rule 507, if you do not file a proper petition, the Hearing Officer will not know that you wish to formally participate in this matter and the date and time of the hearing may change without additional notice to you. Parties wishing to file a petition must register online at https://oitco. hylandcloud.com/DNRCOGExternalAccess/Account/Login.aspx and select “Request Access to Site.” Please refer to our “eFiling Users Guidance Book” at https://cogcc.state.co.us/documents/reg/ Hearings/External_Efiling_System_Users_Guidebook_20201109.pdf for more information. Under Commission Rule 508, if no petition is filed, the Application may be approved administratively without a formal hearing.

Any Affected Person who files a petition must be able to participate in a prehearing conference during the week of September 4, 2023, if a prehearing conference is requested by the Applicant or by any person who has filed a petition.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For more information, you may review the Application, which was sent to you with this Notice. You may also contact the Applicant at the phone number or email address listed below.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if any party requires special accommodations as a result of a disability for this hearing, please contact Margaret Humecki at Cogcc. Hearings_Unit@state.co.us, prior to the hearing and arrangements will be made.

ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT

COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

By: Mimi Larsen, Commission Secretary

Dated: July 31, 2023

GMT Exploration Company LLC

c/o Jamie L. Jost

Kelsey H. Wasylenky

Jost Energy Law, P.C. 3511 Ringsby Court, Unit 103 Denver, CO 80216 720-446-5620

jjost@jostenergylaw.com

kwasylenky@jostenergylaw.com

Legal Notice No. 25033

First Publication: August 10, 2023

Last Publication: August 10, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

Notice to Creditors

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of DebraLee Koblos, A/K/A Debra Lee Koblos, Deceased

Case Number: 2023PR30045

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before December 3, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Stephen David Koblos

Personal Representative 42269 Kingsmill Circle Elizabeth, CO 80107

Legal Notice No. 25028

First Publication: August 3, 2023

Last

Wonderbound’s Jocelyn Green and Richard Romero in Clay Rose and Garrett Ammon’s “The Sandman” with Gasoline Lollipops.

PHOTO BY AMANDA TIPTON

‘Wicked Bayou’ will be performed with live music from The Widow’s Bane

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